- Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez will likely see increased time in the outfield this season, writes Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. While Martinez will continue to operate as Boston’s primary designated hitter, manager Alex Cora also said this week that Martinez will likely start in right field against left-handed pitchers — effectively pushing Jackie Bradley Jr. (who’ll start in right field against right-handed pitchers) into a platoon role. There won’t be a set DH on days against left-handed opponents, as Cora said he’ll use those opportunities to keep others in the lineup fresh. Martinez has played primarily left field when he’s been on the outfield grass in recent years, but Cotillo notes that Cora’s preference is to keep Alex Verdugo in left, Enrique Hernandez in center, and not move the outfielders around so frequently.
Red Sox Rumors
Outrighted: Potts, Hanhold
With transactions back in full swing, there’s a constant 40-man roster churn as teams accommodate new signings, waiver claims and more. Many of the players who are designated for assignment around the league will go unclaimed and end up sticking with their clubs as a non-roster player. We’ll keep track of today’s outrighted players here…
- The Red Sox announced Friday that infielder Hudson Potts cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the minors. Boston didn’t specify an assignment to a specific affiliate just yet. The 23-year-old Potts was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2016 and landed with the Sox by way of 2020’s Mitch Moreland trade. Potts has drawn praise for his huge raw power in the past, but the 2021 season was a discouraging one. In his second full season spent at the Double-A level, Potts managed only a .217/.264/.399 batting line with a huge 32.8% strikeout rate. Though he hit well in the minors up through Class-A Advanced, Potts now has 837 plate appearances in parts of three Double-A seasons and just a .216/.277/.385 output there.
- Pirates righty Eric Hanhold, designated for assignment last week, also went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this week. The 28-year-old gave up eight runs in 10 1/3 innings for the Orioles last year and joined the Pirates via waiver claim following the season. Hanhold’s struggles persisted in the minors, evidenced by a 5.19 ERA with Triple-A Norfolk in 2021, but he did have a solid 2019 season in the Mets’ system, pitching to a 3.84 ERA in 63 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Hanhold has been dominant in 40 career innings of Double-A ball but carries an ERA north of 5.00 both in Triple-A and in the Majors.
Andrew Miller Announces Retirement
Veteran reliever Andrew Miller is retiring after 16 Major League seasons, Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. In a text to Goold, Miller looked back on his career and gave to those who helped him along the way:
“The list of people who took me aside, put their arm around me, made me laugh when I needed to, or taught me something is endless. It’s safe to say I would have been faced with the next chapter much earlier on if it weren’t for them. As someone who thought their career was practically over in 2010, to be able to experience everything I did along the way is incredible. You shouldn’t ever hear complaints from me. It was a heck of a run.”
After being selected as the sixth overall pick of the 2006 draft, Miller was initially seen as a cornerstone piece of the Tigers’ future before he became part of one of the biggest trades in Detroit’s franchise history. Miller was one of six players dealt from the Tigers to the Marlins in exchange for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in December 2007, though after three injury-plagued seasons in South Beach, the Marlins also parted ways with the left-hander.
Miller was dealt to the Red Sox in the 2010-11 offseason, and after more struggles in 2011, Miller became a full-time reliever in 2012 and essentially never looked back. The southpaw became one of baseball’s top relief pitchers, working in a variety of different roles depending on his team’s needs. Whether as a closer, set-up man, multi-inning workhorse, or lefty specialist, Miller became a valuable bullpen weapon in any capacity.
As flexible bullpens have become more and more prominent in recent years, it is also very easy to point to Miller as a trailblazer. As Cardinals teammate Adam Wainwright simply put it, Miller “changed the game and he kind of took that relief role back to when it first started, guys who could do two, three innings – and he was the guy who did it in the postseason.”
From 2013-17, Miller was next to unhittable, posting a 1.82 ERA, 41.1% strikeout rate, and 7.4% walk rate over 291 2/3 innings with the Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees, and Indians. That tremendous stretch saw Miller named to two AL All-Star teams, and receive top-10 Cy Young placements in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Miller received a World Series ring for his contributions to Boston’s 2013 championship team, even if injuries kept him participating in the postseason. However, as Wainwright noted, Miller was at his best in baseball’s biggest spotlight. Miller retires with a tiny 0.93 ERA over 38 2/3 innings in the playoffs, even winning 2016 ALCS MVP honors with Cleveland in 2016. That particular season saw Miller help carry an injury-riddled Cleveland pitching staff to within an inch of a World Series, falling to the Cubs in extra innings in Game Seven.
“He kind of revolutionized all of it – your best pitcher doesn’t have to be your starter or your closer,” Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux said. “And he was the best pitcher on multiple staffs. What he did in the postseason to help his team was groundbreaking. I don’t think anybody really duplicated what he’s done – as far as throwing multiple innings in the hairy innings, whenever they are.”
Miller’s success was reflected in his free agent value, as he landed a four-year, $36MM deal from the Yankees in the 2014-15 offseason. Hitting the open market again following the 2018 campaign, Miller signed a two-year, $25MM contract with the Cardinals that became a three-year, $37MM pact when he pitched enough innings in 2020 to trigger a vesting option.
Injuries began to hamper Miller later in his career, and both his velocity and his overall performance took a step back over his three years in St. Louis. Miller had only a 4.34 ERA over 103 2/3 regular-season innings in a Cards uniform, but again remained effective come October. Over seven postseason games and 5 2/3 innings with the Cardinals, Miller didn’t allow a single run.
If anything, Miller drew even more respect from teammates and peers off the field, due to his work with the MLB Players Association. A longtime team union rep and a member of the MLBPA executive board, Miller was one of the most prominent and outspoken voices representing the players’ causes both during his career, and particularly this offseason during the lockout. While Miller will never himself play under the terms of the 2022-26 Collective Bargaining Agreement, it will stand as something of a legacy for his contributions to players both present and future.
“I have an appreciation for what he did for the entire game of baseball,” Wainwright said of Miller’s MLBPA work. “As many hours as that guy put in for the union over these past few years is kind of staggering. He may retire and that means this whole offseason he still spent 16 hours on the phone a day, for us, for who’s next – that means a lot.”
The 36-year-old Miller will retire with a career 4.03 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, 979 strikeouts, 10.6% walk rate, 63 saves, and 141 holds over his 829 innings with seven different Major League teams. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Miller on a great career, and we wish him all the best in retirement.
For the last word on Miller’s career, the lefty himself sums things up as part of his text message….
“I feel very fortunate that my career worked out the way that it did. Of course there were tough stretches, injuries, and times of doubt. I also won’t deny that I can find myself in moments of wondering what if this or that had happened differently, could it have somehow been better? I’m usually pretty quick to be able to step back though and see how lucky I have been. The hard times were necessary for me to grow and to be able to appreciate the highs along the way. Ultimately, I was able to play for many great franchises, wear historic uniforms, and play in some amazing ballparks. I made some of the best friends I will ever have in life through the game. I was able to work with the union and see the good it can do for players while learning so much about the game.”
Red Sox Claim Ralph Garza, Designate Kyle Tyler
The Red Sox announced that right-hander Ralph Garza has been claimed off waivers from the Twins. To create roster space, righty Kyle Tyler has been designated for assignment.
Minnesota designated Garza earlier this week when the Carlos Correa signing became official, thus necessitating the Twins’ need for a 40-man roster spot. Garza was a waiver pickup himself last August, coming to the Twins after being DFA’ed by the Astros.
A 26th-round selection for the Astros in the 2015 draft, Garza spent his first six pro seasons in Houston’s organization, and thus Boston manager (and former Astros bench coach) Alex Cora undoubtedly has at least some familiarity with the right-hander’s work. Garza has a 3.72 ERA and 24.38% strikeout rate over 339 career innings in the minors, and delivered roughly those same numbers over his 132 frames at Triple-A.
Garza made his big league debut last season, delivering a 3.56 ERA over 30 1/3 combined innings with Houston and Minnesota. While his 22.8% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate were nothing special, Garza’s quality slider drew some attention, as noted by R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports. The Red Sox have already optioned Garza to Triple-A, but he represents a fresh arm to be cycled into a bullpen that is long on potential candidates but short on locks to make the roster.
Tyler only just came to Boston two days ago on another waiver claim, as the Angels had designated Tyler to make roster room for Ryan Tepera. The Red Sox could be betting that that can sneak Tyler through waivers again and keep him in their system, though it is also possible that a team who passed last time might put in a claim now, or a team behind the Sox in the waiver order might now get a chance to land the right-hander.
Tyler also made his MLB debut last season, tossing 12 1/3 relief innings over five appearances for Anaheim and posting a 2.92 ERA (despite a matching total of six walks and six strikeouts). Tyler has started 32 of his 60 career games in the minors, making him an interesting possibility for teams looking for a swingman or multi-inning relief type. Over 232 1/3 innings in the Angels’ farm system, Tyler has a 3.25 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, and 7.4% walk rate.
Red Sox Designate Jeisson Rosario For Assignment
The Red Sox announced this morning that they’ve designated outfield Jeisson Rosario for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for Trevor Story, whose six-year contract is now official.
Rosario, 22, was acquired from the Padres in 2020 alongside infield prospect Hudson Potts in the trade that sent Mitch Moreland to San Diego. Both Rosario and Potts have now been designated for assignment on consecutive days, though, as Potts lost his 40-man spot yesterday when Boston claimed righty Kyle Tyler off waivers from the Angels.
The fleet-footed Rosario has yet to make his big league debut or even reach the Triple-A level. He spent the 2021 campaign with the Sox’ Double-A affiliate, where he posted a .232/.335/.307 batting line with three home runs, 15 doubles, a triple and a strong 12.3% walk rate against a troubling 27.9% strikeout rate. Scouting reports tout his speed, glovework in center and ability to draw walks, but Rosario is lacking in power and has notable concerns about his hit tool. He’ll be traded or placed on outright waivers within the next week.
Red Sox Sign Trevor Story
March 23: The Red Sox have formally announced the signing of Story to a six-year contract.
March 20: The Red Sox are in agreement with Trevor Story on a six year, $140MM contract. After the fourth year, 2025, Story can opt out of the final two years of the deal. However, Boston can negate that opt-out by picking up a seventh year option for $25MM, or pay a $5MM buyout. If they were to exercise that option, it would add $20MM to the deal, effectively making it a seven-year, $160MM arrangement. Story will not have any no-trade protection as part of the contract. Story is a client of Excel Sports Management.
Story will take over at second base with Xander Bogaerts staying on as the team’s shortstop, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has confirmed that plan, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.
It had been a fairly quiet offseason for the Red Sox up to this point, with the club mostly focused on its pitching staff, adding veterans like Rich Hill, Michael Wacha and Jake Diekman. On the position player side of things, they had only really subtracted since the offseason began, sending Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr. and prospects. Story, however, they have certainly add a tremendous impact bat to their lineup.
After the departure of Troy Tulowitzki, Story took over the everyday shortstop job in Colorado and ran with it. Over the past six seasons, he has played in 745 games and hit 158 home runs, hitting an overall .272/.340/.523, for a wRC+ of 112. He also stole 100 bases and provided excellent defense, accruing 21.6 fWAR in that time.
In addition to helping out the Red Sox this year, the addition of Story makes sense from a long-term view. Xander Bogaerts can opt out of the remainder of his contract at the end of this season, when he will have three years and $60MM left on it, something he seems likely to do. If that should come to pass, they could already have his replacement on the roster. As noted above, the plan for this season is to keep Bogaerts at short and have Story play second, moving Enrique Hernandez to regular outfield duty. Story missed some of last year’s season with an injury to his throwing elbow, and some scouts expressed the belief that he would be best utilized at second base due to that injury impacting his throwing arm. Boston will now have at least one year to see if Story’s arm can rebound in any way before deciding how to proceed beyond 2022.
Although the writing has seemed to be on the wall for quite some time now, this officially ends the Trevor Story era in Colorado. Much like with Nolan Arenado before him, there seemed to be a falling out between the club and their marquee player. Last year, as Story was headed into free agency and the club not in contention, he seemed like an obvious candidate to be traded to a contender. However, the deadline came and went without a deal coming to fruition, something that left Story confused. “I don’t have really anything good to say about the situation and how it unfolded,” Story said in the immediate aftermath of the deadline. During the offseason, there didn’t seem to be any belief that a reunion was in the cards. The club apparently offered him more than the $140MM he got from the Red Sox, with Story preferring his chances of competing in Boston, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Between Story and Tulowitzki, the shortstop position in Colorado has been spoken for since 2006. For now, it seems like Jose Iglesias will be taking over, as he signed with the club a week ago. Since the club made a qualifying offer that Story rejected, they will receive a compensatory draft pick after the first round. The Red Sox forfeit their second-highest pick and and will have their international signing bonus pool reduced by $500K.
This deal also closes the book on this year’s mega class of free agent shortstops, which featured Story, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Baez and Marcus Semien. Going into the offseason, it was expected by many that the Yankees would be prominent players in this market, given their penchant for high payrolls and obvious need at the position that has been apparent since Gleyber Torres was moved to second base last year. But reports emerged in November that they were considering sitting out the shortstop bidding, content to acquire a stopgap solution as they wait for either of Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe to graduate from prospects to big leaguers. That now seems to have been the case, as the club acquired glove-first shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa to man the position, while the big five shortstops all landed with surprising suitors. The rebuilding Rangers grabbed both Seager and Semien, while another rebuilding club, the Tigers, nabbed Baez. Correa shockingly lingered on the market before settling on a short-term deal with the Twins, a team not known for reeling in the top fish in free agency. Now Story has come off the board, landing on a team that didn’t have an obvious fit at the position.
Since Chaim Bloom left the small-market Rays and took over as Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer after the 2019 season, the club has been undergoing a sort of semi-rebuild process. It was a few months into his tenure that they traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers as part of a process to strip down payroll, despite winning the World Series in 2018. On the heels of that trade, the club went 24-36 in the pandemic-shortened season, slipping beneath the lowly Orioles and into last place in the AL East. After some modest additions to the club, many went into 2021 expecting they would be unable to compete in such a strong division. However, they rallied for a 92-win season, just edging out the Blue Jays for a Wild Card berth, making it as far as the ALCS before falling to the Astros. On the heels of that surprise campaign, it seemed for the past few months that the club might again opt for only modest upgrades. Instead, the Fenway Faithful have the big splash that they were desperately hoping for, easily the biggest since Bloom took over, as the AL East figures to be a four-headed beast yet again.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that Boston and Story were in agreement, as well as the $140MM guarantee. (Twitter links) Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the six-year term. The fact that there was an unusual opt-out was first relayed by Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The fourth-year opt-out with the seventh-year option structure was first relayed by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The $5MM buyout and $25MM salary for the final year were first relayed by Heyman. The lack of a no-trade clause was first reported by Sherman.
Red Sox, Rafael Devers Avoid Arbitration
The Red Sox and star third baseman Rafael Devers have settled on an $11.2MM salary to avoid arbitration, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on Twitter). Barring an extension, the 25-year-old will go through the process once more before hitting free agency over the 2023-24 offseason.
The figure lines up almost perfectly with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s $11.1MM projection for Devers entering the offseason. It marks a rather notable jump over last season’s $4.575MM salary, as Devers earned a raise with another excellent showing. He played in 156 games and tallied 664 plate appearances in 2021, hitting .279/.352/.538 with 38 home runs.
Along the way, Devers picked up his first All-Star selection and Silver Slugger Award. He also finished 11th in AL MVP balloting — his second career season garnering down-ballot support in that regard — helping the Red Sox to a 92-win campaign and an eventual berth in the AL Championship Series.
The Red Sox’s slate of arbitration agreements have brought the payroll up to around $220MM, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Their luxury tax ledger now sits around $236MM, setting the club up to narrowly exceed the base CBT threshold of $230MM. The Red Sox didn’t pay the tax last season, so they’d be subject to the first-time payor rate of 20% on every dollar spent between $230MM and $250MM.
Red Sox Claim Kyle Tyler, Designate Hudson Potts
The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Kyle Tyler off waivers from the Angels and, in a corresponding move, designated outfielder infielder Hudson Potts for assignment.
Tyler, 25, was the Halos’ 20th-round draft selection back in 2018 and made his big league debut in 2021 when he tossed 12 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The Oklahoma product held opponents to four runs (2.92 ERA) on eight hits and six walks with six strikeouts. Tyler’s strikeout/walk rates in the big leagues obviously weren’t much to write home about, and he sat at just 91.1 mph with his fastball during that limited time.
That said, Tyler also enjoyed a solid season in the minors, logging a 3.66 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate in 86 frames between Double-A and Triple-A — mostly working as a starting pitcher. The right-hander has all three minor league option years remaining, so he gives the Sox some additional pitching depth at a time when big names like Chris Sale and James Paxton are on the injured list.
Potts, 23, is a former first-round pick and well-regarded prospect whose development simply hasn’t progressed as hoped. Selected by the Padres with the No. 24 overall pick in 2016 and traded to Boston in 2020’s Mitch Moreland swap, Potts spent the 2021 season with Boston’s Double-A affiliate. It was his second stint at the Double-A level, but Potts still managed only a .217/.264/.399 batting line with a sky-high 32.8% strikeout rate.
Potts has previously drawn praise for his substantial raw power, but he hasn’t made contact enough to take advantage of that pop since a solid 2018 showing in A-ball. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Potts or place him on outright waivers, at which point any of the other 29 clubs could place a claim.
Red Sox To Sign Hansel Robles
March 19: Manager Alex Cora confirmed that Robles will be returning to the Red Sox, adding that the right-hander remains in the Dominican Republic as he waits for a visa, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The deal is a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). If he makes the Major League roster, Robles will make $2.25MM, adds Speier.
March 18: The Red Sox are in agreement with free agent reliever Hansel Robles, reports Mike Rodriguez of Univision (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old is now set to continue his tenure in Boston after being acquired in a deadline deal with the Twins last July. While his overall 4.43 ERA or 12.5% walk rate on the 2021 season won’t wow anyone, the right-hander’s results improved considerably upon joining the Red Sox.
In 25 post-trade innings Robles carried a 3.60 ERA with an impressive 30.3% strikeout rate. His walk rate remained several notches above the league average, but given Boston’s minimal cost of acquisition Robles’s performance was more than acceptable. Further working for the reliever is his ability to take the ball every couple of days, as his 72 appearances topped his previous record of 71 appearances during a strong 2019 season as the Angels’ closer. An ability to be a workhorse out of the bullpen may prove prudent given the injury risk already on display in Boston’s rotation.
Boston’s reunion with Robles through free agency is about as good a relief signing as one can expect at this time of the offseason, particularly with reliever Kenley Jansen’s departure from the free agent board. Among remaining free agent relief pitchers, Robles has perhaps the best bet of following the high-strikeout, high-walk rate formula that Boston’s pitching staff rode to general success last year.
Tonight’s signing also addresses a weakness in the Sox bullpen, which had a dearth of right-handed relievers behind end-of-game right-handers Garrett Whitlock and Matt Barnes. Three of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom’s most recent moves have been centered on adding southpaws to the team’s pitching staff, but the addition of Robles should take some pressure off incumbent reliever Hirokazu Sawamura as the team’s go-to right-hander in the middle innings.
Latest On Trevor Story
The Rangers are one of the latest clubs to be linked with free agent shortstop Trevor Story, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. On the surface, it might seem rather absurd that either the Rangers or Story would entertain a union. The Rangers, after all, have already signed two of the top free agent shortstops on the market in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.
But the Rangers have a hole at third base right now, and if Story is indeed willing to entertain a position change and/or a short-term contract, which is the latest, then Story’s fit with in Texas is actually much smoother than it seems at first glance. Even if Story isn’t the target, the Rangers are known to be on the lookout for a third baseman, going so far as to approach the recently-retired Kyle Seager about the possibility of playing along his younger brother in Texas. Seager the elder kindly declined, the offer, however, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter).
Beyond Story, there aren’t a lot of options left in free agency for the Rangers to add a third baseman. The players available – Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, Todd Frazier – are veterans who don’t necessarily upgrade on Texas’ in-house options. Right now, the Rangers would field a third base by committee approach while awaiting the arrival and good health of prospect Josh Jung. Even though he’s injured, Jung’s presence means that the Rangers might only be interested in securing Story if they can do so with a very short-term deal.
Without Story, Andy Ibanez, Nick Solak, and Brad Miller are all candidates to get regular playing time at the hot corner. The Rangers also recently signed Matt Carpenter and Charlie Culberson to minor league deals.
If the Rangers were to end up signing Story, it would be a fairly remarkable sequence events, not only because it would mean a 102-loss team signing three of the top free agent shortstops in a single offseason, but because of the sequence of events that have led the Rangers and Story to a place where this could even be possible.
It wasn’t long ago that the Rangers had Isiah Kiner-Falefa ready to return to the hot corner to be their regular third baseman. But when the Rangers traded Kiner-Falefa to the Twins for catcher Mitch Garver, the machinations of the offseason really kicked into high gear. Kiner-Falefa ended up as the Yankees’ pick at shortstop (at least for now), which opened up shortstop again in Minnesota, improbably, for a short-term pact with Carlos Correa. If Story is willing to take a deal similar in style to Correa’s, the Rangers could swoop in and be the beneficiary.
Of course, they’re not the only team with interest. The Yankees themselves have recently been tied to Story as well, despite their recent acquisition of Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson. The Red Sox are also lurking, though like the Rangers, they’d ask Story to move off his preferred position.
Heyman suggests that the Yankees and Astros “likely have an edge” to sign Story because they would allow him to remain at shortstop. The Yankees had reportedly discussed a four-year contract with Correa that included opt-outs before he signed with Minnesota, per Andy Martino of SNY (via Twitter). A similar contract structure might be enough to reel in Story, assuming a more modest AAV. Story won’t come cheap, but he’ll be cheaper than Correa, which seems to be fueling the Yankees’ interest. All that said, it’s a bit of an overcrowded fit, with Anthony Rizzo now penciled in at first base, Giancarlo Stanton locking down the DH spot, and Gleyber Torres, Kiner-Falefa, and Donaldson already potentially cutting into DJ LeMahieu’s playing time.
The Rockies made one last call to Story before inking Kris Bryant, per The Athletic’s Nick Groke, but that door appears to be closed. From the same division, the Giants are the other team that have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Story. The Giants have Brandon Crawford at short, Evan Longoria at third, and Tommy La Stella at second, a trio that would certainly make room for Story, should that be his ultimate landing spot.
