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Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cardinals Among Teams Scouting Roki Sasaki

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Eight MLB teams sent representatives to watch NPB ace Roki Sasaki’s latest start, according to articles from Sports Hochi and Yahoo Japan, as relayed by Dylan Hernández of The Los Angeles Times and Andy Martino of SNY, respectively. Among those teams were the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Cardinals.

Sasaki is just 22 years old and already one of the best pitchers in Japan. Over three NPB seasons, he has thrown 283 2/3 innings with 376 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA. The ace made headlines last winter when he reportedly asked to be posted for MLB teams well ahead of the typical timeline – MLB does not allow players under 25 years old and with fewer than six professional seasons to sign anything more than a minor league contract. Ultimately, Sasaski re-signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines, temporarily putting a stop to any talk of his being posted. Still, he could make the same request this coming offseason. While he might be forfeiting a massive free agent payday if he is posted before his 25th birthday, he has made no secret of his desire to pitch in MLB.

It’s no surprise, then, that several MLB teams are showing interest in Sasaski. However, the two-time NPB All-Star might have already decided where he wants to pitch in 2025 and beyond. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “several GMs” are under the impression that Sasaki “already has plans to sign with the Dodgers” during the 2024-25 offseason.

According to one general manager, “There’s no way he’s going anywhere else but the Dodgers. We all know it.” While that particular comment was spoken in no uncertain terms, it also sounds more like conjecture than insider knowledge. Indeed, this entire report may be more speculation on the part of the executives than anything else. After all, at least seven teams besides the Dodgers are actively scouting Sasaski, and they wouldn’t be doing so if they didn’t think they had a chance to secure his services in the future. Moreover, even if Sasaki truly does have his sights set on the Dodgers, the rest of the league will still have an opportunity to change his mind.

Yankees Acquire Jake Cousins

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The Yankees have acquired right-hander Jake Cousins from the White Sox, both teams announced. The White Sox will receive cash considerations in return. Cousins signed a minor league contract with Chicago in December and was not on the 40-man roster.

Cousins, 29, is coming off an impressive spring in which he struck out 11 and walked just two in seven innings of work. He gave up a lone earned run on five hits, although he also allowed three unearned runs. Despite his strong spring stats, the righty was unable to crack the White Sox Opening Day roster.

Drafted by the Nationals in 2017 and released less than two years later, Cousins rebuilt his value with the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League over the first few months of the 2019 season. He pitched well enough to catch the Brewers’ attention that summer, and two years later, he made his MLB debut with Milwaukee. In 30 appearances during the 2021 season, he pitched to a 2.70 ERA and 3.60 SIERA, with seven holds and an impressive 35.2% strikeout rate.

Cousins got off to a bumpy start in 2022 before suffering a UCL injury. However, he opted not to have Tommy John surgery and returned a few months later. He looked quite sharp upon his return, putting up a 2.66 ERA and 3.62 FIP in 22 minor league appearances and tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings at the MLB level. Unfortunately, he struggled to recapture that success in 2023. Cousins gave up 15 earned runs over 22 2/3 innings with the Brewers between the minors and majors. He was DFA’d at the trade deadline and claimed by the Astros. He did not make it back to the majors with Houston and gave up another 10 earned runs in 15 innings at Triple-A.

Presumably, Cousins will report to the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Given his previous major league experience and brief run of success with the Brewers, he could certainly see time in the Yankees bullpen this year. He has one option year remaining.

Mariners, Michael Mariot Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Michael Mariot to a minor league contract, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Mariot, 35, was previously under contract with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League, but the Diablos Rojos released him earlier this week, presumably to allow him to sign with the Mariners.

The Royals selected Mariot in the eighth round of the 2010 draft, and he made his MLB debut with Kansas City in 2014. From 2016 to ’18, he played in the Phillies, Padres, and, once again, Royals organizations. After the Royals released him in August 2018, the righty spent time in the Atlantic League, the Mexican League, and the American Association before making his way back to affiliated ball. Between 2021 and ’22, he spent time in the Reds, Nationals, Phillies, and Tigers organizations before jetting off to Taiwan to join the CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

His league-switching continued the following year. Mariot signed with the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association in May before the Reds purchased his contract that summer. In September 2023, he made his first big league appearance since 2016, going 2 2/3 innings against Seattle, giving up one run on four hits. Perhaps the Mariners saw something they liked that day. 

Although Mariot has not had much lasting success with any league or at any level throughout his professional career, he has clearly demonstrated a willingness to pitch – traveling the world to do so. This year, Mariot will eat innings for the Rainiers for as long as they need him to, and he offers the Mariners a serviceable option for a spot start or long-relief appearance.

Dodgers Select Nabil Crismatt, Transfer Emmet Sheehan To 60-Day IL

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The Dodgers have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Nabil Crismatt, the team announced. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was the first to report the move. Crismatt will join the team in time for today’s game against the Cardinals. In corresponding moves, right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt has been optioned, while fellow righty Emmet Sheehan has been transferred to the 60-day injured list, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Crismatt, 29, is quite familiar with the NL West. After making his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2020, he made 102 appearances for the Padres from 2021-23, in addition to one appearance for the Diamondbacks last August. The Dodgers will be his third NL West team in the past 10 months. Although he struggled in 2023, ultimately getting designated for assignment by both San Diego and Arizona, he was a capable low-leverage relief arm in 2021 and ’22. Over those two seasons, he threw 148 2/3 innings in 95 games with a 3.39 ERA and 3.69 SIERA. He rarely blew the ball past opposing hitters, instead relying on a changeup-heavy approach to maintain a low walk rate and induce groundballs.

The righty got off to a poor start in 2023. His velocity was down and his command was spotty; he gave up five walks and 12 runs in 10 innings of work. Three weeks into the season, a hip strain put him out of commission for the next two months, after which he struggled to get back to the majors. Crismatt made just two more big league appearances, one for the Padres in June and one for D-backs two months later. Meanwhile, his Triple-A numbers were unsightly. He posted a 6.94 ERA and 8.06 FIP in 11 2/3 innings in the Padres organization and a 6.85 ERA and 6.04 FIP in 47 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate.

Despite his rough season in 2023, Crismatt is only one year removed from a healthy and productive campaign. Not yet 30 years old, it isn’t so far-fetched to think he could re-discover that form in 2024. Although he struggled this spring (8.44 ERA in 5 /13 IP), the Dodgers seem to think he has something to offer their big league bullpen.

Crismatt is out of options, so once he is officially selected, the Dodgers must keep him on the 26-man roster, trade him, or expose him to waivers.

Hurt, 25, is widely considered one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects. He threw 2 2/3 innings against the Cardinals on Saturday, facing 10 batters, striking out three, walking none, and giving up an unearned run. Despite his successful outing, he was likely optioned to give manager Dave Roberts a fresh arm in the bullpen.

Sheehan, 24, missed spring training with what was originally described as shoulder soreness, as well as some general bodily discomfort. However, when the Dodgers placed Sheehan on the 10-day IL ahead of the Seoul Series, they described his injury as forearm inflammation. Today, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports that Sheehan’s transfer to the 60-day IL is related to his sore shoulder. This is another setback for the young hurler. In mid-March, Dave Roberts suggested that Sheehan could be ready by stateside Opening Day. On March 24, Ardaya reported that Sheehan would still need “a full spring’s worth of buildup” before he could rejoin the Dodgers. Now, the earliest the righty can return is May 18.

Sheehan made 13 appearances (11 starts) last season, pitching to a 4.92 ERA, 4.41 SIERA, and an impressive 3.50 xERA. If the Dodgers have no room in the rotation when he is ready to return, he could be optioned to Triple-A, where he only made three appearances last season, or he could be a candidate to join the bullpen. His high velocity might play up out of the ’pen, and he could fill a similar role to Crismatt, albeit with a much higher ceiling.

Nationals Place Nick Senzel On 10-Day IL, Select Trey Lipscomb

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TODAY: The Nationals announced Lipscomb’s selection, and Senzel was officially placed on the 10-day IL with a right thumb fracture.

MARCH 28: The Nationals are planning to select infielder Trey Lipscomb, reports Andrew Golden of The Washington Post. Lipscomb would replace Nick Senzel on the active roster; the third baseman broke his thumb in practice before Washington’s Opening Day game. As for the 40-man roster, Lipscomb can take Stephen Strasburg’s spot. The ailing veteran was placed on the 60-day IL earlier today, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

Drafted in the third round out of the University of Tennessee in 2022, Lipscomb made his way up to Double-A last season. He hit .284/.310/.438 with a 102 wRC+ in 80 games for the Harrisburg Senators. While he is primarily a third baseman, he has spent time at all four infield positions. He even began to practice as an outfielder this spring, per Golden.

In addition to flexing his defensive versatility, Lipscomb made a strong impression at the plate in big league camp, going 20-for-50 with five walks and only seven strikeouts. However, this spring, manager Davey Martinez told Zuckerman that Lipscomb would only make the roster out of camp if he was going to get regular playing time. Indeed, a few days later, the 23-year-old was reassigned to minor league camp.

However, it seems Lipscomb won’t have to wait long to make his MLB debut after all. Senzel was set to be Washington’s primary third baseman, and presumably, Lipscomb is being called up to fill that hole. The Nationals already have rookie Nasim Nuñez and veteran Ildemaro Vargas on the bench, but neither will stand in Lipscomb’s way if Martinez wants him playing every day. In fact, Zuckerman notes that Lipscomb is expected to be the starting third baseman for the Nationals on Saturday as they take on the Reds for game two of their season.

Central Notes: Cardinals, Quero, Cantillo

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The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries in the early days of the 2024 season, but they have recently received some good news about several players.

Major offseason acquisition Sonny Gray suffered a right hamstring strain in spring training, robbing him of the necessary game action he needed to be ready for the regular season. The right-hander threw 36 pitches over three simulated innings today (per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat), and he will pitch for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on Wednesday (per Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Jones adds that a return as soon as April 9 or 10 is a possibility.

Keynan Middleton, another significant free agent signing this winter, is not quite as close to returning, but Worthy notes that he will begin to work off a mound on Wednesday. He was shut down with a forearm strain in mid-March.

As for the position players, Jones mentions that Lars Nootbaar took eight live at-bats today and will take another four tomorrow. Manager Oliver Marmol will meet with the outfielder to decide if he needs a rehab stint at Triple-A before coming off the IL. Nootbaar is recovering from two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs.

Tommy Edman is dealing with wrist pain following offseason surgery. Worthy reports that he is set to undergo an MRI on Wednesday. The scan will show whether or not he is ready to start ramping up his swing. Finally, Worthy notes that Dylan Carlson received an injection to help combat pain in his left shoulder. The pain is a result of a sprained AC joint that he suffered during an outfield collision in one of the final games of spring training. Barring a setback, he should be ready to get back into game action before too long.

More news from around the NL and AL Central…

  • Brewers catching prospect Jeferson Quero is being evaluated for a right shoulder injury, GM Matt Arnold told reporters, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The severity of the injury is currently unclear, although it’s certainly worrisome when a catcher known for his strong arm injures his throwing shoulder. Quero is only 21 years old and has yet to make his MLB debut. However, the highly-regarded catching prospect is one of three backstops on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, along with William Contreras and Gary Sánchez. If his injury proves to be serious, the team’s catching depth will be tested early in the season.
  • Joey Cantillo, a left-handed pitcher in the Guardians organization, will miss eight to 10 weeks with a hamstring strain he suffered at the end of spring training, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Cantillo was unlikely to make the Guardians Opening Day roster, even if he had stayed healthy this spring. That said, he is already on the 40-man roster, and after 18 starts at Triple-A last season, he seemed like a good candidate to make his MLB debut at some point this year. That could still happen, but he’ll have to wait at least a couple of months to get that chance.

Brandon Belt “Baffled” By Lack Of Offers In Free Agency

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Two days into the regular season, only one position player from MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list remains unsigned: designated hitter/first baseman Brandon Belt. On Friday, the veteran slugger discussed his enduring free agency in an appearance on The JD Bunkis Podcast. According to Belt, he had very few calls with teams this winter that went further than the teams expressing loose interest. He never got to the point of “talking about money” with any clubs.

Belt suggests that numerous teams considered him a second-choice option if they were unable to land their first choice on a longer-term deal. In the end, he says “pretty much every one” of those teams “got their guy.” He could be referring to the Giants, who signed Jorge Soler to a three-year deal, or the Mariners, who signed Mitch Garver to a two-year contract. Several other teams signed designated hitters to one-year deals this offseason, including the Diamondbacks (Joc Pederson), the Mets (J.D. Martinez), and the Blue Jays (Justin Turner).

The Rangers were one team that reportedly discussed signing Belt, but evidently, they never reached the point of making him an offer. That surely has something to do with top prospect Wyatt Langford earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, but still, Texas could have considered Belt for the spot that ultimately went to non-roster invitee Jared Walsh. Two more teams that seemed like potential fits for Belt also opted to sign veterans on minor league deals instead: the Blue Jays went with Daniel Vogelbach, while the Angels added Miguel Sano.

Although Belt “definitely” wants to play in 2024 (per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic), he told Bunkis that he didn’t want to settle for a minor league contract. He made $9.3 million last season, and it’s safe to say he outperformed the Blue Jays’ expectations when they offered him that deal. It’s reasonable to presume he was hoping for a raise. Instead, he will almost certainly have to settle for a sizeable pay cut, if and when he eventually signs. To that point, Belt mentioned how different his free agent experience was during the 2022-23 offseason. He says it was “pretty easy” to land a contract because “quite a few teams” were interested in his services. That couldn’t be further from the case this time around.

Belt says the whole experience has “baffled [him] a little bit,” and it’s not hard to see why. The left-handed hitter is coming off an excellent season with Toronto in which he hit 19 home runs in just 103 games. He also hit 23 doubles and drew 61 walks over 404 plate appearances. Only seven AL batters (min. 400 PA) outproduced his .858 OPS and 138 wRC+. His .336 expected wOBA was more good than great, and he’s likely due for some regression as he enters his late thirties. Still, plenty of teams would be better off with his experienced lefty bat on their roster.

Brown: Astros, Alex Bregman Will Discuss Extension “At Some Point”

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Speaking to reporters on Thursday (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com), Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the team has not yet broached the subject of an extension with Alex Bregman. This aligns with comments Bregman made this spring, telling reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic) that he had not received an offer and did not expect to before Opening Day.

However, Brown added that he still plans to discuss a new contract with his third baseman. “At some point,” the GM stated, “we will have some discussions with Bregman and make him an offer” (per McTaggart).

While there is often a long way to go between an initial offer and an agreement, this is a reassuring update for Astros fans hoping the two-time All-Star signs a long-term deal with the club. Brown made similar comments regarding Bregman ahead of spring training, which is often considered the best time for extension discussions. Although the spring has wrapped up and the season has begun, the executive’s more recent remarks clarify that the Astros are open to negotiations over the next several months. For his part, Bregman has also expressed a willingness to allow his agent, Scott Boras, to negotiate with Houston during the season (per Rome).

Bregman made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2018 and ’19. He slashed .291/.409/.561 with 72 home runs across those two seasons, finishing in the top five in AL MVP voting each year. Leg injuries limited him to 133 games between 2020 and ’21, and although he has stayed healthy ever since, he has never quite returned to his 2018-19 form. Nonetheless, Bregman has remained a highly productive player, thanks to excellent plate discipline, plus power, and a capable glove at the hot corner. As he enters his age-30 season, he is still one of the better third basemen in the American League. With another strong showing in 2024, he will be one of the top free agents available if he hits the open market this coming winter.

Brown also told reporters that Kyle Tucker will receive an extension offer, though he noted that the two sides are not engaged in “deep discussions” (per McTaggart). The GM had previously expressed a desire to extend Tucker, but his words on Thursday suggest a further degree of certainty that the Astros will in fact make an offer. 

Tucker has blossomed into one of the better corner outfielders in baseball over the past four seasons. He won a Gold Glove in 2022, a Silver Slugger in 2023, and made the AL All-Star team both years. However, extending Tucker is less pressing business for the Astros; the right fielder won’t reach free agency until after the 2025 campaign. 

Angels, Amir Garrett Agree To Minor League Deal

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Veteran left-hander Amir Garrett has signed a minor league contract with the Angels, according to the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client has been assigned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

Garrett spent spring training with the Giants as a non-roster invitee. After an up-and-down 2023 season, he was going to need to impress this spring to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. Instead, he gave up nine runs in 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing 13 hits, seven walks, and two home runs while striking out only three of the 38 batters he faced. He was released last week.

The 31-year-old Garrett spent the 2022-23 seasons in Kansas City, working to a combined 4.39 ERA in 69 2/3 innings of work. The hard-throwing southpaw fanned exactly a quarter of his opponents in each of his two seasons as a Royal, but his longstanding command issues escalated to new heights. He walked 16.9% of his opponents with the Royals — including a sky-high 17.9% mark in 2023. Garrett routinely managed to navigate that highwire act, logging a 3.33 ERA in last year’s 24 1/3 innings, but he was released over the summer and didn’t make it back to the big leagues after signing minor league deals with both the Guardians and the Giants (who re-signed him just before camp opened).

Prior to his time in K.C., Garrett was a mainstay in the Reds’ bullpen. From 2018-20, he notched a 3.60 ERA with 49 holds, a save, a huge 30.2% strikeout rate and a bloated 11.6% walk rate. There’s little doubting Garrett’s raw ability to miss bats. His career 12.6% swinging-strike rate is well above average, and his 15.1% mark during his peak run with Cincinnati borders on elite. At this point, there are 325 1/3 innings of big league work showing his command to be well below average, however. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get to the point where he has plus command, but if he can even get back to the levels he had with the Reds, as opposed to the alarming walk issues he displayed in Kansas City, he could reemerge as a quality setup man.

For the time being, Garrett will serve as depth for an Angels club that dedicated the bulk of its offseason to remaking the bullpen. The Halos signed Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis Garcia, Jose Cisnero, Adam Cimber and Adam Kolarek to big league deals over the winter (though Kolarek was later outrighted to Triple-A). Anaheim also acquired righty Guillermo Zuñiga from the Cardinals and inked veteran Hunter Strickland to a minor league deal.

Justin Steele Likely Headed To IL With Hamstring Injury

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Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele left his Opening Day start early on Thursday after fielding a bunt and falling as he flipped the ball to first base. He seemed to be holding his left hamstring as he walked off the field, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. The team later confirmed to reporters (including Sharma) that Steele exited the game with left hamstring tightness.

After the game, a 4-3 loss to the Rangers in extra innings, Cubs manager Craig Counsell used the word “strain” to describe Steele’s injury (per Sharma). He added that the All-Star left-hander will likely go on the injured list, but as Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune notes, the skipper would not speculate about how much time Steele could miss. The southpaw will undergo an MRI on Friday (per Montemurro), after which the team will likely have a better idea about the severity of his injury and how long he might spend on the IL.

Counsell told reporters, including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, that the team does not yet have a plan for who will take Steele’s spot in the rotation. Left-hander Drew Smyly and right-hander Hayden Wesneski seem to be the most likely candidates, given their presence on the 40-man roster and recent experience pitching out of the big league rotation. Smyly, 34, made 23 starts for the Cubs last year, while Wesneski, 26, made 11. However, Smyly found success in a bullpen role down the stretch in 2023; he made some starts this spring but was largely preparing to start the season as a reliever. Meanwhile, Wesneski struggled tremendously as a starter last year (5.51 ERA, 6.26 FIP) and looked even worse in six outings (four starts) this spring.

Ben Brown, 24, is one more name on the 40-man roster to keep an eye on. He transitioned to a bullpen role last season, but he has recent starting experience and looked sharper than either Smyly or Wesneski this spring. What’s more, his move to the bullpen may have simply been a way to accelerate his path to the major leagues, not a permanent change. He was quite good in 19 minor league starts last season, pitching to a 3.81 ERA and racking up 120 strikeouts in only 85 innings pitched. However, his lack of experience may work against him; Brown has yet to make his MLB debut.

Whether it is Smyly, Wesneski, Brown, or another arm entirely, the Cubs have a difficult decision to make before what would have been Steele’s next turn in the rotation: the final game of the home opener series against the Rockies on Wednesday, April 3.

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