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Rangers Met With Roki Sasaki, Giants “Believed To Have Met” With Sasaki As Well

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Roki Sasaki won’t be eligible to officially sign with an MLB organization until mid-January, but that hasn’t stopped him from making headlines in December. Last week, it was reported that the NPB phenom had met with at least three MLB teams: the Yankees, Mets, and Cubs. Today, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed that representatives from his club met with Sasaki last week (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Meanwhile, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the Giants are “believed to have met” with Sasaki and his representatives.

It comes as no surprise that both teams are interested in Sasaki. The Giants could use more starting pitching, and they’re likely to add at least one starter this offseason, whether it’s Sasaki or someone else. The Rangers, on the other hand, already have a full rotation, but regardless, Sasaki is the kind of player any team would make room for. The two-time NPB All-Star is widely considered one of the most promising young pitchers in the world, and his earning potential is capped by the rules of international amateur free agency. As of right now, Texas can’t pay him any more than a $6,261,600 bonus, while San Francisco can’t offer him more than a $5,146,200 bonus.

The Rangers have long had an eye on Sasaki. At the beginning of the 2024 season, they were one of eight teams that reportedly sent representatives to watch Sasaki pitch in Japan. One can also understand why Sasaki would be interested in joining their club. Not only are the Rangers recent World Series winners, but they have been one of the most active teams this offseason on both the trade and free agent markets. Furthermore, Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe recently mentioned that Sasaki grew up “idolizing” numerous Japanese pitchers who made the jump from NPB to MLB. The first example Wolfe named was Yu Darvish, who signed with the Rangers when he first arrived stateside in 2012. Evan Grant points out that a pair of front office executives who were “key” in signing Darvish, assistant general manager Josh Boyd and Pacific Rim Operations Director Joe Furukawa, are still working in the organization.

As for the Giants, POBO Buster Posey has been particularly vocal about his interest in Sasaki. Speaking at the Winter Meetings, he told reporters (including Maria Guardado of MLB.com), “We’d be over the moon to add a guy like that.” While Posey only spoke of Sasaki’s talent, one has to presume he’s also captivated by the price tag. The Giants have been closely linked to free agent Corbin Burnes this winter. But Burnes is presumably looking to sign a contract worth well over $200MM. According to Susan Slusser, there are questions about whether or not ownership will be willing to foot that bill. In Sasaki, the Giants could add a top-of-the-rotation starter for a fraction of the market price.

From Sasaki’s point of view, it’s worth noting that San Francisco is much closer to Japan (and has a bigger Japanese population) than New York, Chicago, or Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. Neither Sasaki nor Wolfe has suggested the pitcher has a geographic preference for where he signs, but Giants general manager Zack Minasian has expressed hope that San Francisco’s relative proximity to Japan will make “a big difference” (per Guardado). Minasian also mentioned the pitcher-friendly confines of Oracle Park as a potential draw. After all, Sasaki is used to pitching in a very different offensive environment – runs are harder to come by in NPB. What’s more, he is presumably looking to put up numbers that are as impressive as possible. Six years in the future, those numbers will help him cash in big as an unrestricted free agent.

Ultimately, we still know very little about what Sasaki’s thinking or where he might end up. The Dodgers and, to a lesser extent, the Padres are frequently cited as the front-runners to sign him, but it’s not for nothing that he has met with so many other teams. (Nor is it clear if he has met with either the Dodgers or Padres yet.) Slusser identifies the Diamondbacks as another NL West suitor for his services, though it’s unclear if he has met with anyone from the team. Meanwhile, the Phillies are the only club we know for certain has not met with Sasaki. Last week, POBO Dave Dombrowski revealed that although the Phillies would love to speak with Sasaki, they have not been invited to do so.

Rays Sign Coco Montes To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Coco Montes, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training. Montes last played for the Yomiuri Giants of NPB. He is a client of O’Connell Sports Management.

Selected by the Rockies late in the 2018 draft, Montes worked his way up through Colorado’s farm system. Though he was never a highly-rated prospect, he produced above-average offensive numbers every season in the minors while splitting his time between second base, third base, and shortstop. Amidst a strong 2023 season at Triple-A Albuquerque (.317/.400/.550, 128 wRC+), Montes earned his first promotion to the majors. However, his minor league success failed to translate to the MLB level. He went 7-for-38 (.184) with a 38 wRC+. To add insult to injury, he managed to accumulate -3 Outs Above Average in a minuscule 93-inning sample size at second base. He was designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A in September.

Montes earned an invitation to big league spring training in 2024, but he failed to make the team out of camp. Undeterred, he continued hitting well at Triple-A in 2024. In fact, it was arguably the best season of his career. In 297 trips to the plate, he slashed .335/.414/.551, good for a 140 wRC+. Yet, the Rockies never gave him another chance to test his righty bat in Colorado. Rather, they granted him his release in June, allowing him to sign with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

In 46 games with the Giants, Montes slashed .272/.308/.391 with a .699 OPS. That might not seem as impressive as his Triple-A slash lines, but keep in mind that he was playing in a completely different offensive environment. Indeed, Montes outperformed the Central League averages in all three triple-slash categories. His 13.2% strikeout rate was also much better than the 18.8% league average. That low strikeout rate helped him produce above-average offensive numbers despite drawing just seven walks and hitting only one home run.

Now entering his age-28 season, Montes will look to make his way back to MLB with the Rays. His defensive versatility is his main asset; Topkin suggests he could cover left field in addition to playing all around the infield. If the Rays can help him translate some of his offensive success from Triple-A and NPB to the majors, even better.

Topkin also points out that Montes will have opportunities to opt out of his contract if he does not make the big league roster. In addition, he will have the choice to elect free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

Rangers Sign Patrick Murphy To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have signed right-handed pitcher Patrick Murphy to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training. Murphy last appeared in the majors in 2022.

Over parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays and Nationals from 2020-22, Murphy pitched 39 2/3 innings across 35 games. He put up a 4.76 ERA and 4.31 SIERA, thanks in large part to a 48.0% groundball rate that helped him limit opposing batters to just three home runs. However, that wasn’t enough to keep either Toronto or Washington interested in having him around for long. The Blue Jays, who drafted the righty in 2013, designated him for assignment in August 2021. The Nationals, who had picked him up off of waivers, sent him outright to Triple-A in April 2022. He elected free agency at the end of the season.

Murphy spent the 2023 campaign in the Twins system. He pitched relatively well at Triple-A, putting up a 3.69 ERA and 4.40 FIP in a hybrid reliever/long reliever/starter role. Unfortunately, he failed to earn a promotion to the big league squad at any point during the year. However, his performance drew the attention of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of NPB, who signed him to a one-year contract with a team option for 2025.

Murphy had a serviceable 2024 campaign for the Fighters. His 3.26 ERA in 38 2/3 innings looks impressive by MLB standards, but it’s important to keep in mind that the league-average ERA in the Pacific League this past year was 3.04. What’s more, his 9.5% walk rate was notably worse than the 7.3% league average. Murphy also made a handful of starts for the Fighters’ minor league affiliate in the Eastern League, pitching to a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings; the league average was 3.28.

At the end of the season, the Fighters chose not to exercise Murphy’s option for 2025. The Rangers, however, must have seen something to like in his arm. The team has made several additions to the big league bullpen this winter, and they might not be finished, but there still could be a couple of spots available for the taking this spring. Murphy won’t be a favorite to make the Opening Day roster, but his ability to pitch multiple innings in an outing means he is an appealing depth option for the team to stash at Triple-A.

Rangers Interested In Re-Signing Kirby Yates

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The Rangers have already added four relievers this offseason: Robert Garcia, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, and Hoby Milner. However, they’re still lacking a proven high-leverage arm; Webb, Garcia, Armstrong, and Milner have a total of 15 career saves among them. With that in mind, president of baseball operations Chris Young still has work left to do. He acknowledged as much, telling Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, “We’re going to need to continue to pursue leverage arms.”

To that point, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently described re-signing Kirby Yates as “a priority” for Texas. Similarly, Grant wrote that they would “absolutely love” to re-sign their All-Star closer. Yates was phenomenal for the Rangers in 2024. The veteran right-hander pitched to a 1.17 ERA and 2.85 SIERA in 61 appearances, saving 33 games in 34 chances. He was just as successful at inducing whiffs as he was at limiting hard contact, thanks to a highly effective four-seam and splitter pairing. Despite his 37 years of age, he was one of the most dominant closers in the game, vastly outperforming the one-year, $4.5MM contract he signed ahead of the season.

It’s easy to see why the Rangers would love to reunite with Yates, even though he’ll come with a much higher price tag this time. MLBTR put Yates at no. 38 on our Top 50 Free Agents list, predicting he’d sign a one-year, $14MM deal. Young might have to get creative to find room in the budget for a contract like that – Texas is reportedly trying to drop beneath the luxury tax threshold in 2025 – but his recent decision to trade Nathaniel Lowe shows he’s not afraid to do just that. RosterResource currently puts the Rangers’ luxury tax payroll at approximately $229MM, which is $12MM below the first tier of the tax. Signing Yates could push them over, but not so far over that Young wouldn’t be able to find a way to bring them back down.

The Rangers bullpen finished 26th in ERA and 23rd in SIERA in 2024. To make matters worse, they lost their four most experienced, high-leverage arms to free agency: Yates, David Robertson, Andrew Chafin, and José Leclerc. Arms like Webb, Garcia, Armstrong, and Milner will be much-needed reinforcements, but none can quite replace what the team lost at the back end of the ’pen. Thus, bringing back Yates makes perfect sense. A.J. Minter, another veteran arm who has been linked to the Rangers, could potentially fill that hole instead.

Astros DFA Grae Kessinger

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After officially announcing the Christian Walker signing earlier today, the Astros have designated infielder Grae Kessinger for assignment to open a spot for Walker on the 40-man roster (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic).

Kessinger, 27, was Houston’s second-round pick in the 2019 draft. The grandson of six-time All-Star Don Kessinger, he showed off excellent bat-to-ball skills in college, hitting .330 with a .904 OPS in his junior year at Ole Miss. However, evaluators had concerns about his ability to keep up against major league pitching. There were also rumblings he wouldn’t be able to stick at shortstop. Indeed, Kessinger struggled at the plate over his first few years in the Astros farm system, and he played all around the infield as the organization looked to maximize his versatility.

After his promotion to Triple-A in 2023, Kessinger seemed to take a step forward at the plate. He improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio and put up an .832 OPS and a 107 wRC+. It was enough to earn him a call-up to the big league club that summer. However, he failed to make an offensive impact at the major league level, going 8-for-40 with 12 strikeouts, good for a .614 OPS and 73 wRC+ in 26 games.

Despite his big league struggles in 2023, Kessinger made the Astros’ Opening Day roster in 2024. Unfortunately, he continued to come up short against MLB pitching. In 25 plate appearances, he didn’t manage a single hit. He walked thrice, reached once on a hit-by-pitch, and struck out seven times. To make matters worse, he regressed at Triple-A as well. His OPS dropped by more than 100 points from the year before, while his wRC+ fell to a well-below-average 83. 

Considering all his struggles at the plate, it’s hardly surprising to see Kessinger DFA’d. However, he can still provide value with his versatility – he’s played all four infield positions at the MLB level – and there could certainly be a team that sees enough potential in the former second-round pick to claim him off of waivers. If not, the Astros will have the option to send him outright to the minors and keep him in the organization.

Phillies Sign Joe Ross

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The Phillies and Joe Ross have agreed to a one-year contract, the team confirmed. Matt Gelb of The Athletic, who was first to report the signing, adds that Ross will receive a $4MM salary. The right-hander, who has experience as a starter and a reliever, is expected to take on a swingman role in Philadelphia. To free up a space for Ross on the 40-man roster, the Phillies have designated fellow righty José Cuas for assignment.

Ross, 32 in May, spent the 2024 season with the Brewers. He opened the year in Milwaukee’s rotation, making nine starts with a 4.50 ERA and 4.65 SIERA through mid-May. Unfortunately, a lower back strain landed him on the IL for more than two months in the middle of the year. He made one poor start upon his return before moving into the bullpen.

It was there that Ross thrived, pitching to a 1.67 ERA and 3.89 SIERA in 27 innings of work. Although his fastball velocity didn’t increase by much, he raised his strikeout rate from 18.7% as a starter to 24.1% as a reliever. He also did an excellent job limiting extra-base hits. While the righty gave up more fly balls and fewer grounders, he dropped his opponents’ isolated power from .134 to .060. In addition, Ross provided the Brewers bullpen with valuable length; he threw more than one inning in 10 of his 15 relief appearances.

Ultimately, the sample size of Ross’s 2024 season is relatively small. He pitched 47 innings as a starter and 27 out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, the sample size of his 2022 and ’23 seasons is non-existent. He landed on the IL with a UCL injury in August 2021, underwent his second career Tommy John surgery in May 2022, and did not pitch in the majors again until this past year.

From 2015-21, Ross was a capable pitcher when healthy. In 76 starts and 22 relief appearances for the Nationals, he put up a 4.26 ERA and an identical 4.26 SIERA. In 2024, he showed he could still be that arm. Across 74 innings, he produced a respectable 3.77 ERA and 4.38 SIERA. He went at least five innings in seven of his 10 starts and held his opponents scoreless in 12 of his 15 relief appearances. It’s easy to see what the Phillies like in a guy who can provide depth for the rotation and length for the bullpen. At the same time, it’s easy to see why fans might be nervous. Ross has a lengthy injury history that has prevented him from ever pitching more than 27 games or 108 innings in a season. That upside is why he landed a major league deal; his injury history is why it’s only a $4MM guarantee, pocket change for a Phillies team with a projected $289MM payroll (per RosterResource).

In a media availability last week, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he was looking for a swingman type who could pitch out of both the rotation and the bullpen. However, after the team’s surprise acquisition of starter Jesús Luzardo, it was unclear if Dombrowski was still seeking another pitcher. With a projected rotation of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and Luzardo, the Phillies could have opted to use Taijuan Walker as their swingman. The veteran lost his starting job this past year amidst a career-worst season. In 19 appearances (15 starts) he pitched to a 7.10 ERA and 5.25 SIERA in 83 2/3 innings of work.

With Ross in the fold, it’s hard to guess what Walker’s role will be with the Phillies in 2025 – if he’ll have one at all. The seven locks for the 2025 bullpen are José Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, José Ruiz, Tanner Banks, and Ross. That only leaves one spot left on the pitching staff. The Phillies could give that spot to Walker, but they might prefer to go with a higher-upside young arm rather than carrying two long men. Max Lazar, whom Dombrowski mentioned in his media availability last week, is one name on the 40-man roster to keep in mind. As for any further outside additions, the POBO suggested he’s likely done supplementing to the bullpen (per Gelb). For now, Walker will prepare to compete for a bullpen job and provide additional starting depth in case of injury. Still, one has to presume the Phillies are looking for any way to offload his contract this winter. He is set to earn $36MM over the next two seasons.

Cuas did not appear in a game with the Phillies in 2024. After beginning his career with the Royals in 2022, he was traded to the Cubs at the deadline in 2023. Chicago DFA’d him this past June, and the Blue Jays claimed him off of waivers. Toronto would DFA him as well before the end of the year, and although the Phillies claimed him in September, they optioned him to Triple-A and never called him up. The right-hander has a career 4.37 ERA and 4.43 SIERA in 119 1/3 innings. He also has two option years remaining. That should help him find a new club to sign him as a depth arm for 2025.

Rickey Henderson Passes Away

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Baseball Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson has passed away. He was 65. Henderson’s friend and teammate Dave Winfield was among those to announce the tragic news, which was later confirmed by the New York Post.

Henderson was born in Chicago on Christmas Day in 1958. However, he spent much of his childhood in Oakland. The Athletics arrived in the city not long after Henderson, and once he finished high school, his hometown team called his name in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB draft. Three years after that, he arrived at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum to make his major league debut.

Following an underwhelming rookie season, Henderson broke out with a superstar performance in 1980. The 21-year-old outfielder showed off terrific bat-to-ball skills and a sharp eye at the plate, ranking third among qualified batters in walk rate and OBP. Of course, he put that OBP to good use, leading the majors with 100 stolen bases. It was the first of six times he would lead the majors in steals, and the first of 12 times he’d lead the American League in the category. He also made his first of 10 All-Star teams that summer and finished 10th in MVP voting that fall. In retrospect, however, he deserved to finish much higher. According to both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, the only AL player with a higher WAR that season was MVP George Brett.

Henderson was even better in his third season, the strike-shortened 1981 campaign. He led the majors in runs scored and led the AL in hits and stolen bases. At the end of the year, he won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. However, he was still, arguably, overlooked in MVP voting. He finished a close second behind Brewers closer Rollie Fingers, but modern stats like fWAR and bWAR suggest he was the most productive player in the American League that season. Indeed, this was often the story of Henderson’s career. He was consistently excellent year in and year out, and although he received no shortage of praise and acclaim, he was still somehow overlooked. He made 10 All-Star teams and won three Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and one MVP. Yet, all that might not have been enough to properly recognize his greatness.

Henderson became a star in his early twenties. He remained productive on the field into his forties. Over his 15 best seasons from 1980-94, he was almost undeniably the best player in baseball. Whether you look at runs scored, stolen bases, fWAR, or bWAR, no other player was anywhere close to as productive. With his combination of speed, defensive range, contact skills, plate discipline, and eventually above-average power, he could impact a ballgame in all sorts of ways. He is best remembered as the all-time and modern-era single-season stolen base leader, but he also holds the all-time MLB records for runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs.

In addition to those career accolades, Henderson was a transformational player in the postseason. A two-time World Series champion who hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy for both Oakland in 1989 and Toronto in 1993, his 11 stolen bases during the 1989 postseason is tied with Kenny Lofton for the most steals by a player in a single postseason, and his 33 career steals in the playoffs were the most by a player in history until Lofton broke that record during the 2007 ALCS.

In addition to the havoc Henderson caused on the basepaths, he was a prolific hitter when the lights were brightest with a .284/.389/.441 slash line in 60 postseason games. Impressive as that work in the playoffs is, Henderson’s work during his 14 career World Series games boggles the mind: he hit .339/.448/.607 with more walks than strikeouts while going seven-for-nine on the basepaths. Those incredible numbers translate to a 194 wRC+ that leaves him sandwiched between Babe Ruth (195) and Lou Gehrig (194) on the career leaderboard for wRC+ in the World Series among players who made at least 60 trips to the plate during the Fall Classic.

While Henderson was the greatest player of the ’80s and early ’90s, the legend of the game kept his career going well past the age where most players hang up the spikes. After his age-35 season in Oakland, Henderson went on to play in an additional 1,001 games in the majors while bouncing between the A’s, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers. Those final nine years of Henderson’s career were naturally not on the level of his seemingly superhuman peak in Oakland the Bronx, but he remained a productive player through the end of his major league career. From 1995 through 2003, Henderson hit .254/.390/.369 with a 111 wRC+ while swiping 289 bags, making him well above average both at the plate and on the basepaths. Even during his 30-game stint with the Dodgers at the age of 44, Henderson produced above replacement-level value according to both Fangraphs (0.1 fWAR) and Baseball Reference (0.2 bWAR).

Henderson continued playing in Independent Leagues even after he played his final major league game as posted an .897 OPS in the Atlantic League and an .856 OPS in the Golden League before calling it a career in 2005 at the age of 46. The love of the game that caused him to continue playing in indy ball following the end of his big league career also led him to leave the door open to returning to a major league field even after his playing days were behind him. He maintained an interest in suiting up for a major league team again after being hired by the Mets as a hitting instructor in 2006 and famously suggested following his first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame back in 2009 that even at the age of 50 he could lead the league in stolen bases.

It’s that heart and love of the game that endeared Henderson to his teammates, coaches, and all those around the game who interacted with him while making him beloved by millions of fans around the world. Henderson’s otherworldly talent and passion for the game led him to collect 3,055 hits, steal 1,406 bases, score 2,295 runs, swat 873 extra-base hits, and manage a career .401 on-base percentage in his 3,081 games as a major league player. MLBTR extends our condolences to Henderson’s family, friends, and teammates as we join the rest of the baseball world in mourning his passing.

Tigers, Guardians Interested In Erick Fedde, Steven Matz

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As reported by John Denton, Mark Feinsand, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Tigers and Guardians have both expressed interest in trading for Cardinals starting pitchers Erick Fedde and Steven Matz. Both pitchers seemed to be likely trade candidates entering the offseason, but this is the first report to link either pitcher to specific suitors.

As the Cardinals look to shed payroll and kickstart a retooling effort, just about all of their veteran players look like possible trade chips. Nolan Arenado has generated much of the buzz so far, but his contract isn’t the only one St. Louis could look to offload. After Arenado, the next highest-paid players on the roster are Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Willson Contreras. However, all three have no-trade clauses in their contracts, and all three have expressed a desire to stay in St. Louis. Thus, Matz and Fedde could be the next players who president of baseball operations John Mozeliak looks to flip. Those trades wouldn’t come with quite as much salary relief – Matz will make $12.5MM and Fedde will make $7.5MM in 2025 – but they might be easier to pull off. Not only is less money involved, but neither Matz nor Fedde has the right to reject a trade.

Any trade involving Matz would likely be a salary dump. In other words, the Cardinals should not expect to get any notable players back in return. As he enters his age-34 campaign, Matz is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. In 12 games (seven starts), he pitched to a 5.08 ERA and 4.63 SIERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was the lowest it’s ever been. To make matters worse, he missed four months of the year nursing a lower back strain.

While Matz has been a productive starting pitcher in the not-so-distant past, he has struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout his career. He has spent time on the IL in every season since his rookie year and has never thrown enough innings to qualify for the ERA title. His 3.86 ERA and 4.19 SIERA over 105 innings in 2023 are a reminder that he can be a valuable contributor to a big league rotation. Yet, as Matz enters his mid-thirties, concerns about his durability and potential decline will only increase. All that to say, his $12.5MM salary is probably more than he could command on the open market. If the Cardinals want another team to take on that salary, they won’t be able to ask for much in return.

As for Fedde, the Cardinals wouldn’t get as much salary relief in a trade, but they could bring back some talent to help in 2025 and beyond. Although Fedde has had injury and inconsistency problems of his own, he is two years younger than Matz and coming off of two consecutive strong seasons. He also comes $5MM cheaper.

Fedde was little more than an innings eater for the Nationals from 2017-22. However, he reinvented himself in the KBO in 2023, winning the MVP Award and signing a two-year, $15MM deal with the White Sox last winter. While he wasn’t an MVP-caliber player in 2024, he produced what was easily the best season of his MLB career, pitching 177 1/3 innings with a 3.30 ERA and 4.19 SIERA. He didn’t excel in any one area, but he limited walks and hard contact at better-than-average rates and tossed at least five innings in 27 of his 31 starts. If he repeats that performance in 2025, he’d be an upgrade for just about every contending team’s starting rotation.

As far as contending teams go, Cleveland and Detroit have two of the weaker rotations. With Shane Bieber still recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Guardians only have three locks for the rotation: Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Ben Lively. The Tigers are in a similar position with several question marks after Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, and Alex Cobb. With that said, it’s still surprising to see these two teams linked to Fedde and Matz. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported during the Winter Meetings that the Tigers were not “planning to pursue additional starting pitchers” after signing Cobb. He quotes general manager Jeff Greenberg, who said “I think we’re probably done for now.”

As for the Guardians, it’s a question of money as usual. It’s especially rare to see this team spend significant money on pitching because they have done such a good job of developing talented arms internally. Thus, Matz, in particular, seems to be an unexpected target; he would become the highest-paid pitcher on the roster. However, a deal with Cleveland could make more sense if St. Louis is willing to eat some salary to receive a more talented return package.

Royals, Junior Fernández Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Junior Fernández to a minor league deal, the team announced. He last pitched in MLB during the 2022 season.

Fernández signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2014 and made his MLB debut in St. Louis five years later. Unfortunately, he was never able to establish himself in the Cardinals bullpen. Over parts of four seasons with the club, he pitched to a 5.51 ERA and 4.78 SIERA in 50 2/3 innings of mostly low-leverage work.

The Cardinals designated Fernández for assignment in 2022, and the Pirates scooped him up off of waivers. He made three scoreless appearances for Pittsburgh at the end of the year, but it wasn’t enough to save him from another DFA. After a brief stint in the Yankees organization that offseason, Fernández was DFA’d once again. The Blue Jays were the next team to claim him, and, as he surely came to expect, the next team to DFA him just a few weeks later. This time, however, Fernández passed through waivers. The Blue Jays sent him outright to the minors, where he pitched to a 5.69 ERA and 5.92 FIP in 42 games with Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto released him before the year was up, and he spent the final weeks of the season pitching at Triple-A in the Nationals organization. His 2.79 ERA in 9 2/3 innings was more impressive, but his matching 13.6% strikeout and walk rates were ugly.

Following the 2023 campaign, Fernández elected free agency and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of NPB. Unfortunately, his career overseas was short-lived. An injury limited him to just two appearances in Japan before the Marines released him.

Now entering his age-28 season, Fernández will look to get back to the majors with the Royals. Whether or not he succeeds will likely depend on his arm health and velocity. In 2022, Fernández was averaging close to 99 mph and regularly hitting triple digits with both his sinker and his four-seam fastball. Despite his control issues, velocity like that is enough to make him an intriguing arm. However, his velocity was down a tick while he was pitching at Triple-A in 2023. Now, his mostly lost 2024 season makes it hard to predict what to expect from his arm in 2025. That said, the Royals presumably scouted him in the Dominican League, where he’s been pitching this winter. Despite his 6.43 ERA and 16.2% walk rate in 14 innings of work, they must have liked what they saw enough to bring him on board as bullpen depth for the 2025 season.

Marlins Make Two Additions To Coaching Staff

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The Marlins are in the process of filling several vacancies on manager Clayton McCullough’s coaching staff. Earlier this week, they reportedly hired Tyler Smarslok to be their new first base coach. They also promoted Brandon Mann from the position of pitching strategist to bullpen coach. Both moves were reported by Isaac Azout of Fish On First. The team has not yet confirmed the news.

Smarslok, 32, spent several years working with college teams before the Twins organization hired him in 2020. He coached for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints over the past four seasons. In addition, he managed the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League earlier this year. His job with the Marlins will be his first major league gig. Smarslok replaces previous first base coach Jon Jay.

Mann, 40, enjoyed a long professional pitching career. A southpaw, he played parts of 12 seasons in the minors with the Rays, Dodgers, Pirates, A’s, and Rangers organizations and made a handful of big league appearances with Texas in 2018 – 16 years after he was taken in the 27th round of the draft. He also spent time in NPB, the CPBL, the Atlantic League, and the American Association. Following his retirement from playing, he briefly served as minor league pitching coordinator for the Lotte Giants of the KBO before returning stateside to work at Driveline Baseball. After two years at Driveline, he took a job as the pitching strategist for the Marlins for the 2024 season. He will now take over for Wellington Cepeda as Miami’s bullpen coach.

Back in October, the Marlins announced they would not bring back any of their coaches for the 2025 season. Since hiring McCullough to lead the squad, they have brought on Carson Vitale as bench coach, Pedro Guerrero as hitting coach, Daniel Moskos as pitching coach, and Derek Shomon as assistant hitting coach. Smarslok and Mann are the newest additions to the staff.

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