Mariners, Colt Emerson Agree To Contract Extension
The Mariners and top shortstop prospect Colt Emerson are in agreement on an eight-year contract extension, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided. The deal guarantees Emerson $95MM and includes a club option for a ninth season. That guarantee is a record for a player who has not yet made his MLB debut. The deal also includes a no-trade clause for the ACES client and can max out at $130MM after incentives.
More to come.
The Opener: McClanahan, Painter, Pratt
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. McClanahan makes long-awaited return:
Rays southpaw Shane McClanahan hasn’t thrown a pitch in the majors since 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and nerve issues. After missing more than two full seasons, the lefty is finally ready to return to the major league mound. His first assignment will be a start against the Brewers and their own oft-injured ace, Brandon Woodruff (3.20 ERA in 12 starts last year). It’s easy to forget after such a long layoff, but McClanahan was among the most talented young starters in the sport when he first broke onto the scene in 2021. In 74 career starts to this point, the lefty sports a 3.02 ERA and 28.0% strikeout rate. Now just a month from his 29th birthday, McClanahan will have the opportunity to prove he can still be a high-end starter when healthy this year. His first game is scheduled for 6:40pm local time in Milwaukee.
2. Painter to make MLB debut:
Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter has been a highly-discussed name for years now, ever since he was on the cusp of making the majors with Philadelphia back in 2023. He wound up undergoing surgery on his UCL instead, and after missing two full seasons he return to the mound last year. Unfortunately his 22 starts at the Triple-A level came with lackluster results, including a 5.40 ERA. Despite that middling performance last year, Painter remains a consensus top-40 prospect in the sport and looked good during Spring Training with a 2.31 ERA in four starts. He didn’t strike out many of his opponents, but that was still enough to earn him a rotation job. He’ll finally make his big league debut today against the Nationals in Philadelphia. The game is scheduled for 6:40pm local time and will see him face off against D.C. lefty P.J. Poulin.
3. Pratt extension incoming?
The Brewers are top shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt are reportedly working on an extension, though no deal appears to be finalized at this point. It’s a surprising move given that the 21-year-old is just three games into his Triple-A career, but with Caleb Durbin having been removed from the infield in Milwaukee over the offseason the Brewers might have interest in fast-tracking the youngster to the majors this year. The pact would guarantee him $50.75MM over eight years if finalized, and would have a pair of club options at the end as well. Assuming the deal gets done, Pratt will become the Brewer under team control for the longest period of time, beating out outfielder Jackson Chourio‘s own pre-debut extension. We’ll sure hear more about both the necessary corresponding move to add Pratt to the 40-man roster and the timeline for his arrival in the majors in fairly short order after the deal is completed.
Brewers, Cooper Pratt Reportedly Working On Extension
The Brewers and prospect Cooper Pratt are reportedly on the verge of finalizing an eight-year contract worth $50.75MM. There will also be two club options worth about $15MM per year, though the value of those options can increase via escalators. The Brewers will need to make a corresponding move to add the Boras Corporation client to their 40-man roster.
It’s a surprising out-of-nowhere extension. Pratt is 21 years old and hasn’t made it to the majors yet. He only just made his Triple-A debut a few days ago. He wasn’t even going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until December of 2027.
Extensions for players with no major league experience are becoming more common but this one feels even a bit more extreme than some of the others. Most pre-debut extensions have been for guys very close to cracking the big leagues. The Brewers themselves did one with Jackson Chourio just over two years ago, an $82MM guarantee, though that one was a bit less surprising. Chourio had finished the prior season at the Triple-A level and seemed highly likely to break camp with Milwaukee in 2024 as he was one of the top three prospects in the sport.
Pratt, on the other hand, mostly features on the back of top 100 prospect lists. Baseball America is the high outlet, putting him at #50. MLB Pipeline has him at #62, ESPN at #70, The Athletic at #99 and he’s not even on the FanGraphs list. He had an okay season at Double-A last year, with a .238/.343/.348 line and 107 wRC+, and only just cracked the Triple-A level to start this season.
Perhaps it speaks to the Brewers being quite high on Pratt’s future. Though his offense was middling last year, the plate discipline was clearly good. His 12.7% walk rate and 15.2% strikeout rate were both strong figures. He only hit eight home runs but could perhaps add more power in time. He stole 31 bags last year and is considered a solid defender at shortstop.
If the Brewers have faith in Pratt’s long-term future, there’s sense in locking him up now. That’s especially true with him being a Boras client. That agency isn’t quite as extension-averse as its reputation but the extensions they have done have almost always been for guys who have reached their arbitration years. According to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, which has data going back to 2006, the Carlos González deal from back in 2011 is the only pre-arbitration extension for a Boras client.
In that context, perhaps the Brewers felt it was worth it to take a gamble on Pratt, even though he is still so early in his career. If they waited until he had been in the big leagues for a few years, the price would go up if he had any kind of success. From the perspective of Pratt, this is a chance for him to lock up some notable earnings and stave off any chance of a bust. Perhaps he will find himself underpaid if he becomes a star, but he’s not the level of surefire, can’t-miss prospect that Chourio was. He could play out this contract, including the options, and still reach free agency after his age-30 season.
What remains to be seen is how this impacts Milwaukee’s short-term plans. Even if Pratt is signed to a big league deal, he doesn’t need to be on the active roster, as he could still be kept in the minors on optional assignment. Joey Ortiz was their everyday shortstop last year. He put up a rough .230/.276/.317 line at the plate but stole 14 bases and was credited with 12 Outs Above Average. He is still in that job and has a massive .455/.500/.455 line so far this year but in a tiny sample of 12 plate appearances.
Ortiz is still under club control for many years but the club may pivot away from him at some point if he can’t post better offense over a sustained stretch of time. He does have options and could be sent to the minors, or perhaps be moved into a utility role since he has experience at second and third base. Pratt has fairly limited experience off the shortstop position but could presumably handle second or third if the Brewers asked him to. For now, Brice Turang is a strong option at the keystone. Third base is a bit more open, with David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo in the mix at the moment.
Looking further down the road, most of those guys still have lots of club control. Rengifo is on a one-year deal but Ortiz, Turang and Hamilton aren’t slated for free agency until after 2029. Prospects Jett Williams, Jesús Made and Luis Peña are generally considered top 100 guys who will be in the mix at some point. Williams has already played at the Triple-A level, Made at Double-A and Pena at High-A. At some point over the horizon, the infield could feel quite crowded, which could perhaps lead to a trade.
In the near term, the deal could have other notable impacts. With the deal in place, the Brewers may not worry about Pratt’s service time, since he would be under club control for the ten years regardless. The Prospect Promotion Incentive could also be interesting here. Pratt would be PPI eligible since he is on the aforementioned prospect lists. Even though he missed the first few games of the season, it’s still early enough for the Brewers to call him up for a full year of service time.
However, a player who signs an extension prior to his major league debut is not eligible to earn PPI picks for his team. Unless the two sides agree to the deal in principle and then don’t officially sign it until after Pratt’s debut, then PPI is off the table.
Altogether, it’s a surprising and curious extension, one that seemingly leads to more questions than it answers. Perhaps the coming days will provide some more clarity on the deal and what it means for all the other moving pieces in Milwaukee.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that the two sides were working on an eight-year deal worth more than $50MM, including those club options. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the specific guarantee. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that there are escalators on the options. Photos courtesy of Dave Kallmann, Imagn Images.
Astros’ Zach Cole Suffers Broken Toe
Astros outfielder Zach Cole broke a toe on his right foot while playing in a Triple-A game, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He was hit by a pitch from Rangers’ non-roster reliever Mason Thompson in the fourth inning on Sunday. He’s out indefinitely, according to McTaggart.
It’s a hit to an already thin Houston outfield. Cole entered Spring Training with a strong chance to secure his first Opening Day roster spot. He’s a left-handed hitter in an outfield that leans very heavily to the right side. The Astros didn’t find a trade for lefty-batting outfielder despite general manager Dana Brown repeatedly citing that as an offseason goal.
The 25-year-old Cole had a rough Spring Training, however, ultimately playing his way off the MLB roster. He struck out 20 times in 50 trips to the plate. The pure hitting ability has been the big question throughout Cole’s career. He has fanned at more than a 30% rate at virtually every stop. That includes 20 strikeouts over 52 MLB plate appearances as a September call-up last year.
Cole also connected on four home runs and a pair of doubles in his first 15 major league games. He hit 19 homers and stole 16 bases while batting .279/.377/.539 in the minors last year. Cole’s power and ability to play anywhere in the outfield could make him an intriguing fourth or fifth outfielder even if he’s unlikely to make enough contact to profile as an everyday player.
There’s no immediate change to Houston’s big league outfield picture. Cam Smith is playing every day in right field. Jake Meyers is the primary center fielder, while Joey Loperfido and Brice Matthews are working in a left field platoon. With Zach Dezenzo opening the season on the injured list, third baseman/corner outfielder Shay Whitcomb is their only healthy position player on optional assignment. He’d presumably be recalled if any of Houston’s big league hitters require an IL stint.
Jorge López, Austin Adams Sign With Mexican League Teams
A pair of longtime MLB relievers recently joined teams in the Mexican League. The Saraperos de Saltillo announced a deal with former All-Star closer Jorge López last week. Meanwhile, righty Austin Adams — a veteran of parts of eight MLB seasons — recently signed with the Tecos de los Dos Laredos. Mexican League contracts typically come with an out clause that allows the player to sign a minor league deal if they perform well enough to attract interest from an affiliated club.
López was pitching in the big leagues as recently as last season. The 33-year-old righty signed a $3MM free agent contract with the Nationals going into the ’25 campaign. He made 26 appearances but was rocked for a 6.57 earned run average with a career-low 16% strikeout rate. It was a marked dip from a sub-3.00 ERA with a 23% strikeout percentage between the Mets and Cubs a year earlier.
Washington designated López for assignment at the end of May. He was released a few days later and remained unsigned for the rest of the year. López returned to the mound in his native Puerto Rico over the winter. He also made an appearance for his home country during the World Baseball Classic, recording one out while allowing two hits.
Adams, 35 in May, most recently pitched in the majors with the Athletics in 2024. He had a decent year, allowing just under four earned runs per nine while striking out 28% of batters faced across 41 1/3 frames. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox for the ’25 campaign. He couldn’t find the strike zone, walking 21 batters and hitting three more in 23 2/3 Triple-A innings. Boston released him at the end of July. A slider specialist, Adams has always missed bats but has struggled with his control.
Cody Ponce Going For Imaging With Knee Discomfort
9:36pm: Ponce is going for an MRI tonight, manager John Schneider said postgame (relayed by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet). Francys Romero reports that the Jays are recalling Estrada from Triple-A Buffalo. That seems likely to be the corresponding move for a Ponce injured list placement, though it’s possible they’re simply looking for a fresh arm in the bullpen after Brendon Little and Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles logged 30+ pitches in tough outings tonight.
8:20pm: Blue Jays starter Cody Ponce left tonight’s season debut on a cart in the third inning. The team has only announced the injury as right knee discomfort.
Ponce stumbled while trying to field a chopper off the bat of Rockies center fielder Jake McCarthy (video provided by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). The big righty was unable to field the ball cleanly, then tried stopping abruptly to pick it up. He tweaked his right leg, took a few more steps, then went down on the dirt a little to the left of first base.
After spending some time on the ground in clear discomfort, Ponce was able to get to his feet with help from trainers and teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He walked gingerly but under his own power to a cart and was taken off the field at Rogers Centre. Louis Varland was called upon from the bullpen.
The Jays will provide more details after Ponce goes for testing. He’ll surely be sent for imaging to determine whether there are any ligament issues. A timetable won’t be known until then. At the very least, it’s tough to see Ponce avoiding a stint on the 15-day injured list.
Toronto has one of the deeper rotations in MLB, as they arguably have eight viable starters. They’ve needed it with season-opening injured list stints for Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos. None of those are expected to be long-term absences. Yesavage, who is behind with a shoulder impingement, is set for a 45-pitch simulated game later this week. Bieber will progress to throwing off a mound on Friday, while Berríos is scheduled for a bullpen session tomorrow (all updates courtesy of the MLB.com injury tracker).
Even if he avoids serious injury, it’s a brutal break for Ponce. The 31-year-old was making his first big league start since 2021. Ponce pitched three seasons in Japan and had a dominant ’25 season with the Hanwha Eagles in Korea. He leveraged the numbers and improved stuff into a three-year, $30MM free agent deal with Toronto. Ponce had fanned three hitters across 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball before the injury.
Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and swingman Eric Lauer are penciled into the rotation. Toronto has off days on April 3rd, 9th, and 14th. They could get by using a four-man rotation and just one bullpen game into the middle of April. They’d probably prefer to stay on a five-man starting staff and take advantage of the extra days of rest early in the season.
Toronto doesn’t have much rotation depth in the upper minors. Jake Bloss and Ricky Tiedemann are also injured. Prospects Lázaro Estrada and Adam Macko are the other options on the 40-man roster. They each worked a couple innings out of the bullpen in their Triple-A season debuts over the weekend. Grant Rogers, Chad Dallas, CJ Van Eyk and recent minor league signee Austin Voth are non-roster possibilities for a spot start.
Poll: Which Recent Cubs Extension Will Age Better?
The Cubs have made a huge splash on the extension front over the past week by locking up a pair of their core position players long-term. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and second baseman Nico Hoerner have signed extensions that will keep them in Chicago through the end of the 2032 season. It’s an exciting development for fans on the North Side. With the team’s recent addition of Alex Bregman plus players like Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson already under long-term control, the Cubs now have a core of position players to build around for the next several years.
That came at a price. Crow-Armstrong’s deal guarantees him $115MM and could climb another $18MM based on his MVP finishes. Hoerner’s deal is even more substantial, guaranteeing him $141MM (although deferred money lowers the net present value slightly to $137.5MM). Those are significant investments and big bets on the pair to continue performing after they turned in career years in 2025. Which one is more likely to live up to those expectations?
The case for Crow-Armstrong is one rooted in his youth and massive upside. His season-long stats in 2025 (including a 109 wRC+, 31 homers, 35 steals, and 6.0 bWAR/5.4 fWAR) could be argued to actually register as a bit of a disappointment based on what he did in the first half, when he was a legitimate early contender for the NL MVP award. 25 of those home runs and 27 of those steals came before the All-Star break, at which point he was slashing a sensational .265/.302/.544. A deep slump throughout August and September raised some concerns, however, as he hit just .188/.237/.295 over the season’s final two months. Crow-Armstrong’s speed and defense are enough to make him a viable major league player even when he’s flirting with the Mendoza line, but he’ll need to do a lot better than that to justify a nine-figure deal.
Can he find the consistency necessary to make the deal a good one? There’s certainly reasons to think so. While Crow-Armstrong struggled in terms of results down the stretch last year, he actually improved his plate discipline somewhat. His 35.6% out-of-zone swing rate and 86.2% in-zone contact rate since August 1 were both better than his season-long figures of 41.9% and 84.0%, respectively. Crow-Armstrong’s struggles late in the 2026 campaign were more about a power outage than an increase in poor swing decisions. If he can carry those improved swing decisions into the future while tapping into his first-half power, he’ll be a superstar. If his first-half power surge proves to be more of a flash in the pan than something sustainable, it’s possible the Cubs could wind up regretting the deal.
By contrast, Hoerner is a much more consistent player with a well-established track record. Since becoming an everyday player in 2022, Hoerner has hit .284/.339/.389 (105 wRC+) overall. He’s been remarkably consistent year-to-year, as well. His wRC+ has always fallen between 102 and 109, and he’s stolen at least 20 bases every season. After injury woes early in his career, he’s become a reliable presence on the field with at least 640 plate appearances in each of the past three years. He pairs that consistency and availability with superb defense that’s won him two Gold Gloves at the keystone and allowed him to post between 3.8 and 4.8 fWAR (3.7 and 6.2 bWAR) in each of his seasons as a regular.
That profile also comes with limited offensive upside, however. If there’s another gear to Hoerner’s game, it could be proving that his career-best 7.6% strikeout rate from 2025 is repeatable. Hoerner has a career strikeout rate of just 11.0%, so he’s a good bet to make contact at an elite rate in any year, but last season saw him punch out just 49 times total. Luis Arraez, Andrelton Simmons, and Kevin Newman are the only other players to strike out fewer than 50 times in a season where they recorded at least 550 plate appearances since 2015. Outside of that, however, Hoerner seems unlikely to take a step into MVP-candidate territory.
$141MM is a lot to spend on a player who doesn’t make much of a power impact. The fact that Hoerner will finish his contract at the end of his age-35 season while Crow-Armstrong will be wrapping up his age-30 campaign offers additional reasons for skepticism that Hoerner will be able to outproduce Crow-Armstrong. Another question is about health. Crow-Armstrong has not suffered a major injury since arriving in the majors, while Hoerner (despite his iron man status in the past few seasons) dealt with forearm, hamstring, oblique, ankle, and knee issues early in his career that stand as warning signs as he enters his 30s.
What do MLBTR readers think of Chicago’s recent pair of extensions? Which deal will be looked back on as the better investment when all is said and done? Will Crow-Armstrong’s youth and upside lead to a big win for the Cubs, or will he be unable to match the stability and consistency that Hoerner figures to provide? Will Hoerner stay healthy and stave off age-related decline for long enough to provide that stability throughout the deal? Have your say in the poll below:
Which Cubs player will be more productive through the end of the 2032 season?
Guardians Designate Doug Nikhazy For Assignment
The Guardians announced that they have selected left-hander Kolby Allard to the 40-man roster. To open an active roster spot, right-hander Colin Holderman has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. In a corresponding 40-man move, left-hander Doug Nikhazy has been designated for assignment.
Allard, 28, bounced on and off Cleveland’s roster last year in a swing role. He tossed 65 innings over 33 appearances, including two starts, with an excellent 2.63 earned run average. Maintaining an ERA in that range was likely not possible. He benefited from a 79.2% strand rate with only 5.6% of his fly balls leaving the yard. His 5.3% walk rate was good but his 15.8% strikeout rate and 38% ground ball rate were subpar. His 4.41 SIERA suggested his ERA may have been almost two full runs to the lucky side.
The Guards outrighted him off the roster at season’s end but then re-signed him to a new minor league deal. Though it’s only a few days into the season, the Guardians are probably adding Allard in case they need some length to spare the bullpen. They are in Los Angeles for three games against a tough Dodger lineup, making it possible one of their starters gets knocked out early. On top of that, there’s some concern around Tanner Bibee. The righty departed his Opening Day start after five innings due to shoulder inflammation.
Parker Messick is starting the first game against the Dodgers tonight. Manager Stephen Vogt recently said Bibee could make his scheduled start in the second game, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Gavin Williams is scheduled for the third game. If someone gets knocked out early or Bibee’s shoulder flares up, Allard could be called upon to eat some innings.
The move will cost Nikhazy his spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. He generally posted solid numbers on his way up the ladder. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 328 innings over 70 starts and five relief appearances with a 3.90 ERA. His 26.8% strikeout rate was quite strong but his 14.5% walk rate was not.
The Guards added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2024, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His results backed up last year. He posted a 5.02 ERA at the Triple-A level. His 11.1% walk rate was an improvement but still a high figure, while his 22.5% strikeout rate was a drop from his previous seasons. He made his major league debut allowed six earned runs in four innings.
Nikhazy is now bumped into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Guards could take as long as five days to see if there’s any trade interest. Nikhazy is still optionable for another two seasons, which could add to his appeal for a club looking to add depth to the minor league system. Despite his underwhelming 2025, Baseball America still ranked him as the club’s #28 prospect coming into this year.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Recall Jose Fernandez For MLB Debut
The Diamondbacks announced that infielder Jose Fernandez has been recalled to the active roster. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He will take the spot of first baseman Pavin Smith, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to March 29th.
Fernandez, now 22, was an international signing out of Venezuela in 2021. Since then, he has climbed the minor league ladder. He never really hit much but he stole some bases and played all four infield positions.
He may have taken a step forward offensively last year. He got into 122 Double-A games and stepped to the plate 511 times. His 17 home runs more than doubled his previous high, which was the seven long balls he hit in the prior season. His .272/.321/.454 batting line was still not overwhelming, translating to a 98 wRC+. However, considering his speed and his defensive abilities, it was an intriguing jump.
The Diamondbacks gave him a 40-man roster spot in November, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. In December, FanGraphs ranked him as the #42 prospect in the system. Arizona optioned him to the minors a few weeks ago, an unsurprising move since he had no Triple-A experience coming into this year. He does have one Triple-A game under his belt now but will quickly be thrust up to the show. He was perhaps chosen by default, as he was the only position player on the 40-man roster who wasn’t already in the majors or on the injured list.
The Snakes have a regular infield of Nolan Arenado, Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte and Carlos Santana from left to right. With Smith out, they don’t really have a regular designated hitter. Utility guy Ildemaro Vargas is in that spot tonight. Fernandez gives the club a bit of depth all over and could perhaps serve as a pinch runner or defensive substitute. Given that every healthy position player on the 40-man is now on the active roster, another injury in the short-term will require Arizona to add a non-roster player.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images
Astros Select Cody Bolton
The Astros announced they’ve selected pitcher Cody Bolton onto the big league roster. Reliever Christian Roa has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to open an active roster spot. Hayden Wesneski, who’ll miss the majority of the season rehabbing Tommy John surgery, moves to the 60-day injured list to clear space on the 40-man roster.
Bolton returns to the majors for the first time since last April. The 27-year-old righty made one MLB appearance for Cleveland, tossing two innings of three-run ball. Cleveland optioned Bolton to Triple-A after that outing. He was injured in a car accident shortly thereafter, and the Guardians released him in June. Bolton signed a minor league contract with Houston at the end of July.
The 6’2″ hurler was still injured at the time. He made his organizational debut towards the end of August. Bolton pitched 13 2/3 innings with Sugar Land to close the year, allowing three runs. He struck out 15 while issuing eight walks. Bolton remained in the system over the offseason, pitching once this spring. It wasn’t a good outing, as he walked four of the six batters he faced, but the Astros will bring him back up as a long reliever.
Roa has worked as a single-inning reliever this spring and for his first two appearances with Houston. The Astros swap in Bolton to add a long reliever behind Lance McCullers Jr. for tonight’s start against the Red Sox. Houston used six relievers, including Roa, yesterday after Tatsuya Imai failed to escape the third inning in his big league debut.