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Red Sox To Use Garrett Whitlock As Reliever

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11:44AM: Whitlock is hoping to pitch normally during Spring Training, he told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other media.  His offseason work has thus far extended to bullpen sessions of up to 15 pitches.

11:31AM: Garrett Whitlock will miss the first month or two of the 2025 season as he recovers from an internal brace surgery performed last May, but when the right-hander does return to action, it will be in a bullpen role.  Whitlock told reporters (including Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe) today that the Red Sox intend to use him as a reliever in the coming season.

The news isn’t a huge surprise, given both Whitlock’s health status and the fact that the Sox have enough of a pitching surplus that the team is considering using a six-man rotation just to get everyone innings.  There is also the fact that Whitlock has been markedly better as a reliever (2.65 ERA in 132 2/3 innings) than as a starter (4.29 ERA in 109 innings) during his big league career.

After being selected away from the Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 draft, Whitlock burst onto the Major League scene as a reliever when he posted a spectacular 1.96 ERA over 73 1/3 innings during the 2021 season.  It was a tremendous breakout for a pitcher who had never even worked at Triple-A before making his MLB debut, and the Red Sox jumped to capitalize on that potential by signing Whitlock to a contract extension that will net him at least $18.75MM over the 2023-26 seasons, and might max out as a six-year, $44MM pact based on club options and escalators.

The Red Sox experimented with Whitlock as a starter in 2022, but moved him back to the pen after he missed about a month due to hip inflammation, and Whitlock continued to pitch well in a multi-inning relief role before a season-ending hip surgery in September.  Whitlock was again deployed as a starter to begin the 2023 season, but struggled to a 5.23 ERA in 51 2/3 innings over 10 starts before again returned to the relief corps.  This time, Whitlock had a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings as a reliever over the remainder of that season, as some elbow problems were the larger story of Whitlock’s 2023 campaign.

Injuries again surfaced in 2024, as Whitlock didn’t pitch again after suffering an oblique strain in mid-April.  A month after his IL placement, Whitlock came away from a Triple-A rehab outing with elbow soreness, and ultimately the UCL damage that necessitated his surgery.  Ironically, Whitlock had looked very sharp in his first four starts of the 2024 season, as an 1.96 ERA in 18 1/3 innings hinted that he was finally ready to step up as a regular member of Boston’s rotation.

It still seems possible that the Sox might again use Whitlock as a starter in 2026 or beyond, depending on his health, their rotation needs, or if the Red Sox exercise their club options on his services for the 2027 or 2028 seasons.  However, it could be that simply keeping Whitlock in a relief role might be the ideal path to keep him off the injured list.  As much as Boston might’ve hoped it had found a quality starter at a relative bargain price, having Whitlock as “only” a bullpen weapon for high-leverage innings is a pretty nice silver lining, assuming Whitlock can regain his 2021-22 form.

Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson are the highest-profile new additions to the Boston bullpen this offseason, and the exact nature of the relief mix might not be known for some time.  The Red Sox will still need to figure out which five or six arms will comprise their rotation, which excess starters might also be used in the pen, and simply who will be healthy.  Aside from Whitlock, Lucas Giolito, Patrick Sandoval, and Michael Fulmer are all returning from long-term injuries.

Latest On Brandon Woodruff

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Brandon Woodruff hasn’t pitched since September 23, 2023, as a shoulder surgery the following month cost the right-hander the entire 2024 season.  It also cost him what likely would’ve been a big long-term contract in free agency this offseason, and the injury also temporarily cost Woodruff his spot on the Brewers’ roster, as Milwaukee non-tendered him last winter before re-signing him to a two-year contract worth $17.5MM in guaranteed money.

The expectation was that Woodruff would be able to return to the mound in 2025, and in an interview with MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy earlier this week, Woodruff said he’s “in a really, really good spot” in his recovery.  He was given the go-ahead by Dr. Keith Meister (his surgeon) to go ahead with his standard offseason ramp-up process, and Woodruff is currently throwing twice-weekly bullpen sessions of fewer than 30 pitches.

The next steps will involve extending the pitch count and tossing multiple simulated innings, then facing live batters.  Brewers assistant athletic trainer Bryn Hester has worked with Woodruff “multiple times” this offseason, and Woodruff is slated to visit the team’s spring camp site this week to throw at the Brewers’ pitching lab.  Notably, Woodruff hasn’t tested his velocity this offseason, which was a planned tactic so he could focus simply on testing his shoulder and getting accustomed to pitching again rather than trying to hit any checkpoints on his fastball.

This focus on process is perhaps why Woodruff can’t yet guarantee that he’ll be ready for Opening Day, even though “I can tell you my mindset is to get ready for that.”  Woodruff told McCalvy that he views perhaps as much as the first half of the season as something of an evaluation period, as it might not be until later in the season that he’ll have his old velocity and full command of his pitching repertoire.

“The further I get out, the more months that I get under my belt, the better it is,” Woodruff said.  “Really, these first couple months coming up during the season are crucial.  I think if I can get through those okay and do just fine, I’ll be okay.”

Woodruff also revealed that he was aiming to try and pitch to hitters in a live batting-practice setting by the end of the 2024 season, though his shoulder “just wasn’t ready.  Like, I couldn’t do it.  And now I look back on that, I’m like, ’Gosh, that wasn’t but three months ago, and look at where I’m at now.  I’ve made so much progress.’ ”

A longtime staple of Milwaukee’s pitching staff, Woodruff has a 3.10 ERA and two All-Star appearances over his seven seasons and 680 1/3 innings in the big leagues.  Even while battling shoulder problems throughout the 2023 season, Woodruff still managed a 2.28 ERA during his small sample size of 67 innings, helping lead the Brewers to another division title.

The full-powered version of Woodruff projects to be the staff’s ace, or at least co-ace along with Freddy Peralta.  The two right-handers figure to headline a Brewers rotation that also includes Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, and new acquisition Nestor Cortes, though there’s naturally some flexibility built into that group based on Woodruff’s recovery timeline.  DL Hall and Aaron Ashby are the top depth starters, and a reunion with veteran Wade Miley also seems a possibility, though Miley is undergoing his own recovery from a Tommy John surgery last April.

It obviously shouldn’t be taken for granted that Woodruff will be able to regain his old form, given the severity of his injury and his lengthy layoff.  However, if he can pitch like something close to his pre-surgery self, Woodruff will line himself up nicely for a longer-term free agent contract next offseason, as he’d surely decline his end of a $20MM mutual option for the 2026 season (and pocket the $10MM buyout).

Since Woodruff turns 32 next month, it might be that his surgery cost him the opportunity to truly maximize his earnings.  As we’ve seen many times over, teams are still willing to pay good money to pitchers with checkered injury histories, even for pitchers who don’t have Woodruff’s strong track record.  The cost-conscious Brewers might well have traded Woodruff last winter (as they did Corbin Burnes) if he’d been healthy, but the club will instead hope to have Woodruff again helping the club reach the postseason, and this time make a deeper run into October.

NPB’s Orix Buffaloes Close To Signing Edward Olivares

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The Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball are close to a deal with outfielder Edward Olivares, according to multiple reports out of Japan and Venezuela.  Olivares signed a minor league contract with the Mets last month, but it seems as though New York will be releasing (or has already released) Olivares so he can pursue this opportunity with the Osaka-based Buffaloes.

Olivares hit only .224/.291/.333 with five homers in 196 PA with the Pirates last season, playing sharing right field duty with Connor Joe and Bryan Reynolds during the first half of the season.  Olivares’ final MLB appearance with Pittsburgh came on July 7, and the Pirates designated Olivares for assignment and subsequently outrighted him off their 40-man roster in August.

After making his big league debut with San Diego in 2020, the Padres moved him to the Royals at that season’s trade deadline, and Olivares has played 217 of his 285 MLB games in a Kansas City uniform.  The Royals tenure was highlighted by a .270/.322/.410 slash line (106 wRC+) over 559 plate appearances during the 2022-23 seasons, with Olivares making 385 of those trips to the plate in a semi-regular role in 2023 as Kansas City’s left fielder.  The outfield-needy Pirates were inspired enough by that performance to trade for Olivares in December 2023, but he couldn’t continue that production during his short time in Pittsburgh.

More recently, Olivares has been tearing it up in Venezuelan Winter League, which might well have caught the Buffaloes’ attention.  Despite that deal with the Mets, it isn’t uncommon for MLB teams to simply release players from minor league contracts if the player is relatively low on the depth chart.  Olivares is also out of minor league options, which would have complicated his chances of sticking in New York’s organization anyway even if he had cracked the Mets’ active roster at some point.

Olivares now looks set to start a new chapter in his career as he enters his age-29 season.  He’ll join Jordan Diaz and Luis Perdomo as two of the non-Japanese members of the Buffaloes’ roster, as the Osaka squad looks to rebound from a disappointing 63-77-3 record in 2024.

Red Sox Notes: Arenado, Casas, Bregman, Sasaki

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Reports last month from MLB.com’s John Denton indicated that the Red Sox, Mets, Phillies, Padres, Dodgers, and Angels were six of the teams (and perhaps the only six teams) Nolan Arenado was willing to waive his no-trade protection to join, should the Cardinals work out an acceptable swap with any of these clubs.  Four weeks after that initial report, Boston remains “a preferred destination” for Arenado, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam.  What isn’t known, however, is if the Red Sox and Cardinals are anywhere close on a deal, or if the Sox are particularly motivated to bring Arenado to Beantown.

Acquiring Arenado would check a couple of big needs off of Boston’s offseason shopping list.  Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reiterated earlier this week that the Sox were looking to add “a right-handed bat out of the middle of the lineup,” considering that the team is heavy with left-handed hitters.  Bringing one of the best defensive third basemen of all time to Fenway Park would instantly help Boston’s subpar infield defense, and Arenado would even be reunited with his good friend and former Rockies teammate Trevor Story.

One initial roadblock, of course, is the fact that the Red Sox already have a star third baseman in Rafael Devers.  Though Arenado has indicated that he is open to a position change in the right circumstance and Devers’ agent said in no uncertain terms in November that his client was staying at third base, it is hard to believe that Arenado would move off the hot corner in deference to a much weaker fielder in Devers.  If a trade did happen, Devers would presumably become the new first baseman or DH, though this creates other conflicts with Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida.

Both of those players, however, have been mentioned in trade talks this winter, and even in some of the same trade talks.  Casas is the far more valuable trade asset of the two, and while Breslow said “we’re certainly not shopping him,” that naturally doesn’t mean Casas is off limits.  Indeed, Cotillo and McAdam write that “there remains a belief in the industry that the Red Sox remain open to trading Casas, potentially for young pitching, to facilitate other roster maneuvering.”

It could be that the Sox are looking to first trade Casas before making any other moves, as their leverage in a Casas deal would be lessened if the Red Sox created a positional logjam beforehand.  Trading Casas purely as a vehicle to clear payroll space surely isn’t Breslow’s preference, which is why that aforementioned attempt to link Yoshida and Casas together was still part of an attempt to bring Luis Castillo from Seattle to Boston.

Payroll is also a major aspect of any Arenado trade, as the third baseman is owed $74MM over the remaining three seasons of his contract.  Between deferrals and the $10MM being covered by the Rockies, the present-day value of Arenado’s contract reportedly works out to $60MM.  The Cardinals’ chief incentive in trading Arenado is naturally to move as much of this money as possible, and the proposed deal with the Astros that Arenado blocked would’ve seen Houston take on either $45MM (as per Katie Woo and Chandler Rome of the Athletic) or $59MM (as per ESPN’s Jeff Passan) of the $60MM figure.

Theoretically, the Red Sox could absorb the entire contract and still stay under the $241MM luxury tax threshold, as RosterResource estimates Boston’s current tax number at just under $212MM.  It remains unclear exactly how much payroll capacity Breslow has been allotted this winter, as while the Sox have made overtures to several top free agents, their spending has been pretty modest to date.  The Red Sox could perhaps convince the Cardinals to take on a bigger chunk of Arenado’s salary (or at least closer to the $45MM figure) if better prospects are offered in return.  Chaim Bloom’s involvement in this speculative trade is an interesting wrinkle, as the incoming St. Louis president of baseball operations has plenty of knowledge of Boston’s farm system due to his past stint as the Red Sox CBO.

Trading for Arenado would come at a lesser overall cost than signing Alex Bregman, another top third baseman who remains on Boston’s radar.  That said, the Red Sox are known to still be in the running for Bregman, who has some notable ties to the Sox in manager Alex Cora (from their days together in Houston) and his longtime friend Walker Buehler, who just signed with the Sox himself before Christmas.  Buehler recently told Cotillo and other reporters that even in his brief time in a Sox uniform, “I have certainly made a pitch all over the place for [Bregman] to come to Boston.”

Turning to other Red Sox targets, it remains unknown if Boston is still one of the teams getting consideration from Roki Sasaki.  Earlier this week, Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe updated reporters on his client’s search for a Major League team, and didn’t give any indication that the right-hander was finished with his in-person meetings with interested clubs.

The Red Sox weren’t one of the seven teams known to have spoken with Sasaki already, and word hasn’t broken if a meeting has been scheduled or perhaps it is has already taken place since Wolfe’s last presser.  As of yesterday, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reported that the Sox hadn’t “been told they are out of” the running for Sasaki’s services, so the situation is still up in the air.

How NL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2024

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We covered the American League yesterday, so now let’s see what the National League’s 15 teams have done (so far) to address their least-productive positions from the 2024 campaign.  Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR breakdown is our guide, so let’s dive in…

Braves (Left field, -0.2 bWAR): Atlanta took a big chunk of money off the Mariners’ payroll to facilitate last winter’s five-player trade involving former top prospect Jarred Kelenic, with the idea that Kelenic would break out with a change of scenery.  Unfortunately for the Braves, their investment didn’t pay off, as Kelenic hit only .231/.286/.393 over 449 plate appearances with his new team.  Old friends Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario were also ineffective as part of the left field timeshare, and while Ramon Laureano played well, Atlanta still opted to non-tender Laureano in November.  Bryan De La Cruz was brought in on a split league deal but he might be targeted to play right field in place of the recovering Ronald Acuna Jr., and then perhaps shifted into a platoon with Kelenic once Acuna returns from his ACL rehab.  It has been a pretty quiet offseason overall for Atlanta, but acquiring an everyday outfielder to supplant Kelenic and company entirely might still be on the to-do list.

Brewers (First base, -0.6 bWAR): It’s never good when a team’s second highest-paid player is chiefly responsible for its least-effective spot on the diamond, particularly when that club is a lower-payroll outfit like Milwaukee.  Rhys Hoskins signed a two-year, $34MM deal with the Brew Crew last winter and unsurprisingly passed on an opt-out clause after he hit an uninspiring .214/.303/.419 over 517 PA in 2024.  Jake Bauers was even less effective as the left-handed side of the platoon and was outrighted off the 40-man roster and into free agency at season’s end.  The Brewers won’t be able to trade Hoskins unless they eat most of the $22MM still owed on his deal, so the hope for now is that the veteran will more consistent in his second year in Milwaukee, perhaps with former top prospect Tyler Black also contributing as Bauers’ replacement.

Cardinals (Right field, -0.1 bWAR): Alec Burleson put up pretty decent numbers during his 173 PA as a right fielder, but the other seven players who cycled through the Cardinals’ right field position didn’t contribute much of anything.  With St. Louis focusing on its younger core in 2025, the plan for now is to give former top prospect Jordan Walker an extended look as the everyday right fielder.  Walker doesn’t turn 23 until May and he has just 643 big league plate appearances over two seasons, so there’s still plenty of time for a breakout.

Cubs (Third base, 0.2 bWAR): The deadline deal that brought Isaac Paredes in from the Rays didn’t do much to stabilize the Wrigleyville hot corner, and the Cubs then shook the position up again by dealing Paredes to the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker trade package.  President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters last month that top prospect Matt Shaw will get a “long look” at third base, but “he has to earn that job.”  Chicago has been linked to such experienced third basemen as Josh Rojas and Yoan Moncada in the aftermath of the Tucker trade, so chances are the Cubs will bring in a veteran to compete with Shaw or split time at third base.

Diamondbacks (Rotation, 3.0 bWAR): Technically, the 2.2 bWAR that the Diamondbacks received from the center field spot is their lowest position on Baseball Reference’s chart.  However, since only two teams got less from their starting pitchers than Arizona did in 2024, it is more accurate to point to the rotation as the flaw that left the D’Backs painfully short of a playoff berth.  Injuries were the biggest reason for the rotation’s struggles, and it is possible that things will improve just if Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, and Jordan Montgomery are all healthier in 2025.  That didn’t stop the D’Backs from going out and signing Corbin Burnes to a surprising six-year, $210MM deal, which only enhances the likelihood that Arizona can now trade from its starting depth before Opening Day.

Dodgers (Center field, 1.2 bWAR): James Outman and Chris Taylor both struggled, and rookie Andy Pages fared far better defensively in left field than in center.  Fortunately for Los Angeles, trade deadline pickups Tommy Edman, Enrique Hernandez, and Kevin Kiermaier stabilized things up the middle late in the season and throughout the playoffs, helping the Dodgers win the World Series.  With Edman now signed to a long-term extension, he looks to be the top choice in center field going forward, though his ability to play all over the diamond gives the Dodgers some flexibility if another center-field option emerges.

Giants (Second base, -0.2 bWAR): Tyler Fitzgerald’s excellent rookie season ensured that he’d be lining up somewhere in San Francisco’s 2025 lineup, and the only question was whether or not the Giants would keep him at shortstop or move him elsewhere around the diamond.  With Willy Adames now locked in as the new starting shortstop, Fitzgerald will slide across the middle infield and take over the keystone.  Fitzgerald’s inflated .380 BABIP hints at a regression from his big 2024 numbers, though even a couple of steps back will still represent an improvement over what the Giants received from their second base mix last year.  Thairo Estrada saw the bulk of the playing time as the Giants’ second baseman in 2024, but the two sides parted ways entirely after the season and Estrada is now set to play for an NL West rival in Colorado.

Marlins (Left field, -1.2 bWAR): Left field edges out the catching position, as the Marlins only received -1.1 bWAR from their backstops in 2024.  Bryan De La Cruz and Nick Gordon are both gone, leaving left field open for Kyle Stowers or Jesus Sanchez as the primary left fielder next season, unless that duo are instead deployed in center (Stowers) and right (Sanchez).  Griffin Conine, Dane Myers, Javier Sanoja, and Derek Hill figure to all be part of the outfield mix in some regard, leaving the rebuilding Marlins with options about how exactly they’ll divvy up the playing time.

Mets (Bullpen, 0.0 bWAR): Only the Blue Jays and Rockies received less from their bullpens than the Mets in 2024, which perhaps reflects New York’s high-risk and high-reward approach to the relief corps.  The Mets had the highest reliever strikeout rate (27.7%) in baseball, but also the third-worst walk rate (10.7%), evening things out to a 4.03 bullpen ERA that ranked 17th of 30 teams.  President of baseball operations David Stearns has a long history of finding unheralded relievers that deliver good performances, which could be why the Mets’ bullpen moves have thus far been mostly restricted to adding a bunch of pitchers on minor league contracts.  Finding a gem or two within that group would help immensely, but signing a more clear-cut candidate for high-leverage innings would help immensely, particularly if that reliever is left-handed.

Nationals (Third base, -0.5 bWAR): After acquiring Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell to address their deficiencies at first base (0.3 bWAR) and DH (0.1 bWR), the Nationals figure to now more fully turn their attention to the hot corner.  The Nats explored the creative solution of longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres at the position, but Torres didn’t have interest in moving off the keystone and instead signed with the Tigers.  Whatever veteran third baseman Washington adds is likely to be a short-term fix, as top prospect Brady House looks like the long-term answer at the position and figures to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025.

Padres (Pinch-hitting, 0.4 bWAR): Among more regular positions, the Padres’ lowest total was 0.9 bWAR from their catchers.  Kyle Higashioka left in free agency to sign with the Rangers, weakening both areas and leaving Luis Campusano as San Diego’s top choice behind the plate.  There has been plenty of speculation swirling about the Padres’ offseason but little in the way of substantive moves, perhaps owing to the uncertainty surrounding exactly how much the front office has available to spend this winter.  Since the Padres are one of Roki Sasaki’s top suitors, it is possible the team might be holding off until Sasaki makes his decision to know exactly how they’ll proceed in configuring the rotation, perhaps trading away a bigger salary or two, and bolstering the catching corps and the bench.

Phillies (Right field, 1.0 bWAR): Nick Castellanos hit .254/.311/.431 with 23 homers over 659 plate appearances, translating to a decent but unspectacular 105 wRC+.  Castellanos’ value was further limited by his right-field glovework, which drew dismal reviews from public defensive metrics.  It added up to an 0.8 bWAR season for Castellanos, which isn’t a great result for a player on a $20MM salary.  With two years and $40MM more on Castellanos’ contract, the Phillies’ efforts to find a trade partner will be difficult, leaving the Phils somewhat limited to just hoping that Castellanos can hit better in his age-33 season.

Pirates (Right field, -1.2 bWAR): On the bright side for the Phillies, at least they didn’t have the shakiest right field situation in the state of Pennsylvania.  A whopping 12 different players saw some action in right field for the Pirates last season, and the three players with the most innings logged at the position — Bryan De La Cruz, Edward Olivares, Connor Joe — have already been let go.  Pittsburgh has been seeking some new outfield help but hasn’t yet landed a prominent regular to suit up alongside center fielder Oneil Cruz and left fielder Bryan Reynolds.  As always, the limited payroll will shorten the Buccos’ list of possible targets, but adding even a platoon bat to split time with the incumbent in-house backup outfielders would fill a big hole in the roster.

Reds (Third base, -1.9 bWAR): Cincinnati received only 4.4 total bWAR from its position players in 2024, the third-lowest total of any team in the sport.  This lackluster number included sub-replacement scores from pinch-hitters (-0.1), the DH spot (-1.3), first base (-1.3) and finally the hot corner as the weakest cog in this faulty model of the Big Red Machine.  Unfortunately for the Reds, third base was the position that was supposed to have been firmed up by the signing of Jeimer Candelario to a three-year, $45MM contract last winter, but Candelario struggled to a 225/.279/.429 slash line in the first season of his deal.  Santiago Espinal and Noelvi Marte also didn’t hit well in their time at third base when Candelario was deployed over at first base, yet the Reds seem likely to run it back with this same trio at the hot corner next year.  A bounce-back from Candelario would be most helpful in the short term, and a breakout from former top prospect Marte (who missed 80 games due to a PED suspension) could give Cincinnati a longer-term fix as the Reds continue to try and figure out their infield mix.

Rockies (Bullpen, -2.0 bWAR): Only the Blue Jays’ pen had a lower bWAR total, and Toronto was also the only collective pitching staff in the league with a negative bWAR, as the Rockies finished 29th of 30 in the overall pitching category with an even 0.0 bWAR.  The Rockies have thus far brought in a couple of experienced relievers in Diego Castillo and Jimmy Herget to compete for jobs, but as you might expect, it isn’t easy luring bigger-name bullpen arms to the thin air of Coors Field.  With the club unlikely to splurge much on signings, Colorado could be counting on some more minor league signings or internal improvement to help upgrade the relief corps.

Royals Sign Cavan Biggio To Minor League Contract

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The Royals announced that utilityman Cavan Biggio has been signed to a minor league contract.  While no mention was made in the team’s official announcement, it can be assumed that Biggio received an invitation to Kansas City’s big league Spring Training camp.

K.C. is Biggio’s fifth different organization within the last seven months.  Biggio had spent his entire pro career with the Blue Jays until Toronto traded him to the Dodgers in June, and Los Angeles released him two months later.  The Giants then picked Biggio up on another minors contract in August but he didn’t see any big league time with San Francisco before he was traded to the Braves in August.  Biggio appeared in four games with Atlanta and was then outrighted off the 40-man roster at season’s end, with Biggio opting for free agency.

Though all the moves, Biggio hit .197/.314/.303 over 224 total plate appearances with the Jays, Dodgers, and Braves in 2024.  Initially viewed as a potential cornerstone piece for the Blue Jays when he posted strong numbers in the 2019-20 seasons, Biggio hasn’t really been the same since his injury-riddled 2021 campaign, hitting only .216/.325/.349 over 1159 PA since Opening Day 2021.

The Blue Jays were short enough on left-handed batters that they kept looking for ways for Biggio to stick in the lineup in at least a platoon capacity, and he had some bursts of effectiveness in 2023 before falling back to earth last season.  While not a defensive standout at any position, Biggio has played first base, second base, third base, and both corner outfield slots during his career.  At the plate, Biggio has been able to draw walks pretty consistently, but this ability to get on base has been undermined by a lack of power and a lack of hard contact.

If Biggio makes the Royals’ roster, he projects as a left-handed hitting complement to Hunter Renfroe in right field or possibly Maikel Garcia at third base, though Biggio’s third-base glovework was far below par during his time at the position in Toronto.  Biggio’s general versatility could help him win a job on the K.C. roster, or he could act as minor league depth if he doesn’t opt out of his contract to seek out an opportunity on yet another new team.

How AL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2024

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We’re still over a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, and the 2025 season won’t begin until the Dodgers and Cubs play in Tokyo on March 18 (and the rest of baseball gets underway on March 27).  So, while there is still tons of time for clubs to keep shoring up their rosters, let’s take a look at how all 30 teams have thus far tried to fix their biggest weak points from last season.  Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR ranking identifies each how each team fared at every position in 2024, so let’s start by focusing on the American League’s 15 clubs…

Angels (Second base, -0.9 bWAR): This was the least production any team received from the second base position in 2024, as nine different players saw action at the Los Angeles keystone with little success.  The Angels made a push to sign Gleyber Torres before he joined the Tigers, and the club added to its infield mix by acquiring Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery.  This additional depth might allow the Halos to just install super-utilityman Luis Rengifo as the regular starter at second base, but they might want to keep bouncing Rengifo around the infield to fill other holes.  Shortstop Zach Neto’s shoulder surgery might keep him from making the Opening Day lineup, while Anthony Rendon’s lack of results has left the Halos looking for third base help.

Astros (First base, -1.0 bWAR): Jose Abreu’s continued struggles led the Astros to release him before even the midway point of the three-year, $58.5MM deal he signed in the 2022-23 offseason, and while Jon Singleton had a 105 wRC+ in 405 plate appearances, Singleton also finished the year with replacement-level production.  Houston responded to its glaring first base problem in a big way, inking Christian Walker to a three-year, $60MM contract.  Walker and Isaac Paredes now look to be the Astros’ new corner infield combination, with Paredes stepping in at third base in the likely event that Alex Bregman signs elsewhere.

Athletics (Third base, -0.6 bWAR): The issues at the hot corner narrowly edged out first base (-0.5 bWAR) as the Athletics’ biggest problem position, and the A’s are hoping Tyler Soderstrom’s continued development can help shore things up at first base.  As for the other corner infield slot, Gio Urshela was signed to a one-year, $2.15MM to add at least a bit of veteran stability at third base.  Darell Hernaiz also figures to get some at-bats at third base if and when Urshela spells Soderstrom against some left-handed pitchers.

Blue Jays (Bullpen, -3.9 bWAR): This was far and away the lowest bWAR for any team at any single position, which isn’t too surprising given how injuries and ineffectiveness torpedoed the Blue Jays’ bullpen last year.  Toronto started the overhaul from the top down, non-tendering former closer Jordan Romano after he missed most of the 2024 season due to elbow problems.  Old friend Yimi Garcia was re-signed to a two-year, $15MM contract, and Nick Sandlin was acquired from the Guardians as perhaps the overlooked part of the Andres Gimenez trade, but the Jays figure to add at least a couple more relievers before Opening Day rolls around.

Guardians (Catcher, 0.2 bWAR): Bo Naylor hit only .201/.264/.350 in 389 plate appearances during his first full Major League season, though his glovework was excellent.  Defensive specialist Austin Hedges was re-signed to again act as Naylor’s backup, so if nothing else, Cleveland might well have the best defensive catching tandem in baseball.  The Guardians are surely hoping for Naylor to contribute a lot more at the plate now that he has more experience against big league pitchers, and they’ll need the younger Naylor brother to pick up some of the overall offensive slack now that big brother Josh Naylor has been traded.

Mariners (First base, 1.1 bWAR): Luke Raley and trade deadline pickup Justin Turner helped stabilize the first base position later in the season, and the left-handed hitting Raley in particular did enough to have earned himself at least a platoon role on the 2025 team.  Re-signing Turner is still a possibility if the Mariners wanted to simply run it back, and some other first basemen linked to Seattle this winter — Carlos Santana, Paul Goldschmidt, Christian Walker, Josh Naylor — landed elsewhere. Rumors persist that Triston Casas might end up in Seattle if the Mariners and Red Sox can finally line up on a pitching-for-hitting trade, but for now, Raley appears to be the top option.  If another first baseman is indeed brought in, Raley could also get some at-bats at the DH spot, as the M’s only got 1.3 bWAR from their designated hitter group in 2025.

Orioles (Bullpen, 1.8 bWAR): Losing Felix Bautista to Tommy John rehab for the season understandably took a bite out of the Orioles’ relief corps, and Bautista’s expected return will alone help bolster the pen.  Apart from signing Matt Bowman to a minors deal, the O’s haven’t done much else to address their bullpen, and in fact subtracted from last year’s group when Jacob Webb was non-tendered and Baltimore declined its $4MM club option on Danny Coulombe.  However, it looks like Albert Suarez could be returning to the relief ranks now that Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano have been signed to join the rotation.  (We’re cheating the post’s premise a bit with this entry, as the Orioles’ 1.4 bWAR for pinch-hitters is technically their lowest of the positions listed by Baseball Reference.  However, since that 1.4 number is one of the better totals of any pinch-hitting group in baseball, the bullpen can more accurately be described as the weakest of the two positions.)

Rangers (Catcher, -0.1 bWAR): Jonah Heim was a big part of Texas’ 2023 championship team, but he had a rough season in 2024.  The Rangers are primarily counting on Heim to bounce back, but since he played in 279 regular-season and postseason games over the last two seasons, the addition of Kyle Higashioka should allow Heim to get more rest.  Higashioka signed a two-year deal worth $13.5MM in guaranteed money, which indicates that he and Heim will probably split the playing time in something closer to a timeshare rather than Higashioka acting strictly as a backup.  To add even more depth behind the plate, Texas also signed former two-time Gold Glover Tucker Barnhart to a minor league contract.

Rays (Catcher, 0.2 bWAR): Death, taxes, and the Rays trying to find an everyday catcher….some things never change.  Tampa Bay was aggressive in trying to obtain a one-year fix by signing Danny Jansen to a deal worth $8.5MM in guaranteed money, in the hopes that Jansen can rebound from a rough 2024 campaign.  Jansen generally posted strong numbers for the Blue Jays when he was able to avoid the injured list, but it seemed like the injuries caught up to him last year, particularly after he suffered a fracture in his wrist during Spring Training.  The Rays will happily welcome Jansen getting back to anything close to his old form, and Ben Rortvedt (last year’s most regular backstop) remains on the roster as the backup.

Red Sox (First base, -0.1 bWAR): The aforementioned Triston Casas played in only 63 games last season due to torn cartilage in his ribcage, and while he hit well over his 236 PA as a first baseman, it wasn’t enough to drag Boston’s first base corps over the replacement-level threshold.  Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been insistent that the Sox aren’t looking to move Casas, and that Rafael Devers will remain at third base rather than shifted over to first base (perhaps to make room for a third base upgrade like Alex Bregman).  For the moment, the first base spot looks solid enough just by dint of Casas having a healthy and productive 2025 campaign, but things could be shaken up quickly if a trade does indeed happen.

Royals (Left field, -0.7 bWAR): The Royals also received -0.1 bWAR from the right field position, and only three teams got less from their outfielders than Kansas City’s collective 1.0 outfield bWAR in 2024.  Former top prospect and incumbent left fielder MJ Melendez has yet to break out after three MLB seasons, plus veteran Hunter Renfroe is back in right field after exercising his $7.5MM player option for the 2025 season.  It wouldn’t be a surprise if either is moved to bench duty now since the corner outfield is a natural spot for the Royals to add a big hitter.  Some left field help might come from an unusual source, as both new acquisition Jonathan India and Michael Massey are apparently willing to move from second base to left field if it’ll help the team (and garner them more regular playing time).  Stay tuned to this situation, as now that K.C. is firmly back in playoff contention, the Royals should be more aggressive in shoring up the lineup to try and make a deeper October run.

Tigers (Shortstop, -0.3 bWAR): No team got less from the shortstop position than the Tigers, as Javier Baez endured a brutal season before undergoing a hip surgery in August.  With three years and $73MM still remaining on Baez’s contract, Detroit can only hope that improved health for Baez can salvage that has been a bust of a signing over the first three seasons of that deal, but the Tigers have already eyed ways to reduce Baez’s playing time.  Trey Sweeney might well end up getting the majority of shortstop time in 2025, but Ha-Seong Kim is also on Detroit’s radar as a possible shortstop candidate.

Twins (Second base, -0.1 bWAR): There’s plenty of fluidity around Minnesota’s infield, as any of Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien, or utilityman Willi Castro could be slotted in at second base next season, depending on how the Twins might address first base now that Carlos Santana has signed with Cleveland.  A healthy breakout year from Lewis or Lee at any position would be a massive help for a Twins club in a payroll crunch, as it doesn’t look like Minnesota will have much of anything to spend on new upgrades.

White Sox (Catcher, -1.8 bWAR): Korey Lee, Martin Maldonado, and Chuckie Robinson combined to give Chicago the least production of any catching corps in baseball.  Matt Thaiss was acquired from the Cubs to pair with Lee as the catching tandem for now, but highly-touted prospects Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel should both make their big league debuts at some point in 2025.  It will not surprise you to learn that a 121-loss team had plenty of weak links, as the White Sox got negative bWAR totals from the DH, left field, right field, second base, and third base positions.  To give you an idea of how little the Sox got from their position players in 2024, consider that the Marlins’ 2.1 bWAR from non-pitchers ranked Miami 29th of 30 teams.  The Sox were 30th, with a stunning -6.7 bWAR.

Yankees (First base, -0.1 bWAR): After Anthony Rizzo’s club option was declined, the Yankees checked in several first base candidates and technically came away with two, as Cody Bellinger was first acquired in a trade with the Cubs.  Signing Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5MM deal will now push Bellinger into outfield duty, and the Yankees are hoping that a change of scenery allows both former NL MVPs to rediscover some of their old form.  Focusing on Goldschmidt, the 37-year-old was hampered by a very rough first half that resulted in the worst overall season of his 14-year career, but his stronger second half and overall impressive hard-contact numbers hint that Goldschmidt has more to offer.  New York doesn’t even need prime Goldschmidt, as even getting a repeat of his solid 2023 numbers (122 wRC+ over 687 PA with the Cardinals) would be a substantial upgrade.

Giants Declined To Include Bryce Eldridge In Tucker/Crochet Trade Offers

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The Giants were known to have had interest in Kyle Tucker before the Astros traded the outfielder to the Cubs, and The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly shared some details on that pursuit plus the new information that the Giants were one of the many teams who talked to the White Sox about Garrett Crochet.  San Francisco “made legitimate offers” for both Tucker and Crochet, Baggarly writes, “to the point that [the Giants] were said to feel a bit uncomfortable with the players they were willing to sacrifice.”  However, neither offer included top prospect Bryce Eldridge, and thus no trades materialized since the Astros and Sox each viewed Eldridge’s inclusion as “a prerequisite.”

Eldridge was the 16th overall pick of the 2023 draft, and he has already hit .292/.379/.514 with 29 home runs over 649 plate appearances in the minors even before he turned 20 years old last October.  This hot hitting saw Eldridge moved up the ladder to four different affiliates during the 2024 season, though it is worth noting that his numbers dropped off (in small sample sizes) as he played higher levels of minor league ball.  Eldridge had a more modest .785 OPS in 40 PA with Double-A Richmond and then a .601 OPS in 35 PA with Triple-A Sacramento.

Since he has already reached Triple-A, it isn’t out of the question that Eldridge’s MLB debut could come during the 2025 season, especially given how San Francisco was already aggressive with his early promotions.  LaMonte Wade Jr. is a free agent next winter and has been the subject of trade speculation even this offseason, so the path should soon be clear for Eldridge as the Bay Area’s first baseman of the future.  While the Giants will naturally want to see him post better numbers in the upper minors before calling him to the Show, it is easy to see the potential in the 6’7″, 223-pound first baseman.

Eldridge fits the mold of a classic left-handed slugger, and scouting reports from both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America praise his huge power and his mature approach at the plate.  Pipeline and BA each place Eldridge 35th in the most recent editions of their league-wide top-100 prospects rankings.  He is the only Giants minor leaguer in Baseball America’s rankings, while Pipeline also has James Tibbs III (the 13th overall pick of the 2024 draft) 88th on their list.

In either case, Eldridge is certainly the top prospect in a San Francisco farm system that is considered to be relatively thin, so it isn’t surprising that the Giants aren’t eager to move him in any trades.  Obviously this is a big roadblock in negotiations, since as Baggarly notes, “any team dangling a solid-average everyday player or better is going to start by asking for Eldridge — and not likely to move off that position.”

The White Sox were known to be focusing on young position players in exchange for Crochet, and indeed three of the four prospects Chicago received from the Red Sox in the trade package were position players.  As per Pipeline’s rankings of San Francisco’s farm system, the Giants are slightly deeper in position players than pitchers, though not to the level of Boston’s depth.  Likewise, the Cubs still have a wealth of position players in their minor league system even after moving Cam Smith as part of the Tucker trade.

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and GM Zack Minasian have yet to complete a trade in their limited time leading the San Francisco front office, though in the view of rival executives, Baggarly hears the Giants have been “hyperactive in attempting to generate trade dialogue.”  Since questions remain about how much ownership is willing to commit to the payroll this season, the trade market could therefore be the Giants’ best method of adding talent to the roster, though that creates another layer of complication if other teams are chiefly focused on Eldridge among the minor league prospects.  As Baggarly frames the situation, some other front offices have been trying to see if they can get Posey or Minasian to bite on an unfavorable trade out of sheer inexperience, which has “led to a few opening offers…that have amounted to non-starters and time wasters.”

In terms of other trade candidates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle details some of the players the Giants could still look to pry away from rival teams, and reports that the Giants “had some interest” in Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner earlier this winter.  The past-tense phrasing, however, indicates that San Francisco moved on after signing Willy Adames as the new everyday shortstop, so Tyler Fitzgerald now looks to move from shortstop to second base.

Justin Verlander Drawing Interest From “Multiple Teams”

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There hasn’t been much public buzz about Justin Verlander’s market as the three-time Cy Young Award winner prepares for his 20th Major League season, yet business may be starting to pick up.  MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (video link) reports that “multiple teams [are] interested in” the right-hander, and that Verlander and former teammate Max Scherzer are in pretty similar situations as veteran stars looking for one-year contracts as they look to rebound from injury-shortened 2024 seasons.

Verlander tossed only 90 1/3 innings last season, and he didn’t make his 2024 debut until April 19 after a shoulder problem limited him during Spring Training.  That relatively minor issue was overshadowed by a neck injury in June that ended up sidelining him for over two and a half months, and Verlander then struggled to an 8.10 ERA in 33 1/3 frames after being activated from the injured list in August.  Discussing his health situation with reporters in late September, Verlander said “I think I came back from the neck injury a little fast….I want to be an asset for this team.  And to do that, I needed to be able to pitch and find out where I’m at.  Obviously, the results have not been good.  But there’s nothing you can do besides trying to pitch.”

The good news is that Verlander is now “in great shape,” according to Morosi, as the future Hall-of-Famer heads into his age-42 season.  Verlander has a well-earned reputation as a workhorse over his outstanding career, yet inevitably, more health issues have developed as he has gotten older.  Verlander missed virtually all of the 2020-21 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, he missed a couple of weeks during the 2022 season due to a calf injury, and a teres major strain kept him on the shelf for over the first month of the 2023 season.

The latter two of those injuries, to be fair, didn’t keep Verlander from tossing 337 1/3 total innings in 2022-23, plus 38 1/3 more frames in the playoffs.  His 2022 season in particular saw the righty deliver one of his best seasons, as he posted a 1.75 ERA while leading Houston to a World Series championship.  Verlander took a slight step backwards in 2023 but still had a 3.22 ERA in 162 1/3 combined innings with the Mets and Astros.

Even at age 42, Verlander has plenty of upside, as he has shown that he can still be an effective arm as long as he is healthy.  Obviously his health status is more of a question mark considering what happened in 2024, yet on paper, even serious neck soreness probably isn’t as big of a red flag to teams as something like an elbow or shoulder injury.  It probably isn’t a surprise that Verlander’s market has started to heat up as we get later into the offseason, and teams have had more time to both evaluate his medicals and to monitor the pitching market as a whole after several other free agents and trade targets have come off the board.

Morosi didn’t cite any specific teams that were considering Verlander, though any number of clubs could be a fit due to the ever-present need for pitching.  It can be assumed that Verlander is prioritizing joining contending teams, and Morosi’s suggestion that Baltimore could be a fit might no longer apply, as Morosi’s report was filed before the Orioles announced their one-year deal with Charlie Morton.  The Astros are the only team known to have interest in Verlander’s services, as GM Dana Brown said in November that he’d “had conversations” with Verlander’s agent.

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