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Mariners, Mitch Garver Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners and catcher Mitch Garver have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The ISE Baseball client will arrive in camp tomorrow to undergo his physical, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

Garver, 35, returns to the club he has spent the past two years with. The Mariners signed him to a $24MM deal for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. At that time, Garver had the reputation of being injury prone but one of the league’s best offensive catchers when on the field. From 2018 to 2023, he only played 428 games over those six seasons but slashed .254/.343/.488 for a 126 wRC+. Among primary catchers with at least 40 plate appearances in that span, only Adley Rutschman and Will Smith barely outperformed him, with Rutschman having a 129 wRC+ and Smith 128.

The Mariners were hoping Garver could add a potent bat to the lineup via the designated hitter spot while also serving as Cal Raleigh’s backup behind the plate. It didn’t really work out they had hoped. Over the past two years, Garver stepped to the plate 720 times for Seattle. He hit 24 home runs and drew walks at an 11.5% clip but struck out in 29.6% of his plate appearances, leading to a .187/.290/.341 batting line and 88 wRC+.

That production wasn’t disastrous, as catchers are usually about 10% below league average on the whole. For a backup catcher to be in that range isn’t too shabby in a vacuum but the Mariners don’t usually spend on free agent bats and were surely hoping for more, especially since his defense isn’t especially well rated. At the time of the Garver deal, that was actually the biggest guarantee given to a free agent hitter in the tenure of Jerry Dipoto, who started leading the front office in September of 2015. The recent signing of Josh Naylor has since broken that record.

Despite the underwhelming return on that investment, there’s little harm in trying again with this pact. Garver isn’t even guaranteed a roster spot at this point and presumably wouldn’t make a huge salary if he does eventually get a spot.

The M’s have Raleigh signed for years to come but the backup gig is somewhat open. The Mariners traded Harry Ford to the Nationals as part of the trade which brought reliever Jose A. Ferrer to Seattle. Andrew Knizner was signed to a one-year deal worth $1MM in December but doesn’t have the same ceiling as Garver. Jhonny Pereda is also on the 40-man roster but he has just 50 big league games under his belt and can still be optioned to the minors.

With Pereda likely ticketed for Triple-A, Garver will try to push Knizner for the backup job. If Garver doesn’t get it, the Mariners would presumably like him to head to Triple-A as non-roster depth, but he would have some say in the matter.

Garver is an Article XX(b) free agent, which means a player with six years of service time who finished the previous season on an MLB roster. Those players who sign minor league deals at least 10 days before Opening Day have a trio of opt-out dates under the collective bargaining agreement: five days before Opening Day, May 1, and June 1. If the M’s don’t commit to Garver as camp is winding down, he could look for better opportunities elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Bruce Meyer Elected MLBPA Executive Director

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Bruce Meyer has been unanimously elected the new executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Formerly the deputy director, Meyer will take over for Tony Clark, who surprisingly resigned yesterday as news emerged that he had an “inappropriate” relationship with his sister-in-law, who was working for the MLBPA.

Drellich will just be an interim director, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic, but is expected to hold his job at least through the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations. The current CBA expires on December 1st and another lockout is widely expected. The last lockout dragged into March, so it seems Meyer is positioned to potentially lead the union for a year or more, despite the interim tag.

More to come.

Poll: Will Masataka Yoshida Make The Red Sox’ Roster?

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As Spring Training gets underway, players on the roster bubble all around the league are vying for the handful of vacant spots on their clubs’ respective depth charts. In most cases, the players who find themselves in that situation are either up-and-coming youngsters or veterans on minor league deals trying to play their way back into the majors. It’s a lot less common to find a veteran player on a significant contract who could be in danger of losing his roster spot entering camp, but that’s the exact situation Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida could find himself in this spring.

Yoshida, 32, has two years and $36MM remaining on the contract he signed with Boston when coming over to MLB from Japan. Despite that big investment the Red Sox made in Yoshida, however, things haven’t gone especially well. After a rookie season where he graded out as an exceptionally weak left fielder defensively while posting a 111 wRC+, Yoshida was used in a pure DH role for 2024 as he played through a shoulder injury that hampered his ability to throw. His wRC+ ticked up slightly to 116 that year, though he made it into just 108 games. His role shrunk further in 2025, as he spent most of the season on the injured list and was used only sparingly even upon his return to action. He appeared in just 55 games overall and was far less productive than he had been in the past, slashing just .266/.307/.388 (88 wRC+) in 205 trips to the plate.

One down season where Yoshida played just a third of the campaign wouldn’t normally be cause to cut a player, especially one making that much money. The Red Sox find themselves in a bit of a bind in terms of roster-building headed into the year, however. Despite years of speculation, Boston has declined so far to trade one of Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu, leaving them both in the everyday lineup alongside Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony. Rafaela is a capable defender on the infield, but would be wasted on the dirt given his status as one of the top defensive center fielders in the sport. That leaves Duran, Abreu, and Anthony to handle the two outfield corners, and the logical choice rather than benching one of the team’s best bats is to simply play whoever isn’t on the grass that day at DH.

That leaves Yoshida without a clear way to force his way into the lineup. It’s unclear if the 5’8” Yoshida would be able to handle first base even if called upon to do so, and he has no experience at the position to speak of. Even if he could, Willson Contreras figures to get everyday reps after being acquired from the Cardinals this offseason. Even if an injury occurred in the outfield, it’s unclear if Yoshida would be the team’s first choice to fill the gap. Triston Casas may not be ready to return from injury to start the year, but figures to be back at some point in the first half and at the very least could be a more credible back up to Contreras at first base than Yoshida. Kristian Campbell struggled in his first year as a big leaguer, but the Red Sox reportedly plan to use him primarily in the outfield.

Yoshida has been in trade rumors for a while but remains on the roster. It’s not hard to see him having a larger role on another roster, as even with his lackluster defense he remains a career 109 wRC+ hitter who has struck out in just 13.0% of his big league at-bats. He can be productive at the plate with a very high-contact approach which could be very valuable to teams with swing and miss concerns or a preference for contact hitters, though the contract remains an obstacle.

The question, then, becomes whether the Red Sox would be willing to cut loose a player who figures to be productive if given an opportunity because that opportunity doesn’t exist with the club as presently constructed. It’s hard to see Yoshida as the best use of one of the team’s limited bench spots. Connor Wong (or another backup catcher) figures to take one spot, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa was brought in to be a utility infielder and will surely take another. Romy Gonzalez was very productive last year and would be a worthwhile platoon partner for Marcelo Mayer or Abreu in a heavily left-handed Red Sox lineup, and that leaves just one spot on the bench available. Bringing in another right-handed bat like Campbell, Nate Eaton, Andruw Monasterio, or non-roster invitee Brendan Rodgers would make a lot of sense given the heavily left-handed Red Sox lineup. Even a more versatile lefty like Tsung-Che Cheng would arguably be a better use of the roster spot than a largely DH-only player like Yoshida. And if the Red Sox ever wanted a big lefty bat for their bench, they could simply turn to the optionable Casas.

How do MLBTR readers think the Red Sox will handle Yoshida this spring, barring injuries? Will they look to move on from him to create more flexibility on the bench, or will they stick with him in hopes they can find him enough playing time to allow him to rebuild value? Have your say in the poll below:

Will Masataka Yoshida be with the Red Sox on Opening Day?

Vote to see results

Astros Sign CJ Alexander To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have signed infielder/outfielder CJ Alexander to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The PSI Sports Management client has been assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land but could be invited to big league camp in spring training.

Alexander, 29, has a limited major league track record. He has 25 plate appearances over 10 games with four hits, all singles. He has not drawn a walk and has been struck out 11 times. He has had better showings in the minors, particularly in 2024, when he slashed .302/.361/.559 in Triple-A for a 130 wRC+. But his 2025 was a bit of a swoon, as he slashed .254/.335/.448 in the minors for a 91 wRC+.

Even if his offensive contributions are muted, Alexander can provide defensive versatility, as he has experience at all four corner spots. The Royals designated Alexander late in 2024, at which point he was claimed by the Athletics. He lasted on that roster until June of 2025, before going to the Yankees and Dodgers via subsequent waiver claims. The Dodgers passed him through waivers in July and he became a free agent at season’s end.

Alexander hits from the left side, which is something the Astros are looking for, with Yordan Alvarez the only lefty locked into an Opening Day roster spot. Alexander won’t solve that problem but there’s nothing wrong with a bit more depth.

The Houston infield is fairly crowded, with Carlos Correa at third, Christian Walker at first and Isaac Paredes backing both of them up. Unless a spring trade comes together, Alexander’s best path to playing time is the outfield corners. Houston projects to have Jake Meyers in center while Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido, Zach Cole, Zach Dezenzo and others battle for playing time in the corners. If Alexander can earn his way onto the roster at some point, he still has a minor league option remaining.

Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard, Imagn Images

Brusdar Graterol Won’t Be Ready For Opening Day

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed to the team’s beat this morning that setup man Brusdar Graterol won’t be ready for the beginning of the season (via Katie Woo of The Athletic). Roberts said earlier in camp that Graterol would be “slow-played” this spring as he works back from shoulder surgery that cost him the entire 2025 season. Until now, the team had not yet ruled the big righty out for the Opening Day roster.

Graterol didn’t pitch at all in 2025 after undergoing shoulder surgery in Nov. 2024. The 6’1″, 260-pound flamethrower only tossed 7 1/3 big league innings and another 9 2/3 minor league rehab frames in 2024 due to troubles in that shoulder. He last enjoyed a healthy season in 2023, when he rattled off a career-high 67 1/3 innings with a masterful 1.20 ERA. Graterol’s 18.7% strikeout rate was far lower than one would anticipate for a pitcher who routinely hits triple digits with his sinker, but he offset the lack of whiffs with a tiny 4.7% walk rate and a massive 64.4% ground-ball rate.

The 27-year-old Graterol came to the Dodgers in the 2019-20 offseason trade that shipped righty Kenta Maeda to the Twins. The Dodgers were keenly aware that the right-hander had already battled injury troubles in his young career at the time. He’s been terrific in L.A. when healthy (2.69 ERA, 11 saves, 38 holds) but has managed to pitch only 181 innings across the past five seasons due to persistent health troubles.

There’s still no definitive timetable on the right-hander’s return. Graterol had the labrum in his right shoulder repaired 15 months ago and hoped to be back in the second half of the 2025 season, but his rehab didn’t progress as swiftly as hoped. Despite having pitched just 181 innings in five seasons with Los Angeles, he’s now entering his final year of club control before free agency. It’d obviously behoove the hard-throwing young righty to get back on the mound sooner than later, but with the Dodgers looking to defend their World Series crown and Graterol hoping to land a nice contract in free agency next offseason, there’s incentive for both parties to make sure he’s at full strength and “slow play” his progression in the early stages of camp, as Roberts suggested last week.

Presumably, Graterol will head for the 15-day injured list when the season begins. There’s no indication he’s suffered any form of setback that would necessitate a monthslong absence. Whenever he does get the go-ahead to return, Graterol will join a high-leverage mix that also features Edwin Diaz, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen.

Astros Showing Interest In Michael Conforto

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The Astros have been seeking a lefty-hitting outfielder for much of the offseason and have shown some recent interest in Michael Conforto, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. McTaggart adds that Houston’s chances of trading infielder Isaac Paredes have “diminished” recently. Houston has reportedly been exploring the possibility of adding another lefty bat by way of a Paredes trade.

Conforto, 33 on March 1, is coming off a career-worst season with the Dodgers, wherein he slashed .199/.305/.333 in 486 trips to the plate. It’s the first decidedly below-average offensive performance in the big league career of the 2014 first-round pick and 2017 All-Star. That said, Conforto’s career has been on a downward trajectory since a shoulder injury caused him to miss the 2022 season.

Since returning from surgery, Conforto has played in three seasons with the Giants and Dodgers, hitting a combined .225/.316/.390 in 1444 plate appearances. He still draws plenty of walks (10.5% in that time) but hits more grounders and weak fly-balls than he used to, and his line-drive rate has dipped considerably (22.4% from 2015-21; 17.8% since). Conforto has generally hit righties well and been closer to average in left-on-left matchups, but he’s been better against lefties in each of the past two seasons (albeit in a small sample of 184 left-on-left plate appearances).

Given the lackluster overall performance since Conforto’s shoulder surgery and last season’s career-worst showing, the price tag to sign him won’t be prohibitive. At best, he’d command a low-cost one-year deal, but given that spring training is underway and interest doesn’t appear to have been robust throughout the winter, Conforto could also simply sign a minor league deal and head to big league camp with the Astros.

Yordan Alvarez is the only established left-handed hitter in Houston’s lineup. Young outfielders Zach Cole and Joey Loperfido are in the mix for Opening Day roster spots but have minimal major league experience. Broadly speaking, the outfield in Houston is rather unsettled, regardless of player handedness. Jake Meyers is locked into center field, but the rest of the picture seems fairly up for grabs. The team wants Alvarez to spend more time at DH than in left field this year. Cam Smith had a huge spring last year and a big start to his rookie season before fading considerably as the year went on. Cole struck out at a 35% clip in the minors. Loperfido posted roughly league-average offense with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club (before being traded back to Houston last week).  Former first-rounder Brice Matthews is a middle infielder by trade but has begun a transition to the outfield due to Houston’s crowded infield mix.

The Astros have explored trades of Paredes throughout the winter. His status as the starting third baseman was upended when they reacquired Carlos Correa at last year’s trade deadline. Paredes can also play first base, but that’s manned by Christian Walker in Houston. He’s owed $40MM over the next two seasons and unsurprisingly has not garnered much trade interest at that rate. An ideal situation might see the ’Stros find a trade that sends Paredes out in exchange for a veteran corner outfielder, but they’ve come up empty despite considerable effort, so it’s not especially surprising to see them looking at some low-cost free agent alternatives in their quest to add a left-handed bat.

Blue Jays Claim Ben Cowles

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The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed infielder Ben Cowles off waivers from the Cubs. Chicago had designated him for assignment a few days ago when they signed Shelby Miller. Toronto has placed Bowden Francis on the 60-day injured list to open a spot for this claim.

Cowles, 26, is still looking to make his major league debut. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2024 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was kept in the minors on optional assignment until being designated for assignment in early September. He went to the White Sox via waivers but then the Cubs claimed him back in January. Now the Cubs have lost him via the wire a second time.

He has a decent floor as a speed-and-defense type. He has lots of minor league experience at the three infield spots to the left of first base. He has posted double-digit stolen base totals in each of the past four minor league seasons.

The bat is more of a question mark. He had a really good year at the plate in 2024, slashing .286/.372/.457 at the Double-A level for a 141 wRC+. The Cubs acquired him from the Yankees that summer as part of the Mark Leiter Jr. trade and then gave him a roster spot at season’s end. His 2025 was far less impressive, as he slashed .235/.300/.371 at the Triple-A level for a 71 wRC+. Though he had drawn walks at a 10.4% rate in 2024, that figure dropped to 7.2% last year. His strikeout rate also jumped from 17.7% to 28.8%.

That dip at the plate has pushed Cowles to the waiver wire a few times but clubs clearly still like the profile enough to keep picking him up. For the Jays, they had a roster spot to use since Francis is going to miss 2026 due to Tommy John surgery, so they’ve used it to add some infield depth.

It’s possible Cowles ends up back on waivers at some point, but for now, he provides the Jays with some optionable depth for an infield that should look different than last year. Bo Bichette departed via free agency, signing with the Mets. Andrés Giménez should take over the shortstop job, as he did while Bichette was hurt late in 2025. Ernie Clement will likely become the regular at second base. The Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto to cover third base, which should push Addison Barger into a more regular corner outfield role. Davis Schneider should be on the bench in a short-side platoon role, able to play second base or an outfield corner.

Leo Jiménez is still on the 40-man roster but is out of options, meaning he’d need to be kept on the big league squad or passed through waivers. Since Cowles still has options, that could give him a leg up over Jiménez in hanging onto a roster spot as a depth infielder.

As for Francis, he’ll spend the entire season on the 60-day IL. No pitcher wants to miss an entire season but the upside is that he’ll collect a full year of big league pay and service time. He’ll cross three years of service this year and will be eligible for arbitration going into 2026, but he’ll be a non-tender candidate after so much missed time. He also missed the second half of 2025 due to a shoulder impingement.

Photo courtesy of Cody Scanlen, Imagn Images

MLB Mailbag: Red Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Braves

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This week's mailbag gets into the Red Sox and their offense, Masataka Yoshida's trade value, how far Jacob deGrom is from Hall of Fame consideration, the Brewers and Christian Yelich's contract, the Phillies' and Braves' rotations, and how revenue sharing money is spent.  I'll also give some brief thoughts on the MLBPA situation once they choose their new executive director.

Christopher asks:

Do the Red Sox have enough offense to make the playoffs?

David asks:

It's two weeks before the trade deadline and the Red Sox are in contention but it's painfully obvious they didn't solve their problem with needing a power hitter. I appreciate it's only February but look into your crystal ball. Who are their likely targets?

Dave asks:

Given the fact Luis Arraez recently signed for $12M year contract, do you still feel there is no value for some team picking up Yoshida? Both have bad marks defensively and Arraez has a higher batting average but Yoshida provides more power, so that may balance out. Worse case someone should take Yoshida for at least $8M.

Lloyd asks:

Boston has an OF glut and Duran is mentioned as the one to most likely be traded. Detroit has an INF glut and Torres is tradeable after June 15. Is there a match here, assuming both players are healthy and productive? Would Boston move Duran for Anderson or Lee, Tiger Top-10 prospects who rank in the lower end of the top 110 MLB prospects? Detroit could use an OF bat for the big push. Assuming salary/contract considerations offer no stumbling block, is this something that would work?

The Red Sox continue to have room for a major addition at second or third base, given that recent addition Caleb Durbin can play either spot.  Such a pickup would bump Durbin or Marcelo Mayer to the bench, which already has a pair of infielders in Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Romy Gonzalez.  (Or Mayer could return to Triple-A, where he's only played 43 games).

It's worth keeping in mind that the most accurate projection system, The Bat X, has Durbin posting an 85 wRC+ this year, Mayer at 86, and Kiner-Falefa at 69.  Gonzalez is at 102, but he's done almost all his damage against left-handed pitching.  Even veteran shortstop Trevor Story is only at 97 in that projection system.  Throw in catcher Carlos Narvaez at 83 and Ceddanne Rafaela at 88, and there's a pretty good chance five of nine Red Sox lineup spots feature subpar offense.

Certainly, there is room for a Mayer breakout or a Kristian Campbell bounceback (Campbell is outfield-focused).  Durbin and Narvaez could sustain more of last year's success.  Story may hit like he did from June onward last year.  Rafaela flashed brilliance at the plate for a couple months.

But that's quite a few "ifs," and the club is reliant on good health from 33-34-year-olds Story and Willson Contreras.

Offense isn't everything, which is why FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a healthy 60.1 shot at the playoffs this year.  The club projects to get a lot of value out of its outfield and DH spots; they're fifth in baseball in total WAR for those four spots.  The opposite is true of Boston's infield, which rates 26th.  And that does account for the club's likely improved infield defense.

The Red Sox rank first in all of baseball for projected starting pitcher WAR.  About 72% of that value is coming from the trio at the top: Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez.  While the Sox do have a wealth of solid depth options behind them, it's fair to say a major injury to Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Roman Anthony, or Rafaela could knock them out of the playoff picture.  I'm sure you could say that about the top five players of any team, but three of these are pitchers.  Crochet and Suarez have lengthy injury histories, and Gray is 36.

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Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Braves righty Spencer Schwellenbach underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow today, manager Walt Weiss told the team’s beat this morning (link Mark Bowman of MLB.com). Fellow righty Hurston Waldrep, who was also diagnosed with loose bodies in his elbow this spring, will undergo a similar operation on Monday. Weiss and the Braves have not put a formal timetable for a return on either young righty. Schwellenbach is already on the 60-day injured list, and Waldrep will surely join him there whenever Atlanta needs to open another 40-man spot.

Neither revelation is especially surprising, but both are notable all the same. Schwellenbach suggested that an arthroscopic procedure was likely last week when he was placed on the 60-day injured list. He said at the time that he was unsure what the recovery time period for such a procedure would be, and the team provided no further details today. Beyond the fact that he’ll miss at least the first 57 days of the seasons — the Opening Day IL placement can be backdated by three days — Schwellenbach can just be considered to be out indefinitely.

It’ll be the same story for Waldrep, who was cleared of structural damage to his ulnar collateral ligament in a recent MRI but found to have loose bodies in his elbow as well. As with Schwellenbach, Waldrep implied that surgery was likely when telling reporters that the loose bodies in his elbow “probably need to be dealt with.”

Heading into camp, Schwellenbach and Waldrep looked like locks for rotation spots. Schwellenbach missed time last summer with an elbow fracture but had completed five to six bullpen sessions, by his own estimate, before feeling pain at the end of a session a bit more than two weeks ago. The 2021 second-rounder has been brilliant since making his MLB debut in 2024, pitching to a combined 3.23 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate in his first 234 1/3 MLB innings.

Waldrep just debuted last season and wasn’t quite as cemented on the starting staff, but he was the heavy favorite for Atlanta’s fifth starter gig. In 56 1/3 innings last year (nine starts, one relief appearance), the 2023 first-rounder posted a tidy 2.88 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. He also posted a 4.42 ERA in 19 Triple-A starts, shaking off a rocky stretch early in the season with a pristine 1.99 ERA over his final seven minor league starts before being promoted.

With Schwellenbach and Waldrep sidelined indefinitely, Atlanta’s rotation includes Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes. It’s a talented quartet, but Sale has a lengthy injury history and has only had one fully healthy season since the 2017 season wrapped. He won the NL Cy Young Award in that lone (mostly) healthy year, but there’s considerable injury risk for the lefty, who’ll turn 37 next month.

Strider, meanwhile, posted pedestrian results and rate stats during last year’s return from UCL surgery. Lopez made only one start in 2025 due to arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Holmes suffered a UCL tear last summer but has been rehabbing it without surgery and is said to be full-go this spring.

All four of the Braves’ set-in-stone rotation members come with some combination of injury, performance and/or workload concern. Be that as it may, the organization continues to downplay the possibility of bringing in further help from outside the organization. Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently wrote that the Braves’ previously reported interest in Chris Bassitt (who’s since signed in Baltimore) and Lucas Giolito (still unsigned) was overstated. There’s been speculation that perhaps president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is simply at or close to the budgetary limit set by ownership, though the team obviously wouldn’t publicly disclose that even if it were true.

In-house options to round out the staff include Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, José Suarez, prospect Didier Fuentes (still just 20 years old) and non-roster veterans Martín Pérez, Carlos Carrasco and Elieser Hernández.

Marlins Notes: Stowers, Caissie, Junk

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The Marlins and breakout right fielder Kyle Stowers discussed a long-term contract earlier in the winter, and while no deal came together, the 28-year-old slugger told the Marlins beat in camp yesterday that he remains open to a deal (video link via MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola). Stowers pushed back on reports that suggested he’d had a nine-figure asking price, plainly stating, “I didn’t ask for $100MM” and adding that he was never presented a formal offer from the club.

“I’m just so excited to be here,” said Stowers. “So grateful to be in this organization. I was bummed we didn’t get something figured out — would love to some day — but at the same time, let’s take care of this year, and we’ll go from there. … I can’t stress enough how much I love this organization, how much I love being in Miami and playing for this team, [with] this group of guys.”

A well-regarded prospect who came to Miami alongside Connor Norby in the deal sending Trevor Rogers to Baltimore, Stowers broke out with a career-best .288/.368/.544 batting line (149 wRC+) and 25 home runs in only 457 plate appearances last year. He’d very likely have topped 30 home runs and perhaps even garnered some down-ballot MVP votes had an oblique strain not shelved him for about six weeks and limited him to 117 games.

Stowers struggled against lefties, hitting only one of his 24 round-trippers against a southpaw, and he’s probably not going to maintain a .356 average on balls in play. That, coupled with his 27.4% strikeout rate, might  lead to some regression in his rate stats. But even if Stowers doesn’t hit for a particularly high average, his 10.5% walk rate and strong batted-ball metrics suggest he ought to be able to post a quality on-base percentage with plus power contributions.

There’s no major urgency for Miami to complete a deal at this time. Stowers remains under club control for another four seasons and will play the upcoming 2026 campaign at age 28. Any extra seasons tacked on via a contract extension would begin with his age-32 campaign. Miami already controls the slugger for the majority of his remaining prime seasons, so it’s understandable if they’re wary of going particularly long-term on the late-blooming slugger — even on the heels of an All-Star campaign. At the same time, Stowers will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next winter. His gaudy power output should lead to a nice year-one salary in arbitration, which will lessen some of his own urgency to take anything that feels significantly below market value.

Stowers’ path from a well-regarded but somewhat blocked prospect in Baltimore to a starter in Miami is one that fellow outfielder Owen Caissie will hope to follow in 2026. The former Cubs top prospect, acquired as the headliner in this offseason’s Edward Cabrera trade, chatted with SportsGrid’s Craig Mish (video link) about the emotions of being traded and the excitement over what’s clearly a more straightforward path to playing time in South Florida.

“I thought I was pretty blocked,” said Caissie in reply to Mish asking him about the opportunity (or lack thereof) with his former team. “…Chicago is pretty stacked. It’s pretty tough for a guy to break through. There’s a big payroll and everything like that. … The Cubs have had a great squad the last couple years.”

Opportunities have indeed been limited for young outfielders in Chicago. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have been mainstays on the roster for several years. Cody Bellinger was with the Cubs from 2023-24. The acquisition of Kyle Tucker plugged him into an everyday role in 2025 (after Bellinger’s departure), and Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as the primary center fielder (and won’t often be subbed out, due to his brilliant defense).

Caissie has far fewer obstacles in front of him with Miami. Stowers will occupy one corner, and Jakob Marsee is penciled into center after an impressive two-month run to close out the 2025 season. Caissie, who slashed .286/.386/.551 with 22 homers in 99 Triple-A games last year, is the on-paper favorite for work in right field but will likely still need a nice performance in camp to earn the spot rather than have it handed to him.

Elsewhere in camp, there’s at least some mild concern regarding right-hander Janson Junk. The 30-year-old righty had his own breakout showing in Miami last season and is vying for a rotation spot this spring, but he rolled his ankle Tuesday during workouts and was in a walking boot yesterday, De Nicola writes. The team was sending Junk for imaging to determine how severe any damage might be.

Junk, who described himself as “day to day” with the ankle issue, is on his sixth team since 2021 but turned in 110 innings of 4.17 ERA ball for Miami last year. Sixteen of his 21 appearances were starts. He fanned 17.9% of opponents against a microscopic 2.9% walk rate. Whether he ends up being named Miami’s fifth starter or heads to the bullpen for a swing role, Junk figures to make the Opening Day roster as long as he’s healthy. He’s out of minor league options and thus can’t be sent to Triple-A without clearing waivers, which wouldn’t happen after last year’s solid performance.

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