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Yankees Planning To Keep Michael King In Starting Role In 2024

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Right-hander Michael King transitioned from a relief role to a starting gig this year and the results were encouraging enough that the Yankees will give him a chance to stick in the rotation next year. Both King himself and manager Aaron Boone tell Greg Joyce of The New York Post that the righty will go into the offseason preparing to take on a starter’s workload in 2024. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we go 150-plus innings,” King says.

King, now 28, came into 2023 with most of his major league work having come as a reliever. 56 of his 66 appearances were out of the bullpen and even his 10 starts were mostly in the range of three or four innings, making him more of a bulk guy than a true starter. He seemed destined for another year in that capacity but his role shifted as the season wore on. The club endured significant injuries in their rotation, with Frankie Montas, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino all missing extended stretches of time.

The one silver lining of those injuries is that King was asked to cover for those absences and ended up thriving. His final eight outings of the year were all starts and he posted an earned run average of 1.88 in that time, striking out 31.4% of batters while walking just 5.9%. When combined with his work earlier in the year, he had a 2.75 ERA on the season as a whole, logging 104 2/3 innings.

That finish to the season constitutes a very small sample size but it’s understandable that the Yankees are willing to see if that can be pushed further. Even if he can’t quite maintain that excellent form, a slight bit of regression could still have him in position to be a serviceable starter.

The extra workload will come with health concerns, as King’s innings tally in 2023 was already his largest as a major leaguer. He has been in the range of 150 innings as a minor leaguer, but he’s a few years removed from that now. He tossed 149 frames on the farm in 2017 and then 161 1/3 in 2018, but then was well below that in subsequent campaigns. That included his 2022 season being ended by an elbow fracture in July after 51 frames.

That creates some uncertainty about how his arm will hold up next year, but it seems the Yankees will take a shot on him, with plenty of room available for King to stick in the rotation. Montas and Severino are both set to reach free agency in a few short weeks, leaving a series of question marks behind ace Gerrit Cole. Both Rodón and Cortes will be in the mix but neither of them cracked 65 innings in 2023 due to their respective ailments. Clarke Schmidt will be involved as well after registering a decent 4.64 ERA this year, though he seems ticketed for a back-end or depth role. Randy Vásquez and Yoendrys Gómez are on the 40-man but each has very limited major league experience thus far. The same goes for Luis Gil, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2022.

Of course, the Yankees will also have the entire offseason to bring in free agents or trade acquisitions before King reports to Spring Training, but that’s a hurdle he seems happy to have in front of him. “I’ve always said, it’s almost more fun and more of a challenge if they do sign a couple guys and in Spring Training, [I’m] coming in and saying, ‘You’re going to realize that I’m better than what you’re putting out there,’ ” King said at the end of the regular season. “That sounds cocky, but that’s the approach you gotta have when you’re trying to get the spot you want.”

If King is able to successfully hang onto a rotation gig going forward, it would be a nice development for the club but for him personally as well, with starters having greater earning power than relievers. King made $1.3MM in 2023, his first time qualifying for arbitration. The arbitration projections of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz suggest he’ll effectively double that and get to the $2.6MM range in 2024. He would then be due one more arbitration raise in 2025 before he’s slated for free agency heading into the 2026 season.

Wayne Comer Passes Away

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Former major league outfielder Wayne Comer passed away recently, per various reports. He was 79 years old.

Born and raised in Shenandoah, Virginia, Comer was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators in 1962 but was traded to the Tigers while still in the minor leagues. He made it to the majors as a September call-up in 1967, getting into four games as that season was winding down.

He was back in the minors to start the following year but got called up when Al Kaline broke his forearm in May. Comer got into 48 games that season, hitting just .125 but sticking around largely in a reserve capacity. The 1968 Tigers went 103-59 and cruised to the American League pennant, finishing 12 games ahead of the Orioles. They would go on to win the World Series in seven games over the Cardinals, with Comer getting one plate appearance. He served as a pinch hitter in Game 3, getting a single in what would eventually be his only postseason at-bat, allowing him to finish his career with a batting average of 1.000 in postseason/World Series play.

Prior to the 1969 season, Comer was selected in the expansion draft by the newly-formed Seattle Pilots, who would last just one season before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers. Comer got his most extensive playing time in that one year with the Pilots, getting into 147 games while hitting 15 home runs and stealing 18 bases.

The following year, he would move to Milwaukee with the team but was traded to the Senators after just 13 games as a Brewer. He played 77 games for the Senators in 1970, one of the final years for that club before they would later become the Texas Rangers. His contract was purchased by the Tigers prior to 1971 but he was stuck in the minors for all of that year and only got into 27 major league games in 1972, his final year in the big leagues.

After his playing career ended, Comer returned to Virginia and coached high school ball. MLBTR sends our condolences to his friends, family and loved ones.

MLBTR Poll: San Diego’s Juan Soto Decision

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Just over fourteen months ago, the Padres shook the baseball world at the 2022 trade deadline by dealing a package of prospects and young players to the Nationals in exchange for superstar outfielder Juan Soto (alongside first baseman Josh Bell). The addition of Soto gave San Diego a young, elite talent to replace Fernando Tatis Jr. for the remainder of the season as the club sought its first full-season postseason berth since 2006 before pairing the two up in the outfield in 2023 and beyond.

Soto fulfilled his end of the bargain, posting a 131 wRC+ in 228 trips to the plate down the stretch for the Padres before slashing .222/.333/.611 in the NLCS as the club fell to the Phillies in five games last year. He went on to post what has become a typical season by his standards in 2023: the 24-year-old phenom slashed a strong .275/.410/.519 (155 wRC+) while clubbing 35 home runs, recording more walks than strikeouts and playing in all 162 games for the Padres en route to his third consecutive All Star appearance. Unfortunately, the rest of the club was unable to keep up with him this season, as the Padres finished with an 82-80 record, spending most of the season under .500 and never leading the NL West despite lofty preseason expectations.

The club’s brutal 2023 campaign seems to be spurring changes for the club going forward, as reports have indicated the club is planning to cut payroll from this year’s $255MM figure to around $200MM this offseason. Such a steep cut in payroll, of course, has caused speculation about how the Padres could hope to improve a roster that figures to lose Josh Hader and Blake Snell to free agency this winter. With MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projecting Soto to make a whopping $33MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility, it’s easy to see why many around the baseball world expect the club to entertain offers on the superstar this offseason.

After all, saving over $30MM on Soto’s salary could allow the club to supplement other areas of need on the roster within their newfound payroll constraints, to say nothing of the possibility that the Soto return could include big league ready pieces who could help supplement the 2024 roster themselves. As talented as Soto is, it’s at least conceivable that the club could improve for the future while minimizing the hit to their overall competitiveness next season if they make savvy additions to counterbalance the hypothetical loss of their star slugger.

The other side of that argument is simple: a Soto trade would almost assuredly downgrade the 2024 team. Even as the Padres stand to lose Snell and Hader in free agency, the club has several aging players on long-term deals. Players like Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Joe Musgrove, and especially Yu Darvish aren’t getting any younger, and there’s an argument to be made that sacrificing the present for the future to any degree is a mistake given the club’s aging core of expensive stars even as San Diego sports the sport’s 11th best farm system, per Fangraphs.

It’s also worth noting how the Padres lost in 2023. While their 82-80 record certainly left something to be desired, they posted the eighth-best run differential in baseball and the third-best figure in the National League behind only 100-win juggernauts in Atlanta and LA. The club’s Pythagorean record in 2023 was a far more palatable 92-70, with a similar 91-71 expected record according to BaseRuns. Championships aren’t won through projected standings, of course, but when looking ahead to 2024 it’s certainly fair to wonder if a very similar Padres team could achieve much better results with more fortune in extra innings (2-12) and one-run games (10-28). Holding onto Soto wouldn’t even necessarily preclude the club from dealing him later, as the Padres could always trade him at the 2024 deadline if they fall out of contention early in the year.

All that said, the dream scenario for Padres fans involves neither the club trading Soto nor him walking in free agency next offseason. Ideally, San Diego would surely prefer to extend their superstar and keep him in the outfield alongside Tatis for the next decade or longer. That may be easier said than done, of course, as Soto infamously rejected a $440MM extension offer from the Nationals prior to his trade to San Diego. The sort of megadeal that would be required to retain Soto figures to be hard to stomach for most clubs, but perhaps especially one like the Padres that, in addition to their desire to cut payroll this offseason, already has over $100MM on the books every year for the rest of the decade.

Unlikely as an extension may seem on paper, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has proven time and time again that his front office shouldn’t be counted out regarding major trades, free agent signings, and especially extensions if an opportunity to improve the club arises. Preller figures to weigh all these factors and more when deciding an approach regarding Soto this offseason. In his end-of-season press conference, Preller indicated that he plans to discuss a possible extension with Soto during the offseason but nonetheless did not rule out a trade of the young superstar this winter, leaving the door open for San Diego to take a variety of approaches over the next few months.

What path do MLBTR readers think Preller and the Padres should take regarding Soto this offseason? They could make every effort to extend him while looking to cut payroll elsewhere, trade him for pieces that could help extend the club’s current window of contention, or simply stick with him through his final year of arbitration and re-evaluate things at the trade deadline next summer. Have your say in the poll below.

(poll link for app users)

What Should The Padres Do With Juan Soto?
Trade him this offseason. 57.83% (5,371 votes)
Extend him this offseason and cut payroll elsewhere. 23.68% (2,199 votes)
Reassess the situation over the summer. 18.50% (1,718 votes)
Total Votes: 9,288

The Opener: ALDS, Brewers, Offseason Outlook

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On the heels of a wild win by the Braves and a crushing defeat for the Dodgers in last night’s NLDS games, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. ALDS heads to Minnesota, Arlington:

Game 3 of the ALDS is scheduled today for both the Astros’ series against the Twins and the Orioles’ series against the Rangers. Baltimore is fighting for their playoff lives today in Arlington after the Rangers took the first two games of the series at Camden Yards. The Orioles figure to send right-hander Dean Kremer (4.12 ERA) to the mound while the Rangers counter with veteran hurler Nathan Eovaldi (3.63 ERA). While plenty of playoff games were played at Arlington’s Globe Life Field during the pandemic, including the 2020 World Series, tonight’s game will be the Rangers’ first ever postseason game at their new stadium. Baltimore’s last stand will begin at 7:03pm CT.

Meanwhile, the Astros and Twins head to Target Field in Minnesota after splitting two games in Houston. Houston will send right-hander Cristian Javier (4.56 ERA) to the mound opposite the veteran Sonny Gray (2.79 ERA). The matchup is sure to be an exciting one; Gray, of course, leads the majors with a sterling 2.83 FIP and is one of the top candidates for the AL Cy Young award this year. Javier, on the other hand, has had a difficult season on the mound but made history during his last postseason outing. He threw six shutout innings against the Phillies during Game 4 of the World Series last year, leading the Houston pitching staff to a combined no-hitter for just the third postseason no-no in baseball history. The teams will play at 3:07pm CT.

2. Brewers to hold press conference:

The Brewers saw their season cut short last week when the club was swept out of the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee at the hands of the Diamondbacks. With the end of the club’s season comes an end-of-season press conference, and Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays that Brewers GM Matt Arnold will hold the presser today at 11:30am CT. Plenty of questions face the Brewers this offseason, with co-aces Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff as well as shortstop Willy Adames all set to go through arbitration for the final time and manager Craig Counsell’s contract set to expire at the end of the month. A transitional year could be in the cards for Milwaukee in 2024, despite the club winning 92 games in 2023 en route to their third division title and fifth postseason appearance in the last six years.

3. Offseason Outlook Chat today:

As the postseason continues for the eight teams fortunate enough to have made it this far, our annual Offseason Outlook series is back to take a look ahead at what’s in store for all 30 clubs this winter. Last night, MLBTR published the Angels installment of the 2023-24 series, which you can read here. If you have any questions regarding what the future might hold in Anaheim, including those about the future of a certain two-way superstar poised to hit free agency next month, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting an Angels-centric live chat at 2:00pm CT this afternoon. You can click here to leave a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to participate live or read the transcript of the chat after it’s completed.

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Angels

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The Angels collapsed in the second half and came up short of the playoffs yet again. Now they enter the offseason they’ve been dreading. Shohei Ohtani will be a free agent, putting the franchise at a potential inflection point. They’ll need to commit to an organizational direction behind their fourth manager in six seasons.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

2024 financial commitments: $117.2MM
Total future commitments: $427.4MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players

Non-tender candidates: Phillips, Barria, Wallach, Walsh, Suarez, Quijada

Free Agents

The Angels have had the 2023-24 offseason circled for a while. It has served as a possible endpoint to their window of rostering two of the best players in the world. At least since Shohei Ohtani truly broke through as an MVP talent in 2021, the upcoming winter has been a concern. The organization knew it was running low on time to build a winner during Ohtani’s window of control.

For a team that has desperately been in win-now mode for three-plus seasons, the Angels haven’t done much winning. They’ve tried to compensate for a generally thin organizational pipeline by addressing needs through free agency, always a step behind where they needed to be.

In 2021, the starting rotation wasn’t good enough. Last year, they gave too many at-bats to replacement level position players. They tried to bolster the overall depth last offseason, signing Brandon Drury, Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estévez while acquiring Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela in trade. Still on the fringe of the playoff race at the deadline, they pushed in for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López (plus a number of role playing veteran hitters) in hopes of salvaging one playoff run while Ohtani was still guaranteed to be on the roster.

It didn’t work. The Halos pivoted a few weeks later, waiving many of their highest-priced players in an effort to dip back below the luxury tax line. Even the organization doesn’t yet know if that effort was successful, as their tax number won’t be finalized until the end of the year. If they did go over the base threshold, the actual bill would be minuscule, as teams are only taxed on their overages. The more significant aspects are that teams pay escalating penalties for surpassing the line in consecutive seasons and that paying the luxury tax reduces the compensation teams receive for losing a qualified free agent.

That, of course, brings things back to Ohtani. The Angels will make Ohtani the QO. He will decline. If he subsequently signs elsewhere, the compensation the Halos receive would differ depending on whether they actually surpassed the tax threshold. If their CBT number is under $233MM, it’d be a pick between Competitive Balance Round B and the third round (typically around 75th overall). If they’re still over the line, the compensatory draft choice falls between Rounds 4 and 5.

Neither is a good outcome. The Angels unsurprisingly maintain they hope to re-sign Ohtani. The presumptive AL MVP hasn’t tipped his hand about free agent preferences. There’s no doubt the Halos will be involved in the bidding. Would they be willing to offer a contract pushing or exceeding half a billion dollars to retain him?

Owner Arte Moreno hasn’t been shy about spending on star talent, from the Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rendon free agent pickups to the Mike Trout extension. Yet even those megadeals are likely to land well below Ohtani’s ultimate signing price, while this is the first time in two decades that the Halos have shown a willingness to surpass the luxury tax threshold.

Even if Moreno is willing to play at the top of the market financially, the Angels will have to sell Ohtani on their ability to compete over the coming seasons. They’re tied with the Tigers for the game’s longest active playoff drought at nine years. They don’t have a single prospect on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 list.

The MLB team just finished 73-89 for a second consecutive season while Ohtani was playing on a $30MM arbitration salary and pitched 132 innings. At season’s end, they declined an option to retain skipper Phil Nevin. They’re now searching for their fifth manager since Ohtani’s 2018 rookie season. They already have north of $117MM in guaranteed salary on the books, most of it tied up in the Rendon and Trout deals. The arbitration class is likely to tack on around $16MM after non-tenders. That leaves about $79MM before reaching this year’s Opening Day payroll figure, though an Ohtani deal could account for more than half of that.

The best case scenario is that the Halos manage to retain Ohtani, who won’t pitch next season following elbow surgery, on a free agent contract that pays far more than he made this year– likely above Aaron Judge’s $40MM record salary for a position player. They wouldn’t have much room to address anything else on the roster before getting back to franchise-record payroll levels. Barring a huge jump in spending, it’s hard to see how the Angels look better entering 2024 than they did going into ’23.

That all makes the Halos feel like a relative long shot to keep their franchise player. Were he to sign elsewhere, this would look like a clear rebuilding roster. They were 16th in runs this past season despite Ohtani’s .304/.412/.654 showing. Playing the second half without Trout, who suffered a hamate fracture on July 4, obviously played a role in that. Yet Trout has played in less than half the team’s games over the last three seasons. Now that he’s into his 30s, the three-time MVP might not be capable of shouldering a 150+ game workload as he did at his peak.

The rest of the lineup has some bright spots but is middling overall. Logan O’Hoppe is a promising young catcher. He lost most of this year to a labrum tear but is the clear long-term starter. Veteran Max Stassi was out all season between a hip injury and a family medical concern. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return next season as the backup.

Los Angeles cycled through a number of infielders. David Fletcher was on and off the roster and no longer looks like a regular. He’ll remain in the organization because he’s under contract for two more seasons and doesn’t have the requisite service time to decline a minor league assignment without forfeiting the $14MM remaining on his deal. He could be waived again this offseason, though.

The Halos brought in Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron and Eduardo Escobar as midseason stopgaps. They’re all headed to free agency — the Angels will buy out Escobar for $500K rather than exercise a $9MM option — and seem unlikely to be retained. Urshela is also headed to the open market and could find a two-year deal elsewhere. Former All-Star Jared Walsh is likely to be non-tendered after a second straight down year that temporarily cost him his spot on the 40-man roster.

Despite those players departing, the Angels have a handful of infielders. Zach Neto had a solid rookie season and should be the long-term shortstop. 21-year-old Kyren Paris saw late-season action there but didn’t hit in his first 15 MLB games and should start next year back in the minors.

At first base, the Halos hurried Nolan Schanuel to the majors within a few weeks of drafting him 11th overall out of Florida Atlantic. While the last-ditch effort to compete didn’t work, the 21-year-old handled himself remarkably well given the circumstances. Schanuel walked more than he struck out, hit .275, and reached base at a huge .402 clip in his debut. He only had four extra-base hits and slugged just .330. There’s room for debate about whether the Angels should send Schanuel back to the minors to try to develop his power. His strong on-base skills at least put him in the running for the starting first base job on Opening Day, though.

Drury and Luis Rengifo will be in the everyday lineup if they’re still on the roster. They were two of the Halos’ better offensive performers, with Rengifo having a particularly impressive second half. A fluke biceps rupture sustained while taking swings in the on-deck circle ended his season two weeks early. He underwent surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Each of Drury and Rengifo should draw trade attention this offseason. Rengifo’s injury could make it difficult to find an appropriate return before he gets back on the field. Drury would be an obvious trade candidate if the Halos lose Ohtani and decide to use 2024 as a retooling season. The veteran popped 26 homers with a .262/.306/.497 slash in his first year in Orange County. Playing on an affordable $8.5MM salary, he’d be an appealing target for infield-needy teams in a winter without many free agent options.

That’s not the case for Rendon. The veteran third baseman has played in fewer than 60 games in all three full seasons since signing a $245MM free agent deal. He has played at a league average level in that time, nowhere close to the production the Angels envisioned. Rendon didn’t play after July 4 with a left leg injury that the Halos announced as a shin contusion. Rendon told reporters last month it was a tibia fracture. Both the organization and the player had been bizarrely reluctant to provide meaningful updates throughout the season.

There’s no indication that Rendon will not be ready for the start of 2024. He’ll surely remain on the roster, as his $38MM annual salaries through ’26 makes a trade essentially impossible. If he’s healthy, he’ll presumably be the starting third baseman. Few free agent deals go south as quickly as the Rendon investment has, leaving the Angels without many options but to hope for better entering year five.

Two outfield spots should be locked down. Trout is likely to be back in center field. Opposing fanbases have long speculated about the possibility of prying the 11-time All-Star away in trade. The Angels probably wouldn’t be able to shed the entire seven years and $248.15MM on his deal, but a high-payroll team like the Yankees or Phillies would presumably be willing to assume the majority of the money. Yet there are likely too many roadblocks to a trade.

Clearly, the Angels wouldn’t contemplate moving Trout while they’re still making an effort to bring back Ohtani. Re-signing Ohtani would take that firmly off the table. If the two-way star walks, Moreno would need to be willing to part with both faces of the franchise in the same offseason. For an owner who intervened to kill trade discussions regarding Ohtani when the Halos were firmly out of contention at the 2022 deadline, that seems unlikely. Even if the Angels were willing to move Trout, he’d have control over his destination thanks to full no-trade rights. Trout doesn’t seem urgent to force his way out of Anaheim, telling reporters last month that his offseason focus is on “clearing my mind and getting ready for spring and wearing an Angels uniform in spring.”

Assuming Trout is back in center field, he’d likely be flanked by Taylor Ward. The left fielder’s season was cut short when he was hit in the face with a pitch in late July. He should be back by Spring Training. Ward is a solid regular who still has three seasons of arbitration control. As with Rengifo, there’d be interest if the Halos wanted to shop him. They’re in no urgency to do so, though, and the season-ending injury makes it tough to get adequate value before Ward demonstrates that he has gotten past that frightening situation mentally.

Even if they retool, the Angels could look for a veteran corner outfielder opposite Ward. Former top prospect Jo Adell has never taken the anticipated step forward. He’ll be out of minor league options and looks like a candidate for a change-of-scenery trade, albeit for a minimal return. Mickey Moniak faded after a strong start in Trout’s stead and is probably best suited for fourth outfield work. Randal Grichuk is a free agent, while Brett Phillips will likely be non-tendered.

Adam Duvall, Brian Anderson, Joey Gallo and Jason Heyward are among the free agent corner outfielders who’ll sign for one or two years. Alex Verdugo and Mike Yastrzemski are potential trade candidates. The Angels only make sense as a suitor for a trade possibility if they’re again trying to patch things together with short-term veterans.

They’ll also have to add on the pitching staff. The Angels have run with a six-man rotation in recent seasons to manage Ohtani’s workload. General manager Perry Minasian recently acknowledged they could move to a five-man staff next season (link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). That’s true regardless of whether they retain Ohtani since he can’t pitch next year.

Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Griffin Canning have three spots reasonably well secured. The Halos would surely like to offload the two years and $26MM remaining on Anderson’s contract after he struggled to a 5.43 ERA in the first season. They unsuccessfully tried to offload the money via waivers in August. They’d presumably have to kick in cash to facilitate some kind of trade this offseason.

Whether Anderson returns, there’s room for another starter. Reuniting with Michael Lorenzen or taking a rebound flier on Frankie Montas, Luis Severino or Lance Lynn could be viable. That’d leave Anderson (if not traded) competing with the likes of Chase Silseth and potentially José Suarez for a rotation spot.

The Halos also have opportunity to add a couple relief fliers. They’re likely to opt for a $2MM buyout on Aaron Loup. They waived impending free agent Matt Moore and cut Chris Devenski in August. Hard-throwing Ben Joyce and José Soriano and right-hander Andrew Wantz presently project as the top setup options to Estévez, who’s headed into the second season of a two-year free agent deal. The hard-throwing closer would surely draw interest if the Halos were to make him available this winter. Bringing in at least one left-hander seems inevitable. Andrew Chafin, Wandy Peralta and Scott Alexander are among the possibilities.

It’s shaping up to be a difficult offseason. Minasian heads into his fourth year at the helm facing the long-feared potential Ohtani departure. If it happens, an already middling team will have lost its best player. If he stays, they’ll have a more uphill battle than ever in putting a viable roster around him.

In conjunction with this post, Anthony Franco held an Angels-centric chat on 10-10-23. Click here to view the transcript.

West Notes: Longoria, Scherzer, Pena

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With the Diamondbacks still in the thick of a playoff run, third baseman Evan Longoria surely hasn’t had much time to ponder whether or not he’ll continue playing beyond the 2023 season in recent days. That being said, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale indicated today that the veteran, who celebrated his 38th birthday over the weekend, is “leaning towards” playing again in 2024, though he’s made no official decision at this point.

That Longoria would consider playing beyond this season is of little surprise. In part time duty with the Diamondbacks this season, the veteran has slashed .223/.295/.422 with a wRC+ of 92 in 74 games. Those numbers are decent for a part-time player, but what really sticks out is Longoria’s performance prior to being shelved for a month with a lower back strain at the end of July. At the time of his injury, Longoria’s slash line was an impressive .238/.303/.500 with 11 home runs and nine doubles in just 178 plate appearances. Those well above average numbers and the significant power Longoria flashed would make him a useful addition to plenty of teams, particularly given his apparent willingness to accept a part-time role.

What’s more, a career milestone could be within reach for Longoria if he returns in 2024: the veteran has 1,930 hits for his career to this point, putting him just 70 away from 2,000 career hits. While Longoria hasn’t reached 70 hits in a season in recent years, he’s come very close with 66- and 65-hit campaigns in 2021 and 2022, respectively. If he decides to continue playing in 2024, he’d join a free agent class at third base that includes Jeimer Candelario, Matt Chapman, and Gio Urshela.

More from around MLB’s West divisions…

  • Though he was left off the Rangers’ roster for the ALDS, veteran right-hander Max Scherzer is seemingly making good progress in his bid to return from what was initially expected to be a season-ending teres major strain. As relayed by Rangers beat reporter John Moore, Scherzer told manager Bruce Bochy today that he feels “normal” after a successful bullpen session against live hitters on Friday. Given the positive update, it seems reasonable that Scherzer could remain in play for the Rangers during the ALCS, should the club make it that far. Texas currently holds a 2-0 lead over the Orioles in the ALDS. If Scherzer can return this postseason, it would surely be a major boost for the Rangers. The future Hall of Famer posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.45 FIP across eight starts with the Rangers after the club acquired him from the Mets at the trade deadline.
  • Astros fans received a bit of a scare during last night’s loss to the Twins when shortstop Jeremy Pena suffered an awkward landing on first base while running out the final out of the game. Fortunately, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relayed this afternoon that Pena was on the field and taking grounders during the club’s workout session during today’s off-day in Minnesota. Given Pena’s participation in the workout, it seems whatever may have been ailing Pena won’t be an issue headed into Game 3 of the ALDS tomorrow. Pena, who hit .263/.324/.381 in 634 trips to the plate this season, would likely be backed up by Mauricio Dubon at shortstop in the event that he was unable to play.

Big Hype Prospects: Triantos, Tiedemann, Roby, Muncy, Pauley

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After one week of play in the Arizona Fall League, several of the under-the-radar players we featured last week are off to strong starts. Heading the charge is Jakob Marsee whose 1.725 OPS leads the league. He’s one of five hitters with a pair of dingers and leads with six extra base hits. He’s recorded four walks to two strikeouts and added four stolen bases. Damiano Palmegiani is also among the top ten hitters while Carter Baumler arguably turned in the best appearance among the pitchers. He went three frames and recorded seven strikeouts.

Let’s see who else merits a look.

Five Big Hype Prospects

James Triantos, 20, 2B/3B, CHC
(A+/AA) 363 PA, 4 HR, 16 SB, .287/.364/.391

Triantos spent much of the 2023 campaign in High-A. My contacts have long liked the 2020 draftee as a breakout candidate, but his in-game power output remains below expectations. There’s late bloomer talk as a result. Bear in mind, we’ve grown a bit spoiled with precocious players who aren’t yet of legal drinking age. On the defensive side, there’s are concerns he won’t stick at second base. His bat might not work in a corner role. Triantos has a 1.230 OPS in 16 AFL plate appearances.

Ricky Tiedemann, 21, P, TOR
(CPX/A/AA/AAA) 44 IP, 16.77 K/9, 4.70 BB/9, 3.68 ERA

One of the top prospects in the AFL, Tiedemann is drawing extra work after managing only 44 regular season innings. Those regular season frames were among the best in the Jays system – he led their entire farm in several ERA estimators. The bulk of the action came in Double-A where a high walk rate, BABIP, and low left on base rate led to a 5.06 ERA. Tiedemann is a candidate to make the 2024 Blue Jays, but it’s also likely he’ll have his workload carefully managed. Role: tbd. Through one AFL start, he worked five innings and allowed one run on three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

Tekoah Roby, 22, SP, STL
(AA) 58.1 IP, 10.6 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 4.94 ERA

Like Tiedemann, Roby is getting extra work in the AFL due to missed time during the regular season. After being traded at the deadline, the right-hander pitched impressively in four starts for the Cardinals. His AFL outing consisted of three shutout innings. He allowed one hit with five strikeouts. He features a repertoire of four above-average pitches led by an excellent curveball. FanGraphs drops a Hunter Brown comp. Personally, I smell a whiff of Aaron Nola. He’s trending high floor, high ceiling as a prospect.

Notably, the Cardinals have struggled to finish their pitching prospects. Their matriculated pitchers like Zack Thompson and Matthew Liberatore often show little understanding of pitch design. Even Johan Oviedo took an instant step forward upon leaving the Cardinals. It’s unclear if this is a persistent organizational failure or pure happenstance.

Max Muncy, 21, SS, OAK
(A+/AA) 545 PA, 10 HR, 13 SB, .275/.353/.411

While most facets of his game remain a work in progress, Muncy appears to be trending toward some form of big league future. The 2021 first-rounder made considerable strides with his contact rate during the 2023 campaign. Scouts mostly view him as a utility guy in the making, although there’s still plenty of time for him to develop the game power and defensive consistency necessary to serve as a regular. His AFL season is off to a splashy start with a 1.009 OPS in 18 plate appearances.

Graham Pauley, 23, 3B, SD (AA)
(A/A+/AA) 551 PA, 23 HR, 22 SB, .308/.393/.538

Since their minor league affiliates skew hitter-friendly, the Padres have a knack for producing exciting-looking position players who fade on the approach run to the Majors. Success stories like Ty France tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Pauley didn’t have much of a draft pedigree when he was selected in 2022, but he’s since developed a reputation as a guy who gets the job done despite unconventional hitting mechanics. A left-handed hitting corner fielder with an extreme pull approach, he might reach the Majors as a carefully managed platoon man – the kind of player favored by teams like the Brewers, Rays, and Giants.

Three More

Adam Seminaris, MIL (24): Acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade, Seminaris is Rule 5 eligible this offseason. He’s playing for a roster spot in Milwaukee or elsewhere. The soft-tossing southpaw is off to a good start in the AFL. He worked four scoreless innings with one hit and seven strikeouts.

Jackson Jobe, DET (21): One of the fastest-rising pitching prospects, Jobe is rounding out a season that saw him throw about 20 fewer innings than 2022. Since Jobe could be a midseason consideration for the Tigers, his workload is of obvious concern. His AFL debut consisted of four shutout innings with two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Chase DeLauter, CLE (22): DeLauter is the current AFL RBI leader. Like many a Guardians outfield prospect, DeLauter rarely whiffs. His awkward-looking swing has no analogs in the Majors. It looks a bit like a stumbling-drunk Alek Thomas. While credited with plus raw power, it’s unclear if his bat will play against stiffer competition.

Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.

Nationals Part Ways With Four Coaches

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The Nationals have informed bench coach Tim Bogar, third base coach Gary DiSarcina, assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler that their contracts will not be renewed in 2024, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, who also reports that first base coach Eric Young Jr. will not be returning to the club next season. The changes to the big league coaching staff come on the heels of the club significantly overhauling their front office and minor league coaching staffs earlier this month. Despite the many changes in personnel, both manager Dave Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo will return in 2024 after receiving multi-year extensions midseason.

The changes come on the heels of another difficult season in D.C. The club took some steps forward with solid seasons from Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin in the rotation with the likes of Lane Thomas, Stone Garrett, and CJ Abrams providing hope for the future on offense, but the team still has a long way to go before it can hope to return to contention. While the club’s 71-91 record in 2023 was their best season by winning percentage since the club’s unlikely World Series championship back in 2019 and certainly an improvement over a 107-loss 2022, it still left the club to finish last in the NL East for the third consecutive season, a whopping 33 games behind the division-leading Braves and 13 games out of a playoff spot.

Bogar, 56, began his lengthy coaching career throughout the major and minor leagues back in 2004. His first big league opportunity came as a coaching assistant to then-Rays manager Joe Maddon in 2008, and he has since coached at the major league level for the Red Sox, Rangers, and Mariners in addition to the Nationals, including a stint as interim manager in Texas. Bogar also served as a special assistant in the Angels front office during the 2015 season.

DiSarcina, 55, has been with the Nationals as third base coach for two seasons. Prior to arriving in Washington, he served as bench and third base coach for the Mets, bench coach for the Red Sox, and third base and first base coach for the Angels throughout his major league coaching career, which began in 2014. Prior to his time in the big league dugout, he served as a manager in the minor leagues and special assistant in the Angels’ front office.

Roessler, 63, has been the club’s assistant hitting coach since 2020. Prior to joining the Nationals, he served as assistant hitting coach with the Mets from 2015-2017 before being promoted to hitting coach in 2018. He also acted as hitting coach for the Expos during the 2000 and 2001 seasons with stints in the White Sox, Yankees, Pirates, and Astros organizations in various roles throughout his lengthy baseball career, which began in 1988.

Young, 38, began working as first base coach in Washington prior to the 2022 season. It was his first big league coaching job, though he had spent 2021 as a coach at the Triple-A level for the Mariners after retiring from his playing career in 2020.

Reds Outright Five Players

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The Reds announced this afternoon that right-handers Vladimir Gutierrez, Alan Busenitz, Justin Dunn, Brett Kennedy, and Connor Overton have all cleared waivers and been assigned outright to the minor leagues. None of the five had previously been announced as having been designated for assignment, though the quintet have all now been removed from the club’s 40-man roster.

Gutierrez, 28, missed the entire 2023 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was a regular member of the Reds rotation during his 2021 rookie campaign, pitching to a roughly league average 4.74 ERA (99 ERA+) with a 5.76 FIP in 114 innings of work across 22 starts. Gutierrez struggled particularly badly down the stretch that season, with a 9.43 ERA and 7.17 FIP in his last six starts of the season. Prior to that awful stretch, Gutierrez had managed a 3.68 ERA and 4.78 FIP that gave him the look of a solid, back-of-the-rotation arm.

It was strong enough performance to earn Gutierrez a spot in the Cincinnati rotation to start his Sophomore campaign, though he struggled badly with a 7.71 ERA and 6.51 FIP in eight starts that saw him removed from the rotation at the end of May that year. Gutierrez made just two more appearances for the Reds in the big leagues that season before going under the knife in early July. Gutierrez eventually made it back onto a professional mound late in the 2023 season, though he struggled to an 8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this year. Now that he’s off the club’s 40-man roster seems likely that Gutierrez, who is eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player this offseason, will enter free agency this offseason barring the Reds deciding to both add him back to the 40-man roster and tender him a contract.

Busenitz, 33, has the option to elect free agency rather than accept the outright assignment as a player who’s been outrighted previously in his career, and will qualify for minor league free agency next month regardless. A 25th-round pick by the Angels in the 2013 draft, Busenitz made his MLB debut with the Twins back in 2017, pitching out of the club’s bullpen for two seasons with a 4.58 ERA and 5.49 FIP before joining the Reds on a minor league deal this past offseason. Busenitz was shuttled on and off the club’s roster throughout the season, ultimately posting a strong 2.57 ERA across his six appearances.

Dunn, 28, was a first-round pick by the Mets in the 2016 draft before being shipped to the Mariners in a package that also featured Jarred Kelenic in exchange for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Dunn made his big league debut for the Mariners back in 2019 and pitched to a 3.94 ERA in 102 2/3 innings of work for the club over three seasons before being traded to Cincinnati in the deal that sent Jesse Winker to Seattle. Dunn struggled badly in 31 innings with the Reds last year, posting a 6.10 ERA in 31 innings before missing the entire 2023 campaign due to a shoulder issue that required surgery in September. Like Gutierrez, Dunn will be eligible for minor league free agency unless the Reds add him back to the 40-man roster and tender him a contract in the coming weeks.

Kennedy, 29, has been outrighted previously in his career, allowing him to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. Like Busenitz, he figures to qualify for minor league free agency next month either way. Kennedy made his big league debut with the Padres in 2018 after the club selected him in the 11th round of the 2015 draft. He struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with San Diego that year and didn’t receive another big league opportunity until this year, when he posted a 6.50 ERA across 18 innings with the Reds.

Overton, 30, has also been outrighted before in his career and will have the option to elect free agency rather than accept his outright assignment, with minor league free agency likely looming next month regardless of his decision. A 15th-round pick by the Marlins in the 2014 draft, Overton made his major league debut with the Blue Jays back in 2021 before being claimed off waivers by the Pirates that September, only to hit free agency after being outrighted off the roster that offseason. With a 4.70 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work in his rookie season, Overton joined the Reds on a minor league deal and pitched well in 2022, with a 2.73 ERA in six appearances, including four starts. Things came off the rails for Overton in 2023, however, as he struggled to a 11.45 ERA in three starts with the Reds before ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery back in May.

Felix Bautista Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that closer Felix Bautista underwent successful Tommy John surgery today, with Dr. Keith Meister performing the procedure. The news comes as little surprise given Bautista’s surgery was announced prior to the end of the regular season by GM Mike Elias. The Orioles did not provide on update on Bautista’s timeline following the procedure, though he was already expected to miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign while rehabbing the surgery, with Spring Training 2025 as the stated goal for his return to the mound.

Bautista, 28, broke out in a big way during his sophomore season as a big leaguer to become one of the best relievers in baseball this year. Over 61 innings of work, Bautista posted a microscopic 1.48 ERA that was fifth-best in the majors among players with at least 50 innings of work this year while striking out 46.4% of batters faced this season. Not only did that strikeout rate lead the majors in 2023, but it was the seventh-best mark of all time among pitchers with at least 50 innings of work in a single season. Only Aroldis Chapman (2014), Craig Kimbrel (2012, 2017), Edwin Diaz (2022), and Josh Hader (2018, 2019) have ever posted higher strikeout rates in a season than Bautista did this year, putting him in truly elite company among the best closers of today’s game.

While Bautista has a lengthy rehab ahead of him as he looks to work his way back from, the right-hander won’t have to worry about his place on the Orioles as he works his way back. Elias revealed alongside the initial announcement of Bautista’s impending surgery that the sides had come together on a two-year guaranteed contract that will cover the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That leaves Bautista secure for his final pre-arbitration season and his first year of arbitration eligibility. He’ll make his first trip through the arbitration process after the 2025 campaign.

With Bautista set to spend the entire 2024 campaign on the 60-day IL the Orioles seem likely to look for reinforcements to their bullpen, which was only rivaled by that of the Dodgers in 2023, ahead of the 2024 campaign. Right-hander Yennier Cano had a strong season acting as Bautista’s primary set-up man and has filled the closer role acceptably in Bautista’s absence, while the likes of Danny Coulombe, Bryan Baker, and perhaps even converted starts such as DL Hall and Tyler Wells could impact next year’s relief corps. Still, external additions will surely be necessary to replace Bautista’s production. Hader stands atop the coming crop of free agent relief arms, though plenty of other interesting options figure to be available including Chapman, Matt Moore, Joe Jimenez, Jordan Hicks, and Hector Neris.

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