Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Mitch White Signs With KBO League’s SSG Landers

By Mark Polishuk | November 15, 2024 at 10:02pm CDT

The SSG Landers announced that right-hander Mitch White has agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract with the Korea Baseball Organization team. White elected to become a minor league free agent at season’s end, after he was previously outrighted off the Brewers’ 40-man roster back in June.

A second-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2016 draft, White drew some top-100 attention during his time in the Los Angeles farm system, and he cracked the big leagues during the shortened 2020 campaign. White posted a 3.58 ERA, 22.02% strikeout rate, and 8.31% walk rate over 105 2/3 innings with the Dodgers from 2020-22, working as either starter or reliever based on the team’s needs.

L.A. often shuttled White back and forth between Triple-A and the majors as part of this swingman role, and ultimately found him expendable enough to be dealt to the Blue Jays at the 2022 trade deadline. The deal seemingly derailed White’s career, as the right-hander has badly struggled against MLB hitters since leaving the Dodgers organization. He posted a 7.74 ERA in 43 innings for the Jays for the rest of the 2022 season, and a 7.18 ERA in 36 1/3 innings since Opening Day 2023.

White’s 2024 workload of 23 2/3 innings was split between Toronto, San Francisco, and Milwaukee. The Giants picked White up from the Jays after Toronto designated him for assignment in April, and the Brewers acquired him a few weeks later after the Giants also sent him to DFA limbo. White’s only time in the minor leagues was spent with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate, and his numbers (4.06 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate, and 8.8% walk rate) were at least a marked improvement over his time in the Show.

Since White’s chances of landing a guaranteed contract from a Major League team this winter weren’t great, the move to South Korea allows White (who turns 30 in December) the opportunity to lock in a seven-figure salary. A strong showing with the Landers could put White back onto the radar for MLB teams next offseason, if he has interest in making a fairly quick return to North American baseball. Playing in the KBO League also some additional personal appeal to White, whose mother is Korean.

Marlins To Hire Pedro Guerrero As Hitting Coach

By Mark Polishuk | November 10, 2024 at 10:10pm CDT

The Marlins have hired Pedro Guerrero as their new hitting coach, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo and Andrew Baggarly. Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported earlier tonight that Guerrero and the Marlins were nearing a deal, and Baggarly reported last week that Guerrero was interviewing with Miami about an unspecified position on their coaching staff.

Guerrero comes to the Marlins after three seasons as an assistant hitting coach with the Giants. Notably, the first two seasons of Guerrero’s tenure in San Francisco continued his association with Gabe Kapler, who was then the Giants’ manager and is now Miami’s assistant general manager. Before coming to the Giants, Guerrero was also an assistant hitting coach with the Phillies from 2018-21, overlapping Kapler’s time as Philadelphia’s manager during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Miami has basically nowhere to go but up when it comes to hitting, as the 62-100 team naturally ranked near the bottom of the league in most major batting categories. Former hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coaches Bill Mueller and Jason Hart can’t be entirely blamed for the lack of production, of course, as the Marlins’ rebuild left the roster increasingly gutted of big-league caliber talent as the season developed. That said, the Fish also didn’t even hit much when they reached the playoffs in 2023, as Miami ranked 26th in the league in runs scored but benefited from an exceptional 33-14 record in one-run games.

Now that Clayton McCullough has been installed as the Marlins’ new manager, Guerrero is the first member of what will be an entirely new set of coaches. Miami underwent an internal overhaul after the season that saw the club fire not only the whole incumbent coaching staff, but also everyone from the training staffers to clubhouse attendants. This leaves the Marlins with plenty of positions to fill in the coming weeks and months, and with McCullough now in place as manager, hirings figure to begin quickly.

As for the Giants, they’ve now lost two members of their three-person staff of hitting instructors, between Guerrero’s departure and Justin Viele leaving to become the Rangers’ new hitting coach. Woo and Baggarly write that the Giants will install just one new hitting coach instead of two, and that sole new hire will team with the returning Pat Burrell as the hitting-coach tandem.

D’Backs, Nationals, Yankees Among Teams Interested In Christian Walker

By Mark Polishuk | November 10, 2024 at 9:31pm CDT

“At least six teams…plan to aggressively pursue” free agent first baseman Christian Walker, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes, adding that the Yankees, Nationals, and Diamondbacks are some of the teams involved in the hunt. The Mets are mentioned as perhaps more of a peripheral suitor, as Nightengale speculates that the Mets could chase Walker if Pete Alonso isn’t re-signed.

Ranked 13th on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, Walker is projected for a three-year, $60MM deal, with the shorter-term nature of that contract reflecting the fact that Walker will be 34 on Opening Day. Even as he gets deeper into his 30’s, however, Walker hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down. Over the last three seasons, the first baseman has hit .250/.332/.481 with 95 home runs over 1880 plate appearances with Arizona, which works out to a solid 120 wRC+. On top of that offense comes standout defense, as Walker has won the last three NL Gold Gloves and Fielding Bible awards in 2022-23 for his superb work at first base.

Because Walker will likely be getting a relatively short contract, any number of teams could conceivably be in the market for his services beyond just the usual big spenders. This could help the Diamondbacks (who have roughly $157.5MM already on the books for 2025) stay in the bidding, and one would imagine Arizona might have some extra advantage since Walker has stated that he has enjoyed his time with the D’Backs. Since Walker was issued a qualifying offer that he is sure to reject, a new team would have to give up draft picks and possibly international bonus pool money to sign him, whereas the Diamondbacks would face no penalty for re-signing their own free agent.

Retaining Walker would immediately patch a big hole in an Arizona lineup that could also be losing Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk in free agency. Pavin Smith hit well in 2024 and might be an interesting backup plan (in at least a platoon capacity) at first base if Walker left, though in the event that Walker returned, the D’Backs could then more comfortably view Smith a replacement for Pederson’s left-handed bat.

The Yankees also have a clear need at first base since Anthony Rizzo isn’t expected to be re-signed, and DJ LeMahieu has been in sharp decline over the last two seasons. Walker would bring more pop into New York’s lineup, and shore up the infield defense that suddenly became an issue during the World Series. (For what it’s worth, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco and Darragh McDonald both predicted Walker would sign with the Yankees within the top 50 list’s projections.)

Signing a QO-rejecting free agent comes at a particularly stiff price for the Yankees, as since they exceeded the luxury tax threshold, they’d have to give up two draft picks and $1MM in international bonus money. This isn’t necessarily a roadblock for New York if the club particularly likes what Walker can offer, and the Yankees might have an edge of their own on the qualifying offer front since they wouldn’t have to give up picks to re-sign Juan Soto. It has been speculated that the Yankees might turn to Alonso as the backup plan if Soto goes elsewhere, yet even in that scenario, New York might still prefer Walker due to the lower price tag and greater all-around value, as Alonso is only a passable defender.

Washington is perhaps the most interesting of the three known suitors, as unlike the D’Backs and Yankees, it has been a while since the Nats were in contention. The club’s rebuild process has brought some very interesting younger building blocks (James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, MacKenzie Gore, Luis Garcia Jr., etc.) to the District, and with Wood and Crews now in the majors, there have been rumblings that the Nats are ready to turn the corner back towards contention. Signing Walker would have some echos of the Nationals’ signing of Jayson Werth during the 2010-11 offseason, as that big-ticket addition signaled that the Nats were going to start competing after years of rebuilding.

President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo has openly stated that the Nationals are looking for more pop in the middle of the lineup, and first base is the logical position for such an upgrade. Washington received a cumulative 0.3 bWAR from their first basemen in 2024, and the club has already started clearing space at the position by parting ways with Joey Gallo and Joey Meneses.

Since the Nationals weren’t luxury tax payors and don’t receive revenue sharing, they face the mid-range penalty for signing a qualified free agent — their second-highest 2025 draft pick and $500K in international pool money. The overall payroll impact for Walker can be easily absorbed since Washington has only Keibert Ruiz’s contract on the books, in addition to the two remaining years’ worth of salary still owed to Stephen Strasburg.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Mark Polishuk | November 10, 2024 at 8:29pm CDT

Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat

Marlins Hire Clayton McCullough As Manager

By Mark Polishuk | November 10, 2024 at 1:01pm CDT

Nov. 11: The Marlins have now formally announced the hiring.

Nov. 10: The Marlins have hired Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reports (X link). This is the 44-year-old McCullough’s first job as a skipper at the big league level.

It was no secret that the Marlins would be moving on from Skip Schumaker at season’s end, and Miami interviewed such names as McCullough, then-Rangers associate manager Will Venable, Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Tigers bench coach George Lombard, and the Marlins’ own former bench coach Luis Urueta (who worked on Schumaker’s staff). After speaking with over 10 candidates in Zoom interviews, the Marlins then met with Venable and Albernaz for in-person interviews, seemingly establishing the two as finalists.

However, Venable was then hired by the White Sox as their new manager, while Albernaz chose to remain in Cleveland and pulled himself out of the running for the managerial jobs in both Chicago and Miami. This left the Marlins turning to another candidates, and the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote that the club had an in-person meeting with McCullough this past week in McCullough’s home in Jupiter, Florida. Since the Marlins hold their Spring Training camp in Jupiter, it makes for something of a homecoming for McCullough as he embarks on his new chapter in his career.

McCullough was a minor league catcher in Cleveland’s farm system from 2002-05 before beginning his coaching career at age 27 as the manager of the Blue Jays’ Gulf Coast League rookie ball affiliate. McCullough managed in Toronto’s farm system from 2007-14, working his way up the ladder to manage at all three A-level affiliates before leaving the organization to join the Dodgers in 2015. Initially working as the Dodgers’ minor league field coordinator, McCullough spent a couple of years working with Gabe Kapler (now the Marlins’ assistant GM) when Kapler was Los Angeles’ director of player development.

The move to the big league coaching staff came in 2021, and McCullough has been the L.A. first base coach for the last four seasons. It wasn’t long before McCullough’s name began to surface in managerial searches around the league, as McCullough was a candidate for vacancies with the Mets, Brewers, Guardians, and Royals in recent years, in addition to the consideration from the White Sox this very offseason. The Royals’ job was probably McCullough’s closest call, as he was reportedly a finalist two years ago before Kansas City opted to hire Matt Quatraro.

McCullough now faces a tough challenge in his first managerial gig, as the Marlins are coming off a 100-loss season. Miami’s wild card berth in the 2023 playoffs seems like ages ago now, since the club parted ways with general manager Kim Ng and hired Peter Bendix as the new president of baseball operations. Bendix’s first assignment has been to reinforce the minor league system and tear down the MLB roster, leaving Miami fans facing yet another rebuild.

There obviously isn’t any pressure on McCullough to win any time soon, as his chief task will be to oversee a pretty inexperienced roster. Rather than wins or losses, McCullough’s immediate results will be gauged on how the young Marlins (both on the active roster and coming up from the farm) can develop at the big league level. McCullough’s history as a minor league manager will surely help in this regard, as will his pedigree as a coach with a World Series-winning team.

With the Marlins’ decision now made, the managerial hiring cycle is now complete for the offseason, barring any unexpected firings in the coming weeks or months. McCullough joins Venable and Reds manager Terry Francona as new bench bosses heading into the 2025 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Yankees Interested In Carlos Estevez

By Mark Polishuk | November 9, 2024 at 6:45pm CDT

The Yankees are casting a wide net in their search for relief pitching, including some of the names in the top tier of the free agent bullpen market. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi writes (X link) that Carlos Estevez is one of the relievers the Yankees are looking at, on the heels of Estevez’s 26-save season with the Angels and Phillies.

Estevez collected his share of saves as a high-leverage member of the Rockies’ bullpen from 2016-22, but he didn’t become a full-time closer until 2023, after he’d signed a two-year, $13.5MM contract with the Angels in his previous trip to the open market. Estevez racked up 31 saves in his first season in Los Angeles while posting a 3.90 ERA over 62 1/3 innings, and followed that up with a 2.38 ERA over 34 frames this year before the Angels sent him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline. The bottom-line result of a 2.57 ERA over 21 innings with the Phils was still impressive, though Estevez had diminished strikeout and walk rates following the trade.

All in all, the right-hander delivered a 2.45 ERA across 55 innings, with an excellent 5.7% walk rate. The Statcast metrics revealed a few more red flags than red data points, as Estevez’s strikeout rate was barely above league average, and his barrel and hard-hit ball rates were both quite poor. A .229 BABIP might be the key stat of Estevez’s season, and while his 3.57 SIERA was still respectable, the number is over a run higher than his actual ERA.

Then again, perhaps Estevez was due a bit of balance considering that he entered the season with a career .320 BABIP. The righty’s career strikeout numbers have tended to fluctuate since Estevez isn’t good at getting batters to chase outside the zone, yet he still possesses plenty of velocity in his 96.8mph fastball. Estevez has relied heavily on that pitch over his career, though his slider and changeup were also plus pitches in 2024.

MLBTR ranked Estevez 22nd on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, projecting a three-year, $27MM deal for the reliever as he enters his age-32 season. Naturally Estevez figures to get plenty of attention from teams that need a proper closer, yet the Yankees technically have that position addressed after Luke Weaver’s late-season emergence. It makes sense that New York would seek out a more proven closer in case Weaver comes back to earth, or perhaps if the Yankees want to use Weaver in more of a situation role than strictly as a ninth-inning specialist.

AL Central Notes: Royals Pitching, Rodriguez, Manning

By Mark Polishuk | November 9, 2024 at 5:17pm CDT

With Michael Wacha retained on a three-year deal worth at least $51MM, “we don’t expect to be in the market for a starter moving forward. We’re going to focus on some other things,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters during the GM Meetings. Picollo cited the projected top five of Wacha, Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Brady Singer, and Alec Marsh, and said that the Royals continue to view Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch as starters even though both pitched primarily as relievers in 2024. All in all, the GM is “very comfortable with our starting pitching right now,” and added that “we feel very good about the depth of our bullpen right now” as well.

As noted by MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, it is possible the Royals could still add a veteran arm as depth, so the door probably isn’t closed entirely on Kansas City’s starting pitching plans even if re-signing Wacha checked a major box on the to-do list. There were some reports earlier this week suggesting that the Royals could consider moving Marsh or Bubic in order to land lineup help, and such a trade would in all likelihood lead to K.C. pursuing some extra pitching to shore up the depth chart. Some level of relief additions are also probably likely, even if these might take the form of minor league signings if Picollo is really as set as he claims about the bullpen mix.

Mets Interested In Garrett Crochet

By Mark Polishuk | November 9, 2024 at 3:57pm CDT

Garrett Crochet is the most obvious trade candidate of the 2024-25 offseason, and multiple clubs have already been linked to the White Sox left-hander both in recent days and dating back to last summer’s trade deadline. The Mets are a new club to emerge in the hunt, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman (hat tip to the Post’s Matt Ehalt) reports that the Amazins are also involved in talks about Crochet’s availability.

The fit is obvious, as the Mets are in clear need of starting pitching with Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana all entering free agency. While New York has the spending power to pursue the top names on the free agent market, upgrading the rotation solely through big-ticket signings isn’t really the M.O. of president of baseball operations David Stearns, who has had a lot of success on the trade front during his time with the Brewers.

Crochet is entering his second year of arbitration and is projected for only a $2.9MM salary in 2025, making him immensely affordable for his final two years of team control. While Crochet’s salary isn’t as much of an issue for the Mets as it would be for smaller-market clubs, filling a big hole in the rotation at a fairly minimal cost would allow New York to spend bigger elsewhere, whether on more pitching or on its pursuit of Juan Soto.

Of course, acquiring Crochet comes with a different kind of price tag, as the White Sox are naturally looking to score a huge return. Landing a key building block or two in a Crochet deal is critical to Chicago’s rebuilding plans, as Crochet is the franchise’s top current trade asset, in the wake of Luis Robert’s disappointing 2024 season. With so many suitors in the running, the White Sox can afford to be a little picky in determining which trade package is the best fit for their needs.

To this end, GM Chris Getz has been rather open about his specific demands for Crochet, as Getz recently stated that the White Sox “are focusing on position player return….We certainly need to improve our offense.” As Ehalt notes, the Mets view a strong minor league pipeline as the backbone of their plan for perpetual contention, and the organization was wary about moving prospects even before Stearns was hired last year.

Back in August, Baseball America ranked the Mets’ farm system as the tenth-best in the sport, with MLB Pipeline putting the Amazins not far behind in the No. 13 position in their own ranking. While other teams might have more to offer the White Sox in terms of sheer prospect quality and depth, New York isn’t short on interesting potential trade chips, particularly on the position-player side. Former top prospect Brett Baty might be at the top of that list, as while Baty has yet to do much in his brief MLB career, plenty of clubs were checking in on his services at the deadline.

Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio are other notables who have made it to the majors, though Mauricio didn’t play in 2024 due to a torn ACL. Looking at Mets position players who have yet to reach the Show, Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, and Carson Benge are all ranked within Pipeline’s current league-wide top 100 list. It stands to reason that the Mets would need to offer at least two of these players just to get Chicago’s attention in the Crochet market, though another club that offers a true blue-chipper of an elite prospect might have the edge.

Yankees Sign Brandon Leibrandt To Minors Deal

By Mark Polishuk | November 9, 2024 at 2:17pm CDT

The Yankees signed Brandon Leibrandt to a minor league contract, according to the left-hander’s profile page at MLB.com. The Reds designated Leibrandt for assignment and outrighted him off their 40-man roster at the end of October, upon which Leibrandt opted to become a minor league free agent.

A sixth-round pick for the Phillies back in the 2014 draft, Leibrandt made his MLB debut in the form of nine innings and five appearances with the Marlins in 2020. That cup of coffee marked his last trip to the Show until this past season, when Leibrandt tossed 6 1/3 innings over two appearances with Cincinnati.

In between those two big league stints, Leibrandt pitched in the minors with the Marlins and Cubs, and he spent the entire 2023 campaign and the start of the 2024 season outside of affiliated baseball, pitching with the Atlantic League’s High Point Rockers. Leibrandt had a 2.70 ERA over 80 innings with the Rockers, which was enough for the Reds to give him a look on a minor league deal last May.

Leibrandt is turning 32 in December, so he’d be a late bloomer if he can unlock something at this stage of his career and catch on as a reliable big league pitcher. However, the Yankees have had a solid recent track record at getting results out of unheralded pitchers, and Leibrandt’s seven percent career walk rate in the minors is a hint that he might possess MLB-caliber control. There’s no risk for the Yankees in bringing Leibrandt to Spring Training and seeing what he can offer as a southpaw depth arm for the bullpen.

Reds Sign Alex Jackson To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | November 9, 2024 at 1:45pm CDT

The Reds signed catcher Alex Jackson to a minors deal, as per Jackson’s MLB.com profile page. While not specified, the contract presumably includes an invitation for Jackson to attend Cincinnati’s big league spring camp. Jackson chose to become a minor league free agent last month after he was outrighted off the Rays’ 40-man roster in September.

A veteran of five Major League seasons, Jackson’s 58 games and 155 plate appearances last year represented a new career high for the backstop, though he did very little with the opportunity. Jackson hit only .122/.201/.237 over those 155 PA, with his 29 wRC+ was a whopping 71 percent below the league-average 100 wRC+ threshold. These numbers essentially matched Jackson’s career .132/.224/.232 slash line in 340 PA with the Rays, Brewers, Marlins, and Braves.

It has been something of an unexpected career arc for Jackson, whose was seen as something of a hit-first catcher when the Mariners selected him sixth overall in the 2014 draft. Jackson instead morphed into a quality defensive backstop who has simply been unable to hit big league pitching. The Rays were content enough with Jackson’s defense to give him semi-regular playing time in 2024, but finally moved on by removing him from their 40-man roster in September.

Cincinnati declined its club option on Luke Maile and Austin Wynns became a minor league free agency after the season, leaving the Reds in sore need for a backup catcher to spell starter Tyler Stephenson. Jackson and Stephenson are the only catchers in the organization with any MLB experience, and it is likely the Reds will bring in one or two more catchers to compete with Jackson in Spring Training.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect