Matt Brash Cleared To Resume Throwing Next Week
The Mariners informed reporters today, including Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, that right-hander Matt Brash has medial elbow inflammation and can start playing catch on Tuesday. He likely won’t be ready for Opening Day but it’s still a positive development since reporting from earlier this week indicated that missing the entire season was a possibility.
Brash was shut down from throwing a week ago, downplaying the severity of his issues by saying he was just “banged up” and “didn’t feel great” after throwing a bullpen. As mentioned, subsequent reporting from a couple of days ago suggested Brash was at risk of missing significant time, perhaps even all of 2024.
That makes today’s news a welcome development for the Mariners, though the concern will likely linger until he gets back on the mound. In the short term, he’ll resume his program shortly and try to build up for game readiness.
If that all goes well, it will be a great relief for the Seattle bullpen. Brash posted a 3.06 ERA last year but may have deserved even better. He struck out a huge 34.7% of batters faced while also posting an above-average 46.1% ground ball rate. His 9.7% walk rate was a tad high but not disastrously so, with relievers around the league averaging a 9.5% clip last year. Some extra runs may have scored thanks to a .380 batting average on balls in play and 77.2% strand rate, which is why his 2.26 FIP and 2.86 SIERA were even more bullish on his performance. He did all that while racking up four saves and 24 holds.
The club figures to have Andrés Muñoz in the closer’s role with Brash and Gregory Santos likely to be in setup jobs. There were recent injury concerns about both, as Santos had some discomfort near his teres major muscle. But Santos has already begun playing catch and general manager Justin Hollander suggested today that things are moving in a positive direction, per Divish. If things continue to trend well for Santos and Brash, it will be a nice development for the club, especially considering how worrisome things looked not too long ago.
The Opener: Free Agency, Bench Bats, Brash
As the calendar flips to March, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. When will the remaining free agents sign?
A whopping seven free agents in MLBTR’s annual Top 50 remain on the open market. That list includes not only three of the so-called “Boras Four” in Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Matt Chapman, but also a pair of quality DH candidates in J.D. Martinez and Brandon Belt along with a pair of solid #4 starters in Mike Clevinger and Michael Lorenzen. By contrast, the only player in last offseason’s top 50 who remained on the open market into march was veteran outfielder Jurickson Profar. There’s other quality free agents who didn’t make our offseason Top 50 that remain on the market as well, such as veteran outfielders Tommy Pham and Adam Duvall. While it seemed as though outfielder Cody Bellinger accepting a short-term deal with the Cubs earlier this week could’ve signaled the dam breaking on remaining free agents, so far that hasn’t come to fruition. Will the remaining players available begin putting pen to paper with Opening Day now less than a month away?
2. Yankees, Red Sox in the market for bench bats?
With so many free agents still available, its no surprise that clubs are still looking to upgrade their rosters even with Spring Training in full swing. That appears to be true of both the Yankees and the Red Sox as things stand, with Boston reportedly interested in adding depth to their position player mix. The club appears to prefer adding a right-handed bat to complement their bevy of left-handed options for the lineup, as they’ve been linked to the likes of Garrett Cooper and Gio Urshela over the past week before they signed with the Cubs and Tigers, respectively.
In the Bronx, meanwhile, the Yankees were a finalist for utility man Enrique Hernandez according to Hernandez himself, suggesting the club is interested in finding a possible alternative to youngster Oswald Peraza on the club’s bench. That could leave the longtime rivals to compete over the remaining bench bats on the free agent market, particularly those with right-handed bats and experience on the infield dirt. The likes of Donovan Solano, Elvis Andrus, and Jean Segura remain on the market as players who check those boxes and could be plausible targets for either club.
3. Brash updated expected today:
The Mariners are reportedly concerned that right-hander Matt Brash could face an extended absence due to as-of-yet unspecified arm troubles. Clarity on Brash’s health and timetable for return could be on the horizon, however, as reporting yesterday indicated that the club hopes to have a formal update regarding the righty as soon as today. Brash, 26 in May, led the majors with 78 appearances last year and dominated in doing so, posting a 3.05 ERA and a sterling 2.26 FIP in 70 2/3 innings of work while striking out opponents and a fantastic 34.7% clip. A lengthy absence from Brash would remove one of the most promising arms from Seattle’s bullpen, though the club enjoys considerable depth in that area with the likes of Andres Munoz, Gregory Santos, and Greg Speier also available for late-inning duty.