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Rays Acquire Brandon Eisert

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The Rays have acquired left-hander Brandon Eisert from the Blue Jays, according to announcements from both clubs. The Jays, who designated Eisert for assignment earlier this week when they signed Anthony Santander, receive cash considerations in return. The Rays had an open 40-man spot and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Eisert, 27, joins the second club of his career. Selected by the Blue Jays in the 18th-round of the 2019 draft, he worked his way up to make his major league debut last year. To this point, his big league track record is minimal. He tossed 6 2/3 innings for the Jays last year, allowing three earned runs.

The Rays are surely more interested in the southpaw’s minor league numbers, which have generally been strong. Over the past four years, he has logged 264 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.76 earned run average, 29.1% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.

Despite the strong minor league results, Eisert lacks the power arsenal clubs are usually looking to get from relievers these days. His fastball only averaged 91.2 miles per hour during his brief major league work. It was a tick lower in Triple-A, coming in at 90.2 mph last year. Perhaps the Jays expected that the relatively lower velocity would prevent him from succeeding in the majors as much as he did in the minors.

The Rays had an open roster spot and will use it to get a close-up look at Eisert. He still has options, which is surely appealing for a club that regularly rotates arms on and off its roster throughout the season. Garrett Cleavinger is the top lefty reliever on the club right now. They gave Mason Montgomery some work in the big league bullpen last year but he’s mostly been a starter in the minors. Eisert and Montgomery both have options, so it wouldn’t be a surprise for Tampa to have them taking turns on the big league roster as the second lefty behind Cleavinger, while shuttling to Triple-A from time to time.

Yankees Claim Allan Winans

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The Yankees have claimed right-hander Allan Winans off waivers from the Braves, who designated him for assignment earlier in the week, as first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

The 29-year-old Winans saw big league time with the Braves in both 2023 and 2024. He’s been hit hard in the majors, yielding a 7.20 ERA in 40 frames, but has a strong track record in Triple-A. Through 256 innings at the top minor league level, Winans sports a 3.26 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. He has a minor league option remaining, making him a candidate to give the Yankees some depth in the starting staff or length out of the bullpen.

Winans sits just 90-91 mph with his four-seamer and 89-90 mph with his sinker, coupling those offerings with a low-80s changeup and upper-70s slider. He’s excelled at limiting walks and piling up weak contact throughout his time in Triple-A, which has helped to offset below-average velocity and bat-missing capabilities. Major league hitters haven’t made hard contact with much frequency, but the hard contact he does allow tends to be quite loud; he’s averaged 1.80 homers per nine frames and allowed 10% of his batted balls to be barreled up, per Statcast.

The Yankees have multiple open spots on their 40-man roster, so they won’t necessarily need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Winans. He’ll compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring, but with a crowded rotation that could lead to a trade of Marcus Stroman and a generally veteran bullpen, the Yankees seem likelier to open the year with Winans in Triple-A — assuming he remains on the 40-man roster for the rest of the offseason.

Poll: Where Will Jurickson Profar Sign?

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After more than a decade in the majors, Jurickson Profar finally lived up to his top prospect billing in 2024, his age-31 season. The switch-hitter slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and an NL-leading 18 hit-by-pitches. He did just about everything well, posting a high walk rate, a low strikeout rate, and above-average power numbers. His 139 wRC+ ranked 15th among qualified batters, while his 4.3 FanGraphs WAR placed him among the top 25 position players in either league. Even better, his Statcast expected metrics matched his actual output; his .364 xwOBA put him in the 92nd percentile of MLB hitters. With numbers like that, it was no surprise that Profar started for the NL All-Stars in the summer and collected a Silver Slugger at the end of the year.

Profar turns 32 next month, and his age, along with his spotty track record from 2012-23, will limit his earning potential in free agency. That’s why he ranked below fellow outfielders Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, despite outperforming both of them in wRC+ and fWAR last season. Nonetheless, the possibility that he could repeat his All-Star performance in 2025 should entice several suitors, and for that reason, Profar is easily the top outfielder still available on the free agent market. What’s more, his ability to hit from both sides of the plate, along with the fact that he is not saddled with the qualifying offer or seeking a particularly long-term commitment (he’s eyeing a three-year deal) should make him a good fit for any team in need of an impact bat in a corner outfield spot.

Indeed, with Santander off the market, the Profar rumor mill has picked up in recent days. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, “a number of teams” are interested in his services, including the Blue Jays and Astros. After signing Santander, Toronto is set in the corner outfield department with Santander in left field and George Springer in right. However, the Jays could still use another bat, and they could facilitate the addition of Profar by rotating Profar, Santander, and Springer between the corner outfield and the DH spots. GM Ross Atkins recently made it clear the Blue Jays have money left to spend this winter as they strive to return to contention after a disappointing 2024. There is no doubt that Profar would help them move toward that goal.

As for the Astros, they could desperately use some more thump in the outfield after trading Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. With manager Joe Espada on the record that Houston would like to limit Yordan Alvarez’s playing time in the field, the club’s current outfield options include Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón, and Taylor Trammell. As I wrote back in December, “It’s not hyperbole to say that could be one of the worst offensive outfields among contending teams.” Thus, it’s easy to see how Profar fits into the picture. The only question is if GM Dana Brown has the payroll flexibility to make such a signing. Earlier this month, KPRC’s Ari Alexander reported the Astros were “unlikely” to sign Santander because it would require a contract that would put them “well into the competitive balance tax for the second consecutive season.” Profar won’t command quite as high of a salary, but the Astros are already above the first luxury tax threshold as it is (per RosterResource). So, Brown might need to make a trade to clear some payroll before he can pursue any more free agent additions. Offloading Ryan Pressly’s $14MM salary from the books would surely help.

While Feinsand did not name any other suitors, the Royals are one more team that has been linked to Profar this winter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post connected the two sides back in November, writing that the Royals had “their eye on” the left fielder. However, there hasn’t been much smoke to that fire since, and Sherman’s report came before Kansas City traded for Jonathan India. Still, the Royals continue to seek another impact bat for their lineup. Although reporting has suggested they’d prefer to work on the trade market – they inquired about Nolan Arenado earlier in the offseason – signing Profar is another route they could take.

Two further landing spots to consider are the Angels and Tigers, both of whom were reportedly interested in Santander before he signed with the Blue Jays. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press described the Angels as one of the “frontrunners” to sign Santander, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post also mentioned Santander when he linked the Angels to Pete Alonso, acknowledging that the outfielder was a better positional fit. The Angels currently have Taylor Ward and Jo Adell penciled into the corner outfield spots, but Ward is a potential trade candidate (even if rumors of his availability may have been overblown) and Adell has hardly done enough to warrant a guaranteed starting job. Anthony Franco recently wrote about what the Angels could do next in a post for MLBTR Front Office subscribers, and he touched on Profar as a potential target.

Meanwhile, Petzold described Santander as a potential backup plan for the Tigers if they could not sign third baseman Alex Bregman. Considering that talks between Bregman and the Tigers are reportedly “at a standstill,” perhaps Detroit will pivot to Profar. After all, if the Tigers had interest in one switch-hitting corner outfielder, it stands to reason they’d have interest in another. While Riley Greene has one corner outfield spot on lock, manager A.J. Hinch could play Profar in the other corner. In addition, Profar could occasionally platoon at DH with Kerry Carpenter, who has struggled against left-handed pitching so far in his young career.

It would also be foolish to count out a reunion between Profar and the Padres. San Diego clearly likes what he brings to the table, having acquired him four separate times, first in a trade and then as a free agent in 2021, ’23, and ’24.  Moreover, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller worked in the Rangers’ international scouting department back when the team first signed Profar in 2009. It’s hard to imagine Preller could have lost interest now, given that Profar is coming off the best season of his career. On top of that, the Padres certainly still have space for him, having made no moves as of yet to replace his bat in the lineup. The big question, however, is if San Diego can afford to pay what Profar is seeking. The Padres are reportedly trying to reduce their payroll from its current $208MM projection (per RosterResource), which means they might need to offload some salary before considering any upgrades in free agency.

One more team that showed interest in Santander this winter was the Red Sox, but Chris Cotillo of MassLive suggests Boston is not actively pursuing Profar. That makes sense in light of manager Alex Cora’s recent comments that he hopes to use Masataka Yoshida in the outfield more often; Boston’s outfield picture is already quite crowded. In addition to Yoshida, the Red Sox have a pair of young, talented corner outfielders in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. They also plan to use Ceddanne Rafaela as an outfielder “as much as possible” instead of shuttling him back and forth between shortstop and center field. On top of that, the Red Sox have top prospect Roman Anthony to consider. The promising outfielder could be ready for his MLB debut at some point in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Mets were both serious suitors for Hernández earlier this winter, but the Yankees filled their hole in the outfield with Cody Bellinger, while the Mets presumably addressed that need by signing Jesse Winker. Other contenders that have already addressed needs in the corner outfield include the Orioles, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers. Notably, the Braves are one team not on that list. While they have not been linked to any notable free agent outfielders so far this winter, they were thought to be exploring the outfield market back in November. They could certainly use another outfielder if Ronald Acuña Jr. opens the season on the injured list, and even once Acuña returns, they might prefer an upgrade over Jarred Kelenic. According to RosterResource, their projected payroll currently sits about $31MM below last year’s final figure, which should give them plenty of flexibility to offer Profar the kind of contract he’s looking for.

So, where do MLBTR readers think Profar will ultimately end up? Have your say in the poll below:

Interest In Kyle Finnegan Picking Up

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As late-inning relievers finally begin to come off the board, interest in former Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan has picked up “significantly,” Robert Murray of FanSided reports. The market for relievers in general has accelerated in recent days. Tanner Scott, Paul Sewald, A.J. Minter and Jose Leclerc have all hammered out agreements in the past week. Kirby Yates has reportedly reached a “tentative” agreement with the Dodgers, too.

Finnegan, 33, was non-tendered by the Nationals back in November. While his end-of-year numbers look sharp — 38 saves, 3.68 ERA — Finnegan had a brutal finish to the year and was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for an $8.6MM salary in what would’ve been his final year of club control before free agency. That was more than the Nationals were willing to pay at the time. Presumably, other clubs also balked at the price. Teams generally shop players around the trade market before cutting them loose via non-tender, and the Nats surely did that due diligence with a player as prominent as Finnegan has been for them.

As deep into the season as July 21, Finnegan boasted a 2.32 earned run average with a 26% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. He was thriving in high-leverage spots, missing bats and limiting walks while piling up saves in Davey Martinez’s bullpen. It was a strong enough showing for Finnegan to deservingly make the first All-Star team of his career.

The subsequent 21 appearances, however, were a disaster. Finnegan surrendered runs in nine of those outings, yielding an ugly 6.43 ERA along the way. He was hampered by a .411 average on balls in play, but his struggles were attributable to far more than just a simple downturn in batted-ball luck; Finnegan’s strikeout rate plummeted to 15.7% over that stretch, while his walk rate inflated to 9.8%. He logged an 11.8% swinging-strike rate through July 21 but only a 9.1% clip from that point forth. His opponents’ contact rate jumped from 77.6% to 81.9%. In particular, their rate of contact on pitches off the plate soared. Finnegan’s velocity held strong, averaging 97.2 mph in both samples, but his command was clearly not as sharp in the season’s final two-plus months.

Finnegan was connected to the Cubs back in December. Chicago just finished runner-up to the Dodgers in bidding for the previously mentioned Scott and is still seeking bullpen upgrades. Others known to be poking around the relief market at the moment (but not necessarily targeting Finnegan, specifically) include the Reds, Yankees, D-backs, Mets and Braves — to name just a few. Most clubs this time of year feel there’s still room to add to their bullpen, though not every team has the remaining financial flexibility to do so on a reliever of some note, like Finnegan.

A one-year deal a bit shy of Finnegan’s projected arb salary feels feasible. It’s also at least plausible that he could ink a two-year pact at a lesser annual value, allowing him to surpass the total of his projected arbitration salary. Non-tendered players rarely strike multi-year deals, but it’s happened before, and Finnegan was a higher-profile cut than most.

Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw Still Interested In Reunion

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The Dodgers have added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to a rotation already expected to return Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Injured righties Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are both in line to be ready for Opening Day as well. That’s six viable rotation arms, before even accounting for younger pitchers who’ve now been pushed into depth roles: Bobby Miller, Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack and Ben Casparius among them.

Despite that stock of arms, the organization still seems open to and likely to re-sign lefty Clayton Kershaw. General manager Brandon Gomes said yesterday that the newcomers on the pitching staff haven’t altered the team’s interest in Kershaw (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Kershaw, 37 in March, is recovering surgery to repair a torn meniscus and a second surgery to address bone spurs and a ruptured plantar plate in his foot. He’s working through a throwing program but is not yet pitching off a mound, per Gomes.

In each of the past two offseasons, there’s been at least a bit of intrigue as to where the future Hall of Famer might sign. It was a two-team market in those instances, with Kershaw expected to either remain in L.A. or sign a short-term deal with the Rangers, who play within driving distance of his Texas home. After the Dodgers captured a World Series title last year, however, Kershaw declared himself a “Dodger for life.” He subsequently reiterated to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya not long after that he planned to be back with the Dodgers for an 18th season in 2025.

Given that a reunion is something of a fait accompli, it seems there’s no rush to get a contract finalized. Kershaw declined a player option back in November. The two parties are widely expected to work out a new arrangement. From the Dodgers’ vantage point, it’d be beneficial to hold off on formalizing anything until spring training has commenced. They’re already facing a 40-man roster crunch with the looming but not-yet-finalized deals with Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.

The Dodgers need to open one 40-man spot for that pair — they’re currently at 39 players — and re-signing Kershaw now would mean jettisoning a second 40-man player. If he signs after camp opens, though, the Dodgers will be able to accommodate his addition by placing an injured player on the 60-day IL. The Dodgers have a whopping five pitchers who are on the 40-man and recovering from major surgeries. Brusdar Graterol will miss the first half of the season following shoulder surgery. Gavin Stone had shoulder surgery in October and could miss the entire 2025 season. Each of River Ryan (Aug. 25), Kyle Hurt (July 30) and Emmet Sheehan (May 16) had Tommy John surgery last year. They’ll all very likely be placed on the 60-day IL at some point.

The aforementioned knee and foot injuries, paired with Kershaw’s rehab from Nov. 2023 shoulder surgery, combined to limit the three-time Cy Young winner to just 30 innings in 2024. He posted a 4.50 ERA with an 18% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate, showing strong command but uncharacteristically low swing-and-miss abilities. Kershaw’s fastball sat at a career-low 89.9 mph on average last season, and his slider and curveball each saw a dip in velo as well (particularly the latter).

There’s no telling the extent to which he can regain some of the lost velocity, but from 2019-23, Kershaw notched a 2.77 ERA and 27.5% strikeout rate over 616 1/3 innings even while averaging just 90.7 mph on his heater. He doesn’t need to get his velocity back up to or even close to its 93-94 mph peak to have success. The Dodgers are in the top tier of luxury penalization yet again, so any dollars allocated to Kershaw will come with a 110% tax.

The Opener: Ogasawara, Potential Trades, Contreras

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Here are three things we’ll be paying attention to around baseball today:

1. Ogasawara’s posting window:

The Chunichi Dragons posted left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara for MLB clubs on December 10, giving him until January 24 to sign a deal. That deadline is fast approaching. If he and his reps at WME don’t strike an agreement with an MLB team by tomorrow, the southpaw will return to the Dragons for the 2025 campaign.

Ogasawara, 27, was an NPB All-Star for the first time in 2023 and was arguably even better this past year, reducing his ERA from 3.59 to 3.12 and increasing his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 3.27 to 3.73. He also lowered his home run rate from 0.8 HR/9 to 0.6 HR/9. However, it’s important to keep in mind that runs are harder to come by in NPB than MLB, and Ogasawara’s numbers aren’t exactly dominant by NPB standards. His ERA, strikeout rate, and home run rate were all worse than the Central League average in 2024. His strikeout rate was at 24% as recently as 2022 but has dipped in each of the past two years, bottoming out at a discouraging 13.6% this past season. That said, this year’s 3.7% walk rate was phenomenal. His plus command could help him land a spot at the back of a team’s rotation, though it’s possible he’d fit better in a bullpen role in MLB. Readers looking to learn more about the lefty can check out a detailed scouting report on Ogasawara from Sports Info Solutions’ Brandon Tew.

Very little news has come out about Ogasawara since he was posted, making it difficult to gauge his market and even harder to predict what size of contract he might sign. MLBTR predicted a two-year, $12MM deal for Ogasawara when we ranked him at No. 48 on our Top 50 Free Agents list earlier this offseason, based largely on his youth and command.

2. Waiting for the next notable trade:

While the trade market has been relatively slow so far in January, the rumor mill has remained active. The Dodgers are reportedly gauging interest in right-handed reliever Ryan Brasier, while the Twins and Padres are said to have discussed a deal involving catcher Christian Vazquez. Minnesota also has interest in Padres ace Dylan Cease. Meanwhile, the Cubs’ bullpen search has led them to consider trading for veteran Astros reliever Ryan Pressly, though his no-trade rights could make that difficult.

The biggest name still on the trade market is third baseman Nolan Arenado. While reports have suggested Arenado is now less likely to be dealt than he was earlier in the offseason, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has said he is still trying to find a deal. However, team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. recently suggested an Arenado trade isn’t a necessity, and his club isn’t desperate to cut payroll in 2025. Perhaps that means Arenado will stay in St. Louis after all, or perhaps those comments are intended to give the Cardinals some extra leverage — be it in Arenado negotiations or in potential trade talks for other veterans on the roster.

3. Roansy Contreras DFA resolution:

The Orioles designated right-handed reliever Roansy Contreras for assignment last week after claiming infielder Jacob Amaya. That kicked off a seven-day countdown for the O’s to either trade Contreras or run him through waivers. Today marks the end of that week-long period. The waiver process can take up to 48 hours, so it’s safe to presume the righty was placed on waivers Tuesday. By some point today, we should find out if another team will claim him or if the Orioles can send him outright to the minor leagues. He has never been outrighted previously in his career and does not have the necessary service time to reject an outright assignment.

Contreras, 25, began his career as a prospect in the Yankees organization before the team traded him to the Pirates as part of the deal that sent Jameson Taillon back to New York. He pitched in parts of four seasons with Pittsburgh from 2021-24 before the Pirates traded him to the Angels this past May. Since finishing off the 2024 campaign with L.A., he has bounced between several teams on waivers, going from the Angels to the Rangers to the Reds to the Orioles. He has a career 4.72 ERA and 4.66 SIERA in 90 games (33 starts) and clearly offers enough upside for several teams to be interested in claiming him off. Perhaps that upside will convince yet another team to take a chance on him today. If not, the O’s can stash the former top prospect in Triple-A Norfolk as a depth arm.

MLB Mailbag: Flaherty, Nationals, Sasaki, Pirates, Giants, Twins

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This week's mailbag covers how free agent righty Jack Flaherty might approach his current situation, whether Alex Bregman makes sense for the Nationals, accusations of the Dodgers having a predetermined deal for Roki Sasaki, low-cost right field options for the Pirates, how the Giants could fit in a bat, a comparison of Jordan Montgomery, Taijuan Walker, and Marcus Stroman, why the Twins collapsed, and much more.

Lance asks:

It's somewhat surprising to see Jack Flaherty kind of iced out, up to this point, in free agency given the urgency and value placed on quality starting pitching. Would he be in line for a 'better' contract if he opted for a long-term (5-yr) contract at a lower AAV than expected/preferred versus opting for a short-term contract that could see him saddled with a Qualifying Offer next offseason?

I'm seeing a bit of a Carlos Rodon parallel here.  Rodon had an awesome breakout 2021 with the White Sox and hit the market without a qualifying offer, but with a dubious health track record.  So he took two years and $44MM from the Giants with an opt-out, had an even better season, got the QO, and still landed a $162MM deal.

Rodon's Giants contract came after the lockout, and that was an unorthodox winter for all free agents.  But he was only 29 at the time, and I imagine he had lower-AAV longer-term offers like you mentioned for Flaherty.  If so, he made himself a lot of money by not taking that type of deal.

That worked out so well for Rodon because he dominated in 2022.  Flaherty would need to stay healthy and pitch well in 2025 to get the $100MM+ deal he's likely seeking.  He doesn't turn 30 until October, so he's in a good position to take a short-term deal (with opt-outs if it's multiyear) and go back to the market even with the QO.  If he really wanted to be strategic, he could sign with a team that is likely to trade him at the deadline, and dodge the QO again.  If Flaherty's 2025 is decent but not great, he could also consider accepting a QO.

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MLBTR Podcast: Debating A Salary Cap, How To Improve Parity, More Dodgers Moves, And Anthony Santander

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • MLBTR’s poll asking whether fans want an MLB salary cap (0:30)
  • What does parity mean? (5:25)
  • Trying to assess where things stand for the next round of CBA talks (11:20)
  • How much would a salary cap actually improve parity and what other paths are there? (17:40)
  • What is the mentality of the players right now? (24:50)
  • How baseball is not like the other major sports (28:35)
  • The Dodgers trio of recent pitching additions: Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates (31:55)
  • The Blue Jays signing Anthony Santander (40:30)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

The Angels Should Be Positioned For A Late-Offseason Acquisition

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The Angels were aggressive within the opening weeks of the offseason. They acquired Jorge Soler as soon as the trade market reopened. They made the first MLB free agent acquisition of the winter when they added Kyle Hendricks. They signed Travis d'Arnaud and Yusei Kikuchi to multi-year contracts before any other team signed anyone from outside the organization for multiple years.

They've been virtually silent since then. They haven't signed a major league contract since finalizing the Kikuchi deal on November 27. Their only trade pickups since they landed Soler are utilityman Scott Kingery and depth catcher Chuckie Robinson. After identifying a few priority targets, they've taken their foot off the gas.

That isn't because the roster is complete. Soler, d'Arnaud, and Kikuchi are upgrades, but the Halos had a lot more to fix if they're serious about battling for a Wild Card spot. With a handful of high-profile free agents potentially stretching into February unsigned, the Halos should be positioned to bookend their winter with another strike or two.

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Tyler Matzek To Throw For Interested Teams

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Free agent reliever Tyler Matzek will hold a showcase for scouts on Thursday in Irvine, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. The southpaw is looking to demonstrate his health after being limited to 11 major league appearances last season.

None of those came after May 4. Matzek began the year in the Braves’ bullpen. Opponents tagged him for 11 runs over 10 innings. Atlanta placed him on the injured list with elbow inflammation during the first week of May. Matzek remained on the shelf for more than three months. Atlanta dealt him to the Giants as a salary offset in the Jorge Soler deadline acquisition.

San Francisco released Matzek rather than plug him into the MLB bullpen when he was healthy. Atlanta circled back to re-sign the 34-year-old lefty to a minor league deal. Matzek pitched four times with Triple-A Gwinnett and didn’t earn a call up. He qualified for minor league free agency at season’s end.

Elbow issues have derailed Matzek in consecutive seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery during Atlanta’s postseason run in 2022. That cost him the entire ’23 campaign. Between his age and the injuries, he’ll likely be limited to minor league offers. If Matzek’s stuff looks sharp in his showcase, he should find interest from teams as a depth option. He had a strong three-year run with Atlanta between 2020-22. Matzek combined for a 2.92 earned run average while striking out more than 27% of batters faced in 135 2/3 innings over that stretch.

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