Yankees Designate Cade Winquest For Assignment
April 10th: The Yanks have made it official, announcing that Gil has been recalled and Winquest has been designated for assignment.
April 9th: The Yankees are designating Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest for assignment, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The righty didn’t get into a game during his two weeks in New York’s bullpen.
That’ll evidently be the corresponding move for tomorrow’s recall of Luis Gil. Manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend that the Yankees would bring Gil up this week. He’s listed as the probable starter opposite Steven Matz for Friday’s series opener against the Rays. The 13-pitcher limit meant an arm from the MLB roster had to be squeezed out.
The Yankees had the luxury of running a four-man rotation for the first couple weeks based on their number of available off days. Gil joins Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers in the rotation. They needed to drop from nine to eight in the bullpen. Brent Headrick has pitched too well to be sent down. Jake Bird has been sharp as well aside from one ugly outing against Miami on Sunday. Fernando Cruz and Camilo Doval are their only other relievers with minor league options.
Rather than option a more trusted reliever in Bird, the Yankees move on from Winquest. The 25-year-old didn’t have a great spring, allowing nine runs (eight earned) with eight strikeouts and four walks across 10 innings. It was a surprise that he broke camp at all.
The Yankees clearly liked some of what they saw but didn’t find a scenario where Boone felt comfortable bringing him into a regular season game. Teams generally use Rule 5 picks as low-leverage relievers, especially early in the season before they’ve gained a manager’s trust. All four of New York’s losses have been by one run, games in which they could certainly have come back. They’ve had three blowout wins, but two came behind long outings from Fried and one followed an off day so the rest of the bullpen was fresh.
They’ll have five days to trade Winquest or place him on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be offered back to the Cardinals. The former eighth-round pick had previously spent his entire career in the St. Louis organization. He has worked as a minor league starting pitcher and combined for a 3.99 ERA across 106 innings between High-A and Double-A last year. Unless another team is willing to keep him on the MLB roster, he’ll head back to his original club without requiring a spot on the 40-man roster for St. Louis.
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good evening, hope you're all doing well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let's get it rolling
Guest
- Despite his low EVs and 1st percentile bat speed, Jacob Wilson's elite bat-to-ball skills helped him to compete for a batting title his rookie season. But so far in 2026 his hacktastic 'swing at everything' ways have gotten him a .196/.196/.255 slash line that has not been the result of bad luck. Given what he did in 2025 and what he is doing (in a 12 game sample) in 2026, what do you see for him as a hitter moving forward?
Anthony Franco
- Whiffs are up, relatively speaking, because he's really taking the 'swing at everything' approach to heart but it's a tiny sample and they're pressing up and down the lineup right now. Not worried about it and still think he's a true talent .300 hitter
- 13 homers again seems optimistic but 8-10 with 25 doubles is reasonable
Kevin Cash
- Is my job safe beyond 2026 if I can't right the ship for a 3rd straight year?
Anthony Franco
- They're the worst team in the AL East on paper and it's not like they've been disastrous over the past couple years. Unless new ownership just wants to shake things up, can't see why they wouldn't remain committed to Cash moving forward
Jordan
- I'm pleasantly surprised by the Braves start and if they're able to remain in the mix until the deadline who would be some realistic targets for them to go after that Profar money?
-
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Kansas City Officials Propose Royals’ Stadium Plan
The Royals have spent a few years trying to secure public funding towards a new stadium. Those efforts seem closer to reality. Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas announced this afternoon that his office has proposed an ordinance towards a $1.9 billion investment plan for a new stadium and surrounding infrastructure in the Washington Square Park area in downtown Kansas City. Sam McDowell and Kacen Bayless of The Kansas City Star first reported the news in a column which those in the area will want to read in full.
The proposal would authorize roughly $600MM in city funding towards the project. That’s independent of whatever money would come from the state. Last summer, Missouri passed a law that allows the state to fund up to 50% of major stadium construction projects.
That was geared not only towards the Royals but also the NFL’s Chiefs, who have sought a move out of Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs ultimately found what they consider a better deal with Kansas lawmakers. They announced in December they’ll proceed with plans to move over the state border in 2031 on a $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
Today’s news makes it seem there’s a decent chance the Royals will remain in Kansas City, Missouri. However, this is not any kind of binding arrangement. It’d still need approval from the City Council, to say nothing of an agreement from the Royals themselves.
The idea would be for the Royals to commit to a 30-year lease beginning in 2030. The team’s lease at Kauffman Stadium runs through 2030, but the mayor’s office evidently hopes to have the new stadium ready for play a year in advance. He told reporters this evening the hope is for construction to begin early in 2027.
The team has not formally weighed in on the terms. Owner John Sherman has generally voiced support for a downtown ballpark. The mayor tells The K.C. Star that this proposal was the result of “hours and hours of extensive discussion” with the team. Even if the Royals are on board with the city’s plans, the state’s contributions would still need to be sorted out. Notably, this proposal does not include plans for a public vote. In April 2024, Jackson County voters shot down a sales tax measure to fund Royals/Chiefs stadium projects via referendum.
The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since 1973. It’s the fifth-oldest active venue in MLB behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, and Angel Stadium.
A’s Notes: Rooker, Ginn, Perkins
The Athletics are sending Brent Rooker for imaging tomorrow, writes Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The slugger gestured toward his right side/hip area on a foul ball in the first inning of today’s win over the Yankees. Rooker exited the game after a brief conversation with trainers and skipper Mark Kotsay.
The preliminary diagnosis is right flank discomfort. The obvious concern is a potential oblique strain. Those usually require multi-week absences for hitters. Even moderate oblique strains can cost more than a month. The A’s will have a better idea tomorrow whether that’s in play.
Rooker has had a tough start to the season. He’s hitting .146 with 17 strikeouts in 49 trips to the plate. He did have a monster game against the Astros on Sunday, slugging both of his home runs and driving in six of his eight total RBI. He capped that game with a three-run, walk-off shot in the tenth inning off Bryan Abreu.
If Rooker needs an injured list stint, infielder Zack Gelof seems the favorite to replace him on the roster. The A’s scratched him from today’s Triple-A lineup. Gelof has been on an absolute tear to begin the minor league season, hitting .366 with a .519 on-base mark and four home runs over 54 plate appearances.
Gelof is primarily a second baseman and has gotten some outfield work this spring and in the minors. If Rooker misses time, the A’s could give 34-year-old second baseman Jeff McNeil some DH reps. Gelof or Carlos Cortes could grab some extra right field work if the A’s want to mix in a few semi-rest days for Lawrence Butler after last fall’s knee surgery.
The A’s took two of three from the Yankees this week. They’re staying in New York for a weekend set against the Mets. Former Mets draftee J.T. Ginn will start tomorrow’s series opener against Clay Holmes. It’ll be Ginn’s first start of the season after three relief appearances. The A’s needed a new fifth starter after optioning struggling righty Luis Morales earlier in the week. Ginn is seemingly getting the first opportunity.
Jack Perkins was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas before Thursday’s game, with Michael Kelly optioned out in a corresponding move. Perkins is up for the first time this season and seemingly ticketed for the long relief role which Ginn had played. The righty has worked 7 2/3 innings over three Triple-A appearances this year, striking out nine but issuing seven walks. Perkins started four of his first 12 big league outings last season. He turned in a 4.19 earned run average through 38 2/3 frames.
Angels Re-Sign Joey Lucchesi To Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a minor league contract. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lucchesi was designated for assignment over the weekend when the Halos needed a roster spot to promote George Klassen as a spot starter. He cleared waivers and elected free agency. After a brief return to the open market, he’ll circle back to the Halos. That’s a common outcome for veterans who have the service time to refuse an outright assignment.
The 32-year-old southpaw had a very brief stint with the MLB club. He signed a major league contract at the end of Spring Training and made three appearances. Lucchesi allowed five of six hitters to reach in his season debut. He followed up with a pair of scoreless outings but walked at least one batter in all of his appearances. He wound up issuing five free passes (four walks and a hit batter) across 2 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi spent last season with the Giants. He opened the year in Triple-A but was called up in the middle of June. He remained on the active roster for the final three and a half months, turning in a 3.76 ERA over 38 1/3 innings. Lucchesi got grounders at a 53% clip but had a modest 18.8% strikeout rate that led the Giants to drop him from the 40-man roster at season’s end. He returned on a minor league contract for Spring Training and was granted his release when the Giants picked up Ryan Borucki late in camp.
Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter are locked into Kurt Suzuki’s bullpen as veteran southpaws. The Halos recently recalled a third lefty, Mitch Farris, as a long reliever. Farris will probably be up and down from Triple-A throughout the season. Tayler Saucedo and Angel Perdomo are also in the organization on minor league deals.
Pirates Outright Enmanuel Valdez
The Pirates sent utility infielder Enmanuel Valdez outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, per the MLB.com transaction log. He evidently cleared waivers after being designated for assignment when the Bucs called up Konnor Griffin last week.
Pittsburgh acquired Valdez from Boston over the 2024-25 offseason in a DFA trade that sent minor league pitcher Joe Vogatsky to the Sox. He spent a month as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman while Spencer Horwitz was working back from wrist surgery. Valdez hit .209/.294/.363 across 31 games before sustaining a season-ending dislocation of his left shoulder, which required surgery.
Valdez is healthy but no longer had much of a path to playing time on the Pittsburgh infield. Horwitz has established himself as the primary first baseman. They acquired Brandon Lowe to play second and have Griffin up at shortstop. Third base is still a question mark, especially with Jared Triolo shelved by a knee injury, but Valdez had dropped below Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales on the infield depth chart.
The 27-year-old Valdez owns a .230/.288/.392 batting line in a little less than 500 MLB plate appearances. He didn’t hit during Spring Training and is out to an 0-10 start with five punchouts through four Triple-A games. He doesn’t have the service time or previous career outright to elect free agency. Valdez will remain at Indianapolis, where he’d begun the season on optional assignment, and try to shake off the rust offensively. He’d qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if the Bucs don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.
Diamondbacks Re-Sign Joe Ross To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks re-signed righty Joe Ross to a minor league contract. He has been assigned to Triple-A Reno, where he’s back in action.
Ross had a brief stay on the open market after electing free agency earlier in the week. Arizona had designated him for assignment. It’s common for veterans in his position to decline an outright assignment but re-sign on a new minor league deal. Those can come with a higher minor league salary or opt-out/upward mobility opportunities that might not have been present had they accepted the outright.
The 32-year-old Ross broke camp in a long relief role after signing a minor league contract in February. He worked a perfect inning in his season debut but was knocked around over the next two appearances. Ross gave up six runs without getting through an inning against the Tigers on March 30. He surrendered three walks and a Mauricio Dubón homer in a blowout loss to Atlanta two days later.
Ross has plenty of starting experience but has worked as a multi-inning reliever for the past year-plus. He posted a 5.12 ERA across 51 innings out of the Philadelphia bullpen last season. Ross worked in relief of pitching prospect Mitch Bratt tonight in his first appearance with Reno. He gave up six hits and four runs, including a two-run homer to Trey Mancini, across 2 1/3 frames.
Gabriel Arias To Miss 4-8 Weeks With Moderate Hamstring Strain
The Guardians will be without shortstop Gabriel Arias for 4-8 weeks, the team announced. The infielder suffered a moderate strain of his left hamstring while legging out a double during Monday’s loss to the Royals.
Arias started 10 of Cleveland’s first 11 games at shortstop. He connected on a couple home runs but otherwise hasn’t contributed at the plate, batting .200 with 12 strikeouts in 32 plate appearances. That’s usual for Arias, who strikes out as much as any regular in MLB. He’s in the lineup for his above-average glove.
Brayan Rocchio slides over from second base to replace Arias as the regular shortstop. Rocchio has ample shortstop experience and should be a steady if unspectacular hand there. The bigger change comes at second base, where the Guardians called up prospect Juan Brito when placing Arias on the injured list yesterday.
The switch-hitting Brito has hit well throughout his minor league career and is out to a 4-8 start with a couple doubles as a big leaguer. There’ll be a defensive downgrade in the middle infield, though, as scouts have long been cool on Brito’s glove. He committed an error on a routine grounder in this afternoon’s win over Kansas City. Skipper Stephen Vogt could lean on Daniel Schneemann as a defensive upgrade late in games. Schneemann also projects as the backup shortstop if Rocchio needs a day off.
Arias will be sidelined into May and may be down into June. There’s a chance that top second base prospect Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in 2024, is up by that point. Bazzana is out to a relatively slow start in Triple-A, though playing in cold weather in April is probably a factor. Aside from Chase DeLauter, Cleveland hasn’t hit much in the early going. They’re nevertheless out to an 8-5 start with series wins over the Dodgers, Cubs, and Kansas City behind excellent work from the starting rotation.
Zach Eflin Undergoes UCL Surgery
The Orioles announced that Zach Eflin underwent UCL reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery today. He’ll miss the rest of the season and probably at least the first half of 2027.
Things had seemingly been trending in this direction. Eflin, who turns 32 today, left his season debut citing elbow discomfort. The team announced last week that he was going for a second opinion, implying the initial prognosis wasn’t good. The reexamination evidently confirmed the ligament damage that required surgical repair.
It’s another injury-wrecked season for Eflin, a mid-rotation caliber starter who has an unfortunately checkered health history. He battled chronic knee issues early in his career with Philadelphia. Eflin stayed mostly healthy between 2023-24 despite intermittent back discomfort, combining for a 3.54 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate over 343 innings between the Rays and Orioles.
The more significant injuries have resurfaced over the past two seasons. Eflin sustained a lat strain early in 2025. That shelved him for a month. He quickly returned to the injured list with lower back discomfort. After a brief reinstatement, he underwent season-ending lumbar surgery. Eflin made an encouraging return from that procedure and entered this season with no restrictions, but he could only complete 3 2/3 frames before his elbow gave out.
Baltimore re-signed Eflin to a one-year, $10MM free agent contract last offseason. That’ll go down as an unfortunately lost investment. Eflin, whom the O’s have already moved to the 60-day injured list, will return to the open market at season’s end. He’ll likely look for a two-year deal to cover his rehab season. That might need to be a minor league contract given his age and recent durability record.
Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt remain Baltimore’s top four starters. They recalled lefty Cade Povich as a potential fifth starter on Sunday. He was needed in relief of Bassitt, who was shelled and only made it through two innings against the Pirates. Povich tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in relief. Brandon Young made a spot start on Monday and was optioned back to Triple-A postgame.
The O’s are off tomorrow and list Baz, Bassitt and Povich as the probable starters for their weekend series against the Giants. Rogers and Bradish, who started the final two games of this week’s series against the White Sox, would line up early next week against the Diamondbacks. It seems they’ll give Povich first look as Eflin’s replacement in the rotation. Young and Dean Kremer are on optional assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.
Free Agent Power Rankings: Players #11-15
Last week, MLBTR took our first look at the top 10 players (based on predicted earning power) in the 2026-27 free agent class. There's always a lot of volatility this early in players' walk years. That's especially true of next year's group, which has a clear headliner in Tarik Skubal but is otherwise light in high-end talent.
MLBTR's free agent rankings are an attempt at consensus between Steve Adams, Darragh McDonald, Tim Dierkes and myself. There's usually overlap within the top handful of spots, but our individual lists typically start to differ within the back half of the top 10. The second and third tiers of free agents become more muddled and personal preferences come more into play. Skubal was a consensus pick at #1, and we each had Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette in some order at #2 and #3. It diverged from there.
For example, Steve Adams had Trevor Rogers as his #4 free agent, while I had Rogers outside my personal top 10. (The Baltimore lefty ended up at #5 in the consensus ranking.) There's not much separation between players at the back of the top 10 and the best of the honorable mentions. With that in mind, let's take a look at five players who landed just outside the top 10. Most of these players had some support from at least one MLBTR writer for making the list, and any of them could plausibly jump into future iterations based on their performance over the next few months.
Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays
If we were ranking players by the projected annual value of their next contract, Gausman would probably have landed in the top five. The two-time All-Star should do very well on a per year basis. It's nevertheless difficult to see him getting to a nine-figure deal when he'll turn 36 next January. There hasn't been a four-year deal for a 36-year-old free agent pitcher in almost 20 years.
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