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Braves Sign Jordan Luplow

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The Braves announced that they have signed outfielder Jordan Luplow. It’s a one-year contract worth $1.4MM.

Luplow, 29, has appeared in the past six MLB seasons, spending time with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa and Arizona. He’s occasionally served as a valuable part-time player but his production has been fairly inconsistent.

He got brief showings at the major league level with the Pirates in 2017 and 2018, but got his most extended stretch of playing time with Cleveland in 2019. His 85 games in that season are still a career high, and he hit a tremendous .276/.372/.551. That production was 41% above league average, as evidenced by his 141 wRC+. However, the vast majority of that damage came against lefties, as the right-handed hitting Luplow slashed .320/.439/.742 with the platoon advantage and just .216/.274/.299 without it. That led to extremely lopsided production: a 205 wRC+ against southpaws but just 52 against righties.

He couldn’t carry that over into 2020, with his batting line sliding down to .192/.304/.359 for a wRC+ of 84. He bounced back in 2021, which included a trade to the Rays. He finished that campaign with a line of .202/.326/.454, 116 wRC+. Oddly, his penchant for mashing lefties was reversed that season, as he produced a 95 wRC+ against them but a 143 against northpaws.

Prior to 2022, the Rays traded him to the Diamondbacks, but he didn’t hit pitchers of any kind this year. He finished the campaign with an overall line of .176/.274/.361. That amounted to a 78 wRC+, with an 85 with the platoon advantage but 69 without.

Over 323 major league games, the total of Luplow’s work amounts to a roughly league average hitting. He’s walked at a healthy 11.8% rate and hit 45 home runs for a career .213/.313/.432 batting line. That amounts to a 102 wRC+, or 2% above league average, with a 125 against southpaws and 76 otherwise.

Defensively, Luplow is considered average or better on the grass. Defensive Runs Saved has given him +4 for his outfield work, with Ultimate Zone Rating coming in at 10.3 and Outs Above Average at an even zero. He’s played more in the corners but is capable of playing adequate center field in a pinch.

Atlanta’s outfield mix will consist of Ronald Acuña Jr. in right field and Michael Harris II in center. Left field is more of an open question, as both Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna have been below average in each of the past two seasons, Rosario’s postseason heroics notwithstanding. It’s possible that Luplow and the left-handed hitting Rosario could form a platoon in left, though it’s also possible that Luplow will serve as a fourth outfielder who gets the occasional start against particular lefties. Rosario’s career platoon splits are notable but not drastic, as he has a wRC+ of 108 against righties and 85 otherwise. Harris also hits from the left side and could get the occasional day off while yielding center to Luplow.

2022 was Luplow’s first arbitration season and he earned a salary of $1.4MM. He was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a raise up to $2MM but the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment in November. Luplow now latches on with Atlanta for 2023, making the exact same salary he did this year. He will finish 2023 shy of the six years of MLB service time necessary to reach free agency, meaning Atlanta could retain him for 2024 via arbitration if they so choose. He also has one option year remaining and could be sent to the minors to serve as depth.

Though the salary is modest, it nudges the club closer to luxury tax territory. Roster Resource currently pegs the club’s payroll at $197MM with a competitive balance tax calculation just shy of $230MM. That leaves them just over $3MM away from the CBT threshold of $233MM.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Tom Browning Passes Away

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Former major league pitcher Tom Browning has passed away, per an announcement from the Sheriff’s Office in Boone County, Kentucky. Browning was 62 years old.

The left-handed pitcher was drafted by the Reds in 1982 and wound up spending the vast majority of his career with that organization. He made his major league debut in 1984 and spent parts of 11 seasons with the club, sticking with Cincy through the 1994 campaign.

He was a mainstay of the rotation from 1985 through 1991. In each of those seven seasons, he made at least 31 starts and tossed at least 183 innings. In six out of the seven, he made at least 35 starts and logged at least 227 frames. His ERA was 4.18 or lower in all but one of those seven seasons.

Included in that stretch were a few notable highlights. Browning threw a perfect game against the Dodgers in 1988, just the 12th perfect game in history at that time, though the list has since grown to 23. Two years later, he made three postseason starts for the Reds, posting a 3.71 ERA and helping them win the 1990 World Series. He was selected to the All-Star team in the subsequent season as well.

He would appear in four more seasons but injuries limited him to just only about 250 combined innings over that stretch, which included two appearances for the Royals in 1995. Those would be his only MLB games not as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. He finished his career with 1,921 innings pitched over 302 MLB games. He has a 123-90 win-loss record, 31 complete games, 12 shutouts and exactly 1,000 strikeouts. He was an All-Star, won a World Series and is one of only 23 players in history to pitch a perfect game. MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends, loved ones, former teammates and all those mourning him today.

The Marlins Are In A Tight Spot

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This baseball offseason has been quite busy so far, with a good deal of the action involving the National League East. The Braves, who have won the last five division titles, landed Sean Murphy in a three-team, nine-player blockbuster. The Mets, who won 101 games last year, have reloaded by re-signing Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz as well as signing Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, José Quintana, Omar Narváez and David Robertson. The Phillies, who just rode a Wild Card berth to the World Series, signed Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm.

The Marlins, meanwhile, have done very little. Their most significant move so far this offseason was the acquisition of JT Chargois for their bullpen. Chargois is a fine bullpen piece, but he alone won’t move the needle much in the grand scheme of things. The Marlins were already facing an uphill battle in catching their three aforementioned divisional opponents, as they finished 69-93 this year, 18 games behind the Phillies for third place. Given the contrast in their respective levels of activity, it would appear the gap has only grown.

The largest obstacle that the club is facing is financial. The Marlins have never consistently been a huge payroll team, with their franchise record coming in at $115MM in 2017. As that season was winding down, the club was sold to a group headed by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, with the payrolls pared back even further since then. Shortly after the ownership change, the Fish traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. One year later, it was J.T. Realmuto’s turn. The club payroll dropped to $100MM for 2018, $72MM in 2019 and just $57MM in 2021. It jumped a bit to $79MM in 2022, but that was still less than half of what Atlanta, Philadelphia or the Mets spent.

It would appear as though the grand plan was to trade those expensive players for prospects to form the next competitive core and then start spending again down the line. However, the vast majority of players acquired in those deals have not worked out. The four aforementioned trades netted the Marlins the following players in return: Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzmán, José Devers, Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, Isan Díaz, Jordan Yamamoto, Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Daniel Castano, Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart. Of that group, Alcantara is the obvious highlight, having emerged as an ace to the extent that he captured the 2022 National League Cy Young award. Gallen has also become an excellent major league starter, but after being traded to the Diamondbacks. The Marlins at least got Jazz Chisholm Jr. back in that deal, but most of those other players have already been discarded after failed attempts to stick in the majors.

Compounding the poor success rate in those trade is the fact that the spending didn’t really elevate the way it was seemingly planned to. Jeter stepped down as the club’s CEO in February of 2022, with some reports suggesting that changes to the club’s spending plans were what motivated his departure. The club did make some modest moves prior to the most recent season, signing Avisaíl García and Jorge Soler in an attempt to bolster a tepid offense. Unfortunately, they both had disappointing campaigns, with Garcia hitting .224/.266/.317 and Soler .207/.295/.400.

Coming into this offseason, reporting provided little optimism about any kind of great spending increase. Despite the lack of activity so far this winter, payroll is up from last year. Roster Resource currently pegs the club at $95MM, a jump of $16MM from last year’s Opening Day figure. However, most of that is due to increased salaries for players already on the roster. The club might have a bit more to work with, as they have been connected to some free agents in rumors, including Justin Turner, Josh Bell, Cody Bellinger, Willson Contreras and José Abreu. However, they came up in short in each of those instances, with all of those players now off the board. Even if there is a bit of cash to work with, there aren’t many players left who can provide the impact the club needs. Most of the top free agents are now signed, with Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar and Brandon Drury some of the best bats still unsigned. Those are fine players, but they’re a tier below some of the improvements that other NL East teams have made.

A team doesn’t necessarily need to spend in order to succeed, as teams like the Rays and Guardians have illustrated. But it doesn’t seem likely that a tremendous amount of help is coming from within the organization either. Public evaluations of their farm system are middling at best, with MLB Pipeline recently ranking them 16th in the league, FanGraphs 15th and Baseball America 20th.

The club does have a surplus of MLB-caliber starting pitchers it could deal from, but have yet to line up on a significant trade. Alcantara is followed by Pablo López, Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers and Braxton Garrett, with prospect Eury Pérez charging hard from the minors. Alcantara and Perez are reportedly untouchable, but any of the other pitchers are apparently on the table. Trading one of them could certainly provide the club with an upgrade elsewhere on the roster, but it would also subtract from their area of greatest strength and the return likely wouldn’t provide as much impact as the free agents signed by their division rivals.

Overall, it’s a really tight spot for the Marlins, who made the postseason in the shortened 2020 campaign but haven’t qualified in a full season since 2003. They were already a distant fourth in their division at the start of the offseason and the three teams above them have all pulled further away. They don’t seem to have the financial resources to make an impact move to make up ground. The farm system isn’t in a great spot to provide much help. They are surely better than the Nationals, who were the worst team in baseball in 2022, but the Nats were ranked ahead of the Marlins on all three of the aforementioned farm system rankings and should be less bad as time goes on. For the Marlins, they will need to think about their next moves after missing out on so many free agents this winter, though it’s difficult to see anything but rough waters ahead.

Giants Designate Gregory Santos For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they have designated right-hander Gregory Santos for assignment. The club will need to open one more roster spot, to allow for recent signees Sean Manaea and Carlos Correa to fit onto the 40-man.

Santos, 23, began his career in the Red Sox organization but came to the Giants in the 2017 deadline deal that sent Eduardo Núñez to Boston. The Giants were impressed enough with his development to give him a 40-man roster spot ahead of the 2020 Rule 5 draft. In 2021, Santos made a brief MLB debut but was handed an 80-game suspension in June after testing positive for Stanozolol, a banned performance-enhancing drug.

In 2022, Santos served as optional depth, throwing just 3 2/3 innings in the big leagues. In 33 Triple-A innings, he posted a 4.91 ERA with strong strikeout rate and ground ball rates of 23% and 51.7%, respectively. However, control was an issue with Santos walking 13.5% of batters faced, something that has been a persistent problem in recent years. He has a 16.7% walk rate in his brief MLB tenure as well.

The Giants will have one week to trade Santos or pass him through waivers. Despite those control issues, there are reasons Santos might find some interest from other clubs. He’s still quite young and has one option year remaining, allowing him to serve as depth in the minor leagues. He also has excellent velocity, with his fastball averaged at 98.8 mph in his brief showing this year. For any club that feels they can better harness that power, Santos could be a worthwhile pickup.

Angels Sign Justin Garza, Designate Kenny Rosenberg

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December 19: The Angels announced that Rosenberg has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’ll stick with the organization but without occupying a roster spot.

December 12: The Angels announced that they have signed right-hander Justin Garza to a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Kenny Rosenberg has been designated for assignment.

Garza, 29 in March, has spent his entire career in the Cleveland organization up until now, having been drafted by them in the eighth round back in 2015. He made it up to the big leagues in 2021, tossing 28 2/3 innings in 21 games. He posted a 4.71 ERA in that time along with a 22.7% strikeout rate, 14.1% walk rate and 36.7% ground ball rate.

Garza was outrighted at the end of that season but cleared waivers and stuck with the club for 2022. He spent all of this year in Triple-A, logging 42 2/3 innings with 4.64 ERA. That mark isn’t especially impressive, but he did strike out 28.7% of batters faced. His 10.9% walk rate was a tad high but was actually a step in the right direction relative to his 14.1% rate in the big leagues and 15.1% rate in the minors in 2021. Whether that control was a factor or not, the Angels liked what they saw in Garza enough to give him a spot on the 40-man.

As for Rosenberg, he was drafted by the Rays but came to the Angels a year ago in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He was selected to the club’s roster in April and spent the season getting shuttled between the majors and minors. In 10 2/3 big league innings, he posted a 4.22 ERA, getting strikeouts on 17% of batters faced while walking 12.8%. He fared much better on the farm, tossing 68 2/3 frames with a 3.54 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. The Angels will now have one week to trade Rosenberg or else put him on waivers.

Dodgers, Padres Among Teams Pursuing Seth Lugo

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Former Mets righty Seth Lugo has drawn interest from a wide range of clubs this winter, hoping to land an opportunity as a starting pitcher wherever he signs. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Dodgers and Padres are the likeliest landing spots at this point, though the Nationals have been involved to a lesser degree. Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, meanwhile, reported over the weekend that the Dodgers are in the mix for Lugo and would indeed likely build him up as a starter.

Between Los Angeles and San Diego, the latter has a clearer path to rotation innings, if the Padres indeed have interest in giving Lugo a look as a starting pitcher. Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Nick Martinez are expected to occupy the top four spots in the rotation, but the No. 5 spot is generally unsettled. Former top prospect Adrian Morejon seems the likeliest option, but Ryan Weathers, Pedro Avila and Jay Groome are all on the 40-man roster as well.

Over in Los Angeles, it’s a slightly more crowded situation. Clayton Kershaw re-signed on a one-year deal, rejoining Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May in a projected rotation that was largely rounded out by the Dodgers’ recent signing of Noah Syndergaard. That said, both May and Gonsolin missed substantial time due to injury in 2022. May missed the first three-plus months recovering from 2020 Tommy John surgery, while Gonsolin was slowed late in the year by forearm troubles. He still made 24 starts and tallied 130 1/3 innings, but May logged just 30 regular-season frames and will probably have his workload monitored. Prospects like Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Michael Grove could provide depth even without an additional veteran signing, though.

As for the Nats, while Heyman suggests they’re no longer prominent players for Lugo, he’d be a similar signing to their recent addition of Trevor Williams. Beyond the fact that both Williams and Lugo pitched for the Mets this past season, both have been used as relievers recently but carry a starter’s repertoire, making them intriguing buy-low options in that regard. That said, the Nats now have Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Williams and youngsters MacKenzie Gore, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli all as rotation options.

Lugo, 33, has been shuttled between the Mets’ rotation and bullpen multiple times in his career but has been primarily a reliever in 2021-22. He’s notched a solid 3.56 ERA with a 26.6% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 44% ground-ball rate in that time, averaging 94.4 mph with his fastball and generally sitting at or near the top of the league in terms of spin rate on his curveball. More broadly, Lugo has long been a quality member of the relief corps in Queens; he’s totaled exactly 300 innings out of the bullpen and boasts a 2.91 ERA in that time.

That said, Lugo has a four-seamer, sinker, curveball, slider and seldom-used changeup — a deep arsenal for a relief pitcher that could lend itself to a return to the rotation. He was hit hard working out of the rotation in the shortened 2020 season, but Lugo has a 4.35 ERA in 194 career innings as a starter. He’s missed more bats out of the bullpen, as one might expect, but his walk rate as a starter is slightly better than as a reliever and Lugo’s opponents haven’t seen dramatic spikes in production when facing him for a second or even third time in a game.

In addition to the Dodgers, Padres and Nats, Lugo has also reportedly drawn at least some degree of interest from the Angels, Red Sox and Tigers.

Phillies Extend GM Sam Fuld

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The Phillies announced Monday that they’ve extended the contract of general manager Sam Fuld through the 2025 season. Assistant general managers Ned Rice and Jorge Velandia also received extensions through the 2025 season. Philadelphia, fresh off a World Series appearance, also recently extended president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski through the 2027 season.

“The Phillies have been nothing short of first class in my time here,” said the 41-year-old Fuld, who was named GM under Dombrowski following the 2020 season. “I’m thrilled to continue to work for such a tremendous organization in a city that my family and I love so much.  We have an exceptional group of players, staff and employees that I’m excited to grow with over the next few years.”

Fuld played parts of eight big league seasons as an outfielder, the last of which came back in 2015 with the A’s. He’s been in the Phillies organization since 2017, originally joining as their Major League player information coordinator — a role in which he worked to distill data from the Phillies’ analytics staff and front office to the players on the field in a more relatable manner. He held that post until 2020 when he was elevated to GM. Along the way, Fuld interviewed for a handful of managerial opportunities around the game but eventually began turning away interviews for dugout positions as he continued to focus on his front office work.

The 39-year-old Rice is a veteran baseball operations executive at this point, having joined the Phillies in 2016 after spending more than a decade with the Orioles’ front office. He’s held the position of assistant general manager for his entire stay in Philly. Velandia, meanwhile, was promoted to assistant GM back in Dec. 2020. After an 18-year playing career (including parts of eight seasons in the Majors), he’s spent more than a decade working for the Phillies in a variety of roles. Velandia has worked with the Phillies’ player development staff, coached in the minors and served as a special assistant to baseball operations before settling into his current role.

Cubs Sign Jameson Taillon

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Dec. 19: The Cubs have formally announced their four-year deal with Taillon. They now have 39 players on their 40-man roster, though that doesn’t yet include Dansby Swanson, who agreed to a seven-year deal with the Cubs over the weekend.

Dec. 7: The Cubs have agreed to a four-year, $68MM deal with right-handed starter Jameson Taillon, according to Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Taillon is represented by Excel Sports Management. Taillon was one of the top remaining options on the starting pitching market.

Carlos Rodón is the lone ace who’s still unsigned, while players like Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, Nathan Eovaldi and Noah Syndergaard join Taillon in the next tier. The Cubs have generally been expected to dip into free agency to address their rotation, and it appears they’ll indeed do so to snag a mid-rotation arm.

Once finalized, the deal will send Taillon back to the NL Central. He’s spent much of his career there, as he entered the professional ranks back in 2010 as the 2nd overall pick of the Pirates. He appeared among Baseball America’s top 30 overall prospects in each of the next five years, with his progression up the minor league ranks delayed by Tommy John surgery. By 2016, he got to the big leagues, breaking in with 18 starts of 3.38 ERA ball.

That kicked off a stretch of a few solid seasons in black and gold. Taillon combined for 57 starts over the next two years, posting a 3.71 ERA. He missed some time in 2017 battling testicular cancer but beat the disease quickly, remarkably missing only around one month. Taillon avoided the injured list through the end of the 2018 campaign thereafter, but his elbow blew out seven starts into the 2019 season. He underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career that August, spending all of the following season rehabbing.

It proved an unwelcome end to his time in Pittsburgh, as the rebuilding Bucs flipped him to the Yankees over the 2020-21 offseason. New York surrendered four young players, including Roansy Contreras, to land Taillon. It was a bit of a gamble on him returning to health after the surgery, but he indeed came back as his previous mid-rotation self. Taillon’s two seasons in the Bronx were strikingly similar to his years in Pittsburgh.

Over his two-year run in pinstripes, he worked to a 4.08 ERA across 321 2/3 innings. The Texas native posted a 21.9% strikeout rate that’s right around league average and walked fewer than 6% of his opponents. His ground-ball and hard contact rates allowed were middle-of-the-pack, but he pounded the strike zone and handled hitters from both sides of the dish reasonably well. His stuff also returned to just under pre-surgery levels. Taillon’s fastball has checked in right around 94 MPH in each of the past two seasons, while he relies on a mid-80s slider and a low-80s curveball as his secondary pitches.

Taillon turned 31 last month, so he should still have a few prime seasons ahead of him. There’s certainly risk in investing in a pitcher with two Tommy John surgeries on his medical chart, but he’s avoided any arm issues the past two years. His only IL stint was a brief absence for a calf issue late in the ’21 campaign.

The Cubs find themselves in a middle ground between retooling and full-fledged contention. They’re coming off a second straight losing season, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has suggested the front office planned to be active in bolstering the MLB roster. To that end, they’ve already agreed to terms with former MVP Cody Bellinger on a bounceback deal to play center field, and it appears Taillon will follow.

Starting pitching was one of the bigger questions on the roster. Chicago signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year guarantee last offseason. He’ll be in the starting five, although he can opt out at the end of next year. Kyle Hendricks is under contract for another season and would have a rotation spot if healthy, but he’s rehabbing from a capsule tear in his throwing shoulder. Justin Steele earned a rotation spot with a solid rookie season. The back end is completely up in the air, with players like Keegan Thompson, Adrian Sampson and rookies Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Caleb Kilian all jockeying for work. Adding a stable mid-rotation pitcher like Taillon makes plenty of sense for a team without many certain innings.

That’s particularly true since signing Taillon won’t cost the Cubs any draft choices. New York somewhat curiously opted not to issue him a $19.65MM qualifying offer at the end of the season, allowing him to hit the market unencumbered.

MLBTR predicted a four-year, $56MM contract entering the offseason, so Taillon’s deal comes in a bit above that. The rotation market has generally been more robust than anticipated thus far. Zach Eflin and Tyler Anderson both landed three-year deals in the $40MM range, while Taijuan Walker agreed to terms with the Phillies on a surprising four-year, $72MM guarantee earlier this evening.

Ken Rosenthal and Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic were first to report that the Cubs were making a strong push for Taillon (link). Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted that the sides were nearing an agreement. Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN announced the deal was agreed to and added financial terms.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Padres, Max Schrock Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Padres have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent infielder Max Schrock, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The Icon client received an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Shrock, 28, has spent parts of three seasons in the Majors, batting a combined .236/.292/.359 with four homers, seven doubles, a pair of triples, a 20.2% strikeout rate and a 5.1% walk rate in 237 trips to the plate between the Cardinals and Reds. The lefty-swinging Schrock has played second base, all four corner positions and even tossed a few innings of mop-up relief in his big league career thus far, though second base has been far and away his most frequent position (with third base the only other spot he’s seen more than occasional playing time).

Though he had a rough stretch in his first look at Triple-A as a 23-year-old back in 2018, Schrock has been productive there in 2019, 2021 and 2022; in that trio of Triple-A seasons he’s slashed .284/.354/.411 through 514 plate appearances.

The Padres’ starting infield is likely set, with Manny Machado at third base, Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Ha-Seong Kim at second base and Jake Cronenworth likely sliding to first base. Fernando Tatis’ Jr.’s eventual return will further deepen that mix, either pushing Kim to a utility role or creating a carousel where an infielder is slotting in at designated hitter most days. That said, the Padres’ bench is lacking in veteran options with MLB experience, so there could  be some backup roles up for grabs. In that sense, Schrock’s experience at multiple spots and his left-handed bat (on a team with more righty-swinging starters) could work to his benefit.

The Opener: Shortstop, Smyly, Outfield

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After a fairly busy weekend on the MLB hot stove, here’s three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around baseball throughout the day today.

1. Where can teams who missed out on Dansby Swanson turn?

Swanson’s deal with the Cubs puts all four of this offseason’s star shortstops on a new team. While each of the clubs who lost a shortstop has an internal alternative, all four would be bettered by an external addition. The Dodgers and Red Sox would be able to keep incumbent second basemen Gavin Lux and Trevor Story at their current position. The Twins wouldn’t have to rely on Kyle Farmer, likely better suited to a part-time role, as an everyday player while waiting for Royce Lewis to return from his second ACL tear. The Braves would be able to ease Vaughn Grissom in at shortstop rather than immediately thrust him into an everyday role on a playoff club. The pickings are slim when it comes to quality regulars on the free-agent market, with Elvis Andrus and perhaps Jose Iglesias the last remaining options. The trade market has more possibilities, though each comes with questions: Paul DeJong and Nick Ahmed could be had for salary relief, but they’re overpaid relative to their expected production headed into 2023 (and Ahmed is recovering from shoulder surgery). Jorge Mateo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are quality defenders but both have been further than 20% below average at the plate since 2021, by measure of wRC+. Amed Rosario is perhaps the most complete player who could potentially be had, though it’s possible the Guardians just keep him until he hits free agency next offseason before handing the keys to shortstop to their bevy of youngsters in 2024. The four aforementioned teams will have competition, as well, with the Angels and White Sox among the other teams who could still look for middle infield help this offseason.

2. Will the Cubs/Smyly deal get done today?

Reports surfaced yesterday that the Cubs and lefty Drew Smyly were close to a deal, but it’s yet to be reported as done, and the terms remain unknown. It’s possible that resolution could come as soon as today. Fellow 33-year-olds Ross Stripling’s (Giants) and Jose Quintana (Mets) both landed two-year deals, but both veterans were coming off stronger seasons than Smyly. On the other hand, the likes of Kyle Gibson and Noah Syndergaard are among the players to recently sign one-year deals. Assuming Smyly indeed returns to Wrigley, that could take the Cubs out of the starting pitching market, as he’d presumably join Marcus Stroman, Jameson Taillon, Kyle Hendricks and Justin Steele in the rotation.

3. Where does the outfield market stand?

It’s been a busy few days for the outfield market. Andrew Benintendi signed a five-year deal with the White Sox, Joey Gallo took a one-year deal with the Twins, and Michael Brantley returned to the Astros on a one-year pact of his own. This leaves Michael Conforto and Jurickson Profar as arguably the top free agents left, with veterans like David Peralta, AJ Pollock, Wil Myers and Andrew McCutchen also available. The Blue Jays, Rangers, and Marlins are among the teams pursuing outfield help this offseason, and each (along with the Cubs) has been linked to Conforto. Profar’s market is less clear, and one rumored suitor, the Astros, just re-signed Brantley. The trade market, where Bryan Reynolds, Max Kepler, and Daulton Varsho are among those who’ve reportedly been discussed, remains an alternative path.

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