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Red Sox Interested In J.T. Realmuto

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The Red Sox are showing interest in free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, though they note that there’s still an expectation Realmuto will re-sign with the Phillies.

Realmuto has been one of the best catchers of recent history, if not the very best. He has been a mainstay in the big leagues for over a decade now. From 2015 to 2025, he appeared in at least 125 games in all but one full season. The only exception was 2024, when a knee injury limited him to 99 contests. For that 11-year span, he led the majors among primary catchers with 1,362 games played and 36.7 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.

The question now is what he can be in the future. He will turn 35 years old in March. In 2025, he slashed .257/.315/.384. That resulted in a 94 wRC+, indicating he was 6% below league average. That’s still passable for a catcher but it was the first time Realmuto finished below the century mark since 2015. His glovework also seems to have tailed off a bit, per outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus. He can still throw out attempted base stealers and is decent in terms of blocking but all outlets agree his framing has been subpar for the past three seasons.

Flaws aside, Realmuto is still the top free agent catcher this winter. MLBTR predicted him to land a two-year, $30MM deal, though a three-year isn’t totally out of the question. Other on the market include Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen. The Rangers recently added Jonah Heim to the pile when they non-tendered him last week.

Many in the baseball world expect Realmuto to end up back in Philadelphia. He has been with the Phillies since 2019 and has already re-signed with them as a free agent once. As mentioned in the report from The Athletic, his family owns a home in Clearwater, Florida, the spring training home of the Phillies. While Realmuto is a free agent, the Phils currently have Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs as their top catchers. They have to do something to improve their catching corps. However, the Phils have a bunch of other priorities this winter. They also want to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and remake their outfield.

For the Red Sox, there’s little harm in checking in to see if there’s a chance they can pry Realmuto away, as their catching group could be strengthened. Carlos Narváez had a nice rookie season in 2025 but he’s still fairly inexperienced and trailed off as the season went along. He hit .241/.306/.419 for a 97 wRC+ for the whole year but just .187/.233/.387 for a 64 wRC+ in the second half. Connor Wong seemed to take a step forward in 2024 but then hit just .190/.262/.238 in 2025.

Both of those catchers are still optionable, so it’s possible for the Sox to sign Realmuto and bump one down to Triple-A as depth. Realmuto’s right-handed bat would fit nicely on a lineup that leans left-handed right now, though Narváez and Wong are also righties. It’s also possible the Sox would be drawn to Realmuto as a veteran clubhouse leader for a team that skews young and inexperienced.

The Sox will have to balance that pursuit with other priorities. One big target for them this winter was to bolster the rotation and they acquired Sonny Gray from the Cardinals earlier today. They will probably look for more pitching and could try to re-sign Alex Bregman.

RosterResource projects the Sox for a $177MM payroll and $223MM competitive balance tax figure. Last year, those numbers finished at $207MM and $245MM. That could give them something like $20-3oMM to play with if they are willing to spend similarly in 2026, though it’s possible their playoff berth in 2025 prompts them to push things up higher.

Their ability to pursue a notable catching upgrade will depend on what they have to spend and how things proceed with their other targets. Even if they can’t pluck Realmuto from Philadelphia, perhaps they will turn to some of the other available backstops.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images

Paul Skenes Tops 2025 Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool

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Pirates ace Paul Skenes topped the 2025 pre-arbitration bonus pool, taking home just over $3.4MM, per the Associated Press. He was followed by Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies at $2.7MM and Hunter Brown of the Astros at $2.2MM.

The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement introduced the pre-arb bonus pool as a way for younger players to get paid earlier in their careers. Every team pays roughly $1.67MM into the pool, which adds up to a $50MM total. That money is then dispersed to pre-arb players, even if they have signed an early-career extension. In many cases, the pool is a greater source of income than a player’s salary. The league minimum was $760K in 2025 and many pre-arb players would have played the season getting paid something close to that.

The payouts are initially determined based on awards voting. Winning MVP or Cy Young nets a player $2.5MM. Finishing second place leads to $1.75MM, with $1.5MM for third place and $1MM for fourth or fifth place. Winning Rookie of the Year translates to $750K with runners-up getting $500K. Players get $1MM for being named first-team All-MLB and $500K for second-team.

Players cannot double up on those awards-based tallies. They will receive the highest of those numbers they earn. Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award, so that accounted for $2.5MM of his total payout. He was also named first-team All-MLB but did not get an extra $1MM for that.

The remainder of the pool is then paid out to the top 100 qualified players based on a Wins Above Replacement formula that has been agreed to by Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association.

Right-hander Dylan Cease, then with the White Sox, topped the pool in its inaugural year. Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez came out on top in 2023, followed by Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. in 2024. The Associated Press link above has details on the payouts for every player who qualified, so curious readers are encouraged to click that link for the full info. Here are the ten players who received at least $1MM:

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Warren Schaeffer To Return As Rockies’ Manager In 2026

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The Rockies have a new president of baseball operations (Paul DePodesta), but they’ll welcome back the same dugout leader for the 2026 season. The club announced that Warren Schaeffer, who served as interim manager after Bud Black’s firing back in May, will return as the skipper for the 2026 campaign. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports reported the news prior to the team announcement. Saunders adds that it’ll be a multi-year deal for Schaeffer, though it’s unclear exactly how many years he is signed for.

Though changes are coming to Colorado, the club is going for a bit of continuity by keeping Schaeffer around. The Rockies have been free falling lately. 2025 was their seventh straight losing season, fourth straight in last place in the National League West and third straight with at least 101 losses. In that time, they developed a reputation for being loyal and insular to a fault, as well as resistant to adapting to the modernization of the game.

It seems that the historically bad 2025 season, which led to 119 losses, has prompted a shake-up. As mentioned, Black was fired in May. The Rockies and general manager Bill Schmidt parted ways at the end of the season, with DePodesta later hired to take over the front office. Owner Dick Monfort appears to be ceding some of his duties to his son Walker, who is the club’s executive vice president.

Schaeffer is also a new manager, in a sense, but he has been with the Rockies for years. As a player, the Rockies drafted him back in 2007 and he played for them as a minor leaguer through 2012. When his playing career was done, he stuck with the Rockies as he pivoted to coaching. He managed High-A Ashville from 2015 to 2017, then Double-A Hartford in 2018 and 2019. He then got bumped to the manager’s chair at Triple-A Albuquerque. The 2020 season was canceled by the pandemic but Schaeffer held that job through the 2022 campaign.

He then got the bump to the major league coaching staff in 2023, becoming the third base and infield coach for Colorado. He held that job until Black was fired in May of 2025, when Schaeffer became the interim manager. The Rockies went 36-86 the rest of the way, a winning percentage of just .295, but no one really places that at Schaeffer’s feet. The manager doesn’t get to pick the players and the roster has obviously been flawed for a long time.

With the Rockies likely a few years away from contention, in-game decisions and results are probably not the focus right now. It would make sense to prioritize things like player relationships and development. Since the Rockies have a young roster and Schaeffer was climbing through the farm as a coach until a few years ago, he will have relationships with many of the players going back to their early minor league days. Per Saunders, many players complimented Schaeffer for his communication skills and attention to detail as interim manager last year.

Time will tell how aggressive DePodesta will be in making moves to send out current players and/or bring in external options. As he makes those decisions, Schaeffer will stick around as a throughline from the previous era to the new one. It’s the kind of insular move that has led to criticism being pointed at the Rockies in the past, though it’s understandable why they would want the stability of keeping Schaeffer around as they make other changes elsewhere.

For the near term, Schaeffer’s job will be focused on getting the most of young players who are still trying to reach their potential. Eventually, the target will turn towards winning. Time will tell whether Schaeffer will stick around beyond that inflection point, whenever it arrives.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

Athletics Sign Matt Krook To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have signed left-hander Matt Krook to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas for now but will presumably receive an invite to major league camp.

Krook, 31, also signed a minor league pact with the A’s around this time last year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the middle of May but designated for assignment just over a week later. He was claimed by the Guardians but they kept him on optional assignment for the rest of the year, so he never pitched for that club at the big league level. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster at season’s end. Since he had a previous outright in his career, he had the right to elect free agency and did so, which allowed the A’s to circle back to him on this deal.

The southpaw’s major league track record technically includes three separate big league seasons but is still quite limited and unimpressive. He appeared in four games for the 2023 Yankees, one contest with the Orioles last year and three with the A’s this year. In those eight games, he has allowed 15 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, giving him a 16.20 earned run average in his big league career.

Naturally, his minor league track record is greater in terms of both quantity and quality. Going back to 2023, his first year as a primary reliever, he has thrown 125 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.94 ERA. His 16.7% walk rate in that time is way too high but he also punched out 32% of batters faced. That includes 48 innings in 2025 with a 3.19 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 15.6% walk rate and 65.1% ground ball rate. His velocity doesn’t even really touch 90 miles per hour but he has good movement on his pitches, allowing him to miss bats and barrels.

The A’s currently have Hogan Harris and Brady Basso as lefty relievers on their 40-man roster. Jared Shuster was outrighted earlier this month and gives the A’s a non-roster option. Krook now joins Shuster in that category. If Krook eventually gets a roster spot, he is out of options but he’s also cheap and controllable since he has less than a year of big league service time.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Marlins, Kyle Stowers Recently Discussed Extension

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The Marlins and outfielder Kyle Stowers held some extension talks earlier this offseason, reports Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, but weren’t close and the talks fell apart. She characterizes the sides as roughly $50MM apart, with Stowers and his camp targeting about $100MM while the Fish were more in the $50MM range.

Stowers, 28 in January, had a breakout season in 2025. A notable prospect with the Orioles, he hadn’t yet established himself as a big leaguer when he was flipped to Miami in the 2024 deadline deal sending Trevor Rogers to Baltimore.

Going into 2025, Stowers had 340 plate appearances spread over three seasons with a 6.2% walk rate, 33.8% strikeout rate, .208/.268/.332 line and 69 wRC+. This past season, he took a big step forward. His 27.4% strikeout rate was still high but a massive improvement over his previous work. He also pushed his walk rate to 10.5% and hit 25 home runs, leading to a .288/.368/.544 line and 149 wRC+.

He won’t be able to sustain a .356 batting average on balls in play but he’d be a strong offensive player even with a bit of regression in the luck department. He didn’t get strong defensive grades but he was around average. He missed the final six weeks of the season due to an oblique strain but FanGraphs still credited him with four wins above replacement.

Locking up that kind of player while he’s still relatively young and affordable is a sensible desire for the Marlins. Stowers has just over two years of big league service time, meaning he can still be retained for four seasons and hasn’t qualified for arbitration yet.

There has also been some recent reporting suggesting that the Marlins may be looking to increase their competitive balance tax number in 2026. Per that reporting, it’s possible that both the MLB Players Association and fellow owners take umbrage with how the Marlins have been using their revenue sharing money. With the collective bargaining agreement a year away from expiring, the club might want to put forth a better face now.

This was the situation the A’s were in last winter. They ramped up spending in an effort to avoid an MLBPA grievance. That included signing free agents like Luis Severino and José Leclerc as well as signing extensions with Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler.

The Marlins have been connected to various free agents, including Michael King and Devin Williams, but extensions are particularly good if bumping up the CBT number is the goal since a player’s CBT hit comes from the average annual value of his deal. For instance, Butler only had a $2.25MM salary in 2025 but his CBT hit was about $9.36MM since he was guaranteed $65.5MM over seven years.

From the perspective of Stowers, an extension would limit his overall earning power but he’s not on an amazing track for a huge payday. Due to his somewhat late breakout, he’s not slated to hit the open market until the winter before the 2030 season, which would be his age-32 campaign. Teams put a high value on youth these days, which won’t help Stowers. In the past decade, Freddie Freeman is the only position player free agent to get a nine-figure deal beginning at age 32 or older, as shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker.

Though an extension might make sense for both sides, they still have to agree on the number, which is where things have apparently broken down. Per Ghiroli, Stowers’s camp was looking to get a deal somewhat like the Bryan Reynolds extension with the Pirates, which gave him $100MM in new money over seven years. The Marlins were apparently hoping for something more like the Red Sox’ extension with Ceddanne Rafaela, which paid him $50MM over an eight-year span. Since that deal came shortly after the 2024 season began, MLBTR characterizes it as $49.3MM in new money over seven years.

Reynolds and Rafaela are both outfielders but neither is a great comp for Stowers in terms of earning power. Rafaela had barely played in the majors and only had a handful of service days at the time of his deal. Reynolds, meanwhile, had already racked up over four years of service time. As mentioned, Stowers is just a bit over two years of service, putting him in between the two. Players generally get more earning power as they rack up service time and get closer to free agency.

For players under three years of service, there have been some massive nine-figure deals for guys like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr., though those guys were already superstars in their early 20s. Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman got $115MM and $100MM from the Astros, respectively, each beginning with his age-26 season. However, both of those guys had more major league success than Stowers does now and were a bit younger.

Kevin Kiermaier and the Rays agreed to an extension in March of 2017, when Kiermaier was still four years away from free agency. He had qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player and had already agreed to a $2.975MM salary for 2017. The deal was for six years and $53.5MM, which meant it added about $50.5MM in new money over five years, beginning with his age-28 campaign. Kiermaier had a decent floor thanks to his speed and defense but limited upside due to his tepid offense and injury-prone reputation. That deal is almost a decade old and a similar player should get more nowadays just based on inflation.

Put it all together and meeting somewhere in between $50MM and $100MM could make some sense for both parties. For now, it seems like that’s not on the table, but the two sides could resume talks later. The most common time for extensions to come together is in the spring, as teams generally focus on external additions throughout the earlier parts of the offseason.

Photo courtesy of Mady Mertens, Imagn Images

Nimmo, Stearns, Young Discuss Semien Trade

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The Mets and Rangers lined up on a surprising one-for-one swap over the weekend, with outfielder Brandon Nimmo heading to Texas and infielder Marcus Semien to Queens. Today, members of the media got to speak with many of the parties involved. Arguably, the most notable comment came from Nimmo himself, who waived his no-trade clause to become a Ranger. “I would not have waived that no-trade clause if I didn’t think I could come here and win,” Nimmo said, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News.

It has been fair to wonder about the direction of the Rangers recently, as they’ve clearly been trying to dial back their spending. They pushed their competitive balance tax a bit over the line in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, they hoped to duck under the line but may have gone over with in-season trades, such as acquiring Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks. Their 2025 status won’t be official until MLB releases the final calculations, likely in December, but it’s possible the Rangers will be tax payors for a third straight season.

Even if they did go over the line, it was surely by a narrow margin, so the tax bill won’t be huge. Regardless, it seems they are going to be extra motivated to pinch pennies in 2026. The club parted ways with manager Bruce Bochy at the end of the regular season. President of baseball operations Chris Young admitted that the club didn’t have a lot of financial certainty, which played a role in that separation. Esteemed pitching coach Mike Maddux also left, heading to the Angels, which prompted speculation that was financially motivated as well.

In terms of the roster construction, the Rangers were recently trying to trade outfielder Adolis García and catcher Jonah Heim, despite both players being part of the 2023 championship club. Each could have been retained via arbitration for 2026 but the Rangers clearly didn’t want to pay them at their projected prices. Ultimately, no trade came together. On Friday, the Rangers non-tendered both, along with relievers Jacob Webb and Josh Sborz.

Amid all of that, rumors have swirled that the Rangers could trade a more expensive franchise players such as Corey Seager or Semien as part of a larger step back. Now Semien has indeed been traded but the Rangers have taken on another sizable contract by getting Nimmo in return. The remaining contracts are somewhat analogous, with Nimmo making less annually, but signed for two extra years. The Rangers are therefore taking on more money overall but less per year.

It seems that Nimmo has been assured that the club is still planning to compete and isn’t doing a big teardown. That’s somewhat encouraging for fans in Texas but the club will probably still have some tight parameters to deal with. RosterResource estimates the club has a pure payroll of $169MM next year and a competitive balance tax figure of $187MM. Last year, those numbers were $224MM and $237MM.

Getting back up to those levels would give the Rangers roughly $50MM to work with but the signs are pointing to them setting a lower target. They have a number of things on the to-do list this winter. The rotation could use some shoring up. Almost the entire bullpen reached free agency, meaning there’s work to do there. Replacing Heim behind the plate and potentially Semien at second are other potential areas to target, though it’s possible the Rangers are happy with Willie MacIver as a backup to Kyle Higashioka behind the plate. It’s also possible they feel Josh Smith and/or Sebastian Walcott can take over at the keystone.

President of baseball operations Chris Young also spoke today and echoed Nimmo’s comments that the Rangers want to win. “I do think we are focused on winning moving forward,” Young said, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. “The last two years have been very difficult as we feel like we have not lived up to our expectations, and when you don’t meet expectations, you have to make tough calls, and that’s part of this.”

Young also said Nimmo will likely end up in right field, per McFarland, but there are still conversations to be had there. Nimmo has primarily been a left fielder in recent years, with Statcast ranking him as having 48th percentile arm strength. The Rangers could perhaps keep Nimmo in left while moving Wyatt Langford to right. Langford’s arm strength was slightly ahead of Nimmo in 2025, with Statcast giving him 59th percentile arm strength. However, Langford has no professional experience in right, while Nimmo has over 600 big league innings at that spot.

Turning to the other side of the trade, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also spoke to the media today, complimenting his new second baseman. “It’s notable that this is a player that can contribute to winning baseball in a variety of different ways,” Stearns said, per Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports, “and the bat may not actually lead the way at this point in his career. We think there’s likely some bounce back in his offensive profile and his offensive game. But what we’re counting on at the top of his skillset is the contributions he can make for us defensively, how he can perform on the bases, and we think those are going to help us win games.” Stearns has highlighted a desire to improve the Mets’ run prevention, so it’s understandable he would focus on Semien’s defense.

Naturally, Stearns was asked about what’s next for the Mets. While the story in Texas might be scaled-back spending, that doesn’t appear to be a concern with the Mets. “Sure,” Stearns said, when asked if it’s possible for the Mets to re-sign Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz and a notable free agent outfielder. “I think anything would be realistic right now.”

Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets have been one of the top-spending clubs in the majors. Per RosterResource, they had a $340MM payroll and $337MM CBT number in 2025. For 2026, those numbers are at $263MM and $264MM. That gives the Mets something like $70MM in wiggle room if they are willing to get to the same level and it’s entirely possible they could be willing to go even higher.

MLBTR predicted Díaz to secure an $82MM deal over four years. He is reportedly setting his sights higher than that, targeting a deal in the same range as his last one, which was a $102MM guarantee over five years. Either way, a deal worth roughly $20MM annually is probably likely. MLBTR predicted Alonso for $110MM over four years, which would be $27.5MM in terms of average annual value.

Put together, those two would likely eat up something near $50MM of next year’s payroll. If the Mets do have $70MM of space right now, that would leave them another $20MM to spend on an outfielder, though they also presumably want to make additions to the rotation as well. The Mets have already been connected to Cody Bellinger and the Nimmo deal opens a corner, raising immediate speculation about a run at Kyle Tucker. MLBTR predicted Bellinger for $140MM over five years and Tucker for $400MM over 11 years, respective AAVs of $28MM and $36.36MM.

There are other moving pieces at play. With Semien now at second base, it’s possible Jeff McNeil’s chances of getting traded have increased. He can play other positions, such as left or center field, but it’s possible the Mets would rather ship him out the way they did with Nimmo. Even before the Nimmo deal, McNeil’s name was in trade rumors. McNeil is owed $15.75MM next year, plus a $2MM buyout on a $15.75MM club option for 2027. There’s also a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded. Then there’s also Kodai Senga, who is owed $14MM annually over the next two years and has been in trade rumors as well.

If the Mets can find a taker for McNeil and/or Senga, they could free up some more money for their other pursuits, or perhaps address another area of need by taking back another veteran player, like they did by grabbing Semien. Stearns also mentioned today that McNeil could also play some first base, expanding his versatility, per Mike Puma of The New York Post. McNeil has played every position on the diamond outside the battery but has just three innings of first base experience. If Alonso isn’t coming back, McNeil could be part of the solution there, alongside guys like Mark Vientos. Though it’s also possible the Mets aren’t done shaking up their roster by trading out long-time mainstays.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images

Phillies Claim Pedro León

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The Phillies announced they have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Orioles. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the claim prior to the official announcement. The O’s had designated him for assignment a few days ago. Philadelphia’s roster count climbs from 33 to 34.

León, 28 in May, was once a notable prospect but his stock has fallen in recent years. After he defected from Cuba, the Astros signed him via a $4MM signing bonus in January of 2021. He featured prominently on prospect lists for a few years but has hit a few roadblocks.

From 2021 to 2023, his results in the minors were passable but unexciting. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances and produced a combined line of .233/.350/.419. That resulted in a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above league average but barely.

In 2024, he still struck out 27% of the time put up a huge .299/.372/.514 line in Triple-A. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, was good enough for a 130 wRC+, or 30% better than league average. He got to make his major league debut that year but hit just .100/.143/.100 in a tiny sample of 21 plate appearances. 2025 was mostly a lost year, as he sprained the MCL in his left knee and was limited to just 22 Triple-A contests, with a .241/.312/.422 and wRC+ of 89 in 94 plate appearances.

The Astros had a roster crunch at season’s end, which bumped León to the waiver wire. The O’s grabbed him but bumped him off less than two weeks later due to their own roster crunch. For the Phils, it’s a pretty sensible addition. They have tons of roster space to work with at the moment. León still has options, meaning he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a spot on the big league roster. They are planning to remake their outfield this winter. Time will tell how that plays out, but it seems likely they will move on from Nick Castellanos while pursuing external additions. Even if there’s no spot for León when the dust settles, they can send him to Triple-A to see if he engineers a post-hype breakout.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Jack Suwinski, Yohan Ramirez

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7:10pm: They’ve also reached an arb-avoiding deal with middle reliever Yohan Ramírez, reports Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. He’ll make $825K next season. Ramirez pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for the Bucs this year.

6:05pm: The Pirates and outfielder Jack Suwinski have avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Suwinski will make $1.25MM next year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected him for a $1.7MM salary.

Tomorrow is the non-tender deadline. Teams have until 4pm Central to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players. They don’t need to agree to a salary by tomorrow but it’s the last chance for clubs to walk away from a player and pay him nothing.

It’s common for a few deals to be finalized in the lead-up to the deadline. In many cases, but not always, these “pre-tender” deals see the player agree to a salary below projections. The oversimplified version of how this happens is that teams put a “take it or leave it” offer on the table. If the player decides to “leave it”, the team will simply non-tender him. Since Suwinski has been struggling lately and will make about half a million less than projected, it’s possible that happened here.

Back in 2023, Suwinski seemed to be breaking out in the big leagues, as he hit 26 home runs that year with strong batted-ball data to back it up. His 32.2% strikeout rate was way too high but he offset that with the power and also drew walks at a 14% clip. He also lined up at all three outfield positions. His work in center was panned but he was decent in the corners.

Things have been trending down since then. He has stepped to the plate 455 times over the past two years with a dismal .169/.271/.297 line. His .220 batting average on balls in play hasn’t helped but his batted-ball data has declined. His strikeout rate has stayed high at 29.9% while his walk rate dropped to 11.2%.

Due to that rough performance, he has been optioned to the minors with some regularity. In the process, he has exhausted his option seasons and will be out of options going forward. The Bucs could have walked away this week but have apparently not totally given up on a bounceback. For what it’s worth, Suwinski has continued producing in Triple-A, with a .283/.389/.565 line and 149 wRC+ at that level in 2025.

Suwinski’s salary will be barely above the league minimum, which will be $780K next year, so it’s not a massive risk for the Bucs. If Suwinski continues to struggle, he can be cut from the roster without it being too much of a sunk cost. He would also likely clear waivers in that scenario and would stick around as non-roster depth. He is two days away from having three years of service time, which would give him the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in exercising that right.

The Bucs go into 2026 with Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds projected in two outfield spots. The Bucs could add someone to take a third spot but it’s fairly open for now, with Suwinski in the mix alongside Will Robertson, Billy Cook and others.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Astros Sign Anthony Maldonado To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have signed right-hander Anthony Maldonado to a minor league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The righty will presumably receive an invite to major league camp in spring training.

Maldonado, 28 in February, has a limited big league track record. He tossed 19 innings for the 2024 Marlins and then six innings for the Athletics this year. In the 25 combined innings, he has allowed 20 earned runs, leading to a 7.20 ERA. The A’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster at season’s end and he elected free agency.

Given the quality and quantity of that sample, the Astros are presumably more interested in his minor league numbers. Over multiple seasons, he has tossed 160 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.59 ERA. He has walked a worrisome 10.8% of batters faced at that level but has also punched out opponents at a strong 31.7% clip.

The Astros had a strong bullpen in 2025 but it leans to the left side, with Josh Hader, Bryan King, Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa all projected to be in there next year. Maldonado is a no-risk flier on a cheap righty arm. If he cracks the roster, he still has an option remaining and less than a year of service time.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Mets Planning To Non-Tender Danny Young

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The Mets are planning to non-tender left-hander Danny Young, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Tomorrow at 4pm Central is the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible or pre-arb players. Once Young is officially non-tendered, he’ll become a free agent and the Mets will open a 40-man roster spot.

Young, 32 in May, underwent Tommy John surgery in May. He will therefore begin the 2026 season on the injured list. Sammon notes that the lefty has started throwing and could return in the first half of next year. Young has under two years of service time and has not yet qualified for arbitration, so the Mets won’t be saving any money by making this move. However, they have a full 40-man roster. There’s no injured list in the offseason, so Young would have to stay on the 40-man all through the winter if they wanted to keep him into next year.

There’s only one day in the year where a club can cut a player and send him directly to free agency without exposing him to waivers. That day is the non-tender deadline, which happens to be tomorrow, November 21st. Perhaps that will give the Mets a chance to quickly re-sign Young to a minor league deal and keep him in a non-roster capacity, though he will have the chance to speak with the 29 other clubs.

He has appeared in four major league seasons so far. He got cups of coffee in 2022 and 2023 before finally getting a nice opportunity with the Mets in 2024. He tossed 37 2/3 innings that year with a 4.54 earned run average. His 10.9% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced and induced grounders on 53.3% of the balls in play he allowed. His 64.3% strand rate seemed to push more runs across the board, which is why he had a 3.64 FIP and 3.22 SIERA.

Unfortunately, his aforementioned surgery prevented him from carrying things over into 2025 and pushed him to the fringes of the roster. Once he hits the open market, he’ll assess his opportunities, whether that’s with the Mets or elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

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