Pirates Designate Enmanuel Valdez For Assignment
The Pirates have designated infielder Enmanuel Valdez for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man roster spot goes to the game’s No. 1 overall prospect, shortstop Konnor Griffin, whose previously announced promotion to the majors is now finalized.
Valdez has seen action in parts of three major league seasons, including 102 plate appearances with Pittsburgh last year. The 27-year-old carries a lifetime .230/.288/.392 batting line in the majors and has tallied 14 big league home runs in 474 plate appearances. He’s a left-handed hitter who’s spent the bulk of his time at second base but also has experience at both infield corners and in both outfield corners.
Originally an Astros signee out of his native Dominican Republic, Valdez went from Houston to Boston alongside Wilyer Abreu in the lopsided deal that shipped catcher Christian Vazquez to the Astros in 2022. The Red Sox traded him to the Pirates in Dec. 2024, acquiring minor league reliever Joe Vogatsky in return.
While Valdez has yet to hit much in the majors, he’s a career .250/.343/.467 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons. He’s graded out as a poor second base defender in the majors but posted above-average marks in a small sample of 190 innings at first base. Valdez is in his final minor league option year, so any team that plucks him off waivers or swings a small trade for him would be able to send him to Triple-A without restriction — at least for the remainder of the current season. (He’ll be out of options next year.)
The Pirates can trade Valdez or place him on waivers at any point in the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so within one week’s time the outcome of this morning’s DFA will be known.
Sal Stewart, Reds Open To Extension Talks
The annual crop of spring/early-season extensions is still ongoing, and while the Reds and young slugger Sal Stewart haven’t yet had any substantial talks about a deal, Stewart tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s open to discussing a long-term pact. President of baseball operations Nick Krall voiced mutual interest when asked by Wittenmyer, though he gave standard caveats about asking price and finding a middle ground that works for all parties. To this point, there have not yet been substantial talks between the two sides.
“I’m definitely open to it,” said Stewart, noting how well the organization has treated him to this point in his career. “…I’m open to it because they took a chance on me when I was young, and I want to do it for this city. This city means a lot to me, and they’ve become my family.”
Since being called to the majors as a 21-year-old late last season, the now-22-year-old Stewart has done nothing but hit. He’s taken 84 plate appearances, ripped seven homers and four doubles, and mashed to an overall .311/.393/.649 batting line. He’s walked more than he’s struck out this season and has an overall 11.9% walk rate to a 21.4% strikeout rate. Stewart has posted sensational batted-ball metrics in his young career, averaging a comical 95.5 mph off the bat with a 19.6% barrel rate and a 55.4% hard-hit rate. He shouldn’t be expected to sustain those Aaron Judge/Kyle Schwarber-esque levels, but plenty of big league hitters aren’t physically capable of even fluking their way into that type of batted-ball quality over a stretch of 24 games.
Suffice it to say, Stewart looks the part of a middle-of-the-order slugger — precisely the type of hitter Cincinnati has struggled to develop in recent years. The former third baseman is being given every opportunity to run with the Reds’ primary first base job, and so far, the results speak for themselves. Stewart has already positioned himself for a quality payday, based on recent precedent for early-career extensions. Would the Reds pony up a competitive offer? That much remains unclear.
“It always depends on where each side is and what each side is looking for,” Krall said on the possibility. “…You have to find the right number for the club and the player to have it make sense.”
As MLBTR’s Contract Tracker shows, the Reds haven’t given been especially active on the extension front in recent seasons. They signed backup catcher Jose Trevino to a two-year deal guaranteeing him $11.5MM when he was on the doorstep of free agency, but that’s quite a different situation than the one in which Stewart finds himself. The only time in the past decade that Cincinnati has come to terms on a long-term deal extending club control over a pre-arbitration player is Hunter Greene‘s six-year, $53MM deal signed about three years ago. They’ve made other overtures, including a club-record offer to shortstop Elly De La Cruz last spring that didn’t come to fruition. Joey Votto‘s 10-year, $225MM deal is the largest in franchise history.
[Related: Largest contract in franchise history for every MLB team]
Stewart, coincidentally, is represented by the same agency as Votto. He and his team at MVP Sports Group won’t be seeking an arrangement of that magnitude, but recent precedent can provide some context on what Stewart might reasonably command.
Again using MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have only been eight extensions over the past decade for position players with between one day and 171 days (one day shy of a year) of major league service time. Those deals range from Ceddanne Rafaela (another MVP client) signing at eight years and $50MM to Julio Rodríguez landing a 12-year, $210MM contract in Seattle. Four additional extensions for players with zero big league service include Detroit’s Colt Keith (six years, $28.6MM plus three options), Milwaukee’s Cooper Pratt (eight years, $50.75MM plus two options), Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio (eight years, $82MM plus two options) and Seattle’s Colt Emerson (eight years, $95MM plus one option).
Stewart’s offensive upside is considerably greater than that of Rafaela, meaning he could reasonably expect larger arbitration paydays and thus a larger guarantee on the contract. Conversely, Rodriguez had close to a year in the majors by the time he signed his deal. He’d already made the 2022 All-Star team and was the clear frontrunner in an AL Rookie of the Year race he’d eventually win with 29 of 30 first-place votes.
Landing between those two extremes would make sense. The Orioles got catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo to sign for eight years and $67MM near the end of the 2025 season, just days after he’d first been summoned to the majors. Corbin Carroll had roughly the same number of games and plate appearances as Stewart when he signed for eight years and $111MM, though he was a more well-rounded prospect who offered huge baserunning/defense value on top of his bat. Stewart is more of a bat-first prospect, but the early returns on that bat are hard to ignore.
Aside from the previously mentioned six-year deal for Greene, the Reds don’t have much on the long-term books. Greene is signed through 2028 with a club option for 2029. He’s guaranteed a total of $41MM from 2026-28, or $60MM through 2029 if the option is exercised. Ke’Bryan Hayes is signed through 2029 but for a more modest total of $36MM (including the buyout on a 2030 option). No one else is is signed beyond the 2027 season. Closer Emilio Pagán and the aforementioned Trevino are the only players even guaranteed anything for 2027 — and Pagán could opt out following the current season.
That leaves the Reds on the hook for a total no greater than $42MM in any of the next four seasons. Obviously, there are arbitration salaries that’ll factor in to increase that number, and future trades and free agent acquisitions will also alter that bottom line. For the time being, however, there’s no financial roadblocks in place for a Stewart deal, especially considering that the early seasons of an extension would probably come with minimal salaries. Since contract extensions typically (albeit not always) mimic a player’s would-be earning progressions throughout arbitration, Stewart’s salary probably wouldn’t begin to really climb until after the very end of the club’s control windows over Greene and Hayes.
Nationals Release Matt Mervis
The Nationals have released first baseman Matt Mervis, per Bobby Blanco of MASNsports.com. He’d signed a minor league deal over the winter, spent spring training with the Nats, and opened the season with their Triple-A club in Rochester.
Mervis appeared in only one game with Washington’s top minor league affiliate prior to being released, going 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He was 3-for-12 with a pair of walks and strikeouts in 14 official spring plate appearances. He went 3-for-11 with a pair of doubles for Israel during the World Baseball Classic.
The Nationals added Mervis as first base depth back in December, but since signing him they acquired first base prospect Abimelec Ortiz from the Rangers as part of their return for MacKenzie Gore and more recently brought Curtis Mead over from the White Sox, giving them another first base option on the MLB roster and pushing Andres Chaparro down to Rochester. The need for further depth was lessened, as was Mervis’ role on the Rochester roster, and the two sides have now parted ways.
Mervis has logged big league time in each of the past three seasons, suiting up for both the Cubs and Marlins. He’s routinely clobbered Triple-A pitching, slashing a combined .264/.359/.522 with 71 long balls in 1318 plate appearances at the top minor league level. Strikeouts have been an issue his past few trips through Triple-A, however, and they’ve been an insurmountable obstacle for Mervis in the majors. Through 261 big league plate appearances, Mervis has slashed .165/.238/.322 with a huge 34.5% strikeout rate. Among the 521 players who tallied at least 250 plate appearances from 2023-25, Mervis ranked 502nd with a 66.9% overall contact rate and 506th with a 76.7% contact rate on pitches within the strike zone.
Mervis is now free to sign with any club seeking some first base depth and/or a left-handed power hitter to stash in Triple-A. Speculatively speaking, he also has a profile that we’ve seen command interest overseas in the past, though there’s no indication that’s a possibility for the 27-year-old slugger (28 later this month).
MLB Mailbag: Soriano, Ryan, Nats, Extensions, Rays, Cardinals
I'm pinch-hitting for Tim Dierkes one more time on this week's mailbag. In this edition, we'll look at (very) hypothetical trade possibilities surrounding the Angels' Jose Soriano and the Twins' Joe Ryan, some young Nationals, the recent wave of extensions, and some questions on the outlooks for the Rays and Cardinals. Let's begin!
Casey asks...
OK, you're the Angels (sorry). When do you trade Jose Soriano...to whom...and what would be a likely return??
I'll delve into some hypotheticals involving Soriano's trade value and potential suitors shortly, but first and foremost, I'd caution against the idea of the Angels trading him.
That may sound counterintuitive. After all, the Halos obviously aren't expected to contend this season. They're out to a 3-3 start on the year, but the team's bullpen is comprised of rebound candidates, its position player group is littered with strikeout-prone veterans whose best years are behind them, and the rotation has all of two established big league starters: Yusei Kikuchi and Soriano.
FanGraphs projects the Angels to go 71-85 over the rest of the season. Baseball Prospectus/PECOTA is far more bearish, projecting a 66-96 season even after a decent first week of play. Very few expect this team to compete. (Apparently that's OK for owner Arte Moreno, who recently claimed that winning isn't among the top five priorities for Angels fans. Got it, Arte.)
Beyond that grim outlook, the Angels' farm is one of the game's worst. Anaheim's system briefly trended upward several years ago, but that was short-lived. Frequent development misses and prioritization of players who are close to MLB-ready in the draft -- often in place of higher-ceiling talents who are further from the majors -- have left the team without much of a farm. That leads to repeated dice rolls on former top prospects; the current roster includes names like Oswald Peraza, Yoan Moncada, Alek Manoah, Grayson Rodriguez and Vaughn Grissom.
On the surface, all of that would seem to indicate a rebuild is nigh. The Angels haven't reached the playoffs since 2014. They haven't had a winning season since 2015. This is a team in dire need of a rebuild.
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Dodgers Acquire Jake Eder
11:07am: The two teams have announced the trade. Los Angeles is sending cash back to Washington. Righty Jake Cousins, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, heads to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot.
10:37am: The Dodgers are set to acquire left-hander Jake Eder from the Nationals, according to Spencer Nusbaum and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Eder was designated for assignment this past weekend when Washington acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the White Sox.
A fourth-round pick by the Marlins in 2020, the now-27-year-old Eder was a touted prospect in Miami’s system before requiring Tommy John surgery at the Double-A level. He was flipped from the Marlins to the White Sox in exchange for Jake Burger at the 2023 trade deadline, but things didn’t pan out in Chicago.
Eder only briefly made the majors with the ChiSox, tossing two innings of relief and allowing one run. He was sitting on a 3.94 ERA in 29 2/3 Double-A frames with the Marlins at the time of that swap before being shelled for 22 runs in 17 1/3 innings with the White Sox’ Double-A affiliate in Birmingham. Eder made another 24 starts with Birminham in 2024 but was torched for a 6.61 ERA.
The Sox traded Eder to the Angels for cash one year ago yesterday. He pitched 18 1/3 MLB frames (4.91 ERA, 19.2 K%, 11.5 BB%) before being traded to the Nationals as part of Washington’s return for veteran relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia. He pitched only seven innings in Washington’s system following that swap. Eder allowed only two earned runs in 6 2/3 spring innings with the Nats (2.70 ERA) but walked six batters in that time.
Eder has typically sat 92-94 mph with his four-seamer and complemented the pitch with a slider and changeup. His slider has graded out well in limited big league time, but opponents have teed off on that changeup, which is part of the reason righties have a .289/.407/.422 line against him in 54 plate appearances. During this spring’s small sample of work, he noticeably ramped up his slider usage and scaled back the frequency of his changeups.
Eder has a minor league option remaining, so the Dodgers don’t have to plug him right onto the big league roster. He can head to Oklahoma City and serve as Triple-A depth. Los Angeles currently has four lefties in its major league bullpen — Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Justin Wrobleski — but Eder can provide some length, should the need arise. Of course, it also shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Dodgers try to quickly run Eder through waivers themselves the next time they need a 40-man roster spot, hoping that they can pass hum through unclaimed and retain him as non-roster depth.
White Sox Designate Rule 5 Pick Jedixson Páez For Assignment
The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Jedixson Páez for assignment, clearing a spot on the roster for veteran reliever Lucas Sims, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Charlotte. Páez was a Rule 5 Draft selection out of the Red Sox organization.
Páez, 22, appeared in three games for the White Sox. He retired the only batter he faced in one of the three, but in each of the other two he was tagged for three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings with a home run allowed and multiple walks. Overall, Páez yielded six runs on four hits (two homers) and three walks without a strikeout in a total of three innings.
It’s not exactly a surprise to see Páez struggle. He’d never pitched above the High-A level when the White Sox scooped him up in December’s Rule 5 Draft, and he was knocked around for eight earned runs in 11 1/3 spring innings.
Chicago understandably was intrigued by Páez despite his lack of upper-level experience. He’s shown plus command in the minors, and he draws average or better grades for both his changeup and slider. Páez sits between 91-92 mph with both his sinker and his four-seamer, so the velocity is below average, but he’s posted terrific numbers up through High-A when healthy and would likely have spent considerable time at Double-A last year, were it not for a partial calf tear that sidelined him for around four months.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Páez will be placed on waivers and made available to the 28 clubs other than the White Sox and Red Sox. If another club claims him, he’ll have to go right onto the active roster. Páez’s Rule 5 restrictions would transfer over to that new club, and he would not be able to be optioned to the minors at any point.
If Páez passes through waivers unclaimed, Chicago will have to offer him back to Boston for a nominal sum of $50K. Boston would not need to put Páez on its 40-man roster and could assign him directly to a minor league affiliate (likely Double-A Portland).
The 31-year-old Sims signed a minor league deal over the winter and had a nice spring, firing six shutout innings with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. He’s fired one scoreless inning so far in Charlotte.
A veteran of nine partial major league seasons, Sims comes to the South Siders with more than six years of service time. He was a useful middle relief and eventual setup arm at his peak in Cincinnati, pitching to a combined 3.93 ERA in 183 1/3 innings from 2019-23. Sims punched out a hearty 31.9% of opponents in that time but was far too prone to free passes, issuing walks at a 12.2% clip.
Sims collected 39 holds and four saves in 2023-24, but a 2025 stint with the Nationals saw his shaky command erode to untenable levels. Sims walked more than 19% of his opponents (14 of 72) and plunked another seven batters in his short time with the Nats before being cut loose last year.
Orioles Transfer Jordan Westburg To 60-Day IL
The Orioles announced this morning that infielder Jordan Westburg has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. That opens a spot on the 40-man roster for righty Albert Suarez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Norfolk — a move first reported to be in the works last night. Right-hander Zach Eflin heads to the 15-day IL, as expected. He and the O’s are awaiting MRI results to determine the source of Eflin’s elbow discomfort.
Westburg himself is dealing with a severe elbow issue. Baltimore’s third baseman experienced elbow discomfort early in spring training and was found to have a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. The Orioles had previously indicated that Westburg would miss all of April, but the move to the 60-day IL pushes his earliest possible return date out to May 21. (Westburg’s original IL placement on March 25 was backdated the maximum three days to March 22.)
Today’s move to the 60-day IL doesn’t necessarily represent a setback, nor does it indicate that surgery is any likelier now than it was at the time of Westburg’s original diagnosis back in February. To the contrary, manager Craig Albernaz tells the O’s beat that Westburg is continuing his rehab progression and has been cleared to swing a bat and begin playing catch (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun). That’s a fairly encouraging update, though Westburg obviously isn’t out of the woods entirely.
The injury to Westburg has opened the door for former top prospect Coby Mayo to get a legitimate look at his original position. Westburg’s presence in the infield had previously pushed Mayo across the diamond to first base, and that spot was filled over the winter when Baltimore signed Pete Alonso to a five-year deal. Entering camp, it wasn’t clear that Mayo would have a path to regular at-bats — at least not until news of Westburg’s elbow dropped.
Mayo had a big spring showing but has started slowly, going 2-for-13 in four games — all at third base. Utilityman Blaze Alexander has also logged one game at the hot corner. They’ll continue as the primary options at third base. It’s conceivable that Alexander could leapfrog Mayo for playing time there if Mayo struggles once Jackson Holliday returns from the IL and bumps Alexander out of the mix for playing time at second base. For now, the O’s are hoping that Mayo can make good on his productive Triple-A track record and tap into the form he showed this spring (.378/.405/.622 in 42 plate appearances).
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! I’ll get toing in a couple minutes, but feel free to begin sending questions in now
- Get going*, even
Brewers fan
- Thoughts on the Pratt extension?
Steve Adams
- We talked about this at length and all the other recent extensions on the episode of the podcast we recorded this morning. That’ll drop tomorrow, so check that out in the morning.In general, I’m surprised for a few reasons. Pratt seems to have a lower ceiling than some of their other infield prospects, and the Brewers in general are deep there. Beyond Pratt, there’s Jett Williams, Jesus Made, Luis Pena, Andrew Fischer. Turang is controlled four more years (though I’m sure they’ll trade him at some point closer to free agency)
Pratt is also more glove-and-speed oriented, which isn’t going to pay as well in arbitration. And he’s repped by Scott Boras, which is a different brand of surprising.
- I don’t think it’s some catastrophically bad deal or anything, but I question why there was such urgency to get Pratt in particular signed. Maybe he’s just the only one of their young infield guys who was amenable to signing in a price range deemed acceptable by ownership
Mr.Plow
- Do you like the new ABS system?
Steve Adams
- I’ve really enjoyed the rollout. I love the crowds getting into it. And broadly, I just love not having to roll my eyes or groan at as many missed calls.
- I think maybe going to three challenges would be would be preferable for me, but I also understand being wary of creating a system where teams are challenging too frequently.
Guest
- Two eligible players available. Jake Burger and Sal Stewart which is the better pickup
Steve Adams
- For fantasy? Stewart all day, every day. Not close.
Giants Designate Tyler Fitzgerald For Assignment
The Giants announced that infielder/outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald has been designated for assignment. That opens a 40-man spot for right-hander Dylan Smith. It was reported earlier that San Francisco would be acquiring Smith from the Tigers. Smith has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
Fitzgerald had a breakout performance at the plate in 2024, his age-26 and rookie season. After a strong 2023 season in which he ripped 22 homers and swiped 32 bags in the minors, he hit the ground running in San Francisco. Through 96 games and 341 plate appearances that season. Fitzgerald hit .280/.334/.497 with 15 homers and 17 steals. A .380 average on balls in play was ripe for regression, and Fitzgerald’s 31.7% strikeout rate only further cast doubt on his ability to sustain that year’s level of production. He fell off more substantially in 2025 than one might have reasonably anticipated, however.
In 2025, Fitzgerald opened the season as the Giants’ top option at second base. He got out to a slow start, however, and hit the injured list in early May due to a rib fracture. He only missed 12 days. Fitzgerald returned and continued to struggle at the plate. By late June, he’d been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. He was recalled a week later and spent most of the remaining time on the ’25 calendar oscillating between Sacramento and San Francisco. Overall, Fitzgerald finished out the season with a .217/.278/.327 slash line and a 28.8% strikeout rate.
Now 28 years old and with no clear path to playing time, Fitzgerald has lost not only his starting job but his grip on a roster spot entirely. His 2025 struggles contributed to the Giants’ offseason signing of Luis Arraez to serve as new skipper Tony Vitello’s second baseman. With Matt Chapman at third, Willy Adames at shortstop and Arraez at second base, none of Fitzgerald’s primary positions are available. He’s logged a bit of time in the outfield corners, but the Giants have Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee handling those roles, with newly signed Harrison Bader in center.
Though Fitzgerald could factor into the bench mix, in theory, the Giants have Christian Koss in an infield/outfield role. He outperformed Fitzgerald in the majors last year (after a big 2024 in the minor leagues). Jerar Encarnacion is out of minor league options and can’t be sent down. Minor league signee Jared Oliva offers plus-plus speed and a good glove across all three outfield spots. One spot, of course, is earmarked for the backup catcher (currently Daniel Susac). And whenever top prospect Bryce Eldridge returns to the majors, that’ll push Casey Schmitt — who’s surprisingly played three games at first base thus far — into a utility role.
Increasingly, Fitzgerald just feels like a man without a true role on the roster. He’d be a nice depth option to have in the event of an injury, but the Giants are well-stocked with players who have a combination of comparable versatility, youth and more minor league options than Fitzgerald, who’s in his final option year.
Based on Fitzgerald’s versatility and 2024 production, another club would take an interest now that he’s in DFA limbo. He doesn’t have strong defensive grades at shortstop in the majors but does have plus marks at second base. He can handle third base or the outfield corners as well, and even while he struggled at the plate last season, Fitzgerald landed in the 97th percentile of big leaguers in terms of average sprint speed (29.7 feet/sec), per Statcast.
The Giants have five days to trade Fitzgerald or place him on waivers. Running him through waivers would be another 48-hour process. Within a week’s time, his DFA will be formally resolved. There’s a good chance he’ll land with another club. It’s easy to imagine some teams having interest in a small trade, and at the very least, it’d be surprising if all 29 other clubs passed via waivers.
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good morning! Chatting a bit earlier than usual today, since I need to bring the car in for some work this afternoon. We'll get going at noon CT, but as always, feel free to ask some questions ahead of time if you prefer!
- Good afternoon!
- Let's begin
MarinersMan
- What areas will the Mariners target at the trade deadline, assuming they're performing like people expect them to? SP? RP? Bench depth?
Steve Adams
- Every contending club is in the mix for bullpen help. Seattle's bullpen core -- Munoz, Brash, Speier, Ferrer and to a lesser extent Bazardo -- is great, but they'll still be looking to deepen things. And if either Ferrer or Speier gets hurt, I'm sure they'll specifically target a lefty.I could see a corner OF/DH bat being on the list, as Canzone hasn't hit over a particularly large sample yet and a Raley/Robles platoon isn't exactly a lock to produce.
Rotation depth behind the top guys isn't great, so I can see a starter on the list if they have some health issues -- though they've obviously been pretty good at keeping Gilbert/Woo/Castillo/Kirby healthy (or at least clear of major season-ending issues)
- Broadly, the Mariners don't have a ton of holes though. Which is why they were I think universally picked by our staff to win the West.
Richard
- Hi Steve, When Joyce and Yates are back in May, who closes for LAA? At the end f the year, who has more saves for the Twins, Rogers or Sands?
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