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Archives for 2024

Fantasy Baseball: Well, You Lost – Now What?

By Nicklaus Gaut | September 24, 2024 at 4:15pm CDT

Hello, friends.

This is the best and most exciting week of the fantasy season. It's a time for taking the final steps towards a championship, staying laser-focused on every minute decision within your control; whether to eke out one or two more points to pass your final rival in roto (or keep from being passed) or trying to win one final head-to-head matchup.

Or, perhaps it's a time to coast because your in-season dominance has been such that the chances of being caught have approached a literal zero. Ahh, now that's nice -- getting to enjoy the fruits of your labors a week early, taking deep inhales from championship flowers while exhaling some cutting and clever burns on your vanquished league-mates, perhaps referencing their past trash talk that now seems very foolish, in hindsight. "Ha-ha!", you might say. "You said that my fantasy baseball team was going to be very bad but it is, in fact, the best fantasy baseball team. In your face -- ha-ha, HA!".*

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Front Office Fantasy Membership

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Austin Riley Won’t Return In 2024

By Darragh McDonald | September 24, 2024 at 3:50pm CDT

The Braves announced that third baseman Austin Riley won’t return this year, neither in the regular season nor the postseason. A recent CT scan of his fractured hand showed that it hasn’t healed enough to take off his cast. At this point, there’s not enough time for him to heal and return to the club. David O’Brien of The Athletic was among those to relay word from manager Brian Snitker on X.

Riley suffered the injury August 18 when he was hit by a pitch on his hand. The following day, the club announced the fracture and that his timeline to return would be about six to eight weeks. There were only about six weeks left in the regular season at that moment, but there was still some hope of Riley being able to return for the postseason if the club played deep into October.

Unfortunately, his hand and the calendar have conspired against him and he won’t be able to help the club out this year, regardless of how long they stay alive without him. It’s an unfortunate development for Atlanta, as Riley has been one of their best players in recent years. From 2021 to the present, he’s hit 127 home runs and slashed .280/.348/.513 for a wRC+ 132. He scuffled at times in 2024 but still managed to hit 19 homers and slash .256/.322/.461 for a 116 wRC+ before suffering his injury.

This is just the latest in a string of injuries that have hamstrung the club all year. Spencer Strider required UCL surgery in April. Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a torn ACL in June. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II missed significant time due to injuries as well, though both are back now.

Those injuries have played a key role in the club having a disappointing year. Coming into 2024, they were considered one of the top teams in the majors but they are currently fighting for their lives. At 85-71, they are 1.5 games back of the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot in the National League, with the Mets also half a game ahead of the Snakes. Atlanta could still nab a spot, especially since they kick off a three-game set against the Mets tonight, but it’s not where they planned to be.

They will have to try to squeeze in to the playoffs without Riley and then proceed through the postseason without him as well. Gio Urshela was signed to cover for Riley at third and will presumably continue to do so. He has hit .270/.289/.423 for a wRC+ of 95 since joining the squad. Perhaps Whit Merrifield will factor in now that Albies is back at second, though Merrifield is playing through a left foot fracture.

Riley will still be a huge part of the club’s future, as he signed a ten-year, $212MM extension in August of 2022. That deal runs through 2032 and there’s a club option for 2033. Once his hand heals, he will presumably be in line for a fairly normal offseason in preparation for 2025.

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Atlanta Braves Newsstand Austin Riley

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Marlins Designate Cristian Pache For Assignment

By Steve Adams | September 24, 2024 at 3:10pm CDT

3:10pm: The Marlins have now officially announced these moves.

12:14pm: The Marlins are set to reinstate outfielder Dane Myers from the injured list and will designate fellow outfielder Cristian Pache for assignment in order to create roster space, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.

Pache, 25, spent about seven weeks with the Fish after being claimed off waivers out of the Orioles organization in early August. He appeared in 35 games but totaled only 64 plate appearances with a bleak .183/.234/.283 batting line and 32.8% strikeout rate. The former top prospect played his typical brand of premium defense, but his continued offensive struggles and lack of minor league options have made it hard for him to stick on a roster this year. He’s also seen big league action with the Phillies and O’s in 2024, to say nothing of prior looks in Atlanta and Oakland.

Pache has appeared in parts of five big league seasons and tallied 610 trips to the plate over that half-decade run. His career .181/.243/.275 slash is right in line with the numbers he posted in both Philadelphia and Miami this year. Even in his top prospect days, Pache was viewed as a slam-dunk defender in center field but a work in progress at the plate. His offensive development has largely stalled out, but he’s been worth 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 17 Outs Above Average in just over 1500 career innings of defense in the majors. He’ll now head to waivers and potentially land with what would be his sixth organization in the past two calendar years.

The 28-year-old Myers has been sidelined since mid-July with a fractured ankle. He recently wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment during which he went 4-for-12 with a pair of homers in the final few games of the Triple-A season. Myers appeared in 40 games with Miami earlier this season and in 95 plate appearances turned in a sound .265/.337/.422 slash with a pair of homers, five doubles, a triple and four steals (in five attempts). Like Pache, he’s a right-handed hitter who can handle all three outfield positions. Myers doesn’t have the same defensive ability, but he’s a far better hitter than Pache and still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season.

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Miami Marlins Transactions Cristian​ Pache Dane Myers

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White Sox Release Chad Kuhl

By Nick Deeds | September 24, 2024 at 2:55pm CDT

September 24: Kuhl has cleared waivers and been released, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times on X.

September 21: The White Sox announced a series of roster moves this afternoon headlined by the club designating right-hander Chad Kuhl for assignment. Kuhl’s departure from the roster makes room for the return of right-hander Michael Soroka, who Chicago activated from the 15-day injured list and reinstated to the active roster. Right-hander Jordan Leasure was also activated from the IL, but was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and will not be rejoining the club’s active roster.

Kuhl, 32, signed a minor league deal with the White Sox back in January but did not get the call to the majors until mid-June. He joined the club’s bullpen as a multi-inning relief option and performed fairly well in the role early on, with a 3.69 ERA and 4.08 FIP in 31 2/3 innings of work through the end of July. He moved to a short relief role following the trade deadline, however, and hasn’t acclimated to the new role well with a 7.06 ERA in 21 2/3 innings of work despite fairly solid peripheral numbers during that time, including a 4.14 FIP that was only a few points higher than his successful first half of the year and a strong 26.7% strikeout rate.

Overall, the right-hander has pitched to a lackluster 5.06 ERA that’s 18% worse than league average by measure of ERA+ despite a solid 4.11 FIP. Those lackluster results are more or less par for the course relative to Kuhl’s career, as his career 4.98 ERA and 86 ERA+ aren’t too dissimilar from his production in 2024. Where there’s room for optimism, however, is in his peripherals. That aforementioned 4.11 FIP is actually the best Kuhl has posted in a season since his rookie campaign back in 2016 with the Pirates, while this year’s 22.5% strikeout rate and 44.4% groundball rate are both career-bests for the veteran of 8 big league seasons.

It seems as though the biggest culprit for Kuhl’s struggles this year is his inflated .340 BABIP allowed, a stat that perhaps isn’t surprising given that the White Sox are the worst team in the majors by Defensive Runs Saved and second from the bottom by measure of Outs Above Average. Given those solid peripherals and his experience both starting and pitching in relief, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Kuhl enter free agency this offseason as somewhat attractive depth option for pitching-needy clubs, particularly if he’s once again willing to accept a minor league deal. In the meantime, Chicago will have one week to try and pass Kuhl through waivers, though the right-hander would have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and he’d still be slated to reach free agency this November even if he accepted the outright.

Replacing Kuhl on the roster is Soroka, who was acquired from the Braves last offseason. Soroka’s 72 1/3 innings of work this year are the most he’s pitched in a season since 2019, when he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young award voting with an excellent 2.68 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 29 starts for Atlanta. Unfortunately, injuries have derailed the right-hander ever since, and his return to action this year left much to be desired as he posted a lackluster 5.23 ERA with a 5.41 FIP across 22 appearances, including nine starts. Soroka’s numbers improved after he was moved out of the rotation, however, as he pitched to a 3.45 ERA with a 3.34 FIP in 28 2/3 relief innings thanks to an excellent 36.7% strikeout rate out of the bullpen. Those solid numbers in a relief role were cut short by a shoulder strain just before the All-Star break, but nonetheless offer reason for optimism as the righty heads to free agency for the first time in his career this winter.

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Chicago White Sox Transactions Chad Kuhl Jordan Leasure Michael Soroka

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Orioles Option Eloy Jiménez, Release Craig Kimbrel

By Darragh McDonald | September 24, 2024 at 2:50pm CDT

The Orioles announced that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jiménez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as a corresponding move. Jiménez has more than five years of major league service time and therefore can’t be optioned without his consent, so he presumably has agreed to this move. The club also announced that right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who was designated for assignment last week, has been released.

Jiménez was acquired from the White Sox at the deadline in a buy-low move. From 2019 through 2023, he had hit .275/.324/.487 for the White Sox, with that production translating to a 118 wRC+. Mounting injuries were becoming a growing concern but he had generally hit when on the field.

Here in 2024, the injury-prone label got branded a little deeper. He twice went on the IL in the first couple of months of the season, once due to a left adductor strain and another for a left hamstring strain. His production had also slipped, as he was hitting .240/.297/.345 for an 82 wRC+ when the Orioles traded for him, sending minor league reliever Trey McGough the other way.

The change of scenery hasn’t helped, as Jiménez has hit .232/.270/.316 for a 68 wRC+ since coming to Baltimore. The club had been battling a number of position player injuries in recent weeks but each of Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and now Mountcastle have returned to the active roster in the past few days, which has squeezed Jiménez from the roster.

Though he has the right to reject an optional assignment, it’s understandable why he would accept. There’s only a handful of days left in the season and he wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any other club at this point. Rather than look for other opportunities, he will hold his 40-man roster spot with the O’s and hope to be able to contribute in the club’s postseason run at some point. He came into the campaign with exactly five years of service time and already has enough in 2024 to add another full season to that.

His contract has a $16.5MM option for 2025 with a $3MM buyout that the O’s are sure to decline after a rough season from Jiménez. As part of the trade, the White Sox are covering half of that buyout. That will send him to free agency where he will be looking to market himself as a bounceback candidate. It’s obviously been a rough season but he’s still fairly young, turning 28 in November, and has a strong pre-2024 track record.

As for Kimbrel, a release was the expected outcome after he was designated for assignment last week. He wouldn’t have been postseason eligible with any club claiming him off waivers. Even grabbing him for a few regular season games would be costly as his contract has a $1MM buyout on a 2025 club option. That would be on top of the roughly $400K of his $12MM salary that is still to be paid out in the final week of this season.

Given his 5.33 earned run average on the year, no club was going to pay that price. As a veteran with years of service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment, so the O’s have simply skipped the formalities and let him go.

It will be an interesting offseason for Kimbrel, who is now 36 years old and coming off a rough showing. Some may expect him to call it a career but he has come back from down years before. In both 2019 and 2020, he posted an ERA north of 5.00, but bounced back with a 2.21 ERA in 2021. He then had two more solid seasons before his 2024 struggles. Some clubs may be interested in taking a flier and hoping for another comeback, though he likely won’t be the first choice of club’s with championship aspirations.

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Baltimore Orioles Transactions Craig Kimbrel Eloy Jimenez Ryan Mountcastle

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Reds Activate Ian Gibaut From Injured List

By Darragh McDonald | September 24, 2024 at 1:50pm CDT

The Reds announced that right-hander Ian Gibaut has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Their 40-man roster had a vacancy due to righty Alan Busenitz being designated for assignment in recent days, but it is now full with this move. Right-hander Julian Aguiar has been placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to September 21, with a right elbow sprain as the corresponding active roster move.

Gibaut, now 30, has missed the entire 2024 major league season thus far. He landed on the 15-day IL to start the year due to a right forearm strain. He was rehabbing in April but was shut down due to renewed discomfort. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in May and it was announced that he had undergone an anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) release procedure. He was able to begin another rehab assignment a few weeks back and has made four minor league appearances this month as part of that assignment.

The righty was a notable part of the club’s pitching staff last year. He made 74 appearances for the Reds in 2024, logging 75 2/3 innings. He allowed 3.33 earned runs in that time, striking out 21.7% of batters faced while issuing walks at an 8.8% clip. He earned 22 holds on the year as well as three saves.

He hasn’t been able to build off that showing here in 2024 but will perhaps be able to make a couple of appearances before the winter comes. He will qualify for arbitration for the first time this winter. His mostly lost season here in 2024 will dampen his ability to raise his salary but he is out of options, so the Reds will have to decide if they are willing to commit to the righty for next year’s club on the heels of this lengthy absence.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Ian Gibaut Julian Aguiar

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MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | September 24, 2024 at 12:55pm CDT

Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

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MLBTR Chats

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Blue Jays Reinstate, Option Orelvis Martinez

By Steve Adams | September 24, 2024 at 10:58am CDT

The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated top prospect Orelvis Martinez from the restricted list and optioned him to their spring training complex. Daulton Varsho, who recently underwent shoulder surgery, was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

It’s a procedural move. Martinez was hit with an 80-game PED suspension earlier this season and has completed that lengthy ban. Varsho’s season is obviously over, so moving him to the 60-day injured list creates roster space in the short-term while kicking the more pressing decisions regarding 40-man openings down the road a bit. Varsho, Will Wagner, Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano will all need to be reinstated from the 60-day IL at the beginning of the offseason. Ryan Yarbrough reaching free agency will open one spot, but the Jays will need to open a trio of other spots, which will likely be accomplished by outrighting some fringe players.

Martinez, 22, appeared in just one major league game before his suspension was handed down. He’s long rated among not just the top prospects in Toronto’s system but in the entire sport. He posted a .267/.346/.523 slash in Triple-A this season before being called up — numbers that align neatly with the .263/.340/.507 line he put up in a half season of Triple-A games in 2023.

The 2024 season should have marked an opportunity for Martinez to establish himself as a key piece of the Jays’ future. Toronto traded veterans like Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Justin Turner at the deadline. Shortstop Bo Bichette has endured three different IL stints and will finish the season with only 81 games played. Instead, Martinez watched idly after testing positive for a banned substance, creating questions about his future both because he couldn’t seize the opportunities that would’ve otherwise presented themselves and because PED bans naturally trigger questions about the legitimacy of prior performance.

As it stands, the Jays will head into the 2025 season with Bichette, Wagner, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger and Leo Jimenez in the mix for infield reps. There’s been some speculation about a potential trade of Bichette, but all indications are that Toronto wants to take another stab at contending in 2025. Bichette would presumably be a large part of that effort, and selling low on him would be tough for the front office anyhow. Clement has had a strong season, particularly with the glove, but none of those infielders have played so well that they’d stand as a firm impediment to Martinez in the event that the top prospect forces his way into the mix. He’ll need to earn a look next year, particularly after sitting half the current season on the sidelines for disciplinary reasons, but the unsettled infield mix should create some opportunities — even if the Jays are likely to bring in some veteran help over the winter.

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Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Daulton Varsho Orelvis Martinez

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Previewing The 2024-25 MLB Free Agent Class: Shortstop

By Anthony Franco | September 24, 2024 at 10:18am CDT

MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at shortstop. There’s more talent than was available last winter, though it’s still down relative to some of the star-studded classes of the preceding offseasons.

Player ages are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 23. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Top of the Class

  • Willy Adames (29)

Adames has rebounded from a slightly down 2023 to turn in arguably the best season of his career. He has established a new personal high with 32 longballs while running a .250/.330/.468 slash over 663 plate appearances. Adames has swiped 19 bases — well above his previous career-high of eight — while driving in 110 runs. His strikeout rate has jumped in the second half, but he’s hitting for more power to compensate.

The other side of the ball hasn’t been as consistent. Adames, typically a plus defender, has had some uncharacteristic errors. Statcast still has him as a league average defender this year, but Defensive Runs Saved has been much more bearish (-14 runs). There’ll probably be teams that view this as an anomaly as opposed to a sign of physical decline at age 29. Adames has rare offensive upside for a shortstop and gets effusive praise for his leadership. He’ll decline a qualifying offer, so the Brewers will receive draft compensation in the likely event that he walks. Adames could look for six or seven years on a deal that approaches the $177MM Dansby Swanson guarantee.

Everyday Player

  • Ha-Seong Kim (29)

Kim’s deal with the Padres contains a $10MM mutual option. His camp has an easy call to decline its end in search of a multi-year contract. While the South Korea native struggled in his first MLB season, he has been a key part of the San Diego infield over the past three years. Kim plays above-average to plus defense at any spot. He has been such a good defender that the Padres flipped Xander Bogaerts to second base in the second season of Bogaerts’ $280MM free agent deal.

Kim is a plus runner who stole 38 bases a year ago. He’s difficult to strike out and works plenty of walks. He doesn’t have overwhelming power but could put up 10-15 homers annually. A right shoulder injury sustained diving into the first base bag has kept him off the field for the past month. There’s no indication anything is structurally wrong, so the IL stint shouldn’t tank his market despite the inopportune timing. Kim figures to decline a QO and pursue a four-plus year deal that could land in the $75-100MM range.

Utility Options

  • Nick Ahmed (35)

Ahmed has seemingly been on a quest to tour the NL West. The longtime Diamondback has played for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres this year. He’s on San Diego’s roster as a bench player going into the postseason. Ahmed hasn’t provided any kind of offense — he’s hitting .232/.271/.300 across 221 plate appearances — but he remains a sure-handed defender. Aside from 11 innings at second base in 2014, Ahmed has played exclusively shortstop in the big leagues. There’s little doubt he could handle second or third base if needed, but he’s an all-glove option.

  • Paul DeJong (31)

DeJong has logged upwards of 700 innings at shortstop while getting his first MLB work at third base. Defensive Runs Saved has soured on his shortstop work, rating him eight runs below average, though Statcast thinks he’s closer to par. The latter aligns with DeJong’s generally solid defensive track record. Offensively, DeJong strikes out a ton and doesn’t get on base consistently. He’s hitting .230 with a .277 on-base percentage this year and has a .269 OBP in more than 1500 plate appearances since the start of 2021. That won’t cut it as an everyday player, but he’s just one home run shy of the third 25-homer season of his career. The righty power and ability to defend throughout the infield play well in a utility role.

  • Kyle Farmer (34)

Farmer is a righty-hitting utilityman who has provided roughly league average offense in four straight seasons. This year’s .229/.308/.378 slash with five homers is a little below his typical standard, though that’s weighed down heavily by a terrible start. Farmer has a strong .286/.346/.473 career slash against left-handed pitching compared to a .236/.296/.357 mark without the platoon advantage. He has graded as a solid if unexceptional defender throughout his career, though that could drop off as he enters his age-34 season. Farmer’s deal with Minnesota contains a $6.25MM mutual option or a $250K buyout; the team is likely to decline its end.

  • Enrique Hernández (33)

Hernández has made a career off his defensive flexibility, clubhouse reputation and double-digit home run power. The Dodgers have used him most frequently at third base this season, though he’s picked up 59 2/3 innings at shortstop. Hernández isn’t a regular there but can moonlight at shortstop while playing more frequently at second base, third base and in center field. The right-handed hitter has a very poor average (.219) and on-base percentage (.272), but he’s got 11 homers in 373 plate appearances.

  • Jose Iglesias (35)

Iglesias spent all of 2023 in Triple-A. The former All-Star shortstop has had a resurgent return to the majors with the Mets since being called up at the end of May. Iglesias is hitting .337/.381/.459 over 265 plate appearances while splitting most of his time between second and third base. That huge offensive output is buoyed by a .380 average on balls in play that he’s unlikely to maintain over a larger sample. That said, he remains a gifted pure contact hitter. He’s still a strong defender — he’d have gotten more opportunity at shortstop if not for Francisco Lindor — and has been a spark plug for the Mets’ clubhouse as part of their second half playoff push. He has certainly earned himself a major league deal during this trip to free agency.

  • Kevin Newman (31)

This has been a quietly solid year for Newman. The former Pittsburgh first-rounder signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks over the winter. An early-season injury to Geraldo Perdomo opened the door for Newman in April. He’s held the roster spot all year while hitting .279/.313/.376 through 310 plate appearances. Newman is backing up Perdomo and Ketel Marte in the middle infield, logging more than 700 combined innings off Torey Lovullo’s bench. He has strong defensive marks at both spots and offense that isn’t far below league average. Newman isn’t going to provide any kind of power, but he makes enough contact to hit for a respectable average. He has probably earned himself a big league deal worth a couple million dollars.

  • Amed Rosario (29)

Rosario has moved from an everyday shortstop role into a utility capacity. He was hitting .307/.331/.417 in 76 games with the Rays through the trade deadline. Tampa Bay flipped him to the Dodgers and things have gone downhill. Los Angeles surprisingly moved on from Rosario after just five games. He landed with the Reds on a waiver claim. In 21 games with Cincinnati, Rosario is hitting .161 with 23 strikeouts and just one walk over 58 plate appearances. His season batting line — .281/.307/.381 with three homers across 345 PAs — is now league average. Rosario graded as one of the worst defensive shortstops in the majors when he was playing there regularly and the market should view him as a utility type who handles left-handed pitching well.

Depth Players

  • Tim Anderson (32)

The Marlins took a $5MM rebound flier on Anderson last offseason. It didn’t work. The two-time All-Star hit .214/.237/.226 over 65 games. Miami released him in July. Anderson has hit .235/.271/.274 since the start of last season. He’ll be looking at minor league offers.

  • Brandon Crawford (38)

Crawford signed with the Cardinals after the Giants moved on. St. Louis only got him into 28 games behind Rookie of the Year candidate Masyn Winn. Crawford hit .169/.263/.282 over 80 plate appearances and was released in August. He’d need to accept a minor league contract if he wants to continue playing. If this is it, the four-time Gold Glover and two-time World Series champ had an excellent career.

  • Aledmys Díaz (34)

Díaz spent most of the season on the injured list due to a calf strain. He appeared in 14 games between the A’s and Astros, hitting .091 over 34 plate appearances. Díaz slumped to a .229/.280/.337 slash over a much larger sample with Oakland last year.

Club Options

  • Miguel Rojas (36)

The Dodgers hold a $5MM option on Rojas that comes with a $1MM buyout. The $4MM net call is a drop in the bucket for the Dodgers. Rojas is a sure-handed defender and respected clubhouse presence who has hit .287/.337/.416 in 101 games. He has played well enough to earn L.A.’s starting shortstop job going into October. Even as he enters his age-36 season, this is an easy call for the Dodgers to pick up.

Previous installments: catcher, first base, second base, third base

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2024-25 MLB Free Agents MLBTR Originals

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The Opener: White Sox, NL Wild Card, MLBTR Chat

By Nick Deeds | September 24, 2024 at 8:54am CDT

With the 2024 regular season nearing its end, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. White Sox on the cusp of history:

With their 120th loss of the season on Sunday, the 2024 White Sox took sole possession of the all-time record for losses in the American League away from the 2003 Detroit Tigers. A loss in the opener of today’s series against the Angels, which is set to feature right-hander Jonathan Cannon (4.61 ERA) against Angels youngster Jack Kochanowicz (4.56 in nine starts), would break Chicago’s tie with the 1962 Mets for the most losses by any team in the modern era.

That’s a record that seems all but guaranteed to be shattered sooner or later as the Sox would have to sweep their final six games of the regular season to avoid it, but there are other records that could be in play as the club’s disastrous season winds down. Namely, winning at least three of their remaining six games would allow the club to avoid breaking the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics’ modern era record for worst winning percentage of .235. Meanwhile, winning even one more game before the end of the season would allow the White Sox to avoid tying those aforementioned A’s, as well as the same club’s 1919 season, for the fewest wins in the modern era excluding the shortened 60-game campaign in 2020.

2. Mets, Braves clash over Wild Card:

The Mets are in Atlanta this evening for a three-game set against the Braves that could determine the makeup of the playoff picture in the National League. After a loss by the Diamondbacks yesterday while both Atlanta and New York were off, the Braves now sit just 1.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. The Mets hold a half-game lead over the D-backs for the second NL Wild Card spot. While the Braves and Mets clash, Arizona will continue its home series against the Giants.

A sweep by the Braves would vault them ahead of the Mets, and even taking two of three would be awfully significant as it would not only cut the club’s deficit in the standings but hand Atlanta a victory in the season series (which is currently split 5-5) and the accompanying tiebreaker. Given the fact that the Braves already hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks this year, winning even two of these three games would put them in a much stronger position to make the postseason headed into the season’s final series over the weekend. Things are set to get started in Atlanta at 7:20pm local time when the Braves send rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (3.61 ERA in 19 starts) to the mound opposite righty Luis Severino (3.79 ERA).

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

As the regular season winds down, there’s still plenty of chaos in the Wild Card races as on top of this week’s pivotal series for the NL race there’s a whopping six teams still in play for the final two AL Wild Card spots, including four that are within 1.5 games of a playoff spot. If you’re wondering about how your team stacks up headed into October or how your club could approach the coming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

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