Royals To Reveal Plans For Proposed New Park
The Royals are set to reveal plans for a new stadium in Kansas City’s Crossroads District tomorrow, according to reports from Anne Rogers of MLB.com (on X) and Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. The club is holding a press conference at 2:30 pm local time. “Important details about this transformative project will be shared including renderings, economic data, and progress towards lease and community benefits agreement,” the team said (via Rogers).
McDowell writes that the targeted site is in the approximate area of the former Kansas City Star Press Pavilion. The team has not yet revealed its specific financing plan, but they’re seeking some amount of public funding via a 40-year sales tax that’ll be up for a vote in early April. That tax plan would split the money between the Royals for their intended new facility and the NFL’s Chiefs for renovations to its Arrowhead Stadium.
The Royals’ current home, Kauffman Stadium, was opened in 1973. It’s the sixth-oldest park in MLB. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field have been open for more than a century. Dodger Stadium (1962), Angel Stadium (1966) and the Oakland Coliseum (1968) each began playing host to big league clubs in the general vicinity of Kauffman’s opening. The A’s are very likely to depart the Coliseum after the upcoming season. If the Royals secure a new ballpark, that’d put Toronto’s Rogers Centre — which opened in 1989 — among the sport’s five oldest home stadiums.
Last summer, owner John Sherman told reporters that the team was hopeful of having a new park ready for the 2027 or ’28 seasons (link via The Associated Press). Sherman purchased the franchise from the late David Glass in August ’19.
The club has yet to find any on-field success during his ownership tenure, which began amidst a rebuild on the heels of their consecutive pennants and 2015 World Series win. Last season’s 106 losses tied a franchise record. The Royals have had an active offseason as they try to turn things around fairly quickly. They’ve brought in Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Hunter Renfroe, Will Smith, Chris Stratton and Adam Frazier in free agency. They saved their biggest move for last week, inking franchise shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a team-record guarantee in excess of $288MM to ensure he remains in K.C. through at least 2030.
Mets Notes: Diaz, Third Base, Alonso
Edwin Díaz threw a bullpen session on the back fields at Mets camp today, opening his Spring Training build-up. The two-time All-Star told reporters he had no obstructions over the winter after missing the entire 2023 campaign.
“It was my normal offseason, I did my normal routine,” Díaz told reporters (including Tim Britton of the Athletic). “I won’t be afraid to jump, to run. … I feel great.” That was the general expectation, as Díaz considered making a push to return at the end of last season before shutting things down with New York well out of contention.
The Mets are hopeful of a better showing than last year’s 75-87 performance. Díaz’s return is one of the reasons for optimism that they can hang around the playoff mix. He was the best reliever in baseball in 2022, when he struck out more than half the hitters he faced en route to a career-low 1.31 ERA across 62 innings.
While the team is hopeful of at least remaining in the Wild Card race, they’ve opted against making another all-in push for 2024. President of baseball operations David Stearns has pointed to the upcoming season as something of a evaluative year which they expect to serve as a stepping stone to a full-fledged run in 2025. That’s perhaps most evident in the team’s approach at third base and designated hitter. They’ve left the door ajar to making a run at a veteran DH while suggesting that the likelier outcome is giving playing time to Brett Baty and Mark Vientos to gauge whether they can serve important roles on the ’25 team.
Stearns left open the possibility for “some level of competition” among the in-house options at the hot corner this afternoon (relayed by Tim Healey of Newsday). Baty enters camp as the heavy favorite for the starting job despite his disappointing season. The former first-round pick and top prospect hit .212/.275/.323 with nine home runs in 389 plate appearances over his first full big league campaign. New York sent Baty to Triple-A for a few weeks in August as his struggles mounted. He raked in that brief minor league stint but again struggled after being recalled in September.
New York hasn’t done much to bring in serious competition for Baty this offseason. Stearns mentioned Vientos, Joey Wendle and Zack Short as others who could pick up playing time at the hot corner. Vientos is regarded as a below-average defender who is better served at first base or DH. He’d see the bulk of the DH reps unless the Mets somewhat surprisingly add a veteran bat like J.D. Martinez or Jorge Soler in the coming weeks. Wendle inked a $2MM free agent deal after hitting .212/.248/.306 in his second season with the Marlins. Short was a November waiver claim out of Detroit.
While Baty’s season could go in a number of directions, the Mets can feel safe about getting excellent production out of the other corner infield spot. Pete Alonso enters his platform year as one of the sport’s preeminent sluggers. Last month, he and the team agreed to a $20.5MM salary to avoid a hearing in his final winter of arbitration eligibility.
Throughout the offseason, the Mets have downplayed the chances of discussing a deal beyond the 2024 campaign. Stearns reiterated that the club didn’t have much expectation of signing Alonso to an extension. He called it “probably the most likely outcome” that the three-time All-Star hit the open market (link via Chuck King of the Associated Press). “Look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that,” he added.
The Mets have expressed confidence they could retain Alonso after he hits the open market, following the process of fellow Boras Corporation client Brandon Nimmo. Assuming he posts a typical platform year, Alonso should handily surpass the $162MM guarantee which Nimmo secured and could search for a contract approaching or exceeding $250MM.
Which Teams Would Benefit Most From Matt Chapman?
Spring Training is underway for a few teams, yet a handful of free agency’s top players remain unsigned. Matt Chapman has been the clear #1 option for clubs looking to address third base all winter.
Chapman started the 2023 campaign on a blistering offensive pace that once looked as if it could vault him towards the $200MM mark. He tailed off as the calendar flipped to May, however, most often finding himself in the bottom third of the Toronto batting order by year’s end. A finger injury may have sapped some of his power, but the bigger problem is that Chapman’s swing-and-miss issues returned in full force. While he carried a league average 22.8% strikeout rate through the end of April, he fanned at a 29.8% clip from May 1 on. The end result was a characteristic Chapman season: a .240/.330/.424 batting line with a strong 10.7% walk rate but a strikeout percentage north of 28%.
Five years removed from a career-best campaign in which he hit .249/.342/.506 with 36 homers, it’s difficult to sell Chapman as a significant upside play at the dish. He’s a slightly better than average hitter whose value is heavily tied into his glove. A four-time Gold Glove winner, he rated as 12 runs better than an third baseman by DRS last season. Statcast graded him three runs above par. By both measures, he has been an a solid to elite defender in every year of his career.
A long-term bet on a player who soon turns 31 and derives much of his value from his defense has probably scared off a few teams, particularly since Chapman would require draft pick forfeiture after declining a qualifying offer. Yet there’s little doubt he’d be an upgrade in the next couple years over the third base situations that at least half of teams are set to deploy. Which ones have the spottiest in-house options to handle the hot corner, and could therefore benefit most from Chapman’s services?
Clear Need
- Angels
Anthony Rendon hasn’t made 60 starts at third base in a season since 2019. Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo can see some time at the hot corner but are better served as bat-first options rotating throughout the infield. This would be a clear weakness if the Angels were one piece away from contention.
Unfortunately for the Halos, they have a handful of potentially bigger concerns. They’re still looking for rotation help. The overall depth on both the position player and pitching sides is lacking. They’re on the hook for $38MM to Rendon for another three seasons. Ownership and the front office probably don’t want to compound the issue with another significant free agent splash at third base.
- Blue Jays
Chapman’s old team hasn’t done much to replace him. They added Justin Turner on a one-year free agent deal. He can handle a few starts at third base but is more of a part-time option heading into his age-39 season. Turner only started seven games at the hot corner with the Red Sox a year ago. While that’s primarily on account of Rafael Devers’ presence, it also points to the risk the team would face in banking on him for 100+ starts on the infield dirt.
Assuming Turner plays mostly designated hitter, the Jays have a collection of infielders (Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement and prospects Addison Barger and Orelvis Martinez) to handle second and third base. Schneider has 35 games of MLB experience. Espinal and Biggio once looked like viable regulars but have tailed off in recent years. Clement is a utility player.
- Cubs
The Cubs might have the clearest need for third base help of any expected contender. Nick Madrigal, the top in-house option, hit .263/.311/.352 a year ago. There was also some concern about whether his arm plays well on the left side of the infield, although Madrigal posted excellent defensive grades in his first 560 1/3 innings at third base. There’s still a legitimate question as to whether the former #4 overall pick makes enough an offensive impact to start on a win-now team.
Chicago’s other short-term possibilities also have notable drawbacks. Patrick Wisdom has power but strikes out nearly as often as any regular in MLB. He’s a below-average defender who’s probably better served as a bench bat. Christopher Morel has never found a defensive home and only started four games at third base last year. Miles Mastrobuoni is coming off a .241/.308/.301 showing. It’s too early to bank on last year’s first-round draftee, Matt Shaw, making an MLB impact in 2024.
Viable Starter, Could Upgrade
- Giants: San Francisco doesn’t truly need a third baseman. J.D. Davis hit .248/.325/.413 with 18 homers a year ago. That was Davis’ worst full offensive season but still not far off what Chapman has provided in recent years. At the plate, they’re fairly comparable. Chapman has a marked edge over Davis with the glove, although Statcast felt the Giants’ incumbent third baseman took a step forward in that regard a season ago. While it’s fair to question whether Chapman is a marked enough improvement for San Francisco to make a run, they’ve been linked throughout the offseason. New skipper Bob Melvin managed Chapman for years across the Bay Area. The Giants could pursue him with an eye towards flipping Davis for help in another area of the roster.
- Mariners: Seattle is going into 2024 with a projected platoon at third base. They shipped off Eugenio Suárez and acquired Luis Urías. The righty-swinging Urías can pair with left-handed hitting Josh Rojas at the hot corner. Chapman would be a fairly straightforward upgrade, but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has expressed a desire to skew away from hitters with significant swing-and-miss rates (although their actual offseason on that front has been more mixed). More meaningfully, the M’s might just be up against ownership’s spending limit.
- Mets: President of baseball operations David Stearns said at the Winter Meetings that the Mets were happy with their internal options at third base. Ronny Mauricio tore his ACL in winter ball a few days later, but New York still has 24-year-old Brett Baty on hand. Baty had a dismal ’23 campaign, hitting .212/.275/.323 in 389 plate appearances. If the Mets were all-in on the upcoming season, Chapman would make a lot of sense. The organizational goal is instead to hang on the fringe of contention while giving opportunities to young players to see what they have for 2025. If Chapman’s asking price craters and he’s open to a short-term deal with an opt-out, perhaps the Mets could jump in. Otherwise, it seems the job will go to Baty.
- Phillies: Philadelphia seems content with Alec Bohm. He’s a subpar defender who has done the vast majority of his offensive damage against left-handed pitching in his career. There’s an argument the Phillies should make a run at Chapman and push Bohm to the bench, but the team doesn’t seem to consider third base a pressing issue. Bohm is a former #3 overall pick who had a decent .274/.327/.437 slash a year ago, so the Phils could hope there’s a little untapped potential at the dish.
- Yankees: The Yankees are planning to turn third base back to DJ LeMahieu. The 35-year-old was a league average hitter a season ago, running a .243/.327/.390 line with 15 homers. The longtime second baseman receives slightly above-average marks for his glovework at third base. LeMahieu hasn’t maintained the star-level production he showed from 2019-20, yet he’s still a solid everyday player. He had a strong finish to 2023, hitting .273/.377/.432 with a robust 14% walk rate after the All-Star Break. Chapman would likely be an upgrade, but it’s not a massive boost on what LeMahieu has provided. The Yankees have tried to move away from right-handed hitters with strikeout issues after overloading their lineup with that type of player in previous years.
Competitive Timeline Question
- Nationals
- Tigers
- White Sox
The Nationals took a flier on former top prospect Nick Senzel to start at third base. Senzel hasn’t contributed much at the MLB level, so this is still a clear area of weakness. Washington hasn’t fully pivoted from rebuilding to making a competitive push, though, meaning it’s probably a year or two early to pursue a player like Chapman. Chicago might be going in the opposite direction, as they may soon find themselves at the beginning of a rebuild. Yoán Moncada is under guaranteed contract for one more year with a club option for 2025. The Sox will likely give him a rebound opportunity and hope to offload some of the money he’s owed at the trade deadline.
Detroit admittedly didn’t fit particularly well within any of these five categories. They’re at the beginning of what they hope to be their contention window. The Tigers don’t have a clear starting third baseman right now but are hopeful that top prospect Jace Jung could push for the job by next season. Manager A.J. Hinch has suggested they’re comfortable rotating the likes of Andy Ibáñez, Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry through the position as a stopgap platoon.
Payroll Issues
- Athletics
- Brewers
- Marlins
- Royals
None of these low-payroll franchises are going to spend the kind of money it’d take to land Chapman. Each of Milwaukee (Joey Ortiz), Miami (Jake Burger) and Kansas City (Maikel García) could turn the position to a controllable player they hope will be part of the long-term core.
Already Set At Third Base
- Astros
- Braves
- Cardinals
- Diamondbacks
- Dodgers
- Guardians
- Orioles
- Padres
- Pirates
- Rangers
- Rays
- Red Sox
- Reds
- Rockies
- Twins
These 15 teams all have either a clearly above-average starting third baseman (e.g. José Ramírez, Austin Riley), have addressed the position already this winter (Eugenio Suárez), or possess enough infield talent that can capably cover the position. In either case, it’s hard to envision any of these clubs considering Chapman a notable upgrade on their in-house options to bring him in. That’s true regardless of whether he pivots to a short-term deal.
Brant Alyea Passes Away
Former major league outfielder Brant Alyea passed away on February 4, according to an obituary from a Philadelphia funeral home. He was 83.
Alyea, a native of New Jersey, played collegiately at Hofstra. He entered the professional ranks as a signee of the Reds in 1962. Alyea played one year in the Cincinnati farm system before he was drafted by the Washington Senators. In the first few years of the draft, teams could select a player who had spent one year in the farm system of another MLB organization. The right-handed hitter spent the ’64 season in the minors before debuting with Washington on September 12, 1965.
Called to pinch hit for Don Blasingame with two runners on in the sixth inning, Alyea popped a three-run homer off Rudy May in his first career at-bat. He hit two homers in eight games as a rookie and spent the next two years in the minors. Alyea returned to the big leagues in 1968. He posted above-average power numbers in limited playing time over the next few seasons.
Alyea played for the Senators through 1969. Washington traded him to the Twins for reliever Joe Grzenda over the 1969-70 offseason. The 6’3″ Alyea connected on 16 homers with an excellent .291/.366/.531 line over a career-high 290 plate appearances for Minnesota in 1970. He slumped to a .177/.282/.241 slash the next season, though.
The A’s selected Alyea in the Rule 5 draft going into the 1972 campaign. Oakland traded him to the Cardinals that May but reacquired him two months later. That was a fortunate development for Alyea, as the A’s went on to win the World Series. He didn’t play in the majors after that, retiring following a ’73 season in Triple-A with the Red Sox. He finished his MLB career with a .247/.326/.421 slash line over parts of six seasons. Alyea hit 38 homers and drove in 148 runs in a little less than 1000 trips to the plate.
MLBTR sends our condolences to Alyea’s family, friends and loved ones.
Dombrowski Downplays Phillies’ Desire For Outfield Help
The Phillies announced this morning that outfielder Brandon Marsh underwent arthroscopic surgery after feeling discomfort in his left knee. With a 3-4 week recovery timetable, he’s still expected to be ready for Opening Day. As a result, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski downplayed the chances of going outside the organization for outfield help.
“We still think we’re the same way we were beforehand, when it comes to Opening Day,” he told reporters this afternoon (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). “[Free agent outfielders] want guarantees, and we’re just not able to give them those guarantees. … We talk to people all the time. The reality is that we don’t have guaranteed playing time that some people want. We just don’t have that. It’s not really even a dollar issue as it is playing time.”
Assuming Marsh’s recovery proceeds as expected, he’ll slot into left field on Opening Day. Defensive stalwart Johan Rojas is set to open the year in center field while Nick Castellanos mans the corner opposite Marsh. Cristian Pache and Jake Cave project as the top depth options.
Rojas has a limited MLB track record, having appeared in only 59 career games. Paired with Philadelphia’s willingness to spend and Dombrowski’s history of pursuing star talent, that has led to loose speculation about the Phils as a possible suitor for Cody Bellinger. The front office leader has said a few times he anticipates Rojas being the starting center fielder — a sentiment he repeated earlier this week — making a Bellinger pursuit unlikely. Zolecki reports that the Phils also don’t anticipate landing either of the top two starting pitchers still available, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, barring a significant change in their respective markets.
Dombrowski also shot down the notion the Phillies are on the verge of trading for bullpen help. Unsubstantiated reports have linked them to Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen and Guardians star Emmanuel Clase in recent days. While Dombrowski didn’t address either player specifically, he said the Phils generally “do not have any ongoing conversations for bullpen guys” (via Zolecki).
While that doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Phils jumping into the mix at some point, the veteran executive pointed out that there’s not a ton of room in the season-opening bullpen. Each of José Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Gregory Soto, Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Domínguez is locked into the relief corps. The Phils have effusively praised Orion Kerkering, a 22-year-old who debuted late last season after striking out nearly 38% of opponents in the minor leagues.
If all six of those pitchers are on the Opening Day roster, the Phils would likely have two bullpen spots remaining. Dombrowski indicated one of those would go to a long reliever — quite likely out-of-options righty Dylan Covey. That leaves one job up for grabs (assuming the Phillies aren’t committed to carrying Connor Brogdon, who is also out of options). That opens the possibility for another acquisition, yet it’s not surprising Dombrowski said they’d only acquire a pitcher they consider a meaningful upgrade over their in-house candidates.
“It only leaves one other spot, and if you go get a veteran guy, he needs to be an upgrade. Because the reality is the only one there that can be optioned in that group is Kerkering. And we may not want to be optioning him,” he said. Perhaps the opportunity for a clear upgrade comes available or a Spring Training injury changes the calculus, but it doesn’t seem the Phils anticipate an imminent bullpen pickup.
Francisco Perez Elects Free Agency
February 9: Pérez elected free agency, according to the transaction tracker.
February 1: The A’s have sent reliever Francisco Pérez outright off the 40-man roster, according to the club’s transaction log at MLB.com. That clears a spot for veteran starter Alex Wood, who agreed to terms over the weekend. The A’s still have not officially announced Wood’s signing.
Pérez has pitched at the MLB level in each of the last three seasons. He has suited up for a different team all three years, bouncing from Cleveland to Washington to Oakland. The southpaw joined the A’s on a minor league deal in April and was selected onto the MLB club in the middle of August.
Despite not reaching the majors until late into the year, he tallied a personal-high 16 2/3 innings through 17 games down the stretch. Pérez allowed 12 runs (11 earned) with 14 strikeouts and eight walks. He owns a 5.91 ERA in 31 career big league appearances. The 26-year-old has pitched to a 4.42 earned run average over 106 innings at the Triple-A level. While he has punched out almost 30% of opponents at the top minor league level, he’s undercut it with a 15.3% walk rate.
Pérez has cleared outright waivers once before in his career. As a result, he’ll have the ability to test free agency. If he accepts the minor league assignment, he could get a non-roster invite to Spring Training with Oakland. Otherwise, he’d look for a minor league opportunity elsewhere.
Jim Hannan Passes Away
Former MLB pitcher Jim Hannan has passed away at 85, according to an announcement from the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
A Jersey City native, Hannan attended Notre Dame before entering the professional ranks in 1961. The right-hander spent one year in the Red Sox system. He was drafted by the Washington Senators the following winter — in the early years of the draft, teams could select a player who had spent one year in another team’s farm system — and jumped to the majors the ensuing season. The 6’3″ right-hander would spend the bulk of his career in Washington.
Working in a flexible swing role, Hannan pitched parts of nine seasons with the Senators. He posted a career-low 3.01 ERA over 140 1/3 innings in 1968 and logged a personal-high 158 1/3 frames during the ’69 campaign. While the late 60s skewed very favorably to pitching, that’s solid production. Hannan won 10 games on a Senators team that finished 65-96 in 1968.
During the 1970-71 offseason, the Senators included him as part of a four-player return to the Tigers for two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain. Detroit flipped him to the Brewers after just seven appearances. Hannan finished his playing days with 21 appearances in Milwaukee. He hung up his spikes with a 3.88 ERA over 822 big league innings. He struck out 438 hitters and won 41 games.
Hannan remained in the game long after his 10-year playing career came to an end. He helped found the MLB Players Alumni Association in 1982 and served as the organization’s first president. He held that role until 1986. Hannan remained involved with the MLBPAA long past that stint, serving as its chairman of the board from 1996 until this year.
“Our Alumni Association owes its existence and current status to Jim Hannan and his impact,” MLBPAA CEO Dan Foster said in a statement. “Since 1982, Jim has championed former players and the MLBPAA will continue to advocate for our players and uphold the integrity of the game on behalf of Jim and our founding members. The history of our organization is inseparable from Jim and his everlasting influence. His presence will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his wife Carol and children Coleen, Heather, Jimmy and Erin.”
MLBTR joins the MLBPAA and others around the game in sending our condolences to Hannan’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates and colleagues.
Marlins Acquire Darren McCaughan, Designate Peyton Burdick
The Marlins are acquiring right-hander Darren McCaughan from the Mariners for cash considerations, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (X link). Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports (on X) that outfielder Peyton Burdick is being designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.
McCaughan had been designated for assignment on Wednesday when Seattle claimed outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Pirates. While the transaction log at MLB.com suggested that he’d been outrighted to Triple-A, MLBTR has confirmed that Seattle had not placed him on waivers and he remained in DFA limbo until tonight’s trade.
The Long Beach State product, who turns 28 next month, saw very brief MLB action with Seattle in 2021 and ’23. He has allowed 13 runs in 14 big league innings. McCaughan has spent most of the last three years working as rotation depth at Triple-A Tacoma. He started 25 games there a season ago, pitching to a 5.83 ERA across 139 innings. His 21.2% strikeout percentage was a little below average, but he kept his walks to a modest 7.2% clip.
A 12th-round pick in the 2017 draft, McCaughan has pitched parts of five campaigns at the Triple-A level. He has allowed 5.22 earned runs per nine in 460 1/3 innings with similar strikeout and walk numbers to last year’s marks. He’ll serve as rotation or multi-inning relief depth for the Fish. McCaughan still has a minor league option remaining, so Miami can keep him with their top farm team in Jacksonville for another year.
Adding some pitching depth squeezes out Burdick, whom the Marlins drafted in the third round in 2019. The Wright State product hit very well up through the Double-A level to emerge as one of the more interesting position player prospects in the Miami system. His offense has plateaued in Triple-A, though, and he hasn’t gotten much of a look in the majors. Burdick appeared in 46 big league games between 2022-23, hitting .200/.281/.368 while striking out 53 times in 139 plate appearances (a 38.1% clip).
The hit tool is the biggest question with Burdick, who possesses solid raw power upside. He hit 24 homers in 492 plate appearances with Jacksonville a year ago. Yet he also struck out almost 37% of the time, indicating that his pure contact skills remain a serious issue. His .219/.327/.448 Triple-A batting line was a little worse than league average.
Burdick has some experience in center field but is better suited for a corner outfield position. That puts a lot of pressure on his bat. He still has a pair of options remaining, so another team could keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future if they want to roll the dice on his power potential. Miami has a week to trade Burdick or put him on waivers.
Rob Manfred Discusses RSN Situation, Expansion Timeline
Commissioner Rob Manfred covered a wide range of topics in yesterday’s press conference from the owners’ meetings. Along with comments on the Orioles’ sale agreement and the A’s ballpark plans in Las Vegas, he spoke of a desire to create an in-market streaming bundle as soon as next year.
“Realistically, my target to having a digital package I can take to market would be for the ’25 season,” the commissioner told reporters (link via Evan Drellich of the Athletic). The hope is to include at least 14 teams in a streaming bundle they can market directly to consumers without blackout restrictions.
MLB already makes out-of-market streaming for all 30 teams available via its MLB.TV platform. Most fans are unable to stream in-market games on MLB.TV because of restrictions in teams’ regional broadcasting contracts. With the RSN model on shaky ground for a number of clubs, MLB could be able to work around blackout issues for a number of organizations in the relatively near future.
The Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy provides the clearest avenue. Diamond has already dropped its deals with the Padres and Diamondbacks, putting the onus on MLB to handle those broadcasts. Meanwhile, AT&T abandoned its contracts with the Rockies, Astros, Pirates and Mariners this offseason. MLB is handling Colorado broadcasts this year. The Mariners, Astros and Pirates have all taken those responsibilities on their own, with the Astros and Pirates partnering with teams from other leagues in their respective cities as part of a new broadcasting arrangement.
Diamond is going to carry broadcasts for its remaining 12 teams in 2024. It is honoring its contracts in full with nine teams* and reached deals at slightly reduced rights fees to handle Rangers, Guardians and Twins broadcasts for another season. Drellich tweeted this morning that the bankruptcy court approved those contracts, as expected.
Whether Diamond will be able to maintain its operations beyond this year remains to be seen. The conglomerate is hopeful that it can stay in business after agreeing to sell whatever MLB, NHL and NBA streaming rights it possessed to Amazon in a deal that’ll bring in a short-term cash influx of $450MM. MLB officials have expressed some skepticism about that being enough to keep Diamond afloat for the long haul.
If Diamond were to collapse after next season, that’d revert the broadcasting rights for those 12 teams back to MLB. In addition to the three it already possesses and the potential to negotiate with Seattle, Houston, and Pittsburgh, the league could shop around two-thirds of its teams on an in-market streaming bundle by next year. MLB would likely have a harder time negotiating in-market streaming rights back from franchises like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs that are on stabler footing and handle distribution of their games on RSNs owned at least in part by the team.
Once there’s more clarity on the broadcasting situation, it seems the league will start laying the groundwork for a potential expansion process. “We’re going to have to get our footing on local media a little bit better. In times of uncertainty, it’s hard to talk about additional change,” Manfred said when asked about expansion (link via Jesse Rogers of ESPN). “Having said that, I have five years left. Those teams won’t be playing by the time I’m done but I would like the process along and [cities] selected.”
As Manfred indicated, his contract runs for another five seasons. The owners voted last July to extend his tenure until January 2029. While there’s little doubt they’d approve another extension if Manfred wanted to continue into the 2030s, his comments seem to suggest he could step away after this term.
That’d put the 2025-28 seasons as a loose timeline for the league to seriously evaluate options for moving from 30 to 32 teams. Manfred has previously made clear that there’d be no expansion consideration until the A’s and Rays stadium situations were sorted out. With those moving closer to resolution, albeit with plenty of controversy in the A’s case, expansion should be a more serious topic by the second half of the decade.
*Angels, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Royals, and Tigers
Manfred On A’s Stadium
In the wake of renewed criticism of the A’s plans to construct their new ballpark on the Vegas strip, Rob Manfred restated his hope the team will stay on schedule. The franchise has indicated they expect to begin construction on the park next year and will have the field ready for the start of the 2028 season.
“I would be disappointed if we didn’t open that stadium, Opening Day, 2028,” the commissioner told reporters from this week’s owners’ meetings in Orlando (relayed by Jesse Rogers of ESPN). “In terms of an interim home, I’m comfortable with where they are in the process.”
The A’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires at the end of this year. They’ve recently been exploring possibilities for the 2025-27 seasons, something Manfred said needs to be finalized in the relatively near future. “We need to, in the next few months, know,” the commissioner said of the team’s plans for the intervening three years (via Evan Drellich of the Athletic). “It’s hard, even scheduling — although it’s clearly going to be someplace in the West — you know, there’s a difference between some places in the West and other places in the West.”
Among the interim hosting options: Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Reno, sharing San Francisco’s Oracle Park with the Giants, and playing at the organization’s Triple-A field in Las Vegas. A’s officials have publicly floated the possibility of a short-term lease extension at the Coliseum, but that has never seemed likely given the acrimony between the franchise and Oakland.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t seem there’s any momentum behind the scenes for the A’s to stay in Oakland through 2027. Henry Gardner, executive director of the agency in charge of the Coliseum, tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle he hasn’t heard from team personnel about the possibility of a three-year lease extension. “We are proceeding like they’re gone at the end of the year,” Gardner tells Shea.
Complicating the search is the A’s local broadcasting contract with NBC Sports California. That deal lapses once the A’s leave the Bay Area, putting one of the franchise’s major revenue streams in jeopardy. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last month that the A’s will receive around $70MM under the terms of that deal in 2024.
Sacramento does not fall within the contracted limits of the Bay Area. Departing Oakland or San Francisco could scuttle the deal entirely. At the very least, it’d likely force the A’s back to the negotiating table to accept a lower rights fee if they want to keep their in-market broadcasting on NBC Sports. The organization is comfortable abandoning that contract entirely in 2028, but they’d preserve that revenue in the shorter term if they reached an agreement to stay in the Bay Area until the Vegas stadium is ready.
The stadium plan has come under fire in recent days. On Monday, a political action committee filed a suit against Nevada and its governor to try to overturn the law that approved $380MM in public funding for construction. (The plaintiffs claim the voting process didn’t meet the procedural requirements of the state’s constitution.)
Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman made more headlines on Tuesday when she cast doubt on the stadium arrangement in a conversation with Front Office Sports. Goodman subsequently walked those comments back somewhat (on X), although she reiterated in her clarifying statement that “it is (her) belief that in their perfect world the ownership of the A’s would like to have a new ballpark on the water in Oakland and that the ownership and government there should listen to their great fans and try to make that dream come true.”
Neither of those developments are necessarily anything more than public relations quibbles for team officials. The lawsuit’s chances of succeeding are uncertain at most. Goodman’s office, meanwhile, doesn’t have jurisdiction over the proposed construction site on the Vegas strip. That falls under the purview of Clark County, which has been generally supportive of the stadium plan.
Oakland mayor Sheng Thao nevertheless reiterated that the A’s longtime home city is willing to reopen discussions in a chat with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic this evening. There’s little chance of that happening. Thao indicated she hasn’t spoken with owner John Fisher since the team announced it was turning its attention to Las Vegas last April. Thao nevertheless took the opportunity to throw a swipe at team leadership, particularly Fisher.
“There was a thought that this plan he had in the beginning was viable,” Thao told Rosenthal. “And now we’re seeing that actually, maybe the plan isn’t viable. The question becomes, are the plans not viable or is it that the ownership’s not viable?” Fisher has made clear he has no designs on selling the franchise, so the mayor’s comments are likely to amount to little more than rhetoric.