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Angels Sign Robert Stephenson To Three-Year Contract

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The Angels announced the signing of reliever Robert Stephenson to a three-year contract on Tuesday afternoon. Stephenson, a client of Apex Baseball, is reportedly guaranteed $33MM. There’s also a conditional team option for the 2027 campaign based on Stephenson’s elbow health. If the pitcher suffers an elbow ligament injury that causes him to miss 130 consecutive days, the Halos would have a $2.5MM option on his services for a fourth season. He will otherwise make $11MM annually over the next three years.

Stephenson, 31 next month, was the top remaining free agent reliever once Josh Hader came off the board. Within a couple hours of Hader agreeing to a five-year, $95MM pact with the Astros, Stephenson decided to join him in the AL West.

A three-year guarantee for Stephenson would have seemed outlandish six months ago. Until last summer, he looked like a volatile middle innings arm. A former first-round pick and highly-regarded prospect with the Reds, Stephenson struggled early in his career as a starter. He moved to relief full-time in 2019 and had an up-and-down trajectory.

The 6’3″ righty turned in a sub-4.00 ERA in 2019 and ’21 before a rough 2022 campaign. He split the year between the Rockies and Pirates, allowing a 5.43 ERA through 58 innings. Stephenson opened last season with 14 innings of nine-run ball in Pittsburgh.

An early June trade sending him to the Rays for infielder Alika Williams didn’t result in a ton of fanfare. It wound up being one of the more adept rental acquisitions of the summer, though, one that completely changed his fortunes in free agency.

Stephenson was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the majors for the season’s final four months. During his time in Tampa Bay, he worked to a 2.35 ERA across 38 1/3 innings. He punched out a laughable 42.9% of hitters while walking fewer than 6% of batters faced. Among relievers with 30+ innings after June 1, only Félix Bautista, Aroldis Chapman and Pete Fairbanks punched hitters out at a higher rate.

Even that doesn’t capture how overpowering he was on a pitch-for-pitch basis. Opponents whiffed more often than they made contact. Hitters put the bat on the ball on 49.3% of their swings against Stephenson in Tampa Bay. That wasn’t simply the best mark in MLB. It was almost 10 percentage points lower than anyone else over that stretch. Chapman, against whom batters made contact on 59% of their swings, was second.

It’s not hard to pinpoint a reason for that excellence. Before he went to Tampa Bay, he paired a near-97 MPH four-seam fastball with a mid-80s slider. With the Rays, he leaned mostly on an upper-80s breaking ball that Statcast classifies as a cutter. Opponents couldn’t do anything with that pitch. They swung through it nearly three-fifths of the time and hit .101 in 79 at-bats. By the season’s final month, he was using the pitch at a near-75% clip.

Whether Stephenson adopted the cutter from scratch or just found a way to add a couple ticks of velocity to his former slider isn’t clear. In any event, it’s a pitch he’ll surely lean on frequently in Orange County. The Angels can’t expect him to maintain quite the level he showed in Tampa Bay — that’d be a tough ask for anyone — but they’re surely anticipating him stepping in as a quality high-leverage arm.

That’s not without risk. Stellar as Stephenson’s finish was, his time in Tampa Bay comprised fewer than 40 innings. From his 2019 bullpen transfer through his stint in Pittsburgh, he tallied a 4.53 ERA in 192 2/3 frames between three teams. Some of that can be attributed to playing in hitter-friendly home venues in Cincinnati and Colorado, but he clearly wouldn’t have been a candidate for a three-year pact had he not finished the way he did. His 26.9% strikeout rate over those four-plus seasons was a solid but hardly elite number.

It’s the first significant acquisition of the offseason for the Halos. While Stephenson is their fourth bullpen pickup overall, the other three signings were modest one-year investments. Luis García landed a $4.75MM deal, while Adam Cimber inked a $1.65MM pact after being non-tendered by Toronto. Adam Kolarek, who signed for $900K, was already outrighted off the 40-man roster.

Stephenson will work in the late innings. He doesn’t have any closing experience, so the Halos could elect to leave last year’s key bullpen pickup, Carlos Estévez, in the ninth inning. The pair of righties should take the bulk of the most important work late in games. García and Cimber will occupy middle relief roles, while Ben Joyce and José Soriano could hold setup jobs.

It’s a high-octane group built around some of the hardest throwers in the sport. Joyce averaged nearly 101 MPH on his heater and famously was clocked as high as 105 MPH in college. Estévez and García sit north of 97 MPH on average. Soriano and Stephenson have upper 90s velocity in their back pocket as well, even if both lean more frequently on their breaking stuff.

New manager Ron Washington should appreciate the stable of power arsenals at his disposal, although the Halos likely need to add another left-hander to the mix. That could put the finishing touch on the bullpen, yet there’s still plenty of work for GM Perry Minasian and his front office.

The Halos haven’t made any acquisitions on the offensive side to compensate for Shohei Ohtani’s departure. That’s also true in the rotation. They’ve looked for ways to add a top-end starter. In addition to scouring the trade market, the Halos have reportedly shown interest in defending NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

There should still be plenty of payroll room at their disposal. Roster Resource projected the 2024 player payroll around $153MM before the Stephenson signing. Evenly distributing his salaries pushes that around $164MM. The Halos opened last season with a payroll at roughly $212MM, as calculated by Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They’ll still be almost $50MM shy of that mark. They’re also nowhere near next year’s $237MM base luxury tax threshold. Stephenson’s $11MM average annual value will push the Angels’ projected CBT number to roughly $179MM.

The contract comes in just below MLBTR’s prediction of four years and $36MM. It’s in line with the going rate for high-leverage relievers with some inconsistency in their career track record, as shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. Stephenson’s deal generally aligns with those signed by Taylor Rogers (three years, $33MM), Rafael Montero (three years, $34.5MM), Joe Jiménez (three years, $26.5MM), former Angel Reynaldo López (three years, $30MM) and Jordan Hicks (four years, $44MM) over the last two offseasons.

@Jolly_Olive first reported the Angels and Stephenson had agreed to a three-year deal exceeding $30MM with a 2027 option. Sam Blum of the Athletic reported the $33MM guarantee. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the $2.5MM conditional option based on Stephenson’s arm health. The Associated Press reported the 130-inning provision and the evenly distributed salaries.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Joel Kuhnel Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Joel Kuhnel elected free agency this week, according to his MLB.com transaction log. That was his right after being outrighted by the Astros, marking the second time in his career that he cleared outright waivers.

Kuhnel, 29 next month, split last season between the Reds and Houston. He pitched 13 innings over nine MLB appearances, allowing eight runs with five walks and a trio of strikeouts. Kuhnel spent more of the season in Triple-A. He combined for a 6.18 ERA in 43 2/3 innings at the top minor league level between the two organizations. Kuhnel fanned a below-average 15.5% of opponents over that stretch.

While it wasn’t a great showing, he’s only a year removed from soaking up 58 innings of low-leverage relief in Cincinnati. Kuhnel’s 6.36 ERA that year isn’t particularly impressive, but he induced ground-balls at a 52.2% clip. Kuhnel has generally done a solid job keeping the ball on the ground throughout his career behind a mid-90s sinker. He could find a minor league contract from a team seeking bullpen depth.

Kennedy: Red Sox Not Likely To Match Last Year’s Payroll

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Red Sox brass convened with fans and media at their annual Winter Weekend festivities. CEO Sam Kennedy chatted with reporters shortly before the event this evening.

Most notably, Kennedy said the club’s 2024 payroll “probably will be lower than it was in 2023” (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). While he indicated that wasn’t a guarantee, it’s the latest signal from Boston officials that they’re not anticipating another major strike this offseason. Chairman Tom Werner hinted similarly earlier in the week when he backtracked on his early-offseason proclamation the team would go “full throttle” this winter.

From a raw payroll perspective, Boston’s projected salary isn’t far off last year’s Opening Day mark. Roster Resource projects the club’s player spending around $178MM. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Sox started last year with a payroll narrowly above $181MM. However, there’s a notable gap between the team’s luxury tax numbers. Roster Resource forecasts the Sox for a CBT figure in the $198MM range this year; Cot’s had their tax number approaching $226MM a season ago.

That’s not a huge distinction, as both are below the base threshold. This year’s CBT markers begin at $237MM. Boston isn’t close to that mark and it doesn’t appear they’re particularly interested in approaching it, at least during the winter. The competitive balance tax number is finalized at year’s end, so in-season acquisitions count against it (albeit on prorated salaries at that point).

Boston narrowly exceeded the luxury tax in 2022. That backfired, as they finished in last place in the AL East. The actual tax payment (roughly $1.2MM) was minimal, but staying above the threshold reduced their draft compensation for the losses of Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi in free agency. The Sox dipped below the line last year en route to another 78-84 finish and a second straight last place standing.

That disappointing run led ownership to dismiss Chaim Bloom. They tabbed Craig Breslow to lead baseball operations. The first-year chief baseball officer has played things cautiously thus far. Their only significant free agent signing was a two-year, $38.5MM rebound deal for Lucas Giolito. Boston took on a $5.85MM arbitration salary in the Tyler O’Neill trade. They offloaded part of Chris Sale’s salary in the trade sending him to Atlanta for Vaughn Grissom, though the $10.5MM they saved in that deal would have been deferred for more than 15 years anyhow.

With Sale leaving town not long after Giolito signed, the Sox have the same number of starting pitchers they did at the start of the winter. Breslow admitted earlier this week they’ve found it a “challenge” to bring in rotation help but noted they were still evaluating free agent and trade possibilities.

Rob Bradford of WEEI reports that Jordan Hicks was one of those rotation targets. The hard-throwing righty came off the board last week on a four-year, $44MM pact to the Giants. While Hicks has worked mostly in relief as a big leaguer, San Francisco will give him a shot in the rotation. According to Bradford, the Sox would also have let Hicks battle for a starting spot had he gone to Boston.

Each Team’s Local Broadcasting Arrangement

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With many regional sports networks in precarious positions, a number of teams have imposed payroll constraints this offseason to compensate for the less certain revenue streams. It’s thus worth identifying where all 30 clubs sit in terms of their local broadcasting picture.

[Related: Latest On Diamond Sports Group Bankruptcy]

A caveat: teams don’t announce the terms of their broadcasting contracts. Many clubs’ revenues for 2023 haven’t been reported. Last March, Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum of Forbes listed approximate 2022 local broadcasting sums for every team other than the Blue Jays. In cases where MLBTR was unable to find reported figures for last year or the upcoming season, we’re referencing that Forbes report for ’22 revenues. Revenue figures cited are for local broadcasting contracts only.

  • Angels: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. Expected ’23 revenues around $125MM (reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times in February ’23).
  • Astros: Formed joint venture with NBA’s Rockets to run Space City Home Network beginning in 2024. Previous RSN deal with AT&T SportsNet Southwest had paid $73MM in ’23 (reported by David Barron of the Houston Chronicle in November ’23).
  • Athletics: RSN deal with NBC Sports California. Projected ’24 revenue: approximately $70MM (reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN in January ’24). Contract expires once A’s leave the Bay Area.
  • Blue Jays: Owned by Rogers Communications, which distributes games via Sportsnet. All broadcast revenues unreported.
  • Braves: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. Expected ’23 revenues north of $100MM (reported by Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in November ’21).
  • Brewers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $33MM
  • Cardinals: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’24 revenue expected to be around $73MM (reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in January ’24)
  • Cubs: Owners of Marquee Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $99MM
  • Diamondbacks: No RSN contract. Previous deal, which had paid $68MM in 2022, dropped by Diamond Sports Group in June ’23. MLB handling in-market broadcasting in 2024.
  • Dodgers: Co-owners of Spectrum SportsNet LA. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $196MM.
  • Giants: RSN/partial ownership deal with NBC Sports Bay Area. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $92MM.
  • Guardians: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group being renegotiated at a lower price. ’23 revenue: $55MM (reported by Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com in November ’23).
  • Mariners: Assumed full ownership of ROOT Sports Northwest beginning in 2024. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $100MM.
  • Marlins: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $49MM.
  • Mets: RSN deal with SNY. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $88MM.
  • Nationals: Co-owners of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $61MM.*
  • Orioles: Co-owners of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $61MM.*
  • Padres: No RSN contract. Previous deal, which had paid $47MM in 2022, dropped by Diamond Sports Group in May ’23. MLB handling in-market broadcasting in 2024.
  • Phillies: RSN deal with NBC Sports Philadelphia. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $125MM.
  • Pirates: Formed joint venture with NHL’s Penguins to operate SportsNet Pittsburgh beginning in 2024. Previous RSN deal with AT&T SportsNet paid roughly $50-60MM annually (reported by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December ’23).
  • Rangers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group being renegotiated at a lower price. Deal has paid $111MM annually to this point (reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News in January ’24).
  • Rays: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $56MM.
  • Red Sox: Co-owners of New England Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $97MM.
  • Reds: RSN/partial ownership deal with Diamond Sports Group pays roughly $60MM annually (reported by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer in December ’23).
  • Rockies: No RSN contract. Previous deal dropped by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain after 2023. MLB expected to handle in-market broadcasting in 2024. Previous deal paid roughly $57MM in ’23 (reported by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post in January ’24).
  • Royals: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $45MM.
  • Tigers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group.’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $60MM.
  • Twins: No current RSN contract. Previous deal with Diamond Sports Group, which expired after 2023 season, paid $54MM in ’23 (reported by Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in January ’24). Twins could renegotiate new deal with Diamond.
  • White Sox: RSN deal with NBC Sports Chicago. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $60MM.
  • Yankees: Co-owners of YES Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $143MM.

* The Orioles and Nationals jointly own MASN, with the Orioles holding a majority stake. The sides receive equal rights fees but have been embroiled in a longstanding legal dispute about revenue calculation, which happens every five years under the terms of their contract.

Twins, Matt Bowman Agree To Minor League Deal

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January 19: Bowman’s deal contains an opt-out clause, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. The timing of that opt-out isn’t known at this time. Wolfson adds that Hobie Harris, who also signed a minor league deal with the Twins, does not have an opt-out.

January 18: The Twins are adding reliever Matt Bowman on a minor league contract with a non-roster Spring Training invite, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (X link). The ZS Sports client would lock in a $925K salary if he secures a spot on the MLB roster.

Bowman, 32, got back to the big leagues late last season after an extended injury absence. The sinkerballer had thrown over 180 innings with the Cardinals and Reds between 2016-19. He was a generally solid middle innings arm during that stretch. The Princeton product turned in a sub-4.00 ERA in three of his four seasons while keeping the ball on the ground on more than 55% of batted balls allowed.

That’s when injuries intervened. An elbow sprain cost Bowman the shortened 2020 season. After a few months trying unsuccessfully to rehab the injury, he required Tommy John surgery that September. Bowman wound up missing another two full seasons after going under the knife. That spanned a two-year minor league pact with the Yankees, but Bowman returned to the organization on another non-roster deal last winter.

Finally healthy, he spent most of the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bowman had fairly typical results for the RailRiders. He allowed 3.99 earned runs per nine across 58 2/3 innings behind an above-average 51.9% grounder rate. He fanned a nearly average 22.6% of opponents. An 11.7% walk rate was higher than ideal, but it’s not uncommon for pitchers to battle some command issues early in a return from Tommy John surgery. In his MLB career, he owns a decent 8.1% walk percentage.

Bowman showed enough in the minors to get a brief look in Aaron Boone’s bullpen. New York added him to the 40-man roster shortly after the All-Star Break to keep him from becoming a free agent after he triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal. The Yankees didn’t actually recall him until September. He pitched three times, tallying four innings of four-run ball with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Bowman averaged 93.1 MPH on his sinker in that limited look.

The Yankees outrighted him from the 40-man roster at season’s end, sending him back to free agency. He’ll now battle for a spot in a Minnesota relief group that was a league average unit in 2023. Bowman is now out of options. If the Twins call him up, they’d need to keep him in the majors or again designate him for assignment.

Latest On Dylan Cease’s Trade Candidacy

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Few players have found their names in more trade rumors this winter than Dylan Cease. It has been widely expected the White Sox would move him. He’s down to his final two years of arbitration control and first-year GM Chris Getz has expressed a willingness to reshape the roster.

At the same time, Getz and his front office have set a high goal in trade discussions. Reports have suggested they’re seeking a return built around multiple top prospects. Teams like the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers and Braves were involved in Cease discussions but have pivoted to other free agent/trade targets after balking at Chicago’s ask.

Cease remains with the Sox less than a month from the opening of Spring Training. That has led to increasing speculation that Chicago could hold him into the season. One rival executive cast doubt on a Cease trade to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com yesterday, suggesting the White Sox aren’t showing any interest in backing off their asking price.

That’s a sentiment echoed by a few other reports. ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted this morning that a pair of executives outside the organization believe Chicago will hold Cease until the deadline. Robert Murray of FanSided writes that the Sox don’t appear close to any deal, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests there’s a “growing belief” within the industry that Cease stays in Chicago until the summer.

None of that is a guarantee Cease won’t move in the coming weeks. There’s nothing to suggest the White Sox plan to cut off trade dialogue even as they hold firm to a lofty ask. Chicago believed they’d have increased leverage in talks once Yoshinobu Yamamoto came off the board. Yamamoto’s signing didn’t spur a deal, but it’s possible they’re taking a similar stance with regards to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

The Orioles, Red Sox and Mets have, to varying degrees, been linked to Cease this offseason. The Angels, Padres and Pirates haven’t been directly tied to the righty but are generally known to be looking for starting pitching. Baltimore has perhaps been the subject of the most speculation, a reflection of their loaded minor league pipeline and the benefit of adding a high-octane arm to last year’s 101-win club. Heyman reports that the O’s are reluctant to part with 24-year-old infielder Jordan Westburg, in whom the Sox are apparently showing interest. The former first-round pick hit .260/.311/.404 through his first 68 MLB games and has six years of club control.

Cease agreed to an $8MM salary for his second-to-last season of arbitration. He’s looking to rebound from a somewhat disappointing 2023 campaign in which he posted a 4.58 ERA over 177 innings. Cease still throws exceptionally hard and punched out 27.3% of opposing hitters a year ago. If the Sox do hold him into next season, he has the upside to be the most in-demand starter at the deadline.

José Berríos, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle have all returned multiple highly-regarded prospects in summer deals with a year and a half of control. Yet the Sox would also assume the risk of Cease suffering an injury or regression if they hold him for another few months.

It’s the biggest decision for Getz in his first offseason leading baseball operations. He pulled the trigger on a deal sending reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves for a five-player return at the start of the offseason. Getz and his staff have otherwise slow-played things thus far, supplementing the roster on the margins with fairly low-cost free agent pickups (i.e. Erick Fedde, Martín Maldonado, Chris Flexen, Tim Hill, Paul DeJong).

Cardinals Release James Naile To Pursue KBO Opportunity

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The Cardinals announced they’ve transferred the contract of right-hander James Naile to the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster, which now sits at 39.

This transaction is made with Naile’s consent. He’ll lock in a $550K guarantee — taking the form of a $200K signing bonus and a $350K salary — with an additional $150K available in incentives, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (on X). The Kia Tigers are also paying the Cardinals a $250K release fee.

It’s a beneficial transaction for all involved. Naile, who turns 31 next month, secures the strongest contract of his career to date. Selected by the A’s in the 20th round of the 2015 draft, the 6’4″ hurler spent seven years in the Oakland farm system. He never got a big league call and landed with the Cards in minor league free agency over the 2021-22 offseason.

That resulted in a long-awaited MLB look for the UAB product. Naile was called up for seven relief outings in 2022. St. Louis ran him through outright waivers last offseason, keeping him in the organization in a non-roster capacity. They reselected his contract in early May and bounced him on and off the MLB roster throughout the summer. Naile made 10 more big league appearances but surrendered 19 runs in 15 1/3 innings.

With a 7.40 ERA in 24 1/3 career MLB frames, Naile wasn’t a lock to hold his spot on the 40-man into next season. Even if he kept his position on the 40-man, he might’ve spent most of next year on optional assignment to Triple-A Memphis. Spending the majority or entirety of the season in the minors would’ve been less profitable than the guarantee he inked to jump to the KBO.

In addition to the final security, Naile will likely get a rotation look in Korea. He has pitched in relief for the past four years but worked out of the rotation up through 2019. He pitched in a multi-inning bullpen capacity a season ago, logging 59 frames over 31 Triple-A appearances. Naile posted strong numbers in the minors, turning in a 3.66 ERA while striking out over 26% of batters faced. He kept the ball on the ground at a robust 53.2% clip, a trait he’s shown throughout his minor league career.

KBO teams are allowed to carry two foreign-born pitchers on their roster. They tend to use those players out of the rotation as a result. Naile joins former Pirate Wil Crowe as the Tigers foreign pitchers. Outfielder Socrates Brito is their position player. They’ll add a player with an impressive Triple-A résumé, while the Cardinals receive some cash for someone they might’ve placed on waivers eventually anyway. If Naile pitches well as a starter in the KBO, he could elevate his stock for major league clubs an offseason or two from now.

A’s Evaluating Salt Lake City As Potential Option For 2025

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A’s officials will visit Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City this week, reports Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s another stadium under consideration as the organization tries to identify a temporary home park for the 2025-27 campaigns.

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Monday that the A’s were also looking at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. Akers reports that A’s owner John Fisher and president Dave Kaval were among a team contingent to tour the Sacramento facility today.

The A’s have yet to begin construction on their 33,000-seat stadium in Vegas. That project isn’t expected to be ready until the 2028 season. The franchise’s lease at Oakland’s Coliseum expires at the end of next year. That leaves them considering a number of options for the intervening trio of seasons.

Others known to be under consideration are a short-term lease extension in Oakland, sharing San Francisco’s Oracle Park with the Giants, and playing at the Summerlin, Nevada facility of their Triple-A affiliate. Akers adds one other possible venue: Greater Nevada Field in Reno.

None of those are perfect options. Splitting Oracle Park could leave logistical issues for MLB as it schedules A’s and Giants games. An extension at the Coliseum would require approval from Oakland officials. That’s hard to envision given the fractured relationship between the outgoing team and its longtime home. The other facilities are minor league stadiums.

Smith’s Ballpark is the home of the Angels’ top farm team, the Bees. Opened in 1994, it has a capacity of roughly 14,500. Greater Nevada Field is home of the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club, the Aces. It holds a little more than 9,500 people. It’s a fairly new facility, having opened in 2009.

A group in Salt Lake City has angled to add an expansion franchise to Utah’s capital in the future. If they get the opportunity to host the A’s for a few seasons, that could aid in their efforts to land a permanent team down the line.

Latest Details On Diamond Bankruptcy

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The Diamond Sports Group saga took another turn yesterday when the broadcasting company announced a restructuring agreement that’d see debt holders invest $450MM to keep the company afloat. As part of the deal, Amazon would receive streaming rights for the NBA, NHL and MLB teams for which Diamond currently holds those rights.

While there’s an agreement in place between Diamond and Amazon, it’s worth emphasizing that the plan can’t become official without approval from the bankruptcy court. That’ll take time as the court and Diamond’s creditors sort through the details.

Evan Drellich and Mike Vorkunov of the Athletic report that Amazon would pay $115MM, with an additional $50MM investment possible. While that’d entitle them to streaming rights for every NBA and NHL team that contracts with Diamond, it’s only applicable to five MLB teams. Diamond has streaming rights for the Royals, Tigers, Marlins, Brewers and Rays. Those clubs would still be broadcast on cable on Diamond’s Bally Sports networks, but in-market streaming access would move to Prime Video. MLB has opposed selling additional streaming rights to Diamond, but Alden González of ESPN reports that Amazon’s involvement is not conditional on further streaming acquisitions.

Until this week, it had seemed likely Diamond would abandon the regional sports network entirely after the 2024 MLB season. The agreement with Amazon represents a significant shift and leaves a few MLB teams in a state of continued uncertainty.

Diamond holds broadcasting deals with 11 MLB teams. The corporation’s attorney said yesterday that nine of those clubs — the Angels, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Royals and Tigers — will be paid in full for the ’24 campaign (relayed by González). The company is seeking to renegotiate its deals with two others, the Guardians and Rangers, at lesser fees. It is also in discussions with the Twins, whose previous contract with Diamond expired at the end of last season — leaving them as something of a broadcasting free agent.

The Diamond attorney informed the court yesterday that the company has offered terms to each of the Cleveland, Texas and Minnesota organizations to continue broadcasting their games in 2024 (via The Athletic). He said the company expects answers from all three franchises by the start of February. A hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning has been postponed indefinitely so the sides can review the framework of the streaming deal, per Drellich and Vorkunov.

None of the Rangers, Guardians or Twins are obligated to accept reduced rights fees. If they decline, however, it seems likely Diamond will drop the Texas and Cleveland contracts and leave Minnesota without a deal. Diamond already showed a willingness to abandon unprofitable terms during the 2023 season, when it dropped agreements with the Padres and Diamondbacks.

That leaves Texas, Cleveland and Minnesota without a ton of leverage. Diamond’s attorney said one of the organizations (without specifying which) plans to negotiate a deal that would even extend beyond next season, as relayed by The Athletic.

The uncertainty has been reflected in those franchises’ activity, or lack thereof, in free agency. Minnesota declared they were cutting payroll at the start of the offseason. They allowed Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda to depart and have thus far signed one free agent to a major league contract. That was a $950K guarantee for reliever Josh Staumont, who is rehabbing from thoracic outlet surgery.

Texas is coming off a World Series that’d normally spur a team to act aggressively in the offseason. Instead, GM Chris Young indicated they wouldn’t be as active as they’d been in previous winters. The Rangers have signed a few free agents — most notably a two-year, $22MM pact for Tyler Mahle — but they haven’t splurged at the top of the class. The broadcasting situation is commonly cited as a reason they haven’t brought back Jordan Montgomery, who remains on the open market.

Cleveland is never a big spender, so the lack of activity on their end is characteristic. Still, the club is seemingly operating with limited flexibility. They’ve taken on some salary in the Scott Barlow trade and signed Austin Hedges to a $4MM free agent deal.

Whether all those teams can reach a new contract with Diamond should become clear in the next few weeks. Even if they stay on the networks for next season (and potentially beyond), it’d come with some kind of hit to their revenues. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reported the Guardians made $55MM in local rights fees last season. It was a similar amount for Minnesota, whom Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports received $54MM in 2023. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote yesterday the Rangers’ deal has paid around $111MM annually.

If any of those teams don’t reach an agreement, they’d join a trio of clubs likely to operate without an RSN deal this year. MLB stepped in to handle in-market broadcasting for Arizona and San Diego last season. While MLB subsidized a portion of the D-Backs and Padres deals last season, commissioner Rob Manfred has made clear they won’t do so next season. Allowing MLB to handle the broadcasts would likely be less profitable for the teams than if they land a new deal with Diamond.

It seems MLB is also going to handle broadcasts for the Rockies, whose contract was dropped by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain at the end of 2023. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reported this month that MLB is expected to stream Colorado games in-market on its MLB.tv platform, as it is doing with the D-Backs and Padres. The Rockies made roughly $57MM off their broadcasting deal a year ago, Saunders adds.

Rays Promote Kevin Ibach To Assistant GM

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The Rays promoted Kevin Ibach to assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He had previously held the title of vice president of player personnel.

Ibach, 45, is entering his 12th season with the organization. A La Salle product and former college player, Ibach never played professionally. After college, he worked in the Miami and Baltimore organizations. He moved to the Rays after the 2012 campaign.

Initially hired as a pro scout, he has quickly ascended the ladder in the club’s scouting department. Within four years, he’d been tabbed as director of pro scouting. He eventually took on the title of director of pro personnel before getting the bump to player personnel vice president last offseason.

One year later, he becomes the fourth member of the Tampa Bay organization to get the AGM title. Ibach joins Will Cousins, Chanda Lowdermilk and Carlos Rodriguez as assistant GMs working underneath president of baseball operations Erik Neander. The Rays lost their #2 front office staffer, GM Peter Bendix, when he was hired as baseball ops president with the Marlins in early November. Tampa Bay hasn’t filled the GM vacancy, instead distributing Bendix’s former responsibilities among their collection of AGMs.

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