Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Pirates Sign Tanner Rainey, Hunter Stratton To Minor League Contracts

By Mark Polishuk | December 8, 2024 at 11:14am CDT

The Pirates have signed right-handers Tanner Rainey and Hunter Stratton to minors deals, as respectively reported by Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton (X link) and Stratton’s MLB.com profile page. Rainey’s contract contains an invitation to the Pirates’ big league spring camp, and it can be assumed that Stratton’s deal also has an invite, though Stratton’s uncertain health situation in the wake of knee surgery could limit his participation in Spring Training.

Rainey heads to Pittsburgh after a topsy-turvy six-year run with the Nationals, highlighted by a World Series ring in his first year with the club. Rainey delivered a 3.91 ERA and 34.6% strikeout rate in 48 1/3 relief innings for that 2019 championship team, but also had an ugly 17.8% walk rate. These control issues plagued Rainey for most of his time in Washington, and he also missed virtually all of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

After Rainey posted a 4.76 ERA, 19% strikeout rate, and 12.6% walk rate over 51 innings in 2024, the Nationals unsurprisingly decided to non-tender the righty, even though Rainey was projected for a modest $1.9MM arbitration salary. Now entering his age-32 season, Rainey will look to rebuild himself in the Bucs’ spring camp, and hopefully regain some of the form and velocity that made him a valuable bullpen asset for the Nats in 2020 and 2022.

Stratton was also non-tendered by the Pirates in November, but there was an expectation that Pittsburgh would (just as they did last offseason) re-sign the righty to a new minor league deal. Stratton has an impressive 3.26 ERA and 4.9% walk rate across 49 2/3 career Major League innings, all with Pittsburgh over the last two seasons. Despite a lack of big strikeout totals, Stratton’s ability to induce soft contact has made him an interesting relief option out of the Pirates’ bullpen.

Unfortunately for Stratton, his 2024 season was cut short by a flukish injury on August 24 that left him with a ruptured patellar tendon. Stratton was behind home plate at PNC Park and pursuing a loose ball when he stumbled into the stone wall, causing the injury and putting his career on hold for an estimated 7-10 months. This fluid timeline means that Stratton would return anywhere from Opening Day to late June, but the minor league contract gives him plenty of time to fully get himself right during Spring Training or in the Pirates’ farm system.

Tigers Interested In Ha-Seong Kim

By Mark Polishuk | December 8, 2024 at 10:38am CDT

The Tigers have shown interest in infielder Ha-Seong Kim, as related by the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold in a recent appearance on the Days Of Roar podcast. The Blue Jays, Giants, and Kim’s former team the Padres have all been publicly connected to Kim this offseason, though it is fair to guess that San Francisco may be out of the running after signing Willy Adames.

As recently noted by Anthony Franco in a piece for MLBTR Front Office subscribers, Kim is one of the trickiest players to evaluate within the 2024-25 free agent class, owing to the shoulder surgery that Kim underwent in late September. Kim will miss some time at the start of the 2025 season, though the exact timeline is up in the air — agent Scott Boras said a late-April return is possible, while Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller in October said Kim might not be ready until “May, June, July.” It should be noted that Preller was speaking broadly on the topic rather than giving any sort of definitive timeline, yet even raising the possibility of a three-month range adds to the uncertainty over Kim’s health.

Some teams have still floated the idea of signing Kim to a multi-year contract, though the exact nature of such offers aren’t clear. It would be risky to offer Kim something like four or five guaranteed years, but a two-year contract (likely with a player opt-out after 2025) seems entirely plausible. Kim and agent Scott Boras might also seek out a flat one-year deal with the same idea of Kim getting to quickly re-enter the market next winter, ostensibly on the heels of a healthier and productive platform year. MLBTR’s projection of a one-year, $12MM contract for Kim supports this strategy, though Boras is no stranger to creative deals that provide his clients with plenty of flexibility.

A shorter-term contract might have more appeal to the Tigers, who are reportedly seeking out such deals in regards to starting pitchers. Now that Detroit is coming off a wild card berth and an ALDS appearance, the expectation has been that ownership and president of baseball operations Scott Harris will be somewhat more aggressive in upgrading on seems like a winning core, though the Tigers’ offseason has been pretty quiet to date, albeit with some rumors of interest in Jack Flaherty or Alex Bregman.

From a pure baseball perspective, a healthy Kim would be an ideal fit for the Tigers in many ways. As Petzold notes, Kim’s speed and high-contact/low-strikeout approach greatly helps a Tigers team that finished near the bottom of the league in OBP and stolen bases, plus Kim’s right-handed bat adds balance to Detroit’s lefty-heavy lineup. Kim is also a strong defensive player at multiple infield positions, so he could address the team’s needs at either third base or shortstop.

Javier Baez is still technically the incumbent starting shortstop, but his stock is at an all-time low after three increasingly poor seasons in Detroit and a hip surgery that ended his 2024 campaign in August. Baez is still owed $73MM through the 2027 season, and since the Tigers would just be eating the money anyway in releasing him, the team might as well give Baez another chance at the start of the season to see if his surgery has perhaps corrected any of the health issues that led to his dropoff in production.

Trey Sweeney stepped into the shortstop role after Baez’s season ended prematurely, and Sweeney played well enough to put himself into the conversation for more regular playing time as well. If the Tigers signed Kim, Detroit could just stick with Baez and Sweeney at shortstop until Kim is ready to play, and then evaluate whether Kim could just take over at shortstop, or perhaps play third base if Baez or Sweeney are having productive seasons.

AL East Notes: O’Neill, Grichuk, Holmes, Rays

By Mark Polishuk | December 8, 2024 at 9:46am CDT

At the end of last season, both Tyler O’Neill and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow expressed interest in the possibility of O’Neill returning to Boston on a new contract. That possibility is now officially off the board after O’Neill signed a three-year, $49.5MM deal with the Orioles yesterday, and as per WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford (Bluesky link), the Sox “were not very aggressive” in their attempts to re-sign the outfielder. Boston’s pursuit of Juan Soto simply took precedence, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes, as since the Red Sox are one of the teams still waiting on Soto to make his decision, the Sox didn’t make O’Neill any offers.

Mets Interested In Eovaldi, Manaea, Pivetta, Flaherty

By Mark Polishuk | December 8, 2024 at 9:03am CDT

The Mets’ offseason has thus far revolved around their pursuit of Juan Soto and their attempts to reload a pitching staff full of free agents. Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana are on the open market and Luis Severino has already departed to sign a three-year, $67MM deal with the Athletics. New York has responded by signing Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to relatively inexpensive contracts, but the team could be looking at further bolstering the rotation with a bigger splash.

Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, and Jack Flaherty are three of the names the Mets have shown interest in this winter, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon. Re-signing Manaea is also still a possibility, as Rosenthal/Sammon note that the Mets remain open to a reunion with the left-hander.

Montas signed a two-year, $34MM contract, while the Mets gave Holmes $38MM over a three-year deal. Given that Eovaldi has a lengthy injury history and is entering his age-35 season, his next contract isn’t likely to surpass three years in length, which fits David Stearns’ preferred method of giving shorter-term contracts to pitchers. MLBTR projected Eovaldi to land a two-year, $44MM contract, though it is easy to imagine Eovaldi landing more from the Mets or another team considering how many pitchers have already landed higher-than-expected paydays this offseason.

Despite his age, Eovaldi has remained a very solid pitcher, and it was just in 2023 that he posted an All-Star season while helping the Rangers win the World Series. The 2024 campaign saw Eovaldi deliver a 3.80 ERA and above-average strikeout and walk rates, and his 170 2/3 IP marks the third-highest innings total of his 13 big league seasons. The right-hander is no stranger to high-pressure championship games in big markets, and seems like a strong fit on a Mets team that has designs on contending for a World Series in 2025.

Flaherty won a ring himself with the Dodgers just this season, capping off a strong bounce-back season that saw him post a 3.17 ERA over 162 combined innings with Los Angeles and Detroit. The righty is now looking to translate that platform year into a big contract, and since he just turned 29, Flaherty is also younger than Eovaldi, Manaea (33 in February), and Pivetta (32 in February). However, that also means Flaherty is seeking a longer-term deal, with Rosenthal and Sammon figuring a contract of between four and six years.

MLBTR’s projection split that difference with a five-year, $115MM prediction for Flaherty’s next contract. It remains to be seen if the Mets would be willing to meet that price, or if Stearns is wary about giving such a deal to a pitcher who battled injuries and ineffectiveness from 2020-23. This isn’t to say that the Mets president of baseball operations is entirely adverse to longer-term contracts, though Stearns’ chief tactic has been to seek out “the next Flaherty” in the sense of looking for promising arms with bounce-back potential.

Re-signing Manaea is perhaps the most comfortable option given the Mets’ pre-existing familiarity with the veteran left-hander. There was plenty to like about Manaea’s first season in Queens, and he chose to capitalize on his strong season by opting out of the final year of his contract (worth $13.5MM) with the Mets to pursue a bigger deal in free agency. Interestingly, Rosenthal and Sammon write that at least one other team interested in Manaea has discussed the possibility of a four-year contract, which would be a bold commitment to a pitcher of Manaea’s age and somewhat inconsistent track record.

The qualifying offer is also a factor in the Mets’ pursuits. Eovaldi and Flaherty weren’t eligible for the QO and thus no compensation is attached to their services. Manaea and Pivetta both turned down qualifying offers from the Mets and Red Sox, so their next teams will have to surrender some form of draft or international bonus pool capital in order to sign either pitcher. This wouldn’t be an obstacle for the Mets in re-signing Manaea since teams don’t have to give up any compensation to re-sign their own player, but signing Pivetta would cost the Mets $1MM in int’l bonus money plus their second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2025 draft.

Boston’s decision to issue Pivetta was seen as a bit of a surprise, and it could be that being attached to a compensation package might dull Pivetta’s market to some extent. Pivetta is a durable pitcher with quality secondary metrics, yet he was more solid than outstanding over his four-plus seasons with the Red Sox, posting a 4.29 ERA over 633 innings. This might not be enough of a resume to move the Mets to give up two picks and $1MM from their bonus pool, especially since New York might already be giving away such a bounty if they sign Soto (another qualified free agent). Signing two QO-rejecting players would cost the Mets $2MM in pool money, as well as their second, third, fifth, and sixth-highest picks in the 2025 draft class, so it doesn’t seem like the Mets would add onto Soto with another qualified free agent.

Yankees Interested In Thairo Estrada

By Mark Polishuk | December 8, 2024 at 8:04am CDT

The Yankees are interested in signing Thairo Estrada, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (X link). New York is now the second team known to be in on Estrada’s market, as the Rockies were also linked to the veteran earlier this week.

There’s plenty of familiarity between the two sides, as Estrada was an international signing for the Yankees back in 2012 and he appeared in 61 games for New York during his first two Major League seasons (2019-20). It wasn’t until after the Yankees traded Estrada to the Giants in April 2021 that the infielder broke out as a productive big leaguer, hitting .266/.320/.416 over 1203 plate appearances for San Francisco during the 2021-23 seasons.

Estrada’s performance dropped off badly last season, however, and the Giants outrighted him off their 40-man roster at the end of August after Estrada batted only .217/.247/.343 in 381 PA. Wrist problems plagued Estrada for much of the summer, further hampering an offensive approach that has never led to much hard contact. Estrada has also been limited in his capacity to get on base, and his 2.6% walk rate in 2024 was the second-lowest of any player in baseball with at least 350 PA.

In the wake of this down year, Estrada surely isn’t being viewed as a starting candidate in the Bronx, though his versatility makes him an interesting candidate for a part-time or bench role. The large majority of Estrada’s MLB playing time has come at second base, but he has seen a decent amount of time as a shortstop while also chipping in as a third baseman and corner outfielder. Estrada’s career splits are pretty even, yet on paper, his right-handed bat could complement the left-handed hitting Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is expected to hold down the starting role at either second or third base.

Chisholm and shortstop Anthony Volpe have two of the starting infield jobs spoken for, and Chisholm’s versatility gives New York some flexibility in deciding how to address second or third base. Conceivably, the Yankees could add Estrada to their in-house collection of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza and let that whole group serve as something of a rotating bench/platoon mix while rotating Chisholm between the keystone and the hot corner. Or, the Bronx Bombers could go bigger with more of an everyday infield option, though those endeavors are probably on hold until the Yankees learn whether or not Juan Soto will be returning to the team.

White Sox Sign Nick Maton To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2024 at 2:59pm CDT

The White Sox signed Nick Maton to a minor league deal in late November, as indicated by the infielder’s MLB.com profile page. Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media (X link) writes that Maton’s contract an invitation to Chicago’s big league Spring Training camp.

Maton played in 179 games with the Phillies and Tigers over his first three Major League seasons, but he made just five appearances with the Orioles in 2024. Baltimore acquired Maton from Detroit last February, and Maton then spent the season bouncing on and off the Orioles’ 40-man roster. Maton was designated for assignment and then outrighted on three separate occasions, and he also spent about a month on the injured list at Triple-A Norfolk.

Between the roster shuffling and the injury absence, Maton was quite productive at the Triple-A level, hitting .258/.363/.471 with 16 homers in 344 plate appearances for Norfolk. This marks the third straight season that Maton has posted strong numbers against Triple-A pitching, and he carried that momentum forward to the MLB level in 2022, posting an .855 OPS in 85 PA with the Phillies.

The Tigers were intrigued enough to bring Maton to Detroit as part of a five-player trade in January 2023, but Matt Vierling ended up being the much more productive utility option for the Tigers in both 2023 and 2024. Maton struggled to a .173/.288/.305 slash line in 293 PA with Detroit, then had an arthroscopic knee surgery last offseason.

As he enters his age-28 season, Maton should have plenty of opportunity to break camp with a White Sox team that needs help all over the diamond. Maton’s ability to play second base, third base, shortstop, and both corner outfield slots makes him an interesting candidate for bench or part-time duty, and his left-handed bat could complement Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas (both righty swingers) at second and third base in particular. The White Sox will give Maton a look in camp and see if he’s a fit, though keeping him as an organizational depth piece could be complicated by the fact that Maton is out of minor league options.

Cardinals Facing “Very Limited” Trade Market For Nolan Arenado

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2024 at 2:24pm CDT

2:24PM: In a follow-up message from Olney on X, he hears from rival executives that the Cardinals will probably have to cover some of Arenado’s salary or take back another unfavorable contract as a salary offset. As a hypothetical, Olney suggests that if the Dodgers wanted Arenado, Chris Taylor and the $17MM remaining on his contract could be offered back to St. Louis to help cover the financial difference. It isn’t known whether or not the Cardinals would be open to eating money or taking an unwanted contract back, which could be a further obstacle towards a trade being completed.

2:04PM: Recent comments from president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicate that the Cardinals may not be entirely viewing 2025 as a rebuild year, though the team has already made some moves with an eye towards reducing payroll. Trading Nolan Arenado would certainly be just about the biggest move St. Louis could make in that effort to get younger and less expensive, though beyond just the $74MM in owed salary, moving Arenado is difficult due to his no-trade clause.

To that end, ESPN’s Buster Olney (X link) writes that Arenado has “a very limited list of…preferred teams” for potential trades. This in turn has left the Cardinals without a ton of leverage in finding an ideal trade fit that would help the Cards recoup something beyond just salary relief for the All-Star third baseman.

Previous reports in regards to Arenado this offseason indicated that he hasn’t directly asked for a trade, but he would be willing to move to first base if such a defensive switch is a better fit for a new team. These two items represent the complicated nature of these trade talks, as Arenado is seemingly ready to be very flexible and accommodating of a trade, but only to a few clubs. It isn’t known exactly how many teams Arenado is willing to waive his no-trade protection to join, or how many of those teams have their own interest in Arenado as a trade candidate.

It is possible that the Arenado situation might have informed Mozeliak’s comments about the organization having “every intention of fielding a good baseball team” in 2025. Willson Contreras has already let the Cards know he isn’t waiving his no-trade protection, and so St. Louis still wanted more time for Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages at catcher, the pivot move was installing Contreras as the team’s new regular first baseman. Sonny Gray also has a no-trade clause that he reportedly isn’t keen on waiving, complicating the Cardinals’ efforts to move on from the last two years of Gray’s contract.

If trading Arenado is also going to be unfeasible due to a narrow market, the Cardinals might’ve decided against entirely punting on the 2025 season. Pending free agent Ryan Helsley now seems to be a less-likely trade candidate, further indicating that St. Louis might attempt to rebuild on the fly while still competing in the NL Central. Of course, Mozeliak’s stance on Helsley could also be gamesmanship to drive up offers, and it’s still early enough in the offseason that the Cards might again change lanes depending on how the trade and free agent markets develop in the next few months.

For instance, the third base market will be altered once Alex Bregman and (in the event of a position change) Willy Adames sign their next contracts. The Phillies are also known to be shopping Alec Bohm, giving third-base needy teams another option. None of this might really change things if Arenado simply isn’t willing to expand his list beyond that “very limited” number, but a new team suddenly having a need at third base could perhaps convince Arenado otherwise.

Cubs Considering Walker Buehler, Further Rotation Help

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2024 at 12:42pm CDT

The Cubs’ two-year, $29MM deal with Matthew Boyd became official earlier today, locking in the veteran southpaw as the newest member of the Wrigleyville rotation. Even with this signing now on the books, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report that the Cubs remain open to adding more starting pitching, and Walker Buehler is still “on their radar.”

Boyd lines up as Chicago’s fourth starter, behind Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon. Javier Assad is the favorite for the fifth starter role, with the likes of Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski, and Ben Brown also in the mix for starts, plus top prospect Cade Horton also on the verge of his MLB debut. While this seems like plenty of depth already, the “you can never have enough pitching” mantra may apply, as Wicks, Brown, and Horton all missed a lot of time in 2024 due to injuries.

Acquiring yet another experienced starter via trade or free agency would allow the Cubs to make Assad its top depth arm, and it can be argued that Assad is overqualified for such a role given his solid 3.40 ERA over his 294 career Major League innings. Since injuries are basically inevitable, however, it stands to reason that Assad would still get some degree of rotation work. Beyond Assad, one of the other pitchers could potentially become a trade chip if the Cubs feel secure in the number of starters on hand.

The Cubs haven’t exactly been pinching pennies on the rotation during Jed Hoyer’s time as president of baseball operations, considering Taillon’s four-year, $68MM deal and Imanaga’s four-year, $53MM deal. However, Chicago has trended away from shopping at the very top of the pitching market to instead pursue more mid-range or shorter-term contracts like Taillon, Imanaga, Boyd, or (in the past) Marcus Stroman or Drew Smyly.

Buehler would also likely fall into this category, as it is widely assumed that the righty will sign a one-year pact as something of a pillow contract in the wake of a disappointing 2024 season. While that disappointment was certainly tempered by a couple of great postseason outings and a championship ring with the Dodgers, Buehler’s regular season saw him post a 5.38 ERA with a host of below-average secondary metrics over 75 1/3 innings.

Since Buehler didn’t pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, it seems possible that he could perform better in 2025 now that he has shaken off the rust. The baseball world hasn’t forgotten how dynamic Buehler looked prior to that TJ procedure, and this kind of upside potential has led to interest from not just the Cubs, but also such publicly known suitors as the Braves, Yankees, Mets, and Athletics.

As Mooney and Sharma note, it shouldn’t be considered a lock that Buehler will receive just a one-year contract, given how several pitchers have already exceeded expectations in the first month of free agency. As such, Mooney/Sharma feel the Cubs could prefer to avoid the free agent market and instead pivot to adding a starter (or a reliever, or lineup help) in a trade. News on that front might not develop until Juan Soto signs, which would then perhaps clear the Cubs’ path in terms of finding a potential trade partner for one of Cody Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki.

Rangers Sign Adrian Houser To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2024 at 11:02am CDT

The Rangers have signed right-hander Adrian Houser to a minor league deal, according to Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton (via X). The contract contains an invitation to the Rangers’ big league spring camp.

It was just under a year ago that the Mets acquired Houser and Tyrone Taylor from the Brewers, as New York president of baseball operations David Stearns looked to bolster the Mets’ roster with two familiar faces from his old position in Milwaukee. Taylor delivered respectable production as part of New York’s outfield mix, but Houser had a much rougher time in the Big Apple, posting a 5.84 ERA over 69 1/3 innings.

Injuries to other pitchers opened the door for Houser to begin the season in the Mets’ rotation, and he temporarily moved back to starting pitching when the Mets briefly adopted a six-man rotation. The splits were pretty stark — Houser had an 8.55 ERA in 33 2/3 innings as a starter and a 3.28 ERA in 35 2/3 innings as a reliever, with those bullpen assignments usually coming in multi-inning form.

While it seemed like Houser had found his groove as a long reliever, the Mets opted to designate him for assignment and then release him in late July. The Cubs and Orioles each signed Houser to minor league contracts during the season but those deals failed to translate into any more big league playing time for the righty.

Houser has started 104 of his 152 career Major League games, delivering solid-to-passable results as a swingman for the Brewers for much of his career. A grounder specialist whose career strikeout rate is only 18.5%, Houser’s results in 2024 could somewhat close the door on his usage as a starter, even if the Rangers could see value in having a swingman around as rotation depth. Beyond just last year’s splits, Houser has a 2.32 ERA in 97 career innings as a reliever, as compared to a much less impressive 4.57 ERA in 511 2/3 frames as a starter.

Relief pitching is also a much more significant need for a Rangers team could lose most of its 2024 bullpen (Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Leclerc, Jose Urena, and Andrew Chafin) to free agency, plus Josh Sborz will be out until at least the start of June due to offseason shoulder surgery. A multi-inning reliever like Houser could eat some up valuable innings out of the bullpen, while also providing a rotation safety net. The current Texas pitching staff of Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Tyler Mahle, Kumar Rocker, and Jack Leiter is full of health question marks or inexperienced arms, so in addition to depth signings like Houser, the Rangers are also hoping to re-sign at least one of Nathan Eovaldi or Andrew Heaney.

Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Yoan Moncada

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2024 at 10:59am CDT

Yoan Moncada’s eight-season run with the White Sox ended when Chicago bought out its club option on the infielder’s contract in October, sending Moncada into free agency. Though Moncada’s last three seasons have been defined by injuries, reporter Francys Romero (via X) writes that “Moncada is generating a lot of interest in the market,” and that the Blue Jays are ones of the clubs interested in the 29-year-old’s services.

Only three teams in baseball got more from the hot corner than the cumulative 4.0 bWAR posted by Toronto third basemen in 2024, with a lot of that production on both sides of the ball coming from Isiah Kiner-Falefa before the Jays dealt him at the trade deadline. Ernie Clement also got a lot of playing time at third base and was very solid with the glove, though he hit only .263/.284/.408 over 452 plate appearances. Heading into 2025, the Blue Jays have Clement and more inexperienced options like Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez, Leo Jimenez, all capable of playing third base, even if Clement is the best defensive player of the group.

It therefore isn’t surprising that the Blue Jays have been linked to such big-name infielders as Alex Bregman, Willy Adames, and Ha-Seong Kim as Toronto tries to figure out how to address either third or second base. Moncada is a much lower-profile type of free agent than that trio, though since the Jays have been broadly in on many players this winter, it isn’t surprising that the club is exploring all levels of the market. The Juan Soto pursuit has naturally dominated the Jays’ focus to date this winter, and a player like Moncada could be on the radar whether or not Soto is suddenly taking up an outsized chunk of Toronto’s payroll.

In a sense, signing Moncada as a veteran counterpoint to the younger in-house options has some similarity to the Jays’ signing of Kiner-Falefa last winter. Whereas at least IKF brought defensive versatility to the table, Moncada is much more of a question mark, and not necessarily a clear upgrade over what Toronto already has on the third base depth chart.

Once regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects, Moncada’s blue-chip status made him the centerpiece of the four-player trade package the White Sox received from the Red Sox for Chris Sale back in December 2016. A seeming breakout year in 2019 inspired the White Sox to ink Moncada to a five-year, $70MM extension prior to the 2020 season, and a solid 2021 campaign on Chicago’s AL Central-winning team looked to cement Moncada’s place as a building block on the South Side.

However, that’s when the injury bug again impacted Moncada’s career. The infielder has played in only 208 of a possible 486 games since Opening Day 2022, as Moncada has been sidelined by back problems, an oblique strain, injuries to both hamstrings, and an adductor strain that cost him the majority of the 2024 season. Moncada missed over five months of action last year and played in only 12 games. Just one of those appearances came after his activation from the 60-day injured list on September 16, as the White Sox opted to give playing time to younger players instead of a player they were already planning to cut ties with after the season.

It isn’t surprising that Moncada’s production nosedived in the wake of all these injuries, as he has hit only .236/.291/.387 in 835 PA over the last three seasons. He played for Cuba during the Premier12 tournament in November to get some extra playing time in the wake of his lost 2024 season, though he hit just .143 over 14 at-bats.

Despite of the lack of recent results, it makes sense why the Blue Jays and other clubs could view Moncada as an interesting rebound candidate. Simply staying healthy might help Moncada get on track, and could a change of scenery from a troubled White Sox organization that hit rock bottom with a 121-loss season in 2024. As a relatively low-cost flier, Moncada has appeal to any team looking for part-time help at third base, or potentially at second given that Moncada played that position earlier in his career.

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