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Padres Hire Scott Servais For Special Assistant Role

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The Padres have hired Scott Servais as a special assistant in their baseball operations and player development departments, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports.  It represents Servais’ first job since he was fired as the Mariners’ manager back in August.

While Servais is best known for his nine seasons as Seattle’s manager and his 11-year playing career, Servais also has a lot of front-office experience.  His Mariners tenure was preceded by four seasons as the Angels’ assistant GM, and was the Rangers’ assistant of player development from 2006-10.  As Lin notes, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller also worked in the Texas front office when Servais was there, plus Preller interviewed Servais as a managerial candidate during the 2015-16 offseason before Servais took the job in Seattle.

Servais said in August that he hoped to keep managing in the future, though his name apparently wasn’t linked to any of the managerial vacancies that arose this past fall.  This position in San Diego doesn’t necessarily change Servais’ goal of getting back into a big league dugout, as it allows him to stay connected to the game in another capacity.

Servais went 680-642 as the Mariners’ skipper, and ended the franchise’s decades-long playoff drought by leading the 2022 M’s to a wild card berth.  That year’s Mariners team then beat the Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series before falling to the Astros in the ALDS.  With expectations now raised, the Mariners fell short of the playoffs despite winning 88 games in 2023, and the 2024 squad had a tough midseason collapse that saw the M’s fritter away a ten-game lead in the AL West.  Seattle was an even 64-64 at the time of Servais’ firing, and rebounded for a 21-13 record down the stretch under new manager Dan Wilson.

Lin also reports that former first baseman Matt Adams is expected to be part of the coaching staff for the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.  A veteran of 10 MLB seasons, Adams officially announced the end of his playing career in September, and mentioned in his retirement statement that he was looking to “seek out opportunities in coaching.”

Pirates To Sign Dodgers-Committed Int’l Prospect Darell Morel

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Dominican shortstop prospect Darell Morel had been set to sign with the Dodgers once the 2025 international signing period opened on January 15, but Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports that Morel will now be signing with the Pirates for a bonus worth close to $1.8MM.  This represents roughly twice the amount of money Morel would’ve received from Los Angeles.

There isn’t anything improper about such a transaction, as none of these signings are official until pen is put to paper on January 15.  That said, teams, prospects, and the prospects’ unofficial advisors/trainers known as “buscones” often have these deals lined up far in advance of a player’s eligibility year.  The 2025 class features players who are at least 16 years old or will be turning 16 prior to September 1, yet many prospects are regularly linked to teams as early as age 13 or 14.

What makes the 2025 international signing class so unusual is the presence of Roki Sasaki, whose move from Nippon Professional Baseball to the big leagues at age 23 qualifies him as a member of the int’l market.  Waiting until age 25 would’ve allowed Sasaki to qualify as a free agent (within the boundaries of the MLB/NPB posting system) and thus put him in line for what likely would’ve been a hefty nine-figure contract a la Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Sasaki has opted to bet on himself and get an early start to his big league career.

Sasaki is such a hugely sought-after prospect that it is expected that his future Major League team will surrender its entire international bonus pool to sign him.  It should be noted that money is obviously not the chief factor for Sasaki in picking his MLB franchise, but since this bonus will represent all of his official MLB earnings for the time being, it stands to reason that he will look to score a big payday within the constraints of the bonus pool system.

Since Sasaki won’t sign until after January 15, it has created quite the ripple effect on the international class as a whole.  As Badler puts it, “at least half a dozen teams that think they are still in the running to sign Sasaki.  That means at least 20 percent of the league has their 2025 international signing class in limbo.”

Morel isn’t considered one of the elite members of the 2025 class, as MLB Pipeline doesn’t have the shortstop listed within its top-50 ranking of the year’s top international prospects.  Yet because the Dodgers are viewed as one of the top candidates to sign Sasaki, Morel had no guarantee that his pre-arranged deal with L.A. would be honored, so he opted to sign with the Pirates instead.  Naturally, it probably also helped that Pittsburgh was willing to add $900K or so to Morel’s bonus figure.

It isn’t specified if the Pirates walked away from some deals of its own in order to sign Morel, or if they had enough leftover space in their own int’l bonus pool to fit Morel under their $6,908,600 pool limit.  Badler notes that some clubs left some money open within their pools specifically to capitalize on some prospects who might become available due to the Sasaki-related uncertainty.  “Some clubs are already scouting committed players with other teams,” Badler writes, with the trainers in turn taking the unusual step of getting their players ready for a fresh round of tryouts.

Some players have already received offers from other teams, so for the Dodgers and the other six clubs who have reportedly met with Sasaki in person, their continued interest in Sasaki represents a potential red flag for those seven teams’ 2025 international commitments.  The “worst-case scenario” for a team, as Badler notes, would be that “they hold off on their signings in the hopes of landing Sasaki, their top commits bolt elsewhere after Jan. 15, only for Sasaki to sign with a different team anyway.”  That could leave a few unlucky clubs without Sasaki, without much of their 2025 int’l pool, and with some damaged relationships amidst the buscone community for future dealings.

While the trainers might view 2025 as a unique circumstance due to the Sasaki situation, even if the door isn’t closed completely with certain teams who renege on handshake deals, it can’t help those teams’ chances of signing any star prospects these trainers might be handling in the future.  The biggest impact, of course, is on the 2025 prospects themselves, some of whom will find themselves without the life-changing bonus money their families have been counting on for years.  Some prospects like Morel will be fortunate enough to land larger bonuses, yet a significant number of teenage prospects will see their careers and lives altered in the fallout.

Felix Mantilla Passes Away

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Eleven-year MLB veteran Felix Mantilla passed away on Friday at age 90.  Mantilla appeared in 969 games with the Braves, Mets, Red Sox, and Astros from 1956-66, playing primarily as a second baseman, but with a lot of time spent at third base and shortstop plus all three outfield positions.

Though Mantilla never played for the Brewers, the organization paid tribute to Mantilla by recognizing him as “an iconic figure…who was an inspiration to all of us in the Milwaukee baseball community.  We will forever remember Felix for his time with the Milwaukee Braves, but even more for the impact he had on thousands of children through the Felix Mantilla Little League.”

One of the first Puerto Rican players to break through in Major League Baseball, Mantilla was signed by the then-Boston Braves during the 1951-52 offseason and made his MLB debut in 1956 once the franchise had moved to Milwaukee.  He was primarily a middle infielder during his six seasons with the Braves but bounced around to multiple positions in his role as a bench player.

Mantilla won a World Series ring for his role on the 1957 championship team, and while Mantilla contributed only a walk over 11 plate appearances in the Fall Classic, his one run scored was of vital importance.  Entering the 10th inning of Game Four as a pinch-runner, Mantilla scored the game-tying run just before Eddie Matthews’ two-run walkoff home run.

The Mets selected Mantilla away from the Braves as part of the expansion draft, which meant that Mantilla (playing an everyday role for the first time in his career) was part of the infamous 1962 Mets team that went 40-120-1 in the franchise’s inaugural season.  He was traded to the Red Sox after that lone season in New York, which sparked the most successful run of Mantilla’s career — he hit .287/.369/.474 with 54 homers over 1297 plate appearances with Boston from 1963-65.  Thirty of those home runs came in 1964, and the 1965 season saw Mantilla make the All-Star team for the only time in his career.

Despite this success, Mantilla was traded to the Astros after the 1965 campaign, and his numbers drastically dropped off in the move from Fenway Park to the pitcher-friendly Astrodome.  He never played another professional game after the 1966 season, as an Achilles injury that required surgery seemed to curtail his playing career at age 31.

Mantilla finished his career with a .261/.329/.403 slash line and 89 home runs over 3029 plate appearances.  He is a member of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, and as noted in the Brewers’ memorial, Mantilla has had a lasting legacy in Milwaukee as the namesake of a Little League program since 1973.

We at MLB Trade Rumors express our condolences to Mantilla’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Giants Sign Miguel Diaz To Minor League Deal

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The Giants signed right-hander Miguel Diaz to a minor league contract back in late December, as per Diaz’s MLB.com profile page.  The 30-year-old will presumably also be invited to the Giants’ big league Spring Training camp.

With the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Diaz has been a part of every MLB season since 2017, ranging from a high of 42 innings with the Padres in 2021 to a lone inning in one game with the Astros last season.  Diaz has a 4.81 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 11.7% walk rate over 127 1/3 innings and 88 career big league games with the Padres, Tigers, and Astros, and he has also spent time in the minors with the Brewers and Twins organizations.

Most of Diaz’s better numbers have come more recently in his career, as he has a 2.82 ERA in 60 2/3 innings since the start of the 2021 season.  Despite the strong bottom-line performance, however, some underlying metrics (such as a .222 BABIP) and some inconsistency with his control has kept Diaz from getting much of a look at the big league level.  A 4.93 ERA over 204 2/3 career minor league innings also hasn’t helped Diaz’s case for call-ups to the Show.

Diaz is out of minor league options, which makes it difficult for teams to keep him on the roster without exposing him to waivers.  In 2024, for example, the Tigers lost Diaz on a waiver claim to the Astros in April, and Diaz was then designated for assignment and chose free agency over an outright assignment before quickly re-signing with Houston on another minor league deal.  Diaz was released by the Astros entirely a few weeks later, and he completed the circle by re-signing another minor league contract with Detroit near the end of June.

San Francisco’s bullpen seems largely set, though teams routinely bring multiple veteran pitchers to camp on minors deals just in case of injury, or in case any of these unheralded arms can stand out enough to win a spot on the Opening Day roster.  As noted, Diaz’s lack of minor league options might hurt him in a camp competition, but should he clear waivers and stick around in the organization, he could act as bullpen depth for the Giants during the season.

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.

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