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Archives for February 2025

Poll: Who’s The Best Hitter Still Available In Free Agency?

By Nick Deeds | February 28, 2025 at 1:35pm CDT

With the end of February upon us, free agency has mostly been resolved for the offseason with only a handful of clearly big-league caliber free agents remaining. Unlike last year, when Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery were all top-10 free agents in the class who lingered on the open market well beyond the start of Spring Training, this year’s top free agents were almost entirely signed prior to the beginning of camp. At this point, just four of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents remain unsigned: Jose Quintana, Kyle Gibson, David Robertson, and Spencer Turnbull. Notably, all four of those unsigned players are pitchers.

While that leaves plenty of wiggle room for teams in need of pitching help due to a hole in the roster or a surprise injury to maneuver heading into March, the same can not be said on the hitting side of things. Even extending to the “honorable mentions” section of MLBTR’s list, just one hitter remains available after the Cubs’ recent signing of veteran infielder Justin Turner to a one-year deal. Slim as the pickings may be, however, there are certainly a handful of teams remaining who could use another bat in the lineup at least somewhere on the diamond. For those clubs in need of help on offense, who are the best options still remaining?

J.D. Martinez

The only hitter still available who made the aforementioned “honorable mentions” section of MLBTR’s Top 50, Martinez has an unmatched track record as a hitter but is headed into his age-37 season on the heels of a down season with the Mets. Last year, the veteran slugger managed a slash line of just .235/.320/.406 with a wRC+ of 108. That’s certainly not bad offensive production, but it’s less impressive for a DH-only player and a major step back for a hitter with a career 130 wRC+. Martinez’s strikeout rate (28.5%) and walk rate (9.9%) were both actually better than his 2023 season with the Dodgers, but that improved discipline at the plate came with a severe drop off in power as he hit just 16 homers, less than half of last year’s 33.

Even after last year’s down season, however, Martinez remains a decorated hitter with an excellent track record. He’s been above-average at the plate in each of the past ten 162-game seasons, with a .286/.355/.536 (136 wRC+) slash line overall since the start of 2014. Even last year’s down production was comparable or better than a number of bat-first players around the league who enter 2025 with starting jobs, such as Luis Arraez, Josh Bell, Andrew McCutchen, and Rhys Hoskins. Perhaps most importantly, it’s worth noting that Martinez substantially under-performed his expected numbers last year, and his .351 xwOBA was actually slightly higher than quality bats like Teoscar Hernandez and Seiya Suzuki. That suggests that even a repeat of 2024 could yield significantly stronger production.

Jose Iglesias

Few free agent hitters this year had a stronger platform season than Iglesias, who was worth 2.5 fWAR and 3.1 bWAR in just 85 games with the Mets thanks to an incredible .337/.381/.448 slash line, good for a 137 wRC+. Among second basemen with at least 250 plate appearances last year, that wRC+ is second only to Ketel Marte. Combined with Iglesias’s solid work with the glove around the infield, one would think that offense would make him a very attractive target for teams in need of help on the dirt. That’s not how things have played out so far, however. Iglesias has seemingly gotten little interest from clubs this winter, and a look under the hood helps to explain why.

Iglesias is on the older side, entering his age-35 season this year, and lacks a track record of success at the plate with a wRC+ of just 90 across more than 1,000 games in the majors. That’s not necessarily a death knell, as shown by Jurickson Profar turning last year’s breakout into a strong three-year guarantee with Atlanta, but underlying metrics suggest that Iglesias’s production last year is not anywhere near as sustainable. He was helped by an inflated .382 BABIP that’s nearly 70 points higher than his career .315 figure, and his xwOBA of .314 suggests his underlying performance was more akin to Jake Cronenworth than Francisco Lindor. Even with those potential red flags, however, Iglesias seems like the likely best option for teams in need of help on the infield.

Alex Verdugo

Verdugo won’t turn 29 until May, making him by far the youngest player mentioned on this list. He’s also found solid success at the plate before in his career, as demonstrated by his .289/.343/.435 (108 wRC+) slash line from 2019 to 2022. Those factors work in his favor, but to this point in his free agency he’s been unable to capitalize on them coming off the worst offensive campaign of his career. Verdugo slashed just .233/.291/.356 (83 wRC+) in 149 games for the Yankees last year, a figure that made him one of the ten worst hitters in the sport to qualify for the batting title. That won’t cut it for a bat-first position like left field, even if Verdugo is a quality defender at the position.

Things aren’t entirely grim for the outfielder, however. Verdugo’s .302 xwOBA suggests that his underlying performance was roughly league average last year, and his offensive production could also be improved by limiting his exposure to same-handed pitchers given that he’s a career 79 wRC+ hitter against southpaws who mostly repeated that with a 74 wRC+ last year. It’s also worth noting that Verdugo’s .253 BABIP last season was substantially worse than any other campaign of his career and a full 60 points below his career norm entering the year. While there’s little to like in Verdugo’s 2024 numbers, it would be reasonable to suggest that his youth and upside relative to the rest of the players mentioned here makes him an attractive option.

Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo is entering his age-35 season an arguably the most difficult player to evaluate on this list. He’s played just 191 games over the past two years due to a number of substantial injuries, though none of them are the type of injury that would portend future injury woes: after suffering a concussion in early May of 2023, Rizzo saw his performance decline as he unknowingly played through the injury before being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome ahead of a season-ending trip to the injured list in August of that year. He returned in 2024 but was limited to just 92 games by a fractured forearm and a finger fracture stemming from a collision at first base and a hit-by-pitch, respectively.

Over the past two years, Rizzo has not hit well. The veteran first baseman has slashed just .237/.315/.358 (91 wRC+) since the start of the 2023 campaign, and his expected numbers don’t show clear signs of untapped potential. For a 35-year-old restricted to first base and DH defensively, that could be enough for many teams to dismiss him as a regular option. With that being said, however, Rizzo also sports a track record as one of the most consistent hitters of the decade prior to his injuries with a .268/.368/.486 (131 wRC+) slash line from 2012 to 2022. Rizzo was off to an excellent start in 2023, with a .301/.376/.513 (146 wRC+) slash line in 50 games prior to the concussion. Given his track record of success and the stark drop of production he faced amid the injuries of the past two seasons, perhaps a fully healthy campaign is all it would take to get the veteran’s career back on track.

__________________________________________________________

The four aforementioned hitters certainly aren’t the only ones remaining in free agency, though the remaining group come with plenty of question marks. David Peralta posted a strong 115 wRC+ with the Padres last year, but did so in only 260 plate appearances, is entering his age-38 campaign, and looked overmatched as a semi-regular player for the Dodgers the year prior. Whit Merrifield is a versatile fielder who posted roughly league average (97 wRC+) production with the Braves down the stretch last year, but did so only after a disastrous (63 wRC+) stint with the Phillies earlier in the season. Nick Senzel is a former top prospect who’s still just 29 years old, but has yet to hit in the majors across parts of six seasons.

Which of free agency’s remaining hitters do MLBTR readers think is the best bet for success in 2025? Have your say in the poll below:

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MLBTR Originals MLBTR Polls Alex Verdugo Anthony Rizzo J.D. Martinez Jose Iglesias

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

By Anthony Franco | February 28, 2025 at 12:41pm CDT

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco held a live chat, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

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Matt Vierling Ruled Out For Opening Day Due To Rotator Cuff Strain

By Darragh McDonald | February 28, 2025 at 11:00am CDT

The Tigers announced this morning that third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He will be shut down for a period of rest before being re-evaluated for baseball activities. Manager A.J. Hinch informed reporters, including Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, that Vierling will not be ready by Opening Day and will start the season on the injured list.

Vierling, 28, has been a solid player for the Tigers over the past two years. He hit .259/.320/.406 for a 104 wRC+ over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He mostly played the outfield but also took significant playing time at third base and dabbled at second and first.

Going into 2025, the club projects to have prospect Jace Jung as the regular at third base. Vierling could have been an option to cover there if Jung struggled but was likely to be the regular right fielder, with Riley Greene in left field and Parker Meadows in center.

For as long as Vierling is out of action, the Tigers will have to adjust their plans. Ideally, Jung would take the third base job and run with it, but he has just 34 major league games under his belt thus far. Without Vierling, the top fallback options will be utility infielders like Andy Ibáñez and Zach McKinstry. Perhaps Javier Báez could be another option if Trey Sweeney is handling shortstop, or vice versa.

There are more question marks in the outfield. Meadows is also battling some inflammation in his upper right arm. He is currently being evaluated and the club should provide further updates in the coming days.

At this point, Greene a lock for one outfield spot. Meadows would have another if his issue is minor and he can be ready by Opening Day. Kerry Carpenter could be in the mix for some outfield playing time but he could also act as the designated hitter with regularity. Wenceel Pérez and Justyn-Henry Malloy are on the 40-man roster and have options. They previously projected to start the season in Triple-A but have a better path to big league playing time with Vierling out of action. Ibáñez and McKinstry could also play the outfield in a pinch. Akil Baddoo started camp as a non-roster depth option but required hamate surgery last week and will himself be out of action for a few weeks.

If Vierling is able to get healthy and return fairly early in the season, then this could all be a small blip in the larger context of the full season. Though if the issue ultimately proves significant, that would naturally lead to a larger level of concern. That’s especially true of Meadows also needs to miss some time. If the Tigers decide to add some position player depth, guys like Jose Iglesias, Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and others remain unsigned in free agency.

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Detroit Tigers Matt Vierling Parker Meadows

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Nick Madrigal Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Shoulder Surgery

By Darragh McDonald | February 28, 2025 at 9:15am CDT

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that infielder Nick Madrigal will require surgery on his fractured left shoulder. The recovery from that procedure will likely keep him out of action for the entire 2025 season.

The news doesn’t come as a shock. Madrigal dislocated his shoulder in Sunday’s game when falling to the ground after making a throw to first base on a ground ball. On Monday, the club announced that an MRI had revealed a fracture and that Madrigal would miss “a long time.” That timeline was nebulous but the Mets quickly put Madrigal on the 60-day injured list when they acquired Alexander Canario, suggesting they didn’t expect Madrigal back in the first two months.

Today’s news provides some more clarity on the situation. It seems there’s some chance that Madrigal could return late in the year, but the Mets will probably operate with the expectation that he won’t.

The Mets signed Madrigal to a one-year deal back in January after he had been non-tendered by the Cubs. He’s never been much of a hitter, with just four home runs in 940 big league plate appearances. His .274/.323/.344 batting line translates to an 88 wRC+. But he’s tough to strike out and is a strong defender at multiple infield positions.

It also seems like the Mets were attracted to the fact that Madrigal could still be optioned to the minors. Their bench is currently projected to include backup catcher Luis Torrens, who can’t be optioned. Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor are going to split center field, meaning one should be on the bench each day. Both of them are out of options. Jesse Winker and Starling Marte might platoon in the designated hitter spot and they both have at least than five years of service time, meaning they can’t be optioned without their consent.

That’s three out of four bench spots taken up by guys who can’t be sent to the minors. Throughout a long baseball season, there are situations that arise where players have small injuries that might require them to sit out for a few days but they don’t want to go on the injured list for a full ten-day minimum stint. In such cases, having some roster flexibility to bring a player up from the minor could be attractive. The Mets reportedly haven’t pursued a reunion with Jose Iglesias due to the fact that he would not be optionable.

With Madrigal now unlikely to return this year, the club will have to figure out who their bench infielder would be. Guys like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña are on the 40-man but there are arguments against using those guys in a bench role. All three have the capability to be notable long-term pieces at the big league level, so the club presumably prefers to have them getting regular at-bats in Triple-A in order to continue their development.

On top of that, Baty doesn’t play shortstop. If he were the club’s bench infielder, there would be no cover for Francisco Lindor. He normally doesn’t take many days off but he’s now 31 years old and any player is susceptible to getting a small injury from fouling a ball off his leg or what have you. Mauricio is still working his way back from last year’s ACL tear and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Opening Day. Mike Puma of The New York Post relayed yesterday that Mauricio is now running at 80% speed and could get into some games before camp breaks.

Acuña is an option but, as mentioned, the Mets might prefer to have him playing regularly in the minors. If that’s true, then they would have to pivot to someone else. Luis De Los Santos and Donovan Walton are not on the 40-man but they are in camp as non-roster invitees. The Mets would have to open a roster spot to add one of them but they both have options. The Mets also have Yonny Hernández aboard on a minor league deal, though he’s not in big league camp. He has some big league experience and would also be optionable if added to the 40-man.

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New York Mets Nick Madrigal Ronny Mauricio

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The Opener: Steer, Ohtani, Alvarez

By Nick Deeds | February 28, 2025 at 8:20am CDT

As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Steer to undergo testing:

Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer has been dealing with shoulder discomfort this spring, and Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the club’s plan is to have him re-examined by a team doctor before determining a course of action. That seemingly scuttles plans for him to return to playing catch on Monday, though Wittenmyer adds that the team is “confident” there’s no structural damage in his shoulder and that Steer’s swing is not impacted by the issue.

Steer has been serving as the club’s DH in spring games when he’s played due to the soreness he feels when throwing, but when healthy he’s one of the club’s more versatile players with experience at first, second, and third base as well as in left field. According to Wittenmyer, manager Terry Francona suggested that Steer could see more rest or perhaps receive a cortisone shot in his shoulder to speed up the healing process depending on the outcome of this weekend’s exam.

2. Ohtani to make spring debut:

Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring debut today at DH, as Dave Roberts told reporters (including the Associated Press) earlier this week. It’s a notable step forward for Ohtani as he’s spent the offseason and early part of the spring not only rehabbing his right elbow ahead of his return to pitching during the first half of the 2025 campaign, but he’s also been rehabbing his left shoulder after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a labrum tear suffered during the World Series. With the Dodgers slated to get an early start to the season in the Tokyo Series in just over two weeks, Ohtani getting into spring lineups is a crucial step to ensuring that he’ll be ready for the two-game set against the Cubs.

3. Alvarez exits:

Atlanta infield prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. departed yesterday evening’s game due to left wrist discomfort, as the club themselves announced. Alvarez, 22 in April, was not projected to make the club’s Opening Day roster with Orlando Arcia slated to serve as the club’s shortstop, Ozzie Albies entrenched at second, and Austin Riley back at third base after last year’s hand surgery. Even so, an absence from Alvarez that extends into the season would certainly be worrisome for the team given their relative lack of infield depth behind those three starters. Nick Allen projects to be their backup infield on the bench at present, with utility men Luke Williams and Christian Cairo also on the 40-man roster.

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The Opener

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Andrew Benintendi To Miss Four To Six Weeks Due To Hand Fracture

By Darragh McDonald | February 27, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

The White Sox announced that outfielder Andrew Benintendi has a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will miss four to six weeks. He departed today’s spring training game after being hit by a pitch.

It’s an unfortunate blow for Benintendi and the White Sox. With the spring just getting going, he’ll now be shut down and miss the remainder of camp. Once healthy, he’ll have to head out on a rehab assignment and effectively start his spring training over again.

The Sox weren’t going to compete this year. They set a modern-day record with 121 losses in 2024. They aren’t likely to be significantly better in 2025. They did sign a few veterans to fill some roster spots but also traded Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in exchange for prospects.

However, Benintendi had a chance to play himself into being a trade candidate, something that MLBTR looked at just yesterday. With three years and $15.83MM left on his deal and the Sox deep in a rebuild, they would surely love to move him. Any improved performance would have helped them do that while allowing Benintendi to play for a contender, a win-win for both sides.

Since signing with the Sox ahead of the 2023 season, Benintendi has hit just .246/.309/.374 for a wRC+ of 90 with poor defensive metrics to boot. But his 2024 season finished on a strong note. He had a stint on the injured in June due to left achilles tendinitis. He had hit just .195/.230/.284 before that IL stint but then slashed .251/.326/.470 the rest of the way. That latter line translated to a 124 wRC+, indicating he was 24% above league average at the plate.

That led to some hope that he could return to form in 2025, since he had hit .279/.351/.431 for a 109 wRC+ before joining the White Sox. If Benintendi has a bounceback in him, it will have to stay on ice until he gets over this injury.

The Sox will now have some early-season playing time to reallocate. Luis Robert Jr., another trade candidate that the Sox are hoping to see build value, will be the everyday guy in center. Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater could perhaps form a platoon in one corner. Michael A. Taylor is on the roster, likely viewed as a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement/pinch runner type.

Oscar Colás and Dominic Fletcher are on the 40-man roster. Each still has an option remaining and seemed ticketed for time in Triple-A but perhaps this opens some big league time for one of them. Joey Gallo is also in camp as a non-roster invitee, so this could lead to his contract being selected. Other NRIs with some big league experience include Corey Julks and Calvin Mitchell. If the Sox decide they want to bring in some more depth, players like Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and Robbie Grossman remain unsigned.

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Chicago White Sox Newsstand Andrew Benintendi

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Braves Chairman: Team Has “Dry Powder” To Add Payroll

By Anthony Franco | February 27, 2025 at 11:05pm CDT

The Braves enter Spring Training with a luxury tax payroll around $230MM, according to the RosterResource calculations. That puts them about $11MM shy of the base threshold. Atlanta has paid the tax in two straight seasons, pushing their spending to $276MM by the end of last year.

That seemingly indicates that the Braves have room to add to their payroll. Chairman Terry McGuirk confirmed as much to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. “We have crossed the competitive balance tax each of the last two years. It’s possible we could do it again this year,” McGuirk told Drellich. He added that the team “(has) some dry powder” to add spending and implied that Atlanta could make a move in free agency this spring. McGuirk noted that the Braves waited until the middle of March before bringing back Adam Duvall on a $3MM deal last year.

Atlanta has had a quiet offseason. Their only free agent move of significance was the signing of Jurickson Profar on a three-year, $42MM contract. Their remaining free agent pickups were split deals. Their biggest trade was to offload the final two years on Jorge Soler’s contract to the Angels for no return. They acquired Griffin Canning, then non-tendered him. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the Winter Meetings that the Braves were willing to exceed the tax threshold. Perhaps that’d have happened if a failed physical hadn’t scuttled their reported five-year agreement with Jeff Hoffman, though it’s possible they wouldn’t have subsequently signed Profar if the Hoffman deal had been finalized.

The Braves seem unlikely to add $11MM+ to their tax ledger before Opening Day. There are only a few free agents who are sure to sign major league deals. A one-year deal for David Robertson, Jose Quintana or Kyle Gibson could still approach eight-figures, but most remaining free agents are unsigned because their markets haven’t materialized the way they’d hoped.

Anthopoulos has indicated that any rotation pickups would need to be marked improvements on Ian Anderson and/or Grant Holmes, who are out of minor league options and are vying for back-end jobs. Robertson would be an upgrade for any team’s bullpen. Atlanta has a few questionable spots in the middle innings. Their relief group is anchored by a strong four of Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee, however.

A team’s luxury tax number isn’t calculated until the end of the season. The Braves hope to add to the roster midseason. If they added a few million dollars to their CBT payroll with a Spring Training free agent pickup, a midseason trade or two could push them past $241MM. Their current $230MM calculation is an unofficial estimate, so it’s possible that number is off a couple million dollars in either direction.

Clubs are generally hesitant about narrowly exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Teams pay escalating penalties for going beyond the marker in consecutive seasons. Staying underneath $241MM would allow the Braves to reset their status rather than pushing them to third-time payors, which comes with the top tax rates. The tax is only on the overages, so they’d have a minimal tax bill if they only exceed the threshold by a few million dollars, but the repeat penalties could limit their financial flexibility in future offseasons. They’ll need to weigh that against the benefits of short-term upgrades as they vie with the Phillies and Mets atop the NL East in 2025.

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Atlanta Braves

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Yankees Extend Aaron Boone

By Steve Adams and Darragh McDonald | February 27, 2025 at 10:19pm CDT

February 27: Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports the salary breakdown on Boone’s deal. His salary this season jumps to $4.5M. He’ll respectively make $5MM and $5.5MM in 2026 and ’27.

February 20: The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve signed manager Aaron Boone to a two-year contract extension covering the 2026-27 seasons. His previous contract was set to expire after 2025, so this takes him out of “lame duck” status.

The news doesn’t come as a shock. Teams generally don’t like to have managers operating in a lame-duck position. The Yankees did it with Boone once before, in 2021, though that was a rare occurrence. He originally joined the Yankees via a three-year deal going into 2018, with a club option for 2021. The Yanks picked up that option and did let Boone manage that season on an expiring contract.

On October 19 of that year, Boone and the club agreed to a new three-year deal which covered the 2022-24 seasons and came with a ’25 option. There was perhaps a bit of drama around his status as manager when the club missed the playoffs in 2023, but they bounced back last year by winning the American League East and going as far as the World Series. The Yanks picked up their ’25 option at the start of the offseason. More recently, both owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman spoke of wanting to get an extension done.

Boone is a divisive figure in the fanbase but there’s a lot of good stuff on his track record. The Yanks have made the postseason in six of his seven seasons at the helm, with the aforementioned 2023 campaign being the lone exception. They have had some tough postseason losses but, as mentioned, just went to the World Series a few months ago. As skipper, he has a regular season record of 603-429, a .584 winning percentage.

Though some fans will remain unhappy with Boone until he wins a title, it would have been very unusual for a club to move on from a manager or even let him stay in lame-duck status on the heels of winning a pennant.

As always, the Yankees will be going into the upcoming season with their eyes on contention. They lost Juan Soto but had an aggressive offseason nonetheless, adding Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Devin Williams and others. Another disappointing season will embolden those who are already upset with Boone, but the club clearly feels good enough to put pen to paper with him today, avoiding in-season storylines about his uncertain contract status.

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New York Yankees Newsstand Aaron Boone

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A’s Continuing To Give Tyler Soderstrom Catching Reps

By Anthony Franco | February 27, 2025 at 8:59pm CDT

The A’s remain open to the possibility of using Tyler Soderstrom as their backup catcher, manager Mark Kotsay tells Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The former first-round pick got the start behind the dish in yesterday’s Spring Training matchup with Seattle.

“What we talked about with Tyler is continuing to keep that skill set,” Kotsay told Gallegos. “It gives us an opportunity to have a player that provides maybe a role for us that would allow maybe another bench spot.” The A’s will use Shea Langeliers as their starting catcher for the third consecutive season. They would gain some bench flexibility if they’re comfortable with the 23-year-old Soderstrom as Langeliers’ backup. Otherwise, he’d be the primary first baseman.

Soderstrom was drafted as a bat-first catching prospect out of high school in 2020. His bat pushed him quickly through the minor leagues. He’s a .272/.339/.532 hitter in the minors. Soderstrom hasn’t found anywhere near that level of success against big league pitching. He owns a .204/.282/.354 line with a 27.4% strikeout rate over 351 plate appearances.

Most of his big league work has come as a first baseman. Soderstrom has caught a little more than 1200 innings over four minor league seasons. He made 15 starts behind the dish for the A’s during his 2023 rookie season. He got another 21 starts as a catcher in Triple-A last year, but they didn’t give him any MLB starts there.

The youngster’s only MLB catching experience last year was a four-inning appearance in a game in which that day’s starting catcher Kyle McCann was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning. Langeliers was the designated hitter. If the A’s wanted to have him catch after pulling McCann, they’d have forfeited their DH for the rest of the game. Soderstrom, who had started at first base, moved to catcher.

The A’s clearly didn’t feel his glove was up to par last year. They kept McCann on the major league roster as the backup all season. Langeliers started 123 games, second-most at the position behind Cal Raleigh. McCann made the other 39 starts. Soderstrom’s four-inning appearance was the only catching work by any other player.

The A’s already shook that up last month, designating McCann for assignment while acquiring Jhonny Pereda in a cash trade with Miami. Langeliers and Pereda are the only primary catchers on the 40-man roster. That’d very likely be Kotsay’s season-opening duo if they’re still apprehensive about Soderstrom’s glove. If they’re comfortable with Soderstrom behind the plate, he could pick up around 40 starts there while playing first base on days when Langeliers is rested. That’d allow the A’s to option Pereda and carry another infielder or outfielder on the active roster.

McCann cleared waivers and is in camp as a non-roster invitee. The A’s could reselect his contract at any point, but he’s behind Pereda on the depth chart. The 28-year-old Pereda only has 20 games of major league experience. He’s a .293/.385/.408 hitter over four Triple-A seasons and has a stronger defensive reputation than McCann brings.

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Oakland Athletics Jhonny Pereda Tyler Soderstrom

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Franco Aleman Undergoes Hernia Procedure

By Darragh McDonald | February 27, 2025 at 6:25pm CDT

The Guardians announced that right-hander Franco Aleman “submitted to a left hip inguinal hernia repair” yesterday. The club announced his recovery timeline as four to six weeks, so he’ll be injured through the remainder of spring training.

Aleman, 25 in June, isn’t a household name but he is on Cleveland’s 40-man roster. They added him in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. A tenth-round pick from 2021, he worked both as a starter and a reliever in 2022 with a 6.31 earned run average. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen over the past two seasons with great results, logging 77 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA. He struck out 36.2% of batters faced with an 8.6% walk rate.

The righty spent last year at Triple-A. Since he’s now on the 40-man, a major league debut at any point in 2025 is possible. That now seems unlikely occur in the initial weeks of the season, as the club will presumably want to give him some time to catch up to everyone else after this layoff.

That will cut into the club’s bullpen depth for the start of the 2025 campaign, though that’s unlikely to be a significant concern for now. Cleveland had the best bullpen in the majors in 2024 and most of that group is back this year. Unless a few other injuries pop up in the relief mix, they’ll be well positioned to proceed while Aleman is out of action.

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Cleveland Guardians Franco Aleman

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