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Rays To Sign Steven Matz

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The Rays are reportedly in agreement with free agent left-hander Steven Matz on a two-year contract. The signing is pending a physical, and salary terms for the VC Sports Group client have yet to be reported. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times first reported the sides were closing in on what was likely to be a two-year contract. The Rays’ 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need to designate someone for assignment once the contract is finalized.

Matz spent the 2025 season working out of the bullpen. The 11-year big league veteran split the season between the Cardinals and Red Sox. He combined for 76 2/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. Matz has a long background as a starter and worked in a swing role with St. Louis as recently as 2024. He could compete for a rotation spot or work multiple innings out of Kevin Cash’s bullpen.

The 34-year-old just wrapped up a four-year, $44MM free agent deal that he’d signed with St. Louis. That didn’t go as the Cardinals planned. Matz had a difficult time staying healthy. He missed most of the 2022 season to a shoulder impingement. A lat strain shelved him in the second half of the following season, and a lower back injury wiped out much of 2024.

Matz combined for just 197 1/3 innings over the first three seasons. He posted a 4.47 ERA with an average 21.9% strikeout percentage. The Cards only gave him a pair of spot starts this year. He still frequently worked into a second inning out of the bullpen but wasn’t tasked with as significant a workload. Matz managed to stay healthy and turned in arguably his best season since 2021.

Over his first 55 innings, the southpaw turned in a 3.44 earned run average while striking out 20.7% of batters faced. The Cards dealt him to Boston at the deadline. His already middling strikeout rate dropped another six points with the Red Sox, though he managed to outperform his peripherals with a 2.08 ERA through 21 2/3 innings. Matz ranked among the bottom 10 relievers (minimum 50 innings) with a 7.8% swinging strike rate. He succeeded with excellent control, issuing walks at a career-low 3.6% clip. He pitched particularly well as a specialist, holding left-handed batters to a .211/.242/.341 batting line in 129 plate appearances.

Tampa Bay has a pair of power lefty relievers in Garrett Cleavinger and Mason Montgomery. Cleavinger is quietly one of the best in the game. Montgomery has the stuff to be an impact arm in his own right, but his control remains a significant question. He still has a pair of minor league options and can bounce between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham. Matz provides a different look as a control specialist but has decent velocity, averaging 94.5 MPH on his sinker.

There’s a decent amount of uncertainty in the rotation behind Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot. The Rays have Shane McClanahan and Shane Baz lined up for spots. McClanahan will be on an innings limit after consecutive missed seasons. Baz was inconsistent and is at least a theoretical trade candidate. Ian Seymour is probably the in-house favorite to work as the fifth starter, but Tampa Bay is likely to add a veteran innings eater or two. It remains to be seen if the Rays will give Matz an opportunity to compete for a back-end rotation job.

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images.

Dodgers Notes: Hernandez, Betts, Edman

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Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has come up in trade talks recently, though both manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes shot down the notion of moving the veteran. “That doesn’t feel likely,” Gomes told reporters, including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously, you can never say never on those types of things. I know that’s come up [in reports]. But that’s not something we anticipate at all.”

Hernandez is heading into the second season of a three-year, $66MM deal. He’s coming off a down 2025 campaign in which he provided close to league-average results by wRC+. The veteran slashed .247/.284/.454 with 25 home runs as LA’s primary right fielder. Hernandez posted a decent .788 OPS in the postseason.

The 33-year-old Hernandez spent time in center field early in his Toronto tenure, though those days are long gone. He might be better suited as a DH at this point, but that spot is obviously taken in LA. Hernandez has delivered back-to-back brutal seasons in the field in terms of Outs Above Average, posting a -10 in 2024 and a -9 this past year. Roberts seems to disagree with Statcast’s assessment of Hernandez’s defense, calling his play “at least average” in right field, though he indicated a change could be possible. “I do think that with the versatility [of our roster] and how we potentially shape this roster, there’s some options,” Roberts said. “But right now, he’s our right fielder.”

One player who won’t be an option to replace Hernandez in right field is Mookie Betts. Roberts confirmed the versatile Betts will remain at shortstop next season. “He put a lot of time in at shortstop, a lot of bandwidth, and it certainly worked because he was a lockdown shortstop for us,” Roberts told reporters, including Katie Woo of The Athletic. Betts started 148 games at short last season.

Betts is a six-time Gold Glove award winner in the outfield, but he’s moved to the dirt the past two seasons. He split his time between second base and shortstop in 2024, before moving full-time to the latter spot in 2025. Betts earned modest defensive grades when he first moved to the infield, but posted strong numbers last season. Defensive Runs Saved was especially kind to Betts, giving him a +17 mark.

Some of the roster versatility Roberts mentioned might also take a hit after Gomes provided a health update on Tommy Edman. The GM said Edman recently underwent a debridement procedure to address his ankle injury. Gomes added that the infielder/outfielder would likely be limited heading into Spring Training, and the club doesn’t expect the recovery to “affect a meaningful part of the season.” The phrasing of that timeline cast a bit of doubt on Edman’s availability to start the year.

Edman hit the injured list with ankle inflammation in May. He returned after only missing a few weeks of action, but went down again with an ankle sprain in August. Edman made it back for the final few weeks of the regular season. He started every postseason game for LA, primarily playing second base, along with a couple of starts in center field. Edman also missed significant time in 2024 with a wrist injury.

The surgery could potentially help Edman bounce back offensively next season. He posted a career-worst 81 wRC+ over 97 games in 2025. More concerning, he managed just three steals. After three consecutive seasons of at least 25 thefts with St. Louis, Edman has totaled nine steals across his two years in LA.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Red Sox Held Recent Video Meeting With Bo Bichette

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The Red Sox had a recent Zoom meeting with Bo Bichette, reports Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston. It was already known that Bichette was on the Sox’s radar as they pursue an impact bat.

Boston’s top goal may be adding more of a prototypical power bat. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has spoken about the desire to add a slugger on a few occasions. He reiterated that sentiment this evening from the Winter Meetings (link via Ian Browne of MLB.com).

“Home runs are a foolproof way to put runs on the board. Typically, that type of profile comes with a tradeoff, most often contact ability, which is another area that we feel like we need to improve the identity of the offense,” Breslow told reporters. “But at the end of the day, we’re trying to score as many runs as possible. There are a few different paths to doing that. … We’re going to consider all ways of improving the team, but finding someone in the middle of the order and who hits the ball out of the park is a really good place to start.”

Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso would fit that description more aptly than Bichette. They’re both of interest to Boston — indeed, the Sox are scheduled for an in-person meet with the Polar Bear this week. Still, it’d be surprising if the Red Sox didn’t keep in contact with Bichette. He’s coming off a .311/.357/.483 season and probably would have reached 20 homers had his season not been cut short by a knee sprain. Boston doesn’t have anyone locked in at second base, so they could target Bichette at the keystone or consider bumping Trevor Story to the other side of the second base bag. They’re also surely still interested in Alex Bregman, so there are plenty of possibilities for Breslow and his staff.

Royals, Reds Among Teams With Interest In Jake Meyers

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The Astros are known to have made center fielder Jake Meyers available in trade conversations as they pursue starting pitching. Brian McTaggrt of MLB.com reports that the Reds, Royals, Dodgers and White Sox are among the clubs that have shown interest.

Meyers, 29, is an excellent defender who is coming off the best season of his career at the plate. He hit .292/.354/.373 with a personal-best 17.6% strikeout rate. He made dramatically more contact while cutting his chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. Meyers had entered the season with a career .228/.292/.371 batting line. This year’s production was mostly supported by the process improvements, but that came in a fairly small sample. Meyers took fewer than 400 plate appearances thanks to a right calf injury that nagged him throughout the second half.

Even if Meyers regresses offensively, his glove is good enough to make him a useful player at the bottom of a lineup. He’d be one of the better all-around center fielders in MLB if he can maintain a league average bat. Meyers also chipped in on the bases with a career-high 16 steals in 21 attempts this year. He’s under arbitration control for two seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $3.5MM salary that makes him a strong asset — particularly with a dearth of free agent options at the position.

Kansas City is seeking multiple outfielders, one of whom they hope to acquire on the trade front. President of baseball operations J.J. Picollo has already said he’s open to dealing from his rotation for outfield help. Left-hander Kris Bubic has been floated as a trade candidate, though he’s a tricky player to value after suffering a season-ending rotator cuff injury. Bubic pitched like a #2 caliber starter before the shoulder injury but has a history of arm issues. He’s projected for a $6MM salary and is a year from free agency. 26-year-old Noah Cameron could also be available in the right deal, but the Royals would have a high ask for six years of his services.

Cincinnati doesn’t need a center fielder, as TJ Friedl is already locked into the position. They saw righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays hit free agency, though, and they don’t have anyone established in left field. The Reds arguably have a rotation surplus as well and could entertain offers on veteran righty Brady Singer, though his $11.9M arbitration projection could be rich for Houston. The Reds are unlikely to part with two years of control over lefty Nick Lodolo for Meyers.

The Dodgers don’t have anyone established in center field. Andy Pages could slide over to left, where there’s an opening. Tommy Edman can play center field or second base. The Dodgers are reportedly reluctant to block any of their top outfield prospects with a long-term free agent signing. Meyers makes sense as a trade target. Los Angeles presumably wouldn’t trade Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan or Justin Wrobleski for Meyers, so it might be difficult to line up a deal.

It’s even more challenging to see a fit on the White Sox. Chicago is still firmly in rebuild mode and unlikely to compete for a playoff spot within the next two seasons. They’re light on established starting pitching and shouldn’t be trading controllable arms for short-term help. It’s tough to see a deal coming together even if the Sox like Meyers as a player quite a bit.

White Sox Interested In Pete Fairbanks

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The list of suitors for free agent reliever Pete Fairbanks continues to grow. Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports that the White Sox are interested in the veteran right-hander. Chicago joins the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Marlins, Blue Jays, and Dodgers as teams connected to Fairbanks.

Tampa Bay declined its $11MM option on Fairbanks back in November. The 31-year-old piled up 75 saves over the past three seasons with the club. Fairbanks posted a strong 2.83 ERA over 61 appearances in 2025, setting a career high in innings by 15 frames. The price tag seemed reasonable for Fairbanks given his recent production, though it ended up being too much for the cost-conscious Rays.

Fairbanks cruised through this past season without any health issues for the first time since the shortened 2020 campaign. Over the previous four years, he had missed time with rotator cuff, shoulder, lat, forearm, and hip injuries. Fairbanks also dealt with a nerve-related issue in 2024. After his fastball sat at 99 mph in 2023, it’s been in the 97 mph range over the past two years.

Even with the frequent IL stints, Fairbanks was a valuable member of Tampa Bay’s bullpen during his tenure. He posted a 3.19 ERA over 265 1/3 innings with the club. Fairbanks was virtually unhittable for stretches, including a two-year run from 2022 to 2023 where opponents hit .155 and .163 against him, respectively. Sending Nick Solak to Texas straight up for Fairbanks before the reliever found his footing in the big leagues certainly paid off for Tampa Bay.

The White Sox bullpen had the fifth-worst SIERA and the third-worst xFIP last season. The closer role was a moving target, with nine different relievers recording a save. Jordan Leasure led the way with seven saves and would likely be Chicago’s closer if the season started today, though he would likely be supplanted by Fairbanks or any other notable free agent acquisition. No White Sox reliever has recorded double-digit saves since 2022 (Liam Hendriks with 37).

Chicago shelled out $24MM for Kendall Graveman and $17MM for Joe Kelly ahead of the 2022 season. Since then, the club has been hesitant to spend on relievers (or any other position). The most expensive bullpen addition over the past three seasons was John Brebbia on a one-year, $5.5MM deal in 2024. The White Sox’s only reliever signing last offseason was Bryse Wilson, who got a one-year, $1.05MM pact.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images

Mets, Yankees Among Teams Inquiring On Brewers’ Trevor Megill

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Though much of the trade chatter surrounding the Brewers will focus on ace Freddy Peralta, who’s a free agent following the season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that closer Trevor Megill is drawing interest from an even wider number of clubs. That includes the Yankees and Mets, per the report.

Megill, 32, popped up as a speculative trade candidate last month after Brandon Woodruff accepted his one-year, $22.025MM qualifying offer. That decision pushed the Brewers’ payroll up to its currently projected $135.5MM, per RosterResource, which would stand as the highest Opening Day total in franchise history.

There’s no indication that Milwaukee needs to shed salary now — they wouldn’t have made the QO to Woodruff had they been wholly unwilling to risk him accepting — but the budget has obviously tightened since decided to forgo the open market. In the aftermath of that trade, both president of baseball operations Matt Arnold and owner Mark Attanasio publicly indicated that Woodruff accepting his QO and any decision on whether to trade Peralta (or other veterans on notable salaries) were separate issues. The fact that Milwaukee tendered contracts to its entire arbitration class, including a borderline non-tender candidate in Jake Bauers, supports that thinking.

Still, the Brewers are perennially open-minded when it comes to trading established veterans as they inch closer to free agency. They traded Josh Hader when he had one and a half seasons of club control left. Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams were traded in the offseason prior to their final years of club control. Stretching further back, the Brewers traded Jonathan Lucroy when he was a year and a half from free agency, too. Listening on someone like Megill, who’ll be a free agent after the 2027 season and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4.2MM in 2026, is par for the course.

It’s also plenty understandable that the flamethrowing Megill would be drawing widespread interest. Not only is he controllable for two more seasons and projected for a relatively bargain salary — he’s also quietly established himself as one of the more overpowering relievers in the game.

The Brewers acquired Megill in a heist of a deal with the Twins early in the 2023 season, sending a player to be named later to Minnesota, who’d designated Megill for assignment after one season. The Twins had claimed him off waivers following a DFA by the Cubs the offseason prior. Chicago had previously selected him from the Padres in the Rule 5 Draft. Suffice it to say, Megill’s path to being a high-end reliever was anything but direct.

That’s precisely where he finds himself now, though. Since landing in Milwaukee, Megill has bumped what was already plus-plus velocity, climbing from an average of 98.1 mph on his four-seamer to 99.2 mph this past season. He’s dropped his earned run average in four consecutive seasons, culminating in last year’s sterling 2.49 mark.

In 128 innings with the Brewers, Megill touts a 2.88 ERA (2.99 SIERA, 2.62 FIP). He’s fanned an outstanding 31% of his opponents and done so while showing average command, evidenced by an 8.2% walk rate. He’s prone to hard contact in the air when opponents do connect — 91 mph average exit velocity (93.6 mph in the air), 40.2% hard-hit rate, 44.4% fly-ball rate — but Megill also boasts a big 14% swinging-strike rate and an opponents’ contact rate of just 71.5% in three years as a Brewer. (League average is just under 77%.) He’s also saved 50 games, including 30 in 2025.

Megill missed time late in 2025 with a flexor strain, which could complicate trade talks, but he returned prior to the end of the season and then fired four sharp innings in the playoffs (one run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts). He’s allowed one run in 7 1/3 playoff innings over three seasons in Milwaukee, totaling a 12-to-1 K/BB ratio along the way.

Two years of Megill at what would amount to something in the $10-11MM range (depending on the scope of next winter’s arbitration raise) would be a raucous bargain. In free agency, he’d command more than that total per year — likely over three or four years. It’s the sort of surplus value and the general price range that should command interest from all walks of postseason hopefuls.

The Mets are an obvious fit, given president of baseball operations David Stearns’ ties to the Brewers organization. Stearns had already stepped aside as president of baseball operations at the time Megill was acquired, but he was still serving as an advisor to the aforementioned Arnold, who’d been his top lieutenant prior to that advisor shift. The Mets have already signed Williams — another former Brewer — on a three-year, $51MM contract. The bullpen remains a work in progress, however. Each of Tyler Rogers, Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley became a free agent at season’s end. Lefty A.J. Minter is on the mend from lat surgery. Reed Garrett and Tylor Megill — Trevor’s younger brother — will miss all of 2026 after undergoing UCL surgery (the former in October, the latter in September).

It’s a similar story across town in the Bronx. The Yankees lost Clay Holmes to free agency last offseason and saw Williams and Luke Weaver hit the open market this winter. Mark Leiter Jr. and Ian Hamilton were non-tendered. The top end of Aaron Boone’s bullpen is a bit more established than that of counterpart Carlos Mendoza over in Queens, but the Yankees are surely in the market for multiple bullpen arms to complement David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval and Tim Hill.

For clubs like the Mets, Yankees and other luxury-tax payors, Megill ought to hold extra interest. Both New York clubs are perennial residents in the top bracket of luxury penalization. They’re paying anywhere from 95% to 110% taxes on incoming additions. Getting Megill would “only” cost them a total of $8-9MM — plus whatever prospects are deemed necessary for the Brewers to part with him.

To emphasize once more, there’s no clear indication Megill (or Peralta) will actually change hands. The Brewers will understandably set a high asking price for either. They just tallied the best record in the National League and lost very few players in free agency. They’ll also get a full year out of the new-and-improved Andrew Vaughn (.308/.375/.493 in 64 games with Milwaukee) and can count on more innings from Woodruff (64 2/3 innings in 2025). Milwaukee has to be considered the division front-runner and a threat to make a deep playoff run. If they part with Megill and/or Peralta, it’ll very likely be for younger, affordable big leaguers who can be controlled for a much longer term — or at the very least for high-end prospects who could be subsequently spun into more controllable big league help.

Rockies To Hire Alon Leichman As Pitching Coach

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The Rockies are going to hire Alon Leichman as their pitching coach, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Leichman spent 2025 with the Marlins as an assistant pitching coach. Per Isaac Azout of Fish on First, the Marlins will look to replace him.

Leichman, 36, was born in Israel and has represented that country in international play. He came to America to attend Cypress College in California in 2010. While pitching for that school’s team, he required Tommy John surgery. After recovering, he played for UC San Diego.

After his college playing days were over, he quickly pivoted to coaching in college ball. He then got jobs in the affiliated ranks, working with minor leaguers in the systems of the Dodgers and Mariners. He got a major league gig with the Reds as assistant pitching coach, holding that title in 2023 and 2024 before getting the same title with the Marlins a year ago.

The Rockies are trying to play catch-up at the moment. They clearly fell behind the rest of the league in terms of data and analytics. The big league club has been getting worse, bottoming out with a 119-loss season in 2025.

Big changes are now afoot. Manager Bud Black was fired during the 2025 campaign and was replaced by Warren Schaeffer. The Rockies parted ways with general manager Bill Schmidt at the end of the season and then pitching coach Darryl Scott not long after that. Paul DePodesta was hired as president of baseball operations and he later hired Josh Byrnes to serve under him as general manager.

Leichman’s quick rise clearly demonstrates that he is respected in the industry. Harding notes that he is fluent in Spanish and that the Marlins experimented by having him call pitches from the dugout this year. Coors Field is the most challenging environment big league pitchers face and that has been a big problem for the Rockies. The staff had a collective 5.99 earned run average this year, easily the worst in the league. The club thinks Leichman can help turn things around and perhaps he can, but given the starting point, it will probably take time.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

Astros, Rays Have Discussed Shane Baz

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The Astros and Rays have had conversations involving Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz, report Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. There’s no indication that a deal is close to fruition, nor is it a lock that the Rays trade him at all. Baz is presumably one of a number of targets for a Houston team that is trying to add a starter — ideally via trade, given their payroll constraints.

Baz, 26, would fit the bill from an affordability perspective. He’s in his second of four trips through the arbitration process, but early-career injuries kept him from accruing significant earnings in year one. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a modest $3.1MM sum next season, and he’s under club control through 2028.

A first-round pick out of high school by the Pirates in 2017, Baz was traded to Tampa Bay in the lopsided Chris Archer deal a year later. The 6’3″ righty developed into one of the sport’s top pitching prospects but has yet to reach the mid-rotation or better ceiling for which he was lauded. He dealt with multiple elbow issues over the early part of his MLB career. Those culminated in September 2022 Tommy John surgery. He missed the following season and spent some time in Triple-A in ’24, so he didn’t return to Kevin Cash’s rotation until around the All-Star Break that year.

Baz turned in a 3.06 earned run average across 14 starts down the stretch. That was aided by a .229 average on balls in play that papered over league average strikeout and walk numbers. The results swung in the opposite direction this year. Baz held a rotation spot all season and made 31 starts, but he surrendered 4.87 earned runs per nine. His strikeout rate actually climbed three percentage points to a solid 24.8% clip, but a spike in the BABIP and an uptick in home runs led to much worse overall results.

Despite the uneven year, Baz would have a lot of trade value. Controllable starting pitching is very difficult to acquire. That’s especially true when it’s a former top prospect who averages 97 MPH on his fastball. Baz has a four-pitch mix and did a solid job handling left-handed hitters. His command isn’t elite but close enough to league average to stick as a starter. He has so far been held back by a lack of start-to-start consistency. Baz allowed one run or fewer 10 times (including seven scoreless appearances) but also had 10 outings in which he gave up five or more runs.

Tampa Bay is under no pressure to trade Baz, but they tend to be open to conversations on almost anyone on the roster. There’d be some parallels to last summer’s deadline deal in which they shipped Taj Bradley to Minnesota (though he’d fallen far enough in their view that they’d optioned him to Triple-A shortly before trading him). They swapped Bradley for a controllable high-leverage reliever in Griffin Jax and would presumably want to build a Baz return mostly around MLB pieces as well.

The Astros have one of the weakest farm systems in the game. Speaking broadly about the team’s trade conversations, general manager Dana Brown acknowledged to The Athletic that opposing clubs have focused more on their big league roster. Center fielder Jake Meyers is reportedly available in talks for a starter.

While there’s no firm indication that Meyers is a target for the Rays specifically, he’d make sense given their outfield questions. Tampa Bay did sign Cedric Mullins to a one-year deal last week, but he could factor into an uncertain corner outfield mix if the Rays acquired a superior defender in Meyers. It’s unlikely that Tampa Bay would agree to a one-for-one swap given the scarcity of starting pitching, however. Rome and Rosenthal report that the Rays like High-A pitching prospect Anderson Brito, who could be a secondary piece in a larger deal.

The Astros are expected to lose Framber Valdez, leaving them with plenty of questions behind ace Hunter Brown. They’ll slot Cristian Javier in the mix and have the likes of Spencer Arrighetti, AJ Blubaugh, Jason Alexander, Ryan Weiss, Nate Pearson and Lance McCullers Jr. competing for spots. It’s not nearly deep enough for a team that intends to compete for the AL West title.

Houston has been linked to some free agent possibilities (Ranger Suárez, most notably). They’re reportedly reluctant to surpass the $244MM luxury tax line, though, and RosterResourcee has them less than $25MM from the threshold. They could also use a left-handed hitting utility infielder and a backup catcher, and they’ll want to keep some payroll space aside for midseason additions. That might inhibit their ability to add a mid-rotation arm in free agency. Relatedly, Brown told reporters (including Rome) this evening that the club would prefer not to sign a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer and would cost them draft compensation. That lists includes Suárez, Michael King and Zac Gallen.

Mariners Not Planning To Trade Luis Castillo

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The Mariners were willing to listen to offers for Luis Castillo at this time last year, but the right-hander ultimately remained with Seattle. The club doesn’t intend to shop Castillo during this year’s winter meetings, reports Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.

The 32-year-old Castillo delivered steady results last season, pitching to a 3.54 ERA over 32 starts. He topped 175 innings for the third straight year. Castillo’s strikeout rate fell to a career-low 21.7%, but he countered the downturn with a career-best 6.2% walk rate. The veteran has now improved his walk rate in each of the past four seasons.

Castillo has two years and $48.3MM remaining on the five-year, $108MM deal he signed with Seattle back in 2023. The contract also includes a vesting option for 2028, which is triggered if Castillo reaches 180 innings in 2027. He’ll easily be the Mariners’ highest-paid player next season, though it’s a reasonable commitment for Castillo’s reliable innings.

Seattle acquired Castillo from Cincinnati at the 2022 trade deadline for a package of Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Levi Stoudt, and Andrew Moore. Marte hasn’t completely lived up to his lofty prospect pedigree, but he provided meaningful contributions at the big-league level last season. Arroyo is among the club’s top infield prospects and could reach the majors as soon as 2026. Still, the deal has worked out well for the Mariners.

Castillo has been remarkably consistent with Seattle, recording an ERA between 3.34 and 3.64 in his three full campaigns with the team. His approach has changed significantly as a Mariner, with an increased focus on his fastball/slider instead of the changeup. Castillo boasted one of the more effective changeups in the league while in Cincinnati, and he used it as his primary pitch from 2019 to 2021. With Seattle, he’s pushed the offering behind his four-seamer, sinker, and slider in terms of usage. The changeup has easily been Castillo’s least-effective pitch by Run Value since he joined the Mariners. His fastball has emerged as a dominant pitch, notching a Run Value of at least 12 in four straight years.

Seattle’s standout starting rotation struggled with injuries last season. George Kirby and Logan Gilbert both missed extended stretches. Bryan Woo, who had largely been healthy for the first time, went down in September, but made it back for the ALCS. With Bryce Miller expected to avoid elbow surgery, the group should be back to full strength next year.

The Mariners have been on the offensive this offseason, re-signing Josh Naylor and swapping Harry Ford for Jose A. Ferrer. Even with Ferrer joining the squad, Seattle isn’t done making tweaks to the bullpen, per president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. “We will continue to add to our bullpen, in all different ways, like we always have,” Dipoto told reporters, including Jude. Dipoto mentioned that the team has been in touch with multiple veteran relievers and expects a deal to get done.

Led by Andres Munoz, the Mariners’ bullpen ranked eighth in SIERA last season. Ferrer will give the team a hard thrower from the left side, joining Matt Brash as a setup option ahead of Munoz. With Emerson Hancock preparing as a starter, Seattle could target a swingman on the open market. Another lefty alongside Ferrer and Gabe Speier could also make sense.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images

Yankees Interested In Brad Keller, MacKenzie Gore

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The Yankees are interested in free agent right-hander Brad Keller, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post. They also have interest in left-hander MacKenzie Gore of the Nationals, reports Andrew Golden of The Washington Post.

On paper, the Yankee rotation is much stronger at the end of 2026 compared to the start. Each of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are all recovering from surgeries and are expected to start next year on the injured list. Cole and Schmidt both underwent Tommy John surgery this year, Cole in March and Schmidt in July. Rodón had surgery in October to remove loose bodies from his elbow.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com provided updates today. Rodón is expected to be back with the club in late April or early May. Cole is expected slightly after that, with a May/June target. Hoch didn’t mention Schmidt, but given his later surgery date, he shouldn’t be expected back until the latter parts of the upcoming season.

By the end of the season, it’s possible the rotation group includes Cole, Rodón, Schmidt, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren. But to start the season, the group would have Fried, Schlittler, Gil and Warren, with guys like Allan Winans and Ryan Yarbrough in the mix for the back end. Elmer Rodriguez could be a factor but he hasn’t yet made his major league debut.

Keller has experience as a starter and a reliever. He is coming off a tremendous season working out of the Cubs’ bullpen but has been getting interest from clubs as a potential starter next year. Sherman says the Yanks are more interested in him as a reliever but they could use him out of the rotation earlier in the year as they wait for other arms to get healthy. Once guys like Cole and Rodón return to health, unless the situation has drastically changed, Keller could be pushed into a relief role.

From 2018 to 2020, Keller had pretty decent results as a starter with the Royals. He wasn’t overwhelming but he rode a grounder-heavy approach to some success. He had a 3.50 earned run average over those seasons. His 16.8% strikeout rate was well below par but his 52.1% ground ball rate was quite strong. His results backed up from there, as he posted a 5.14 ERA from 2021 to 2023. He had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in October of 2023. He was back on the mound in 2024 with unimpressive results.

As mentioned, he just wrapped up a tremendous season as a reliever with the Cubs. He tossed 69 2/3 innings with a 2.07 ERA. As before, he got opponents to keep the ball on the ground at a 56.1% clip, but his 27.2% strikeout rate was a massive increase relative to his time with the Royals.

MLBTR predicted Keller could secure three years and $36MM on the open market, noting that it would be possible some clubs looked to move him back to a rotation role. The Tigers had been reportedly interested in that kind of move but that was before they added Drew Anderson, a signing which became official today. It’s possible the Anderson signing make the Tigers less likely to pursue Keller.

While Keller would be an interesting addition in his flexibility, Gore would be a much more straightforward rotation upgrade. He has been exclusively a starter over the past three years. He showed some flashes of huge upside in 2025 but finished with a middling season overall. Through the All-Star Break, he had a 3.02 ERA, 30.5% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. At that time, only four starters were ahead of him in the strikeout rate column, an excellent group consisting of Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, Garrett Crochet and Hunter Brown.

He couldn’t keep it going in the second half. He went on the injured list twice, once due shoulder inflammation and the second time due to an ankle impingement. He posted a 6.75 ERA in his second-half starts around those IL stints, which led to him finishing the year with a 4.17 ERA overall.

Since Gore doesn’t have Keller’s track record of relief work, it’s possible that acquiring him would eventually lead to a rotation logjam later in the year. Perhaps the Yankees aren’t worried about that, as pitching injuries will naturally thin out the group from its ideal arrangement at some point. If a surplus does come to pass, that would be the proverbial good problem to have.

Adding Gore would be cheaper than Keller in terms of dollars. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $4.7MM salary next year. He would be owed another raise in 2027 before he’s slated to become a free agent. That’s undoubtedly appealing for the Yankees, especially considering the competitive balance tax and the compounding costs involved there. However, the Yanks would also have to send a package of prospects to the Nationals. The Nats have received interest in Gore from half the league, so the bidding should be fierce.

General manager Brian Cashman said this week, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post, that he doesn’t have a set payroll for 2026. “Hal’s exact words to me continue to be, ‘Take everything that’s out there to me,’ which I will continue to do,” Cashman said, referring to owner Hal Steinbrenner.

RosterResource currently projects them for a pure payroll of $260MM, which is $36MM shy of where they finished the 2025 season. In terms of the CBT, the Yanks are just above $283MM, meaning they are less than $1MM from the third tier of the tax. If they go over the third tier, they will be subject to a higher rate of taxation and their top pick in the 2027 draft will drop by ten spots.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

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