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Rays Release Jake Brentz

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The Rays announced this afternoon that they’ve released Jake Brentz. The lefty reliever was in camp as a non-roster invitee after signing a minor league deal in December.

Brentz struggled this spring. He pitched six times and allowed four runs (three earned) across 4 1/3 innings. The 30-year-old walked seven batters and uncorked a couple wild pitches. It was a continuation of Brentz’s massive control woes from last season. He walked a staggering 29.2% of opposing hitters in 30 innings with the Royals’ top two affiliates last year.

It’s impossible to have any kind of success with that many free passes. Brentz allowed more than 11 earned runs per nine innings. Kansas City outrighted him off their 40-man roster in June. He elected minor league free agency at the end of the season.

While Brentz has never been a good strike-thrower, the control problems have dramatically escalated within the past year-plus. That could be attributable to injury. Brentz underwent UCL surgery in June 2022 and only managed three minor league appearances late in ’23. Some pitchers struggle to rediscover their mechanics coming out of an extended rehab. The Rays were hopeful that Brentz would dial things back in this spring, but he clearly wasn’t pitching his way into the MLB bullpen.

Before the surgery, Brentz looked like a potential setup man in Kansas City. He had an impressive rookie season in 2021. Brentz worked to a 3.66 earned run average across 64 innings that year. He struck out 27.3% of batters faced while averaging 97 MPH on his heater. Even with a lofty 13.3% walk rate, he recorded 15 holds and two saves. Another club could offer him a minor league deal to give him an opportunity to try to find workable command in a Triple-A setting.

Padres Have Received Interest From Around Nine Teams On Dylan Cease

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Around nine teams have been in contact with the Padres to express interest in Dylan Cease, writes Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman lists the Cubs, Mets and all five AL East teams among that group. The remaining two clubs are unknown, though The Athletic reported in January that the Twins had shown interest.

A pre-Opening Day trade still seems highly unlikely. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote earlier this week that the Padres were only willing to entertain trading their top starter if they received a significant offensive upgrade in the return package. They’d almost certainly want a controllable starting pitcher who could immediately replace Cease in the rotation as well. That’s a difficult asking price for another team to meet, especially without impactful hitters remaining in free agency to backfill the lineup.

Cease was traded midway through last year’s Spring Training. That was a different situation, as the White Sox were in full rebuild mode when they dealt him to the Padres. San Diego expects to compete for a playoff spot despite budget limitations that kept them from doing much of significance until they added Nick Pivetta on a backloaded four-year deal. Cease worked 189 1/3 innings of 3.47 ERA ball during his first season in San Diego. He struck out 29.4% of opponents and fanned 224 hitters overall — his fourth consecutive season above the 200 mark.

The Padres and Cease agreed to a $13.75MM salary for his final arbitration season. He’d be a lock for a qualifying offer when he hits free agency next winter unless the Friars deal him midseason, which would make him ineligible to receive the QO. Cease will be heading into his age-30 season and could command a contract above $200MM. While the Padres don’t seem optimistic about their chances of re-signing him, they’d obviously take a major downgrade to this year’s rotation if they trade him.

Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Orioles and Cubs were monitoring the rotation market. Baltimore will begin the season without Grayson Rodriguez. Chicago’s rotation hasn’t taken any huge injury hits, though they’ll be without Javier Assad for a few weeks. They’re reportedly in talks with free agent Lance Lynn, who’d be a much less costly but far lower-upside addition at the back of the rotation.

The Mets (Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea) and Yankees (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil) have each lost multiple starters to injuries this spring. It has been particularly rough in the Bronx. Gil will likely miss the first half of the season with a lat strain. Cole will be out into the middle of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, respective baseball operations leaders David Stearns and Brian Cashman have indicated the New York teams are content with their internal options to weather those losses.

Boston already parted with two top prospects to add an impact starter in the Garrett Crochet deal. Toronto and Tampa Bay have rotations that arguably each run six deep. The Jays are likely to use Yariel Rodríguez in long relief. The Rays could consider trading one of their starters to settle on a five-man group. That could theoretically position Toronto or Tampa Bay to include a controllable starter in a Cease package, though there’s nothing to suggest the Padres are in anything more than due diligence mode with Opening Day two weeks off.

Silverman: Rays Are “Not For Sale”

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The Rays announced this morning that they will not proceed with the plan to construct a $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg. The organization has telegraphed that decision for months. The Rays maintain that a delay in approval for public funding from the city and Pinellas County in the wake of the hurricanes has contributed to untenable cost overruns — which were to be the team’s responsibility under the initial plan.

Unsurprisingly, that decision has further strained an already tense relationship between the team and local officials. St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch told reporters he “(has) no interest in working with this ownership group,” adding that the “bridge has been burned” (link via Colleen Wright of The Tampa Bay Times). County commissioner Chris Latvala also called for owner Stu Sternberg to sell the franchise. “I think the best way to keep baseball in Tampa Bay is for Stu Sternberg to sell the Rays,” he said (link via Sam Blum of The Athletic). “This was probably one of the best stadium deals that an owner has ever received in professional sports, and it wasn’t good enough for Stu Sternberg.”

This all comes a few days after The Athletic reported that commissioner Rob Manfred and various owners have privately urged Sternberg to sell. Team president Matt Silverman reiterated that’s not currently on the table. “The team is not for sale,” Silverman told Tom Krasniqi of 95.3 FM in Tampa Bay. Asked about the report that Sternberg was under pressure from the league, the team president acknowledged “the other owners aren’t happy with where our revenues are” but implied that proceeding with the stadium deal would have been “a mistake that (results) in us continuing to be an outlier and not being able to generate the necessary revenues to be a full-fledged member of Major League Baseball.”

That aligns with Sternberg’s previous comments. “If it was (for sale), people would know it,” the owner told The Tampa Bay Times last month. “I’ve always been, and I will continue to be, pretty transparent about our intentions. And pretty — not pretty — but very honest about them. And I have been.”

In December, the Rays said in a statement that they wanted to renegotiate with the city and county to “solve this funding gap together.” Local officials have maintained they will not approve more public funding. Welch stated this afternoon that St. Petersburg is through working with Sternberg’s ownership group. Silverman, in line with the Rays’ previous comments, said the team is interested in continuing discussions on a new deal (presumably with more public money).

“It doesn’t change our devotion to the Tampa Bay area. It doesn’t change our desire to figure something out. It just means this specific project on this specific timeline isn’t going to happen,” he told Krasniqi. He added that the Rays “will continue to look to the city and the county for those conversations and see how we can reengage and see if there’s a solution here because we were close.”

Additionally, it seems they’ll try to initiate new discussions with the City of Tampa, which is located in Hillsborough County. “I think we will because we have to look at all possibilities within our region to figure out an answer,” Silverman said. “We haven’t had any conversations with anyone on the Tampa/Hillsborough side. We can’t until after March 31 (the official expiration date of the St. Petersburg deal).”

Tampa mayor Jane Castor released a statement to The Tampa Bay Times that expressed openness to conversations:

“I am disappointed to hear that the Rays don’t intend to follow through with stadium plans in St. Petersburg. The goal always has been to keep the team in Tampa Bay. The City, Tampa Sports Authority, and County are happy to speak with the team once again, but any proposal will have to make sense for our taxpayers and community.”

With the St. Petersburg deal falling apart, there’ll be speculation from outside the organization about relocation. MLB said this afternoon that the league remains committed to the region. The Rays would need to get approval from the league to explore opportunities outside the Tampa Bay area.

The Rays will play the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field. They’re hoping to return to Tropicana Field for the 2026-28 seasons. The team’s lease at the Trop initially ran through ’27 but was pushed back a year with the team not playing there this season. St. Petersburg is responsible for repairing the damage to the Trop, which will reportedly cost around $55.7MM.

Rockies Option Drew Romo, Adael Amador

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The Rockies announced Wednesday that they’ve optioned catcher Drew Romo and second baseman Adael Amador. Both players made their MLB debuts last season but will start this year in the minors.

That’s more notable for Romo. Colorado called up the former second-round pick last August in tandem with the decision to release veteran Elias Díaz. Romo started 13 games behind the plate. He struggled in his first look at big league pitching. The switch-hitting Romo hit .176 without a home run through 53 plate appearances.

Colorado re-signed Jacob Stallings on a $2.5MM free agent deal. The 35-year-old backstop had a nice 2024 season in a part-time role. Stallings hit a career-best .263/.357/.453 with nine homers across 281 plate appearances. His far more modest career numbers suggest he’s unlikely to repeat those numbers, but he should provide a steady hand defensively. Stallings is a former Gold Glover who works well with a pitching staff.

The Rockies may be reluctant to overwork Stallings, who caught around 600 innings last year. That opens the door for one of Colorado’s controllable catchers to play their way into semi-regular playing time. Romo and Hunter Goodman are the only other catchers on the 40-man roster. Goodman didn’t have an impressive ’24 season overall (.190/.228/.417), but he hit five homers in September to provide some positive momentum going into the offseason.

If there were an open camp competition to split time with Stallings, Goodman has had the clear advantage. He’s hitting .368 with four walks and three strikeouts in 23 Spring Training plate appearances. Romo had just two hits and a walk while striking out four times in 17 at-bats. Thomas Harding of MLB.com wrote over the weekend that the Rox are prioritizing Goodman’s work behind the plate after using him more frequently in the corner outfield last season.

The Rockies also have five-year MLB veteran Austin Nola in camp on a minor league deal. He’s hitting .364 in 11 games. The Rox could theoretically opt for a Stallings/Nola tandem, but it seems likelier they’ll give the 25-year-old Goodman a longer look. Romo, who hit .297/.339/.499 for Triple-A Albuquerque last year, should continue playing regularly in the minors.

Amador, 22 next month, never had much of a shot of breaking camp. He played in 10 MLB games last year while Brendan Rodgers was on the injured list. The Rox surprisingly jumped him directly from Double-A, and he hit .171 over 36 plate appearances. Amador hit .296 this spring, but he’s due for his first Triple-A experience. The Rockies brought in Kyle Farmer and Thairo Estrada on cheap one-year deals to handle second base until Amador is ready for regular MLB playing time.

Latest On Potential Twins Sale

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The Pohlad family’s attempts to sell the Twins hit a major roadblock last month. Justin and Mat Ishbia, who had seemed to be the frontrunners, withdrew from the process to increase Justin Ishbia’s minority stake in the White Sox.

When the Ishbia brothers were still in the mix, the Pohlad family was reportedly hoping to have a sale completed by Opening Day. LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minnesota Star-Tribune writes that hope of settling on a buyer by Opening Day is no longer on the table. Neal speculates that a mid-late summer timeline for a deal could be more realistic.

Neal writes that he still anticipates the Pohlads will find a buyer. Dan Hayes of The Athletic wrote in the immediate aftermath of the Ishbia withdrawal that the Pohlads could consider taking the franchise off the market if they didn’t find a suitable asking price. To be clear, the Star-Tribune report isn’t refuting that. Rather, Neal writes that the Pohlads are receiving sufficient interest to believe that they’ll eventually find what they deem to be an acceptable bid.

The identities of those bidders aren’t known. The Ishbias were the only publicly reported suitor, though reports have long suggested they weren’t the only interested party. Forbes estimates the franchise’s value around $1.46 billion; Sportico’s projection is approximately $1.7 billion. The Orioles, the most recent franchise sold, went for a $1.725 billion purchase price in January 2024.

Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals

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The Royals began the offseason with a three-year signing to keep their excellent rotation intact. They traded from that starting staff a month later to acquire a new leadoff hitter. Kansas City hoped to follow up with an impact offensive acquisition that never materialized. They instead turned to the relief market late in the winter to add a veteran closer.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $35MM
Total spending: $80MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Extensions

  • Signed LHP Cole Ragans to three-year, $13.25MM deal to cover final pre-arb year and first two arbitration seasons

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Royals were perhaps the most surprising playoff team of 2024. Kansas City had a 30-win improvement relative to the preceding season. They held the Orioles to one run in two games to sweep their Wild Card series. The Yankees knocked K.C. off in the Division Series, but the Royals' window has reopened after a nine-year postseason drought.

They remain one of the more top-heavy contenders. Kansas City's success was built around an elite rotation and an MVP-caliber season from Bobby Witt Jr. They preserved a crucial piece of that rotation just before free agency opened. Kansas City signed Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51MM extension to keep him from opting out and testing free agency. The veteran righty rejoins Seth Lugo as the 2-3 arms behind breakout left-hander Cole Ragans.

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Bobby Witt Jr. Suffers Forearm Contusion, Avoids Any Fractures After HBP

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The Royals appear to have avoided the worst on Bobby Witt Jr. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the superstar shortstop avoided any fractures after being hit by a pitch in the left forearm/wrist area this afternoon. Kansas City subsequently announced that Witt sustained a forearm contusion and said he’d be reevaluated tomorrow.

Manager Matt Quatraro said immediately after the game that Witt was headed for x-rays (relayed by Anne Rogers of MLB.com). Last year’s AL MVP runner-up left the game after he was struck by a 96 MPH sinker from Andrés Muñoz. Quatraro said Witt initially lost the feeling in his fingers, though the manager added that “it was coming back” postgame. He framed the x-ray as more of a precautionary measure.

The team can breathe a sigh of relief after that initial testing. Lingering soreness could raise the possibility of a season-opening injured list stint, but he’s unlikely to face an extended absence. Maikel Garcia would likely step in at shortstop if Witt misses any time. That’d temporarily leave second and third base to the combination of Michael Massey and Jonathan India.

Witt is coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history. He won the batting title while hitting .332/.389/.588. Witt led the majors with 211 hits, including 45 doubles and 32 home runs. He stole 31 bases while earning Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors. Witt started 160 games at shortstop and logged nearly 1400 innings. Garcia, who played 22 1/3 innings at the position, picked up the other two starts.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Sought $500MM Net Present Value In Extension Talks

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Last week, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told ESPN that his asking price in extension negotiations with the Blue Jays was south of $600MM. The star first baseman didn’t publicly identify his exact demand, though he noted he was looking for a 14-plus year deal.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic provides more specifics, reporting that Guerrero wanted a net present value of $500MM to bypass testing the open market. That could have taken the form of an even $500MM+ without deferrals or a deferred deal with a loftier overall guarantee that would still have pushed the NPV to half a billion dollars. A hypothetical 14-year extension worth $500MM would come with an approximate $35.7MM annual value and would run through Guerrero’s age-39 season (assuming it began this year).

The deferrals were evidently a sticking point. Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post report that Toronto offered a deal that was in the $500MM range overall but included deferred money. According to that report, the NPV would have landed between $400MM and $450MM. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes that the NPV on the team’s offer was close to $450MM, suggesting they came in at the higher end of the range initially reported by The New York Post.

That would still have represented the third-largest guarantee in league history. Juan Soto easily holds the record at $765MM without deferrals. The Shohei Ohtani deal is respectively valued around $461MM and $438MM by the league and Players Association, respectively. Guerrero sought a number that would have placed him behind only Soto in net present value. His reported asking price was nowhere near Soto money, which so handily shattered prior precedent that it may be an outlier for a while. Still, it seemingly landed upwards of $50MM higher (in NPV terms) than the Jays were willing to go. Guerrero indicated he wasn’t interested in continuing negotiations beyond the opening of Spring Training. He has left the door open to reconsidering but said at the start of camp that he anticipates testing free agency.

The Jays have at least expressed a willingness to stretch the budget beyond Guerrero’s asking price for star players. They were seemingly willing to match the contract that Ohtani accepted from the Dodgers. Their precise offer to Soto isn’t clear but is believed to have been between $600MM and $700MM. That shows they’re not entirely averse to this kind of signing, yet it’s also a fact that the largest contract in franchise history remains the comparatively modest $150MM George Springer deal.

Toronto’s latest offer represents a significant jump from where they opened talks. Guerrero said over the offseason that the Jays’ offers before the Soto bidding were in the $340MM range. While the Soto price point didn’t make them willing to write a blank check for Guerrero, it seemingly contributed to them going $60MM+ above where they had been in terms of present value.

Guerrero is a career .288/.363/.500 hitter. He’s coming off his second-best season, as he raked at a .323/.396/.544 clip with 30 homers a year ago. At his best, he looks like one of the top five hitters in the game. He hasn’t quite maintained that level on an annual basis, though. He finished among the top six in MVP balloting in 2021 (finishing runner-up that year) and ’24. In the intervening two seasons, he hit .269/.341/.462 across nearly 1400 plate appearances. That’s still very good but not the kind of overwhelming numbers that’d force teams to essentially overlook questions about his defensive profile.

Assuming he gets to the market, Guerrero is likely to be the top free agent in the class. Kyle Tucker is arguably a better overall player, but the Cubs outfielder will hit free agency at age 29. Guerrero will get to the market at 27. The two-year age gap gives Guerrero the better chance to land a deal that stretches beyond a decade despite teams’ general reluctance to make extremely long commitments to first basemen.

Lucas Giolito Headed For MRI With Hamstring Tightness

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Lucas Giolito left Tuesday’s start after one inning with left hamstring tightness. Manager Alex Cora told the Boston beat that Giolito will head for an MRI on Wednesday (relayed by Ian Browne of MLB.com). The team doesn’t seem overly concerned, but it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Cora confirmed this morning that Brayan Bello will begin the season on the injured list after shoulder soreness delayed his ramp-up. He’ll join Kutter Crawford, who has yet to pitch this spring because of right knee soreness that dates back to last April. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic writes that the timeline on Crawford remains uncertain. Cora indicated that while Crawford is making incremental progress, he isn’t close to even throwing a live batting practice session.

The Sox are slated for a season-opening top four of Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler and Giolito. Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester and Cooper Criswell are in the mix for the final rotation spot. If Giolito’s hamstring proves problematic, that’d likely press two of Fitts, Priester and Criswell into the starting five. The Sox are also building up non-roster invitee Michael Fulmer as a potential starter.

Giolito is still looking to make his Red Sox debut. He sustained a UCL tear in last year’s Spring Training and required internal brace surgery. Hamstring tightness is obviously less concerning than if Giolito had experienced any kind of renewed elbow discomfort. Still, the team won’t know until the imaging comes back whether there’s a risk of a season-opening IL stint.

Willie Calhoun, Carl Edwards Jr. Sign In Mexican League

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The Tigers de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League have recently added a pair of former big leaguers. Designated hitter Willie Calhoun signed with the team tonight, according to an MiLB.com article. The team also announced on social media last night they’re bringing in reliever Carl Edwards Jr.

Calhoun and Edwards each appeared in the majors last season. The lefty-hitting Calhoun played in 68 games for the Angels. He hit .245/.315/.380 with five homers through 254 plate appearances. That brings his career batting line to .241/.303/.399 in more than 1300 trips to the dish. That’s underwhelming for a player whose game is built entirely around his bat. Calhoun can occasionally play at first base or in the corner outfield, but he’s close to a full-time DH.

Edwards, a 33-year-old reliever, pitched in one game for the Padres last year. He issued two walks and allowed a hit without recording an out. That qualified for the lanky righty’s 10th consecutive season getting some big league action. Edwards turned in decent results in middle relief with the Cubs and Nationals earlier in his career. He owns a 3.54 ERA across 280 big league innings. Edwards spent most of last season in the minors, where he combined for a 4.11 ERA in 70 innings between the Cubs’ and Padres’ systems.

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