Orioles Claim Sam Hilliard From Braves
The Orioles announced today that the club has claimed outfielder Sam Hilliard off waivers from the Braves. In a corresponding move, right-hander Joey Krehbiel has been designated for assignment. Meanwhile, the Braves announced that they’ve assigned infielder Andrew Velazquez and right-hander Ben Heller outright to the minors. Both Velazquez and Heller figure to reach minor league free agency later this month, though Heller has the requisite service time to elect free agency early, should he so choose.
The Braves picked up Hilliard last offseason in a trade with the Rockies, sending right-hander Dylan Spain to Colorado in exchange for the outfielder. Hilliard played for the Rockies in parts of four seasons, from 2019-22. The lefty-batter showed off plus power, but otherwise, his offensive skills were lacking. He played capable defense in all three outfield spots, although his glove was most valuable in left.
In 40 games for Atlanta this past season, his bat was the best it’s been since his rookie campaign, although his numbers were slightly inflated by an unsustainable .389 batting average on balls in play. Still, Hilliard was a serviceable fifth outfielder through the first half of the year, posting a .725 OPS with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Unfortunately, he landed on the IL with a right heel contusion in mid-July, an injury that ultimately ended his season. In 2024, he will look to pick up where he left off with his new team.
The Orioles have no shortage of outfield options on the 40-man roster, including veterans Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins, and Austin Hays, as well as rookies Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad. However, neither Cowser nor Kjerstad has proven himself at the major league level just yet, and it’s possible that one or both could open the 2024 campaign in Triple-A, instead of sitting on the big league bench. Alternatively, the Orioles could be planning to trade from a position of strength, perhaps to acquire more pitching this winter. That would make room for a backup outfielder like Hilliard on the roster, although he will still have to compete with Ryan McKenna, Terrin Vavra, and Kyle Stowers for playing time.
Krehbiel, 30, finally surpassed rookie limitations in 2022 after 11 years of professional baseball. The righty was successful as a low-leverage reliever for the Orioles, pitching 57 2/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA. However, he struggled in higher-leverage spots and posted large platoon splits, struggling to retire left-handed batters. He spent most of the 2023 campaign at Triple-A, unable to earn a spot in Baltimore’s talented bullpen. Should Krehbiel clear waivers, he will be eligible to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
The Braves claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels in September to serve as middle infield depth, although he never saw time with the big league club. The 29-year-old shortstop will be out of options in 2024, so it’s not too surprising that Atlanta decided to clear him from the 40-man roster. In 54 games for the Angels this year, he hit .173 with a 52 wRC+ and -0.1 FanGraphs WAR.
Heller came over to the Braves in a midseason trade with the Rays, and Atlanta gave him his first chance to pitch in a big league game since 2020. The righty was a capable low-leverage reliever over the final months of the season, pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 19 appearances. However, he, too, will be out of minor league options next year. Both Heller and Velazquez had been non-tender candidates ahead of their first years of arbitration eligibility.
Mets Interview Carlos Mendoza, Andy Green In Managerial Search
The Mets have interviewed Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza for their managerial vacancy, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SNY’s Andy Martino indicates that Mendoza is actually in the midst of a second-round interview today after interviewing for the first time last week and receiving a callback. Sherman also reports that the club has interviewed Cubs bench coach Andy Green, though it’s unclear if that’s a first or second interview.
Mendoza, 43, spent 13 seasons as a minor league player before joining the Yankees’ minor league coaching staff in 2009. He joined the big league coaching staff as an infield coach in 2017 before being promoted to bench coach following the 2019 season. Green, on the other hand, participated in parts of four big league seasons during his playing career, including the 2009 season as a member of the Mets. Since retiring, Green served briefly as third base coach of the Diamondbacks before being hired to manage the Padres prior to the 2016 season. Green managed in San Diego for four seasons before joining the Cubs’ coaching staff as bench coach prior to the 2020 campaign.
The pair have drawn interest from other clubs for managerial vacancies, as well. After drawing occasional managerial interest in recent years, Mendoza was among the likeliest candidates to take over for Gabe Kapler as manager of the Giants prior to the club securing permission to interview Bob Melvin. In addition, both coaches have been interviewed by the Guardians. If hired in Cleveland, either coach would step into the shoes of longtime manager Terry Francona following his recent retirement.
Should Mendoza depart the Bronx for another club this offseason, Martino notes that the Yankees could look to promote third base coach Luis Rojas, himself a former Mets manager, to the position. Though Rojas’s contract with the Yankees is up this offseason, Martino makes clear the the club has interest in retaining him, either as bench coach or in his current role as third base coach. It’s not yet clear what direction the Cubs could go in if they wind up needing to replace Green. Chicago already lost a key member of the club’s staff this offseason when Craig Breslow departed the Cubs’ front office to take the vacant GM role in Boston.
That the Mets are moving on to a second interview with Mendoza suggests that the club’s interest in his services next year is strong, though Sherman still refers to Brewers manager Craig Counsell as the “favorite” for the Mets job. Of course, Counsell has plenty of options beyond New York that could complicate the club’s pursuit of his services; Counsell has received interest from the Astros, the Brewers hope to retain him in Milwaukee on a new contract, and he’s already interviewed with the Guardians. Curiously, while MLB Network’s Jon Morosi has indicated that Counsell and the Mets have discussed the club’s managerial vacancy, Martino makes clear that Counsell has not had a formal interview with Mets brass to this point.
With the Mets apparently advancing to a second round of interviews for other candidates before sitting down with Counsell for a first interview it’s possible, speculatively speaking, that the club hopes to move through the interview process with other candidates so that they can act quickly upon Counsell’s decision regarding where he will manage in 2024. If that’s the case, it’s unclear what other candidates could be in the mix beyond Mendoza and Green, as details regarding the managerial search in New York have been few and far between this offseason. While Rangers associate manager Will Venable reportedly declined to interview for the position last month, Mendoza, Green, and Counsell are the only publicly known candidates for the position at this point.
Quick Hits: Uniform Employee Contracts, Hamels, Maddon
Major League Baseball is doing away with uniform employee contracts, according to a report from Evan Drellich of The Athletic. Previously, the league required all employment agreements with managers, coaches, salaried scouts and trainers to utilize the same standardized language across all 30 teams. Clubs are now free to draft their own individual employment contracts for employees, opening the door to differences in contract language between teams, and employees will be subject to team-specific contract terms upon the expiration of their current deals. The impetus for the change, according to Drellich, appears to be shielding the league from liability regarding employment matters. Drellich also suggests that the change could help the league retain its antitrust exemption, which has come under fire on occasion in recent years, should MLB face employment issues in the future.
Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the uniform employee contracts to this point is a tampering clause that stops club employees from speaking to other teams while they’re under contract without permission from their club. A notable example of the tampering clause played out this past month, ahead of the expiration of Brewers manager’s Craig Counsell contract today. Though Counsell wasn’t under contract for the 2024 campaign, his contract with the Brewers ran through October 31, meaning that clubs interested in Counsell’s services such as the Mets and Guardians could not interview Counsell until the Brewers granted them permission to do so.
That being said, the move away from uniform employee contracts doesn’t necessarily portend the end of the tampering clause, or any other particular clause in the contract itself. It’s entirely possible that clubs could continue to offer employees roughly similar contracts going forward; in fact, Drellich suggests that the league’s antitrust exemption could allow teams to keep “some elements of the contracts effectively identical.” That reality has left the change to be met with mixed responses. Drellich cited one current scout who has concerns that clubs will take the opportunity to alter contract language in a way that works against employees, though he noted that others hope the departure from uniform contracts will spur competition between the major league clubs and create more favorable terms for employees in the future.
More notes from around the league…
- Longtime big league lefty Cole Hamels retired from professional play back in August after 15 seasons in the majors and an additional three seasons of attempting to rehab from shoulder issues and make a comeback. Hamels, 40 in December, recently spoke to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer about his hope to return to the game, in another capacity, sometime in the near future. The first order of business appears to be a return to Philadelphia, where the Phillies plan to honor Hamels sometime next season. Beyond that, Breen notes that Hamels hopes he can find an off-the-field role somewhere in the game akin to that of the one Chase Utley once held with the Dodgers, acting as a liaison between the front office and players in the clubhouse.
- The league has seen plenty of managerial churn both this offseason (with six teams either looking for a new manager or already employing a new manager, with a seventh on the table if Counsell departs Milwaukee) and in the past, but John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times relays that no team has contacted former Rays, Cubs, and Angels manager Joe Maddon regarding a potential managerial vacancy. Romano adds that lack of interest extends to last offseason, despite reports at the time of possible interest in Maddon from the White Sox regarding their managerial vacancy, which was ultimately filled by Pedro Grifol. Since departing the Angels, Maddon has been particularly critical of the implementation of analytics by many front offices in recent years, and Romano suggests that this lack of interest in the three-time Manager of the Year who reached the World Series with the Rays in 2008 before winning it with the Cubs in 2016 could stem from that criticism.
AL Notes: Red Sox, Heaney, Twins
The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey provided an update on a handful of Red Sox prospects today, headlined by top shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer. A consensus top-15 prospect in the sport headed into the 2023 campaign, Mayer hit well enough in 35 games with Boston’s High-A affiliate last season to earn a promotion to Double-A, though his move to the upper levels of the minors was met with difficulties. Over 190 trips to the plate at the level, Mayer slashed just .189/.254/.355 with a 25.8% strikeout rate before ultimately seeing his 2023 campaign come to an end due to a nagging shoulder injury at the beginning of August.
Mayer has been been doing rehab work since the season ended, per McCaffrey, and is expected to have a normal offseason this winter. It’s surely a significant relief for the Red Sox, as Mayer could be on the radar to reach the majors sometime next year given the club’s lack of certainty in the middle infield. Boston figures to use Trevor Story as their everyday shortstop next year, though he slashed just .203/.250/.316 in 43 games this year after returning from surgery midseason. Alongside Story, the club sports a handful of options including Enmanuel Valdez, Luis Urias and top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela as potential contributors up the middle.
Also discussed in McCaffrey’s piece is right-hander Noah Song, who was returned to the Red Sox by the Phillies back in August after the Phillies selected Song in the Rule 5 draft last offseason. While McCaffrey notes that the club may decide to protect Song from the Rule 5 draft this year to avoid a similar situation, she suggests it’s also possible that Song’s inability to stick on the roster in Philadelphia in 2023 could leave him unlikely to do so in 2024, even if selected for a second time. As a member of the naval reserves, Song has certain obligations to the US military that have impacted his ability to play baseball professionally in the past. That being said, McCaffrey relays that Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham believes Song’s military duties can be fulfilled during the offseason, allowing him to have a normal 2024 campaign.
More from the American League…
- Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney discussed his decision to sign in Texas last winter recently with Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. Heaney acknowledged that he discussed potential deals with several teams, including the Red Sox, adding that he spoke with the team remotely and met with a member of the club’s medical staff during negotiations last offseason. Ultimately, Heaney notes that his decision to sign in Texas was influenced by the Oklahoma City native wanting to play for his hometown team. Heaney can opt out of the final year and $13MM on his deal with the Rangers this offseason. If he decides to do so on the heels of a season where he posted a 4.15 ERA in 147 1/3 innings of work it’s at least possible that the Red Sox, who figure to lose lefty James Paxton and righty Corey Kluber to free agency later this month, could be a suitor for his services once again.
- Long-time Twins TV broadcaster Dick Bremer is stepping away from the booth after 40 years as the club’s play-by-play announcer, per an announcement by the club yesterday. Bremer, 67, will remain as a member of the Twins organization as a special assistant to the front office. Per the club’s press release, the Twins are currently “assessing potential broadcast options as well as a talent lineup for 2024 and beyond” with announcements expected later this offseason. Minnesota, of course, is among the teams impacted by Diamond Sports Group filing for bankruptcy back in March. The split with Diamond has left the club’s broadcast situation up in the air headed into the 2024 campaign.
The Opener: Rangers, Diamondbacks, Counsell
As the calendar flips to November, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Rangers attempt to clinch:
Despite losing ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer for the remainder of the series yesterday, the Rangers saw an explosion of offense early in the game allow them to pull ahead 3-1 in the series despite being outscored 1-7 by the Diamondbacks after the third inning of last night’s game. Now, the Rangers have the opportunity to clinch their first-ever World Series victory for the first time since 2011, when they were up over the Cardinals three games to two after Game Five but lost the final two games of the series, allowing the Cardinals to come back and win the series in seven. Tonight they’ll rely on veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who has a career 3.30 ERA in the postseason but surrendered five runs on six hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work during his first start of the series, to bring an end to the club’s 62-year championship drought.
2. Diamondbacks look to survive:
Meanwhile, Arizona is staring down a win-or-go-home Game Five tonight after dropping two consecutive games at home. For tonight, they’ll look to take the series back to Arlington and stave off elimination with Zac Gallen on the mound. Gallen put in a performance worthy of NL Cy Young award consideration during the regular season, posting a 3.47 ERA and 3.27 FIP while notching 220 strikeouts in 210 innings of work and collecting 17 wins for Arizona throughout the season. Things have come off the rails for Gallen in the postseason, however. In 27 1/3 innings of work this postseason, Gallen has mustered only a 5.27 ERA with six home runs allowed, a 15.3% strikeout rate and a walk rate of 11%.
As Gallen looks to turn his postseason around this evening, Ketel Marte will look to extend an otherworldly hitting streak after becoming the first player in MLB history to record a hit in 20 consecutive postseason games. That record is a capstone on what was already a fantastic postseason for Marte, who has slashed .338/.365/.549 with a 145 wRC+ that’s outpaced by only Garcia, Evan Carter, and Corey Seager among players still in the hunt. Marte will try to extend the postseason hitting streak to 21 tonight at 7:03pm CT.
3. Counsell’s market solidifying:
Another suitor for free agent manager Craig Counsell was revealed yesterday, with the Astros reportedly throwing their hat into the ring alongside the Mets, Guardians, and incumbent Brewers. It’s unclear how strong the interest in Counsell is from Houston; the club’s reported top two candidates for the position are bench coach Joe Espada alongside former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus, though it’s possible that could change if Counsell is interested in joining the Astros. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported yesterday that Counsell is currently “weighing his options” after meeting with both the Mets and Guardians, though he also cautioned that there isn’t a clear timeline for his decision at this point. That said, with the start of free agency on the horizon, all interest clubs are surely hoping to have a manager in place sooner rather than later.
Mets Claim Penn Murfee From Mariners
The Mariners announced several roster moves this afternoon, chief among them the departure of right-hander Penn Murfee, who was claimed off waivers by the Mets. In addition, the Mariners assigned three players outright to Triple-A: catcher Luis Torrens along with right-handers Easton McGee and Adam Oller.
Murfee underwent UCL surgery back in June and is expected to miss at least the first half of the 2024 campaign. Prior to his injury, Murfee had a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings for Seattle in 2023, following up on a 2022 rookie season that saw the righty post a 2.99 ERA in 69 1/3 frames of work. For his career, Murfee has an impressive 27.6% strikeout rate and an 8.5% walk rate, though that latter number rose significantly from a 6.6BB% in 2022 to an ungainly 17.2% total this past season.
Between the UCL injury and Murfee’s spike in walks, the Mariners had some legitimate reasons for seeing the reliever as expendable, and Murfee is also turning 30 in May. On the other hand, Murfee had some very strong numbers since becoming a full-time reliever in the minors in 2021, and he hasn’t yet reached his arbitration years. Should Murfee return in good health, the Mets might’ve landed themselves some quality relief help for some portion of the 2024 season and beyond, as Murfee is controlled through the 2028 season.
Torrens has the right to reject the outright assignment and elect free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career. Oller and McGee, meanwhile, lack the requisite service time to reject their assignments but still figure to be eligible for minor league free agency in November.
Now perhaps nearing the end of his second stint with the Mariners, Torrens was signed to a minor league deal back in August. Seattle didn’t tender Torrens a contract last winter, and he subsequently signed a minors contract with the Cubs before eventually moving to the Orioles and Nationals in other transactions over the course of a journeyman season for the 27-year-old catcher. Brought back as some catching depth after Tom Murphy was injured, Torrens appeared in five MLB games with the M’s, to go along with the 13 Major League appearances he made with the Cubs during the 2023 campaign.
Never known for his defense, Torrens’ market will be limited since some teams go glovework-first when considering backup catcher options. Torres did hit 15 homers as recently as 2021 when it looked like he might be carving out a place for himself in Seattle’s catching mix, but he has a .227/.289/.354 slash line over his 807 career plate appearances in the majors.
Torrens will surely catch on somewhere on a new minor league deal since teams are always in need of catching depth, yet he might need some spark at the plate to keep himself from another carousel of roster transactions. This winter marked Torrens’ second trip through the arbitration process, and since he was projected to earn $1.3MM in 2024, it made for a pretty easy decision for the Mariners to part ways.
Like Murfee, McGee is in the midst of a lengthy rehab, as he underwent Tommy John surgery back in May. That will keep the right-hander out until at least halfway through the 2024 season, with the timeline perhaps a little fluid depending on both health and whether or not McGee is built back up for a starters’ workload. McGee has worked mostly as a starter throughout his pro career, though the Mariners (or a new team) could bring him back as a reliever next year as a way of getting him back into the field, and then fully stretching him back out in Spring Training 2025.
McGee (who turns 26 in December) was a Rays fourth-round selection in the 2016 draft, and his big league experience to date has consisted of exactly two games — three innings in an outing with Tampa in 2022, and a 6 2/3-inning start with Seattle in 2023. His minor league resume consists of 485 1/3 innings and a 4.30 ERA, including a 4.78 ERA over 141 1/3 frames at the Triple-A level. McGee isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, relying on good control and grounders to get results.
All of Oller’s MLB experience came with the Athletics (94 innings in 28 games) in 2022-23, though he has been part of five different organizations in his career. Oller was a Rule 5 Draft selection for the Mets off the Giants’ roster in 2019, and Oller was part of the trade package New York sent to the A’s for Chris Bassitt prior to the 2022 season. Seattle claimed Oller off waivers from the A’s in July but he never made any appearances for the M’s at the big league level.
Oller has a 7.09 ERA over his 94 innings for Oakland, and a 4.50 ERA in 526 1/3 career innings in the minors. It seemed as though Oller had turned a corner in 2021 with an impressive years in the Mets’ farm system, but things soured in 2023 as Oller struggles both the big leagues, and at the Triple-A level with the Athletics’ and Mariners’ top affiliates.
Brewers Outright Caleb Boushley
The Brewers have assigned right-hander Caleb Boushley outright to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s transactions log. There had been no prior indication that Boushley had been placed on waivers. Boushley does not have the requisite service time to reject the assignment but figures to be eligible for minor league free agency in November unless added back to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster.
Boushley, who celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, was selected by San Diego in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft. He spent five seasons in the Padres’ minor league system, with a 4.25 ERA in 332 2/3 innings of work across five levels of the minor leagues. He was selected by the Brewers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December of 2021, and pitched well as a starter at the Triple-A level during the 2022 season with a 3.25 ERA in 127 1/3 innings of work, albeit with a strikeout rate of just 17.5%.
Boushley saw his strikeout rate tick up to 18.9% across 135 2/3 innings of work with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate this year, though unfortunately the increase in strikeouts was combined with significantly worse results on the mound. Across 29 appearances (26 starts), Boushley posted a 5.11 ERA, nearly two runs higher than his 2022 figure. That didn’t stop the Brewers from giving Boushley his first taste of big league action in 2023, however. The minor league journeyman made his MLB debut after six seasons in the minors in late September to decent results. In 2 1/3 innings of work, Boushley struck out five while walking two and allowing a home run, good for a 3.86 ERA.
Now, Boushley is poised to enter free agency for the first time in his career. As difficult as his 2023 campaign was, it’s certainly feasible that he could receive interest from clubs with a dearth of rotation arms as a possible minor league depth option, given his strong 2022 campaign. As for the Brewers, the club’s rotation depth is headlined by left-hander Robert Gasser, the club’s #5 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Gasser pitched well in 2023, with a 3.79 ERA in 135 1/3 Triple-A innings of work in his first full season with the Brewers since the club acquired him in the Josh Hader trade last summer.
Cardinals Plan To Add “At Least Two” Relief Arms This Offseason
It’s long been understood that the top priority for the Cardinals this offseason is adding to their starting rotation, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak himself stating that the club intends to at three starting pitchers this winter. Even as the club’s focus seems to be on bolstering the rotation, however, The Athletic’s Katie Woo indicated today that the club plans to make additions to its relief corps as well, noting that the club plans to add “at least two high-leverage arms” who can join Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos in the club’s late-inning mix.
The news isn’t necessarily surprising. Cardinals relievers posted an uninspiring 4.47 ERA across their 579 2/3 innings covered in 2023, the third-worst figure in the NL above only the Nationals and Rockies. Only the Rangers’ relief corps had a higher ERA than the Cardinals this year when looking at teams that finished the season with a winning record, and just four (Texas, Cincinnati, Miami, and Arizona) even finished in the bottom half of the league. Given St. Louis has clearly indicated a desire to return to contention as soon as next season, shoring up the club’s bullpen mix figures to be a key component of that goal.
The Cardinals have already been connected to one upcoming relief free agent: NPB left-hander Yuki Matsui, who is expected to explore signing in the majors this offseason. While fellow southpaw JoJo Romero impressed in high leverage opportunities following the trade deadline, it would certainly reasonable if the Cardinals don’t want to anoint Romero as their bullpen’s top lefty after just 36 2/3 innings of work in the majors last year, no matter how brilliant he appeared to be in flashes.
Of course, Matsui isn’t the only left-handed relief option headed for free agency this offseason. The class is led by star closer Josh Hader, who authored a sensational platform season with the Padres in 2023. Hader struck out 36.8% of batters faced this season en route to a 1.28 ERA (321 ERA+), 2.69 FIP and 33 saves in 38 chances. Other potential high-leverage left-handers set to hit the market this offseason are veteran fireballer Aroldis Chapman and journeyman Matt Moore, who’s broken out over the past two seasons to become one of the top lefty relievers in the sport during his mid-thirties.
In terms of right-handed relief options, the market is a little thinner, headlined by former Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks. The Cardinals dealt Hicks to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline this year, though not before attempting to negotiate an extension with the 27-year-old hurler. Woo reports that the sides came close to an agreement on a three-year extension this summer before talks ultimately fell apart, prompting St. Louis to ship Hicks to Toronto.
Despite the sides parting back in July, Woo indicates that there’s reason to believe the sides could again look to negotiate a long-term deal this offseason, noting that “there’s no ruling out” a Cardinals reunion with either Hicks or left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery, who has impressed since joining the Rangers with a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch and a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings of work during the club’s pennant-winning postseason run. If the Cardinals can’t get together with Hicks on a reunion, there are a few other right-handed relief options who could offer high leverage innings in 2023, including Braves righty Joe Jimenez as well as Reynaldo Lopez, who put up solid numbers while bouncing between the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians in 2023.
Dodgers Outright Tyler Cyr
The Dodgers have assigned Tyler Cyr outright to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s transactions log. There had been no prior indication that Cyr was placed on waivers. Unless added back to the 40-man roster, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency in November.
A tenth-round pick by San Francisco in the 2015 draft, Cyr spent seven seasons in Giants organization before departing via minor league free agency for the Phillies, with whom he made his major league debut in 2022. He split the 2022 season between Philadelphia and Oakland, pitching to a 2.70 ERA and 4.01 FIP in 13 1/3 innings of work in the majors. He had a similarly strong performance at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.85 ERA with a 3.51 FIP with a strikeout rate of 25.7%.
In 2023, Cyr spent his entire age-30 season as a member of the Dodgers organization after signing with the club on a minor league deal back in January. He struggled to a 5.85 ERA at the Triple-A level for the club, though he notched two scoreless appearances for LA in the majors before going on the injured list in late May with a shoulder impingement. He was transferred to the 60-day IL shortly thereafter and remained there for the rest of the season.
Limited as Cyr’s big league experience may be, the righty will likely be able to find minor league offers in free agency again this offseason thanks to his small-sample big league success and solid minor league track record, with a 3.47 ERA in the minors dating back to the 2019 campaign, the year of his Triple-A debut.
As for the Dodgers, the club has several, much bigger decision to make in the coming days regarding their bullpen, as they hold club options on four veteran right-handers: Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, and Alex Reyes. Regardless of the club’s decisions on those options, the Dodgers bullpen figures to be anchored by the likes of Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, and Caleb Ferguson in 2024.
East Notes: Judge, Mets, Finnegan
Yankees captain and star outfielder Aaron Judge was presented with the 2023 Roberto Clemente award in Arizona yesterday, and spoke with the media (including David Lennon of Newsday) afterwards regarding the coming offseason in New York. Judge told reporters during the scrum that he spoke with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner yesterday about changes to the organization and that they’ll have another conversation in-person when Judge returns to New York. While Judge indicated a preference to keep the specifics of his discussions with Steinbrenner private, he noted that there’s plenty of ways the organization could look to change this offseason.
“You know, changes could mean a lot of different things,” Judge said, “From philosophies, players, coaches, everything. [The Yankees] haven’t made it to the big dance in quite a few years, so we got some work to do, even on the player side.”
Judge has previously spoken about a desire to see the club’s communication of analytics information to players improved, hinting at one area the club could look to improve in 2024. Beyond that, the Yankees have at least one spot on the coaching staff to fill, as in-season hitting coach hire Sean Casey won’t return to the club in 2024. The club has frequently been a topic of discussion on the trade rumor mill the past month, as well, with a rumored connection to Padres star Juan Soto. The potential for the club to move on from some arbitration-level players, including a member of their catching corps and perhaps even second baseman Gleyber Torres, has also been discussed.
More from MLB’s East divisions…
- The Mets have not yet scheduled an interview with Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who formally interviewed with the Guardians yesterday. That being said, Jon Heyman of the New York Post indicates that while the meeting between the sides hasn’t been “firmed up yet”, the expectation is that a meeting will happen soon. What’s more, Heyman adds that the Mets figure to be the highest bidder for Counsell’s services in terms of salary. While Heyman suggests that the Mets are unlikely to offer a salary at the level of Joe Torre’s record $8MM figure as manager of the Yankees, he notes that still leaves plenty of room for the Mets to offer Counsell a contract richer than the $4.5MM salary recently-retired Guardians manager Terry Francona received in 2023, which was the highest in the majors this year.
- Nationals right-hander Kyle Finnegan figures to reprise his role as the club’s closer in 2024, as noted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. Zuckerman suggests that the club hopes Finnegan will continue performing with the club as a late-inning option out of the bullpen into 2025, when they hope to return to contention. That being said, Zuckerman also suggests that, in the event the Nationals are out of the race next summer and Finnegan is pitching well, the club will once again consider moving Finnegan, as they did prior to the trade deadline earlier this year. Of course, no deal came together then, and Finnegan struggled down the stretch this season with a 5.18 ERA and 5.52 FIP in 24 1/3 innings in August and September. That being said, Finnegan entered the month of August with an ERA of 3.00, leaving him with solid overall season numbers including a 3.76 ERA (115 ERA+) and a 21.9% strikeout rate in 67 appearances.