Angels Re-Sign Joey Lucchesi On Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed reliever Joey Lucchesi to a minor league contract. He’d been released from his previous deal yesterday, presumably after triggering an opt-out clause.
Lucchesi has been on and off the roster since the end of Spring Training. He was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal, opting out when San Francisco informed him he wouldn’t make the roster. Lucchesi signed a big league deal with the Halos and was on the Opening Day club. He was designated for assignment a couple weeks into the season.
The 6’5″ southpaw cleared waivers, elected free agency, then returned on a minor league deal. He was called back up in late April and the cycle repeated itself. Lucchesi returned on a second minor league contract after another quick DFA and free agent stint. He has made five MLB appearances this year, allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi has logged 18 frames with Salt Lake. He carries a 4.50 earned run average with a strong 28% strikeout rate against a manageable 9.9% walk percentage. They’re decent numbers overall, though he issued three walks and gave up two runs in his most recent appearance. He’ll re-join Tayler Saucedo and the just optioned Sam Aldegheri as depth options with the Bees. The Halos are carrying Drew Pomeranz, Brent Suter and Mitch Farris in the big league bullpen.
Rule 5 Update: June Edition
MLBTR checks in with periodic updates on last offseason’s Rule 5 class throughout the year. There have been a few changes since our most recent check-in during the first week of the regular season. Four players who were on their selecting team’s roster at the time have since lost their spots.
Rule 5 draftees must remain on a team’s major league roster or injured list for the entire following season. If they spend less than 90 days on the active roster, the stipulations carry into the following year. A team that carries a Rule 5 pick for the entire year — plus the 90-day active roster requirement — gets the player’s full contractual rights.
If the drafting team wants to remove the player from the MLB roster, they need to trade or waive them, giving all other clubs an opportunity to take on the Rule 5 requirement. Most DFA’d Rule 5 picks will clear waivers and then need to be offered back to their original organization for $50K — half of what the drafting team paid the previous club to make the selection in December. The original organization gets the player back without requiring a 40-man roster spot. They almost always take the player back, though it’s not universal (as we’ll see with one member of this year’s Rule 5 group).
There were 13 players selected in last year’s draft. Only three remain on the active roster, but two of them have had significant impacts. A right-hander who entered the season with almost zero minor league experience is now a de facto starter for the defending American League champions. Another draftee’s hot start to his MLB career factored into a team’s willingness to trade their two-time Gold Glove catcher.
Two more players remain with their drafting team on the injured list. The other eight were pushed off the roster, but one worked his way back to the Majors via a circuitous journey this week.
On Drafting Team’s Active Roster
- Spencer Miles, Blue Jays RHP (selected from Giants)
Miles was probably the most surprising pick in this year’s class. A fourth-rounder by the Giants out of Missouri in 2022, he has thrown 14 2/3 career minor league innings. Miles had a back injury shortly after the draft, then underwent Tommy John surgery. He returned last year in the Arizona Fall League but had two career appearances above rookie ball, both in Low-A.
The Giants left him unprotected, reasoning that no team would roll the dice on a player with such scant experience. It might’ve made sense for a rebuilding team to take a flier on a pitcher with a 96 mph sinker and a plus curveball, hoping to stash him in low-leverage relief. However, Miles was selected by an all-in Jays team coming off an AL pennant. What were the odds they’d actually be willing to keep him on the roster?
High enough, it turns out. The Jays carried Miles as their final reliever out of camp. He rewarded their faith in low-leverage spots while building up to 2-3 inning stints. Toronto’s rotation became progressively more decimated by injury. By May, they’d reached a point where Miles was essentially in the rotation. He might pitch behind an opener and would only work around four innings, but he was pitching every fifth day and logging the biggest workload of any Toronto pitcher on that day.
The 6’3″ righty has pitched quite well. Miles carries a 3.47 ERA with league average strikeout and walk rates and a near-56% grounder percentage over 36 1/3 innings. The Orioles knocked him around in his most recent appearance, but he’d reeled off 15 1/3 frames of one-run ball in his preceding four outings.
It’ll be interesting to see how John Schneider manages Miles’ workload throughout the season. They’re probably not going to have him throw 100+ innings. Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, José Berríos, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce are all on the IL. Berríos and Ponce are done for the year, while Bieber still seems around a month off.
- Daniel Susac, Giants C (selected from A’s via trade with Minnesota)
Susac was the A’s first-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Arizona. He hit 18 homers in Triple-A last season, batting .275/.349/.483 over 407 plate appearances. That’s actually middling production in an extremely offense-friendly Pacific Coast League environment. Susac struck out at a 27% clip while chasing a lot of pitches off the plate.
The A’s have Shea Langeliers entrenched behind the dish. They opened the season with journeyman Austin Wynns in the backup role, leaving Susac off the 40-man roster. The Giants jumped the Rule 5 draft order by sending rookie ball catcher Miguel Caraballo and cash to the Twins, who held the fourth pick.
Susac broke camp as the backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey. He played sporadically in April but seemed to collect two or three hits every time he was in the lineup. Bailey was hitting terribly as part of an overall punchless San Francisco offense. Susac went on the injured list with ulnar neuritis on April 20. By the time he returned in the middle of May, the Giants had traded Bailey to the Guardians for the #29 pick in this year’s draft and depth arm Matt Wilkinson.
The Giants didn’t make the trade based entirely on two weeks of strong performance from Susac, but he was no doubt part of the consideration. They briefly carried another rookie catcher, Jesús Rodríguez, and are now operating with a Susac-Eric Haase combination.
Susac is hitting .323 in his first 70 plate appearances. He has thrown out seven of 16 stolen base attempts. There’s a decent chance that MLB pitchers will be able to exploit his aggressiveness over a larger sample, and it’s much too soon to declare Susac the Giants’ catcher of the future. He has a knack for hitting line drives, though, and his stock is certainly higher than it was coming into the year.
- Ryan Watson, Red Sox RHP (selected from Giants via trade with A’s)
The 28-year-old Watson has had a winding career arc. A former undrafted free agent, he came up through the Orioles’ system and spent the past couple seasons with the Giants. Watson posted strong strikeout and walk numbers in Triple-A last year to catch the attention of the Red Sox. They swung a deal with the A’s, who held the #8 pick, trading minor league infielder Justin Riemer for Watson’s draft rights.
Boston stuck with Watson through an ugly April in which he gave up 13 runs across 17 2/3 innings. He has started to find his footing in May, allowing seven runs over 16 frames while doubling his strikeout rate. The overall season line still isn’t particularly good: a 5.35 ERA, 19.2% strikeout rate, and six home runs across 33 2/3 innings (1.60 HR/9).
Of the three players in this group, Watson seems the least likely to hold his spot all season. He gets a lot of extension and has a five-pitch mix which the front office clearly likes, but almost all of his work thus far has come in mop-up situations.
On Major League Injured List
- Carter Baumler, Rangers RHP (selected from Orioles via trade with Pittsburgh)
Baumler broke camp and made four appearances before going down with an intercostal strain in early April. He had a setback while trying to rehab last month and is without a clear return timeline. Baumler has only logged 11 of the necessary 90 days on the active roster. A long-term injury could carry the Rule 5 restrictions into next season if the Rangers keep him.
- RJ Petit, Rockies RHP (selected from Tigers)
Petit, the #1 selection, blew out in Spring Training and underwent Tommy John surgery. He’ll spend the entire season on Colorado’s injured list and at least pick up a $780K MLB salary. The Rockies will need to decide whether to reinstate him to the 40-man roster or offer him back to Detroit at the beginning of the offseason. If they hold him, he’ll need to log at least 90 days in their MLB bullpen in 2027 to stick around.
On New Team’s MLB Roster
- Zach McCambley, Reds RHP (selected by Phillies from Marlins)
The Phillies took McCambley out of the Miami system. They returned him at the end of Spring Training after he had more walks than strikeouts in camp. The Fish accepted McCambley back but wound up trading him to the Reds in mid-May for outfielder Rece Hinds. Cincinnati called him up yesterday as they cycle through middle relievers.
The Coastal Carolina product has yet to make his MLB debut. He has a 2.37 ERA with a 31% strikeout rate and 15% walk percentage across 30 1/3 Triple-A innings this year. The Reds are not subject to any Rule 5 restrictions because McCambley already passed through waivers and was returned to his original club in March. They’ll likely shuttle him up and down from Triple-A Louisville throughout the season.
DFA Limbo
- Matt Pushard, RHP (selected by Cardinals from Marlins)
Pushard is currently in DFA limbo after St. Louis designated him for assignment over the weekend. The 28-year-old reliever lost six weeks to patellar tendinitis in his right knee. He made six appearances for St. Louis, allowing five runs (four earned) with a 6:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over seven innings. The Cards have been surprisingly competitive and evidently felt they could make a better use of that bullpen spot. Assuming he clears waivers, the Marlins will likely accept him back.
Returned To Original Organization
- Alexander Alberto, RHP (returned to Rays by White Sox)
Alberto, the second of the White Sox’s Rule 5 picks, struggled in camp and was returned to the Rays midway through Spring Training. He’s pitching well out of the bullpen at Double-A Montgomery, working 22 innings of 2.86 ERA ball with a huge 35.2% strikeout rate.
- Griff McGarry, RHP (returned to Phillies by Nationals; subsequently traded to Dodgers)
McGarry has monster stuff but has never been around the strike zone. It was more of the same in Spring Training. Despite the Nationals having one of the worst bullpens in MLB, they returned him to the Phillies at the end of camp. Philadelphia traded him to the Dodgers a few weeks later for $500K in international bonus pool space, which went towards their $1.2MM agreement with South Korean amateur pitcher Chan-min Park.
Over 18 Triple-A appearances between the Philly and Dodger organizations, McGarry holds a 5.51 earned run average. He has 24 strikeouts but has walked 22 batters and hit two more in just 16 1/3 innings.
- Jedixson Paez, RHP (returned to Red Sox by White Sox)
Paez was the first of Chicago’s Rule 5 selections and went second overall. Unlike Alberto, he broke camp. It was a leap to expect him to stick all year without having previously pitched above High-A, however. Paez gave up six runs over three innings and was returned to Boston in early April. The Red Sox assigned him to Double-A Portland and have been gradually building him back up as a starter. He has allowed eight runs over 14 2/3 innings across six appearances in his first stint at that level.
- Peyton Pallette, RHP (returned to White Sox by Guardians)
A former second-round pick, Pallette had a flawless camp to earn a middle relief spot with the Guardians. He pitched well in April and looked like one of the better finds in the class, but his command backed up after that. Pallette had nine walks and strikeouts apiece over eight innings in May. Cleveland moved on last week, swapping him out for long man Logan Allen.
Pallette went unclaimed on waivers over the weekend. The White Sox assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte, where he worked around a walk to throw a scoreless inning yesterday. Pallette had a 29.3% strikeout rate in Triple-A last season and could get a look from Chicago later in the summer if he’s around the zone.
- Cade Winquest, RHP (returned to Cardinals by Yankees)
The Yankees carried Winquest for the first couple weeks of the season as part of a nine-man bullpen. They never got him into a game and pushed him off the roster when they needed a fifth starter as the schedule picked up. The Cardinals assigned Winquest to Triple-A Memphis and have used him as a reliever after he’d been a starter throughout his career. He missed a month to injury and has only made seven appearances, allowing five runs despite 13 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings.
Declined By Original Organization
- Roddery Muñoz, Astros RHP (selected from Reds)
Muñoz was an unconventional Rule 5 selection. While most draftees have no MLB experience, he’d pitched in the Majors with the Marlins and Cardinals from 2024-25. Muñoz had just signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati when Houston snagged him in the Rule 5. He had a strong spring and broke camp but was bombed for seven runs in four innings over three regular season outings.
The Astros designated Muñoz for assignment in early April. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land. The Reds evidently preferred not to send the $50K to bring him back, which isn’t all that surprising considering he’d spent a total of one week during the offseason as part of the organization. Muñoz has a 4.58 ERA with a 31% strikeout rate across 19 2/3 Triple-A frames. Houston’s bullpen has been a disaster but should be in a little better shape with Josh Hader and Nate Pearson back from the injured list.
White Sox’ GM Chris Getz Discusses Deadline Approach
The White Sox are probably the most surprising team in playoff position through the season’s first two months. Chicago takes a 32-28 record into tonight’s game in Minnesota, placing them three games up on the competition for the second AL Wild Card spot. They’re only a game and a half back of the Guardians in the AL Central.
Chicago’s front office surely anticipated taking a step forward after their third straight 100-plus loss season. They added Munetaka Murakami to the middle of the order and took a handful of one- and two-year fliers on the pitching staff. That said, even they probably didn’t project this team as an especially likely playoff team entering the season. They’ve been in rebuilding mode for the entirety of Chris Getz’s three-year tenure as general manager.
The Sox now find themselves in a different spot as teams sketch out their preliminary trade deadline trajectories. Should they look to move prospect capital for MLB talent this summer to aid a potential unexpected playoff push?
Getz spoke with Chad Jennings of The Athletic last week, indicating the front office’s focus remained on the longer term. “It’s never been about 2026. It isn’t. It’s still very big picture,” Getz told Jennings. At the same time, he mentioned that the club is “starting to really have this winning kind of mindset.” That may be changing the front office’s approach just a few days later, as Getz has already somewhat walked back last week’s comments.
“We are focused on 2026. I know I have stated that it’s not about 2026, but this team is playing really good baseball,” the GM said on Tuesday (link via James Fegan of Sox Machine). “We know where we are in the standings, both within the division and Wild Card, and we’re monitoring it. If there’s opportunities to add to this — we have higher hopes than just 2026 because we want to have a continual winner here — but if there’s chances to really add to this group, we’re going to do that.”
Getz didn’t tip his hand on what the front office would prioritize. That’s fairly easy to project from the outside. The Sox have had a top 10 offense overall and are tied for third in home runs behind the Yankees and Braves. They’re tenth in on-base percentage and fifth in slugging. Pitching has been the relative weakness, as they’re 19th in earned run average and 20th in strikeout rate.
Chicago can use help in both the rotation and the bullpen. Starting pitching figures to be the biggest priority, as there are a couple obvious areas to upgrade at the back end. Davis Martin has had an excellent season to cement himself as the staff’s top arm, tonight’s ugly start at Target Field notwithstanding. Sean Burke and Anthony Kay have been capable mid-rotation arms.
Re-signing Erick Fedde on a $1.5MM reclamation deal hasn’t worked, while top prospect Noah Schultz hasn’t been efficient enough in his first eight MLB starts. Schultz landed on the injured list with patellar tendinitis last week but should be back after a short-term absence. Another prospect, David Sandlin, has drawn his first two big league starts in the interim. If the Sox remain in contention, they figure to add at least one starter to take over Fedde’s spot.
The bullpen has found its footing to an extent after a poor April. Second-year righty Grant Taylor is a weapon at the back end. Sean Newcomb, Seranthony Domínguez and Bryan Hudson are all effective and in the mix for leverage roles. They could use another arm or two in the middle innings, however.
There’s not as much to be done on the position player side assuming Murakami and Kyle Teel are back from injury, though they’ll probably explore the outfield market. Sam Antonacci has taken over left field and quickly hit his way to the top of the lineup as a strong on-base threat. They’ve gotten good work from Tristan Peters in center field, but he entered the season without any real big league track record. Right field has been a revolving door, currently falling to a Rikuu Nishida/Randal Grichuk platoon.
Getz told Fegan that the Sox expect to get a look at outfield prospect Braden Montgomery this season. Acquired alongside Teel and Chase Meidroth in the Garrett Crochet deal, the 23-year-old Montgomery is hitting .281/.366/.461 over 23 Triple-A contests. He mashed in a similar amount of Double-A playing time before getting the bump to Triple-A in early May.
Even if the Sox bring Montgomery up before the trade deadline, they could look for a left-handed hitting outfielder from outside the organization. Montgomery is a switch-hitter who can play center or right field. Although the Sox presumably would want him playing regularly once he’s up, there’d likely be some growing pains. Between that and the potential for Peters to take a step back offensively, adding some kind of veteran outfield help makes sense.
None of that means the front office is likely to deal from the top of the farm system. The prospect cost for a back-end starter, middle relief help and/or complementary outfield bat should all be fairly manageable. It’s still too early to delineate many clear buyers and sellers, but Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy and Trevor Larnach are among lefty-hitting outfielders who seem likely to be available.
Giants’ Grant McCray, Christian Koss Diagnosed With Fractures
The Giants provided updates on a pair of injured minor leaguers on Tuesday (via Evan Webeck of The California Post). Infielder Christian Koss has a broken left wrist and outfielder Grant McCray fractured the hamate bone in his left hand/wrist. McCray is undergoing surgery on Thursday, while Koss will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Koss and McCray both occupy spots on the 40-man roster. They’re two of San Francisco’s four position players on optional assignment. Outfielder Will Brennan and rookie catcher Jesús Rodríguez, both of whom were just sent down, are the only healthy options. The Koss injury explains why the Giants selected Buddy Kennedy yesterday when they wanted an extra infielder off the bench.
McCray was optioned to begin the season and has spent the entire year with Triple-A Sacramento. He’s hitting .237/.360/.370 with four home runs across 211 plate appearances. McCray appeared in 59 big league contests between 2024-25 as a depth outfielder, batting .185 while striking out 67 times in 156 trips.
Koss spent the first six-plus weeks on Tony Vitello’s bench. He only tallied 15 plate appearances over 10 games before being optioned in mid-May. Koss suffered the injury after three Triple-A games. He hit .264/.309/.368 over 76 games as a rookie in 2025. San Francisco could place either player on the 60-day injured list if they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Yankees Move Prospect Carlos Lagrange To Bullpen For 2026
The Yankees are moving pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen in Triple-A, as first reported by Jack Curry of The YES Network. Manager Aaron Boone subsequently confirmed the decision while adding that the team still hopes to develop Lagrange as a starter in future seasons.
“We definitely view him long term as a starter,” Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). “But in the 2026 lens, there’s a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward.” Boone added that the Yankees will need to take “several weeks” to get Lagrange accustomed to working in shorter stints and pitching on an every other day basis.
That’ll take place with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It’ll still be at least a few weeks before Lagrange is an option at the MLB level. It’s clear the Yankees are targeting a midseason promotion for the fireballing 23-year-old, who certainly has the stuff to be a late-inning weapon if he’s around the strike zone. They’ll ideally feel comfortable bringing him up a few weeks before the trade deadline, as that could factor into their urgency to add external bullpen help.
Lagrange has averaged 98.9 mph on his fastball while working as a starter. There’s a decent chance he’ll be sitting in the triple digits in shorter stints, as he’s been clocked up to 103. He’s carrying a pedestrian 4.41 ERA through 49 Triple-A innings despite a 29% strikeout rate. Lagrange has walked more than 11% of opponents while averaging less than five innings per start.
The fastball is one of the best in the minors. Prospect evaluators also praise his breaking stuff, most notably his slider. Baseball America and Eric Longenhagen/Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs each ranked Lagrange the #4 prospect in the Yankees system over the winter. Both outlets felt he was likeliest to end up in the bullpen given his subpar control but write that he has closing upside in that capacity.
The Yankees seem likely to look for another high-leverage arm to join David Bednar, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick in relief. Bednar, an impending free agent, has had an inconsistent season in the closer role. New York could get Clarke Schmidt back late in the year to work in a relief capacity and/or consider Ryan Weathers in the bullpen if they’re concerned about his workload.
Garrett Crochet Diagnosed With Low-Grade Lat Strain
Garrett Crochet has been diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told the Boston beat after tonight’s loss to Baltimore (relayed by Christopher Smith of MassLive). Last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up went for an MRI after reporting lingering shoulder tightness over the weekend.
A low-grade strain is relatively encouraging news all things considered, though it’ll obviously delay Crochet’s return to action. Tracy said he’ll resume a throwing program once he’s asymptomatic. The two-time All-Star has been out of action since April 26 due to shoulder inflammation. He has been limited to six starts on the season and carries a 6.30 ERA, mostly due to a nightmare outing against the Twins on April 13.
Crochet has been on the 15-day injured list but stands as a candidate for a 60-day IL transfer if the Sox need a 40-man roster spot. That’d backdate to his original IL date, so 38 days have already elapsed. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready for MLB action within the next three weeks even if this proves a brief shutdown.
The Sox have five starters on the injured list. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval all began the season on the IL; Johan Oviedo joined them there after one appearance. Tracy told reporters (including Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald) that Sandoval will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester this week. Crawford, meanwhile, is being pulled back slightly after yet another bout of forearm tightness. Neither player has pitched in an MLB game since 2024, with Sandoval still awaiting his team debut.
Meanwhile, shortstop Trevor Story discussed his rehab process from last week’s sports hernia surgery with Ian Browne of MLB.com. The veteran infielder floated an 8-12 week recovery timeline, a little longer than the initial 6-10 week estimate. Marcelo Mayer has moved to shortstop since the injury, leaving second base to utility types Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Sogard.
Angels Release Joey Lucchesi
The Angels announced they’ve released lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi from his minor league contract. He’d spent the past month at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lucchesi has been on and off the roster since the end of Spring Training. He was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal, opting out when San Francisco informed him he wouldn’t make the roster. Lucchesi signed a big league deal with the Halos and was on the Opening Day club. He was designated for assignment a couple weeks into the season.
The 6’5″ southpaw cleared waivers, elected free agency, then returned on a minor league deal. He was called back up in late April and the cycle repeated itself. Lucchesi returned on a second minor league contract after another quick DFA and free agent stint. He has made five MLB appearances this year, allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi has logged 18 frames with Salt Lake. He carries a 4.50 earned run average with a strong 28% strikeout rate against a manageable 9.9% walk percentage. They’re decent numbers overall, though he issued three walks and gave up two runs in his most recent appearance.
The Angels didn’t specify whether Lucchesi triggered an opt-out in his deal. That seems plausible, as June 1 is a common opt-out date for veterans on minor league contracts. In any case, the team opted not to bring Lucchesi back into an MLB bullpen that already has Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter. Long relievers Mitch Farris and Sam Aldegheri, the latter of whom was recalled today, also throw from the left side.
MLBPA’s Bruce Meyer Comments On League’s First Economic Proposal
Last week provided an early preview of the expected forthcoming offseason lockout. The MLB Players Association made its first collective bargaining proposal to the league on Wednesday. MLB countered with its initial proposal one day later, one that confirmed the longstanding expectation that the league is looking to incorporate a salary cap/floor system in the next CBA.
Readers can find the details of each side’s proposal at the above linked posts. Neither has a chance of being approved by the opposite party. They’re notable only insofar as they provide an insight into each side’s priorities as negotiations get underway. It behooves both to stake out maximalist stances this early in the process.
MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer held a video chat with reporters (including Alden González of ESPN and Evan Drellich of The Athletic) on Monday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, Meyer was less than enthused with what the league put forward. “I thought they would try harder to make it look good, and they didn’t even do that.”
Meyer reiterated the union’s firm opposition to a salary cap, which he called “a form of institutionalized collusion.” MLB’s proposal included what the league deemed to be a 50-50 revenue split between players and ownership. That reportedly would’ve included a $245.3MM cap and $171.2MM floor. A portion of player salaries would be held in escrow in case the league underperformed revenue expectations to maintain the 50-50 balance. The NHL and NBA have used similar setups.
“Using MLB’s definition of revenue and player share as set forth in their proposal and their presentation to us, player share under their proposal would go down,” Meyer said. “Player share for this season, 2026, is projected to be well over 50%, using, again MLB’s definitions of revenues and what counts against player share.” He claimed that if the league’s proposal had been in place for the 2026 season, players would have made roughly $500MM less than they actually will.
League spokesman Glen Caplin responded to Meyer’s comments via a prepared statement. “Our salary cap-and-floor proposal addresses our fans’ concerns by leveling the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50-50 like the other leagues. Under our proposal, major league players will receive more compensation in year one of the system than in 2026,” Caplin said. That’d ostensibly be due to the need for various teams to raise payroll to meet the salary floor.
The union would presumably dispute that assertion. It also seems notable that Caplin’s statement specified “major league players” while Meyer focused on “player share” more broadly. Meyer said the union anticipates the league will propose cuts to spending on amateur signing bonuses, though he added that MLB has not yet done so. “They projected MLB players’ payroll in ’27, ’28, would be flat,” he noted. “The only way to get to even those numbers would be to drastically reduce or eliminate amateur entry compensation, both domestic and international.”
MLB has traditionally looked to curtail spending on amateur players in previous bargaining agreements. The Players Association doesn’t formally represent them until they enter professional ball. The PA does take amateur players into account, as a player’s initial signing bonus can impact their later professional earnings. A player who signs for a modest bonus as an amateur may be more inclined to lock in earnings on an early-career contract extension, for example. That can have a trickle-down effect on free agency.
There’s nevertheless a tension for the Players Association between balancing the interests of amateur and minor league players — the latter of whom are now under the MLBPA umbrella after unionizing in 2022 — against those of major leaguers. The MLBPA had traditionally been willing to make concessions on tightening amateur spending (e.g. accepting hard caps on international bonus pools in 2016) for more immediate benefits for big leaguers. They started to move away from that under the ’22 agreement — most notably in rejecting the league’s offer to agree to an international amateur draft in exchange for the elimination of the qualifying offer, which adds penalties for teams that sign certain free agents.
Interested readers can find more of Meyer’s comments in the linked pieces from ESPN and The Athletic. Jeff Passan of ESPN notes that commissioner Rob Manfred is likely to meet with the media on Wednesday at the end of the quarterly owners meetings. It stands to reason Manfred will restate some of the league’s talking points and provide a response to Meyer’s media session.
It’s worth reiterating that public combativeness on both sides was always to be expected. The 2021-22 lockout featured months of this kind of squabbling. This set of negotiations is likely to be even more contentious. MLB is making its first formal cap push since the 1994-95 players strike; the players’ initial proposal called for a much higher luxury tax threshold and far more revenue sharing that’ll be opposed by bigger-market clubs.
Caplin’s statement added that the league is “ready to listen if the MLBPA wants to counter our proposal at the bargaining table.” Meyer said no talks have currently been scheduled but would be soon, even if to negotiate on areas aside from core economics.
D-Backs’ Cristian Mena To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Diamondbacks right-hander Cristian Mena will undergo shoulder surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Monday (link via Jesse Borek of MLB.com). It’ll likely end his 2026 season before it began.
Mena will go nearly two full years without making an appearance. He first landed on the injured list last June with a teres major strain that shelved him for the remainder of the ’25 season. Mena aggravated the injury over the winter and began this year on the injured list. He tried a throwing program at the end of April but apparently is still battling discomfort.
After exhausting all other options, the 23-year-old heads to surgery. Mena will spend the entire season on the 60-day injured list. Arizona will need to either reinstate him onto the 40-man roster or place him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason.
Mena was a relatively low-profile signee by the White Sox out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. He quickly worked his way up the minors and became one of the organization’s more intriguing pitching prospects. Chicago swapped him to Arizona for outfielder Dominic Fletcher going into the ’24 season. The trade hasn’t really worked for either club. Fletcher was a replacement level performer for two years and is now in the Pittsburgh system on a minor league contract. Mena started one game in 2024 and made three relief appearances last season. He has allowed five runs across 9 2/3 innings as a big leaguer.
Baseball America and FanGraphs respectively ranked Mena 11th and 10th in the Arizona farm system over the offseason. Both outlets credit him with a solid four-pitch mix headlined by his curveball with the potential for league average command. It’s a potential back-end starter profile on talent, but the durability concerns could push him to relief. Mena also missed time in 2024 with a forearm strain and will have thrown a combined 150 minor league and MLB innings between 2024-26.
Pirates Trade Justin Lawrence To Twins
The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pirates for cash. Pittsburgh designated the right-hander for assignment last week. Minnesota already had an opening on the 40-man roster and doesn’t need to make a corresponding move tonight.
Lawrence is out of minor league options, so the Twins will need to add him to the MLB roster. They’ll need to demote a pitcher once he reports to the team. Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Yoendrys Gómez are Minnesota’s three in-house relievers who can’t be optioned.
It’s the latest dart throw for a patchwork Minnesota bullpen. Twins relievers are 25th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate (above only the Nationals). They also had one of the highest walk rates in May. That was expected given the personnel, as the Twins have done very little to replace the various relievers they shipped out at last year’s deadline.
Lawrence is a 31-year-old sinkerballer who carries a 5.32 earned run average across 22 innings this season. He has a league average 23.6% strikeout rate against an elevated 11.3% walk percentage. Lawrence sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and has a swing-and-miss breaking ball. He has been held back by below-average command and missed the bulk of the 2025 season due to elbow inflammation.
Minnesota assumes the approximate $800K remaining on Lawrence’s $1.225MM arbitration salary. He’d be under club control for another two seasons if he pitches well enough to hold his roster spot.