Mets Sign Diego Castillo To Minor League Deal
The Mets signed infielder Diego Castillo to a minor league contract, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Venezuelan journalist Georgeny Pérez first reported the move last week.
Castillo, not to be confused with the reliever of the same name, is a 27-year-old utilityman. He played in four games for the Twins last season, collecting two hits in six at-bats. Minnesota outrighted him off the 40-man roster in July. He spent the rest of the season in Triple-A before electing minor league free agency. The righty-hitting infielder turned in a solid .261/.364/.397 slash with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 113 games.
It was the second straight season in which Castillo spent a few days in the majors. His only significant big league experience came with the Pirates in 2022. He hit .206/.251/.382 while striking out at a 26.5% clip over 283 plate appearances. Castillo has shown much better strike zone discipline in Triple-A, where he’s a .283/.393/.403 hitter over four seasons. He has minimal power but a good upper minors track record and the ability to bounce around the infield.
This is technically Castillo’s second stint with the Mets. He spent exactly a week on their 40-man roster in January 2024. New York grabbed him off waivers from Arizona and designated him for assignment seven days later. He subsequently bounced around the league via waivers before landing with the Twins in a minor trade in April. Castillo has an option remaining, so the Mets could shuttle him between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse if he secures a 40-man roster spot during the regular season.
36 Veteran Players With Looming Opt-Out Dates
The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement implemented a new series of uniform opt-out dates for players who qualified as free agents under Article XX(b) of said agreement and sign a minor league deal in free agency. More specifically, that designation falls on players with six-plus years of MLB service time who finished the preceding season on a major league roster or injured list. Some contracts for players coming over from a foreign professional league like Nippon Professional Baseball or the Korea Baseball Organization will also have language written into their contracts allowing them to qualify as an XX(b) free agent despite a lack of six years of service.
The three uniform opt-out dates on those contracts land five days before Opening Day, on May 1 and on June 1. With the regular season set to kick off next week, any Article XX(b) free agents who are in camp on minor league contracts will have the opportunity to opt out on Saturday, March 22. A player triggering one of these out clauses gives his current club 48 hours to either add him to the 40-man roster or let him become a free agent.
There are other ways to secure opt-outs in contracts, of course. Many players who don’t qualify for XX(b) designation will still have opt-out opportunities negotiated into their minor league deals in free agency.
The following is a list of 36 players who are in camp as non-roster invitees and will be able to opt out this weekend. Most were XX(b) free agents, but there are a handful of names who didn’t meet that requirement but had outs negotiated into their respective deals nonetheless. This is not a comprehensive list of all players with opt-out opportunities this weekend.
All spring stats referenced are accurate through the completion of games played Wednesday, March 19.
Astros: LHP Jalen Beeks
Beeks, 31, was a relatively late sign (March 7) who’s since tossed three spring frames — including two scoreless innings just yesterday. He logged a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings between the Rockies and Pirates last season. He struggled to miss bats last year but typically runs strong strikeout rates. Dating back to 2020, Beeks carries a 4.16 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. In Josh Hader, Bryan King and Bennett Sousa, the Astros already have three lefty relievers on the 40-man. Another veteran non-roster invitee, Steven Okert, has rattled off 8 2/3 shutout spring innings with a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Beeks might have long odds of cracking the roster.
Blue Jays: RHP Jacob Barnes, LHP Ryan Yarbrough
The 34-year-old Barnes logged a 4.36 ERA in a career-high 66 big league innings last season. He posted an ERA north of 5.00 in each of the five preceding seasons (a total of 115 1/3 frames). He’s been tagged for four runs in 5 1/3 innings this spring.
Yarbrough, 33, had a terrific run with the Jays to close out the 2024 season. Joining Toronto in a deadline swap sending Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers, the veteran southpaw posted a 2.01 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He’s a soft-tosser, sitting just 86.5 mph with his heater, but Yarbrough can pitch multiple innings in relief and has a decent track record even beyond last year’s overall 3.19 earned run average (4.21 ERA in 768 MLB innings). He’s allowed three runs with and 8-to-1 K/BB ratio in 6 2/3 innings in camp.
Braves: RHP Buck Farmer, RHP Hector Neris
Farmer was already reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday, so there’d seem to be a good chance of him taking his out. The 34-year-old turned in a terrific 3.04 ERA in 71 innings for the Reds last year but was probably hampered by his age, pedestrian velocity and subpar command in free agency. With a 3.68 ERA in 193 innings over the past three seasons in Cincinnati, he should find an opportunity somewhere — even if it’s not in Atlanta.
Neris is still in Braves camp. He signed well into camp and thus has only pitched one official inning so far, which was scoreless. (Neris is pitching today as well.) He’s looking to bounce back from a 4.10 ERA and a particularly poor performance in save opportunities last year. Prior to his nondescript 2024, Neris rattled off a 3.03 ERA in 208 innings from 2021-23 between Philly and Houston, saving 17 games and collecting 67 holds along the way.
Brewers: 1B/OF Mark Canha, OF Manuel Margot
He’s had a brutal spring, but the 36-year-old Canha has been an above-average hitter every year since 2018, by measure of wRC+. He’s just 2-for-23 in Brewers camp, but he’s slugged a homer and walked as often as he’s fanned (four times apiece). Milwaukee has Rhys Hoskins at first base, but Canha could chip in at DH and offer a right-handed complement to lefty outfielders Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell.
Margot hasn’t hit well in a tiny sample of 35 spring plate appearances, but he’s outproduced Canha with a .250/.314/.375 slash. He’s coming off a dismal .238/.289/.337 showing in Minnesota, however, and hasn’t been the plus defender he was prior to a major 2022 knee injury. Like Canha, he could complement Frelick and Mitchell as a righty-swinging outfielder, but Canha has been the far more productive bat in recent seasons.
Cubs: RHP Chris Flexen
The Cubs reassigned Flexen to minor league camp after just 3 2/3 innings this spring. He was hit hard on the other side of town with the White Sox in 2024, though Flexen quietly righted the ship after an awful start. He posted a 5.69 ERA through nine starts but logged a 4.62 mark over his final 21 trips to the mound, including a tidy 3.52 earned run average across 46 innings in his last eight starts. Flexen may not bounce back to his 2021-22 numbers in Seattle, but he’s a durable fifth starter if nothing else.
Diamondbacks: INF/OF Garrett Hampson, RHP Scott McGough
The D-backs don’t really have a backup shortstop while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with an oblique strain, which seems to bode well for Hampson. He’s hitting .235/.333/.324 in camp and can play three infield spots and three outfield positions. He had a bleak .230/.275/.300 performance in Kansas City last year but was a league-average hitter for the Marlins as recently as 2023.
McGough was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday after serving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings of spring work. That wasn’t the follow-up to last year’s gruesome 7.44 ERA for which the 35-year-old righty or the team had hoped.
Giants: C Max Stassi, RHP Lou Trivino
Stassi is battling Sam Huff, who’s on the 40-man, for the backup catcher’s role while Tom Murphy is injured. The 34-year-old Stassi is hitting .300/.364/.700 with a pair of homers in 22 spring plate appearances. He’s a plus defender with a scattershot track record at the plate.
Trivino hasn’t pitched since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and a separate shoulder issue. He also hasn’t allowed a run in 8 1/3 spring innings. (9-to-4 K/BB ratio). Trivino’s scoreless Cactus League showing, his pre-injury track record and his familiarity with skipper Bob Melvin — his manager in Oakland — all seem to give him a real chance to win a spot.
Mariners: RHP Shintaro Fujinami, RHP Trevor Gott, 1B Rowdy Tellez
Fujinami’s command has never been good, and he’s walked more batters (seven) than he’s struck out (four) through 5 2/3 spring innings. He’s also plunked a pair of batters. He’s looking to bounce back from an injury-ruined 2024 season but might have to take his first steps toward doing so in Triple-A.
Tellez has had a big camp and looks like he could have a real chance to make the club in a part-time DH/first base role, as explored more yesterday. Gott is on the mend from Tommy John surgery performed last March and won’t pitch until midseason. He’s unlikely to opt out.
Mets: RHP Jose Ureña
Ureña was torched for seven runs in his first 1 1/3 spring innings after signing with the Mets on Feb. 27. He bounced back by striking out all three opponents he faced in an inning this past weekend, but he hasn’t helped himself otherwise. Ureña’s 3.80 ERA in 109 innings with Texas last year was his first sub-5.00 ERA since 2017-18 in Miami.
Padres: 1B Yuli Gurriel, INF Jose Iglesias
Both veterans have a legitimate chance to make the club. Gurriel has had a productive spring (.296/.321/.519) at nearly 41 years of age, while Iglesias is out to a 5-for-18 start since signing in mid-March. Gurriel could split time at first and DH, lessening the need to use Luis Arraez in the field. Iglesias could see frequent work at second base, shifting Jake Cronenworth to first base and pushing Arraez to DH. The Padres probably wouldn’t have put a hefty (relative to most minor league deals) $3MM base salary on Iglesias’ deal if they didn’t see a real path to him making the roster.
Pirates: LHP Ryan Borucki
Borucki was great for the Pirates in 2023 and struggled through 11 innings during an injury-marred 2024 season. The 30-year-old southpaw has allowed one run in eight spring innings. His five walks are a bit much, but he’s also fanned 11 of his 33 opponents.
Rangers: SS Nick Ahmed, RHP David Buchanan, RHP Jesse Chavez, OF Kevin Pillar, RHP Hunter Strickland
Ahmed has more homers in 28 spring plate appearances than he had in 228 plate appearances in 2024 or 210 plate appearances in 2023. He’s popped three round-trippers already and slashed .286/.310/.607. With a crowded infield and versatile backups like Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran, Ahmed might still have a hard time cracking the roster.
None of the three pitchers listed here has performed well in limited work. Buchanan had a nice run as a starter in the KBO in the four preceding seasons, while Chavez has been a mainstay in the Atlanta bullpen for much of the past few years. Strickland had a nice 2024 in Anaheim but signed very late and retired only one of the five batters he faced during his long spring outing.
Pillar may have the best chance of the bunch to make the team. He’s hitting .273/.333/.394 in 39 plate appearances. Outfielders Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia have been banged up this spring, so some extra outfield depth could make sense.
Rays: DH/OF Eloy Jimenez
Jimenez homered for the second time yesterday, boosting his Grapefruit line to .263/.300/.447. He’s coming off a dreadful season in 2024, but from 2019-23 the former top prospect raked at a .275/.324/.487 pace, including a 31-homer rookie campaign (admittedly, in the juiced-ball 2019 season). Durability has been a bigger factor than productivity. If the Rays can get Jimenez to elevate the ball more, he could be a bargain; he’s still only 28.
Red Sox: LHP Matt Moore, RHP Adam Ottavino
Moore signed on Feb. 20 and has only gotten into two spring games so far, totaling two innings. Ottavino has pitched four innings but allowed five runs. He’s walked five and tossed a pair of wild pitches in that time. Both pitchers have long MLB track records, but they’re both coming off lackluster seasons.
Reds: LHP Wade Miley
Miley underwent Tommy John surgery early last season and contemplated retirement upon learning his prognosis. He wanted to return to one of his former NL Central clubs in free agency, and the Reds clearly offered a more compelling minor league deal than the Brewers. He’s not going to be a realistic option until late May, and it seems unlikely he’d opt out while his rehab is still ongoing.
Rockies: RHP Jake Woodford
Woodford isn’t an Article XX(b) free agent, but MLBTR has learned that he still has a March 22 opt-out. He made his fourth appearance of Rockies camp yesterday, tossing 2 2/3 innings with an earned run. Woodford has allowed seven runs on 11 hits and three walks with five punchouts and a nice 47.2% grounder rate in 10 2/3 frames this spring. He has experience as a starter and reliever. The righty doesn’t miss many bats but keeps the ball on the ground and has good command. He’s a fifth starter/swingman who’s out of minor league options.
Royals: C Luke Maile, RHP Ross Stripling
Maile is a glove-first backup who’s had a nice spring at the plate but has done so on a team with a healthy Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin. His path to a roster spot doesn’t look great. Speculatively, his former Reds club, which just lost Tyler Stephenson to begin the year, would make sense if they plan to add an outside catcher. Maile’s .214/.294/.329 performance over the past three seasons is light, but he’s already familiar with the bulk of Cincinnati’s staff. He’s a fine backup or No. 3 catcher for any club, Kansas City included.
Stripling notched a 3.01 ERA in 124 innings for the 2022 Blue Jays, but it’s been rough waters since. He was rocked for a 5.68 ERA across the past two seasons, spending time with both Bay Area clubs, and has been tagged for 11 runs on 14 hits — four of them homers — with just two strikeouts in six spring frames. He’ll likely need a strong Triple-A showing, be it with the Royals or another club, to pitch his way back to the majors.
Tigers: LHP Andrew Chafin
Chafin surprisingly commanded only a minor league deal this offseason and has struggled to begin his third stint with the Tigers. He’s been tagged for eight runs in four spring innings, walking six batters along the way. It’s a rough look, but the affable southpaw notched a 3.51 ERA in 56 1/3 MLB frames last year and touts a 3.12 mark across the past four seasons combined.
White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger, INF Brandon Drury, OF Travis Jankowski
The ChiSox signed Clevinger for a third time late this spring and are trying him in the bullpen. He’s responded with four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and no walks while fanning six hitters. His 2025 White Sox reunion is out to a much better start than his 2024 reunion, wherein he was limited to only 16 innings with a 6.75 ERA thanks to elbow and neck troubles.
Drury could hardly be doing more to secure a spot with the Pale Hose. He’s decimated Cactus League pitching at a .410/.439/.821 pace, slugging three homers and seven doubles in only 41 plate appearances. He’s coming off a terrible 2024 showing with the Angels but hit .263/.313/.493 from 2021-23. It’d be a surprise if the Sox didn’t keep him.
Jankowski started the spring with the Cubs, was granted his release and signed with the Sox. The hits haven’t been dropping, but he has six walks in 25 plate appearances. The White Sox already have Michael A. Taylor in a fourth outfield role. Andrew Benintendi, who missed three-plus weeks with a fractured hand, was back in the lineup yesterday, making Jankowski something of a long shot.
Yankees: RHP Carlos Carrasco
With a nice spring showing and several injuries in the Yankees’ rotation, Carrasco looks to have a good chance at making the roster. Jack Curry of the YES Network already reported it’s “likely” Carrasco will be added this weekend. Carrasco has a 1.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks (plus four hit batters) in 16 spring innings. He tossed five shutout frames yesterday.
MLBTR Podcast: The Rays’ Stadium Deal Is Dead, Rangers’ Rotation Issues, And More!
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Rays no longer having a deal to build a new stadium (2:15)
- If the league is pressuring Stu Sternberg to sell the Rays, but why didn’t they do the same with John Fisher and the Athletics? (6:40)
- The Rangers dealing with injuries to Jon Gray and Cody Bradford (recorded prior to the Patrick Corbin signing) (14:05)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Who is a more likely trade acquisition for the Mets, Sandy Alcántara of the Marlins or Dylan Cease of the Padres? And who would command a larger trade package? (20:50)
- Should the Pirates trade one of their catchers? (24:20)
- How realistic is it that the Mariners have better offense than last year and are in position to use their prospects for deadline upgrades? (28:40)
- Should the Yankees try to plug holes with veterans or give playing time to younger guys? (34:25)
- The Tigers are trying Javier Báez and Spencer Torkelson at different positions. Are they trying to increase the trade appeal of these players or delude themselves into thinking they could actually provide value? (38:25)
Check out our past episodes!
- Lawrence Butler’s Extension, Gerrit Cole’s TJ, And Rays’ Ownership Pressured To Sell – listen here
- Jose Quintana, Luis Gil’s Injury, The Nats’ TV Situation, Salary Floor Talk, And More! – listen here
- Atlanta’s Pitching Depth, Iglesias, Jobe, Castillo, And More! – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy Bill Streicher, Imagn Images
Brandon Nimmo Limited By Right Knee Soreness
Brandon Nimmo played in his second Spring Training game on Thursday, serving the Mets’ designated hitter against the Red Sox. It was Nimmo’s first on-field action in over a week, as right knee soreness and a gel injection to battle inflammation kept the outfielder on the sidelines. The Mets were already taking Nimmo’s ramp-up slowly in a nod to the plantar fasciitis issue that bothered him for much of 2024, yet Nimmo told the New York Post’s Dan Martin and other reporters that his left foot is no longer much of a concern, or at least less of a concern than his knee.
In terms of what created the knee issue, Nimmo feels a swing adjustment he made this spring added some extra stress on his joint. He also cited some longstanding MCL and cartilage damage based on a torn ACL Nimmo suffered 15 years ago when he was a high school football player. While Nimmo has had plenty of injury problems during his baseball career, his right knee has been pretty stable until now.
At the moment, Nimmo said he is only able to run at about 80 percent of his normal level. “For sure, there’s definitely still some soreness [and] still some pain when I get above those levels,” Nimmo said. “We try to keep things at a controlled level of pain. Up to a certain threshold is OK, but if you go much past that, then you do more damage than you’re trying to gain.”
The plan is for Nimmo to get into the “90-95 percent” range before he starts to focus on more high-impact outfield activity, beyond tracking balls and other light drills. Anything less, and Nimmo feels he could be putting both his knee and the Mets’ outfield defense at risk. In terms of overall readiness, both Nimmo and manager Carlos Mendoza were cautiously optimistic that Nimmo should be ready for Opening Day in at least a DH capacity.
The Mets have already been hit hard by injuries this spring, as Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Francisco Alvarez, and Jeff McNeil will all start the season on the injured list, and Nick Madrigal‘s season has probably already been ended by shoulder surgery. A DH-only version of Nimmo wouldn’t help with this lack of depth, though Jesse Winker or Tyrone Taylor could step into left field in the interim. If Nimmo is limited just to DH, however, it could crowd Starling Marte out of more at-bats.
Padres Have Received Interest From Around Nine Teams On Dylan Cease
Around nine teams have been in contact with the Padres to express interest in Dylan Cease, writes Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman lists the Cubs, Mets and all five AL East teams among that group. The remaining two clubs are unknown, though The Athletic reported in January that the Twins had shown interest.
A pre-Opening Day trade still seems highly unlikely. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote earlier this week that the Padres were only willing to entertain trading their top starter if they received a significant offensive upgrade in the return package. They’d almost certainly want a controllable starting pitcher who could immediately replace Cease in the rotation as well. That’s a difficult asking price for another team to meet, especially without impactful hitters remaining in free agency to backfill the lineup.
Cease was traded midway through last year’s Spring Training. That was a different situation, as the White Sox were in full rebuild mode when they dealt him to the Padres. San Diego expects to compete for a playoff spot despite budget limitations that kept them from doing much of significance until they added Nick Pivetta on a backloaded four-year deal. Cease worked 189 1/3 innings of 3.47 ERA ball during his first season in San Diego. He struck out 29.4% of opponents and fanned 224 hitters overall — his fourth consecutive season above the 200 mark.
The Padres and Cease agreed to a $13.75MM salary for his final arbitration season. He’d be a lock for a qualifying offer when he hits free agency next winter unless the Friars deal him midseason, which would make him ineligible to receive the QO. Cease will be heading into his age-30 season and could command a contract above $200MM. While the Padres don’t seem optimistic about their chances of re-signing him, they’d obviously take a major downgrade to this year’s rotation if they trade him.
Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Orioles and Cubs were monitoring the rotation market. Baltimore will begin the season without Grayson Rodriguez. Chicago’s rotation hasn’t taken any huge injury hits, though they’ll be without Javier Assad for a few weeks. They’re reportedly in talks with free agent Lance Lynn, who’d be a much less costly but far lower-upside addition at the back of the rotation.
The Mets (Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea) and Yankees (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil) have each lost multiple starters to injuries this spring. It has been particularly rough in the Bronx. Gil will likely miss the first half of the season with a lat strain. Cole will be out into the middle of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, respective baseball operations leaders David Stearns and Brian Cashman have indicated the New York teams are content with their internal options to weather those losses.
Boston already parted with two top prospects to add an impact starter in the Garrett Crochet deal. Toronto and Tampa Bay have rotations that arguably each run six deep. The Jays are likely to use Yariel Rodríguez in long relief. The Rays could consider trading one of their starters to settle on a five-man group. That could theoretically position Toronto or Tampa Bay to include a controllable starter in a Cease package, though there’s nothing to suggest the Padres are in anything more than due diligence mode with Opening Day two weeks off.
Jeff McNeil To Begin Season On Injured List Due To Oblique Strain
Mets infielder Jeff McNeil has been diagnosed with a strained right oblique that will sideline him for Opening Day, manager Carlos Mendoza announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). He’ll be shut down entirely for seven to ten days, and the expectation is that McNeil will be out a total of three to four weeks.
McNeil, 33 in April, is coming off a .238/.308/.384 performance in 472 plate appearances last year. He popped 12 homers, tallied 26 doubles and went 5-for-6 in stolen base attempts while continuing to display excellent bat-to-ball skills (14.4% strikeout rate). He played his customary brand of solid defense in more than 800 innings of work at second base and also chipped in nearly 200 frames of corner outfield work, where he drew average grades from Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average alike.
Over the past two seasons, McNeil has turned in a roughly average .257/.323/.381 batting line (99 wRC+) with 22 homers in 1120 plate appearances with solid defense at three spots on the diamond. It’s a far cry from the combined .307/.370/.458 slash (130 wRC+) posted by McNeil through the first five seasons of his career in 2018-22, but an average hitter and defender with plus contact skills is still a nice contributor on any club. His injury subtracts a reliable if unspectacular bat from the lineup and will likely prompt the Mets to lean on a younger option with less track record in the majors.
New York has plenty of infield options, but McNeil’s injury could pave the way for Luisangel Acuña to get the Opening Day nod at the position. He could face competition from Brett Baty (though he’s more of a third baseman) or non-roster invitees in camp like Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos. Infielder Ronny Mauricio has yet to play in a spring game while finishing off his rehab from last spring’s ACL tear, but at last check the Mets said he was targeting mid-March for his Grapefruit League debut. Just based on his lack of reps so far, he feels like a stretch. Outside of Baty, none of the options in camp have performed particularly well in their small sample of spring plate appearances.
McNeil is the latest in a mounting number of injured Mets. He’ll join Francisco Alvarez (hamate fracture), Sean Manaea (oblique strain), Frankie Montas (lat strain) and Nick Madrigal (fractured shoulder) as spring training IL casualties. That set comes with a varying range of expected return timelines. Madrigal is out for the entire season. Montas will likely be sidelined into late May. Manaea and McNeil could return in mid-to-late April, assuming there are no hiccups in their recovery.
MLBTR Podcast: Lawrence Butler’s Extension, Gerrit Cole’s TJ, And Rays’ Ownership Pressured To Sell
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Athletics signing Lawrence Butler to an extension (1:55)
- The Yankees losing Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery (10:00)
- The Mets losing Francisco Alvarez to hamate surgery (19:20)
- The Rays’ stadium and ownership drama (24:00)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Will the Cubs win the NL Central and how would you rank the AL Central clubs? (34:25)
- Will the spring injuries lead to some deals and keep the hot stove burning into April? (41:35)
- Should fans of the Dodgers be worried by how many old/injury-prone players are on the roster? (47:50)
Check out our past episodes!
- Jose Quintana, Luis Gil’s Injury, The Nats’ TV Situation, Salary Floor Talk, And More! – listen here
- Atlanta’s Pitching Depth, Iglesias, Jobe, Castillo, And More! – listen here
- Alex Bregman, The Padres Add Players, And No Extension For Vlad Jr. – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Francisco Alvarez Out 6-8 Weeks Due To Left Hamate Surgery
11:09PM: Alvarez suffered the injury while taking a swing during live batting practice yesterday, Mendoza told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters. Mendoza expects Alvarez to miss the full eight weeks due to the added wear-and-tear that catching duties will place on his left hand.
9:52AM: Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will undergo surgery to fix a fractured left hamate bone, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey). Alvarez will miss the next 6-8 weeks recovering from the procedure.
It’s an unwelcome development for both Alvarez and the Mets, and it marks the second straight season that Alvarez has suffered an early-season injury to his left hand. Last April, Alvarez suffered a torn thumb ligament that required surgery, and he ended up missing a little over seven weeks’ time. He returned in mid-June and hit .237/.311/.411 with 10 home runs in 283 plate appearances over the rest of the regular season, but Alvarez struggled to a .577 OPS over 47 PA in the playoffs.
Considered one of the game’s top prospects during his time in New York’s farm system, Alvarez has posted almost exactly league-average production with a 99 wRC+ over his 779 career PA at the Major League level. These numbers are still quite respectable for a catcher that just turned 23 last November, plus Statcast has given his defense (particularly his framing) above-average grades, even though his blocking left a lot to be desired in 2024.
If Alvarez is going to make the jump from solid regular to star in 2025, it’ll now have to wait until at least the latter half of April. Hamate fractures or breaks are common enough that the 6-8 week timeline is more or less set in stone for most players, though naturally complications can arise when dealing with any hand-related injury. Such normal actions as gripping a bat could take a bit of re-familiarization, and Alvarez’s left hand will also be tested by regularly catching pitches.
With Alvarez sidelined, Luis Torrens now becomes the top catcher on the Mets’ depth chart. Acquired in a trade with the Yankees last May, Torrens hit .229/.292/.373 in 130 PA with the Mets last season, which roughly matches his career slash line over 937 PA and parts of seven big league seasons. Torrens did a great job of throwing out baserunners (would-be stealers were only 12-for-23 against him) last year but isn’t considered a great defensive catcher overall.
Torrens and Alvarez are the only catchers on New York’s 40-man roster, and Jakson Reetz‘s eight career MLB games make him the only other backstop in the organization with any big league experience at all. It seems exceedingly likely that the Mets will now look to acquire another experienced catcher or two to compete for playing time over the remainder of Spring Training.
These new faces could come in the form of players cut from other teams’ spring camps, or perhaps a club could be already be looking to trade a non-roster invitee catcher if the club knows this player won’t be part of their Opening Day plans. Looking to the free agent market, former Mets catcher James McCann is unsigned and could be brought back as a familiar face. Yasmani Grandal is also a known quantity to David Stearns, as Grandal played for the Brewers in 2019 when Stearns was Milwaukee’s president of baseball operations.
Alvarez’s hamate fracture is the latest in a series of injuries to have already hit the Mets this spring. The rotation has been thinned out since Sean Manaea (oblique strain) and Frankie Montas (lat strain) will both start the season on the injured list, and backup infielder Nick Madrigal is expected to miss the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery. While Alvarez’s injury is comparatively less serious, the lack of catching depth makes his absence a trickier roster hole to address.
Phillies “Checked In” On Pete Alonso During Offseason
Before Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets, the Phillies were among the teams that “checked in” on the first baseman’s free agent market, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes. Rather than make the jump elsewhere in the NL East, Alonso returned to Queens on a two-year, $54MM deal that allows Alonso to opt out after the 2025 season.
This is the first time the Phils’ interest in Alonso has been made public, though Bryce Harper dropped some hints earlier this week when he was discussing his willingness to eventually move back to his old right field position. “When Pete was on the block still, I kind of sat there and was like, ‘Hey, why not?’ ,” Harper said. “When we talked about it, I kind of just reiterated to (the Phillies) and Scott (Boras) that I’m willing to move out there if it’s going to help us. I love playing first base. It’s been great. But if it’s going to help us win, I’d go back out there [to the outfield].”
Despite Harper’s stance, there isn’t any indication that the Phillies made any serious push towards Alonso, or that their interest might have been anything more than due diligence. As a big-market, free-spending team, the Phils have the relative freedom to explore signing just about any available free agent, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is no stranger to splashy acquisitions. If anything, it might have been more unusual if Philadelphia didn’t at least consider Alonso, particularly (as Harper noted) once February rolled around and Alonso remained unsigned.
Alonso’s hopes at landing a lucrative long-term contract didn’t work out, leaving Alonso and agent Scott Boras (who also represents Harper) pivoting to shorter-term deals that included an opt-out clause. The Blue Jays reportedly offered Alonso a three-year deal worth roughly $80-$85MM, but the slugger instead took the shorter contract from New York with the higher average annual value.
Because Alonso ultimately preferred to remain in Queens anyway, it’s safe to guess that he probably wouldn’t have jumped to a division rival if the Phillies had offered the same contract structure as the Mets, plus a few extra dollars. Hypothetically, if Alonso had gone to Philadelphia, Harper would’ve moved into right field, making for a crowded situation in the Fightins’ outfield. With Kyle Schwarber locked in as the everyday DH, Alonso at first base, and Harper getting everyday at-bats in right field, Nick Castellanos and new signing Max Kepler would’ve been squeezed into a platoon in left field.
Signing Alonso even at that relative bargain price also wouldn’t have exactly been a bargain in luxury tax terms. The Phillies are already projected (via RosterResource) for a tax number of roughly $307.5MM in 2025, which is over the maximum penalty tier of $301MM. The Phillies have paid the tax in each of the last three seasons, so the repeater penalty on top of the penalty for exceeding the $301MM threshold would’ve cost Philadelphia a 110% surcharge for every dollar spent above the $301MM total.
The number of big contracts on the Phillies’ books could explain why the club had a relatively quiet winter, as the Phillies made a few mid-tier signings (Kepler, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross) and swung one prominent trade to acquire Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins. Still, after their playoff disappointment in 2024, the Phils were expected by some to perhaps be more aggressive in making one more headling-grabbing move as something of a final touch to put the roster over the top.
Checking in with Alonso now, however, might’ve been a move to really lay groundwork for next winter, assuming he triggers his opt-out clause. While the Phillies have designs on signing Schwarber to an extension, his departure would open up a bit more flexibility on the roster and on the payroll, perhaps opening the door for Philadelphia to pursue Alonso or another big bat.
Alonso told Heyman that he is happy to back with the Mets, and he has “no regrets” about how his free agency developed. He also noted that bigger-picture concerns overshadowed any worries he had about the lingering nature of his free agent stint, as Alonso spent much of his winter overseeing the repair of his home in Tampa.
“Hurricane Helene wiped out our house. It just puts things in perspective,” Alonso said. “Nothing really seemed that big of a deal after losing our house. It’s like, what else? OK, we have to wait a few extra few weeks. OK, so what?“
Soto: Mets Didn’t Offer The Most Money
The Juan Soto free agency was one of the most anticipated in baseball history. It was expected to deliver historic results and did just that. He signed a massive 15-year, $765MM deal with the Mets. That’s the longest contract ever and the largest guarantee. The $51MM average annual value is also a record if one considers the deferrals in Shohei Ohtani‘s deal with the Dodgers. Ohtani technically got $700MM over ten years for a $70MM AAV but the heavy deferrals bring the net present value down to the $45MM range annually.
Despite all those records, Soto claims he could have got more. Abriendo Sports released a teaser for a Spanish-language interview they did with Soto. The full conversation won’t be released until Sunday but reporter Mike Rodriguez provided an English translation of the teaser. Soto says that the field was narrowed to the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Red Sox and that the Mets didn’t offer the most money, with multiple teams offering more.
No other details were provided but it’s potentially an interesting bit of information. The five finalists are not surprising, as they were the clubs most often connected to Soto throughout the winter and towards the end of his free agency. Soto’s claim that the offer from the Mets wasn’t actually the highest doesn’t align with previous reporting. At the time of the agreement with the Mets, it was reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post that the Yankees topped out at $760MM over 16 years. Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox maxxed out at $700MM over 15. Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that the Blue Jays stopped short of $700MM. Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Brendan Kuty and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Dodgers stopped at $600MM.
All those numbers are under what Soto got from the Mets, so it’s tough to figure which teams could have had a larger offer than $765MM. Andy Martino of SNY reports today that Boston was one of multiple clubs willing to go higher than the top offer if they thought Soto would accept, but he went to the Mets because of the “family-friendly vibe” established by Alex Cohen, wife of Mets owner Steve Cohen. Perhaps the Red Sox had topped out at $700MM in terms of an official offer but had made some sort of verbal indication to Soto and agent Scott Boras that they were willing to keep pushing.
Speculatively speaking, it’s also possible that there was some creative accounting going on. The Dodgers are famous/infamous for their heavy use of deferred money in the contracts they sign with players. Ohtani’s contract is the most extreme example. As mentioned, it came with an advertised sticker price of $700MM but actually had a net present value that the league calculated at just over $460MM while the MLBPA calculated it around $438MM. While the Dodgers reportedly stopped their offer at $600MM, perhaps that was a post-deferral number, while the offer might have had a shinier pre-deferral number.
Or perhaps there was some mystery team willing to throw out wild numbers that Soto never took especially seriously. 11 clubs reportedly reached out to him at the start of free agency. Soto was connected to clubs like the Giants, Phillies, Rays, Royals and even his original Nationals club at various points through the offseason. None of them seemed to get especially close. The Rays reportedly offered Soto some kind of high-AAV deal on a short-term, so it’s also possible that’s what Soto is referring to. Maybe the Rays offered a higher AAV than the Mets but with far fewer years.
Ultimately, it’s all a moot point. Soto has signed with the Mets and that can’t be changed now. Still, it does make for fun hypothetical speculation. Teams generally went nuts for Soto because of his incredible track record at such a young age. Many top prospects don’t debut until their mid-20s but Soto already had 936 big league games under his belt by the end of his age-25 season. And he had hit .285/.421/.532 for a 158 wRC+ in those. To get that player with so many prime years remaining was a very rare alignment that led to an unprecedented bidding war and perhaps we don’t know how high it actually could have gone.