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Royals Sign Daniel Mengden To Minor League Deal

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The Royals announced their Triple-A Omaha roster this morning, which includes veteran right-hander Daniel Mengden. He spent the 2022 campaign in the organization but elected minor league free agency at season’s end after being removed from the 40-man roster. He’s now back on a new minor league pact, which was just agreed upon two days ago, per the Royals’ transaction log at MLB.com.

Mengden, 30, pitched in five games for Kansas City last year, allowing four earned runs on ten hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in seven innings overall. That was his first big league work since 2020, as he spent the 2021 campaign pitching for the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization.

From 2016-20, Mengden was a regular on the Athletics’ pitching staff, tallying 302 2/3 frames of 4.64 ERA ball between 49 starts and 26 relief appearances. He’s punched out a below-average 17.5% of his opponents in 309 2/3 career innings but also boasts a solid 7.8% walk rate. Mengden generally sits just over 92 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a cutter, curveball and changeup. He posted a 5.20 ERA in 109 innings with Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate in 2022 but has a career 3.79 ERA at that level and was effective in his lone KBO season in ’21 (3.60 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate in 120 innings).

Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins

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In conjunction with this post, MLBTR will be hosting a Twins-centric chat at 2pm CT this afternoon. Click here to submit a question in advance, and be sure to check back to participate live!

A whirlwind offseason saw the Twins give out the largest contract in franchise history in order to retain their shortstop amid a series of other moves aimed at improving the defense and bolstering the depth up and down the roster.

Major League Signings

2023 spend: $56.33MM
Total spend: $243MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Waiver Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

Following a quartet of straightforward option decisions — Sonny Gray’s $12.5MM option was an easy call to pick up, while options on Miguel Sano, Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer were easy in the other direction — the Twins set out to remake their roster, with stockpiling depth at the forefront of most of their dealings. The desire to re-sign Carlos Correa loomed large and would hang over their offseason until his wild free-agent saga drew to a close, but the Twins had other business to attend to in the meantime.

That started with a pair of trades in the run-up to the tender deadline. As they’ve been willing to do in the past, the Twins moved one year of control over a quality player — Gio Urshela — in exchange for some prospect depth and financial flexibility. With Jose Miranda’s arrival on the scene in 2022 and several other options at first base, moving Urshela both shed a sizable arbitration salary and cleared a path for Miranda to slide from first base back over to the hot corner.

The trade of Urshela was followed just hours later by a new acquisition — unsurprisingly, one with multiple years of club control. Kyle Farmer came to Minnesota with two seasons of control and recent experience as the everyday shortstop in Cincinnati. That gave the Twins a safety net in the event that Correa signed elsewhere and a versatile utilityman in the event that they succeeded in either retaining Correa or signing one of the market’s other top shortstops.

Farmer’s career .288/.345/.492 slash against left-handed pitching surely appealed to a Twins front office that saw its club post a collective .240/.310/.392 slash against lefties in 2022 — a middle-of-the-pack output in MLB. Farmer cost the Twins a pitching prospect of comparable value to the one acquired in the Urshela swap and came with a salary roughly half that of Urshela, making the effective swap of infielders generally sensible, even if many Twins fans were understandably upset to see a solid player like Urshela shipped out.

The Twins’ focus thereafter shifted to courting Correa and simultaneously looking to upgrade behind the plate. Minnesota showed some interest in Oakland’s Sean Murphy but presumably found the asking price too steep for their liking, as the decision was instead made to sign the free-agent market’s No. 2 catcher, Christian Vazquez. The Twins reportedly showed minimal interest in top free-agent backstop Willson Contreras, likely preferring a blend of Vazquez’s superior defense and more affordable price tag.

Vazquez’s three-year, $30MM deal fell generally in line with expectations, and he’ll give Minnesota an upgrade over outgoing Gary Sanchez, who somewhat surprisingly remains unsigned. The 32-year-old Vazquez has long graded as a quality receiver and shown a strong arm behind the plate. He’ll slot into a timeshare with incumbent Ryan Jeffers, and while both hit right-handed, Jeffers is a prototypical lefty masher with grisly numbers against right-handers, whereas Vazquez handles same-side opponents reasonably well. It won’t be a conventional platoon setup, but the Twins can maximize matchups against particularly tough opponents and feel good about the gloves behind the plate, as Jeffers is a strong defender himself.

Shortly after the deal with Vazquez, the front office received the news it had been dreading since Correa exercised the opt-out provision in his three-year, $105.1MM deal: a big-market club had put forth a historic offer that Minnesota couldn’t bring itself to match. The Twins reportedly had an offer in the neighborhood of 10 years and $285MM on the table to keep Correa when the Giants, fresh off being spurned by Aaron Judge, came in with a 13-year, $350MM offer that trounced what the Twins had been willing to commit.

Correa accepted what was then slated to be the second-largest free-agent deal in history, and the Twins were left reeling. There’d been interest in Xander Bogaerts as a fallback to Correa, but he shattered expectations by agreeing to an 11-year, $280MM deal with the Padres before Correa even agreed to terms with the Giants. Trea Turner had started the shortstop spending spree with a $300MM deal in Philadelphia. Dansby Swanson agreed to a seven-year deal with the Cubs not long after Correa agreed with San Francisco, and it looked for all intents and purposes like the Twins would head into the 2023 season with Farmer starting at shortstop.

As we all know now, Correa’s deal with San Francisco was only the first in a series of bizarre stops on a stunning path back to Minneapolis. The Giants called off Correa’s introductory press conference just hours before it was scheduled to take place. It eventually came to light that the team had medical concerns — specifically regarding a nearly 10-year old injury that Correa suffered as a 19-year-old in A-ball, when he fractured his tibia on a slide into third base. Surgeons placed a plate in his leg to stabilize the injury, which remains to this day. Both the Giants’ medical staff and a third-party expert voiced concern as to how Correa’s leg would hold up over such a lengthy term.

While Correa has never missed time in the Majors with a leg/ankle injury, he did have a scare late in the 2022 season, telling reporters after a play at second base that he’d been hit “in his plate” and experienced brief numbness and tingling. He walked off the field under his own power and enjoyed a strong finish to the ’22 campaign, however.

As the Giants debated how to proceed, Correa remained unsigned and available to negotiate with other clubs. Mets owner Steve Cohen, who’d previously lamented getting into the Correa market too late, swooped in and made a 12-year, $315MM offer that was also accepted — until the Mets raised similar concerns. A near two-week limbo period followed — partly due to the holiday season — where Correa’s fate remained wholly unclear. The Mets tried to restructure the deal, reportedly aiming to guarantee only half the proposed 12-year guarantee and then subject Correa to a series of conditional options based on the health of his leg.

At this point, the Twins had circled back, showing more confidence in Correa’s health over a six-year term than the Mets were willing to bet on. Minnesota handily topped the Mets’ reported annual salary of $26.25MM, offering Correa $33.33MM per year over a six-year term and including four club/vesting options that Correa can automatically trigger simply by hitting a predetermined number of plate appearances. Those four option years can tack on another $70MM, bringing the new contract to a potential $270MM over ten years and giving Correa a possible $305.1MM maximum over 11 years in Minnesota (including last year’s $35.1MM).

Unlike the scenarios that played out with the Giants and Mets, Correa’s physical was already largely concluded by the time word of his new deal with the Twins had begun to leak out. A day after he reportedly came to terms with the Twins, his new pact was announced, and the Twins improbably had the star shortstop they’d twice almost lost locked in on a contract that was more expensive annually than Correa’s shortstop peers but came with less long-term risk.

At the outset of free agency, a six-year term for Correa seemed implausibly light; there’s more risk to that six-year term than might’ve been expected, but the Twins have a generally clean financial outlook and have ramped payroll up into the $150-160MM range in recent seasons. They can afford the year-to-year gamble, and they’re more familiar with Correa’s recent medicals than any other team. For the second straight offseason, a bizarre series of twists effectively dropped Correa into their laps, and the Twins have to be thrilled to control him for as long as a decade but with “only” six of those seasons guaranteed.

The Correa deal undoubtedly changed the trajectory of the Twins’ offseason. Upon missing out on him, they’d signed Joey Gallo to a one-year upside deal and otherwise remained largely quiet as they regrouped. Were it not for the sudden turn of fortune, it might not have been a surprise to see the Twins retool, focus on development and make a few more value adds with an eye toward 2024 and beyond. Instead, the front office turned its sights to the top remaining need: the starting rotation.

Emboldened by the Correa reunion, the Twins bit the bullet and traded fan favorite infielder Luis Arraez to the Marlins in a deal that netted them two years of control over right-hander Pablo Lopez, plus top shortstop prospect Jose Salas and teenage outfield prospect Byron Chourio. It was a headline-grabbing move due in large part to the fact that Arraez had just won a batting title, albeit only by the slimmest of margins over AL MVP Aaron Judge.

Arraez may have the best best-to-ball skills in baseball, having fanned in just 7.1% of his plate appearances last year while batting .316/.375/.420 in a career-high 603 plate appearances. He’s an undeniably talented pure hitter, but the Twins had concerns about a growing history of leg injuries that have hampered Arraez before he even turned 26 years old. He’s also limited in terms of power and defensive value, with Minnesota shifting him to first base in 2022 even as second baseman Jorge Polanco missed time due to back and knee injuries. Arraez played a strong first base, by measure of most defensive metrics, but the Twins likely saw this as an opportunity to improve the defense and pitching staff simultaneously while also netting a touted shortstop prospect in Salas.

There’s certainly risk, as the Twins surrendered three years of Arraez for just two of Lopez, who is no stranger to injuries himself. Lopez made 32 starts and pitched 180 very strong innings in 2022, but he missed time in each of the 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons due to shoulder troubles. A healthy Lopez is the Twins’ best starter and one of the better right-handers in the league, but the 2022 season was his first with more than 21 starts or 111 innings pitched.

After acquiring Lopez, the Twins remained active on the trade front, shipping a pair of relief prospects to the Royals for the final year of Michael A. Taylor’s contract. In Taylor, the Twins acquired one of the only outfielders in baseball who can rival Byron Buxton’s defensive wizardry. That’s particularly key early in the season, as the Twins will use Buxton primarily as a designated hitter while he eases back from a knee procedure. Once Buxton is up to full strength, the Twins can boast perhaps the game’s best contingent of outfield defenders; Gallo, who started the opener at first base but will see plenty of time on the grass, has a pair of Gold Gloves in the outfield. Max Kepler, who for much of the offseason looked as though he’d be traded, wound up staying put and has been one of the game’s strongest right fielders for years by measure of metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.

The Twins saved one final acquisition for the late stages of the offseason. After showing some interest in Yuli Gurriel, Minnesota instead added a more versatile right-handed bat in Donovan Solano. The 35-year-old Solano, like Farmer and (to a lesser extent) Taylor, has a track record of producing against lefties and can handle multiple positions. He gives the Twins a right-handed complement to first baseman Alex Kirilloff (once he’s back from a wrist injury) and can fill in at second base or third base as well. Solano is a contact-oriented hitter who’ll join a deep bench consisting of Farmer, Taylor (once Buxton is back to regular center field work) and utilityman Nick Gordon. That group gives manager Rocco Baldelli a series of quality defenders who can play multiple positions.

Minnesota left the bullpen largely untouched, retaining Emilio Pagan even after last year’s struggles. It’s a bet on the right-hander’s tantalizing raw stuff, but if he goes through similar bouts of homer susceptibility and blown leads, it’ll be rightly questioned. Then again, with last year’s deadline pickup of Jorge Lopez, the return of hard-throwing youngster Jorge Alcala, breakouts from Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, and the late-2022 emergence of southpaw Jovani Moran, Pagan now looks more like a middle reliever than a late-inning, high-leverage arm. If Lopez rebounds closer to his Baltimore form than his shakier second-half self, the Twins have the potential for a strong bullpen overall.

The rotation, too, looks quite deep. Each of Lopez, Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda is at least a solid mid-rotation starter when healthy. The Twins may lack a prototypical ace, but they also don’t have a fungible “No. 5” starter in the mix. All of their top five starters fall somewhere between the “No. 2” and “No. 4” range — though numerical designations of pitchers is inherently subjective — and even sixth starter Bailey Ober makes for an unusually strong top depth option. He’d likely be locked into a rotation spot with many teams throughout the league but instead opens the season in Triple-A.

The Twins might not head into the 2023 season as the on-paper favorite in the AL Central, but this is the deepest roster and probably the best defense they’ve had under the current iteration of the front office. That’ll be extra beneficial if the injury bug again rears its ugly head for a Twins club that had more cumulative injured list days than any team in the American League in 2022. They’ll obviously be hoping for better fortune on that front this season, and if it plays out that way, the Twins will be right in the division mix with the reigning champion Guardians and a White Sox club also hoping for fewer injuries in 2023.

How would you grade the Twins’ offseason?

How would you grade the Twins' offseason?
B 45.28% (719 votes)
A 36.90% (586 votes)
C 12.47% (198 votes)
F 2.96% (47 votes)
D 2.39% (38 votes)
Total Votes: 1,588

The Opener: Contreras, Debuts, Offseason In Review

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With another Opening Day in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the weekend:

1. Will Contreras miss time?

New Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is suffering from a knee contusion after getting hit with a Jordan Hicks fastball. Contreras left the game afterwards, and Katie Woo of The Athletic notes that while x-rays came back negative, Contreras was set to undergo further imaging last night. We could have more information on his status as soon as today, though it’s also possible we won’t hear anything until tomorrow given today’s day off for the club. Should the Cardinals’ marquee free agent signing of the offseason miss time, Andrew Knizner figures to split time with either Ivan Herrera or Tres Barrera behind the plate.

2. Several MLB debuts this weekend.

After the likes of Anthony Volpe, Jordan Walker, Oscar Colas and Brice Turang made their MLB debuts in the first game of their club’s season yesterday, several talents on Opening Day rosters have still yet to make their MLB debut. Among them are A’s righty Shintaro Fujinami, who’s slated to start Saturday’s game against the Angels, plus a trio of hurlers who are slated for Sunday starts: Mets righty Kodai Senga, Braves lefty Jared Shuster and Yankees righty Jhony Brito. Senga’s start, in particular, figures to draw plenty of eyes, given the high-profile contract he inked this winter (five years, $75MM) and the pair of injuries the Mets are already facing in the rotation. Beyond that group of debuts, Tigers fans will get to welcome back right-hander Spencer Turnbull on Saturday, when he makes his first big league start since June 4, 2021. Turnbull underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2021 and missed the entire 2022 season.

3. Offseason in Review

MLBTR’s Offseason in Review series continues today, with the Twins installment of the series set to release early today. A pair of live chats are planned for today as well: at noon CT, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a Giants-centric live chat in conjunction with yesterday’s San Francisco installment of the series. You can click here to ask a question in advance, participate live when the chat begins, or read the transcript afterward. Additionally, a Twins-centric live chat is also planned for today at 2pm CT to go along with today’s post. Here’s a link to ask a question in advance, participate live and read the transcript after it’s complete.

Braves, Scott Blewett Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves agreed to a minor league contract with Scott Blewett yesterday, according to the right-hander’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Blewett, 27 next month, pitched in five big league contests with the Royals between 2020-21. A former second-round pick of Kansas City, he changed organizations for the first time last year. Blewett signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, spending most of the season in Double-A. He started 22 of 24 appearances, working to a 5.03 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate across 111 innings. Blewett never got a big league look in Chicago and returned to minor league free agency over the offseason.

The New York native will try to work his way back to the MLB level in Atlanta. He’s surely a fair ways down the depth chart after a middling showing in Double-A, but he’ll add some organizational depth as the Braves navigate a number of rotation injuries. Kyle Wright opened the season on the injured list, while Michael Soroka started the year in Gwinnett after a hamstring issue set him back in Spring Training. Atlanta already tabbed a pair of rookies, Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd, for season-opening rotation spots.

The injury troubles continued today, as ace Max Fried appears ticketed for the IL after straining his hamstring during his start against Washington. Blewett’s signing predated the Fried injury and is unrelated, but the Braves now look likely to count on one of Bryce Elder or Ian Anderson to temporarily step into the rotation alongside Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Shuster and Dodd.

Rangers, Rafael Ortega Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers are in agreement with Rafael Ortega on a minor league contract, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The deal allows him to opt out on April 29 if he’s not added to the roster, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (Twitter link). If Ortega secures a big league roster spot, he’d lock in a $1.5MM base salary, according to Adams.

Ortega has played for five teams over parts of six big league seasons dating back to 2012. Much of his early-career work came in a depth capacity. He logged a decent amount of action over the past two years with the Cubs, playing in 221 games. Ortega posted decent offensive numbers in that time, combining for a .265/.344/.408 line in 701 plate appearances.

Despite that solid showing, Chicago non-tendered him at the start of this past offseason. Ortega signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and spent the spring in their camp. The lefty-hitting outfielder had a bizarre .158/.327/.474 line over 38 exhibition at-bats. He struck out 12 times but drew ten walks and connected on three home runs. New York stuck with the out-of-options Estevan Florial and signed Franchy Cordero to take the outfield bench spots on the season-opening roster. Upon being informed this week that he wouldn’t make the team, Ortega triggered an opt-out clause and was granted his release.

It didn’t take long for the 31-year-old to find a new landing spot. Outfield is a significant question mark for Texas, particularly early in the season. Adolis García is assured of one spot. That’d ideally be in right field but he started in center field today. That’s due to a season-opening injured list stint for presumptive starting center fielder Leody Taveras, who sustained an oblique strain this spring. Robbie Grossman and utilityman Josh H. Smith got the nod in the corners flanking García.

With Taveras out, it’s easy to see the appeal for Ortega in signing on with Texas. The organization will have a little less than a month to evaluate both his performance at Triple-A Round Rock and Taveras’ health status before deciding whether to give him an MLB look. Ortega is out of minor league option years, so if he secures a 40-man roster spot at any point, Texas would have to keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment.

Astros Notes: Baker, Brantley, McCullers

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Dusty Baker enters his fourth season as Astros manager. Fresh off the first World Series title of his illustrious career, the 73-year-old skipper discussed his future with Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He was noncommittal about the possibility of continuing beyond this season.

“I don’t know man. I just don’t know. You got to go home some day,” Baker told Nightengale. While that’s a rather equivocal stance, it seems it’s the approach Baker has taken throughout his tenure there. He’s signed a series of one-year contracts with the organization — even this past offseason on the heels of a championship — noting that the shorter term won’t “force (him) to come or go.” Baker said he has no plans of announcing his retirement in advance, preferring to wait until he’s absolutely sure he wants to step away before making that call.

The Astros went 230-154 in Baker’s first three seasons at the helm. They’ve advanced at least as far as the AL Championship Series in all three years, culminating in the second World Series in franchise history last season. Baker has obviously had the fortune of overseeing excellent rosters, yet the organization couldn’t have hoped for more when tabbing him in the wake of the revelation of the sign-stealing scandal.

Turning to this year’s roster, general manager Dana Brown offered a couple injury updates prior to the club’s loss to the White Sox this evening. The Astros placed Michael Brantley on the 10-day injured list as he rehabs from last year’s season-ending shoulder procedure.

Brown provided some specificity on the timetable, telling reporters that Brantley would miss at least three weeks of game action (relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). The veteran outfielder didn’t make an appearance this spring as Houston slowly brought him along. Once healthy, he’s expected to share left field/designated hitter reps with Yordan Alvarez.

Brown also provided an update on starter Lance McCullers Jr., who’s opening the season on the 15-day IL due to an elbow strain. The GM said McCullers is now pain-free, indicating some optimism about his status (via Mark Berman of Fox 26). There doesn’t seem to be a firm timetable for his return, though the righty was playing catch during Spring Training. While McCullers slowly builds toward game shape, Houston opens the year with a front five of Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, José Urquidy and rookie Hunter Brown.

Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants

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In conjunction with this post, MLBTR will be hosting a Giants-focused chat on March 31 at noon CT. Click here to submit a question in advance. 

Unable to replicate their stunning 107-win campaign of the prior season in 2022, Giants brass went back to the drawing board this past offseason with a goal improving both the lineup and the defense by getting younger and more athletic. They might’ve accomplished that, to an extent, but despite deepening the roster, they missed out on multiple top targets and left many fans feeling underwhelmed.

Major League Signings

Total spend: $193.15MM
2023 spend: $85.65MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Waiver Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Giants’ first bit of offseason business was wrapped up by the time the free-agent market officially began. Joc Pederson parlayed his career-best .274/.353/.521 batting line into a one-year, $19.65MM qualifying offer from the Giants. Rather than turn that down and head into the open market in search of a multi-year deal, Pederson became one of just two players to accept the QO this past offseason — Martin Perez was the other — thereby officially punching his ticket to return to Oracle Park for a second season.

Though he spent the bulk of his time in the outfield in 2022, Pederson seems likely to log more reps as the Giants’ designated hitter this coming season. It’s a steep price to pay for one year, but the Giants are a deep-pocketed club that isn’t particularly close to the luxury tax threshold at the moment, so they can afford to bet on Pederson approximating his outstanding 2022 production.

Pederson’s eventual shift into more of a DH role coincides with the Giants’ goals of improving defensively. They entered the 2022-23 offseason with the stated goal of getting younger and more athletic. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi plainly indicated as much last September, and just a few weeks later he added that “everything” was on the table in the offseason, including aggressive pursuits at the top end of the free-agent market.

That indeed proved to be the case, as the first portion of the Giants’ winter was dominated by their pursuit of Aaron Judge. The Linden, Calif. native was the Giants’ clear top target, and Zaidi & Co. made a spirited run at him. For the majority of the offseason, the Giants appeared the only real threat to pry Judge away from the Bronx. San Francisco offered the reigning AL MVP a reported nine-year, $360MM deal that matched the eventual terms he agreed to in his return to the Yankees. The division-rival Padres made a late push for Judge, but once the Yankees were willing to push their offer to nine years, Judge’s mind was made up. The newly crowned American League home run king spurned the nine-year offer that would’ve sent him back to his Bay Area roots and instead returned to the Bronx.

The Giants knew entering the offseason that luring Judge away from the Yankees was going to be a long shot, and true to Zaidi’s “everything is on the table” form, they pivoted to one of the top names on the market: Carlos Correa. Again embroiled in a bidding war with the incumbent team, the Giants eventually blew the Twins’ 10-year offer out of the water, putting forth a stunning 13-year, $350MM offer that would have given Correa the second-largest free-agent deal in MLB history, trailing only the contract Judge had just signed.

With that offer topping the Twins’ reported offer by three years and roughly $60MM, Correa accepted and the Giants appeared to have the superstar acquisition they coveted all but finalized. A press conference to introduce Correa was set for Dec. 20, as was a radio appearance on KNBR. Correa was going to be the Giants’ starting shortstop — until he wasn’t.

On the morning of that scheduled press conference, the Giants announced that Correa’s introduction would be postponed. No reason was given. His subsequent media appearances in the Bay Area were also postponed. It eventually came to light that the Giants and a third-party medical expert had voiced concerns about how Correa’s right ankle/leg would hold up over the course of a more than decade-long deal. Correa has never missed time in the Majors with an ankle/leg injury but fractured his tibia as a 19-year-old in the minor leagues and had a plate implanted into his leg to stabilize the injury.

While the Giants continued gathering information and soliciting opinions, Correa remained unsigned, and the Mets swooped in just a day later with a 12-year, $315MM offer that he accepted. Similar concerns arose from the Mets — unsurprising, given that they reportedly consulted the same third party — and that deal was also scuttled. Correa eventually returned to the Twins on a much shorter but much higher-AAV contract: six years and $200MM, with a quartet of vesting options that could take the contract to $270MM and bring his potential 11-year stint with Minnesota to a total value of $305.1MM.

That a second team expressed the same concerns and that Correa wound up taking a guarantee of less than half the length of the Giants’ original offer surely validated the front office’s trepidation in the eyes of some onlookers, but the simple fact remained: the Giants entered the offseason intent on getting younger, more athletic, and ideally acquiring a superstar around which to build their franchise — and that possibility no longer presented itself.

By the time the team’s deal with Correa had fallen through, Judge and all the other star shortstops (Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson) had new contracts in place. Outgoing ace Carlos Rodon was also gone, having joined Judge on a six-year deal with the Yankees. The market’s other two aces, Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom, were among the earliest marquee free agents to find new homes.

Of course, the Giants hadn’t merely been sitting on their hands prior to their failed Judge and Correa overtures. The team inked Mitch Haniger to a three-year contract in early December and just days later brokered identical two-year pacts with righty Ross Stripling and lefty Sean Manaea.

Haniger’s deal added some needed punch to the middle of the Giants’ lineup but also came with a good deal of health risk. Stripling and Manaea deepened the starting staff, giving an organization known for maximizing pitcher performance a pair of veteran arms. San Francisco has routinely avoided long-term commitments to pitchers, making a Rodon reunion look unlikely from the jump. Both Stripling and Manaea have had big league success but came with some question marks; Stripling hasn’t worked a full season as a starter, while Manaea had a poor finish to the season thanks largely to a pair of catastrophically bad outings at Dodger Stadium. The price the Giants paid for both players is sensible, and both will have a chance to return to the market next offseason if they perform well.

With both Stripling and Manaea aboard, the Giants’ rotation was at least six-deep. That pair joined Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani, with swingman Jakob Junis and top prospect Kyle Harrison both serving as depth options. Harrison, one of baseball’s premier pitching prospects, should debut at some point in 2023. It’s a deep and talented group, and given the team’s spacious home park and nearly unparalleled track record of recent success with maximizing pitcher performance, there’s a good chance the Giants can again boast one of the league’s better rotations.

Upgrades were also made in the bullpen, where the Giants looked past Taylor Rogers’ poor finish to the 2022 season and bet heavily on his still-excellent strikeout and walk rates. The former Twins closer and 2021 All-Star might well have been a candidate for a four-year contract had he enjoyed a season more in line with his 2018-21 form (2.91 ERA, 2.66 SIERA, 31.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate), but the Giants still paid up in the form of a $33MM guarantee over three years. It’s a big bet that Rogers’ inflated ERA was more attributable to poor luck on balls in play, a spike in home-run rate that’ll prove fluky, and a diminished strand rate.

The signing of Rogers pairs him with his twin brother Tyler, making for a fun story at the back of the ’pen, but it also gives the Giants another high-upside arm to pair with flamethrowing closer Camilo Doval. That group will eventually be joined by righty Luke Jackson, who inked a two-year pact but will miss the early portion of the season wrapping up his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Jackson was a vital member of the Braves’ 2021 World Series team, but his signing marks another relatively risky addition in the bullpen alongside the newly signed Rogers brother.

Perhaps the Giants’ highest-profile signing came in the form of former Mets All-Star Michael Conforto, who inked a two-year deal after missing the entire 2022 season due to shoulder surgery stemming from an offseason injury. As with many of their other signings, the investment in Conforto is laden with both risk and upside. Beyond the fact that he didn’t play a single inning at any level in 2022, Conforto’s 2021 season was decidedly pedestrian. After slashing a combined .265/.369/.495 (133 wRC+) from 2017-20, Conforto batted just .232/.344/.384 (106 wRC+) in 125 games during his platform season for free agency.

The bet on Conforto isn’t simply one that his shoulder is now healthy — it’s one that his 2021 season can be looked past. The Giants are paying Conforto $18MM annually, and in the event that he is indeed healthy and productive, he’ll be able to opt out of his contract next offseason. That right kicks in once Conforto reaches 350 plate appearances. In essence, the Giants are making a $36MM bet that Conforto can again be a star player; if they’re right, they’ll likley only have to pay out half that sum but could lose Conforto after one year without the option of making a qualifying offer. (Players can only receive one in their career.) If they’re wrong, it’ll go down as a costly misstep that’ll impact the books through the 2024 season.

There’s been a lot of talk about “risk” to this point, but that’s largely unavoidable given the nature of San Francisco’s offseason. The Giants loaded up on short-term risk, signing several players coming off injury-shortened or even injury-ruined seasons (Conforto, Jackson, Haniger) and others coming off poor showings that don’t align with their prior standards (Rogers, Manaea).

Given that the Giants’ pursuit of Correa was called off for perceived injury risk on a long-term deal, it’s somewhat peculiar that the rest of the team’s offseason wound up punctuated by substantial health risks. Of course, there’s a difference between taking an injury risk for two or at most three years versus a 13-year term — and the extra trepidation on the lengthier commitment is plenty justifiable. But for the short-term, the Giants are even more at the mercy of good fortune in the health department than they’d have been had they found a way to make the Correa deal work out.

The rest of the offseason generally consisted of tinkering on the edges of the 40-man roster. Newly acquired relievers Kade McClure and Erik Miller aren’t on the 40-man roster but could conceivably be brought up at some point this year. Rule 5 catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol made the Opening Day roster, and infielder Brett Wisely gives the Giants some 40-man depth in Triple-A. That group cost the Giants a pair of fringe relievers (Gregory Santos, Yunior Marte), a Class-A pitcher (Jake Wong) and an outfield prospect who only had a brief stop in the organization after being acquired from the Brewers at the ’22 deadline (Tristan Peters).

The 2023 Giants will look wildly different than the 2022 Giants, but it’s still an open question as to whether this group is actually better. If they strike gold on most of their injury gambles, that seems likely to be the case. Odds of that happening are long, to say the least. Haniger is already starting the season on the injured list, and that surely won’t be the only injury of note from their newly acquired swath of veterans.

The Giants still have major question marks behind the plate, where Joey Bart has yet to seize the role. He’ll be backed up by defensive specialist Roberto Perez and perhaps the previously mentioned Sabol. In the infield, they’ll hope David Villar can step up at the hot corner while LaMonte Wade Jr. — no stranger to the injured list himself — can stay healthy and hold down first base. J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores provide some nice depth at both corners, but there’s an enormous amount of uncertainty at multiple spots on the diamond.

The good news is that much of that risk, again, is short-term in nature. The 2024 payroll could, in fact, be almost pristine. Each of Brandon Crawford, Wood and Pederson will be a free agent. Cobb’s contract has a $10MM club option. Conforto, Manaea and Stripling all have opt-outs. It may not be likely that all three will perform well enough to take those out clauses, but it’s probable that at least one will. The Giants have $102MM in guaranteed money on the 2024 roster, which is about $90MM shy of their current level. The trio of Conforto ($18MM), Stripling ($12.5MM) and Manaea ($12.5MM) could subtract as much as $43MM from that sum.

That leaves ample flexibility, be it for a Logan Webb extension or for aggressive pursuits in next year’s crop of free agents. That group will be headlined by Shohei Ohtani but will also feature names like Julio Urias, Aaron Nola and NPB ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Extensions for Manny Machado and Rafael Devers undeniably sapped some star power from the group, but the Giants are set up for a mulligan and will be well equipped to add salary via free agency or trade.

For now, the focus is on keeping this group healthy and hoping the 2023 season looks more like 2021 than ’22. With the ultra-aggressive Padres and ever-dangerous Dodgers looming atop the division and an up-and-coming D-backs club gaining traction, the Giants aren’t division favorites and aren’t generally considered strong playoff contenders. They should have a deep pitching staff, however, and this group is plenty familiar with defying expectations. They’ll look to do so again in ’23, and if it doesn’t pan out, they have the financial firepower to make sweeping changes again next winter.

How would you grade the Giants’ offseason?

How would you grade the Giants' offseason?
C 40.89% (725 votes)
B 22.50% (399 votes)
D 22.34% (396 votes)
F 12.18% (216 votes)
A 2.09% (37 votes)
Total Votes: 1,773

Rangers’ Ricky Vanasco Undergoes Knee Surgery

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Rangers right-hander Ricky Vanasco recently injured his knee fielding a ground ball and had surgery to repair his meniscus, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. He is expected to be out of action for the next four to six weeks.

It’s surely a frustrating development for the 24-year-old, as he also had the 2020 season canceled by the pandemic and then missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery. In spite of those setbacks, he was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2021 to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America has considered him one of the top 30 prospects in the system in three straight years starting in 2020.

He was able to return to the mound last year, making 23 starts between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. His 4.68 ERA wasn’t terribly special, but he did strike out 28.9% of batters faced. It’s likely that a 12.7% walk rate helped put some of those earned runs on his ledger, but that’s fairly understandable given his long layoff. Unfortunately, he’ll now have to face another layoff, missing at least a few weeks here to start 2023. Once he returns to health, he’ll look to get back in a good groove.

Yankees, Jose Godoy Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees recently signed catcher José Godoy to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. The backstop had been released by the Angels earlier this month.

Godoy has appeared in each of the past two MLB seasons. He’s played for three teams, logging brief action with the Mariners, Twins and Pirates. The left-handed hitting backstop has played in 26 games, compiling a .123/.194/.140 line over 62 trips to the plate. He’s a .271/.323/.405 hitter over parts of three Triple-A campaigns. That’s obviously not huge offensive impact, though he’s shown decent bat-to-ball skills in the minors. The bigger selling point is in his solid defensive reputation.

New York was dealt a hit to its catching depth in camp with the revelation that Ben Rortvedt required shoulder surgery. Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka are the only healthy catchers on the 40-man roster. Godoy joins Nick Ciuffo as non-roster players with some MLB experience who can head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as insurance in case Trevino or Higashioka suffer an injury.

Yankees Acquire Colten Brewer From Rays

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6:36pm: Both teams have announced the trade. Tampa Bay receives cash in return.

6:15pm: Right-hander Colten Brewer, who had been in camp with the Rays on a minor league deal, will instead go to the Yankees and be added to their 40-man roster, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He had recently been reassigned to minor league camp but Topkin reports he had an assignment bonus that allowed the Yanks to acquire him. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had previously indicated the club was working on a “potential deal” and it seems this is what he was referring to.

Brewer, 30, appeared in the big leagues from 2018 to 2021, with the Padres in the first of those years but then with the Red Sox for the next three. In 91 major league innings, he has a 5.04 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, 13.4% walk rate and 50.4% ground ball rate. He spent last year with the Royals on a minor league deal, tossing 39 2/3 innings at Triple-A with a 4.76 ERA, striking out 24.9% of opponents, walking 10.7% and getting the ball on the ground at a 51.9% clip.

As mentioned, Brewer was in camp with the Rays on a minor league deal. He tossed 9 1/3 innings over eight appearances this spring, not allowing any earned runs while striking out 15 hitters and walking three. Despite that strong performance, he didn’t crack Tampa’s roster, as he was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday.

While the Rays weren’t willing to afford him an immediate big league job, the Yankees will plug him into the bullpen. Brewer is out of minor league option years, so he’ll have to stick on the active roster or be offered to other teams once New York officially selects his contract. He has between two and three years of service and would be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter if he holds his roster spot all year.

The Yankees have a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move once Brewer’s acquisition is final. New York has a number of players on the injured list — Ben Rortvedt, Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle among them — who could be moved to the 60-day injured list if the club anticipates a notable absence.

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