Injury Notes: Albies, Suzuki, Basabe, Gipson-Long
2024/04/injury-notes-albies-suzuki-basabe-gipson-long.htmlThe Athletic's David O'Brien writes that the Braves expect Albies' absence to be closer to one month as opposed to the three months he lost when he broke his foot during the 2022 season. … Albies has been a big part of that, hitting .317/.386/.492 with a pair of longballs over his first 70 plate appearances.
Red Sox Extend Ceddanne Rafaela
2024/04/red-sox-ceddanne-rafaela-extension.htmlTrevor Story, David Price, Lucas Giolito). … As shown in MLBTR's Contract Tracker, the pre-arbitration extensions for Rafalea and Bello mark a notable change in philosophy from a Red Sox club that has eschewed long-term deals for players who are relatively unproven in the big leagues.
Tejay Antone To Undergo MRI For Elbow Problem
2024/04/tejay-antone-to-undergo-mri-for-elbow-problem.htmlAfter the game, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Antone will get an MRI to evaluate the soreness in his right elbow. … Since Opening Day 2022, however, Antone has thrown only 7 2/3 innings at the MLB level, and it remains to be seen if his arm can hold up long enough for the righty to deliver on his early-career promise.
Offseason In Review: Chicago Cubs
2024/04/offseason-in-review-chicago-cubs-16.htmlDavid Ross was fired in the process. … Cody Bellinger has been conspicuously absent from this post thus far, and that's because Bellinger reportedly sought $200MM or more on a long-term deal.
Latest On Cubs, Cody Bellinger
2024/01/cubs-notes-bellinger-hendricks-bullpen.htmlWith Josh Hader and Robert Stephenson having recently come off the market, the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Matt Moore, David Robertson and Hector Neris represent the best remaining bullpen options in free agency. … While Crow-Armstrong may benefit from more development time at the Triple-A level (where he's logged just 34 career appearances) after he went hitless in his first 19 trips to the plate in the majors last fall, the presence of Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ on long-term deals in the outfield corners could complicate the Cubs' long-term outlook in the outfield if Bellinger does return.
Offseason Outlook: Chicago Cubs
2023/10/offseason-outlook-chicago-cubs-13.htmlAmaya hit well enough overall in his 156 plate appearances, though he did not receive consistent playing time from manager and former catcher David Ross. … Along with this post, Tim Dierkes held a live Cubs-centric chat.
Offseason Outlook: Cincinnati Reds
2023/10/offseason-outlook-cincinnati-reds-14.htmlThe Reds signed manager David Bell to a three-year extension in July. … They're no longer upstarts.
Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts On Ross, Hendricks, Payroll
2023/10/cubs-chairman-tom-ricketts-on-ross-hendricks-payroll.htmlCubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently gave manager David Ross a public vote of confidence, seemingly confirming that Ross would return for 2024 (the final guaranteed year of the skipper's contract). … While "there was a lot of excitement and the organizational health is as strong as it’s been in a long, long time," Ricketts also said "I don’t think that we want to start calling seasons we don’t make the playoffs good seasons.
Previewing The 2023-24 Free Agent Class: Righty Relievers
2023/09/previewing-the-2023-24-free-agent-class-righty-relievers.htmlFarmer parlayed a minor league deal with the Reds in the 2021-22 offseason into a regular role in David Bell's bullpen. … The longtime White Sox hurler has averaged 98.4 mph on his heater in 2023 and is in his third straight season with a mid-3.00s ERA (or better).
Red Sox Recall David Hamilton For Major League Debut
2023/06/red-sox-recall-david-hamilton-for-major-league-debut.htmlInfielder David Hamilton was recalled in a corresponding move. … Nonetheless, Hamilton will provide the club with another middle infield option for as long as Reyes needs to rest.
Alex Verdugo Open To Extension With Red Sox
2023/06/red-sox-rumors-alex-verdugo-extension.htmlWhen the Sox were clearly not going to extend Mookie Betts, they flipped him and David Price to the Dodgers for a package of players headlined by Verdugo. … Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo is currently slated to become a free agent after the 2024 season but is open to staying in Boston longer.
Kyle Wright Expecting To Miss Significant Time
2023/05/kyle-wright-expecting-to-miss-significant-time.htmlBraves right-hander Kyle Wright spoke to members of the media today, including David O'Brien of The Athletic, saying that he expects to remain on the injured list longer than his teammate Max Fried. … He doesn't provide a specific estimate but it's a notable guess given that there was no previous timeline for Wright and the reported plan for Fried is to shut him down for long enough that he'll need to completely build back up from scratch.
Veterans With Upcoming Opt-Outs On Minor League Deals
2023/03/veterans-with-upcoming-opt-outs-on-minor-league-deals.htmlOne spot will go to a backup catcher, leaving three spots for Odor, Adam Engel, Jose Azocar, Brandon Dixon, Matthew Batten, Tim Lopes and David Dahl. … Pillar, 34, has long been known as a glove-first outfielder.
The Braves’ Fifth Starter Competition
2023/03/the-braves-fifth-starter-competition.htmlAnderson told reporters last week he's working on a new slider to try to add a weapon to deal with righty batters (link via David O'Brien of the Athletic). … He had a longer run in Gwinnett, starting 17 of 18 games.
NL Central Notes: Reynolds, Pirates, Brewers, Cubs
2023/02/nl-central-notes-reynolds-pirates-brewers-cubs.htmlCubs manager David Ross spoke to reporters yesterday, including MLB.com's Matthew Ritchie, regarding youngster Christopher Morel's role as he heads into what will be his second season in the majors. … While the sides were around $50MM apart in previous discussions and Reynolds went as far as to request a trade back in December, since reporting to camp last week Reynolds has reiterated that he would still be interested in extending his stay in Pittsburgh, so long as a deal that's fair for all parties is presented.
The Cubs’ Third Base Options
2023/02/cubs-rumors-third-base-patrick-wisdom-christopher-morel.htmlThe only other player with even 100+ trips to the dish as a third baseman, David Bote, lost his spot on the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason. … He's long flashed promising power but posted higher than average strikeout totals throughout his time in the minors.
Previewing The 2022-2023 Free Agent Class: Right-Handed Relief
2022/11/previewing-the-2022-2023-free-agent-class-right-handed-relief.htmlDavid Phelps (36): Phelps soaked up 63 2/3 frames for the Blue Jays with a 2.83 ERA. … He got flipped to the Phillies at the deadline and continued along similar lines.
How The Phillies Built Their NL Championship Team
2022/10/how-the-phillies-built-their-nl-championship-team.htmlRealmuto, Jean Segura, Brandon Marsh, Noah Syndergaard, Kyle Gibson, David Robertson, Zach Eflin, Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs, Jose Alvarado, Nick…… For casual fans who may be only getting to know Dominguez and Suarez this postseason, it may be surprising to learn that they are longtime organizational mainstays.
Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Braves
2022/11/offseason-outlook-atlanta-braves-11.htmlThey're not completely averse to the idea, though, as David O'Brien of the Athletic writes that Grissom has been working one-on-one with renowned infield coach Ron Washington to try to hone his shortstop skills. … The former #1 overall pick earned his first All-Star nod this past season and fits right alongside Javier Baez and Trevor Story -- each of whom secured $140MM guarantees with opt-out clauses last winter -- as free agent shortstops heading into their age-29 seasons.
Offseason Outlook: Chicago Cubs
2022/10/offseason-outlook-chicago-cubs-12.htmlDavid Bote, 3B: $10.5MM through 2024. … Stroman is a good player to have for '23, but he'll essentially be in a contract year and thus isn't a long-term piece.
Offseason Outlook: Cincinnati Reds
2022/10/offseason-outlook-cincinnati-reds-13.htmlManager David Bell will return for a fifth season, but a good chunk of his coaching staff will be overhauled. … They stockpiled high draft picks along the way, and they began to push forward midway through the 2019 campaign.
Offseason Outlook: Arizona Diamondbacks
2022/10/offseason-outlook-arizona-diamondbacks-12.htmlChris Martin, Adam Ottavino and David Phelps are veteran righties coming off quality seasons and heading to free agency. … Long one of the game's more consistent relievers, the 37-year-old is on the downslope of his career and coming off a third consecutive season with a well below-average swinging-strike rate.
Ricketts: Cubs “Making Progress” In Rebuild, Plan To Be “Active” In Free Agency
2022/08/cubs-owner-progress-rebuild-active-free-agency.htmlHe praised manager David Ross' ability to keep the roster "playing hard," lamented some injuries on the pitching staff that have rendered the rotation less competitive than hoped, and cited the number of one- and two-run games in which the Cubs have been involved as evidence of how close his club is to competing. … There has again been speculation about the Cubs diving headlong into this offseason's market and signing one of the premier free-agent shortstops available: Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson.
Deadline Recap: National League
2022/08/mlb-trade-deadline-recap-national-league.htmlVeteran reliever David Robertson strengthens a middle-of-the-pack bullpen and takes the place of struggling veteran Jeurys Familia, who was designated for assignment. … It's an on-its-face odd move for a serious contender to trade away its most dominant player, but it's also the sort of tough decision small-market teams (a la the Rays) have had to make to keep a contention window open for as long as possible.
2022 Top 60 Trade Candidates: Late July Edition
2022/07/2022-top-60-trade-candidates-late-july-edition.htmlDavid Robertson, RP, Cubs… David Peralta, OF, D-Backs