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MLB Could Consider Allowing Big Leaguers To Participate In 2028 Olympics

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High-profile MLB agent Casey Wasserman met with team executives at this week’s owners’ meetings about the potential for MLB players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. While that push is in the very early stages, Drellich adds that some owners are “increasingly supportive” of the idea of sending big leaguers to the ’28 games in Los Angeles.

Baseball returned to the Olympics for the 2020 event in Tokyo (played in ’21 because of the pandemic). It is not on the docket for this year’s festivities in Paris. Baseball will return for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but it’s unclear whether MLB players would be allowed to participate. Players on a 40-man roster were not included for the 2020 Olympic festivities.

There seems at least some appetite to allowing MLB players to participate four years from now. Drellich notes that the success of the World Baseball Classic has assuaged some concerns about allowing MLB players to partake in international competition (although the most recent WBC obviously wasn’t without a couple serious injuries).

The most significant difference between the WBC and the Olympics is the timing. The World Baseball Classic is in March. The Olympics are scheduled to run from July 14 to 30, although baseball likely wouldn’t run for the full two weeks. The Olympics could partially overlap with the All-Star Break, allowing MLB to substitute those for the Midsummer Classic that year.

Nothing is set in stone. Even if MLB were on-board, there are other hurdles. The Players Association would need to sign off. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement that “The (MLBPA) would be willing to listen to any formal proposal related to baseball and the Olympics” (relayed by Drellich). There’d also be logistics to sort out with the International Olympic Committee. This far in advance, it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Orioles Acquire Nick Maton

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The Orioles have acquired infielder Nick Maton from the Tigers for cash considerations, both teams announced. Detroit had designated him for assignment on Monday when they claimed reliever Kolton Ingram from the Angels. The O’s now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

It’s the second time in recent weeks that the O’s swung a trade for an infielder squeezed off the roster in Detroit. Baltimore brought back Tyler Nevin in a January cash transaction after his DFA as well. They’ll again send some money to the Tigers to jump the waiver order and add to their infield depth.

Maton, who turns 27 later this month, had a disappointing year in Detroit. The Tigers acquired him from the Phillies among a three-player return for hard-throwing reliever Gregory Soto last offseason. Maton got a decent amount of early-season run but struggled on both sides of the ball. He hit .173/.288/.305 with eight home runs through a career-high 293 plate appearances. He also had a handful of costly defensive miscues and rated as a below-average defender at both second and third base.

Despite the sub-replacement level production, it’s unsurprising that someone was willing to take a flier on Maton. He responded well to a midseason optional assignment to Triple-A, hitting .293/.414/.457 over 38 minor league contests. Maton has demonstrated a very patient offensive approach throughout his career. He took free passes at a 15.4% rate in Triple-A and walked in 13% of his MLB plate appearances with Detroit.

Baltimore already has a strong collection of infield talent. Nevin and Maton join Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías on the 40-man roster. Baltimore shipped out Joey Ortiz in the Corbin Burnes trade but is expected to add Jackson Holliday to the MLB team early in the year, perhaps on Opening Day.

GM Mike Elias nevertheless told 105.7 The Fan yesterday (X link) that the front office felt there was room for a left-handed hitter who could factor in at second base. Westburg, a righty bat, is the projected starter. Adam Frazier, who worked as a lefty-swinging second baseman a year ago, departed in free agency.

Maton hits from the left side, so he could battle for that job in Spring Training. Like Nevin, he is out of minor league option years. Baltimore can’t send him to Triple-A without first trying to run him through waivers. There’s no guarantee he makes the team — it’s hard to envision both Nevin and Maton cracking the Opening Day roster — but there’s also little harm for the O’s in leveraging their vacancies at the back of the 40-man to add competition in Spring Training.

Mets Remain In Contact With J.D. Martinez

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February 7: Andy Martino of SNY wrote this afternoon that while the Mets have indeed stayed in touch with Martinez, there’s still a significant gap between the sides financially.

February 6: The Mets have had continued dialogue with J.D. Martinez’s camp at the Boras Corporation, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (X link). There’s no indication a deal is close or necessarily likely, but New York continues to evaluate the market for veteran hitters.

Last week, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reported the Mets were leaning towards relying on young bats like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos at the designated hitter spot. That came with the caveat that New York was amenable to jumping into the fray for a veteran free agent if the player’s asking price fell into the club’s comfort zone. It seems the front office is keeping in contact with Martinez regarding that possibility.

Martinez and Jorge Soler are the top unsigned DH options. While the latter has reportedly had recent discussions with the Giants, there’s not yet an agreement between the two sides. The Mets have only been loosely tied to Soler this offseason, while their reported interest in Martinez dates back to December.

A six-time All-Star, Martinez is coming off a strong year with the Dodgers. He connected on 33 home runs over 479 trips to the plate. His .271/.321/.572 batting line was his best since 2019. In a typical offseason, he might have received the qualifying offer from Los Angeles. The Dodgers knew they were preparing for a pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, so they didn’t chance a QO that could’ve tied up more than $20MM on another DH. Once Ohtani agreed to sign with L.A., that forced Martinez to look for a third team in as many years.

There are some concerns with Martinez, even as he profiles as one of the best offensive players still available. He’ll turn 37 in August and is essentially limited to DH. Martinez was never a good defensive outfielder and has only started one game in left field over the last two seasons.

Last year’s power resurgence also came at the cost of a few more whiffs. Martinez punched out in a personal-high 31.1% of his plate appearances. He only made contact on 67.5% of his swings, the lowest rate of his career. So long as he continues hitting the ball as hard as he did a year ago, the strikeouts aren’t a huge concern. They don’t leave much margin for error if he loses any bat speed, however.

During his last free agent trip, Martinez inked a fairly modest $10MM contract. That was below general expectations and it seemed as if he took a discount to go to L.A., where he reunited with his previous hitting instructor (and current Dodger hitting coach) Robert Van Scoyoc. His camp could look for a two-year deal this time around. Even if he’s limited to one-year offers, Martinez should surpass the $12.5MM that the Diamondbacks guaranteed Joc Pederson and could look to exceed the $23.5MM which Teoscar Hernández secured from the Dodgers.

The Mets are taxed at a 110% rate for any further spending. They’re well into the fourth tier of luxury penalization and facing the highest penalties as a third-time repeat payor. Steve Cohen’s ownership tenure has been marked by a willingness to spend, but the organization has taken a more targeted approach to free agency during David Stearns’ first offseason as baseball operations president. They’re trying to strike a balance of remaining on the border of playoff contention in 2024 while looking to ’25 as their target for a renewed full-fledged push.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Blue Jays

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Arbitrators ruled in favor of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in his hearing versus the Blue Jays, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (X link). The slugging first baseman will be paid at the $19.9MM rate sought by his camp at PRIME. The team had submitted an $18.05MM filing figure.

Guerrero’s arbitration case was the most significant of any this offseason. Of the players who went to a hearing, he’s in line for easily the highest salary. The $1.85MM gap between his filing figure and the team’s proposed rate was the second-largest of the offseason; there’s a $1.9MM spread between the Rangers’ and Adolis García’s submissions.

This is the third of four trips through the process for the three-time All-Star. Guerrero racked up huge earnings early in the process. That’s partially because he qualified for early arbitration as a Super Two player during the 2021-22 offseason. It’s also a reflection of the monster numbers he posted early in his career, particularly during the ’21 campaign. Guerrero’s MVP runner-up season led to a hefty $7.9MM agreement for 2022. He and the Jays settled on a $14.5MM deal last winter but couldn’t find a mutually agreeable price point this time around.

That nevertheless works out well for Guerrero, who secures a $5.4MM raise relative to last season. While he’s coming off a good year, his production wasn’t what he or the team envisioned from one of the sport’s most talented offensive players. Guerrero hit 26 homers and 30 doubles with a .264/.345/.444 batting line over 682 plate appearances.

Toronto’s projected payroll sits in the $240MM range, as calculated by Roster Resource. They’ll go through the arbitration process with Guerrero once again next offseason. Winning his case this year establishes the platform for next winter’s discussions higher — a player’s previous salaries is a key factor in setting arbitration prices — and he’ll hit free agency in advance of his age-27 season.

Guerrero was the only Toronto player going to a hearing this winter. Players around the league have been victorious in six consecutive hearings after teams won the first two. There are 10 cases still pending.

Nationals, Stephen Nogosek Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals are signing reliever Stephen Nogosek to a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). He returns to the NL East, where he has spent the bulk of his career as a member of the Mets.

Nogosek, 29, was drafted by the Red Sox in 2016. Boston traded the Oregon product to New York the following deadline as part of a prospect package for veteran reliever Addison Reed. Nogosek pitched in parts of four seasons in Queens. He made a career-high 13 appearances last year, posting a 5.61 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. The Mets designated him for assignment in June.

The right-hander caught on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal. As is the case for most pitchers, he struggled with Arizona’s Triple-A team in Reno. Nogosek was tagged for a 6.55 ERA across 33 innings for the Aces and didn’t get an MLB look from the eventual NL champions.

Rough stint in Reno aside, Nogosek has a generally solid track record at the top minor league level. He has allowed 3.76 earned runs per nine in 143 2/3 Triple-A frames. Nogosek has punched out 27.3% of Triple-A opponents, although he has also issued walks at a lofty 11.9% clip. He has roughly average strikeout and walk numbers in his 57 1/3 MLB innings, in which he has posted a 5.02 ERA.

Washington had a below-average bullpen a year ago, making them a decent landing spot for relievers looking to get back to the majors on minor league deals. Nogosek joins Richard Bleier and Robert Gsellman as recent non-roster signees.

Marlins Acquire Jonah Bride, Designate Jordan Groshans

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The Marlins announced the acquisition of infielder Jonah Bride from the A’s in exchange for cash. Miami designated fellow infielder Jordan Groshans for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot. Oakland had DFA Bride when they traded for Ross Stripling last week.

Bride, 28, has been with the A’s since they selected him in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft. The right-handed hitter has never been a highly-regarded prospect but has generally hit well in the minors. He owns a .288/.400/.459 line over the course of his minor league career. That includes a .322/.450/.553 slash over 401 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

While Oakland’s affiliate plays in one of the sport’s most hitter-friendly settings in Las Vegas, Bride’s production has been built around his strong strike zone awareness. He has walked in 17.2% of his Triple-A plate appearances while striking out at a modest 15.2% clip. That earned him looks at the major league level in each of the last two seasons, where he hasn’t found anywhere near the same level of success.

Bride is a .192/.296/.232 hitter over 98 MLB contests. He has walked at a strong 10.2% rate against a lower than average 18.2% strikeout percentage. He hasn’t done any kind of damage on contact, however. Bride has one homer and seven doubles in 293 plate appearances.

Primarily a third baseman, Bride also has experience at first and second base. He briefly dabbled with catching in the minors in 2022 but played exclusively on the infield last year. Bride has never played shortstop, so he won’t offer any cover at that position of need for Miami. He offers depth at any of the other infield spots and still has a minor league option remaining, so the Fish can send him to Triple-A Jacksonville next season without placing him on waivers.

The acquisition bumps Groshans off the roster, a disappointing development for the former first-round draftee. Selected by the Blue Jays, he was dealt to Miami at the 2022 deadline for relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop. Groshans made a brief MLB debut later that season, appearing in 17 games. He hit .262/.308/.311 in 65 trips to the plate.

Miami kept Groshans in Triple-A on optional assignment for all of last season. He had a lackluster .243/.339/.330 slash with six homers in 528 plate appearances. As with Bride, Groshans posted solid walk (12.5%) and strikeout (17.4%) numbers but made minimal power impact. First-year president of baseball operations Peter Bendix evidently feels Bride has a better chance of translating that approach into some amount of big league success. The Marlins have a week to trade the 24-year-old Groshans or try to run him through waivers.

Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase first reported the Marlins were acquiring Bride. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Jacob Webb Wins Arbitration Hearing Over Orioles

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Reliever Jacob Webb prevailed in his arbitration hearing against the Orioles, as first reported by Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner (X link). He’ll make the $1MM sought by his camp at KHG Sports Management as opposed to the team’s $925K filing figure.

Webb has only spent a couple months in Baltimore. The O’s snagged him off waivers from the Angels in early August. The 30-year-old righty had a strong finish to the season, turning in a 3.27 ERA through 22 innings. He finished the season with a personal-high 53 2/3 frames between the two clubs. Webb struck out nearly a quarter of batters faced and worked to a 3.69 ERA behind an excellent 15.1% swinging strike rate.

Control remained an issue, as Webb walked almost 13% of opposing hitters. He hasn’t had great command at any point in his career, but he’s generally found success regardless. Webb has a sub-3.00 ERA in 130 1/3 big league frames between Atlanta, Los Angeles and Baltimore. That seems likely to earn him a spot in the season-opening relief group for the Orioles. Webb is out of options, so the O’s would need to trade him or put him on waivers if they decide not to carry him on the big league roster.

Teammate Austin Hays also won his hearing against the O’s this afternoon. Tuesday marked a strong day for the players on the arbitration side. In addition to Webb and Hays, Mauricio Dubón, Taylor Ward and Phil Bickford all came out ahead. After teams won the first two arbitration cases last week, the players have won five straight. Baltimore has one unresolved case. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn is seeking a $3.8MM salary, while the team countered at $3.2MM.

Phil Bickford Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Mets

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Reliever Phil Bickford won his arbitration hearing against the Mets, as first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). His camp at ET Sports successfully argued for a $900K salary; the team had filed at $815K.

New York acquired Bickford in a minor deadline trade with the Dodgers. He threw 25 1/3 innings down the stretch, working to a 4.62 ERA. The former first-round pick fanned around a quarter of opponents against an elevated 11.4% walk rate. Those were similar strikeout and walk marks as he managed in Los Angeles. He finished the year with a 4.95 mark over a career-high 67 1/3 innings.

The 28-year-old Bickford has topped 50 innings in three consecutive seasons. After working to a 2.81 ERA for the Brewers in 2021, he has allowed nearly five earned runs per nine in each of the past two years. The Mets nevertheless tendered him a contract even as they’ve brought in various relievers this offseason. Bickford is out of options, so they’ll need to keep him in the big league bullpen or put him on waivers.

DL Hall Planning To Compete For Rotation Role With Brewers

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The Brewers acquired hard-throwing lefty DL Hall alongside infielder Joey Ortiz from the Orioles in last week’s Corbin Burnes blockbuster. While GM Matt Arnold was noncommittal about Hall’s role in a chat with reporters in the immediate aftermath of the trade, the 25-year-old indicated the organization views him as a starting pitcher.

“When they called me, they asked me how my training had been going, what I was preparing for. Luckily, I was preparing to be a starter. They want me to be a starter,” Hall said in an appearance on Foul Territory yesterday afternoon (YouTube link).

That the Brewers still view Hall as a rotation fit isn’t surprising. If Milwaukee felt the 6’2″ southpaw was unlikely to stick as a starter, they might not have made him one of two key pieces in a return for their ace. That’s not a unanimous opinion among evaluators, however. Some scouting reports on Hall indicate he’s a better fit for the bullpen because of well below-average control.

Over parts of six seasons in the minors, Hall has walked 13.4% of opposing hitters. He handed out free passes at a similarly concerning 13.8% clip over 49 innings for Triple-A Norfolk a year ago. Hall worked in an abbreviated starting capacity early in the Triple-A season, typically going four to five innings in an appearance. He pitched in a traditional single-inning relief role there late in the year, aligning with his usage at the MLB level.

Other than a 3 2/3-inning start in his major league debut in August 2022, Hall has pitched exclusively as a reliever in the majors. He has a 4.36 ERA in 29 appearances, striking out 29% of batters faced. The former first-round pick has shown better control in that limited big league sample, walking a league average 7.6% of his opponents.

Expecting Hall to maintain a sub-8% walk rate over a full season as a starter is likely too optimistic given his minor league numbers. He will very likely need to cut his walks from the minor league levels if he’s to stick as a starter. Only two MLB pitchers logged at least 100 innings while walking more than 13% of opponents a year ago.

One of them, Blake Snell, won the Cy Young, so it’s not impossible to thrive with this kind of scattershot control. It requires absolutely dominating hitters when the pitcher is around the strike zone, though, with Snell fanning over 31% of opponents and holding batters to a pitiful .180 average. (The other pitcher with 100+ innings and a walk rate above 13% was Michael Kopech, who had a 5.43 ERA.) Hall is credited by prospect evaluators with as many as four plus or better pitches. He has the potential to overpower opponents, but he’d have to walk a very tight rope if he doesn’t get the free passes in check.

It’s worth noting that Hall’s comments about competing for a rotation spot came before Milwaukee agreed to a $7MM deal with free agent righty Jakob Junis last night. Even with Junis expected to take a season-opening rotation spot, it’s unlikely Milwaukee’s usage plans for Hall are any different. The Brewers still have one or two jobs up for grabs behind Freddy Peralta, Junis, and Wade Miley. Hall joins righties Colin Rea and Joe Ross and southpaws Aaron Ashby and Robert Gasser in that competition. Prospects Carlos Rodriguez and Jacob Misiorowski could pitch their way into the mix during the season.

Hall still has one option year remaining. The Brewers can move him between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville for another season if he doesn’t stake a claim to a permanent rotation role on Opening Day.

Phillies Acquire Michael Rucker, Designate Andrew Bellatti For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Tuesday they’ve acquired reliever Michael Rucker from the Cubs in exchange for cash. He’d been designated for assignment by Chicago last week. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated fellow right-hander Andrew Bellatti for assignment.

Rucker, who turns 30 in April, changes organizations for the first time. The BYU product had been a member of the Cubs since they selected him in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. After a couple seasons as a starter in the minors, he converted to relief by the 2019 campaign. Lofty strikeout tallies in the upper minors in 2019 and ’21 earned him a major league look midway through the 2021 season.

The right-hander has pitched at the MLB level in each of the past three years. He has allowed just under five earned runs per nine through 123 1/3 big league innings. Rucker allowed a near-7.00 ERA as a rookie before turning in a decent 3.95 mark across a personal-high 54 1/3 frames in 2022. Things skewed back in the wrong direction last year, as he was tagged for a 4.91 figure over 40 1/3 innings.

That led the Cubs to squeeze him off the roster when they signed veteran reliever (and former Phillie) Héctor Neris to a one-year deal. Rucker’s arm strength and reasonable peripheral numbers led Philadelphia to take a low-cost look. Rucker has punched out between 21% and 24% of opponents in each of his MLB seasons. He generated ground-balls at a personal-high 51.8% clip a year ago, although he also walked nearly 11% of batters faced. Rucker’s fastball averages just under 95 MPH and he showed some swing-and-miss upside with each of his slider and cutter last season.

Rucker also has a minor league option remaining, so the Phils can keep him at Triple-A Lehigh Valley for another season. That’s not true of Bellatti, whom he replaces on the 40-man roster. Bellatti looked like an excellent find for Philadelphia on a minor league contract heading into 2022, when he turned in a 3.31 ERA over 54 1/3 innings. He didn’t find the same level of success last year, pitching to a 5.11 mark through 24 2/3 big league frames.

The 32-year-old Bellatti posted strong results while in Triple-A a year ago. He worked to a 2.42 ERA with an above-average 25.7% strikeout percentage in 27 appearances with Lehigh Valley. The Phillies have a week to trade him or place him on waivers. Bellatti has been outrighted multiple times in his career, so he’d have the ability to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed in the coming days.

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