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Latest On Marlins’ Rotation Plans

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After months of rumors, the Marlins finally dealt Edward Cabrera in a pitching-for-hitting trade, as the right-hander was dealt to the Cubs for a notable three-prospect package headlined by Owen Caissie.  With Caissie ready to make an impact in Miami’s outfield as early as this season, the Marlins bolstered their lineup at the potential expense of their rotation, though the Fish are perhaps one of the few teams with enough rotation depth to withstand the loss of Cabrera.

Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer, and Braxton Garrett are tentatively lined up as the starting five, with swingman Janson Junk likely the top depth option.  Adam Mazur and Ryan Gusto also have some big league experience, Dax Fulton looks to be ready for his MLB debut, and top prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling could also both make their first appearance in the Show before 2026 is out.

Given how this group is long on injury history and mostly short on proven track records, however, a case can certainly be made that Miami could or should add to their starter mix.  Kevin Barral of Fish On First hears from a source that the Marlins could pursue an innings-eating veteran to add some more stability to the rotation.  In the other direction, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic write that “the Marlins remain open to further dealing from their rotation for the right return.”

The latter report doesn’t indicate that such a trade if necessarily likely, and it could just be another example of how president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is broadly open to discussing all offers out of due diligence.  Rosenthal and Sammon also note that it is still “unlikely” that Alcantara is traded, echoing multiple reports from throughout the offseason about the Marlins’ lack of appetite in moving the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner.

Trading away one of the younger arms for another MLB-ready young hitter could be more plausible if the right offer emerges, plus Miami could need to create some rotation space anyway if the team did bring in a veteran hurler.  This hypothetical veteran arm wouldn’t come with a big price tag, as Barral uses the comp of the Marlins’ signing of Cal Quantrill to a one-year, $3.5MM deal last winter.  Naturally Miami would be looking for better results from its next investment, as Quantrill posted a 5.50 ERA over 109 2/3 innings before he was put on waivers in August and claimed away by the Braves.

As one might expect, Bendix didn’t share many hints about adding or subtracting any pitchers when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and Jessica Camerato) earlier this week.  While acknowledging the “can never have too much pitching” mantra, Bendix feels his team has plenty of internal options already for a spirited rotation battle in Spring Training, with even White or Snelling being candidates to break camp.

“I definitely don’t have a feel of who the starting five are going to be to open up the season,” Bendix said.  “I think there’s opportunity there, there’s a competition there, there’s open space there, there’s a chance for a whole bunch of guys to step up and earn a spot, and there’s nothing that we’re writing off at this point.”

Tigers Showing Interest In Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito

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The Tigers entered the offseason with a focus on adding pitching help, and that goal has manifested itself in the form of two notable bullpen arms (Kenley Jansen and the re-signed Kyle Finnegan) and a rotation candidate coming off a successful stint in South Korea (Drew Anderson).  Other pitchers like Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen, Michael King, Ryan Helsley, Pete Fairbanks, and Brad Keller have also been linked to Detroit at various times this winter, and the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report that the club has also shown interest in Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito.

Somewhat surprisingly, Detroit is the first team known to have interest in either Bassitt or Giolito, even though the right-handers are coming off successful 2025 seasons.  This could reflect the relatively slow-moving nature of the free agent starting pitching market, as such top arms as Suarez, Gallen, and Framber Valdez are all still looking for their next contracts.  With those larger names still unsigned and some trade candidates (i.e. Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore) still potentially available, teams may wish to fully explore their chances with these pitchers before turning to more second-tier options like Bassitt or Giolito.

Bassitt’s age also doesn’t help him, as he turns 37 in February.  Still, there isn’t much indication Bassitt is slowing down, as he has thrown 723 innings over the last four seasons with the Mets and Blue Jays with just two minimal stints on the injured list.  The second of those brief IL stints (a bout of lower back inflammation) occurred this past September, and might’ve cost Bassitt a spot in Toronto’s playoff rotation.  Bassitt wasn’t healthy enough to participate in the ALDS, but upon returning in a relief capacity for the ALCS and World Series, the righty had a sparkling 1.04 ERA over 8 2/3 postseason innings.

Over the last four seasons, Bassitt has a 3.77 ERA, 22.4% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate.  The K% is a little below league average and the BB% is slightly above average, plus Bassitt has done a very good job of limiting hard contact.  He isn’t going to wow anyone with his velocity or swing-and-miss ability, but Bassitt has been able to keep hitters off-balance with what is technically an eight-pitch arsenal.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Bassitt for a two-year, $38MM contract this winter while ranking the veteran 24th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents.  Giolito wasn’t far behind in the #27 spot, projected for two years and $32MM.  That number might well have been higher if it wasn’t for a bout of right flexor irritation and a bone issue in his throwing elbow that arose right before the Red Sox began their playoff run.  Giolito has since described the “freak injury” as just a temporary problem that quickly subsided, and testing revealed no damage to his surgically-repaired UCL.

Giolito missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery, and he had a Tommy John surgery right at the start of his pro career in 2012.  A hamstring strain also delayed the start of his 2025 season and his comeback from his most recent elbow procedure, but Giolito had a 3.41 ERA over 145 innings for the Sox.  This solid bottom-line performance was undermined, however, by a 4.65 SIERA and an array of subpar Statcast numbers.

Giolito doesn’t turn 32 until July and potentially offers more upside, even though he hasn’t looked like a true frontline pitcher since his heyday with the White Sox from 2019-21.  Bassitt is the older and more stable of the two, as while he probably isn’t suited to hold down a front-of-the-rotation spot, he is about as sturdy a choice possible for the back end of a pitching staff.

In theory, Detroit is only looking for back-end rotation help, as the team’s starting five is set on paper as Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, and Anderson.  Troy Melton, Keider Montero, and Sawyer Gipson-Long are among the depth candidates slated for either Triple-A starts, bullpen work, or perhaps just the fifth starter’s role if Anderson is instead deployed as a reliever.

Beyond 2026, however, Olson is under team control and the Tigers hold a $10MM club option on Anderson for 2027.  Skubal, Flaherty, and Mize are all slated to enter free agency next winter, so bringing in a starter on a multi-year contract would help the Tigers lengthen their rotation in 2026 and add some measure of stability going forward.

Skubal’s situation looms large over Detroit’s future plans, as it remains possible that the Tigers could still trade the superstar rather than risk letting him walk for nothing but a compensatory draft pick.  Skubal’s upcoming arbitration hearing provides a more immediate impact to the rotation, as Rosenthal and Sammon note that the Tigers’ ability to spend on Bassitt, Giolito, or other roster upgrades will surely be impacted by whether or not Skubal will cost $19MM or $32MM in 2026.

RosterResource estimates the Tigers’ 2026 payroll at roughly $171.2MM, which is up from their $154.7MM estimated payroll from the end of the 2025 campaign.  The $13MM gap in Skubal’s salary possibilities isn’t nothing, but Detroit fans eager to see the team make a bigger transactional splash won’t be pleased if the club is resisting even a relatively modest investment in the Bassitt/Giolito tier of players.  Broadcasting uncertainty is also a revenue factor, as the Tigers are one of nine teams who have ended their agreements with Main Street Sports.

Rangers Release Anthony Veneziano

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The Rangers announced that Anthony Veneziano has been released from his minor league contract so that the southpaw can pursue an opportunity with an Asian team.  Veneziano only just signed with Texas about four weeks ago, though as per the norm with non-roster players, the Rangers aren’t going to stand in the way if Veneziano is given a guaranteed offer from a foreign club.

A veteran of three MLB seasons, Veneziano started his big league career with a two-game cup of coffee with the Royals in 2023.  He followed those 2 1/3 innings with 13 1/3 IP with the Royals and Marlins in 2024, and then 25 frames with Miami and St. Louis last season.  The Cardinals claimed Veneziano off the Marlins’ waiver wire shortly after the trade deadline, and after outrighting him off the 40-man roster in November, Veneziano elected minor league free agency.

The 28-year-old had a 3.98 ERA over his 40 2/3 innings in the Show, including a 4.68 ERA over his 25 innings in 2025.  His 21.4% career strikeout rate is decent, though his 9.4% walk rate from 2025 was on the high side.  Control has been an increasing issue for Veneziano, and he had more walks (20) than strikeouts (18) over his 24 2/3 innings of Triple-A work last season, with a 5.11 ERA to show for his time with the Marlins’ and Cardinals’ top affiliates.

Veneziano has started only one of his 40 Major League games, and that came in an opener capacity during a Miami bullpen game last June.  He moved into a bullpen role in 2024 and worked almost exclusively as a reliever at all levels in 2025, so it could be that Veneziano is looking to resurrect his starting prospects overseas.  At the very least, Veneziano will get some extra financial security rather than earn only a minimum MLB salary for whatever time he spends in the majors in 2026.

Max Kepler Receives 80-Game PED Suspension

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Major League Baseball announced today that free agent outfielder Max Kepler has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Kepler and MLB negotiated a settlement that allows him to serve the suspension even if he’s not on an MLB roster to begin the season, reports Alden González of ESPN. If he remains a free agent, last year’s playing time with Philadelphia would count as a credit towards the suspension. He remains ineligible for the 2026 playoffs.

Kepler, 33 in February, just wrapped up his first season away from the Twins. After years in Minnesota, Kepler became a free agent after the 2024 campaign and signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Phillies.

His year in Philadelphia wasn’t especially pleasant. He hit 18 home runs but slashed .216/.300/.391 for a wRC+ of 90. Along the way, he expressed some frustration at being shielded from lefties, saying that he thought he had been signed to be an everyday player.

Returning to free agency this winter, he wasn’t going to have a huge amount of earning potential after that down year. On the other hand, the outfield market is fairly weak, apart from Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger being the top guys. Beyond those two, Kepler was one of the better options alongside Harrison Bader and Mike Yastrzemski, the latter of whom signed with Atlanta.

This development obviously changes that. Kepler is now not only a 33-year-old coming off a down year, but also one who won’t even be available for the first half of the season. Even if he latches on somewhere, serves his suspension and plays well in the second half, he wouldn’t be eligible for the 2026 postseason.

That’s obviously going to cut into Kepler’s earning power. For clubs looking for outfield help, especially those who won’t pay for guys like Tucker or Bellinger, it could perhaps increase their desire to push for someone like Bader, Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Mike Tauchman or other available outfielders.

Photos courtesy of Kyle Ross, Brad Rempel, Imagn Images

Red Sox, Seth Martinez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Seth Martinez, as first reported by Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects. He’ll get a non-roster invitation to MLB camp.

Martinez has pitched in the majors in five straight seasons. He got a decent amount of run in the Astros’ middle relief corps from 2022-24. He didn’t get as much big league work last year, only making it into six games for the Marlins. Martinez gave up four runs with three walks and four strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old righty spent the majority of the year with Miami’s Triple-A club. He pitched to a 3.71 ERA behind a 29% strikeout rate over 43 2/3 frames. Martinez routinely posts strong whiff numbers in the minors and has fanned more than 30% of opponents with a sub-3.00 ERA in five Triple-A seasons. His flat 4.00 earned run average and 20.5% strikeout percentage in 117 MLB appearances are more solid than great.

Martinez only sits around 90 MPH with his fastball. He frequently relies on his breaking ball while mixing in a changeup. He’s out of options, meaning the Sox would need to keep him on the big league roster or expose him to waivers if they call him up at any point.

Pirates Open To Adding Left Side Infielder, Rotation Depth

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The Pirates finalized their two-year deal with Ryan O’Hearn on Thursday. That signing paired with the Brandon Lowe trade gives the Bucs a couple of middle-of-the-order bats from the left side.

General manager Ben Cherington spoke with reporters at O’Hearn’s introductory press conference and highlighted two areas the team is still looking to add. “If we could add someone on the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye out for. We’ll remain opportunistic in the outfield, see what comes our way,” the GM said (link via Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Cherington also said they’d like to “add back” to the pitching staff after they dealt Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo in the respective Lowe and Jhostynxon Garcia trades.

The left side of the infield is an expected target. Pittsburgh was involved on NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto before he signed a four-year contract with Toronto. They’ve been loosely linked to Eugenio Suárez, the second-best available free agent at the position after Alex Bregman. If Suárez’s asking price also proves too rich, the Bucs could look to a one-year deal for Yoán Moncada, Willi Castro or Ramón Urías.

It’d be more difficult to find an everyday answer at shortstop. There aren’t any free agent options beyond Bo Bichette, assuming they’re not interested in an Isiah Kiner-Falefa reunion. There hasn’t been any kind of trade market at the position. The Pirates would only be interested in a stopgap anyway. Konnor Griffin is arguably the best prospect in baseball. Pittsburgh hasn’t closed the door on him forcing his way to the big leagues out of Spring Training even though he only has 21 games of Double-A experience. Even if that’s too ambitious a timeline, he figures to be up at some point in 2026.

Unless Griffin breaks camp, they’re projected for a Nick Gonzales/Jared Triolo pairing on the left side. Gonzales is a former top 10 pick but has a middling .257/.300/.375 batting line in parts of three seasons. He’s miscast as a shortstop. Gonzales was drafted as a second baseman and has mostly played the keystone with varying reviews from scouts and defensive metrics. He has 230 MLB innings at shortstop and has only started one game at third base.

Adding a third baseman would allow the Bucs to use Triolo as their stopgap shortstop. The 27-year-old is a better defender at third base but has more shortstop experience than Gonzales. He also has the superior defensive grades as a second baseman. Triolo has a similarly light bat, carrying a .236/.320/.347 slash in three seasons. A strong second half (.276/.353/.422) has earned him multiple votes of confidence from Cherington, yet he’s not going to firmly stand in the way of an upgrade.

Suárez might be the only clear improvement on the free agent market among realistic targets for the Bucs. There’s still time for a late-offseason trade opportunity to present itself. The Phillies run at Bichette, for instance, would almost certainly lead to an Alec Bohm trade if a deal comes together.

Left field doesn’t seem to be as big a priority. Pittsburgh acquired Garcia and Jake Mangum via trade. O’Hearn has the ability to work as a semi-regular corner outfielder on top of his first base/DH split alongside Spencer Horwitz. Lowe has outfield experience as well, though Cherington said he’ll work as the primary second baseman. Pittsburgh also tendered a contract to Jack Suwinski, so he’s still in the mix as a depth piece.

Any rotation pickup is likely to be on a one-year deal late in the winter. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler are locked into the rotation. Braxton Ashcraft should be in there as well, though he worked in a swing role last season and only once pitched beyond five innings in a start. Rookies Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington would compete for the fifth starter role. Carmen Mlodzinski could get another look as a starter but struggled in that role early last season and worked 2-3 inning stints in the second half. Jared Jones will hopefully be back from elbow surgery by the All-Star Break.

There’s plenty of talent, but only Skenes and Keller are established sources of innings. Pittsburgh generally signs a fifth starter to a one-year contract worth $8MM or less. That’s often a soft-tossing lefty whom they can get for cheap and rely on PNC Park — the most difficult for right-handed home run power — to get decent results. Jose Quintana, Tyler Anderson, Martín Pérez, Andrew Heaney and trade pickup Bailey Falter have all fallen in that bucket. Quintana, Anderson, Pérez and Patrick Corbin are speculative possibilities this offseason.

Anthony Rendon’s 2026 Salary To Be Paid Over Five Years

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The Angels finalized their buyout with Anthony Rendon shortly before the New Year. That was known to include some kind of contract restructure to defer his $38MM salary for the upcoming season, the final of his seven-year contract.

Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reported last night that it’ll be an even five-year deferral plan. The Angels will pay him $7.6MM annually between 2026-30. That’ll save them $30.4MM this year relative to what they would have paid had there been no buyout. Rendon will not play for the team again. He is not officially retiring but it certainly seems as if his MLB career is over.

Will the Angels reinvest any of their short-term savings? Sam Blum of The Athletic wrote this week that’s not guaranteed, noting that general manager Perry Minasian avoided a question about a potential payroll reduction. “I’m not going to make any statements. We’ll see where the offseason takes us. There’s still a lot of good players available. There’s still time to improve the club,” the GM said.

The Angels entered the offseason with $126.7MM in guaranteed salaries. They’ve added another $12.95MM via one-year contracts for Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano and Alek Manoah. Their arbitration class will cost roughly $20MM. That’d put them around $160MM before accounting for minimum salaries to round out the roster. Rendon’s deferrals drop that back to the $130MM range. The Halos opened the ’25 season with a $193MM payroll.

If they’re willing to match last year’s spending, they’d have the money to be involved on any free agent. Only owner Arte Moreno and the front office know where they’ll draw the line. The Angels are among the nine teams whose local broadcasting contract with Main Street Sports collapsed this week. That’s again an uncertain revenue stream. There has also been speculation that the Angels could be reluctant to make multi-year commitments with the likelihood of a lockout in December. A contract gap was reportedly a big reason that discussion with their preferred managerial candidate, Albert Pujols, didn’t result in a deal. They eventually hired Kurt Suzuki on a one-year contract, an atypically short managerial commitment.

The Angels continue to have glaring needs around the roster. Second base, third base and center field are all concerns on the position player side. Catcher is as well, though Logan O’Hoppe has enough of a track record that it’s understandable they’re sticking with him and Travis d’Arnaud for another season. They’re light at least one mid-rotation starter and would benefit from another high-leverage reliever, even if the bullpen market has essentially dried up.

Cardinals To Sign Ryne Stanek

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The Cardinals are in agreement with free agent reliever Ryne Stanek, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported that St. Louis was pursuing the hard-throwing righty. The Cardinals will need to open a 40-man roster spot once the MVP Sports Group client completes a physical.

Stanek gets a change of scenery after an inconsistent year and a half with the Mets. New York acquired him from the Mariners at the 2024 trade deadline. While he allowed 11 runs in 16 1/3 regular season innings down the stretch, Stanek’s plus strikeout rate and strong postseason work led the Mets to bring him back on a $4.5MM free agent deal.

That didn’t pan out, as the 34-year-old had an up-and-down season. Stanek had strong run prevention marks in May and July but was knocked around in the other four months. He finished with a 5.30 earned run average across 56 innings. ERA estimators were only slightly more bullish as Stanek’s strikeout and walk rates each went in the wrong direction.

A 22.7% strikeout rate was narrowly the lowest of his nine-year career. Stanek had fanned nearly 28% of opposing hitters one season earlier. It’s crucial that he miss bats because command has never been a strong suit. Stanek has walked at least 10% of batters faced in all but one year, including a 12.5% mark last season.

The Cardinals are taking what should be a low-cost bet that he’ll strike out more batters in 2026. Stanek still has the stuff to do that. He averaged 98.5 MPH on his heater, a top 15 mark in MLB. He backs that up with a plus slider and mixes in a splitter and sweeper as his third and fourth offerings. Stanek still missed bats at a slightly above-average rate on a per pitch basis.

St. Louis doesn’t have a ton of experienced arms in the late innings. Southpaw JoJo Romero had been their only reliever with even two years of MLB service. There’s a decent chance he’s traded before Opening Day. The Cardinals were looking for a veteran arm who can pitch in the back half of the bullpen. Stanek fits best in middle relief but could be in the high-leverage mix, perhaps even as a closer, on a rebuilding club. He’s a known commodity to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who was in the Rays front office when Tampa Bay drafted him in the first round in 2013.

There’s also a geographic tie. Stanek was born in St. Louis and went to high school not far outside Missouri in Stilwell, Kansas. There’s a decent chance he’ll be traded midseason if he’s pitching well, but he’ll get a chance to play for his hometown club for at least a few months.

Image courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images.

Angels To Sign Nick Madrigal To Minor League Deal

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The Angels are in agreement with Nick Madrigal on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Wasserman client gets a non-roster invite to big league camp.

Madrigal spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list. He’d signed a $1.35MM free agent deal with the Mets to compete for a utility job. Madrigal broke his left shoulder when he stumbled while fielding a ground ball during Spring Training. He underwent surgery and was immediately ruled out for the year. The Mets dropped him from the roster at the beginning of the offseason.

A former fourth overall pick by the White Sox, Madrigal hasn’t lived up to that high draft billing. He’s one of the most difficult players in the game to strike out, but he hits the ball with very little impact. The 5’7″ infielder has a career .274/.323/.344 slash line with four home runs in parts of five seasons.

Madrigal enters his age-29 season looking to play his way back to the majors. There’s a decent chance to do so with the Halos. Christian Moore struck out in a third of his plate appearances and hit .198/.284/.370 as a rookie. Denzer Guzman had worrisome strikeout numbers in the minors. They’ve taken fliers on former top prospects Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza, neither of whom has had any kind of MLB success. It’s one of the weakest second/third base groups in the league. Madrigal can play either position, though his below-average arm fits better on the right side.

Giants, Eric Haase Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants are in agreement with catcher Eric Haase on a minor league contract, reports Jon Morosi of The MLB Network. The Warner Sports Management client would lock in a $1.6MM base salary if he breaks camp and can opt out at the end of Spring Training if he’s not on the MLB roster.

Haase finished last season in Triple-A with the Brewers. He spent the first half of the season on the big league roster as William Contreras’ backup. Milwaukee acquired Danny Jansen in a deadline trade and pushed Haase to Triple-A. He cleared waivers and appeared in 19 minor league contests. He elected free agency at the end of the year.

The 33-year-old Haase has played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. He had a two-year run as a #1 option with his hometown Tigers from 2021-22. Haase has otherwise mostly been a backup and combined for 60 appearances with the Brewers over the last two seasons. He has some right-handed power but has plenty of swing and miss. Haase has fanned at a 31% clip while hitting .228/.278/.396 in just under 400 big league contests. He’s regarded as a fringe defender behind the dish. Haase has a plus arm but hasn’t graded highly as a receiver, either framing or blocking balls in the dirt.

Two-time Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey will get the majority of playing time behind the dish. The Giants were lacking in experience behind the defensive stalwart. Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac and prospect Jesus Rodriguez, neither of whom has played in MLB, are the other catchers on the 40-man roster. Logan Porter was their only non-roster catcher with any big league experience. He’s an organizational depth type who has played in 16 career games.

Rodriguez, whom the Giants acquired from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval deadline deal, is coming off a .307/.393/.403 showing in the upper minors. The Giants had him travel with the MLB team as a member of the taxi squad in the final week of the ’25 season. They’ll give serious consideration to allowing him to make the team. He has two options remaining and could be sent back to the minors. The Giants don’t have that luxury with Susac, who needs to stick on the MLB roster or be offered back to the A’s. The former first-round pick is coming off a .275/.349/.483 showing in an extremely hitter-friendly setting in Triple-A.

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