With the calendar now flipped to February, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. What’s next for the Tigers?
After catching fire down the stretch in order to win 86 games, make the playoffs, and fight their way to Game 5 of the ALDS against the Guardians, the Tigers have been fairly active this winter as they’ve added Alex Cobb, Gleyber Torres, and Tommy Kahnle. Yesterday they made their biggest splash yet by bringing Jack Flaherty back into the fold on a $35MM guarantee. Flaherty, whom the club traded to the Dodgers ahead of last year’s deadline, will earn $25MM in 2025 and have the opportunity to opt out of one year and $10MM after the season.
With the right-hander rejoining Tarik Skubal at the top of the Tigers’ rotation, is there more in store for Detroit this winter? The Tigers have been one of the teams most frequently connected to third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency this winter, though recent reporting has suggested that talks between the sides are at a “standstill.” Looking beyond Bregman, first baseman Spencer Torkelson appears to be a plausible trade chip given the fact that signing Torres kicked incumbent sec0nd baseman Colt Keith over to first base for the 2025 campaign. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco took a look at plausible landing spots for Torkelson, should the Tigers decide to move him, last week.
2. Will Pivetta’s market begin to move?
Right-hander Nick Pivetta declined a qualifying offer from the Red Sox at the outset of the offseason, but since then there’s been little to say about his market. The Blue Jays were connected to him earlier this offseason, and there’s been some reporting that’s suggested the Padres could have interest if they end up trading Dylan Cease and creating additional budget space. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has hardly been a part of the offseason rumor mill despite being one of the best pitchers remaining on the market since the rush of starting pitching signings during the Winter Meetings. Now that Flaherty has signed and Pivetta is the highest-ranked free agent starter still available on MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, could his market begin to show signs of life?
3. More arbitration deals on the horizon?
Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana of the Pirates, Mickey Moniak of the Angels, and Mark Leiter Jr. of the Yankees are the four players to have already gone to an arbitration hearing against their clubs this winter. Of that quartet, only Moniak has emerged victorious. Five players players are still scheduled to face their team in a hearing over the next two weeks: Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Andre Pallante of the Cardinals as well as Nathaniel Lowe of the Nationals and Luis Rengifo of the Angels.
It’s possible, however, that some of those players could agree to deals with their clubs in order to avoid the hearing entirely. Kyle Tucker, Michael King, and William Contreras are among the notable players to avoid arbitration with their clubs in recent weeks, all coming to terms on one-year guarantees after initially exchanging figures with their teams. (King and Contreras have a mutual and club option, respectively.) Will the final five players make it to a hearing, or reach an agreement before then?
Sec0nd base.
City planner.
It’s hip. All the kids in the know write sec0nd base nowadays. Topps is issuing a collectible Chrome Patch to commemorate.
What’s the deal with Tork? Have pitchers found a pitch he cant hit?
yeah, two. a strike and a ball.
I hope he’s traded while he still has some value. Arrogance has kept him from not getting better.He’s too stubborn to listen to the coaches.
Looks like he gambled and lost by not taking the QO
I was shocked he was offered the QO and even more shocked when he turned it down.
I’m not even sure what landing spots are left for him.
There’s always a market for starting pitching. The problem is the QO.
I thought Pivetta and Severino both made errors not taking the QO. We now know why he smartly jumped at the Sacramento, formerly known as Oakland, A’s of Las Vegas offer.
Lord – Severino got triple what he would have received by accepting the QO plus he got an opt out, I think that was a rare case where he received a better offer than he was expecting.
ptp – Still too soon to say he lost, but the gamble wasn’t refusing the QO …. the gamble was likely refusing other offers because he thought he could do better.
Could he re-sign w Boston?
He could, but there’s really no room for him in the rotation and there’s a handful of guys who they’d probably rather give the chance to (Fitts, Priester, Dobbins)
Ma – It’s not against the rules, but the Red Sox are pretty set on starting pitchers right now and they never made a serious extension offer to him when he was still on the team …. so it’s highly unlikely it happens.
Then he’s in some trouble since I don’t see teams that would want to give up a draft pick for him
Ma – After the June amateur draft, any team can sign Pivetta without losing a draft pick.
I don’t think it will come to that though, he’s too good.
Whoever talked Pivetta into declining that QO should be fired. I think these last couple of seasons have make these guys think twice about declining these. Unless they are big superstars, take what’s usually a good AAV offer and come back out free next season.
He made 7.5 mil last season. His most to that date.
Sox offered 21 mil on QO
That was insane increase for him and he turned it down. Crazy idiot
I’m sad for the dude because he’s a decent pitcher and he’s most likely not making that AAV on whatever deal he takes now. He should have pocketed up while he had it in hand.
Unless you’re a superstar that has consistently put up great numbers, these free agents need to check their expectations for landing a big contract. Judge, Soto, Cole, Ohtani, were always going to get the biggest bag.
Given what others have signed for, who aren’t any better than Pivetta, it makes me wonder if Pivetta turned some offers that he should’ve accepted.
All those guys signed without the QO though.
I think Pivetta’s best bet is going to be a team that has already signed a QO free agent at this point. I doubt he matches the QO salary for 2025 atp.
I’m just here for the latest basketball updates… insert fart.wav
At this point you have to wonder if teams are waiting until after the draft to sign Pivetta. I’m not sure why he decided he was above the QO
Could be 2/30 offer take it or leave it (no opt out) for Pivetta since no one wants to give up the comp pick for 1yr. Flaherty is better and didn’t have QO to make it even worse for NP.
It doesn’t seem like money is the problem. No team wants to give up a draft pick to sign a back end SP
Should have taken that 21 million, I believe that’s the number, in a heartbeat.
Draft is in July now, not June like it was til recently, making that strategy even harder to work out in a feasible manner
Fyi. List still shows Minter unsigned.
If Torque had as many at bats as he did in the full season, he would.have had about 20hrs and 40 doubles…. as opposed to 30hrs and 30 doubles he had that first full year. WHY are they bagging on the guy?
Per the Superfife ‘s calculations, Torque was brought up early and…
This year would be an actual rookie year with a full minor league prospect development. I expect good things.
As tight lipped as the Harris ship is supposed to be…..this makes me wonder.
They should offer Bregman a one year $30M w/ a 6 years team option with player opt outs at every year, full waiver of NTC. Let.him pmayn3rd and 2nd bases. Trade him.
They should trade for Arenado. Take on salary for a top prospect. Pay him to waive the NTC. Let him p may 3rd and 1st bases. Trade him.
Trade for Haniger. Take on salary for prospects. Hope to fix him. Trade him.
Trade for Pagan. Get prospects.
Etc….
They should add salary = temporarily = to build the team, a dynasty.
They should be trying to win a World Series to honor Mike Illich = FULL COURT PRESS.
Mike Illiches daughter looks TOTALLY UNDERDRESSED with just plain.old diamond rings and pearls…..
They should get her a World Series ring….
They should….
Hire the Superfife!
Nolan Arenado has no interest in coming to Detroit. In spite of all the rumors that Detroit is interested in Alex Bregman, the rumors are false and a Boras fabrication..
That’s why you pay them.
If you offer $500k-$1M to waive the NTC, he is pretty much obligated to take it.
Agents do their jobs and expect to get paid for their efforts.
Of course, if you don’t understand that’s a lot of money and it is possible to obtain a top prospect, who generally cost $2M-$8M, in exchange for taking on that salary then I understand your frustration.
Comprehension is a terrible thing to waste!
Detroit has 0 interest in Arenado. What’s your point?
Pivetta isn’t very good other than being an innings guy. He should have taken the QO, had another Pivetta type year and re entered free agency next winter without the tag. His agent sucks.
His Agent? No Agent is making any player do something he doesn’t want to do.
If he’s left on the sidelines like Montgomery was last year, then he has nobody to blame but himself.
Pivetta has 108 ERA+ over the past two years.
Very hittable, as every team seems to realize.
Credit to the Red Sox who knew Pivetta would turn down the QO, then not come close to it. If he signs elsewhere they get a draft pick. If he ends up back in Boston it will be for lots less than 21M.
All they were worried about might have been a surprise acceptance of the QO, but that didn’t happen.
I’m thinking Pivetta signs the day after the draft pick comp drops from what ever team signs him
#25 Heaney comes before #28 Pivetta…I think!
Wow Nick, you’re quite the Cease trade rumor sustainer even when there’s no new news to fuel the rumor. 11th article in 11 days alluding to Cease trade. Above you write: “there’s been some reporting that’s suggested the Padres could have interest (in Pivetta) if they end up trading Dylan Cease” Well that reporting came from an interview where Jon Hyman off-the-cuff speculated wildly on what the Padres might do to acquire a replacement SP in the event they traded Cease. Completely media generated/perpetuated with no actual connection to Padres FO. Do you have any real evidence that the Padres are pursuing Pivetta?
Pivetta is going to end up back with the Red Sox for more total but less AAV than the QO.
Honestly don’t think the Red Sox want Pivetta back. They have Buehler and Giolito plus their other starters from last season. Not to mention (eventually) Whitlock, who I know is heading to the pen but could still be an option. This decision by Pivetta was just plain dumb.
Buehler was really bad in 2024 and I have no confidence in improvement. He has had 2 Tommy John surgeries and very few ever return to being a good starter again. I think I read 3 out of more than 50.
Giolito is also a question mark. He didn’t pitch at all because of the UCL surgery and while most return, few are immediately as good as they were before the surgery. It takes a while. How long will that while be? 3 months? A season?
Do you really expect Whitlock to start? We have seen that beforeband that dog don’t hunt. He deepens our pen. Leave him there.
The RS have confidence in Buehler since they gave him $21MM.
I doubt they’re looking at adding another $15MM+ salary to that rotation mix at this point.
All the Boston media as well as the writers you pay to see here think that the Red Sox are in the market for another starter.
Giving Buehler 1 year shows a lack of confidence in his ability to rebound. They were hedging their bets on that deal. If he is decent, he walks at the end of the season. If he is bad, it’s just one year.
Need to change it up, how about a Suarez trade rumor for the Padres? A little less on the nose…
Sure lol. Make up anything, just make it different
Brewers, did you see yesterday’s chat. Another Cease article coming.
With Flaherty and Scherzer off the market Pivetta is probably the best available free agent. Not sure where he goes at this point
Pivetta will sign with the first legit contender that loses a pitcher to injury in Spring training