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14 Players Elect Free Agency

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As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR, including a list of 29 players last week. The next group, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Outfielders

Pitchers

West Notes: Moreno, Sánchez, Angels

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Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno was removed from Game 3 of the NLCS in the fifth inning with a right hand contusion, the team confirmed. The D-backs will hope the injury doesn’t prove to be more serious.

Moreno was hit on the hand with a foul tip bunt, and while he initially remained in the game, he was replaced with a pinch hitter before his next at-bat. This is the second time Moreno has exited a game early this postseason, the first coming when he was hit in the head by Brice Turang’s backswing during the Wild Card round. Fortunately, that incident didn’t lead to a concussion, and the young catcher was back on the field for Arizona’s next game. He has played in all five of the Diamondbacks’ postseason matchups thus far.

The 23-year-old catcher is enjoying a breakout season, proving himself to be a strong defensive player and a capable hitter. He improved at the plate as the year went on, too, batting .313 with an .894 OPS after the All-Star break.

In other news from the West divisions…

  • Gary Sánchez is set to reach free agency after the World Series, but the Padres are reportedly interested in bringing him back, and the interest appears to be mutual, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The 30-year-old had a difficult year at the plate in 2022, but he bounced back this season after the Padres claimed him on waivers in May. In 72 games with San Diego, he hit 19 home runs and posted a .792 OPS before a wrist fracture ended his season in early September.
  • Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times named Angels infield coach Benji Gil as a potential managerial candidate, reporting that the Angels have expressed interest in him as their next manager. Valenzuela also included Buck Showalter on the list of candidates, although that comes as less of a revelation; the team’s interest in Showalter has already been widely reported. Gil has been a coach in the majors for the past two seasons, and he served as the manager for Team Mexico in the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Angels

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The Angels collapsed in the second half and came up short of the playoffs yet again. Now they enter the offseason they’ve been dreading. Shohei Ohtani will be a free agent, putting the franchise at a potential inflection point. They’ll need to commit to an organizational direction behind their fourth manager in six seasons.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

2024 financial commitments: $117.2MM
Total future commitments: $427.4MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players

Non-tender candidates: Phillips, Barria, Wallach, Walsh, Suarez, Quijada

Free Agents

The Angels have had the 2023-24 offseason circled for a while. It has served as a possible endpoint to their window of rostering two of the best players in the world. At least since Shohei Ohtani truly broke through as an MVP talent in 2021, the upcoming winter has been a concern. The organization knew it was running low on time to build a winner during Ohtani’s window of control.

For a team that has desperately been in win-now mode for three-plus seasons, the Angels haven’t done much winning. They’ve tried to compensate for a generally thin organizational pipeline by addressing needs through free agency, always a step behind where they needed to be.

In 2021, the starting rotation wasn’t good enough. Last year, they gave too many at-bats to replacement level position players. They tried to bolster the overall depth last offseason, signing Brandon Drury, Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estévez while acquiring Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela in trade. Still on the fringe of the playoff race at the deadline, they pushed in for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López (plus a number of role playing veteran hitters) in hopes of salvaging one playoff run while Ohtani was still guaranteed to be on the roster.

It didn’t work. The Halos pivoted a few weeks later, waiving many of their highest-priced players in an effort to dip back below the luxury tax line. Even the organization doesn’t yet know if that effort was successful, as their tax number won’t be finalized until the end of the year. If they did go over the base threshold, the actual bill would be minuscule, as teams are only taxed on their overages. The more significant aspects are that teams pay escalating penalties for surpassing the line in consecutive seasons and that paying the luxury tax reduces the compensation teams receive for losing a qualified free agent.

That, of course, brings things back to Ohtani. The Angels will make Ohtani the QO. He will decline. If he subsequently signs elsewhere, the compensation the Halos receive would differ depending on whether they actually surpassed the tax threshold. If their CBT number is under $233MM, it’d be a pick between Competitive Balance Round B and the third round (typically around 75th overall). If they’re still over the line, the compensatory draft choice falls between Rounds 4 and 5.

Neither is a good outcome. The Angels unsurprisingly maintain they hope to re-sign Ohtani. The presumptive AL MVP hasn’t tipped his hand about free agent preferences. There’s no doubt the Halos will be involved in the bidding. Would they be willing to offer a contract pushing or exceeding half a billion dollars to retain him?

Owner Arte Moreno hasn’t been shy about spending on star talent, from the Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rendon free agent pickups to the Mike Trout extension. Yet even those megadeals are likely to land well below Ohtani’s ultimate signing price, while this is the first time in two decades that the Halos have shown a willingness to surpass the luxury tax threshold.

Even if Moreno is willing to play at the top of the market financially, the Angels will have to sell Ohtani on their ability to compete over the coming seasons. They’re tied with the Tigers for the game’s longest active playoff drought at nine years. They don’t have a single prospect on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 list.

The MLB team just finished 73-89 for a second consecutive season while Ohtani was playing on a $30MM arbitration salary and pitched 132 innings. At season’s end, they declined an option to retain skipper Phil Nevin. They’re now searching for their fifth manager since Ohtani’s 2018 rookie season. They already have north of $117MM in guaranteed salary on the books, most of it tied up in the Rendon and Trout deals. The arbitration class is likely to tack on around $16MM after non-tenders. That leaves about $79MM before reaching this year’s Opening Day payroll figure, though an Ohtani deal could account for more than half of that.

The best case scenario is that the Halos manage to retain Ohtani, who won’t pitch next season following elbow surgery, on a free agent contract that pays far more than he made this year– likely above Aaron Judge’s $40MM record salary for a position player. They wouldn’t have much room to address anything else on the roster before getting back to franchise-record payroll levels. Barring a huge jump in spending, it’s hard to see how the Angels look better entering 2024 than they did going into ’23.

That all makes the Halos feel like a relative long shot to keep their franchise player. Were he to sign elsewhere, this would look like a clear rebuilding roster. They were 16th in runs this past season despite Ohtani’s .304/.412/.654 showing. Playing the second half without Trout, who suffered a hamate fracture on July 4, obviously played a role in that. Yet Trout has played in less than half the team’s games over the last three seasons. Now that he’s into his 30s, the three-time MVP might not be capable of shouldering a 150+ game workload as he did at his peak.

The rest of the lineup has some bright spots but is middling overall. Logan O’Hoppe is a promising young catcher. He lost most of this year to a labrum tear but is the clear long-term starter. Veteran Max Stassi was out all season between a hip injury and a family medical concern. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return next season as the backup.

Los Angeles cycled through a number of infielders. David Fletcher was on and off the roster and no longer looks like a regular. He’ll remain in the organization because he’s under contract for two more seasons and doesn’t have the requisite service time to decline a minor league assignment without forfeiting the $14MM remaining on his deal. He could be waived again this offseason, though.

The Halos brought in Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron and Eduardo Escobar as midseason stopgaps. They’re all headed to free agency — the Angels will buy out Escobar for $500K rather than exercise a $9MM option — and seem unlikely to be retained. Urshela is also headed to the open market and could find a two-year deal elsewhere. Former All-Star Jared Walsh is likely to be non-tendered after a second straight down year that temporarily cost him his spot on the 40-man roster.

Despite those players departing, the Angels have a handful of infielders. Zach Neto had a solid rookie season and should be the long-term shortstop. 21-year-old Kyren Paris saw late-season action there but didn’t hit in his first 15 MLB games and should start next year back in the minors.

At first base, the Halos hurried Nolan Schanuel to the majors within a few weeks of drafting him 11th overall out of Florida Atlantic. While the last-ditch effort to compete didn’t work, the 21-year-old handled himself remarkably well given the circumstances. Schanuel walked more than he struck out, hit .275, and reached base at a huge .402 clip in his debut. He only had four extra-base hits and slugged just .330. There’s room for debate about whether the Angels should send Schanuel back to the minors to try to develop his power. His strong on-base skills at least put him in the running for the starting first base job on Opening Day, though.

Drury and Luis Rengifo will be in the everyday lineup if they’re still on the roster. They were two of the Halos’ better offensive performers, with Rengifo having a particularly impressive second half. A fluke biceps rupture sustained while taking swings in the on-deck circle ended his season two weeks early. He underwent surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Each of Drury and Rengifo should draw trade attention this offseason. Rengifo’s injury could make it difficult to find an appropriate return before he gets back on the field. Drury would be an obvious trade candidate if the Halos lose Ohtani and decide to use 2024 as a retooling season. The veteran popped 26 homers with a .262/.306/.497 slash in his first year in Orange County. Playing on an affordable $8.5MM salary, he’d be an appealing target for infield-needy teams in a winter without many free agent options.

That’s not the case for Rendon. The veteran third baseman has played in fewer than 60 games in all three full seasons since signing a $245MM free agent deal. He has played at a league average level in that time, nowhere close to the production the Angels envisioned. Rendon didn’t play after July 4 with a left leg injury that the Halos announced as a shin contusion. Rendon told reporters last month it was a tibia fracture. Both the organization and the player had been bizarrely reluctant to provide meaningful updates throughout the season.

There’s no indication that Rendon will not be ready for the start of 2024. He’ll surely remain on the roster, as his $38MM annual salaries through ’26 makes a trade essentially impossible. If he’s healthy, he’ll presumably be the starting third baseman. Few free agent deals go south as quickly as the Rendon investment has, leaving the Angels without many options but to hope for better entering year five.

Two outfield spots should be locked down. Trout is likely to be back in center field. Opposing fanbases have long speculated about the possibility of prying the 11-time All-Star away in trade. The Angels probably wouldn’t be able to shed the entire seven years and $248.15MM on his deal, but a high-payroll team like the Yankees or Phillies would presumably be willing to assume the majority of the money. Yet there are likely too many roadblocks to a trade.

Clearly, the Angels wouldn’t contemplate moving Trout while they’re still making an effort to bring back Ohtani. Re-signing Ohtani would take that firmly off the table. If the two-way star walks, Moreno would need to be willing to part with both faces of the franchise in the same offseason. For an owner who intervened to kill trade discussions regarding Ohtani when the Halos were firmly out of contention at the 2022 deadline, that seems unlikely. Even if the Angels were willing to move Trout, he’d have control over his destination thanks to full no-trade rights. Trout doesn’t seem urgent to force his way out of Anaheim, telling reporters last month that his offseason focus is on “clearing my mind and getting ready for spring and wearing an Angels uniform in spring.”

Assuming Trout is back in center field, he’d likely be flanked by Taylor Ward. The left fielder’s season was cut short when he was hit in the face with a pitch in late July. He should be back by Spring Training. Ward is a solid regular who still has three seasons of arbitration control. As with Rengifo, there’d be interest if the Halos wanted to shop him. They’re in no urgency to do so, though, and the season-ending injury makes it tough to get adequate value before Ward demonstrates that he has gotten past that frightening situation mentally.

Even if they retool, the Angels could look for a veteran corner outfielder opposite Ward. Former top prospect Jo Adell has never taken the anticipated step forward. He’ll be out of minor league options and looks like a candidate for a change-of-scenery trade, albeit for a minimal return. Mickey Moniak faded after a strong start in Trout’s stead and is probably best suited for fourth outfield work. Randal Grichuk is a free agent, while Brett Phillips will likely be non-tendered.

Adam Duvall, Brian Anderson, Joey Gallo and Jason Heyward are among the free agent corner outfielders who’ll sign for one or two years. Alex Verdugo and Mike Yastrzemski are potential trade candidates. The Angels only make sense as a suitor for a trade possibility if they’re again trying to patch things together with short-term veterans.

They’ll also have to add on the pitching staff. The Angels have run with a six-man rotation in recent seasons to manage Ohtani’s workload. General manager Perry Minasian recently acknowledged they could move to a five-man staff next season (link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). That’s true regardless of whether they retain Ohtani since he can’t pitch next year.

Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Griffin Canning have three spots reasonably well secured. The Halos would surely like to offload the two years and $26MM remaining on Anderson’s contract after he struggled to a 5.43 ERA in the first season. They unsuccessfully tried to offload the money via waivers in August. They’d presumably have to kick in cash to facilitate some kind of trade this offseason.

Whether Anderson returns, there’s room for another starter. Reuniting with Michael Lorenzen or taking a rebound flier on Frankie Montas, Luis Severino or Lance Lynn could be viable. That’d leave Anderson (if not traded) competing with the likes of Chase Silseth and potentially José Suarez for a rotation spot.

The Halos also have opportunity to add a couple relief fliers. They’re likely to opt for a $2MM buyout on Aaron Loup. They waived impending free agent Matt Moore and cut Chris Devenski in August. Hard-throwing Ben Joyce and José Soriano and right-hander Andrew Wantz presently project as the top setup options to Estévez, who’s headed into the second season of a two-year free agent deal. The hard-throwing closer would surely draw interest if the Halos were to make him available this winter. Bringing in at least one left-hander seems inevitable. Andrew Chafin, Wandy Peralta and Scott Alexander are among the possibilities.

It’s shaping up to be a difficult offseason. Minasian heads into his fourth year at the helm facing the long-feared potential Ohtani departure. If it happens, an already middling team will have lost its best player. If he stays, they’ll have a more uphill battle than ever in putting a viable roster around him.

In conjunction with this post, Anthony Franco held an Angels-centric chat on 10-10-23. Click here to view the transcript.

Rays Notes: Glasnow, Margot, Ohtani, Caminero

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Every Rays offseason inevitably leads to trade rumors about their higher-salaried players, whether it’s players getting increasingly expensive through their arbitration years or players entering more expensive years of their current contracts.  The same should be true this winter, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot “seem likely to be in trade discussions” as the Rays try both manage their budget and maintain a competitive roster.

It isn’t a shock to see either player potentially shopped, especially since Tampa reportedly offered Margot to other teams as recently as the trade deadline.  Margot also drew some trade buzz during the 2021-22 offseason since 2022 was his final year of salary arbitration, but the Rays not only avoided an arb hearing by agreeing to a salary with Margot for 2022, but they also inked him to a two-year, $19MM extension with a $12MM club option for 2025.

Glasnow’s own extension with the Rays only seemed to create more trade speculation, rather than security about his future in St. Petersburg.  The right-hander signed his two-year, $30.35MM extension in August 2022, just over a year after the right-hander underwent a Tommy John surgery that cost him almost the entire 2022 season.  The deal broke down as a $5.35MM salary in 2023 (essentially what Glasnow would’ve earned anyway via arbitration salary) and then a whopping $25MM for 2024.

Essentially since the moment that deal was announced, many have expected that the Rays would look to trade Glasnow before that $25MM bill came due.  That dollar figure might not scare off many teams as a one-year splurge, given how Glasnow returned to mostly good health and delivered a strong season.  An oblique strain cost Glasnow the first two months of the 2023 campaign, but he posted a 3.53 ERA, 51.2% grounder rate, and an elite 33.4% strikeout rate over 120 innings.

Of course, the Rays themselves might view $25MM as a good investment for a top-of-the-rotation arm, especially given the other injury problems in Tampa Bay’s rotation.  Glasnow and Zach Eflin project as the Rays’ top two pitchers, with Taj Bradley penciled into the rotation for at least the start of the season, Shane Baz returning from Tommy John surgery, Drew Rasmussen (elbow brace surgery) and Jeffrey Springs (TJ surgery) both expected back at midseason, and Shane McClanahan very likely missing the year altogether due to yet another TJ procedure.  Given how all these injuries hampered the Rays this year, Tampa might feel comfortable in just keeping Glasnow and then getting draft compensation back next winter via the qualifying offer, or perhaps even a midseason trade if the Rays are out of the race.

If Glasnow is retained and the Rays looked to trim payroll elsewhere, moving Margot seems like a natural place to start, as he is owed $12MM in 2024 ($10MM salary, $2MM buyout of his 2025 option).  Margot generally been a slightly below-average hitter during his eight MLB seasons, with his .264/.310/.376 slash line over 336 plate appearances in 2023 basically matching his career numbers.  Margot’s speed and defense have helped his value beyond the middling offense, though the public metrics indicated a dropoff in his center field glovework in 2023, even if his right field numbers were still solid.  Margot’s playing time has also been limited by some injuries over the last two years, as well as the Rays’ natural penchant for outfield platoons.

Perhaps especially if Tampa Bay feels Margot has lost a step or two defensively, he might be an expendable piece of a crowded Rays outfield.  Josh Lowe and Jose Siri could take over the center field platoon, and prospects like Kameron Misner or Chandler Simpson might also be nearing their big league debuts.  Margot’s trade market might be somewhat limited by his 2023 performance, though with a thin free agent market for position players, any outfield help might get some extra interest this particular winter.

Turning from possible Rays trades to some moves that didn’t happen, Tampa Bay was known to have interest in Shohei Ohtani this past summer, even though it seemed like the Angels had little to no interest in actually dealing the two-way star.  That didn’t stop several teams from floating offers, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that Tampa offered Junior Caminero and two other top-10 prospects in exchange for the final two months of Ohtani’s 2023 season.

It would’ve been a big price for a rental player, yet not out of line for a player of Ohtani’s stature and unique all-around ability.  Of course, no trade happened, and the Rays probably don’t have many regrets considering how Ohtani’s partial UCL tear prematurely ended his pitching season in August, and an oblique strain then ended his season altogether a couple of weeks later.

Managerial Notes: Ross, Showalter, Venable, Jay

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The Cubs had a rollercoaster season in 2023. The club entered the campaign with a projected win total of just 76.5 according to Fangraphs and fell to ten games below .500 by early June, prompting speculation that the club would deal Marcus Stroman in Cody Bellinger in what seemed sure to go down as the third straight rebuilding year for Chicago. The team turned things around, however, rattling off a 27-17 record from mid June to the end of July and prompting the club to add Jeimer Candelario rather than execute the anticipated sell-off. The club entered early September with their playoff odds soaring to over 90% but collapsed down the stretch, ultimately losing 15 of their last 22 to miss the playoff by just one game.

Given the club’s peculiar season, it’s hardly a surprise that manager David Ross emerged as a polarizing figure among Cubs fans. That being said, club officials remained steadfast in their support of the manager, with both chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer backing Ross as the club’s manager headed into 2024. With that being said, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney indicate that Ross’s spot as manager is less certain in the long term, saying that “The bottom line is that the 2024 team has to win or else Hoyer may be forced to look in another direction” for the club’s manager.

The 2023 campaign was Ross’s fourth season as manager, and his second with a winning record. He managed a third place finish in NL Manager of the Year voting when the Cubs made the postseason under his guidance during the shortened 2020 campaign, though the club was swept by the Marlins in the Wild Card Series. The club then began rebuilding in 2021 and 2022 with consecutive deadline sell-offs that saw the departure of established regulars like Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant. Overall, Ross sports a 262-284 record as Chicago’s manager.

More notes regarding managerial situations around the league…

  • After being fired as Mets manager last week, veteran skipper Buck Showalter is reportedly hoping to return to the dugout, with the vacancy in Anaheim drawing his particular interest. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Angels are reciprocating Showalter’s interest, with Nightengale noting that Showalter was the first choice of ex-Angels GM Billy Eppler to lead the club following the 2019 season before the club ultimately decided on Joe Maddon. Eppler has since been replaced as the club’s GM by Perry Minasian, though Nightengale notes that he and Showalter worked together when Showalter was manager of the Rangers from 2003-06.
  • Nightengale also discusses other potential managerial candidates around the league, describing Rangers associate manager Will Venable as “the favorite” to take over for retiring Guardians manager Terry Francona in Cleveland. 2023 was Venable’s first season as associate manager in Texas. Prior to joining the Rangers, he acted as bench coach of the Red Sox under Alex Cora and as a base coach for the Cubs. Venable has been a frequent subject of interest during a variety of managerial searches in recent years, interviewing for the position with the Cubs, Giants, Astros, Tigers and A’s in the past. Nightengale also mentions Marlins first base coach Jon Jay as a “potential candidate” for managerial openings around the league, though he does not specify which clubs may have interest in Jay, who just wrapped up his first season in the big league dugout.

Organizational Notes: Angels, Nationals, Mets

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The Angels and assistant general manager Alex Tamin are parting ways, report Alden González and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). Tamin had spent the last three years in Orange County, following GM Perry Minasian from the Braves a week after the Halos hired Minasian out of the Atlanta front office.

Tamin had also spent three years as an AGM with the Braves. Prior to landing in Atlanta, he was a member of the Dodgers’ baseball operations department for six seasons. He was the Angels’ only AGM and served as Minasian’s top lieutenant. It’s the second notable departure for the Halos this week after the club let go of manager Phil Nevin on Monday.

Some other front office/ownership notes around the game:

  • The Nationals will hire Danny Haas as scouting director, reports R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports (Twitter link). He’ll take charge of the franchise’s amateur drafts. That role had been held by Kris Kline, who was transferred from scouting director to a special assistant position last month. Haas, 47, has worked in the Diamondbacks’ scouting department for the last five seasons. A Louisville product, he played parts of five seasons in the minor leagues before beginning his scouting career a little over two decades ago.
  • News of Billy Eppler’s resignation as Mets’ GM yesterday was met with surprise, as he had been expected to stay on as David Stearns’ #2 executive. The situation became more muddled with a report that MLB was looking into claims the Mets had improperly managed their injured list. Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily reports that owner Steve Cohen is not a target of the league’s investigation (Twitter link). It is still unclear the manner in which MLB suspects that Mets’ officials may have mishandled their IL situation. Whether the organization faces potential penalties remains to be seen.

29 Players Elect Free Agency

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October brings postseason play for a handful of teams and their fanbases. Just over two-thirds of the league is now in offseason mode after being eliminated, however. As the season comes to a close, a number of veterans will hit minor league free agency.

These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. The first group, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

AL Notes: Red Sox, Showalter, Angels, Royals

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Buck Showalter wants to keep managing, and is trying to get an interview with the Angels about their dugout vacancy, the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports (via X).  It isn’t known if there is any mutual interest on the Halos’ side, though one would imagine the club would be open to at least having a chat with a veteran skipper with such a long and distinguished track record.  Showalter’s managerial career has been marked by his ability to turn around struggling teams, which would seemingly have particular appeal to a Los Angeles club that has suffered through eight straight losing seasons.  The position opened up earlier this week when the Angels officially parted ways with Phil Nevin — by coincidence, a former player of Showalter’s on the 2005-06 Rangers.

Showalter might have an extra edge if the Angels have trouble finding other top-tier candidates.  “The job isn’t deemed attractive within the industry because GM Perry Minasian is entering the final year of his contract,” Puma writes, meaning that if a new general manager is hired next offseason, the incoming boss might want to make their own hire in the manager’s chair. However, there is also a significant connection between Showalter and Minasian, who worked for the Rangers from 2003-2009 as a scout and as Showalter’s staff assistant when skipper was managing in Texas.

More from around the American League….

  • Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy discussed several topics during an appearance on the Fenway Rundown podcast with MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, including the team’s reneweed emphasis on trying to sign younger, pre-arbitration players to contract extensions.  Brayan Bello, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Triston Casas were specifically mentioned by Kennedy as the types of young players the Sox would like to lock up, though the CEO naturally didn’t provide details on whether or not the club had already broached the topic of extensions with any of the quartet.  Chaim Bloom’s four-year tenure in charge of Boston’s front office didn’t see many extensions in general, with the notable exceptions of Rafael Devers’ mega-deal and one of those aforementioned pre-arb pacts with Garrett Whitlock.  Cotillo also reports that Bloom tried to sign an unnamed Sox top prospect to an extension before the player had even started his Major League career.
  • The Royals plan to retain their coaching staff for 2024, general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters, though a couple of new faces could be added in new roles on an expanded staff.  Though the Royals struggled through a miserable 106-loss season, they already underwent a significant coaching overhaul last winter after new manager Matt Quatraro was hired.  K.C. apparently doesn’t want to make more changes just yet, though there could be some turnover if any coaches are approached for promotions on other teams.

West Notes: Angels, Rockies, Neris

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The Angels have operated with a six-man rotation for the past several years, though that could change in 2024, as noted by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. GM Perry Minasian told reporters recently that the size of next year’s rotation is something they’ve “discussed at length” and that they’re comfortable with a five-man rotation next season, saying that the club feels “the arms we have in-house can handle it.”

Minasian’s comments would seem to imply that the club doesn’t expect to make any external additions in terms of starting pitchers this offseason. Of course, a five-man rotation is made possible by the absence of two-way star Shohei Ohtani, though as Fletcher notes the comments aren’t necessarily indicative of the Angels’ opinion on his likelihood to re-sign in Anaheim. After all, Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch until the 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery.

If the Angels indeed rely on their current group of starters next year, the rotation figures to be fronted by lefties Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers, while righty Griffin Canning and veteran southpaw Tyler Anderson look to occupy the middle of the club’s rotation. The fifth (and, potentially, sixth) starter spots seem more unclear, with Chase Silseth, Jose Suarez, Jaime Barria, and Kenny Rosenberg among those to draw starts for the club this season who could get a look next year.

More from around MLB’s West Divisions…

  • The Rockies have a bit of a logjam between first base, right field, and DH headed into next year, as noted by Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette, as he listed each of Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon, Elehuris Montero, Sean Bouchard, and Michael Toglia as each vying for playing time at the three positions. Bryant and Blackmon figure to be regular players, though that would leave just one spot for the other three, a situation that Zahlmann ties to the club’s desire to add additional starting pitching depth this offseason. Dangling a player from that mix in trade talks could allow the Rockies to complement a rotation that currently figures to enter 2024 with plenty of question marks, and Zahlmann even notes that top prospects like Zac Veen and Jordan Beck could be dangled “in the right deal.” Of course, the 103-loss Rockies would surely require a quality starter with multiple years of control if they were to part with any of their top-100 prospects in a trade for pitching this offseason.
  • Astros right-hander Hector Neris was fined by MLB for his role in a benches-clearing altercation between Houston and Seattle in late September, per GM Dana Brown (as relayed by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome), though Brown added that he does not believe Neris will be suspended for the incident. Neris shouted at and charged toward Rodriguez after striking him out during last week’s 8-3 win over the Mariners, causing both benches to clear. That Neris figures to avoid a suspension is great news for the Astros, as he’s been nothing short of dominant this year. The 34-year-old righty sports a 1.71 ERA and a 3.83 FIP across 71 appearances with the club this year. Neris figures to hold a $8.5MM player option for the 2024 campaign, so long as he passes a physical after the end of the season.
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