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MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Mark P

  • Welcome to the Weekend Chat! We’ll take a minute for some questions to pile up, then get rolling….

Luca

  • Do the Rays have any more moves in store ? Will they add another catcher ?

Mark P

  • You’ll likely see at least some lower-level stuff (i.e. minor league deals) take place before Spring Training, but in terms of truly big stuff, probably not.  The Rays plan to give Matz a look as a starter again, but signing someone like Littell would seem like a more stable move in my view.  Littell was linked to the Rays earlier this offseason and he remains unsigned, whereas other known Tampa targets like Eflin or Houser are off the board.

    Tampa Bay has been looking for a catcher almost as long as they’ve been looking for a better ballpark.  They might add someone else on a minors deal or something, but the chances of them finally landing that “catcher of the future” type in the limited time remaining this winter is pretty slim

Kevin

  • Guardians find money to extend Rameriz, does this mean there is money to add help to roster?

Mark P

  • The deferred money involved in J-Ram’s new deal certainly would seem to mean the Guards have something in the realm of $6MM extra to suddenly work with.  They might spend this before the offseason ends, or maybe it goes towards trade deadline reinforcements.  Given that their lineup is still in need of help now, I’d argue they should get to adding a bat sooner rather than later

Elias

  • Any market on Danny Coulombe? He’s very good but I let him walk last offseason due to age/injury concerns.

Mark P

  • Boston’s been the only team publicly linked to Coulombe, but surely multiple teams could use more LHP bullpen help.

Natitude

  • Light return for the Nats In the Gore trade?  Doesn’t seem like a surefire big league prospect in the group of 5 players coming from TEX.  Too harsh?

Mark P

  • Reports indicated that Toboni really liked Fien in particular, dating back to last year’s draft when Toboni was still with the BoSox.  So it seems like Fien is viewed as the prize of the trade package, and the other four are varying degrees of lottery ticket.

    I’ve written multiple times in these chats that the Nationals would likely be retaining Gore unless they got a particularly huge offer, so I made the wrong call on that one.  This doesn’t fit what I had in mind of a huge prospect haul, but we’ll see how things plan out.  If any one of these five players ends up being a significant piece for Washington, it’ll go down as a win for the team

Guards4Life

  • Does Jose signing mean a Kwan extension is near?

Mark P

  • Unlikely.  Ramirez is the exception that breaks Cleveland’s usual rule about extensions, which is that the Guards only extend guys early in their careers.  Kwan being two years away from free agency mean he’s missed that window, and is likely a year away from being dealt.

I love Yu

  • If some/all of Yu’s contract comes off the books. What could the Padres do to upgrade the offense/starting pitching? Could they move a bullpen arm (Estrada) for a bat?

Mark P

  • It would be that Darvish’s situation is the answer for why the Padres’ offseason has been relatively quiet.  If the team is seeing if he’ll retire or take some kind of buyout with deferred money, suddenly the Padres have some extra cash to work with in making signings or trades.

    Someone like a Bassitt or a Verlander would be a big help in their rotation, and neither of those two would be particularly expensive.  You’d think either of those pitchers would be a signing SD could afford right now with or without clarity on Darvish, but only the Padres know exactly what their budget is

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Reds Sign Davis Daniel, Anthony Misiewicz To Minor League Deals

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The Reds have signed right-hander Davis Daniel and southpaw Anthony Misiewicz to minor league deals, according to the transactions trackers on their respective MLB.com player pages.

Misiewicz, 31, is the more experienced of the two in the majors. An 18th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2015, Misiewicz was in the Seattle bullpen for the shortened 2020 season. The lefty turned in 21 solid appearances in that first season as a big leaguer, posting a 4.05 ERA with a 30.1% strikeout rate and a 3.04 FIP. That’s a solid start for a rookie, but over the next two years he was unable to turn those solid peripherals into better results. By the end of the 2022 campaign, Misiewicz had been shipped off to the Royals and posted a 4.52 ERA over the past two seasons despite a solid 3.88 FIP and a 22.4% strikeout rate.

In the years since 2022, Misiewicz has made only occasional MLB appearances. He bounced between the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Yankees, and Twins over the past three years, and in doing so compiled a 7.56 ERA across 16 2/3 innings of work with nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (14). Each of those years has been spent primarily in the minor leagues, however, and he’s fared much better there. While pitching at Triple-A St. Paul last season, Misiewicz posted a 3.82 ERA in 33 innings of work while punching out 23.8% of his opponents. There’s certainly reason to believe, given his past contributions in Seattle and more recent success at Triple-A, that Misiewicz could be a solid middle relief arm for the Reds this year. Sam Moll, Brock Burke, and Caleb Ferguson are all ahead of him on the depth chart when it comes to southpaws, but the season-long churn of a typical bullpen should still provide Misiewicz with opportunities to break into the majors with good enough performance.

As for Daniel, the Angels’ 7th-round pick back in 2019 made his debut with Anaheim back in 2023. Over his first two years in the majors, Daniel made nine appearances (six starts) and pitched to a 5.06 ERA with a 4.41 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work. His 19.9% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate were nothing to write home about, but he did have the look of a potentially useful swing option during those seasons with the Halos. He was squeezed off the club’s roster last offseason and found himself traded to Atlanta, where he was leaned on for a couple of spot starts throughout 2025 amid a series of injuries to the team’s primary rotation options.

With the Braves, Daniel posted a 5.40 ERA and 5.04 FIP across ten innings. That’s mostly more of the same for the right-hander, and he figures to offer that same slightly below-average production as a non-roster depth option for the Reds headed into the 2026 campaign. Cincinnati has a deep rotation headlined by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, but the idea of trading a pitcher has percolated throughout the team’s offseason. Brady Singer is the most frequently discussed name when it comes to trade candidates, and if the Reds did wind up moving Singer or another pitcher that would force the team to lean on youngsters like Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty in the rotation with little depth behind them. That’s where a player like Daniel could come in handy, helping to plug holes in the rotation as they come up throughout the year due to injuries.

Blue Jays Sign Connor Seabold To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Connor Seabold to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker at MLB.com.

A third-round pick by the Phillies back in 2017, the 30-year-old Seabold made his big league debut back in 2021 and has collected 119 big league innings across parts of four seasons in the majors. Though he began his MLB career with two years in an up-and-down role with Boston, the majority of Seabold’s time in the majors came as a member of the Rockies in 2023. The righty served as a swingman for the Rockies that year, and while he managed 87 1/3 innings of work between 13 starts and 14 relief outings, Seabold’s numbers were far from impressive.

The righty struggled to a ghastly 7.52 ERA with Colorado. As if often the case when it comes to Rockies pitchers, that bloated ERA doesn’t tell the full story. An elevated .338 BABIP and a strand rate of just 60.3% indicate that Seabold had some poor fortune when it came to batted balls and sequencing, though that hardly excuses a 16.4% strikeout rate and a 10.1% barrel rate. Those underlying numbers suggest severe deficiencies in Seabold’s game even after accounting for bad luck, and that’s backed up by his 5.75 FIP and 5.03 SIERA that year.

Seabold didn’t appear in the majors in 2024, as he headed to the KBO to pitch for the Samsung Lions. He made 28 starts for the Lions and looked good doing it, with a 3.43 ERA in 160 innings. That allowed him to catch on with the Rays last year, and he appeared for seven appearances with Tampa and Atlanta. Unfortunately, this was more of the same for the right-hander. While he combined for a 4.35 ERA and 4.20 FIP this year, a 12.5% walk rate and a 15.6% barrel rate both suggested that he was fortunate to surrender so little damage. A lackluster 6.07 ERA at the Triple-A level between the Rays’ Durham affiliate and Atlanta’s Gwinnett affiliate only further underscores his struggles last year.

Of course, even with those flaws it still remains true that Seabold has only ever gotten a significant look at the big league level in the difficult pitching environment of Colorado. Perhaps he’ll find a way to earn a more significant role with the Jays this year, though he’s surely being signed purely as a depth option given their wide array of starting options. Dylan Cease was signed to lead the rotation at the outset of the offseason. He and Cody Ponce will join existing starters Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios in the mix of starts entering the year, with Bowden Francis, Eric Lauer, and Yariel Rodriguez among the organization’s depth options. Top prospect Rickey Tiedemann could also break into the majors this year. Such a deep cachet of starters could leave Seabold without a clear path to the majors this year without a large number of injuries or a move to the bullpen.

Hanser Alberto Announces Retirement

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Veteran infielder Hanser Alberto announced his retirement via Instagram earlier this week, bringing a career that saw him spend parts of eight seasons in the majors to a close. He played for the Rangers, Orioles, Dodgers, Royals, and White Sox throughout his time in the big leagues.

Alberto, 33, signed with the Rangers out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur and made his pro debut back in 2010. He hit well out the gate in the Dominican Summer League and went on to slowly climb his way through the minors before making it to the majors in 2015. He struggled early on in his big league career and hit just .194/.204/.226 across 76 games in the majors as an up-and-down bench bat for Texas during his first two years in the show. After missing the 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, Alberto re-emerged with the Rangers in 2018 but once again struggled badly across a 13-game sample.

After being designated for assignment by Texas during the 2018-19 offseason, Alberto bounced around the league on waivers before finally landing in Baltimore ahead of the 2019 campaign. The Orioles were headed for a 108-loss campaign that year, but Alberto proved to be a major bright spot for the club as he took over a regular role with the team. He enjoyed a career year in Baltimore, slashing .305/.329/.442 in 139 games. That batting line was good for a 95 wRC+, and combined with strong defense at second base was enough to make Alberto a 3.4-win player according to Baseball Reference. He also struck out at a career-low 9.1% clip. Alberto took a step back during the shortened 2020 season, posting an 87 wRC+ with 13.1% strikeout rate, but still managed to appear in 54 of the Orioles’ 60 games that season.

Impressive as he had been in 2019, the Orioles opted to non-tender Alberto rather than carry him on the 2021 roster at his arbitration price tag. Over the final three seasons of his career in the majors, Alberto bounced between various clubs in a utility role. He joined the Royals on a minor league deal for the 2021 campaign, and his 83 wRC+ in 103 games for the rebuilding club was enough to convince the Dodgers to give him a major league contract for 2022. Alberto’s productivity took a step back as he neared his 30th birthday, however, and he slashed just .235/.259/.374 with a wRC+ of 74 over his final two years in the majors with L.A. and Chicago.

After being dogged by injuries during his time with the White Sox, Alberto missed most of the 2024 campaign and was limited to only playing winter ball. He returned to full-season play in 2025 when he joined the Mexican League’s Piratas de Campeche, and ultimately appeared in 26 games for them (plus an additional one for the Saraperos de Saltillo) before returning to winter ball. He appeared in 24 winter league games during the 2025-26 season for the Gigantes del Cibao but has now called it a career.

In all, Alberto made it into 488 games at the big league level. Along the way, he collected 378 hits, 22 homers, 12 steals, and 4.4 bWAR. He wraps up his career with a lifetime .269/.292/.381 slash line. MLB Trade Rumors congratulates Alberto on his career and wishes him the best in his future pursuits as his playing career comes to a close.

Pirates Open To Re-Signing Andrew McCutchen

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January 25: McCutchen took to social media overnight to express his frustration with his unsigned status and the fact that he wasn’t in attendance at PiratesFest this weekend.

“I wonder, did the Cards do this [to] Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi? Dodgers to Kershaw? Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on and on,” McCutchen wrote. “If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player.”

It’s not the first time the veteran has alluded to his unsigned status and the narrative surrounding his future. In a post on January 19, McCutchen contended with the notion that he’s no longer a capable defender in the outfield, arguing that he simply hasn’t been asked to play the field and that the games he did play the field last year were at his own suggestion. While defensive metrics are hardly reliable in such a small sample size, he did rate out positively on defense across his seven games in the outfield last year according to Outs Above Average and has been worth +2 OAA overall since moving to a primary DH role with Milwaukee back in 2022.

January 24: After spending 12 of his 18 Major League seasons with the Pirates, Andrew McCutchen said back in August that he wanted to return for another season in the black-and-gold, while acknowledging that his shortcomings during the 2025 season.  “I have to do what I need to do to…show that I was able to have a good year and still can play the following year,” McCutchen said, noting that he didn’t want to be just “filling in a spot” and not contributing.

There hasn’t been any buzz about McCutchen’s market as he enters his age-39 season, with the assumption being that the Pirates are his only potential destination.  When asked about McCutchen during the PiratesFest fan event this weekend, Bucs GM Ben Cherington told fans and reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that the club is still has to assemble more of its roster before considering McCutchen’s role.

“Andrew has meant a ton to the team.  He’s had an incredible run at two different times.  Certainly his legacy as a Pirate is secure,” Cherington said.  “Everybody with the Pirates, it’s our desire to maintain a really good relationship with Andrew well into the future.  Then we come back to our team.  What is the job?  The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to win games when you’re at the ballpark in June and July….Our approach this offseason has been laser-focused on what gives us the best chance to win more baseball games in Pittsburgh than we have in the past seasons.  That’s gonna continue to guide our decisions.

“So much respect for Andrew.  That relationship is really important to us. We’ll continue to communicate with him directly as the team comes together.  We have more work to do.”

McCutchen hit .239/.333/.367 with 13 homers over 551 plate appearances in 2025, translating to a 95 wRC+.  While it was just the second time in McCutchen’s stellar career that he dropped under the 100 wRC+ mark for league-average offense, most of his Statcast metrics were also average at best, apart from a very strong 12.2% walk rate.

These aren’t the numbers you want from a designated hitter in particular, and McCutchen is primarily a DH at this point in his career, with only 20 games played in the outfield during his 2023-25 return tenure in Pittsburgh.  To this end, the Pirates have seemingly already addressed the DH spot by signing Ryan O’Hearn, who may alternate with Spencer Horwitz between the first base and DH positions in the lineup.

O’Hearn can also play in the corner outfield, and since O’Hearn and Horwitz are both left-handed hitters, there would seemingly be some roster space for Cutch as a part-time righty bat who is perhaps limited to facing southpaw pitching.  As Cherington implied, however, the Pirates remain looking for ways to improve the team.  If that means choosing between McCutchen or a younger and more versatile position player, the second option might simply make more sense for the Pirates.

Improving the offense has been the club’s chief goal this winter.  Between O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Mangum, the Bucs hope they’ve already both raised the ceiling and elevated the floor of their offensive potential, plus it would naturally help a ton if Bryan Reynolds or Oneil Cruz bounced back from disappointing 2025 campaigns.  As underwhelming as McCutchen’s 2025 numbers were, his 95 wRC+ still ranked fourth amongst all Pirates hitters last year, speaking to the lackluster state of Pittsburgh’s lineup.

If McCutchen was any other player, it probably wouldn’t even be a question that the Pirates would move from an aging DH-only bat.  However, cutting ties with a franchise icon doesn’t sound like something Cherington (or likely owner Bob Nutting) wants to do until it is absolutely necessary, or if Cutch makes the decision to retire on his own terms.  Part of the reason McCutchen returned to the Pirates prior to the 2023 season was his desire to be part of Pittsburgh’s next winning era, yet with seven straight losing seasons, the Bucs have yet to fully break out of their rebuild.

Breaking through to at least a winning record (and maybe a playoff berth) with McCutchen on the roster would be ideal for all parties.  McCutchen’s previous three one-year deals with the Pirates were signed earlier in the offseason than January 24, though of course there’s still plenty of time before Spring Training for a deal to be worked out between the two sides.

Guardians Agree To Extension With Jose Ramirez

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Longtime Guardians star Jose Ramirez has agreed to another extension with the team, keeping the star third baseman in Cleveland through his age-39 season in 2032.  The new deal (which will be official pending a physical) both restructures the three years and $69MM remaining on Ramirez’s previous contract, and adds $106MM in new money covering the 2029-32 seasons.  Ramirez is represented by Republik Sports.

The biggest new wrinkle in the extension is $70MM in deferred money.  Ramirez will earn $25MM in each of the seven seasons from 2026-32, but with $10MM in deferrals each year.  This means that the $69MM Ramirez was initially slated to earn from 2026-28 has now been bumped down to $45MM in upfront money, giving the Guardians some extra flexibility to perhaps make other short-term roster additions.  The new deal also includes increased incentive bonuses, such as $500K for an MVP award.

Assuming the extension is finalized, it should ensure that Ramirez remains in a Guards uniform throughout the entirety of his career, only further cementing his place as a Cleveland baseball legend.  Ramirez signed with the organization as an international free agent in 2009 at age 17, and has gone on to hit .279/.353/.504 with 285 home runs and 287 steals (out of 349 chances) over 6759 plate appearances.  Between his strong offense and impressive glovework at third base, Ramirez has amassed 57.6 bWAR over his career — the fifth-highest total of any player in Indians/Guardians history.

Ramirez turned 33 last September but doesn’t appear to be slowing down, as he hit .283/.360/.503 with 30 homers and a career-best 44 steals over 673 PA.  These big numbers and his leading role in the Guardians’ late-season surge to the AL Central title helped Ramirez earn a third-place finish in AL MVP voting.  While the MVP trophy continues to elude Ramirez, he has now recorded a second-place finish (in 2020), three thirds, and three other top-six placements during his outstanding career.

While Ramirez continues to deliver elite production, committing $106MM to a player (especially through his age 36-39 seasons) is no small matter for a lower-payroll team like the Guardians.  The new money included in Ramirez’s extension represents the third-highest guarantee Cleveland has ever given to a player, behind just Ramirez’s previous extension and their seven-year, $106.5MM extension with the since-traded Andres Gimenez in 2023.  That said, the $70MM worth of deferred money will lower the current-day price tag of the extension, and allow some extra payroll flexibility for the front office.

This is the third extension Ramirez has signed with Cleveland, as his first multi-year pact with the team was a five-year, $26MM deal covering the 2017-2021 seasons that included a pair of club options.  Obviously Ramirez vastly outperformed his paycheck in that deal, and after exercising their 2022 option to retain Ramirez, the Guardians and the third baseman worked out the second extension that saw five years and $124MM in new money added in April 2022.

It was known that the Guardians explored trade scenarios involving Ramirez prior to that 2022 extension, as it has long been the organization’s habit to trade star players before reaching free agency.  While not every deal of a star has worked out, the Guards have hit on enough of these trades to replenish their system with younger (and cheaper) talent while avoiding the higher price tags associated with players nearing the end of their arbitration control.

Ramirez is the exception to the rule.  The seven-time All-Star has been open about how much he enjoys playing in Cleveland, and he has backed up that stance by leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table to re-up with the Guards not once, but now twice.  Of course, it remains to be seen how productive Ramirez will still be by the end of the 2028 season, yet this added $106MM could be viewed as something of a thank-you to a star player for his years of service, as well an investment in the idea that Ramirez will continue delivering big numbers.

The timing of the extension is interesting, as there was seemingly no huge rush to tack more years onto a deal that already ran through 2028.  However, the Guards may have wanted to get something done in advance of the next collective bargaining agreement, as rumors persist that the league (as part of their overall desire to curb playing spending) may at least look into some kinds of restrictions against deferred money in contracts.  The Dodgers have most famously included deferrals in many of their high-priced deals in recent years, though Cleveland’s new pact with Ramirez is the latest example of how both big-market and small-market teams frequently use deferred money to complete contracts.

Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez was the first to report about the agreement and described it as complete, though Jon Heyman of the New York Post added that Ramirez and the Guardians were still “working on” the agreement.  Gomez reported the $106MM in new money, Heyman added the detail about the $70MM in deferrals, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal had the year-to-year financial breakdown over the seven years.  ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the deal had been agreed upon, pending a physical.

Inset image courtesy of Matt Krohn – Imagn Images

AL East Injury Notes: Rodon, Henderson, Kjerstad

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Carlos Rodón seems to be progressing well from the surgery he had in October to remove loose bodies from his elbow. In an appearance on Foul Territory’s livestream of the New York Baseball Writers’ Gala, Rodón said he was back throwing eight weeks removed from the surgery. He’s been recently doing mound work as well.“It doesn’t really feel like much of a rehab,” Rodón said.

The most recent timeline from the team had Rodón returning in late April or early May. That would put him slightly ahead of Gerrit Cole and well ahead of Clarke Schmidt. Cole and Schmidt are coming back from Tommy John surgery. Rodón stressed the improved mobility he had following the surgery. “I couldn’t really bend my elbow,” he said of his pre-surgery movement.

Rodón set career highs in starts (33) and innings (195 1/3) last season. He finished top 10 in strikeouts. A forearm strain cost him a few months to begin his Yankees tenure in 2023, but he’s been largely healthy since then.

The strong 2025 campaign for Rodón fell apart in the postseason. He was rocked for nine earned runs over 8 1/3 innings between the ALDS and ALCS. Rodón posted an uninspiring 8:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his two starts.

New York will open next season with a rotation consisting of Max Fried, postseason breakout Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren, and trade acquisition Ryan Weathers. It’s a relatively unproven group (outside of Fried) with a lengthy injury history. Veterans Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough are on hand to eat innings. The unit will try to hold down the fort as Rodón, Cole, and Schmidt work toward their returns.

Elsewhere around the division, the Orioles received some positive news on a pair of young left-handed bats. Gunnar Henderson says he’s fully healthy after dealing with a shoulder impingement for much of last season, as relayed by Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Henderson revealed the injury earlier this month. He reiterated at this week’s fanfest event that the problem is behind him. “Feel great, shoulder feels great, so I feel like I’m in a great spot right now. Swing’s been feeling awesome so far.”

Henderson delivered a solid all-around season in 2025, though his power numbers fell precipitously from the heights he reached the previous year. After slugging 37 home runs in 2024, he hit just 17 this past season. Henderson’s slugging percentage dipped from .529 to .438, and his ISO went from .248 to .165. It’s hard to complain about a 120 wRC+ and a career-best 30 steals, but the final result was a bit of a letdown after Henderson finished fourth in AL MVP voting the prior year. He should be a threat for 35+ homers once again with the shoulder injury cleared up.

Heston Kjerstad is also expected to be good to go heading into 2026. Manager Craig Albernaz told reporters, including Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, that Kjerstad will be a “full participant” in Spring Training. There hasn’t been a clear explanation for the outfielder’s absence to end last season, but it appears to be in the rearview. Kjerstad was shut down in late July while dealing with fatigue. Reports in September were that he was seeing doctors about an unspecified medical condition.

“He’s itching to get back to where he can get back to,” Albernaz told reporters, including Kubatko. “Heston’s pedigree, he had to prove how good he was in the minor leagues, and going to the Fall League (in 2022) and winning MVP, like, that’s not an easy league to do that in.”

Kjerstad was the second overall pick in 2020. He’s struggled to gain a foothold in the majors, slashing .218/.284/.365 in sporadic playing time over the past three seasons. Baltimore trading for Taylor Ward, signing Pete Alonso, and retaining Ryan Mountcastle make it tough to see Kjerstad cracking the roster to open 2026.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Astros Notes: Altuve, Infield, Left-Handed Bats

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The Astros held their annual FanFest event on Saturday. Aside from the autograph sessions and photo opportunities, the main theme was trying to sort out the crowded infield mix. With Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes, Carlos Correa, and Christian Walker all vying for playing time, not to mention Yordan Alvarez manning DH, it’s a difficult puzzle to tackle.

“We have to be creative,” manager Joe Espada told reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic. “And I have to find ways to get them all in the lineup and keep everyone healthy.”

Altuve, a career second baseman, began last season as Houston’s primary left fielder. The results were about what you’d expect from a 35-year-old playing the outfield for the first time. Altuve posted a miserable -10 Defensive Runs Saved and -5 Outs Above Average in his 47 appearances on the grass. Espada maintained the stance that Altuve would be back at second base in 2026, with only the occasional start in the outfield.

While his batting average dipped, Altuve remained a productive offensive player last season. He swatted 26 home runs and chipped in 10 steals. Perhaps more importantly, he stayed on the field. Altuve appeared in 155 games, his most since 2016.

Altuve won’t be the only Astro getting a chance at second base this season. Paredes and Brice Matthews will get reps at the position, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Matthews will also get opportunities in center field.

Paredes played strictly third base in his first season in Houston, but he has experience at all four infield spots. The majority of his second base appearances came during his two full seasons with the Rays. Paredes made 44 starts at the keystone from 2022 to 2023. He’s never been a standout defender at any spot, but his work at second base has been passable. Paredes has recorded -1 Defensive Runs Saved in his 456 2/3 innings there.

Getting Paredes’ bat in the lineup, regardless of where he fits, will be key. The righty’s pull-heavy, fly ball-driven approach worked just as expected when he made Daikin Park his home. Paredes launched 20 home runs in just 102 games in 2025. A hamstring injury robbed him of the chance to attack the Crawford Boxes for a full season, but the initial returns were promising.

MLB.com has Matthews as Houston’s top prospect. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick in 2023. He put up 17 home runs and 41 steals at Triple-A last year, earning a brief MLB call-up. Matthews has primarily played second base in his minor league career. He also has experience at third base and shortstop, plus a handful of appearances in the outfield.

Baseball America labeled Matthews the best defensive infielder in Houston’s system. Even with his lack of an MLB track record, he’s likely the best glove the Astros could utilize at the position. Adding Matthews to the infield mix would further muddle a crowded situation. There’s also the question of whether he could make enough contact to earn regular at-bats. Matthews had a 27.9% strikeout rate with Sugar Land last season. It was 31.4% across four minor league levels in 2024. Matthews fanned 20 times in 47 MLB plate appearances.

The infield glut could be sorted out by a trade or two, and general manager Dana Brown told reporters several players are drawing interest. Rome cited Walker and Jesus Sanchez as two names that fall into that bucket. He also mentioned Boston has interest in Paredes, though a deal isn’t believed to be close. In terms of additions, Brown mentioned looking for a left-handed hitter to offset the righty-laden lineup. “If that opportunity presents itself and we can make some sort of trade to do that, it would be intriguing for us to make the team better.”

As Rome points out, the Angels were the only team to have fewer left-handed at-bats than the Astros last season. Victor Caratini accounted for nearly half of those plate appearances, and he’s now a Twin. Alvarez is the only lefty penciled in for regular work, with Sanchez and Zach Cole also factoring into the outfield group.

Steve Adams recently covered Houston’s outfield issues in a Front Office article. The free agent market for lefty-swinging outfielders is barren, especially with Max Kepler missing the first half of the year. Michael Conforto, Adam Frazier, and Mike Tauchman are among the remaining options who earned semi-regular playing time in 2025. The trade market would yield more interesting candidates. Rome tossed out Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, adding that Houston finds the latter more intriguing than the former.

Brown still has a couple of months to make adjustments to a team that missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016. “We’re going to continue to grind all the way up until spring training and maybe even in spring training. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned for making this team a better team.”

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Mets To Sign Craig Kimbrel To Minor League Deal

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The Mets are expected to sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The agreement includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Kimbrel will earn a $2.5MM base salary if he makes the team, notes Will Sammon of The Athletic. The veteran right-hander is represented by SportsMeter.

Kimbrel returned to the Braves on a minor league deal last season, but only made one appearance with the team. He latched on with the Rangers for a bit before landing in Houston. Kimbrel turned back the clock with the Astros, posting a 2.25 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate over 11 innings. He went back on the market at the conclusion of the season.

The 2025 campaign was Kimbrel’s first without an MLB save in his illustrious 16-year career. It ended a streak of four straight seasons with 20+ saves, an impressive run for a reliever in his mid-30s. He ranks fifth on the all-time saves leaderboard. Kimbrel’s legendary career hit a snag in 2024, when he stumbled to a 5.33 ERA across 57 appearances in Baltimore. He coughed up the closer’s role midway through the year and was released before the season ended. Kimbrel didn’t draw much attention on the market heading into this past season, as he didn’t sign with the Braves until the final week of Spring Training.

If Kimbrel gets into a game with the Mets, they’ll be his 10th MLB club. He’s pitched for seven different teams since 2021. Kimbrel has relied on a fastball/curveball combo to put together one of the most decorated reliever careers this century. The nine-time All-Star has a stellar 2.29 SIERA and a massive 38.8% strikeout rate at the big-league level.

Kimbrel’s lengthy track record includes a handful of disastrous stretches after he entered his 30s. He came to the Cubs in 2019 and scuffled to a 6.53 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. He put up a 5.09 ERA in the second half of 2021 with the White Sox, who acquired him at the trade deadline from the cross-town rival Cubs. There was the aforementioned season with Baltimore, which led to mostly minor league work in 2025. Kimbrel has often recovered from these ruts, and he did show glimpses of his old self last year.

Kimbrel made an All-Star team as recently as 2023 with the Phillies. The 37-year-old has lost a few ticks on his fastball since then, but he still got whiffs at a near-30% clip last season. Free passes were the big issue with the Orioles, as Kimbrel struggled to a 13.4% walk rate. That number remained high (14.3%) in his brief stint with the Astros.

Given the landing spot, Kimbrel will have a tough time adding to his 440 career saves. New York brought in Devin Williams to serve as closer, then added Luke Weaver to be the primary setup man. A.J. Minter should be back at some point to operate as the left-handed setup option. It’ll be a difficult depth chart for Kimbrel to climb, even if he makes the team. Kenley Jansen and his 476 saves are probably safe at fourth on the leaderboard.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images

Yu Darvish Contemplating Retirement, Has Not Made Final Decision

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7:05 pm: Darvish added in another statement that he and the Padres have discussed terminating his contract since last year, although discussions between those parties and the Players’ Association have not been finalized. He maintained that he wants to pitch again if his rehab goes well. “If I can thoroughly complete my rehab and feel confident that I can pitch in games both mentally and physically, I’d like to start over and compete from scratch again. As for this year, I plan to go to Petco Park for rehab as well, and also attend a bit of spring training.”

5:50 pm: Padres starter Yu Darvish is contemplating retirement, but he has not yet made a final decision. An initial report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune indicated that Darvish was retiring. Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, refuted that, saying, “Yu has not made a final decision yet. This is a complicated matter we are still working through” (link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN).

Darvish addressed the situation through a statement on his X account. “Although I am leaning towards voiding the contract,” he said, “there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided. Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”

The 39-year-old right-hander is owed $43MM over 2026-28 from the extension he and the Padres signed in 2023. If he retires without reaching a settlement, he would forfeit that money. As Darvish indicated, he and the Padres may be working on a buyout that would see him keep some portion of his salary while giving the team significant cost savings over the next three years.

If he does decide to retire, he’ll be wrapping up an incredible 21-year career across Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and MLB. In 2005, Darvish made his debut at age 18 for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in NPB. He pitched 94 1/3 innings over 14 starts as a rookie that year, following it up with a 2.89 ERA in 149 2/3 innings in 2006. The Ham Fighters won the Japan Series in the latter year, with Darvish making his first start in Game 1 and earning the win in the clinching Game 5.

From 2007-11, he was absolutely dominant, totaling 1,024 1/3 innings with a 1.72 ERA and 1,083 strikeouts. Darvish was an NPB All-Star in every season in that span, twice being named the Pacific League MVP (2007 and 2009) and winning the Sawamura Award (NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young) in 2007. His final NPB season in 2011 was sensational. Darvish posted an 18-6 record in a career-high 232 innings with a microscopic 1.44 ERA, along with 276 strikeouts and just five home runs allowed all season.

Following the season, the Ham Fighters made him available to MLB clubs via the posting system. The Texas Rangers outbid the other suitors with a massive $51.7MM posting fee to the Ham Fighters (proportional posting fees not having been established yet). The team ultimately signed Darvish for a six-year, $56MM guarantee.

In his debut MLB season in 2012, Darvish pitched 191 1/3 innings over 29 starts with a 3.90 ERA, a 27.1% strikeout rate, and a stellar 46.2% groundball rate. He made his first playoff start in the AL Wild Card Game against the Orioles, pitching 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks but earning a tough-luck loss. He was valued at 4.7 WAR that year according to FanGraphs, which stands as the highest mark of his career to date. He also earned the first of five All-Star nods in the majors and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

His 2013 season was just as dominant. Darvish lowered his ERA to 2.83 in 209 2/3 innings as the Rangers’ ace and upped his strikeout rate to 32.9%. He earned his second All-Star nod and finished as the runner-up to Max Scherzer in the AL Cy Young vote, while his 277 strikeouts that year were the best of his MLB career. He was an All-Star again in 2014, but he was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation in mid-August and missed the rest of the season. He experienced further soreness during Spring Training the following year and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2015 season.

Darvish returned in May 2016 and picked up where he left off. In 100 1/3 innings over 17 starts that year, he posted a 3.41 ERA with a 31.7% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. He was a bit less effective the following year, with a 4.01 ERA in 22 starts before being sent to the Dodgers at the trade deadline in exchange for three prospects led by Willie Calhoun. Darvish’s strikeout and walk numbers improved in nine regular-season starts in Los Angeles, but he struggled in the World series against the Astros with subpar starts in Games 3 and 7.

Still, Darvish’s track record as a front-of-the-rotation arm made him a top target in free agency. In February 2018, he signed a six-year, $126MM deal to join the Cubs. He wound up spending 2018-20 on the North Side. He struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in 2018, pitching just 40 innings over eight starts. He rebounded in 2019 with a 3.98 ERA and a 31.3% strikeout rate in 178 2/3 innings. In 12 starts during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he was utterly dominant with a 2.01 ERA and just a 4.7% walk rate, finishing second in the NL Cy Young vote.

The Cubs traded Darvish to the Padres that December, and he has been with San Diego ever since. Darvish’s strikeouts began to wane in his mid-30s, but he compensated by improving his control. From 2021-25, his walk rate sat in the 6% range and never topped 7.5% in a season (2023). His best Padres season to date was in 2022, as Darvish made 30 starts with a 3.10 ERA and a 20.8% K-BB rate, the latter being ninth-best among qualified starters.

The club was confident enough in his performance to extend him heading into 2023. The deal was for six years and $108MM, of which five years and $90MM were new money. In the first three years of that deal, Darvish has made 55 starts with a 4.41 ERA while struggling with injuries. He made five trips to the IL from 2024-25, most recently for an internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow this past October. While coming with a shorter recovery period than a second Tommy John surgery, Darvish was still set to miss the entire 2026 season regardless.

In an interview last month, Darvish indicated that he was focused on getting healthy and returning to pitching, though a later report from Acee indicated that retirement was on the table. This latest update suggests that Darvish is contemplating the end of his career, but that he is still open to returning if his rehab goes well. Further details could be made public soon, pending the outcome of his talks with the Padres.

Photo courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images

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