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Royals Sign Four To Minor League Contracts

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The Royals announced that right-hander Luis Cessa, left-hander Austin Cox, catcher Logan Porter, and outfielder Diego Hernandez have all been signed to minor league deals.  Cessa is a newcomer to the organization, while Cox, Hernandez, and Porter are making quick returns after being non-tendered yesterday.

Best known for his team with the Yankees as a starter, reliever, and swingman, Cessa had a 2.51 over 64 2/3 bullpen innings with New York and Cincinnati during the 2021 season.  Cessa moved back into swingman work in 2022 with mixed results (a 4.57 ERA), and things went south for the right-hander in 2023.  Pressed into rotation work at the start of the year, Cessa struggled to a 9.00 ERA over 26 innings and was released by the Reds in May.  That marked the end of Cessa’s big league work last year, as he caught on with the Rockies and Nationals on minor league contracts but continued to struggle badly at Triple-A.

Cessa’s career 4.43 ERA and 4.41 SIERA are virtually identical, so the righty hasn’t exactly gotten away with a lack of missed bats throughout his career.  Cessa has gotten by with some good whiff and chase rates despite the low strikeout totals, and he had been good at limiting heavy contact in the form of barrels prior to 2023.  Control had also never really been an issue for Cessa prior to 2023, yet his walk rates crept upwards at both the MLB and minor league levels, leaving him even less margin for error.

The 31-year-old will try to get on track with the Royals, who need pitching of all kinds whether in the rotation or bullpen.  Since Kansas City isn’t expected to be a big spender this winter, it seems likely that the team will look to bring any number of veteran arms into camp on minor league or low-cost deals, in the hopes that at least a couple of them could break out and win jobs on the Opening Day roster.

None of Cox, Porter, or Hernandez were eligible for salary arbitration, but Cox and Porter were designated for assignment this past week and ultimately cut to open up some space on Kansas City’s 40-man roster.  In Hernandez’s case, the outfielder will return for his sixth season in the Royals’ farm system, and will probably start 2024 back at Double-A.

Cox made his MLB debut in 2023, posting a 4.54 ERA over 35 2/3 innings before his rookie year came to an unfortunately early end.  Cox tore his ACL while trying to cover first base during a fielding play in the Royals’ game with the Blue Jays on September 8, and he’ll now miss most or all of the 2024 season in recovery.  It seems quite possible that a handshake deal was in place for Cox to rejoin the Royals, as he was only DFA’ed yesterday and quickly passed through waivers, so he’ll now get to rehab in a familiar environment.

Porter was another 2023 debut, as he had a .647 OPS in 38 plate appearances over his first 11 games in the Show.  An undrafted free agent who signed with the Royals in 2018, Porter hit .248/.367/.394 over 594 PA at Triple-A over the last two seasons, and should again serve as a depth option at the minor league level behind the Royals’ big league catching tandem of Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin.

Rockies Acquire Cal Quantrill

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The Rockies announced that right-hander Cal Quantrill has been acquired in a trade with the Guardians.  Cleveland will receive minor league catcher Kody Huff in return, and Colorado has designated right-hander Tommy Doyle to create room on the 40-man roster.

Some kind of move seemed imminent when the Guardians designated Quantrill for assignment earlier this week, whether or not that move was a trade or the Guards just releasing Quantrill as an early non-tender.  The righty is projected to earn $6.6MM in the second of three arbitration-eligible years, which was perhaps a bit steep for a Cleveland team that traditionally has modest payrolls, and considering the fact that Quantrill struggled in 2023.

However, it was an acceptable price for a Rox team in dire need of starting pitching.  Denver’s thin air has always put an extra burden on Rockies pitchers, but things went particularly sideways in 2023 when the club was hit with a long list of injuries to pitchers at the both the Major League and minor league levels.  Colorado’s rotation wasn’t thought to be a strong group even going into the season, yet with injuries depleting the ranks, the Rockies’ pitching staff (both starters and relievers) finished at or near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories.

Health was a problem for Quantrill as well last year, as some nagging shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list twice and limited him to 99 2/3 innings.  This was a big drop from the 168 frames he averaged over the 2021-22 seasons, as well as a slide from his quality numbers in those previous two years.  Quantrill posted a 3.16 ERA for Cleveland in 2021-22, but that number ballooned to 5.24 in 2023.

A glance at the secondary numbers is necessary, as Quantrill’s 4.50 SIERA in 2021-22 indicates that he was in some sense fortunate to deliver such a solid bottom-line ERA.  Quantrill has always been a below-average strikeout pitcher who nevertheless had strong chase rates, yet his chase rate dropped off significantly to 26.5% last season, and his 13.1% strikeout rate in 2023 was almost the worst in baseball.  The righty also allowed much more hard contact in 2023 than in past years.

Coors Field isn’t exactly the best ballpark for a pitcher in need of a rebound year, so Quantrill will face a difficult challenge on his new club.  Simply staying healthy and eating some innings would be a decent outcome for both Quantrill and the Rockies, and Colorado’s ever-present need for pitching probably means that barring injury or a drastic downturn in performance, Quantrill stand a good chance of being tendered a contract for his final arbitration year.

Doyle made his MLB debut in the form of 2 1/3 innings over three appearances with Colorado in 2020, and then didn’t make it back to the Show until he posted a 6.85 ERA over 23 2/3 innings for the Rox this past season.  The 27-year-old Doyle dealt with some injury problems in between those two Major League stints, and he had a 3.41 ERA in 37 frames with Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, with a 26.6% strikeout rate and 48.9% grounder rate helping paper over some less-flattering secondary metrics.

It wasn’t enough for the Rockies to keep him on the 40-man roster, though Doyle could stick around in the organization if he clears waivers and opts to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.  Doyle has been previously outrighted in his career, so he has the ability to reject future outright assignments in favor of free agency.

Cleveland’s ability to draft and develop young pitching has been the organization’s backbone for years, and this strength was on display again in 2023 when Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen all looked good in their rookie seasons.  This isn’t to say that the Guardians are completely set in the rotation — the rookies could hit some setbacks now that the league has a book on them, and Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber both had injury problems last year.  Bieber is a free agent next winter and has been widely seen as a trade candidate this offseason, but even with Bieber’s departure potentially looming, it’s a sign of how far Quantrill’s stock fell that the Guardians were willing to move on.

Rather than non-tender Quantrill for nothing, the Guards did get some return back in Huff, a Stanford product who was a seventh-round pick for the Rockies in the 2022 draft.  He spent the 2023 season at the Rockies’ A-ball affiliate in Fresno, hitting .262/.357/.374 over 340 plate appearances.  Baseball America’s scouting report on Huff describes him as a “baseball rat” type, and “his well-rounded game and advanced instincts give him a chance to be a backup catcher.”  Cleveland has long prioritized defense from the catching position, and that stance doesn’t appear to be changing especially now that an ex-catcher in Stephen Vogt is the Guardians’ new manager.

Royals Acquire Nick Anderson

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The Royals have acquired right-hander Nick Anderson from the Braves, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (X links).  The Braves will receive cash considerations in return.

Anderson is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter, and is projected to earn $1.6MM in 2024.  The deal removes yet another player from the Braves’ arbitration class, which is now down to six players from 13 at the start of the offseason.  Since Anderson was a non-tender candidate anyway, the trade allows Atlanta to at least collect a small fee rather than lose the righty for nothing by cutting him prior to tonight’s 7pm CT non-tender deadline.

Best known for his two outstanding years as a bullpen weapon for the Marlins and Rays, Anderson posted great numbers in 2019-20, before running out of gas late in Tampa’s run to the 2020 World Series.  The righty was never quite the same again, as injuries cost him essentially all of the next two seasons.  Anderson threw just six innings in 2021 before a UCL injury put him on the shelf, and an internal brace procedure in his right elbow was eventually required.  Between this surgery and then a bout of plantar fasciitis, Anderson didn’t see any big league action during the 2022 campaign.

It was just over a year ago that the Rays waived Anderson, only for the Braves to sign him to a split contract.  The good news is that Anderson was able to return to a Major League mound, and he was pretty effective in posting a 3.06 ERA over 35 1/3 innings and 35 appearances, along with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate.  Unfortunately, injuries again sidelined the 33-year-old, as he missed over two months due to a shoulder strain and made only three minor league appearances after July 7.  Even at a pretty modest arbitration salary, Anderson was deemed expendable by the Braves.

Matt Quatraro was a coach with the Rays during Anderson’s tenure in Tampa Bay, so the Royals manager is very familiar with what Anderson can do when healthy.  Even the righty’s 2023 numbers indicated that he still has some of his old magic still in the tank, and for a Kansas City team in need of bullpen help, adding Anderson is a relatively inexpensive bet the Royals are willing to make.  Since the Royals might be out of contention again next season, Anderson might also be an intriguing trade chip to be flipped at the deadline, particularly since he is controllable through the 2025 season.

Eloy Jimenez Receiving Trade Interest

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The White Sox have been getting some calls about slugger Eloy Jimenez, GM Chris Getz told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (X link) and other reporters today.  There isn’t a sense that a deal might be close or that the Sox are truly inclined to shop Jimenez, but “teams are interested,” Getz said.  “It just has to make sense for both sides.”

Getz’s meeting with the media (including USA Today’s Bob Nightengale) also included a reiteration of the GM’s openness for talks, as he stated “I’ve made it very clear that the White Sox are willing to listen in on any of our players.”  This follows Getz’s statement from earlier this month, when he noted that there “are no untouchables” on the Chicago roster.  We saw some evidence of this last night, when the Sox dealt Aaron Bummer to the Braves for a package of five players.

Moving Jimenez would be another matter altogether, given his higher profile as a would-be franchise cornerstone.  Signed to a six-year, $43MM deal before he’d even made his MLB debut, Jimenez has hit .275/.324/.487 with 89 homers over 1777 plate appearances in five seasons.  With a 118 career wRC+, Jimenez has certainly been good, and he has shown some flashes of greatness at the plate with particularly good numbers in 2019 and 2022.

However, Jimenez’s production has been limited by injuries, and his 122 games and 504 PA from his 2019 rookie season remain his career high for playing time.  The White Sox have given Jimenez an increasingly large share of DH time over the last two years in an attempt to keep him healthy, and this might’ve worked to a limited degree in 2023, when he made 489 PA over 120 games.  Jimenez still missed over a month of the season, but that was mostly due to a one-off issue of an appendectomy.  Still, Jimenez didn’t hit particularly well, with a modest 105 wRC+ from 18 homers and a .272/.317/.441 slash line over his 489 PA.

Because Jimenez debuted in the majors as a 22-year-old, he has still yet to reach his true prime years, as he turns 27 later this month.  The White Sox owe him $13MM in 2024 and then hold club options on his services for the following two seasons, with values of $16.5MM in 2025 and $18.5MM in 2026 (with $3MM buyouts on both options).  That makes him a nicely affordable player if he can ever stay healthy and extend his 143 wRC+ from his 327-PA 2022 season over the course of a full year.

These three years of control over Jimenez might not necessarily put him within Chicago’s timeline, however.  Despite Getz’s comments about the roster and the fact that the White Sox are reportedly planning to reduce payroll, there isn’t yet a sign that the Sox are actually going to rebuild in the traditional sense.  At the time of Getz’s hiring, owner Jerry Reinsdorf was adamant about wanting to deliver another winning team, so another retooling doesn’t appear to be in the works.

Moving Bummer allowed the ChiSox to address multiple roster holes, and a Jimenez trade could conceivably work the same fashion should Getz find a suitable offer on the table.  In some sense Jimenez’s value has been lowered by his lackluster 2023 season, yet it isn’t surprising that teams are interested considering his age, contractual control, and perhaps the sense that a change of scenery is needed for Jimenez to hit his potential ceiling.

Cubs Interested In Shota Imanaga, “Have An Eye On” Corbin Burnes

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“The Cubs would like to acquire a starter” to add to their rotation depth, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers writes, with the idea that a new arm would help make up for the departure of Marcus Stroman.  To this end, the Cubs are exploring options on both the free agent and trade fronts, including Japanese southpaw Shota Imanaga and Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes.  As has been previously reported, Chicago is also in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s market, and of course the Cubs are one of the teams known to be interested in Shohei Ohtani, though Ohtani’s UCL surgery will keep him off the mound in 2024.

The Red Sox are the only other team publicly linked to Imanaga’s market thus far, and technically, his market has yet to officially open.  The Yokonama DeNA Baystars haven’t yet posted Imanaga for Major League teams, though the move is expected any day now.  Once Imanaga is posted, he’ll have 45 days to reach a deal with an MLB club, or else he’ll return to the Baystars for the 2024 Nippon Professional Baseball season.

Imanaga has a long track record of success in NPB and on the international stage, including a 3.18 ERA and 25% strikeout rate over 1002 2/3 innings with the Baystars, two NPB All-Star nods, and a World Baseball Classic gold medal as part of Japan’s championship team in 2023.  MLBTR ranked Imanaga tenth on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents and projected a five-year, $85MM deal for the left-hander, with Anthony Franco even predicting that Imanaga would land with the Cubs.

While $85MM isn’t small change, it does represent significantly less than Ohtani or Yamamoto will receive, making Imanaga an interesting backup plan for the Cubs (and other teams) if they don’t land one of the bigger names on the pitching market.  Five years/$85MM happens to be exactly what Chicago gave to another notable Japanese player in Seiya Suzuki two offseasons ago.  Though the Cubs did sign Dansby Swanson for $177MM last winter, Rogers notes that “under [president of baseball operations Jed] Hoyer and owner Tom Ricketts, the Cubs have been measured in their dealings with free agents.  Setting Ohtani aside, the organization isn’t the type that gets into bidding wars.”

Burnes’ price tag would just cover the 2024 season, as the former NL Cy Young Award winner is set for free agency next winter and is projected for a $15.1MM salary in his final year of arbitration eligibility.  Of course, Burnes would come at a different cost than just money, as Chicago would have to give up a significant trade package to obtain Burnes from the Brewers.  This might be more of a due diligence situation than a true pursuit, as Rogers writes that the Cubs just “have an eye” on Burnes should Milwaukee make him available in the first place.

A Burnes trade would also be contingent on many other factors, including the larger hurdle of whether or not the Brewers would specifically be open to trading Burnes within the NL Central.  As Rogers notes, Craig Counsell just surprisingly left the Brewers to become the new manager in Wrigleyville, only adding to the rivalry between the two clubs — and quite possibly the unlikelihood of the two sides coming together on any sort of trade, let alone a major swap.

Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, and Jameson Taillon are the Cubs’ current top three starters, with youngsters Javier Assad, Hayden Wesneski, and Jordan Wicks competing for the other two spots and veteran Drew Smyly on hand as either further depth or as a bullpen option.  On paper, this is already a surplus of arms, even before factoring in top prospect Cade Horton likely making his MLB debut in 2024, or Ben Brown and Caleb Kilian as further Triple-A depth.  However, adding another frontline starter would certainly solidify things for a Cubs team that wants to contend in 2024.  Signing Imanaga, for instance, might also give Chicago some flexibility in dealing from that young depth to address other needs.

Marlins Sign Tristan Gray To Minors Contract

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The Marlins signed infielder Tristan Gray to a minor league deal, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (X link) reports.  The Rays placed Gray on outright waivers earlier this month, and he became a free agent after clearing the waiver wire.

Gray had been a member of Tampa’s organization since February 2018, when the Rays dealt the infielder and Daniel Hudson to the Pirates for Corey Dickerson.  Something of a flier prospect at the time, Gray worked his way up the minor league ladder to Triple-A Durham, where he played for almost all of the 2021-23 seasons.  The exception to that extended Triple-A stint came this past September, when Gray made his MLB debut by appearing in two games for the Rays and homered and singled over five plate appearances.

Like many Rays products, Gray can play at multiple positions, with a lot of experience at every spot on the infield except catcher.  Most of Gray’s playing time has come at shortstop and third base, making him an interesting candidate for a bench job in Miami.  Jake Burger and Jon Berti are both right-handed hitters, so the left-handed hitting Gray could be a complement at either position or perhaps even a platoon partner with Berti depending on how the Marlins address the shortstop role.

Of course, new Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is very familiar with Gray’s work due to Bendix’s past role as Tampa’s general manager, so it isn’t surprising that Miami has snapped up a potentially useful player who was a little expendable to the Rays.  Gray is considered to be a decent but unspectacular fielder at his various positions, while the Rays are deep in infield talent.  As well, Gray has shown quite a bit of power in the minors, but is something of a one-dimensional bat.

Gray has hit 71 homers over his 1300 career PA at the Triple-A level, hitting the 30-homer threshold in each of the last two seasons.  However, Gray’s career slash line in Durham was a modest .233/.301/.474, as he posted 406 strikeouts and didn’t often walk.  Gray turns 28 in March so he isn’t exactly still an up-and-comer, yet his power potential indicates that he could still possibly be a late bloomer and a more productive overall hitter if he can just make more consistent contact.

Dodgers Sign Eduardo Salazar To Minors Deal

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The Dodgers have signed Eduardo Salazar to a minor league contract, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  The Reds outrighted Salazar off their 40-man roster back in August, and he elected minor league free agency after the season.

A member of the Cincinnati organization since 2017, Salazar is now changing teams for the first time in his professional career.  His stint with the Reds saw Salazar post a 4.38 ERA over 468 1/3 minor league innings, which includes a rough 9.09 ERA over 32 2/3 career frames at the Triple-A level.

However, 2023 saw Salazar pitch well at Double-A and then over his first few career Triple-A outings, which earned him his first look at the Major League level.  The righty ended up posting an 8.03 ERA in 12 1/3 relief innings for the Reds, with an even number of walks and strikeouts (five apiece) over his eight appearances.  Salazar’s production started to go south in Triple-A after his struggles in the big leagues, leading Cincinnati to make that outright assignment.

The 25-year-old Salazar had worked mostly as a starter before becoming a full-time reliever in 2023, though his low-strikeout, grounder-heavy approach doesn’t fit the preferred model for bullpen work.  Nonetheless, there’s no risk for the Dodgers in bringing Salazar aboard on a minors contract to see if he can unlock any new level of performance.  At worst, Salazar is a long relief option at Triple-A, and perhaps even in the majors if L.A. needs a fresh arm on short notice.

The Opener: Non-Tender Deadline, Trades, Ohtani’s Dog

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Three things to watch around the baseball world as we head towards the weekend….

1. Non-tender deadline day:

One of the busiest days of the offseason calendar, today at 7pm CT is the deadline for teams to issue contracts to their arbitration-eligible players.  Several dozen new free agents will be created today as clubs pass on retaining some of their arb-eligibles, and we’re in for a flurry of other related moves — trades to clear roster space, and at least a few contract agreements with players and teams avoiding a future arbitration hearing.

Matt Swartz’s annual projection model for MLB Trade Rumors gives some idea about what these arb-eligible players are set to earn next season, and naturally several of the names on that list have already reached agreements, been released, designated for assignment, or traded in the six weeks since Matt originally published his projections.  For an idea of which players might be a little nervous today, here is MLBTR’s list of potential non-tender candidates.

2. The Braves and White Sox swing a deal:

In case you missed it late last night, the Braves and White Sox got things rolling on non-tender day moves by announcing an intriguing five-for-one trade.  Aaron Bummer is now part of the Atlanta bullpen, while the Sox picked up five players — right-hander Michael Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor league right-hander Riley Gowens.  In one fell swoop, Chicago added some badly-needed depth to its rotation and middle infield, while moving a reliever who has a notable injury and who posted a 6.79 ERA over 58 1/3 innings in 2023.  That said, Bummer’s advanced metrics (such as a 3.72 SIERA) were far more favorable to the southpaw’s performance, and the Braves clearly wanted to do some roster-pruning in advance of today’s non-tender deadline.  Lopez (projected $3.9MM) and Soroka ($3MM) are both eligible for arbitration, so Atlanta managed to get some value for the two players rather than non-tendering them for nothing.

3. Ohtani’s adorable dog:

If Shohei Ohtani wasn’t enough of a viral sensation already, he gained even more buzz during last night’s announcement of the AL MVP Award.  Winning unanimous MVP honors for the second time in your career is one thing, but when you win the award with your best canine friend by your side for a high-five (high-paw?), the internet is going to take notice.  Somewhere, front office staffers are quickly googling lists of the best dog parks in their cities, searching for any sort of edge in Ohtani’s free agent sweepstakes.

Rockies Select Four Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Rockies announced their 40-man roster moves in advance of today’s Rule 5 deadline, bringing their allotment back up to a full 40 players.  Colorado selected the contracts of infielder Adael Amador, outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez, and right-handers Juan Mejia and Angel Chivilli.

There wasn’t much suspense over the first two moves, as Amador and Fernandez are two of the better prospects in all of baseball.  Baseball America and MLB Pipeline each rank Amador as the 21st-best minor leaguer in the game, while Fernandez is ranked 47th by BA and 49th by Pipeline.  The duo each reached the Double-A level in 2023 but didn’t perform particularly well, though Amador missed a lot of time with a broken right hamate bone.  It seems likely that Colorado will start both back at Double-A Hartford to begin the 2024 campaign, but it wouldn’t be a shock if either Amador or Fernandez got a cup of coffee in the majors before the year is out.

Mejia had a combined 5.06 ERA over 58 2/3 combined innings with High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford in 2023, but as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding wrote this week, Mejia looked quite impressive in Arizona Fall League action.  Though Mejia had nine walks over his 8 1/3 innings in the AFL, he also struck out 17 batters, highlighting in rather extreme fashion his career-long trend towards both missing bats and battling control problems.  The Rockies felt Mejia’s live arm is worth the protection, so the 23-year-old will now make a 40-man roster for the first time.

The 21-year-old Chivilli ran into some home run issues in Spokane this season, contributing to the 5.61 ERA he posted over 61 combined innings (57 in High-A ball, four at Double-A).  Like Mejia, Chivilli has saved some of his best work for the offseason, pitching well in Dominican Winter League action.

Mariners Designate Mike Ford, Select Zach DeLoach

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The Mariners announced that Zach DeLoach’s contract has been selected, adding the outfielder to the 40-man roster and protecting him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft.  To create roster room, Seattle designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment.

Ford is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, and is projected to earn $1.5MM.  It isn’t a huge sum, and Ford had a very solid 123 wRC+ while hitting .228/.323/.475 with 16 home runs over 251 plate appearances for the Mariners this season, but the M’s have seemingly decided that Ford is expendable.  Ford isn’t helped by his lack of minor league options, so a DFA was the only route for the Mariners to move him off the 40-man and possibly down to the minors, though today’s move has the feel of an early cut in advance of Friday’s non-tender deadline.

The 31-year-old Ford made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2019, bursting onto the scene with 12 homers and a .259/.350/.559 slash line over his first 163 PA in the Show.  Between that rookie season and his 2023 numbers, Ford has sandwiched some quality production around three far less-production seasons, as he batted .170/.275/.294 over 305 PA from 2020-22, bouncing around to five different clubs in that span (including a prior stint with the Mariners).

Should Ford indeed hit the open market again, he might have trouble landing a guaranteed contract, yet there’s some interesting potential here for a team willing to give him some consistent at-bats.  Ford is limited by his out-of-options status and the fact that he can only play first base, but a club looking for some low-cost production from a first baseman can do worse than bringing Ford to Spring Training.  Another reunion with the Mariners doesn’t seem out of the question, if at less than a $1.5MM salary.

DeLoach is one of a few interesting Seattle prospects who might be Rule 5 candidates come December, but for now, the outfielder is the only one locked into a spot on the Mariners’ 40-man roster.  A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, the 25-year-old DeLoach hit .286/.387/.481 slash line with 23 homers in 623 plate appearances for Triple-A Tacoma last season.  The hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League adds a grain of salt to those numbers, but the added pop answered some scouts’ criticisms that DeLoach hadn’t yet developed enough power at the plate.  Left field might be his only ideal spot in the outfield, but DeLoach does seem to have a chance to make his Major League debut at some point in 2024, in at least a reserve capacity.

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