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Bubba Starling Announces Retirement

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Outfielder Bubba Starling, a former two-sport star and top prospect, has announced his retirement via Facebook post, reports Alec Lewis of the Athletic. Mooted as a potential top overall pick in the 2011 draft, Starling never quite blossomed after the Royals nabbed him with the fifth overall selection. Starling retires with a career line of .204/.246/.298 line across 261 plate appearances in parts of two big league seasons.

Starling was long touted as a future building block for the Royals. Also a star quarterback in high school football star who’d committed to the University of Nebraska, he was seen as a raw bundle of virtually unparalleled athleticism in his draft class. He ripped through the Rookie-level Appalachian League in his first pro season (2012), and for the first two years of his pro career was widely considered among the game’s most promising farmhands.

Starling’s bat began to stall out in the low minors, however, and his offensive output never fully caught up with his off-the-charts raw tools. He looked to perhaps be turning a corner when he hit .310/.358/.448 through 72 games with Triple-A Omaha in 2019 and received his first call to the big leagues, but Starling produced a .204/.246/.298 batting line through 261 plate appearances in parts of two Major League seasons. Though his big league dreams may not have been realized, Starling did suit up as a member of Team USA’s Olympic roster this year, going 2-for-7 with a pair of RBIs and helping the United States to a Silver Medal.

While this week’s announcement closes the door on a tantalizing talent that captured the intrigue of Royals fans — and baseball fans at large — credit goes to Starling for grinding out a decade-long career in pro ball. The determination required to grind through eight seasons of sky-high expectations and make a Major League debut in 2019 is commendable in and of itself, and at 29 years of age, he could well have other opportunities in the game available to him in the coming years, should he choose to go that route.

Braves Announce World Series Roster

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The Braves announced the 26-man roster they’ll carry into their World Series showdown against the AL Champion Houston Astros. It’s largely the same as the roster they carried for their National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, albeit with a few minor changes. Outfielder Terrance Gore will take over a bench spot at the expense of utilityman Johan Camargo, while right-hander Kyle Wright will replace fellow righty Jacob Webb on the pitching staff.

Here’s how the entire roster breaks down…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Wright joins the postseason roster for the first this year as a replacement for Webb, who struggled mightily in the NLCS. Webb appeared in two games and faced 10 batters, yielding four runs on four hits (including a homer) and a walk. The 26-year-old Wright could give manager Brian Snitker a bit more length in relief, as he worked as a starter in Triple-A this season.

Wright hasn’t pitched since Oct. 2 but did fire seven shutout innings that day — the final outing of a season that saw him notch a 3.02 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 137 frames with Triple-A Gwinnett. Wright was unscored upon in his final three Triple-A appearances this season, rattling off 22 shutout innings with a 19-to-4 K/BB ratio. He tossed just 6 1/3 innings for Atlanta at the big league level in ’21, but the former No. 5 overall draft pick has tallied 70 innings with the Braves over the past four years.

Gore, one of the game’s fastest pure runners, will be used as a pinch-runner late in games and perhaps as a defensive replacement if needed. With Adrianza and Arcia both giving the Braves some coverage at virtually any infield position, Camargo’s versatility was dropped for Gore’s more specialized skill set.

Meanwhile, the Braves will have slugger Jorge Soler at their disposal for an entire series (barring injury) for the first time this October. Soler tested positive for Covid-19 just prior to Game 4 of the NLDS in Milwaukee and was subsequently off the roster for the first four games of NLCS play.

Mets Exercise Option On Pitching Coach Jeremy Hefner

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The Mets have exercised their 2022 option on the contract of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. He’ll return in that same role next season.

“I’m extremely excited to continue working with this group and build on the systems and practices we’ve implemented,” Hefner said in a statement within today’s press release. “I saw a lot of development from the rotation and bullpen and am very optimistic for even more success from the pitching staff moving forward.”

There will be plenty of turnover within the Mets’ dugout even if Hefner’s return provides a small bit of continuity. Manager Luis Rojas was dismissed after two seasons at the helm — and has reportedly already interviewed for San Diego’s managerial vacancy — and the Mets have already informed the majority of the staff that it is free to pursue other opportunities. Bench coach Dave Jauss, first base coach Tony Tarasco, third base coach Gary DiSarcina, bullpen coach Ricky Bones, Major League field coordinator/catching coach Brian Schneider, and assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo are all counted among that group.

Hefner, however, has seemingly done enough to convince team president Sandy Alderson and owner Steve Cohen that he can be a key part of the organization’s future. It’s not yet clear who’ll ultimately be overseeing either the baseball operations staff or the dugout in 2022, as New York is on the hunt for both a president of baseball operations and a replacement for Rojas, but Hefner will continue working in a critical role with whoever is hired to fill those vacancies.

“Jeremy has done an outstanding job of working with the entire pitching staff and they’ve all benefitted from his leadership and expertise,” Alderson said in a statement of his own. “He has blended analytics with his knowledge to provide players with tools for individual and team success.”

The 2021 season was hardly a banner year for the Mets in any capacity, but the pitching staff was generally its strongest point — even in the wake of myriad injuries. Teams judge coaches and managers on far more than just the baseline results, of course, but the performance of the team’s staff was still likely a critical point in Hefner’s favor.

The Mets received only 92 innings from ace Jacob deGrom and saw only two pitchers — Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker — top 100 innings at all. Despite the injury issues, however, the club ranked ninth in the Majors with a 3.90 ERA, seventh with a matching 3.90 SIERA and sixth with a 16.9 K-BB%.

Hefner, who briefly pitched for the Mets in 2012-13, will now return for a third season as the team’s pitching coach. He joined the Twins organization as an advance scout not long after his playing career wrapped up, helping to develop game plans and devise defensive shifts with Minnesota pitchers. The Twins tabbed him as their assistant pitching coach in 2019, and after one season in that role, the Mets scooped him up and named him pitching coach for the 2020 season.

The manner in which Hefner collaborates with the eventual hires in the front office and throughout the remainder of the coaching staff will determine how long he’ll hold his current role, but it’s telling that he is, to this point, the only staff member whom the Mets have made sure to retain into next season.

Offseason Outlook: St. Louis Cardinals

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The Cardinals have already gotten a jump on their offseason business, and with some money likely available to be spent, some major upgrades could be made to the 2022 roster.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Nolan Arenado, 3B: $164MM through 2027 (Arenado has declined to use his opt-out clause following the season; he can opt out of contract following 2022 season)
  • Paul Goldschmidt, 1B: $77MM through 2024
  • Miles Mikolas, SP: $33.5MM through 2023
  • Adam Wainwright, SP: $17.5MM through 2022
  • Paul DeJong, SS: $17MM through 2023 (includes $2MM buyout of $12.5MM club option for 2024)(Cardinals also have $15MM club option for 2025 season, with a $1MM buyout)
  • Yadier Molina, C: $10MM through 2022

Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected 2022 salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Option Decisions

  • Matt Carpenter, IF: $18.5MM club option for 2022 ($2MM buyout)
  • Carlos Martinez, SP: $17MM club option for 2022 ($500K buyout)(Cardinals also have $18M club option for 2023 season, with a $500K buyout)

Free Agents

While the Cardinals’ club-record 17-game winning streak was a nice twist for this year’s squad, the late-season surge has almost become routine in St. Louis.  Over the last six years, the Cards are 239-238 in the first halves of seasons, and then a whopping 229-162 in the second half.

As fun as these late charges are, St. Louis fans probably wouldn’t mind a team that can actually bank a few more wins earlier in the year, since the Cardinals have only one division title in those six seasons.  A few more wins in October also wouldn’t hurt; the Cards fell short in the playoffs for the third straight year, losing to the Dodgers in the NL Wild Card game.

Despite another early postseason exit, it was assumed that manager Mike Shildt’s job was perfectly safe, which is why his firing on Oct. 14 caught many in baseball by surprise.  In the phrasing of president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, there were simply too many “philosophical differences” between Shildt and the front office for the relationship to continue, and thus bench coach Oliver Marmol was promoted to the top job in the dugout after the team held a relatively brief managerial search.

The 35-year-old Marmol is baseball’s youngest manager, though he has long been considered a future managerial candidate and (with his entire 15-year professional spent in the St. Louis organization) is no stranger to “The Cardinal Way.”  He won’t have the benefit of a learning curve, however, as Cards fans are getting impatient after eight seasons without a World Series appearance.

Despite the deflating ending, there are plenty of positives to be found from the Cards’ season.  Nolan Arenado came as advertised, Edmundo Sosa emerged as a nice surprise in the middle infield, and the Cardinals’ outfield went from a question mark to a major strength.  Tyler O’Neill had a breakout year, Dylan Carlson had a strong showing in his first full MLB season, and Harrison Bader made a case for himself as a regular by hitting well against both left-handed and right-handed pitching.  Considering that all three also displayed standout defense in addition to their strong hitting, the Cards suddenly had one of baseball’s top all-around outfield trios.

With the three outfielders all blossoming at once, 2021 had some vague feeling of a changing of the guard in St. Louis, and yet how different could things really be with Adam Wainwright still throwing to Yadier Molina?  After the two franchise icons were re-signed relatively late last offseason, the Cardinals wasted no time in arranging reunions for 2022, signing Molina to a one-year extension in August and then inking Wainwright to another one-year pact in September.

Molina has announced that 2022 will be his final season, so the catcher will finally be hanging up the cleats after 19 years in the majors.  Even in his age-38 season, Molina was still delivering quality defense and roughly average offensive production for a catcher, and his game-calling skills and clubhouse leadership are valued almost beyond measure in St. Louis.

Wainwright will return with a hefty raise, going from $8MM in 2021 to $17.5MM next season thanks to an outstanding year that could net him some down-ballot Cy Young Award votes.  Though it seemed Wainwright’s career was winding down after a pair of injury-plagued and generally lackluster seasons in 2017-18, the veteran right-hander has found a second wind, and he has quietly been one of baseball’s better starters over the last two years.

Re-signing Molina and Wainwright for a collective $10.5MM increase on their 2021 salaries might have been a little unexpected for the St. Louis front office, yet it is certainly a price the team is comfortable paying, particularly since a lot of other money is coming off the books.  Longtime Cardinals Matt Carpenter and Carlos Martinez have multiple seasons of struggles now under their belts, and the Cards are sure to decline expensive club options on both players.

Andrew Miller’s free agency opens up another $12MM in salary, and the Cardinals will also be entirely free of Dexter Fowler’s contract.  That puts the payroll for 2022 at roughly $137.22MM, per Roster Resource.  Since the Cardinals’ payroll approached $174MM at the end of the 2019 season, there would seem to be room for Mozeliak to add at least one more big contract.

Between Arenado, Molina, O’Neill, Carlson, Bader, and the ever-dangerous Paul Goldschmidt, the Cardinals already have a lot of their position player mix settled.  There is much to be decided with the middle infield, however, and the possibility of the DH coming to the National League in the next collective bargaining agreement means that more offense could be required.  Ideally, that offense would come from a left-handed bat or two, in order to balance out a largely right-handed Cardinals lineup.  Adding some left-handed thump would give the Cards some flexibility to sign another right-handed bench bat…like, for instance, Albert Pujols in what might be the St. Louis legend’s final Major League season.

Turning back to the middle infield, Sosa, Paul DeJong, and Tommy Edman are all fantastic defenders, so they all bring something to the table even if they’re not hitting.  That said, DeJong and Edman have both been below-average hitters for each of the last two seasons.  And, as fun as Sosa’s 2021 was, there isn’t much in his minor league resume or in his brief MLB career to suggest that he can now be counted on as a reliable bat.

DeJong is by far the most expensive of the trio, so he’d be the most difficult to move if the Cardinals did decide to make a middle infield change.  However, the $17MM remaining on DeJong’s contract isn’t an onerous sum, especially since he at least offers elite defense and some decent home run pop.  As MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently illustrated, a team that isn’t willing or able to spend at the top of this year’s free agent shortstop market could turn to a DeJong trade as a backup plan, or perhaps a team that loses its star shortstop (e.g. the Rockies or Astros) could see DeJong as a something of a short-term replacement.

Could the Cardinals themselves land one of the names from that star-studded shortstop class?  The rumors of Trevor Story eventually joining his friend Arenado in St. Louis have percolated practically since Arenado was acquired.  A big left-handed bat like Corey Seager would be a perfect fit for the Cards’ needs.  Or, maybe the Cardinals’ play would be to keep DeJong and Sosa at shortstop, move Edman around the diamond as a utilityman, and acquire a new everyday second baseman.  Marcus Semien, Chris Taylor, or Eduardo Escobar are all options on this front depending on how much of a financial splash St. Louis is willing to make.  That trio can all play multiple positions, and Taylor could also figure into the outfield mix, just to guard against any regression from the starting trio.

It is also possible the Cardinals have a left-handed hitting middle infield solution already on deck.  Top prospect Nolan Gorman has been showing some promise as a second baseman, and his power bat looks ready enough for an MLB debut in 2022.  The Cardinals could give Gorman a look at the keystone and instead save their money for a big addition to the rotation.

As tremendous as Wainwright has been, going into a season counting on a 40-year-old to be the ace of a staff is an obvious risk.  The next three pitchers penciled into next year’s rotation (Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson) combined for 131 2/3 innings in 2021 due to injuries and, in the case of Hudson’s Tommy John rehab, recovery from past injuries.  If Wainwright keeps fighting off Father Time and any or all of Flaherty, Mikolas, and Hudson return to their 2019 form, the front of the Cardinals’ rotation looks quite strong.

If not, the Cards run the risk of repeating this past summer, when injuries so badly frayed the team’s depth.  Shopping at the top of the market for a frontline ace immediately removes some of the questions from the pitching mix, as the Cardinals could then be more confident that they have enough arms to not only withstand injury, but perhaps to help bolster the bullpen, or even to dangle as trade chips at the deadline.

St. Louis native Max Scherzer has long been coveted by Cardinals fans, and perhaps the veteran would like to cap off his outstanding career by trying to bring another title back to The Gateway City.  Or, Marcus Stroman’s grounder-heavy approach could be even more effective if he was pitching in front of the Cards’ terrific defense.  Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray also stand out on the free agent market, or if Mozeliak prefers to swing another trade, he could check in with a team like the Athletics, as Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt are two members of Oakland’s large and increasingly pricey arbitration class.

Trade deadline additions Jon Lester and J.A. Happ bailed the Cards out by tossing some quality innings, and a reunion with either free agent isn’t out of the question.  The same goes for Kwang Hyun Kim.  While Kim has also had his share of injury concerns and his peripheral numbers aren’t anything special, the southpaw has posted a 2.97 ERA over his 145 2/3 innings in Major League Baseball.

Turning to the in-house names, Jake Woodford is available to start or perhaps work as a swingman, Johan Oviedo gained more experience in 2021, top prospect Matthew Liberatore is knocking on the door, and the Cardinals are hopeful that at least one of Jordan Hicks or Alex Reyes can be healthy enough to be stretched out as starters.  Hicks made a pair of Arizona Fall League starts, and the Cards will at least take a look at him in a starting role next spring (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Katie Woo).

Any of these pitchers could also be used in the bullpen, and the relief corps (like basically every other aspect of the team) rounded itself into a strength for the late-season surge.  Giovanny Gallegos pitched well all season and stepped up as the first-choice closer down the stretch.  St. Louis will probably add an external veteran or two to the pen, so the team could get someone with some closing experience to act as a safety net.  Hicks or Reyes could also again factor into save situations, depending on what ends up happening with their rotation chances.

The Cardinals’ penchant for late comebacks has tended to alleviate some of the pressure on Mozeliak, but the Shildt firing might have removed whatever slack the fanbase has been willing to grant.  Marmol is now the third manager hired by Mozeliak, so the pressure will only increase on the longtime executive to get the Cards back over the playoff hump.  Could another big swing be in the works?  Time will tell, but the Cardinals have the payroll space and perhaps some increased urgency to make a splash.

St. Louis Cardinals Job Opening

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From time to time, as a service to our readers, MLB Trade Rumors will post job opportunities of possible interest that are brought to our attention. MLBTR has no affiliation with the hiring entity, no role in the hiring process, and no financial interest in the posting of this opportunity.

Link to apply

Summary of Responsibilities:

The role of the Senior Cloud Engineer will be to design, develop, and maintain cloud infrastructure for the baseball data systems of the St. Louis Cardinals. This person will collaborate with the Baseball Systems group to ensure that quality data and analytics are accessible in a timely fashion to front office members, scouts, coaches, players, and others in Baseball Operations. This person should be detail-oriented, enjoy sharing expertise with others, keep up with the latest cloud tools and technologies, and have an interest in the game of baseball.

Job Location: St. Louis (Preferred) or Remote

Education and Experience Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, or a combination of relevant education and work experience
  • Ability to implement, validate, and maintain software in a cloud environment including:
    • Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming language (Python preferred) and application design patterns
    • Debugging, performance tuning, and cost optimization
    • Systems monitoring and reliability
    • Unit testing and test automation
  • Experience with cloud architecture principles such as:
    • Distributed and event-driven computing
    • Memory management
    • Scaling up and down systems
    • Serverless architectures
  • Experience with cloud data management including:
    • Databases (Relational, NoSQL, Columnar) and data warehousing
    • ETL processes and pipeline automation
    • Cloud storage
  • Experience with establishing, promoting and ensuring best practices

Education and Experience Preferred:

  • 3-5+ years of experience with cloud infrastructure (preferably Google Cloud Platform (GCP))
  • Experience with baseball data
  • Experience with data analytics
  • Experience with cloud infrastructure management such as:
    • Infrastructure as code
    • Docker and Kubernetes
    • Version control
    • CI/CD

Which Draft Picks Each Team Would Forfeit By Signing A Qualified Free Agent

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The collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1st, and it’s unclear whether its rules for draft pick compensation will remain in place for the 2021-22 offseason, whenever teams eventually sign free agents.  It’s at least possible that the current rules will be used once more.  We know that the qualifying offer is set at $18.4MM this winter, and by mid-November we’ll know which players received and turned down a QO.  If those players sign with new teams, here’s a look at the draft picks each signing club would lose – if the old rules are used.

Competitive Balance Tax Payors: Dodgers, Padres

If either of these teams signs a qualified free agent from another team, it must forfeit its second-highest and fifth-highest pick in the 2022 draft. The team will also have its international signing bonus pool reduced by $1MM. Both teams could plausibly sign a qualified free agent, though the Dodgers have significantly more payroll space.

Revenue Sharing Recipients: Brewers, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Marlins, Mariners, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins

These 13 teams received revenue sharing and did not exceed the competitive balance tax. If one of these teams signs a qualified free agent, it forfeits its third-highest pick. These teams face the smallest draft pick penalty.  Of this group, the Mariners and Tigers seem to be the most likely to sign a qualified free agent, but others like the Twins and Marlins are possible.

All Other Teams: Angels, Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees

These 15 remaining teams would forfeit their second-highest pick and and have their international signing bonus pool reduced by $500K. The penalty is something of a middle ground.  The Mets are of particular note: due to their failure to sign Kumar Rocker, they pick at both #11 and #14 in 2022, making that #14 pick subject to forfeiture.

What happens if a team signs two qualified free agents? The CBA calls for forfeiture of the next highest available draft pick. For example, if a team has already lost its second and fifth-highest picks and it signs a second qualified free agent, it would lose its third and sixth-highest picks. So as in the past, if you’ve already signed one qualified free agent, the draft pick cost to sign another is reduced.

Coaching Notes: Goodwin, Schumaker, Guardians, Brewers

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The Red Sox are parting ways with first base coach Tom Goodwin, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com). Goodwin had been in that role for the past four seasons, joining Alex Cora’s staff before the latter’s first year as Boston’s manager. After a fourteen-year major league playing career, Goodwin moved into coaching and minor league managing in the Red Sox’s system. Between two separate stints with the Sox, he spent six seasons as Mets’ first base coach. Goodwin’s departure might be the only change on Cora’s staff, as Bloom told reporters the Red Sox are hoping to bring back the rest of the group in 2022.

The latest on a few other coaching situations around the league:

  • The Cardinals have been in contact with Padres associate manager Skip Schumaker about potentially joining the  organization in some capacity, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Almost immediately after the Cards dismissed Mike Shildt as manager, speculation arose about Schumaker — a former Cardinals utilityman — as a potential successor. St. Louis opted to promote bench coach Oliver Marmol instead, although it’s still possible Schumaker could assume some other position on the Cardinals staff. The 41-year-old remains employed by San Diego, but Padres’ coaches were given permission to explore opportunities elsewhere after the Friars dismissed manager Jayce Tingler.
  • The Guardians are on the hunt for a new hitting coach after parting ways with Ty Van Burkleo a few weeks ago. Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports that his replacement is expected to come from outside the organization. Searching for a hitting instructor is unfamiliar territory for the Guardians’ front office and manager Terry Francona. Van Burkleo had served in that role for the entirety of Francona’s tenure as Cleveland’s manager, joining the staff leading into the 2013 season.
  • Brewers coaching staff advisor Ed Sedar is retiring, the club announced this morning. Sedar was a longtime member of the staff, working as a base coach for the Brew Crew from 2007-20. He transitioned into an advisory role last winter, with former big league outfielder Quintin Berry stepping into the vacant third base coaching role. Sedar spent the better part of three decades in the Milwaukee organization, first joining the club as a minor league coach in 1992.

Giants’ GM Scott Harris Not Expected To Take Position With Mets

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The Mets continue to search for a new baseball operations leader, but it doesn’t seem they’ve yet zeroed in on a likely hire. Michael Mayer of Metsmerized reported this morning that New York had recently spoken with Giants’ general manager Scott Harris. Andy Martino of SNY confirms the Mets were in contact with Harris but now rules him out as a potential candidate.

Evidently, that’s due to Harris not wanting to leave San Francisco. Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic (Twitter link) reports that the Bay Area native took himself out of consideration for the Mets’ job due to his preference to remain with the Giants. Harris has spent the past two seasons working as San Francisco’s GM, where he’s been second-in-command underneath president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. The Mets’ top baseball ops job would’ve been a step up in responsibility for the 34-year-old Harris, but it seems he’s content with his current role.

Mayer also reports that Dodgers’ assistant general manager Brandon Gomes is seemingly out of consideration for the Mets. He suggests Gomes is likely to receive a promotion in the Los Angeles front office instead, jibing with similar reports by Martino over the past couple weeks. A former big league reliever, the 37-year-old Gomes has spent the past five seasons with the Dodgers, the last three in an assistant GM capacity.

The Mets’ search initially involved high-profile targets Theo Epstein, Billy Beane and David Stearns. For various reasons, none of that trio is still a possibility for New York, and Martino adds that the team has pivoted to targeting younger, up-and-coming executives in the Harris and Gomes mold. The SNY scribe adds that there are “one or two” candidates for the position already in the organization, although he rules out AGM Bryn Alderson — the son of team president Sandy Alderson, who is partly responsible for deciding on the next hire.

In one final wrinkle, Martino suggests the new hire might be brought in with the title of general manager as opposed to president of baseball operations. There’s a bit of semantics at play there, since the incoming hire would be in charge of daily baseball operations either way. Still, the potential change in title could be dependent upon whom the Mets eventually tab.

Teams are typically reluctant to allow in-house executives to interview for lateral positions elsewhere. New York was initially reported to be seeking a president of baseball ops, a higher title would likely allow more leeway in pursuit of rival GM’s like Harris. Were the Mets to hire another club’s assistant general manager, though, they’d only need to offer that person a GM title to offer a step up.

That’s a small matter, since the Mets are in position to create either role depending upon the previous title of whomever they hire. Still, the Mets’ GM/president of baseball ops twist subtly highlights how leaguewide title inflation plays into the hiring of front office personnel each winter.

Four Orioles Players Elect Free Agency

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OCTOBER 25: Baltimore announced that each of Valaika, Eshelman and Wade has elected free agency as expected. That’s also true of catcher Austin Wynns, who was designated for assignment himself last week.

OCTOBER 23: The Orioles have outrighted infielder Pat Valaika and right-handers Thomas Eshelman and Konner Wade to Triple-A, according to MLB.com’s official transactions page.  All three players have the option of rejecting the outright assignment and opting for free agency.

Valaika has the most big league experience of the trio, with 373 games under his belt with the Rockies and Orioles, including 142 appearances in a Baltimore uniform over the last two seasons.  Valaika hit .277/.315/.475 over 150 PA in 2020 but his numbers cratered to a .540 OPS in 281 plate appearances this year, and he no longer seems to be in the club’s plans.  Valaika was projected to earn $1.3MM in his second trip through the arbitration process this winter and already seemed like a non-tender candidate.

Eshelman could be a candidate to return for another season with the O’s, as he re-signed with the team on a new minor league deal after opting for free agency last offseason in the wake of an outright assignment.  Eshelman has spent parts of the last three seasons with Baltimore, with a 5.77 ERA to show for his 98 1/3 career innings.  While he has some extra utility as a swingman, Eshelman has only an 11.3% strikeout rate over his brief MLB career.

Wade made his MLB debut this season, posting an 11.68 ERA in 12 1/3 innings over seven appearances for Baltimore.  A seventh-round pick for the Rockies in the 2013 draft, Wade pitched in the Mexican League and the independent leagues amidst stints in the Colorado and Boston farm systems before landing with the Orioles on a minor league deal this past winter.  A groundball specialist earlier in this career, Wade has a 3.76 ERA over 735 innings in the minors, starting 109 of 175 career outings.

Lance McCullers Jr. Won’t Pitch In World Series

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OCTOBER 25: McCullers confirmed he won’t be able to pitch in the World Series while speaking with reporters this afternoon (video via Mark Berman of Fox 26). The righty indicated that the strain he suffered typically requires a six-to-eight week rest period, and there’s obviously not that level of leeway remaining at this point of the season.

OCTOBER 24: Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. hasn’t pitched since Game 4 of the ALDS, and it looks like his forearm injury will end his season.  MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that McCullers won’t be available for the World Series, so Houston will now have to try and win its second consecutive postseason matchup without one of its best hurlers.

Astros GM James Click didn’t rule McCullers out when speaking to reporters (including The Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner) earlier today, noting that roster decisions didn’t need to made until Tuesday morning, “and we’re going to take every minute we can just to see how he’s responding.  We’re not taking anything off the table….It’s obviously something that I know Lance wants to be out there if he can, so we will talk to the doctors and him and the trainers and figure it out from there.”

However, as open-minded as Click was about McCullers’ chances, Heyman’s report essentially formalizes what has seemed increasingly evident over the last few days.  McCullers has yet to so much as throw since suffering his injury, a strain of his flexor pronator muscle.  While the muscle injury itself doesn’t present any serious long-term issue, McCullers has already undergone Tommy John surgery (costing him the entire 2019 season), and obviously the Astros aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks with his health.

That TJ rehab cost McCullers a chance to participate in the 2019 World Series, and it’s quite possible that with a healthy McCullers in the fold, Houston would’ve been able to bring home another championship.  The righty has quietly been a very solid arm during the Astros’ postseason runs, with a 2.83 ERA over 57 1/3 innings as a starter and a reliever in the playoffs.  This year alone, McCullers allowed just one earned run in 10 2/3 frames against the White Sox in the ALDS, starting Games 1 and 4.

Framber Valdez was announced as Houston’s starter for Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Braves.  As we saw in the ALCS against the Red Sox, the Astros will take a flexible approach to their pitching plans, so no other starters have been officially slated for the other World Series games.  On paper, it would seem like the Astros would line up Luis Garcia in Game 2, Jose Urquidy in Game 3, and then Zack Greinke for perhaps only a few innings to begin Game 4, with Cristian Javier and Jake Odorizzi on hand to provide innings as long men out of the bullpen.

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