Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

The Opener: Team Debuts, Relief Market, MLBTR Chat

By | at

As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Pitchers making their team debut today:

It’s still the early days of spring, which means a number of players have not yet gotten into a game so far. As more players start making their first appearances, fans will continue to get their first looks at offseason acquisitions in their new settings. At 1:05pm ET this afternoon, Orioles fans will get to see veteran right-hander Charlie Morton make his debut for Baltimore against the Tigers. Just two minutes later, at 1:07pm ET, Blue Jays fans will be able to see future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer suit up for Toronto for the first time. Later in the afternoon, lefty Blake Snell will make his Dodgers debut against the Mariners, which is scheduled for 1:05pm MT for fans in Arizona, or 12:05pm PT for fans in Los Angeles and Seattle.

2. Players lingering on the relief market:

Yesterday saw the top remaining left-handed reliever on the free agent market settle for a minor league deal when southpaw Andrew Chafin signed on for a return to the Tigers. The pickings on the left-handed relief market are becoming increasingly slim, with rehabbing veteran Brooks Raley and swingman Drew Smyly among the best options remaining. The market for right-handed relievers still has a number of intriguing options, however, led by veteran David Robertson. Robertson’s 3.00 ERA and 2.65 FIP in 72 innings of work for the Rangers last year seem likely to earn him a major league deal somewhere even with March rapidly approaching. Kyle Finnegan, Phil Maton, Keynan Middleton, and swingman Jose Urena are among the yet-unsigned righties on the market.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

Spring training is now officially underway, though a handful of of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents remain unsigned and some clubs still have more work to do before the start of the season. Whether you have a trade proposal in the back of your mind or questions about an upcoming camp battle this spring, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Poll: Will The Astros Add Another Bat?

By | at

Over the weekend, it was reported that the Astros circled back to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado in trade talks after longtime third baseman Alex Bregman officially departed the club to sign with the Red Sox. Those renewed conversations surrounding Arenado don’t appear likely to result in a deal as things stand, but they do demonstrate a clear desire on the part of Astros brass to improve upon an offense that lost both Bregman and star outfielder Kyle Tucker this winter.

It’s not hard to see why Houston would like to upgrade their lineup. Among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances for the club last year, Tucker led the way with a sensational 181 wRC+ while Bregman ranked fourth with a figure of 118. As important as both players were, it’s fair to point out the club has a number of successful hitters still in the fold: Yordan Alvarez (168 wRC+) and Jose Altuve (127 wRC+) put up excellent numbers last year, and the catcher position remains strong with Yainer Diaz (117 wRC+) and Victor Caratini (113 wRC+).

Still, the combination of Alvarez, Altuve, Diaz, and Caratini cover just three spots in the lineup. The quartet do not figure to be in the same lineup very often this year, particularly now that Altuve is slated to play left field on at least a semi-frequent basis in order to keep Alvarez at DH, thereby stopping manager Joe Espada from penciling Diaz or Caratini in at DH on days when the other catching. Offseason additions of Isaac Paredes (117 wRC+) and Christian Walker (119 wRC+) should help to keep things afloat, with Paredes in particular projecting to serve as a near perfect replacement for Bregman with the bat despite his shortcomings on defense.

The Astros have a solid offensive nucleus, but their lineup figures to include several below-average hitters this year and sorely miss the offensive contributions Tucker has offered throughout his career. Without Tucker, the club’s entire projected outfield mix is questionable. Center fielder Jake Meyers is a career .228/.292/.371 (87 wRC+) hitter whose 2024 numbers were right in line with that production. Ben Gamel posted a 115 wRC+ last year, but that came in just 99 plate appearances and was his first above average offensive season since 2018. Chas McCormick has shown some solid potential with the bat in the past, but he’s coming off a career-worst campaign where he hit just .211/.271/.306 (66 wRC+). He’s also struggled to produce against right-handed pitching even in his more successful seasons.

The introduction of Altuve to the club’s left field mix should help to add some pop to the outfield, but the leading candidates to take over for him at second base are Mauricio Dubon and Brendan Rodgers. Both have six seasons in the majors, and neither has posted an above-average offensive season. What’s more, the departure of Tucker and Jon Singleton’s move to the bench leaves Alvarez as the club’s only lefty swinging regular, unless the club turns to Gamel for everyday reps. It seems clear that the Astros would benefit from adding another hitter to the mix — ideally a lefty.

The problem, however, is that very few options remain available in free agency, and even fewer of them are left-handed. Alex Verdugo has plenty of experience in left field and is perhaps the best left-handed bat still available, but he’s coming off a career-worst season. David Peralta is coming off a solid season in a part-time role with the Padres last year but is headed into his age-37 campaign. In terms of potential infielders, part-time players like Jose Iglesias and Whit Merrifield are not only right-handed, but also provide little over internal options like Dubon and Rodgers.

Perhaps there’s a trade to be worked out, even as swinging a deal for Arenado remains unlikely. The Twins have been rumored to be getting calls on utility man Willi Castro this winter, and a switch-hitter capable of playing both the infield and outfield seems like an ideal fit. Meanwhile, Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry and Mets infielder Brett Baty are two lefty bats currently on the bubble of their club’s 26-man roster.

In the case of a Castro trade or even a signing like Verdugo, money might also be a complicating factor. Reports have generally described the Astros’ budget as close to maxed out, with high-dollar moves like signing Bregman or trading for Arenado likely to require a greenlight from ownership. While it’s unclear exactly how much wiggle room Houston’s front office has, it appeared telling that GM Dana Brown indicated earlier this month that he sees an external addition of note as unlikely. With limited options still available and a seemingly limited budget to work with, perhaps the Astros will simply enter the season with their current roster unless a veteran opting out of a minor league deal or a player placed on the waiver wire in the run-up to Opening Day creates an opportunity.

Do MLBTR readers think the Astros will address their offense further before the season begins, or enter the 2025 season with what they have? Have your say in the poll below!

Will a hitter not currently in the Astros organization make their Opening Day roster?
No, they'll enter the season with their internal group on offense. 62.47% (1,966 votes)
Yes, the club will make an external addition to the Opening Day roster. 37.53% (1,181 votes)
Total Votes: 3,147

The Opener: Cardinals, Madrigal, Twins

By | at

As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Will the Cardinals make a spring trade?

This weekend saw some small signs of movement in the trade market surrounding the Cardinals bubble to the surface. That began with reports of reignited trade talks between St. Louis and Houston regarding Nolan Arenado. While the two teams seem to have touched base again in the wake of Alex Bregman signing in Boston, a trade sending Arenado to Houston is considered to be a “longshot.” Arenado isn’t the only Cardinals player whose name came up as a potential trade candidate this weekend, however; the Cards could be open to late conversations surrounding right-hander Erick Fedde. Trading either Arenado or Fedde before Opening Day would more clearly set the tone for St. Louis’s 2025 campaign after an offseason where the club has signaled they want to focus on the future without many concrete moves backing that up.

2. Madrigal to undergo MRI:

After already losing Frankie Montas to a lat injury, the Mets suffered another potential hit to their depth yesterday when utility infielder Nick Madrigal suffered a dislocated shoulder while fielding a grounder. Madrigal will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the issue, per MLB.com, which could require surgery if the dislocation is particularly severe. Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty give the club some infield depth, but Mauricio isn’t even getting into spring games until mid-March after last spring’s ACL tear (per Newsday’s Tim Healey), and Baty isn’t the backup shortstop option that Madrigal or Acuña would be. As such, Acuña seems likeliest to step up, but it bears mentioning that Jose Iglesias remains unsigned if the Mets want to look outside the organization and focus on getting their in-house youngsters regular at-bats in Triple-A.

3. Will the Twins be sold?

News broke Friday that Justin Ishbia, the reported leading candidate to purchase the Minnesota Twins, had pulled out of the bidding to pivot toward acquiring a larger stake in the White Sox — a club in which he already holds a minority stake. It’s since been reported that “everything is on the table” for the Twins and the Pohlad family, including the possibility that the club is taken off the market. More clarity surrounding the future of the franchise is expected within the next month or two, and it figures to be a top story to keep an eye on given the massive potential impact a sale would have not only on the Twins organization but the AL Central as a whole.

Cardinals Believed To Be “Open” To Moving Erick Fedde

By | at

Rival clubs believe that the Cardinals could entertain trade conversations surrounding right-hander Erick Fedde, according to a report from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though it’s not clear whether those discussions would happen later this Spring or at some point during the season. Goold notes that the club has made clear their desire to maintain their pitching depth this spring, but adds that the club is “open” to a move that would lower payroll and make room in the rotation for young right-hander Michael McGreevy.

That Fedde could find himself on the trading block this spring, on its face, isn’t a huge surprise. After all, the Cardinals seemingly made every effort to trade veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado this winter, and while those efforts appear to remain a longshot to come to fruition they still combine with the club’s decision to let players like Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Kittredge depart in free agency to paint a picture of a club looking to focus on the future rather than the present. That would normally make a rental pitcher like Fedde something of a no-brainer to deal away, but St. Louis has resisted the prospect of fully committing to 2025 as a rebuilding year.

The Cards expressed a reluctance to make long-term commitments this winter, and that appears to have included even extension conversations with pending free agents like Ryan Helsley. Even as they’ve done that, however, St. Louis has held onto their closer despite receiving interest from multiple clubs in his services. The same is true of Fedde and even back-of-the-rotation southpaw Steven Matz, both of whom were reportedly drawing interest on the trade market as far back as December but the Cardinals never outwardly expressed much interest in moving.

Against the backdrop of the Cardinals’ overall approach to the winter, the idea that Fedde could be moved before Opening Day registers as something of a surprise. It’s easy to see why the club may want to make such a move, however. As Goold notes, part of the impetus behind looking to deal Arenado was about scaling back the club’s payroll in order to reinvest in their development apparatus. While Fedde’s $7.5MM salary is fairly inexpensive and he’s on the books for just one year, it’s possible that those funds would be reallocated to the budget when the club plans to be more competitive in 2026.

More than the financial aspect, however, what could be appealing to the Cardinals is the opportunity to give another young player consistent playing time this year. McGreevey impressed in a brief cup of coffee last year, posting a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings of work, and with an aging starting rotation it’s easy to imagine the Cardinals wanting to add another young, controllable arm to the mix alongside Andre Pallante. Given that reality, it’s easy to understand why 60% of MLBTR readers suggested that the Cardinals should pivot towards dealing a starter amid the likely return for Arenado to St. Louis for at least the start of the 2025 season.

Of course, those financial and playing time considerations are likely to be secondary to the return they could garner for Fedde’s services. The club surrendered utility man Tommy Edman to the Dodgers as part of a three-team deal in order to acquire Fedde from the White Sox, and after a season where he pitched to an excellent 3.30 ERA in 177 1/3 innings with a 3.86 FIP the Cardinals are surely hoping to get legitimate, long-term value for the righty in any deal. With other win-now pieces like Arenado, Helsley, and Sonny Gray all still on the roster, it makes little sense for St. Louis to trade a solid mid-rotation arm like Fedde just for the sake of making a move. Perhaps a desire to extract the best package possible in exchange for Fedde was the cause for St. Louis’s apparent hesitance about dealing Fedde throughout the winter, giving the premium placed on quality starting pitching at the trade deadline every summer.

If getting the best return possible for Fedde’s services is the club’s priority, at least listening to offers this spring certainly makes sense. After all, Goold points out that the inevitable pitching injuries that will crop up throughout the spring are bound to create a market for starting pitching help. The first significant pitching injury of the spring already occurred when the Mets revealed that Frankie Montas will be shut down for six to eight weeks due to a lat issue, and while they don’t currently plan to add a starter it’s not hard to imagine a similar injury elsewhere around the league causing another contender to get antsy about their rotation depth. If no significant offer comes through for Fedde this spring, the Cardinals can of course simply reassess at the deadline based on the team’s competitive outlook for the stretch run and either field offers again over the summer or simply hold onto Fedde and potentially extend him a Qualifying Offer in the fall.

Red Sox Notes: Third Base, Giolito, Murphy

By | at

The Red Sox have been dealing with some tension around the infield this spring, as their recent acquisition of Alex Bregman has led to questions about where Bregman—and, by extension, Rafael Devers—will play in 2024. Bregman is the superior defender at third base, but Devers to publicly emphasized that his position is third base. Meanwhile, team officials have refused to declare either Devers or Bregman the starting third baseman to this point. Today, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to reporters (including MassLive’s Sean McAdam) about the situation, and downplayed the severity of any clubhouse issues that could arise over the team’s infield alignment.

“I think having really good players that are talking about positions is not a terrible place to be in,” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “…my obligation is to put the best team on the field, on both offense and defense that I can possibly can… So we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

Breslow’s comments seem to clearly indicate that the club has no intention of handing him the third base job out of respect for his tenure at the position. Given that the club seems to be staying the course of determining its infield alignment based on performance this spring, Breslow noted that he has confidence in the ability of manager Alex Cora to handle any concerns within the clubhouse resulting from the ongoing battle for third base.

“But part of the reason we as an organization feel that Alex is the perfect manager for the Red Sox is his ability to command a clubhouse, his ability to communicate with players across different cultures and ethnicities.” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “He’s such a great communicator. …any time you have a talent roster, there are players who are going to want more playing time or fill different roles. You rely on the manager to be able to have those conversations and get everybody moving in the same direction.”

Should Bregman ultimately be installed at the hot corner with Devers moving to DH, Cora’s ability to communicate and command the clubhouse may be put to the test. Devers has long maintained his desire to stick at third base and has clearly expressed a very strong preference to remain at the hot corner all throughout his career, and Cora himself has even acknowledged that Devers was promised that he’d be the club’s third baseman long term when he signed a 10-year extension with the club prior to the 2023 season. Of course, that pact came under former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom rather than Breslow, opening the door to the tensions the Red Sox are facing today.

Elsewhere on the roster, the Red Sox are dealing with a number of injury woes impacting their rotation. Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito are all behind at this point in camp due to various ailments, but Christopher Smith of MassLive relayed a positive update on the status of Giolito. While Giolito has been a bit slow out of the gate this year as he continues to recover from the internal brace procedure he underwent last spring, he noted earlier this winter that he expects to be ready for Opening Day. Per Smith, a major step in the right-hander’s process of preparing for the start of the season will take place tomorrow, when he’s scheduled to throw his first live batting practice since going under he knife last year.

Giolito’s status entering the season figures to take on outsized importance for the Red Sox given the fact that both Crawford and Bello are nursing injury situations of their own. Smith adds that Bello threw from 90 feet today as he battles back from a bout of shoulder soreness, and that his progression from here will be determined by a strength test later today. As for Crawford, the right-hander is still feeling discomfort due to his patellar tendon in long toss and bullpen sessions. It’s a worrying sign for the right-hander, who pitched through knee issues for much of the 2024 season. Those problems have lingered into the start of camp this year and appear to be putting Crawford’s availability for Opening Day in doubt.

In more pleasant injury news, Smith writes that southpaw Chris Murphy has resumed throwing bullpens after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. The southpaw isn’t expected to be a factor for the Red Sox in at least the early part of the year year, but Smith relays that Murphy hopes to pitch in the majors at some point in 2025 wouldn’t completely rule out a return in the first half of the season. For now, he’s taking things slowly with 10- and 15-pitch bullpen sessions, both of which featured exclusively fastballs.

A return late in the first half or even at some point in the second half would be a welcome development for the Red Sox, as the 26-year-old looked like an interesting piece during his rookie season back in 2023. The lefty appeared in 20 games for Boston as a multi-inning reliever, and while his 4.91 ERA in those 47 2/3 innings was fairly lackluster he still managed to open some eyes thanks to a solid 23.1% strikeout rate and a 3.70 FIP. Once he’s healthy, the southpaw could compete with players like Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski for a spot as a long man in the Red Sox bullpen this year.

Rangers Prospect Alejandro Rosario Likely To Miss 2025 Season With Elbow Injury

By | at

Right-handed Rangers pitching prospect Alejandro Rosario is likely to miss the 2025 season due to an elbow injury, president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters (including Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). Rosario will require surgery, though Young was reluctant to offer any concrete details.

“It’s likely UCL,” Young said, as relayed by Landry. “I don’t want to officially say, but yeah, it’s elbow and will probably require Tommy John.”

The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2023 draft. It’s a brutal blow for the righty, who was nothing short of sensational in his first season as a pro in 2024. He split the year between Single-A and High-A, pitching to a sterling 2.24 ERA overall with 88 1/3 innings of work. He struck out an incredible 36.9% of opponents faced in total last year while walking just 3.7% of batters. It was a massive leap forward for a player who never posted an ERA below 5.00 during his collegiate career.

Unfortunately, that incredible breakout will be put on hold for the 2025 campaign. While specifics of what exact procedure Rosario will undergo have not yet been made public, even an internal brace procedure comes with about a year of rehab time, with full Tommy John requiring a longer rehab that would likely stretch into the 2026 season. Rosario appeared on track to either start 2025 at Double-A or earn a promotion to the level early in the campaign, but those plans will have to be scuttled for the year. That seems likely to delay his big league debut until 2027 at the earliest, surely a disappointing development for both the Rangers and the righty himself.

Fortunately for Texas, they’re hardly short on starting pitching options for the 2025 campaign. Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Tyler Mahle, and Cody Bradford currently project as the club’s starting five on Opening Day, with Dane Dunning also on the roster as a potential swing man. That roster is supplemented by a handful of young prospects, including former first-round picks Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. Both of them made their big league debuts in 2024; Leiter struggled through 35 2/3 innings of work with an 8.83 ERA, though he did pitch to a 3.51 ERA in 77 innings of work at the Triple-A level. That’s a particularly impressive figure given the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League and his excellent 33.3% strikeout rate.

Rocker, meanwhile, showed out in a three-start cup of coffee late in the year with a 3.86 ERA and 3.68 FIP. He was even better in the minors, with just three earned runs allowed across seven starts between the Double- and Triple-A levels last year after returning from Tommy John surgery earlier in the year. The presence of Leiter and Rocker, as well as other youngsters like Emiliano Teodo, should help the Rangers to weather Rosario’s delayed big league timeline even as Gray and Mahle head for free agency after the 2025 season.

Rangers Sign Kevin Pillar To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rangers announced this morning that they’ve signed outfielder Kevin Pillar to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training.

Pillar, 36, is a veteran of 12 MLB seasons. After getting his start as a 32nd-round pick with the Blue Jays back in 2011, he made his big league debut in 2013 and has fashioned a solid career for himself as a glove-first outfielder who can provide some offense against left-handed pitching. His peak seasons as Toronto’s everyday center fielder where he posted 8.2 fWAR and 14.0 bWAR from 2015 to 2018 are long behind him, but in more recent years he’s transitioned into being a serviceable fourth or fifth outfielder for a variety of MLB clubs.

In 2024, Pillar started the season with the White Sox but struggled badly through 17 games. The veteran was cut by Chicago but managed to find a job with the Angels in Anaheim after Mike Trout went down for the year due to a meniscus issue. Pillar joined the club’s outfield mix and did fairly well for himself, appearing in 83 games for the club while primarily playing center field. In 282 trips to the plate for the Halos, Pillar slashed .236/.291/.378 with a decent 88 wRC+ that suggested he was a touch below league average as a hitter. That’s perfectly serviceable for a depth piece, but Pillar notably crushed left-handed pitching with a .310/.352/.500 slash line against southpaws last year.

That seems to suggests he could be more productive on a team with a deeper outfield mix who can offer him more platoon protection against right-handed hitters, and that makes the Rangers a decent fit for his services despite their full outfield mix. Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia are expected to be the club’s regular outfielders in the corners, with Evan Carter getting regular reps in center field and Leody Taveras serving as the club’s fourth outfielder. Taveras is a somewhat imperfect complement to the lefty-swinging Carter in center, however, as he’s just a .231/.291/.320 hitter for his career against southpaws including a dismal .189/.270/.244 showing against them last year.

Taveras, who is controlled through the end of the 2027 season and is making just $4.75MM this year, has been bandied about as a potential trade candidate throughout the winter thanks to his questionable fit on the Rangers’ roster and the club’s desire to stay under the first threshold of the luxury tax this year. The club was reportedly receiving interest in Taveras as recently as the end of January, though now that Spring Training has begun the odds of any trade getting done have gone down significantly. Even so, bringing Pillar into the fold offers the Rangers insurance against injury following a season where Carter was limited to just 45 games by back issues while also potentially giving them the flexibility to listen to offers on Taveras more seriously than they would have if trading him would’ve forced them to rely on Garcia or Langford as their backup center fielder.

JB Bukauskas Sidelined By “Significant” Lat Injury

By | at

Right-hander JB Bukauskas is suffering from a “significant” lat injury, according to a report from Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. According to Rosiak, Bukauskas is currently weighing whether to undergo surgery or attempt to rehab the injury.

It’s a brutal blow for Bukauskas, who was a first-round pick by the Astros in 2017 and a consensus top-100 prospect early in his career. He was a key piece sent to the Diamondbacks as part of the Zack Greinke trade back in 2019 and made his MLB debut back in 2021, though he’s been dogged by injuries ever since. Bukauskas was sidelined for six weeks due to an elbow flexor strain and then missed nearly the entire 2022 campaign due to a teres major strain. The right-hander was designated for assignment by Arizona in January of 2023 but was claimed off waivers by the Mariners in short order, ending his Diamondbacks career with a 7.79 ERA in 21 appearances.

Bukauskas threw just one inning for the Mariners before being designated for assignment once again in April of that same year, and he was plucked off waivers by Milwaukee a few days later. He’s remained a Brewer ever since and has pitched phenomenally for the club in the brief periods of time where he’s been healthy enough to take the mound, with a microscopic 0.75 ERA and an excellent 26.7% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, his big league work has been limited to just 12 innings due to whiplash, a finger tendon issue, and most recently a lat strain that cost him nearly the entire 2024 season. Milwaukee designated him for assignment back in January, but he opted to accept an outright assignment and head to camp with the Brewers as a non-roster invitee.

Now Bukauskas’s lat issues appear to be flaring up once again. It’s possible that the issue is the very same injury that sidelined him during 2024; after all, Bukauskas was believed to be healthy enough that he was sent on a rehab assignment over the summer, but he was recalled from that assignment after just four appearances due to lingering soreness. It’s not clear if the right-hander’s current lat issue is a new one or a similar situation where he was believed to be healthy until he felt something upon arriving in camp, but in any case the injury is now severe enough for Bukauskas to be at least considering surgery.

A timeline for Bukauskas’s return to action likely won’t be clear until he makes a decision on whether or not to go under the knife, but he figures to be out for quite some time either way. Significant lat strains often require a pitcher to be shut down for at least a month or two before they can resume baseball activities, and surgery comes with a much longer timeline. As one example, Tigers right-hander Alex Lange underwent surgery to repair a torn lat in June of last year and remains out of action. Detroit placed him on the 60-day IL earlier this month, suggesting they don’t expect him to be healthy enough to return until the tail end of May at the absolute earliest.

Fortunately for the Brewers, the club has a fairly deep bullpen with plenty of options to help make up for the loss of Bukauskas. Trevor Megill, Joel Payamps, and Nick Mears are among the right-handers towards the top of the club’s depth chart, with players such as Abner Uribe, Grant Anderson, and non-roster veterans like Deivi Garcia and Vinny Nittoli providing further depth behind the club’s top options.

Rays Sign Kodi Whitley To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rays have signed right-hander Kodi Whitley to a minor league deal, as noted in the transactions tracker on Whitley’s MLB.com profile page.

Whitley, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Friday, was a 27th-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2017 who made his MLB debut in St. Louis during the shortened 2020 season. His first two seasons in the majors went quite well despite limited playing time at the big league level, as he pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 30 innings of work. He struck out 27.1% of opponents while walking 11%, resulting in a 3.21 FIP, though more advanced metrics such as xFIP (4.13) and SIERA (3.88) painted him as more of a league average arm.

Unfortunately for Whitley, things came off the rails a bit for him during the 2022 campaign. He logged just 12 2/3 innings of work at the big league level for St. Louis that year, and the results left much to be desired. Whitley surrendered a 5.68 ERA as his strikeout rate dipped to just 20.3%. Even more concerning was his walk rate, which was already somewhat elevated even when the right-hander was successful but in 2022 ballooned to an untenable 15.3% rate. While Whitley posted a decent 3.86 ERA with Triple-A Memphis that year, his 21.8% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate still left something to be desired relatively to his past performance in the majors.

Given Whitley’s struggles, it was hardly a shock when the club outrighted him off their 40-man roster following the 2022 season. He stuck with the Cardinals at Triple-A to open the 2023 campaign but put up lackluster results even in the minor leagues with a 5.19 ERA in 32 appearances. That led St. Louis to release Whitley midway through the season, and though he was picked up in July by the Braves things got even worse for him at Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett as he surrendered a 6.43 ERA in 14 frames with the club.

That difficult stint with the Braves stands as Whitley’s most recent pro experience. He stuck with the Braves throughout the 2023-24 offseason but was released last March and did not sign with an organization afterwards. That’s now changed, however, and he’ll look to get his career back on track with one of the top pitching development organizations in baseball this year. The Rays are known for churning through bullpen arms nearly constantly, so if Whitley manages to recapture the success he had earlier in his career there’s little doubt that Tampa would find a spot for him in their big league bullpen at some point this year. That could take time, however, given Whitley’s apparent yearlong layoff from game action.

“No Traction” Between Cardinals, Astros In Nolan Arenado Talks

By | at

While a report earlier today revealed that the Cardinals and Astros have resumed discussions regarding veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado, a report from Chandler Rome and Katie Woo of The Athletic this evening has cast doubt on the likelihood of a deal coming together. According to Rome and Woo, although the sides did re-engage about Arenado in the aftermath of Alex Bregman signing with the Red Sox, those renewed discussions were “brief” and that there has been no traction gained on a deal between the sides. Rome and Woo add that Arenado’s stance on waiving his no-trade clause to join the Astros has not changed to this point.

The report meshes with comments from president of baseball operations John Mozeliak earlier today, in which he suggested to reporters that he didn’t feel anything was “imminent” regarding Arenado. Rome and Woo go on to relay that sources described the possibility of a deal coming together between the two teams as a “long shot,” adding that a deal the sides discussed involving Arenado was considered a “non-starter.” Given that description of talks between the two sides, it’s not entirely clear if Arenado has been approached by St. Louis brass about the possibility of approving a trade to Houston since the Astros tried to reignite talks or if discussions between the sides did not advance far enough for Mozeliak to even broach the subject with his veteran star.

Even when Arenado first blocked a trade to Houston back in December, reporting was quick to emphasize that Arenado’s reluctance to approve the trade was not necessarily a final decision and that he was hoping to survey his own market as well as see how the Astros planned to improve the club after trading star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs just before Arenado vetoed a prospective move to Houston. Now that Bregman has landed in Boston, the Red Sox join the Padres and Dodgers as unlikely landing spots for the veteran due to their full infield mixes. The Yankees have a clear hole at third base Arenado could step into fairly seamlessly, but talks between the Bronx and St. Louis have failed to gain traction due to New York’s unwillingness to spend much beyond their current payroll projection.

That leaves the Astros as the final team reportedly on Arenado’s initial list of approved suitors as things stand. It’s possible that the lack of clear alternative options, in tandem with the Astros’ addition of Christian Walker to their infield mix, would be enough to convince Arenado to approve a trade to Houston. At the same time, it’s entirely possible that Arenado would prefer to play the first half of the season out in St. Louis at this point before both he and Mozeliak reassess the situation over the summer, when St. Louis’s position in an unsettled NL Central division will be more clear and Arenado will have a more concrete idea of which clubs are contenders for the coming postseason.

Rome and Woo go on to note that the Astros’ latest push to swing a deal for Arenado highlights the questions surrounding the Astros’ lineup at this point. Longtime second baseman Jose Altuve appears to be moving towards playing left field at least on a part-time basis, though a trade for Arenado would be expected to make the veteran a full-time presence in left while Isaac Paredes slides from third base to second to accommodate Arenado. Should Altuve end up moving to left field for the majority of his reps this year, that leaves the club fairly thin around the infield with only Mauricio Dubon and non-roster invitees like Brendan Rodgers and Luis Guillorme available to play second base on days Altuve is in left and/or back up the rest of the club’s infield mix.

Even if Altuve were to remain at second base close to full time, however, it can be argued the club is still a bat short. Jake Meyers appears poised to be the club’s regular center fielder with Ben Gamel and Chas McCormick handling the outfield corners. Gamel and McCormick both feature significant platoon splits, however, and adding at least one part-time outfield bat to the mix seems prudent whether that’s the addition of Altuve to the outfield mix or an external addition should the veteran remain on the infield dirt.

Free agent options are relatively scarce at this point in the calendar, with Jose Iglesias and Whit Merrifield the best infield pieces still available while Alex Verdugo, Mark Canha, and David Peralta are among a handful of outfield options still on the market. It’s also possible the Astros could look for other alternatives on the trade market, though with rosters largely set for the coming season it’s unclear what players could still be available that would represent a substantial improvement for the club relative to their current situation.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top