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Pirates Designate Alika Williams For Assignment

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The Pirates announced that infielder Alika Williams has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for left-hander Tim Mayza, whose one-year deal with the club is now official.

Williams, 26 in March, has been with the Pirates for about a year and a half. The Bucs traded Robert Stephenson to the Rays in June of 2023, getting Williams in return and adding him to their 40-man roster in July. He has appeared in 83 big leagues games and stepped to the plate 208 times, producing a tepid batting line of .202/.257/.271. His 5.8% walk rate and 27.4% strikeout rate have both been subpar.

As one would expect, his minor league production has been better than that. Over the past three years, he received 934 plate appearances on the farm. His 11.1% walk rate and 18.5% strikeout rate in that span are both strong numbers. His combined batting line of .268/.357/.413 translated to a 107 wRC+. He spent significant time at both middle infield positions, as well as some time at third base.

Unfortunately, those solid minor league numbers weren’t enough to keep his roster spot with the Pirates. Perhaps that’s due to the lack of major league impact or a somewhat crowded cluster of middle infield options in Pittsburgh. Even with moving Oneil Cruz to center field, the Bucs have Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, Nick Yorke, Enmanuel Valdéz, Adam Frazier, Tsung-Che Cheng and Liover Peguero as viable middle infielders on the 40-man. Even first baseman Spencer Horwitz can play second base a bit. Prospect Termarr Johnson isn’t yet on the roster but is getting close to the majors regardless.

The Bucs will now have at most a week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next for Williams, whether that’s a trade or some fate on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade possibilities would need to be explored in the next five days. Williams still has options and could appeal to clubs looking for infield depth.

Rays Sign Ha-Seong Kim

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The Rays officially announced the signing of Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year free agent deal. The Boras Corporation client is reportedly guaranteed $29MM and can opt out after the first season. Kim will make a $13MM base salary for the upcoming season. He can earn an additional $2MM in performance bonuses, as he’ll make $10K for every plate appearance between 326 and 525. If Kim forgoes the opt-out, he’ll make $16MM in 2026. Lefty Brandon Eisert has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Kim’s free agency has been one of the more difficult ones to project on account of his uncertain health status. In August of last year, while with the Padres, he injured his right shoulder while diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt. He underwent surgery in October to repair the labrum in that shoulder. His agent, Scott Boras, has since suggested that Kim could be back on the field by April. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller gave a more nebulous and less optimistic answer of “May, June, July.”

Prior to that injury, there was an argument for Kim securing a four- or five-year deal, perhaps approaching nine figures. But the injury to his throwing shoulder made that harder to see. Though he’s a solid hitter, a big part of his appeal as a player is his defense. He has played most of his career at shortstop but also has significant time at second and third base with strong marks at all three spots. If he comes back from surgery with diminished arm strength and is less viable on the left side of the diamond, that would cut into his value.

As such, it seemed likely that he would sign a deal that allowed him to return to free agency next year, either on a one-year deal or a two-year pact with an opt-out. That would give him the chance to potentially return, prove his health and sign another contract with the injury in the rear-view mirror.

At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Kim for a straight one-year pact with a $12MM guarantee, though with the caveat he could follow players like Rhys Hoskins and Michael Conforto in securing a two-year pact with an opt-out. Hoskins got $34MM from the Brewers and Conforto $36MM from the Giants. Both are represented by Boras and Kim switched his representation to that agency in October, shortly after his injury.

The situations aren’t completely analogous. Both Hoskins and Conforto signed their deals after missing an entire season but were set to be healthy as those deals began. Kim, however, seems likely to start the season on the injured list. Kim’s guarantee comes in a bit below those guys, perhaps a reflection of the slightly different timeline.

That makes this an interesting gamble for the Rays. If Kim’s injury lingers towards the longer end of Preller’s timeline, it’s possible that they are going to be paying him $13MM for just half a season. If Kim doesn’t immediately get back in form, he could then forego his opt-out and stick around for 2026 with an even higher salary. For what it’s worth, both Hoskins and Conforto had tepid results in the first years of their respective deals and did not use their opt-outs.

The upside for the Rays is that they could get a really strong player for a relatively modest price. Kim struggled at the plate in 2021, his first season after coming over from Korea, but has been above average in each of the three seasons since then. He stepped to plate 1,678 times over the 2022 to 2024 campaigns, with his 11% walk rate and 17.9% strikeout rate both a few ticks better than average. While not a huge power threat, he got to double-digit homers in each of those campaigns, hitting 39 overall. His combined batting line of .250/.336/.385 led to a wRC+ of 106.

As mentioned, Kim is a strong defender at multiple positions. He also stole 72 bases over the past three years. Putting it all together, FanGraphs has considered him to be roughly a four-win player. He was credited with 3.6 fWAR in 2022 and 4.2 the year after. Last year, the injury limited him to just 121 games, so his fWAR tally came in a bit lighter at 2.6.

The Rays have some question marks at shortstop. Wander Franco was supposed to be the long-term answer there but he hasn’t played since August of 2023, when heinous allegations of sexual abuse against minors emerged. The legal process is still playing out on those charges but it would be surprising if he ever returns to the majors.

Players like Taylor Walls, José Caballero and Osleivis Basabe are on the roster but each of them have posted lackluster offensive numbers in their respective careers thus far. Prospect Carson Williams is probably the new shortstop of the future but he might still need some more time in the minors. He’s still not yet 22 years old, with that birthday coming up in June, and spent all of last year at Double-A. He did get into four Triple-A games late in 2023 but the Rays might want to send him there for a slightly longer stint before giving him his major league debut.

For the Rays, ideally, Kim can return relatively early in the year and play like his old self. Junior Caminero seems likely to take over the third base job this year, with Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz the projected regulars on the other side of the infield. That could give them a formidable infield for the majority of the season.

If that plan comes to fruition, Kim would likely opt-out and head back to free agency. He would be leaving $16MM on the table but would be looking for a larger guarantee on a multi-year deal. The Rays could then issue him a qualifying offer, which would probably be around $22MM or so. The QO was $21.05MM this offseason but usually goes up over time due to salaries increasing. The QO number is calculated by averaging out the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in the league. That could allow the Rays to recoup draft pick compensation and then perhaps hand over the shortstop job to Williams.

There are other less-ideal outcomes on the other end of the spectrum. It’s possible Kim doesn’t return until the second half. Or he returns at some point but his arm strength isn’t quite what it was, making him an imperfect shortstop solution. Or perhaps Williams seizes the job before Kim gets back, leaving him as something of a high-priced utility guy. In those or other imperfect scenarios, the odds of him staying for 2026 would increase. That would naturally be an underwater deal at that point, since he would have walked away otherwise.

That wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world, depending on the specifics. The Cubs got an okay-but-not-great season out of Cody Bellinger in 2024, then saw him forego an opt-out opportunity. They were still able to dump most of the remainder of the contract on the Yankees. The Brewers, however, are seemingly stuck with Hoskins after his mediocre season. That has perhaps been part of the reason why they don’t have a lot of financial wiggle room this winter.

The Rays are a low-spending club, far more like the Brewers than the Cubs or the Giants. Kim’s $13MM salary will actually make him the highest-paid player on the team. Though they’ve given out some big extensions over the years, this is the third-largest guarantee they’ve given to a free agent, behind the $40MM they gave Zach Eflin and the $30MM they gave Charlie Morton.

It’s unclear exactly what sort of payroll parameters they have for 2025. Cot’s Baseball Contracts had them at $99MM on Opening Day last year. They ended up moving some players making notable salaries at the deadline, such as Eflin, Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes. This offseason, they flipped Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics but then signed Danny Jansen and now Kim.

RosterResource now projects them for a $90MM payroll this year. That’s a bit below 2024 but they also might have extra financial concerns apart from player salaries. Due to the hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, they are going to be playing the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. That’s normally the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees. That is presumably leading to some unexpected moving costs and perhaps less ticket revenue for the upcoming season. Their plans for next year and beyond are murky as well.

It’s an interesting gambit for the club to take with its limited resources. For clubs still looking for middle infield help, Alex Bregman is a potential option due to his reported willingness to play second base. Apart from him, Jose Iglesias, Paul DeJong and Brendan Rodgers are some of the notable free agents.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the two-year deal, $29MM guarantee and opt-out. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the specific annual breakdown and the incentives. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that the bonuses start at 325 plate appearances. The Associated Press reported the $10K per plate appearance specifics.

MLB Fires Umpire Pat Hoberg For Violation Of Gambling Policy

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MLB issued a statement today regarding Pat Hoberg. The umpire has been fired for violating the league’s gambling policy. Per MLB’s statement, there’s no evidence that Hoberg himself bet on games or that the outcomes of any games were compromised. However, the statement says that Hobert shared a gambling account with a professional poker player, with this friend using that account to bet on baseball. The statement also says Hoberg deleted messages related to the investigation.

News of the Hoberg situation first came out in June, as covered by MLBTR at the time. MLB released a statement at that time saying that the league had started investigating Hoberg during spring training and that discipline was warranted. Hoberg decided to appeal.

Per today’s statement, commissioner Rob Manfred has upheld the decision, “following an appeal process in accordance with its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA).”

“MLB immediately opened an investigation in February 2024,” the statement reads, “upon receiving information from a licensed sports betting operator that Hoberg had opened a sports betting account in his own name and that the personal electronic device associated with this account was also associated with the legal sports betting account of an individual not covered by MLB’s policies (Individual A) who had bet on baseball. Hoberg was subsequently removed from Spring Training and made inactive for the 2024 Championship Season pending completion of the investigatory process.”

Per the statement, Hoberg has “adamantly denied betting on baseball directly or indirectly (i.e., through his friend), and the data provided by the sportsbooks does not show any baseball bets from his own electronic devices.” It goes on to state that the league “found no evidence that Hoberg or anyone else took any action to manipulate the outcomes of any games, and an analysis of the betting data did not show any discernible patterns indicative of an integrity risk.”

Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, none of the bets placed from Hoberg’s devices were on baseball. However, the friend’s device bet on baseball 141 times, including eight games that Hoberg worked. “The investigation found no pattern to indicate Hoberg’s calls were influenced by the bets, none of which were profitable,” per Castrovince.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN provides some more details on the arrangement between Hoberg and his friend, who met at a poker tournament in 2014 and became friends. In 2019, online sports betting became legal in Iowa, where Hoberg lives. The friend opened legal accounts with two sportsbooks and Hoberg “asked his friend to place non-baseball sports bets for him using the accounts to do so.” Later, “the friend gave Hoberg the username and password to his accounts so that Hoberg could place bets directly by logging into the accounts using Hoberg’s own devices on occasions when his friend was not in Iowa and, therefore, not able to place the bets for Hoberg.” The two friends communicated via the app Telegram and kept logs of their gambling activity in there, later settling debts in cash when they saw each other in person. After being contacted by MLB, the friend deleted Telegram threads with Hoberg, and Hoberg deleted his own Telegram account. MLB was not able to retrieve those messages.

MLB’s statement goes on to state that Michael Hill, senior vice president of on-field operations, determined that Hoberg demonstrated poor judgement and could not be trusted to “maintain the integrity of the international game of baseball.” Hoberg was notified on May 31, 2024 that he would be fired. He appealed the decision to Manfred, though the CBA with the umpires calls for the involvement of a mutually agreed upon “Neutral Factfinder” who would look into the events in question. Per the statement, Manfred is to give “due regard” to the findings of this factfinder but “is not bound by them and can make an independent judgment that is final, binding and not subject to the grievance procedure or challenge in any other forum.”

A statement from Manfred was included in the release from the league: “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans. An extensive investigation revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way. However, his extremely poor judgment in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe bet on baseball and who did, in fact, bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline. Therefore, there is just cause to uphold Mr. Hoberg’s termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball.”

Hoberg also released a statement today, with Evan Drellich of The Athletic among those to relay it to the public. “I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement,” Hoberg says. “Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me. Major League Baseball umpires are held to a high standard of personal conduct, and my own conduct fell short of that standard. That said, to be clear, I have never and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape, or form. I have never provided, and would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me. I apologize to Major League Baseball and the entire baseball community for my mistakes. I vow to learn from them and to be a better version of myself moving forward.”

Hoberg can apply for reinstatement but not until the start of 2026 spring training.

Mariners Acquire Casey Legumina, Designate Jhonathan Díaz

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Casey Legumina from the Reds. Cincinnati, who designated Legumina for assignment last week when they signed Austin Hays, receives cash considerations in return. The M’s have designated left-hander Jhonathan Díaz for assignment in a corresponding move.

Legumina, 28 in June, has a limited major league track record to this point. He threw a combined 22 innings for the Reds over the past two seasons, allowing 17 earned runs for an unpleasant 6.75 ERA. His 16.7% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate in that time have both been below average, though his 56.4% ground ball rate has been strong.

The M’s are probably more interested in his larger sample of minor league work. Over the past four years, he has logged 226 2/3 innings on the farm with a 4.05 ERA, 26% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. He did a decent amount of starting earlier in his career but has primarily been working in relief over the past two seasons.

He still has one option year remaining and less than a full season of service time. That means he can be shuttled between the majors and the minors pretty freely for one more year and can also be cheaply retained well into the future if he continues to hang onto a roster spot. The M’s apparently had enough interest in Legumina as a depth arm that they sent some cash to the Reds in order to skip the waiver line.

Díaz, 28, also has a small big league résumé. He has thrown 45 innings in the majors, scattered across four different seasons. He has a 4.80 ERA, 15% strikeout rate, 12.6% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate.

Naturally, the minor league numbers are better, and in a larger sample. Over the past four years, he has thrown 328 innings on the farm, most of that coming in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He has a 4.42 ERA in that time, along with a 23.6% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and grounders on about half of the balls in play he allowed.

Díaz still has a couple of options and could perhaps appeal to a club looking for some affordable rotation depth. The M’s will have a maximum of one week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next for the lefty, though the waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would need to happen in the next five days.

Mariners Designate Cade Marlowe For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that outfielder Cade Marlowe has been designated for assignment. That is the corresponding move to open a roster spot for infielder Jorge Polanco, whose one-year deal to return to the club is now official.

Marlowe, 28 in June, was a 20th-round pick of the Mariners back in 2019. He continually posted good numbers as he was climbing the minor league ladder, so the Mariners gave him a roster spot in November of 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He has spent the past two years as a depth outfielder, getting only limited looks in the majors. To this point, he has received 109 big league plate appearances with a .240/.330/.406 line. His 11.9% walk rate in that time is strong but he’s also been punched out at a 31.2% rate.

His minor league numbers have tailed off in that time. He had a combined slash line of .281/.373/.523 over 2021 and 2022, which translated to a 129 wRC+. His 27% strikeout rate was on the high side but he offset it with an 11.5% walk rate and 49 home runs. But over 2023 and 2024, that line has been down to .246/.340/.419, translating to an 85 wRC+. His 11.9% walk rate was still good but the punchouts jumped even higher to 29.4%.

That diminished offense on the farm has seemingly nudged him off the edge of Seattle’s roster. They will now have at most a week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next for him, whether that’s a trade or some fate on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would need to come together in the next five days.

He does still have one option remaining, so he could perhaps appeal to a club in search of some extra outfield depth. Though the offense has dipped, he has continued to be a threat on the basepaths. He has stolen between 24 and 43 bases in each of the past four minor league seasons. The strikeouts have been an issue even when at his best but he has some wheels, some pop, can take a walk and can be sent to the minors regularly for one more season, all of which adds up to an intriguing package overall.

Rays Acquire Alex Faedo

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The Rays have acquired right-hander Alex Faedo from the Tigers, per announcements from both clubs.  Faedo had been designated for assignment by the Tigers last week when they signed Tommy Kahnle. The Rays are sending minor league catcher Enderson Delgado and cash to Detroit. Infielder Osleivis Basabe has been designated for assignment by the Rays in a corresponding move, which MLBTR covered here.

Getting Faedo, 29, is a buy-low move for the Rays. The Tigers grabbed him with the 18th overall pick in 2017 and Baseball America ranked the righty as the #50 prospect in the entire league going into 2018.

But the big league results haven’t matched up to that prospect billing just yet. Faedo has thrown 175 2/3 innings for the Tigers over the past three seasons, allowing 4.51 earned runs per nine. His 20.9% strikeout rate and 9.7% have both been a bit below league average. He is now out of options and would have had a hard time holding a roster spot in Detroit all year, so he got bumped off.

The Rays are seemingly more willing to carry Faedo on the roster, since they are giving up a prospect and cash to get him. Perhaps the hope is that Faedo is in the process of finding a home in the bullpen. He has worked as a starter and a reliever in his big league career, but with a 5.00 ERA out of the rotation and 3.44 ERA from the bullpen. His 22.6% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate as a reliever aren’t outstanding numbers, but better than his 20.2% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate as a starter.

Though he hasn’t had huge punchout stuff, he’s had some intriguing numbers in terms of limiting damage. His 34.4% hard hit rate allowed last year was in the 82nd percentile of qualified pitchers, according to Statcast. His barrel rate was in the 76th percentile and his average exit velocity 65th. His 2023 numbers in those categories were fairly similar.

His out-of-options status will make things a bit challenging for the Rays, a club that normally likes to rotate pitchers on and off the roster with regularity. RosterResource projects the club to run a six-man rotation of Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen. That leaves a seven-man bullpen consisting of Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger, Manuel Rodríguez, Mason Montgomery, Mike Vasil and Faedo. Montgomery is the only one of that relief group that can be optioned and RR has the out-of-options Cole Sulser listed in Triple-A as of this writing.

The roster might not shake out exactly like that, as spring performance and health can certainly change things, but there’s not a ton of flexibility in the relief group at the moment. But if the Rays manage to keep Faedo in the mix, there will be a long-term payoff. He has just under two years of service time at the moment, meaning he can be controlled for five seasons if he continues to hang onto his roster spot and hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration.

For the Tigers, losing Faedo probably stings a little bit, but at least they were able to recoup some potential future value out of a guy who got squeezed off the fringes of the roster. Delgado, 20, was an international signing of the Rays out of Venezuela. Back in July, Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice of FanGraphs ranked Delgado as the #37 prospect in the Rays’ system. That report suggests Delgado could carve out a future backup catching role based mostly on his defense, particularly his throwing arm.

The FanGraphs report gives less praise for his offense. He has slashed .215/.337/.322 over three minor league seasons, though he showed some improvement last year with a line of .259/.382/.400. Given his age and that he still hasn’t climbed higher than Single-A, he’ll be a long-term play for the Tigers.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Faedo was going to the Rays for Delgado and cash, prior to the official announcements.

Alex Bregman Reportedly Has Six-Year Offer From Club Other Than Astros

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February starts tomorrow but Alex Bregman is still unsigned. Throughout the winter, he has reportedly been sitting on a six-year, $156MM offer from the Astros. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that he also has a “lucrative” six-year offer, with an opt-out after the first year, from another club “that may not be not be high on his list.” Heyman mentions the Cubs, Tigers and Red Sox as clubs that have been in the mix. Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently appeared on Area 45 with Bijani and Creighton and suggested the Blue Jays might have a six-year offer out to Bregman.

The twists and turns of the Bregman saga have been well documented to this point. Going back to the Astros seemed like a strong possibility at the start of the winter and there has clearly been mutual interest in a reunion but a gap in talks when it comes to the financials, with Bregman reportedly looking to get something close to $200MM.

The $156MM offer is close-ish to that but Heyman and Nightengale both relay that Bregman viewed that as a paycut. That offer would come with an average annual value of $26MM. Bregman signed an extension with the Astros back in March of 2019, a five-year, $100MM pact. That was only a $20MM AAV but it was backloaded. Bregman got a $10MM signing bonus and then had a salary of $11MM in the first three years of that deal, followed by salaries of $28.5MM in the last two. Though the recent offer from Houston would have come with an AAV bump compared that entire contract, it appears the immediate downgrade in salary wasn’t satisfactory.

That led to Bregman getting interest from other clubs and the Astros pivoting to other players. They acquired Isaac Paredes in the Kyle Tucker deal and then signed Christian Walker. Those two, along with Jeremy Peña and Jose Altuve, seemed to fill the Houston infield and block Bregman’s path back to the club. More recently, reports have emerged that suggested the door is actually open a crack. The club apparently has some willingness to re-sign Bregman, move Paredes to second and Altuve to left field.

That’s a bit of an awkward fit, but the same could be said of Bregman’s other possible landing spots. The Red Sox have Rafael Devers at third and prospects like Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer charging towards the second base opening. Moving Devers over to first base makes some sense on account of his poor defense, but he seems reluctant to make that move and Boston has Triston Casas at first and Masataka Yoshida a likely designated hitter. The Tigers would be blocking Jace Jung, a top prospect who has already cracked the majors, from regular playing time. The Cubs would similarly be blocking Matt Shaw. The Jays would be blocking a group of potential third baseman that includes Orelvis Martínez, Addison Barger and Ernie Clement.

Financially, the clubs are in different positions, per figures from RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The Tigers project to have an Opening Day payroll of $118MM. That’s well beyond last year’s $98MM figure but they were in the $120-140MM range in the two prior years. Signing Bregman would push them past that but could be justified after last year’s surprise playoff push. As of last week, their talks with Bregman were reportedly at a standstill.

The Cubs have a competitive balance tax number of $207MM and the Red Sox $210MM. This year’s base tax threshold is $241MM, meaning both clubs are more than $30MM away from that line. They have both paid the tax in recent years, so getting to the line or even crossing it can’t be explicitly ruled out, though both clubs reportedly prefer the idea of signing Bregman to a short-term deal.

The Jays, meanwhile, are well above the rest in this group. They project for a $250MM payroll and $273MM CBT number, both of which would be franchise records by significant margins. Last year’s $225MM Opening Day payroll was a new record at the time. They went narrowly over the CBT line in 2023 and were projected to do so again last year, before their disappointing season led to a trade deadline selloff that allowed them to limbo underneath. Though they are in uncharted waters, they reportedly still have wiggle room after agreeing to a deal with Max Scherzer.

The Cubs were the only one of the non-Houston clubs mentioned here to pay the tax in 2024, meaning they would be subject to the stiffest penalties for signing Bregman. Since he rejected a qualifying offer, any club apart from Houston that signs him would be subject to draft pick forfeiture. As a tax payor, the Cubs would forfeit their second- and fifth-highest picks as well as $1MM from next year’s international bonus pool space. The Jays and Red Sox, who didn’t pay the tax and aren’t revenue-sharing recipients, would only forfeit $500K of pool space and their second-highest pick. The Jays already surrendered a pick to sign Anthony Santander, so they would actually surrender their third-highest pick if they also signed Bregman. The Tigers, as a revenue-sharing recipient, would give up their third-best pick. Houston stands to receive compensation if Bregman signs elsewhere, though since they paid the tax last year, they would only receive a pick after the fourth round of the upcoming draft. Re-signing Bregman would take that potential compensation away.

Despite the inelegant roster fits, teams seem to be willing to make it work somehow. An unsigned player this close to the start of spring training would normally have to start considering short-term contracts. That happened last winter with the so-called “Boras Four” of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, who all signed in February of March, inking two- or three-year deals including opt-outs. Boras also represents Bregman and Pete Alonso, who are both unsigned now.

Alonso seems likely to be going down the short-term route, having recently discussed some three-year arrangements with the Mets. Reports on Bregman, however, have suggested that’s less likely. Last week, it was reported that Bregman has multiple offers of at least five years. The Astros seem to be one of them, as they have reportedly kept their offer out to Bregman even as they have pursued other moves.

Bregman, it seems, has been stuck in a sort of limbo zone. Based on the reports, he has a decent amount of interest but not quite enough to get up to his asking price, which has led to this holding pattern. MLBTR predicted him for a seven-year deal worth $182MM at the start of the offseason. As mentioned, he was looking to get a bit beyond that, into the $200MM range, but his offers have seemingly come in at a slightly lower level.

The Astros have reportedly had Jorge Polanco as their Bregman backup plan, but he has agreed to return to the Mariners on a new deal. Whether that leads the Astros to increase their offer to Bregman remains to be seen. They are known to be looking for a left-handed outfielder. Signing Polanco, a switch-hitter, would have been an indirect way of doing that. Altuve likely would have ended up in left field but it would have added a lefty bat to the lineup regardless. They could now consider a more direct option like signing Alex Verdugo or Jason Heyward. Bregman is right-handed but a more exciting player overall than either of those two, though the club has been connected to Verdugo this offseason and signed Heyward late last year after he was released by the Dodgers.

Whether or not the Astros pivot with Polanco off the board, it seems other clubs are lurking, perhaps in a similar price range. How this plays out could have ripple effects to other players. The Jays have also been lurking in the Alonso market but surely won’t sign both. Pitchers like Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta are also unsigned and have been connected to some of these clubs. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than two weeks.

Mets Sign Nick Madrigal

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The Mets have a one-year agreement with infielder Nick Madrigal, the club announced. It’s reportedly a split deal that pays the Wasserman client $1.35MM in the majors, with another $500K available via performance bonuses.

Madrigal, 28 in March, has spent the past five seasons in Chicago. Playing for both the White Sox and the Cubs, he has generally served as a light-hitting, part-time depth infielder. He has stepped to the plate 940 times over those five seasons. His 9% strikeout rate is very low but he also doesn’t walk much, taking free passes 4.6% of the time. While he puts the ball in play a lot, he doesn’t do a ton of damage in the process. He currently has just four home runs and sports a career batting line of .274/.323/.344 for an 88 wRC+. Statcast hasn’t given him strong marks for his exit velocity, hard hit rate nor his barrel rate.

He has been able to contribute in other ways. He has 17 stolen bases in 23 attempts. His defense is also well regarded. He has racked up eight Defensive Runs Saved at third base in his career and has been league average at second base. Outs Above Average has given him a +7 score at the hot corner and +2 at the keystone.

The Cubs could have kept Madrigal around for the 2025 season via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $1.9MM salary. The Cubs decided to non-tender him instead, sending him to free agency without having to put him on waivers.

The Mets have some uncertainty in their infield. Francisco Lindor has shortstop locked down. Jeff McNeil’s offense hasn’t been great lately but even his diminished production has been better than Madrigal’s. He can also play the outfield but the Mets are fairly crowded out there. Since he’s still making an eight-figure salary, he’ll probably be the regular at second.

The corners are more up in the air. Pete Alonso remains unsigned, giving the club a theoretical hole at first base. However, it’s been suggested that the club might be content to have Alonso move on. In that scenario, the club would move Mark Vientos over from third to first, leaving the hot corner open for a competition between Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña.

They have also lost a key depth infielder. They signed Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal last offseason, which turned into a huge win. He got into 85 games and hit .337/.381/.448 while filling in at second, third and short. He became a free agent at season’s end. Recent reporting has suggested that the Mets were interested in bolstering their infield depth.

Madrigal still has an option remaining, so he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a spot on the active roster. The fact that the Mets have given him a split deal suggests that going to the minors is a distinct possibility. If he eventually gets a big league roster spot, he could potentially replace Iglesias in that bench infielder role. If the young third base options struggle, he at least gives them a glove-first option there. If any of the club’s outfielders get injured and McNeil needs to go out there, or McNeil himself gets hurt, Madrigal could step in. An injury to Lindor could lead to Acuña or Mauricio covering short, which would bump Madrigal up the chart at third.

Since Madrigal has that option, there’s nothing really stopping the Mets from bringing back Iglesias or some other veteran infielder, so they’ve added some depth without closing any doors to other possibilities and at a fairly minimal cost. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported yesterday that the Mets “haven’t yet strongly pursued” a reunion with Iglesias. If Madrigal still has a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained via arbitration for 2026.

Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported that the two sides were in agreement. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported that it was a split deal. Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that it was a one-year pact. Sherman then reported the fact that Madrigal passed his physical, as well as the big league salary and bonuses.

Royals Sign Carlos Estévez

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The Royals and right-hander Carlos Estévez are in agreement on a two-year deal that comes with a club option for 2027. It’s reportedly a $22MM guarantee for the Premier Talent Sports and Entertainment client, which includes a $2MM buyout on the option valued at $13MM. If the Royals exercise the option, the deal would reach $33MM over three seasons. The Royals designated Braden Shewmake for assignment in a corresponding move.

Estévez, 32, spent the first six seasons of his career with the Rockies. Pitching in Coors Field may have masked his talents, as he generally had good strikeout and walk rates but middling run prevention numbers. From 2019 to 2022, his final four seasons in Colorado, he tossed 214 2/3 innings with a 4.28 earned run average, 23.9% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate.

Getting away from the mountains has been good for his bottom-line numbers. He signed a two-year, $13.5MM deal with the Angels going into 2023, then was traded to the Phillies at the 2024 deadline. Over those two years, he threw 117 1/3 innings with a 3.22 ERA, 26% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate. He has become a bonafide closer in that time as well, racking up 31 saves in 2023 and 26 last year.

His 2024 season was his best yet, in a sense, as his 2.45 ERA was a personal low. However, there was some concern with how he finished. He struck out 25.8% of batters faced with the Angels but just 20.5% of opponents after being flipped to Philadelphia. But that was despite his velocity increasing as the season went along. He also got more ground balls after the deal, with a 25.3% rate as an Angel last year compared to a 43.5% rate with the Phils. In the end, he still managed to have a tidy 2.57 ERA with Philly, racking up six saves.

At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Estévez for a three-year, $27MM deal. It seems the righty has been limited to a slightly lesser guarantee over two years, though he will end up beating that projection if the option is ultimately picked up.

The Royals had a strong rotation last year but their bullpen was less impressive. Their relievers had a collective 4.13 ERA last year, which placed them 20th out of the 30 clubs in the league. They tried to address that at the deadline by adding Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey in separate trades. Erceg posted a 2.88 ERA for the club after the deal and then had a 3.00 ERA over six postseason appearances as well. The Harvey acquisition didn’t pay immediate dividends, however, as a back injury limited him to just six appearances as a Royal. He is still under club control for 2025, so the Royals will hope for better health this year.

Though Erceg’s performance made the group look stronger, continuing to add this winter makes sense. That’s especially true with Kris Bubic likely moving to the rotation this year. Time will tell whether they have a preferred closer. As mentioned, Estévez has been closing for the past two years. Erceg recorded 11 saves for the Royals after being acquired, plus three more in the playoffs. Regardless of the roles, Estévez strengthens the relief group overall.

The Royals opened last year with a payroll of $115MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They are projected by RosterResource to be up to $123MM next year, before accounting for Estévez. They have reportedly been looking for a middle-of-the-order bat. Whether they can find one will likely depend on how much farther they are willing to push the spending.

Estévez received plenty of interest from other clubs this offseason, such as the Reds, Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Yankees. Some of those clubs have since made other moves to address their respective bullpens. For clubs still looking to add relievers, the options have been flying off the board lately. Since the start of January, Chris Martin, Andrew Kittredge, Jeff Hoffman, Caleb Ferguson, Jorge López, A.J. Minter, José Leclerc, Tanner Scott, Paul Sewald, Kirby Yates, Ryne Stanek and Tommy Kahnle have agree to deals of $3MM or more. Ryan Pressly and Taylor Rogers were also traded this week.

Free agency still features players such as David Robertson, Kenley Jansen, Andrew Chafin and others, while guys like Robert Suarez, Ryan Helsley or Camilo Doval might be available on the trading block.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported the Royals and Estévez had a deal. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first with the two-year guarantee and the third-year club option. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the $22MM guarantee and the $13MM option value.

J.D. Martinez Planning To Play In 2025

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Designated hitter J.D. Martinez is planning to play in 2025, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. That’s a notable stance for the slugger as he was considering retiring around this time one year ago.

Martinez ended up playing for the Mets in 2024 with a very late signing. The reports of his pact with the Mets emerged on March 21 and the deal became official on March 23. That clearly was a frustrating situation for Martinez, after he hit 33 home runs for the Dodgers in 2023, slashing .271/.321/.572 for a 135 wRC+.

“Here I am, the team’s breaking in five days, and I don’t even have a team yet,” Martinez said in October, just after the Mets had been eliminated from the postseason. “Your brain goes into a weird mode, where you’re like ’Am I playing? Am I not? Am I playing? Am I not? Is this it? Am I retired? … We weren’t asking for anything that, at the time, I feel like other players hadn’t gotten.”

The annoyance was enough for Martinez to consider hanging up his spikes, relaying that he said to a friend: “I think this it. I’m staying home. This is dumb. I’m begging for a job, and I had a .900 OPS last year.”

In the end, he and the Mets got a deal done and he had a decent season. He hit 16 home runs in 495 plate appearances, putting up a .235/.320/.406 batting line and 108 wRC+. Because he missed spring training and then dealt with some general body soreness, he didn’t make his season debut until late April. The late start doesn’t seem to have impacted his performance, as he was actually better in the earlier part of the season. He slashed .263/.349/.457 in the first half and .199/.282/.340 in the second, leading to respective wRC+ tallies of 130 and 79.

Given the irritating nature of his last trip to free agency, he presumably would like to sign a little earlier this time around. Finding a home for an everyday designated hitter is tough these days. Martinez didn’t play the field at all in 2024. His 12 innings in left field in 2023 are the totality of his defensive work over the past three years.

Many clubs have their DH spot clogged up by one key bat already, such as Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies and others. Some clubs like to keep the slot open so that they can rotate various players through, maximizing flexibility and lessening the workloads of certain individuals. Rebuilding teams like the Marlins or White Sox have playing time available in theory, but they might prefer to give at-bats to young players they are evaluating for future roles.

Of the clubs that are still on the hunt for a big bat, Martinez could be competing with his former teammate Pete Alonso, who is still unsigned as well. It’s possible that Alonso’s situation might impact Martinez, with clubs reluctant to sign Martinez until Alonso makes his choice. The Mets, Blue Jays, Giants, Angels, Red Sox and others have been connected to Alonso recently, so perhaps some of those clubs could consider Martinez a fallback in the coming weeks.

Even though Alonso’s market isn’t shaping up as hoped, Martinez will certainly cost far less. Alonso has reportedly turned down an offer from the Mets in the range of $68 to $70MM over three years. Martinez got a one-year, $12MM deal from the Mets for 2024, though in heavily deferred fashion. He was only paid $4.5MM last year with the rest to be paid out via $1.5MM instalments from 2034 to 2038. Now one year older and coming off a worse platform, he’ll likely have less earning power now.

Justin Turner, Rowdy Tellez, Ty France and Anthony Rizzo are some of the other notable hitters that are still unsigned as well. Like Martinez, each of the guys in that group should be limited to one-year offers based on age and/or recent performance.

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