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White Sox Designate Jacob Amaya For Assignment

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The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve designated infielder Jacob Amaya for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to newly signed infielder Josh Rojas, whose previously reported one-year deal has now been formally announced by the club.

Amaya, 26, was just claimed off waivers by the White Sox in August. He got into 23 games for the club after that, slashing .179/.225/.194 in his 71 plate appearances. He exhausted his final option year in 2024, meaning he was going to be challenged to hang onto a roster spot through the season, so he’s been nudged off today. The Sox will now have a week to figure out what’s next with Amaya, whether that’s a trade or putting him on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any potential deals would have to take place in the next five days.

Amaya was once a prospect of some note with both the Dodgers and the Marlins, as Baseball America ranked him as a top 30 prospect in one of those organizations in each year from 2019 to 2024. He has been considered a fairly well-rounded player, with solid defense at shortstop and the capability to play second or third base as well.

Offensively, he has generally had good strikeout and walk rates but has struggled to do significant damage at the upper levels. He has stepped to the plate 1,219 times at the Triple-A level over the past three years. His 12.4% walk rate and 21.4% strikeout rate in that time are both a bit better than average but his combined .246/.342/.380 batting line translates to a wRC+ of just 84. That indicates he’s been 16% below league average on the whole.

The profile has been enough to attract interest around the league. He was traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins a few years ago, then bounced to the Astros and White Sox in 2024. Perhaps there’s still some intrigue from clubs but his out-of-options status will make it harder for any team to carry him on the roster during the season. It’s possible some club with an open roster spot will put in a claim and try to pass him through waivers later on, or maybe the White Sox will be the club to pass him through and keep him as non-roster depth.

Mariners Claim Hagen Danner

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed right-hander Hagen Danner off waivers from the Blue Jays. The latter club had designated him for assignment last month. DFA limbo normally only lasts a week but that clock is paused during the holidays. Seattle’s 40-man roster count is now 39.

Danner, 26, has a fairly limited track record as a pitcher. That’s due to his unusual trajectory, as well as some injuries. He was drafted by the Jays as a catcher in 2017 but struggled at the plate and moved to the mound in recent years. His first professional season as a pitcher was 2021, a year in which he tossed 35 2/3 innings at the High-A level, allowing 2.02 earned runs per nine. He struck out 29.4% of batters faced while limiting walks to an 8.4% clip.

Although he had only been on the mound for that one season as a minor leaguer, he was already Rule 5 eligible on account of the years he spent behind the plate. But the Jays didn’t want him to get away at that time and gave him a spot on the 40-man.

He spent most of 2022 on the injured list, only making four Double-A appearances. He was healthy again in 2023, tossing 39 1/3 innings across multiple levels, with a 3.66 ERA, 35.7% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. He also made his major league debut, although he only tossed a third of an inning before an oblique strain sent him to the IL for about six weeks to finish the year. In 2024, he spent another two months on the minor league injured list but managed to toss 35 1/3 innings on the year with a 3.06 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate.

Perhaps that big drop in his strikeout rate prompted the Jays to move on, though the Mariners are intrigued enough to give him a shot. Danner is still a fairly unknown quantity at this point, with barely 100 professional innings under his belt, but he still has an option year left. Seattle can get a close-up look at him and see how things play out. He can serve as optionable depth for one more year and, if things break right, be cheaply retained into the future since he has just a handful of service days.

Braxton Garrett To Miss 2025 Season Due To UCL Surgery

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Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett will undergo a revision surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow with an internal brace, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. The southpaw will miss the entire 2025 season. Mish adds that the Fish are looking at free agency as a way to replace Garrett in their rotation.

It’s another unfortunate development in the health department, both for Garrett and the Marlins. The lefty had Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in the summer of 2017, which led to him missing the back half of that season and all of 2018.

After recovering from that surgery, he got back on track and made it to the major leagues, serving as an up-and-down guy for the 2020 to 2022 seasons. In 2023, he seemed to establish himself as a viable big league rotation member. He tossed 159 2/3 innings for Miami that year, allowing 3.66 earned runs per nine. His 23.7% strikeout rate was around league average but he had a solid 49.7% ground ball rate and excellent 4.4% walk rate.

But 2024 was a challenge for him, as he made multiple trips to the injured list and only made seven starts. A left shoulder impingement put him on the shelf to start the year. He was back by the middle of May and made his seven appearances over the next few weeks, but then was back on the IL due to a left forearm flexor strain. He was rehabbing in September and seemed ready to come off the IL but suffered a setback when he “felt something” in the back of his elbow. He was diagnosed with an elbow impingement in October and seemed set for a mostly healthy offseason, but that prognosis has apparently changed.

It’s unfortunate for Garrett on a couple of fronts. He’s 27 years old, turning 28 in August of this year, so he’s now set to miss a full season of what could have been his prime. It will hurt him financially as well. He just qualified for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player, meaning he’ll get four passes instead of the normal three. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.8MM salary next year. After missing all of 2025, he’ll likely be slated for the same salary when he hopefully returns to the mound in 2026. Even if he comes back healthy and effective, he’ll be nudging up his salary from a lower foundation than if he had stayed healthy.

For the Marlins, their rotation picture has frequently changed in recent years. The Fish managed to sneak into the playoffs in 2023, partially thanks to a starting staff consisting of Garrett, Sandy Alcántara, Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez and Edward Cabrera. But all of those guys were either hurt or ineffective in 2024, causing the club’s competitive chances to fall apart.

There was a chance of having that whole gang back together in 2025 but Luzardo was recently traded to the Phillies and now Garrett is going to be on ice. Miami isn’t planning to compete in 2025 anyhow, based on their lack of offseason additions as well as their trades of Luzardo and Jake Burger, but it’s still less than ideal for Garrett to go down like this. Given his age and years of club control, he was in line to be part of the club’s next competitive window. That could still be the case but the path ahead is a bit foggier now.

Going into 2025, they could still have a rotation core of Alcántara and Cabrera. They could welcome back Pérez midseason, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer, Valente Bellozo and Adam Mazur are candidates to take the ball as well. Prospect Robby Snelling isn’t yet on the 40-man but could push his way into the mix.

Given the club’s lack of offseason activity, both in the previous offseason and the current one, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they just rolled with that group and let the chips fall where they may, but it seems as though they will look to add a veteran via free agency. That is perhaps related to recent reporting that they may need to get their competitive balance tax number up to $105MM in order to avoid a grievance from the MLB Players Association related to the usage of their revenue-sharing funds. RosterResource currently pegs their CBT number at $83MM, so it seems they will have to find ways to bridge that gap.

Acquiring a player making decent money from another club would be one way to do that, but free agency is obviously another. The starting pitching market has been hot but guys like Jack Flaherty, Nick Pivetta Andrew Heaney are still out there. It would be a surprise if the Marlins went after those guys, who are surely looking for notable multi-year deals, but the market also has guys that will likely be limited to one-year deals such as Kyle Gibson, Patrick Corbin, Chris Flexen, Lance Lynn, Ross Stripling, Jose Quintana, Jakob Junis, Colin Rea, Spencer Turnbull and more.

Yankees Interested In Brendan Rodgers

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The Yankees are known to be looking for infield help and Bob Nightengale of USA Today relays that they have had discussions with free agent Brendan Rodgers, though it’s unclear when those talks took place or how serious they were.

Rodgers, 28, came up with a huge amount of prospect hype but he hasn’t been able to deliver on it thus far. The Rockies selected him with the third overall pick in the 2015 draft and he was the club’s top prospect for a while after that. Baseball America ranked him first in the system and in the top 25 prospects league-wide from 2017 to 2020.

In 2021 and 2022, Rodgers seemed to be cementing himself as a capable major leaguer, though something below a star. Over those two seasons, he put up a solid slash of .274/.326/.434, though that only amounted to a 95 wRC+, with that measure accounting for the hitter-friendly nature of Coors Field. Despite the subpar offense, Rodgers got strong marks for his second base defense, leading FanGraphs to credit him with a combined 3.1 wins above replacement over those two years.

Baseball Reference was even more bullish, giving Rodgers 4.3 WAR in 2022 alone. That discrepancy is due to BR using Defensive Runs Saved for its WAR, while FanGraphs uses a combination of Statcast and Ultimate Zone Rating. Rodgers had 3 OAA in 2022 but a massive 22 DRS, which is why the WAR tallies are so lopsided. But his DRS grade has been negative over the rest of his career, so that looks like a clear outlier.

Regardless of how Rodgers was evaluated at that time, he hasn’t been at that level since. He suffered a dislocated shoulder during spring training in 2023 and required surgery. He got into 46 games late that year but didn’t perform well, slashing .258/.313/.388 for a 78 wRC+. In 2024, he improved but not by much, producing a .267/.314/.407 line and 88 wRC+.

If one wanted to find a reason for optimism, they could look to Rodgers improving as the season went along. He hit .262/.306/.383 for a wRC+ of 79 in the first half and then .275/.325/.441 in the second half for a 100 wRC+, though that latter line was mostly buoyed by a huge August, as he had poor results in July and September.

Both in 2024 and in his career, the righty-swinging Rodgers has been better against lefties. He slashed .311/.364/.455 against southpaws last year for a 117 wRC, not far off from his career line of .298/.359/.484 and 120 wRC+ in that split. That could perhaps allow him to form a platoon with Jazz Chisholm Jr., who swings from the left side and has a line of .224/.281/.364 against southpaws in his career for a 76 wRC+.

The Rockies could have retained Rodgers for 2025, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $5.5MM, but the Rockies opted to non-tender him instead. That means that Rodgers will be cheap, which is surely attractive to the Yankees. They came into the offseason with a number of big contracts already on the books and have since swelled their commitments by adding Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.

RosterResource puts the Yankees’ competitive balance tax number at $303MM, which is already above the fourth and final tier of $301MM. As a third-time payor, the Yanks will be taxed at a 110% rate on any further spending. They are reportedly shopping Marcus Stroman, which could lower their commitments, but they would still have one of the top payrolls in the league.

The fact that Chisholm can play either second or third base gives the Yanks some flexibility in how they add to their infield in the coming weeks but the top options at the hot corner will be expensive. Alex Bregman is available in free agency but is looking for a big nine-figure deal of some kind. Nolan Arenado is available in trade but the Cards are reportedly looking to get rid of most of what remains of his contract.

Rodgers is less exciting than those guys but will be far cheaper and seems capable of at least being a short-side platoon guy. He’s also still young and a former top prospect, so there could be some possibility of a late-bloomer breakout.

Astros Sign Zack Short To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have signed infielder Zack Short to a minor league deal, according to his MLB.com transaction tracker. Chandler Rome of The Athletic has confirmed the deal for the ACES client and that it comes with an invitation to big league camp.

Short, 30 in May, has appeared in parts of the past four major league seasons. He has generally served as a light-hitting utility player, mostly with the Tigers. He was put on waivers by Detroit last winter and ended up bouncing to the Mets, Red Sox and Atlanta, with that last club outrighting him off their roster in July.

He has 538 major league plate appearances to this point in his career. He has drawn a walk in 12.3% of those but also been struck out at a 28.6% clip. He has hit 13 home runs but produced a .167/.269/.287 slash line for a 57 wRC+, indicating he’s been 43% worse than league average overall.

As one would expect, his minor league production has been far better. He has stepped to the plate 966 times at the Triple-A level over the past four years. His 26.4% strikeout rate in that sample is still high but he also has a 16.4% walk rate and 25 home runs, leading to a combined .225/.361/.383 batting line and 102 wRC+.

If Short were capable of hitting like that against major league pitching, it could make him a useful player, since he already provides defensive versatility. He has over 300 innings of big league work at the three infield spots to the left of first base, as well as occasional outfield appearances. Bridging the gap between his major league offense and his minor league production could turn him into a solid bench/utility guy.

The Astros currently project to have a left-to-right infield of Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker. They could have Mauricio Dubón in a utility role, but he might need to spend more time in the outfield, depending on how the club attacks that part of the roster in the coming weeks. Shay Whitcomb and Zach Dezenzo are other options on the 40-man roster.

Short burned his final option year in 2023, which is why he ended up bouncing around the league last year. That will make it hard for him to hang onto a roster spot even if he gets one. But he’s still shy of three years of service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained beyond the 2025 season if he manages to finish the year on the roster.

Mets Interested In Tanner Scott

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The Mets are looking to add a reliever or two, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic, with left-hander Tanner Scott identified as one specific name they have interest in. Scott is one of the top free agent relievers and has also been connected to Atlanta, the Yankees and Dodgers this winter. Sammon adds that the Mets have already met with Scott, likely over phone or video.

Scott’s appeal is obvious in the numbers. Over the past two years, he has tossed 150 relief innings, allowing 2.04 earned runs per nine. His 10% walk rate over those years was a tad high, but he struck out 31.3% of batters faced and got grounders on 50.4% of balls in play. He also added 5 1/3 innings of scoreless postseason work over those seasons, which included four strikeouts of Shohei Ohtani in last year’s NLDS.

At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Scott to land a four-year deal worth $56MM, but it’s possible that will prove to be light. Essentially every starting pitcher has surpassed expectations this winter and that could spill over into the bullpen market as well. It was reported this week that Scott has enough interest that a deal with a $20MM average annual value is a possibility.

For the Mets, this represents a different tack to their rotation-building strategy, something that Sammon notes in his report. While owner Steve Cohen has seemingly unlimited financial resources, president of baseball operations David Stearns hasn’t gone for the top free agent pitchers.

Last year, he gave short-term deals to starters like Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, but the Mets were entering something of a reset year in 2024. After they outperformed expectations and made the playoffs, it was speculated that Stearns could get more aggressive and go after arms like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell or Max Fried. Instead, he has re-signed Manaea, is trying to convert Clay Holmes from the bullpen to the rotation, and has taken buy-low fliers on guys like Frankie Montas and Griffin Canning.

While that pivot to more aggressive spending didn’t happen with the rotation, perhaps it will come to pass with the bullpen. Stearns has never made huge financial investments in relievers, neither for the Mets nor the Brewers, as shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. The deals for Holmes and Manaea top the list, followed by an early-career extension for Freddy Peralta, who eventually emerged as a viable big league starter in Milwaukee. No other reliever has received more than a $5.4MM guarantee from Stearns.

Last winter, as mentioned, the Mets were going into a year of uncertainty. Stearns gave modest deals to a number of relievers like Adam Ottavino, Jake Diekman, Jorge López and others, none of them even getting a $5MM guarantee. The interest in Scott suggests that the Mets might have some willingness to pivot from that trend in the coming weeks, though time will tell if they actually follow through.

If they do, Scott would be a great fit for the bullpen. The Mets have Edwin Díaz as their closer but things are fairly open apart from that. José Buttó, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Núñez project as some of the top options beyond Díaz but none of those three have even two years of big league service time. Danny Young is the only lefty reliever currently on the 40-man roster and he still has less than a year of service time. Slotting in Scott would bolster the group in terms of talent, experience and left-right balance.

According to RosterResource, the Mets are projected for a payroll of $280MM this year. That’s about $50MM shy of last year’s Opening Day payroll, so there could be lots of room to add bullpen help, even if they end up re-signing first baseman Pete Alonso. RR has the competitive balance tax number at $277MM, which means the club is already within striking distance of the third threshold of $281MM. However, they have blown way past the fourth and final tier in previous seasons, so that isn’t likely to be an obstacle for them. As a third-time payor, the Mets will face a 95% tax rate for spending beyond the third tier and a 110% rate for anything above the fourth.

White Sox Sign Bobby Dalbec To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox announced that they have signed infielder Bobby Dalbec to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that Dalbec will make $1.25MM if in the majors with $500K of incentives available to him as well. The CAA Sports client will also have opportunities to opt-out of the deal in June or July if not on the roster.

Dalbec, 30 in June, joins a new organization for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Red Sox in 2016 and played for that club at the big league level for parts of the past five seasons. The book on Dalbec is that he has power potential but strikes out far too often to make use of it. He has taken 1,044 trips to the plate in his major league career thus far, hitting home runs in 47 of those but also getting punched out 36.8% of the time.

That’s something that’s actually gotten worse over time. He hit 25 home runs in 2021 while striking out at a 34.4% clip, with the Red Sox surely hoping for that number to come down as he got more big league experience. But he’s had 146 plate appearances over the past two seasons and been set down on strikes at a massive 48.6% clip in those. He was outrighted off Boston’s roster in September and elected free agency at season’s end.

The White Sox are a good fit for him, as there’s not much blocking his path back to the big leagues. Dalbec has mostly played first base in his career but has also seen significant time at third, while making brief appearances in the middle infield and in right field.

Chicago just wrapped up the worst season of the modern era and has very little settled in its position player mix. Andrew Vaughn is still the first baseman but his production has declined in each of the past two years. Even if he bounces back, the White Sox are highly likely to trade him since he can only be retained via arbitration through 2026.

Veterans like Josh Rojas, Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater have been brought in to shore up various parts of the roster but any of them could be cut loose or traded throughout the year, depending on how things go in 2025. Youngsters like Miguel Vargas, Bryan Ramos and Colson Montgomery will be allotted lots of future playing time but none of them are established in the majors just yet.

Despite the strikeouts, Dalbec has continued to produce in the minors. He’s had 956 Triple-A plate appearances over the past three years with 58 homers. Though he had a 34.6% strikeout rate in that sample, he also had an 11.8% walk rate, a combined batting line of .260/.358/.523 and a 121 wRC+. If he can bring some of that up to the majors with the White Sox, he has less than three years of service time and can therefore be cheaply retained beyond this year via arbitration if he has a roster spot at season’s end. He is now out of options, however, which could make it tricky for him to hold a roster spot even if he gets one.

Blue Jays, Red Sox Interested In Pete Alonso

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First baseman Pete Alonso is still unsigned with just over a month until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, which naturally suggests he hasn’t yet found a contract offer to his liking. Reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN and Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggest that he is likely to pivot to a short-term deal with one or more opt-outs. Nightengale says eight teams, including the Blue Jays and Red Sox, have at least some level of interest. However, it’s unclear how interested those clubs are and the fact that Alonso remains available suggests they aren’t bowling him over with aggressive offers.

If Alonso ultimately pivots to a short-term deal with opt-outs, it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Alonso’s agent Scott Boras went down this road last offseason with Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. All four of them found markets below their expectations and remained unsigned beyond the holidays. Each of them eventually agreed to short-term deals with an opt-out or two, with slight variations for each individual.

There were reasons to expect Alonso could follow that path. Alonso reportedly turned down an extension offer from the Mets in the summer of 2023 valued at $157MM over seven years. He still had one arbitration season remaining at that time and ultimately earned $20.5MM. That means he was effectively being offered $137MM for six free agent seasons and turned it down. In November of 2023, it was reported that he was looking to top the recent deals for Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson, who signed for $162MM and $168MM respectively.

But the league has generally shied away from one-dimensional right-handed-hitting sluggers like Alonso. His defense isn’t especially well regarded and he’s not a burner on the basepaths. His walk rates are decent but not exceptional. Alonso has huge home run power but Freeman and Olson rank higher than him in terms of glovework and drawing free passes.

While Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols each got over $200MM, those deals were both over a decade ago. More recently, Paul Goldschmidt’s $130MM extension from the Cardinals is the best deal for a righty-swinging first baseman. Kris Bryant got $182MM as a defensively-limited outfielder but that deal turned sour very quickly. Other bat-first guys like J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos signed for the low nine figures.

Alonso also hit free agency on a bit of a down note. He had hit .261/.349/.535 for a 137 wRC+ through the 2022 season but slashed .229/.324/.480 over the past two seasons for a 122 wRC+. That’s still above average offense but a team might wonder if Alonso could reverse that trend going into his age-30 season. He also rejected a qualifying offer and is therefore tied to the associated penalties for any club that signs him.

Taking all that into consideration, it seemed possible that there would be a discrepancy between Alonso’s asking price and what teams would be willing to offer. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR considered predicting Alonso for a deal similar to what Bellinger ultimately signed with the Cubs last offseason, which was $80MM over three years with two opt-outs. That seemed too bold a stance to take at the start of the offseason, so we backed down and went with $125MM over five years, though noting that the Bellinger path was a real possibility. Last month, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that such a deal was becoming increasingly likely and this week’s reporting adds to that.

Returning to the Mets is still a possibility, as they haven’t done anything to fill Alonso’s spot at first base. It’s been speculated that they could move Mark Vientos over from third, since his defense at the hot corner isn’t strong and he’s capable of playing first. They could then cover third base internally with a combination of Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña, or perhaps an external addition like Alex Bregman. However, the door to Alonso returning is still open.

Other clubs have been tied to Alonso, but the fits are mostly a bit awkward. The Yankees reportedly had Alonso on their list of backup plans for the event they didn’t sign Juan Soto but they eventually signed Goldschmidt to cover first base. The Giants could perhaps be a fit but they have Bryce Eldridge waiting in the wings. The Angels have reportedly considered bringing in Alonso and moving incumbent first baseman Nolan Schanuel to the outfield, a position he hasn’t played as a professional.

The Jays and Red Sox are also fairly inelegant fits. Boston already has a corner infield logjam with Rafael Devers at third, Triston Casas at first and Masataka Yoshida a candidate for regular run as the designated hitter. Since Devers is a weak defender at third, they have considered adding someone like Bregman or Nolan Arenado and moving Devers to first, which has led to Casas and Yoshida being in trade rumors. Signing Alonso would jam this situation even further and make it harder to get Devers off third. Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a big deal on a short-term deal that the club expects him to opt out of, but it can’t be assured that a player will eventually use his opt-out. The Cubs recently signed Bellinger with this logic and saw him decide to stick around, which led to a salary-dump trade to the Yankees.

The Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as their everyday first baseman. He is capable of playing third base but only has 14 appearances there over the past five years, most of those coming as the Jays were playing out the string in 2024. With Guerrero slated for free agency next winter, perhaps he and Alonso could share first base and DH for a year with Alonso taking over first in 2026, though it would be a clunky fit for the 2025 season. The Jays also hope to extend Guerrero, which would be complicated by bringing Alonso into the fold.

Financially, RosterResource has the Jays just over $10MM away from last year’s payroll and the competitive balance tax, but it seems they still have some money to spend. They were reportedly involved with Corbin Burnes before he signed with the Diamondbacks and have an offer out to Anthony Santander. RosterResource has the Red Sox almost $30MM shy of the CBT and they might even be willing to cross the line this year.

Peter Seidler’s Widow Files Lawsuit Against Peter’s Brothers For Control Of Padres

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6:59pm: The Peter Seidler Trust released a statement on Monday evening (relayed by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times). It calls Sheel Seidler’s complaint “entirely without merit.” The Trust claims that Peter Seidler had a “clear estate plan” which names three of his brothers as successor trustees. The Trust alleges that Peter Seidler “prohibited” his wife from ever becoming trustee and that Sheel Seidler agreed in 2020 “that she had no right to be or to designate” the franchise’s control person.

The Trust did not directly address Sheel Seidler’s claims that Matt Seidler could pursue a sale and relocation. However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that sources around the league consider the idea of the Padres leaving to be “extremely far-fetched.”

2:31pm: Last month, it was reported that the Padres would be appointing John Seidler to take over as the club’s new control person, but that was still pending league approval and there are new developments in that story. A report from Eben Novy-Williams and Daniel Libit at Sportico has details of a lawsuit filed by Sheel Seidler, Peter’s widow, trying to gain control of the team. Sheel later released a statement in relation to the story.

At issue is how things have proceeded in the wake of Peter Seidler’s death, which was just over a year ago. Peter was part of a group that purchased the Padres in 2012. Ron Fowler acted as the club’s control person until Peter took over after the 2020 season. MLB teams are often owned by multiple people but each team has one designated control person who is a point of contact for the league and votes on key matters.

During Peter’s ownership tenure, the club became known for being highly aggressive, despite being in a relatively smaller market. As shown in the data at Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Padres had been one of the lower-spending clubs for much of the century, until recently. They had one of the top ten payrolls in 2021, then got into the top five in 2022 and the top three a year after that.

That led to a huge increase in terms of fan engagement and also results, with the club having now made the postseason in three of the past five seasons. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. In September of 2023, it was reported that the club’s wild spending had put it “out of compliance with MLB regulations regarding their debt service ratio,” which was going to lead to a payroll crunch. Peter, who had a number of ongoing health problems, died less than two months later.

Shortly after Peter’s death, it was reported that a new control person had been decided upon. Eric Kutsenda, one of the co-founders of Seidler Equity Partners, was given the title on an interim basis. Just over a year later, the aforementioned reporting from last month indicated that Peter’s brother John would be taking over as control person. The report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune included a statement that mentioned two of Peter’s brothers: “Peter’s youngest brother Matt, as trustee of Peter’s trust, is pleased to announce that John Seidler, Peter’s oldest sibling, an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive, will be the Padres’ next control person, pending approval by Major League Baseball.” Acee added that the Seidler family owns “what is believed to be a 45% stake in the team.” That includes Peter’s brothers, widow, mother and others.

Today’s lawsuit suggests that segment of the ownership group is not aligned in their thinking. According to Sportico’s report, Sheel’s lawsuit alleges that two of Peter’s brothers, Matt and Bob, breached their fiduciary duties as trustees of the Seidler Trust. The suit claims they conspired to sell trust assets to themselves at “far-below-market prices,” as they “schemed to solidify their control of the Padres.”

The suit also suggests that the brothers had racial and sexist motivations for keeping the club out of Sheel’s hands, saying that Bob’s wife made multiple “racist, profane and hateful communications directed at Sheel—a woman of Indian descent—in communications.” Sheel claims that Peter wanted to eventually pass the club to his kids and wanted her to act as control person in the interim, with the brothers now trying to “falsely cast themselves as Peter’s true heirs.” Evan Drellich of The Athletic relays one section of the suit which suggests Matt wants to “sell, and perhaps relocate, the team, over Sheel’s strident objections.”

Sheel is seeking damages, that the defendants be denied compensation from the Seidler Trusts, to void any of their previous actions relating to advancing the Padres’ control person and also that Matt be removed as the trustee, with a receivership taking control of the trust.

“Earlier today,” Sheel’s statement reads, “I filed a complaint against Matthew Seidler and Robert Seidler to protect my family and to continue to carry out Peter’s legacy.” She goes on to talk about how much the club meant to the family and her desire to be named control person. “The complaint alleges claims against Matthew and Robert for breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud. I would urge anyone who is interested in the details to read the full complaint. This was not a decision I made lightly. During this difficult period, I have done everything in my power to avoid unwanted distractions and resolve the matter privately. I have focused on supporting the work of the many dedicated professionals within the Padres organization, as well as the incredible players we have the privilege of watching nearly every day throughout the season. I made this decision as a very last resort, but I am confident it is the right one, and the best way to protect the Padres franchise and ensure the vision that Peter and I shared for the team will continue.” She goes on to state her desire that the team will one day be left to hers and Peter’s children while hoping for a quick resolution to this dispute.

Legal disputes over a baseball club are not unprecedented. Most recently, Orioles owner Peter Angelos fell into ill health, which led to his family members filing multiple lawsuits against each other for control of the club. Those suits were eventually dropped and the club was sold to David Rubenstein.

Latest On Yankees’ Infield

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6:39pm: Jon Heyman of the New York Post pushes back against the Arraez fit, reporting that the Yankees don’t see him as a fit for the moment. Lux, meanwhile, is being traded to Cincinnati.

1:03pm: The Yankees have already had a busy offseason but aren’t done yet. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that they have had discussions with the Padres about Luis Arráez and the Dodgers about Gavin Lux, with either a possibility to take over the second base job in the Bronx. Jon Morosi of MLB Network says the Mariners, who are known to be looking for infield upgrades, have checked in on Lux as well.

For the Yanks, their infield took a couple of hits at the end of the 2024 season, with Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres both hitting free agency, leaving holes at first and second base. They have since taken care of first by signing Paul Goldschmidt, but another infield upgrade would make sense.

The versatility of Jazz Chisholm Jr. gives them some flexibility. He largely played third base after being acquired last year but has plenty of experience at the keystone, meaning the Yanks could add either a second or third basemen, with Chisholm taking over whichever position is not addressed. They’ve been connected to free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado as potential third base additions but appear to be exploring second base candidates as well.

Arráez is a logical trade candidate from San Diego’s perspective and something they have reportedly considered. RosterResource currently projects the Padres for a $210MM payroll this year, well beyond last year’s $169MM figure. While a payroll bump is reportedly possible, it’s been suggested they need to get their 2025 spending closer to 2024 levels. They are also projected to be just above the competitive balance tax and likely want to dip below that if they are going to be cutting payroll.

However, many of their players are difficult to move for contractual reasons. Many have no-trade clauses or hefty remaining guarantees or both. They also have a number of spots on the roster that could use upgrades.

Last winter, a similar set of circumstances led to the Friars parting ways with Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, sending them to the Yankees. The five players they received in return allowed them to shore up their depth in different areas while also offloading notable salary commitments.

Arráez, 28 in April could perhaps follow the same path this year. Like Soto last offseason, he is currently one year away from free agency and set to make a notable salary in his final season of club control. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Arráez to earn $14.6MM in 2025. That’s about half of what Soto was set to earn in 2024 but still a notable chunk of change for a team with budgetary constraints.

Though the projected salary is significantly lower, Arráez will still have far less appeal as a trade candidate than Soto did. Despite his elite bat-to-ball skills, Arráez is a limited player. He doesn’t take walks or add much power and is also not an asset defensively. Despite three straight batting titles, his .323/.372/.418 career batting line adds up to a wRC+ of 120, indicating his overall offensive contributions have been about 20% above average. Soto, on the other hand, has a .285/.421/.532 line and 158 wRC+ in his career.

The aforementioned defensive limitations are also something the Yankees will have to consider with Arráez. The Twins started using him more at first base in 2022 before trading him to the Marlins. With the Fish in 2023, Arráez got his largest sample of work at second and produced four Defensive Runs Saved but also -11 Outs Above Average. The Padres acquired him early in the 2024 season and only put him at the keystone for 58 innings the rest of the way.

The Yankees would have to weigh his defensive limitations against the attraction of putting his bat into the lineup, while also factoring in the money. RosterResource projects their competitive balance tax number at $303MM for this year, which is already above the fourth and final tier. As a third-time payor at that level, the Yanks face a 110% tax on any additional spending and would therefore have to pay about $30MM to employ Arráez this year. Of course, the Padres would also want something in return, though the cost savings might be their top priority at the moment.

As for Lux, it’s unclear if the 27-year-old is even available but it’s understandable why the Yanks would pick up the phone and check, as the Dodgers seem to be overloaded with middle infield options. They are planning to have Mookie Betts act as their everyday shortstop and committed themselves to that path by signing Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto to fill their corner outfield jobs, with guys like Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing also in the mix.

With Tommy Edman seemingly ticketed for the center field job, that leaves them with Betts at short and Lux at second, with Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor around as bench/utility guys. They added even further depth by signing Hyeseong Kim a few days ago. Reportedly, the club still plans to use Betts and Lux as their primarily middle infielders, but perhaps the Kim signing increases the chances of the Yankees prying Lux loose.

If they succeeded, they would be getting something of an unknown quantity. Lux has had an up-and-down career thus far, but with some encouraging up arrows. Through the end of the 2021 season, he had a tepid batting line of .233/.314/.368, which led to an 86 wRC+. He took a noticeable step forward in 2022, slashing .276/.346/.399 for a 113 wRC+, but then missed all of 2023 due to a torn ACL.

His 2024 season was a step back, in a sense, though he finished strong. He hit .251/.320/.383 for a wRC+ of 100 on the season overall but with a dismal .213/.267/.295 line in the first half and a robust .304/.390/.508 showing in the second, leading to respective wRC+ marks of 60 and 152 in those halves. His batting average on balls in play jumped over 100 points from the first half to the second, so it might not be entirely sustainable, but he also improved in terms of the quality of his batted balls. Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Both DRS and OAA gave Lux a negative grade at second base in 2024 but both have him in positive territory for his career overall.

Financially, Lux is more attractive than Arráez. Thanks to an inconsistent career and missing an entire season, Lux is projected to make just $2.7MM next year, with an extra year of club control beyond that as well. Given the Yankees’ CBT situation, that would be far more attractive, but it’s also valuable to the Dodgers for the same reason. Since the Dodgers don’t seem especially motivated to let go of Lux, the Yankees would have to send something of real value the other way.

For the Mariners, their infield needs are well known. They lost Justin Turner to free agency, turned down an option for Jorge Polanco and non-tendered Josh Rojas. Apart from shortstop J.P. Crawford, little is settled on the dirt in Seattle. They have some internal options, such as Luke Raley for first base. He would need a right-handed platoon partner, which could come in the form of bringing back Turner. At second, they reportedly have some willingness to ride with Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss until prospect Cole Young is ready to take over.

That has made it seem more likely that the club would add at third base, though bringing in a second baseman is still a consideration. The M’s were connected to Cubs’ second baseman Nico Hoerner earlier this winter, for instance, and are seemingly open to Lux as well. Lux does have some third base experience, but only six innings in the majors, so he would be a far more logical solution at the keystone.

His low projected salary is surely appealing to the Mariners, though for different reasons than the Yankees. Seattle reportedly has about $15MM to play with this offseason, a tight enough budget that Luis Castillo rumors have been swirling for quite a while. A Castillo trade would weaken the rotation but would open up some more spending capacity, perhaps to go after a player like Bregman or Arenado, though trading for Lux might be a more straightforward solution. That would allow the M’s to keep their strong rotation intact, though they would perhaps have to give the Dodgers some notable prospect capital in order to move Lux up the coast.

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