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Kenta Maeda To Open Season In Tigers’ Bullpen

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TODAY: Right-hander Keider Montero and infielder Ryan Kreidler were both optioned to Triple-A, Cody Stavenhagen writes, likely confirming that Mize and Jobe will get the final two rotation spots.

MARCH 21: The Tigers informed Kenta Maeda that he’ll open the season in the bullpen, manager A.J. Hinch announced on Friday (relayed by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). That takes the veteran righty out of the competition for the final two rotation spots behind Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Reese Olson.

Maeda is entering the second season of a two-year, $24MM free agent deal. His first year in Detroit was the worst of his career. He allowed more than six earned runs per nine innings with personal-worst strikeout and home run rates. That cost him his rotation spot midseason. Maeda worked in low-leverage relief from July onwards. He made one start in the season’s final weekend after Detroit clinched a playoff spot. They left him off their postseason rosters.

The 36-year-old entered camp trying to pitch his way back into the rotation. Maeda has worked 12 2/3 frames over four appearances this spring. Despite a brilliant 19:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, he gave up eight runs. Maeda surrendered 13 hits, four of which cleared the fences.

Hinch hasn’t finalized rotation plans, but Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe look like the favorites for the last two jobs. Mize has had a fantastic spring, allowing only two runs while striking out 18 over 16 innings. Jobe has had a tougher time, as he’s given up four homers in 12 1/3 innings.

Maeda becomes the seventh locked-in member of Detroit’s season-opening bullpen. Jason Foley, Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton and free agent pickups Tommy Kahnle and John Brebbia will be in the late-inning mix. Will Vest should have a roster spot secure despite his own home run troubles this spring. Maeda could also factor into leverage spots, as Hinch said he’s not locked into mop-up work.

Orioles Sign Kyle Gibson

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The Orioles announced on Friday that they’ve reunited with Kyle Gibson on a one-year deal. The Rowley Sports Management client is reportedly guaranteed $5.25MM and can earn another $1.525MM in performance bonuses — including $150K apiece at 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 starts. Baltimore placed Kyle Bradish, who underwent elbow surgery last June, on the 60-day injured list to open a roster spot.

Gibson was the top remaining free agent starting pitcher. The veteran righty has been a durable innings source at the back of various rotations. That included a 2023 season spent in Baltimore. Gibson made 33 starts and tossed 192 innings for the O’s two seasons ago. He posted a 4.73 earned run average while recording 157 strikeouts.

The Missouri product signed a $13MM free agent deal with the Cardinals during the 2023-24 offseason. He continued to work as a steady if unexciting back-end option. Gibson took 30 turns through the rotation and pitched to a 4.24 ERA over 169 2/3 innings. His 20.9% strikeout rate and 44.8% ground-ball percentage were near league average. St. Louis declined a $12MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout at year’s end.

Gibson has nine MLB seasons with at least 29 starts and more than 150 frames. He hasn’t spent any time on the injured list within the last three seasons. His 711 1/3 innings over the past four years ranks eighth among major league pitchers. Once he’s ready for major league work, he should slot into the fifth spot in Brandon Hyde’s rotation.

That won’t be from Opening Day. While Gibson has been throwing side sessions, that’s not a direct substitute for Spring Training. Hyde told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that Gibson will need the equivalent of a spring ramp-up. It’s not clear if he’ll consent to an optional assignment to begin the season in the minors or start the year on the injured list, but he won’t be on the active roster on Thursday.

Gibson is the third older starting pitcher whom the Orioles have added on a one-year deal. They signed Charlie Morton to a $15MM contract and brought in NPB veteran Tomoyuki Sugano at $13MM. All three project more as back-end arms at this stage of their careers.

Grayson Rodriguez received a cortisone shot to treat elbow inflammation a couple weeks ago. He’ll begin the season on the injured list. Zach Eflin leads a starting five that also includes Morton, Sugano and Dean Kremer. Swingman Albert Suárez and young lefty Cade Povich are battling to round out the rotation. Suárez entered camp as the sixth starter, but Povich has outperformed him this spring. They’ll need one of those pitchers to hold a rotation spot until Gibson is ready for regular season work.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the $5.25MM base salary and the $1.525MM in incentives. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reported the start breakdown. Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, USA Today Sports.

Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

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The Yankees found themselves in the rare position of being outbid by the Mets for the top free agent. They responded with multiple lesser but still significant pickups, including an eight-year deal to add a top-of-the-rotation arm.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $52.35MM
Total spending: $238.35MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

The Yankees' season ended with a blown five-run lead in the World Series Game 5 clincher. The front office didn't have much time to think about that defeat. They faced a number of crucial decisions within the opening days of the offseason.

Some of those were straightforward. They exercised a $2.5MM option on Luke Weaver while moving on from Anthony Rizzo and Lou Trivino. They exercised their option on manager Aaron Boone, a precursor to the two-year extension he would sign early in Spring Training. They made the qualifying offer to Juan Soto. The biggest question of the offseason's first week: would Gerrit Cole test the market?

The ace had to decide whether to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year free agent deal. If he triggered the opt-out, New York could override it by exercising a $36MM club option covering the 2029 season. Cole took his decision to the wire before deciding to opt out. The Yankees balked at the option. For a day, it looked like Cole would be one of the biggest risk-reward plays on the open market.

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Guardians Option Juan Brito

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The Guardians optioned second baseman Juan Brito and outfielders Angel Martínez and Johnathan Rodríguez to Triple-A Columbus. It’s most notable regarding Brito, who entered camp with a good chance to secure the second base job.

Cleveland created a hole at the position when they dealt Andrés Giménez to Toronto to offload the nearly $100MM remaining on his contract. Last year’s first overall pick Travis Bazzana is the expected long-term answer. He hasn’t gotten beyond High-A, so he’s unlikely to be a factor before the second half at the earliest.

The 23-year-old Brito was a much more realistic candidate to break camp. He’s been on the 40-man roster since the Guardians swapped Nolan Jones to Colorado to acquire him during the 2022-23 offseason. Brito spent all of last season on optional assignment to Triple-A Columbus. He hit .256/.365/.443 with a robust 13.5% walk rate against a modest 16.1% strikeout percentage. He popped 21 homers and stole 13 bases.

Brito doesn’t have huge physical tools, but the well-rounded offensive profile and ability to play in the middle of the diamond landed him among the league’s Top 100 prospects at FanGraphs. The switch-hitter had a bizarre Spring Training. He hit four home runs in 39 trips to the plate, but those accounted for all but three of his total hits. He hit .189 with a .231 on-base percentage that wasn’t enough to grab an Opening Day job.

The Guardians will seemingly go with a combination of Tyler Freeman, Daniel Schneemann and potentially Gabriel Arias at the keystone. The righty-hitting Freeman owns a modest .223/.304/.329 slash in parts of three seasons, but he’s been on fire this spring (.278/.381/.583 in 14 games). Schneemann, a lefty bat, hit .218/.303/.368 in 73 games as a 27-year-old rookie last season. He’s also had a big showing in camp (.265/.342/.559 over 14 contests). Schneemann has moved all around the infield and outfield and only logged 59 innings at second base between Triple-A and the majors last year.

Arias is out of options and needs to make the team or be exposed to waivers. The 25-year-old utilityman has hit a couple homers this spring but has only a .275 OBP in 15 games. His plate discipline has been a major problem over his three big league seasons. He’s a .212/.274/.350 hitter with a 32.3% strikeout rate over 563 plate appearances.

Nationals Option Shinnosuke Ogasawara, DJ Herz

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The Nationals announced on Friday that they’ve optioned left-handers Shinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A Rochester. Infielder Nasim Nunez and catcher Drew Millas were also sent down. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, this essentially finalizes Mitchell Parker as the season-opening fifth starter.

Manager Dave Martinez said early in camp that MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, Michael Soroka and Jake Irvin had rotation spots secure. The final job was up for grabs among Parker, Herz and Ogasawara. The former seemed to be the favorite going into camp, as he’d pitched to a 4.29 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie. Herz and Ogasawara probably had to pitch very well this spring to jump him on the depth chart.

That didn’t happen. Parker had the steadiest Spring Training performance. He allowed five runs with eight strikeouts and four walks across 12 1/3 innings. While that’s not exactly a dominant showing, Herz and Ogasawara both struggled. Herz gave up nine runs in 9 2/3 frames. He issued nine walks and only managed four strikeouts. Ogasawara was tagged for 19 runs (15 earned) over 12 innings. The Japanese southpaw recorded 10 strikeouts and walked eight.

Ogasawara signed a two-year, $3.5MM free agent deal over the winter. Unlike many NPB/KBO signees, he did not get a contractual clause that prohibits the team from sending him to the minors. He’ll begin his U.S. career in Triple-A after posting a 3.12 ERA with a modest 13.6% strikeout rate in his final NPB season. Herz made his big league debut last season. He struck out nearly 28% of opponents with a solid 4.16 ERA in 19 starts. He hasn’t consistently thrown strikes in the minors, though, and he clearly has not looked sharp this spring.

Rangers Release Hunter Strickland, Jesse Chavez

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The Rangers announced that they’ve released veteran relievers Jesse Chavez and Hunter Strickland from minor league contracts. Both pitchers are again free agents.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote yesterday, Chavez and Strickland are among at least three dozen players around the league with upcoming opt-out opportunities. The Rangers presumably expected both to trigger their out clauses and weren’t willing to carry them in the MLB bullpen. Neither player showed much in camp. Chavez gave up seven runs over 6 2/3 innings, allowing 10 hits while issuing four walks. Strickland just signed last Wednesday. He was only able to make two appearances and gave up three runs while recording four outs.

Strickland, 36, spent last season with the Angels, where he managed decent numbers in middle relief. He posted a 3.31 ERA across 73 1/3 innings, picking up 12 holds and a save. A below-average 19.4% strikeout rate is the primary reason he nevertheless needed to settle for a minor league deal.

Chavez is trying to get to the big leagues for the 18th straight year. The 41-year-old swingman has bounced around the league but only appeared in the majors with Atlanta over the last two seasons. He turned in a productive 3.13 ERA over 63 1/3 frames as a long man last year. Chavez struck out 20.8% of opponents against a 7.2% walk rate.

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Padres, Andrew Bellatti Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Padres are in agreement with righty reliever Andrew Bellatti, as first reported by Mad Friars and reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He’ll likely begin the season at Triple-A El Paso.

Bellatti has spent the past few years with the Phillies. He turned in a strong season in middle relief three years ago. Bellatti rattled off 54 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball while striking out more than a third of opposing hitters. His numbers dropped off dramatically the following season. Bellatti’s strikeout rate fell to 22.1% while his ERA climbed by nearly two runs. That cost him his roster spot during the 2023-24 offseason.

Philadelphia ran Bellatti through outright waivers last February. He spent the entire season in Triple-A, where he allowed 5.48 earned runs per nine over 42 2/3 innings. He recorded a mediocre 20.8% strikeout rate and walked over 16% of batters faced. His fastball averaged 92.4 MPH, down two ticks from its 2022 level.

San Diego can assign Bellatti to Triple-A to begin the season. He’s out of options, so if he does pitch his way to the majors at any point, they wouldn’t be able to send him back down without running him through waivers.

Mets Sign Diego Castillo To Minor League Deal

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The Mets signed infielder Diego Castillo to a minor league contract, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Venezuelan journalist Georgeny Pérez first reported the move last week.

Castillo, not to be confused with the reliever of the same name, is a 27-year-old utilityman. He played in four games for the Twins last season, collecting two hits in six at-bats. Minnesota outrighted him off the 40-man roster in July. He spent the rest of the season in Triple-A before electing minor league free agency. The righty-hitting infielder turned in a solid .261/.364/.397 slash with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 113 games.

It was the second straight season in which Castillo spent a few days in the majors. His only significant big league experience came with the Pirates in 2022. He hit .206/.251/.382 while striking out at a 26.5% clip over 283 plate appearances. Castillo has shown much better strike zone discipline in Triple-A, where he’s a .283/.393/.403 hitter over four seasons. He has minimal power but a good upper minors track record and the ability to bounce around the infield.

This is technically Castillo’s second stint with the Mets. He spent exactly a week on their 40-man roster in January 2024. New York grabbed him off waivers from Arizona and designated him for assignment seven days later. He subsequently bounced around the league via waivers before landing with the Twins in a minor trade in April. Castillo has an option remaining, so the Mets could shuttle him between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse if he secures a 40-man roster spot during the regular season.

Brown: Astros “Having Conversations” About Cam Smith Potentially Breaking Camp

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Few players have turned more heads in Spring Training than Astros top prospect Cam Smith. Acquired from the Cubs alongside Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski in the Kyle Tucker trade, Smith was supposed to be the one member of that trio who would not impact the MLB team right away. The 14th overall pick last summer, he has only played 32 minor league games (just five of which have come above High-A).

Smith couldn’t have done much more this spring to force the Astros to consider whether he should break camp. He’s hitting .419 with four homers and a triple in 13 contests. He has worked five walks while striking out eight times in 36 plate appearances. That performance has kept him in big league camp into the final few days of Spring Training. There’s now a realistic chance he’ll make the team.

“We’re making some tough decisions. We want to put our best team forward. We’re having these conversations about Cam Smith,” general manager Dana Brown told Sports Talk 790. “We think he’s really good and we think he has really good upside. We have to make a decision: are we going to start him in the major leagues, or is he going to the minor leagues? … Make no mistake, I’m not afraid to put this guy in the big leagues. We’re having these discussions right now. This guy is really good.”

The Astros have hinted at that possibility with Smith’s recent defensive deployments. He was a collegiate third baseman and played there exclusively in the minors last summer. The Astros used him at the hot corner early this spring. His three most recent appearances have come in right field. That’s a position of greater need in the short term.

They’ll give most of the third base playing time to Paredes. They entered camp with Chas McCormick slated for everyday right field work. He’s coming off a personal-worst .211/.271/.306 showing over 94 games. McCormick entered last season as a career .259/.336/.449 hitter, making him a reasonable rebound candidate. He has had a bizarre spring. McCormick has walked 11 times with four strikeouts in 41 trips to the plate, but he only has four hits without a home run.

Houston presumably wouldn’t start getting Smith right field reps if they weren’t serious about him as a short-term MLB option. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll break camp. Chandler Rome of The Athletic wrote on March 6 (before Smith had any right field reps this spring) that the Astros intended to get him playing time at the position in the minor leagues. Sending him to Double-A or Triple-A for at least a few weeks may still be on the table, but the Astros have already accelerated plans to get Smith in-game outfield work.

If he does force his way onto the MLB roster, McCormick would profile as a fourth outfielder. He could take at-bats in Jake Meyers’ stead in center field. McCormick could also work into left field at times, allowing Houston to occasionally bring Jose Altuve back into second base.

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