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Royals Outright Tyler Cropley

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Sept. 13: Cropley passed through waivers unclaimed and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced Wednesday. He’ll remain in the organization, as he does not have the prior outright or three years of MLB service needed to reject an assignment.

Sept. 11: The Royals announced that catcher Tyler Cropley has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to Logan Porter, whose upcoming promotion was reported yesterday.

The club has Salvador Perez as its main backstop but was also giving plenty of playing time to Freddy Fermin this year, with Perez spending some time at first base of late. Unfortunately, Fermin suffered a fracture in his right middle finger, forcing the Royals to find another backup. MJ Melendez came up as a catcher but doesn’t seem to be considered a realistic option there. Back in May, manager Matt Quatraro said they were going to keep him in the outfield in order to let him focus on his hitting and he hasn’t been behind the plate since.

Cropley had his contract selected on the weekend but has now been quickly designated for assignment without getting into a game, replaced by Porter. Prior to being selected Cropley was in Double-A while Porter was in Triple-A. On the surface, it’s a strange move to have added Cropley before Porter and then pivot two days later, but it’s possible it’s related to the schedule. The Royals were in Toronto this weekend and it has been speculated that Cropley had his passport ready to go while Porter did not. That’s not confirmed but it would make sense of why Cropley was selected and then quickly removed from the roster once the club crossed back over the Canadian border.

Whatever the reasons, Cropley got a very brief taste of major league life, albeit as a passive observer. Since the trade deadline has now passed, he will be placed on waivers in the coming days. In 43 Double-A games this year, he’s hit .234/.329/.359 for a wRC+ of 86.

Twins’ Jose Miranda Slated For Season-Ending Surgery

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Twins infielder Jose Miranda, who’s been out more than two months with an impingement in his right shoulder, is headed for a pre-surgery consultation today and expected to undergo a surgical procedure tomorrow, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The Twins have yet to make any kind of formal announcement or divulge specifics on the forthcoming procedure, but they’ll surely have an update once it’s been completed.

Miranda, 25, had a strong showing as a rookie in 2022, finishing his debut campaign with a .268/.325/.426 batting line, 15 home runs and 25 doubles in 483 plate appearances. That includes a woeful stretch at the plate during his initial call to the big leagues; Miranda posted a much heartier .286/.346/.451 line with 14 of his 15 long balls in 413 trips to the plate following a brief demotion to Triple-A.

That performance understandably locked Miranda into a starting job to begin the 2023 season, but his production was a shell of his 2022 output. Miranda hit just .220/.275/.318 before being optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in mid-May, and his .225/.326/.360 showing in the minors following that demotion wasn’t much better. The Twins summoned Miranda back to the Majors in July when Royce Lewis was injured, but he went just 1-for-10 before landing on the injured list himself.

Given this year’s pronounced drop-off in production and the revelation of a looming surgery, it’s fair to wonder whether Miranda was ever at 100% this season. Notably, he withdrew from the 2023 World Baseball Classic due to shoulder discomfort early in spring training. The young slugger was touted as a bat-first prospect throughout his rise through the Twins’ system, scorching Double-A opponents at a .352/.413/.593 clip in 2021 before moving up to Triple-A and hitting .343/.397/.563 in 80 games at that level. If this year’s downturn did indeed stem from a balky shoulder, there’s hope for him to turn things around in the future.

Looking ahead, however, Miranda’s role with the Twins is far cloudier than it was heading into the season. Lewis, the 2017 No. 1 overall pick, returned from a second ACL tear in as many years and has run with the third base job, slashing .306/.356/.528 with a dozen homers in 51 games. He’s now batting .305/.349/.532 through his first 249 MLB plate appearances. Across the diamond, Alex Kirilloff has again battled some injuries in 2023 but has produced nicely when healthy, hitting .266/.352/.430 in 270 plate appearances.

Miranda hasn’t played much second base since his time in the low minors, but that spot is spoken for in Minnesota anyhow, with Twins stalwart Jorge Polanco hitting .260/.341/.461 this season. The Twins hold a $10.5MM option over Polanco that feels like a lock to be picked up. Minnesota will also be mixing rookie Edouard Julien in at second base, first base and designated hitter, after the burgeoning young OBP machine has batted .273/.383/.457 with 12 homers and a gaudy 14.8% walk rate in his first 338 MLB plate appearances.

Miranda still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so there’s time yet for him to play his way back into the team’s plans. But the Minnesota infield has become much more crowded since that strong rookie season, with the emergence of Lewis and Julien, the return of Kirilloff and the re-signing of Carlos Correa on a six-year contract. Having so much infield depth is obviously a good “problem” for the Twins to have, but the increased depth at the big league level and this problematic shoulder injury both mar Miranda’s path back to a prominent role at Target Field. He’s still under club control through the 2028 season.

Giants Release Johan Camargo

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The Giants have released veteran infielder Johan Camargo, who’d been playing with their Triple-A club in Sacramento, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Camargo briefly was summoned to the big league roster last month but passed through waivers unclaimed near the end of August and accepted an outright assignment back to Sacramento.

The two sides will now part ways, it seems. Camargo only signed on with the Giants in mid-August after spending time with the Triple-A affiliates of the Royals (who signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason) and the Tigers (who signed him to a minor league pact after he opted out of said Royals deal). The versatile 29-year-old has played in 51 Triple-A games this season between those three clubs, slashing a collective .250/.335/.429 in the process. He went 4-for-18 in his abbreviated big league look with the Giants.

Camargo has now logged big league time in each of the past seven seasons, albeit in sparing fashion over the past few years. He was an oft-used utilityman with the Braves from 2017-19, tallying 1028 plate appearances and batting .269/.328/.438 while spending time at all four outfield positions and in both outfield corners. The switch-hitter has played in just 110 MLB games and tallied 331 plate appearances in the four years since that time, turning in a far more tepid .209/.267/.314 output.

At this stage of the season, there’s no certainty that Camargo will sign on with a new club for the final few weeks. He’d be a free agent at season’s end unless a new team wanted to add him to the 40-man roster and control him via arbitration for next year, which seems unlikely after he just passed through waivers a few weeks ago. Even if he doesn’t sign with a new club before the offseason begins, Camargo ought to again command interest as a depth option in minor league free agency. He’s a .299/.372/.492 hitter in parts of six Triple-A seasons (totaling 1054 plate appearances) and has logged considerable time at shortstop (4750 innings), third base (3300 innings), second base (1039 innings) and first base (687 innings) in his professional career.

The Opener: Scherzer, Bailey, Canha

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On the heels of some early-morning news, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Scherzer to undergo MRI:

Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer exited his start against the Blue Jays in the sixth inning due to a triceps spasm. As noted by Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters yesterday that Scherzer will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury. An injury to Scherzer, who owns a 3.20 ERA and 3.46 FIP in eight starts since joining Texas at the trade deadline, would be a brutal blow to the Rangers late in the season. The club is in the thick of the playoff race, sitting one game behind the Astros for the AL West crown and up half a game on both the Mariners and Blue Jays for the second of three AL Wild Card spots.

The Rangers’ potential playoff rotation would stand to take a hit as well, of course. Lefty Jordan Montgomery (3.62 ERA) and righty Nathan Eovaldi (2.90 ERA) have both had strong seasons to this point, but replacing Scherzer with one of Dane Dunning (3.91 ERA), Jon Gray (3.96 ERA), or Andrew Heaney (4.10 ERA) would be a downgrade.

2. Bailey nearing a return:

Giants catcher Patrick Bailey is eligible to return from the 7-day concussion-related injured list today. Both manager Gabe Kapler (per MLB.com) and Bailey himself (per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) have indicated that he is likely to return as soon as he’s eligible, meaning he could be back in the lineup for this afternoon’s game against the Guardians. Bailey, 24, has solidified the catcher position for the Giants during his rookie season, pairing a decent .248/.304/.390 (91 wRC+) slash line with defense that has graded out as superb behind the plate. The Giants have been utilizing a tandem of Joey Bart and Blake Sabol behind the plate in Bailey’s absence. The return of San Francisco’s rookie catcher could provide a spark for a Giants club that sits just 1.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot but has gone just 4-7 since the start of September.

3. Canha to visit doctor:

After exiting yesterday’s game against the Marlins in the third inning, Brewers outfielder Mark Canha is set to have his ailing wrist evaluated, as noted by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In conversation with reporters, Canha noted that he’s dealt with wrist issues before and that cortisone injections have been helpful in the past, but his treatment plan and path forward this season won’t be clear until after today’s testing. The 34-year-old Canha has slashed an impressive .303/.394/.459 with a wRC+ of 133 in 142 plate appearances since joining the club at the trade deadline, so any missed time will sting for the Brewers. Joey Wiemer appears to be the likeliest candidate to take over for Canha in the outfield, if necessary.

Nationals Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Mike Rizzo

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The Nationals announced this morning that they’ve agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with president of baseball operations and GM Mike Rizzo. The sides were reported as close to an agreement when manager Dave Martinez extended with the club on a two-year deal with a club option for 2026 late last month.

Rizzo, 62, has been part of the Nationals organization since 2006. He’s been at the helm of Washington’s baseball operations since 2009, and now figures to continue in that role for the foreseeable future, though the exact length of the deal has not yet been reported. Rizzo guided the club through eight consecutive winning seasons from 2012-2019, a stretch that including five postseason appearances with a World Series championship in 2019.

Recent years have been far less kind to Washington, however, as the club has finished in last place in the NL East in three consecutive seasons and is currently trending toward a fourth in 2023 with a 65-80 record. The downturn in production was thanks not only to the departure of key players like Bryce Harper prior to the 2019 season and Anthony Rendon the following winter, but also a pair of ill-fated big money contracts; both left-hander Patrick Corbin and homegrown ace Stephen Strasburg haven’t panned out since the club’s championship in 2019, with Strasburg throwing just 31 1/3 big league innings since and Corbin posting a brutal 5.61 ERA in 102 starts over the past four seasons.

With the team’s performance declining and over $300MM owed to Corbin and Strasburg in the coming years, Rizzo made the decision to kickstart the club’s current rebuild back in 2021. In doing so, he dealt not only short term rental pieces like Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester but also franchise cornerstones Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. A year following that 2021 sell-off, Rizzo pulled the trigger on a trade of young superstar Juan Soto, shipping him to the Padres for a package of prospects and young players.

Difficult as the past few seasons have been for Nationals fans, the future is bright for an organization now brimming with young talent. MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood, Robert Hassell, Keibert Ruiz, Lane Thomas, and Josiah Gray were all added to the organization at the trade deadline in recent seasons, while the draft has produced top talents like Dylan Crews and Brady House. Today’s extension announcement is not only a vote of confidence from ownership in Rizzo’s leadership, but an opportunity for Rizzo to personally see the fruits of the recent rebuild begin to manifest in the coming years.

Mets Reach Agreement To Hire David Stearns As President Of Baseball Operations

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What’s long seemed like an inevitable pairing has come to fruition, as the Mets have reached an agreement with David Stearns to oversee their baseball operations department, SNY’s Andy Martino reports. Stearns, who was the president of baseball operations with the Brewers before stepping down and taking on an advisory role following the 2022 season, will hold that same president of baseball operations title with his hometown Mets. He’ll officially start in his new role at the end of the regular season. He will be signing a five-year contract, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Martino adds that Billy Eppler will stay on in his general manager position.

David StearnsStearns, now 38, has long been speculatively connected to the Mets based on his roots. Born and raised in Manhattan, he worked for the Mets earlier in his career, though his baseball journey would take him to many other places before winding back to New York. After graduating from Harvard, he interned with the Pirates, then worked for the Mets before bouncing to Major League Baseball and then Cleveland.

In November of 2012, he was given the title of assistant general manager of the Astros, working under general manager Jeff Luhnow. That club was deeply committed to a rebuild at the time, as that year was their second of three consecutive 100-loss seasons. They would eventually emerge from that period of futility in 2015 by going 86-76, starting a run of excellence that continues to this day, having made the playoffs in every full season from that year to the present.

But for most of that success, Stearns was in Milwaukee, having been hired away by the Brewers in September of 2015. That club made him general manager and hoped to follow a similar trajectory to the Astros. The Brewers had been hovering around .500 for a few years but dipped to 68-94 the year Stearns came aboard. The next three years saw the win total increase to 73 and then 86 and then 96, as the club won the National League Central in 2018, their first of four consecutive trips to the postseason.

As the Brewers flourished under Stearns, rumors about bringing him back to New York naturally followed. As far back of November of 2020, when the Mets were looking to replace general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Stearns was connected to the job. But the Brewers had already signed him to an extension and promoted him to president of baseball operations. Standard practice in baseball usually sees teams allow their front office employees to pursue promotions but not lateral moves. Since Stearns already had the top job in Milwaukee, the Brewers denied the Mets the opportunity to speak with him.

As Stearns stayed in Milwaukee, the front office search for the Mets didn’t yield a permanent solution. Jared Porter was hired in December of 2020 but fired just a few weeks later when it was revealed that he harassed a female reporter in 2016. Zack Scott was then named acting general manager but was charged with driving while intoxicated in September of 2021. He would eventually be acquitted of those charges but the club had already moved on and hired Eppler as general manager in November of that year.

The results of late have been mixed, to say the least. Owner Steven Cohen has signed off on unprecedented spending levels, with the club signing many marquee free agents in recent years. That resulted in 101 wins last year, the second-best record in franchise history. But the club was quickly eliminated from the playoffs and didn’t carry their success into 2023. Various injuries, particularly to the starting rotation, quickly pushed the club out of contention and they went into the recent trade deadline as sellers instead of buyers. They are currently 65-78, just half a game ahead of the last place Nationals in the East division.

As the Mets have been going through those highs and lows over the past few years, they would continue to be connected to Stearns in rumors but his position in Milwaukee continued to be an obstacle, with his deal running through the 2023 season. Stearns stepped down as president of baseball operations last October, though he stayed with Milwaukee in an advisory capacity for the final year of his contract. At the time, he said he was “looking forward to taking a deep breath, spending time with my family and exploring some other interests.”

David StearnsThis led to immediate speculation that Stearns was setting the table for a move out of Milwaukee. The Astros parted ways with general manager James Click at the end of last season and owner Jim Crane was reportedly interested in bringing Stearns back to Houston. That job ultimately went to Dana Brown and Stearns stayed in Milwaukee with diminished responsibilities. It was then reported a week ago that Stearns had been reinvigorated by his smaller role and was contractually able to pursue other opportunities after August 1. He had already spoken with the Mets and Astros and now, at long last, he and the Mets are officially reuniting. As mentioned, he’ll take on the president title with Eppler beneath him as the general manager.

The Mets will be hoping that this is the perfect marriage to set off a proper dynasty in Queens. Since taking over the club at the end of 2020, Cohen has cited the Dodgers as a model franchise that he wanted the Mets to emulate. The Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman away from the Rays in October of 2014, allowing him to implement the creative, data-driven and analytical approach he deployed in Tampa but with more resources for signing or retaining star players. That club has continually produced significant players from its own system and indeed spent at the top of the market to great success. They last finished under .500 in 2010 and haven’t missed the playoffs since 2012.

Stearns already has a strong track record from his time in Milwaukee, even without massive financial resources. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Milwaukee’s payroll was never in the top half of the league during the Stearns tenure, topping out at 17th place in 2019. Their success has been built on homegrown players like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Devin Williams, as well as trading for players like Christian Yelich, Willy Adames and many more. The Mets, on the other hand, ran up the highest payroll in baseball history this year.

Time will tell what kind of timeline the club has in mind for its next steps. After being traded to the Rangers, Max Scherzer said he was told that the Mets would be taking something of a step back in 2024, focusing a bit more on the future and being a bit less aggressive in pursuit of short-term competitiveness. Eppler and Cohen responded and more or less confirmed that would be the case. Perhaps Stearns will take a year to get to know the club’s inner workings, keeping the moves modest until he gathers the necessary information to guide the club into the future.

The short-term trajectory will be revealed as the summer turns to fall and then to winter. But the long-term goal seems clear, as both Cohen and Eppler have long stressed the importance of building a strong farm system to supplement the club’s financial might. The Mets and their fans will be hoping that the combination of Stearns leading the baseball decisions and Cohen writing the checks will lead to a similar run of success as the Dodgers have enjoyed.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Royals’ Austin Cox, Freddy Fermin Require Surgeries

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Royals left-hander Austin Cox has been diagnosed with a full ACL tear and partial MCL injury in his left knee, tweets Anne Rogers of MLB.com. While he’s going for a second opinion, the expectation is that he’ll require surgery.

Cox was injured last week in Toronto. Scrambling to cover first base on a grounder that had deflected to the right side of the infield, he twisted his knee when he lunged to try to find the base. The Royals immediately placed him on the 60-day injured list. While the club initially termed the injury as a knee sprain, the ACL tear is a more unfortunate diagnosis.

It’ll surely keep him out well into next season, potentially costing him more than half the year. The Royals could keep Cox on the 60-day IL during the season, but they’d have to carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter. It doesn’t seem out of the question they’ll non-tender the former fifth-round draftee to clear an offseason roster spot.

A Mercer product, Cox logged 35 2/3 big league innings as a rookie. He posted a 4.54 ERA, striking out a respectable 22.1% of batters faced but walking opponents at a lofty 11.4% clip. He had similar strikeout and walk marks in 47 1/3 innings at Triple-A Omaha, where he worked to a 3.61 ERA.

In other Royals news, backup catcher Freddy Fermin underwent surgery to address a fractured right middle finger, according to Rogers. He’s done for the season but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. Fermin solidified his spot on the roster with a solid showing in a part-time role. The 28-year-old backstop hit .281/.321/.461 across 235 plate appearances. He should go into 2024 with a hold on the #2 catching job behind Salvador Perez as a result.

Giants Release Luis Gonzalez

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The Giants are releasing outfielder Luis González, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided. He’ll head directly to free agency. González had already been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers last month.

The lefty-swinging outfielder hasn’t appeared in the majors this season. González began the year on the injured list after undergoing back surgery in Spring Training. He was sidelined into August and immediately optioned to Triple-A upon his return. A week thereafter, the Giants designated him for assignment.

González, who turned 28 over the weekend, hasn’t found much of a rhythm in Triple-A. He’d hit .255/.355/.362 over 110 plate appearances for San Francisco’s top affiliate. While that’s a respectable line on the surface, it’s well below-average by measure of wRC+ in the context of a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 11.8% walk rate and 18.2% strikeout percentage were each strong, but González has connected on only one home run.

San Francisco evidently decided they wouldn’t call him back to the majors this season. He would’ve qualified for minor league free agency at year’s end. The Giants will cut him loose a few weeks early.

While González is likely to be limited to minor league offers, he’ll surely find interest as a depth option going into 2024. The former third-round pick looked the part of a solid rotational outfield piece a year ago. He got into 98 games and picked up 350 plate appearances for the Giants in 2022, hitting .254/.322/.360 with decent strikeout and walk numbers. He didn’t hit for much power, but he swiped 10 bases in 12 attempts.

Previewing The 2023-24 Free Agent Class: Second Base

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With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking an early look at the players who’ll be available on the open market.

We’ve already covered the catchers and first basemen. Today, we move to the keystone. It’s a weak infield class in general and that’s reflected in the second base group. There are players at other positions who could ostensibly move to second base. Virtually every shortstop is capable of playing the less demanding middle infield spot, for instance. Those players will be covered in future positional previous, though, so we’ll limit this list to players who have logged some action at second base this season.

Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included. Ages listed are for the 2024 season.

Potential Everyday Options

Rosario has been a shortstop for the bulk of his career, but the Dodgers have played him more frequently at second base since adding him at the deadline. One of the youngest players in the entire free agent class, Rosario hits the market coming off a down year. He was a roughly league average hitter from 2021-22 but has slumped to a .261/.302/.377 line over 516 plate appearances. He’s hitting for more power in Los Angeles than he had in Cleveland — largely because the Dodgers have more selectively deployed him in favorable platoon situations — but has reached base at just a .288 clip with L.A.

The righty-swinging Rosario has performed well against left-handed pitching throughout his career. He’s a well below-average offensive player versus righties. Some teams may prefer to keep him in more of a short side platoon role, but the middle infield class is weak enough that he figures to land an everyday job somewhere. Public metrics pegged Rosario as one of the sport’s worst defensive shortstops; he has rated more favorably at second base, though it’s tough to put much stock in a 153-inning sample.

Merrifield’s contract contains an $18MM mutual option with a $500K buyout. The Jays are very likely to decline their end, sending the veteran back to free agency. A three-time All-Star and two-time hits leader, Merrifield is one of the game’s better contact hitters. While he’s no longer performing at peak level, he owns a solid .281/.324/.396 slash with 11 homers through 549 plate appearances. He has kept his strikeouts to a modest 16.6% clip. He’s a fine defender at second base and can play the corner outfield.

The league has increasingly devalued the hit-first second base profile to which Merrifield belongs, however. Players like Jean Segura (over two years) and Adam Frazier (one year) received annual salaries in the $8MM – 8.5MM range last offseason. Merrifield’s platform year is more in line with Segura’s than Frazier’s, so he has a decent case for a two-year pact despite his age.

Speaking of Frazier, he has rebounded somewhat from his down 2022 campaign. After hitting .238/.301/.311 a season ago, he owns a .248/.304/.415 slash through 409 plate appearances with the Orioles this year. His 13 home runs are a career high, and while he has added a moderate amount of swing-and-miss as a tradeoff, he’s still keeping his strikeouts to a tidy 13.4% clip.

Yet Frazier’s overall production has hovered around replacement level this year, largely thanks to a sharp drop in his defensive metrics. While Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast had each rated him as an average or slightly above-average second baseman for the majority of his career, they’ve soured on his work in 2023. Statcast metrics indicate that Frazier has particularly struggled on balls hit up the middle, perhaps related to a drop in his throwing velocities from the keystone. Whether teams feel that’s a blip or a more worrisome indication of dwindling athleticism as he gets into his 30s could determine whether he matches last winter’s $8MM deal.

Multi-Positional Types

Andrus has gotten into 98 games for the White Sox this season. It hasn’t gone all that well, as he’s hitting .251/.311/.353 with five longballs across 355 plate appearances. That’s more in line with the numbers he posted from 2018-21, making last year’s 17-homer showing look like a blip. Andrus is still a good baserunner and can play either middle infield spot, but he’s better suited for a utility role than regular playing time at this stage of his career.

Hernández had a brutal start to the season, struggling to adjust to the Red Sox pushing him into regular shortstop run. He is better suited for the utility role he’s played throughout his career, logging most of his action at second base or in center field. The right-handed hitter was amidst a second straight well below-average offensive season when Boston traded him to the Dodgers a couple weeks before the deadline. He has turned things around in Southern California, hitting .266/.331/.435 in 139 plate appearances since the swap. The Dodgers acquired Hernández in hopes of bolstering their production against left-handed pitching, but he’s been far better against righties than lefties in that minuscule post-trade sample.

Kemp is a contact-hitting second baseman who can also play left field. He was a solid regular for the A’s from 2021-22 before a down ’23 campaign. He’s hitting just .214/.309/.307 across 389 trips to the dish this season. That’s in large part a reflection of an unsustainably poor .227 average on balls in play. Kemp has excellent plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills; he’s one of just four players (Luis Arraez, Ronald Acuña Jr. and José Ramírez being the others) with 300+ plate appearances and more walks than strikeouts. It seems likely he’ll find a guaranteed big league opportunity as a result.

After barely playing in the majors between 2015-18, Solano has surprisingly put together a five-year run as an above-average hitter late in his career. He has continued on that trajectory for the Twins this season, putting up a .290/.376/.409 line over 402 trips to the plate. Solano is a bat-first utility option who can play either corner infield spot or second base. Even at age 36, he continues to produce and should earn himself a raise on this year’s $2MM salary.

Utility/Depth Players

Alberto got into 30 games for the White Sox, hitting .220/.261/.390 in 90 trips to the plate. The right-handed hitter hasn’t caught on since being released by Chicago in early June.

A one-time top prospect, Díaz is a .177/.267/.274 hitter at the big league level. He has spent the majority of the last two seasons in Triple-A, appearing in eight MLB games this year between the Giants and Tigers. Detroit released him a few weeks ago.

Duffy cracked the Royals’ roster out of camp after signing a minor league deal. The well-traveled infielder has spent the entire season on the big league club. He’s hitting .254/.309/.312 over 188 trips to the plate, picking up scattered starts at each of first, second and third base.

Escobar has mostly split his playing time between third and second base. The switch-hitting veteran is wrapping up the second season of a two-year free agent pact that didn’t turn out as the Mets had envisioned. Escobar was surpassed on the depth chart by Brett Baty early in the season. The Mets dealt him to the Angels at a time when the Halos were still pushing to compete and decimated by infield injuries. The trade hasn’t worked out, as Escobar is hitting .229/.268/.333 with a 28.1% strikeout rate over 47 games in Orange County.

Harrison posted a .204/.263/.291 batting line over 41 games with the Phillies this year. Released shortly after the trade deadline, he spent some time in the Rangers’ system but didn’t crack the Texas roster. Harrison opted out of his deal with Texas in late August and has been unsigned since then.

After an early-career run as the Rangers’ starting second baseman, Odor has played for four clubs since 2020. He’s been a below-average hitter at every stop, showing some power but running consistently low on-base marks. Odor got into 59 games for the Padres this year, putting up a .203/.299/.355 slash before being released in July. He hasn’t signed elsewhere.

A former All-Star, Schoop has hit .204/.248/.311 going back to the start of 2022. While he played Gold Glove caliber defense for the Tigers a season ago, the complete lack of offensive production led Detroit to release him around the All-Star Break. The 11-year MLB veteran hasn’t signed anywhere since, though he is yet to turn 32 and could still find minor league interest if he wants to give it another go.

Wong had a brutal few months as a Mariner, hitting .165/.241/.227 over 67 games. Seattle released their offseason trade pickup at the beginning of August. He’s playing out the stretch with the Dodgers, getting selected to the MLB roster as part of September expansion after initially inking a minor league deal. Wong’s defensive marks have fallen from his Gold Glove peak and he has been one of the least effective hitters in the majors this year. Yet he was an above-average offensive performer just a season ago, when he hit .251/.339/.430 over 497 plate appearances for Milwaukee.

Player Options

Turner is a near-lock to head back to free agency. His contract with the Red Sox contains a $13.4MM player option with a hefty $6.7MM buyout. With a buyout worth half the option value, it should be an easy call for the two-time All-Star to head back to free agency. He’d surely beat the $6.7MM difference on his next deal.

Clubs probably won’t view Turner as an everyday second base option going into his age-39 season. He has logged 49 innings there this season, though, showing the ability to moonlight up the middle in addition to his more extensive work at the corner infield spots. The team that signs Turner is doing so for his bat, as the consistent veteran owns a .285/.355/.480 slash with 23 homers over 561 trips to the dish.

Club Options

It’s unlikely Polanco will get to the open market. The Twins hold a $10.5MM option for next season with a $1MM buyout. The $9.5MM difference is strong value for a quality bat-first middle infielder. The switch-hitting Polanco owns a .260/.341/.461 line on the season. While injuries have kept him to 290 plate appearances, it’s the third straight year in which he’s been a well above-average hitter on a rate basis. Polanco would be the best player in the second base class if he were available. Barring a major injury, he probably won’t be.

* All stats entering play Tuesday

Padres Shut Down Yu Darvish For Season

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The Padres are shutting down Yu Darvish for the rest of the season, skipper Bob Melvin told reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic). Testing revealed an olecranon stress reaction in the veteran righty’s throwing elbow.

Darvish has been on the injured list since August 26. The issue was first diagnosed as inflammation. The stress reaction is more serious, though it’s expected that Darvish will be able to rehab the injury without surgery. There’s little reason for the Friars to take chances with any notable player now that their playoff hopes are dashed.

The 37-year-old Darvish is a key rotation member beyond this season. Last winter, San Diego signed him to an extension which tacked on five years and $90MM in new money. It’s a bold investment that runs through the pitcher’s age-41 campaign.

While Darvish was coming off a 3.10 ERA showing last season, he didn’t replicate that production in 2023. He concludes his year with a 4.56 ERA across 24 starts and 136 1/3 innings. His underlying marks didn’t have the same level of decline, however. Darvish’s fastball velocity still sat just under 95 MPH on average. His strikeout rate dropped just one percentage point from 25.6% to 24.6%, while he lost less than one point on his swinging strike percentage. He issued a few more walks and allowed a bit more hard contact, but his profile beyond the ERA doesn’t look all that different from prior seasons.

It’s crucial for the Padres that Darvish perform at a mid-rotation or better level next year. The Friars have plenty of uncertainty in the starting staff. Blake Snell is headed to free agency. Seth Lugo is almost certain to join him by declining a $7.5MM player option. Each of Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez (the latter of whom has again worked almost exclusively in relief anyways) have complex options on their contracts but could potentially hit free agency themselves.

Darvish and Joe Musgrove — who is also on the injured list and might not return this season — are the only pitchers assured of spots in next year’s rotation. The upcoming free agent class is deep in starting pitching, so president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and his staff figure to add two or more arms from the open market.

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