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Archives for 2023

Mets Interested In Jung Hoo Lee

By Mark Polishuk | December 3, 2023 at 8:48am CDT

Most of the offseason buzz surrounding the Mets has focused on their pursuits of pitching, but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Amazins also have “strong interest” in outfielder Jung Hoo Lee.  Between New York’s known interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, and now Lee, it is clear that the Mets are taking a particularly hard look at the overseas market as an avenue to add talent to the roster.

Though David Stearns is now in charge of the Mets’ front office, the international market isn’t exactly a new direction for the club, considering that Kodai Senga was signed to a five-year, $75MM deal just last offseason.  That deal is looking like a wise investment considering Senga’s success in his first MLB season, and adding any of Lee, Yamamoto, or Imanaga would be an intriguing upgrade over the long term.  This fits with the general assessment that the Mets are more focused on 2025 as the target date for their true return to championship contention, though obviously the team still wants to achieve some on-field success in the coming season.

Lee is expected to be posted by the KBO League’s Kiwoom Heroes any day now, and once he officially hits the market, the Mets and other teams will have 30 days to reach a contract with the 25-year-old outfielder.  If no deal is reached, Lee would return to the Heroes for the 2024 KBO season and have to wait until next offseason to again seek out a Major League deal, yet there seems to be enough interest in his services now that Lee will very likely be making his big league debut in 2024.  MLB Trade Rumors projected a five-year, $50MM deal for Lee, and ranked him 15th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.

The Mets join the Yankees, Giants, and Padres as known suitors for Lee’s services, though the New York Post’s Jon Heyman estimates that around 20 teams have some level of interest in Lee.  Naturally, owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend gives the Mets some level of financial advantage over a lot of suitors, and it might also help the Amazins that their overall offseason focus is little more narrowed than most big-market teams.  Whereas clubs like the Giants, Yankees, or Dodgers are broadly “in on everyone” as a matter of due diligence, the Mets’ prioritization of the 2025 season has reportedly made them less interested in many trade targets only under contract for the 2024 campaign (i.e. Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Tyler Glasnow, or Shane Bieber).

Lee was the KBO’s MVP in 2022, and is a five-time winner of their Gold Glove Award for his outfield work (primarily as a center fielder).  His 2023 season was prematurely ended in July due to ankle surgery, though there aren’t any known complications preventing Lee from being fully fit for the start of Spring Training.  With a .340/.407/.491 slash line over 3947 career plate appearances for the Heroes, Lee has been more than a match for KBO pitching, though gauging how that will translate against the higher caliber of MLB pitching is the big question for any position player coming from the hitter-friendly KBO League.

Evaluators have some concerns over Lee’s defensive future and if he can generate enough power to be a true top-tier Major League hitter, though there might be a decent talent floor in place if Lee is “only” a high average/OBP type of batter who is more than capable in left field.  Sliding Lee into the Mets’ left field vacancy makes for a very easy fit, and Lee could also get time up the middle if Brandon Nimmo was moved to left field.  Public defensive metrics have been mixed at best over Nimmo’s center field glovework over the years, so even if Lee is perhaps not a sure thing at the position, he might represent at least a short-term defensive upgrade over Nimmo.

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New York Mets Jung Hoo Lee Lee Jung-hoo

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Angels, Padres, Marlins, White Sox Have Shown Interest In Martin Maldonado

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2023 at 7:47am CDT

TODAY: The Angels are also interested in Maldonado, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.  The Halos already have Logan O’Hoppe, Max Stassi, and Matt Thaiss lined up behind the plate, though O’Hoppe and missed most of the year due to injury and Stassi didn’t play at all due to a hip strain and time off for a family situation.  Conceivably, L.A. could look to trade from this catching surplus if they brought Maldonado into the fold.  Maldonado previously played for the Angels in 2017-18, making him a known quantity to the organization.

DECEMBER 1: The Astros have interest in a reunion with catcher Martin Maldonado, but they’re not alone in showing interest. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported last month that four or five clubs had shown interest in the 37-year-old, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports today that in addition to the Astros, Maldonado has received some level of interest from the Padres, Marlins and White Sox.

All three clubs are in need of some catching help, to varying extents. The Padres received a breakout performance from former top prospect Luis Campusano in 2023, as the 25-year-old turned in a stout .319/.356/.491 batting line in 174 plate appearances. That showing likely puts him atop the team’s depth chart, particularly following the Friars’ decision to non-tender veteran backstop Austin Nola, who’d been their primary catcher since his acquisition in 2020. Maldonado would represent a backup option — one whose acumen in terms of game-calling and game-planning would be particularly beneficial in a mentorship role for a young catcher like Campusano.

The ChiSox have a young catcher of their own, one who’s quite familiar with Maldonado: former Astros first-round pick Korey Lee. Chicago acquired Lee from Houston in the deadline trade sending Kendall Graveman back to Houston. Lee’s initial stint with the Sox went poorly, as he hit just .077/.143/.138 — albeit in a tiny sample of 70 plate appearances. Lee hit .278/.325/.386 in 82 contests at the Triple-A level last year, and the Sox will hope for something closer to that level of output in the Majors this season.

The Sox are also hoping for continued development from prospect Edgar Quero, acquired from the Angels in the Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo Lopez trade. Quero is just 20 years old and not yet on the 40-man roster, but he hit .255/.380/.351 in 101 games against far older competition at the Double-A level last year. He could be up in the big leagues at some point in 2024 or 2025. And even if his big league debut doesn’t come next season, he’d surely be in spring training with the Sox, where Maldonado could take both Quero and Lee under his wing.

Things are far more open in Miami, where the only catcher on the 40-man roster is defensive standout Nick Fortes. The Marlins non-tendered Jacob Stallings in November, and newly installed president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has already made clear that he could add multiple catchers this offseason. A pairing of Fortes and Maldonado wouldn’t do much for the Marlins offensively; Fortes hit just .204/.263/.299 last year, but he also has minor league options remaining. If the Fish were to add both Maldonado and another more seasoned catcher with superior offensive capabilities, they could option Fortes and relegate him to No. 3 on the organization’s catching depth chart.

Of course, it remains eminently possible — if not likely — that Maldonado stays put in Houston. The Astros organization has routinely extolled the veteran backstop’s intangible value to the team’s pitching staff, even as his framing grades and throwing numbers have deteriorated. The ’Stros love Maldonado’s work with their pitchers, his ability to help plan for games, and his actual game-calling skills. He still rates as an above-average catcher in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, as well. Houston has already gone out of its way to anoint young Yainer Diaz as the primary catcher in 2024, but Maldonado could occupy a similar mentor role to the highly touted Diaz that he could offer any of his other suitors and their young catchers.

In parts of six seasons with Houston, Maldonado carries just a .191/.273/.350 batting line. That lack of offensive production makes a backup role seem likely wherever he eventually lands but also speaks to the extent to which the Astros have valued him. He’s received nearly 1600 plate appearances and twice re-signed in Houston despite that dearth of offensive output, which only underscores how much Houston loves his work with their staff.

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Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins San Diego Padres Martin Maldonado

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Angels Retain Ray Montgomery As Bench Coach

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 10:31pm CDT

The Angels will retain bench coach Ray Montgomery in his current role next season, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Montgomery had reportedly been among the candidates to replace Phil Nevin as manager before the job ultimately went to Ron Washington.

Montgomery, 54, was an outfielder who played for the Astros in parts of three seasons, from 1996 to 1998. After retiring as a player in 2001, Montgomery joined the Brewers as an area scout in 2002, spending five seasons in the role before moving up the organizational ladder to become the club’s Midwest supervisor and, ultimately, assistant scouting director. All told, Montgomery spent nine seasons in Milwaukee’s scouting department before departing to become director of amateur scouting with the Diamondbacks in 2011. After four years in Arizona, Montgomery returned to the Brewers as a vice president and special assistant, a role he would hold for six seasons.

Montgomery joined the Angels in 2021, though he initially joined the organization in a front office role with the title director of player personnel. He made his move to the dugout prior to the 2022 season, replacing Mike Gallego as bench coach to Joe Maddon for the first coaching gig of his lengthy career in baseball. Washington will be the third manager under whom Montgomery serves in the Anaheim dugout, having remained in his role as bench coach after Maddon was fired and replaced with Nevin, who at the time was the club’s third base coach.

Retaining Montgomery offers the Angels some level of continuity heading into the 2024 campaign. The club’s coaching staff has undergone plenty of turnover since Washington took the helm, with first base coach Bo Porter, hitting coach Johnny Washington, and pitching coach Barry Enright among the club’s many coaching additions this offseason.

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Los Angeles Angels Ray Montgomery

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Free Agent Notes: Imanaga, Fedde, Barnes

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 9:24pm CDT

Left-hander Shota Imanaga was officially posted by the Yokohama BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball late last month, kicking off a 45-day window during which he’ll be eligible to sign with major league clubs. While Imanaga only just officially joined the ranks of MLB’s free agents days ago, he’s long been expected to be posted this offseason. That’s allowed Imanaga’s free agency to develop considerable buzz in recent months.

While he’s largely been overshadowed by NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who’s widely considered the top starting pitcher on this offseason’s market, Imanaga is an impressive pitcher in his own right who is expected to be a potential mid-rotation arm in the big leagues with a low-nineties fastball as part of a deep pitch mix that Brandon Tew of Sports Info Solutions recently profiled. MLBTR ranked Imanaga tenth (sixth among starting pitchers) on our annual top 50 free agents list and projected him for a five year, $85MM deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggests that Imanaga’s market may be even stronger than expected, noting in a recent article that while teams were initially hopeful the southpaw could be had on a deal similar to the five-year, $75MM pact Kodai Senga landed last offseason, his final deal figures to exceed that, potentially to the point of approaching a $100MM guarantee.

Should Imanaga’s contract ultimately reach the $100MM range suggested by Passan, it would be a major win not only for Imanaga but also the BayStars. Imanaga’s free agency is subject to the MLB/NPB posting system, under which the team that signs the left-hander would owe the BayStars a posting fee worth as much as 20% of Imanaga’s total guarantee, with the percentage going down as the price of Imanaga’s contract goes up. If Imanaga were to sign for $100MM guaranteed, the BayStars would receive approximately $16.9MM, or just over $2MM more than they would receive if Imanaga signed an $85MM deal in line with MLBTR’s projections. The Cubs, Red Sox, and Mets have all been connected to Imanaga so far this offseason, though it’s certainly possible more teams are involved in the bidding for the 30-year-old’s services.

More free agent notes from around the league…

  • Former Nationals top prospect Erick Fedde is among the most interesting free agents on the market this offseason after a dominant season with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization. Previous reports have indicated that Fedde, who sports a career 5.41 ERA across six seasons in the majors but altered his repertoire before dominating to the tune of a 2.00 ERA across 30 starts with the Dinos this year, has garnered interest from both the Dinos and MLB clubs. Su-eun Jeon of Baseball Korea (h/t Dan Kurtz of MyKBO) adds additional clarity to those reports, noting that Fedde has received interest from two MLB teams and a team in Japan’s NPB in addition to the offer he’s received to return to the Dinos. While it’s possible that Fedde could look to return to stateside ball this offseason, it’s worth noting that no former big leaguer returning from the KBO has secured a guarantee of even $10MM in the majors. That could lead Fedde to bet on himself by either remaining with the Dinos in hopes of a similarly dominant season in 2024 to further bolster his case for a more significant pact, or even consider a move to Japan in order to face NPB’s stiffer competition.
  • Fedde isn’t the only American-born player of note who could look to return to the majors this offseason, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi suggests left-hander Charlie Barnes is expected to garner MLB interest in free agency this offseason. Barnes, 28, was a fourth-round pick by the Twins in the 2017 draft and made nine appearances with the big league club in 2021. He struggled to a 5.92 ERA and 5.06 FIP in 38 innings of work for Minnesota across nine appearances. He’s spent the two years since then pitching for the KBO’s Lotte Giants, with a combined 3.46 ERA in 61 starts. Looking just at his 2023 season, Barnes struck out 20% of batters faced with a 3.28 ERA in 170 1/3 innings of work. In addition to the aforementioned MLB interest, Morosi suggests that the Giants are expected to have strong interest in retaining Barnes, who served as the ace of their staff this season.
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2023-24 MLB Free Agents Korea Baseball Organization Nippon Professional Baseball Notes Charlie Barnes Erick Fedde Shota Imanaga

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Twins Notes: Buxton, Center Field, Rotation

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 7:32pm CDT

Twins fans received some positive news on the status of Byron Buxton today, as La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports that Buxton is fully recovered from the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent back in October. Neal adds that team officials are pleased with Buxton’s progress and that the goal for the 29-year-old is for him to return to baseball activities by the end of 2023. It’s a promising update, particularly in tandem with recent comments from president of baseball operations Derek Falvey that indicated the club hopes to return Buxton to center field for the 2024 season.

Buxton, 30 later this month, struggled to stay healthy in 2023 even as the Twins moved him to the DH role on an everyday basis. Despite his typically elite center field defense, Buxton did not take the field at all this past season, appearing as a pinch hitter in five games and as the club’s DH in his other 80 appearances. The limited time on his feet unfortunately did not help Buxton stay productive at the plate, as he slashed just .207/.294/.438 with a 98 wRC+ that clocked in just below league average.

Considerable as Buxton’s struggles were in 2023, however, it’s difficult to overstate how transformative his the slugger’s presence can be when healthy. In addition to being one of the league’s most elite defensive outfielders, Buxton has shown the ability to provide game-changing offensive contributions as well. From 2020-22, he slashed a whopping .257/.317/.576 (144 wRC+) with 60 homers and 9.3 fWAR in 771 trips to the plate. The rub there, of course, is that Buxton was only to take the field for just over a full season’s worth of plate appearances across the shortened 2020 season and two full, 162-game campaigns.

Buxton’s substantial injury history led the Twins to acquire center fielder Michael A. Taylor from the Royals last offseason as a backup plan to Buxton. That decision proved to be a prudent one, as Taylor stepped in as the club’s regular center fielder in Buxton’s stead and performed admirably, pairing a strong glove with 21 home runs in 388 trips to the plate. With Taylor having departed for free agency last month, the Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale suggests that center field is the “biggest question mark” on the club’s roster as things stand, even as Buxton appears set to attempt to reclaim the regular job this spring.

If Buxton were to fall victim to the injury bug again, the Twins would have no other dedicated center fielder on their 40-man roster. That doesn’t mean the club completely lacks internal solutions. Nightengale notes that former fifth-overall pick Austin Martin, who has 65 games of experience in center at the minor league level, figures to focus on the position this spring, though he made just 12 appearances at the position last year and has yet to make his big league debut. In terms of players with major league experience, the club’s options in center field should Buxton be unable to handle full-time duties are limited to utility players Willi Castro and Nick Gordon, neither of whom has appeared at the position in more than 45 games in a season before.

That could make center field a position of need for the Twins even as they hope Buxton is able to return to everyday duties. The club’s plan to cut payroll this offseason makes a pursuit of top center field free agent Cody Bellinger impossible to imagine, though it’s at least plausible to imagine the club either re-signing Taylor or adding a similar piece like Kevin Kiermaier or Harrison Bader, who could easily play the position on a regular basis but wouldn’t necessarily demand everyday playing time. Of course, it’s possible even that sort of signing would cost-prohibitive without a trade of an veteran bat like Christian Vazquez, Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler or Kyle Farmer. In that case, the club could be relegated to lower-tier free agents such as Kevin Pillar or a trade candidate like Trent Grisham or Dylan Carlson.

Nightengale also references the club’s expected pursuits of help in the starting rotation and at first base this offseason, though the rotation comments come with an interesting change of pace. While past reports have indicated the Twins are expected to focus on adding depth to the club’s rotation, Nightengale suggests that adding a “front-line starter” is a goal for the Twins this offseason, suggesting they could look to do so through the trade market. Given the club’s deep positional group and financial incentive to deal from that group, it’s easy to see how a deal for a front-of-the-rotation arm could come together.

That being said, Nightengale cautions that the Twins are far from alone in their goal of trading for a front-end rotation piece this offseason. While each of Corbin Burnes, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Tyler Glasnow have seen their names floated on the rumor mill so far this offseason even more teams have been floated as potential suitors. The Dodgers, Braves, Cubs, Reds, Padres, Mets, Red Sox, and Cardinals are among the clubs who have been connected to at least one of the aforementioned quarter of available arms, and it’s unclear if the Twins will be willing to outbid that crowded field to replace Sonny Gray at the top of their rotation alongside Pablo Lopez.

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Minnesota Twins Notes Byron Buxton

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East Notes: Nationals, Mets, Rays

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 6:04pm CDT

The Nationals finished the 2023 season with a 71-91 record that left them as one of the worst teams in the National League, even as it represented a substantial improvement over the club’s 107-loss 2022 campaign. While the club has sat out the top of the free agent market during the recent seasons of their rebuild, it seems that may not be the case this offseason as the club looks to upgrade at the infield corners and at DH, per TalkNats. The club has already been linked to a reunion with third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who was posting career-best numbers with the Nats prior to being dealt to the Cubs at the trade deadline. The report suggests that the club has interest in first baseman Rhys Hoskins and outfield/DH slugger Jorge Soler in addition to Candelario. The report goes on to indicate that Washington has been “very active” in the starting pitching market to this point in the offseason, though it does not connect any specific names to the club.

The rumored targets make sense for the Nationals. The club has a major hole at third base given that former top prospect Carter Kieboom has failed to establish himself the big league level. Kieboom’s .207/.266/.368 slash line (70 wRC+) in 2023 was largely in line with his career numbers of .199/.297/.301 (65 wRC+), and Candelario or another third base addition would almost certainly represent a significant upgrade over the 26-year-old. Meanwhile, an addition at first base or DH could help the club improve an offense that currently figures to use journeyman Joey Meneses at one position without an established starter at the other.

As for the rotation, the club has several interesting young arms such as Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore that they figure to prioritize developing, with veterans such as Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams who can reliably eat innings. That being said, the Nationals’ starting staff posted a combined 5.02 ERA last season, the sixth-worst figure in the majors. What’s more, the club’s 5.30 FIP in the rotation was better than only the lowly Rockies, while their starting staff combined for just 4.9 fWAR, better than only Colorado and Oakland. That leaves plenty of room for improvement if the club decides to add even a lower-level free agent such as Matthew Boyd or Frankie Montas to its rotation, to say nothing of a more impactful addition.

More from around MLB’s East divisions…

  • While the Mets have reportedly shifted their focus away from superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests that the club is still looking at potential impact additions this offseason. They’ve long been connected to top-of-the-market arm Yoshinobu Yamamoto as they explore potential rotation upgrades, and Heyman adds that the Mets are looking into “nearly every available frontline starter” in addition to Yamamoto, including southpaws Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Eduardo Rodriguez. While Heyman notes the club is unlikely to land a rental arm such as Tyler Glasnow or Shane Bieber on the trade market, he does suggest the club’s interest in rotation upgrades extends to White Sox starter Dylan Cease, who is under team control for the next two seasons and has seen plenty of trade buzz this offseason. Rotation upgrades make plenty of sense for New York after the club shipped out veteran aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer at the trade deadline over the summer, leaving Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and newly-signed righty Luis Severino as the club’s only rotation locks entering 2024.
  • The Rays have interest in a reunion with right-hander Cooper Criswell even after non-tendering him last month, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Criswell, 27, made his big league debut as a member of the Angels in 2021 with a one-game cup of coffee that lasted just 1 1/3 innings. He spent the past two seasons as a member of the Rays, with a 5.45 ERA and 5.00 FIP in 36 1/3 innings of work across 11 appearances. While those numbers are certainly nothing to write home about, Criswell’s ability to go multiple innings and 46.8% career groundball rate at the big league level could make him a worthwhile depth addition for a Rays club that relied on 40 different pitchers throughout the 2023 campaign.
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New York Mets Notes Tampa Bay Rays Washington Nationals Blake Snell Cooper Criswell Dylan Cease Eduardo Rodriguez Jeimer Candelario Jordan Montgomery Jorge Soler Rhys Hoskins

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Braves Sign Luis Liberato To Minor League Deal

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 4:56pm CDT

The Braves and outfielder Luis Liberato have agreed to a minor league deal, as noted by Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. It’s unclear if the deal includes an invite to major league spring training.

Liberato, 28 later this month, was signed out of the Dominican Republic by Seattle back in 2012. He spent nine seasons in total in the Mariners organization, eventually reaching the Triple-A level for a full season in 2021 at age 25. In 337 trips to the plate that year, Liberato slashed .279/.338/.436 while primarily playing center field. The solid showing earned Liberato a minor league deal with the Padres when he hit minor league free agency the following winter. The outfielder started the 2022 season at the club’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso and got fantastic results, with a .261/.354/.541 slash line in 99 games. While that performance came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, it was still 16% better than league average by measure of wRC+.

The strong numbers at Triple-A earned Liberato his first big league opportunity in September of 2022, when the club used him as a pinch runner and defensive replacement during their push to the playoffs. Though he appeared in seven games down the stretch, Liberato stepped up to the plate just five times, going hitless with three strikeouts in his first big league cup of coffee. After being outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster late in the 2022 season, Liberato returned to the Padres in 2023 on a new minor league deal but didn’t find the same offensive success, as his .261/.365/.461 slash line in 69 games with El Paso this year was good for a roughly league average wRC+ of just 99.

Now headed to Atlanta, Liberato figures to enter the season as outfield depth for a club that recently loss left fielder Eddie Rosario to free agency. He figures to join the club’s outfield mix at Triple-A to start the 2024 season alongside youngsters like Jesse Franklin V, Cody Milligan, and Justin Dean.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions Luis Liberato

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Mets Sign Andre Scrubb To Minor League Deal

By Nick Deeds | December 2, 2023 at 3:54pm CDT

The Mets are reportedly in agreement with right-hander Andre Scrubb on a minor league deal, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. It’s not yet clear if the deal includes an invite to big league spring training.

Scrubb, 29 next month, was an eighth-round pick by the Dodgers in the 2016 draft. After being traded to the Astros back in 2019 in exchange for first baseman Tyler White, Scrubb made his big league debut with Houston during the shortened 2020 campaign. He appeared in 20 of the club’s 60 contests that season, dominating to a sparkling 1.90 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work. Under the hood, however, Scrubb’s performance was far less impressive due to struggles with control, as evidenced by a whopping 19.6% walk rate that contributed to a pedestrian 4.25 FIP. Those control issues didn’t stop the then-25-year-old righty from contributing to Houston’s run to the ALCS that season, however, as he posted a 2.25 ERA with seven strikeouts against two walks in four innings of work.

Scrubb’s results came crashing back to Earth in 2021. The right-hander struggled badly in 18 appearances with the big league club that season, posting a 5.03 ERA and 6.48 FIP as his control problems led not only to a walk rate of 16.3% but also a whopping five home runs allowed in just 19 2/3 innings of work. Scrubb’s appearances at the Triple-A level went better, as he posted a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work, but the control issues lingered until Scrubb went down with a shoulder strain in July. The righty was outrighted off Houston’s 40-man roster following the 2021 season and missed almost the entirety of the 2022 campaign due to injury.

Most recently, Scrubb pitched in independent ball during the 2023 season, posting a dominant 1.52 ERA in 29 2/3 innings of work with the Atlantic League. Scrubb seemingly had command issues under control during his time with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, as he walked just 8.3% of batters faced during that time while posting a 30% strikeout rate. Going forward, Scrubb figures to provide the Mets with a high-octane arm who can act as minor league depth entering 2024. If his control has indeed improved since his time in Houston, it’s easy to see how Scrubb could break into a bullpen that currently figures to feature arms like Phil Bickford, Jose Butto and Sean Reid-Foley.

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New York Mets Transactions Andre Scrubb

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Padres Interested In Corbin Burnes

By Mark Polishuk | December 2, 2023 at 3:02pm CDT

Much of the hot stove buzz around the Padres this offseason has focused on the team’s reported desire to cut payroll, and the possibility that a Juan Soto trade could be an ideal way for the Friars to both save money and reload with some new talent.  However, the Padres firmly still intend to get back to winning baseball in 2024, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the team has interest in trading for Brewers ace Corbin Burnes.

Nick Martinez has already left to join the Reds, and there is little expectation that either Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha will be re-signed, given the Padres’ apparent budget concerns.  That leaves San Diego in severe need of starting pitching depth behind Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, and adding a former Cy Young Award winner like Burnes would certainly provide a huge boost.  While more work would need to be done on the back end of the rotation, the Padres would suddenly have a top three comparable to any other starting trio in baseball.

Acee’s piece details some of the financial factors going into the Padres’ winter plans, and notes that “the Padres have inquired about most of the top starters” available in free agency, even if signing one of the bigger-name arms doesn’t seem likely.  Acquiring pitchers on more moderate free agent deals or via the trade market seems much more realistic, though landing Burnes would naturally come at a heavy price.

Firstly, it isn’t yet clear that the Brewers are even going to move Burnes, as much as their own payroll situation might make a deal seem sensible.  Burnes is projected to earn $15.1MM in 2024, which is his final year of arbitration eligibility before testing free agency.  Given Milwaukee’s history of spending, it doesn’t seem likely that the Crew will fork over the pricey extension or free agent deal it would take to keep Burnes in Wisconsin, so there is some merit in moving him this winter.

In essence, it’s the same decision the Padres face with Soto, who is projected for a whopping $33MM arbitration salary and will also be a free agent come next winter.  Soto is widely expected to seek a contract upwards of $500MM since he’ll be only entering his age-26 season in 2025, and re-signing in San Diego suddenly seems less likely if the Padres are going to be reining in their spending.

Just to get the obvious hypothetical out of the way, a trade of Soto for Burnes in some fashion might not be too feasible for either San Diego or Milwaukee.  It obviously wouldn’t be a straight one-for-one swap, yet it’s very fun to imagine a blockbuster swap that would see the Padres get the pitching upgrade they need while the offense-needy Brewers land an elite bat.  Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has plenty of creative trades on his resume, and last winter’s three-team swap with the Braves and Athletics shows that Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold is also no stranger to bold moves.

This all being said, the trade package San Diego reportedly wanted from the Yankees is perhaps more instructive as to what the Padres are looking to achieve with a Soto deal.  If the Friars are looking for a mix of win-now talent, prospects, and salary relief (perhaps involving unloading the contract of a player like Trent Grisham), then very few teams can meet that asking price.  Obviously that reported Yankees offer might represent a high starting ask from Preller and his demands might lessen as the offseason develops, yet a smaller-market team like the Brewers that particularly values prospects as the backbone of their organization isn’t going to make a big splurge for one year of control over Soto.  If anything, Arnold might be looking for a similar return for Burnes — a trade package that helps set the Brewers up for years to come, not a particular win-now push for 2024.

If a direct trade between the two teams might not work, it is possible another three-team deal could be explored, and Acee suggests that a three-team trade might be the only way for the Padres to fully achieve most of their goals in dealing Soto.  In regards to Milwaukee specifically, perhaps the Padres could move Soto to a third club, then funnel some of the young talent they’d receive from that mystery team towards the Brewers to then add Burnes for San Diego’s rotation.  The permutations here are pretty much endless, and there’s a reason why three-team trades are relatively rare, particularly three-team trades involving some of the game’s biggest superstars.

MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently explored Burnes’ trade market, and the Padres weren’t one of the 12 teams Steve identified as the best possible fits for the right-hander.  This doesn’t mean the Padres (or even one of the other clubs not cited) absolutely couldn’t emerge as something of a surprise suitor, and the team’s interest altogether indicates that Preller isn’t planning a fire sale of the roster.

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Milwaukee Brewers San Diego Padres Corbin Burnes

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Coaching Notes: Tigers, Iapoce, Royals, Dillon

By Mark Polishuk | December 2, 2023 at 1:35pm CDT

Catching up on some coaching staff moves from around baseball…

  • The Tigers will name Anthony Iapoce as their new first base coach, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News reports (X link).  Tim Federowicz is leaving his position as the big league catching coach to take over as the manager at Triple-A Toledo, which was Iapoce’s previous job in 2023.  Iapoce worked as a hitting coach with the Rangers and Cubs from 2016-21 and then as a senior hitting coordinator with the Red Sox in 2022 before joining Detroit’s organization.  Federowicz retired from playing following the 2021 season, and the former catcher is already on his second Triple-A managerial stint after previously being the skipper of the Mariners’ top affiliate in 2022.
  • The Royals announced the hiring of Joe Dillon as an assistant hitting coach.  A big leaguer with the Marlins, Brewers, and Rays from 2005-09, Dillon’s time in Tampa’s organization overlapped with the tenure of current Royals manager Matt Quatraro, back when Quatraro was working as an instructor in the Rays’ minor league system.  Dillon also has longstanding ties in Kansas City, as the Royals began his pro career when they selected him in the seventh round of the 1997 draft.  Since retiring as a player, Dillon has worked as a hitting coach and coordinator at the Major League and minor league level, including two years as the Nationals’ assistant hitting coach in 2018-19, and then working as the Phillies’ big league hitting coach in 2020-21.
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Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Notes Anthony Iapoce Tim Federowicz

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