Diamond Sports Group In Agreement With Rangers, Twins, Guardians For 2024
Diamond Sports Group has an agreement in place with the Rangers, Twins and Guardians, meaning Bally will plan to broadcast the games of those clubs this year, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. The agreements are still pending court approval. The judge is expected to rule on these agreements February 9, per Alden González of ESPN. Drellich adds that the three clubs retain their streaming rights but each contract has a clause preventing them from doing anything with them this year.
“We are pleased to have reached agreements with the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers that work for all parties and enable us to continue delivering high-quality, live game broadcasts on Bally Sports to dedicated fans through the 2024 season,” reads a statement from a Diamond spokesperson, per Drellich.
The Guardians confirmed their agreement with a statement relayed by Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. “We can confirm we have reached an agreement with Diamond Sports Group for the 2024 season,” the club statement reads. “That agreement is currently pending court approval.”
It was reported earlier this week that the league expected Diamond to work out new deals with each of those three clubs and it now seems that the agreements are in place. The Twins’ previous deal with Diamond expired at the end of 2023. The Rangers and Guardians still had contracts in place but Diamond threatened to abandon them as part of the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, citing them as unprofitable.
The details still aren’t known, but the reporting from earlier this week suggested the clubs would likely be paid at least 85% of what they were getting previously. The Guardians reportedly made $55MM from their deal in 2023 with the Rangers reportedly at $111MM. Even if they are going to get lower fees compared to the past, a new deal could at least give them some clarity over their 2024 finances, which could then impact how they proceed with roster moves in the coming weeks.
Not too long ago, it seemed as though Diamond was going to be abandoning live sports entirely after 2024. But a couple of weeks back, they announced a restructuring deal involving an investment from Amazon, a deal that Diamond believes can get it out of bankruptcy. If the bankruptcy court approves all of these details, Amazon will acquire the streaming rights of the Tigers, Royals, Marlins, Brewers and Rays. Per González, the ruling on that restructuring deal is expected February 26, with Diamond then having until March 22 to finalize the details for presentation in court.
Diamond only had the streaming rights for those five clubs, meaning it couldn’t sell rights for the other clubs that it broadcasts on television. The Rangers, Twins and Guardians will retain their streaming rights but won’t be able to work out a new deal this year. For fans in those markets hoping for changes to the direct-to-consumer model, it seems they may have to wait another year, assuming everything ends up being approved in court.
Angels Win Arbitration Case Against José Suarez
The Angels have won their arbitration case against left-hander José Suarez, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The team filed at $925K with the lefty’s camp at $1.35MM, but he will make the lesser figure this year.
Suarez, 26, qualified for arbitration for the first time this offseason. He seemed to be establishing himself as a viable rotation piece over 2021 and 2022. He appeared in 45 games for the Angels in that time, 34 of them starts, logging 207 1/3 innings while allowing 3.86 earned runs per nine. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate were all reasonably close to league averages.
But 2023 was undeniably a struggle. He allowed 26 earned runs in 24 1/3 innings to start the season, then landed on the injured list in early May due to a left shoulder strain. He didn’t return until mid-September and made five shorter appearances down the stretch. He had a 4.82 ERA in that brief return but his season-long ERA still finished at 8.29 thanks to his early struggles.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of $1.1MM for 2024. That ended up being roughly the midpoint between the two filings figures, but arbiters have to pick one number or the other and can’t pick midpoints.
Since they opted for the team’s figure, it will result in some small short-term savings for the Halos while reducing the earning power for the southpaw. He is still slated for two more passes through the arbitration system and those future raises will be starting from a lower starting point. He will try to put the injury-marred season behind him and get back on track in 2024.
The Angels’ rotation mix should feature arms like Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval and Tyler Anderson, while Suarez will be battling for a back-end job with the like of Chase Silseth, Zach Plesac, Sam Bachman and others. Suarez is out of options so he’ll need to either earn a rotation job or be bumped to the bullpen, unless the Angels are willing to remove him from the 40-man roster altogether.
The club still has one more hearing to go, with outfielder Taylor Ward having filed at $4.8MM while the Angels filed at $4.3MM.
Twins Claim Daniel Duarte, Designate Ryan Jensen
The Twins claimed right-hander Daniel Duarte off waivers from the Rangers, per announcements from both clubs. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Minnesota designated fellow righty and fellow waiver claim Ryan Jensen for assignment.
Duarte, 27, made his big league debut with the 2022 Reds but pitched only 2 2/3 innings that year due to inflammation in his elbow. He was healthier and posted generally solid run-prevention numbers in 2023, totaling 31 2/3 innings of 3.69 ERA ball for Cincinnati. That earned run average masks some much shakier K/BB numbers, however. Duarte has fanned a well below-average 16.7% of his MLB opponents and walked an unsightly 15.3% of them. He’ll need to improve one or both of those areas in order to stick in the big leagues.
That said, there’s reason to hope for improvement. Duarte has fanned 26.8% of his opponents at the Triple-A level, and while his 11.6% walk rate there is still too high, it’s a far sight better than his big league mark to date. He’s averaged a strong 95.7 mph on his heater, and scouting reports on the right-hander tout his plus slider. Duarte has a minor league option remaining, so he can be an up-and-down arm for the Twins this season if they hang onto him for the remainder of the offseason and into the 2024 campaign.
Jensen, 26, was the No. 27 overall pick by the Cubs back in 2019 but hasn’t made his big league debut. The Twins claimed him off waivers in early January. Command issues have plagued him throughout his minor league tenure, and Chicago placed him on waivers shortly after the trade deadline, surely hopeful of sneaking him through in order to retain him without committing a 40-man roster spot. That didn’t happen, as Seattle claimed him on waivers. He’s since bounced to the Marlins and Twins via the waiver wire, and he’ll now spend no more than a week waiting to learn his next stop. The Twins have seven days to trade Jensen or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
In 2023, Jensen split the year between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 5.32 earned run average in 64 1/3 innings of work. He operated primarily out of the bullpen, his first season doing so after spending the first few years of his career as a starting pitcher. He sports an overall 4.42 ERA with an above-average 26% strikeout rate and ugly 14.5% walk rate in his minor league career.
Jensen has a mid-90s heater, plus ground-ball rates, above-average strikeout rates and a pair of minor league options remaining, so the Twins would surely be glad if they’re able to pass him through waivers and keep him in the organization. But he’s also been designated for assignment thrice in the past six months and claimed by a new club each time, so there’s a decent chance another team will scoop him up in hopes of tapping into some of the former first-rounder’s latent potential.
Red Sox Acquire Tyler Heineman, Designate Max Castillo
The Red Sox have acquired catcher Tyler Heineman from the Mets, per announcements from both teams. The latter club, who designated Heineman for assignment earlier this week, receive cash considerations in return. The Sox designated right-hander Max Castillo for assignment in a corresponding move.
Heineman, 33, is a switch-hitting catcher with part-time exposure in the big leagues since his 2019 debut. He has appeared in 104 games over four campaigns combined, walking in just 7.1% of his plate appearances but striking out at just a 12.4% clip. He has just one home run in that time, leading to a batting line of .218/.297/.282.
He finished the 2023 season on the Blue Jays’ roster but was claimed off waivers by the Mets in December. He lasted almost two months with that club before being nudged off the roster when they signed Adam Ottavino.
His major league track record is limited but he’s generally produced intriguing Triple-A results in a low-power, strikeout-dodging fashion. He’s stepped up to the plate 1,328 times at the Triple-A level and only has 23 homers in that time. But his 9.3% walk rate is fairly solid while his 15.1% strikeout rate is quite low. For reference, last year’s major league averages were 8.6% for walks and 22.7% for strikeouts. All of that has led to a line of .276/.350/.402.
Defensively, his track record is quite solid. Statcast considers him to be above average both in terms of throwing and blocking. Baseball Prospectus agrees and both outlets consider him to be a good pitch framer as well. The Sox have Connor Wong and Reese McGuire lined up to be their catching tandem in 2024, but Heineman still has one minor league option. That means he can be kept in Triple-A as depth until an injury creates a need at the big league level.
Castillo, 25 in May, has 59 2/3 innings of major league experience. He got those innings over the past two years, split between the Jays and the Royals. He has a 5.43 earned run average in that time, along with an 18.1% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 44.7% ground ball rate. He spent most of last year at Triple-A, posting an ERA of 4.58 in 116 innings at that level.
The Sox claimed him off waivers from the Royals a month ago but he’s now lost his roster spot a month later. Boston will have one week to work out a trade or try to pass him through waivers. He still has one option year remaining and could appeal to clubs looking for extra pitching depth.
A’s Sign Alex Wood
The A’s announced the signing of starter Alex Wood to a one-year free agent contract. The left-hander is reportedly guaranteed $8.5MM with an additional $1MM in performance incentives. Wood is an ACES client.
Wood, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this month, will remain in the Bay Area for Athletics’ final season in Oakland after spending the past three seasons as a member of the Giants. A second-round pick by Altanta during the 2012 draft, spent the first several years of his career as a quality mid-rotation arm for the Braves and Dodgers with a 3.29 ERA (117 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP across 803 1/3 innings of work from 2013 to 2018. Things took a turn for the worse for Wood after he was traded to the Reds as part of a multi-player blockbuster that also sent Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati. The lefty managed just 16 appearances between the 2019 and 2020 seasons and struggled to a 5.96 ERA and 6.02 FIP across the 48 1/3 innings he was able to muster during that time.
That pair of injury-marred campaigns didn’t stop the Giants from taking a chance on Wood, however, and they were rewarded for that decision almost immediately. The lefty made 26 starts for San Francisco in 2021, pitching to a 3.83 ERA with a 3.48 FIP in 138 2/3 innings of work as the Giants stormed to a 107-win season and their first division title since 2012. The club rewarded Wood with a two-year, $25MM contract that offseason, though his second contract in San Francisco was nowhere near as successful as the first.
Wood struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 26 starts with the Giants in 2022 despite peripheral numbers that indicated a much stronger performance, including a career-best 5.4% walk rate paired with solid strikeout and grounder rates. Those struggles led the club to use Wood as a hybrid starter and bulk reliever in 2023. The veteran southpaw recorded more than 12 outs just three times after the month of June last year but struggled in the swing role with a middling 4.33 ERA to go with a 4.47 FIP. Unlike 2022, Wood’s peripherals backed up the lackluster results in 2023 as his walk rate ballooned to 9.8% while his strikeout rate dipped to just 17.2%.
Despite his struggles over the past two seasons, the addition of Wood could be a significant boost for an A’s club that lost 112 games last year thanks in part to a rotation that finished 2023 with a collective ERA of 5.74, worst among major league clubs that do not call Coors Field home. Even Wood’s diminished production of a 4.77 ERA and 4.07 FIP over the past two seasons would be a notable improvement over that figure, and if he recaptures the mid-rotation form he flashed earlier in his career Wood could be a valuable piece for the A’s to flip at the deadline as they continue their rebuild. In the meantime, Wood figures to join JP Sears and Paul Blackburn in the Oakland rotation with the likes of Luis Medina, Joe Boyle, and Joey Estes among the possibilities to round out the club’s starting five.
The deal for Wood takes another starting-caliber arm off of the market for clubs in search of pitching help. Teams in search of starting options can still look to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery in terms of impact options, but the lower levels of free agency have begun to dwindle with arms like Michael Lorenzen and Hyun Jin Ryu representing some of the next-best options remaining after the top-of-the-market southpaws. As for the A’s, the club has previously indicated they expect to increase payroll over their 2023 figure. Pending the terms of Wood’s deal with the club, RosterResource projects the club for a microscopic $41MM payroll as things stand in 2024, $17MM below where they stood last year. That should leave room for the club to target further rotation additions or perhaps help at shortstop in the run-up to Spring Training next month, though they remain unlikely to shop in the higher tiers of free agency.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported the A’s and Wood had reached agreement. Melissa Locked of the Athletic first reported the $8.5MM guarantee and the $1MM in performance bonuses.
Giants Trade Ross Stripling To Athletics
The A’s announced Friday that they’ve acquired right-hander Ross Stripling and cash from the Giants in exchange for minor league outfielder Jonah Cox. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, infielder Jonah Bride was designated for assignment. Oakland also confirmed its previously reported one-year deal with lefty Alex Wood.
It’s a rare swap of players between the two Bay Area clubs — one that will add some direly needed pitching to an Athletics roster that’s largely devoid of proven big league arms. The 34-year-old Stripling is coming off a tough first season after signing a two-year, $25MM deal with San Francisco, though he did pitch quite a bit better as the season wore on. The veteran swingman opened the season with 32 1/3 innings of 7.24 ERA ball between the rotation and bullpen before hitting the injured list with a back strain for the next six weeks.
Perhaps Stripling was never at full strength to begin the year, because upon returning from the injured list he pitched much more like his typical self. Over the course of his final 56 2/3 frames, the right-hander notched a 4.29 earned run average with a pedestrian 18.7% strikeout rate and an elite 2.6% walk rate. That lines up far more nicely with Stripling’s broader track record; from 2016-22, he logged a 3.78 ERA in 672 innings split between the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
Stripling is owed $12.5MM this coming season. He had an opt-out opportunity following year one of his contract but unsurprisingly decided to forgo that right after his uneven showing with the Giants. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports that the Giants are paying down $3.25MM of Stripling’s salary; the A’s will be on the hook for the remaining $9.25MM.
The A’s could opt to use Stripling in the rotation or in the bullpen. He has ample experience in both roles and has had success in each as well. Certainly, Oakland brass had hoped that by now, several of the young arms acquired in the trades of Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Sean Murphy, Lou Trivino and others would have yielded some controllable cornerstone pieces in the starting rotation.
That hasn’t happened, however. Left-hander JP Sears, who posted a 4.54 ERA in 32 starts and 172 1/3 innings out of the rotation last year, is the lone pitcher acquired in that fire sale who’s had any semblance of sustained success with the A’s. Others such as Ken Waldichuk, Kyle Muller, Adrian Martinez, Luis Medina, Zach Logue and Adam Oller (among others) have struggled. Medina did pitch fairly well in the second half of the 2023 season and is likely ticketed for a rotation spot in ’24, but that’s a sample of only 50 innings (4.32 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate).
As such, it seems likely that Stripling and Wood will be reunited as not only teammates but rotation-mates. Stripling’s experience oscillating between a starting and relief role could mean he ends up in the bullpen at various points while the A’s take a look at younger arms. His familiarity with that role is a benefit to a team in the Athletics’ situation. If either Stripling or Wood can rebound after posting shaky results with the 2023 Giants, it’s quite likely that a non-contending A’s team will flip them both for younger talent prior to this summer’s trade deadline.
Stripling’s acquisition comes at the cost of the 28-year-old Bride’s roster spot. Bride, a versatile infielder/outfielder who’s played just about every position on the diamond, has appeared in each of the past two big league seasons. He’s batted just .192/.296/.232 in 293 trips to the plate, but he carries a stout .322/.450/.533 line in 401 plate appearances in Triple-A, where he’s walked more often than he’s struck out. The A’s will have a week to trade Bride or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He still has a minor league option remaining. Between that, his plus hit tool and defensive versatility, he’s a candidate to be claimed or flipped to another club in a separate, minor trade.
As for the Giants, they’ll acquire Oakland’s sixth-round selection from just this past summer’s draft. Cox, 22, batted .287/.366/.403 with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate in 145 plate appearances split between the Athletics’ Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Low-A clubs. Baseball America ranked him 29th among A’s farmhands heading into the 2024 season, touting him as a plus-plus runner who can handle center field. Cox is years away from being a potential big league factor, but despite struggling with strikeouts in his debut season, BA praised his strong bat-to-ball skills and credited him with an above-average hit tool.
For San Francisco, the money saved in the trade is every bit as important as the player side of the return. Moving the bulk of Stripling’s contract dropped the Giants’ payroll to a projected $154MM, per Roster Resource, and they’re now just under $200MM in luxury tax obligations. That gives them $37MM worth of AAV to work with before they come against even the first luxury threshold.
There are any number of ways for Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to reallocate those funds. The Giants have been linked to Matt Chapman throughout the offseason, and signing him would bolster the infield defense while adding some pop (but also quite a few strikeouts) to the lineup. Cody Bellinger looks like less of a fit than he did prior to the Giants’ signing of Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year deal, but it could conceivably work out if the Giants push Michael Conforto into more of a DH role (or trade Conforto or another outfielder such as Mike Yastrzemski). San Francisco also reportedly made a late offer to Rhys Hoskins before he signed in Milwaukee, so it seems there’s the possibility of adding a bat to the first base/designated hitter mix.
Just as notable is San Francisco’s lack of rotation stability. Ace Logan Webb is one of the game’s best arms, but the trade of Stripling leaves the Giants with zero established arms beyond him. Top prospect Kyle Harrison was solid in last year’s MLB debut, but that amounted to all of 34 2/3 innings. The Giants signed oft-injured reliever Jordan Hicks and plan to plug him into the rotation — a dicey proposition that would be more befitting of a team with only one rotation hole and several workhorse arms ahead of him. Younger righties like Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck could factor into things as well, but it was obvious even before trading Stripling that the Giants needed at least one more starting pitcher.
The Giants have the resources to pursue top-of-the-market arms like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, though doing so would require deviating from the front office’s prior aversion to long-term deals for pitchers. Other yet-unsigned options include Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger and Hyun Jin Ryu. The trade market features names like Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber and any number of Marlins hurlers (Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Jesus Luzardo among them).
Stripling becomes the second pitcher and third free-agent signing from last offseason that the Giants will pay to pitch elsewhere in 2024. San Francisco paid the Mariners $6MM in the trade sending Anthony DeSclafani and Mitch Haniger to Seattle. (DeSclafani has since been flipped to Minnesota along with a bit of additional cash kicked in from the M’s.) They’ll have to hope for better results in this winter’s crop of signees if they hope to avoid a fifth playoff miss in six seasons under the current front office.
Where Will Jorge Soler Sign?
Jorge Soler probably didn’t anticipate he’d still be unsigned in February when he declined a $13MM player option with the Marlins. The right-handed slugger is one of the better offensive players to hit the market in a weak free agent class. It’s likely his camp started out looking for a three or even four-year deal.
Whatever Soler’s asking price, it obviously hasn’t materialized to this point. Some of that is a reflection of a generally slow-moving hitting market, but he remains unsigned even as a few comparable players have now come off the board. The recent signings of Joc Pederson and Justin Turner, in particular, could have an adverse effect.
Pederson signed for $12.5MM with the Diamondbacks, while Turner inked a $13MM guarantee with the Blue Jays. Both players now seem set to work as those clubs’ respective primary designated hitters. Arizona and Toronto had each been linked to Soler earlier in the offseason, with the Jays and his camp reportedly maintaining contact as recently as last week. While the Jays could perhaps still make a Soler deal work by giving Turner regular run at third base, that’s a lot tougher than it seemed a few days ago.
There aren’t many other clear fits. Along with Toronto and Arizona, the Mariners, Red Sox and Marlins have been connected to Soler this offseason. Seattle instead reacquired Mitch Haniger and signed Mitch Garver to add right-handed power. Soler admitted a few weeks ago that Miami had shown essentially no interest in a reunion. While Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald subsequently wrote that the sides have had some contact, he suggested the Fish would only seriously consider Soler if his market cratered.
Boston theoretically remains in play. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said a couple weeks ago the team was still open to adding a right-handed hitter to the outfield mix. Soler could split time with Masataka Yoshida between left field and DH. As with Miami, this could require his asking price falling, however. Boston was reportedly reluctant to go beyond two years and something in the $28MM range for Teoscar Hernández. If they value Soler similarly, that’d be a disappointing outcome for the 2023 All-Star.
There are a few other teams that make some sense for a righty-hitting DH, even if they haven’t been prominently tied to Soler. The Mets don’t have a set option at designated hitter. Will Sammon of the Athletic wrote yesterday that the position isn’t a priority for New York, which seems likely to rely on younger hitters like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. The Nationals have a clear opening but are still amidst a rebuild.
The Giants have prioritized becoming more athletic this offseason; signing a defensively-limited slugger like Soler would cut against that. The Angels have ample payroll space and could consider a primary DH after losing Shohei Ohtani. That doesn’t seem like a priority. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that the Halos were reluctant to tie up the position, instead preferring to leave open the possibility of rotating Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon as needed in a bid to keep them healthier.
The Cubs have Christopher Morel as a DH possibility. The Padres have a vacancy but are facing payroll constraints and have needs in the outfield and rotation. The Twins could use a right-handed hitter and potentially cleared an opening at DH with the Jorge Polanco trade (thereby freeing second base for Edouard Julien). Do they have enough financial breathing room to make a run?
Will the lack of clear fits deal a significant hit to Soler’s market? At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted him for a three-year, $45MM contract. On New Year’s Eve, 62% of respondents predicted Soler would secure a larger guarantee than would J.D. Martinez, who stands as perhaps his top remaining competitor for a DH job. How much should Soler expect to receive and which uniform will he be wearing on Opening Day?
Where Will Soler Sign?
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Blue Jays 15% (851)
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Red Sox 15% (848)
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Mets 11% (605)
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Angels 9% (498)
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Twins 8% (454)
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Other (specify in comments) 8% (422)
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Giants 8% (418)
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Cubs 7% (384)
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Marlins 7% (381)
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Padres 6% (325)
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Brewers 4% (201)
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Nationals 3% (170)
Total votes: 5,557
For How Much Will Soler Sign?
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$15MM or less. 50% (1,810)
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$16-25MM. 27% (967)
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$26-35MM. 14% (511)
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$36-45MM. 6% (210)
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More than $55MM. 2% (78)
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$46-55MM. 2% (64)
Total votes: 3,640
Braves Sign Ken Giles To Minor League Deal
The Braves announced their slate of non-roster invitees to spring training Friday, and while the majority of names within have already been reported or announced over the course of the offseason, there are a few notable names revealed within today’s release. Former Astros and Blue Jays closer Ken Giles, who recently worked out for teams, will be in camp after inking a minor league pact. Former Reds infielder Alejo Lopez and former Royals catcher Sebastian Rivero have also signed minor league contracts with non-roster invitations.
Now 33 years old, Giles was one of the game’s best relievers at his peak. He debuted with the 2014 Phillies and delivered consecutive sub-2.00 ERA seasons. From 2014-19, Giles racked up 114 saves between Philadelphia, Houston and Toronto while pitching to a 2.67 ERA and striking out one-third of his opponents against a 7.5% walk rate. Injuries have derailed that excellent start to his career; he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, which wiped out his 2021 season entirely.
Giles inked a two-year deal with the Mariners spanning the 2021-22 seasons, with Seattle hoping he’d be healthy for the second year of that arrangement. A strained tendon in his pitching hand pushed back his debut, however, and Giles only wound up pitching 4 1/3 innings with the M’s over the course of that two-year contract. Seattle declined a club option for the 2023 season. He pitched 20 innings in the Dodgers’ minor league ranks last year and fanned 32 hitters but also walked 19 while recording an 8.55 ERA.
Four full seasons have now been completed since Giles was last a dominant big league reliever. It’s perhaps a long shot for him to ever recapture that form, but there’s also little harm in the Braves taking what amounts to a no-risk look at him during spring training. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Rowley Sports Management client would earn at a $1.75MM rate if he’s added to the big league roster at any point.
Lopez, 27, has seen MLB time in each of the past three seasons with Cincinnati. He’s played second base, third base and all three outfield positions while posting a .265/.309/.329 batting line over the course of 181 plate appearances. The versatile Lopez has excellent bat-to-ball skills, evidenced by a 14.9% strikeout rate in the big leagues. In Triple-A, he’s walked at a 12.5% clip against a tiny 11.4% strikeout rate while batting .289/.384/.412 in 1030 plate appearances.
The 25-year-old Rivero appeared with the Royals in 2021-22, appearing in 34 games and batting .167/.236/.197 in 73 plate appearances. Rivero spent the 2023 season in the White Sox minor league system, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A. He slashed .219/.273/.326 in that one-year stint with Chicago and is a career .247/.297/.369 hitter in parts of three Triple-A seasons. Rivero is touted as a plus defender behind the plate and sports strong framing marks in the minors in addition to a solid 27% caught-stealing rate across all levels in his professional career.
Theo Epstein Joins Fenway Sports Group As Partial Owner, Senior Advisor
Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein will have a role with the team once again, as Sportico’s Brendan Coffey reports that Epstein is set to join Fenway Sports Group as a partial owner and senior advisor. Red Sox principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner hold those same respective titles with the FSG conglomerate, which owns the Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool F.C., RFK Racing, NESN and several other sports holdings.
“It’s a great honor, something I’m really excited about,” Epstein tells Coffey. “It’s just exciting to be joining such a dynamic, groundbreaking company across multiple sports, doing so many innovative things at the cutting edge of everything going on in sports these days. For me, it’s perfect, I was looking for a pathway into ownership.”
While Epstein won’t be resuming his role as head of baseball operations, he does have a strong relationship with newly hired Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Epstein was the Cubs’ president of baseball operations when he hired Breslow as the team’s director of strategic initiatives. Breslow was eventually named the Cubs’ organization-wide director of pitching before being promoted to assistant general manager.
“I’m a full believer in him and what he and his team are going to mean for the Red Sox,” Epstein said of Breslow.
Per Coffey, Epstein will serve as a “sounding board and executive coach” to the Red Sox baseball operations staff when needed but doesn’t have a formal role within the baseball ops ranks in his return to the organization. According to FSG’s press release announcing the hiring, Epstein will advise Henry, Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy and president Mike Gordon “on the company’s sporting operations across the portfolio and consult on strategic growth and investment initiatives.”
“There is no question that Theo left an indelible mark on our history that represented a transformative era,” Henry said in a statement within FSG’s press release. “Welcoming him as a member of our ownership group and in the role of Senior Advisor to the broader company brings with it a sense of completion. With his strategic mind, leadership, and unwavering passion for sports, Theo brings invaluable assets that will drive us forward across our diverse enterprises, especially in our sporting operations across hockey, EPL football, and baseball. We take great pride in welcoming him to the FSG family and eagerly anticipate the insights and contributions he will bring as we continue to build on the legacy of success he played a pivotal role in helping us shape.”
Epstein, 50, was the Red Sox’ general manager from 2003-11, during which time he oversaw the construction of a 2004 Red Sox club that broke the organization’s 86-year World Series drought and quickly added a second championship four years later, in 2007. The Cubs hired Epstein away and gave him the new title of president of baseball operations following the 2011 season. As was the case in Boston, he broke a historic championship drought when the 2016 Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908.
Epstein stepped away from the Cubs following the 2020 season, ceding his president of baseball operations title to longtime general manager Jed Hoyer. Months later, Epstein was named a consultant to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred — a role in which he’s credited with helping to implement MLB’s pitch clock and several other newer rule changes. He’s held until present day but will now step away from the commissioner’s office as he begins his next venture. Epstein will still serve the league’s Competition Committee and On-Field Committee “on an informal basis,’ per FSG’s press release, and he’ll be able to continue as the Operating Partner for Arctos Partners, a private sports equity firm that Epstein joined back in Feb. 2021.
The Opener: Brewers, Suarez, Relievers
On the heels of a late-offseason blockbuster, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. What’s next for the Brewers?
The Brewers parted ways with ace Corbin Burnes yesterday, shipping him to Baltimore in exchange for youngsters DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and Baltimore’s Competitive Balance draft pick — the No. 34 overall selection this summer. While the deal provides the club with an infusion of cost-controlled talent, it leaves a Milwaukee team that has been defined by its twin aces at the top of the rotation in recent years without either player headed into the 2024 campaign after Brandon Woodruff was non-tendered following shoulder surgery. The moves beg the question of what’s next for this new-look Brewers club. The organization clearly isn’t punting on 2024 after signing Rhys Hoskins to a two-year deal less than two weeks ago, and the club could have a new superstar to build around emerge this year when outfielder Jackson Chourio makes his big league debut. The trade of Burnes also freed up more than $15MM and dropped the team payroll to just under $102MM. That should free up some resources to replace some of Burnes’ lost value in free agency, should Milwaukee choose to go that route.
On the other hand, Ortiz’s presence would make it significantly easier for the club to part ways with shortstop Willy Adames while still aiming to remain competitive, and it’s even possible to imagine the club deciding to cash in on closer Devin Williams with a two pennant races of team control remaining as they did with Josh Hader back in 2022. Virtually any contending club would figure to have at least some level of interest in Williams’s services if Milwaukee were to accept offers on the righty, while teams like the Dodgers, Marlins, and Rays could stand to improve at shortstop and may have some level of interest in Adames.
2. Angels, Suarez await arbitration decision:
Per the Associated Press, the Angels and left-hander Jose Suarez went to arbitration yesterday with a decision expected sometime today. The southpaw requested a $1.35MM salary while the Angels countered with a figure of $925K. Teams have won more arbitration cases than players in recent years, and the clubs are off to a good start in maintaining that record after the first arbitration decision of the winter favored the Marlins over center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. yesterday.
Suarez’s first trip through arbitration comes on the heels of a brutal 2023 campaign where he was limited to just 33 2/3 innings of work by injury and was shelled to the tune of an 8.29 ERA. Difficult as last year was for the lefty, the 26-year-old enjoyed back-to-back strong campaigns while swinging between the rotation and bullpen for the Angels in 2021 and 2022, where he combined for a 3.86 ERA in 207 1/3 innings of work. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Suarez for a $1.1MM salary earlier this winter.
3. Two relievers nearing deals:
A pair of bullpen pieces were reportedly closing in on deals yesterday as right-hander Keynan Middleton has reportedly reached an agreement with the Cardinals while southpaw Jake Diekman is on the verge of a pact with the Mets. Diekman has reportedly been offered a one-year deal at an unreported salary that includes a vesting option for 2025 while the details of Middleton’s arrangement with St. Louis, which is pending a physical, are not yet known. Both teams have full 40-man rosters, meaning each will need to make a corresponding move to clear space for their new signing if a deal is completed. Quality options for teams in search of bullpen help continue to thin as right-handers Ryan Brasier, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek stand as the best relief arms still available, while lefty relief options include bounceback candidates like Brad Hand, Aaron Loup, and Joely Rodriguez..