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34 Players Elect Free Agency

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

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.

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Latest On Anthony Rizzo

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TODAY: The Yankees didn’t place Rizzo on the injured list, instead optioning Scott Effross to Triple-A to call up Rice.  Boone described Rizzo’s chances of playing in the ALDS as a “long shot,” in speaking with Hoch and other reporters today.

SEPT 28: Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) following today’s loss to the Pirates that first baseman Anthony Rizzo sustained two fractured fingers when he was struck by a pitch from Pittsburgh lefty Ryan Borucki. Hoch later added that, per Boone, the first baseman had actually fractured both his fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand. Rizzo exited the game following the incident, and it’s not yet clear when he’ll be able to return to the diamond. As noted by Hoch, Boone did not rule Rizzo out for the club’s upcoming postseason push.

“We’ll see what we have as the week moves forward,” Boone said. “It doesn’t totally rule him out. It’s a pain tolerance thing.”

It’s the latest injury-related setback for Rizzo in what has become a series of frustrating injuries during his tenure with the Yankees. After an eight-season stretch in Chicago where Rizzo was rarely injured, appearing in 94% of the Cubs’ regular season games from 2013 to his trade to the Bronx in 2021, the veteran first baseman has been far less available throughout his tenure with the Yankees. While he managed 130 games in his first full season with the club in 2022, his past two years have been marred with post-concussion syndrome and a fractured forearm that both set him down for multiple months, leaving him to appear in less than 60% of the club’s contests over the past two years.

Those injury issues have coincided with a downturn in performance for the 35-year-old, who this year is slashing just .227/.298/.334 through 91 games. It’s his worst showing in a season since the 49-game cup of coffee with San Diego that kicked off his lengthy big league career, and a far cry from the production the Yankees were surely hoping to get from him when they signed him to a two-year deal that guaranteed him $40MM prior to the 2023 season. With that being said, even losing a diminished version of Rizzo is still a blow to the Yankees’ lineup headed into the postseason.

After all, the club got lackluster production from a combination of Ben Rice and DJ LeMahieu at first base in Rizzo’s absence; only the Rockies posted a lower wRC+ at first base than the 76 the Yankees put up in Rizzo’s absence, and the club’s -1.1 fWAR at the position put them ahead of only the Astros among all AL clubs. It should also be noted that while Rizzo has hardly been the middle-of-the-lineup force he was earlier in his career since returning to the lineup on September 1, he has hit better overall with a .247/.345/.315 slash line in 84 plate appearances. That’s good for a wRC+ more than 15 points higher than the figures put up by Rice and LeMahieu’s combined efforts in his absence.

If Rizzo is healthy enough to take the field for the Yankees when the ALDS begins on October 5, it seems likely that he’ll be the best option the club has available at first base. Failing that, however, Hoch notes that Boone did confirm that Rice would be an option for the club’s postseason roster. A 25-year-old rookie, Rice is a bat-first catcher that has begun to move over to first base in recent years in part to accommodate the rapid advance of his offense. The youngster has slashed a sensational .294/.428/.661 in 30 games at the Triple-A level this year after posting similarly excellent numbers in 97 career games at the Double-A level, but he’s hit just .174/.269/.356 in a 49-game cup of coffee over the summer.

That figure includes a somewhat stronger .184/.265/.395 slash line in 132 trips to the plate against righties at the major league level. That could make him an excellent choice for a lefty-mashing platoon partner, but with LeMahieu on the IL amid a career-worst season that saw him hit just .164/.235/.206 against southpaws there aren’t many good options for that role. One possibility would be utility man Jon Berti, who sports a decent .250/.328/.384 career slash line against lefty pitching, but it would be a bold choice for the club to put Berti at first base with zero experience at the position in the middle of the playoffs, even considering his exceptional positional versatility. Switch-hitter Oswaldo Cabrera has some experience at first base and even replaced Rizzo there following his exit today, but he’s hit just .206/.251/.306 against southpaws to this point in his career.

Soto, Steinbrenner Held Private Meeting In July

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Juan Soto and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had a one-on-one meeting in July, reports Brendan Kuty of the Athletic. The four-time All-Star confirmed the conversation, telling Kuty that “it was good to get to know the owner, get to see what he’s thinking about me and everything.”

Soto didn’t provide any specifics. However, Kuty reports that the general focus of the conversation was on Soto’s experience with the team. “It’s always good to see (an owner) coming over at least to say hi,” the outfielder told The Athletic, “see how we’re doing, what we have in mind, this and that. It’s great to have an owner that really cares for players.”

Steinbrenner hasn’t been shy about his desire to keep the superstar in pinstripes. The owner said in May that he was open to in-season extension talks. Soto closed that down a few weeks later, reiterating in June that he and agent Scott Boras would wait until the offseason to worry about contract terms. Considering Soto has reportedly declined a number of extension offers throughout his career, there was never much doubt that he’d test free agency.

[Related: Previewing The 2024-25 Corner Outfield Class]

The Yankees are going to face a push from the crosstown Mets and should have some amount of competition for Soto’s services from every high-payroll franchise. One meeting between Soto and Steinbrenner isn’t going to change the odds of keeping him around, but it’s presumably a bit of a preview of the months to come.

Soto has established a new career high with 41 homers during his first season in the Bronx. He leads the American League with 128 runs scored and is hitting .288/.418/.572 across 704 trips to the plate. By measure of wRC+, Soto has been 80 percentage points better than a league average batter. That’s his best mark in a 162-game schedule.

Marwin González Retires

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Former big league player Marwin González announced he is retiring, through a press release from the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, the club he’s played with for the past two years. Yahoo Japan had reported on his retirement plans prior to the official announcement.

“After two amazing years in Japan, it’s time for me to say goodbye,” González says in his statement. “I’m incredibly grateful to my teammates, coaches, and fans for welcoming me with open arms. Despite the language barrier, we formed a bond with ease, making every moment on the field special. Playing here has been a life-changing experience, especially getting to share it with my family. Japan will always hold a special place in our hearts. I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunity, the memories, and the friendships made along the way. Thank you for welcoming me into your world and for the endless support. You have all my respect. Arigatou gozaimasu.”

Marwin Gonzalez | Erik Williams-USA TODAY SportsGonzález, now 35, got his professional start when the Cubs signed him as an international amateur out of Venezuela and he made his minor league debut in 2006. In the 2011 Rule 5 draft, the Astros had the first pick since they were rebuilding at that time and lost 106 games that year. They used that first pick to take Rhiner Cruz from the Mets but also apparently had their eye on González. With the 23rd pick of the draft, the Red Sox took González and promptly flipped him to the Astros for Marco Duarte.

The second of those pickups ended up being far more impactful for the franchise, as Cruz tossed just 76 1/3 innings for the Astros, posting a 5.31 earned run average over the 2012 and 2013 campaigns before going into journeyman mode for the rest of his career.

González would eventually become a solid multi-positional piece for the Astros, though not right away. In 441 plate appearances over 2012 and 2013, he hit just .227/.266/.323. That production translated to a 59 wRC+, indicating he was 41% below league average. The Astros didn’t seem to mind much as they were still quite bad at that time, losing 107 and 111 games in those two seasons respectively. González was at least able to provide them defensively versatility, spending time at second base, third base and shortstop.

He was able to break out in 2014, hitting .277/.327/.400 for a wRC+ of 110. He also added first base and outfield to his defensive repertoire that year. He would continue to produce in roughly similar fashion in following seasons as the Astros emerged from their rebuild and became the perennial powerhouse that they still are today.

From 2014 to 2018, González got into 643 games for the Astros and stepped to the plate 2,265 times. He slashed .271/.328/.438 in that time for a 111 wRC+ while bouncing all around the diamond, playing everywhere except the battery.

He also got into 30 postseason games in that time, including 18 as part of the 2017 club’s World Series run, though that title is now mired in controversy with the revelation of Houston’s cheating scandal. Data from the scandal points to González as one of the biggest users of the trashcan-banging scheme. His 144 wRC+ and 4.4 wins above replacement from FanGraphs that year are both easily the bests of his career, as he otherwise never topped 111 wRC+ or 1.8 fWAR. Though he later apologized for the team’s actions, the first position player on the club to do so.

He reached free agency after 2018 and signed a two-year, $21MM deal with the Twins going into 2019. His bat dipped a bit in his first year in Minnesota, at least relative to the league. His .264/.322/.414 batting line was fairly similar to his previous five years, but 2019 was the “juiced ball” season with huge offensive numbers around the league, so González’s production led to a 94 wRC+. It fell more significantly in the shortened 2020 campaign, with González slashing .211/.286/.320.

Going into 2021, the Red Sox gave him a $3MM deal, hoping that his most recent performance was just a small sample blip in the odd circumstances of the pandemic. Unfortunately, that bet didn’t pan out, as González hit .202/.281/.285 before being released in August. He then returned to the Astros but hit just .176/.222/.441 in 14 games for them down the stretch. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees going into 2022 and got into 86 games for that club, but hit .185/.255/.321 in those.

After three consecutive rough seasons in the majors, he headed overseas. He signed with the Buffaloes going into 2023 on a deal that paid him $1.5MM. He hit .217/.266/.385 in 84 games for that club last year. He returned for 2024 but dealt with injuries and only got into 23 games, per Yakyu Cosmopolitan on X.

González will primarily be remembered for that strong run with the Astros, which will provide fond memories to some fans while others will dismiss his accomplishments due to his involvement in the electronic sign-stealing scheme.

Regardless of how one feels about that, the record books have him with 3,882 plate appearances in 1,139 major league games. He collected 888 hits, including 183 doubles and 107 home runs. He scored 420 runs and drove in 415. He slashed .252/.310/.399 for a wRC+ of 94. FanGraphs considered him to have been worth 10.9 wins above replacement while Baseball Reference credits him with 14.3 WAR. B-Ref lists his major league earnings at just over $37MM, with González likely getting that up to around $40MM with the money he made in Japan. MLBTR salutes him on his unique career and wishes him the best in whatever comes next.

Yankees Place Nestor Cortes On Injured List Due To Flexor Strain

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3:16pm: Cortes told reporters (including Greg Joyce of the New York Post) today that he’ll be shut down for seven to ten days and will likely get a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing elbow. Neither Cortes nor Boone ruled out the possibility of the lefty returning at some point in the playoffs if the Yankees can make a deep enough run, but Cortes noted that the results of his MRI are being sent to doctors Neal ElAttrache and Keith Meister for additional opinions.

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic was among those to relay that while Boone told reporters that the club wasn’t ruling out a return for Cortes during the postseason, he shied away from describing the club as “optimistic” about Cortes’s prospects of pitching in the playoffs this year until Cortes’s shutdown period has come to a close and they “really see what we’re dealing with.”

1:30pm: The Yankees announced that Cortes has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a flexor strain in his left elbow. Stroman will start tonight’s game in his place, and Poteet has been recalled from Triple-A to take Cortes’ spot on the roster.

The injury will eliminate Cortes as a consideration for the beginning of the American League Division Series at the very least, though flexor strains are rarely short-term injuries. It’s fair to wonder whether Cortes will be an option for the Yankees at any point in the postseason. Manager Aaron Boone will likely provide more detail when he next meets with the media.

9:25am: The Yankees have punched their ticket to the postseason but are facing a potentially worrisome injury scenario, as lefty Nestor Cortes — who had been slated to start tonight’s game against the Orioles — is undergoing an MRI to evaluate his left elbow, as first reported by Jack Curry of the YES Network.

Assuming that takes him out of consideration to take the mound, the Yanks could go with Marcus Stroman (who recently moved to the ’pen) or call up an arm from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Right-handers Cody Poteet, Yoendrys Gomez and Will Warren are all on the 40-man roster and all fresh. Poteet has pitched the most big league innings of that trio this season (21) and had the most success as well (2.14 ERA). Curry adds that Poteet is headed to the Bronx, suggesting he’ll get the nod, though there’s no official word from the team just yet.

Cortes, 29, has pitched a career-high 174 1/3 innings in the majors this season and been quite effective along the way. He’s started 30 games (also a career-high) and notched a 3.77 earned run average while fanning a solid 22.8% of his opponents against a terrific 5.5% walk rate. Though he’s a pronounced fly-ball pitcher (31.1% grounder rate), Cortes has scaled back on some of the home run troubles that have plagued him in his career; he entered the season having averaged 1.49 round-trippers per nine innings pitched but has scaled that back to a more palatable (but still higher than average) 1.24 mark in 2024.

It’s not clear that Cortes would be a part of the Yankees’ postseason rotation, but he’d certainly play a key role in the bullpen even if the team opted to go with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and one of Luis Gil or Clarke Schmidt in the top three spots. (Cole and Rodon are locks, health permitting.) Cortes is no stranger to working in relief. He’s primarily been a starter in recent seasons but has nevertheless seen 37% of his career appearances come in a relief setting.

The Yankees have a pair of veteran left-handed options in the ’pen regardless, with Tim Hill and Tim Mayza both on the roster, but neither can miss bats at the same level as Cortes. Mayza also carries alarming platoon splits, making him more ideal for strict left-on-left matchups. Cortes would also be an obvious option to give manager Aaron Boone some length out of the bullpen in the event of a short start during postseason play.

All of those scenarios are now on hold as the Yankees await word on Cortes’ apparently ailing elbow. Taking a step back to look at the bigger picture for Cortes himself, a serious injury would be about as poorly timed as possible (not that there’s ever a “good” time for a major health setback). He’s headed into his final offseason of arbitration eligibility and due a raise on this year’s $3.95MM salary. An injury that threatens a significant portion of his 2025 season could leave Cortes as a non-tender candidate, given that he’s slated to become a free agent following the 2025 season. And, if there is something at play that impacts his 2025 availability, that’d obviously cut short what should be his platform season in advance of free agency, where he’d stand as a clear candidate for a multi-year deal with good health.

MLBTR Podcast: Final Days In Oakland, The Surging Tigers, And If The Nats Will Pursue Soto

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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…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What will the Yankees’ backup plan be if they don’t re-sign Juan Soto? (30:20)
  • Do you see the Pirates making any significant off season moves to put a good offense around Paul Skenes and Jared Jones? (39:30)
  • Which three teams will be the most interested in signing Willy Adames? Could he command $100MM over 4 years? (46:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

White Sox Claim Ron Marinaccio

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Right-hander Ron Marinaccio, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees last week, has been claimed off waivers by the White Sox. Both clubs announced the move, with the Sox adding that Marinaccio has been assigned to Double-A Birmingham. The Double-A regular season is done but the Barons are playing in the Southern League championship this week, whereas the Triple-A Charlotte Knights are done for the year. The Sox had a 40-man roster vacancy after righty Chad Kuhl was designated for assignment recently and won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Marinaccio got nudged out of the Yankees’ plans but it’s unsurprising that he got picked up by the club with the top waiver priority. Now 29, he made his major league debut in 2022 and it was strong first impression. He logged 44 innings for the Yanks that season, only allowing 2.05 earned runs per nine. His 13.3% walk rate was definitely worrisome but he managed to work around that by striking out 30.9% of batters faced.

His results backed up a little bit from there. He had a 3.99 ERA in 47 1/3 innings last year. He still walked too many guys, a rate of 13.2%, with his strikeout rate slipping slightly to 27.3%. Here in 2024, the Yanks have frequently shuttled him back and forth between the majors and Triple-A. His 23 1/3 big league innings resulted in a 3.86 ERA with a reduced 10.1% walk rate but also a diminished 25.3% strikeout rate. At the Triple-A level, he has 39 2/3 innings with a 2.04 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate.

Those are pretty decent numbers overall but he was getting squeezed from the roster in the Bronx. He had already been optioned five times this season, the maximum amount in an individual campaign. He’s also in his final option season and will be out of options next year.

It was therefore going to be challenging for him to continue hanging onto his roster spot on a competitive Yankee club going forward, so he got pushed out last week when Cody Poteet was ending his rehab assignment and needed to get added back to the 40-man.

But for the White Sox, he’s a sensible flier to take. As the worst club of the modern era, the Sox have plenty of room for guys who have shown promise elsewhere. Marinaccio has just over two years of service time and still won’t have qualified for arbitration this winter. He can be controlled for four seasons beyond the current campaign. If things click in Chicago next year, he can be a long-term part of their bullpen or perhaps become a valuable trade chip.

Yankees Notes: Cousins, Trivino, LeMahieu

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The Yankees placed right-hander Jake Cousins on the 15-day injured list today, and called up righty Clayton Beeter from Triple-A to fill Cousins’ spot in the bullpen.  Cousins’ placement is retroactive to September 20, which is the day after Cousins last pitched, and was pulled after facing two batters due to what was eventually diagnosed as a right pec strain.

The IL trip ends Cousins’ regular season, but potentially not his 2024 campaign as a whole, depending on his recovery and how far the Yankees might advance in the playoffs.  As per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (X link), Cousins will visit with doctors tomorrow in New York and he could potentially start throwing within a week’s time.  Since the Yankees are on the verge of clinching the AL East and earning a first-round bye, that gives Cousins some extra time to heal up and get back to game fitness, provided that his strain isn’t too serious.

This is Cousins’ second IL stint of the season but his first on the Major League injured list, as he missed over two months of action when playing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres earlier this year.  The Yankees recalled Cousins back to the Show shortly after he returned from the Triple-A IL, and the results have been largely tremendous.

Cousins has a 2.37 ERA and a 34.2% strikeout rate over 38 relief innings for New York.  While a .208 BABIP has helped paper over a subpar 12.9% walk rate, Cousins’ ability to miss bats and limit hard contact has made him a very useful member of the Yankees relief corps.

It has essentially been a return to the form Cousins showed with the Brewers in 2021-22, before a UCL injury and shoulder problems cut short his 2022 season and perhaps contributed to a 2023 season that saw him toss only 9 1/3 MLB innings.  After going to the Astros on a waiver claim last summer and then to the White Sox on a minor league deal during the offseason, Cousins was traded from Chicago to New York just after Opening Day, sparking Cousins’ career revival.

While Cousins had a successful return from an injury-plagued stretch of his career, the same unfortunately can’t be said of Lou Trivino, whose 2024 season now looks to be over.  Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Hoch (X link) and other reporters that Trivino is dealing with “shoulder stuff” and has been shut down.  Trivino will finish his season with 11 minor league innings pitched, in the form of five innings in as many appearances with Double-A Somerset and then six innings in six appearances at the Triple-A level.

Trivino hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, as he missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023.  Some elbow inflammation delayed the start of his minor league rehab assignment until this past August, and now this shoulder issue has ended any chance Trivino had of getting any sort of MLB action under his belt before the regular season was over.

The Yankees chose to non-tender Trivino last November, but then re-signed him to a guaranteed Major League contract worth $1.5MM in 2024 with a $5MM club option for 2025.  That option seems like a lock to be declined, though it is possible New York again re-signs Trivino at a lower price tag.

In other injury news out of the Bronx, Boone told reporters yesterday that DJ LeMahieu has started to hit off a tee as he continues his recovery from a hip impingement.  LeMahieu isn’t expected to return before the regular season is over, but he could potentially be a roster option for the postseason depending on his health or New York’s roster needs.  LeMahieu has been out since the start of September with his hip injury and also missed the first two months of the season with a foot issue — in between, the veteran infielder struggled to a .204/.269/.259 slash line over 228 plate appearances.

Yankees Designate Ron Marinaccio For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that right-hander Cody Poteet has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To open a 40-man roster spot, fellow righty Ron Marinaccio has been designated for assignment.

Poteet landed on the 15-day injured list in June due to a right triceps strain, eventually getting transferred to the 60-day IL. He started a rehab assignment on August 20 and was coming to the 30-day limit for that assignment, meaning he had to be added back to the roster. He’ll give the Yanks some extra rotation depth for the next little bit but they’re highly unlikely to need it. They currently have a mix of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Luis Gil, with Marcus Stroman bumped into a long relief role.

Marinaccio, now 29, had a strong debut in 2022. He tossed 44 innings for the Yankees that year, allowing 2.05 earned runs per nine. His 13.3% walk rate was on the high side but he overcame that with a 30.9% strikeout rate.

Since then, his results have declined a bit. In 47 1/3 innings last year, he posted a 3.99 ERA. His 13.2% walk rate was almost an exact match from the previous year but his strikeout rate dropped to 27.3%. Here in 2024, he has been frequently shuttled back and forth between the Yankees and the Triple-A RailRiders. In his 23 1/3 big league innings, he has a 3.86 ERA. He reduced his walk rate to 10.1% but his strikeouts also dropped to 25.3%. In 39 2/3 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has a 2.04 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate.

There are some intriguing results in there but the righty is in his final option year and has already been sent down five times this season, so the Yanks weren’t going to have the same roster flexibility with him going forward.

They will have to put him on waivers in the coming days. He won’t be postseason eligible with any acquiring club, so there would be little short term appeal to a claim, but some club could grab him as a long-term play. He has just over two years of service time, meaning he still won’t be arbitration eligible as of this winter and would come with four years of club control beyond the current campaign.

The Juan Soto Blockbuster Has Been Even Better Than Expected

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Last winter's Juan Soto trade was the biggest in a long while -- probably the most significant since the previous Soto deal. The Padres were slashing payroll and didn't want to accommodate a salary north of $30MM for his final year of arbitration. Extension talks never got off the ground. The Padres were about to lose four potential starting pitchers to free agency, leaving them with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and a bunch of questions.

San Diego determined to build their return for Soto around MLB-ready starting pitching. They'd not only shed payroll but directly address the biggest need on the roster. It's impossible to trade Juan Soto and not deal a huge hit to the lineup, but the Padres could mitigate some of that loss by bringing back rotation help. Even the San Diego front office probably didn't envision it turning around the staff to this extent.

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