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Mariners To Re-Sign Casey Lawrence To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners and right-hander Casey Lawrence have reunited on a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. Presumably, the veteran righty will also receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Lawrence, 38, has been in the game for well over a decade now but has never been much more than a depth arm. He has appeared in five different big league seasons but has appeared in just 65 games with a 6.42 earned run average.

He and the Mariners have a relationship that seems to work for both parties. He bounced on and off the Seattle roster throughout the 2025 season, getting added whenever the club needed a fresh arm to absorb some innings and spare the rest of the staff. Since he is out of options, he would then be designated for assignment. One time, he was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays and was with that club briefly. But for the most part, he would clear waivers, elect free agency and then sign a new minor league deal with the M’s.

By the end of the year, he had been designated for assignment six times, once by the Jays and five times by the Mariners. Around all those transactions, he tossed 17 2/3 innings over six appearances with a 4.08 ERA.

It would be understandable to feel that Lawrence was getting jerked around but it seems he understood the situation, given his career trajectory. “I think I’m used to kind of the movement of it,” Lawrence said to Tim Booth of The Seattle Times in April. “And I think it’s one of those things where you understand your role in the team and you’re willing to do whatever is going to help the team. Right now, it’s kind of doing this.”

Lawrence never got enough big league time to qualify for arbitration, so his career earnings are surely less than many of his peers. By accepting this role late in his career, he can at least bank some sporadic hits of major league salary before he hangs up his spikes. He told Booth that he plans to get into a player development or front office role but he wants to keep playing while he still can.

The Mariners have a strong rotation consisting of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller. They have Logan Evans and others as depth options. Prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje could be in Triple-A at some point in 2026. Lawrence will likely be used for emergency mop up work for situations where the staff is gassed due to injuries or playing a series of extra innings games in short succession.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Red Sox Interested In Pete Alonso, Kazuma Okamoto

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The Red Sox are looking to bolster the lineup. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the Sox are considering signing one or maybe two of Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Kazuma Okamoto, J.T. Realmuto and Alex Bregman. MLBTR covered the club’s interest in Schwarber and Realmuto earlier this month. Bregman was with the Sox in 2025 and team employees often complimented him for his skills and leadership abilities, so it’s unsurprising that they would want him back.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow admitted earlier this month that the Sox would be looking for front-of-the-rotation starter and a middle-of-the-order bat this winter. While some Boston fans weren’t thrilled with the move, the Sox feel they ticked off the first box by acquiring Sonny Gray from the Cardinals this week. After the Gray trade, it was reported that the Sox would be shifting their focus to the lineup.

There are certain spots on the field where it’s easier for the Sox to add. They appear to be set in the outfield, so much so that a trade to clear out some space feels inevitable. Masataka Yoshida is perhaps slated to be something like an everyday designated hitter at the moment, though it’s possible a trade of him or another outfielder will open that spot a bit more. On the infield, Trevor Story is going to be back at shortstop.

The infield corners are more open. With Bregman opting out of his deal, third base is free. The Sox could fill that spot internally with Marcelo Mayer but he could also take over at second base. Triston Casas is a possibility at first but the Sox likely don’t want to rely on him after a 2025 wherein he struggled before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Alonso is one of the better power bats in the league. He has been good for about 40 homers per full season, give or take a few, throughout his career. He just hit 38 bombs this year. His 8.6% walk rate was a career low but his .272 batting average a career high. Put it all together and he slashed .272/.347/.524 for a 141 wRC+, the eighth-best wRC+ tally among qualified hitters in the majors this year.

Despite his skills with the bat, his market is unclear. He’s not a great defender and he’s not a burner on the basepaths. He was a free agent a year ago, coming off a lesser platform season, and didn’t find the long-term deal he was looking for. He returned to the Mets on a two-year, $54MM deal with an opt-out halfway through.

After putting together a better season at the plate, he opted out to take another crack at finding that elusive long-term deal. He is reportedly hoping to get a seven-year commitment this winter. That’s an ambitious ask for a guy who is about to turn 31 and isn’t known for his athleticism, though he is apparently willing to spend more time as a DH going forward. MLBTR predicted him for a four-year, $110MM deal.

Alonso would undoubtedly add some thump to the Boston lineup. The fact that he hits right-handed should also be attractive, since the current group skews to the left side. The question will be if they can line up on a price. There’s still belief in some circles that the Mets and Alonso could reunite again, though he presumably has interest from plenty of other clubs as well, in addition to the Red Sox.

RosterResource estimates the Sox currently have a competitive balance tax number of $223MM, a little more than $20MM below next year’s $244MM base threshold. They have been willing to occasionally pax the tax in recent years. It appears they went a bit over the line in 2025. Perhaps reaching the postseason and developing a young core will convince ownership to push spending a bit higher in 2026.

Okamoto would be more of a wild card since he doesn’t yet have major league experience, but he’s also plenty interesting. From 2018 to 2024, he hit at least 27 home runs in each season for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. In 2025, he was limited by injuries to just 69 games but had his best performance on a rate basis. He hit 15 homers in that time and slashed .327/.416/.598 for a 210 wRC+.

Defensively, he has primarily been a third baseman in Japan but has also spent a decent amount of time at first with brief stints in left field. Some scouts believe he can handle third base in the big leagues for a while but others feel he would be better off at first. He’s currently 29 years old and will turn 30 at the end of June. Like Alonso, he swings from the right side and would be a good fit for the lefty-heavy lineup.

There’s always a risk that a wild card player like this won’t be able to adjust to the major leagues as hoped. This is something that Boston fans know well, having watched Yoshida struggle lately. But Okamoto has plenty of appeal. MLBTR predicted he could land a four-year, $64MM deal, which doesn’t include the posting fee which would be owed to the Giants. He has already been connected to the Pirates but should have lots of other suitors as well.

If the Sox end up adding a player who projects to spend a lot of time at first, it would presumably increase the chances of Casas ending up on the trade block. He has already been in plenty of trade rumors over the years. As mentioned, the DH spot is already a bit crowded, so it would be hard for Casas and someone like Alonso to co-exist on the same roster.

Casas still has options and could technically be sent to the minors but he’s overqualified to be a depth piece. From 2022 to 2024, he hit 42 home runs in 840 plate appearances. His 26.9% strikeout rate was a bit high but he drew walks at an excellent 14.2% pace. Overall, he hit .250/.357/.473 for a 127 wRC+. His 2025 saw him put up a dismal .182/.277/.303 line but that was in a tiny sample of 112 plate appearances and with a .217 batting average on balls in play. His walk rate had dropped to 9.8% but he also improved his strikeout rate to 24.1%.

It would be understandable if the Sox don’t want to bank on Casas after those struggles and the surgery to address the ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee. But if they replace him with a more reliable option like Alonso, then it would make sense to flip Casas for pitching or some other upgrade. He is still controllable for three seasons and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a modest $1.7MM salary next year. MLBTR listed Casas 24th on our list of the Top 40 Trade Candidates at the start of the season.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Angels, Anthony Rendon Discussing Contract Buyout With Rendon Expected To Retire

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The Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are discussing a buyout plan with Rendon expected to retire, reports Alden González of ESPN. Rendon’s seven-year, $245MM deal still has one year and $38MM remaining.

Rendon’s deal has been a punchline for a long time now and will certainly go down as one of the biggest busts of this era, perhaps even of all time. The Angels have gotten almost no return on their massive investment. Rendon was still a very good player in the first year of the pact, but that happened to be the 202o season, which was shortened to just 60 games on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Rendon has been largely injured. Even when he has been able to take the field, he hasn’t been terribly useful.

When the deal was signed, Rendon was coming off an excellent stretch with the Nationals. From 2013 to 2019, he slashed .290/.369/.490 for a wRC+ of 128. He dabbled at second base but mostly provided strong defense at third. He had a well-timed career year in 2019, though that year would later become infamous for its juiced balls. His 34 home runs were a career high. He slashed .319/.412/.598 for a wRC+ of 155. He hit .328/.413/.590 in the postseason, helping the Nats win their first ever World Series title.

It was then that the Rendon headed to California. As mentioned, he was still quite good in his first season as an Angel. He played in 52 of the club’s 60 games, hitting nine home runs. His 16.4% walk rate was a few ticks higher than his 13.4% strikeout rate. He hit .286/.418/.497 for a 152 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 2.5 wins above replacement in that truncated campaign.

But in the five seasons since, mounting injuries have prevented from doing much of anything. From 2021 to 2024, he finished each season with between 43 and 58 appearances. He had stints on the injured list due to a left groin strain, a left knee contusion, a left hamstring strain, a right hip impingement, right wrist inflammation, right wrist surgery, another left groin strain, a left wrist contusion, a left shin contusion, a left hip impingement, a left hamstring strain, low back inflammation and a left oblique strain. He hit .231/.329/.336 for an 89 wRC+ over those seasons. In February of 2025, he underwent left hip surgery and eventually missed the entire season.

A lengthy injury history may be out of a player’s control but Rendon has been followed by questions about his attitude and commitment. Back in 2014, he said he doesn’t watch baseball because it’s “too long and boring,” per Jason Butt of The Washington Post. In 2022, he got a five-game suspension for getting involved in a brawl with the Mariners, even though he was on the IL recovering from wrist surgery at the time. Early in the 2023 season, he received another suspension for an altercation with an Athletics fan, which was caught on video. Rendon grabbed the fan’s shirt, cursed at him and swiped at him. In January of 2024, on the Jack Vita Show, he said the baseball season was too long and needed to be shortened.

Shortly thereafter, as rounded up by Sam Blum of The Athletic, Rendon was asked about these concerns. “It’s never been a top priority for me,” Rendon said of baseball. “This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job.” He seemed to take umbrage with reporters for continuing to question him on the subject. “I have answered your question,” he said. “So why do keep picking at it?”

The combination of Rendon’s contract, his injury absences and his reputation have made him a frequent target for criticism from fans. The money owed to him has also been an obvious obstacle for the Angels, who have had a decent chunk of their payroll tied up in one rarely-available player. Despite having Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Rendon on the roster for many years, the Angels haven’t been a serious contender in a long time.

If some kind of buyout arrangement can be worked out, it could work for both sides. Rendon could walk away from the game after years of injuries, including a 2025 lost to hip surgery, as opposed to trying to get back into game shape. The Angels could open up some more payroll flexibility for the 2026 season.

As it currently stands, RosterResource has them slated for a $166MM payroll, with Rendon taking up almost a quarter of that. They are looking to bolster the pitching staff and their lineup ahead of next season. Speculatively speaking, a plan could perhaps be worked out which defers Rendon’s 2026 salary so he gets paid in the long run but the Angels have more near-term ability to spend on other players. Time will tell how the chips fall on that.

Assuming Rendon doesn’t play another major league game, he will retire with 5,022 plate appearances over 1,173 games. He notched 1,218 hits, including 295 doubles, 16 triples and 158 home runs. He scored 683 runs, drove in 671 and stole 55 bases. FanGraphs credits him with 33.8 wins above replacement and Baseball Reference 34.2. MLBTR salutes him on his accomplishments and wishes him the best in his non-baseball life.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Tommy Gilligan, Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Marlins, Eury Pérez Had Extension Discussions In The Spring

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The Marlins and right-hander Eury Pérez discussed an extension earlier this year, according to reporting from Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic. However, they didn’t come close to getting something done. These talks occurred when the team approached the righty’s representatives in the spring and the two sides were about $15MM apart, according to Isaac Azout of Fish on First. Both Azout and Christina De Nicola of MLB.com say that the talks are expected to continue this offseason.

It’s the second time this week that reports have emerged of the Marlins trying to extend one of their young players. Earlier this week, it was reported that they recently had some talks with outfielder Kyle Stowers. The Fish were even farther from a deal with Stowers, with a reported $50MM gap in those talks.

The situations have a few things in common but are also wildly different. Both players have between two and three years of service time, meaning each is a year from qualifying for arbitration and four years from free agency. However, they are far apart in age. Stowers is going into his age-28 season and therefore won’t be a free agent until he’s going into his age-32 campaign. Pérez is only 22 years old right now, turning 23 in April. He is therefore slated for the open market after his age-26 campaign.

That’s a reflection of his quick rise to the majors. Pérez shot through the minors and was in the big leagues by his age-20 season. Despite his youth, he was immediately successful. He tossed 91 1/3 innings that year with a 3.15 earned run average. His 8.3% walk rate was around average while he punched out a strong 28.9% of batters faced.

He missed the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Since the Marlins approached him about an extension in the spring, he was still recovering at that time and had fewer than 100 innings under his belt. He was able to get back on the mound in June and finished the year with 95 1/3 innings, a 4.25 ERA, 27.3% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.

Pérez is still fairly inexperienced, with under 200 big league innings to his name so far. However, he was confident enough to turn down extension overtures a year ago while still on the mend. Now he’s a year closer to free agency and has returned to health.

It’s quite rare for a player to be on track to hit free agency so young. When it does happen, teams have shown a strong willingness to pay for that youth. Back in the 2018-19 offseason, both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado reached free agency ahead of their age-26 seasons, with each hitting the $300MM plateau on their free agent deals. More recently, Juan Soto hit free agency at the same age and blew those two out of the water. His $765MM deal was more than Harper and Machado combined. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was also able to get a $325MM guarantee ahead of his age-25 season, despite having no MLB experience. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed a $500MM extension with the Blue Jays just a few months before he was about to become a free ahead ahead of his age-27 campaign. Rafael Devers got to $313.5MM under similar circumstances to Guerrero, two years earlier.

For players in their early 20s, teams have made massive commitments to position players. Players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodríguez and Bobby Witt Jr. all got at least $210MM guarantees in their pre-arbitration years. The same can’t be said for pitchers. Spencer Strider currently holds the record for a pre-arb pitcher with his six-year, $75MM deal. Like all players, getting closer to free agency will increase his earning power. Arms such as Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg, Garrett Crochet, José Berríos, Jacob deGrom, Luis Castillo and Homer Bailey have signed nine-figure deals in their arb years. Dozens of guys have been able to crack nine figures after reaching the open market.

If Pérez bets on himself, he could keep increasing his earning power, but that would also run the risk of him getting hurt or simply struggling to put up good numbers. Since he’s so young, perhaps there’s a nice middle ground where he can bank some early earnings while still having a good path to free agency. For example, he could sign away two years of club control and still become a free agent ahead of his age-29 season.

For the Marlins, they had an encouraging finish in 2025. They were 23-33 at the end of May but went 56-50 the rest of the way and narrowly missed the playoffs. They have almost no money on the books. Sandy Alcantara is signed through 2026 with a club option for 2027. That’s literally it for now, though they have tendered contracts to seven arb-eligible players. Even though the Marlins don’t have huge payrolls, they have lots of room for long-term deals if they want to lock up a few core players.

That will also help them with their reported desire to increase their competitive balance tax number in 2026. The idea would be to pre-emptively stave off drama when the collective bargaining agreement expires next offseason. If the Marlins spend a bit more next year, it could reduce the chances that the MLB Players Association or other owners take umbrage with how the Fish are using their revenue sharing money.

The Athletics were in a similar position last winter and ended up getting more aggressive than in previous years. They gave notable free agent deals to Luis Severino and José Leclerc and signed extensions with Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler. Extensions are quite good for bumping up the CBT since that number calculates contracts based on the average annual value of the whole deal. For instance, Alcantara’s $56MM extension over five years gave him an $11.2MM CBT hit for every season of that deal, even though he was paid far less than that in the first three years. He made $3.5MM in 2022, followed by $6MM and $9MM in the two subsequent seasons.

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Some “Classic Baseball Trades,” Nimmo For Semien, And Ward For Rodriguez

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top 50 Free Agents – listen here
  • Surprising Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, And Paul DePodesta – listen here
  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

KBO’s Doosan Bears Sign Daz Cameron

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Free agent outfielder Daz Cameron has agreed to a deal with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization in South Korea, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Bears, in announcing the deal, revealed that Cameron will earn $1MM in 2026.

Cameron, 29 in January, was once a notable prospect. The Astros took him 37th overall in 2015. Due to his speed and defensive abilities, he was considered to have a decent floor. The larger question was how much he would provide with the bat to complement his other skills.

Ultimately, a lack of punch on offense has become the story, at least in the majors. Cameron has 472 big league plate appearances spread over five seasons with a 6.6% walk rate and 29.9% strikeout rate. That’s led to a .200/.258/.326 line and 65 wRC+.

Cameron has fared a bit better in the minors, particularly lately. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he stepped to the plate 464 times at the Triple-A level. His 22.2% strikeout rate was far more palatable and his 13.1% walk rate was actually quite strong. He hit a combined .291/.394/.577 for a 146 wRC+.

Despite the strong numbers on the farm, he’s mostly been relegated to a fringe roster position in the majors. He exhausted his final option season in 2022. Since then, he’s bounced on and off 40-man rosters with various clubs. He has occasionally received a bench role but then has been designated for assignment and passed through waivers multiple times. He got a brief run on the Brewers’ roster in 2025 but was outrighted in July. He became a minor league free agent at season’s end.

If Cameron had stayed in North America for the 2026 season, he surely would have been stuck with minor league offers. By heading to Korea, he will presumably lock in a better guaranteed salary and get a nice opportunity to showcase his abilities on a bigger stage. If he succeeds over there, he could perhaps try to return to North America, though staying in the KBO with a nice raise or pursuing opportunities in other Asian leagues would be options as well.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Hanisch, Imagn Images

Latest On Pirates’ Offseason Pursuits

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The Pirates are looking to upgrade their offense for next year and are seemingly casting a wide net. They reportedly made a run at Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Mariners and have been connected to free agent Kyle Schwarber. Per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, they are also considering free agents such as Jorge Polanco, Kazuma Okamoto and Ryan O’Hearn. They have also checked in with the Cardinals about trade candidates Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman.

It’s been a long time since the Pirates have been big players in the offseason but recent reporting has suggested they could be more active this winter, at least relatively speaking. No one is expecting them to suddenly be a player for someone like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette but there is some smoke suggesting they could push things further than in the past. They’ve still never given a free agent a guarantee larger than the three years and $39MM they gave to Francisco Liriano over a decade ago. Their most recent multi-year deal for a free agent was two years for Ivan Nova in 2016.

It’s a low bar to clear but it’s possible the Bucs set new benchmarks in those categories. Per The Athletic, it’s possible that is related to the upcoming expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. The CBA is up just over a year from now and teams may want to look like they are spending their revenue sharing money, in order to keep receiving it in the next CBA. However, the report suggests this is likely more of an issue for the Marlins than the Bucs since Pittsburgh got their competitive balance tax number over $105MM in 2025. That was the target for the A’s in 2025 as they looked to increase their CBT number in order to avoid a grievance from the MLBPA.

Even if the CBA stuff isn’t relevant, there are plenty of straightforward baseball reasons for the Pirates to get more aggressive. They haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2018. They have a strong collection of controllable and affordable starting pitchers. The group is headlined by Paul Skenes, who is controlled for four more seasons, but he’s just a year away from arbitration and the associated salary increases. Konnor Griffin is considered by some to be the top prospect in the sport right now. He reached Double-A this year and could make his big league debut in 2026, even though he doesn’t turn 20 years old until April.

Put it all together and there’s a good case that now is the time to strike. Upgrading the offense is an obvious goal. The team had a collective .231/.305/.350 batting line in 2025. That resulted in an 82 wRC+, putting them ahead of just the Rockies among MLB clubs. Spencer Horwitz was the only guy on the team to post a wRC+ higher than 101. They have a lot of work to do but a lot of ways they can add.

Polanco has spent many years as a strong bat who can play the infield. He had an injury-marred 2024 but bounced back with the Mariners in 2025. He hit 26 home runs and slashed .265/.326/.495 for a 132 wRC. Early in the year, the Mariners frequently kept him in the designated hitter slot, as it seemed he wasn’t 100% recovered from his knee surgery. However, later in the year, he was playing second base fairly regularly.

MLBTR predicted Polanco could secure a three-year, $42MM deal this offseason. That would surpass the aforementioned Liriano deal, but only barely. The Bucs have Horwitz at first base but their infield is fairly open apart from that. As mentioned, Griffin coming up in 2026 to take over shortstop is a possibility but probably not something to be banked on today. Otherwise, Pittsburgh has a cluster of multi-positional infield guys like Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, Nick Yorke, Tsung-Che Cheng and Enmanuel Valdéz.

Polanco would be an obvious upgrade over the guys in that cluster, who could each end up in utility roles or optioned to the minors. However, he’s sure to have interest elsewhere. For instance, the Mariners are known to want to bring him back.

O’Hearn wouldn’t be as smooth of a fit. He’s best suited to be a first baseman, where the Bucs have Horwitz. The designated hitter spot is open right now, though it’s possible the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen circle back to each other later. O’Hearn can play a bit of outfield and the Bucs do have room there next to Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, so perhaps there’s a way to make it work.

He is coming off a three-year run wherein he slashed .277/.343/.445 for a 121 wRC+. That’s a strong stretch but he’s a tad on the older side for a position player free agent since he’s 32. MLBTR predicted he could secure a two-year, $26MM deal. If that proves to be correct, the Bucs wouldn’t even have to stretch into uncharted waters to get it done.

Okamoto is a bit more of a wild card since he’s coming over from Japan and isn’t proven as a major leaguer but reports suggest he should be a viable big league bat. He hit at least 27 home runs in seven straight seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018 to 2024. In 2025, he was limited by injury to just 69 games but still hit 15 homers and slashed .327/.416/.598 for a 210 wRC+. There are mixed opinions about whether he can stick at third base or if he’s destined to move to first.

MLBTR predicted him to land a four-year, $64MM deal. The signing club will also owe a posting fee to the Yomiuri Giants, relative to the size of the guarantee. If he does secure a $64MM deal, the posting fee would be $11.5MM. Put those two figures together and the Bucs might have to double their commitment to Liriano to get something done here.

As for the guys in St. Louis, the Cardinals are known to be entering a rebuilding phase. They kicked things off by dealing Sonny Gray to the Red Sox today, the first of several seller moves expected from that club this offseason. Donovan and Nootbaar are each controlled for another two years. Assuming the Cards don’t expect to return to contention in that window, it makes sense to listen on both. Gorman is controlled for three more seasons but is also less established as a viable big leaguer, so the Cards probably aren’t clinging to him too tightly.

Since he is a strong hitter and can play multiple positions, Donovan makes sense as a target for almost every team. He’s already been publicly connected to the Astros, Royals and Guardians but that’s presumably not an exhaustive list of his suitors. He has hit .282/.361/.411 for a 119 wRC+ in his career while playing all four infield spots and the outfield corners. He underwent sports hernia surgery at the end of the 2025 season but is expected to be fine by spring training.

Nootbaar doesn’t have Donovan’s versatility, as he’s just an outfielder. His bat is enticing but he’s coming off a down year and his health status is more questionable. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .246/.351/.426 for a wRC+ of 118. In 2025, he dropped to a .234/.325/.361 line and 96 wRC+. He recently underwent surgery to shave down Haglund’s deformities on both heels and may not be fully recuperated by the start of 2026.

Gorman has real power and can take his walks but also has problems with strikeouts. He has 74 home runs in his 1,581 plate appearances but has also been punched out at an untenable 34% clip. Since the start of 2024, he has a .204/.284/.385 line and 87 wRC+. He has mostly played second base but has had a lot of time at third as well, in addition to brief showings at first and in left field.

Donovan is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make just $5.4MM next year, with Nootbaar projected for $5.7MM and Gorman $2.9MM. That makes them all more affordable than the free agent options but the Bucs would also have to send prospects the other way.

It can sometimes be difficult to pull off trades among teams who share a division but the Bucs don’t seem to mind. They recently lined up a notable deal with the Reds, sending Ke’Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati ahead of the deadline. If the Cards aren’t going to contend for the next few years, perhaps they wouldn’t be bothered if their former players are in Pittsburgh during that window.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images

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

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