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Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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After spending big in the previous two offseasons, the Rangers took a much more conservative approach this winter due to concerns over their broadcasting revenues.

Major League Signings

2024 spending: $24.525MM
Total spending: $46.025MM

Option Decisions

Extensions

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Rangers were one of the 14 teams whose games were aired on the Bally Sports regional sports networks owned and operated by the Diamond Sports Group, until DSG filed for bankruptcy last year.  The situation manifested itself in a few different ways for the various teams involved, but for the Rangers, Guardians, and Twins, it wasn’t until late January that the three clubs reached one-year agreements with Diamond to continue airing games on Bally Sports for the 2024 season.  The three teams will reportedly earn roughly 85% of what they previously received annually from DSG in the pre-existing contracts, which in Texas’ case represents around $94.35MM rather than $111MM.

It remains to be seen if Diamond Sports Group or Bally Sports will even exist in its current form by 2025, as the fate of the company may hinge on a restructuring deal that includes an investment from Amazon.  However, as it currently stands, the Rangers don’t know where their games will be airing once the 2024 season is over, and figuring out that future is arguably the organization’s key goal this year, much more so than anything that happens on the field.

With this uncertainty in mind, the Rangers’ first World Series title was even more of a relief for the long-suffering fan base — if Texas had lost the Series to the Diamondbacks, imagine the compounded frustration if the Rangers had followed up that loss with a low-key set of offseason moves.  This isn’t to say that the Arlington faithful are entirely thrilled with how the winter has played out for their team, and yet comparatively speaking, there were fewer holes to be filled on what was already a championship roster.

GM Chris Young was up front with his team’s plans in late November, telling media that the focus was on “looking for additions to kind of shore up” what was already “a great returning core group.”  Acknowledging the TV revenue uncertainty and “a responsibility to be financially prudent,” Young said that the Rangers “expect to be active in free agency, but probably not spending at the level that we have spent in previous offseasons.”

Considering that Texas spent roughly $846.35MM on free agents during the 2021-22 and 22-23 offseasons, some kind of step back was maybe inevitable even in a world where the broadcast rights situation was more stable.  And, it isn’t as if the Rangers reduced payroll — RosterResource estimates Texas has a current payroll of around $224.1MM and a luxury tax number of $247MM, both up slightly from their $214MM payroll and $237.1MM tax figure in 2023.

The largest expenditure came on a pitcher who probably won’t be making his Rangers debut until after the All-Star break.  Texas signed free agent Tyler Mahle to a two-year, $22MM contract that is largely backloaded, as a nod to how Mahle will miss the bulk of the coming season rehabbing from his Tommy John procedure from May 2023.  Obviously the Rangers are pretty comfortable in Mahle’s ability to recover on a normal timeline and then contribute to rotation down the stretch, even if there is some uncertainty about the fact that Texas is expecting the same from several members of the pitching staff.

Max Scherzer will be sidelined until at least June and probably closer to the start of July after undergoing back surgery in December.  Like Mahle, Jacob deGrom also had a Tommy John surgery last year and is projected to return by the second half.  If all three recover as planned, this is quite the set of reinforcements coming for the pennant race, yet that is also admittedly a best-case scenario considering how deGrom, Mahle, and (to a lesser extent) the 39-year-old Scherzer have all been hampered by injuries in recent years.

The in-house quintet of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, and Cody Bradford will try to hold the fort until the injured trio are ready, and even a second-choice version of the Texas rotation is still pretty solid.  The Rangers added to this mix just within the last week by signing Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $4.5MM deal and ending the right-hander’s long sojourn in free agency.

Lorenzen will probably need some time in extended Spring Training to get fully built up after going so long without a proper offseason camp, yet it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran supplant Bradford as the fifth starter.  Lorenzen’s return to starting pitching in 2022 saw him amass 97 2/3 innings with the Angels, and he far surpassed that total by tossing 153 frames with the Tigers and Phillies in 2023.  His quality first half with Detroit resulted in an All-Star berth, though Lorenzen seemed to wear down after being traded to the Phillies, and he ended up relegated to the bullpen during Philadelphia’s postseason run.

Jose Urena, Adrian Sampson, and Danny Duffy were among the starter/swingman types added for even more depth on minor league contracts, though Duffy could potentially opt out of his deal since he won’t be on the Opening Day roster.  Prospects Owen White, Cole Winn, or Jack Leiter could also factor into the picture, but the bottom line is that Texas should have enough pitching to at least make do until the team gets more clarity on when deGrom, Mahle, and/or Scherzer will all be ready to roll.

This isn’t to say that the Rangers didn’t at least test the waters on some other bigger-name pitchers over the winter.  Texas reportedly discussed a Dylan Cease trade with the White Sox before Cease was dealt to the Padres, and they also had interest in Yariel Rodriguez and Clayton Kershaw before the two pitchers respectively signed with the Blue Jays and Dodgers.  In Kershaw’s case, he’ll also be out of action until around midseason after undergoing shoulder surgery, yet the Rangers’ interest in the local product has been a running storyline for the last few years, though Kershaw has continually re-signed with Los Angeles on a series of short-term contracts.

The biggest pitcher on the Rangers’ radar was, of course, postseason hero Jordan Montgomery.  After being acquired from the Cardinals at the deadline, Montgomery had a 2.79 ERA over 67 2/3 regular-season innings and then a 2.90 ERA over 31 innings during the playoffs.  Montgomery’s huge role in the Rangers’ championship boosted his stock considerably heading into free agency, yet the left-hander still remains unsigned at the time of this post.  As of early March, Montgomery and his representatives at the Boras Corporation were reportedly still seeking a seven-year deal, and the most recent reports indicate that some “long-term” offers are still a possibility.

Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Matt Chapman became known as “the Boras Four” this offseason, as the Scott Boras clients all had extended stints in free agency that (for the latter three) concluded in short-term deals with opt-outs after the 2024 season.  It isn’t yet clear if Montgomery will also end up signing such a contract, yet this might be the only realistic chance at a reunion between Montgomery and the Rangers.  The Lorenzen signing may hint that Texas has simply moved on from Montgomery, but until the southpaw puts pen to paper with another team, the Rangers can’t be completely ruled out given their successful shared history last fall.

Texas won its World Series despite a relief corps that was shaky at best for much of the season, so it isn’t surprising that Young targeted the relief market.  Aroldis Chapman, Will Smith, and Chris Stratton all departed in free agency, and the Rangers were linked to such names as Hector Neris, Robert Stephenson, Ryan Brasier, and Jordan Hicks.

The search for relief help ended with the signings of David Robertson and Kirby Yates to one-year deals, though Robertson’s contract has a (rarely-exercised) mutual option attached for 2025.  The veterans are each coming off solid, if unspectacular, 2023 campaigns, and Robertson in particular brings a wealth of playoff experience.  Robertson and Yates will be slotted in as set-up men behind closer Jose Leclerc, whose $6.25MM club option was unsurprisingly exercised by the team.

Much like with the rotation, the Rangers are relying more on depth and quantity of arms rather than true elite quality to carry the bullpen.  It wouldn’t be surprising if Texas again makes relief pitching a priority at the deadline, though if the injured starters return at midseason, Dunning or Bradford could then be bumped to help out the bullpen.

Though Mitch Garver had a big year at the plate in 2023, his injury history and increasing limitations as a DH-only player rather than as a catcher kept the Rangers from issuing a qualifying offer as Garver entered free agency.  This decision might come back to haunt Texas if Garver helps the Mariners take a run in the AL West, yet the Rangers instead addressed their catching situation by signing Andrew Knizner as Jonah Heim’s new backup.  Garver and defensive specialist Austin Hedges were let go in free agency, and Sam Huff and minor league signing Andrew Knapp are likely the top depth options at Triple-A.

Continuing with the position player mix, the Rangers didn’t do much to tinker with an already powerful lineup.  Travis Jankowski was re-signed to continue in his role as the Rangers’ primary backup outfielder, while Robbie Grossman and Brad Miller departed in free agency since the club is seemingly pretty comfortable with letting younger players (i.e. Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith) handle part-time or bench roles.

Then again, some early-season injury concerns could open the door to more playing time.  Nathaniel Lowe is likely going to start the year on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain, while Corey Seager (sports hernia surgery) and Josh Jung (calf strain) have only just started playing their first Spring Training games.  Seager and Jung might need just minimal 10-day IL stints to get them fully recovered and ramped up, and Lowe isn’t expected to miss too much of April, even if oblique injuries are sometimes hard to gauge.  Lowe’s injury in particular might open the door for minor league signing Jared Walsh to make the roster as a first base fill-in, and Texas also added former Reds top prospect Jose Barrero on a waiver claim just in case Seager or Jung can’t go by Opening Day.

Multiple players could take turns rotating through the DH spot, yet Wyatt Langford might end up getting the bulk of those at-bats as part of his meteoric rise to the majors.  Langford was the fourth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft and he amassed only 200 total plate appearances in the Rangers’ farm system last season.  However, Langford was shredding opposing pitching to such an extent that he was promoted all the way to Triple-A by the end of his first pro season, and the Rangers have already announced that the phenom will be part of the Opening Day roster.

There’s no guarantee that the 22-year-old will continue his exceptional hitting now that he’s facing big league hurlers, but Langford has already engendered such trust from the Texas player development staff that he is already considered ready for the challenge this early in his professional career.  If Langford is able to even somewhat replicate his minor league numbers, the Texas lineup will be even more dangerous.

For as much money as the Rangers spent to build their World Series team, the contributions of homegrown prospects (i.e. Jung, Leclerc, Evan Carter, Leody Taveras) and unheralded acquisitions (such as Adolis Garcia) have been just as critical as the higher-priced free agents.  The Rangers’ confidence in its pipeline might be another reason why the team was comfortable in dialing back the spending, as Texas might already have enough to make a run at a second consecutive title.

How would you grade the Rangers' offseason?
B 40.65% (756 votes)
C 40.32% (750 votes)
D 8.23% (153 votes)
A 6.24% (116 votes)
F 4.57% (85 votes)
Total Votes: 1,860

Latest On Mets’ Roster Decisions

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Most of the Mets’ roster has come into focus with Opening Day approaching, and the team continued to make its final roster cuts this weekend.  MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo has the summary of the decisions, including the news that utilityman Zack Short and (somewhat provisionally) first baseman/outfielder D.J. Stewart will break camp with the team.  Stewart’s status is a little up in the air since he is the proverbial 26th man on the 26-man roster, and the Mets might yet replace him if a player they like becomes available on the waiver wire or in free agency, as rival teams also make their late cuts.

Short was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last November, and has been much more known for his defensive versatility than his bat (.174/.266/.308 in 450 career plate appearances) over his three MLB seasons in Detroit.  However, Short has looked really good at the plate this spring, while Stewart has struggled.  Ironically, Stewart has almost the opposite profile, as he has been productive if inconsistent in hitting .220/.339/.425 with 37 homers in 807 career PA, but isn’t known as much of a defender.  Stewart joined the Mets on a minor league deal last winter and hit a very solid .244/.333/.506 over 185 PA in his first season in Queens.

Short and Stewart got the nod ahead of a pair of minor league signings in Ji-Man Choi and Jose Iglesias.  The two veterans have opt-outs in their minors contracts but Choi told DiComo that he will report to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate rather than re-enter free agency.  Iglesias also indicted that he will likely remain with the organization to await another possible opportunity later in the season.

One player who is somewhat unexpectedly heading to Triple-A is Mark Vientos, who was initially slated to be a part-time third baseman and DH heading into camp.  However, New York then signed J.D. Martinez this past week, and while Martinez will begin his season in the minors to make up for his lost spring prep time, Martinez’s presence will monopolize the designated hitter role.  As a result, Brett Baty and Short now could work as a third base platoon, since the Mets want Vientos to get steadier playing time in the minors.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also noted that the team wants to see Vientos get more work in at third base.  Vientos’ defensive future has long been a question mark, as he is considered a subpar third baseman and playing at DH or first base with the Mets isn’t an option for at least 2024 due to the presence of Martinez and Pete Alonso.  Becoming even a passable third baseman could greatly help Vientos stick in the majors and keep him from being pigeonholed as a first base/DH type at most.  Vientos has hit just .205/.255/.354 with 10 home runs in 274 career PA in the big leagues, but the former second-round pick doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after three seasons of crushing Triple-A pitching.

Assuming Stewart is indeed the last position player on the roster, the only remaining 26-man decisions facing the Mets are their last two bullpen spots.  DiComo writes that Michael Tonkin is “a heavy favorite for one” spot, and Yohan Ramirez and Sean Reid-Foley are competing for the other job.  All three pitchers are out of minor league options, DiComo notes that rival scouts have been watching Ramirez and Reid-Foley in anticipation of either pitcher potentially being available on the waiver wire.  The loser of the competition might end up traded rather than designated for assignment, if enough interest exists from teams in need of bullpen depth.

Brewers Notes: Clarke, Woodruff, Arroyo

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Right-hander Taylor Clarke suffered a right meniscus injury and is getting a second opinion to see if surgery can be avoided, Brewers manager Pat Murphy told MLB.com and other media.  Clarke will certainly start the season on the 15-day injured list, and the hope is that he can avoid a significantly longer amount of downtime.

Milwaukee acquired Clarke in a December trade with the Royals, hoping that Clarke could bounce back from a rough 2023 campaign.  The righty posted a 5.95 ERA in 59 innings for Kansas City, as big spikes in Clarke’s barrel and home run rates resulted in 12 homers out of the park over those 59 frames.  His 24.4% strikeout rate was slightly above average, but his walk rate increased sharply to nine percent, after Clarke had posted a very impressive 3.9 BB% in 2022.

Surely the Brewers are hoping Clarke pitches closer to that 2022 form (when he had a 4.04 ERA in 49 innings for K.C.), but for now the priority is just getting him healthy and onto the mound.  Meniscus-related injuries carry a wide range of potential timelines based on the extent of the damage, and whether or not Clarke needs surgery.  If he does have to go under the knife, an absence of 4-6 weeks is probably the best-case scenario for a meniscus surgery.

Turning to another injured Brewers hurler, Brandon Woodruff’s recovery from shoulder surgery will prevent from pitching during the 2024 season, the right-hander told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  The right-hander was already expected to miss most of the year rehabbing, which was reflected in both the Brewers’ decision to non-tender Woodruff and in the backloaded nature of the two-year, $17.5MM deal he signed to rejoin the Crew last month.  Woodruff will earn $2.5MM in 2024 and a $5MM salary in 2025, plus a $10MM buyout of a $20MM mutual option for the 2026 season.

The rehab process seems to be going well in these early stages, and Woodruff has started to lightly throw from 30-foot distances.  The two-time All-Star is confident that he’ll be able to return to his old form when he returns to the mound in 2025, and that his knowledge of pitching will allow him to overcome any potential loss of velocity.

“Honestly, I’m going be the strongest I’ll ever be at any point in my career because I’m going have a year and just basically get my body ready for pitching….I’m just going to learn so much more about my body,” Woodruff said.  “I’m learning a new shoulder.  But as far as everything goes, I expect to be the same guy.  And you know what?  God forbid if anything else happened, like, I ain’t going to forget to pitch. So I can go out there and still figure it out.”

Despite the injury, several teams reportedly had interest in trading for Woodruff before Milwaukee non-tendered him, and also inquired about signing him after the righty hit the open market.  Woodruff ultimately chose to return to the Brewers due to the trust and comfort level built from his career-long stay in the organization.

“Why don’t I keep betting on myself?  Money is not the issue.  I want to win.  I’m comfortable here,” Woodruff said.  “I know the medical staff and they know my shoulder inside and out.  I think I’m just in a good spot in terms of coming back here.  There was a lot of stuff that I weighed out, but I’m able to kind of do – I wouldn’t say do what I want – but I kind of dictate and help run this rehab the way I want.  I’m not learning new people and that was a big part of it.”

In other Brewers news, Christian Arroyo was reassigned to the team’s minor league camp earlier this week, thus giving Arroyo an opt-out decision since he didn’t make the Opening Day roster.  Murphy told Hogg and other reporters that he doesn’t think Arroyo will opt out, plus the infielder also has a minor wrist injury.

This issue could hamper Arroyo’s chances of quickly catching on with another team in free agency, on top of his underwhelming .182/.217/.227 slash line in 23 plate appearances this spring.  Arroyo could take some time at Triple-A to get healed up and then perhaps weigh his options, or simply see if an opportunity might still emerge in Milwaukee.  The Brewers’ projected candidates for second base, third base, and utility infield roles (Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, Sal Frelick, Andruw Monasterio) are all rather inexperienced, and in Frelick’s case, learning an infield position for the first time.  Arroyo could therefore represent some veteran depth should any of the youngsters struggle, or need more seasoning in the minors.

Twins To Place Justin Topa On 15-Day Injured List

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The Twins’ injury-riddled bullpen has lost another pitcher, as right-hander Justin Topa will start the season on the 15-day injured list due to left knee tendinitis.  President of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) that Topa suffered the injury by jamming his foot while backing up home plate in a Spring Training game over a week ago.

Topa has already started a shutdown period of 7-10 days, and the Twins will evaluate the situation and start to get Topa ramped back up to game readiness if he emerges from that shutdown feeling better.  Falvey didn’t estimate any timeline on when Topa might be back in action, though since Topa wanted to pitch through the discomfort, it might hint that the issue isn’t overly serious.

“We don’t want tendinitis to track through the year if we can knock it out ahead of time, so we’re going to knock it out now, give him some time down and ultimately build back up.  Hopefully he’s not tracking foo far behind,” Falvey said.

Topa will therefore have to wait a bit longer before making his official debut in a Minnesota uniform, though the 33-year-old has unfortunately gotten used to being patient with injuries.  A pair of Tommy John surgeries sidelined Topa for big chunks of his minor league career and delayed his MLB debut until 2020 when he was already 29 years old.  He was limited to only 18 1/3 innings in the bigs from 2020-22 due to first a flexor tendon strain, and then surgery to address that same issue.

The Brewers dealt Topa to the Mariners last offseason, but the righty finally broke out as a big contributor to Seattle’s bullpen.  Topa posted a 2.61 ERA over 69 innings, powered by an outstanding 57.4% grounder rate and a strong 6.5% walk rate, even if he didn’t miss many bats.  Minnesota was intrigued enough to want Topa included in the four-player package the Twins received from the Mariners in the Jorge Polanco trade.

Between Topa and Anthony DeSclafani’s more serious matter of a forearm strain, the two non-prospect components of the Polanco trade are now headed for Minnesota’s injured list.  Beyond Topa, the Twins’ bullpen is also missing closer Jhoan Duran to an oblique strain, and Caleb Thielbar to a hamstring strain.

While none of the relievers seem like they’ll miss too much time, naturally losing multiple members of the relief corps is a problem for the Twins.  Falvey and manager Rocco Baldelli said the team is weighing its internal options and also considering bringing a new arm or two into the organization as a matter of due diligence.

“We are monitoring the opt-outs and guys who are around and available and having conversations with different people,” Falvey said.  “More just as we continue to build up depth, we have guys in camp who we think can do some of this, certainly fill some of these roles.  It never hurts when you’re down a few to keep an eye on how to add to that depth.  We’d be doing that even if we weren’t dealing with some injuries.”

Blue Jays To Select Daniel Vogelbach

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Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters that designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach will be part of Toronto’s Opening Day roster.  Vogelbach will join Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, and Brian Serven as the Jays’ bench mix to begin the season.

As noted earlier in regards to Serven, Vogelbach will also have to be added to the Jays’ 40-man roster prior to their first game on Thursday.  Vogelbach signed a minor league deal last month that will pay the slugger $2MM in guaranteed money if he makes Toronto’s active roster, though Davidi suggests that the Jays could possibly avoid that full payout if Vogelbach agrees to an advanced consent.  This would create a 45-day window wherein the Blue Jays could outright Vogelbach off their 40-man roster and owe him only a prorated portion of that $2MM salary.

This contractual loophole could reflect Vogelbach’s status as something of an understudy for Joey Votto, as it looked like Votto’s arrival in Toronto on a minor league deal would likely spell the end of Vogelbach’s stint in the Jays’ camp.  However, it already seemed like Votto was going to need some extra tune-up time in the minor leagues once Spring Training was over, and the former NL MVP has also been hampered by a minor ankle injury that has limited him to just one plate appearance (a home run) this spring.

This created an opening for Vogelbach to stick with the team, and he helped his case by hitting .226/.314/.581 with three homers over 35 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play.  Vogelbach doesn’t bring much roster flexibility as a DH-only player who is only playable against right-handed pitching, yet he has shown some solid pop against righties over his eight big league seasons.  His left-handed bat is also particularly helpful on a heavily right-handed Jays team, as Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, and Cavan Biggio are the only lefty-swingers on the Opening Day roster.  (Nathan Lukes and Spencer Horwitz were optioned to Triple-A.)

Vogelbach hit .233/.339/.404 with 13 homers over 319 PA with the Mets in 2023, and all but 16 of those plate appearances came against right-handed pitchers.  Over his career, Vogelbach has a drastic set of splits — 74 home runs and a .240/.362/.452 slash line in 1555 PA against righties, and a dismal .129/248/.215 slash in 323 PA against southpaws.

NL West Notes: McCarthy, Barnhart, Molina, Slater

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The Diamondbacks have gotten a lot of trade interest in outfielder Jake McCarthy but Arizona isn’t yet interested in dealing the 26-year-old, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.  This isn’t the first time McCarthy’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, though the buzz quieted after McCarthy turned in a lackluster 2023 season.  The outfielder finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, but followed up that breakout campaign by hitting only .243/.318/.326 over 312 plate appearances last season.  McCarthy’s struggles resulted in a loss of playing time and even a demotion to Triple-A, plus an oblique injury kept him from being a part of Arizona’s postseason rosters during the team’s run to the World Series.

Randal Grichuk is expected to begin the season on the injured list, so McCarthy should probably land a job as the Diamondbacks’ fourth outfielder for at least the start of the year.  He also has a minor league option remaining, so the D’Backs could stash him back at Triple-A if necessary.  It is worth noting that the D’Backs were reportedly open to moving either McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher in February’s trade with the White Sox that sent Fletcher to Chicago, though in the wake of that deal, Arizona might not be willing to further deplete their stock of young outfielders by also moving McCarthy in another trade.  Nightengale feels McCarthy might be more of a trade chip later in the season, if the Diamondbacks are having trouble finding playing time or a roster spot available for him.

More from around the NL West…

  • Minor league signing Tucker Barnhart looks to have won the Diamondbacks’ backup catching job, as The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro (X link) was among those to note that the D’Backs optioned Jose Herrera to Triple-A today.  Herrera acted as Gabriel Moreno’s backup last season once Carson Kelly was let go in August, but Arizona will now turn to the veteran Barnhart as a more experienced bench option.  Barnhart has won two Gold Gloves over his 10 MLB seasons, spent mostly with the Reds before one-year stints with the Tigers and Cubs over the last two seasons.
  • Right-hander Anthony Molina will make the Rockies’ Opening Day roster, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (via X).  Selected as the third overall pick of the Rule 5 Draft last December, Molina was an international signing for the Rays who posted a 3.64 ERA over 301 2/3 innings in Tampa Bay’s farm system, including a 4.37 ERA in 55 2/3 Triple-A frames last season.  The 22-year-old worked mostly as a starter last year but now looks slated for a bullpen role in Colorado.  As per the stipulations of the Rule 5 Draft, Molina will have to remain on the Rockies’ active roster for the entire season in order for the Rox to claim his rights, or else Colorado will have to offer him back to the Rays.
  • Austin Slater returned to the field yesterday and is also set to play in today’s game, marking the Giants outfielder’s first action since last weekend.  Slater has been bothered by discomfort in his right elbow, which is a troubling sign since Slater underwent surgery on that same elbow last October to both remove a bone spur and address some nerve problems via an ulnar nerve transposition.  His recovery led to a slower start to his Cactus League work, and Slater has played in only six games this spring, so manager Bob Melvin told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin and other reporters that Slater might need to start the season on the injured list.  As Slater himself told Rubin and company, “The quantity of at-bats, I’m not super concerned about.  It’s more about feeling healthy and being able to bounce back the next day which, at this point, I haven’t been able to do.”  If Slater isn’t available for Opening Day, Luis Matos is the likeliest candidate to step into the backup/platoon outfield role.

Matt Duffy Opts Out Of Minors Contract With Rangers

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Infielder Matt Duffy has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Rangers, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports (via X).  Last Friday was the deadline for Article XX(B) free agents like Duffy to use the opt-out clauses in the minors contracts, thus giving their teams 48 hours to decide on either releasing the player or adding them to the Opening Day roster.  Since Texas isn’t including Duffy on the 26-man roster, the 33-year-old will now return to the open market.

Duffy began his MLB career as a member of the Giants’ world championship team in 2014, and then finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015.  Since that impressive start, Duffy has mostly settled into a part-time and utilityman role, mostly playing third base but also getting a lot of time at the other three infield positions plus a handful of games as a left fielder.

Over the last three seasons, Duffy has appeared in 252 of a possible 486 games with the Cubs in 2021, the Angels in 2022, and the Royals last year.  Duffy signed one-year contracts with all three clubs (only the L.A. deal was guaranteed) and had about league-average production with Chicago over 322 plate appearances but his bat has gone cold in the last two seasons.  Since Opening Day 2022, Duffy hit just .251/.307/.317 in 456 PA with the Halos and Royals.

Texas signed Duffy back in January to provide some experienced depth behind younger backup infielders Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith.  As the season is set to begin, the Rangers seem comfortable enough with Duran and Smith that Duffy’s services won’t be required.  Any excess roster space the Rangers might’ve had will now be taken up by top prospect Wyatt Langford and another minor league signing in Jared Walsh, who seems to be on track to have his contract selected as a temporary first-base fill-in for the injured Nathaniel Lowe.

Rockies Release Bradley Zimmer

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The Rockies have released outfielder Bradley Zimmer, the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders reports (X link).  Zimmer was in camp on a minor league deal, but became expendable when the Rox acquired another left-handed outfield option in Jake Cave via a trade with the Phillies earlier today.

While Cave’s numbers have been shaky at best over the last four seasons, Cave still bring more offensive upside than Zimmer, who has hit .213/.298/.333 over 975 career plate appearances in the bigs from 2017-22.  Zimmer was a top-100 prospect during his time in Cleveland’s farm system, but his bat simply hasn’t translated against Major League pitching.  Now entering his age-32 season, Zimmer has still carved out a niche for himself as a backup outfielder and pinch-runner due to his excellent speed (42 steals in 50 career chances) and all-fields defense.

This skillset gives Zimmer a pretty decent chance of catching on with another team in need of extra defensive help, whether as upper minors depth or on the bench of a big league roster.  Zimmer last appeared in the majors in 2022 as a member of the Blue Jays, and he spent last season playing with the Triple-A affiliates of the Dodgers and Red Sox.

Angels Release Drew Pomeranz

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The Angels announced that left-hander Drew Pomeranz has been released from his minor league contract with the team.  Pomeranz and Jake Marisnick were two Article XX(B) free agents who had the ability to opt out of their minor league deals on Friday if they weren’t added to the Angels’ Opening Day roster, and while Pomeranz is moving on, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group writes that Marisnick won’t make the team but isn’t exercising his opt-out clause.

Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in a big league game since August 2021, as the southpaw underwent a flexor tendon surgery that has essentially put his career on hold.  Pomeranz has tossed only 10 1/3 minor league innings over the 2022-23 seasons due to a number of setbacks, including an unspecified “cleanup surgery” in his throwing elbow last May.  His eight innings of relief work in the Angels’ spring camp actually represents one of his longer stretches of pitching in a while, and Pomeranz posted a 5.63 ERA over those eight frames and nine appearances.

The Padres signed Pomeranz to a four-year, $34MM deal in the 2019-20 offseason, betting that his impressive results as a full-time relief pitcher late in the 2019 season with the Brewers would continue in the coming years.  Pomeranz had a 1.62 ERA over 44 1/3 innings up until the time of his flexor surgery, cutting short what seemed to be a very promising new chapter of his career as a bullpen weapon.

The four-year contract expired at the end of the 2023 campaign, putting Pomeranz back onto the open market and landing in Los Angeles on a minors contract.  Now entering his age-35 season, nobody would blame Pomeranz if he chose to call it a career in the wake of so many injury woes, though it would be equally unsurprising if he continued to seek out another minor league deal if he is finally feeling healthy for the first time in years.  Given his past pedigree, another club could well bring him into the fold on a minors contract in order to see what the left-hander still has in the tank.

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