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The Opener: Soto, Signings, Relief Market

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As the baseball world gears up for the Winter Meetings, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. Soto bidding reaches new heights:

The bidding for Juan Soto has reportedly surpassed $600MM, the price tag MLBTR predicted the outfielder would land in our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. The news confirms what has been apparent all along: barring a surprise decision to accept massive deferrals, Soto will land the most lucrative contract in MLB history this winter — at least in terms of the deal’s net present value. The Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers are generally considered to be the top suitors, and there’s been no firm indication to this point that any of them are out of the bidding. With Soto narrowing the field, could a deal be in place before the Winter Meetings begin in Dallas?

2. Signings to be made official:

A handful of reported signings have yet to be made official by their clubs: the Mets’ two-year pact with Frankie Montas, the Cubs’ two-year deal with Matthew Boyd, and the Red Sox’ one-year agreement with Aroldis Chapman. It’s possible those deals are being held up while each club arranges for their new player to take a physical, as is commonplace before finalizing a contract. All three of those teams had open space on their 40-man roster at the time of reaching the agreements, so corresponding moves won’t be necessary. Still, as deals become official, additional details sometimes pop up, as was the case with the recent revelation that Blake Snell’s deal with the Dodgers contained a conditional option for a sixth year.

3. Movement on the relief market:

That aforementioned deal between the Red Sox and Chapman was the first significant signing of a reliever this winter. A handful of relievers have signed small major league deals this winter but Chapman’s $10.75MM guarantee dwarfs those of the other early signers, which are led by the $2.25MM guarantee Boston made to Justin Wilson last month. At such an early point in the offseason, there are still plenty of quality options on the relief market, which is led by southpaw Tanner Scott. Rumors that other top relievers like Jeff Hoffman and Clay Holmes have garnered interest as starters could thin out top end of the relief market a bit.

Chapman highlighted this winter’s class of one-year options from the left side out of the bullpen, though other veterans like Tim Hill, Danny Coulombe, and Andrew Chafin remain as solid options in the next tier down. Could Chapman’s signing spur more movement on the relief market, particularly with the other southpaws?

Bidding For Juan Soto Has Reached At Least $600MM

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The floor for Juan Soto’s contract appears to be $600MM. Ken Rosenthal, Evan Drellich and Brendan Kuty of the Athletic report that every team that remains in the Soto bidding has made a formal offer at or above that number.

With multiple $600MM+ offers in hand, there’s not much chance of Soto pivoting to a short-term deal. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote last week that the four-time All-Star wasn’t interested in taking a shorter term to prioritize his annual earnings. Heyman suggested Soto was seeking a 15-year contract. It’s not clear whether that’ll be on the table, though tonight’s report from The Athletic indicates he’s likely to sign for at least 12 years. That’ll presumably come with one or more opt-out chances as well.

Agent Scott Boras did not comment publicly about contract terms. However, he told reporters this evening that Soto has begun to narrow the field. “We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises. He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future,” Boras said at today’s introductory presser for another of his clients, Blake Snell.

While Soto reportedly fielded interest from 11 teams at the beginning of the offseason, it seems a clear five suitors have emerged: the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Dodgers. Most speculation throughout the industry is that he’ll land with one of the New York franchises. To that end, Rosenthal, Drellich and Kuty write that many people around the game expect that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen will refuse to be outbid.

That said, there’s been chatter in recent weeks that the Red Sox are making a serious push. Meanwhile, SNY’s Andy Martino and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (X link) each suggested last night that the Blue Jays might come in with the highest bid at the end of the day. Reporting has generally cast the Dodgers as something of a long shot, but it’s impossible to count them out on any top-tier free agent.

In any case, Soto seems mere days away from establishing a record for the top net present value in MLB history. That’s currently held by Shohei Ohtani, whose deal is valued by MLB just shy of $461MM after accounting for deferrals. There was never much doubt that Soto would beat that, though it was fair to wonder whether the bidding would stop somewhere between $500MM and $600MM.

At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Soto would receive exactly $600MM over 13 years — a number that looks as if it’ll be light. While it doesn’t seem that decision will come within the next 24 hours, there’s a widespread belief that Soto will make his call by the end of next week’s Winter Meetings.

Looking For A Match In An Alec Bohm Trade

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Alec Bohm’s availability on the trade market isn’t exactly a secret. The former No. 3 overall pick and current Phillies third baseman has been a regular in Philadelphia since 2020, but the Phils are looking for ways to augment a group of position players that hasn’t performed as hoped. They’ve reportedly shown interest in both Alex Bregman and Willy Adames in free agency. They’ll surely be tied to Nolan Arenado on the trade market at next week’s Winter Meetings.

Bohm, 28, certainly isn’t a bad player or even a sub-par hitter. However, he’s only been a bit better than average over the past three years (106 wRC+), and while his 2024 campaign looked early on like a potential breakout, he cooled after a dominant April and hit .258/.303/.410 down the stretch (96 wRC+). He made some strides with the glove this year but had graded as a poor defender in each of his prior MLB campaigns.

More vital to Bohm’s trade candidacy is the simple fact that he’s tradeable in a way that many of the Phillies’ other hitters are not. No one is taking the final two years and $40MM on Nick Castellanos’ contract unless the Phillies take back a similarly unenviable contract. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner aren’t going anywhere — not when both of their massive contracts contain full no-trade protection (and when both are important lineup cogs as well). Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto don’t have that same no-trade protection, but they’re both in the final seasons of weighty multi-year deals. Schwarber was the team’s second-best hitter behind Harper. Realmuto offers a good bat at a thin position where the market offers little to no way of replacing his production.

Bohm isn’t the only Phillie who’s likely being discussed in trades. Any of Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas, Bryson Stott or Ranger Suarez could be of appeal to other clubs. None of the group is signed long-term. But Bohm best checks the combination of boxes that make him a trade candidate: dwindling club control (arb-eligible through 2026), productive output, plays a position that Philadelphia can fill with financial resources that some interested partners lack. Bohm alone probably isn’t going to net the Phillies the high-end closer they covet, but he could be moved for some degree of bullpen help or controllable/optionable rotation depth — another area in which the Phillies are lacking.

Let’s run through some speculative fits based on rival clubs’ roster needs and payroll situations:

Clear Fits

Angels: The Halos are paying Anthony Rendon for another two years but can’t count on him to stay in the lineup or produce at this point. Bohm gives them a more dependable and likely more productive option. He could also platoon with Nolan Schanuel at first base when the Angels face a tough lefty, or even step over there full-time if Rendon is healthy but Schanuel experiences growing pains. The Angels’ farm system isn’t a good one, but they have plenty of optionable, unproven young starters on a 40-man roster that has added veterans Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks in free agency this offseason.

Astros: The priority is Bregman, but the Astros will need to go to lengths they’ve never approached under owner Jim Crane in order to retain their longtime third baseman. If Bregman ends up signing elsewhere, Houston could turn its focus to Willy Adames … unless he signs before Bregman, of course. They’ve considered a variety of contingencies, reportedly including an outside-the-box option in veteran second baseman Jorge Polanco. Bohm is a more straightforward fit. The Astros have some rotation depth and outfield depth to spare, both in the form of young players with MLB experience and upper-minors names who could debut in 2025.

Blue Jays: The Jays are in the Juan Soto hunt, but they’re more broadly just looking to beef up an offense that lacked depth and quality bats last season. If Bohm is Toronto’s primary acquisition toward that end, it’d be a disappointment for Jays fans. If he’s one of two or three newcomers, it looks more palatable. Toronto has toyed with the idea of giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. more time at third base next year and has been linked to both Bregman and Adames. They’re clearly open to upgrades in the infield. Ernie Clement and prospects Orelvis Martinez, Will Wagner and Addison Barger are the primary options at the hot corner right now. Toronto is light on expendable rotation and bullpen depth, which could be a roadblock here.

Brewers: The Brewers aren’t going to re-sign Adames at market value. They’re fortunate to have two shortstop-caliber infielders elsewhere on the diamond in third baseman Joey Ortiz and Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang. Moving Turang to another position after that Platinum Glove might be a reach, but Ortiz could slide from third base to shortstop and give the Brewers the freedom to look for more offense at third base. Bohm’s salary is modest enough for the Brewers to stomach. There will be natural Bohm/Devin Williams speculation with both being trade candidates, but the Brewers have some younger arms they could dangle if they prefer not to deal from the big league roster.

Mariners: The Mariners are working on a limited budget this offseason and looking to add at first base and one of third base or second base (likely the former). Bohm isn’t the big power bat the M’s would probably prefer, but that might not be available to them if the front office is unwilling to trade from a vaunted big league rotation and if ownership indeed isn’t willing to increase last year’s payroll much. Bohm would at least accomplish the team’s ongoing goal of reducing its strikeout rate. There’s probably good reason to be wary of the Mariners acquiring a good-not-great hitter and hoping he can sustain or improve his production at T-Mobile Park, though. Nearly every veteran bat the Mariners have acquired/signed in recent years has gone on to have a career-worst season (e.g. Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, Kolten Wong, Teoscar Hernandez, Jesse Winker).

Royals: The Royals moved quickly to re-sign Michael Wacha and have since turned the focus to upgrading the lineup. Shipping Brady Singer to Cincinnati in exchange for Jonathan India gave them a contact- and OBP-driven leadoff option to put atop the lineup. Bohm is in many ways similar to India as a contact-heavy hitter with a mixed-bag defensive track reputation and average power. He’s not necessarily the impact bat the Royals are seeking, but he’d add another solid veteran to a lineup that’s built around putting the ball in play. They’ve reportedly expressed interest in Bohm already. Kansas City lines up nicely as a trade partner, given that they could offer the Phils some much-needed option rotation depth. Current third baseman Maikel Garcia is a light hitter but plus defender who could thrive in a utility role (or hold appeal to teams looking for affordable shortstop help).

Tigers: Detroit isn’t set at either infield corner. The hope is that former No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson can yet solidify himself as a consistent power threat at first base, but that hasn’t happened yet. At third base, the Tigers are looking at a combination of Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibanez and top prospect Jace Jung. That last option, in particular, comes with high hopes but isn’t a sure thing by any means. The Tigers could acquire Bohm both as a solid option at third base but also a first base fallback in the event of continued struggles from Torkelson. Adding him would also theoretically make it easier to trade Jung in a package for a significant at another area of need, such as in the rotation or in left field.

Yankees: Assuming the plan is to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base, the Yankees don’t have a clear answer at third base next year. DJ LeMahieu isn’t aging well. Younger players like Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jorbit Vivas have yet to establish themselves. Bohm’s salary would be an affordable addition — of extra importance if the Yankees ultimately re-sign Soto — and his contact skills would differentiate from a Yankees roster that has a lot of swing-and-miss in the middle of the order.

Longer Shots

It’s plenty feasible that other trade options will become available as additional offseason dominos fall. There’s been plenty of speculation about the Red Sox dealing Triston Casas to add some pitching and also facilitate a move from third base to first base for Rafael Devers. In that scenario, Bohm could emerge as a third base option for Boston. The Pirates could consider Bohm if they miss on other targets at first base. If the Phils are willing to deal within their own division — perhaps a long shot for that very reason — the Mets could make sense if Pete Alonso leaves and Mark Vientos slides to first base. The Nats could view Bohm as an affordable candidate to keep third base warm for prospect Brady House before sliding over to first base. If the A’s strike out on free agents, they could feasibly look to the trade market as a way to add some payroll and ensure their ability to retain their status as a revenue-sharing recipient. The Reds have a crowded mix of young infielder but are lacking in established contributors. Bohm could fit there in the wake of Cincinnati’s Jonathan India-for-Brady Singer swap, but an outfield bat seems like a cleaner fit.

Red Sox Sign Aroldis Chapman

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The Red Sox announced the signing of Aroldis Chapman to a one-year contract. The deal reportedly guarantees the Wasserman client $10.75MM.

Boston becomes the left-hander’s fifth different team since 2022. Chapman is no longer the elite closer he was during his peak with the Reds and Yankees. He’s still an effective, if somewhat volatile, reliever despite scattershot command. He turned in a 3.79 ERA over 61 2/3 innings for the Pirates this year. Signed as a setup option in front of David Bednar, Chapman recorded 22 holds before taking over as closer for the struggling Bednar late in the season. He picked up 14 saves, his highest total in three years, and only surrendered five leads.

Even as he enters his age-37 season, Chapman is one of the league’s hardest-throwing relievers. He averaged 97.8 MPH on his four-seam fastball and 99.8 MPH on his sinker. While Chapman is no longer in a league of his own in terms of velocity, that’s rare arm speed from the left side. Among southpaws with at least five innings pitched, only Jose A. Ferrer and Gregory Soto threw their four-seamers harder on average. Chapman’s sinker velocity led all southpaws and ranked fourth in MLB overall, trailing Emmanuel Clase, Justin Martinez and Seth Halvorsen.

That high-octane stuff continues to lead to plenty of strikeouts. Chapman fanned 37% of batters faced with Pittsburgh. Among relievers with 20+ innings, Chapman ranked eighth in strikeout rate. His 14.7% walk percentage was the ninth-highest mark among that group. Fewer than half of his plate appearances ended with a ball in play. There’ll be a lot of free passes, but Chapman’s stuff is good enough that he still manages to work out of trouble more often than not.

This is the second bullpen pickup of the offseason for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the Boston front office. They also brought in Justin Wilson last month to work in the middle innings. There could be room for one more addition with four Sox relievers hitting free agency. They’re expected to let Kenley Jansen walk and could also lose Chris Martin, Luis García and Lucas Sims. Liam Hendriks should be back from Tommy John surgery and is the favorite to replace Jansen as Alex Cora’s closer. Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten should be their top setup option from the right side. Cam Booser and Brennan Bernardino, who had been their top internal lefties, profile as middle relievers rather than high-leverage arms.

Chapman did not place among MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents. That said, he was one of the best available lefties for teams that didn’t want to play at the top of the market for Tanner Scott. He earns a very slight raise relative to last winter, when he signed with Pittsburgh for $10.5MM.

The move brings the Red Sox’s estimated payroll, including arbitration projections, to roughly $148MM (courtesy of RosterResource). Boston is up to approximately $181MM in luxury tax obligations. They’re $60MM shy of the base tax threshold. CEO Sam Kennedy indicated the Sox could exceed the threshold, one of myriad comments from team brass signaling a big offseason. There’ll be a lot more to come from Breslow and company, who are one of five teams known to be involved on Juan Soto and have been tied to every top-end free agent starting pitcher.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported the Red Sox and Chapman had made progress on a deal. Mike Rodriguez confirmed there was a deal in place. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the contract terms. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Dodgers Discussing Front Office Role With Farhan Zaidi

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The Dodgers are in talks with Farhan Zaidi about a possible front office position, report Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Zaidi spent the last six seasons running baseball operations with the Giants. San Francisco fired him and tabbed Buster Posey as their new front office leader at the end of the regular season.

Zaidi is no stranger to the L.A. organization. He spent four seasons as Dodgers general manager between 2015-18. Zaidi was Andrew Friedman’s top lieutenant during that run. He departed to take over baseball operations in San Francisco during the 2018-19 offseason. Before landing in L.A., he worked his way up to assistant general manager in the A’s organization under Billy Beane.

The 48-year-old’s tenure in San Francisco was mixed. The Giants only made the playoffs once in Zaidi’s six years. That was a magical 2021 season that saw San Francisco win 107 games, narrowly topping the Dodgers for the NL West title. The Giants have essentially been a league average team in the three years since then. Much of Zaidi’s tenure was defined by a series of near misses in their pursuits of top free agents (i.e. Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa after his failed physical).

Zaidi’s front office had a knack for developing unheralded targets into productive role players or solid regulars. They hit on low-cost acquisitions of Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Thairo Estrada, for instance. Yet the Giants rarely had the high-end talent necessary to compete with star-studded rosters in Los Angeles and San Diego. That persisted even after San Francisco landed Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler late last offseason.

Even if Zaidi’s tenure in San Francisco didn’t end the way he’d envisioned, it’s unsurprising that the Dodgers are interested in bringing him back. He’d bring more than a decade of high-level experience along with his personal connections to Friedman, GM Brandon Gomes, and senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes.

Royals, Jordan Groshans Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Royals are adding corner infielder Jordan Groshans on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). The CAA client spent this year in the upper minors between the Yankees and A’s.

Groshans, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Blue Jays. He appeared among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects in each season from 2019-21 but has yet to carve out much of an MLB role. Toronto dealt him to the Marlins before he reached the big leagues. Groshans appeared in the majors with Miami in 2022. He played in 17 games, hitting .262/.308/.312 across 65 plate appearances.

That’s the extent of his major league experience. Groshans’ bat has stalled in the minors over the past couple seasons. He hit .244/.339/.330 with Miami’s Triple-A affiliate in 2023. The Marlins lost him to the Yankees via waivers last offseason. New York successfully ran him through waivers in Spring Training. Groshans didn’t perform well at either of the top two minor league levels in the Yankees’ system. New York traded him to the A’s in June for third baseman J.D. Davis.

That swap turned out to be inconsequential for both teams. Davis hit .105 in seven games as a Yankee before being released. The A’s assigned Groshans to Double-A Midland. He hit .239/.312/.352 in 51 contests and elected minor league free agency at the end of the year. The righty-hitting infielder finished the ’24 campaign with a combined .235/.311/.318 line across 383 plate appearances between the two organizations.

Groshans’ former prospect status continues to generate some level of minor league interest. He’ll need to take a step forward offensively if he’s to earn an extended big league look. Groshans has shown decent plate discipline but minimal power. He’s a .252/.347/.331 hitter in more than 1000 Triple-A plate appearances.

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Post Hyeseong Kim

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10:41pm: The Heroes announced that the posting window will open at 8:00 am Eastern on Thursday. MLB is evidently waiting until tomorrow to formally notify teams about his availability. Kim will have until 5:00 pm Eastern on January 3 to sign (X link via Yoo).

9:17pm: The KBO announced that the Heroes have officially made Kim available via the posting system. The posting went into effect at noon on Wednesday in South Korean time, not at 12:00 pm Eastern as previously reported. According to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (X link), the 30-day signing period will officially begin at 8:00 a.m. Eastern the morning after MLB informs teams of Kim’s posting.

2:30pm: Infielder Hyeseong Kim is expected to be officially posted by the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization on Wednesday at noon Eastern/11am Central, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network (X link). Once it’s official, that will start a 30-day window where all MLB clubs can negotiate with Kim and his representatives. If no deal is signed in that time, he will return to the Heroes for the 2025 season. (The NPB posting window has been expanded from 30 days to 45 days but KBO players still have a 30-day time frame.)

Kim, 26 in January, said himself last week that he believed the formal posting process was about a week away. It appears that timeline is holding, so Kim will be officially be available to MLB clubs as of tomorrow. Kim will be considered a “professional” under MLB rules because he is at least 25 years old and has at least six years of experience in a foreign league. As such, he can sign a deal of any length or dollar amount, depending on what MLB clubs are willing to offer. That’s in contrast to someone like Roki Sasaki, who is only 23 years old and will therefore be capped by the international bonus system.

It isn’t likely that Kim will secure a massive deal, but he could still have some interest. He is expected to provide a somewhat similar skillset to his former double play partner Ha-Seong Kim, no relation, as both players are considered sure-handed defenders at multiple spots on the diamond. Hyeseong has mostly played the two middle infield spots, but also with brief stints at third base and in the outfield corners.

Offensively, Hyeseong is a tick below Ha-Seong, however. Hyeseong has slashed .304/.364/.403 in his eight KBO seasons whereas Ha-Seong hit .294/.373/.493 in his seven campaigns in Korea. The batting average and on-base numbers are fairly close but Ha-Seong clearly has the edge in terms of slugging. Hyeseong got to 11 home runs in 2024, a career high for him, whereas Ha-Seong had 19 or more homers in his final six KBO seasons, including 30 in the final year.

Still, even if Hyeseong is a tick below Ha-Seong in the power department, his youth and athleticism should work in his favor. As mentioned, he is considered a strong defender and could be placed at multiple different positions. He has stolen between 20 and 46 bases in each of the past six seasons.

MLBTR predicted he could secure a three-year deal with a $24MM guarantee as part of the annual Top 50 Free Agents post. However, predicting the interest in a player making the move from overseas can be difficult, as players like Jung Hoo Lee and Masataka Yoshida both proved to have much more earning power than was assumed by forecasters.

The Mariners are reportedly interested in Kim but it stands to reason that plenty of others would be in the mix as well, given his versatility. Clubs like the Giants, White Sox, Marlins, Brewers and others are speculative fits. Players like Willy Adames, Ha-Seong Kim, Gleyber Torres and others are also available in the middle infield free agent market. They will be joined by Hyeseong but the 30-day posting window means there will be clarity on his status by the first few days of 2025, at the latest.

In addition to the money going to Kim, a signing club will also have to pay a posting fee to the Heroes, the value of which will depend upon the size of the contract. The fee will be calculated as 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. Additional earnings, such as performance bonuses/incentives or salaries on option years fall under that purview once they are unlocked or exercised.

Guardians Evaluating Outfield Market

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It has been a quiet start to the offseason for the Guardians. Their only notable moves have been the trade of middle reliever Eli Morgan to the Cubs and the return of backup catcher Austin Hedges on a $4MM free agent deal.

As the Winter Meetings approach, Cleveland’s front office is monitoring the market for a potential outfield acquisition. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti tells Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic that the Guardians are open to adding a “complementary player” on the grass.

Steven Kwan is one of the game’s best left fielders. The other two outfield spots are more open. Lane Thomas played a good amount of center field after the Guardians acquired him from Washington in a deadline deal. He’s stretched defensively up the middle. Ideally, Thomas would slot into right field. The Guards don’t have many internal options who could take everyday playing time in center. If they’re to bump Thomas into a corner, they’ll probably need to add a center fielder.

The free agent class at the position is very weak. Harrison Bader is the only player who projects as even a low-end regular. Leody Taveras and Jake Meyers are glove-first options who could be available on the trade market. None of them are going to provide much offense, but they’d upgrade Cleveland’s outfield defense.

The Guardians are also likely to receive some trade calls regarding Thomas. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Thomas for an $8.3MM salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility. That’s a decent sum for a low-payroll franchise, but the Guardians relinquished a solid prospect return to land Thomas a few months ago. They’d get a lesser package back after he struggled down the stretch (timely postseason home runs aside), and a trade would leave them with two question marks in the outfield.

If the Guardians stick with Thomas in center field, they’d have some combination of Will Brennan, Jhonkensy Noel and Daniel Schneemann in right field. Noel has monster power but strikes out a ton. He’s a better runner than one might expect given his 6’3″, 250-pound frame, but he might be stretched defensively as an everyday outfielder. Neither Brennan nor Schneemann has demonstrated much offensive upside. Johnathan Rodriguez, Angel Martínez and Petey Halpin are all on the 40-man roster but have little to no big league experience.

Top prospect Chase DeLauter could be a midseason upgrade. An Opening Day call would be a longer shot. DeLauter has battled injuries in his minor league career and has only appeared in 42 games above High-A, just six of which have come at the Triple-A level.

There’s a decent amount of depth in the free agent corner outfield class. Michael Conforto, Max Kepler and Alex Verdugo are all potential regulars who are likely to be limited to one or two years. They all hit left-handed, but a righty bat could better fit the search for a complementary player. Brennan and Schneemann each hit from the left side, as does DeLauter. (Noel is a righty.) Randal Grichuk or recent non-tenders Austin Hays and Bryan De La Cruz could occupy short-side platoon roles. They could pair with Brennan or Schneemann early in the season while allowing Stephen Vogt to shield DeLauter from tough left-handed pitching if he earns a big league look later in the year.

Blue Jays Hire Graham Johnson As Bullpen Coach

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The Blue Jays have hired Graham Johnson to serve as bullpen coach, GM Ross Atkins told reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). Atkins also confirmed the previously reported hiring of Lou Iannotti as assistant hitting coach and indicated the team was looking to add an assistant pitching coach to work alongside Pete Walker.

Johnson joins an MLB staff for the first time. He had spent the past couple seasons as pitching coach of the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. Johnson also worked in the Houston farm system for four years and spent nearly a decade as a pitching instructor at the collegiate level. The Jays reassigned previous bullpen coach Jeff Ware to a different role within the organization at the end of the season.

Toronto will need a significant improvement from the relief group next season. The Jays had a 4.82 earned run average from their bullpen. Only the Rockies had a less effective relief group. Toronto relievers also ranked second from the bottom with a 20.7% strikeout rate. The Jays cut a trio of relievers after the season, waiving Génesis Cabrera and non-tendering Jordan Romano and Dillon Tate. They’ve yet to make any additions. They’ll need to bring in multiple relievers to address a group that is currently led by Chad Green and Erik Swanson.

Cardinals Sign Ryan Vilade To Minor League Deal

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The Cardinals announced that they have signed infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade to a minor league contract. The Icon Sports Management client also receives a non-roster invite to major league spring training.

Vilade, 26 in February, has some slivers of major league experience. He got into three games for the 2021 Rockies and then 17 games for the 2024 Tigers. He has a .157/.200/.216 batting line in 56 plate appearances in the big leagues. He was outrighted by Detroit at the end of the season and elected free agency.

Those numbers are obviously not impressive, but it’s also a tiny sample size and the Cards are surely looking more at his minor league track record. He got into 108 Triple-A games in 2024, slashing .278/.346/.449 for a 105 wRC+ in his 442 plate appearances at that level. He also stole 20 bases while lining up defensively at all three outfield spots and the three non-shortstop infield positions.

Vilade also has a bit of prospect pedigree, as he was a second-round pick of the Rockies in 2017. He hit well in the lower levels of the minors in the early stages of his professional career, getting ranked by Baseball America as one of Colorado’s top ten prospects from 2018 to 2022. But he didn’t hit much at the Triple-A level in 2021 or 2022, so the Rockies put him on waivers. The Pirates put in a claim and ran him through waivers, with Vilade then going on to have another lackluster Triple-A season in 2023.

He was able to elect free agency going into 2024 and signed a minor league deal with the Tigers. As mentioned, he didn’t do much in his brief major league time but got back on track a bit at the Triple-A level, enough to intrigue the Cardinals.

St. Louis is planning for 2025 to be a reset year, where they will be more focused on upgrading their player development pipeline than on short-term contention. As such, it’s possible that they could consider trades of players with limited long-term value. Nolan Arenado seems like he could be on the move since he is turning 34 and wants to play for a contender. Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar have three years of club control left and are plausible candidates to be available. Nolan Gorman still has four years of club control remaining but seems to have fallen out of favor with the Cards, making him a change of scenery candidate. Paul Goldschmidt is already gone via free agency.

Vilade’s ability to play multiple positions means that he could take up some of the playing time that might shake loose as the club shuffles the roster. If he gets a roster spot at any point, he still has one option year remaining and only has a few days of service time, meaning he can potentially be cheaply retained into the future.

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