Orioles, Vimael Machin Agree To Minor League Deal
The Orioles are signing infielder Vimael Machin to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, reports ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. The former A’s infielder spent the past two seasons playing in the Mexican League and last appeared in a big league game during the 2022 season. Machin is a client of Usus Sports Management.
Machin, 31, was the Athletics’ Rule 5 pick out of the Cubs organization back in 2019. He held a roster spot in the shortened 2020 season, tallying 74 plate appearances, and picked up another 15 MLB plate appearances in 2021. Machin’s career-high workload in the majors came in 2022, when Oakland plugged him into 73 games and gave him 253 turns at the plate. He’s shown strong discipline in the majors, walking at a 10% clip, but Machin is just a .208/.290/.261 hitter overall.
That tepid production has come in a sample of 361 plate appearances across three seasons, but Machin has been much better in the upper minors. He’s a career .291/.384/.439 hitter in parts of five Triple-A campaigns and just last year posted a ridiculous-looking .401/.495/.579 slash in 85 games with los Charros de Jalisco in Mexico. (As evidenced by that line, the Mexican League is an overwhelmingly hitter-friendly setting — even more so than the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.)
Machin has played all four infield positions extensively. He’s spent the most time at third base (3810 innings) but also has more than 2000 innings at second base, more than 1000 at first base and another 935 innings at shortstop. He’s a left-handed bat with excellent plate discipline (12.8% walk rate in Triple-A) and strong bat-to-ball skills (15.3% strikeout rate in Triple-A; 18.6% in the majors).
Baltimore obviously has a crowded infield already, with Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Urias all mixing in at various spots. Machin adds some experienced depth to stash in Triple-A and an option to compete for a roster spot if a combination of injuries and trades thins out Baltimore’s enviable stash of infielders at some point.
Twins Rumors: Lewis, Santana, Paddack
The Twins are contemplating a full-time move to second base for young infielder Royce Lewis, writes Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Minnesota briefly experimented with Lewis shifting from third base to second base late in the season, but a more permanent move is under consideration. Making the shift at the beginning of a season, when Lewis has an entire spring training exhibition schedule to acclimate to his new defensive environs, would presumably benefit the 25-year-old slugger as opposed to last year’s on-the-fly look, when Lewis logged only eight innings at the position.
Lewis is just one piece of a crowded infield puzzle in Minnesota. The former No. 1 overall pick and top prospect has been playing third base in deference to Carlos Correa but was drafted as a shortstop. From the time he was drafted in 2017, some scouts have questioned whether he’d stick at shortstop or move to third base, second base or perhaps center field. A pair of ACL tears in the same knee in consecutive seasons has probably impacted that decision for the organization as well.
In addition to Lewis and Correa, the Twins will be looking to juggle playing time between top prospect Brooks Lee (the No. 8 overall pick in 2022), Edouard Julien (who posted terrific rookie numbers in ’23 before struggling in ’24), Jose Miranda (who rebounded nicely from a 2023 season ruined by shoulder surgery) and utilityman Willi Castro (.251/.334/.395 with 21 homers, 47 steals in 282 games with the Twins).
Carlos Santana‘s potential departure in free agency and the surprising retirement of injury-plagued former top prospect Alex Kirilloff opens some at-bats at first base, which could be handled by Julien and/or Miranda. Lee, considered a better defender at third base than Lewis, would presumably be in line for the bulk of the playing time at the hot corner if he makes the roster. Lee missed considerable time with injury and struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last year, however, so if he opens the season in Triple-A, that’d leave Miranda and Julien to share the corners early in the season, with Castro (who has extensive outfield experience as well) mixing in all over the field. The Twins also have fast-rising prospect Luke Keaschall to consider; the 2023 second-rounder has played second, third, first and center field in the minors and currently ranks 39th on Baseball America’s ranking of the game’s top 100 prospects.
One option the Twins could explore, of course, is a reunion with Santana. The 39-year-old switch-hitter is aiming to play at least three or four more seasons and by all accounts quite enjoyed his time in Minnesota. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey recently told the Twins beat that he’s not ruling out the possibility, even if it would “create some other changes that we have to consider on the roster” (link via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). Santana hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs and won a Gold Glove at first base in 2024 after signing a one-year, $5.25MM deal in Minnesota.
It’s possible that the glut of infield talent could lead a trade of some variety this offseason, though given the team’s payroll situation, trades of veterans on somewhat notable salaries are considered likelier. That could include Castro, who’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $6.2MM in his final season of club control, but there are other areas where the Twins have notable salaries they could shed. Catcher Christian Vazquez and his $10MM salary are one option, and Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote recently that there’s an expectation that righty Chris Paddack will also garner some calls this winter. (We ranked Paddack 16th on our list of MLB’s top trade candidates heading into the offseason.)
Paddack, 29 in January, is signed through the 2025 season and will earn a $7.5MM salary next year. He returned for his first full season following a second career Tommy John surgery in 2024 and pitched 88 1/3 innings with a 4.99 ERA. That’s not a flattering number, but a substantial portion of the damage against Paddack came in one nightmare outing where he yielded nine runs in 5 1/3 innings to the Orioles in April. From that point forth, he posted a 4.38 ERA with a solid 22.3% strikeout rate and excellent 5.1% walk rate. He spent the final two months of the season on the injured list due to a forearm strain.
A former top prospect who looked on the cusp of stardom after a dominant rookie season when he gave the Padres 140 2/3 of 3.33 ERA ball with plus strikeout and walk rates, Paddack is still something of a project even as he approaches his 29th birthday. That said, he’s younger than most free agent pitchers and paid roughly in line with what might be expected of an older reclamation project. For instance, Alex Wood ($8.5MM), Wade Miley ($8.5MM) and James Paxton ($7MM) all signed one-year deals in this range coming off injury-shortened seasons of their own last winter.
Paddack’s deal may not be teeming with surplus value, but the Twins also might not need to eat any money in a trade. Dealing him would thin out the team’s rotation supply, but the Twins could still pursue some more cost-effective depth arms to complement Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and top prospects David Festa and Zebby Matthews, both of whom made their MLB debuts in 2024 (each struggling to varying extents). Prospects Marco Raya and Andrew Morris are also on the near-term horizon.
Cardinals Expected To Gauge Trade Interest In Nolan Arenado
The Cardinals’ reset isn’t likely to feature trades of Willson Contreras or Sonny Gray — both have no-trade clauses and reportedly prefer to remain in St. Louis — but they’ll still have some big names on the market. Among them could be third baseman Nolan Arenado. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cards will spend the next couple weeks gauging which teams have interest in Arenado and getting a feel for what might be available in a trade. If there’s anything compelling that comes from those early talks, they’ll approach Arenado about his openness to waiving his no-trade clause for a trade to the location(s) in question.
Arenado, 34 in April, is signed for another three seasons and owed a total of $74MM in that time. The Rockies are on the hook for $10MM of that sum ($5MM in 2025 and $5MM in 2026), which helps to make the contract a bit more enticing. The 10-time Gold Glove winner and six-time Platinum Glove recipient remains a premium defender at the hot corner, but while Arenado was an MVP finalist in 2022, his past two seasons at the plate have been far less impressive. He’s still been an above-average hitter, but not by a wide margin. Since Opening Day 2023, Arenado carries a .269/.320/.426 batting line (104 wRC+).
Once a perennial threat for 30 to 40 home runs, Arenado has seen his power diminish considerably over the past two years. This past season’s .123 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) was a career-low mark. The 16 home runs he tallied in 635 plate appearances and 152 games are his fewest since he hit only 10 long balls as a rookie in 2013 (albeit in a smaller sample of 133 games/514 plate appearances).
Arenado’s contact skills remain excellent, but even the 15.5% strikeout rate he’s posted since 2023 is up from the 13.2% rate he posted in the four preceding seasons. He’s never been one to walk at an especially high clip, but Arenado drew a free pass in 9.1% of his plate appearances from 2016-22 — compared to just 6.8% in 2023-24. This past season’s average exit velocity (86.3 mph), barrel rate (3.2%) and hard-hit rate (31.2%) were all well shy of league-average and easily career-low numbers.
The downturn in offensive output, combined with a relatively weighty salary and Arenado’s no-trade rights, all complicate the paths to a potential deal being brokered. The extent to which that no-trade provision will come into play is an open question, but there’s reason to think it might not be the hurdle such clauses often are. Arenado’s exit in Colorado was prompted in part by his frustration over the team’s inability to field a competitive roster. He passed on an opt-out opportunity in contract after a third-place NL MVP finish in 2022 partly because he prioritized playing for a contending club and expected the Cardinals to be just that.
While a trade of Arenado is far, far from a sure thing, there are plenty of teams who’ll be in the mix for third base help. The Yankees, Mariners, Astros (if Alex Bregman leaves), Blue Jays, Tigers and Royals all have reasonably straightforward vacancies at the position. If Pete Alonso signs elsewhere in free agency, the Mets could move Mark Vientos to first base and enter the third base market. The Dodgers don’t need a third baseman but have been linked to Arenado frequently over the years.
If the Cardinals do move on from Arenado, it’ll gel with their offseason goal of opening more playing time for young talent. They’ve already committed to moving Contreras to first base in order to create at-bats for 24-year-old Ivan Herrera behind the dish. Dealing Arenado could open reps for Jordan Walker at his natural position — his attempted move from third base to the outfield hasn’t played out particularly well — or for Nolan Gorman. It’d also trim a notable amount of money off the books in each of the next three years, perhaps allowing the Cards to spend a bit more freely when they eventually look to emerge from the current retooling effort.
Athletics Re-Sign T.J. McFarland
Novemeber 8: McFarland is guaranteed a $1.8MM base salary, The Associated Press reports. The deal comes with another $250K in bonuses based on appearances. McFarland would unlock $50K in his 50th game and would receive another $100K apiece at 60 and 70 appearances.
November 7: The A’s are bringing left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland back ahead of their expected move to West Sacramento next year. The team announced Thursday they’ve agreed to terms with the free agent southpaw on a one-year deal for the 2025 season. McFarland is represented by Octagon.
McFarland, 35, spent the 2024 season in the A’s bullpen and was a reliable source of quality innings. He appeared in nearly half the team’s games (79) and pitched to a 3.81 ERA with a below-average 16.6% strikeout rate but strong walk and ground-ball rates of 7.2% and 57.3%, respectively. McFarland stymied left-handed opponents with a .234/.267/.324 batting line, though righties had an easier time with him, slashing .273/.364/.414 on the season.
This will be McFarland’s 13th season in the majors, and assuming he sticks on the roster for at least 122 days, he’ll reach the coveted 10 years of major league service time over the course of the 2025 campaign. The sinker-heavy southpaw carries a lifetime 4.10 ERA in the majors and has never been adept at missing bats (13.9% career strikeout rate, and career-high 18.2% mark in 2023). However, he’s one of the game’s premier ground-ball specialists (career 61.7%, and career-high 67.9% back in 2018) and has only thrice logged a worse-than-average walk rate in his lengthy career.
Somewhat incredibly, McFarland will become the only player on the A’s roster who has a guaranteed salary for the upcoming season. The rest of the roster includes four arbitration-eligible players — Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, Miguel Andujar and Dany Jimenez — but the rest of the players on the team’s 40-man roster have not yet even reached arbitration and thus do not have a salary locked in for next year. The A’s are widely expected to spend some money this offseason, be it via free agency or by acquiring players on guaranteed deals via the trade market, as they’ll need to spend a fair bit of cash in order to retain their status as a revenue-sharing recipient.
McFarland returns to a bullpen that lacks any real definition beyond star closer Mason Miller. Righty Tyler Ferguson posted nice numbers but did so as a 30-year-old rookie, making him something of a wild card. Hard-throwing righty Michel Otanez notched a 3.44 ERA and fanned 36.4% of his opponents in 34 innings … but also walked 13.2% of the hitters he faced. Twenty-seven-year-old Lefty Hogan Harris turned in a sub-3.00 ERA in 72 1/3 innings but had sub-par strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates (in addition to a disastrous 7.14 ERA in a comparable sample of innings in 2023).
Given the lack of defined roles beyond Miller, it’s likely the A’s will have multiple additions on the bullpen front. For now, McFarland looks like a candidate to work in some leverage spots against lefties who won’t be lifted for a pinch-hitter by the opposing manager. That said, A’s skipper Mark Kotsay typically used McFarland in low- and medium-leverage spots in 2025, so he’s not necessarily someone the team will throw right into full-on setup work.
The A’s could have some troubles drawing free agents to the team as they gear up to host home games in a Triple-A park for the next several seasons (assuming financing on their planned Las Vegas stadium is eventually finalized). But McFarland knows the team and the staff well, and for the well-traveled lefty, this new one-year deal offers him the opportunity to pitch consecutive seasons for the same team for just the second time in a span of seven seasons.
There’s obvious appeal in continuity for a pitcher who’s also spent time with the D-backs, A’s, Cardinals and Mets (plus a spring training with the Nationals) since 2019. It’s also just the second guaranteed deal he’s signed in what’s now five times through the free-agent process, so jumping early at a big league opportunity is both sensible and makes for a more relaxed offseason than the veteran southpaw is typically accustomed.
Why The Royals Should Be Primed For Another Big Offseason
The Royals were the surprise spender of the 2023-24 offseason, putting down a combined $110.5MM on eight free agents: Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton, Will Smith, Adam Frazier, Garrett Hampson and Austin Nola. Several of the moves didn't pan out, but the ones that did paid of in spades. Lugo and Wacha helped anchor a strong rotation, which the Royals rode to a Wild Card berth in the American League. They quickly swept the Orioles out of said Wild Card round before falling 3-1 to the eventual AL Champion Yankees in the Division Series.
Not every offseason spending spree produces such favorable results. More often than not, it seems to go the other direction. "Winning the offseason" has become something of an oft-cited punchline, given the frequency with which the team that grabbed the most headlines over a given winter ultimately still falls shy of expectation.
That doesn't mean the Royals should be reluctant to take a similarly aggressive approach to the free agent market this winter, however. To the contrary, there are several reasons why they should give serious thought to an even more aggressive winter -- perhaps even breaking their prior free agent precedents -- especially with an early strike to retain Wacha on a three-year contract already complete.
It's not exactly a novel concept to suggest that a team that just completed a surprising playoff berth thanks to big contributions from some on-the-rise stars should spend in free agency, of course. But the Royals are better positioned than many might realize, and if you're looking for dark-horse candidates to make a significant splash in free agency, they're among my favorite picks to do so. Let's break down the reasons.
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Rockies Claim Jimmy Herget
The Rockies announced that they have claimed right-hander Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cubs. The latter club had designated him for assignment last week.
The 31-year-old Herget split the 2024 season between the Braves and Cubs, spending the bulk of the year in the Atlanta organization. He notched 12 1/3 major league frames there, posting a 4.38 ERA with a 15-to-3 K/BB ratio. Herget was then claimed by the Cubs in September but didn’t wind up pitching in the majors for them.
This past season marked the sixth in which Herget has logged at least sparing major league action. He made his big league debut with the 2019 Reds and has appeared in every MLB season since, cycling through stints with the Rangers and Angels as well. He’s pitched 155 frames in the majors and owns a solid 3.54 ERA with an average 22.2% strikeout rate rate and quality 7.4% walk rate.
Herget doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging just over 92 mph on his heater in 2024, and he’s struggled to keep the ball in the yard these past two seasons, with nine homers in 41 1/3 frames (1.96 HR/9). That doesn’t necessarily bode well for his move to Coors Field, but the Rockies are perilously thin in relievers with big league experience, so it seems they’ll consider giving Herget a look in hopes that he can curb that proclivity for homers.
Because Herget is out of minor league options, he’ll need to either break camp with the Rockies next spring or be passed through waivers before being sent down. Even if he were to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Herget has three remaining seasons of club control and is eligible for arbitration this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $900K salary for him.
Tyrone Taylor Undergoes Hernia, Elbow Surgeries
Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor underwent a pair of offseason surgeries, the team announced Friday. Taylor had an umbilical hernia repair performed back on Oct. 30 and just yesterday underwent a procedure to remove a loose body in his right elbow. Typical recovery for each surgery is about two months, per the team. Assuming Taylor’s rehab follows a similar timetable, he’d be ready in time for spring training.
Taylor, 30, is headed into his second season with the Mets, who acquired him from the Brewers alongside Adrian Houser in a trade that sent pitching prospect Coleman Crow back to Milwaukee. While Houser’s lone year in Queens didn’t prove fruitful, Taylor wound up playing a notable role as an oft-used backup who slotted into 130 games and took 345 turns at the plate. He hit .248/.299/.401 with seven homers, 11 steals and strong defense across all three outfield spots. Taylor was particularly productive from June onward, slashing .258/.323/.440 (115 wRC+) in that stretch.
The Mets can control Taylor for another two seasons. He’s eligible for arbitration this winter and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn an affordable $2.9MM salary. As things stand, he’s in line for an increased role next year, with Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte representing the only other experienced outfielders on the Mets’ 40-man roster.
Of course, the Mets are widely expected to be in the outfield market this winter. Owner Steve Cohen is meeting with Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras next week, and even if the Mets can’t lure Soto to Queens, they’ll have plenty of other options to choose from in free agency. With Nimmo capable of handling center, the Mets can look into free agents and trade targets of both the corner-outfield and center field variety. Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler O’Neill and Jurickson Profar are among the free agents this winter.
White Sox Sign Justin Dunn To Minor League Deal
The White Sox have signed right-hander Justin Dunn to a minor league deal, per the team. The CAA client will be in spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Now 29 years old, Dunn was a first-round pick by the Mets in 2016. He ranked among the organization’s top prospect when he was traded to Seattle alongside Jarred Kelenic in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz blockbuster. The M’s gave Dunn a look in parts of three seasons and got decent results along the way, though Dunn also battled multiple shoulder injuries in his Mariners tenure. Eventually, he was packaged with Brandon Williamson and Jake Fraley in the trade bringing Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to Seattle.
With the Reds, Dunn only pitched a total of 65 2/3 innings between the minors and big leagues combined. His shoulder was ailing at the time of the trade, but Cincinnati made the swap anyhow. Dunn’s first season in Cincinnati was delayed by that shoulder; the team announced late in spring training that Dunn would miss “months” with a shoulder issue. He wound up pitching 31 innings in the minors and another 31 in the majors that year, logging an identical 6.10 ERA in both settings. Dunn’s 2023 season was again delayed by shoulder woes, and he eventually underwent surgery to repair the anterior shoulder in his right capsule late in 2023. He hasn’t pitched since.
Just a couple weeks ago, Dunn’s camp hosted a showcase for big league clubs. It was always unlikely that he’d land a guaranteed roster spot after such a lengthy layoff, but Dunn will head to a White Sox organization that should have ample opportunity for him next season. He’ll bring a career 4.44 ERA, 19.3% strikeout rate and ugly 14.7% walk rate in 133 2/3 innings to Chicago. When healthy, Dunn has averaged 93.7 mph on his heater and paired that offering with an 84 mph slider and 80 mph curveball.
Because of all the time Dunn has spent on a major league injured list, he has four full seasons of service time already. If he makes the White Sox’ roster at any point, he’d get to five years with another 152 days in the majors. At the very least, Dunn has a full slate of minor league options and two seasons of club control remaining. If he’s brought up midseason when there are fewer than 152 days on the calendar, he’d technically be controllable another three years, at minimum. All of that is putting the proverbial cart before the horse, however. First and foremost, Dunn will need to show that his shoulder injury is behind him and make some strides with his longstanding command issues. There’s plenty of former prospect pedigree, but it’s been close to a decade since Dunn was a first-rounder and about five years since he was last considered a top prospect.
Yankees Exercise Club Option On Manager Aaron Boone
The Yankees announced Friday that they’ve exercised their 2025 club option on manager Aaron Boone. He’ll return for an eighth season as the club’s skipper next year.
“Aaron is a steadying presence in our clubhouse and possesses a profound ability to connect with and foster relationships with his players,” GM Brian Cashman said in a statement within this morning’s press release. “Consistently exhibiting these skills in such a demanding and pressurized market is what makes him one of the game’s finest managers. Our work is clearly not done, but as we pursue the ultimate prize in 2025, I am excited to have Aaron back to lead our team.”
The 2024 season saw Boone’s Yankees post a 94-68 record en route to their third AL East title in seven years under his watch. It was the fifth time in six 162-game seasons that a Boone-led Yankees squad won at least 92 games. The Yanks also won their first American League pennant under Boone this past season. Of course, the season still ended in heartbreak for the Yankees, who fell 4-1 against the Dodgers in the World Series, squandering a 5-0 lead in large part due to one of the most painful innings in franchise history.
Boone and the Yankees were attempting to become the first club in MLB history to erase a 3-0 World Series deficit. No team who’d fallen behind 3-0 in the World Series had so much as forced a Game 6. The Yankees looked on their way to doing just that with five early runs against the Dodgers and Gerrit Cole on the mound, but they coughed up five runs in the fifth inning following errors by Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe as well as a defensive lapse that saw first base left uncovered on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo.
Brutal as that one inning was, it won’t sour the organization on the notion that Boone is the right person to steer the ship next year. Whether the two parties discuss an extension remains to be seen. The Yankees allowed Boone to navigate an entire season as a lame-duck skipper in 2021 before re-signing him to a three-year deal that October. As pressure for an elusive World Series trophy continues to mount, it’s at least possible that the Yankees could wait until next offseason before making their decision on whether Boone is right for the job in 2026 and beyond.
“I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this team. It’s a responsibility – and an opportunity – that I will never take lightly,” Boone said in his own statement. “It’s a great privilege to show up for work every day and be surrounded by so many determined and talented players, coaches and staff members. Starting with Steinbrenner family, there is a collective commitment to excellence within this organization that is embedded in all that we do. I’m already looking forward to reporting for spring training in Tampa and working tirelessly to return the Yankees to the postseason to compete for a World Championship.”
Under Boone, the Yankees have played at a 603-429 pace. That .584 winning percentage has resulted in postseason berths in six of seven seasons. Much of the Yankees’ 2025 outlook will be dependent on how the offseason plays out. They appear barreling toward a bidding war over Juan Soto and have potential needs at multiple infield spots and in the bullpen as well.
NPB’s Hiroshima Carp Sign Elehuris Montero, Re-Sign Taylor Hearn
The Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed infielder Elehuris Montero and re-signed lefty Taylor Hearn, who excelled for the Carp in a relief role in 2024 (Japanese-language links via Yahoo Japan). Both players are CAA clients, and both are receiving one-year deals for the 2025 campaign.
Montero, 26, was once a highly touted corner infield prospect in the Cardinals system. He landed with the Rockies alongside Austin Gomber, Mateo Gil, Tony Locey and Jake Sommers in the trade sending Nolan Arenado to St. Louis. Colorado outrighted him off the 40-man roster this past July, and he became a minor league free agent at season’s end.
The Rox gave Montero his big league debut in 2022, but while he’s shown power at times throughout parts of three MLB seasons, he’s never been able to put the ball in play or reach base with any real consistency. The righty-swinging slugger is a career .228/.277/.387 hitter in 739 plate appearances. He’s been far better in Triple-A, mashing at a .314/.392/.589 pace in 877 trips to the plate. That’s the type of production the Carp surely are hoping to acquire.
The 30-year-old Hearn was a fifth-round pick by the Nats back in 2015 and has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons — primarily with the Rangers. He worked as both a starter and reliever during his time in Texas, enjoying far more success in the bullpen (4.48 ERA, 24.6 K%, 11 BB%) than in the rotation (6.36 ERA, 18.3 K%, 9.5 BB%).
It was in the bullpen that Hearn starred for the Carp upon signing with them last December. He missed some time in ’24 but was excellent when on the mound, pitching 35 innings with a pristine 1.29 ERA. Hearn was one of the primary setup men for the Carp, though he picked up a pair of saves as well. In his 35 frames, he fanned 20.2% of his opponents against a terrific 5.4% walk rate.