As MLB’s offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. What’s next for the Rays?
The Rays pulled off a pair of trades over the weekend, shipping out right-hander Andrew Kittredge and outfielder Luke Raley in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios and infielder Jose Caballero. The moves added an optionable lefty bat and shortstop depth to the mix in Tampa, and it appears the Rays may not be finished; they’re reportedly shopping DH/first baseman/outfielder Harold Ramirez as well. If the Rays can successfully move Ramirez, it could allow the club to address other areas of need on its roster.
Rotation depth is a concern for the Rays because of injuries to Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Shane McClanahan last season — not to mention the Tyler Glasnow trade last month — but the biggest weakness in Tampa appears to be behind the plate. The Rays currently have Rene Pinto, a 27-year-old backstop with just 63 games of big league experience, penciled in as their starting catcher. The backup catcher spot on the roster sports even less certainty, with non-roster options like Rob Brantly and Alex Jackson currently slated to try and win the job this spring.
2. Signings to be made official:
Sunday saw a pair of the offseason’s Top 50 free agents find new homes, as left-hander Sean Manaea signed with the Mets on a two-year deal while outfielder Teoscar Hernandez landed with the Dodgers on a one-year pact. Those deals have not yet been made official, but once they are, both the Dodgers and Mets will need to make corresponding 40-man roster moves to make room for their newest additions. That typically comes in the form of designating a player near the back of a club’s 40-man for assignment, though teams will oftentimes try to work out a minor trade to recoup some value while cleaning up their roster. The Dodgers themselves pulled off this sort of maneuver last month by swapping a pair of players on the 40-man roster to the Yankees in exchange for prospect Trey Sweeney, who does not require a 40-man spot of his own.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
Now that 2024 is upon us, are there any questions burning in your mind about the offseason with Spring Training a matter of weeks away? Are you wondering what’s next for your favorite team, or perhaps curious about what the market for a particular free agent looks like? If so, tune in this afternoon when MLBTR’s Steve Adams hosts a live chat with readers at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after its completed.
Which catchers would be part of a Harold Ramirez trade.
Or the Rays have a FA in mind? When ST comes around the Rays can shift 3 SPs to the 60 day DL to open up 40 man roster spots.
Gary Sanchez.
Dodgers send Diego Cartaya, Chris Taylor and a lot of money for Randy Arozarena and then the public moans even louder that “it’s not fair!”
It’s fair, even as a Padres fan. As a fan not even going to moan. More or less will start to check out on baseball. Which is fine. Padres should finish last in the division anyway, so doesn’t matter.
There’s no crying in baseball. Will you quit whining?
The most generic almost botworthy responses are ‘quit whining’ or ‘you’re an idiot’.
Almost as if AI generated haha.
Attack me, that’s fine. Attacking my assertions won’t change the state of the team.
The proof will be in the pudding so to speak.
At the end of the day, this year is a litmus test for the farm or whatever additions AJ will make.
If this team wins a WS with a reduced budget I will gladly tip my cap.
Your odds aren’t great when you begin to reduce payroll.
This team has lost a hall of fame lf, an ace, an all star closer, 3 and 4 starters, a swing man in the rotation, bench depth, a catcher etc.
Almost half of an 82 and 80 team is gone.
There are no 4 and 5 starters, no lf, no cf, no depth on the bench, Manny is injured, there is no bench depth.
The farm is a mystery.
Last place isn’t too far fetched.
You shouldn’t waste your life watching other people do things anyway. Think of all the hours you have wasted sitting in the couch watching others do something. You could have used those hours improving yourself. In your health. Learning a new skill. On a hobby. Instead we sit in front of a screen watching millionaires play a kids game.
Everyone’s life would improve if we all gave up life as voyeurs and used the limited time we have to go outside and touch grass.
Hey Tow, So what you’re saying is that we have a chance? That’s great! No personal attacks here. Just a lifelong baseball fanatic who’s been supporting the Padres since the early 70’s when I was a young kid in the Plaza section at San Diego Stadium with my mitt that probably came from Sears. Man we have had litmus tests, adversity, 100-loss seasons, fire sales, some really good ball players and some exciting seasons. Some not so good. But you know what? We got a team! Cheer up!
I was hoping the Rays would get Cartaya in the Glasnow trade. I wonder if it was ever on the table.
I think Pepiot was the target.
If I was the Red Sox, I would ask the Rays who they want for Ramirez. Good right handed bat. Plus, get insight into which players the Rays think are good.
Stick to your day job. This would be a terrible overpay by the Red Sox.
Based on?
He didn’t even propose a return for the Rays but it is an overpay?
Teoscar Hernandez is inspiration for anyone at all to ask for a raise today
And then receive said raise in a decade and a half.
@16 for 20
I might consider asking my boss if I can get part of my salary paid this year and the rest of it deferred to 2030 or something.
“Yes, we will match your 401k contributions”
What’s next for rays ? A last place finish in AL East. Apparently when they said they were ready for a record payroll – it was a front to drive up trade value on their fire sale. Sorry Rays fans
I’ll be you we still break 500!!! Might still be last place in the AL east tho lol
I don’t think they expected to lose their best player for ???? amount of time. It really doesn’t make a ton of sense to go all in right now when you have no idea what’s going to happen with Wander.
Yea that piece of scum screwed us, burned his jersey already.
I hear ya, but how he screwed us in no way compares how he screwed his own life up. He had it all..now he’ll have this hanging over his head.
Yup hard to feel any sorrow for him when he put it all on himself.
They would have had to have more info than the public when it all went down I think. If so, based on how mlb has handled this situation in the past, it would be hard to think he would be coming back anytime soon.
But u r right about it making sense. That’s why it comes across as more of a media pitch than the truth about them having record payroll. Part of me was hoping they’d bring back snell after they said that
Since there is almost zero chance Wander gets out of this unscathed the best course would be to act under the assumption that he’s played his last game
Sternberg complains that there are no fans and then proceeds to trade away even the low cost fan favorites.
He needs a PR guy in the FO to tell the stat nerds ” yeah, okay, it makes some sense, but not worth the 1,000 ticket sales we just lost.”
They would need to sell 1,000 tickets first.
If the Rays lost 100 every year, you wouldn’t care. So what does that say about you?
The rays are getting subsidized by the MLB to the tune of around $100 million before selling the first ticket and can’t afford paying Ramirez 4.4 ? There are no fans, because they realize Sternberg is in it for the money and not retaining popular players.
So trading someone automatically means a team either can’t or isn’t willing to afford them?
Also, how many times are you going to make the same comment on every write-up regarding the Rays?
Just stating the obvious, pal. If you think these moves are improving the team, you are dreaming.
So you share the same sentiments when the other 29 teams trade players too then?
Obviously the formula that the Rays have used for over a decade works, because the results speak for themselves. And miss me with the “well they haven’t even won any WS” because plenty of other teams who haven’t won a WS, haven’t even come as close as the Rays have.
Ha..ha. Every year it’s the same rant by other teams fans who cannot figure out how they do it with no payroll and “no” fans. As a Rays fan from their beginning, this is so routine and predictable.
They can’t say much about what happens from foul pole to foul pole, so they latch onto the same tired “insults.” I feel embarrassed for them.
The ripple effect of that player that is alleged to have done that thing still isn’t known. Luckily he’s only guaranteed 2.4 this season before quadrupling next year and will continue to escalate to 25.. Even a buy out is going to cost them 100 million.
I don’t for the life of me understand why there isn’t language in player contracts to void them (or a huge percentage) in the event of conviction of a felony or something. I know players want to get paid guaranteed if they get hurt, but if they can’t stay out of serious off the field trouble, they shouldn’t get a dime. Period. I mean the owners are smart billionaires, they don’t think of this? I don’t know details but you would think the Rays should be able to get out of a lot of that if Franco winds up in prison. If they can’t, something just isn’t right.
Gary Matthew’s Jr was an ordinary player his whole career. In his contract year he took steroids had a career year and got a 50 million dollar contract and went right back to being an ordinary player.
That was about 20 years ago I believe. And the rules haven’t changed much since then.
He doesn’t get that money while suspended and he could get dismissed from league and that contract become void
If it’s true he more than likely will be in prison for the remainder of his contract. The rays will be saved almost the entirety and get to go on a mini ray of a spending spree.
As someone who hasn’t had much opportunity to watch Ramirez defensively, I’m just curious as to why he spent so much time at DH? Has he got an iron glove? Or lead feet and limited outfield range? Or did the Rays just prefer their other outfielders defensively above Ramirez?
Just curious. He seems like a decent, if unspectacular, right handed bat.
He’s been traded, granted free agency, signed, waived, sold, and traded. That would suggest he’s got limited value beyond hitting and might even be a bit of a problem child, but maybe not.
Looking at his stats, he has always rated poorly on defense. Last year he had an Outs Above Average of -3 which doesn’t sound all that bad, until you factor in that he only had 25 defensive plays.
He’s a bat-only player who should only be used as an emergency backup position player.
His bat is a contact only bat as the 12 HR’s he had last year were a career high. Generally, you want a bat-only player to be a slugger, or if not, then you need Luis Arraez levels of contact in order to be good. Sadly for Ramirez, he’s not that good.
He still has some value, it’s just not as much as he and/or the Rays would want.
I’ d like to know when Shapiro and his Useless GM Atkins will be fired in Toronto ?
Their time has come….Get Outa’ Toronto !!
Narvaez to the Rays
I’d like that as well as a Mets fan but Mets would need to eat ALL the salary.
Would be a good fit with the Mets…since the dh came to the National league they haven’t had anyone much better than letting the pitcher hit.