Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rays Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rays have signed right-hander Jake Woodford to a minor league deal with an invite to MLB spring training, as reported by MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

Woodford, 29, was a first-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2015 draft but didn’t make his MLB debut until the abbreviated 2020 season. He struggled to a 5.57 ERA as a long relief arm in his rookie year, but enjoyed better results come 2021 and ’22 with a respectable 3.26 ERA and 3.93 FIP in 116 total innings of work across those two campaigns. With that being said, his peripheral numbers weren’t quite so impressive. He struck out just 15.4% of his opponents while walking 7.5%. He did manage to make up for the lack of strikeouts by serving up grounders at a steady 45.8% clip, but the magic disappeared in 2023 as he was crushed to the tune of a 6.23 ERA before being non-tendered by the Cardinals that offseason.

Since departing St. Louis, Woodford has become a journeyman and hopped from team to team without sticking in any one organization for very long. In 2024 he split his time at the big league level between the White Sox and Pirates organizations but was torched to a 7.97 ERA in 35 innings of work despite a more manageable 4.94 FIP. After being DFA’d by Pittsburgh, he joined the Rockies last offseason but failed to break camp with the club and found himself on the market once again come Opening Day. From there, he caught on with the Yankees and Cubs organizations but did not make the majors with either club.

Woodford’s return to the big leagues came with the Diamondbacks this year, but he didn’t make the most of the opportunity. The right-hander made 22 appearances in Arizona but struggled badly, with a 6.44 ERA in 36 1/3 innings and a strikeout rate of just 13.5%. Arizona ultimately designated Woodford for assignment in late September, and he elected free agency shortly after the end of the 2025 campaign.

Now, Woodford is headed to one of the top teams in the league for pitching development as he looks to turn his career around. The Rays are known for their constant roster churn and their ability to turn otherwise unheralded pitchers into valuable pieces. It would hardly be a shock if they were able to unlock something with Woodford and help the right-hander get back on track, although Tampa has typically had more success unlocking arms with big strikeout potential like Edwin Uceta and Robert Stephenson. Either way, Woodford will enter the spring with a shot to compete for a long relief job in the bullpen with arms like Yoendrys Gomez and Joe Boyle.

Giants To Acquire Joey Wiemer

By | at

The Giants are acquiring outfielder Joey Wiemer from the Marlins, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Miami designated the former top prospect for assignment earlier in the week when setting its roster ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.

Now 26 years old, Wiemer was the Brewers’ fourth-round pick in 2020. He appeared on the back end of MLB.com’s top-100 prospect list in both 2022 and 2023 but has seen his stock dwindle since that time. Milwaukee flipped him to the Reds alongside Jakob Junis in the 2024 Frankie Montas trade, and Cincinnati subsequently dealt him to Kansas City with Jonathan India in exchange for right-hander Brady Singer. The Marlins scooped him up off waivers in early August, shortly following this year’s trade deadline.

Wiemer has appeared in parts of three major league seasons between the Brewers, Reds and Marlins. He popped 13 homers and swiped 11 bags as a rookie in ’23 but did so with poor rate stats. He’s a career .205/.279/.359 hitter through 499 trips to the batter’s box in the majors. That said, he’s shown plenty of pop against lefties, albeit with still-shaky OBP skills; in 173 plate appearances versus southpaws, the righty-swinging Wiemer is a .255/.298/.484 hitter (106 wRC+).

Beyond his above-average power versus lefties, Wiemer is capable of playing all three outfield spots and doing so at a fairly high level. Even bearish scouting reports on him over the years have labeled him as a potential plus defender. Defensive metrics bear that out. Wiemer has positive marks in all three spots individually and a collective 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 7 Outs Above Average in 1249 innings of outfield work at the big league level.

Wiemer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stay on San Francisco’s 40-man roster all offseason and break camp with the team or else be designated for assignment once again. He can’t be sent to the minors without first passing through waivers. For now, he projects as a possible bench option who could platoon with lefty-swinging Drew Gilbert in right field — if the Giants don’t make a larger-scale addition at the position. Former top prospects Luis Matos and Marco Luciano could compete for a similar role, but both hit poorly in 2025 and have seen their once lofty prospect stock crater in recent years. Like Wiemer, both Matos and Luciano are out of minor league options, so at least two of the three figure to be roster casualties between now and Opening Day.

Erik Swanson Announces Retirement

By | at

Right-hander Erik Swanson announced his retirement yesterday on his personal Instagram account. Swanson, 32, pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons with the Blue Jays and Mariners.

The 32-year-old was an eighth-round pick by the Rangers back in 2014 and was a piece of two significant trades before he made his MLB debut. He was part of the package that Texas sent to the Yankees in exchange for the services of Carlos Beltran prior to the 2016 season, and then he was shipped to Seattle by the Yanks in the deal for James Paxton prior to the 2019 season. After pitching out of the bullpen in the Rangers’ system and starting during his time with the Yankees, Swanson made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2019 as a swing man.

That start to his career was a rocky one, as the right-hander posted a lackluster 5.74 ERA in 58 innings of work during his rookie season. Those innings were split between eight starts and 19 relief outings, He was back in the bullpen for the shortened 2020 season, but made just nine appearances and was lit up to the tune of 12 runs (11 earned) in just 7 2/3 innings of work despite a decent 24.3% strikeout rate. The Mariners stuck with Swanson headed into the 2021 season, however, and their commitment quickly began to pay dividends.

Swanson enjoyed the first truly successful season of his big league career in 2021. Though he only pitched 35 1/3 innings total, he looked great in doing so with a 3.31 ERA and a 24.8% strikeout rate across 33 appearances. He built on that solid performance the following year and enjoyed a breakout 2022 campaign. With a 1.68 ERA, 1.84 FIP, and 2.19 SIERA in 53 2/3 innings of work to go along with a 34.0% strikeout rate, Swanson was on the shortlist for the very best relievers in baseball that year. Among all pitchers with at least 50 innings of work that year, Swanson ranked in the top 10 by measure of SIERA (10th), K-BB% (10th), xERA (10th), ERA (9th), and FIP (3rd).

After that dominant season, the Mariners capitalized on Swanson’s value and made him a key piece of the trade that brought Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle. After being shipped to Toronto and suiting up for the Blue Jays, Swanson was unable to recreate his elite 2022 campaign but still enjoyed a strong 2023 as a quality late-inning arm. He pitched a career-high 66 2/3 innings across 69 appearances and turned in an impressive 2.97 ERA, though his strikeout rate dropped to 28.6% and his peripherals took a similar step back.

Unfortunately, things came off the rails for Swanson from there. In 2024, he struggled to a 5.03 ERA and had issues with his command across 45 appearances, surrendering 11 home runs in just 39 1/3 innings while his strikeout rate tumbled to 22.0%. The Jays held onto Swanson this year in hopes of a bounce back, but he dealt with nerve issues throughout the spring and had his season debut delayed until the start of June due to forearm soreness. He surrendered nine runs in six appearances before the Jays pulled the plug after just two weeks. He was released in late June and did not pitch professionally between then and his retirement announcement.

In all, Swanson posted a career 4.20 ERA in 246 games as a big leaguer. He struck out 281 batters across 266 innings of work and finishes his career with an 11-16 record and ten career saves. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Swanson on a fine playing career and wish him all the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Phillies Claim Pedro León

By | at

The Phillies announced they have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Orioles. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the claim prior to the official announcement. The O’s had designated him for assignment a few days ago. Philadelphia’s roster count climbs from 33 to 34.

León, 28 in May, was once a notable prospect but his stock has fallen in recent years. After he defected from Cuba, the Astros signed him via a $4MM signing bonus in January of 2021. He featured prominently on prospect lists for a few years but has hit a few roadblocks.

From 2021 to 2023, his results in the minors were passable but unexciting. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances and produced a combined line of .233/.350/.419. That resulted in a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above league average but barely.

In 2024, he still struck out 27% of the time put up a huge .299/.372/.514 line in Triple-A. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, was good enough for a 130 wRC+, or 30% better than league average. He got to make his major league debut that year but hit just .100/.143/.100 in a tiny sample of 21 plate appearances. 2025 was mostly a lost year, as he sprained the MCL in his left knee and was limited to just 22 Triple-A contests, with a .241/.312/.422 and wRC+ of 89 in 94 plate appearances.

The Astros had a roster crunch at season’s end, which bumped León to the waiver wire. The O’s grabbed him but bumped him off less than two weeks later due to their own roster crunch. For the Phils, it’s a pretty sensible addition. They have tons of roster space to work with at the moment. León still has options, meaning he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a spot on the big league roster. They are planning to remake their outfield this winter. Time will tell how that plays out, but it seems likely they will move on from Nick Castellanos while pursuing external additions. Even if there’s no spot for León when the dust settles, they can send him to Triple-A to see if he engineers a post-hype breakout.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/21/25

By and | at

The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day as deals are announced and/or reported.

  • The Braves announced that they have signed infielder Vidal Bruján, infielder Mauricio Dubón, left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Eli White for the 2026 season. Bruján’s deal was announced as a split contract. Dubon will make $6.1MM, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, right around his $5.8MM projection. Salaries for the others haven’t been reported yet.
  • The Brewers announced that they have signed first baseman Jake Bauers for 2026. He’ll make $2.7MM, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He was projected for $2MM.
  • The Phillies have agreed to a split deal with catcher Garrett Stubbs, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Stubbs will make $925K in the majors and $575K in the minors. The major league salary is an exact match for his projection.
  • The Twins signed right-hander Justin Topa to a one-year, $1.225MM deal. MLBTR covered that earlier in this post. The Twins turned down a $2MM club option for Topa, giving him a $225K buyout instead, but he remained under club control via arb. Between the buyout and next year’s salary, he’ll collect $1.45MM. Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported Topa’s 2026 salary.

Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images

Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco: TODAY At 1:00pm Central

By | at

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be holding a live chat today at 1:00 pm Central, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers! Please note that this is an hour earlier than the usual Friday chat time because of this afternoon's non-tender deadline.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
  • Remove ads and support our writers.
  • Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Twins Acquire Alex Jackson, Avoid Arbitration With Justin Topa

By | at

9:57am: Darren Wolfson of KSTP reports that Topa will be guaranteed $1.225MM in 2026 by his new contract.

8:24am: The Twins have acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Orioles in exchange for minor league infielder Payton Eeles, according to a report from Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, Minnesota has designated outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. for assignment to make room for Jackson on the 40-man roster. The team has also avoided arbitration with right-hander Justin Topa on a one-year deal, per Gleeman.

Jackson, 30 next month, was a potential non-tender candidate ahead of this evening’s deadline. Projected for a $1.8MM salary in 2206 by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, Jackson was the Orioles’ third catcher behind Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. While Baltimore could certainly consider a three-catcher roster in 2026 given the time Basallo is expected to spend at DH and first base next season, Maverick Handley remains on the 40-man roster as a potential third-string catcher behind the team’s primary tandem. That made Jackson somewhat expendable, and Baltimore has now decided to send him to Minnesota in order to shore up their upper-level infield depth in the minors.

As for the Twins, bringing Jackson into the fold gives the team a backup catcher behind Ryan Jeffers, replacing free agent veteran Christian Vazquez in the club’s catching tandem. Jackson was drafted sixth overall back in 2014 but hasn’t made much noise at the big league level despite his draft pedigree. He’s bounced between Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Tampa, and Baltimore throughout his parts of six seasons in the majors and now seems poised to suit up for Minnesota in his seventh next year.

Jackson has typically been viewed as an adequate defender behind the plate, but his offensive numbers have typically left much to be desired. He entered the 2025 season with a career slash line of just .132/.224/.232 (29 wRC+), meaning he had been 71% worse than league average in his 340 trips to the plate at the big league level. A 37-game, 100-PA stint with the Orioles this year saw him show some signs of life offensively, as he hit a respectable .220/.290/.473 (111 wRC+) during that time.

Unfortunately, Jackson is unlikely to continue hitting at a 30-homer pace as he did in Baltimore this season, and his 37.0% strikeout rate against a walk rate of just 5.0% leaves much to be desired in terms of discipline. Jackson’s advanced metrics suggest his underlying performance remained below average this year, and in 2026 it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take a significant step back with the bat. Still, he should provide the Twins with a cost-effective insurance option behind the plate in a market without much quality available behind the plate. Jackson joins Jeffers, Mickey Gasper, and Jhonny Pereda as catching options on the 40-man roster.

In exchange for Jackson, the Twins are surrendering Eeles. The infielder, who just celebrated his 26th birthday earlier this week, is listed at just 5’5” and hit just .253 with a .321 slugging percentage in 86 games at Triple-A this past year. What Eeles lacks in size and power potential is made up for by a strong understanding of the strike zone and speed on the basepaths, however. He posted an excellent 12.4% walk rate at Triple-A this past year while striking out at a solid 17.2% clip. He went 21-for-28 on the basepaths in just 378 plate appearances, suggesting he could be a threat to steal 30-to-40 bases over a full season.

Eeles has primarily played shortstop and second base throughout his time as a professional but has also made cameos at third base and all three outfield spots. That sort of versatile speedster is something the Orioles have long valued, as seen by the 408 games Jorge Mateo played for the Orioles over the past five seasons before becoming a free agent earlier this month. Given Eeles’s successful stint at the Triple-A level and Mateo’s departure, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him in the mix for a big league bench job in Baltimore at some point next season.

Turning back to Minnesota, the Twins are parting ways with Keirsey to make room for Jackson on the 40-man roster. Keirsey, 28, made his big league debut late in the 2024 season but made it into just six games, going 2-for-14 with a home run and a hit-by-pitch. He got a slightly longer audition in the majors this year, though he was mostly used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner across 74 games in the majors. In 88 trips to the plate this year, Keirsey hit just .107/.138/.179 while striking out at a 37.5% clip. He did manage to go 10-for-12 on the basepaths, but his lack of production with the bat makes him fairly expendable to a Twins club that has plenty of outfield talent already on the roster and in the upper levels of the minors.

In addition to this morning’s trade, the Twins also reached an agreement with Topa on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. The exact figure isn’t known, but it’s worth noting that the right-hander’s projected arbitration salary sits at $1.7MM. Typically, pre-tender deals come in a bit below the player’s projected salary as the player looks to guarantee their 40-man roster spot. That may not necessarily be the case here, however, as Topa’s 3.90 ERA and 3.04 FIP in 60 innings cast him as a perfectly solid middle reliever. With that being said, Topa’s 18.3% strikeout rate leaves something to be desired even with a solid 47.7% ground ball rate. While Topa’s 2026 salary is not yet known, he’ll be a key part of Twins bullpen next year after Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland were all traded away at this summer’s deadline.

The Opener: Non-Tender Deadline, Trade Candidates, Posting Windows

By | at

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Non-tender deadline arrives:

This evening, teams around baseball will need to decide whether to offer contracts to their arbitration- and pre-arbitration level players. Those who are non-tendered will head directly into free agency without being placed on waivers. Earlier this week, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco made a comprehensive list of players who could at least theoretically be at risk of a non-tender today, although the majority of them likely will not actually head into free agency.

Many will simply be tendered a contract by their team and go through the normal arbitration process, landing a salary around what MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected for them last month. Others could sign at a discount right away on a “pre-tender” deal to avoid arbitration, like Connor Wong did with the Red Sox yesterday. Still others could be traded to another team more interested in paying their arbitration price tag, which we saw when the Astros and Braves swapped arbitration-level players by sending Mauricio Dubon to Atlanta in exchange for Nick Allen.

2. Trade candidates ahead of tonight’s deadline:

As teams look to get something out of players they’re considering a non-tender for, a number of trades could be possible today. The Rangers have already been shopping outfielder Adolis Garcia and catcher Jonah Heim for days as they look to shed payroll, and a non-tender could be in the cards for either or both if a trade isn’t worked out. Meanwhile, some players who were designated for assignment earlier this week could be traded in the coming hours before their team would otherwise cut them and send them into free agency. JJ Bleday of the A’s, Ramon Urias of the Astros, and Christopher Morel of the Rays are among the players DFA’d earlier this week who could theoretically still be dealt if a team was interested in picking them up at their arbitration price tag.

3. Posting windows opening:

For players coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan or South Korea’s Korean Baseball Organization, free agency can be a much more abbreviated affair. Players posted by their NPB clubs for MLB teams have just a 45-day window to sign, while that same window is only 30 days for KBO players. NPB right-hander Tatsuya Imai’s negotiating period began yesterday, and he’ll be followed today by both NPB infielder Kazuma Okamoto and righty Kona Takahashi according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Imai’s posting window will run through January 2, while Okamoto and Takahashi will both see their windows last through January 4. Top international power bat Munetaka Murakami’s negotiating window began two weeks ago, and KBO infielder Sung-mun Song figures to be officially posted this weekend to kick of his own window.

MLB Mailbag: Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward Trade, Qualifying Offers, Duran, Abreu

By | at

This week's mailbag gets into the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade, the four accepted qualifying offers, the trade value of Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, and much more.

Nick asks:

Hi, what is Mike Elias thinking selling low on Grayson? Ward is a good, not great, hitter, and Rodriguez's ceiling is an ace. You guys have been calling for a Singer-Ward swap and I feel like 4 years of Rodriguez, even with his injuries, would have way more value than one year of Singer.

Zach asks:

For real, what's with trading Grayson Rodriguez?!?

In making this trade, Orioles president of baseball operations and GM Mike Elias made a big bet against Rodriguez.

When the Orioles drafted Rodriguez 11th overall out of high school in 2018, the club was a few months away from replacing Dan Duquette with Elias as the head of baseball operations.  So Elias wasn't involved with that pick, but he is intimately familiar with Rodriguez's career and health history.

Once one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Rodriguez's injuries began with a 2022 Grade 2 lat strain that cost him three months and pushed back his expected Major League debut.  He was healthy in 2023, had some success in the Majors, and totaled 165 innings - the only time in his career he's topped 117 frames.

Rodriguez missed 19 days with shoulder inflammation in May 2024, and then saw his season end that year on July 31st due to what was initially called a mild lat strain.  No one could've guessed that quality start against the Blue Jays would close the book on Rodriguez's Orioles career before his 25th birthday.

The big righty supposedly entered 2025 without restrictions, and claimed he wasn't hurt when his velocity was down in spring training.  But in March he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation, compounded in April by another "mild lat strain."  It was initially thought Rodriguez would return in the second half, but he experienced elbow discomfort while rehabbing and was shut down.  After multiple opinions were gathered, Rodriguez's 2025 season ended with right elbow debridement surgery on August 11th.

As Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reported, Elias described Rodriguez's health this way at the end of September: "There’s nothing medically to suggest that he won’t be ready, and he’s very determined and not happy about what happened last year."  Elias expressed some caution but ultimately said, "I am bullish on the situation."  The procedure involved removing bone chips from Rodriguez's elbow.

Rodriguez spoke to reporters yesterday.  Here's an excerpt from Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register:

"Rodriguez said he is “absolutely” confident that he can pitch a full season this year. He said the bone spurs had been an issue for “three or four years,” and he believes that they led to the lat injuries. “Just being able to get those out of there, my arm feels great right now throwing,” Rodriguez said. “There’s really no question for me to be ready for spring training.”"

I'm searching for an explanation why the pitching-needy Orioles would trade a pre-arbitration mid-rotation type starter with 238 2/3 pretty good big league innings to his name and four years of team control remaining for one year of what looks like, at best, a 2.5 WAR outfielder.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
  • Remove ads and support our writers.
  • Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Seven Arbitration Trade Possibilities

By | at

MLBTR published our annual list of non-tender candidates last night. The Astros and Braves already swapped infielders in the Mauricio Dubón/Nick Allen trade with the NT deadline 24 hours away. That indicates both players will be tendered by their new teams but may not have been offered contracts by their original clubs (especially Dubón with Houston).

Essentially everyone who was included on the non-tender list could be a trade candidate. There are a few who are obviously not going to attract any interest at their projected price because of injuries or underperformance (e.g. Nathaniel Lowe, Evan Phillips). Teams could shop any of their more borderline candidates before tomorrow. The Rangers are doing so with Adolis García and Jonah Heim. The Astros would undoubtedly be open to moving on from Jesús Sánchez. Players like Ryan Mountcastle, Jonathan India and Luis García Jr. seem likelier than not to be cut loose if no trade comes together.

They're not the only somewhat costly arbitration-eligible players who could be on the move. There are a few others who didn't strike us at MLBTR as plausible non-tender candidates but wouldn't be especially surprising trade possibilities. These players should have modest surplus value yet still might be better served with a change of scenery or on a team that has more budgetary flexibility to accommodate a mid-level salary. Projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Spencer Steer, Reds 1B ($4.5MM projection, controllable through 2028)

Acquired from the Twins as part of the 2022 Tyler Mahle deadline deal, Steer looked like a building block of the Cincinnati lineup a couple seasons ago. He hit .271/.356/.464 with 37 doubles and 23 home runs in his '23 rookie season. Even with questions about his long-term defensive fit, the bat looked like it'd play.

The numbers have backed up over the past two years. Steer has still reached the 20-homer mark in both seasons, but his rate metrics are down across the board. His batting average has respectively landed at .225 and .238. The on-base percentage has been below .320 in both years. Steer's overall slugging output is also down despite the similar home run tallies. He has hit fewer doubles (21 this season) as his batted ball metrics have regressed.

Steer graded well defensively at first base and was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove award. That's a nice development, but he's still limited to bat-first positions that require him to hit to be productive. He came up as a third baseman but hasn't played there in two years. Steer is athletic enough to play some corner outfield, but his grades out there have been poor. He also played through a shoulder injury this year that impacted his throwing, leading the Reds to be cautious about how much work they gave him anywhere other than first base. Cincinnati should be in the market for an impact bat, and first base has free agent possibilities ranging from Pete Alonso to Ryan O'Hearn. That could make Steer expendable. The Marlins, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox and Diamondbacks are speculative trade partners.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
  • Remove ads and support our writers.
  • Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top