Scott Effross Out Several Months Due To Back Surgery
Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided updates to the media today on several players on the roster. Notably, right-hander Scott Effross had back surgery in December and likely won’t be ready until the summer, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. In a more benign update, catcher Jose Trevino had a calf strain a few weeks ago and is a bit behind but is still expected to be ready by Opening Day, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
Effross, 30, once looked like a nice pickup for the Yankees. The sidearmer made his debut in the majors with the Cubs in 2021 and was flipped to the Yankees at the 2022 deadline, with Hayden Wesneski going the other way. Between the two clubs, Effross made 74 appearances over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, allowing just 2.78 earned runs per nine innings. He struck out 27.9% of batters faced, walked just 5.6% of them and got grounders on 45.1% of balls in play. He even looked to be moving towards a closer’s role, earning four saves and 19 holds in that time.
But he’s been on the shelf since late 2022 and now seems to be staying there. He landed on the injured list in August of 2022 due to a shoulder strain. In October of that year, it was announced that he would require Tommy John surgery, wiping out his entire 2023 season. Now this back surgery is going to prevent him from pitching in the first half of the 2024 campaign.
It’s an unfortunate series of events for a pitcher who was on such a positive trajectory. Assuming he is able to return at some point this summer, he’ll be looking to get back on track after a layoff of almost two full years. The Yanks will likely place him on the 60-day injured list once they need a roster spot. He’s slated to qualify for arbitration for the first time after this year and is on pace for free agency after 2027.
Without Effross, the high-leverage roles in the Yankee bullpen will go to Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Tommy Kahnle and Caleb Ferguson. Since the surgery happened months ago, the club has surely been aware of it and it shouldn’t suddenly lead to a change in their roster-building plans. But if they do decide to add to the relief mix, guys like Ryne Stanek, Brad Boxberger, Brad Hand and Aaron Loup are still available in free agency.
Trevino, 31, is projected to form part of the club’s catching duo alongside Austin Wells. He only played 55 games in 2023 due to wrist surgery but will be looking to get back on track to the form he showed in 2022. He played 115 games that year with roughly average offense for a catcher but his superlative defense led to him being valued as worth 3.8 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs,.
Marlins Trade Peyton Burdick To Orioles
The Marlins have traded outfielder Peyton Burdick to the Orioles in exchange for cash, per announcements from the two teams. Baltimore transferred injured closer Felix Bautista to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Miami designated Burdick for assignment earlier this week when acquiring Darren McCaughan from the Mariners.
Burdick, who’ll turn 27 later this month, has seen limited MLB action with the Marlins in each of the past two seasons. He carries just a .200/.281/.368 batting line and a sky-high 38% strikeout rate in the big leagues, but that’s come in a tiny sample of 139 trips to the plate. Burdick has better numbers in the upper minors — he’s a .214/.324/.424 hitter in 952 Triple-A plate appearances — but strikeouts have been an issue throughout his professional tenure, evidenced by a 32.7% mark even in Triple-A.
Contact issues notwithstanding, Burdick offers plenty of loud tools that have long intrigued evaluators. He’s a former third-round pick whom FanGraphs has credited with plus-plus raw power (70-grade) in the past. He has better-than-average sprint speed, and scouting reports on the 2019 No. 82 overall draft pick have suggested that he has the tools necessary to stick in center field, or at the very least to profile as an above-average to plus defender in the corners.
Burdick has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so the Orioles can stash him in Triple-A Norfolk and rely on him as a bench option behind a deep and talented outfield that features a nice mix of veteran contributors and fast-rising prospects. Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander figure to open the season in the Baltimore outfield (from left to right), but top prospects Colton Cowser and/or Heston Kjerstad could force their way into the mix before long.
In Sam Hilliard and Ryan McKenna, the Orioles have a pair of out-of-options outfielders on the 40-man roster who aren’t considered locks to make the club. In the event that one or both of Hilliard/McKenna is lost via waivers late in camp, the addition of Burdick and his two minor league option seasons can help Baltimore retain some experienced outfield depth to help safeguard against injuries throughout the course of the season. And with Burdick just entering his age-27 season and still possessing six full seasons of club control, there’s always the off chance that he makes some strides following the change of scenery and forces his way into a longer-term role than anticipated at the time of acquisition, similar to Ryan O’Hearn last offseason.
Pirates Sign Josh Fleming
11:12am: The Pirates have announced the signing of Fleming and also confirmed their previously reported one-year deal with veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal. In order to create roster space, right-hander Johan Oviedo and catcher Endy Rodriguez were both placed on the 60-day injured list. Both are expected to miss the 2024 season after requiring surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in their respective throwing elbows.
8:45am: The Pirates and lefty Josh Fleming are in agreement on a split major league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Republik Sports client will earn $850K if he’s in the big leagues. Pittsburgh will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Fleming to make the contract official.
While Fleming’s deal is a split contract, meaning it comes with different rates of pay in the big leagues and in Triple-A, he’s out of minor league options as well. The minor league salary will only come into play in the event that the Pirates remove him from the 40-man roster and pass him through waivers. At that point, Fleming could reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would require forfeiting the rates of pay on his deal with the Pirates, and he’d be no lock to secure more favorable terms in free agency. As such, he’d likely accept a minor league assignment if that scenario presents itself.
The 27-year-old Fleming pitched for the Rays in each of the past four seasons, working out of both the bullpen and the starting rotation at times. He also operated as a bulk reliever following an opener in Tampa Bay at times. The southpaw has just 2.144 years of Major League service time and can thus be controlled for another four seasons.
Fleming has, at times, looked like a quality fifth starter or swingman. He pitched 51 2/3 innings with the Rays in 2023 and logged a 4.70 ERA with a career-low 11.8% strikeout rate with an 8.6% walk rate while dealing with elbow inflammation. Back in 2020, he made his MLB debut with 32 1/3 innings of 2.78 ERA ball. Overall, Fleming has 223 1/3 innings in the big leagues with a 4.88 ERA, 14.9% strikeout rate, 7.1% ground-ball rate and a huge 59% grounder rate. The Pirates, per Murray, view him as a long reliever and occasional spot starter.
Although he’s split his time fairly evenly between the bullpen and rotation in the big leagues, Fleming has been far more effective as a reliever (3.73 ERA) than as a starter (6.10 ERA). Right-handed opponents have been a challenge in particular; he’s yielded a .288/.351/.451 slash to opponents who hold the platoon advantage over him.
By the Pirates’ standards, it’s been an active season in free agency. They haven’t handed out any multi-year deals — a common theme throughout Ben Cherington’s time as general manager — but have agreed to one-year pacts with Aroldis Chapman ($10.5MM), Martin Perez ($8MM), Andrew McCutchen ($5MM), Rowdy Tellez ($3.2MM) and Yasmani Grandal ($2.5MM). Pittsburgh also picked up veteran lefty Marco Gonzales in a trade, and he’ll join Perez in filling out the rotation behind Mitch Keller. Pittsburgh has been seeking additional rotation arms, and while Fleming gives them a potential spot starter, he’s unlikely to be penciled in as a full-time rotation member from day one. Further additions to the starting staff, whether via trade or free agency, still seem likely for the Bucs.
Mets Sign Shintaro Fujinami
Feb. 14: The Mets formally announced the signing of Fujinami. The team waited to make the deal official, as the corresponding roster is transferring infielder Ronny Mauricio, who’s recovering from an ACL tear, to the 60-day injured list. Players can’t be placed on the 60-day IL until spring training opens.
Feb. 2: The Mets have agreed to a deal with free-agent righty Shintaro Fujinami, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’ll earn at a $3.35MM rate in the majors on the one-year pact and can unlock an additional $850K worth of incentives. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the contract does not contain any language preventing Fujinami from being optioned to the minors. Fujinami is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Fujinami, 29, was a high school rival of Shohei Ohtani and entered Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s top professional league, at the same point as the two-way phenom. Early in his NPB career, Fujinami looked the part of a burgeoning phenom himself. He went right from the NPB draft into the Hanshin Tigers’ rotation, pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 137 1/3 frames as a 19-year-old rookie. He turned in a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his first four seasons in NPB and was named an All-Star each year along the way.
Fujinami’s star faded beginning in his age-23 campaign. He’d already been showing some command struggles the year prior, and was controversially left in a game to toss a stunning 161 pitches in a single start — one that began with him surrendering five runs in his first three innings of work. The extent to which that contributed to his decline can’t be known, but Fujinami battled injuries and poor command for much of his remaining time in NPB. The Tigers sent him down to their minor league club on multiple occasions and shuffled him between the rotation and bullpen at various points as well.
In 2022, Fujinami had a resurgence. The hard-throwing righty made 10 starts and six relief appearances with the Tigers’ top team, pitching to a 3.38 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. He fanned 23.6% of his opponents and, most crucially, turned in a career-low 7.6% walk rate. That was not only the best mark of Fujinami’s career but the first time since 2016 he’s posted a walk rate under 10%.
That led to a one-year, $3.25MM deal with the Athletics last year. Fujinami’s MLB career started out in catastrophic fashion. He was absolutely shelled in four starts with Oakland (14.40 ERA) before moving to the bullpen and continuing to struggle, surrendering 15 runs in his next 12 1/3 innings of relief.
Things took a quick turn, however. Fujinami reined in his command beginning in early June, and for nearly two months leading into the trade deadline turned in a 3.18 ERA with a 24-to-9 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 frames — all while averaging better than 99 mph on his fastball. The turnaround prompted the Orioles to send minor league righty Easton Lucas to the A’s in order to acquire Fujinami in a deadline swap. The 6’6″ righty didn’t quite sustain his recent run of strong results but didn’t regress to his disastrous early-season results, either. He tossed 30 innings with a 4.85 ERA as an Oriole, striking out a quarter of his opponents against an 11.9% walk rate.
Setting aside that miserable start to the year, Fujinami closed out his MLB rookie campaign with 48 innings of 3.94 ERA ball. He struck out 25.6% of opponents, walked 10.6% of them, yielded just a .206 opponents’ batting average, kept the ball on the ground at a 43.5% clip and averaged a massive 99.1 mph on his fastball in that time. That type of production would be plenty commensurate with a one-year deal at this price point — if not more — though there’s certainly some risk, given the tall righty’s first two months in 2023.
By guaranteeing Fujinami a 40-man roster spot and a not-insignificant $3.35MM, the Mets are placing a bet that he can at least sustain the performance he showed from June onward — if not improve upon it. There’s something to be said for a pitcher transitioning to a new league and new culture when making the jump from a foreign professional league to MLB, but the extent of Fujinami’s early struggles was nevertheless alarming. If the final four months of his performance are more representative of his abilities, however, he could make for a nice addition to a radically overhauled Mets bullpen.
New York has re-signed Adam Ottavino but also brought in newcomers Jorge Lopez, Michael Tonkin and Austin Adams — none of whom can be optioned without first clearing waivers. The Mets are also reportedly close to a deal with veteran lefty Jake Diekman, and SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that the team is still optimistic his deal will be completed. Given the mounting slate of bullpen additions, it’s quite possible the Mets try to pass someone like Tonkin or Adams through waivers; neither has five years of MLB service, and the salary agreed to on each player’s big league deal could help them clear waivers and head to Triple-A as depth options.
The Mets are set to pay the luxury tax for a third consecutive season in 2024 and are already well into the fourth and final tier of penalty levels. Any dollars spent at this point come with a 110% tax, meaning the Fujinami pact will cost them $7.035MM after taxes. If he unlocks the full $850K incentive package, that’d cost an additional $1.785MM after taxes, although getting to that point would very likely mean he’s pitched well enough to be worth that amount and then some. The Mets will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Fujinami and likely for Diekman (assuming that deal is indeed completed), so additional transactions should be on the horizon within the next few days.
Rays Sign Phil Maton
The Rays bulked up their bullpen Wednesday, finalizing their previously reported one-year contract with free agent righty Phil Maton. The Paragon Sports International client is reportedly guaranteed $6.5MM, which takes the form of a $6.25MM salary and a $250K buyout on a $7.75MM club option for the 2025 season. Tampa Bay transferred left-hander Shane McClanahan, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the 60-day IL to open a spot for Maton on the 40-man roster.
The Cardinals, Phillies, and Yankees have been linked to Maton’s market this winter, but the reliever will now head to Tampa Bay as he enters his age-31 season. Maton has seven years of MLB experience, breaking into the big leagues with San Diego in 2017 and then landing in Cleveland and Houston. Maton had a 4.76 ERA over 215 1/3 innings in the 2017-21 seasons, but a 3.68 ERA in that same span and excellent spin rates and soft-contact numbers indicated that the ceiling was higher on the righty’s performance.
The results began to show over Maton’s last two seasons, both with the Astros. He delivered a 3.84 ERA in 65 2/3 innings in 2022 and then followed up even more strongly with a 3.00 ERA over 66 frames this past year. As per Statcast, Maton had the second-best hard-hit ball rate of any qualified pitcher in baseball in 2023, and the spin rates on his curveball and fastball were both in at least the 98th percentile of all pitchers.
Walks have been an issue for Maton, and his above-average but not standout barrel rates indicate that batters can hit for power on the rare occasions when they actually make solid contact on Maton’s offerings. Still, between his ability to generate soft contact and his above-average strikeout rates, Maton has rather quietly been one of the more effective relievers in baseball over the last two seasons. This success has also extended into the postseason, as while injuries forced Maton to miss the Astros’ 2022 World Series run, he has a sparking 0.83 ERA over 21 2/3 career playoff innings.
Given the Rays’ success at helping pitchers achieve higher levels of performance, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Maton at least continue or even improve on his strong numbers from 2022-23. Maton figures to essentially act as the replacement for Robert Stephenson, a reclamation project-turned-high leverage reliever after joining the Rays last summer.
Stephenson parlayed his spectacular four-month run in Tampa into a three-year, $33MM free agent deal with the Angels. Jake Diekman also signed with the Mets, Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Cardinals, and Jalen Beeks and Josh Fleming were both let go at the start of free agency, leaving the Rays with some holes to fill in the relief corps. Pete Fairbanks figures to be the team’s primary closer again, and though the Rays are traditionally pretty flexible with their bullpen roles, Maton will likely stick to set-up duty since he has only one career save.
According to Roster Resource, Tampa Bay has a projected $93.3MM payroll, which would already be the highest payroll in Rays franchise history even before Maton’s deal is added to the tally. President of baseball operations Erik Neander said in October that the club was open to spending at a (comparatively) higher level to help keep their core in place and to make a deeper playoff run, though the Rays did move Tyler Glasnow and his $25MM salary to the Dodgers in a trade.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported the two sides were nearing a deal (via X). Robert Murray of FanSided reported (on X) the terms of the deal, while Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reported the specific year-to-year breakdown (X link).
Justin Verlander, J.P. France Behind Schedule Due To Shoulder Issues
Astros right-hander Justin Verlander is a few weeks behind his normal Spring Training schedule due to a shoulder issue. He spoke to members of the media about it today, with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relaying video on X of the veteran discussing the situation. General manager Dana Brown also relayed that righty J.P. France is dealing with shoulder inflammation, though Brown isn’t especially worried since both pitchers are playing catch. “If they were shut down, it would be more concerning,” Brown said, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
“I’m a little bit behind schedule right now, had a little hiccup early on that’s resolved itself but I have to be really cautious with how I’m building up,” Verlander said. “I guess my body doesn’t respond the same at 40 as it does at 25. So, you know, I’m a couple weeks behind.” When asked to elaborate on the hiccup, he continued: “When I first started playing catch, I usually shut it down for a while. This time, when I shut it down and picked the ball back up, my shoulder didn’t feel so great, so kind of had to take a step back and kind of just really be diligent about my buildup.” When asked about Opening Day, he said it would depend on how things go in the next few weeks.
It seems like the concern is fairly minor at this point, though it’s less than ideal for the club that a couple members of its rotation mix are already dealing with issues just as camp is opening. The Astros are already set to open the season with Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis García on the injured list, with both of those pitchers having undergone significant surgeries last year. Brown told MLB Network Radio earlier this week that those two guys are on track for returns in the second half, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com.
Without McCullers or García, Houston’s rotation mix would project to be Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown, with one spot available for someone like France, José Urquidy or Brandon Bielak. If Verlander and/or France end up requiring a stint on the injured list to start the year, everyone would be moved up a peg or two on the chart.
Verlander, who turns 41 next week, also dealt with a shoulder issue last spring while with the Mets. At the end of March, he was placed on the IL with a teres major strain and didn’t make his season debut until May. He was ultimately able to make 27 starts on the year between the Mets and Astros after a midseason trade, but with diminished stuff from his 2022 Cy Young-winning year. His ERA went from 1.75 to 3.22 and his strikeout rate dropped from 27.8% to 21.5% with the velo on all his pitches slightly lower as well. He did seem to get better as the season went along, however, with a 3.60 ERA and 19.7% strikeout rate in the first half compared to a 2.92 ERA and 23% strikeout rate in the second.
France, 29 in April, tossed 136 1/3 innings last year with a 3.83 ERA, 17.4% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 42.8% ground ball rate. He’s obviously less essential to the club’s rotation than Verlander, not even guaranteed a roster spot since he has options. But every club has to deal with injuries and reach into their depth at some point during the year. He would have been a candidate to step up if Verlander needed to miss time but that could be in jeopardy if France is himself delayed.
Brown has frequently stated that he’s always looking to add pitching and made similar comments today, with video relayed by McTaggart. “I’m always in the business of trying to add starter depth. I think the season, like I said before, it’s 162 games. If you get a situation where you can trade for a starter or if you can sign a starter, I think you should do it if it makes sense budget wise and all that. But at the end of the day, I’m always in the market for pitching. I’ve said that since day one. I don’t think you can have enough pitching in 162 games.”
The Astros are in unprecedented territory in terms of their payroll. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, their highest Opening Day payroll was $188MM in 2021. Roster Resource pegs them at $240MM for this year and also has their competitive balance tax figure at $255MM. They have never paid the tax before, as they only time they went over was in 2020, when the payments were waived in the shortened season. This year’s line is $237MM, so they’re already well over.
If the club decides they need reinforcements, there are plenty of names still available in free agency. That includes marquee guys like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery but also more affordable names like Michael Lorenzen, Hyun Jin Ryu and many more. Given the club’s payroll and the minor nature of the injuries, it doesn’t seem likely that the club will suddenly go out and splurge, but it will be a situation worth monitoring if another pitcher suffers an injury or a setback is suffered by Verlander or France. Despite Brown’s assertion that he’s always looking for starting depth, they haven’t signed any veterans to minor league deals so could perhaps look to add some non-roster guys in the coming days.
Angels Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal
Feb. 14: The Angels announced their minor league deal with Pomeranz this morning. He’s in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Feb. 13: The Angels are nearing a minor league deal with left-hander Drew Pomeranz, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The southpaw would be invited to major league camp if the deal becomes official.
Pomeranz, 35, spent many years as a quality starting pitcher in the major leagues. As his results started fading, he transitioned to the bullpen and seemed to be sliding into a nice second act as an elite reliever. But he has lost the past two seasons due to injuries and it’s unknown how much he can provide going forward.
In both 2016 and 2017, he tossed over 170 innings with matching ERAs of 3.32 in those seasons. But he got lit up in 2018, with his ERA finishing at 6.08 just as he was about to hit the open market for the first time. He settled for a modest one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Giants and had a 5.68 ERA as he was flipped to the Brewers at the 2019 deadline.
Milwaukee moved him to the bullpen which seemed to be a revelation for the lefty. He tossed 26 1/3 innings after the deal with a 2.39 ERA. He struck out an incredible 45% of batters faced while walking just 8% and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground.
The Padres believed in that mini breakout enough to give Pomeranz a four-year, $34MM guarantee going into 2020. That gamble seemed to be paying off for a while, as Pomeranz made 20 relief appearances in 2020 with a 1.45 ERA and another 27 in 2021 with a 1.75 ERA. He struck out 33.7% of batters faced over those two years and had a 45.8% ground ball rate. The 11.4% walk rate was on the high side but he was nonetheless one of the most dominant relievers in the league for a time.
But in August of 2021, he underwent surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since. At various times throughout 2022 and 2023, there were reports of him ramping up throwing, but each time saw him deal with some renewed soreness or inflammation that stopped his progression. He underwent “a cleanup surgery in his elbow” in May of last year and went out on a rehab assignment in August and September before being shut down again.
It’s hard to expect much after a couple of years completely lost to arm complications, but there’s no real risk for the Angels. They aren’t guaranteeing him a roster spot so they can bring him into camp and see how he looks. If he’s healthy and in good form, it’s a nice find, with no real downside if it doesn’t pan out.
The Halos have been very focused on their bullpen this offseason, signing Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis García, Adam Cimber and José Cisnero to major league deals. Pomeranz will come in as a non-roster wild card who could provide them with another boost if his arm allows.
Orioles, Ryan O’Hearn Avoid Arbitration
9:05am: The 2025 option is valued at $7.5MM and does not contain a buyout, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. The value of that option would jump $500K if O’Hearn appears in 120 games and another $500K for appearing in 150 games.
8:30am: O’Hearn is guaranteed $3.5MM, Andy Koska of the Baltimore Banner reports.
7:54am: The Orioles announced this morning that the club agreed to a one-year contract with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to avoid arbitration. The terms of the deal are not yet clear, though the pact does include a club option for the 2025 season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected O’Hearn for a $3MM salary in 2024 back in October. Both sides submitted figures slightly higher than that projection back in January, as O’Hearn requested a $3.8MM salary while the Orioles countered at $3.2MM.
The 30-year-old O’Hearn, acquired from the Royals last offseason in exchange for cash, has the best season of his big league career with Baltimore in 2023. The former eighth-round pick slashed .289/.322/.480 with career-highs in plate appearances (368), home runs (14), doubles (22).
That O’Hearn agreed to a club option for the 2025 season is an unexpected benefit for the Orioles. The lefty-swinging slugger had been slated to reach open market following the 2024 campaign, but Baltimore now gains control over what would’ve been his first free-agent season.
O’Hearn tallied only 29 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in 2023, and he’ll likely reprise that platoon first base/designated role in 2024. He’ll be joined by right-handed-hitting Ryan Mountcastle in that mix, but both players will have plenty of young talent pushing for playing time as the season wears on. Corner infielder Coby Mayo and outfielders Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad could all push onto the big league roster and into prominent roles at some point in 2024. (Cowser and Kjerstad have already made their MLB debuts.)
If and when that happens, right fielder Anthony Santander could be pushed into more time at designated hitter, crowding the mix. It’s a good “problem” for the Orioles to have, and one that could of course be alleviated by injuries that a team inevitably incurs over the course of the year. At $3.5MM, O’Hearn is a reasonably priced power bat off the bench, even if the Orioles’ burgeoning youth movement pushes him into a reserve role.
The Orioles exchanged arbitration figures with an MLB-high five players, O’Hearn among them. The team avoided hearings with O’Hearn and left-handed relievers Danny Coulombe and Cionel Perez by agreeing to one-year deals with club options for the 2025 season. Outfielder Austin Hays and right-handed reliever Jacob Webb both won hearings over the team.
The Opener: Spring Training, Arraez, Red Sox
With baseball’s preseason kicking into gear, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Baseball is back!
Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp ahead of Spring Training for 18 of the league’s 30 clubs today. When combined with the early reporting dates for the Dodgers and Padres, that means camp will be underway for two thirds of the league by the end of the day. Even as teams begin their preparations for the coming campaign, however, four of the offseason’s top 10 free agents remain on the market and the rumor mill continues to buzz with the possibility of more preseason deals both in free agency and on the trade market.
Among the teams reporting to camp today are the Rangers, who enter the 2024 campaign looking to defend the first World Series title in franchise history; the Diamondbacks, who hope to carry over the momentum that allowed that to make a surprise run to the Fall Classic last year into the new season; and the Twins, who will look to return to the postseason in 2024 after breaking their record 18-game postseason losing streak and won a playoff series for the first time since 2003.
2. Arraez, Marlins await hearing results:
Second baseman Luis Arraez is scheduled to go to a hearing against his club today after the sides failed to come to an agreement to avoid arbitration, as noted by the Associated Press. Arraez requested a $12MM salary for the 2024 campaign, while the Marlins offered $10.6MM. Arraez won his case against Miami last year, when a panel of arbiters awarded him $6.1MM rather than the Marlins’ submitted figure of $5MM. Arraez’s hearing comes on the heels of a loss by Rays right-hander Jason Adam, who also went to arbitration against his club for the second consecutive season after winning last year’s hearing. With five cases as of yet undecided, players have won in seven hearings while teams have won in four.
3. What’s the plan for the Red Sox?
It’s been a strange offseason in Boston. After a lengthy search for the club’s next chief baseball officer which ended the club hiring Craig Breslow, the club made clear that their primary focus this winter would be on bolstering the starting rotation. Since then, the club shipped out longtime ace Chris Sale in a trade that brought second baseman Vaughn Grissom back from Atlanta while landing right-hander Lucas Giolito via free agency. That series of moves that landed the club a potential regular at a position of need but arguably left the club with a similar lack of rotation depth and a volatile top veteran starter. Since then, club officials have backtracked on previous comments indicating a “full-throttle” approach to the winter while noting that payroll would likely go down in 2024.
That conflicting messaging leaves plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Red Sox as the club’s pitchers and catchers begin to report to camp today. While the club continues to pursue additions to its outfield mix via free agency, it’s simultaneously receiving trade interest in outfielder Jarren Duran while also shopping listening to offers on key bullpen pieces such as Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin. Will the arrival of Spring Training provide more clarity on the club’s direction headed into the 2024 campaign?
Athletics To Meet With Government Officials About Coliseum Lease Extension
The Athletics have a meeting on Thursday with officials from the City of Oakland and County of Alameda to discuss a lease extension at the Coliseum, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The A’s are planning to move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season, a move that was already unanimously approved by all 29 other owners. But their lease at the Coliseum in Oakland is up after 2024, leaving them without a home stadium for the three intervening seasons. Various solutions for how to navigate that interim period have been considered, including playing in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Reno, sharing San Francisco’s Oracle Park with the Giants or playing at the organization’s Triple-A field in Las Vegas.
Staying in Oakland never seemed to be a realistic option, with the relationship between the club and the city growing frosty during and after the stadium negotiations. Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has previously indicated that the city would have lofty demands in any lease discussions, such as the city retaining the rights to the name “Athletics” or a guarantee of a future expansion franchise. More recently, she indicated the city is willing to reopen talks with the club, but also relayed that she hadn’t spoken with owner John Fisher since he started focusing on the Vegas move in April.
It seems likely there’s a financial motivation for the sides to come back to the table. It was reported back in August that the club’s TV deal with NBC Sports California runs through 2033 and pays the club about $60MM per year. Jeff Passan of ESPN later reported that the club will actually receive about $70MM in 2024. But the deal lapses if the club leaves the Bay Area.
Sharing Oracle Park with the Giants would allow the club to continue collecting that money but would come with many logistical problems. The other proposed locations are not considered to be in the Bay Area and would result in forfeiting the deal. If the A’s want to get that TV money, staying in Oakland could be their best bet.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the upcoming negotiations will be fruitful, as the city and county will now they have leverage coming into the talks. But with the club having millions of dollars on the line, perhaps they can work something out. Shea reports that the A’s pay $1.2MM annually in rent. Also per today’s report, the meeting will feature Oakland chief of staff Leigh Hanson, city council member Rebecca Kaplan, county supervisor David Haubert and A’s team president Dave Kaval.