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NBC Makes Offer For Broadcasts Currently Carried By ESPN

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In February, MLB and ESPN each triggered an opt-out clause in their broadcasting agreement for the 2026-28 seasons. That means that as things stand, this is ESPN’s final year carrying MLB games. The network carries an exclusive regular season game every Sunday night, the Home Run Derby, and the Wild Card round of the postseason.

Joe Flint and Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal report that NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, made MLB an offer this month for the package of games from which ESPN walked away. The length of the offer isn’t clear, nor are specifics on the rights fees. However, The Wall Street Journal reports that NBC’s offer was for “much less” than what ESPN currently pays. In February, Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that ESPN would have owed $550MM annually for the 2026-28 seasons had it not opted out.

Obviously, ESPN determined that price was above market value when it opted out. The network said at the time that it was “open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.” Diamond and Isabella Simonetti of The Wall Street Journal reported in March that ESPN had indicated it was willing to pay a maximum of $200MM per season during renegotiations leading up to the opt-out date. MLB balked, and the sides agreed to terminate the contract after this season. NBC’s offer is evidently for well below $550MM per year. It’s unclear if it tops the $200MM annual sum which ESPN had floated.

ESPN has carried Sunday Night Baseball since 1990 and the Home Run Derby since ’93. It has broadcast the Wild Card round since that was introduced with the expanded playoff in the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. It seems NBC is interested in acquiring all three of those, though Flint and Diamond write that NBC is not pursuing international/radio rights or access to highlight clips that ESPN currently receives (partially justifying the lower bid).

NBC has an agreement with the National Football League for its Sunday Night Football slate. Last July, it reached an 11-year contract with the National Basketball Association for a package of 100 regular season games and the NBA All-Star Game. (That goes into effect during the upcoming basketball season.) According to The Wall Street Journal report, the network would stream some of its MLB games on its Peacock service when those games conflict with its other live sports. Those interested in the topic are encouraged to read the Wall Street Journal’s report in full.

Jean Segura Retires

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Longtime MLB infielder Jean Segura has retired, according to a social media post from his representatives at CAA. Segura last appeared in the majors in 2023 and spent time in Triple-A with the Orioles last season.

Segura had an accomplished 12-year big league run. The Dominican Republic native signed as an amateur with the Angels in 2007. He was one of the sport’s top prospects when he debuted with the Halos in July 2012. Segura played one game, then was traded to Milwaukee less than a week later as the centerpiece of the prospect package for Zack Greinke.

The Brewers immediately installed Segura as their starting shortstop. He held that role for the next three and a half seasons. His first full season was his best in Milwaukee, as he hit .294 to earn an All-Star selection. His production plummeted between 2014-15. The Brewers moved on before the ’16 season, moving him to the Diamondbacks in a deal for starter Chase Anderson and minor league second baseman Isan Díaz.

Segura only spent one season in the desert, but it was the best year of his career. He led the National League with 203 hits while posting a .319/.368/.499 line over 694 plate appearances. He set personal highs in all three slash stats. He tallied a career-high 41 doubles and hit 20 home runs for the only time. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each credited him with over six wins above replacement.

Fantastic as Segura’s season was, his greatest impact on the Arizona organization came the following winter. They packaged him alongside Mitch Haniger to Seattle for Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker. Marte is on track to spend over a decade with the Snakes and has become one of the best players in franchise history.

The Mariners signed Segura to a five-year, $70MM extension midway through his first season in the Pacific Northwest. He would only spend one year of that contract in Seattle, though he remained an above-average regular during his time there. He hit .300 or better in both years and slashed .302/.345/.421 in nearly 1200 plate appearances overall. He was on the move again during the 2018-19 offseason. The M’s dealt him to Philadelphia in a deal that netted J.P. Crawford.

The move worked out well for both clubs. Crawford has developed into Seattle’s long-term answer at shortstop. Segura was a solid regular over four seasons with the Phils — first at shortstop, then for three seasons at second base. He hit .281/.337/.418 in 427 games in a Philadelphia uniform. It was his second-longest run with one team, trailing his early-career stint in Milwaukee. It also afforded him the only playoff experience of his career. Segura was a regular throughout the Phils’ pennant run in 2022, though he hit .214 in 17 postseason games.

Philadelphia bought out Segura’s $17MM club option for the 2023 season. That sent him to the free agent market for the first time. He signed a two-year, $17MM contract with the Marlins to move to third base. The deal did not pan out, as he hit .219/.277/.279 across 85 games for the Fish. They traded him to the Guardians in a salary swap for Josh Bell at the ’23 deadline. Cleveland immediately released him, and Segura’s final game as a Marlin turned out to be his last in the big leagues.

While his last season didn’t go well, Segura can look back on a very good major league career. He finishes with a .281/.327/.401 batting line in more than 1400 games. He topped 1500 hits, connected on 110 home runs, and stole 211 bases. Segura drove in 513 runs and scored 737 times. He hit .300 on three occasions, made a pair of All-Star Games, and received down-ballot MVP votes for his year in Arizona. Baseball Reference calculates his lifetime earnings close to $106MM. He was a part of five notable trades, two of which remain consequential today. MLBTR congratulates Segura on his run and wishes him the best in his post-playing days.

Image courtesy of John Geliebter, Imagn Images.

Giants Sign Andrew Knizner To Minor League Deal

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The Giants signed catcher Andrew Knizner to a minor league contract. The deal was first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He has already made his organizational debut, collecting hits in each of his first three at-bats with Triple-A Sacramento.

Knizner is picking up where he’d left off as a member of the Nationals organization. The 30-year-old had raked at a .382/.516/.500 clip with more walks than strikeouts over 23 games for their top affiliate. Washington nevertheless granted him his release over the weekend. Knizner was set to trigger an opt-out. The Nats preferred to stick with their current catching tandem of Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams rather than override the opt-out by calling him up.

While Knizner obviously isn’t going to keep up this pace, he’s a productive minor league hitter. He carried a .287/.379/.435 batting line over parts of four Triple-A seasons into play tonight. He has had a far tougher time against MLB pitching. Knizner is a career .210/.279/.317 hitter in almost 900 plate appearances at the big league level. He spent parts of five seasons backing up Yadier Molina and Willson Contreras, respectively, in St. Louis.

Knizner moved to Texas on a $1.825MM free agent deal heading into 2024. He spent most of the year as Jonah Heim’s backup, but he didn’t perform especially well. Knizner hit .167/.183/.211 over 35 games. Texas acquired Carson Kelly at the deadline and designated Knizner for assignment not long after. He landed with the Diamondbacks via waiver claim. His time in Arizona consisted of 22 Triple-A games. The Snakes outrighted him off their 40-man roster without getting him into a big league contest.

Patrick Bailey is entrenched as the starting catcher in San Francisco. Sam Huff hasn’t provided much in sporadic playing time as the backup. He’s hitting .200 with one homer and 22 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances. Knizner joins Max Stassi and Logan Porter as non-roster depth at Triple-A. Knizner has been the most productive of that trio in the minors this year, potentially positioning him as the top challenger if the Giants decide to move on from the out-of-options Huff at any point.

Giants To Place Justin Verlander On Injured List

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The Giants are placing Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list with a pectoral nerve issue, manager Bob Melvin told the teams’s beat after today’s loss to Kansas City (relayed by Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle). They haven’t announced a corresponding move.

Melvin indicated that the Giants are confident it’ll only cost Verlander two turns through the rotation (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). They can backdate the assignment to May 19, so he’d first be eligible to return on June 3. The veteran righty’s tenure in San Francisco has gotten out to a pedestrian beginning. He’s averaging just over five innings per start and has tallied a 4.33 earned run average in 10 appearances. He’s striking out only 18.2% of batters faced, though his 11.4% swinging strike rate is up from the 9-10% range of the previous two seasons.

It’s a moderate improvement over Verlander’s final season in Houston. He posted a 5.48 ERA with an 18.7% strikeout percentage through 90 1/3 innings. Injuries have become increasingly prevalent for the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer. Verlander began the 2024 season on the IL with shoulder inflammation. He was knocked back out in mid-June with a neck problem that was initially expected to be minor. It ended up costing him two months.

Verlander was rocked over seven starts after returning from the neck injury. He allowed more than eight earned runs per nine innings while opponents raked at a .322/.369/.483 clip. The Astros felt they couldn’t carry him on the playoff roster given the form he carried into October. It was an unfortunate end to an illustrious run in Houston. The three-time Cy Young winner signed with the Giants for $15MM as a free agent.

The Giants had operated with the same rotation for the season’s first six weeks. Verlander slotted alongside Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp and Jordan Hicks behind Logan Webb. They made an (arguably overdue) swap of Hicks for Hayden Birdsong over the weekend, pushing Hicks to the bullpen after he posted a 6.55 ERA through nine starts.

Verlander would have been lined up to take the ball on Saturday. The Giants have an off day tomorrow, so they could theoretically delay their decision on a fifth starter by a couple days if they wanted to move Ray up from Sunday’s start. They probably won’t move Hicks back to the rotation for what they expect to be a minimal absence from Verlander.

Kyle Harrison is in the big league bullpen after working out of the Triple-A rotation for much of the year. Prospect Carson Whisenhunt has a dominant 52:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio over nine starts in the minors. He’s not on the 40-man roster, though, so the Giants may not want to bring him up yet. Carson Seymour, Trevor McDonald and Mason Black are all in the Triple-A rotation and occupy 40-man roster spots. McDonald started yesterday, while Seymour is lined up to take the ball today, which probably rules them out for a promotion. Whisenhunt pitched on Monday; Black’s most recent start came last Friday.

Nationals Recall Robert Hassell III For MLB Debut, Place Dylan Crews On Injured List

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2:34pm: The Nationals have formally recalled Hassell from Triple-A Rochester and placed Crews on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.

May 21, 8:20am: Nats GM Mike Rizzo confirmed in an appearance on the Sports Junkies radio show this morning that Hassell is being promoted today (hat tip to TalkNats). He did not specify whether Crews or Young would be placed on the injured list.

May 20:  The Nationals are recalling outfielder Robert Hassell III for his MLB debut, as first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central. The Nats are dealing with a pair of injuries in their outfield. Jacob Young has been day-to-day with shoulder soreness since crashing into a wall on Saturday. More alarmingly, Dylan Crews exited tonight’s win over Atlanta with left side discomfort after a swing. Manager Dave Martinez said postgame that Crews would go for imaging tomorrow (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com).

Hassell becomes the fourth young player of the 2022 Juan Soto trade to suit up for the Nats. James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams all look like foundational pieces. (Veteran first baseman Luke Voit also played in 53 games down the stretch that year.) MLBTR’s Steve Adams looked back at the massive haul in a post for Front Office subscribers earlier this month.

Hassell was the #8 overall pick out of high school in 2020. He was batting .299 in High-A during his second full minor league season when he was traded. The 23-year-old’s prospect stock has dropped over the past few years. Hassell posted an OPS below .650 in consecutive seasons in 2023-24. He hit below .250 in each year with single-digit home run totals. He still ranked 12th among Washington prospects at Baseball America over the winter, but he’d been as high as #2 in the organization immediately after the trade.

Hassell is hitting .277/.327/.384 through 171 plate appearances this season with Triple-A Rochester. It’s his highest batting average since his 2021 season in the low minors, but there’s still an overall lack of impact. Hassell has four homers with a 7% walk rate. The average International League hitter owns a .251/.340/.402 batting line. Hassell is below that in both on-base percentage and slugging. To his credit, he has heated up since the calendar flipped to May. The lefty hitter has mashed at a .339/.381/.559 clip this month after putting up a .242/.296/.286 line through the end of April.

That hot streak combined with the Nats’ outfield injuries to get Hassell his first big league call. He’s already on the 40-man roster, as the Nats selected his contract last November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He’s the only center fielder who is on the 40-man and on optional assignment, making him a logical choice to come up. The Nats are holding out hope that Young will avoid the injured list, but a Crews IL stay seems likely.

White Sox Release Omar Narvaez

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The White Sox released catcher Omar Narváez from his minor league deal, according to an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate. He’d signed one month ago, his second non-roster contract of the year with the Sox.

Narváez has played in 15 games for Triple-A Charlotte, where he’d paired with top prospect Kyle Teel. The veteran hit .218/.317/.345 with a pair of homers in 63 plate appearances. Narváez had a brief stint on the big league roster immediately after Korey Lee went down with an ankle sprain. He only appeared in four games before the team pivoted to prospect Edgar Quero. Narváez was waived, elected free agency, then returned on the aforementioned second minor league deal.

Lee has been on a rehab assignment with Charlotte since May 9. Teams can keep an injured position player on a rehab stint for up to 20 days. The Sox will need to activate him by next week at the latest. They’ll need to decide whether to keep him in Charlotte on an optional assignment or carry him on the MLB roster, likely at the expense of out-of-options backup Matt Thaiss.

They could also option Quero back out, but he’s holding his head above water in his first MLB action (.267/.357/.302 in 98 plate appearances). Keeping him in the majors allows both Quero and Teel to continue developing defensively with the respective lion’s shares of playing time at catcher in MLB and Triple-A.

Narváez figures to look for a minor league opportunity elsewhere. The 33-year-old has appeared in 10 big league seasons. He developed into a solid #1 catcher for the Mariners and Brewers midway through that run, though his production has tanked over the past few seasons. He owns a .201/.278/.286 slash line since the start of 2022.

White Sox Notes: Robert, Wilson, Benintendi

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Luis Robert Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors for well over a year. With the White Sox in a full rebuild, it has felt like a matter of time before the 2023 All-Star would head elsewhere.

That has been complicated by Robert’s recent play. He missed a couple months early last year with a hip flexor strain and hit .224/.278/.379 with 14 homers in 100 games. The Sox held him over the offseason, maintaining a high asking price in hopes that he’d rebound and emerge as a key deadline trade chip. That hasn’t happened, as Robert’s numbers have only further spiraled. He goes into tonight’s game with a .186/.281/.308 line over 180 plate appearances. Robert has taken walks at a career-best 11.7% rate, but he’s striking out 29% of the time and not hitting for his usual amount of power.

Robert acknowledged that the lack of production is tanking his trade value. “Right now, as my season is going, I don’t think anybody is going to take a chance on me,” he told reporters through an interpreter (link via Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times). There are a little over two months for Robert to turn things around before the deadline. He remains a capable defensive center fielder and leads MLB with 17 stolen bases. Robert still has intriguing physical tools, but he hasn’t come close to his 2021-23 numbers (.287/.331/.511) in the batter’s box.

The Sox owe Robert what remains of his $15MM salary. He’s controlled via $20MM club options for another two seasons, but it’s increasingly difficult to see the team exercising those.

In other news out of Chicago, the Sox finalized their one-year deal with righty Adrian Houser this afternoon. He drew right into the rotation and held Seattle scoreless over six innings in a 1-0 victory for his team debut. Manager Will Venable confirmed that the Sox were moving Bryse Wilson back to the bullpen as a result of the signing (link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com).

Wilson had begun the year in relief but drew into the starting five after the Martín Pérez injury. He had a 5.28 ERA over 10 relief appearances. He struggled in four starts, surrendering 13 runs across 17 2/3 innings. Wilson is out of options, so the Sox needed to keep him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment. He’s likely to work as a long man.

Meanwhile, Andrew Benintendi began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte this evening. He went 0-4 with a strikeout while working as the designated hitter. Benintendi has been out for two weeks with a strained calf. He’d hit .224/.298/.400 with five homers through his first 24 games. Austin Slater is the primary left fielder in Benintendi’s absence.

Guardians Prospect Travis Bazzana Diagnosed With Oblique Strain

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The Guardians announced this afternoon that last year’s first overall pick Travis Bazzana has been diagnosed with a right internal oblique strain. The top second base prospect hasn’t played since suffering the injury last Wednesday. The team noted that such injuries usually sideline a player for eight to ten weeks, so Bazzana will be out into the second half of the season.

That obviously hurts his chances of reaching the big leagues before the end of the year. Top college draftees fairly regularly reach the majors by the end of their first full professional season. A pair of first-rounders from last year’s class, Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz, have already debuted. Sixth overall pick Jac Caglianone, a first baseman/outfielder in the Kansas City system, might not be far off after receiving a promotion to Triple-A today.

Bazzana, an Oregon State product, has spent the entire season at Double-A Akron. The lefty-hitting infielder carries a .252/.362/.433 line with four homers across 149 plate appearances. That’s well above-average in the extremely pitcher-friendly league. (The average Eastern League hitter owns a .229/.317/.366 slash line.) Bazzana is striking out at a somewhat worrying 26.2% clip, but he’d begun to find his stride at the plate. He was hitting .279/.392/.512 this month after posting a .238/.347/.393 mark in April.

Daniel Schneemann has stepped up as Stephen Vogt’s primary second baseman. The second-year utilityman already has six homers with a .265/.339/.500 slash across 110 plate appearances. Schneemann had played a multi-positional role off the bench early in the year. Gabriel Arias was starting at second base to begin the season, but he kicked over to shortstop when the Guards optioned the scuffling Brayan Rocchio last week.

Rangers Place Chris Martin On Injured List

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The Rangers placed Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19, with shoulder fatigue. Righty Cole Winn was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in the corresponding move.

Martin was removed from Sunday’s game against the Astros after throwing one pitch. That was the result of shoulder soreness, though it came less than a week after Texas had sent him for imaging after he experienced elbow discomfort. Martin did not end up missing any time with the elbow soreness after testing came back negative. The team has downplayed their concern over the shoulder issue as well, but it’s sensible that they’ll give him a couple weeks after a pair of arm issues in such rapid succession.

This will also serve as a potentially necessary rest opportunity for the veteran righty. Martin has made 22 appearances this season, two off the MLB lead. He’d pitched five times between May 11 and 18 alone, including on three straight days from May 11-13. That’s a lot to ask of any pitcher, especially one who is a couple weeks from his 39th birthday.

It’s also a testament to Martin’s continued effectiveness. He has turned in a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Martin has punched out 23 of 77 opposing hitters (29.9%) while remaining one of the sport’s best control artists. He has only issued one unintentional walk all year. Martin has collected nine holds and one save without blowing a lead. He’s alongside Robert Garcia and Jacob Webb as Bruce Bochy’s most trusted setup arms in front of closer Luke Jackson.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the moves shortly before the team announcement.

Cubs Activate Ian Happ, Option Moises Ballesteros

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2:35pm: The Cubs have announced the Happ/Ballesteros swap as well as Hodge landing on the IL. Right-hander Ethan Roberts has been recalled as the corresponding move for Hodge.

10:28am: The Cubs are welcoming Ian Happ back from the injured list for tonight’s game in Miami, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer tells the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. Rookie Moisés Ballesteros will be optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

That’s not the only forthcoming roster move. Manager Craig Counsell told Maddie Lee of The Chicago Sun-Times last night that Porter Hodge is heading to the 15-day IL with a left oblique injury. They could recall someone from Triple-A this afternoon to take Hodge’s bullpen spot, though it’s possible they’ll activate Ryan Brasier from his own IL stint instead.

The Happ/Ballesteros swap is a reversal of last week’s roster move. Chicago placed the veteran outfielder on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 10, with a left oblique strain. That was evidently very mild, as he’s back after a minimal stint despite the tendency for many oblique strains to linger for weeks. Ballesteros was called up for the first time. Hoyer said this morning that Ballesteros was aware at the time that it’d be a brief promotion no matter how well he played, as the Cubs always intended to send him back down once Happ returned from what they expected to be a minimal IL stint.

Ballesteros, 21, was raking at .368/.420/.522 clip over 34 games in Iowa. He’s a career .288/.371/.459 minor league hitter despite consistently being one of the youngest players at each level at which he’s appeared. He didn’t produce much in his first look at MLB pitching, going 3-16 with a pair of walks over five games. He hit a run-scoring single off the White Sox’s Yoendrys Gómez for his first big league hit on Friday and had his first multi-hit effort in last night’s loss to the Marlins.

The Cubs used Ballesteros strictly as a designated hitter over the past week. He’s a polished offensive player but needs to continue developing as a catcher in Iowa. Happ’s return to the lineup will push Seiya Suzuki back to DH from left field. Happ will presumably slot back at the top of the batting order. He’s hitting .269/.364/.381 through 187 plate appearances.

Hodge, 24, has been Counsell’s most frequent choice in high-leverage situations. He has allowed a 5.12 ERA through 19 1/3 innings. His 22.6% strikeout rate is way down from last year’s excellent 31.7% mark. It’s not especially strong production overall, though the lackluster ERA is mostly attributable to one six-run blowup at the hands of the Diamondbacks a month ago. He has allowed three earned runs in 9 2/3 frames since that appearance, albeit with six strikeouts and walks apiece.

Ryan Pressly entered the season as the Cubs closer. He has not pitched well and has not recorded a save since April 13. Hodge had been leading something of a committee approach to the ninth inning. Daniel Palencia has stepped up as one of Counsell’s more trusted late-game arms. The Cubs called on him for what would’ve been his first save of the season last night. He entered the ninth inning with a 7-6 lead and quickly recorded the first two outs before allowing a double, a walk, and a two-run walk-off triple to Jesús Sánchez.

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