The Opener: GM Meetings, Yankees, Counsell
On the heels of a hectic day, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. GM Meetings begin:
MLB’s annual General Manager Meetings are set to begin today, though many executives were already in Scottsdale, AZ yesterday. White Sox GM Chris Getz, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix all are headed to the meetings as heads of a baseball operations department for the first time in their respective careers, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand indicates that a review of the 2023 season’s rule changes and discussion of the postseason format are both issues that figure to be addressed over the coming days. While major free agent signings and trades are fairly rare at this point in the offseason calendar, the meetings serve as a first opportunity for agents and clubs to begin discussion of free agents and for front offices to gauge rival teams’ early interests on the trade market.
2. Yankees pressers scheduled:
Yankees leadership will be addressing the media today, with Greg Joyce of the New York Post among those to relay that club chairman Hal Steinbrenner is set to meet with the media, followed by GM Brian Cashman later in the day. The pair’s comments will mark the first public words from Yankees brass after the club failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. The club finished just 82-80, their worst record since 1992, despite making a splash this past offseason by not only retaining reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge on a $360MM pact but also landing left-hander Carlos Rodon on a $162MM deal. With Judge, Rodon, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole all under contract for at least the next four seasons and set to combine for $128MM annually, Cashman’s front office faces the difficult task of looking to improve the club for 2024 despite already having four deals in excess of $100MM on the books.
3. Counsell fallout:
The Cubs shocked the baseball world yesterday by hiring longtime Brewers manager Craig Counsell away from their division rivals yesterday, beating out the perceived frontrunners in Milwaukee, Queens, and Cleveland for Counsell’s services. The Mets and Guardians pivoted away from Counsell fairly quickly, hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza and Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt to take over in the dugout respectively, but plenty of questions remain in the wake of Chicago’s shocking move. Beyond the obvious question of who the Brewers will install to replace Counsell in the Milwaukee dugout, it’s fair to wonder what’s next for David Ross, who the Cubs dismissed in order to hire Counsell. Ross is already drawing interest from the Padres in their managerial search, while Houston and Anaheim are both also still looking for a manager. Will Ross, who was a finalist for the NL Manager of the Year award during his rookie season as manager in 2020, find a new seat in this offseason’s game of managerial musical chairs?
Tigers Exercise Club Options On Carson Kelly, Mark Canha; Designate Tyler Alexander For Assignment
The Tigers announced a flurry of roster moves this afternoon. Chief among those was the team’s decision to exercise their 2024 club options on catcher Carson Kelly and outfielder Mark Canha. In addition, the club designated left-hander Tyler Alexander for assignment, assigned left-hander Andrew Vasquez and right-hander Trey Wingenter outright to Triple-A, and selected the contract of right-hander Keider Montero. There had been no prior indication that Vasquez or Wingenter had been on waivers, but each of them now figures to have the opportunity to become a minor league free agent.
In addition, the Tigers activated Alexander, outfielders Austin Meadows and Riley Greene, as well as right-handers Casey Mize and Freddy Pacheco from the 60-day IL.
It comes as no surprise that the Tigers exercised their $11.5MM option for Canha after they dealt for the veteran outfielder on Saturday. Given the $2MM buyout on his contract, it wouldn’t have made any sense for Detroit to trade for Canha (and give up 25-year-old righty Blake Holub) only to part ways with him two days later. He figures to play an important role in the team’s offense next season, presumably splitting his time between the corner outfield and DH.
As for Kelly, the Tigers were expected to pick up his $3.5MM option for 2024. At his end-of-season press conference, president of baseball operations Scott Harris said the team was seriously considering keeping the backstop in the fold. The team already has a starting catcher in place, 28-year-old Jake Rogers, so Kelly can serve as a capable defensive backup, with the potential to be a little bit more – the former top prospect is only two years removed from an above-average season at the plate. For $3.5MM, the Tigers weren’t going to find much more than that.
Alexander, 29, made 25 appearances for the Tigers in 2023, his first full season as a reliever. He pitched to a 4.50 ERA and a career-best 3.48 SIERA in 44 innings of work. Unfortunately, his solid season came to an early end when he landed on the IL with a shoulder strain in July.
Vasquez spent the first four months of the season with the Phillies, with whom he posted an impressive 2.27 ERA but less promising underlying numbers. He was designated for assignment shortly after the trade deadline, and the Tigers scooped him up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the same success in Detroit. Across 12 appearances, he gave up nine runs (eight earned) in just 8 2/3 innings of work. He missed most of September with a calf injury, although he made two scoreless appearances at the end of the month.
After spending most of the first half on the injured list, Wingenter made 17 appearances for the Tigers in 2023, his first big league action since 2019. His 5.82 ERA was troublesome, but his underlying metrics were actually quite encouraging: a 3.43 SIERA, a 3.87 xERA, and a much-improved 3.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Then again, he produced those numbers in mostly low-leverage spots, and apparently, the Tigers weren’t impressed enough with what they saw to keep Wingenter on the 40-man roster.
After seven years in Detroit’s minor league system, Montero would have been eligible to elect minor league free agency had the Tigers not added him to the 40-man roster this afternoon. He is coming off a difficult couple of months at Triple-A, but he is still just 23 years old, and evidently, the Tigers like what they have seen enough to keep him around. According to MLB Pipeline, he is the No. 26 prospect in the Tigers system.
Mariners Outright Ryder Ryan
The Mariners announced this afternoon that right-handed reliever Ryder Ryan has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A. There had been no previous indication that Ryan was on waivers. The move puts him in line to become a minor league free agent.
Ryan was drafted by the Guardians twice, first out of high school in 2014, and again in 2016 after his sophomore year at the University of North Carolina. He signed with Cleveland the second time around and made his professional debut that summer. After a year in the Guardians system, the righty packed his bags for New York, heading to the Mets in return for veteran slugger Jay Bruce. He rose through the ranks with his new organization, reaching Double-A in 2019.
In 2020, Ryan was traded once again, this time to the Rangers in exchange for Todd Frazier. He spent the next two seasons at Triple-A Round Rock, pitching to a 4.49 ERA in 85 appearances out of the bullpen. After the 2022 campaign, Ryan signed a minor league deal with the Mariners, with whom he finally earned his first taste of major league action. He was selected to the 40-man roster in August, and at 28 years old, he made his big league debut, pitching a single scoreless inning against the Orioles. The righty was optioned shortly after that.
Ryan will be eligible to elect minor league free agency, although it’s certainly possible he’ll return to the Mariners organization in 2024. Under the provisions of his last contract, he opted out of his first deal with the Mariners in June, only to re-sign with the team two days later. Two months after that, it was Seattle that gave him his first chance to pitch in the show.
Rockies Claim Jalen Beeks Off Waviers From Rays
The Rockies announced this afternoon that they have claimed left-hander Jalen Beeks off waivers from the Rays. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 36.
Beeks, 30, made his big league debut in 2018 as a member of the Red Sox, but made just two appearances with Boston before being shipped to the Rays in the Nathan Eovaldi trade. Upon joining the Rays for the stretch run, Beeks pitched to a 4.47 ERA and 4.45 FIP in 44 1/3 innings of work, before largely repeating that performance over a full season in 2019 with a 4.31 ERA and 4.41 FIP across 104 1/3 innings. Beeks took something of a step forward with the Rays in the shortened 2020 season, pitching to a solid 3.26 ERA with a sterling 1.76 FIP bolstered by a 32.1% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, his 2020 season would be halted prematurely by Tommy John surgery, which wiped out his 2021 campaign as well.
Upon returning in 2022, Beeks posted the best full season of his career with a 2.80 ERA and 3.49 FIP in 61 innings of work. Things took a turn for the worse in 2023, however, as the southpaw struggled badly to a 5.95 ERA in 42 1/3 innings despite a solid 3.82 FIP that was reminiscent of his standout campaign the year before. Beeks is projected for a $1.8MM salary this season by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz, a level at which the Rays clearly weren’t comfortable committing to the lefty after his tough 2023.
That being said, it’s easy to see why the Rockies would take a chance on Beeks. The lefty has posted a 27.3% strikeout rate against a 9% walk rate in 122 2/3 innings of work since the start of the 2020 season, and Colorado is in desperate need of addition pitching depth headed into next season. Beeks has had most of his success in short-inning relief throughout his career, but has been stretched out for long relief in the past, giving the Rockies a flexible left-handed option out of the bullpen for 2024, particularly valuable for a club that’s losing left-hander Brent Suter to free agency this offseason.
Braves Exercise Club Option On Charlie Morton, Decline Options On Kirby Yates, Collin McHugh
The Braves are bringing back veteran right-hander Charlie Morton for another season in 2024, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, as the club will exercise their $20MM team option on his services. Meanwhile, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays that the club is expected to decline their club option on veteran reliever Kirby Yates, opting to pay him a $1.25MM buyout rather than a $5.75MM salary for 2024. Atlanta also announced they’ve bought out right-hander Collin McHugh for $1MM instead of a $6MM option.
Morton at one point publicly indicated uncertainty as to whether he’d pitched beyond his mid-30s, but he’s remained a high-quality starter who’ll now return to Atlanta for a fourth year in what will be his age-40 campaign. The veteran righty started 30 games with the Braves this past season, pitching to a 3.64 ERA with a 25.6% strikeout rate, 11.6% walk rate and 43.3% ground-ball rate over the life of 163 1/3 innings. That walk rate was abnormally high for Morton, who’d issued a free pass to just 8% of his opponents in the past six seasons combined, but his fastball velocity held strong at 95 mph.
While Morton isn’t necessarily the top-tier starter he was during his first season in Atlanta, he remains a quality mid-rotation arm. Given the strength of Atlanta’s pitching, he needn’t be any more than that, either. Lefty Max Fried and young righty Spencer Strider rank among the National League’s best starters, and Morton gives manager Brian Snitker and the organization a playoff-tested veteran to slot into the rotation behind that excellent pairing.
Righty Bryce Elder‘s breakout 2023 campaign likely secured him a 2024 rotation spot as well, and the Braves currently have righties AJ Smith-Shawver, Michael Soroka, Ian Anderson (returning from Tommy John surgery) and lefties Dylan Dodd, Jared Shuster and Kolby Allard as depth options beyond that group. Kyle Wright will miss the 2024 season after undergoing October shoulder surgery, making Morton’s return and the steadiness that he brings to the table all the more pivotal.
The $20MM price point at which Morton returns has become the going rate for mid-rotation help — particularly given the short term of the deal. Fellow righties like Jameson Taillon (four years, $68MM) and Taijuan Walker (four years, $72MM) secured $17-18MM annual salaries on longer-term deals elsewhere in the league with the general expectation of functioning as third/fourth starters. With that salary now locked in, Atlanta’s payroll pushes north of $202MM, per Roster Resource — though trades, potential non-tenders and future free agent dealings will surely alter that number in the weeks and months to come.
As for Yates, he’ll head back to the open market after spending the past two seasons in Atlanta. The Braves inked him to a two-year, $8.25MM contract in the 2021-22 offseason, knowing he’d miss the majority of the ’22 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The former All-Star closer and 2019 NL saves leader (41) was one of the game’s best relievers during a brief two-year peak, but he pitched just seven innings in 2022 and battled considerable command issues this past season.
While Yates’ 3.28 ERA during his second Braves campaign was plenty solid, he also walked 14.6% of his opponents. At his best, Yates anchored the Padres’ bullpen with a 1.67 ERA, 38.7% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate, but that form wasn’t on display in Atlanta this year. The Braves were discouraged enough — and possess enough pitching depth — to turn down a net $4.5MM call on Yates, who’ll now head back to the open market in search for a new opportunity in advance of his age-37 season.
McHugh also spent two years as a Brave after signing as a free agent. He had a strong first season but struggled to a 4.30 ERA with a modest 17.5% strikeout rate in 2023. His season ended in early September when he landed on the injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
Meanwhile, Atlanta will rely on a relief corps headlined by Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter and recent re-signees Joe Jimenez (three years, $26MM) and Pierce Johnson (two years, $14.25MM). Both trade acquisitions were set to be free agents before putting pen to paper on new contracts within the past five weeks.
Mariners Acquire Blake Hunt From Rays
The Mariners have acquired catcher Blake Hunt from the Rays in exchange for minor league catcher Tatem Levins, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Passan adds that Hunt, one of the prospects the Rays received from the Padres in exchange for left-hander Blake Snell during the 2020-21 offseason, will join the Mariners 40-man roster.
Hunt has spent three seasons in the Tampa Bay system since coming over in the aforementioned Snell deal. The right-handed hitter struggled offensively between 2021-22. He had a better showing in the upper minors this past season. Hunt split the year between Double-A and Triple-A, combining to hit .256/.331/.484 with 12 home runs in 67 games.
Since he has logged parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues, the 24-year-old (25 this week) was slated to become a minor league free agent. The Rays evidently weren’t going to add him to the 40-man roster. Seattle has, thereby keeping him off the market and ensuring he joins the organization. Hunt is the only backstop behind Cal Raleigh on the 40-man, making it likely the M’s bring in a veteran #2 option this offseason to keep Hunt in Triple-A to begin the year.
In exchange for a player they could have lost for nothing, Tampa Bay acquires a further off minor league catcher. Levins was an eighth-round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh in 2022. The left-handed hitter spent the year in Low-A, hitting .286/.358/.476 in 66 games against generally younger competition. He won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft for two seasons.
Enoli Paredes To Elect Free Agency
The Astros have assigned right-hander Enoli Paredes outright to Triple-A, per a club announcement. There had been no prior indication Paredes was on waivers. The move leaves the Astros with 37 players on their 40-man roster. Paredes is electing free agency, per Ari Alexander of KRPC 2 (X link).
Paredes, 28, was added to the club’s roster prior to the 2020 campaign. He made 22 appearances for them in that shortened campaign but has mostly been on optional assignment for the past three years. He has now tallied 37 major league appearances in total with an earned run average of 3.90. His 23.6% strikeout rate is around league average but his 19.7% walk rate is roughly double par.
In 2023, he spent most of his time at Triple-A, with a 4.80 ERA over 54 1/3 innings. His 27.3% strikeout rate was strong but he again struggled with free passes, giving them out to 18.6% of hitters at that level. Beyond his control issues, he’s also set to be out of options next year, meaning he will have less roster flexibility going forward. Both of those factors likely led to the Astros removing him from the roster.
Nationals Designate Matt Cronin For Assignment
The Nationals announced today that they have activated right-handers Stephen Strasburg and Cade Cavalli, catcher Riley Adams, and outfielders Stone Garrett and Victor Robles from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, left-hander Matt Cronin was designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster stands at 40. The IL activations were required by today, as players cannot be on the 60-day IL during the offseason.
Cronin, 26, was the club’s fourth-round selection in the 2019 draft. From 2019-22, the left-hander put up solid numbers while advancing from Single-A all the way to Triple-A, capped off by a strong 2022 season where Cronin posted a 2.42 ERA with a 26.9% strikeout rate in 52 innings of work. That sort of dominance out of the bullpen figured to make Cronin an attractive potential bullpen piece for the rebuilding Nationals headed into 2023, particularly after the Nationals added him to the 40-man roster this past offseason in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out this year. Cronin dealt with pain in his shoulder throughout the year that limited him to just 14 1/3 innings of work during which he struggled to a 5.02 ERA. Back in August, it was revealed that the issue causing the pain was a herniated disc in his back. Cronin underwent surgery to repair the issue and missed the remainder of the 2023 campaign. It’s not clear when Cronin is expected to be healthy enough to return to the mound at this point. Given Cronin’s youth (he only turned 26 back in September) combined with his previous success and status as one of the Nationals’ top 20 prospects (per Baseball America) entering this year, it would hardly be a surprise if a rival club with space on their 40-man roster decided to claim Cronin in the coming days, particularly if he figures to be able to return to the mound in 2024.
Mets To Hire Carlos Mendoza As Manager
The Mets have settled on their next manager, reportedly tabbing Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza to lead the club in 2024. Reports yesterday indicated that the club was on the verge of deciding their next manager. It’ll reportedly be a three-year deal that pays around $4.5MM total, while the Mets hold an option for the 2027 season.
Mendoza, 43, spent 13 seasons as an infielder in the minor leagues with the Giants and Yankees before joining the Yankees’ minor league coaching staff in 2009. He last served as a manager at the minor league level in 2012, with the club’s Single-A affiliate in Charleston. From 2013 to 2017, Mendoza served as a roving defensive instructor in the Yankees’ organization before being promoted to the major league coaching staff prior to the 2018 season as an infield coach. He received his final promotion with the Yankees upon being named bench coach to manager Aaron Boone shortly after the 2019 season and has remained in that role for the past four years.
After 18 years with the Yankees organization, Mendoza now heads from the Bronx to Queens to take over for Buck Showalter as manager of the Mets. Mendoza will step into the role just as newly-minted president of baseball operations David Stearns steps into his own new role with the club after being hired for the role back in September.
The duo have inherited a Mets team coming off of a difficult season. After winning 101 games in 2022 and adding the likes of Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Kodai Senga, and Jose Quintana while committing more than $200MM to re-sign Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo, the club fell well below expectations in 2023. Verlander, Robertson, and Max Scherzer were all traded away at the deadline as the Mets were rumored to begin looking toward 2025 for their return to contention. Ultimately, the club posted a 75-87 record in 2023, leaving them a whopping 29 games back of the Braves in the NL East and nine games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
Though Mendoza has now landed in Queens, the Mets were far from the only team interested in him as a potential managerial hire this offseason. The Guardians reportedly had Mendoza as a potential favorite to replace Terry Francona in Cleveland before ultimately giving the job to Stephen Vogt earlier today, while the Padres reportedly interviewed Mendoza to replace Bob Melvin in San Diego earlier this week.
Just as Mendoza had other opportunities potentially on the table outside of New York, he was hardly the only candidate for the managerial role with the Mets. The club reportedly spoke to the likes of A’s manager Mark Kotsay and Cubs bench coach Andy Green, but much of their attention this offseason has seemingly been directed towards longtime Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who was widely regarded as the club’s preferred candidate and a potential favorite for the position due to his long-standing relationship with Stearns before he ultimately decided on joining the Cubs in a surprise move this afternoon.
Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported Mendoza’s hiring. Andy Martino of SNY reported the salary terms.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Twins Select Jair Camargo, Yunior Severino
The Twins are selecting the contracts of catcher Jair Camargo and infielder Yunior Severino, per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. Both players were scheduled to reach minor league free agency, though the Twins have prevented that outcome by adding them to the 40-man roster.
Camargo, 24, made his professional debut with the Dodgers back in 2016. After three seasons in the rookie leagues, he eventually made his full-season debut in 2019, slashing .236/.301/.342 in 316 plate appearances while splitting time between catcher and third base at the Single-A level. Camargo was then packaged alongside veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda and shipped to Minnesota in exchange for Brusdar Graterol, Luke Raley, and a 2020 draft pick during the 2019-20 offseason.
After scuffling to a .236/.279/.418 slash line at the High-A level during his first season with the Twins, Camargo broke out during his age-22 campaign by slashing .262/.310/.483 with 18 home runs in just 326 trips to the plate primarily between the High-A and Double-A levels.
Severino, 24, was originally signed by the Braves as an amateur but was declared a free agent when the league sanctioned the Atlanta organization in the wake of violations on the international free agent market. He subsequently signed in Minnesota and, after a few nondescript minor league campaigns, has elevated his stock and now played his way onto the 40-man roster.
The 2023 season saw Severino slash .272/.352/.546 with 35 homers, 17 doubles and three triples between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. That marked an impressive followup to 2022’s .278/.358/.530 output between High-A and Double-A. Severino has worked primarily as a third baseman in recent seasons but logged notable reps at first base and second base this past season as well. He adds to a wealth of infield depth in a Twins organization that currently has Jorge Polanco, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, Eduoard Julien and Alex Kirilloff at the MLB level, in addition to prospects like Brooks Lee and Austin Martin knocking on the door after impressive minor league campaigns.