Where Can The Marlins Look For Shortstop Help?
2024/01/where-can-the-marlins-look-for-shortstop-help.htmlShortly after it was reported that the Blue Jays had a two-year, $15MM deal in place with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald relayed that the Marlins were "down the road with IKF but not at 2/15." He added that the club may have to use Jon Berti and other internal options to cover the shortstop position, with the club not strongly linked to any big free agent, though a trade is still possible. … Kim is somewhat similar to Adames, as he's a good player but a rental.
Looking For A Match In A Jorge Polanco Trade
2023/12/looking-for-a-match-in-a-jorge-polanco-trade.htmlPirates: The Pirates evidently are looking to add a second baseman to their infield mix given their reported interest in a reunion with Adam Frazier, and the addition of Polanco would likely move the needle far more for the fourth-place club in 2024 should they hope to contend for the NL Central this season. … That's good for ninth among qualified second baseman during that time span, just ahead of household names such as Gleyber Torres and Ozzie Albies.
Braves, Red Sox Trade Chris Sale For Vaughn Grissom
2023/12/braves-red-sox-trade-chris-sale-for-vaughn-grissom.htmlOn the heels of consecutive last-place finishes in the AL East, Craig Breslow replaced Chaim Bloom as the team's chief baseball officer, and Breslow now has his first true blockbuster trade as a front office executive. … While the southpaw may never get back to his past elite form, Sale's 2023 performance at least indicated that he still has a good deal left in the tank as he enters his age-35 season, provided that he can just stay on the field.
Blue Jays Interested In Gio Urshela
2023/12/blue-jays-interested-in-gio-urshela.htmlMost of Urshela's action came at third base in place of the injured Anthony Rendon, and the vast majority of Urshela's playing time in his eight MLB seasons has been as a third baseman. … Despite these good numbers, the Twins dealt Urshela to L.A.
Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
2023/12/managers-top-front-office-executives-on-expiring-contracts-5.htmlRed Sox: Alex Cora is entering the final year of his contract, and the Red Sox are coming off a pair of last-place finishes in the AL East. … It seems like a lock that the Rays will at least exercise that club option and seek out another multi-year deal, and Cash has a good case to argue for a Counsell-esque contract.
Free Agent Faceoff: Jordan Hicks/Robert Stephenson
2023/12/free-agent-faceoff-jordan-hicks-robert-stephenson.htmlThat was not only the highest rate in MLB over that stretch, it was nearly eight percentage points above second-place Felix Bautista. … He lost a good portion of the '21 campaign to continued elbow inflammation, while a flexor strain in his forearm cost him a chunk of the '22 season.
How NL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2023
2023/12/how-nl-teams-have-addressed-their-weakest-positions-of-2023.htmlA Matt Mervis/Patrick Wisdom/Christopher Morel combination is currently in place at the cold corner, yet it doesn't feel like the Cubs are going to just stand pat the position. … Atlanta's everyday players were so good and so durable that the bench didn't get much of a chance to even hit the field, even as late-game subs.
Marc Narducci: My Hall Of Fame Ballot
2023/12/marc-narducci-my-hall-of-fame-ballot-3.htmlThis was an extremely difficult baseball Hall of Fame ballot because it causes debate over those who prioritize longevity over others who place emphasis on shorter-term excellence. … (How a person fares on other ballots doesn’t impact this vote, but it is good to note how close or far somebody is from being elected).
Mets Sign Trayce Thompson To Minor League Deal
2023/12/mets-sign-trayce-thompson-to-minor-league-deal.htmlFanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.5 wins above replacement, a solid tally for barely half a season. … If he gets added to the roster at any point, he is out of options but has just over four years of major league service time, meaning he could be retained next year if he gets back in good form.
Dodgers, Rays Discussing Deal Involving Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot
2023/12/dodgers-rays-discussing-deal-involving-tyler-glasnow-manuel-margot.htmlMargot could also be a late-game defensive replacement for Chris Taylor in left, and he's good insurance in center field, should James Outman sustain an injury at any point. … His slider has generated good results thus far in the big leagues, but scouting reports from his prospect days have characterized that offering as a bit below average, giving him the feel of a two-pitch righty who's lacking a third solid offering.
Giants Sign Jung Hoo Lee To Six-Year Deal
2023/12/giants-jung-hoo-lee-agree-to-six-year-deal.htmlThe ability to sign an everyday player who is just 25 years of age doesn't occur very often, and the widespread interest in both Lee and Yoshinobu Yamamoto shows that clubs place value on that youth. … There were good reasons for such a target.
Red Sox Interested In Whit Merrifield
2023/12/red-sox-interested-in-whit-merrifield.htmlIt's possible the club doesn't want to go over the $237MM base threshold for the CBT after a last place finish in the East and with a new decision maker just hired, but that could still leave something like $60MM of wiggle room if they are willing to get near the line. … Christopher Morel could be a good fit but he still has five years of control remaining and the Cubs seem to be trying to use him to pull off a big trade for someone like Pete Alonso or Tyler Glasnow.
Red Sox Rumors: Second Base, Rotation, Turner, Outfield
2023/12/red-sox-trade-rumors-second-base-rotation-yamamoto-severino.htmlAs one would expect for a newly hired baseball operations leader who's trying to turn around a last-place team, Breslow has plenty of balls in the air at the moment. … this week, though only the former is an option in center field (and a very good one, at that).
Yankees Acquire Juan Soto In Seven-Player Trade
2023/12/padres-trade-juan-soto-trent-grisham-yankees.htmlIt's a bold push on the part of ownership and the front office after a fourth-place finish in the AL East. … It comes at the cost of a good chunk of their upper level pitching depth and significant cash.
Breslow: Red Sox Will Be “Aggressive” In Search For Rotation Upgrades
2023/12/red-sox-trade-rumors-aggressive-rotation-free-agency.htmlNew Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has a tall task ahead of him, trying to bring a fifth-place club back into contention in a stacked AL East. … The Twins have had some success stories with late-round starters, as both Bailey Ober and Louie Varland have reached the Majors and held their own (a good bit more than that in the case of Ober, a 12th-rounder).
Braves Sign Penn Murfee, Jackson Stephens To Major League Deals
2023/11/braves-penn-murfee-agree-to-major-league-contract.htmlIf he sticks on the roster for the rest of the offseason, they could place him on the 60-day injured list whenever they need a 40-man spot from the start of Spring Training onward. … He'll miss a good portion of next season as a result.
White Sox Designate Adam Haseley For Assignment
2023/11/white-sox-dfa-adam-haseley.htmlAnother club in search of a lefty bat with some speed and contact skills who can handle all three outfield spots could place a waiver claim or acquire him in a small trade, but Haseley's lack of minor league options would put that new team in the same spot. … The speedy outfielder walked in 8.9% of his plate appearances, showed good bat-to-ball skills with a 16.6% strikeout rate and went 10-for-14 in stolen base attempts in his 72 games at that level.
White Sox Sign Paul DeJong
2023/11/paul-dejong-nearing-major-league-deal-with-white-sox.htmlBut it's possible he's not too far away and DeJong may just be a placeholder. … A couple of weeks ago, general manager Chris Getz said the club would be looking for a veteran with good defense to take over for Anderson, ideally on a short-term deal to bridge the gap to prospect Colson Montgomery.
Reds PBO Nick Krall Downplays Idea Of A Jonathan India Trade
2023/11/reds-pbo-nick-krall-downplays-idea-of-a-jonathan-india-trade.htmlSo we decided this was probably best for our organization, to move on and let him find a place where…… That’s a good thing," Krall said.
Royals Sign Four To Minor League Contracts
2023/11/royals-sign-four-to-minor-league-contracts.htmlIt seems quite possible that a handshake deal was in place for Cox to rejoin the Royals, as he was only DFA'ed yesterday and quickly passed through waivers, so he'll now get to rehab in a familiar environment. … Cessa has gotten by with some good whiff and chase rates despite the low strikeout totals, and he had been good at limiting heavy contact in the form of barrels prior to 2023.
The Opener: MVP Awards, Relocation Vote, Trades
2023/11/the-opener-mvp-awards-relocation-vote-trades.htmlIn the American League, voting is expected to be dominated by Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar who won the award in 2021 and fell just short of repeating in 2022 with a second-place finish. … Now perhaps the greatest free agent in MLB history, Ohtani slashed .304/.412/.654 -- good for an MLB-leading 180 wRC+ -- while leading the AL with 44 homers at the plate.
Brandon Hyde, Skip Schumaker Named Managers Of The Year
2023/11/brandon-hyde-skip-schumaker-named-managers-of-the-year.htmlHe was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, while Adley Rutschman reinforced his place as an elite catcher in his second big league campaign. … How much of that is attributable to good sequencing is up for debate, although it stands to reason voters are giving Schumaker credit for his successful handling of the bullpen in so many late-game situations.
Latest On Astros, Alex Bregman
2023/11/latest-on-astros-alex-bregman.htmlHe already had a 2019 salary in place, with that deal covering the 2020-2024 seasons. … Since then, Bregman has settled in a bit below that level, still a very good player but not quite MVP caliber.
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: GM Meetings Edition
2023/11/shohei-ohtani-rumors-gm-meetings-edition.htmlThe offseason kicked into gear this week with the General Manager Meetings taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona. … “We’ve got a good amount of payroll flexibility,” Zaidi said, “so anybody that we think can be an impact player for us, even on a long-term deal, we’re going to be looking at.” Daniel Kramer of MLB.com covered Ohtani from the Mariners' perspective, highlighting that Dipoto was much more vocal in his interest back when Ohtani was first coming over in 2017.
Nationals Hope To Add Pitching This Offseason
2023/11/nationals-hope-to-add-pitching-this-offseason.htmlBut he will likely continue to hold a place based on his contract. … Stone Garrett also had a good year but finished it on the injured list due to a fractured leg.