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Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/22/24

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The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day/evening as deals are announced and/or reported.

  • The Mets announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, though salary figures have not yet been reported. He was projected for a $900K salary next year after posting a 1.66 ERA but in just 21 2/3 innings due to injury.
  • The Rangers announced they avoided arbitration with right-hander Josh Sborz, who was projected for a $1.3MM salary next year. He’ll come in just shy of that at $1.1MM, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today (X link). He underwent a shoulder debridement procedure recently, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link) and will likely miss the first two or three months of 2025.
  • The Tigers and infielder Andy Ibanez have agreed to a salary of $1.4MM next year, per Francys Romero (X link). That’s a shade below his $1.5MM projection. Ibanez hit .241/.295/.357 in 99 games for the Tigers in 2024.
  • The Guardians avoided arbitration with right-hander Ben Lively, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (X link). He’ll make $2.25MM next year, below his $3.2MM projection. Lively had a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings for the Guards this year.
  • The Cubs and right-hander Julian Merryweather have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a salary of $1.225MM, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). That’s just shy of his $1.3MM projection. Merryweather had a 6.60 ERA in 2024 but was injured most of the time and only made 15 appearances. He had a solid 3.38 ERA the year prior in 72 innings. The Cubs also agreed to terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and righty Keegan Thompson, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link), though salary figures have not yet been reported.
  • The Blue Jays got a deal done with right-hander Erik Swanson, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet on X. The righty was projected for $3.2MM next year but will make a smidge less than that, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (X link) relaying that Swanson will make $3MM. He had a 5.03 ERA in 2024 but was at 2.97 the year prior and also finished this year strong, with a 2.55 ERA in the second half.
  • The Yankees reached agreement with center fielder Trent Grisham on a $5MM salary, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN (on X). The deal contains another $250K in incentives. The two-time Gold Glove winner had been projected at $5.7MM. Grisham had an underwhelming .190/.290/.385 showing during his first season in the Bronx. The Yankees will nevertheless keep him around for his final year of arbitration, presumably in a fourth outfield capacity. The Yankees also announced that they have a deal with righty JT Brubaker, though figures haven’t been reported. He was projected for a salary of $2.275MM, the same figure he made in 2023 and 2024, two seasons he missed while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Rockies reached deals with outfielder Sam Hilliard and lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, Feinsand reports (on X). Hilliard gets $1MM, while Gilbreath signed for $785K. Both figures come in shy of the respective $1.7MM and $900K projections. Hilliard popped 10 home runs over 58 games as a depth outfielder. Gilbreath only made three appearances after missing the entire ’23 season to Tommy John surgery. He posted a 4.19 ERA across 43 innings two years ago.

Earlier Agreements

  • The Dodgers and right-hander Tony Gonsolin have agreed to a $5.4MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link), an exact match for his projection. He had signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal to cover the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He made 20 starts for the Dodgers in the first year of that pact but he missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Guardians and Sam Hentges have agreed to a $1.337MM deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. That’s right in line with his projected $1.4MM salary. The left-hander has been an effective reliever for Cleveland over the past three seasons (2.93 ERA, 2.82 SIERA, 138 IP), but he missed the latter half of 2024 with a shoulder injury. After undergoing surgery in September, he will miss the entire 2025 season.
  • The Orioles and infielder Emmanuel Rivera agreed to a $1MM deal, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’d been projected at $1.4MM. He hit .238/.312/.343 this year.
  • Right-hander Brock Stewart and the Twins agreed to a one-year deal worth $870K, MLBTR has learned. He’d been projected at $800K. Stewart, who missed much of the season due to injury, can earn another $30K via incentives. He’s been lights-out for the Twins when healthy over the past two seasons (2.28 ERA, 33.5 K%, 10.8 BB%). Minnesota and righty Michael Tonkin also agreed to a $1MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’d been projected at $1.5MM. The Twins later announced that they had reached deals with Stewart, Tonkin and righty Justin Topa. Hewas projected for $1.3MM next year but will come in just shy of that in terms of guarantee. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune (Bluesky link), it’s a $1.225MM guarantee in the form of a $1MM salary and then a $225K buyout on a $2MM club option for 2026.
  • The Padres and Tyler Wade agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, Heyman tweets. There’s a club option for an additional season. Wade, who hit .217/.285/.239 in 2024, was projected for that same $900K figure.
  • Infielder Santiago Espinal and the Reds settled on a one-year deal at $2.4MM, Heyman tweets. That’s well shy of his $4MM projection and actually represents a slight pay cut after Espinal hit .246/.295/.356 for Cincinnati.
  • The Rangers and righty Dane Dunning agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.66MM, Heyman reports. It’s a 19% cut after Dunning struggled to a 5.31 ERA in 95 innings this past season. He was projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Giants and right-hander Austin Warren agreed to terms on a one-year deal, reports Justice de los Santos of the San Jose Mercury News. He missed most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned late with 10 2/3 innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve signed catcher/outfielder Eric Haase to a one-year deal for the upcoming season. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the deal guarantees Haase $1.35MM with the chance to earn more via incentives. He’d been projected for a $1.8MM salary. Haase will fill the backup catcher role in Milwaukee next season. He’s controllable through the 2027 season.
  • The Dodgers and right-hander Dustin May settled at $2.135MM, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (X link). That’s the exact same salary he had in 2024. May will be looking to bounce back after spending all of this year on the injured list.
  • The Phillies and right-hander José Ruiz settled at $1.225MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). That’s slightly above his $1.2MM projection. The righty can also unlock a $20K bonus for pitching in 30 games and $25K for pitching in 40. He made 52 appearances for the Phils in 2024 with a 3.71 ERA. Philadelphia also announced agreement with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs on a one-year deal. The Phils did not reveal the salary figure. Stubbs hit .207 in 54 games this year.
  • The Tigers and infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry agreed to a $1.65MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on X). That’s slightly ahead of his $1.3MM projection. He hit .215/.277/.337 this year while stealing 16 bases and playing each position except or first base and catcher,

National League Non-Tenders: 11/22/24

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The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Here’s a rundown of the players on National League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month. All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency, where they’re eligible to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.

Onto the transactions…

  • The Braves non-tendered outfielder Ramón Laureano, left-hander Ray Kerr, as well as right-handers Griffin Canning, Huascar Ynoa and Royber Salinas, which you can read more about here.
  • The Brewers parted ways with lefty reliever Hoby Milner, who’d been projected at $2.7MM for his final arbitration season. The typically reliable southpaw was tagged for a 4.73 ERA in 64 2/3 innings this year.
  • The Cardinals have non-tendered right-hander Adam Kloffenstein, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (Bluesky link). The righty only just made his major league debut in 2024 and was not yet arb-eligible. He immediately becomes a free agent without being exposed to waivers.
  • The Cubs have non-tendered infielder Nick Madrigal, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). Madrigal has hit .251/.304/.312 for a 76 wRC+ over the last three seasons with the Cubs and was projected for a $1.9MM salary next year. Chicago also announced they non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, which comes as a bit of a surprise after he reached base at a .357 clip this year. Patrick Wisdom, Adbert Alzolay, Brennen Davis and Trey Wingenter — all of whom were designated for assignment earlier this week — were also dropped.
  • The Diamondbacks non-tendered lefty reliever Brandon Hughes, per a club announcement. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed 16 runs over 17 2/3 big league innings this year. He wasn’t eligible for arbitration but would’ve occupied a 40-man roster spot if offered a contract.
  • The Dodgers are non-tendering right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. and left-hander Zach Logue, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (X link). Both pitchers are still in their pre-arbitration years, so this was more about the Dodgers sending them to free agency without exposing them to waivers, as opposed to cost cutting. Perhaps the club will look to re-sign them on minor league deals.
  • The Giants only made two non-tenders, parting with lefty Ethan Small and righty Kai-Wei Teng. Teng had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Small, who was in his pre-arbitration years, spent the season in the minors or on the injured list.
  • The Marlins had zero non-tenders. They offered contracts to everyone on the 40-man roster.
  • The Mets dropped a trio of players from the 40-man roster: relievers Grant Hartwig and Alex Young and outfield prospect Alex Ramirez. Young was the only member of that group who’d been eligible for arbitration. The southpaw pitched well in a depth role, but the Mets didn’t want to keep him around at a $1.4MM projection. Hartwig made four appearances this year, while the 21-year-old Ramirez (a former top prospect) had a .210/.291/.299 showing in Double-A.
  • The Nationals announced that they have non-tendered right-hander Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey, which you can read more about here.
  • The Padres dropped four players from the roster: righties Luis Patino and Logan Gillaspie, outfielder Bryce Johnson and infielder Mason McCoy. Patino, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, was the only member of the group who’d been eligible for arbitration. The other three cuts are simply about roster maintenance. The Padres could try to bring anyone from that group back on minor league deals.
  • The Phillies will not be tendering a contract to outfielder Austin Hays, which MLBTR covered earlier today.
  • The Pirates are expected to non-tender first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com (Bluesky link). They are also non-tendering right-hander Hunter Stratton, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). Joe was projected for a salary of $3.2MM next year and De La Cruz $4MM. Stratton had not yet qualified for arbitration. Joe has been around league average at the plate in his career but doing more damage against lefties. De La Cruz has hit .253/.297/.407 in his career for a wRC+ of 90. Startton had a 3.58 ERA this year but his season was ended by knee surgery, giving him an uncertain path forward.
  • The Reds have non-tendered right-hander Ian Gibaut, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Bluesky link). The righty was projected for a salary of $800K. He spent the vast majority of 2024 on the injured list due to arm trouble and only made two appearances on the season.
  • The Rockies moved on from starter Cal Quantrill and second baseman Brendan Rodgers, which MLBTR covered here.

Rockies Re-Sign Jacob Stallings

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The Rockies announced today that they have re-signed catcher Jacob Stallings to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2026. Stallings, a Bo McKinnis client, is reportedly guaranteed $2.5MM. He’ll make a $2MM salary next season and is guaranteed at least a $500K buyout on a $2MM mutual option for 2026. The buyout price would increase by $150K if Stallings plays in 80 games at catcher. It’d climb another $150K with Stallings’ 90th catching appearance and $200K if he appears in 100 games behind the plate. Colorado’s 40-man roster is now full.

It’s not a surprise to see the two sides reunite. The Rockies signed Stallings a year ago and he went on to have a solid season. It seems he enjoyed his time at altitude, as it was reported in September that the two sides had mutual interest in a reunion. Though he wanted to come back, he turned down a $1.5MM mutual option for 2025 in favor of a $500K buyout. He was presumably hoping to secure a guarantee larger than the $1MM difference between those two numbers and has indeed done so.

Stallings got into 82 games for the Rox in 2024, stepping to the plate 281 times. He hit nine home runs and drew walks at a solid 9.6% clip. His .263/.357/.453 batting line translated to a 114 wRC+, his best offensive showing in any season in which he took at least 20 plate appearances.

The defensive reviews were a bit more mixed. He had racked up 42 Defensive Runs Saved from 2019 to 2021, the highest of any catcher in the majors for that time frame. But that metric has soured on him, giving him a grade of -15 over the past three seasons, including a -6 grade in 2024. Outlets like Baseball Prospectus and Statcast have considered him to be an excellent blocker in recent years but not so great in terms of framing or controlling the running game.

While Stallings may not be a perfect player, perhaps he’s the right guy for the Rockies and their current circumstances. Drew Romo may be viewed as the club’s long-term solution behind the plate but he’s not quite there yet. Selected 35th overall in the 2020 draft, he is just 23 years old and is still a work in progress. He has made his major league debut but hit poorly in just 16 games.

Perhaps Romo will get a lengthier big league audition in 2025, with the 35-year-old Stallings around as a veteran mentor/backup. Or if Romo is getting more seasoning in Triple-A, a level at which he has less than 100 games of experience, then perhaps Stallings will get more big league playing time. Utility player Hunter Goodman is the third catcher on the roster and he could be a factor if Romo is down on the farm, or perhaps the Rockies could bring in another veteran.

Either way, the club should be playing the long game. They just wrapped up their sixth straight losing season, with more than 100 losses in each of the past two campaigns. There are some positive developments on the roster but they can afford to give Romo some time to get his feet wet and get accustomed to the big leagues. Since player development doesn’t always go in a straight line, it makes sense to have a vet like Stallings around to help the process or simply step in whenever Romo might be more focused on things like training, developing relationships with pitchers or any of the other facets of being a big league catcher.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the salary terms. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the possibility to max out at $3MM, while The Associated Press reported the escalator terms.

Rockies Add Zac Veen To 40-Man Roster

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The Rockies only made one addition to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day. Colorado selected the contract of former ninth overall pick Zac Veen. Their roster count is up to 39.

Veen, a lefty-hitting outfielder, drew ample praise for his power potential as a high schooler. He hasn’t yet shown that in the minors, at least partially due to a left hand injury that required season-ending surgery in 2023. Veen had a solid rebound this year, running a .258/.346/.459 line with 11 longballs in 65 games between four levels. He played his way to Triple-A Albuquerque by the end of the season.

The 22-year-old (23 next month) could still use some minor league reps, but he’s not too far off his MLB debut. Baseball America recently ranked him the #7 prospect in the Rox’s system. While his prospect stock is down from where it was a couple seasons ago, it was still a no-brainer for Colorado to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

Rockies Sign Jack O’Loughlin To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have signed left-hander Jack O’Loughlin to a minor league deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on X. The Gaeta Sports Management client also receives an invitation to major league spring training.

O’Loughlin, 25 in March, just made his major league debut this past season. The Athletics signed him to a minor league deal going into the 2024 season and he eventually cracked the roster. He tossed 9 2/3 innings over four appearances, allowing five earned runs while striking out six opponents and giving out five walks. He was outrighted off the club’s roster in September and was able to elect free agency at season’s end.

The Australian southpaw naturally has a larger body of work in the minors to look at. His time on the farm includes 159 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons with 5.35 ERA, though a very high .356 batting average on balls in play might be a factor there. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate at that level are both pretty close to average.

The Rockies generally face challenges in building a pitching staff due to their hitter-friendly home park, as it’s tough to both lure free agents there and develop hurlers who can succeed at Coors Field. They’ve also been bit by the injury bug in recent years, thinning out their staff significantly. The club had a collective 5.48 ERA in 2024, easily the worst in the majors, with the Marlins second last at 4.75.

O’Loughlin has worked both out of the rotation and the bullpen in his career, so he can give the club depth in both departments. If he finds any success, he still has a couple of option years and just a few days of service time, so he can potentially be cheaply retained well into the future.

Rockies Reportedly Willing To Trade Brendan Rodgers, Justin Lawrence

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The Rockies are open to trading second baseman Brendan Rodgers and right-hander Justin Lawrence, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Being open to a trade doesn’t necessarily mean one will come together, but it’s perhaps a notable stance since the Rockies have generally had a relatively low willingness to make their players available.

The outside perception of the Rockies has often been that they’ve been too confident in their internal assessments. In recent years, players like C.J. Cron, Elias Díaz and Daniel Bard were signed to ill-fated extensions instead of being dealt while they still had some trade value. Trevor Story wasn’t moved as his club control dwindled, departing for modest compensation after he declined a qualifying offer. Jon Gray didn’t even get the QO as the club seemingly believed they could re-sign him, but he went to the Rangers instead, with Colorado getting no compensation whatsoever. Owner Dick Monfort infamously stated that he thought the club could play .500 ball in 2023, a season they went on to finish 59-103.

But perhaps there is more realism now. The club did do a bit of selling at the deadline a few months ago, flipping relievers Nick Mears and Jalen Beeks. They finished 2024 with a record of 61-101, their second straight campaign with their loss tally in triple digits. There are some encouraging developments on the roster but perhaps the club is aware that short-term contention is a long shot.

There’s little reason for the club to be clinging too tight to Rodgers, as he is entering his final season of club control. He also hasn’t done much to establish himself as a core player, despite his past pedigree as a third overall pick and former top 100 prospect. He has taken over 1800 trips to the plate and has a line of .266/.316/.409, which translates to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he’s been 14% below league average overall.

The reviews of his defense have been mixed. Outs Above Average has given him a -5 grade for his career. He was above par in 2022 and 2023 but then dipped back down again this year. He has 12 Defensive Run Saved in his career but in bizarre fashion. He has been below average by that metric in most of his seasons but had a massive +22 showing in 2022, a figure that looks like a clear outlier.

He got his salary up to $3.2MM in 2024 and is due for one more raise in 2025, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $5.5MM next year. Given that price point and his performance, it makes sense the Rockies would be open to moving him rather than keeping him for one more year in which they are unlikely to compete.

But at the same time, the interest won’t be terribly high. Last year, free agents like Adam Frazier and Amed Rosario signed one-year deal for less money than the projected arb salary for Rodgers. Those two guys are back on the market now, as are second basemen like Brandon Drury, Enrique Hernández, Whit Merrifield and others. With those options, it’s hard to imagine a team giving up anything of value for Rodgers at this point.

Lawrence is perhaps a more intriguing trade candidate. He still has four years of club control and the Rockies could consider keeping him. But on the other hand, he’s a bit of late bloomer, turning 30 years old next month.

Relievers tend to be volatile, as Lawrence himself as shown. He seemed to have a nice breakout over 2022 and 2023, striking out 24.4% of batters faced and and getting ground balls on 49.4% of balls in play. His 11.2% walk rate was on the high side but he managed to post a combined 4.44 earned run average over those two seasons, not too bad for a guy spending half his time at Coors Field. He also seemed to grab a leverage role, earning 11 holds and saves apiece in 2023.

But in 2024, his strikeouts disappeared, falling to a 16.1% rate. He still got grounders but his walk rate also stayed high and the total package resulted in a 6.49 ERA for the year. He only secured two saves and five holds, falling down the pecking order.

He just qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player, but with a projected bump to just $1MM next year, barely over the $760K minimum. For four years of affordable control, some club might be intrigued by the possibility of what Lawrence could do away from Coors. For his career, he has a 6.96 ERA at home but a 3.86 mark on the road. But for the Rockies, a 30-year-old reliever with a growing salary isn’t someone you have to build around when you’ve just eclipsed 100 losses two years in a row, so they could listen to offers and see what’s out there.

Rockies Claim Jimmy Herget

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The Rockies announced that they have claimed right-hander Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cubs. The latter club had designated him for assignment last week.

The 31-year-old Herget split the 2024 season between the Braves and Cubs, spending the bulk of the year in the Atlanta organization. He notched 12 1/3 major league frames there, posting a 4.38 ERA with a 15-to-3 K/BB ratio. Herget was then claimed by the Cubs in September but didn’t wind up pitching in the majors for them.

This past season marked the sixth in which Herget has logged at least sparing major league action. He made his big league debut with the 2019 Reds and has appeared in every MLB season since, cycling through stints with the Rangers and Angels as well. He’s pitched 155 frames in the majors and owns a solid 3.54 ERA with an average 22.2% strikeout rate rate and quality 7.4% walk rate.

Herget doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging just over 92 mph on his heater in 2024, and he’s struggled to keep the ball in the yard these past two seasons, with nine homers in 41 1/3 frames (1.96 HR/9). That doesn’t necessarily bode well for his move to Coors Field, but the Rockies are perilously thin in relievers with big league experience, so it seems they’ll consider giving Herget a look in hopes that he can curb that proclivity for homers.

Because Herget is out of minor league options, he’ll need to either break camp with the Rockies next spring or be passed through waivers before being sent down. Even if he were to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Herget has three remaining seasons of club control and is eligible for arbitration this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $900K salary for him.

NPB’s Hiroshima Carp Sign Elehuris Montero, Re-Sign Taylor Hearn

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The Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed infielder Elehuris Montero and re-signed lefty Taylor Hearn, who excelled for the Carp in a relief role in 2024 (Japanese-language links via Yahoo Japan). Both players are CAA clients, and both are receiving one-year deals for the 2025 campaign.

Montero, 26, was once a highly touted corner infield prospect in the Cardinals system. He landed with the Rockies alongside Austin Gomber, Mateo Gil, Tony Locey and Jake Sommers in the trade sending Nolan Arenado to St. Louis. Colorado outrighted him off the 40-man roster this past July, and he became a minor league free agent at season’s end.

The Rox gave Montero his big league debut in 2022, but while he’s shown power at times throughout parts of three MLB seasons, he’s never been able to put the ball in play or reach base with any real consistency. The righty-swinging slugger is a career .228/.277/.387 hitter in 739 plate appearances. He’s been far better in Triple-A, mashing at a .314/.392/.589 pace in 877 trips to the plate. That’s the type of production the Carp surely are hoping to acquire.

The 30-year-old Hearn was a fifth-round pick by the Nats back in 2015 and has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons — primarily with the Rangers. He worked as both a starter and reliever during his time in Texas, enjoying far more success in the bullpen (4.48 ERA, 24.6 K%, 11 BB%) than in the rotation (6.36 ERA, 18.3 K%, 9.5 BB%).

It was in the bullpen that Hearn starred for the Carp upon signing with them last December. He missed some time in ’24 but was excellent when on the mound, pitching 35 innings with a pristine 1.29 ERA. Hearn was one of the primary setup men for the Carp, though he picked up a pair of saves as well. In his 35 frames, he fanned 20.2% of his opponents against a terrific 5.4% walk rate.

Jacob Stallings Declines Mutual Option With Rockies

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The Major League Baseball Players Association announced a list of 30 players who reached free agency today after having their option decisions resolved, and Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings was included among them. Colorado hasn’t announced a decision regarding Stallings’ mutual option, but MLBTR has learned that he declined his end of the option. Mutual options typically require the player to decide first, and that was the case in this instance. He’ll receive a $500K buyout and head back to the open market.

Stallings, 34, hit well in Colorado this season, turning in a .263/.357/.453 slash (114 wRC+) with a career-best nine homers in 281 plate appearances. Given that his mutual option was valued at a modest $1.5MM (with that $500K buyout), he surely feels he can top the net $1MM in free agency. The two sides have held mutual interest in a reunion for next season but have not yet come to terms on a new contract.

The 2024 season was Stallings’ first in Colorado. He’d spent the prior two campaigns in Miami and the first six years of his big league career in Pittsburgh. He won a Gold Glove with the Pirates in 2021 and was for a couple seasons regarded as one of the sport’s premier defensive backstops. His defensive grades have dwindled in recent years, due in no small part to a stark downturn in his framing grades. Stallings’ caught-stealing rates dropped off in his two years with Miami, but he was roughly league-average in that regard with the Rox (21% to the league-average 20%). Statcast rates him as one of the best in the sport when it comes to blocking balls in the dirt, listing him fourth out of 66 qualified catchers.

Stallings has posted solid offensive numbers in three of the past five seasons, with his two years in Miami standing as the exception. He draws plenty of walks (9.6% this past season) and strikes out at a roughly league-average rate (23.1%). That profile, coupled with his age, isn’t necessarily going to land him a lucrative long-term pact, but Stallings should find a one-year deal at a higher rate than last year’s $2MM base salary and could feasibly find some two-year offers. It’s a generally thin free agent class for catching help, with Danny Jansen, Carson Kelly and Kyle Higashioka standing as his primary competition on the open market.

As previously noted, the Rockies themselves figure to be among his suitors. Top prospect Drew Romo got his first taste of the majors in 2024 but hit poorly in a sample of 53 plate appearances. Romo had a solid offensive showing in Triple-A but only recently turned 23 and could require some more seasoning in the upper minors. Colorado also has utilityman Hunter Goodman as an option behind the plate, but he spent more time in the outfield than behind the plate and didn’t hit well either in his 224 plate appearances. There are no other catchers on the Rockies’ 40-man roster, so it stands to reason that whether it’s Stallings or another veteran, they’ll be on the hunt for some depth between now and spring training.

Rockies Acquire Owen Miller From Brewers

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The Rockies acquired utilityman Owen Miller from the Brewers for cash considerations, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (X link).

Miller is a veteran of four MLB seasons, playing with Cleveland in 2021-22 and then with Milwaukee for the last two seasons.  After playing in 280 games across his first three seasons, he had only 14 games in the Show in 2024, with a .407 OPS to show from 27 plate appearances.  The Brewers designated him for assignment and then outrighted Miller off the 40-man roster back in July.

With only a .239/.287/.345 slash line to show for his 1015 career PA in the big leagues, Miller’s defensive versatility has been far more of a calling card than his bat.  Miller has made at least one appearance at every position except catcher and center field, though the large bulk of his playing time has come at first and second base.

Miller is now out of minor league options, thus limiting his usefulness to the Brewers and perhaps to the Rockies or other teams going forward as he vies to remain on a Major League roster.  There’s no risk for Colorado in acquiring a veteran depth piece who can help at multiple positions, especially if Brendan Rodgers is traded and the Rox have an increased need in the infield.

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