Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2023

MLBTR Poll: Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff Decision

By | at

Brewers ace Brandon Woodruff is among the most talented pitchers in the league today. In 103 starts since joining the club’s rotation full-time during the 2019 season, Woodruff has posted a 2.93 ERA (45% better than league average by measure of ERA+) with a 3.10 FIP and a 30% strikeout rate across 595 innings of work. Among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched during that timeframe, only Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander have posted a lower ERA than Woodruff. Meanwhile, only Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Blake Snell, and fellow Brewers Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta have posted a higher strikeout rate over that same timeframe.

Despite that immense talent, Woodruff struggled with injuries in 2023, making just 11 starts all season due to shoulder issues. While he managed an impressive 2.28 ERA and 29.2% strikeout rate during his limited time on the mound, the Brewers received devastating news last month when it was revealed that ace right-hander Brandon Woodruff underwent surgery that could put his entire 2024 season in jeopardy. News that a pitcher of Woodruff’s caliber has gone under the knife is never welcome, but it’s particularly poor timing for both the right-hander and his club given Woodruff’s pending free agency following the 2024 season.

With Woodruff projected for a $11.6MM salary in his final trip through arbitration by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz, the small-market Brewers have been unexpectedly forced to reckon with the question of whether or not it’s worth devoting what would have been nearly 10% of their total 2023 payroll (per RosterResource) to one-year deal for an injured arm with an uncertain timetable for return. While initial indications were that the righty would miss most or perhaps even all of the 2024 campaign, Woodruff himself has said that it’s possible he could return to the mound “at some point” next summer. Still, even the possibility of a half-season of excellence from Woodruff doesn’t change the fact that a $11.6MM gamble on Woodruff’s health could be unwise for Brewers to make this offseason.

With star manager Craig Counsell having already jumped ship to join the Cubs, the Brewers have started off their offseason by dealing veteran first baseman and outfielder Mark Canha to the Tigers as reports have indicated that the club is willing to deal the majority of the players on their roster. What’s more, co-ace Corbin Burnes and shortstop Willy Adames both set to hit the open market in 2024 in addition to Woodruff, leaving the Brewers in a tight spot regarding their roster if they hope to continue avoiding a full-blown rebuild as they have for the past several years. That being said, even if the Brewers wind up moving Burnes and Adames this offseason, it’s unlikely they’d find much value for Woodruff on the trade market.

It’s always possible that Woodruff and the Brewers could work out a short-term extension, extending Woodruff’s club control into 2025 while providing him additional security as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. That being said, Woodruff will be 31 years old on Opening Day 2024. Delaying his free agency until he’s preparing for his age-33 season would surely compromise the right-hander’s value on the open market, making it a less than attractive option for the righty. While Woodruff has expressed a desire to remain in Milwaukee long term, he noted last month that he and the Brewers had not yet engaged in extension negotiations at that point.

With MLB’s tender deadline less than a week away, the Brewers are staring down the most significant decision of their offseason to this point: do they tender Woodruff a contract? If they do so without a pre-tender extension, they could find themselves on the hook for a salary upwards of $12MM in 2024 for a pitcher who might not be able to contribute. And while they could extend Woodruff a qualifying offer next offseason to ensure they recoup draft pick compensation for his services, there’s no guarantee that his performance in 2024 coming off injury will justify such an expenditure. At the same time, Woodruff has strong incentive to not agree to a pre-tender deal. If the Brewers ultimately decide to non-tender the 30-year-old, he’ll have the opportunity to negotiate a deal with any of MLB’s 30 clubs on the open market, giving him plenty of options as he looks for a new home with whom to rehab and hopefully pitch in 2024 and perhaps beyond.

How do MLBTR readers believe the Brewers will approach their predicament? Will they non-tender Woodruff this coming Friday if he does not agree to a pre-tender deal, allowing him to hit the open market for nothing? Or will they tender him a contract and hope to agree to a more favorable arrangement than his $11.6MM projected salary later in the offseason? Have your say in the poll below:

(poll link for app users)

Martin Maldonado Reportedly Drawing Interest From Several Teams

By | at

Veteran catcher Martin Maldonado has been a staple of the Astros lineup in recent years, joining the club as a part-time option behind the plate in deadline deals during both the 2018 and 2019 seasons before sticking in Houston as the club’s primary catcher for the 2020-23 campaigns. Now, however, the 37-year-old veteran is a free agent for the first time since the 2019-20 offseason as the Astros plan to pivot to youngster Yainer Diaz as their primary catcher for the 2024 season.

While Maldonado is out of the starting role in Houston, he’s already drawing plenty of interest on the open market per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who reports that “4-5 teams” have checked in on the veteran already this offseason. Presumably, one of those clubs is the Astros themselves, as the two sides reportedly have mutual interest in a reunion even as Maldonado would consequently take a smaller role with the club going forward in deference to Diaz.

A 27th-round pick by the Angels in the 2004 draft, Maldonado has never been particularly outstanding with the bat. Since making his major league debut with the Brewers back in 2011, Maldonado has never posted above average offensive numbers by measure of wRC+ in a 162-game season, though he did manage a 107 wRC+ during the shortened 2020 campaign. He fell back to Earth in the following three seasons, however, slashing just .183/.260/.333 (66 wRC+) with a 31.5% strikeout rate in 355 games. Despite those offensive deficiencies, however, has generally been regarded as among the best defensive catchers in the game throughout his career.

That stellar defense took a major hit in 2023, as Statcast placed Maldonado in the first percentile among all catchers with -18 framing runs this season, after years of the metric regarding him as slightly below average at pitch framing, with -1 to -2 framing runs per year. Those iffy framing numbers were more than made up for in the past by Maldonado’s throwing arm behind the plate and blocking abilities, but those metrics dipped in 2023 as well. While the differences were only slight, they exacerbated his struggles with pitch framing in 2023 to leave him worth -1.2 fWAR this season, a bottom-five figure in the majors among players with at least 300 plate appearances this season.

Dire as those numbers look, it’s still reasonable that the Astros and other teams would have interest in Maldonado’s services next year. After all, he’s clearly well-respected as a game-caller who does a good job with a pitching staff, considering Houston’s pitching staff is second to only the Dodgers with a 3.63 ERA since Maldonado took over as the club’s primary catcher in 2020 despite ranking 10th in xFIP and 11th in SIERA over that same period of time. What’s more, a deal with Maldonado would surely be a short-term, low-cost affair given his age and difficult platform season.

Those factors could make Maldonado an attractive back-up option for teams in need of a one-year solution behind the plate, particularly for those with a young catcher who could benefit from an experienced mentor to share time with. Speculatively speaking, the Brewers, Rays, Marlins, and White Sox all have a need behind the plate this offseason, with the White Sox in particular likely to dedicate time to former Astro Korey Lee behind the plate in 2024. Lee, 25, has just 36 games of experience at the big league level and has worked with Maldonado previously, as the duo shared time behind the plate during Lee’s first big league cup of coffee in 2022.

Red Sox Notes: Turner, DH, Kluber

By | at

Veteran free agent Justin Turner was among the most reliable hitters in Boston last year, slashing a solid .275/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and a 17.6% strikeout rate. Taken together, that offensive production was 14% better than league average by measure of wRC+ despite Turner posting his highest strikeout rate since 2014 and lowest walk rate since 2016. Though Turner declined his player option with the Red Sox and decided to test the open market ahead of his age-39 season, the infielder spoke to reporters recently (as relayed by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo) regarding his free agency and his desire to return to the Red Sox.

“I would love to be back and be with the Sox,” Turner said, “…what I’ve heard from all these guys is how amazing this town is when you’re making a playoff run. I want to be a part of that. It has been A-plus across the board in everything we’ve done and that’s with finishing in fifth place in the AL East. I want to know what it’s like to play in a playoff game for the Red Sox, not against them.”

Though Turner made his desire to remain in Boston clear, he also admitted that he’s fielded interest from more teams this season than he did as a free agent last year. Cotillo notes that the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Angels all made offers to the veteran last year. The Diamondbacks are once again rumored to be interested in Turner’s services this offseason, though it’s unclear what other clubs may have interest in Turner this offseason. That uncertainty surrounds the Red Sox, themselves, as the club’s level of interest in Turner for 2024 and beyond isn’t entirely clear.

MassLive’s Sean McAdam recently suggested that the Red Sox “may be reluctant” to offer Turner a a two-year guarantee this offseason, noting that newly-minted chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has spoken of the DH as a way to rest players. While McAdam notes that Breslow would not rule out having one player serve as the club’s regular DH, a desire to utilize players such as Masataka Yoshida at DH could limit the club’s interest in a reunion with Turner, who played 98 games at DH and combined for less than 400 innings of work in the field split between first, second, and third base in 2023.

Turner isn’t the only newly-minted free agent to recently discuss his future after spending 2023 in Boston. Veteran right-hander Corey Kluber has returned to the open market after a tough season in Boston where he posted a 7.04 ERA (65 ERA+) with a 7.11 FIP in 55 innings of work while striking out just 16.3% of batters faced. On top of the brutal on-field performance, Kluber battled shoulder injuries throughout the year that ultimately left him sidelined for the season by late June. Kluber was noncommittal when asked if he intends to continue his playing career in 2024, with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe relaying that the veteran righty simply responded to the question with “we’ll see.”

Given his deep struggles in Boston this season, it’s somewhat difficult to imagine the sides coming together on a reunion even if Kluber decides to pitch next season. While the Red Sox are expected to make pitching help a priority this offseason, the club already has right-handers Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Garrett Whitlock as starting caliber options alongside Chris Sale for the middle-to-back of the club’s rotation, and the addition of Kluber at this stage of his career would be unlikely to move the needle for a club more in need of impact than depth in the starting rotation.

Brutal as the 2023 season was for Kluber, the righty was one of the best pitchers in the game not long ago. The 37-year-old’s illustrious career includes two AL Cy Young awards and an ERA title in 2017. While Kluber is certainly not the same pitcher he was back then, he was an effective back-end starter for the Rays and Yankees the past two seasons and could potentially draw interest from a club in need of depth this offseason, should he prove healthy enough to continue his playing career.

Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. Have Had “Some Talks Here And There” About Extension

By | at

While the Royals’ rebuild hasn’t gone to plan overall, Kansas City does have at least one cornerstone in Bobby Witt Jr.  The second overall pick of the 2019 draft has lived up to the hype in his young career, fully breaking out with a 5.7 fWAR season in 2023 that saw Witt hit .276/.319/.495 over 694 plate appearances with 30 homers, 49 stolen bases (in 64 chances), and a league-high 11 triples.  The public defensive metrics are rather unusually split on Witt’s glovework, but at least in the view of the Outs Above Average metric, Witt’s +14 number makes him one of sport’s best defensive shortstops, to boot.

The future is very bright for the 23-year-old, and some level of discussion seems to have taken place between Witt and the Royals in regards to how much of that future will be in K.C.  Witt told Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star that “I think there is some talks here and there” in regards to a possible contract extension, “so we’re just kind of waiting to see.  I love this organization and love this team.  It’s just kind of one of those things.  If the time is right, the time’s right.”

Players and teams usually tend to keep contract negotiations quiet, especially since things between Witt and the Royals might still be somewhat in the embryonic stages.  As Thompson noted, Royals GM J.J. Picollo said last month that the club was “working on” extending Witt, and that “it would be exciting to do so, as he is a special player.  We want to keep special players in our uniform.”

To this end, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal hears from a source that the Royals are “at least entertaining the idea of approaching Witt” about an extension at some point this offseason, which implies that no formal offers have been issued or perhaps even floated towards Witt’s representatives at Octagon.  It is worth noting that there isn’t a big ticking clock on either side to fully delve into talks, as Witt is under team control through 2027 and won’t even be eligible for salary arbitration until next winter.

That said, Witt’s price tag will only increase as time goes by.  Witt is already looking at a sizeable set of increasing salaries through his arb seasons, so the Royals would surely like to gain some cost certainty for those years at the minimum.  If a larger-scale extension can’t be worked out, Witt and the Royals might explore a shorter-term deal covering just the arbitration seasons, akin to the three-year extension Bo Bichette signed with the Blue Jays last spring.

Even that type of extension would be a relatively pricey endeavor for a Kansas City franchise that has never been big spenders.  Salvador Perez’s four-year, $82MM extension prior to the 2021 season remains the largest contract in franchise history, and a long-term deal for Witt might be at least twice that amount, depending on the number of years covered.

For instance, the Rays inked Wander Franco to an 11-year, $182MM extension after Franco’s 2021 rookie season, which consisted of 70 MLB games.  Like Franco, Witt was also a heavily hyped shortstop prospect, but Witt now has two full productive Major League seasons under his belt, so it would seem like Octagon could surely argue that a Witt extension deserves to top Franco’s deal, and approach or top the $200MM mark.  The Braves’ Austin Riley inked a ten-year, $212MM extension when he was between two and three years of MLB service time.

Though the Rays have shown a (comparatively) greater inclination to spend lately, we haven’t yet really seen how far the Royals are willing or able to stretch their payroll under owner John Sherman.  On the one hand, Perez’s extension did take place under Sherman’s watch, as part of a relative spending spree during the 2020-21 offseason that also saw a four-year extension for Hunter Dozier, as well as two-year free agent deals for Mike Minor and Carlos Santana.  All of these moves were made with the intent of boosting what the Royals thought was a group of youngsters on the verge of a breakout, yet the team has continued to struggle.  This cost former president of baseball operations Dayton Moore his job in 2022, elevating Picollo from second-in-command to the head of the decision-making pyramid.

Some other big-picture issues cloud the financial picture.  While the bankruptcy of the Diamond Sports Group has yet to impact the Royals’ broadcasts on Bally Sports, Sherman said last spring that naturally the organization was monitoring the situation should the Royals’ TV rights payments suddenly come into question.  As well, Sherman has been trying to get a new ballpark built in Kansas City, and in some instances, owners claiming that a new stadium is critical to a team’s ability to compete don’t want to perhaps undercut that argument by then spending $200MM on a player’s contract.  That said, Rosenthal argues in the other direction, writing that a Witt extension “might help sway public sentiment” to get the ballpark project off the ground.

Even if K.C. probably aren’t going to be huge players in the offseason transaction market, the possibility of a Witt extension stands out as a notable subplot to watch — both for its importance on the Royals’ future, and as a benchmark for future extensions.  Even if the two sides are in the proverbial “talking about having some talks” phase of negotiations, expect things to get at least a little more serious as we get deeper into Spring Training, as teams tend to focus more on extensions once their offseason business is complete.

Athletics Re-Sign Yohel Pozo

By | at

The A’s have signed catcher Yohel Pozo to a new minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Pozo will return for a second year in Oakland’s organization, after hitting an impressive .306/.338/.523 with 18 homers over 391 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023.

Despite some nice on-paper production at the Triple-A level over the last two seasons, the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League tends to inflate Pozo’s numbers.  An .826 OPS over 267 PA with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022 translated to only a 104 wRC+, and Pozo’s 2023 numbers in Las Vegas were actually below average (99 wRC+) in comparison to the rest of the PCL’s hitters.

This is probably why Pozo still hasn’t gotten another look in the big leagues since his 21-game stint with the Rangers in 2021.  Pozo hit .284/.312/.378 over 77 PA in his debut season in the bigs, which was the highlight of his nine years in the Texas organization.  (The Padres briefly had Pozo signed to a minors deal during the 2020 offseason before Texas selected him back via the minor league version of the Rule 5 Draft.)  The Rangers parted ways with Pozo last winter, allowing for the Athletics to make the signing.

In addition to catching, Pozo has also gotten a decent chunk of playing time as a first baseman during his pro career.  Still only 26 years old, Pozo will return to a depth role in the minors, as Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom will continue to get the bulk of catching assignments on the MLB roster.

Red Sox Sign Mark Contreras To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Red Sox have signed outfielder Mark Contreras to a minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Contreras is changing teams for the first time in his pro career, as he had been a member of the Twins organization since he was selected in the ninth round of the 2017 draft, and until Minnesota released him in August.

That time in the Twin Cities did result in Contreras’ first stint as a big leaguer, as he played in 28 games for Minnesota during the 2022 season, hitting .121/.148/.293 over 61 plate appearances.  This lackluster output and the Twins’ crowded outfield picture meant that Contreras didn’t get any more MLB playing time in 2023, plus he didn’t force the issue by batting a modest .274/.352/.418 over 381 PA for Triple-A St. Paul last season.

Contreras (who turns 29 in January) has had a lot of problems avoiding strikeouts during his pro career, but he has posted decent numbers at the Triple-A level.  A solid defender who can play all three outfield positions, Contreras’ speed has helped both his defensive efforts and his offensive threat level, as he has stolen 93 bases in 126 chances during his minor league career.

With two minor league option years remaining, Contereras gives the Red Sox some possible extra depth to be kept at Triple-A should a need arise in the outfield.  Since the Twins outrighted him off their 40-man roster in August, Contreras now has the ability to reject any future outright assignments in favor of free agency, giving him a bit of extra leverage for the remainder of his career.

Cam Gallagher Elects Free Agency

By | at

Cam Gallagher has elected to become a free agent, according to the veteran catcher’s official MLB.com profile page.  The Guardians designated Gallagher for assignment earlier this week and he presumably cleared waivers, and then opted for free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Cleveland’s Triple-A team.  Because Gallagher has been outrighted before in his career, he has the ability to reject any future outright assignments.

Gallagher seemed like a pretty clear non-tender candidate even before the Guardians picked up Christian Bethancourt off waivers from the Rays, which was the move that led to Gallagher’s DFA.  Over 149 plate appearances for the Guardians last season, Gallagher hit only .126/.154/.168 — this translated to an ugly -17 wRC+, the lowest of any player in baseball in 2023 with at least 140 PA.

Seven different players saw action at catcher for the Guards last season, a mess of a situation sparked when offseason acquisition Mike Zunino struggled badly at the plate.  This led to a revolving door of backstops until Zunino was designated for assignment in June, and Bo Naylor was called up from Triple-A for good.  With Naylor’s bat coming alive near the end of the season, the former top prospect looks to have solidified his role as the Guardians’ starting catcher going forward, hopefully adding some pop to a position that has long been an offensive black hole for Cleveland.

Between Naylor, Bethancourt, and utilityman David Fry able to catch once in a while, there wasn’t any room for Gallagher to vie for work as a backup.  Gallagher is projected to earn $1.3MM via the arbitration process in 2024, but it seems likely that he’ll have to settle for another minor league contract and compete for a backup job in Spring Training.

Turning 31 next month, Gallagher is a veteran of 227 MLB games over seven seasons with the Royals and Guardians, with a .211/.266/.307 slash line over 618 PA.  While the offense hasn’t been there, Gallagher is a pretty well-regarded defender, and 2023 was at least a very strong year for Gallagher with the glove.  As per Statcast’s numbers, Gallagher was solidly above average at framing and blocking, and he threw out nine of 52 baserunners for his first-ever positive (+1) grade in the Catcher Stealing Runs metric.

Coaching Notes: Cora, Tigers, Johns, Rays, Albernaz, Guardians

By | at

The Tigers will be hiring Joey Cora for their coaching staff, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (X link) reported earlier this week.  Cora has spent the last two seasons as the Mets’ third base coach, and he “is expected” to fill that same role in Motown, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, who reports that current third base coach Gary Jones will remain on the staff in a new role.  However, that new position won’t be first base coach, as Petzold suggests that Triple-A manager Anthony Iapoce might take over first-base duties from the departing Alfredo Amezaga.

The 58-year-old Cora has 16 seasons’ worth of MLB coaching experience, coming on the heels of his 11 seasons as a Major League player from 1987-98.  Cora has worked as a bench coach and third base coach at the big league level, and is also known for his work as an infield instructor.  This is the first time Cora and Detroit manager A.J. Hinch have worked together, though Cora’s brother Alex worked as Hinch’s bench coach with the Astros before the younger Cora was hired as the Red Sox manager.

Catching up on some other coaching hires from the past week…

  • The Rays named Michael Johns as the club’s new first base coach.  (Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the day before the official announcement that Johns was the “likely choice” for the job.)  Johns will replace Chris Prieto as both the first base coach, and as a baserunning and outfield instructor.  This will be the first time the 48-year-old Johns has worked on a big league staff, though he has a wide range of experience as a coach, coordinator, and manager within Tampa’s farm system since the 2007-08 offseason.  Johns has managed five different Rays affiliates, including Triple-A Durham in 2023.
  • The Guardians announced that Craig Albernaz has been hired as their big league coaching staff’s new field coordinator.  Albernaz interviewed for the managerial vacancy that was filled by Stephen Vogt, though obviously Albernaz impressed the Guards enough to earn a spot in the organization.  The 41-year-old Albernaz played with Vogt when both were minor leaguers in the Rays farm system, and Albernaz went onto a five-season stint in Tampa’s organization as a coach, coordinator, and manager in the minors after ending his playing career.  For the last four seasons, Albernaz was the Giants’ bullpen coach.

The Problem(s) With Trading Nick Castellanos

By | at

Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos has seen his name pop up on the rumor mill this week, with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reporting that the team is “open” to moving him in a potential trade. There’s no indication any deal is close at this time.

Frankly, it’s only natural that the Phillies would be open to moving Castellanos. He’s entering the third season of a five-year, $100MM contract and has not played up to expectations to this point. Castellanos’ 2023 campaign (.272/.311/.476, 29 homers) was far better than his 2022 season (.263/.305/.389, 13 home runs), but it still wasn’t anywhere close to the standout production he turned in with the Reds during his final season in Cincinnati (.309/.362/.576, 34 homers).

Castellanos has never graded as even an average defender in the outfield, and his two seasons in Philadelphia haven’t changed that. He’s played just over 2300 innings in right field with the Phils and been dinged for -17 Defensive Runs Saved. Ultimate Zone Rating pegs him at -20.2, and Statcast has him at 19 outs below average. The huge offensive output that Castellanos produced in 2018, 2019 and 2021 more than offset his shaky glovework, but he was below average at the plate with the Phils in 2022 and only about nine percent better than average at the plate in 2023 (by measure of wRC+, which weights for home park and league run-scoring environment).

As with any free-agent signing, the Phillies were surely most interested in the first few years of the long-term deal to which they inked Castellanos. He’s played out his age-30 and age-31 seasons in red pinstripes and is now heading into his age-32 campaign. As he moves into his mid-30s, it stands to reason that Castellanos’ defense will only slip further. His average sprint speed (as measured by Statcast) dipped from 27.7 feet per second in 2022 to 27.2 in 2023. That checks into the 46th percentile of MLB players, and his arm strength (83.5 mph average on his throws) tied for 142nd out of 152 qualified outfielders.

There are also some red flags in his offensive profile; Castellanos has seen his exit velocity and barrel rates drop in Philadelphia, while this past season’s 27.6% strikeout rate was the worst of his career in a full 162-game season. He’s never walked at an especially high clip, but his patience is also on the decline. Castellanos drew a free pass in 7.3% of his plate appearances during his final two seasons with the Reds. That’s dropped to 5.3% in two seasons with the Phillies. Meanwhile, he’s chasing pitches off the plate more than ever before (43.1% with the Phils; 37.1% in his career prior). As a result, his contact rate has plummeted. This past season’s 66.6% contact rate is nearly five percentage points south of his career 71.5% mark.

There’s virtually no way the Phillies would be able to move the entirety of Castellanos’ contract and receive something of value in return. Even just getting someone to take on the entire contract in a straight salary dump might not be feasible.

That said, it’s a woeful crop of free agent bats, and Castellanos still popped 29 homers with an above-average batting line. A club with more playing time at designated hitter could have some interest in swapping out an underwater contract of its own that better fits the Phillies’ roster. The Phils could also pay down some of Castellanos’ contract, but they’d likely need to include a substantial amount of cash in order to make it a palatable deal for a trade partner — let alone to acquire meaningful players in return.

The free-agent market, for instance, features right-handed bats of generally similar skill set in the form of Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Hunter Renfroe. Hernandez is a year younger than Castellanos. Gurriel is two years younger. Taking on Castellanos at $60MM for his age-32 through age-34 seasons when there are younger and/or less expensive comparables on the free-agent market isn’t likely to hold widespread appeal throughout the league. Soler, in particular, is coming off a stronger season at the plate but might not even cost as much as the remaining sum on Castellanos’ contract.

Given the overall lack of quality bats on the market, it’s possible there’ll be some interest in acquiring Castellanos at a lower price than what’s left on his five-year deal. That the Phillies are “open” to trading him should come as no surprise. Actually finding a way to facilitate a deal would be another story.

Dennis Higgins Passes Away

By | at

Former MLB pitcher Dennis Higgins passed away last week, according to an obituary from a Missouri funeral home. He was 84.

Higgins was a Jefferson City native who entered the professional ranks out of high school. He signed with the White Sox as an 18-year-old in 1958. The right-hander would spend the next eight seasons in Chicago’s minor league ranks. He reached the big leagues in 1966, turning in a solid rookie year out of the Sox’s bullpen.

In 42 appearances, he posted a 2.52 ERA. As was the case with many relievers of the time, Higgins frequently shouldered multiple innings. He logged 93 frames, picking up 86 strikeouts. In a season in which the average reliever posted a 15.5% strikeout rate, Higgins fanned 23.1% of his opponents.

That would prove to be his best season. Higgins’ control gave him problems from that point forward. He nevertheless managed a sub-4.00 ERA each year from 1968-72 (albeit in a very pitcher-friendly era for baseball). Along the way, the 6’3″ hurler was traded three times, while his contract was sold on two other occasions.

Higgins wound up pitching for the White Sox, Washington Senators, Indians and Cardinals over a big league career that spanned parts of seven seasons. He won 22 games and worked to a 3.42 ERA in 410 1/3 innings. Higgins recorded 339 strikeouts and finished 120 contests. While the save wasn’t introduced as an official stat until midway through his career, he was retroactively credited with 46. MLBTR sends our condolences to Higgins’ family, friends and loved ones.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top