Click here to view the transcript of today’s chat with MLBTR’s Anthony Franco.
Mariners Sign Trevor Gott
November 30: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Gott’s salary will be $1.2MM. The Mariners announced the deal shortly thereafter.
November 28: The Mariners are in agreement with reliever Trevor Gott on a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (on Twitter). Financial terms have not yet been reported. Gott is a Sports One Athlete Management client. Seattle’s 40-man roster count will jump to 38 once the deal is finalized.
Gott signed a somewhat surprising big league contract with the Brewers last offseason. He’d spent the entire 2021 campaign in Triple-A in the Giants organization, impressing the Milwaukee front office with a 31% strikeout rate at the top minor league level. Milwaukee jumped early in the offseason to add him, and he played a fairly significant role in their middle innings mix this past season.
The right-hander tallied 45 2/3 innings across 45 outings. The results were mixed, as he managed just a 4.14 ERA while surrendering eight home runs (1.58 per nine innings). He paired that with quality strikeout and walk marks, though, fanning a slightly above-average 23.7% of opponents against a 6.5% walk rate. He averaged around 95 MPH on his fastball and just north of 91 MPH on a cutter that served as his top secondary offering. Gott’s 10.5% swinging strike percentage and 43.7% grounder rate were right around the respective league marks, and he held right-handed hitters to a meager .200/.243/.333 line in 111 plate appearances.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Gott for a $1.4MM arbitration salary this winter, and the Brewers instead opted to non-tender him. His roughly average peripherals in 2022 were enough to land a 40-man spot with Seattle, and he figures to have an inside track at an Opening Day bullpen job. Gott has exhausted his minor league option years, so the M’s will either have to carry him on the big league roster or make him available via waivers.
With between four and five years of major league service time, Gott would again be eligible for arbitration next offseason if he holds his roster spot all year. He could be a multi-year bullpen pickup for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and his staff if he performs well. Gott has also suited up for the Angels, Nationals and Giants in parts of seven seasons at the big league level.
The Mariners have an excellent bullpen that ranked sixth in the majors this past season in ERA at 3.33. Seattle relievers placed fifth with a 26.6% strikeout rate, and only the Orioles blew fewer leads in the late innings. That was a key part of the M’s winning 90 games for a second consecutive season and securing a Wild Card berth. Seattle subtracted from that with the deal that sent Erik Swanson to Toronto to bring in Teoscar Hernández, but they’ll bring back Andrés Muñoz, Diego Castillo, Matt Brash, Paul Sewald and Penn Murfee. Gott figures to work in lower-leverage spots, at least initially, to deepen the group available to manager Scott Servais.
Padres, Diamondbacks Among Teams Interested In Xander Bogaerts
11:40am: The Athletic’s Peter Gammons cites front office officials from three other teams who are of the belief that Bogaerts will not return to Boston (Twitter link). As he did with regard to Bogaerts playing another position, however, Boras outwardly denied the report, telling Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that Bogaerts is “open to any and all voices in the free agent market” and adding that he and Bogaerts “have not closed any doors on anyone.”
10:04am: Next week’s Winter Meetings are generally expected to serve as a catalyst for what’s been a slow-moving free agent market. As the league’s biggest offseason convention approaches, the interest for some of the top players available is beginning to come into focus.
Xander Bogaerts is part of a loaded shortstop class, and a number of teams have checked in with his representatives at the Boras Corporation. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports the Diamondbacks and Cubs have expressed interest, while adding that previously-reported suitors like the Phillies and Dodgers are in the mix. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller recently checked in with Scott Boras about Bogaerts’ willingness to play a position other than shortstop. Boras, however, flatly rejected the possibility; the agent tells Rosenthal “Xander is playing shortstop” and denied that San Diego would prefer to move him off the position.
San Diego’s interest in Bogaerts isn’t a new development. Marino Pepén listed the Padres as a suitor last week, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post has suggested they’re involved in the top of the shortstop market more generally. The Friars are seemingly serious enough in their pursuit to gauge Bogaerts’ amenability to move off the position.
The infield mix at Petco Park is already crowded, although there are a number of multi-positional options who can move around. Manny Machado is locked in at third base, while the rest of the current infield figures to be made up by some combination of Fernando Tatis Jr., Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth. Kim has proven himself an excellent defensive shortstop and earned an everyday role with a .251/.325/.383 showing this past season. Tatis was expected to be the franchise shortstop after a brilliant start to his career earned him a $340MM extension, but he’s now under consideration for a move to second base or the outfield after missing all of 2022 due to injury and a performance-enhancing drug ban. Cronenworth is a quality defender at the keystone, but the Friars have floated the possibility of kicking him over to first base with Josh Bell and Brandon Drury hitting free agency.
Adding a first base/designated hitter type might be the most straightforward path to building out the offense, but there’s no harm for Preller and his staff in considering other avenues. Adding another middle infielder while kicking Cronenworth to first base would give San Diego an elite defensive infield, while Bogaerts is among the top offensive players available regardless of position. He’s long been mentioned as a candidate to move off shortstop towards the end of a free agent deal after years of subpar defensive marks, but he quieted those concerns (at least in the short term) with arguably the best season of his career with the glove. Bogaerts rated as four runs above average in more than 1200 shortstop innings by both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast this past season. He hasn’t played anywhere else since 2014 and while there’s little question he could handle a less demanding position like second or third base, it doesn’t seem he’s willing to do so.
There are a number of other teams with worse internal options than the Padres that’d surely be willing to plug Bogaerts in at his longtime position. The Diamondbacks relied on rookie Geraldo Perdomo this year, and he looked overmatched to the tune of a .195/.285/.262 line in 500 plate appearances. Nick Ahmed is under contract and can play excellent defense, but he’s always been a below-average hitter and lost almost all of this past season to surgery on his throwing shoulder.
Arizona general manager Mike Hazen is plenty familiar with Bogaerts from his previous work in the Red Sox’s front office, so it’s little surprise they’re interested in adding him given the uncertain shortstop outlook. The question is whether a Diamondbacks team that has had a payroll south of $100MM in each of the past two seasons would be willing to commit a deal of that magnitude. MLBTR predicts a seven-year, $189MM contract for Bogaerts. The D-Backs already have roughly $98MM in salary commitments for next season, per Roster Resource, so adding a salary in the realm of $27MM annually would require owner Ken Kendrick signing off on a major spending hike relative to recent levels.
The Cubs have a cleaner long-term payroll outlook that makes them a viable fit for any of the top shortstops. Nico Hoerner is a quality incumbent, but he’s already expressed a willingness to move to second base to accommodate a big-ticket acquisition. Roster Resource projects Chicago’s 2023 commitments around $127MM, and they’ve opened each of the past two seasons with payrolls in the $140MM to $150MM range. Chicago has pushed spending north of $200MM in the past. There’s room for an aggressive offseason, but president of baseball ops Jed Hoyer and his front office have to weigh whether to invest in the middle infield against other weak points on the roster like center field, first base, catcher and the back of the rotation.
Bogaerts rejected a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, so any signing team will have to forfeit draft choice(s) and/or international bonus pool space to sign him. Boston has consistently maintained retaining him is their top priority, though extension talks dating back at least to Spring Training haven’t gotten anywhere. The Phils are widely expected to be in play for a top shortstop, but reports suggest they’re more dialed in on Trea Turner at the moment. The Dodgers could certainly turn to any of the other shortstops if Turner walks, while the Twins reportedly have Bogaerts as their top fallback if they can’t retain Carlos Correa.
Blue Jays Hire Don Mattingly As Bench Coach
Nov. 30: The Blue Jays announced that Mattingly has been hired as their new bench coach. Candaele will return to his prior role managing the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate.
Nov. 29: The Blue Jays are closing in on a deal to bring in Don Mattingly as their bench coach, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman and Jon Heyman first reported earlier this evening that Mattingly and the Jays were in discussions about a coaching position, which Shi Davidi of Sportsnet specified was for the bench coach vacancy.
Assuming the deal is completed, Mattingly will step right back onto an MLB staff. He’s spent the past 12 years managing, leading the Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from 2016-22. Towards the end of this past season, Miami and Mattingly announced they’d part ways at the end of the year. The 61-year-old suggested he was open to continued coaching, managerial or front office work at the time, and he’ll indeed jump into another key role.
The Marlins only once qualified for the postseason during Mattingly’s seven-year tenure as manager. Miami was rebuilding for the early portion of that stretch, and it looked as if they’d taken a step forward with a 31-29 showing during the shortened 2020 season to secure a Wild Card berth. Their efforts to build around a developing rotation didn’t lead to continued progress, though, and Miami and Mattingly went their separate ways after 2021-22 seasons with 93 and 95 losses, respectively. The Fish subsequently hired Skip Schumaker away from the Cardinals as manager.
Mattingly will bring a wealth of high-level experience to the bench coach position. That’s surely welcome for 42-year-old John Schneider, who was named Toronto’s manager just prior to the start of the offseason. He’d served in that role in an interim capacity for the final couple months, taking over when the Jays dismissed Charlie Montoyo in July. This’ll be his first full season as a big league manager, though, so it’s sensible to bring in a veteran voice like Mattingly to assist in those decisions.
Schneider entered the 2022 season as Toronto’s bench coach under Montoyo. When he vacated the position to take the lead role, the Jays promoted Triple-A manager Casey Candaele to interim bench coach for the second half. It’s not clear whether Candaele will remain on the MLB staff or is set to head back to the minor leagues in 2023.
The forthcoming bench coach hiring is just one part of what could be a very eventful week for Mattingly. He’s one of eight former players under Hall of Fame consideration by the Era Committee. The six-time All-Star will find out on Sunday whether he’ll be enshrined in Cooperstown in 2023.
Rays Have Been In Contact With Jacob deGrom
The Rays are among the teams that have reached out to the representatives for Jacob deGrom, reports Andy Martino of SNY. They join the Rangers, Yankees and incumbent Mets as clubs known to have some amount of interest, although there are surely a number of other teams in the bidding.
Needless to say, Tampa Bay represents a long shot in the race for any top free agent. The Rays consistently run payrolls in the bottom five to ten, and it’s impossible to envision them winning any all-out bidding war against either New York franchise or a Texas club that has rapidly pushed its payroll upwards and seems determined to land impact pitching this winter. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic unsurprisingly writes that Tampa Bay officials aren’t bullish on their chances of signing deGrom.
Still, there’s no harm for the Rays in touching base with the four-time All-Star’s camp. deGrom is a Florida native and a Stetson product, and there’s been some speculation he could welcome an opportunity to return to the Southeast. To be clear, the pitcher himself hasn’t publicly aired any geographic preferences. The Rays also offer a more clearly competitive roster than the Rangers, although it’s debatable whether they’re better positioned to contend for a World Series than the Yankees, Mets or other teams that could enter the bidding like the Dodgers and Giants.
The Rays opened the 2022 season with a payroll just south of $84MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Roster Resource estimates their 2023 commitments around $68MM at present, so there should be a bit of room for president of baseball operations Erik Neander and his staff to augment the roster. Adding a player like deGrom would require blowing this year’s franchise-record spending level out of the water, though, with MLBTR predicting the two-time Cy Young winner to land a record $45MM average annual value over a three-year term.
The projected $135MM guarantee would be the second-largest expenditure in franchise history, training only the $182MM extension signed by shortstop Wander Franco last offseason. That was spread over 11 years, while a deal for a 34-year-old ace would involve much higher salaries over a shorter term. Tampa Bay was reportedly willing to offer Freddie Freeman a deal in the $150MM range last winter, but even that would’ve been dispersed across six to seven seasons. Tyler Glasnow, who signed an extension in August, is slated for a $25MM guarantee in 2024 that’ll mark the largest single-season salary the team has paid.
Twins Turn Daily Ownership Oversight Over To Joe Pohlad
Twins chairman Jim Pohlad stepped aside as the franchise’s executive chair yesterday, turning day-to-day ownership responsibilities over to his nephew Joe Pohlad (relayed by Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic). President of baseball operations Derek Falvey and president Dave St. Peter will report to Joe Pohlad moving forward.
It’s not a complete ownership overhaul, as Jim Pohlad will remain the Twins’ official control person and continue to work with Major League Baseball, writes Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. However, it does mark a notable step for the organization, as 40-year-old Joe Pohlad will take on a significantly more meaningful role. Jim Pohlad, who’s now 69 years old, has held the lead role since the passing of his father Carl in 2009. The Twins have been owned by the family for nearly four decades. Carl Pohlad purchased the organization from Calvin Griffith back in 1984.
Joe Pohlad, a graduate of Stonehill College, has worked for the Twins since 2007. He had held the title of executive vice president of brand strategy/growth for the past four years. Souhan notes he’s gotten some experience in baseball operations in addition to his work in the marketing department, presumably in preparation for eventually assuming control of the franchise.
In an interview with Souhan published at the Star-Tribune, Joe Pohlad downplayed the potential for any major changes relative to his uncle’s leadership. He expressed his support for the front office duo of Falvey and general manager Thad Levine, as well as for manager Rocco Baldelli. “It’s not like how we’re going to operate as a business is going to change on Day 1 because I’m in this chair,” Pohlad told Souhan. “To this point, we are having all of the same conversations. Dave, Derek and I are operating in the same way. I am certainly not one to all of a sudden blow things up because I’m the guy in this seat.”
While there may not be any immediate overhauls in the franchise’s daily operation, any ownership change is certain to lead to questions among the fanbase about the payroll outlook. Minnesota opened the 2022 season with a team-record player payroll just above $134MM, in the estimation of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That ranked 18th in the majors, and they’ve opened each of the past 10 seasons with a payroll that sat between 16th and 21st among the game’s 30 clubs.
Predictably, Joe Pohlad didn’t delve into specifics about the franchise’s long-term payroll trajectory. He reiterated the team’s interest in re-signing Carlos Correa, to whom the club has reportedly made a number of six-plus year offers. Joe Pohlad told Souhan he “(knows) that Jim was not a big fan of long-term contracts” but didn’t elaborate as to whether he’s similarly averse to those kinds of commitments.
The Twins haven’t signed a free agent to a guarantee longer than four years ($92MM for Josh Donaldson, $54MM for Ervin Santana and $49MM for Ricky Nolasco) since Jim Pohlad took control. The organization did go beyond four years on extensions (most notably for Joe Mauer and Byron Buxton) and they handed Correa the largest per-year salary for a free agent position player in MLB history over a three-year guarantee last offseason.
Jason Martinez of Roster Resource projects the Twins’ 2023 payroll commitments around $98MM. Buxton and Randy Dobnak are the only players on guaranteed deals beyond next season, providing the franchise plenty of long-term flexibility to reload after a second straight underwhelming season. Beyond shortstop, Minnesota has some question marks in the bullpen and the corner outfield. Falvey has also noted a desire to add another catcher to somewhat evenly split duties with Ryan Jeffers after the organization watched Gary Sánchez hit free agency.
Levine recently expressed a similar sentiment, telling Dan Hayes of the Athletic the Twins “feel the best roster will include two catchers really capable of delivering about 100 games started.” Jeffers is currently the only backstop on the 40-man roster, so it’s inevitable the club will add some help from outside the organization. Hayes suggests that’s likelier to be via free agency than trade, with the Twins believing teams with trade candidates behind the dish (i.e. the A’s with Sean Murphy and the Blue Jays with Danny Jansen) may prefer to wait out the free agent market.
Free agency doesn’t offer a ton of certainty. Willson Contreras is easily the top catcher available, although he’s likely to require a four-plus year commitment the Twins seem unlikely to dole out with Jeffers in the fold. Christian Vázquez is the next-best option, followed by Omar Narváez, Tucker Barnhart and Sánchez. The lefty-swinging Narváez and switch-hitting Barnhart would make for more natural complements to the right-handed Jeffers, although Falvey has previously suggested the team doesn’t intend to relegate Jeffers solely to the lesser side of a platoon.
Reds Promote Joel McKeithan To Hitting Coach
The Reds announced a number of changes to their coaching staff this afternoon. The biggest news is the promotion of Joel McKeithan from assistant hitting coach to the lead hitting coach position. Terry Bradshaw has been named assistant hitting coach; he’ll pair with Tim LaMonte, who has been named assistant hitting coach/integrated performance coach. McKeithan joins returning bench coach Freddie Benavides and pitching coach Derek Johnson as the top staffers for fifth-year skipper David Bell.
McKeithan, 31, first joined the Reds last offseason. A former Vanderbilt and North Carolina State infielder, he also spent some time working with minor leaguers in the Tigers organization. McKeithan was tabbed as assistant hitting coach under Alan Zinter last offseason, and he’ll take the reins after Zinter was let go at the end of the year. It’ll be McKeithan’s first crack in a lead hitting coach position.
Bradshaw, 54, had spent four-plus seasons as the top hitting instructor with the Royals. He was dismissed by Kansas City in May but brings a fair bit of experience working with big league hitters to help the younger McKeithan. LaMonte also steps onto the MLB staff, with the Reds joining a number of other teams in adding a third hitting instructor. He’s previously spent time with the Astros and Mets, working with New York’s minor leaguers this year.
Cincinnati also announced a few more minor hires. Former MLB outfielder Collin Cowgill has been brought on as first base coach. The 36-year-old suited up with five teams from 2011-16. A University of Kentucky product, he had some post-playing experience as a manager in the Seattle farm system. He replaces Delino DeShields, who was let go at the end of the season.
Matt Tracy, who made one MLB appearance with the 2015 Yankees, has been named bullpen coach to replace Lee Tunnell. Joe Singley joins the staff as bullpen catcher, while Kyle Arnsberg was promoted to coordinator of advance scouting.
White Sox Hire Jose Castro As Hitting Coach
The White Sox have finalized their coaches under first-year skipper Pedro Grifol. Chicago announced the entire staff this afternoon, including the addition of José Castro as hitting coach. Eddie Rodríguez, who had spent the past three seasons working with Grifol as the Royals’ minor league field coordinator, joins Chicago as third base coach. Mike Tosar and Geoff Head join the big league staff as major league field coordinator and senior director of sports performance, respectively.
Chicago also confirmed the previously-reported hires of Charlie Montoyo as bench coach and former MLB third baseman Chris Johnson as assistant hitting coach. Previous bench coach/interim manager Miguel Cairo and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark are no longer on staff. Pitching coach Ethan Katz and bullpen coach Curt Hasler were already known to be returning from Tony La Russa’s 2022 staff. Daryl Boston is the other holdover, as the Sox announced today he’d return as first base coach.
The most notable news is the tabbing of Castro as hitting coach. The 64-year-old has spent the past eight seasons as an assistant hitting coach in Atlanta. A native of Cuba, Castro played 14 minor league seasons between 1977-90. He’s spent the past three-plus decades in various instructional roles, including a stint as interim hitting coach with the 2008 Mariners. This’ll be his first time taking the lead role on a full-time basis.
Castro was one of two assistant hitting coaches in Atlanta, pairing in that role with Bobby Magallanes. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the Braves don’t plan on replacing him, instead letting hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and Magallanes handle those responsibilities.
Nationals Sign Stone Garrett To Major League Deal
The Nationals announced they’ve signed outfielder Stone Garrett to a big league contract. In conjunction with the signing of corner infielder Jeimer Candelario to a one-year deal, Washington’s 40-man roster is now full.
Garrett, who recently turned 27, is a former eighth-round draftee of the Marlins. He played in the Miami farm system for six-plus years but didn’t crack the big league roster. After reaching minor league free agency heading into the 2021 season, Garrett latched on with the D-Backs via minor league contract. He spent most of that season in Double-A, then moved to Triple-A for the bulk of the 2022 campaign.
Over 103 games and 440 plate appearances there, Garrett popped 28 home runs and posted a .275/.332/.568 line. The extreme hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League (and the D-Backs’ affiliate in Reno, in particular) surely helped, but it was an impressive enough showing to lead the front office to give Garrett a big league look late in the season. They selected his contract in mid-August, and he went on to suit up 27 times at the MLB level.
Garrett carried over some of his power production against big league arms. He connected on four longballs and eight doubles in just 84 trips to the dish. That resulted in an excellent .539 slugging output. However, he also struck out 27 times while drawing just a trio of walks. The righty-hitting Garrett was also leveraged heavily for favorable platoon match-ups, with 51 of his plate appearances coming against left-handed pitching. Arizona clearly wasn’t confident in his ability to sustain above-average offensive production over a larger sample, and they took him off the 40-man roster at the end of the year.
While that strong first month wasn’t enough to earn a longer look in the desert, it apparently caught the attention of the Washington front office. They’ll promise Garrett an immediate 40-man roster spot. If he holds that all winter, he’ll get an opportunity to compete for an MLB job in Spring Training.
While Garrett played some center field early in his career, he’s been limited to the corners or designated hitter for the past few seasons. He’s capable of playing either corner outfield spot and could presumably be an option at first base, but he played exclusively left field in his limited MLB time with Arizona. Lane Thomas looks to have the inside track on one outfield spot in Washington, but he’s a potential center fielder. The rest of Washington’s upper level outfielders — Víctor Robles, Alex Call and Josh Palacios — are unproven and/or better suited for depth roles. That’s also true of Garrett, although he adds a right-handed bat with some power to the mix.
Signing Garrett to a major league contract doesn’t mean the Nationals are obligated to carry him on the MLB roster. He still has a full slate of minor league option years, so the Nats can keep him in Triple-A Rochester for the foreseeable future as upper level depth. Rather, the MLB deal and immediate 40-man spot presumably served to differentiate the Nats from other teams that were willing to offer him a minor league deal with an invitation to big league Spring Training. Garrett is still nowhere near even the one-year service threshold, so he’d be controllable through at least the 2028 season if he establishes a lasting role in D.C.
Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reported the Nationals and Garrett had agreed to a contract shortly before the team announcement.
Latest On Nationals’ Sale Negotiations
Hanging over the past seven months of Nationals business has been the Lerner family’s efforts to find a buyer for the franchise. Ted Leonsis, whose Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the NBA’s Wizards, NHL’s Capitals and WNBA’s Mystics, had emerged as the favorite in those discussions in recent weeks.
While that might still be the case, the Talk Nats blog reported over the weekend the sides remain divided on a price point. Talk Nats suggests there’s some pessimism about the possibility of Leonsis finalizing a purchase of the franchise imminently, if at all. To be clear, there’s no suggestion the Lerners and Leonsis are on the verge of calling off talks, but it seems there’s still a notable gap to bridge in negotiations.
The primary stumbling block, as has been the case throughout the sale process, seems to be the franchise’s uncertain TV rights outlook. As part of the relocation efforts to move the franchise from Montreal to Washington nearly two decades ago, MLB (which owned the Expos/Nationals at the time) agreed to tie its local broadcasting rights to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. MASN is jointly owned by the Nats and Orioles, but the Orioles’ ownership share is roughly 77% while the Nats own around 23%. That agreement, a condition of the franchise’s relocation into the Orioles’ geographic territorial rights, caps the Nationals’ TV revenue by making it impermissible for them to sell broadcasting rights to a regional sports network.
Leonsis owns NBC Sports Washington and would almost certainly prefer to broadcast Nationals games on that network if he took control of the franchise. Doing so would require negotiating a way out of the MASN contract with the Orioles, though, and it’s not clear whether the Baltimore organization has any interest in doing so. MLB has gotten involved in an attempt to broker a settlement between the franchises, but there’s no indication they’ve made progress to this point.
Hanging over the potential negotiations is an acrimonious past between the Orioles and Nats that hasn’t been resolved. Disputes about the Nationals’ share of TV rights led to litigation that has been pending for nearly a decade. In 2019, an arbitrator ruled the network owed the Nationals around $105MM in unpaid rights fees. MASN appealed that decision, and the appeal has still yet to get on the docket for the New York Court of Appeals.
While Leonsis purchasing the franchise still seems well within the range of possibilities, it doesn’t appear a resolution is coming in the near future. The Washington Post wrote in August the organization was hopeful of completing the sales process by November. That certainly isn’t going to happen, and it seems an open question whether a solution will be known by the time the calendar turns to 2023. It’s hardly an ideal situation for general manager Mike Rizzo and his staff to construct their roster this offseason, although the Nats look likely to be relatively quiet regardless after firmly committing to a rebuild with the Juan Soto trade over the summer.
