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Jon Berti Could See Time As Backup First Baseman For Cubs

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Jon Berti doesn’t match the profile of your typical first baseman. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Berti is best known for his speed. From 2018-23, his sprint speed consistently ranked in the 95th percentile or higher. In 2024, his age-34 season, he still ranked within the top 10% of baserunners with a sprint speed of 29.0 feet per second. Meanwhile, his average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate all would have ranked among the bottom 10% if he had enough batted balls to qualify. He managed just one extra-base hit in 74 trips to the plate. Since his debut in 2018, only 10 players (min. 1,500 PA) have a worse isolated power than Berti’s career .107 mark.

Indeed, up until this past October, Berti had never played first base – at least not professionally. The keystone was his primary home in the minor leagues. In the majors, he had split his time between second base, third base, and shortstop, while also filling in, on occasion, in all three outfield positions. However, in Game 2 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Royals, New York skipper Aaron Boone penciled Berti into the lineup at first base. The veteran utility man would end up starting two more games at first throughout the playoffs; all 12 of his 2024 postseason plate appearances (and all but one of his defensive innings) came at this brand new position.

The Yankees asked Berti to play first base out of desperation. Anthony Rizzo was unavailable for the ALDS, while DJ LeMahieu missed the entire postseason. Set to face the dominant southpaw Cole Ragans in Game 2, Boone decided he’d rather have the righty-batting Berti in the lineup over Ben Rice or Oswaldo Cabrera, both of whom have had their struggles against left-handed pitching. Yet, it seems as if Berti’s new club, the Cubs, could enter the 2025 season with Berti as their go-to backup at first base. Discussing the crop of position players who will suit up for the Cubs in the Cactus League this spring, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic suggested Berti could be “the primary backup” at first base this year.

Michael Busch will return as Chicago’s everyday first baseman in 2025 after a strong rookie campaign. Over 152 games, he popped 21 home runs, walked 11.1% of the time, and finished with a 119 wRC+ – well above the league average, even at a position with high offensive standards. After Busch, however, the team doesn’t have many options to cover the right-most bag. None of the other Cubs players who spent time at the position in 2024 (Cody Bellinger, Patrick Wisdom, Garrett Cooper, and Matt Mervis) remain in the organization. Other than Busch, the only player on their 40-man roster with more MLB experience at first base than Berti is Ian Happ (61 innings from 2018-20). Needless to say, the Cubs aren’t going to play their three-time Gold Glove-winning left fielder in the infield unless it’s as a last resort.

Two of the four spots on the Cubs’ bench are spoken for; one belongs to Berti and one belongs to whichever catcher, either Miguel Amaya or Carson Kelly, isn’t in the starting lineup. Top candidates for the remaining bench spots include utility man Gage Workman, a Rule 5 draft pick; utility man Vidal Bruján, an offseason trade acquisition; utility man Nicky Lopez, a minor league signing; and utility man Ben Cowles, whom the Cubs protected from the Rule 5 draft. Oh, and they’ll need at least one bona fide outfielder, too. Alexander Canario is already on the 40-man roster, so he could have the inside track on that job. Simply put, that doesn’t leave much room in the mix for a true first baseman, even if the Cubs had one to consider. First base prospect Jonathon Long will be in camp, but the 23-year-old has played less than half a season above High-A, and his chances of earning a spot on the Opening Day roster are slim to none.

The Cubs could think about adding someone like Mark Canha or Justin Turner, but they don’t have the playing time to offer to make such a signing seem appealing for either side. Alternatively, they could bring another first baseman into camp on a minor league deal (names like Rowdy Tellez or Yuli Gurriel come to mind), but players of that caliber might not move the needle enough to be worth pursuing.

So, it seems as if Berti will be Chicago’s best bet to spell Busch at first base on occasion. That might not be the best use of Berti’s skill set – his bat is well below average at first, while his plus glove is wasted at a low-impact defensive position. That said, it’s not as if first base is a position that necessarily requires a strong backup. If Busch can play another 152 games (or more), Berti’s job at first will be minimal. His primary responsibilities will still be at second base, third base, and/or shortstop. He proved last October that he could play first base in a pinch, and that could very well be all he needs to do for the Cubs in 2025.

Cubs Designate Rob Zastryzny For Assignment

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The Cubs announced that they’ve designated lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny for assignment. Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the move just before the official announcement. That’s the corresponding move for the Ryan Brasier trade, which is official.

Chicago claimed Zastryzny off waivers from the Brewers in the first week of the offseason. The Missouri product returned to his original organization. Chicago drafted Zastryzny in the second round in 2013. He tossed 16 innings for their 2016 World Series team as a rookie. Zastryzny remained with the Cubs through 2018, when they outrighted him off the 40-man roster.

Zastrynzny bounced around between a few organizations and spent time in the independent ranks. He returned to the big leagues with a brief stint for the Mets in 2022. The southpaw suited up for the Angels later that season and threw a career-high 20 2/3 frames with the Pirates in ’23. He spent last year with the Brewers, making nine MLB appearances and working 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

Between five teams, Zastryzny has thrown 67 innings with a 4.30 earned run average in his MLB career. He had a nice year with Milwaukee’s top affiliate in Nashville last year. Zastrynzny managed a 3.03 ERA with an excellent 32.5% strikeout rate across 29 2/3 frames. That intrigued the Cubs enough that they brought him back on waivers, though he had an uphill battle sticking on the roster.

That’s largely because he has exhausted his minor league options. Chicago couldn’t send him to Triple-A without putting him on waivers. The Cubs don’t have a ton of flexibility in a bullpen without many pitchers who can be optioned. The Cubs will probably place him on waivers within the next few days. Zastryzny’s previous career outrights mean he could elect free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Cubs Acquire Ryan Brasier

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The Dodgers announced a trade sending reliever Ryan Brasier and cash considerations to the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Los Angeles had designated the veteran righty for assignment on Thursday when they finalized the Kirby Yates signing. Teams have five days following a DFA to trade a player, so the Dodgers needed to find a deal by tonight or put Brasier on waivers. Chicago designated Rob Zastryzny for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster move.

Brasier is quite a bit better than most players who end up in DFA limbo. The veteran righty had a strong season and a half in Los Angeles. He signed a minor league deal midway through the 2023 season after being let go by the Red Sox. Brasier had a dominant finish, turning in a 0.70 earned run average across 38 2/3 innings with Los Angeles. The Dodgers retained him on a two-year, $9MM free agent contract.

The 37-year-old was never going to replicate his late-season ’23 numbers. He had another decent year when healthy, working to a 3.54 ERA with a league average 22.7% strikeout percentage. Brasier kept his walk rate to a tidy 4.5% clip, in large part because he got opponents to chase 40% of pitches off the plate.

Health was the biggest caveat. Brasier suffered a significant strain of his right calf in late April. He was shelved into the middle of August and limited to 28 innings on the season. He had an excellent second half but was nevertheless relegated to low-leverage appearances during L.A.’s World Series run. Brasier allowed five runs with seven strikeouts and three walks across nine playoff innings.

The DFA is less a reflection of Brasier of “losing” his job and much more about L.A.’s bullpen depth. They added Tanner Scott and Yates after re-signing Blake Treinen. They join Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia as bullpen locks. The Dodgers are going to run a six-man rotation, meaning they can only devote seven roster spots to relievers.

Brasier has well over five years of major league service. He cannot be sent to the minor leagues without his consent. The Dodgers could go back to an eight-man bullpen once Shohei Ohtani returns to the rotation, since Ohtani doesn’t count against their 13-pitcher limit as a two-way player. They’re not going to push Ohtani’s elbow rehab merely to get another bullpen spot, so there’s probably only one available if all their relievers are healthy coming out of camp. Anthony Banda is out of options and seems likely to grab the final relief job.

The Cubs don’t have a ton of roster flexibility with their bullpen either. Chicago acquired Ryan Pressly last week. He’ll close games. Brasier joins Porter Hodge and Tyson Miller as high-leverage righties in front of Pressly. The Cubs added Caleb Thielbar on a $2.75MM free agent deal earlier in the winter; he projects as their top left-hander. Colin Rea is probably ticketed for long relief work.

That’d account for six of eight ’pen slots if everyone’s healthy. Eli Morgan and Nate Pearson may be next on the depth chart, but they both have a minor league option remaining. That isn’t the case for Julian Merryweather or Keegan Thompson. They’d each need to be in the majors or be designated for assignment. Thompson’s swing-and-miss ability probably gives him a leg up.

Brasier will make $4.5MM for the upcoming season. He’ll be a free agent at year’s end. It’s unclear how much of that the Dodgers are paying down. The Dodgers will save 110% in taxes on whatever money they managed to offload. If the Cubs had taken on the entire salary, that would have pushed them to around $211MM in luxury tax obligations (courtesy of RosterResource). They’re more than $30MM shy of the base threshold.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Cubs were acquiring Brasier. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic first mentioned the Dodgers receiving cash considerations. Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the return as a player to be named later or cash.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The NL Central?

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The calendar has flipped to February and the start of Spring Training is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including nine of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents for the 2024-25 offseason) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. After the Mets decisively won yesterday’s poll on the AL East, the focus now shifts to the NL Central.

It was another down season for the Midwest’s NL teams, as they sent just one club to the postseason and were not represented in the NLDS for the third consecutive year. Three of the division’s teams haven’t made it to the postseason at all in a 162-game season this decade, and the pressure is on for those clubs to start winning again while the two that have found more recent success try to keep their windows open. Which team has done the most to set themselves up for success this winter? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Milwaukee Brewers

As is typical for Milwaukee, this offseason has seemingly been about balancing the club’s present against their future. The loss of star shortstop Willy Adames was an expected but nonetheless tough blow for the Brewers, and it spurred them to complete their lone major move of the offseason back in December. With a hole on the infield after losing Adames, Milwaukee traded longtime relief ace Devin Williams to the Yankees ahead of his final year of team control. In return, they added big league ready infielder Caleb Durbin as well as southpaw Nestor Cortes.

Cortes, also in his final year of team control, appears poised to join an impressive prospective playoff rotation in Milwaukee alongside Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff. Durbin, meanwhile, will turn 25 later this month and has yet to make his big league debut but hit quite well both at Triple-A and in the Arizona Fall League. He could help solidify the club’s infield situation as soon as Opening Day. Outside of those additions, however, the Brewers have been extremely quiet: one-year pacts with depth arms Grant Wolfram and Elvin Rodriguez are the only two major league free agent signings they’ve made this winter.

St. Louis Cardinals

There isn’t much to say about the Cardinals’ offseason, as the club’s focus has been entirely consumed by their as-of-yet unsuccessful attempts to move on from veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado. That’s led the club to make zero big league free agent signings and trade for zero established MLB players, meaning the only roster changes of note to this point in the winter for St. Louis have been the losses of free agents like Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Kittredge. Off the field, the biggest move of the Cardinals’ offseason to this point has been to announce the day the 2024 campaign ended that Chaim Bloom will take over for John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations following the 2025 season.

Chicago Cubs

It’s been a busy offseason for the Cubs. Most notably, they swung perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason when they acquired star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Astros, though it cost them All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and young starter Hayden Wesneski from their big league roster in order to do so and they subsequently had to deal Cody Bellinger to the Yankees to make room for Tucker in the lineup. Paredes has not been replaced in free agency or via trade to this point, with that hole seemingly set to be addressed internally by top prospect Matt Shaw. A pair of solid bench moves round out the club’s activity on the positional side. Carson Kelly should help to improve things at catcher and the addition of Jon Berti could help make up for the loss of production on the bench created by the decision to non-tender Mike Tauchman.

The biggest reported goal of the Cubs’ offseason was to upgrade the pitching staff, but those additions have been far more modest as compared to Tucker. It’s not as flashy as the club’s reported interest in players like Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, and Tanner Scott may have suggested, but Matthew Boyd figures to be an upgrade over Kyle Hendricks in the rotation and Ryan Pressly should solidify things in the ninth inning after the club acquired him in a separate trade with Houston. Beyond those two more significant names, the club has added depth in the form of swing men Colin Rea and Cody Poteet as well as southpaw Caleb Thielbar.

Cincinnati Reds

Following a mixed bag of a 2024 season where Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene established themselves as star-caliber players but the rest of the roster largely struggled with injuries and/or ineffectiveness, the Reds have been quite busy in hopes of turning things around for 2025. They kicked off the winter by adding Terry Francona as their new manager, and traded Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to land Brady Singer from the Royals not long afterwards. They also retained Nick Martinez (who accepted their Qualifying Offer) and brought back veteran lefty Wade Miley on a non-guaranteed deal to further deepen the rotation.

The only guaranteed free agent signing the club has made was signing non-tendered outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal, but Hays is joined by a number of trade acquisitions even beyond Singer. The Reds acquired Jose Trevino from the Yankees in order to pair with Tyler Stephenson behind the plate, and Gavin Lux was brought in to help replace India’s production in the lineup. Rounding out the club’s notable trade acquisitions this winter is southpaw Taylor Rogers, who comes over from the Giants to join Alexis Diaz and Emilio Pagan at the back of Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates’ biggest move of the offseason was its first one of significance, as the club traded right-hander Luis Ortiz to the Guardians alongside a pair of prospects in order to land infielder Spencer Horwitz, who figures to serve as the club’s everyday first baseman this year. In addition to adding Horwitz, the Pirates have retooled their bullpen following the departure of Aroldis Chapman in free agency by signing southpaws Tim Mayza and Caleb Ferguson while also working out minor trades for Chase Shugart and Brett de Geus. Reports have indicated that Ferguson will stretch out during Spring Training and could be a candidate to start, but the club has otherwise not added to a rotation that remains a strength even after losing Ortiz.

On the positional side of things, Horwitz is joined by the additions of Adam Frazier in free agency and Enmanuel Valdez via trade. Both Frazier and Valdez figure to help shore up second base for the club while adding some left-handed options to the club’s predominantly right-handed bench mix. Veteran and longtime franchise face Andrew McCutchen also re-upped with the Pirates on his third consecutive one-year deal as he plays out the twilight of his career as a veteran leader on a young Pirates team. For all the club’s additions this winter, however, right field remains a major question mark after the club non-tendered Bryan De La Cruz without replacing him to this point in the winter.

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The 2024-25 offseason has been one defined almost entirely by major trades for the NL Central’s five clubs, with four of the five clubs having worked out at least one major swap and the fifth still hard at work attempting to do the same. The Cubs, Pirates, and Reds have all supplemented those trades with notable but relatively modest free agent signings as they attempt to claw their way back into playoff contention, and Cincinnati also added a likely future Hall of Famer to the dugout in the manager’s chair to help guide their young ballclub. The Brewers and Cardinals have been quieter by comparison, with Milwaukee largely standing pat outside of the Williams trade while the Cardinals have been paralyzed by their efforts to trade Arenado but have opened up playing time for a number of notable young players like Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera.

Of the five NL Central clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Cubs Outright Matt Festa

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The Cubs outrighted reliever Matt Festa off the 40-man roster, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Chicago designated him for assignment last week as the corresponding move when they finalized the Ryan Pressly trade. Festa has been outrighted before in his career, so he can choose to decline the minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

If he does elect free agency, Festa’s time with the Cubs will have lasted less than a month. They acquired him from the Rangers for cash in the second week of January. Texas had also squeezed him off the roster as the corresponding move when they added a veteran reliever — in their case, Chris Martin on a one-year free agent deal.

Festa, 32 next month, has spent the bulk of his career with the Mariners. He posted a 4.32 earned run average across 89 appearances over four seasons with Seattle. Festa has bounced around the league in recent months. He made a lone MLB appearance with the Mets early last season and pitched 18 times for Texas after catching on there via minor league deal. He allowed a 4.37 ERA through 22 2/3 innings in Arlington. He punched out a quarter of opponents against a solid 7.6% walk rate.

While Festa has shown decent swing-and-miss stuff during his MLB career, his command has been inconsistent. He has issued free passes to 10.3% of batters faced overall. Festa is out of options, limiting the roster flexibility for teams. If he elects free agency, he’ll likely be limited to minor league offers with Spring Training invites.

Cubs Sign Nicky Lopez To Minor League Contract

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The Cubs have signed infielder Nicky Lopez, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.  The deal is a minor league pact, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (multiple links) reports, and Lopez will make $1.5MM if he cracks the Cubs’ active roster.  Lopez is represented by Octagon.

Lopez heads from one side of the Windy City to the other, as he spent the 2024 season with the White Sox as a regular starter in the middle infield.  Beginning the season as the primary everyday second baseman, Lopez was shifted over into the shortstop role for much of July and August, before playing a little more sparingly down the stretch.  The Sox put Lopez on waivers at the end of August to see if another team would claim him (and the last $700K remaining on his $4.3MM salary) away, but there weren’t any takers.

Heading into his final year of arbitration eligibility, Lopez found himself outrighted off Chicago’s 40-man roster in November, and he chose to become a free agent instead of accepting the assignment.  The move was essentially a non-tender, as Lopez was projected for a $5.1MM salary in 2025 and the Sox obviously didn’t see him as part of their plans (at least at that price).

Lopez’s 2021 campaign with the Royals was the clear high point of his six MLB seasons, as he hit .300/.365/.378 over 565 plate appearances while also playing excellent shortstop defense, resulting in a 5.5 fWAR that ranked 13th among all players in baseball.  That 104 wRC+ (perhaps aided by a .347 BABIP) now looks like an outlier compared to the rest of Lopez’s offensive output, as he has only a 68 wRC+ over 1187 PA in the last three seasons.  That includes a 77 wRC+ from his .241/.312/.294 slash line in 445 PA with the White Sox in 2024.

The glovework has also fallen off since 2021, at least as a shortstop.  Lopez had -9 Defensive Runs Saved and a -5.5 UZR/150 in 344 2/3 innings at short last season, but -1 DRS and a +2.4 UZR/150 in the larger sample size of 640 1/3 innings at second base.  (The Outs Above Average metric liked Lopez’s work at both position, with a +4 as a second baseman and +1 as a shortstop.)

This solid work at the keystone is most pertinent for Lopez’s possible role in Wrigleyville.  Nico Hoerner’s availability for the start of the season is still unclear after the second baseman underwent flexor tendon surgery in October.  As of two weeks ago, Hoerner said he hadn’t yet started any hitting or throwing programs, so it would certainly seem like a season-opening IL stint might be in order for Hoerner to have more time to fully ramp up.

The Cubs already signed utilityman Jon Berti to a guaranteed contract, so Lopez’s addition on a minors deal gives the team more depth in the infield department.  Vidal Brujan (who is out of minor league options) was also acquired in a trade with the Marlins, and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman will have to remain on the active roster lest he be offered back to the Tigers.  Top prospect Matt Shaw is expected to get the first shot at the third base job in his rookie season, and between Shaw’s inexperience and Hoerner’s injury concern, the Cubs are giving themselves plenty of infield coverage to evaluate during Spring Training.

Alex Bregman Reportedly Has Six-Year Offer From Club Other Than Astros

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February starts tomorrow but Alex Bregman is still unsigned. Throughout the winter, he has reportedly been sitting on a six-year, $156MM offer from the Astros. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that he also has a “lucrative” six-year offer, with an opt-out after the first year, from another club “that may not be not be high on his list.” Heyman mentions the Cubs, Tigers and Red Sox as clubs that have been in the mix. Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently appeared on Area 45 with Bijani and Creighton and suggested the Blue Jays might have a six-year offer out to Bregman.

The twists and turns of the Bregman saga have been well documented to this point. Going back to the Astros seemed like a strong possibility at the start of the winter and there has clearly been mutual interest in a reunion but a gap in talks when it comes to the financials, with Bregman reportedly looking to get something close to $200MM.

The $156MM offer is close-ish to that but Heyman and Nightengale both relay that Bregman viewed that as a paycut. That offer would come with an average annual value of $26MM. Bregman signed an extension with the Astros back in March of 2019, a five-year, $100MM pact. That was only a $20MM AAV but it was backloaded. Bregman got a $10MM signing bonus and then had a salary of $11MM in the first three years of that deal, followed by salaries of $28.5MM in the last two. Though the recent offer from Houston would have come with an AAV bump compared that entire contract, it appears the immediate downgrade in salary wasn’t satisfactory.

That led to Bregman getting interest from other clubs and the Astros pivoting to other players. They acquired Isaac Paredes in the Kyle Tucker deal and then signed Christian Walker. Those two, along with Jeremy Peña and Jose Altuve, seemed to fill the Houston infield and block Bregman’s path back to the club. More recently, reports have emerged that suggested the door is actually open a crack. The club apparently has some willingness to re-sign Bregman, move Paredes to second and Altuve to left field.

That’s a bit of an awkward fit, but the same could be said of Bregman’s other possible landing spots. The Red Sox have Rafael Devers at third and prospects like Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer charging towards the second base opening. Moving Devers over to first base makes some sense on account of his poor defense, but he seems reluctant to make that move and Boston has Triston Casas at first and Masataka Yoshida a likely designated hitter. The Tigers would be blocking Jace Jung, a top prospect who has already cracked the majors, from regular playing time. The Cubs would similarly be blocking Matt Shaw. The Jays would be blocking a group of potential third baseman that includes Orelvis Martínez, Addison Barger and Ernie Clement.

Financially, the clubs are in different positions, per figures from RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The Tigers project to have an Opening Day payroll of $118MM. That’s well beyond last year’s $98MM figure but they were in the $120-140MM range in the two prior years. Signing Bregman would push them past that but could be justified after last year’s surprise playoff push. As of last week, their talks with Bregman were reportedly at a standstill.

The Cubs have a competitive balance tax number of $207MM and the Red Sox $210MM. This year’s base tax threshold is $241MM, meaning both clubs are more than $30MM away from that line. They have both paid the tax in recent years, so getting to the line or even crossing it can’t be explicitly ruled out, though both clubs reportedly prefer the idea of signing Bregman to a short-term deal.

The Jays, meanwhile, are well above the rest in this group. They project for a $250MM payroll and $273MM CBT number, both of which would be franchise records by significant margins. Last year’s $225MM Opening Day payroll was a new record at the time. They went narrowly over the CBT line in 2023 and were projected to do so again last year, before their disappointing season led to a trade deadline selloff that allowed them to limbo underneath. Though they are in uncharted waters, they reportedly still have wiggle room after agreeing to a deal with Max Scherzer.

The Cubs were the only one of the non-Houston clubs mentioned here to pay the tax in 2024, meaning they would be subject to the stiffest penalties for signing Bregman. Since he rejected a qualifying offer, any club apart from Houston that signs him would be subject to draft pick forfeiture. As a tax payor, the Cubs would forfeit their second- and fifth-highest picks as well as $1MM from next year’s international bonus pool space. The Jays and Red Sox, who didn’t pay the tax and aren’t revenue-sharing recipients, would only forfeit $500K of pool space and their second-highest pick. The Jays already surrendered a pick to sign Anthony Santander, so they would actually surrender their third-highest pick if they also signed Bregman. The Tigers, as a revenue-sharing recipient, would give up their third-best pick. Houston stands to receive compensation if Bregman signs elsewhere, though since they paid the tax last year, they would only receive a pick after the fourth round of the upcoming draft. Re-signing Bregman would take that potential compensation away.

Despite the inelegant roster fits, teams seem to be willing to make it work somehow. An unsigned player this close to the start of spring training would normally have to start considering short-term contracts. That happened last winter with the so-called “Boras Four” of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, who all signed in February of March, inking two- or three-year deals including opt-outs. Boras also represents Bregman and Pete Alonso, who are both unsigned now.

Alonso seems likely to be going down the short-term route, having recently discussed some three-year arrangements with the Mets. Reports on Bregman, however, have suggested that’s less likely. Last week, it was reported that Bregman has multiple offers of at least five years. The Astros seem to be one of them, as they have reportedly kept their offer out to Bregman even as they have pursued other moves.

Bregman, it seems, has been stuck in a sort of limbo zone. Based on the reports, he has a decent amount of interest but not quite enough to get up to his asking price, which has led to this holding pattern. MLBTR predicted him for a seven-year deal worth $182MM at the start of the offseason. As mentioned, he was looking to get a bit beyond that, into the $200MM range, but his offers have seemingly come in at a slightly lower level.

The Astros have reportedly had Jorge Polanco as their Bregman backup plan, but he has agreed to return to the Mariners on a new deal. Whether that leads the Astros to increase their offer to Bregman remains to be seen. They are known to be looking for a left-handed outfielder. Signing Polanco, a switch-hitter, would have been an indirect way of doing that. Altuve likely would have ended up in left field but it would have added a lefty bat to the lineup regardless. They could now consider a more direct option like signing Alex Verdugo or Jason Heyward. Bregman is right-handed but a more exciting player overall than either of those two, though the club has been connected to Verdugo this offseason and signed Heyward late last year after he was released by the Dodgers.

Whether or not the Astros pivot with Polanco off the board, it seems other clubs are lurking, perhaps in a similar price range. How this plays out could have ripple effects to other players. The Jays have also been lurking in the Alonso market but surely won’t sign both. Pitchers like Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta are also unsigned and have been connected to some of these clubs. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than two weeks.

Orioles Acquire Luis Vazquez, Designate Emmanuel Rivera

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The Cubs have traded infielder Luis Vazquez, whom they designated for assignment earlier in the week, to the Orioles in exchange for cash, the teams announced. Baltimore has designated fellow infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment to create space on the 40-man roster.

The 25-year-old Vazquez made his big league debut with the Cubs in 2024, though he only appeared in 11 games and went 1-for-12 in a small sample of 14 plate appearances. He hit .263/.347/.432 in Triple-A, about four percent better than average, by measure of wRC+. That marked his second season with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa. He’s posted slightly better-than-average offense in both seasons there while walking at an 11.6% clip against a 22.5% strikeout rate. In 543 plate appearances in Des Moines, he’s popped 17 homers and gone 7-for-12 in stolen base attempts.

Primarily a shortstop, Vazquez ranked 16th among Cubs farmhands at Baseball America just one year ago. BA touted him as the best defensive infielder in the Cubs’ minor league ranks while praising some offensive strides he began to display after years of light hitting in the lower minors. Vazquez has multiple minor league option years remaining and gives the O’s a utility option who can back up at multiple positions or simply be stashed in Norfolk as a depth piece.

Rivera, 28, joined the O’s as an August waiver claim from the Marlins. He logged 73 plate appearances down the stretch with Baltimore and torched opponents with a .313/.370/.578 batting line and four homers. That type of production was largely out of line with Rivera’s career .244/.306/.369 output, however. He’s long been viewed as a glove-first third baseman with modest power and plodding speed. Defensive metrics soured on his glovework at the hot corner in 2024’s 611 innings, but he has above-average marks in overall in 2005 career innings.

Even with that torrid hot streak following his waiver claim, Rivera looked like a non-tender candidate entering the winter. The O’s instead opted to tender him a contract and sign him to a $1MM salary. That salary could now help him pass through waivers if the O’s don’t find a trade partner in the next five days. Rivera is out of options, so any team that acquires or claims him would need to be willing to carry him on the Opening Day roster or else try to pass him through waivers themselves. If Rivera goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would mean forfeiting any guaranteed salary; he’d likely accept the assignment and stick with the O’s while hoping for a call to the majors at some point early in the season.

Cubs Agree To Minor League Deal With Brad Keller, Finalizing Deal With Brandon Hughes

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Brad Keller, as first reported by Cubs Insider’s Jacob Zanolla. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee next month. They’re also finalizing a minor league pact to bring left-handed reliever Brandon Hughes back to the organization, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.

Keller, 29, quickly emerged as one of the better Rule 5 picks in recent memory when the Royals plucked him out of the D-backs’ system back in 2017. From 2018-20, he was a productive fixture on Kansas City’s staff, eventually sliding in as a set member of the rotation. In those three seasons, he logged 360 1/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball with a 16.8% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. Both those marks were worse than league-average, but Keller posted a strong 52.1% grounder rate and proved adept at dodging hard contact and keeping the ball in the park.

In 2021, Keller’s results deteriorated in a hurry. He still made 26 starts and ate up 133 1/3 innings, but his walk and ground-ball rates checked in at career-worst levels as his ERA spiked to 5.39. His ERA in 2022 was again north of 5.00 in a similar sample of innings. By 2023, Keller’s command issues had elevated to calamitous levels. He issued 45 free passes in 45 1/3 innings, doling out a base on balls to 21.3% of his opponents. He was eventually diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent season-ending surgery.

In 2024, Keller split the year between the White Sox and Red Sox. He spent the bulk of his season in Triple-A, where he logged a combined 3.28 earned run average, 21.1% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 54.5% grounder rate between the two organizations. His big league work was much rougher. In 41 1/3 frames, Keller was tagged for a 5.44 ERA with a 16.7% strikeout rate. His walk and ground-ball rates were strong, however, respectively landing at 7.6% and 50%.

Hughes, 29, looked on the cusp of breaking out with the 2022 Cubs. He pitched 16 2/3 shutout innings between Double-A and Triple-A before being called to the majors for 57 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball as a rookie. He was too homer-prone, averaging 1.72 round-trippers per nine frames, but by season’s end he was closing down games for the Cubs, tallying eight saves. He fanned a strong 28.5% of opponents against a solid 8.8% walk rate.

Knee troubles tanked Hughes’ 2023 season, as he pitched only 13 2/3 innings with an ERA north of 7.00. His minor league work was no better, as opponents tagged him for 11 runs in just 11 innings. He underwent a debridement procedure in his left knee that June and was on the injured list until September. The Cubs non-tendered him in November, and he signed a minor league deal in Arizona. Hughes made it back to the majors with the Diamondbacks but clearly wasn’t right. He posted an 8.15 ERA in 17 2/3 big league frames, though his 2.03 earned run average in 48 Triple-A innings creates some more reason for optimism.

Both Keller and Hughes will be in the mix as bullpen depth this spring, though Keller could also serve as depth for the starting staff. The Cubs have added Ryan Pressly and Eli Morgan to the ’pen by way of the trade market this winter and also inked free agent southpaw Caleb Thielbar to a big league deal. That trio will join Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson as relief candidates. Each of Miller, Merryweather and Thompson is out of minor league options, so they’ll need to make the Opening Day roster or else be traded or designated for assignment (ultimately passing through waivers if they’re to have any chance of being sent to Triple-A). Trevor Richards, Phil Bickford, Ben Heller and Brooks Kriske are among the other veteran arms who’ll be in camp on non-roster deals.

Cubs, Padres Have Discussed Dylan Cease

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The Cubs are among the teams that have discussed right-hander Dylan Cease with the Padres, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. There’s no indication that the two sides are close to any sort of deal or that discussions were anything more than exploratory.

Cease, 29, has been bandied about the rumor mill for much of the winter as a payroll-crunched Padres club struggles to find ways to address myriad roster holes. A free agent following the 2025 season, Cease is slated to earn $13.75MM this year. Trading him for a controllable, lower-cost outfielder could affordably plug one lineup hole while also freeing up more than $13MM to backfill the rotation. Alternatively, the Friars could build a Cease deal around controllable, low-cost (and also less-proven) rotation pieces and look to reallocate Cease’s salary to a bat that’s yet to find a home in free agency or a trade target in the outfield. The Padres have at least gauged interest in impending free agents like Michael King, Luis Arraez and Robert Suarez (signed through 2027 but with an opt-out next offseason) under similar rationale.

The Cubs already have a deep rotation featuring Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Javier Assad. Free agent signee Colin Rea gives them a veteran sixth option, and Chicago has younger names like Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown and Caleb Kilian on the 40-man roster, with prospects Cade Horton and Brandon Birdsell climbing the minor league ladder.

Given that stock of arms, the Cubs don’t necessarily need another starting pitcher, but there’s an argument that some of that depth and their impressive stock of high-end position prospects could be condensed into a front-of-the-rotation arm like Cease. Morosi highlighted top outfield prospect Owen Caissie as a potential piece of a Cease trade in an on-air segment this morning, albeit in fairly speculative fashion.

Coupling Caissie or another touted outfielder like Kevin Alcantara with a controllable arm that lacks Cease’s ceiling but could be a third or fourth starter (e.g. Wicks, Assad) could hold some appeal to a Padres club that lacks rotation depth, a clear left fielder or designated hitter, and has a shaky-at-best collection of options to fill out manager Mike Shildt’s bench. Anecdotally, a trade involving Cease and Caissie would send each player back to their original organization; Cease was a sixth-round pick of the Cubs who was traded to the White Sox in exchange for Jose Quintana, while Caissie was a Padres second-rounder who went to the Cubs as part of the Yu Darvish trade.

Outfield is an area of depth for the Cubs, who have Ian Happ in left field, young Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and trade acquisition Kyle Tucker in right field. The acquisition of Tucker has pushed slugger Seiya Suzuki into a primary DH role, though he’ll surely still see some corner time depending on injuries or off-days for other members of the outfield. Tucker is a free agent at season’s end, but Happ and Suzuki are both signed through 2026 while Crow-Armstrong can be controlled all the way through 2030. Both Caissie and Alcantara are generally viewed as MLB-ready pieces who could step into the majors as soon as this season after posting big seasons in the upper minors in 2024. (Alcantara made a brief MLB debut late in ’24 already.) Infielder and fellow top prospect James Triantos also got a bit of work in the outfield in 2024. He’s on the cusp of his MLB debut as well.

The circumstances surrounding a potential trade of Cease are fairly similar to those of Corbin Burnes one year ago. While Cease has had a bit more volatility in terms of year-over-year results and doesn’t have a Cy Young Award to his credit, he’s a top-end starter with a relatively reasonable salary and one season of club control remaining. He’s unlikely to sign an extension, as was the case with Burnes, but could net a new team a draft pick if and when he rejects a qualifying offer next winter. That holds some inherent value and helps to offset the prospect loss required to pry Cease loose in a trade. The Orioles sent two MLB-ready players who’d garnered top-100 fanfare — infielder Joey Ortiz and lefty DL Hall — to the Brewers along with a 2024 competitive balance draft pick (No. 34 overall).

That was a steep price to pay, and perhaps Cease’s value isn’t quite to that same level, but it shouldn’t be far off. At the very least, it provides a rough blueprint for what San Diego could reasonably seek in exchange for a power-armed 29-year-old who landed second in 2022 American League Cy Young voting.

Payroll-wise, the Cubs have more than enough space to add Cease’s salary while still remaining comfortably south of the $241MM luxury threshold and leaving space for in-season acquisitions. RosterResource projects Chicago at a bit more than $207MM in luxury obligations after their recent acquisition of Ryan Pressly, giving them about $34MM of cushion between their current standing and that tax barrier.

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