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Marlins Designate Isan Diaz For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated infielder Isan Diaz for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for newly signed Jorge Soler, per a club announcement.

Diaz’s DFA largely closes the book on the blockbuster trade that sent Christian Yelich from Miami to Milwaukee. Diaz was one of four prospects received by the Marlins, joining outfielders Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison and righty Jordan Yamamoto in the deal. Brinson, the most highly regarded of the bunch, was designated for assignment in November, became a free agent and inked a minor league deal with the Astros after the lockout. Miami designated Harrison for assignment just last week. Yamamoto was traded to the Mets for now-21-year-old infielder Federico Polanco last offseason. Polanco hit .236/.301/.324 in A-ball this past season.

A highly touted prospect himself at the time of that blockbuster Yelich trade, Diaz has received plenty of chances with the Fish but has simply yet to produce at the big league level. He’s logged time in each of the past three seasons, topping 200 plate appearances in both 2019 and 2021, but the 25-year-old has only a .185/.275/.287 batting line to show for his time at the MLB level. Diaz has played both second base (735 innings) and third base (278 inning) with the Marlins but has registered sub-par defensive marks at both positions.

For all his struggles in the big leagues, Diaz does have a solid 10.6% walk rate, albeit against a more concerning 27.8% strikeout rate. He’s also been consistently productive in the upper minors, evidenced by a career .272/.359/.514 with 34 home runs, 33 doubles and seven triples in 706 Triple-A plate appearances. Diaz has a minor league option year remaining, so perhaps a rebuilding club with some infield opportunities might consider taking a low-risk look. The Marlins will have a week to trade Diaz or place him on outright waivers, at which point any team would be able to claim him (based on reverse order of last year’s overall MLB standings).

Rockies Extend Ryan McMahon

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The Rockies and infielder Ryan McMahon have agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension that will guarantee McMahon $70MM, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. McMahon is represented by Wasserman.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports the specific financial breakdown (on Twitter). McMahon will make $5MM this year, $9MM in 2023, successive $12MM salaries in 2024-25 and $16MM in each of 2026 and 2027. Should he finish in the top five in MVP voting in any of the next three years, he’d earn the right to opt out of the contract after the 2025 campaign. If he finishes in the top five in MVP voting in 2025, he’d have an opt-out possibility after 2026.

Ryan McMahon | Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to hammering out this new six-year pact, McMahon was arbitration-eligible for the second time in his career and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.5MM this coming season. The contract buys out his final two arbitration seasons and four would-be free-agent seasons. There’s no way of knowing exactly what McMahon would’ve earned in 2022-23 via arbitration, but using that projection and a rough estimate for the 2023 season, the contract is paying McMahon around $13-14MM per free-agent season. The terms fall roughly in line with some older deals we’ve seen for infielders with four-plus years of service time, including Brandon Belt (six years, $79MM) and Brandon Crawford (six years, $75MM — also negotiated by Wasserman).

McMahon, 27, had a the best season of his career both at the plate and with the glove in 2021. The former second-round pick batted .254/.331/.449 with 23 home runs, 32 doubles, a triple and six stolen bases (in eight attempts). Park-adjusted metrics like wRC+ (95) and OPS+ (98) both felt McMahon’s overall contributions with the bat were a bit south of league-average, but given the strength of his glovework, he still proved plenty valuable.

McMahon not only provided the Rockies with versatility, logging 368 innings at second base and 842 innings at third base — he did so while playing both positions at award-worthy levels. McMahon logged a whopping nine Defensive Runs Saved in just that tiny 368-inning sample at second base, and he racked up 13 DRS at the hot corner despite not playing a full slate of games there. Virtually any metric one might prefer agreed that McMahon was outstanding with the leather; he registered Ultimate Zone Ratings of 6.1 and 2.9 at third base and second base, respectively, while Statcast credited him for 10 outs above average at third base and another two at second.

It’s easy to imagine that with a full season of games at the hot corner in 2021 — Brendan Rodgers is expected to man second base, with free-agent signee Jose Iglesias taking the reins at shortstop and Kris Bryant playing primarily left field — McMahon might find himself taking home some hardware for that defensive excellence. He was a Gold Glove finalist in 2021 as it is, although the man standing in his way is a very familiar face: longtime teammate and five-time Platinum Glover Nolan Arenado, now with the Cardinals.

Like any long-term deal, the signing isn’t without its risks for the Rockies. While McMahon’s strong defense and solid walk rate (9.9% in 2021; 10% in his career) give him a high floor, the offensive gains made in 2021 will need to be sustained for the deal to pan out in Colorado’s favor.

McMahon buoyed his production by finally curtailing some pronounced strikeout issues that had dogged him throughout his MLB tenure. From 2017-20, McMahon whiffed in 30.8% of his plate appearances — including a career-worst 34.2% in 2020’s shortened slate of games. That rate fell to a much more manageable 24.7% in 2021. McMahon has always had power and a knack for making hard contact, so as long as he can keep the punchouts down, there’s good reason to believe he can continue to be a reasonably productive bat — at least against right-handed pitching. The lefty-swinging McMahon slashed just .229/.312/.353 against southpaws in 2021 (173 plate appearances) and is a career .239/.310/.433) hitter against same-handed opponents.

The Rockies underwent a front office shuffle early in the 2021 season, dismissing longtime general manager Jeff Bridich and elevating scouting director Bill Schmidt to the GM post on an interim basis. Rather than perform a search and look for external candidates, owner Dick Monfort instead dropped the “interim” tag from Schmidt’s title before the season even ended.

Schmidt, who’s been running the Rockies’ scouting department since 1999, quickly went to work ensuring that several members of the Colorado roster would remain in place. Trevor Story had seemingly made up his mind to move on before the year ended, and the Rox were unable to sway righty Jon Gray in extension talks. However, they’ve also succeeded in brokering long-term deals for Antonio Senzatela (five years, $55MM), catcher Elias Diaz (three years, $14MM) and now McMahon — in addition to re-signing first baseman C.J. Cron before he even reached the market (two years, $14.5MM). That group now joins the team’s marquee addition, Bryant, among a restructured Rockies core.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 3/21/22

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Tomorrow afternoon is the deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to exchange filing figures. Some players will go to hearings that will linger into the regular season, but many others will be motivated to settle on a contract before that point. A few early agreements have trickled in throughout the day. All projected salaries are from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Royals announced this evening they’ve agreed to terms with infielder Adalberto Mondesi. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) he’ll make $3MM, a hair under his $3.2MM projection. Mondesi was limited to 35 games and 136 plate appearances by various injuries this past season. He posted a .230/.271/.452 line with six homers and 15 stolen bases — an encapsulation of both Mondesi’s enviable combination of power and speed, as well as his concerning plate discipline. Kansas City can control him through 2023.
  • The Guardians and shortstop/outfielder Amed Rosario are settling at $4.95MM, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (via Twitter). That’s right in line with his $5MM projection. Acquired from the Mets last offseason, the former top prospect hit .282/.321/.409 with 11 homers and 13 steals over 588 plate appearances. Rosario comes with one additional season of club control, as Cleveland can keep him around through 2023.
  • The Reds and utilityman Nick Senzel have settled at $1.25MM, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (on Twitter). That’s narrowly above his $1.1MM projection. Senzel, a former #2 overall pick and top prospect, has had trouble staying healthy in recent years. He’s taken 616 cumulative plate appearances in his first three big league seasons, including just 124 trips to the plate last year. The 26-year-old is a career .246/.308/.396 hitter and remains controllable through 2025 after qualifying for early arbitration as a Super Two player this year.
  • The Reds also agreed to terms with outfielder Tyler Naquin, Murray reports (Twitter link). It’s a $4.025MM deal, a bit north of his $3.6MM projection. The lefty-hitting Naquin picked up a career-high 454 plate appearances last season, hitting a solid .270/.333/.477 with 19 home runs. Defensive metrics weren’t fond of his work, but Naquin still looks likely to see plenty of action at all three outfield spots this season. He’ll reach free agency at the end of the year.
  • Murray reports the Blue Jays and right-hander Ross Stripling have settled at $3.79MM, a few hundred thousand dollars under his $4.4MM projection. A successful starter early in his career with the Dodgers, Stripling has stumbled over the past couple seasons. He posted a 4.80 ERA in 101 1/3 innings this past season and looks as if he’ll begin this year in a swing role after Toronto’s offseason efforts to bolster the rotation. Stripling will hit the open market after the season.

Marlins, Grant Dayton Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins are in agreement with reliever Grant Dayton on a minor league contract, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (Twitter link). He’ll receive an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Dayton has spent the past three seasons in the NL East as a member of the Braves. The left-hander was effective when healthy between 2019-20, but he missed most of the former campaign on account of a fracture in his right foot. Between the two seasons, he only tallied 39 1/3 innings across 32 outings but he posted a 2.52 ERA.

Last year was a struggle for the Auburn product, as he surrendered ten runs in thirteen frames. He landed on the injured list in early June with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, then was transferred to the 60-day IL in July. Dayton never returned, and Atlanta cut him loose after the season.

Originally a Marlins draftee (11th round in 2010), Dayton made it as high as Triple-A in the Miami system and briefly cracked the 40-man roster. The Fish outrighted him in April 2015, before he ever made it to the majors, then traded him to the Dodgers that July. He made his big league debut in Los Angeles the following season, working to a 2.05 ERA in 25 games as a rookie.

Dayton, now 34, has 99 MLB appearances under his belt. He’s pitched in the majors in five of the past six seasons, posting a 3.43 ERA over 102 1/3 innings. The Alabama native has never had a problem missing bats, as he’s punched out an above-average 27.5% of opponents throughout his career. His 9% career walk rate is manageable, but the fly-ball pitcher has served up 1.67 homers per nine innings in the big leagues. Spacious Marlins Park could aid him in keeping the ball in the yard, but Dayton will first have to pitch his way onto the roster. The newly-extended Richard Bleier is Miami’s top southpaw in the bullpen, while Steven Okert and Sean Guenther also occupy spots on the 40-man.

Latest On Willson Contreras

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The Cubs have overhauled a good portion of their roster this winter. Among the most impactful moves was bringing in veteran backstop Yan Gomes — the top catcher in this year’s free agent crop — on a two-year deal prior to the lockout.

That has naturally led to some trade speculation regarding incumbent catcher Willson Contreras, who’s entering his final year of club control. There hasn’t been much firm indication the Cubs have shopped the 29-year-old this winter, but they’d also yet to open talks regarding a possible long-term extension with his representatives as of last week.

Speaking with Bruce Levine of 670 The Score over the weekend, an emotional Contreras acknowledged the possibility he could either be dealt or depart the organization via free agency next winter. “This is something that is really tough for me,” the two-time All-Star said. “Personally, the relationships I have with the team, players and fans, (leaving would) be something that will be really tough to take. This is something very emotional for me, knowing all that I have had to go through to get to this point. It’s going to be really tough and very emotional.”

Levine reports that the Yankees and Padres are among the teams that have checked in with the Cubs to gauge Contreras’ availability, although it’s not clear if any discussions are currently ongoing. Chicago certainly doesn’t have to trade the right-handed backstop, as the implementation of the universal designated hitter could allow manager David Ross to pencil both him and Gomes into the lineup on a regular basis. The Cubs’ fairly active offseason suggests they’re not punting the 2022 campaign entirely, and keeping both players would give the team enviable depth behind the dish and the opportunity to lengthen the overall lineup.

That said, one could argue that having Contreras and Gomes as a 1A/1B tandem between catcher and designated hitter isn’t an optimal deployment of those players. Both are good hitters for catchers, but neither has the kind of offensive track record that’d make them great fits as regular options at the DH spot. Contreras is the better offensive player of the duo, but even he falls a bit shy of the typical output expected from the bat-only position.

Contreras has been an above-average hitter by measure of wRC+ in each of his six career seasons. Going back to the start of 2020, he owns a .239/.345/.429 line, numbers that check in nine percentage points above the league average. That’s markedly better than the .230/.307/.392 figure put up by catchers around the league, but it’s not elite middle-of-the-order output overall. Most American League teams have increasingly preferred to cycle various regulars through the DH spot as quasi-rest days unless they have an excellent bat-only player to plug in. Just seven hitters tallied 300+ plate appearances as a DH last year; of that group, only Miguel Cabrera didn’t outhit Contreras.

While he might not be a great fit for semi-regular DH time, Contreras should hold plenty of appeal to catching-needy teams. The Yankees make an unsurprising possibility after trading away Gary Sánchez. New York is presently slated to roll with Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt behind the dish. That duo figures to be capable defensively but doesn’t seem likely to come close to Contreras’ production at the plate.

The Padres making a run would be more surprising, as San Diego already has something of a logjam at catcher. Contreras’ price tag could also prove problematic for the Friars. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for an $8.7MM salary in his final year of arbitration. That’d come with a matching luxury tax hit, and the Padres already have around $224MM in CBT commitments, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Acquiring Contreras would push the Friars right up against or perhaps past the $230MM base tax threshold, and Dennis Lin of the Athletic wrote last week the club would prefer to not surpass the CBT marker for the second straight season.

Aside from Contreras, there don’t seem to be many options for teams looking to upgrade behind the plate before the start of the season. Almost all the free agent options at the position have been signed, and there aren’t any other teams who seem likely to make regulars available in trade. The A’s might entertain the possibility of moving Sean Murphy, but that seems unlikely since he has yet to even reach arbitration eligibility. The trade market may just consist of depth types like Reese McGuire and Jorge Alfaro if the Cubs elect to hold onto Contreras.

Marlins, Richard Bleier Agree To Contract Extension

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7:13pm: The deal could actually buy out a pair of free agent seasons, as Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports (on Twitter) there’s a 2024 club option as well. According to Mish, Bleier will receive $2.25MM this year and $3.5MM next season. The option is valued at $3.75MM and comes with a $250K buyout.

3:46pm: The Marlins are in agreement on a two-year, $6MM contract extension with reliever Richard Bleier, reports Daniel Álvarez Montes of El EtxtraBase (Twitter link). The deal extends Miami’s window of club control over the southpaw by a season, as he’d been ticketed to reach free agency at the end of the year. Bleier is represented by Vision Sports.

Bleier has spent the past year and a half in South Florida, as the Fish acquired him in August 2020 while their roster was being decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak. It looked like a nice buy-low for the Marlins at the time, as Bleier had performed well from 2016-18 before things went off track in 2019. Miami took a low-risk flier on him returning to his early-career form, and he’s done just that.

The Florida Gulf Coast product has made 87 appearances in a Marlins uniform, working 71 2/3 innings of 2.89 ERA ball. He’s certainly not the flashiest reliever, having only punched out 18.1% of batters faced. Yet Bleier has walked just 3.6% of opponents and he’s induced grounders on almost two-thirds of balls in play against him. Among 197 relievers with 50+ innings since the Marlins acquired him, only three (Aaron Bummer, Clay Holmes and Emmanuel Clase) have been more successful than Bleier at keeping the ball on the ground. Despite lacking high-velocity, swing-and-miss stuff, Bleier has held opposing hitters to a .242/.275/.337 line in that time.

That is more or less a formula Bleier has ridden to success for his entire career. Over parts of six big league seasons with the Yankees, Orioles and Marlins, he owns a 2.96 ERA with a 63.5% ground-ball rate in 249 innings. He was tagged for a 5.37 ERA in his disappointing 2019 campaign, but he rather incredibly owns a sub-3.00 mark in each of his other five seasons.

Bleier has been especially stifling against same-handed batters, holding lefties to a meager .218/.254/.296 mark in 455 career plate appearances. Righties have hit .297 against him, but Bleier’s combination of elite control and ground-ball numbers have held them to manageable .332 and .440 on-base and slugging marks, respectively.

Picking up a low-cost extra year of control looks like a nifty move for general manager Kim Ng and her staff. Bleier had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2.5MM salary via arbitration this season. Today’s deal thus amounts to around $3.5MM in additional money to keep him off the market next year. Bleier turns 35 years old in April and doesn’t have the kind of high-octane arsenal teams value in high-leverage situations, so he was never going to break the bank in free agency. That said, southpaws Aaron Loup (two years, $17MM) and Andrew Chafin (two years, $13MM) landed more significant money in free agency this winter despite similar track records as Bleier has established in recent years. Those hurlers are each a bit younger, but none commanded long-term commitments anyhow.

Bleier figures to return to a middle relief role for manager Don Mattingly this season. He’s the top southpaw in a bullpen mix that also includes Steven Okert and Sean Guenther. Miami quietly had one of the more productive bullpens in the game last season, finishing 7th as a group with a 3.81 ERA.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Cubs, Robel Garcia Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs signed infielder Robel García to a minor league contract over the weekend, according to the transactions tracker at MLB.com. The switch-hitting infielder returns to the organization with which he began his MLB career.

García broke into pro ball with the Indians in 2010 but didn’t advance past Low-A in three-plus years in the system. He was out of affiliated ball entirely for some time, but García posted big numbers playing professionally in Italy between 2017-18. The Cubs were intrigued and brought him back to the affiliated ranks on a minors pact over the 2018-19 offseason.

Upon stepping into the high minors in the system, García picked up where he’d left off in Italy. He tore the cover off the ball for a month in Double-A, then hit .281/.361/.585 with 21 home runs over 296 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs selected him to make his major league debut that July, and he appeared in 31 games. The Dominica Republic native hit five homers in 80 plate appearances, but he also struck out 35 times while drawing just seven walks.

Chicago waived García the following July, and he was claimed by the division-rival Reds. After spending the 2020 season at Cincinnati’s alternate training site, he bounced around the waiver wire from the Mets to the Angels to the Astros. García stuck in Houston for the bulk of last year, tallying a personal-high 117 plate appearances over 47 games. He hit only .151/.216/.208 with one homer in that time, though, and he struggled to a .162/.272/.368 mark over 32 games with Triple-A Sugar Land.

The Astros designated García for assignment and outrighted him off their 40-man roster last September. He elected minor league free agency and now returns to the place where he began the second act of his career. Swing-and-miss has been a clear problem for García, who has punched out in 33.1% of his Triple-A plate appearances and nearly 40% of his big league trips to the dish. Yet he’s capable of playing anywhere on the infield and has flashed some power potential in the past. The Cubs will take add him back to the organization, although it might be hard for García to crack an Opening Day infield mix that figures to include Andrelton Simmons, Nico Hoerner, Nick Madrigal, Jonathan Villar and Patrick Wisdom.

Shane Baz Shut Down 2-3 Weeks After Undergoing Arthroscopic Elbow Surgery

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The Rays announced this afternoon that top pitching prospect Shane Baz underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. He’s expected to resume throwing in 2-3 weeks (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).

Baz debuted in the majors last September, making his first three starts down the stretch. He punched out 18 hitters in 13 1/3 innings during that brief look, averaging north of 97 MPH on his heater. Tampa Bay carried Baz on their postseason roster, giving him the start in Game 2 of their Division Series against the Red Sox. That outing didn’t go as hoped, but there’s little question the righty had emerged as a key piece of the Rays’ pitching plans — both in the near and long term.

This offseason, Baseball America named Baz the league’s eighth-most promising prospect. He checked in second among pitchers in that ranking, making the former first-rounder one of the top young arms in the game. It doesn’t seem there’s any reason for long-term concern about today’s procedure, although it’ll almost certainly force him to begin the season on the injured list.

Opening Day is seventeen days from now. Given the club’s announced timetable, it’s possible Baz will begin throwing before regular season action gets underway, but he’ll need some time to build strength back up. He may require some time in the minors on a rehab assignment as well.

With Baz out of the season-opening rotation mix, Tampa Bay looks likely to rely on some combination of Shane McClanahan, Corey Kluber, Luis Patiño, Ryan Yarbrough, Josh Fleming and Drew Rasmussen to start games over the first few weeks. Tampa Bay is among the league’s most flexible teams with regards to managing a pitching staff, but the loss of a high-octane arm like Baz is a disappointing development for a team competing in an AL East that again looks as if it’ll be a four-team fight.

Cubs To Sign Steven Brault

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March 21: Brault’s deal has been reworked as a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to Spring Training and a July opt-out opportunity, tweets Bastian. The veteran lefty is now dealing with an “injury setback” of some type, per Bastian — hence the restructured deal. He’d earn at a $1.5MM rate in the big leagues and can tack on up to $400K worth of incentives.

March 16, 11:30am: Brault is signing a Major League contract with the Cubs, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

10:44am: The Cubs are close to a deal with free-agent lefty Steven Brault, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided. The longtime Pirates southpaw became a free agent earlier this offseason when Pittsburgh cut him loose just prior to the non-tender deadline. Brault is represented by Warner Sports Management.

Brault, 30 in April, has tallied 70 1/3 innings for the Pirates since 2020.  He was occasionally deployed as an opener in the shortened 2020 season, though he did close out that year by allowing only one earned run over 16 innings across two starts.  In March of 2021, Brault suffered a lat strain, pushing his season debut to August 4.  In seven starts, he completed five innings only twice, with his velocity down 1.4 miles per hour from the prior year.  The lat strain re-occured on September 10, ending his season and six-year career with the Pirates.

Brault’s career high in innings in an MLB season is 113 1/3, back in 2019.  In his big league career, he’s generally struggled with walks and hasn’t missed bats.  Brault was a two-way player at Regis University, and was drafted by the Orioles in the 11th round in 2013 and traded to the Pirates two years later.  The athletic lefty managed to hit .333 in 50 plate appearances back in 2019, and which point the suggestion arose that he could occasionally pitch in in the outfield.  If Brault is healthy, there could still be a potential back-end starter in there for the Cubs.  They badly need the depth, especially with Adbert Alzolay starting the season on the IL.

Nationals Claim Hunter Harvey, Place Carter Kieboom On 60-Day Injured List

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The Nationals have claimed right-hander Hunter Harvey off waivers from the Giants, per a club announcement. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, third baseman Carter Kieboom has been placed on the 60-day injured list with what the team has termed a right UCL sprain/flexor mass strain.

Harvey is a former first-round pick and top prospect who once looked as if he’d be an important part of the Orioles’ long-term plans. His professional career has been thrown off track by injuries, though, as he landed on the minor league injured list in every season between 2014-18. That included a July 2016 Tommy John procedure that kept him to 31 1/3 cumulative innings between 2016-17.

Baltimore eventually moved Harvey to the bullpen in an attempt to keep him healthy, although that hasn’t yet manifested in better results in that regard. He missed the majority of last season recovering from oblique and lat strains. Between the injuries, Harvey has only managed to log 23 2/3 innings at the big league level.

Despite the questionable health record, the North Carolina native has continued to catch teams’ attention. San Francisco nabbed him off waivers from the Orioles in November, but they’ll lose him before he ever logs an inning in their uniform. It’s easy to see why Harvey hasn’t yet passed through the wire unclaimed, as he owns a 3.42 ERA while averaging north of 97 MPH on his heater in his limited big league time. If he can stay healthy — which is clearly no small caveat — it’s still easy to envision Harvey as a productive arm in the middle or late innings. He also has a minor league option year remaining, so the Nats can shuttle him between Washington and Triple-A Rochester for the rest of the year if they carry him on the 40-man roster.

Kieboom is a former first-rounder and top prospect himself. He has struggled to a .197/.304/.285 line over his first 414 MLB plate appearances, but the 24-year-old still seemed to have a path to regular playing time on a retooling Nationals club this year. Unfortunately, he recently sustained a forearm/elbow injury when throwing, and MLB.com’s Joe Trezza tweets that he’ll need to rest for at least six weeks before he can resume baseball activities.

It’s a tough setback for both Kieboom and the Nationals, as 2022 is shaping up as something of a make-or-break year for the young infielder. The Nats don’t look like a strong playoff contender this season, but they’re not about to embark on a rebuild with Juan Soto only under club control for three more seasons. Evaluating whether Kieboom could be part of the long-term core seemed like a key objective for the Washington front office, but that’ll be on hold for at least a couple months. With Kieboom out, Luis Garcia, veteran utilityman Ehire Adrianza and non-roster invitee Maikel Franco all seem to have an easier path to playing time at the hot corner early in the year.

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