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Yankees Place Eight Players On Injured List

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The Yankees announced eight injured list placements on Wednesday afternoon. Clarke Schmidt (rotator cuff tendinitis), JT Brubaker (rib fractures), Clayton Beeter (shoulder impingement), Ian Hamilton (virus), Scott Effross (hamstring strain) and Jonathan Loáisiga (rehab from elbow surgery) all landed on the 15-day injured list. As position players, Giancarlo Stanton (elbow epicondylitis) and DJ LeMahieu (calf strain) went on the 10-day IL. All placements were retroactive to March 24, the earliest date for 10-day or 15-day stints.

None of the moves come as a surprise. Loáisiga has been rehabbing last April’s UCL procedure and will be out at least into May. Stanton didn’t participate in Spring Training and faces an uncertain recovery timeline because of injuries to both elbows. Beeter has been throwing side sessions but didn’t see any game action in camp due to the shoulder issue. LeMahieu, Schmidt, Brubaker and Effross all suffered injuries in Spring Training. Hamilton isn’t hurt but didn’t make his Spring Training debut until last Thursday after being delayed by illness. He needs a couple weeks to continue his build-up.

The only surprise is that the Yanks did not place Jake Cousins on the 15-day IL this afternoon. He was delayed by a forearm strain and did not pitch in games this spring. Cousins has been throwing side sessions but it seems unlikely that the team would throw him directly into regular season action without any Spring Training appearances. It’s possible they’ll make another move when they officially set their Opening Day roster tomorrow.

One player who’ll certainly be on that roster: catcher J.C. Escarra. The Yankees announced over the weekend that the 29-year-old (30 next month) made the team, providing social media video of manager Aaron Boone informing him of that decision. Escarra secures the backup job behind Austin Wells and will make his major league debut once he gets into a game. The Yankees placed him on their 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason so he wouldn’t reach minor league free agency.

A left-handed hitter, Escarra combined for a .261/.355/.434 line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts across 493 minor league plate appearances last season. The Yankees cleared a path for him to grab the backup job by trading Jose Trevino and Carlos Narváez over the winter. The spot was Escarra’s to lose entering camp, and he solidified it by hitting .302 with three homers in 19 games. Escarra was playing in the independent ranks and in Mexico as recently as 2023. Two years later, he’s breaking camp with an MLB team.

Yankees, Jake Woodford Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees are in agreement with Jake Woodford on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The Excel Sports Management client had opted out of his minor league deal with the Rockies over the weekend and was granted his release.

Woodford will begin the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as rotation or long relief depth. He’s capable of pitching in either role. Woodford has started 25 of 89 appearances in his major league career. He has an earned run average just shy of 5.00 across parts of five seasons. Most of that came with the Cardinals, as the former top 40 draft pick pitched for St. Louis between 2020-23.

The 28-year-old made briefer appearances with the Pirates and White Sox last season. Woodford struggled to an ERA near 8.00 over 35 MLB innings. He had solid numbers in Triple-A, though, pitching to a 3.93 ERA over 20 appearances. He recorded roughly average strikeout (22.9%) and grounder (43.7%) rates while walking fewer than 7% of opposing hitters. Woodford has allowed an even four earned runs per nine over parts of six seasons at the top minor league level.

Colorado added Woodford to camp on a minor league contract in January. He gave up seven runs with a 6:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 innings in Cactus League play. That wasn’t enough to convince the Rox to select his contract when he took his out clause last week. He’ll now get an opportunity to work in a depth role for a Yankee team that has been hit hard in Spring Training.

Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil dealt major blows to the rotation. Clarke Schmidt will start the season on the injured list because of a shoulder issue. JT Brubaker suffered rib fractures that keep him out of the Opening Day mix. That has pushed non-roster invitee Carlos Carrasco and prospect Will Warren into the rotation behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman. Woodford joins Allan Winans and Brandon Leibrandt as pitchers with MLB experience who’ll begin the season in Scranton.

Yankees Sign Ryan Yarbrough

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10:57am: The Yankees have formally announced the contract. Gil was placed on the 60-day IL to open a roster spot for Yarbrough.

9:45am: Yarbrough is guaranteed $2MM on the deal and can earn another $250K via incentives, ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reports. Since the Yankees are in the top tier of luxury penalization, that comes with a 110% tax. Yarbrough will cost them a total of $4.2MM.

9:16am: The Yankees and free agent left-hander Ryan Yarbrough have agreed to a major league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Excel Sports client opted out of a minor league deal with the division-rival Blue Jays over the weekend and was granted his release.

Yarbrough, 33, has spent the bulk of his career in the AL East, most of it with the Rays, for whom he pitched from 2018-22. He spent about half the 2024 season with the Jays, pitching well after coming over in a trade with the Dodgers. Yarbrough logged 31 1/3 frames with Toronto and notched a pristine 2.01 ERA with a 22.2% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate.

Yarbrough finished the ’24 season with a career-low 3.19 ERA in 98 2/3 innings, but that came with a paltry 16.3% strikeout rate and one of the tamest fastballs in the sport — averaging just 86.5 mph, per Statcast. Yarbrough sat 89-90 mph as a starter early in his career, but like new teammate Tim Hill, is now more reliant on an unusual delivery and soft contact. Yarbrough rarely allows hard contact (29.4%) and has plus command that helps him offset his lack of missed bats.

That reliance on soft contact does lead to some year-to-year inconsistencies in Yarbrough’s ERA, but the cumulative results have been solid. In 768 big league innings, Yarbrough has a 4.21 earned run average with an 18.7% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. His history as a starter and more recent track record as a multi-inning reliever — last year’s 98 2/3 frames came in 44 appearances — surely held appeal to a Yankees club that has seen its rotation plagued by injuries this spring. Yarbrough probably won’t step into the rotation at any point, but he’s a nice long man to have on hand at a time when rotation depth is thinner than expected. His addition on a big league deal likely pushes waiver claim and fellow southpaw Brent Headrick to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the season.

The Yankees will need to open a 40-man roster spot to make Yarbrough’s deal official, though given that just-mentioned slate of injuries, that shouldn’t be an issue. Gerrit Cole was already moved to the 60-day IL when the team selected Carlos Carrasco’s contract over the weekend, but the Yankees still have multiple 60-day IL candidates. Luis Gil will miss months due to a lat strain, and while an exact timetable for Giancarlo Stanton’s return from tendon injuries in both elbows, it doesn’t seem like he’s a candidate to make his 2025 debut anytime soon.

Yankees Considering Adding Right-Handed Hitting Depth

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It wasn’t long ago that the Yankees’ lineup was almost entirely comprised of right-handed hitters, but the additions of such players as Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr., plus the emergence of in-house options like Austin Wells, Ben Rice, and switch-hitter Jasson Dominguez has brought a lot more balance to the Bronx.  GM Brian Cashman even told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) yesterday that he would be “happier” with another right-handed bat available on the roster, and that the Yankees are exploring such options as other teams make their end-of-spring cuts.

“I think some choices have emerged in camp, then it comes down to if those choices are better than anything else that might exist outside that you could either trade for and that you are comfortable enough giving up what it would take to get,” Cashman said.  “We’re measuring that versus options that might get the bad word in another camp that they’re not making it and all of a sudden we’re competing for those services.”

Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu will both be on the injured list for the foreseeable future, leaving the roster short of two prominent bats that were expected (particularly in Stanton’s case) for regular roles.  Ideally, a right-handed hitter that could handle at least one of left field or third base would be the best fit, as such a player could step into the outfield if Dominguez struggles in his first extended stint of MLB playing time, or help out at a third base position that remains a question mark as Opening Day approaches.

The Yankees have such a player available in utilityman Pablo Reyes, who has amassed quite a bit of playing time at third, in left, and at other positions over his six big league seasons.  Reyes hasn’t hit much at the big league level, but he has hit decently well this spring, to the point that he seems to be on track to have his minor league contract selected to New York’s Opening Day roster.  That decision would put Reyes in position to share some at-bats at the hot corner with switch-hitter Oswaldo Cabrera.

Whether or not Reyes makes the team remains to be seen, as he could yet be the odd man out should the Yankees indeed bring a new player into the mix.  At the very least, Reyes seems to be a higher priority to the team than former top prospect Oswald Peraza.  As Kirschner observes, Cashman talking so openly about a need for right-handed hitting help doesn’t exactly bode well for Peraza’s future in the Bronx.

Peraza burst into the majors with an .832 OPS over 58 plate appearances during his 2022 rookie season, but that was reduced to a .539 OPS in 191 PA in 2023, as he didn’t rise to the occasion when given more of an opportunity at third base with LeMahieu on the injured list.  A shoulder injury then delayed his start to the 2024 season, and Peraza ended up making only four MLB appearances last year.

Both Reyes and Peraza are out of minor league options, so they would have to first go through waivers before New York could them send them to Triple-A.  Kirschner feels Peraza wouldn’t last long on the waiver wire given his solid defense, plus his former top-100 prospect status would surely attract teams that might feel he needs a change of scenery.  Having two out-of-options players on the bench isn’t ideal anyway from a roster flexibility standpoint, so it will be interesting to see how the Yankees proceed with this duo, or if a new face is brought into the organization.

Yankees Select Carlos Carrasco; Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton To Begin Season On Injured List

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4:22pm: The Yankees officially announced the selection of Carrasco’s contract this afternoon. Right-hander Gerrit Cole was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Carrasco. That move is hardly a surprise, given that the club’s ace will miss the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

11:31am: The Yankees will be selecting Carlos Carrasco’s minor league contract, as reported earlier today by Jack Curry of the YES Network.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed the Carrasco move to reporters (including The New York Post’s Greg Joyce) while also noting that right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Ian Hamilton will both be starting the season on the injured list.

Schmidt has pitched in just one game this spring, and was tagged for three runs in 1 2/3 innings in that lone outing.  His next start was scratched due to soreness in his throwing shoulder, and while the righty has since thrown a bullpen session and a live batting-practice session without discomfort, the IL stint will allow Schmidt extra time to properly build up his arm strength.

It looks as if Schmidt’s injury is fairly minor, which comes as some relief to a New York rotation that has already lost Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and Luis Gil (lat strain) to much longer-term problems.  Cole will miss the entire season and Gil is expected to be out until at least June, plus depth starter JT Brubaker will miss time recovering from fractured ribs.  All the injuries have rather quickly reduced what was an area of depth for the Yankees, opening up rotation spots for Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, and now Carrasco.

As an Article XX(b) free agent, Carrasco’s minor league deal contained opt-out clauses for today, May 1, and June 1 unless the Yankees added him to the big league roster.  In making the team, Carrasco now locks in a guaranteed salary of $1.5MM, plus his deal includes another $1MM in potential incentives.  It makes for a very nice birthday present for Carrasco, who just turned 38 yesterday.

While the rotation injuries obviously led to Carrasco’s selection, it shouldn’t be overlooked that Carrasco helped his own cause with an impressive spring camp, posting a 1.69 ERA across 16 innings of work.  While all Spring Training numbers should naturally be taken with a grain of salt, it represents a nice early sign that the right-hander might have some gas left in the tank as he approaches his 16th Major League season.

A longtime anchor of the Cleveland rotation, Carrasco spent the 2021-23 seasons with the Mets before returning to the Guardians for the 2024 campaign.  While he showed some signs of his old form in 2022, the last four years have been mostly a struggle for Carrasco, who has a 5.32 ERA across his last 399 1/3 innings in the big leagues.  That includes a 5.64 ERA in 103 2/3 frames with the Guards last year, after Cleveland added Carrasco to its Opening Day roster on the heels of another minor league pact.

Hamilton has been sidelined by an infection for most of Spring Training, and he didn’t make his Grapefruit League debut until he made a one-inning appearance on Thursday.  He might not need a ton of ramp-up time in preparation for a relief role, yet he’ll get at least 12 extra days (a 15-day IL placement with three days of backdating factored in) to get himself fully ready.  Hamilton has a 3.10 ERA over 95 2/3 bullpen innings since coming to New York in the 2022-23 offseason, establishing himself as a reliable member of the relief corps.

Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

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The Yankees found themselves in the rare position of being outbid by the Mets for the top free agent. They responded with multiple lesser but still significant pickups, including an eight-year deal to add a top-of-the-rotation arm.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $52.35MM
Total spending: $238.35MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

The Yankees' season ended with a blown five-run lead in the World Series Game 5 clincher. The front office didn't have much time to think about that defeat. They faced a number of crucial decisions within the opening days of the offseason.

Some of those were straightforward. They exercised a $2.5MM option on Luke Weaver while moving on from Anthony Rizzo and Lou Trivino. They exercised their option on manager Aaron Boone, a precursor to the two-year extension he would sign early in Spring Training. They made the qualifying offer to Juan Soto. The biggest question of the offseason's first week: would Gerrit Cole test the market?

The ace had to decide whether to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year free agent deal. If he triggered the opt-out, New York could override it by exercising a $36MM club option covering the 2029 season. Cole took his decision to the wire before deciding to opt out. The Yankees balked at the option. For a day, it looked like Cole would be one of the biggest risk-reward plays on the open market.

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Dominic Smith Opts Out Of Yankees Deal

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1:00pm: Smith is opting out, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. He was scratched from today’s lineup, so it doesn’t seem as though the Yankees plan on selecting his contract.

10:33am: First baseman Dominic Smith will have the ability to opt out of his minor league deal with the Yankees if he’s not added to the 40-man roster (or, presumably, informed that he will be added prior to Opening Day) by the end of the day, reports SNY’s Andy Martino.

Smith joins a few dozen other veterans who’ll have the potential to opt out of their non-roster deals this weekend. Unlike the bulk of that group, Smith is not an Article XX(b) free agent who had uniform opt-out dates in his contract by default; while he has the requisite six-plus years of MLB service, he did not finish the 2024 season on a major league roster or injured list.

The 29-year-old Smith has had a productive camp with the Yankees. He’s tallied 38 plate appearances and gone 11-for-37 (.297) with three home runs and a double. He’s also yet to draw a walk but has been credited with a sacrifice fly, leading to an oddball small-sample batting line with an OBP that’s lower than his batting average: .297/.289/.568.

Smith is in the running to serve as a left-handed bat off the bench or perhaps even a more prominent role in the DH spot, with Giancarlo Stanton ticketed for the injured list. Both Smith and fellow lefty hitter Ben Rice have turned in strong performances this spring. Rice is hitting .260/.339/.560 with five homers in 57 plate appearances. There’s room for both on the roster, given injuries to Stanton and DJ LeMahieu, but the club would face some decisions on its DH and/or bench mix if they can get everyone healthy.

Smith spent the bulk of the 2024 season with the Red Sox and played regularly while Triston Casas was injured. He made a late cameo with the Reds, taking 29 plate appearances for Cincinnati. Between those two clubs, he slashed a respectable, if unspectacular .233/.313/.378 with six homers and 22 doubles in 307 plate appearances.

A former first-round pick and top prospect with the crosstown Mets, Smith looked to be breaking out back in 2019-20 when he slashed .299/.366/.571 in 139 games between those two seasons. He struggled in 2021, ultimately revealing that he spent much of the season playing through a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder. His bat has never fully recovered, however, as evidenced by a cumulative .241/.311/.360 batting line in the four years since that eye-opening stretch in 2019-20.

Smith isn’t the only non-roster veteran who could force the Yankees to make a 40-man roster move this weekend. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who is widely expected to make the team as a member of the rotation, also has an opt-out tomorrow.

New York’s 40-man roster is currently full, but they have several candidates for the 60-day injured list. Gerrit Cole is a lock to be transferred there, as he’ll miss the season due to Tommy John surgery. Jonathan Loaisiga, recovering from an internal brace operation last April, is targeting a May or June return and is another candidate. Reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil suffered a lat strain in early March and is projected to miss a total of roughly three months, making him another obvious candidate. Placing two of that trio on the 60-day IL would open roster space for Carrasco and Smith, should the Yankees ultimately opt to carry both on the Opening Day roster.

36 Veteran Players With Looming Opt-Out Dates

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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!

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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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

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!

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

Carlos Carrasco Has Opt-Out In Yankees Deal This Weekend

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Veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco can trigger an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Yankees on Saturday if he hasn’t been added to the 40-man roster by that point, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network. Triggering the out would give the Yanks 48 hours to add him to the roster or else allow him to become a free agent. Curry adds that Carrasco is “likely” to begin the year in the team’s rotation, so it seems they’re leaning toward adding him to the roster. They’d need to open a 40-man roster spot but could do so easily by transferring Gerrit Cole to the 60-day injured list.

Carrasco, 38 on Friday, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees back in early February. He’s posted solid results despite shaky command this spring, holding opponents to three runs in 11 innings and punching out 12 of the 46 men he’s faced (26.1%). Carrasco has also issued six walks and plunked three batters, however, so he perhaps hasn’t been quite as sharp as his 2.45 ERA might appear to indicate.

The veteran Carrasco was for a good while one of the more consistent arms in the sport. From 2014-18, he was a rock in the Cleveland rotation, rattling off 856 innings of 3.27 ERA ball with brilliant strikeout and walk rates alike. He’s had his share of success even since that five-year peak, but the year-over-year results have varied drastically. He pitched to a solid 3.97 ERA in 152 innings with the Mets as recently as 2022, but Carrasco has also logged an earned run average of 5.64 or higher in three of his past four seasons.

Entering camp, Carrasco looked to have little path to a rotation spot. He was the quintessential veteran depth piece, but injuries have ravaged the Yankees’ starting staff and now placed him in position to break camp in the fifth spot. Cole will miss the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will miss most or all of the first half due to a lat strain. Clarke Schmidt is having his next spring start skipped because of shoulder soreness and is not a lock to be on the Opening Day roster. JT Brubaker suffered a trio of broken ribs early in camp when he was struck by a comeback line drive.

With nearly a full rotation’s worth of arms ailing, the Yankees are now lined up for Carlos Rodon, Max Fried and Marcus Stroman to take the top three spots in the rotation. If Schmidt is able to avoid an IL stint, he’d be in line for a fourth. The fifth starter race would come down to Carrasco and prospect Will Warren. While Warren has been terrific in camp this far (15 2/3 innings, 2.87 ERA, 16-to-3 K/BB ratio), handing him the fifth spot would likely mean allowing Carrasco to opt out and sign elsewhere, thus further compromising the team’s depth. Of course, if Schmidt winds up landing on the 15-day IL, then it’ll likely be a moot point, as both Carrasco and Warren would be ticketed for the starting rotation.

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