Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Yankees Select Zach McAllister
The Yankees announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran righty Zach McAllister from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and placed right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. Anthony Rizzo was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create space for McAllister on the 40-man roster. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported shortly before the team’s official announcement that McAllister was slated to be called up to the big leagues.
It’s the 35-year-old McAllister’s first big league stint since the 2018 season. Originally selected by the Yankees in the the third round of the 2006 draft, it’ll also be McAllister’s debut appearance with the organization that started his big league career. The Yankees traded McAllister to Cleveland in a 2010 swap that brought outfielder Austin Kearns back to the Bronx. He went onto become a solid arm both in the rotation and the bullpen, but McAllister’s peak proved brief.
From 2012-13, McAllister started 46 games and pitched 259 2/3 innings for the since-renamed Indians, logging a 3.99 ERA along the way. He struggled in 15 starts the following season but found new life after a move to the bullpen. From 2015-17, he was a key member of Terry Francona’s relief corps, compiling 183 1/3 frames of 2.99 ERA ball.
McAllister again got out to a rough start to begin the 2018 season and this time found himself cut loose by the only big league club he’d ever known. He briefly signed with his longtime division-rival Tigers late in that 2018 season but pitched just 3 1/3 innings while allowing eight runs. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since.
Since that brief stint in Detroit, McAllister has quickly reached journeyman status. He’s inked minor league deals with the Dodgers (twice), Rangers, Phillies, Cardinals and Diamondbacks but never climbed back to the Majors with any of them. That hasn’t stopped him from continuing his efforts to grind his way back to the show, and he’ll finally get that opportunity after a half decade in the minors — with the team that originally drafted him 17 years ago.
Plenty has gone wrong for the Yankees’ this year, but McAllister’s promotion was well-earned even when setting aside Loaisiga’s unfortunate injury. Since signing with the Yankees earlier this summer, he’s pitched 16 2/3 innings with the RailRiders, recording a pristine 1.62 ERA with a 20-to-4 K/BB ratio (33.3% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate). He’ll be a free agent again at season’s end and won’t be pitching for a postseason contender, but that won’t make the return to the Majors any less sweet for him after a lengthy, half-decade odyssey around the minor league circuit.
Reds Outright Kevin Herget
Reds right-hander Kevin Herget was not claimed on waivers after being designated for assignment and has been outrighted to Triple-A Louisville, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. As a player who’s been outrighted in the past, he’ll have the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses.
Herget made his big league debut as a 31-year-old rookie with the Rays last year and has logged 24 1/3 big league innings with Cincinnati in 2023. In all, Herget has tossed 31 1/3 innings in the big leagues and logged a 5.74 ERA with a tepid 12.6% strikeout rate but excellent 4.4% walk rate.
Herget enjoyed a fantastic year with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022, logging 97 1/3 innings of 2.95 ERA ball with a 24.4% strikeout rate against a 3.9% walk rate. He hasn’t been able to sustain that pace in Louisville, recording a 5.01 earned run average in a smaller sample of 41 1/3 innings. Overall, Herget has pitched in parts of six minor league seasons and notched a respectable 4.23 ERA with a 22.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate.
Even if Herget accepts the assignment to Triple-A, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency again at season’s end (barring a selection back to the 40-man roster in Cincinnati, of course). He’d surely draw interest as a depth option on a minor league contract, given his work in Triple-A and broader 3.55 ERA in parts of ten minor league campaigns.
Orioles Activate John Means
The Orioles announced Tuesday that they’ve activated left-hander John Means from the 60-day injured list and optioned right-hander Joey Krehbiel to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so optioning Krehbiel is the only move needed to reinstate Means. The 30-year-old Means is slated to start tonight’s game for the O’s — his first appearance on a big league mound since April 13, 2022. He’s spent the past 17 months rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
A great deal has changed for the O’s since Means last took the mound. He was caught by Anthony Bemboom during his most recent start, as then-prospect Adley Rutschman had yet to make his big league debut. Rougned Odor, Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo rounded out the infield after first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, as the Orioles awaited the rise of prospects like Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. When Means’ last game with the O’s concluded, Baltimore sat at 1-5 on the young 2022 campaign and was hoping to avoid a seventh straight losing season.
Fast forward to present day, and the Orioles have become the class of the American League, boasting the junior circuit’s best record and leading the Rays by three games in the American League East. Rutschman and Henderson have not only debuted but broken out as star-caliber, cornerstone players. Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez has shaken off a rough start to his big league career, pitching to a 2.95 ERA in 10 starts since being return to the big leagues in mid-July.
Means will step into the rotation alongside Rodriguez and fellow breakout righty Kyle Bradish, who’s pitched to a 3.03 ERA (3.40 FIP, 3.83 SIERA) in 145 2/3 innings. Right-hander Dean Kremer and veteran Kyle Gibson have both made 29 starts apiece as well, though Gibson has struggled of late.
A healthy Means would be a major boost to the Orioles’ rotation, particularly with Bradish, Rodriguez, Kremer and Tyler Wells — who’s been optioned to Triple-A and moved to the bullpen — all establishing new career-high workloads this season. The O’s will probably be somewhat cautious with Means as he continues to distance himself from that surgery, but he’s already built up to 86 pitches in a minor league rehab assignment that saw him post a 3.74 ERA over 21 2/3 innings.
Prior to his injury, Means was a 2019 All-Star and AL Rookie of the Year runner-up. The lefty posted a 3.60 ERA in 155 frames during that rookie campaign, and from 2019-22 he tallied 353 1/3 innings of 3.72 ERA ball. He struck out a slightly below-average 21.2% of his opponents but also posted a terrific 5.1% walk rate and excelled at limiting hard contact (87.8 mph average exit velocity, 34.5% hard-hit rate). Anything resembling that form would immediately make him one of the Orioles’ three best starters, though expectations should probably be tempered in the early stages of any pitcher’s return from a major surgery.
While mending from that April 2022 procedure, Means has continued to accrue Major League service time. He’s playing out the second season of a two-year, $5.95MM deal that covered the entirety of his rehab. He’ll be eligible for one final raise via arbitration this winter before reaching free agency in the 2024-25 offseason.
Mariners’ Tom Murphy Shut Down From Baseball Activity Due To Thumb Fracture
Mariners catcher Tom Murphy has been shut down from baseball activity for another ten days and is not a lock to return to the team this year, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. The 32-year-old has been out since Aug. 14, when a foul tip caught him on the thumb and resulted in what was originally diagnosed as a displaced tendon. However, general manager Justin Hollander revealed to the Mariners beat last night that subsequent imaging performed after much of the swelling had subsided revealed a small fracture as well.
Murphy’s hand has been placed in a splint and will be reevaluated on Sept. 22. That’ll be something of a make-or-break point, as Hollander added that there is “no likelihood” of Murphy returning if follow-up testing “doesn’t go well.” Seattle has been using Brian O’Keefe to back up starter Cal Raleigh. Veterans Pedro Severino and Luis Torrens are also on hand in Triple-A Tacoma, though neither is on the 40-man roster.
While some might wave off the importance of a backup catcher to a team’s postseason chances, Murphy is no ordinary backup catcher. He’s taken 159 turns at the dish this season and turned in an outstanding .290/.335/.538 slash with eight home runs and a dozen doubles. Since joining the Mariners in 2019, he’s tallied 807 plate appearances and delivered a .250/.324/.460 batting line. That’s 15% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. Considering the standard catcher in that time has been about 10% worse than average at the plate in that time, Murphy’s production relative to his positional peers — particularly backups — is exceptional.
That said, staying on the field has been a challenge for Murphy. After a terrific first season in Seattle (2019), a broken foot cost him the entire 2020 season. He returned in 2021 but logged a lackluster .202/.304/.350 slash in his first year back from that injury. He looked excellent to begin the 2022 season — but left shoulder surgery sidelined him for the season after he’d played in just 14 games. As Murphy mended from that shoulder issue, Raleigh stepped up and solidified himself as one of the top power-hitting catchers in the sport. The 26-year-old switch-hitter has popped 55 homers over the past two seasons, including 28 this year while hitting .237/.315/.473.
Raleigh’s presence assures that the M’s will have an offensive threat behind the dish (and a standout defender as well), but a season-ending injury for Murphy would sting nonetheless. He’s hit well enough during his Mariners tenure that he’s a legitimate option at designated hitter, particularly versus southpaws. In 473 career plate appearances against lefties, Murphy touts a .264/.352/.489 batting line.
If Murphy is indeed done for the year, backup catching duties will continue to fall to the inexperienced O’Keefe, who’s 3-for-22 in his young big league career. The 30-year-old did bat .240/.325/.511 with 22 home runs in Triple-A this season, so there’s likely more in the tank from an offensive standpoint — though he clearly can’t be expected to replace Murphy’s production.
If the Mariners choose to go with one of their veteran options in Triple-A, both Severino and Torrens would be postseason-eligible. Severino has played 41 games in Tacoma this year (plus another 18 games with the Padres’ top affiliate) but carries a tepid .237/.310/.411 slash between those two stops. Torrens went 5-for-20 in a brief big league stint with the Cubs earlier this season and is batting .244/.295/.442 in 95 Triple-A plate appearances on the year. He’s a familiar commodity for the Mariners, having spent parts of three seasons in Seattle, where he logged a .239/.297/.388 line in 609 plate appearances.
The Mariners are currently in a tightly contested American League playoff race, sitting outside of the postseason picture by the narrowest of margins at the moment. They’re trailing Texas by just a half game for the final Wild Card spot, with the Blue Jays only a half game up on the Rangers. The Mariners were leading the AL West not long ago, but they’re presently two and a half games behind the Astros in that regard. It’s still eminently plausible that the M’s win the AL West, capture a Wild Card spot or miss the playoffs entirely, so every win/loss and every injury is magnified.
From a personal standpoint, the injury has implications for Murphy as well. He’s slated to become a free agent for the first time this offseason and will be one of the top-hitting catchers in a thin class at the position. If he’s able to return to the lineup by season’s end and potentially demonstrate his health in the playoffs, that could strengthen his free-agent case a bit, but the current six-week absence he’s facing won’t do Murphy any favors in that regard.
Ben Gamel Elects Free Agency
Padres outfielder Ben Gamel rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency after clearing waivers, per his transaction log at MLB.com. He’s now able to sign with any club, though he wouldn’t be postseason-eligible with a new team and would be a free agent again once the season wraps up, given his six-plus years of service time.
Gamel, 31, appeared in just six games with the Padres before being designated for assignment. He went 3-for-15 with a double in that tiny sample but has posted a combined .286/.402/.498 line in 332 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Rays and Padres in 2023.
His brief big league action this year marked the eighth season in which the veteran Gamel has seen time in the Majors. He’s previously suited up for the Mariners, Pirates, Brewers, Guardians and Yankees as well, logging a career .252/.332/.384 slash with 40 homers, 108 doubles, 15 triples and 21 stolen bases in 2221 plate appearances. Gamel is light on power but also boasts a keen eye at the plate (career 10.1% walk rate). He’s played all three outfield positions and (much more briefly) first base, though the bulk of his time in the Majors has been spent as a left fielder.
If he doesn’t sign somewhere between now and season’s end, Gamel will likely draw interest in minor league free agency over the winter, as he did last offseason before ultimately signing a minor league pact with the Rays. The left-handed-hitting Gamel has minimal platoon splits in the big leagues and is a career .302/.377/.460 hitter in 1644 Triple-A plate appearances, so he’s a nice depth option to have on hand, at the very least.
The Opener: Means, Seager, MLBTR Chat
As the 2023 MLB regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Means to return:
Left-hander John Means is set to return to the Orioles for their home game against the Cardinals today. The 30-year-old southpaw will be starting opposite veteran righty Adam Wainwright (8.19 ERA) this evening for his first time on a big league mound since April 2022. Means is on the 60-day IL, but will not require a corresponding 40-man move as Baltimore’s roster currently stands at 39. While Means has been on the shelf rehabbing Tommy John surgery, the Orioles have transformed from a 100-loss team to a surefire playoff contender. After going 82-74 the rest of 2022 following Means’s injury, the club has posted a 91-52 record while surging to the top seed in the AL’s postseason bracket.
Means sports a 3.72 ERA in 353 1/3 innings of work since the start of the 2019 season, good for an ERA+ of 124. Though his FIP is a less impressive 4.59 ERA during that time, a healthy and effective return from Means could transform the complexion of Baltimore’s postseason rotation, joining Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez while perhaps taking pressure off the likes of Kyle Gibson and Dean Kremer. Means posted a 3.74 ERA in 21 2/3 rehab innings and built his pitch count as high as 86 in a recent Triple-A outing.
2. Seager approaching milestone:
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is in the midst of a career year, slashing an incredible .337/.398/.651 (177 wRC+) with 5.7 fWAR in just 100 games this season. He’s also on the cusp of a personal milestone, sitting just one hit away from his 1000th knock in the majors. The milestone puts Seager, still in the midst of his age 29-season, at 62nd on the career hits leaderboard among active players, and eighth among players who debuted in 2015 or later. It’s possible that hit No. 1000 for Seager proves to be a pivotal one for the Rangers this year, as the club is in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. They hold control of the final spot over the Mariners by half a game while sitting half a game behind the Blue Jays for the second spot.’
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
The end of the season is fast approaching, and the league’s 30 clubs are all pushing full steam ahead into the stretch run. While some are already looking ahead to 2024, many are focused on the current pennant chase, with more than half the league either occupying a playoff spot or within two games of doing so. If you’re curious how your team will hold up over the season’s final weeks or what their plan for the future is, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is hosting a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Previewing The 2023-24 Free Agent Class: First Base
With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking an early look at the players who’ll be available on the open market.
Over the coming weeks, MLBTR will go around the diamond to preview the free agent class. Anthony Franco already took a look at the catching market, and next up will be a rundown of the first base options available this winter.
Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included for this exercise. Ages listed are for the 2024 season.
Potential Everyday Options
- Cody Bellinger (28 years old in 2024); eligible for qualifying offer
Bellinger will be looked at as an outfielder first and foremost, but the general lack of quality bats could lead teams with first base vacancies to consider him as well. The Cubs have given Bellinger 302 innings at the position this season (with positive defensive ratings to show for it), and the recent promotion of top center field prospect prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong could mean even more time there for Bellinger in the final few weeks.
Non-tendered by the Dodgers last year, Bellinger has enjoyed a hugely successful rebound with the Cubs. In 479 plate appearances, the former NL MVP has posted a huge .318/.361/.551 batting line with 25 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a career-low 15.9% strikeout rate. He’s walking at the lowest rate of his career (6.7%) and chasing balls out of the strike zone far more than he did at his peak. However, he’s also sporting career-high contact rates on pitches off the plate (72.3%) and pitches within the strike zone (86.9%).
Bellinger’s ability to the play the outfield is valuable enough that it’s hard to imagine a team signing him to play exclusively first base, but teams are more willing than ever to move players around the diamond based on matchups. Bellinger has hit so well — even with lackluster quality-of-contact marks on Statcast — that teams will likely be willing to move some pieces around just to get his bat in the lineup.
- Jeimer Candelario (30); ineligible for qualifying offer (traded midseason)
Candelario has primarily played third base this season, and he’s drawn quality marks for his glovework there. The Cubs have given him ample run at first base since acquiring him, however. And as with Bellinger, some teams may simply want to sign the bat — even if it means playing Candelario at a less-demanding position on the defensive spectrum.
The last two weeks have seen Candelario fall into his most prolonged slump of the season. He’s gone just 5-for-52 over his past 17 games. That’s taken a bit of the shine off an otherwise excellent rebound season, but the switch-hitter was batting .272/.355/.495 as recently as Aug. 23 and still sports a comfortably above-average .253/.338/.473 slash (118 wRC+) overall this season.
Although Candelario’s 2022 season was rough enough to get him non-tendered by the Tigers, he’s bounced back in a big way and now has three well above-average offensive seasons in the past four years. This will likely be his second season with at least three wins above replacement in the past three years, and Candelario was on pace to easily eclipse that mark in the shortened 2020 season as well.
- Rhys Hoskins (31); eligible for qualifying offer
Hoskins would likely have been one of the top power bats on the market with a healthy 2023 season, but things of course did not pan out that way. The 30-year-old followed last season’s six postseason home runs with a huge spring training … but saw his platform free-agent year end before it began when he suffered a torn ACL just a week before the season began.
While he doesn’t quite match Khris Davis levels of freakish consistency, Hoskins batted exactly .246 or .247 and belted between 27 and 34 home runs in four of the five seasons from 2018-22. He hit .241/.350/.483 with 130 home runs, a hefty 13.2% walk rate and a 24.1% strikeout rate that’s higher than average but also a good bit lower than many sluggers of this ilk tend to produce.
As one would expect, the righty-swinging Hoskins is better against left-handers than against right-handers, but he’s posted considerably better-than-average OBP and power numbers against each. There’ll surely be some various, creative contract structures discussed. We’ve seen fellow Scott Boras clients take various paths in recent years; Bellinger signed a straight one-year deal with the Cubs after a down season, whereas Michael Conforto inked a two-year, $36MM deal with a conditional opt-out (contingent on reach 350 plate appearances) after he, like Hoskins in 2023, missed the entire 2022 season due to injury.
He isn’t a great defensive first baseman, but a healthy Hoskins might be the best pure slugger not named Shohei Ohtani in this winter’s free-agent class.
- Carlos Santana (38)
Perhaps it’s a stretch to call Santana a potential everyday option when he’ll turn 38 next year and is wrapping up a below-average offensive season on the whole. But the Pirates and Brewers have both given him plenty of playing time, and Santana still grades out as a strong defensive option at his position. He’s still drawing walks at a 10.4% clip and has never posted a walk rate south of 10%. He’s currently sitting on 19 home runs, which would be his third straight season with exactly that total.
Santana’s .251 average on balls in play looks like a product of poor luck at first glance, but he’s hit a whopping 26 infield flies this season. He’s long been prone to pop-ups, which helps to explain his career .258 BABIP. Still, even if there’s no reason to expect a rapid turnaround on his luck on balls in play, Santana is a good defensive first baseman who walks enough to post close to an average OBP and who clearly still has 20-homer pop. A contender might not plug him in at first base, but if a rebuilding team looking for a veteran to flip at the deadline — just as the Pirates did this season — could view him as a potential regular.
Platoon and Part-Time Bats
- Brandon Belt (36)
The former Giants cornerstone has had a resurgent year in Toronto, hitting .252/.371/.473 with 16 home runs in 380 plate appearances. Belt only has 36 plate appearances against lefties — they haven’t gone well — but has tattooed right-handed pitching. This year’s 34.7% strikeout rate is a glaring red flag, but Belt has also walked at a massive 15.8% rate. Belt will turn 36 next April, so expect a one- or two-year deal, but he’s shown there’s still plenty of power left in his bat.
- Ji Man Choi (33)
The 2023 season has been one Choi would like to forget. After undergoing elbow surgery in the offseason, he suffered a strained Achilles tendon early in the year and wound up missing about three months of action. Choi played in just 23 games with the Pirates before being traded to the Padres, and after seven games in San Diego he suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot and returned to the injured list. Choi is hitting just .179/.239/.440 in 92 plate appearances, but from 2017-22 he posted a .245/.350/.436 output. He’s never hit lefties well, but he’s a .244/.350/.455 hitter against right-handed pitching.
- Garrett Cooper (33)
Cooper’s consistent productivity has always flown under the radar, in part because he’s spent most of his career playing for non-contending teams in Miami and also in part because he’s frequently been injured. This hasn’t been his best year (.256/.300/.420, 16 homers), but Cooper hit .274/.350/.444 in 1273 plate appearances from 2017-22 and carries a lifetime .270/.337/.435 line in the majors. His occasional dalliances in the outfield haven’t drawn good reviews, but Cooper has above-average marks at first base, both in his career and in 2023.
- C.J. Cron (34)
The former 30-homer slugger has been out since mid-August due to a back injury and also missed six weeks earlier in the season with a neck injury. He hasn’t had his best season when healthy, hitting .252/.299/.441 in 274 plate appearances. He’d been heating up at the plate, however, batting .287/.333/.470 in 123 plate appearances between those two IL stints. It’s been a tough year, but Cron hit .260/.331/.490 with 116 home runs from 2018-22. Between his track record and the lack of quality hitters on the market, he’ll get a big league deal and regular time at first base and designated hitter somewhere.
- Joey Gallo (30)
Gallo is athletic enough to handle any outfield position, but a Twins’ team deep in options on the grass has given him 322 innings at first base. He’s a solid defensive first baseman but hasn’t found his old All-Star form offensively. Gallo had a strong first couple weeks in the Twin Cities but has slumped since May and now carries a .177/.301/.440 line over 332 plate appearances. The sub-Mendoza average is nothing new, but this year’s 42.8% strikeout rate is high even by Gallo’s standards. He has hit 21 homers and walked at a huge 14.5% clip, leading to a roughly average wRC+ figure (103). That’s still not the bounceback the Minnesota front office envisioned when guaranteeing him $11MM last winter.
- Donovan Solano (36)
Solano’s out-of-nowhere emergence as a quality big league hitter after signing a minor league deal with the Giants heading into his age-31 season remains remarkable. He’s not slowing down in 2023. The Twins inked him to a one-year, $2MM deal that’s proven to be a bargain, as he’s slashed .292/.377/.415 with five homers while playing first base, second base and third base. He should get a raise to fill a similar multi-positional role with a team in 2024.
Rebound Hopefuls and Depth options
- Jesus Aguilar (34)
The A’s signed Aguilar to a one-year deal but released him in June after 115 plate appearances of well below-average production. He’s since signed a minor league deal with the Braves and is hitting .287/.393/.410 in Triple-A. The days of Aguilar looking like a genuine power threat might be behind us, but he’ll still draw interest on a minor league deal.
- Kole Calhoun (35)
Calhoun posted a .906 OPS in Triple-A between the Dodgers and Yankees organizations before an August trade to Cleveland resulted in an immediate call to the MLB roster. He entered the year with just 44 innings at first base in his career but has already logged 192 with the Guardians, while hitting .241/.325/.398 in 123 plate appearances. Calhoun hit .208/.269/.343 in 606 plate appearances from 2021-22, but he’s been a roughly average hitter this year and has plenty of experience in the outfield corners as well.
- Yuli Gurriel (40)
Gurriel was a fixture in the Astros’ lineup from 2016-22 but had to settle for a minor league deal with the Marlins this offseason on the heels of down year in his final year with Houston. He’s now posted a .244/.294/.359 line in his past 892 plate appearances and will turn 40 next June.
- Eric Hosmer (34)
Hosmer signed a big league deal with the Cubs after being released by the Red Sox this winter but wasn’t able to produce in 100 plate appearances before being released a second time in late May. He’s been unsigned since. Any team can sign Hosmer and only owe him the league minimum for any time on the big league roster, as the Padres are still paying the bulk of his contract, which runs through 2025. He’s hit .266/.331/.384 in his past 1084 trips to the plate.
- Jake Lamb (33)
The former D-backs third baseman broke camp with the Angels after signing a minor league deal but appeared in only 19 games before being designated for assignment and released. Lamb popped 59 homers with Arizona from 2016-17, but shoulder injuries tanked that promising trajectory. He’s a .205/.306/.359 hitter in his past 898 MLB plate appearances (2018-23).
- Trey Mancini (32)
Mancini’s two-year deal with the Cubs didn’t work out for either party this winter. He hit .234/.299/.336 in 263 plate appearances — the most tepid production of his career to date. The Cubs are paying Mancini’s $7MM salary next year, so any team can sign him and only owe the league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. His 35-homer campaign in 2019 is a distant memory, but Mancini is a beloved clubhouse presence who hit .247/.323/.412 from 2021-22 after his inspirational return from colon cancer.
- Mike Moustakas (35)
Released by the Reds heading into the final season of his four-year, $64MM deal, Moustakas caught on with the Rockies and hit well enough to merit trade attention from the Angels. His bat has tailed off since. The once-formidable slugger has batted .228/.294/.377 over his past 855 MLB plate appearances.
- Wil Myers (33)
Myers is the third straight player on this list to be released by the Reds this season. (Mancini briefly signed a minor league deal there after being cut loose by the Cubs.) His one-year, $7.5MM deal didn’t pan out as hoped. Myers hit just .189/.257/.283 in 141 plate appearances, striking out at a 34% clip. He’s a capable outfielder in addition to his work at first base and hit .256/.334/.434 with 17 homers as recently as 2021. He hasn’t signed since being released and might have to take a minor league deal this winter.
- Darin Ruf (37)
Ruf can crush lefties (career .270/.368/.512, 141 wRC+), but he appeared in just 20 games this season due to injury and sluggish performance. He was a terrific find for the 2020-21 Giants, but he turned 37 in July and has now had consecutive below-average seasons at the plate.
Player Options
- Josh Bell (31), $16.5MM player option; ineligible for qualifying offer (traded midseason)
Bell looked like a lock to exercise his player option not long ago, but he’s been on a tear since being traded from Cleveland to Miami and may have planted the seeds for that turnaround even earlier than the swap itself. He’s been hitting fly-balls at the highest rates of his career since early June, and the results have been noticeable. The switch-hitter is batting .276/.340/.515 in 148 plate appearances with the Fish and now carries a .262/.322/.472 output in his past 339 plate appearances.
There’s still a chance, if not a likelihood, that Bell will exercise his player option. But he’s been producing at a decidedly above-average level for more than three months now. It’s the inverse of last year’s season, wherein Bell had a productive run with the Nationals but slumped late in his tenure there and cratered following a trade to the Padres. Bell still secured a two-year, $33MM deal on the heels of that season, and while he probably won’t match his current AAV on a multi-year deal in free agency, it’s increasingly feasible to see him declining that player option and signing a multi-year deal with a larger total and lower AAV.
- Justin Turner (39), $13.4MM player option with a $6.7MM buyout; ineligible for qualifying offer (has previously received a QO in his career)
Whether a team would install Turner as its everyday first baseman isn’t clear, but the Red Sox have given him 249 innings there in 2023. At the very least, he could presumably handle multiple infield spots and log ample time at DH with a new team.
There might be questions about Turner’s defensive outlook at this point, but there’s no questioning his bat. He continues to age like fine wine at the plate, hitting .285/.355/.480 (122 wRC+) with 23 home runs, an 8.4% walk rate and 16.9% strikeout rate. Turner bas become the embodiment of the “professional hitter” classification, and with such a hefty buyout on that player option, he should have no time toppling a net $6.7MM in free agency.
Age is going to limit Turner to a one- or two-year deal, but he’s one of the best hitters on the market and should command a strong annual rate of pay with a contending team.
Club Option
- Joey Votto (40), $20MM club option with a $7MM buyout
Votto told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this month that he hasn’t made any decisions on his future. Only 40 qualified hitters in MLB history have gotten on base at a higher clip than Votto’s career mark of .410, but he’s followed up a staggering 2021 renaissance (.266/.375/.563, 36 homers in 129 games) with a .204/.313/.405 slash in his past two seasons — a total of 575 plate appearances.
The Reds will surely buy Votto out rather than pay him a net $13MM for his age-40 season, but if the Canadian-born slugger wants to continue his playing career, doing so in Cincinnati will remain high on his list. Whether he earnestly fields interest from other teams remains to be seen, but his track record, plate discipline and power — he hit 14 homers in 199 plate appearances this year — would likely gather interest on a one-year deal.
Previewing The 2023-24 Free Agent Class: Catcher
With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking an early look at the players who’ll be available on the open market.
Over the coming weeks, MLBTR will go around the diamond to preview the free agent class. As always, we’ll start behind the plate. It’s a thin group, with no one in the class a threat to approach the five-year, $87.5MM contract that Willson Contreras received a season ago.
Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included for this exercise.
Potential Regulars/Platoon Options
- Mitch Garver (33*)
Garver could prove a tricky evaluation for teams. He’s having the best season of any impending free agent who can catch. The right-handed hitter is mashing at a .286/.387/.541 clip with 16 home runs over 270 plate appearances for the Rangers. He slugged 31 homers for the Twins back in 2019 and is a career .254/.343/.489 hitter. A fully healthy Garver is one of the best offensive catchers in the sport and easily the best player in this winter’s free agent catching class.
Fully healthy is a notable caveat, however. Not only will Garver turn 33 this winter, he has a lengthy injury history. He has spent some time on the IL in every season since 2019 and required season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in 2022. That injury affected Garver’s throwing even before he went under the knife, and Texas has eased him back to catching action. He has logged only 230 innings behind the dish this season, seeing more time as a designated hitter. The Rangers have that luxury thanks to the presence of All-Star backstop Jonah Heim, but it raises questions for teams evaluating whether Garver will hold up as a true #1 elsewhere.
- Gary Sánchez (31)
Sánchez has never returned to his early-career Yankees form. He’s nevertheless coming off a decent bounceback showing for the Padres, hitting .218/.292/.500 with 19 homers through 260 plate appearances after landing in San Diego. His much-maligned blocking drew an average grade from Statcast this season, while he threw out baserunners at an acceptable 20.8% clip. The year ended on a sour note when Sánchez sustained a right wrist fracture on a hit-by-pitch last week, but it was a reasonably encouraging effort overall.
While he’s not a star, Sánchez looks like an acceptable #1 catcher. He’s a power-first offensive player with middling on-base marks. One of the younger players in the class, he has a case for a multi-year contract after settling for a minor league pact a season ago.
- Tom Murphy (33)
Murphy has mashed in a small sample this year, hitting .290/.335/.538 over 159 plate appearances. He has shown significant offensive upside in prior seasons — highlighted by a .273/.324/.535 line over 76 games in 2019 — but only has two years in which he has reached 200+ plate appearances. Murphy lost all of 2020 with a foot fracture, a good chunk of last season to a dislocated shoulder, and has been out for the past month with a sprained left thumb.
When healthy, he consistently shows plus power from the right-handed batter’s box. He strikes out a lot but brings more offensive upside than most players at the position. At age 33, he’ll be limited to one or two-year offers, but he should be a target for teams that can pair him with a more stable veteran to compensate for the injury risk.
- Víctor Caratini (30)
Caratini is a switch-hitting backstop with good strike zone awareness and solid contact skills. He hits the ball reasonably hard but makes most of his contact on the ground, muting his power impact. This year’s .247/.327/.368 line over 54 games for the Brewers is in line with his career track record. He rates as a decent pitch framer but has a well below-average throwing arm. While Caratini doesn’t have a standout skill, he’s a reasonably well-rounded player and the youngest option in the catching class.
- Yasmani Grandal (35)
Grandal was still performing at an All-Star level as recently as 2021. The final two years of his $73MM free agent deal with the White Sox didn’t go as planned. He limped to a .202/.301/.269 line last season and is hitting .236/.309/.345 over 388 plate appearances this year. He’s a switch-hitter who still draws a decent number of walks, but he hasn’t shown the same kind of power he had at his peak.
- Austin Hedges (31)
Hedges is an all-glove veteran who has found semi-regular run despite one of the league’s least imposing offensive profiles. He was an everyday catcher for three years in Cleveland and got into 65 games for the Pirates after signing a $5MM free agent deal last winter. The Rangers have pushed him into a depth role since acquiring him at the deadline.
The 31-year-old is hitting .176/.229/.222 through 203 plate appearances. He has had a hard time controlling the running game this season but has been excellent in that regard in prior years. Hedges’ elite receiving skills have not waned. Statcast rates him 11 runs above average as a pitch framer and credits him with eight more blocks than average. That’s in line with his career-long reputation as an elite receiver, and both Cleveland and Pittsburgh trusted him as their top catcher to work with fairly young pitching staffs.
- Martín Maldonado (37)
Maldonado is a beloved clubhouse presence in Houston. The Astros have continued to give him a starting workload on a World Series contender despite dismal offensive numbers, reasoning that his unquantifiable work with the pitching staff compensates for the lack of productivity at the dish. Maldonado has hit only .187/.254/.337 through 366 trips to the plate. He has occasional power but consistently poor on-base marks. Unlike Hedges, Maldonado has a well below-average grade from Statcast for his 2023 pitch framing. It hasn’t dissuaded Dusty Baker from keeping him in the lineup, though — a testament to how the coaching staff feels about his leadership and game-calling acumen.
Backups/Depth
- Jorge Alfaro (31)
A longtime top prospect who was a key piece in multiple blockbuster trades (Cole Hamels, J.T. Realmuto), the now-30-year-old Alfaro (31 next June) has never developed into the slugger that many expected. Alfaro posted a solid .269/.322/.429 batting line from 2017-19, but in 737 plate appearances since that time he’s at .236/.278/.354 with a glaring 33.6% strikeout rate. Alfaro has typically thrown well (28% caught-stealing rate), but he’s at 18% in Triple-A this year. Statcast grades him last among 75 qualified catchers since 2018 when it comes to blocking pitches in the dirt.
- Tucker Barnhart (33)
Barnhart has spent the past week in Triple-A with the Dodgers. He signed a minor league pact with L.A. after being released by the Cubs in the first season of a two-year, $6.5MM free agent deal. The two-time Gold Glove winner managed only a .202/.285/.257 line over 123 plate appearances with Chicago and is a .215/.286/.264 hitter since being traded from the Reds to the Tigers over the 2021-22 offseason. Despite the tepid offense, Barnhart should draw depth interest based on his glove and reputation as a strong clubhouse presence — especially since the Cubs are responsible for all but the league minimum on next year’s salary as well.
- Curt Casali (35)
The Reds are likely to opt for a $750K buyout on their end of a $4MM mutual option. The right-handed hitting Casali has operated as the third catcher in Cincinnati when healthy, batting .175/.290/.200 over 96 plate appearances. He is currently on a rehab stint working back from a July foot contusion.
- Sandy León (35)
León, currently in Triple-A with the Guardians, appeared in 22 games for the Rangers early in the season. The switch-hitting backstop is a classic journeyman depth catcher. He has gotten to the majors in each of the past 12 years. He’s a well-regarded defender who has hit .176/.254/.261 for five teams since the start of 2019.
- Luke Maile (33)
Maile signed a $1.175MM free agent deal with his hometown Reds last winter. He has essentially played at the level they’d expected as their backup, putting up a .234/.305/.392 line through 175 plate appearances. He has roughly average framing and blocking numbers and has cut down a quarter of opposing basestealers. He has probably done enough to secure another major league contract this offseason.
- Roberto Pérez (35)
Pérez won consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2019-20. He has continued to get looks based on his defense, but injuries have kept him off the field for most of the last two seasons. He suffered a season-ending hamstring tear in May 2022. He was capped at five games with the Giants this year before tearing the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, necessitating another surgery in April. He’ll likely be limited to minor league offers as a result.
- Manny Piña (37)
Piña had a few seasons as a productive depth option with the Brewers. Unfortunately, left wrist issues have essentially robbed him of the last two years. He underwent surgery after just five games in 2022. Piña started this year back on the injured list with continued soreness. He returned for four games this summer but Oakland released him around the trade deadline as they evaluated their younger catching options.
- Mike Zunino (33)
Zunino signed a $6MM contract with the Guardians a year ago on the heels of thoracic outlet surgery. He couldn’t recapture his pre-surgery form on either side of the ball. Zunino hit .177/.271/.306 with a 43.6% strikeout rate in 140 plate appearances. Perhaps even more concerning was that he struggled mightily as a receiver and threw out only 16.7% of baserunners. Cleveland released him in late June and he has remained a free agent since then.
Club Options
- Yan Gomes (36)
The Cubs hold a $6MM option that comes with a $1MM buyout. It’s a $5MM call, which seems reasonable after Gomes’ decent 2023 showing. The 12-year MLB veteran is hitting .269/.311/.414 with nine home runs through 360 trips to the plate. He hasn’t rated highly for his receiving but has thrown out an above-average 26.4% of attempted basestealers. The Cubs may look to turn the top catching job over to rookie Miguel Amaya, but it’s a low enough price point that the team could still retain Gomes as a veteran backup.
Player Options
- Omar Narváez (32)
Narváez is unlikely to hit free agency. His contract with the Mets contains a $7MM player option. The left-handed hitter has slumped to a .192/.272/.253 line in 39 games, missing a chunk of the year with a calf strain. Unsurprisingly, he told Will Sammon of the Athletic last month that he expects to exercise the option rather than retest free agency on the heels of such a tough season.
* Listed ages are the player’s age for the 2024 season.
Diamondbacks Release Nick Ahmed
The D-Backs released Nick Ahmed over the weekend, tweets Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. He’s officially a free agent.
There was never any doubt the veteran shortstop would hit the open market after Arizona designated him for assignment last Wednesday. Players in DFA limbo have to go on waivers after the trade deadline. Ahmed has well more than the five years of major league service necessary to decline a minor league assignment while retaining his entire salary. With around $1.4MM in remaining guarantees on his $10MM salary at the time of the DFA, no other club was going to put in a claim.
The 33-year-old infielder becomes a free agent for the first time in his career. He’d signed a $32.5MM extension with the D-Backs going into the 2020 campaign, which would’ve been his platform year. The defensive stalwart hit .230/.285/.351 in 954 plate appearances over the course of that deal. That includes a .212/.257/.303 slash this season.
Ahmed has been healthy this season after losing most of last year to shoulder surgery. He’s still a quality defensive shortstop. The D-Backs turned to 21-year-old top prospect Jordan Lawlar to try to add some spark to the lineup, though, pushing Ahmed off the roster a few weeks before his contract was set to expire.
The 10-year veteran will surely at least find minor league interest based on the strength of his glove — although that might not materialize until the winter. Now that the calendar has turned to September, he’d be ineligible for postseason play elsewhere. As a result, he could elect to sit out the final few weeks of this season and look for a new landing spot during the upcoming offseason.
