Brewers Decline Options On Andrew Chafin, Justin Wilson
The Brewers have declined their options on left-handed relievers Andrew Chafin and Justin Wilson, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Chafin, a 33-year-old lefty reliever, lingered on the free agent market last winter until mid-February. He signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal to return to the Diamondbacks, the team that made him a first-round pick out of Kent State nearly 12 years prior. Chafin took a share of Arizona’s closing duties this year, logging eight saves but with some rough outings along the way. He was able to punch out nearly a third of batters faced with Arizona, but also walked 12% of them. Having added Paul Sewald from the Mariners, the D’Backs shipped Chafin to Milwaukee for righty Peter Strzelecki.
Chafin struggled mightily with the Brewers, unable to curb the walks or maintain a healthy strikeout rate. In a stretch in late August, Chafin was battered for nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings spanning five outings. He righted the ship in September, at least ERA-wise, but the southpaw’s $725K buyout was an easy call for the Brewers as compared to his $7.25MM club option.
Wilson, another veteran lefty, did not pitch in 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022, after which the Brewers signed him on a $1MM guarantee. The Brewers reinstated Wilson from the 60-day IL in late July, but before he could get into a game he went back to the IL with a lat strain. That injury knocked him out for the rest of the season, leaving little chance Milwaukee would choose the $2.5MM club option over his $150K buyout.
Chafin and Wilson will join the free agent market for lefty relievers, and figure to sign one-year deals.
The Brewers do have some lefty depth in the bullpen, as Hoby Milner posted a fine 2023 season. Aaron Ashby, who underwent April labrum surgery, wasn’t able to build back up to help the Brewers this year but should be good to go in Spring Training. Ashby is a potential rotation candidate as well.
Brewers Claim Vinny Capra From Pirates
The Brewers have claimed infielder Vinny Capra off waivers from the Pirates, according to an announcement from Pittsburgh.
Capra, 27, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 20th round back in 2018 out of the University of Richmond, where he played shortstop for the Spiders. Though never a top prospect, Capra got the call to make his MLB debut with the Jays in late April of last year. He picked up only seven plate appearances for Toronto, but was able to log his first big league hit with a single off Brooks Raley.
Capra had middle finger tendon surgery in October 2022, after which the Jays non-tendered him. He’d managed a 114 wRC+ at Triple-A that year, playing shortstop, third base, and left field. Capra re-signed with the Jays on a minor league deal, but was traded to the Pirates in late April of this year for catcher Tyler Heineman. After more solid work at Triple-A, the Pirates selected Capra’s contract on trade deadline day. He moved up and down and picked up only 21 plate appearances, including his first big league double off the Royals’ Angel Zerpa.
Milwaukee is not a bad place to land for an aspiring utility infielder. They currently project to have Brice Turang at second base, Willy Adames at shortstop, and Andruw Monasterio at third base. Only Adames’ role seems secure, except that the Brewers may consider trading him given a projected $12.4MM arbitration salary. The Brewers do have Owen Miller and Abraham Toro also on the 40-man roster as infield depth, plus third base prospect Tyler Black close to making his big league debut.
Considering the claim of Capra, the re-signing of Colin Rea, the declining of options for Andrew Chafin and Justin Wilson, and Wade Miley‘s pending free agency, the Brewers currently have 34 players on their 40-man roster. That could drop further if the Brewers choose to non-tender Toro, Rowdy Tellez, or Brandon Woodruff by the non-tender deadline about two weeks from now.
Brewers Re-Sign Colin Rea
The Brewers are retaining one of their starters, signing Colin Rea to a one-year deal with a club option for 2025. The right-hander is guaranteed $4.5MM — a $3.5MM salary for next season and a $1MM buyout on the option, which is valued at $5.5MM. The deal also contains up to $500K annually in innings-based incentives. Rea is represented by Joe Speed.
Rea, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Brewers coming into 2023 and was added to the roster in mid-April. The club dealt with multiple injuries to its rotation throughout the year, with each of Brandon Woodruff, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley missing significant time. While the starting staff was fronted by Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta, Rea was able to step in and support them with some serviceable innings. He made 26 appearances, 22 starts, logging 124 2/3 frames with a 4.55 earned run average. He struck out 21.3% of batters faced while walking 7.4%, and kept the ball on the ground at a 43.8% rate.
Though Rea is shy of the six years of service time required for automatic free agency, it was reported in September that his contract would allow him to return to the open market. That’s a common contractual clause for players who spend time in foreign leagues. Rea pitched in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in 2022, throwing 100 innings for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks with a 3.96 ERA. When he signed with the Brewers, he was able to secure himself a return to the open market in the language of his deal. He became a free agent today but the Brewers have quickly locked him up for another season.
Rotation depth could be a question for the club yet again in 2024. Woodruff recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss most of the upcoming season. He is heading into his final arbitration season and might wind up non-tendered, given that injury uncertainty and a projected $11.6MM salary. Burnes is also headed into his final arb year and has long been a speculative trade candidate due to the club’s low-spending ways and his rising salary, projected for $15.1MM next year.
Even if the club hangs onto Burnes, there are questions behind him and Peralta, with Miley now a free agent again. Adrian Houser will likely be in the mix while Janson Junk is on the 40-man and could earn himself a spot after posting a 4.18 ERA in Triple-A last year. Robert Gasser is the club’s best pitching prospect and should be in line for a promotion in 2024, though he’s yet to make his major league debut.
Perhaps the Brewers find room in there for Rea or he ends up in the bullpen or a swing role. Although it’s possible Burnes and Woodruff stick around for 2024, both are slated to be free agents after that. Rea’s 2025 option gives the Brewers a bit of extra depth for that season as well.
Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported that Rea would make a $3.5MM salary and was guaranteed a $1MM buyout on the $5.5MM option. MLBTR’s Steve Adams reported the incentive value.
Nelson Cruz To Retire
Nelson Cruz revealed on the Adam Jones Podcast that he is planning to retire from playing after an upcoming stint in the Dominican Winter League.
Cruz, now 43, was something of a late bloomer but still went on to have an incredibly long and productive career in the big leagues. He didn’t fully establish himself as an everyday big league player until 2009. That was technically his “age-28 season”, but he turned 29 on July 1, just after the standard June 30 cutoff for such distinctions. He had some limited looks in the big leagues with the Brewers and Rangers from 2005 to 2008 but that 2009 season saw him bust out with 33 home runs and 20 stolen bases for Texas.
He would follow that with 22 and 29 home runs in the next two years, helping the Rangers reach the World Series in each campaign, though they ultimate lost on both occasions. He continued serving as a potent slugger for a time but that was put on pause when he was connected to the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal, receiving a 50-game suspension in August of 2013.
He reached free agency after that campaign and the Rangers gave him a qualifying offer of over $14MM, which he turned down. The draft pick forfeiture tied to that QO and his PED situation led to him lingering on the open market until late February, eventually signing with the Orioles for one year and $8MM, well below the QO he turned down.
He had a monster year for the O’s in 2014, launching 40 home runs and helping that club reach the American League Championship Series. The O’s then gave him a $15.3MM qualifying offer, as players were still allowed to receive multiple QOs at that time. The limit of one per career did not come into place until the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Cruz turned the QO down again but fared far better in this trip to free agency, landing a four-year, $57MM deal with the Mariners.
Though he had been an outfielder earlier in his career, he slid more into a full-time designated hitter role over the course of that deal with Seattle. The club likely didn’t mind as he continued mashing, with 163 home runs in that four-year span. He then continued to produce in a similar fashion after joining the Twins, launching 41 more homers in 2019 then 16 in the shortened 2020 season.
He was still crushing baseballs through the first half of 2021, but his production slid after a midseason trade from the Twins to the Rays. He signed one-year deals with the Nationals and Padres for the past two seasons but his offensive production slid to below par. Since he was into his 40s and limited to DH duties only, it became tougher to roster him and the Padres released him in July.
Cruz retires having played in 2,055 regular season games, hitting 464 home runs in that time. His finishes with a batting line of .274/.343/.513, which translates into a wRC+ of 128, indicating he was 28% better than the league average hitter. He made seven All-Star teams, won four Silver Sluggers, a Roberto Clemente Award and various other honors. He represented the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic on four separate occasions, winning the 2013 tournament. His Baseball Reference page indicates he earned over $140MM in his career. We at MLB Trade Rumors salute Cruz for his many accomplishments and wish him the best of luck for whatever awaits him in his post-playing days.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Astros Interested In Craig Counsell
With Craig Counsell already garnering interesting from the Mets and Guardians, it only makes sense that another team with a managerial vacancy would also look into the soon-to-be free agent skipper. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Astros “have expressed interest” in Counsell, “but it’s unclear how serious their pursuit would be.”
It could be that Houston is just doing its due diligence in checking in on Counsell, given his impressive track record over nine seasons with the Brewers. The Astros naturally expect to contend again in 2024, so hiring a manager like Counsell who has proven he can consistently get teams into the postseason would seem like a logical way to fill the big shoes left behind by the retiring Dusty Baker.
Since it has been barely over a week since the Astros were eliminated from the ALCS and Baker announced his retirement, the club’s managerial search has yet to really kick into full gear. Bench coach Joe Espada and former Tigers/Angels manager Brad Ausmus are seen as two of the top potential candidates, but word has yet to filter out about what other names Houston could be considering for the job.
As for Counsell, his contract with the Brewers officially ends today, so the manager will be fully available as of Wednesday to be hired by another team. This doesn’t mean that a decision is necessarily coming quickly, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (X link) notes that there isn’t any known timeline Counsell might have in choosing his next job. The potential inclusion of the Astros adds another wrinkle to a list of suitors that is already three teams deep.
The Brewers already granted the Mets and Guardians permission to interview Counsell, while Hogg hears from a source that the Brewers themselves “have begun the process of requesting interviews with potential managerial replacements.” This is another natural due-diligence move since obviously the Crew don’t want to start a managerial search from scratch if Counsell does leave, though it does represent some “uncertainty” within Milwaukee’s front office over what Counsell’s decision will be.
By this point, it appears as though Counsell will certainly become the highest-paid manager in the sport, as it’s hard to imagine his next deal wouldn’t top the $4.5MM average annual salary Terry Francona received as the Guards’ former manager. The Mets and owner Steve Cohen could certainly throw their financial weight around if it means bringing Counsell into the fold, but Hogg argues that the Brewers have no reason to not offer Counsell a big raise, as he was already making a $3.5MM salary. As Hogg further notes, a manager’s salary is comparatively small in relation to the salaries that even a smaller-market team like the Brewers give to average players.
Brewers Outright Caleb Boushley
The Brewers have assigned right-hander Caleb Boushley outright to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s transactions log. There had been no prior indication that Boushley had been placed on waivers. Boushley does not have the requisite service time to reject the assignment but figures to be eligible for minor league free agency in November unless added back to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster.
Boushley, who celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, was selected by San Diego in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft. He spent five seasons in the Padres’ minor league system, with a 4.25 ERA in 332 2/3 innings of work across five levels of the minor leagues. He was selected by the Brewers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December of 2021, and pitched well as a starter at the Triple-A level during the 2022 season with a 3.25 ERA in 127 1/3 innings of work, albeit with a strikeout rate of just 17.5%.
Boushley saw his strikeout rate tick up to 18.9% across 135 2/3 innings of work with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate this year, though unfortunately the increase in strikeouts was combined with significantly worse results on the mound. Across 29 appearances (26 starts), Boushley posted a 5.11 ERA, nearly two runs higher than his 2022 figure. That didn’t stop the Brewers from giving Boushley his first taste of big league action in 2023, however. The minor league journeyman made his MLB debut after six seasons in the minors in late September to decent results. In 2 1/3 innings of work, Boushley struck out five while walking two and allowing a home run, good for a 3.86 ERA.
Now, Boushley is poised to enter free agency for the first time in his career. As difficult as his 2023 campaign was, it’s certainly feasible that he could receive interest from clubs with a dearth of rotation arms as a possible minor league depth option, given his strong 2022 campaign. As for the Brewers, the club’s rotation depth is headlined by left-hander Robert Gasser, the club’s #5 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Gasser pitched well in 2023, with a 3.79 ERA in 135 1/3 Triple-A innings of work in his first full season with the Brewers since the club acquired him in the Josh Hader trade last summer.
Central Notes: Bellinger, Counsell, Tigers
Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger figures to be perhaps the top positional free agent this side of Shohei Ohtani during the coming offseason, and The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma discussed his upcoming free agency with various scouts this morning. Bellinger’s 2023 campaign saw him slash a strong .307/.356/.525, pairing 26 home runs and a minuscule 15.6% strikeout rate with quality defense both in center field and at first base as well as 20 stolen bases. The bounce back campaign comes on the heels of what had been a brutal pair of seasons for Bellinger; the 2019 NL MVP managed a line of just .193/.256/.355 in 900 trips to the plate in 2021 and 2022, production that left him 31% worse than league average by measure of wRC+.
Bellinger’s struggles led the Dodgers to non-tender him this past offseason, leading him to sign with the Cubs for the 2023 campaign. As brutal as those struggles were, Sharma relays that the scouts he spoke to were unconcerned about Bellinger regressing to the below-average form he showed the past two seasons. While Sharma notes that the scouts suggested that Bellinger’s performance this year likely included some good fortune, casting doubt on his ability to replicate the 134 wRC+ campaign he had this season, he still figures to be an above-average contributor over the next few years, with one scout suggesting a 115-120 wRC+ is a realistic expectation for Bellinger in 2024 and beyond.
What’s more, Sharma relays that the Cubs expect Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, to be patient in their pursuit of the best contract available this winter. Sharma suggests that the Cubs are “preparing for [Boras] to take Bellinger’s negotiations deep into the offseason” as they maintain interest in resigning him, with the negotiations expected to last into the new year barring “an outlandish deal.” Chicago’s pursuit of Bellinger figures to be a key piece of the club’s offseason on the heels of a 2023 season that saw the Cubs post a surprisingly competitive 83-79 record, finishing just one game out of an NL Wild Card spot. That success came in large part thanks to Bellinger, who was the strongest offensive contributor to the club in 2023. Though top center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is waiting in the wings to take over up the middle, that would likely represent a significant drop in offensive output for the Cubs in 2024.
More from around MLB’s Central divisons…
- Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who is set to become a free agent on November 1, is currently meeting with the Guardians in Cleveland to discuss the club’s managerial opening (as reported by Zack Meisel and Will Sammon of The Athletic). Though the sides ultimately coming together on a deal is considered to be something of a long-shot, the Guardians are accustomed to spending more on their manager than the typical small-market club, as recently-retired Cleveland skipper Terry Francona was reportedly the highest-paid manager in baseball last season. Counsell, 53, is among the most well-regarded managers in the game and figures to be highly sought after during his free agency, with the Mets known to have interest in his services in addition to the Guardians and Brewers. Per SNY’s Andy Martino, Counsell’s meeting with the Guardians today marks his first official interview this offseason.
- The Tigers found a major success story on the waiver wire back during Spring Training in left-hander Tyler Holton, who pitched to a sterling 2.11 ERA and 3.56 FIP in 85 innings of work for Detroit this season. As discussed by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Holton stands out as a prime example of the benefits of president of baseball operations Scott Harris’s frequent use of the waiver wire; as Petzold notes, the Tigers have made 17 waiver claims since Harris took the reins of Detroit’s front office in September 2022. In addition to the savvy waiver claim, Petzold notes that Detroit’s pitching infrastructure helped Holton develop a slider early in the 2023 campaign that proved to be perhaps his most effective pitch. Hitter batted just .135 against the slider this year with a minuscule .153 wOBA, per Statcast.
Managerial/Coaching Notes: Thomson, Counsell, Guardians, Orioles
There haven’t yet been any talks between the Phillies and manager Rob Thomson about a contract extension, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alex Coffey) this week. Thomson was named interim manager during the 2022 season after Joe Girardi was fired, and after the Phillies’ run to the World Series, Thomson was given a new two-year pact as the club’s new full-time skipper. No club options were attached to the deal, so the 60-year-old Thomson is only locked up through the 2024 campaign.
Despite the relative lack of contractual stability, it doesn’t appear as though Thomson is going anywhere, given how successful the Fightins have been under his watch. With still plenty of time left for an extension to be negotiated, it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see a new contract for Thomson announced prior to Opening Day. Though Thomson had been planning to retire from baseball heading into the 2022 season, his first run as a big league manager has re-energized his spirits. “I love this city, this organization, this team. I have never had as much fun in my life as I have the last couple of years. So yeah, I can envision [managing beyond 2024,” Thomson told Coffey and company.
More on other dugout situations around baseball….
- The Guardians are set to interview Craig Counsell after being granted permission by the Brewers earlier this week, creating speculation that the Guards might be able to find another experienced, successful manager to replace Terry Francona. However, a Counsell/Cleveland pairing looks to be “a long shot,” as a source tells Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Pluto feels Counsell will ultimately end up staying in Milwaukee, though he thinks “the Guardians should go hard after Counsell” by giving him a deal akin to Francona’s past status as the highest-paid manager in baseball. Of course, this wouldn’t stop the Brewers from also offering Counsell a raise, or the deep-pocketed Mets (who are also pursuing Counsell) from going overboard in a bidding war.
- The Orioles‘ coaching changes earlier this week could be “akin to the principal becoming the headmaster of a school and a new principal coming in beneath him to handle the day to day,” The Baltimore Banner’s Jon Meoli writes. Chris Holt will remain the club’s director of pitching, even if he will no longer be acting as the Orioles’ pitching coach and quite so intimately involved in game-day operations. Odds are that the Orioles will fill the pitching coach role from within, though Meoli feels an outside hire would represent some alteration in Baltimore’s approach in managing and developing their hurlers.
MLBTR Poll: Should The Brewers Trade Willy Adames?
The 2023 offseason has long had the look of one that could spell significant change for the Brewers. Between manager Craig Counsell interviewing with other clubs as he prepares to potentially depart from the organization and a the news that right-handed ace Brandon Woodruff will miss the majority of 2024 due to shoulder surgery, the winds of change seem to be blowing through Milwaukee more strongly than ever before.
Woodruff is projected by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz to make $11.6MM in his final trip through arbitration this offseason, Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames join him as high-dollar arbitration players entering their final season of team control. Burnes is projected for a $15.1MM payday, while Adames projects for a $12.4MM salary in 2024. Taken together, the three players project for a whopping $39.1MM. Those three projected salaries and the $26MM owed to Christian Yelich next season combine to make up more than half of the club’s estimated $126MM payroll (courtesy of RosterResource) in 2023.
Beyond those commitments, the club has a $9.5MM decision to make on Mark Canha‘s club option and arbitration raises for the likes of Adrian Houser and Devin Williams, not to mention smaller guaranteed contracts for the likes of Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby. Beyond that, the club will need to add to a rotation that figures to enter the 2024 campaign with only Burnes, Peralta, and Houser locked in as starters, replace Victor Caratini as a complement to William Contreras behind the plate, and find ways to improve an offense that finished the season with a wRC+ of just 92, the seventh worst figure in the majors.
With a laundry list of needs and limited payroll space, it’s long been speculated that Milwaukee could look to deal Burnes ahead of his impending free agency in 2024, allowing them to recoup value for their ace pitcher while also saving $15MM or more to put towards other additions. As sensible as that plan may have been, Woodruff’s injury complicates things for the Brewers. After all, the idea of trading Burnes hinges in part on the fact that Woodruff and Peralta would be a capable front-of-the-rotation duo that could help the club absorb the loss of Burnes. With Woodruff out for at least the first half of 2024 and perhaps even longer, the club’s Opening Day rotation would have only Peralta and Houser penciled into it if Burnes were traded.
Given the importance of Burnes to the club’s competitive hopes for 2024, it’s become more sensible than ever for the Brewers to consider dealing their shortstop as a way to open up budget space while also bringing in pieces who could help fill out the major league club for 2024 and beyond. Adames would surely garner plenty of interest on the trade market. Though the league has seen plenty of quality shortstops hit free agency in recent winters, that’s changing this winter: the class is highlighted by the likes of Amed Rosario, Whit Merrifield, and Gio Urshela. Despite the dearth of quality options, plenty of teams could be in the market for infield help such as the Mariners, Marlins, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. Adames’s mix of strong defense and average-or-better offense should make him an attractive trade candidate and perhaps the best player available at his position, even after a down campaign that saw Adames slash just .217/.310/.407 with a career-worst wRC+ of 94.
Of course, there’s potential pitfalls in such an approach as well. The club seems likely to stick with Brice Turang up the middle in 2024, with the likes of Andruw Monasterio, Abraham Toro, Jahmai Jones and Owen Miller as possible depth pieces. That group would surely need at least one additional player to replace Adames. The Brewers could look again to the trade market to replace Adames with a younger infielder, or simply move Turang to shortstop while signing a player like Urshela or Merrifield who could potentially provide the club with an offensive boost.
Given those pitfalls, a trade of Adames would likely require a return package that fills holes in other areas for the Brewers. If Milwaukee were able to land rotation help or a potential infield regular in exchange for Adames, a trade would be an excellent way for the club to extend its competitive window beyond the 2024 season without taking too significant a step back in the short-term. That being said, replacing the production of Adames would require savvy moves from a Brewers front office that has struggled to get offense from the rest of its infield in recent years.
What do MLBTR readers think the best path forward is for the Brewers? Should they retain Adames despite the holes in the roster and his impending free agency after 2024? Or should they risk a significant step back on the infield in 2024 in order to shore up the roster in other areas and improve the club’s standing for 2025 and beyond? Have your say in the poll below:
(poll link for app users)
Should the Brewers trade Willy Adames this offseason?
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Yes, they should move Adames this offseason. 61% (2,786)
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No, they should retain Adames headed into 2024. 39% (1,780)
Total votes: 4,566
AL Central Notes: Counsell, Twins, Rogers
The Guardians have secured permission to interview Brewers manager Craig Counsell, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. Cleveland had previously been reported as requesting permission from Milwaukee to interview Counsell earlier this week. While it was unclear if the Brewers would grant that permission, it’s hardly a surprise that they did so after recently offering the Mets the same courtesy. Counsell, 53, is among the most well-respected managers in the game after piloting the Brewers to a 707-625 record during his nine-year tenure that’s included five postseason appearances in the past six seasons.
Just as Counsell has other suitors beyond Cleveland in Milwaukee and Queens, the Guardians also have options outside of Counsell as they look to replace Terry Francona in the dugout. Cubs bench coach Andy Green recently interviewed for the position, and Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, and Giants bullpen/catching coach Craig Albernaz have all also met with the Guardians regarding their managerial vacancy. Of that group, only Green has past experience as a big league manager aside from Counsell. While Counsell reportedly enters free agency hoping to move the ball forward for future managers around the game in terms of salary, that seems unlikely to preclude the Guardians from making a run at Counsell’s services, given Francona was the highest paid manager in the game this season, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting that Francona made $4.5MM in 2023.
More from around the AL Central…
- Despite not being part of the club’s starting lineup during their postseason run, veteran catcher Christian Vazquez figures to remain a significant part of the Twins in 2024, per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. Per Nightengale, the team plans to offer roughly equal playing time to Vazquez and fellow catcher Ryan Jeffers behind the plate next year. Vazquez just wrapped up the first season of his three-year, $30MM deal with the club and suffered the worst offensive season of his career with a .223/.280/.318 slash line across 355 plate appearances. By contrast, Jeffers had a breakout season, slashing .276/.369/.490 in 335 trips to the plate. While Jeffers is clearly the stronger offensive option, Vazquez is regarded as an elite defensive catcher and Jeffers could feasibly see additional playing time at DH next year as a way to keep his bat in the lineup on days Vazquez is behind the plate.
- The Tigers had another difficult season in 2023, posting a 78-84 record and finishing 9 games out of a postseason spot. That being said, one significant bright spot for the club this year was catcher Jake Rogers, who Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press indicates has already secured his role as the club’s top option behind the plate for 2024. Rogers improved on defense in 2023 to post framing numbers in line with other quality regulars at the position like Adley Rutschman and Alejandro Kirk while also slashing a respectable .221/.286/.444 with 21 home runs in just 365 trips to the plate. Among catchers with at least 300 plate appearances in the majors this year, Rogers’s 97 wRC+ ties him with Mets rookie Francisco Alvarez for the 14th-best figure in the majors.