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36 Veteran Players With Looming Opt-Out Dates

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The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement implemented a new series of uniform opt-out dates for players who qualified as free agents under Article XX(b) of said agreement and sign a minor league deal in free agency. More specifically, that designation falls on players with six-plus years of MLB service time who finished the preceding season on a major league roster or injured list. Some contracts for players coming over from a foreign professional league like Nippon Professional Baseball or the Korea Baseball Organization will also have language written into their contracts allowing them to qualify as an XX(b) free agent despite a lack of six years of service.

The three uniform opt-out dates on those contracts land five days before Opening Day, on May 1 and on June 1. With the regular season set to kick off next week, any Article XX(b) free agents who are in camp on minor league contracts will have the opportunity to opt out on Saturday, March 22. A player triggering one of these out clauses gives his current club 48 hours to either add him to the 40-man roster or let him become a free agent.

There are other ways to secure opt-outs in contracts, of course. Many players who don’t qualify for XX(b) designation will still have opt-out opportunities negotiated into their minor league deals in free agency.

The following is a list of 36 players who are in camp as non-roster invitees and will be able to opt out this weekend. Most were XX(b) free agents, but there are a handful of names who didn’t meet that requirement but had outs negotiated into their respective deals nonetheless. This is not a comprehensive list of all players with opt-out opportunities this weekend.

All spring stats referenced are accurate through the completion of games played Wednesday, March 19.

Astros: LHP Jalen Beeks

Beeks, 31, was a relatively late sign (March 7) who’s since tossed three spring frames — including two scoreless innings just yesterday. He logged a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings between the Rockies and Pirates last season. He struggled to miss bats last year but typically runs strong strikeout rates. Dating back to 2020, Beeks carries a 4.16 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. In Josh Hader, Bryan King and Bennett Sousa, the Astros already have three lefty relievers on the 40-man. Another veteran non-roster invitee, Steven Okert, has rattled off 8 2/3 shutout spring innings with a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Beeks might have long odds of cracking the roster.

Blue Jays: RHP Jacob Barnes, LHP Ryan Yarbrough

The 34-year-old Barnes logged a 4.36 ERA in a career-high 66 big league innings last season. He posted an ERA north of 5.00 in each of the five preceding seasons (a total of 115 1/3 frames). He’s been tagged for four runs in 5 1/3 innings this spring.

Yarbrough, 33, had a terrific run with the Jays to close out the 2024 season. Joining Toronto in a deadline swap sending Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers, the veteran southpaw posted a 2.01 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He’s a soft-tosser, sitting just 86.5 mph with his heater, but Yarbrough can pitch multiple innings in relief and has a decent track record even beyond last year’s overall 3.19 earned run average (4.21 ERA in 768 MLB innings). He’s allowed three runs with and 8-to-1 K/BB ratio in 6 2/3 innings in camp.

Braves: RHP Buck Farmer, RHP Hector Neris

Farmer was already reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday, so there’d seem to be a good chance of him taking his out. The 34-year-old turned in a terrific 3.04 ERA in 71 innings for the Reds last year but was probably hampered by his age, pedestrian velocity and subpar command in free agency. With a 3.68 ERA in 193 innings over the past three seasons in Cincinnati, he should find an opportunity somewhere — even if it’s not in Atlanta.

Neris is still in Braves camp. He signed well into camp and thus has only pitched one official inning so far, which was scoreless. (Neris is pitching today as well.) He’s looking to bounce back from a 4.10 ERA and a particularly poor performance in save opportunities last year. Prior to his nondescript 2024, Neris rattled off a 3.03 ERA in 208 innings from 2021-23 between Philly and Houston, saving 17 games and collecting 67 holds along the way.

Brewers: 1B/OF Mark Canha, OF Manuel Margot

He’s had a brutal spring, but the 36-year-old Canha has been an above-average hitter every year since 2018, by measure of wRC+. He’s just 2-for-23 in Brewers camp, but he’s slugged a homer and walked as often as he’s fanned (four times apiece). Milwaukee has Rhys Hoskins at first base, but Canha could chip in at DH and offer a right-handed complement to lefty outfielders Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell.

Margot hasn’t hit well in a tiny sample of 35 spring plate appearances, but he’s outproduced Canha with a .250/.314/.375 slash. He’s coming off a dismal .238/.289/.337 showing in Minnesota, however, and hasn’t been the plus defender he was prior to a major 2022 knee injury. Like Canha, he could complement Frelick and Mitchell as a righty-swinging outfielder, but Canha has been the far more productive bat in recent seasons.

Cubs: RHP Chris Flexen

The Cubs reassigned Flexen to minor league camp after just 3 2/3 innings this spring. He was hit hard on the other side of town with the White Sox in 2024, though Flexen quietly righted the ship after an awful start. He posted a 5.69 ERA through nine starts but logged a 4.62 mark over his final 21 trips to the mound, including a tidy 3.52 earned run average across 46 innings in his last eight starts. Flexen may not bounce back to his 2021-22 numbers in Seattle, but he’s a durable fifth starter if nothing else.

Diamondbacks: INF/OF Garrett Hampson, RHP Scott McGough

The D-backs don’t really have a backup shortstop while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with an oblique strain, which seems to bode well for Hampson. He’s hitting .235/.333/.324 in camp and can play three infield spots and three outfield positions. He had a bleak .230/.275/.300 performance in Kansas City last year but was a league-average hitter for the Marlins as recently as 2023.

McGough was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday after serving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings of spring work. That wasn’t the follow-up to last year’s gruesome 7.44 ERA for which the 35-year-old righty or the team had hoped.

Giants: C Max Stassi, RHP Lou Trivino

Stassi is battling Sam Huff, who’s on the 40-man, for the backup catcher’s role while Tom Murphy is injured. The 34-year-old Stassi is hitting .300/.364/.700 with a pair of homers in 22 spring plate appearances. He’s a plus defender with a scattershot track record at the plate.

Trivino hasn’t pitched since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and a separate shoulder issue. He also hasn’t allowed a run in 8 1/3 spring innings. (9-to-4 K/BB ratio). Trivino’s scoreless Cactus League showing, his pre-injury track record and his familiarity with skipper Bob Melvin — his manager in Oakland — all seem to give him a real chance to win a spot.

Mariners: RHP Shintaro Fujinami, RHP Trevor Gott, 1B Rowdy Tellez

Fujinami’s command has never been good, and he’s walked more batters (seven) than he’s struck out (four) through 5 2/3 spring innings. He’s also plunked a pair of batters. He’s looking to bounce back from an injury-ruined 2024 season but might have to take his first steps toward doing so in Triple-A.

Tellez has had a big camp and looks like he could have a real chance to make the club in a part-time DH/first base role, as explored more yesterday. Gott is on the mend from Tommy John surgery performed last March and won’t pitch until midseason. He’s unlikely to opt out.

Mets: RHP Jose Ureña

Ureña was torched for seven runs in his first 1 1/3 spring innings after signing with the Mets on Feb. 27. He bounced back by striking out all three opponents he faced in an inning this past weekend, but he hasn’t helped himself otherwise. Ureña’s 3.80 ERA in 109 innings with Texas last year was his first sub-5.00 ERA since 2017-18 in Miami.

Padres: 1B Yuli Gurriel, INF Jose Iglesias

Both veterans have a legitimate chance to make the club. Gurriel has had a productive spring (.296/.321/.519) at nearly 41 years of age, while Iglesias is out to a 5-for-18 start since signing in mid-March. Gurriel could split time at first and DH, lessening the need to use Luis Arraez in the field. Iglesias could see frequent work at second base, shifting Jake Cronenworth to first base and pushing Arraez to DH. The Padres probably wouldn’t have put a hefty (relative to most minor league deals) $3MM base salary on Iglesias’ deal if they didn’t see a real path to him making the roster.

Pirates: LHP Ryan Borucki

Borucki was great for the Pirates in 2023 and struggled through 11 innings during an injury-marred 2024 season. The 30-year-old southpaw has allowed one run in eight spring innings. His five walks are a bit much, but he’s also fanned 11 of his 33 opponents.

Rangers: SS Nick Ahmed, RHP David Buchanan, RHP Jesse Chavez, OF Kevin Pillar, RHP Hunter Strickland

Ahmed has more homers in 28 spring plate appearances than he had in 228 plate appearances in 2024 or 210 plate appearances in 2023. He’s popped three round-trippers already and slashed .286/.310/.607. With a crowded infield and versatile backups like Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran, Ahmed might still have a hard time cracking the roster.

None of the three pitchers listed here has performed well in limited work. Buchanan had a nice run as a starter in the KBO in the four preceding seasons, while Chavez has been a mainstay in the Atlanta bullpen for much of the past few years. Strickland had a nice 2024 in Anaheim but signed very late and retired only one of the five batters he faced during his long spring outing.

Pillar may have the best chance of the bunch to make the team. He’s hitting .273/.333/.394 in 39 plate appearances. Outfielders Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia have been banged up this spring, so some extra outfield depth could make sense.

Rays: DH/OF Eloy Jimenez

Jimenez homered for the second time yesterday, boosting his Grapefruit line to .263/.300/.447. He’s coming off a dreadful season in 2024, but from 2019-23 the former top prospect raked at a .275/.324/.487 pace, including a 31-homer rookie campaign (admittedly, in the juiced-ball 2019 season). Durability has been a bigger factor than productivity. If the Rays can get Jimenez to elevate the ball more, he could be a bargain; he’s still only 28.

Red Sox: LHP Matt Moore, RHP Adam Ottavino

Moore signed on Feb. 20 and has only gotten into two spring games so far, totaling two innings. Ottavino has pitched four innings but allowed five runs. He’s walked five and tossed a pair of wild pitches in that time. Both pitchers have long MLB track records, but they’re both coming off lackluster seasons.

Reds: LHP Wade Miley

Miley underwent Tommy John surgery early last season and contemplated retirement upon learning his prognosis. He wanted to return to one of his former NL Central clubs in free agency, and the Reds clearly offered a more compelling minor league deal than the Brewers. He’s not going to be a realistic option until late May, and it seems unlikely he’d opt out while his rehab is still ongoing.

Rockies: RHP Jake Woodford

Woodford isn’t an Article XX(b) free agent, but MLBTR has learned that he still has a March 22 opt-out. He made his fourth appearance of Rockies camp yesterday, tossing 2 2/3 innings with an earned run. Woodford has allowed seven runs on 11 hits and three walks with five punchouts and a nice 47.2% grounder rate in 10 2/3 frames this spring. He has experience as a starter and reliever. The righty doesn’t miss many bats but keeps the ball on the ground and has good command. He’s a fifth starter/swingman who’s out of minor league options.

Royals: C Luke Maile, RHP Ross Stripling

Maile is a glove-first backup who’s had a nice spring at the plate but has done so on a team with a healthy Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin. His path to a roster spot doesn’t look great. Speculatively, his former Reds club, which just lost Tyler Stephenson to begin the year, would make sense if they plan to add an outside catcher. Maile’s .214/.294/.329 performance over the past three seasons is light, but he’s already familiar with the bulk of Cincinnati’s staff. He’s a fine backup or No. 3 catcher for any club, Kansas City included.

Stripling notched a 3.01 ERA in 124 innings for the 2022 Blue Jays, but it’s been rough waters since. He was rocked for a 5.68 ERA across the past two seasons, spending time with both Bay Area clubs, and has been tagged for 11 runs on 14 hits — four of them homers — with just two strikeouts in six spring frames. He’ll likely need a strong Triple-A showing, be it with the Royals or another club, to pitch his way back to the majors.

Tigers: LHP Andrew Chafin

Chafin surprisingly commanded only a minor league deal this offseason and has struggled to begin his third stint with the Tigers. He’s been tagged for eight runs in four spring innings, walking six batters along the way. It’s a rough look, but the affable southpaw notched a 3.51 ERA in 56 1/3 MLB frames last year and touts a 3.12 mark across the past four seasons combined.

White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger, INF Brandon Drury, OF Travis Jankowski

The ChiSox signed Clevinger for a third time late this spring and are trying him in the bullpen. He’s responded with four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and no walks while fanning six hitters. His 2025 White Sox reunion is out to a much better start than his 2024 reunion, wherein he was limited to only 16 innings with a 6.75 ERA thanks to elbow and neck troubles.

Drury could hardly be doing more to secure a spot with the Pale Hose. He’s decimated Cactus League pitching at a .410/.439/.821 pace, slugging three homers and seven doubles in only 41 plate appearances. He’s coming off a terrible 2024 showing with the Angels but hit .263/.313/.493 from 2021-23. It’d be a surprise if the Sox didn’t keep him.

Jankowski started the spring with the Cubs, was granted his release and signed with the Sox. The hits haven’t been dropping, but he has six walks in 25 plate appearances. The White Sox already have Michael A. Taylor in a fourth outfield role. Andrew Benintendi, who missed three-plus weeks with a fractured hand, was back in the lineup yesterday, making Jankowski something of a long shot.

Yankees: RHP Carlos Carrasco

With a nice spring showing and several injuries in the Yankees’ rotation, Carrasco looks to have a good chance at making the roster. Jack Curry of the YES Network already reported it’s “likely” Carrasco will be added this weekend. Carrasco has a 1.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks (plus four hit batters) in 16 spring innings. He tossed five shutout frames yesterday.

Andrew Abbott To Begin Season On Injured List

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Reds manager Terry Francona provided members of the media, including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, updates on the club’s pitching plans to start the season. Left-hander Andrew Abbott will start the season on the injured list. That will allow right-hander Carson Spiers to have a rotation spot to start the year. Meanwhile, righty Graham Ashcraft will head to the bullpen. Fellow righty Lyon Richardson has been optioned to Triple-A, per a club announcement from earlier today.

Sheldon emphasizes that Abbott hasn’t experienced a setback, just that the Reds have been moving him along gradually. At the start of camp, about a month ago, Abbott relayed that he was a bit behind schedule, taking things slowly after he finished 2024 on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He thought he still had a chance to be ready by Opening Day but Francona said the club wouldn’t rush him to just meet that specific target.

“I don’t even think about that just because I think that’s where you make mistakes, when you put an artificial deadline,” Francona said last month. “We’re going to do what’s right for every player. If somebody isn’t ready, whether it’s him or somebody else, we’ll figure out a way to make it work until they’re ready.”

That thinking still seems to be the plan. Rather than try to force Abbott to be ready for the first week of April, they will just let him be ready whenever he’s ready. Since it seems to have been sort of a borderline call, perhaps he will only miss a very short time. IL stints can be backdated by three days, even at the start of the season, meaning he could be back as soon as 12 days into the campaign.

For now, the club will proceed without Abbott. Four rotation spots will be taken by Hunter Greene, Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez. As mentioned, the fifth will go to Spiers, who posted a 5.46 earned run average in a swing role last year. For what it’s worth, his numbers have been good in camp. He’s allowed three earned runs in 10 innings, with ten punchouts and four walks.

He likely won’t have a firm grip on a rotation spot. As mentioned, Abbott could return fairly quickly. The Reds also have Richardson and Connor Phillips as healthy options on the 40-man. Rhett Lowder is another, although he was slowed by elbow soreness early in camp and has an uncertain status at the moment. Prospect Chase Petty isn’t on the roster but should be in the Triple-A rotation and pushing for a promotion this year. Spiers has options and could be pushed to Triple-A himself at some point, or perhaps to the bullpen.

As for Ashcraft, he’s generally been a passable back-end starter of the ground ball variety. In 60 starts over the past three seasons, he has a 4.91 ERA. His 16.6% strikeout rate is subpar but his 7.6% walk rate is good and he’s kept 50.2% of balls in play on the dirt.

It was reported earlier in camp that the club had some hope that Ashcraft could thrive in a bullpen role. Per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Ashcraft said today that he’s excited about the move, hoping that his stuff plays up in shorter stints. His fastballs (four-seamer, sinker, cutter) have generally averaged in the 95-98 mile-per-hour range in his career. He hasn’t translated that into many punchouts yet but perhaps the relief role will allow him to find an extra gear.

Photo courtesy Sam Greene, Imagn Images.

Ryan Weathers Out At Least Four To Six Weeks With Forearm Strain

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The Marlins announced Thursday that left-hander Ryan Weathers will begin the season on the injured list due to a left forearm strain. He’s expected to be sidelined for at least the next four to six weeks, per Isaac Azout of Fish on First.

Weathers, 25, came to Miami in the 2023 Garrett Cooper trade with the Padres and quickly looked to be an outstanding low-cost pickup. The former first-rounder had run out of chances with the Friars and struggled in three appearances with the Fish in the second half of the 2023 season. However, he came roaring out of the gate in 2024, relying less on his four-seamer and leaning more heavily on his sinker, slider and changeup.

The results were excellent. Through his first 13 starts, Weathers notched a 3.55 ERA with an average 22.5% strikeout rate, a strong 6.5% walk rate and a terrific 51.5% ground-ball rate in 71 innings. Unfortunately, a strain in his pitching hand wound up sending him to the injured list for the next three months. Weathers was hit hard by the Dodgers in his return outing but wrapped up the season with a pair of one-run performances against the Twins and Blue Jays. Overall, he finished the year with a 3.63 earned run average, 21.8% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 46.6% grounder rate.

That strong performance locked Weathers in as a set member of the Marlins’ rotation. He’d likely have taken the ball in the season’s second or third game, but his debut will be pushed until at least late April, if not mid-to-late May — depending on how his rehab progresses. For the time being, it seems there’s no expectation of a truly long-term absence, though forearm injuries come with a broad range of outcomes.

With Weathers joining fellow starters Braxton Garrett (internal brace surgery), Eury Perez (April 2024 Tommy John surgery) and Edward Cabrera (blisters) on the injured list to begin the season, Miami’s rotation is far from full strength. Sandy Alcantara, Cal Quantrill and Max Meyer are assured spots. Connor Gillispie seemed to have a leg up on what was the fifth spot (now the fourth). Weathers’ injury now likely pushes Valente Bellozo or Adam Mazur back into the mix for a spot on the big league staff.

Phillies Option Garrett Stubbs; Rafael Marchan Will Be Backup Catcher

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The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve optioned catcher Garrett Stubbs to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In doing so, they all but confirmed that switch-hitting Rafael Marchan will be their backup catcher.

Stubbs, 31, is the far more experienced of the two and performed better in limited spring action, but Marchan is out of minor league options. Going with Stubbs, who’s in his final option year, would’ve required removing Marchan from the 40-man roster. A 26-year-old switch-hitting catcher with sound defensive skills would hardly have been a lock to pass through waivers. The Phils opted to preserve their catching depth by giving Marchan the opening day roster nod.

Sending Stubbs to Triple-A is possible right now, but if he’s called to the big league roster for a couple months — say, in the result of an injury to Marchan or J.T. Realmuto — the situation could become more complicated. Stubbs has 4.120 years of MLB service. He’s 52 days shy of reaching five years. If he were to accrue those 52 days in 2025, he’d reach the point where he cannot be optioned unless he consents to the move. Having a pair of backups who can’t be optioned could prove problematic and result in a situation where the Phillies likely have to part with one of their backups. We’re a ways from reaching that point, but it’s a possibility at some point in 2025.

For now, the Phils will hope Marchan can continue at the pace he’s displayed in his fleeting MLB looks across the past three seasons. He’s tallied 121 plate appearances in that time and slashed .279/.333/.477. That’s plus production for any hitter but massive output for a catcher, though Marchan’s Triple-A work doesn’t necessarily support the notion that he can maintain that. He hit quite well in Lehigh Valley in 2023 but struggled at a .229/.340/.297 pace with the IronPigs in 2024.

Overall, Marchan is a lifetime .238/.328/.328 hitter in 216 Triple-A games. Despite the lackluster Triple-A performance, with Realmuto entering the final season of his contract, the Phillies understandably don’t want to risk losing a controllable, switch-hitting catcher whose defensive skills they appreciate and who has hit well in limited MLB work. Keeping him on the roster always seemed the likeliest outcome.

Stubbs has been the Phillies’ primary alternative to Realmuto in recent seasons, though he hasn’t garnered more than 187 plate appearances in any season. He’s a .222/.305/.324 hitter in 433 plate appearances with the Phillies but draws above-average grades for his throwing and solid marks for blocking balls in the dirt. Stubbs is a .272/.369/.404 hitter in a near-identical sample of Triple-A plate appearances to Marchan.

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb chatted with Stubbs and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about the decision. Dombrowski acknowledged that it was a difficult conversation to have with Stubbs, who is beloved in the clubhouse, draws praise from the staff for his game-planning and receiving, and is being sent down for factors largely out of his control.

Astros’ Luis Garcia Shut Down Following Renewed Elbow Discomfort

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Astros righty Luis Garcia hasn’t pitched since May 1, 2023 due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery later that month. He’s been building back up in camp this year, pitching 9 2/3 innings, but manager Joe Espada revealed this morning that Garcia has been shut down entirely after renewed elbow discomfort (via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). He’d been slated to pitch a bullpen session today but will instead be evaluated by team doctors.

It’s not the first setback for Garcia, but it’s perhaps more ominous than the last. The right-hander pitched 2 1/3 rehab innings last summer before being slowed down and turning his focus to 2025. The Astros did not provide specifics on the nature of last summer’s setback at the time (as is typical; the Astros are notoriously vague regarding health updates for their players). It’s not clear when they’ll provide more information on Garcia.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic notes that Garcia resumed throwing to hitters last October and was throwing without issue throughout the offseason. The team considered him to be ahead of fellow long-injured righty Lance McCullers Jr. in their respective rehabs, but today’s setback marks an abrupt and significant departure from that thinking.

Houston wasn’t counting on Garcia to step right into the Opening Day rotation, but the belief was that he’d emerge as a critical depth option in the early stages of the season. That won’t be the case. The Astros still have a solid if top-heavy staff, with Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and sophomore Spencer Arrighetti (who had an outstanding finish to the 2024 season after a rough few months as a rookie) leading the pack. Hayden Wesneski, acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade, is favored to be the fifth starter.

A healthy Garcia would’ve been a welcome boon to the staff, whatever his role. The right-hander was never considered a premium pitching prospect but hit the ground running in his 2020 debut and has never faced any kind of prolonged struggles in the big leagues. (Garcia has just one month of his career with an ERA north of 5.00.) He’s pitched a total of 352 innings for the Astros and logged a 3.61 ERA with a strong 25.3% strikeout rate against a sharp 7.8% walk rate. He started 28 games for Houston in both 2021 and 2022, logging mid-3.00s ERAs with more than 155 innings in each of those two seasons.

There’s now no telling when or whether Garcia will be an option to return to Houston’s rotation. His setback marks a notable blow to their pitching depth. The aforementioned McCullers, who’s been out of action even longer — since the 2022 World Series — made his spring debut earlier this week. That marked McCullers’ first official game action of any kind since ’22; he didn’t pitch in spring training or embark on any minor league rehab assignments in 2023 or 2024. He’s been beset by multiple flexor injuries along the way, which led to a June 2023 surgery.

The Astros currently have Garcia, McCullers, J.P. France (shoulder) and Cristian Javier (UCL) recovering from major surgeries. Javier had Tommy John surgery last June. France underwent surgery to repair a capsule tear in his shoulder last July. Depth starter Shawn Dubin has been sidelined all spring due to shoulder troubles.

Because of that wide swath of injuries, the Astros don’t have another rotation candidate on the 40-man roster who’s made even one big league start. Lefty Colton Gordon and righty Ryan Gusto are on the 40-man and could both get looks this season, but both are completely untested against MLB opposition.

The non-roster options behind the 40-man group aren’t experienced, either. Right-hander Glenn Otto (5.62 ERA in 169 2/3 MLB innings) has the most big league work of any NRI in Astros camp. Righties Miguel Ullola, 22, and A.J. Blubaugh, 24, are the team’s top-ranked pitching prospects. Ullola has just three innings in Triple-A. Blubaugh pitched well in 124 Triple-A frames last season and figures to be a key depth piece in 2025. Broadly speaking, the Astros are precariously thin beyond the top group of arms, which only exacerbates the problematic nature of Garcia’s latest setback.

The Opener: Phillies, Gelof, Rotation Market

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As Spring Training once again becomes the league’s main focus in the aftermath of the Tokyo Series, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Phillies facing rotation questions:

Lefty Ranger Suarez is dealing with some stiffness in his back, as noted by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. Imaging fortunately revealed no structural damage, but Suarez missed a month of the 2024 season with back issues and could begin the year on the injured list. Manager Rob Thomson said the club will know more about the southpaw’s availability for the start of the season within the next day or two. If Suarez were to open the season on the shelf, that would seem to leave right-hander Taijuan Walker ticketed for a return to the rotation to begin the year. The 2024 season was disastrous for Walker, who posted a 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings of work last year. The 32-year-old Walker pitched well through three spring starts before being torched for six runs in 3 2/3 innings his last time out.

2. Gelof to undergo x-rays:

The A’s suffered a bit of a scare during yesterday’s game when second baseman Zack Gelof was hit by a pitch on his right hand. MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos relays that manager Mark Kotsay believes Gelof “will be fine,” but the 25-year-old was sent for x-rays nonetheless. The results of those tests could come back as soon as today and provide clarity on whether Gelof avoided an injury. He’s the club’s everyday second baseman and will try to improve upon last year’s sophomore slump, when he hit just .211/.270/.362 (after batting .267/.337.504 as a rookie in ’23). If Gelof were to miss time, Luis Urias is on the 40-man roster and appears to be the most likely candidate to fill in at second base.

3. Late spring rotation market movement?

Reporting yesterday indicated that the Diamondbacks have received interest on southpaw Jordan Montgomery of late, a notable development given the club’s efforts to trade the lefty (and at least a portion of the $22.5MM guaranteed he’s owed for this year). While it’s rare for trades to come together this close to the start of the season, with two games already in the books and stateside Opening Day just a week away, we’ve seen a handful of late-spring deals in recent years. The White Sox and Padres agreed to last year’s Dylan Cease trade just two weeks before Opening Day. Jon Berti was traded from Miami to New York in a three-team deal on the eve of Opening Day in 2024, just as the Twins and Padres worked out their Taylor Rogers/Chris Paddack deal in the hours before Opening Day 2022.

Plenty of teams, including Montgomery’s former clubs in New York and Texas, have suffered major rotation injuries this spring. Montgomery also isn’t the only player who could at least theoretically be available, as the Cardinals have expressed at least some level of willingness to part ways with either Erick Fedde or Steven Matz this spring.

Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox

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The White Sox hired a new manager and cashed in Garrett Crochet for prospects, otherwise making affordable, low-ceiling additions.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $15.2MM
Total spending: $15.2MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

Chris Getz was hired as White Sox executive vice president/GM in August 2023, inheriting manager Pedro Grifol from previous longtime GM Rick Hahn.  After about a year in the GM chair with his team sporting a historically bad 28-89 record on the 2024 season, Getz fired Grifol and installed Grady Sizemore as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign.  Managers can occasionally ride out rebuilding years, proving themselves on soft factors and retaining the job when the team gets good.  The Orioles' Brandon Hyde did this.  Grifol, however, did not warrant that level of faith.

Given a clean offseason slate to choose his own manager, Getz ran an extensive search that included Will Venable, Daniel Descalso, Phil Nevin, George Lombard, A.J. Ellis, Donnie Ecker, Danny Lehmann, Clayton McCullough, Craig Albernaz, and many others whose names did not reach the media.  Getz had competition from the Marlins on several of these candidates.  He ultimately chose Venable on October 29th.  McCullough landed the Marlins gig not long after, while Nevin still landed with Chicago but as a special assistant in their player development department.

The Princeton-educated Venable became the 44th manager in White Sox history, and he takes over a team that has nowhere to go but up.  Getz himself was the beneficiary of Jerry Reinsdorf's "I didn’t have to interview these people, because I knew them all" hiring approach, which also netted Tony La Russa as manager in October 2020.  So it's always a relief to see the White Sox conduct an extensive search as they did with Venable.

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MLBTR Podcast: The Rays’ Stadium Deal Is Dead, Rangers’ Rotation Issues, And More!

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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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Who is a more likely trade acquisition for the Mets, Sandy Alcántara of the Marlins or Dylan Cease of the Padres? And who would command a larger trade package? (20:50)
  • Should the Pirates trade one of their catchers? (24:20)
  • How realistic is it that the Mariners have better offense than last year and are in position to use their prospects for deadline upgrades? (28:40)
  • Should the Yankees try to plug holes with veterans or give playing time to younger guys? (34:25)
  • The Tigers are trying Javier Báez and Spencer Torkelson at different positions. Are they trying to increase the trade appeal of these players or delude themselves into thinking they could actually provide value? (38:25)

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!

Photo courtesy Bill Streicher, Imagn Images

Cardinals Release Chance Sisco

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The Cardinals announced this evening that they’ve released catcher Chance Sisco from his minor league deal. The former well-regarded prospect had been in camp as a non-roster invitee but went 0-9 with six strikeouts and a walk in seven games.

Sisco finished last season in Triple-A with the Cards. St. Louis signed him to a minor league deal in September, giving him his first affiliated ball opportunity since 2022. He only appeared in seven Triple-A games but made a positive enough impression that St. Louis brought him back on a new minor league contract over the offseason.

A second-round pick of the Orioles in 2013, Sisco has played parts of five seasons in the big leagues. Almost all of that came with Baltimore between 2017-21. Sisco has hit .197/.317/.337 over 608 career plate appearances. He has hit 16 homers while drawing walks at a 10.2% clip, but his offense has been undercut by a huge 32.2% strikeout percentage. His defensive grades, especially his pitch framing numbers, were generally poor as well.

The Cards will go with an Iván Herrera/Pedro Pagés tandem behind the plate. Willson Contreras is the only other potential catcher on the 40-man roster, but he’s not expected to log much (if any) time there following an offseason move to first base. Non-roster invitee Yohel Pozo is the only other catcher in the organization who has any MLB experience. Prospect Jimmy Crooks is likely to open the season with Triple-A Memphis and could put himself on the radar for a midseason promotion.

Joe Espada Confirms Altuve Will Open Season As Primary Left Fielder

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The Astros will keep Jose Altuve in left field to begin the season, manager Joe Espada told the beat on Wednesday (links via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). Espada said the plan is for Altuve to play “most of his games” in left, though he noted that could change depending on how things play out during the season.

It’s the finalization of what had become clear throughout camp. Altuve has started 10 games in left against one at second base (and one at designated hitter) this spring. It’s been understandably rocky. Altuve dropped easy fly balls in each of the last two games. He has three errors compared to 13 putouts. Altuve told reporters that his most recent misplays, each of which came with a runner on third, have come as he’s attempted to rush throws home.

“I’m really happy that I got two more fly balls today after I missed that one and I was able to make those plays and just move on,” he said. “Just move on. I’ve been in tough situations before, and I’ve overcome that. I’m ready to go out there and play good left field. I promise I’m going to keep working hard and be a great left fielder.”

Altuve’s start in left field on Opening Day will be his first in the big leagues at any position other than second base. He’ll likely occasionally slide back to his old position on days when Yordan Alvarez draws into the outfield. Espada has said he hopes to keep Alvarez at DH more frequently than he has in previous years. Mauricio Dubón should get the majority of second base work.

One potential factor for the corner outfield mix: Cam Smith. Houston has left the door open for the prospect in the Kyle Tucker trade to break camp in his first full professional season. The 22-year-old has torn the cover off the ball this spring. He took A.J. Minter deep for his fourth homer of the spring during tonight’s game. Smith is hitting .419 with an OPS pushing 1.400 in 13 exhibition games. The Astros have begun getting the collegiate third baseman reps in right field, where he has 25 innings.

It’s not a sign that Smith is moving off his natural position. He has played 41 innings over eight games at third base. Still, with Isaac Paredes positioned for the majority of the third base work, Smith’s best short-term path to MLB work might be in the outfield. That’d probably be at the expense of projected right fielder Chas McCormick, but it’s feasible that he could get some work in left field as well — especially if McCormick rebounds from his rough ’24 season.

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