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Poll: Who Will Win The NL West?

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With Opening Day just over the horizon, teams all around the league are gearing up for another pennant chase in hopes of being crowned this year’s World Series champion. Of course, there’s still another seven months to go before someone raises the Commissioner’s Trophy. And until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. We’ll be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division, and that series begins today with the NL West. Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64)

The Dodgers have already notched two wins over the Cubs in the Tokyo Series for 2025, and they did so coming off a season where they finished the year with the best record in baseball and went on to win the World Series over the Yankees in five games. The club’s core of MVP-caliber talent remains in place with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman all set to once again anchor the lineup this year. Meanwhile, a pitching staff that already included Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw has been bulked out further not just by Ohtani’s impending return to the mound but also the additions of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki.

In the bullpen, the team’s solid late-inning mix of Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech, and Evan Phillips got a pair of major additions in the form of Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, while the lineup is largely unchanged from last season with Hyeseong Kim set to replace Gavin Lux eventually and Michael Conforto stepping into the outfield in place of Jason Heyward. There are few clear places to nitpick a team that appears to be a clear juggernaut on paper, although the combination of Betts and Max Muncy on the left side of the infield figures to be below average defensively and the club’s strategy of stacking talented, oft-injured rotation arms always runs the risk of health problems.

San Diego Padres (93-69)

While many view besting the Dodgers as a mountain that’s near impossible to climb, it’s worth remembering that San Diego came within just one game of toppling them during the NLDS back in October. The Padres were restricted in their offseason activities by financial limitations, but the core of the 2024 club remains largely in place with Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. poised to anchor the lineup, Xander Bogaerts and Luis Arraez providing support and a front-of-the-rotation duo of Dylan Cease and Michael King who will be motivated to build on their excellent 2024 campaigns ahead of free agency this winter.

That’s not to say the club made no additions this winter, of course. The Padres waited out the market to sign talented right-hander Nick Pivetta to anchor the middle of their rotation alongside Yu Darvish, allowing them to make a splash on a tight budget. Other additions were less flashy, but could still prove valuable. While a supporting cast of Jason Heyward, Connor Joe, Jose Iglesias, and Yuli Gurriel may not look like much on paper, no one expected Jurickson Profar, David Peralta, and Donovan Solano to be as impactful for the club as they were last year. If the Padres are to win an NL West that got even more loaded this winter, they’ll need to hit on those dice rolls once again.

Arizona Diamondbacks (89-73)

While the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs by a hair in 2024 when they finished tied with the Mets and Braves for the final two NL Wild Card spots, the 2023 NL champions put together an excellent team in 2024. The Diamondbacks led the majors in runs scored last year, and many core pieces like Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll are back for more this year alongside supporting veterans Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Eugenio Suarez. The losses of Christian Walker and Joc Pederson will certainly sting, but Josh Naylor should help to make up for some of that lost production and it wouldn’t be a shock to see longtime top prospect Jordan Lawlar break into the majors this year, either.

The pitching side of things is where Arizona figures to improve the most over last year. Zac Gallen is now complemented at the top of the Diamondbacks rotation by a co-ace in Corbin Burnes, and Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez should be able to offer far steadier mid-rotation production than they did in injury-marred 2024 campaigns. The club also enjoys a deep group of back-of-the-rotation options, with Brandon Pfaadt set to get the first crack at starting. Should injuries once again complicate matters, Ryne Nelson is one of the best sixth starters in the league and there’s nowhere for Jordan Montgomery to go but up after last year’s disastrous campaign.

San Francisco Giants (80-82)

The Giants enjoyed a reasonably strong offseason during Buster Posey’s first winter at the helm, but after finishing with a middling record for the third consecutive season it would take a lot of things going right for the club to make significant gains in the standings. The addition of a star-caliber shortstop in Willy Adames alongside Matt Chapman should make for one of the stronger left sides of the infield in the sport this year, but it would take a renaissance from Justin Verlander to even match Blake Snell’s production down the stretch last year. Meanwhile, the club has no established talent at DH and faces questions about the productivity of its outfield after Jung Hoo Lee’s debut season was sidetracked by injuries.

That’s not to say 2025 is a season without hope for fans in San Francisco, however. Verlander and Robbie Ray are both former Cy Young winners, and vintage performances from the duo in conjunction with Logan Webb’s ever-steady production could make an impressive front-end of the rotation. Young players like Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Patrick Bailey could build on solid 2024 campaigns and take further steps forward. And if they do so while the rotation plays up to its potential, it’s possible to see the Giants surprising this year.

Colorado Rockies (61-101)

While the division’s other four teams all have reasonable paths to contention this year, the Rockies would need to move heaven and earth just to get to .500 after a season where they finished 37 games back in the NL West and made no significant additions during the offseason. The club has a few potentially exciting pieces in place, with center fielder Brenton Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar creating an exciting up-the-middle duo, but the supporting cast leaves much to be desired.

The club traded its highest-ceiling offensive player, left fielder Nolan Jones, for utility man Tyler Freeman over the weekend. And exciting top prospects like Zac Veen and Chase Dollander remain in the minor leagues. Even a return to form from $182MM man Kris Bryant wouldn’t be enough to return playoff baseball to Colorado this year unless it was paired with strong performances from those aforementioned prospects in addition to veteran arms like German Marquez and Kyle Freeland turning back the clock to 2018.

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With four of the division’s five teams making an effort to get back to the playoffs this year, which club do you expect to come out on top? Will the Dodgers remain the league’s dominant force, or will they be overcome by a big season from one of their rivals like San Diego or Arizona? Have your say in the poll below:

Who Will Win The NL West?
Los Angeles Dodgers 66.96% (4,769 votes)
Colorado Rockies 8.87% (632 votes)
Arizona Diamondbacks 8.80% (627 votes)
San Diego Padres 7.86% (560 votes)
San Francisco Giants 7.50% (534 votes)
Total Votes: 7,122

The Opener: Free Agency, Injuries, Extensions

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After a busy weekend, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Veterans return to free agency:

While the free agent market was largely picked clean as recently as last week, Article XX(B) free agents (as well as a selection of other players) had opt-out clauses this weekend. Many of those players took those opportunities, and those who did not get added to their club’s 40-man roster are now back on the open market. Among the names to return to free agency are infielder Brandon Drury, southpaw Ryan Yarbrough, infielder Nick Ahmed, and right-handers Adam Ottavino and Jake Woodford. It’s possible many of the players who returned to free agency over the weekend could find new clubs in relatively short order, as outfielder Manuel Margot did when he was released by the Brewers, only to sign with the Tigers less than 24 hours later. In Margot’s case, he managed to garner a major league offer, but most players will likely be limited to minor league deals.

2. Hand surgeries out west:

The clubs that previously shared the Bay Area both have position players going under the knife today, as Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion is set to undergo surgery on his fractured left hand later today. In West Sacramento, meanwhile, A’s second baseman Zack Gelof is scheduled to undergo hamate surgery to repair a fracture of his own after he was hit by a pitch on his right hand last week. Both players are tentatively expected to be out until May, although more specific timetables for their returns to action are expected at some point after the procedures are completed. A’s top infield prospect Max Muncy (no relation to the former Athletic and current Dodgers third baseman) figures to fill in for Gelof at the keystone while he’s out of commission, while the Giants could rotate players through the DH slot in the lineup while Encarnacion is out.

3. Extension season is heating up:

It’s been a busy few days on the extension front, with multiple players landing long-term deals with their club over the weekend. Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk agreed to a $58MM pact that will keep him in Toronto for five more seasons, while Guardians righty Tanner Bibee landed a five-year deal of his own that guarantees him $48MM. Earlier last week, Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martinez and Reds catcher Jose Trevino both reached deals of their own that will keep them in town long-term. As Spring Training winds down, will any other players and clubs use the last few days before Opening Day to hammer out a long-term agreement?

Mariners Release Mitch Haniger

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The Mariners announced this morning that they’ve released outfielder Mitch Haniger. Haniger was owed $15.5MM this season, the last year of the three-year, $43MM contract he signed with the Giants prior to the 2023 season. Both Haniger himself and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto provided statements alongside the announcement.

“Mitch has been a significant part of Mariners history and will be missed,” Dipoto said in the statement. “The day he arrived for his first spring training back in 2017, he established himself as one of the most focused, prepared, and hardest working players I’ve ever been around. We all appreciate the many ways he’s made us all better, on the field and off.”

“Putting on a Mariners uniform and playing at T-Mobile Park is something I’ll cherish forever,” Haniger said in his statement. “To our fans, my teammates, and everyone a part of this organization, thank you for embracing my family and me. We have so many great memories to look back on.”

It’s an unfortunate ending to Haniger’s tenure with the organization, which first began during the 2016-17 offseason when the Mariners acquired him from the Diamondbacks alongside Jean Segura and Zac Curtis in a deal that sent Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker to Arizona. While Diamondbacks fans surely remember that deal fondly as Marte has grown into a star player with the club, Haniger enjoyed an impressive career of his own with Seattle over the years. Though he was often dogged by injuries throughout his tenure with the club, the outfielder remained productive and slashed .263/.337/.480 with a 124 wRC+ in 530 games from 2017 to 2022. His most impressive campaign with Seattle came in 2018, when he delivered a 137 wRC+ en route to a 5.0 fWAR/6.5 bWAR season that earned him an All-Star appearance and an eleventh-place finish in AL MVP voting that year.

Haniger departed the club for free agency following the 2022 campaign, and found a lucrative deal in San Francisco that guaranteed him $43MM over three years. Unfortunately, his first season with the Giants was one to forget as the outfielder was limited to just 61 games where he slashed a paltry .209/.266/.365 in 229 trips to the plate. Haniger was bit by the injury bug repeatedly through that season, as he suffered a fractured forearm in addition to oblique and back issues throughout the year. Despite those injuries, the Giants opted not to keep him in the fold and find out what a healthy season from their new outfielder might look like.

Instead, they shipped him back to Seattle alongside right-hander Anthony DeSclafani last winter in a deal that sent Robbie Ray to San Francisco. The surprise blockbuster reunited Haniger with the Mariners, and as he entered the season much healthier than he was the year prior there was plenty of reason for optimism that the veteran could return to form with the club. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass. Haniger struggled through 121 games with Seattle last year, slashing just .208/.286/.334 in 423 plate appearances.

It was his second consecutive season with negative WAR, and a career-high 29.8% strikeout rate offered little reason for optimism that he would be able to turn things around going forward. Haniger’s odds of recapturing his past success in Seattle further shrunk when the club acquired Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles during the 2024 season, both of whom effectively have the outfield corners locked down headed into 2025.

Haniger entered camp this year in competition with Mitch Garver and non-roster invitee Rowdy Tellez for the starting DH job, but quickly fell behind the club’s other two options when he hit just .167/.250/.389 across seven games this spring before being sidelined by shoulder soreness. He hasn’t played in a game since early March, and while a stint on the injured list appeared possible it now seems that the Mariners will instead allow Haniger to pursue opportunities elsewhere while clubs around the league are still finalizing their Opening Day roster decisions. Expecting a significant bounceback from a 34-year-old who is two full seasons removed from being an above average hitter would be a risk, but there’s little harm in another club seeing what Haniger might have left on a minor league deal should he be interested in one.

Zack Gelof To Undergo Hamate Surgery, Begin Season On IL

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4:14PM: Muncy will indeed break camp with the A’s, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

2:45PM: The Athletics suffered a major blow this afternoon when the club told reporters (including Martin Gallegos of MLB.com) that second baseman Zack Gelof will begin the 2025 season on the injured list. Gelof, who was hit by a pitch on his right hand earlier this week, underwent x-rays to determine the severity of the issue. That testing revealed a hamate fracture, and Gelof is expected to undergo surgery in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Gallegos adds that while the A’s did not provide a specific timetable for return, manager Mark Kotsay noted that former Oakland first baseman Matt Olson suffered a similar injury in 2019 and returned to action on May 7, though Kotsay added that Olson’s timeline was “pretty accelerated.” That seems to suggest that the A’s aren’t expecting Gelof back until sometime in May at the earliest, though a more specific timetable for his return could be available once he’s gone under the knife.

Even if Gelof misses only a month, that’s a tough blow for an Athletics club that was surely counting on the 25-year-old as a big part of the club this year. While Gelof struggled in 2024 and slashed just .211/.270/.362 in 138 games while leading the AL in strikeouts, he posted a fantastic rookie season with the club the year prior with a 132 wRC+ in 300 trips to the plate. Even if Gelof’s 2025 season fell somewhere in the middle of 2023’s 132 figure and the 82 wRC+ he posted last year, that would still make Gelof a quality regular on a young, up-and-coming A’s club that needs a lot of things to go right if its going to contend in a crowded AL West this year.

Fortunately for the A’s, however, the club does have a viable replacement for Gelof at second base in Luis Urias. The club signed Urias to a big league deal just before camp opened last month, and he responded by crushing the ball during Spring Training with a sensational .333/.429/.524 slash line in 49 trips to the plate. Still just 27 years old, Urias was a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport during the early days of his career with the Padres, and enjoyed a few seasons as a solidly above average regular with Brewers when he slashed .244/.340/.426 in 269 games with the club from 2021 to ’22.

Urias took a step back in 2023 and had to settle for a bench role with the Mariners last year, but hit quite well in a part-time role with a 107 wRC+ in 41 games despite a worrying 31.2% strikeout rate that was by far the highest of his career. If the infielder can get his strikeouts under control in a return to regular at-bats with the A’s this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return to the form he flashed with Milwaukee that made him an above-average regular. 2024 rookie Max Schuemann also appears likely to make the club’s Opening Day roster in a bench role and could help cover second base on occasion, though he’s struggled to hit much at the big league level and in Spring Training. Darell Hernaiz could be a potential depth option in the middle infield after he struggled through 48 games in his rookie season where he slashed just .192/.261/.242 with a wRC+ of 50 despite solid defense all over the infield.

Another potential option, according to Gallegos, could be top infield prospect Max Muncy breaking camp with the club. Muncy, not to be confused with the former Athletic and current Dodgers third baseman of the same name, was the club’s first-round pick in 2021 and impressed in 50 games at Triple-A last year when he hit .278/.374/.491 in 203 trips to the plate. Muncy’s spent most of his professional career at shortstop but has experience at second base as well, and after an impressive camp where he’s held his own to post a .290/.391/.395 slash line in 23 games it’s not impossible to imagine the club opting to be aggressive with Muncy and include him on the Opening Day roster. Even if the club opts to stick with the plan to start Muncy in Triple-A for the beginning of the season, a strong start there combined with early-season struggles from Urias could theoretically convince the A’s to reverse course.

Shane McClanahan To Start Season On Rays’ Injured List

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TODAY: McClanahan will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Rays manager Kevin Cash told John Romano (multiple links) and other reporters, but tests revealed that the left-hander is suffering only from a nerve problem in his triceps area.  The plan is to “calm the nerve down and then see how he progresses, get a ball back in his hand.  Probably the best news we could have heard,” Cash said.

MARCH 22: The Rays suffered a major injury scare this afternoon when southpaw Shane McClanahan exited his start in the third inning due to what the Rays later announced as triceps tightness. John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times relays that the issue is not thought to be related to his recent elbow surgery and that the lefty will undergo imaging on Sunday to determine the severity of the issue.

It’s a concerning situation for any pitcher, but a serious injury would be particularly devastating for McClanahan given that he missed the final two months of the 2023 campaign and the entirety of the 2024 season while rehabbing his aforementioned Tommy John surgery. When healthy, the soon to be 28-year-old hurler is on the shortlist for the best young arms in the sport, with a career 3.02 ERA (130 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP in 404 2/3 innings of work since he made his big league debut back in 2022. The southpaw’s career 28% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate further solidify him as a clear top-of-the-rotation arm, and the Rays currently have him poised to serve as the ace of a loaded rotation that also features arms like Ryan Pepiot and Drew Rasmussen.

Those plans appear to have now been scuttled, however, depending on what’s next for McClanahan. The severity of the issue and a potential timetable for his return won’t be completely clear until McClanahan’s tests come back. Even so, it should surprise no one if the Rays decide to proceed cautiously with their prized left-hander coming off of surgery. Even if the issue proves to be relatively insignificant, it would be understandable if the club decided to play it safe and place McClanahan on the injured list to open the season. They’re reasonably well equipped to do so if they choose, with Rasmussen, Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, and Shane Baz all healthy and ready to contribute to the rotation. Beyond that quintet, the club also has depth options such as Joe Boyle and Joe Rock in the fold as well as non-roster veteran Connor Seabold.

Even with that depth in place to handle an absence from McClanahan, a significant injury would be a gut punch for a Rays club that will already need to exceed expectations to compete in an AL East division that figures to be dominated by the Orioles, Yankees, and Red Sox this year after big offseasons for all three clubs. Comparatively, the Rays’ offseason was somewhat modest as they added only Ha-Seong Kim and Danny Jansen to the fold while shipping out Jeffrey Springs in a deal that brought back Boyle. Strong as the club’s rotation looks on paper, the Rays figure to lean on it heavily this year after losing both Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena from the lineup at last year’s trade deadline, leaving extra weight on the shoulders of Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe as the only established veterans left in an otherwise young and unproven lineup.

If the injury proves serious enough that the Rays need to consider adding from outside the organization to deepen their rotation mix, a handful of viable options such as Lance Lynn and Spencer Turnbull remain available in free agency. With that being said, any big league signings could be pushing it for the perennially low-budget Rays and they might instead prefer to wait and see if a non-roster invitee like Chris Flexen or Ross Stripling returns to the open market after opting out of a minor league deal.

Braves, Angels Swap Ian Anderson, Jose Suarez

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The Braves are poised to acquire left-hander Jose Suarez from the Angels, according to a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC2. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, right-hander Ian Anderson is headed to Anaheim in exchange for Suarez.

Suarez, 27, signed with the Angels out of Venezuela and made his pro debut back in 2015. He’s spent his entire career in an Angels uniform to this point and first made it to the majors in 2019. The early days of his big league career weren’t exactly inspiring, as he carried a career 7.99 ERA in 83 1/3 innings through the end of the 2020 season with a 9.5% walk rate against a lackluster 18.6% strikeout rate.

Things turned around in a big way for the southpaw come 2021, however, and settled in to become a quality swing man for Anaheim. He pitched 98 1/3 innings that year in the majors split between 14 starts and nine relief appearances, and he was generally impressive by the results in those outings with a 3.75 ERA (119 ERA+) with a 4.12 FIP. That success carried over into the 2022 campaign, where Suarez was utilized as a more traditional back-of-the-rotation starter. He made 20 starts (and two relief appearances) for the Angels at the big league level that year, and pitched solidly enough with a roughly league average 3.96 ERA and a roughly matching 3.91 FIP. After posting successful seasons in back-to-back years, it seemed likely that the Angels would be relying on Suarez to serve as a back-end starter of swingman for years to come.

That’s not how things have transpired, however, as the lefty has been nothing short of disastrous over the past two seasons. In 86 innings of work since the start of the 2023 campaign, Suarez has struggled to a 6.91 ERA in 33 appearances, ten of which were starts. After striking out 21.5% of opponents and walking 7.9% from 2021 to ’22, the past two seasons have seen Suarez’s walk rate balloon to 11.6% while his strikeout rate has ticked down to 20.7%. He also began to give up increasingly dangerous contact, as his barrel rate ballooned from 7.4% in his successful years to 9.7% over the past two seasons. That’s led him to allow 17 homers in those 86 innings of work, more than he surrendered in either 2021 or ’22 despite pitching more innings in both of those seasons.

Suarez even found himself outrighted to the minors for much of last year, though he was added back to the club’s 40-man roster in September and remained there throughout the offseason. Now, however, he’ll head to Atlanta in hopes that a change of scenery can help get his career back on track. For the Angels, the move to part ways with Suarez comes on the heels of a mixed showing in camp where he struggled to a 6.55 ERA but struck out 25.5% of opponents while walking 9.8%. For Atlanta, he’ll offer another left-handed bullpen option who can be deployed in the middle innings, allowing Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer to be used more exclusively in high leverage situations.

Going the other way is Anderson, another reclamation project without options remaining. The right-hander, 27 in May, received NL Rookie of the Year votes in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons as he pitched to a combined 3.25 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate and 3.80 FIP in 30 starts during the regular season before adding an incredible 1.26 ERA in eight postseason starts to his resume over the course of those two years. That performance appeared likely to make Anderson a likely fixture of the Atlanta rotation going forward, but things took a turn for the worse in 2022 when he struggled to a 5.00 ERA (despite a 4.25 FIP) in 22 starts before he eventually went under the knife early in the 2023 campaign, undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Anderson missed the entire 2023 season while rehabbing and made 15 starts in the minor leagues last year as he got back up to speed, though his 3.44 ERA in 68 minor league innings did not lead to a return to the majors. The right-hander appeared likely to be part of the club’s rotation to start the season with Spencer Strider ticketed for the injured list entering camp, but despite a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings this spring Anderson’s camp raised concerns as he walked an eye-popping 18 opponents, or 24% of his total batters faced. With Anderson no longer in the fold, it seems likely the fifth starter job will instead go to AJ Smith-Shawver to open the season. Meanwhile, the Angels seem likely to utilize Anderson in a long relief role, though it’s at least possible he could get a look in the rotation if Reid Detmers begins the season at Triple-A.

Rockies Select Nick Martini, Option Zac Veen

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The Rockies announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, highlighted by the club’s decisions to select outfielder Nick Martini’s contract and option outfielder Zac Veen to Triple-A. The Rockies’s 40-man roster stands at 40 after the addition of Martini.

Martini, 35 in June, figures to replace the recently-traded Nolan Jones in left field for the Rockies entering the year. A seventh-round pick by the Cardinals all the way back in 2011, Martini toiled in the minor leagues for several years before finally making his big league debut with Oakland back in 2018. He got into only 55 games for the A’s that year, but hit quite well with a .296/.397/.414 slash line in 179 trips to the plate. Things took a turn for the worse from there, however, as Martini hit just .238/.338/.315 in 57 games from 2019 to 2021 while jumping between the A’s, Padres, and Cubs.

Those lackluster numbers led Martini to try his luck overseas, and he hit a strong .296/.365/.461 in 139 games as a regular for the KBO’s NC Dinos. That served as a springboard that allowed him to return to the majors with the Reds for the 2023 season, and Martini made the most of the opportunity as he hit an excellent .264/.329/.583 in a brief 29-game stint with the club. Cincinnati was impressed enough to keep Martini in the fold last year, though his numbers took a nosedive as he hit just .212/.272/.370 in 52 games for the Reds last year. Martini departed the Reds following that down year and caught on with the Rockies on a minor league deal this winter.

He entered the spring as a long shot for a big league job, but has crushed the ball to the tune of a .389/.511/.556 showing in 16 spring games this year. That performance, combined with the club’s recent move to trade Jones back to Cleveland, cleared the way for Martini to make the Opening Day roster, where he seems poised to platoon with Sean Bouchard in left field.

Veen, meanwhile, was in competition with Jordan Beck and Bouchard for the everyday right field job but will now head to the minor leagues to begin the year. The 23-year-old was Colorado’s first-round pick back in 2020, Veen was a consensus top-50 prospect early in his pro career but has been limited to just 111 games by injuries over the past two years. 2023 saw him struggle to a lackluster .209/.304/.308 in 46 games, but last year Veen bounced back in 65 appearances, with a strong .258/.346/.459 line split mostly between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Like Martini, Veen has enjoyed an incredible spring as he’s hit .298/.375/.509 in 25 games for the Rockies during camp.

Unfortunately for Veen, it appears that strong performance wasn’t enough to force his way onto the roster even after the Jones trade cleared an outfield spot. With Veen now ticketed for Triple-A, he’ll look to build on the 21 games of experience he got at the level last year and stay healthy as he waits for his first big league opportunity. Should an injury to the big league outfield mix occur, Veen’s status on the 40-man roster could give him a leg up over some potential alternative options, though Greg Jones and Yanquiel Fernandez are both on the 40 as well.

Royals Outright Nick Pratto, Nelson Velazquez; Phillies Claim Carlos Hernandez

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The Royals have cleared three spots on their 40-man roster, according to a report from Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The club placed first baseman Nick Pratto, outfielder Nelson Velazquez, and right-hander Carlos Hernandez on waivers. Hernandez was claimed by the Phillies, while both Pratto and Velazquez cleared waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A. The Phillies subsequently announced they’ve designated right-hander Tyler Phillips for assignment to make room for Hernandez on the roster.

Hernandez, 28, is a hard-throwing righty who signed with the Royals out of Venezuela and made his pro debut back in 2017. He climbed the minor league ladder before eventually making it to the majors during the 2020 campaign, although his five-appearance cup of coffee was one to forget with a 4.91 ERA and 6.40 FIP in 14 2/3 innings of work. Nonetheless, he served in a swing role for Kansas City the following year and found success in that role, pitching to a 3.68 ERA and 4.08 FIP across 85 2/3 innings of work. That seemed to hint at a fairly bright future in store for the right-hander, but things didn’t work out that way as Hernandez struggled badly over the next two years with a 6.21 ERA in 126 innings of work as he struck out just 19.8% of opponents while walking them at a hefty 11% clip.

Those struggles were enough to spur a full-time move to the bullpen for Hernandez in 2024, and the results were a clear improvement. On the surface, his numbers looked excellent as he pitched to a 3.30 ERA with a 3.50 FIP in 30 innings of work. With that being said, it can’t be ignored that Hernandez also allowed three unearned runs, struck out just 20.9% of his opponents, and struggled badly at Triple-A when not in the majors with a 5.40 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work. Most concerning was his walk rate, which ballooned to a career-high 12.4% last year. Those issues left Hernandez without a guaranteed roster spot headed into Spring Training, and with no minor league options left the Royals had no choice but to place him on waivers when his 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 spring innings did not justify a spot in the club’s bullpen.

That gave the Phillies the opportunity to swoop in an add a high-velocity arm off waivers, though they had to part ways with Phillips in order to do so. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with Philadelphia last season and struggled to a 6.87 ERA in 36 2/3 innings of work split between seven starts and one relief outing. The Phillies will have one week to either trade Phillips or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the club can outright him to the minors as a non-roster depth option. Meanwhile, Hernandez figures to enter the club’s bullpen as a possible long relief option alongside Joe Ross and Taijuan Walker, though the latter could be ticketed for a return to the rotation if Ranger Suarez opens the season on the injured list.

As for Velazquez and Pratto, both are young hitters who have shown promise at points in their careers but have struggled to find consistency at the big league level. Velazquez was acquired from the Cubs at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Jose Cuas and impressed in 40 games down the stretch with the club before stumbling to a lackluster .200/.274/.366 slash line in 64 games last year. Pratto, meanwhile, was the club’s first-round pick in 2017 and once a consensus top-100 prospect, but he’s failed to hit in the majors so far with just a .216/.295/.364 slash line across 144 games at the big league level. Both players will now serve as non-roster depth for the club this year and try to play their way into another big league opportunity at Triple-A.

White Sox Claim Mike Vasil Off Waivers From Rays

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The White Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed right-hander Mike Vasil off waivers from the Rays. Right-hander Prelander Berroa was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to make room for Vasil on the club’s 40-man roster.

Vasil, who celebrated his 25th birthday last week, has had a busy offseason. The longtime Mets farmhand was plucked from the club in the Rule 5 draft by the Phillies but was traded to the Rays for cash considerations shortly thereafter. He spent Spring Training with his newest club in Tampa, posting a 5.91 ERA in 10 2/3 innings of work, but ultimately did not make the club’s Opening Day roster. That led the Rays to place Vasil on waivers. If he had cleared waivers, he would’ve been offered back to the Mets, but instead the White Sox plucked him off the waiver wire and will now bring him into the fold along with all the roster stipulations that pertain to a typical Rule 5 player.

It’s not necessarily a surprise for a rebuilding club like the White Sox to dedicate roster spots to Rule 5 draftees, and some Rule 5 players like Garrett Whitlock and Anthony Santander have gone on to be valuable pieces for their new clubs after being drafted. With that being said, Vasil is coming off a 2024 campaign where he struggled to a 6.04 ERA in 134 innings of work at Triple-A Syracuse while still in the Mets organization. Providing any sort of major league production after struggling that badly at the highest level of the minors the year prior would be impressive in any context, but it would be especially impressive for a player in Vasil’s situation who cannot be optioned to the minor leagues.

With that being said, Vasil’s been viewed as scouts as a likely future starting pitcher capable of eating innings at the back of a rotation for years, and the White Sox are a club that’s clearly in need of innings. Fellow Rule 5 draft pick Shane Smith is also being carried on the club’s roster to open the season, and Smith appears to be in the mix alongside Bryse Wilson for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation behind Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, Martin Perez, and Sean Burke. Of that group, only Perez has made more than 21 starts in a big league season before. With so little experience in the club’s rotation mix, having an innings eater like Vasil available to take on spot starts or even carry the load in a long relief role could be quite valuable.

White Sox Release Brandon Drury

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The White Sox announced this morning that they’ve released infielder Brandon Drury. As an article XX(B) free agent, Drury had the opportunity to opt out and test free agency this weekend if he was not added to Chicago’s 40-man roster. Notably, Scott Merkin of MLB.com was among those to note yesterday that the infielder recently suffered a thumb fracture, which left him poised to miss the beginning of the season.

Drury, 32, suffered through a brutal season with the Angels last year where he hit just .169/.242/.228 in 97 games, which led him to sign a minor league deal with the White Sox last month. Drury’s time in camp with Chicago could hardly have gone better, however, and his incredible .410/.439/.821 slash line in 41 trips to the plate this spring seemingly made him a lock for the club’s Opening Day roster until his aforementioned fractured thumb threw those plans off course. It’s surely a frustrating situation for both Drury himself and the White Sox, with Chicago now poised to rely on some combination of Lenyn Sosa, Josh Rojas, Nick Maton, and Jacob Amaya up the middle with Drury no longer in the fold, though top prospect Colson Montgomery could force himself into the lineup at some point this year.

As for Drury, he’ll return to free agency coming off that phenomenal spring performance in hopes of catching on with another club with whom he can rehab his thumb injury and eventually return to lineup. Prior to his disastrous 2024 season, Drury enjoyed a solid stretch of three seasons with the Mets, Reds, Padres, and Angels where he slashed .263/.313/.493 with a wRC+ of 118 in 314 games, showing he can provide above average offensive production while handling either second or third base when he’s on. Whether or not he’ll be able to return to that quality production in 2025 once his thumb has healed remains to be seen, but it would hardly be a shock to see a club in need of infield depth offer him an opportunity in the coming days.

The Brewers are one example of a club that’s thin at third base, while the Astros could theoretically use some extra depth at the keystone after moving Jose Altuve to left field. The Yankees are also known to be in the market to upgrade their infield mix, while teams like the Mets and Twins have suffered injuries to key infield pieces this spring. Any of those clubs could be at least speculative fits for Drury’s services, though assuming he’s willing to take another non-roster deal it’s not hard to imagine a number of clubs being able to find playing time for him at Triple-A as a versatile depth option.

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