Jonathan Loaisiga To Undergo Season-Ending UCL Surgery
Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga revealed to reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that he will need surgery to repair a torn UCL. The procedure isn’t a Tommy John surgery so it comes with a shorter recovery timeline of 10-12 months, but Loaisiga will obviously still miss the rest of the 2024 season.
New York already placed Loaisiga on the 60-day injured list yesterday with what was described as a right flexor strain, and the fact that the right-hander was immediately sent to the 60-day IL was an ominous hint that he might be facing a particularly serious injury. His 2024 campaign will now unfortunately come to an end after only three games and four scoreless innings.
This is the most serious injury yet in what has been a star-crossed career for the 29-year-old. When Loaisiga has been able to pitch, he has been very effective — over 219 2/3 MLB innings, the righty has a 3.44 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate, a very impressive 54.7% grounder rate, and some of the best soft-contact numbers of any hurler in the sport. His bottom-line results have only better since a full-time move to relief pitching in 2021, and that season saw Loaisiga post a 2.17 ERA in 70 2/3 innings over 57 appearances.
2021 was also just about the healthiest season of Loaisiga’s career, and even that breakout campaign saw him miss about a month due to a rotator cuff strain and a stint on the COVID-related injury list. He has since missed about seven weeks in 2022 with shoulder inflammation, and was then limited to 17 2/3 innings in 2023 due to elbow inflammation, surgery to remove a bone spur from that troublesome elbow, and then another inflammation-related IL placement last September. This is all on top of a Tommy John surgery that Loaisiga did require back in 2016 soon after joining the Yankees organization.
Since Loaisiga is a free agent after the season, it is possible he has played his last game in the pinstripes. The Yankees might simply want to move on from a pitcher with so many health-related question marks, yet Loaisiga won’t have a particularly high price tag coming off a lost season. Since the Yankees know his injury history as well as anyone, if they still have faith Loaisiga can return, it seems entirely possible the two sides could agree on a low-cost one-year contract for 2025. Given how the surgery hasn’t even taken place yet, there’s no rush for either side to make a decision yet, and New York will have several months to monitor Loaisiga’s recovery process.
From Loaisiga’s own perspective, obviously the UCL injury is a huge blow on many levels, but a good and healthy season would’ve lined him up for a nice free agent deal. Though he lacks the big strikeout numbers that usually lead to the highest tier of reliever contracts, Loaisiga’s knack for inducing soft contact and keeping the ball on the ground would’ve drawn attention from plenty of suitors. At a much lower price tag, this might still end up being the case in free agency, as Loaisiga has appeal as a buy-low candidate if he can establish that he’s healthy.
Scott Effross (back surgery) and Lou Trivino (Tommy John surgery) aren’t expected to be available until closer to midseason, plus the Yankees are being cautious with Tommy Kahnle‘s recovery from shoulder inflammation since he was still battling some residual soreness in Spring Training. Between these injured pitchers and Loaisiga, there is plenty of opportunity emerging in New York’s bullpen for the several new relievers acquired over the offseason.
Apart from the injury concerns in the relief corps, the larger-scale question of Gerrit Cole‘s health is still hanging over the team as a whole, since the ace will be out until at least late May recovering from nerve inflammation. The Yankees have done well in developing relief pitchers and finding hidden-gem bullpen options, so expect the team to continue pursuing lower-level acquisitions until some of their in-house names get healthy or until some bigger-name possibilities become available closer to the trade deadline.
Dodgers Acquire Connor Brogdon
The Dodgers have acquired right-hander Connor Brogdon from the Phillies in exchange for minor league southpaw Benony Robles. Both teams have announced the trade.
Philadelphia designated Brogdon for assignment earlier this week, and he will now switch teams for the first time in his professional career. Brogdon was a 10th-round selection for the Phillies in the 2017 draft, and he had a 3.55 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, and 7.9% walk rate over 142 innings with the team from 2020-23.
Despite those generally solid numbers, the Phils shuffled Brogdon back and forth from the minors several times in his first three MLB seasons. His production also dipped last season when his strikeout rate tipped to 20.5% and his walk rate jumped up to 10.2%, and Brogdon was tagged for five homers in 29 innings of work. Between these red flags and a two-mile velocity drop on Brogdon’s fastball, the Phillies optioned the righty to Triple-A last June.
He didn’t make another big league appearance until this season, and Brogdon was hit hard for six earned runs in just two innings spread over three games. With an ugly 27.00 ERA on his resume, Brogdon found himself on the Phillies’ DFA wire due to being out of minor league options. He’ll now get a chance with another National League contender, and possibly might benefit from this specific change of scenery to a Dodgers team known for rehabilitating pitchers.
Robles was an international signing who began his pro career at age 18 with the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League squad. The southpaw’s control is a work in progress but he has shown some ability to miss bats, as evidenced by his whopping 38.7% strikeout rate in 32 2/3 innings at high-A Great Lakes last season. Robles also had a 13.9% walk rate en route to a 3.86 ERA, so there’s some potential there for the 23-year-old as a relief weapon if he can limit the free passes.
Bonus Pools For 2025 International Signing Period
The 2024 international signing window is still open until December 15, but the 30 MLB teams have long been making their plans for the next int’l signing period that begins on January 15 of next year. According to Baseball America’s Ben Badler, the league gave each team its allotted bonus pool figures for next year’s international signing class.
Smaller-revenue teams get more money in their international bonus pools, as the two largest pool groupings match the 13 teams who are also part of the Competitive Balance Rounds in the North American amateur draft. As it relates to the 2025 international market, the teams with the largest bonus pools are the eight teams who were slotted into the second CBR in the 2024 draft order — the six teams with the second-largest int’l pool are the teams slotted into CBR-A in this July’s amateur draft. Though CBR picks can be traded, that doesn’t impact the international bonus pools. For example, even though the Brewers acquired the Orioles’ CBR-A pick as part of the Corbin Burnes trade, that doesn’t alter the amount of int’l bonus money allotted to Milwaukee or Baltimore.
It should be noted that teams are allowed to trade money from their international bonus pools. If a club is looking for extra money to make another signing (perhaps to bid on a player who unexpectedly joined the market), it can obtain up to $250K in international bonus funds from another team. This rival team could perhaps simply be done with its int’l spending for the year, or is willing to give up money either as part of a trade package, or perhaps to land a minor leaguer who is closer to the Show than a teenage international prospect who might be years away. Such deals to acquire more pool space are sometimes necessary because club aren’t allowed to exceed their pool limit.
All international signings greater than $10K count against the pool total. Here is what each team will have to spend in the 2025 signing period…
$7,555,500: Athletics, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins…..The original slate of teams with picks in Competitive Balance Round-B of the 2024 amateur draft.
$6,908,600: Diamondbacks, Guardians, Orioles, Pirates, Rockies, Royals…..The original slate of teams with picks in Competitive Balance Round-A of the 2024 amateur draft.
$6,261,600: Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees
$5,646,200: Astros, Cardinals…..These teams each gave up $500K of their pool money by signing a free agent (Houston and Josh Hader, St. Louis and Sonny Gray) who rejected a qualifying offer.
$5,146,200: Dodgers, Giants…..For both exceeding the luxury tax in 2023 and for signing the qualifying offer-rejecting Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had to give up $1MM in pool money. The Giants had to give up $1MM in pool funds for signing Matt Chapman and Blake Snell, who both rejected qualifying offers.
Pablo Sandoval Signs With Atlantic League’s Staten Island FerryHawks
The Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League have signed Pablo Sandoval to a contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). It is the latest step in Sandoval’s comeback attempt after he didn’t play during the 2023 season.
Sandoval spent most of his 14 Major League seasons with the Giants, becoming a Bay Area legend for his contributions to the “Even Year” mini-dynasty that saw the team win the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. The third baseman hit .344/.389/.546 over 167 plate appearances during those postseasons, coming up particularly big in the latter two of those championship runs. The highlight was World Series MVP honors in 2012, as Sandoval had a whopping 1.654 OPS in 17 plate appearances, including three homers in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
After an ill-fated free deal with the Red Sox didn’t work out, Sandoval found himself back in San Francisco for parts of the 2017-20 seasons. He then appeared in 69 games with the 2021 Braves, and hasn’t since re-appeared on the Major League radar. The Kung Fu Panda played in the Mexican League in 2022, and played winter ball in his native Venezuela and in Puerto Rico.
San Francisco inked the 37-year-old Sandoval to a minor league deal in February, and he hit .250/.323/.250 over 31 plate appearances in Spring Training. Sandoval made it clear that he didn’t view the signing as a ceremonial gesture, and he was willing to play in the minors in order to continue his career before the Giants released him as part of their Opening Day roster cuts. Sandoval will now become the latest MLB veteran to ply his trade in the Atlantic League, joining former big leaguers like Justin Williams, Jairo Labourt, and Mike Shawaryn on the Staten Island roster.
Rangers Sign Codi Heuer To Minors Deal
The Rangers have signed right-hander Codi Heuer to a minor league contract, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (via X). Heuer was a free agent after being non-tendered by the Cubs in November.
It has been over two years since Heuer last stepped on a big league mound, and he has only 12 2/3 minor league innings on his resume since the start of the 2022 season. A Tommy John procedure kept Heuer on the shelf for much of that time, but while pitching in a minor league rehab outing last June, he suffered an elbow fracture that required another surgery.
Heuer was a sixth-round pick for the White Sox in the 2018 draft, and he made his Major League debut in the form of 23 2/3 innings in the 2020 season. Heuer had an impressive 1.52 ERA in that first taste of the Show, even if a .193 BABIP helped his outperform such peripherals as a 3.69 SIERA. The righty came closer to that mark with a 4.28 ERA in 67 1/3 combined innings with the White Sox and Cubs in 2021, as Heuer and Nick Madrigal went from the South Side to Wrigleyville in the all-Chicago deadline trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the Sox.
Between the extended layoff and the variables that went into the 2020 season, it is hard to project if Heuer will ever be able to match his impressive numbers (including a 27.2% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate) from that shortened season, as his K% sharply dropped to 19.9% in 2021. Heuer’s fastball also dropped from 97.6mph in 2020 to 95.9mph in 2021, and it is fair to wonder how two surgeries have since impacted his velocity. Still, Heuer doesn’t turn 28 until July, and he would hardly be the first somewhat unheralded pitcher to enjoy a second wind in his career after getting healthy. There’s no risk and plenty of upside for Texas in this minor league deal, particularly since improving the bullpen has been a known focus for the Rangers for the better part of two seasons.
Pat Zachry Passes Away
Ten-year Major League veteran and NL co-Rookie of the Year Pat Zachry passed away on Thursday at age 71, as reported by multiple outlets. Such former teammates as Johnny Bench and Doug Flynn were among the many to pay tribute to the right-hander, with Bench describing Zachry as “one of the great characters and an unbelievable teammate,” while Flynn said “you couldn’t find a better teammate than Zach. We will all miss him dearly.”
A native of Richmond, Texas, Zachry was a 19th-round pick for the Reds in the 1970 draft. He debuted in the majors six years later, and immediately became part of one of baseball’s great teams — the “Big Red Machine” followed up their World Series title in 1975 with another championship in 1976, and Zachry played an important role. The righty posted a 2.74 ERA over 204 innings in his rookie season, and then a 3.09 ERA over two postseason starts (both wins) as Cincinnati swept its way through the playoffs. Zachry and the Padres’ Butch Metzger finished in a tie vote for NL Rookie of the Year honors, which is still the only time the NL ROY has ever been split between multiple players.
Injuries slowed Zachry’s start to the 1977 season, and he found himself leaving the Reds altogether in June of that year when Cincinnati dealt Zachry, infielder Flynn, and outfielders Steve Henderson and Dan Norman to the Mets in exchange for the legendary Tom Seaver. Needless to say, the trade didn’t go over well in New York, and the Mets’ twin deals of Seaver and Dave Kingman on the same day became known as the “Midnight Massacre” for the struggling team. The trade had the side effect of bonding the four ex-Reds — as Flynn put it, “we just stuck together” in the aftermath of the deal, since “none of us knew we could ever replace Tom.”
Zachry ended up pitching with the Mets through to the end of the 1983 season, posting a 3.63 ERA over his 135 appearances (113 of them starts) and 741 2/3 innings for the team. His tenure was highlighted by an All-Star selection in 1978, though that season was cut short for Zachry when he broke his foot while accidentally kicking at his helmet in frustration in the dugout, and instead hitting the dugout steps.
Zachry posted a 3.52 ERA over 1177 1/3 career innings with the Reds, Mets, Dodgers, and Phillies. Turning to relief pitching at the back end of his career, he had an impressive 2.49 ERA over 61 1/3 innings for Los Angeles in 1983, coming out of the pen for 39 of his 40 games that season.
We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Zachry’s family, friends, and teammates.
Cubs Sign Carl Edwards Jr., Ali Sanchez To Minor League Deals
The Cubs have signed right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. and catcher Ali Sanchez to minor league deals, as announced yesterday by the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register (X link) was the first to report that Edwards was working out with the Iowa pitching staff on Thursday.
Edwards is back for what is technically a third stint with the Cubs, after he opted out of his previous minor league deal with the club two weeks ago. After testing the market, Edwards now returns to a familiar environment to see if another MLB opportunity might yet emerge in the Wrigleyville bullpen, and it be assumed that his new minors pact probably has at least one opt-out clause.
A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Edwards posted a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings for the Nationals in an abbreviated 2023 campaign. Edwards didn’t pitch after June 19 due to a diagnosis of shoulder inflammation and later a stress fracture that developed in late August. The injury brought a sour end to what had been a pretty successful run in D.C., as Edwards revived his career with a 2.76 ERA over 62 innings for the Nats in 2022. The righty had mostly struggled in the previous three seasons, which hastened the end of his original run with the Cubs when Chicago traded him to the Padres at the 2019 trade deadline.
With Edwards bringing some bullpen depth to the Triple-A, Sanchez will do the same to the Cubs’ catching ranks. Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya seem to be entrenched as the active roster’s catching duo, so Sanchez joins veteran Curt Casali in Iowa, and Joe Hudson (who signed a minors deal with Chicago in the offseason) has been moved to the Triple-A affiliate’s developmental list. This placement might be a way to keep Hudson sharp while the Cubs sort out their catching situation, or it could possibly hint that Hudson could eventually be the odd man out.
Sanchez signed a guaranteed big league contract with the Pirates in December, though Pittsburgh designated the catcher for assignment on Opening Day. Since Sanchez had previously been outrighted in his career, he had the right to opt into free agency rather than accept Pittsburgh’s outright assignment to Triple-A, and the backstop indeed took the chance to re-enter the open market.
The Cubs are Sanchez’s sixth different organization in less than 38 months. His only MLB experience consists five games with the Mets in 2020 and two games with the 2021 Cardinals, as the catcher has otherwise bounced around as a depth option. While not really known for his bat, Sanchez has a respectable .275/.345/.402 slash line over 893 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, though those numbers were boosted by a nice 2023 season with the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Dodgers Re-Sign Matt Gage
TODAY: The Dodgers have re-signed Gage to a minor league contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports (X link).
APRIL 2, 2:31pm: In an updated announcement, the Dodgers stated that Gage has actually been released — not designated for assignment as the team initially indicated.
2:20pm: The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-handed reliever Matt Gage for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Taylor Trammell, whom the Dodgers have claimed off waivers from the Mariners (as was previously reported).
It’s been an eventful few months for Gage, who was designated for assignment by the Astros in late January and claimed off waivers by the Yankees. New York wound up including Gage alongside minor league righty Christian Zazueta in the trade sending lefty Caleb Ferguson from Los Angeles to the Bronx. He had a decent spring with the Dodgers, tossing four innings and allowing a pair of runs on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
Gage, 31, pitched in the majors with the 2022 Blue Jays and 2023 Astros, though he combined for only 19 2/3 innings between those two clubs. He’s posted a sparkling 1.83 ERA in that time but benefited from a tiny .222 average on balls in play. Gage doesn’t throw especially hard (93.2 mph average fastball) but misses bats nonetheless (26% strikeout rate, 13.7% swinging-strike rate). Command has been a major issue for him recently. He’s issued a walk to nine of his 77 MLB opponents (11.7%) and plunked another. Gage also walked 12% of his opponents in Triple-A last year.
Gage posted lower walk rates but also lower strikeout rates earlier in his minor league career as a starting pitcher. He’s begun to miss more bats but also miss the strike zone more frequently in recent seasons. The Dodgers will have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He hasn’t been outrighted in the past and doesn’t have three years of MLB service, so if Gage clears waivers he can be outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City and stashed as depth.
Spencer Strider To Undergo MRI On Right Elbow
Braves ace Spencer Strider will go for an MRI on his right elbow on Saturday after complaining of discomfort on Friday night (per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The All-Star right-hander threw just four innings and 88 pitches in his second start of the season, giving up five earned runs while striking out four. As Mark Bowman of MLB.com noted, his 12 whiffs were tied for the “sixth-lowest total he has induced while throwing at least 80 pitches” in his MLB career. For comparison, Strider produced 18 whiffs and eight strikeouts on 90 pitches in his season debut. To make matters worse, his velocity was down on all four of his pitches. Although Strider didn’t mention his discomfort until he exited the game (per David O’Brien of The Athletic), something was clearly off throughout his start.
Despite his unimposing stature, Strider is one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in baseball. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.2 mph and topped out at 100.5 mph in 2023. He pairs his blistering fastball with a terrific slider, a changeup (against left-handed batters), and as of this year, a curveball. For a flame-throwing hurler toying with a new breaking pitch, the words “elbow discomfort” are especially worrisome. Not to mention, Strider has already suffered a torn UCL, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019 during his time at Clemson University.
Strider burst onto the scene in 2022 and established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game the following year. He led the National League in wins, strikeouts, and FIP, en route to All-MLB First Team honors. He entered the 2024 campaign as the undisputed ace of a strong Braves rotation and a popular preseason pick to win the NL Cy Young. A serious elbow injury would be devastating for both Strider and his club.
Even if the MRI comes back clean, Bowman suggests Atlanta will exercise caution with Strider over the next two weeks. He could take a 15-day trip to the IL while his elbow regains strength. After all, there is little harm in playing it safe.
The Braves remain the favorites in the NL East even if Strider misses significant time. Still, any injury to their No. 1 starter would be a huge blow, particularly if Strider is unavailable to pitch in the playoffs. The team provided little reason for optimism or pessimism after the game, so fans will have to wait until Saturday to learn more about the extent of Strider’s potential injury.
Trevor Story Exits With Left Shoulder Pain
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story injured his shoulder on Friday as he dove to field a groundball. He hit the ground in significant distress and eventually left the game holding his arm. Shortly afterward, the team told reporters (including Christopher Smith of MassLive) that he exited with “left shoulder pain.” Presumably, the Red Sox will provide more details after the game, although Story might need further evaluation on Saturday before receiving a proper diagnosis.
Story has been something of an injury magnet throughout his career, spending time on the injured list in six of his first eight MLB seasons from 2016-23. He tore a thumb ligament in 2016, suffered a shoulder strain in 2017, sprained his thumb in 2019, dealt with elbow inflammation in 2021, and fractured his wrist (and suffered a heel contusion) in 2022. Most recently, he spent the first four months of the 2023 season recovering from an internal brace procedure to repair his UCL.
The Red Sox, who signed Story to a six-year, $140 million contract ahead of the 2022 campaign, were counting on him to be their regular shortstop this year. He struggled tremendously at the plate in 2023, slashing .203/.250/.316 in 43 games. However, he looked phenomenal at shortstop, producing 8 DRS and 8 OAA in just 314 defensive innings. Surely, the Red Sox were hoping that after a regular, healthy offseason, Story could get back on track at the plate. Over his first seven seasons, he produced an .849 OPS and 111 wRC+.
Instead, it seems as if Story is headed to the injured list early in 2024. Boston is low on infield depth with second baseman Vaughn Grissom already on the IL, but Pablo Reyes can cover at shortstop. Meanwhile, utility man Romy Gonzalez, currently at Triple-A, is a likely candidate to fill an empty spot on the bench.