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Dodgers Select Beau Burrows, Transfer Jacob Amaya To 60-Day IL

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The Dodgers have added some pitching depth to their 40-man roster, selecting the contract of right-hander Beau Burrows, per the MLB Transactions page. To open a 40-man spot, the team transferred shortstop prospect Jacob Amaya to the 60-day injured list.

Burrows, the Tigers first-round draft pick in 2015, joined the Dodgers on a minor league contract last offseason after brief, unsuccessful stints in the Majors with Detroit and the Twins. He played the entire 2022 season at Triple-A Oklahoma, initially pitching out of their rotation before being moved to the bullpen. He struggled to the tune of a 7.18 ERA across 100 1/3 innings, displaying a 12.7% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate while giving up 18 home runs.

The move prevents Burrows from becoming a minor league free agent, and allows the Dodgers to keep some pitching depth in their organization. While the results certainly weren’t encouraging this season, Burrows is still only 26 and a former top-100 prospect, so the Dodgers may see some untapped potential in him.

Amaya, 24, impressed at Double-A Tulsa this season, slashing .264/.370/.500 in 49 games and earning a call-up to Triple-A Oklahoma. His numbers dropped off a little in Oklahoma but he still posted a respectable .259/.368/.381 line prior to landing on the 60-day injured list. The Dodgers have not specified the details of Amaya’s injury, so it’s unclear yet what his recovery will look like.

Amaya was drafted out of South Hills High School in the 11th round of the 2017 draft and is the Dodgers 15th ranked prospect, per MLB.com.

Royals Bench Coach Pedro Grifol Getting Interest For Managerial Openings

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Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol is getting interest from multiple teams with managerial openings, according to a report from Enrique Rojas of ESPN, who lists the Royals, White Sox and Marlins as those who are interested in Grifol.

Grifol, 53 next month, was drafted by the Twins and played in the minors from 1991 to 1999. He got as high as Triple-A but never got the call to the major league level in his playing days. He subsequently transitioned into other roles, such as the director of minor league operations for the Mariners and then joining the Royals’ coaching staff in 2013.

His name has frequently come up in past managerial searches, a reflection of the respect that Grifol has around the game. Prior to the 2018 season, he was a candidate to manage the Tigers, then was considered by the Orioles a year later. He was in the running for the Giants and the opening in KC prior to 2020 but lost out to Mike Matheny, who was in the chair for the past three years but got fired recently. He was then up for the job in the Tigers’ dugout again prior to 2021 but lost out to A.J. Hinch.

There’s been a lot of shakeup within the Royals after another disappointing season. In addition to Matheny, the club has also parted ways with pitching coach Cal Eldred and president of baseball operations Dayton Moore. In the case of Moore, general manager J.J. Picollo was promoted to take over, keeping some semblance of continuity despite the obvious desire for change. It’s possible that the same approach could apply for the managerial vacancy, with Grifol potentially getting the bump from the bench coach position into the manager’s chair.

It seems the Royals will have some competition for Grifol’s services, however, with the reported interest from the White Sox and Marlins. The Sox will be looking to replace Tony La Russa, who recently announced he is stepping down due to health reasons. In the case of the Fish, they and Don Mattingly announced a mutual decision to not continue their relationship beyond 2023. In addition to those clubs, there will also be others looking for new skippers. The Blue Jays and Phillies are currently in the postseason and playing with interim managers, who could potentially be retained for the future. The Rangers fired Chris Woodward midseason and replaced him with Tony Beasley on an interim basis, with Beasley recently undergoing an interview to stick around and remove the interim tag from his title.

Hazen: D-Backs To Pursue Bullpen Help, Open To Adding At Catcher

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The Diamondbacks had a quietly solid second half, setting themselves up for an interesting offseason. Arizona’s 73-89 overall record is obviously far from where they want to be, but the team has seen a number of young position players begin to produce at the major league level.

General manager Mike Hazen addressed the roster during his end-of-season media session yesterday. He provided a rundown of areas the club will look to address this winter (link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic).

Unsurprisingly, Hazen suggested that adding to the bullpen will be a priority. The D-Backs ran out a well below-average relief group for a third consecutive season, finishing the year 25th in ERA (4.58). Arizona relievers ranked last in the big leagues in strikeout rate (19.7%) and 28th in swinging strike percentage (10.9%). Hazen flatly stated improving the bullpen’s strikeout numbers will be a priority, suggesting the club will look into higher-velocity arms to that end.

Arizona added a pair of veteran relievers, Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy, in free agency last winter. Kennedy was coming off an above-average 27.2% strikeout percentage with the Rangers and Phillies in 2021, but he stumbled to a 19% strikeout rate while losing a tick on his average fastball this season. Melancon hasn’t been a high-strikeout arm for years, and he posted a 4.66 ERA during his first season in the desert after posting a sub-3.00 mark in each of the previous two years. Melancon will be back next season on a $6MM salary, while Kennedy is a virtual lock to be bought out.

Of the 17 D-Backs relievers to top 10 innings pitched, only four had a swinging strike rate better than the 11.8% league average. Only one member of that group, All-Star lefty Joe Mantiply, is a lock to return. Arizona has already parted with Noé Ramirez, while Keynan Middleton and Caleb Smith were both extremely homer-prone and seem likely to be non-tendered.

The D-Backs aren’t going to make a run at a top-of-the-market free agent reliever like Edwin Díaz, but pitchers like Trevor May, Adam Ottavino and Miguel Castro are all hitting free agency after posting quality swing-and-miss numbers. Robert Suarez, who has a $5MM player option for next year with the Padres, and Carlos Estévez are among the hardest-throwing relievers who’ll be available. Hazen also suggested the front office would be more amenable than they’ve been in recent years to dealing young talent for relief help.

While the bullpen will be a key target area, it’s certainly not the only spot on the roster the D-Backs will be open to adding. Hazen indicated the club could look into offensive help, pointing to catcher as a position they could address. Carson Kelly has been the primary backstop for the past four seasons, but he’s never made the strides as a hitter the team had hoped when adding him as a central piece of the Paul Goldschmidt trade. Kelly looked as if he was on the way to his breakout with an excellent first two months in 2021, but that year was thrown off track by a right wrist fracture in late June. In the season and a half since that point, Kelly owns a .214/.287/.344 line in 526 trips to the plate.

While Hazen praised the 28-year-old’s defensive ability, he added that “chasing a little more offense at that position, given what the rest of the roster could look like, is something that we might take a look at.” It’d register as a surprise if they make a run at the top free agent at the position, Willson Contreras, but Arizona does have a fair amount of long-term financial flexibility. The Snakes have roughly $59MM on next season’s books (not including projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players) and just $38MM committed by 2024.

There aren’t many definitive offensive upgrades other than Contreras available in free agency, but the trade market figures to feature a couple of the sport’s better two-way backstops. The A’s Sean Murphy will be eligible for arbitration for the first time and could be available as Oakland continues its roster overhaul. Murphy hit .250/.322/.426 through 612 plate appearances, offense that checks in 22 points better than league average by measure of wRC+. It’s also possible the Blue Jays leverage their stockpile of catching depth for help elsewhere, moving a player like Danny Jansen on the heels of a .260/.339/.516 showing.

Whether at catcher or another position, Hazen suggested adding a right-handed bat to the mix was a possibility, as Arizona’s in-house lineup skews left-handed. Among their current projected regulars, only Kelly, first baseman Christian Walker and shortstop Nick Ahmed hit right-handed. Kelly, who’d be due a raise on this season’s $3.325MM salary via arbitration, could be non-tendered if the Snakes find an upgrade at catcher. Ahmed isn’t a lock to return to everyday duty after missing almost all of this season with a shoulder injury, and he’s a bottom-of-the-lineup defensive specialist even when at full strength.

The D-Backs have a number of lefty-swinging outfielders, all of whom are capable of playing all three outfield spots. Corbin Carroll and Daulton Varsho were top minor league talents, and both played well this season. Carroll didn’t make his MLB debut until late August, but both he and Varsho are guaranteed everyday reps going into next year. Jake McCarthy wasn’t the same level of prospect, but he hit .283/.342/.427 over 354 trips to the dish in 2022. Alek Thomas didn’t perform well in the majors, hitting .231/.275/.344 over 411 plate appearances. Still, he’s an excellent defensive outfielder and entered this season as a top prospect.

That quartet has varying levels of trade value — Carroll and Varsho would have more appeal than McCarthy or Thomas — but there’s reason for optimism among all of that group. It’s hard to envision the Diamondbacks parting with Carroll or Varsho, but dealing one of McCarthy or Thomas seems possible. Hazen unsurprisingly noted he doesn’t feel he has to trade anyone, pointing to the ability to rotate them through the designated hitter position, but he sounded amenable to a move in the right circumstance. “Take a left-handed hitting outfielder and turn him into a right-handed hitting slugger, yeah, I can see that puzzle coming together,” Hazen said (via Piecoro). “It’s not going to be taking one of those guys and trading them for prospects in that type of way.”

Theoretically the D-Backs could also leverage their outfield depth to add starting pitching behind the top duo of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. While Arizona has a number of interesting young arms at or near the MLB level — Drey Jameson, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and Blake Walston among them — there’s still a fair bit of uncertainty with any unproven young pitcher. Madison Bumgarner, whom the club signed to a five-year deal to be the staff ace, hasn’t come close to matching his previous production in San Francisco. The four-time All-Star has an ERA of 4.67 or higher in all three of his seasons as a Diamondback, including a 4.88 mark with just a 16% strikeout rate through 30 starts this year.

Bumgarner has two years and $37MM remaining on his deal, and the D-Backs would be hard-pressed to find a taker for any notable portion of that money on the trade market. Hazen suggested the 33-year-old will have an inside track at a rotation job heading into next season but implied his leash could be getting shorter. “I do think incumbency probably matters when you’re going into spring training, for sure, especially with the younger guys that we have,” the GM said of Bumgarner’s status. “But if the expectation next year is going to be moving the ball forward from where we are right now, we are going to be making decisions that we need to make as we need to make them.”

D-Backs fans will want to read through Piecoro’s piece in full, as it contains myriad quotes from Hazen on the status of the roster and the organization’s offseason plans.

GM Nick Krall Discusses Reds’ Roster

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The Reds’ .383 winning percentage in 2022 ranks as the sixth-worst mark in the franchise’s 122-year history. Over the past 24 months, they’ve traded away former mainstays Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Tucker Barnhart and Amir Garrett. Once names like Donovan Solano, Mike Minor and Hunter Strickland formally become free agents after the postseason, the Reds will be left with one of the league’s youngest rosters. When addressing the team’s ugly season yesterday, general manager Nick Krall suggested that the roster will remain one of the youngest in the league next year (link via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

“We’re going to come into (2023) in a similar place that we are right now,” said Krall. While the GM suggested the team will “try to make improvements,” his subsequent comments about how everyone will need to earn a spot on next year’s roster in Spring Training don’t exactly portend an active winter on the player acquisition front.

“I don’t know if we have a ‘this is going to absolutely be this person’s position on Opening Day,” Krall stated. Those comments are particularly eye-opening given the presence of stalwart first baseman Joey Votto still being on the roster, though the 39-year-old will be entering the final season of his 10-year contract in 2023. Mike Moustakas, the only other guaranteed contract on the books, is also entering the final season of his four-year deal but has played himself out of an everyday role over the past two seasons, hitting .212/.289/.356 in 491 plate appearances. There’s also 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India to consider; he’s not signed to a long-term contract and is in search of a rebound at the plate after taking a step back in ’22, but one would still think he’s in line for regular playing time.

Setting aside any implications for players currently on the roster, Krall’s comments seem to further suggest what was already largely assumed — that the Reds aren’t likely to fill any of their numerous holes with a free agent of note or swing any sort of trade for established Major League talent. That fact is further reinforced by Nightengale reporting within the piece that the payroll, which has decreased in each of the past two seasons, is likely to be pared even further back in 2023.

The Reds spent $106MM on the roster in 2022, but with several in-season trades and now Minor, Solano and Strickland coming off the books, that figure will be easy to reduce. Votto and Moustakas, owed a combined $43MM, are the only guaranteed contracts remaining for the Reds next year. They’ll have a slate of players eligible for arbitration, but none who can be expected to command salaries of real note. Buck Farmer, Luis Cessa, Kyle Farmer, Lucas Sims, Jeff Hoffman, Nick Senzel, Tejay Antone, Justin Dunn, Aramis Garcia, Derek Law and Aristides Aquino will all be eligible for arbitration this winter, but several of those names are non-tender candidates — and the ones who’ll clearly be tendered (e.g. Antone) won’t have particularly high salaries.

Just how low the payroll will be stripped down remains unclear. The very presence of Votto and Moustakas means that even if the roster were rounded out solely with pre-arbitration players — which obviously won’t happen — the Reds would spend at least $60MM. They’ll very likely run out a heftier budget than that, but Krall’s end-of-season comments and the recent trajectory of the Cincinnati payroll don’t give fans much hope that reinforcements are on the way.

It’s been a brutal several years for Reds fans, who were subjected to six straight losing seasons from 2014-19. The trades made along the way, intended to rebuild the farm system, generally didn’t bear as much fruit as hoped, but the Reds still cultivated a strong rotation, spent on key free agents like Nick Castellanos, and made the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season. That looked to have set the stage for a return to prominence in the NL Central, but Reds ownership has instead been among the most aggressive groups in baseball at shedding payroll in the wake of the shortened 2020 season and the absence of gate revenue.

The latest rebuild looks to be off to a better start — the return from the Castillo trade, in particular, is viewed to be a strong one — but it’ll likely be a couple more years before the Reds’ system yields a viable Major League core. By that point, they’ll be approaching a decade of losing baseball, with the only respite being the two-month sprint in the midst of the pandemic — when fans weren’t even able to enjoy the success in person.

Rangers Interview Tony Beasley In Managerial Search

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The Rangers conducted a managerial interview with interim skipper Tony Beasley today, president of baseball operations Chris Young informed reporters (including Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). Beasley, who held the position on an interim basis after Chris Woodward was fired in mid-August, is the only internal candidate under consideration. It’s unclear how many people outside the organization will meet with Texas brass in the coming weeks.

The 55-year-old Beasley first joined the Texas coaching staff in advance of the 2015 season. He held a coaching position under both former managers Jeff Banister and Woodward. After initially serving as third base coach for the 2022 campaign, Beasley was promoted to interim manager for the last six weeks of the season. The Virginia native took over a team that had a disappointing 51-63 record at the time. The club didn’t find any better results down the stretch, going 17-31 to close out the year at 68-94.

Certainly, Young and his staff will look at more than just the team’s record over six weeks in an already non-competitive season in determining whether Beasley warrants serious consideration for the full-time job. He’s clearly earned the respect of multiple previous skippers and the front office, although former president of baseball operations Jon Daniels was let go not long after Woodward.

Young is leading a baseball operations department for a first time, making the managerial search his first big decision. Hired as general manager during the 2020-21 offseason, the former big league hurler spent a year and a half as Daniels’ top assistant. He was kicked up to the top of the front office once ownership dismissed Daniels, and Young saw a bump in title from GM to president of baseball ops. The 43-year-old said today he’s not yet decided whether the team will look for a new GM to play a similar role that he’d served under Daniels (via Levi Weaver of the Athletic).

Zaidi: Giants To Pursue Starting Pitcher, Hire GM This Offseason

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The Giants entered the 2022 campaign with high hopes after winning 107 games last year, but the team’s efforts to compete for a playoff spot fell short. San Francisco finished with a .500 record and now turns its attention to next season. There’s no question the Giants will attempt to reload and make another push for contention this winter.

San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi met with the media this afternoon to discuss the team’s goals for the upcoming offseason (links via Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Zaidi indicated the club would bolster its starting rotation, which could see the departure of ace Carlos Rodón. The star southpaw signed a two-year guarantee last offseason, but he triggered an opt out provision in the deal by exceeding 110 innings this summer.

There’s no question Rodón will bypass the second season of that contract, as he and his representatives at the Boras Corporation are going to search for a longer-term deal. The 29-year-old avoided the injured list and threw 178 innings of 2.88 ERA ball, striking batters out at an elite 33.4% clip. He’s sure to pick up some Cy Young votes for a second straight season and could top the $110MM – $115MM guarantees secured by the likes of Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman last winter.

Zaidi noted he “fully expects” Rodón to opt out but again suggested there’s mutual interest in keeping him in the Bay Area. “I’m sure we’re going to be talking to Scott Boras about bringing him back. The feedback from Carlos and from Scott is he enjoyed being here, he enjoyed pitching in our park,” the Giants president told reporters. Locking up Rodón this time around would certainly require the largest investment the club has made in a free agent hurler since Zaidi took over. San Francisco hasn’t gone beyond the $44MM guarantee they awarded Rodón last winter for any pitcher during his leadership tenure. Anthony DeSclafani, who signed a three-year, $36MM deal last offseason, is the only pitcher to whom this front office has guaranteed three years.

On the issue of contract length, Zaidi indicated he wouldn’t categorically rule out a long-term investment. He generally indicated the front office expects to have some leeway from ownership regarding payroll. If Rodón doesn’t return, then San Francisco is likely to bring in another rotation piece from the outside. “I would anticipate us being in the market for at least one starter. Maybe it is just one. But at least one.”

That pitcher would join Logan Webb, Alex Wood, Alex Cobb and DeSclafani in the season-opening starting five. Webb had a second consecutive very strong season and looks like a top-end starter. Wood and Cobb each look like above-average starters at their best, and Cobb in particular is coming off a strong first year in SF. Each of Wood and Cobb has had a litany of injuries throughout their careers, however, while DeSclafani was limited to just five appearances in 2022 by an ankle injury that necessitated surgery.

San Francisco got solid fill-in work from right-hander Jakob Junis, who took on a larger than expected role in the wake of DeSclafani’s injury. Over 23 appearances (17 starts), Junis posted a 4.42 ERA with a 20.5% strikeout rate and a tiny 5.2% walk percentage. That earned him a spot on next year’s roster for his final season of arbitration eligibility, but Zaidi said today the club prefers him in a long relief role. While he’d certainly be capable of stepping back into the rotation if needed, he won’t be given that job out of the gate.

One pitcher whom Zaidi suggested could get an early rotation look is top prospect Kyle Harrison. The 21-year-old southpaw pitched to a 2.71 ERA with an incredible 39.8% strikeout rate in 113 frames split between High-A and Double-A. Along the way, he cemented himself as one of the most promising minor league arms in the sport. The former third-rounder did walk a higher than ideal 10.5% of opponents, but he’s shown plenty of promise with regards to missing bats. While Harrison doesn’t have to be added to the 40-man roster until the end of the 2023 campaign, Zaidi name-checked him as a potential rotation option “relatively early in the season.” He’s not likely to break camp with the team but could be an option midseason if he shows well in the upper minors.

On the position player side, the Giants have made clear they plan to get younger and look for more athletic players capable of improving a defense that was MLB’s third-worst at turning balls in play into outs. That’d seem to point towards parting ways with the corner infield tandem of Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria. Belt is an impending free agent, while the Giants hold a $13MM option on Longoria’s services versus a $5MM buyout.

Zaidi kept the window open today to retaining both players. He suggested Longoria, in particular, could benefit from a reduced role that didn’t require playing the vast majority of games at third base. While Zaidi didn’t specifically address the option decision, it’s hard to envision San Francisco bringing Longoria back at that price — particularly after they re-signed Wilmer Flores to a two-year deal last month. Still, it seems the front office is open to the possibility of keeping him around on a lower-cost deal in free agency on the heels of a .244/.315/.451 showing across 89 games.

Amidst what’s likely to be a fair bit of roster turnover, Zaidi also plans to tab a new top lieutenant. Previous general manager Scott Harris departed to take over baseball operations with the Tigers. San Francisco has proceeded without a GM for the past few weeks, but Zaidi said today that finding a replacement for Harris is a priority. He expressed his hope a new GM hire will be finalized by the General Manager’s meetings, which typically take place in mid-November. Zaidi will retain overall control of the roster, but the new GM will be his second-in-command and a pivotal piece of the front office.

Mets Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Mets have designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment, according to their transactions log at MLB.com. The move opens a 40-man roster spot for righty Tylor Megill, who’d landed on the COVID-19 list earlier this week. Megill is on New York’s Wild Card roster.

New York acquired Pérez from the Pirates in mid-July. The lefty-hitting backstop had been designated for assignment by Pittsburgh, and New York brought him aboard for cash considerations. He spent most of his tenure as upper minors depth, appearing in just six major league games with the Mets. Over 17 contests at Triple-A Syracuse, the 30-year-old backstop hit .183/.231/.317.

Pérez has never been a great hitter. He’s appeared in each of the past five MLB seasons, suiting up with the Rays, Pirates and Mets. Over 591 plate appearances, he owns a .174/.244/.301 line with 15 homers and a 27.9% strikeout rate. That includes a rough .149/.214/.298 mark across 132 trips to the dish with Pittsburgh and New York this season.

The Mets will place Pérez on waivers in the next few days. He’s likely to go unclaimed and elect minor league free agency, as is his right as a player with three-plus years of major league service. He’s likely to be limited to minor league offers with invitations to big league Spring Training this offseason.

Padres Announce Wild Card Roster

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The Padres won 89 games, qualifying for the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time since 2006. Even in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr., who didn’t play this year on account of a wrist fracture and subsequent PED suspension, the Friars boast a star-studded roster. San Diego doubled down with arguably the biggest deadline blockbuster in MLB history, one they hope can help propel past a 101-win Mets team on the road.

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

There aren’t many surprises on the Padres roster. September call-up Dixon cracks the team as a right-handed bench bat after a monstrous season in the upper minors. The rest of San Diego’s roster decisions are fairly straightforward. There was never much doubt about the rest of the Friars position players being part of the club. Soto and Bell were brought in from the Nationals in a huge deadline swap, while San Diego also added Drury and Hader in separate deals at the start of August.

On the pitching side, San Diego will be without Mike Clevinger for the first series. The righty has been on the injured list with an illness for the past few days. While he passed a COVID-19 test yesterday and traveled to Queens, the club will keep him off the roster for this set. Darvish and Snell will get the ball for the first two games, with Musgrove seeming all but assured to start a Game 3 if that proves necessary.

Mets Announce Wild Card Roster

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The Mets topped 100 wins for the first time in more than three decades. New York couldn’t hold off the scorching hot Braves down the stretch, however. Atlanta claimed the NL East title, sending the Mets to the Wild Card series against the Padres. Disappointing end to the regular season aside, New York will have home-field advantage for all three games and the ability to turn to two of the sport’s top arms in the short series.

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The biggest news for New York is that Marte is back on the active roster. The All-Star outfielder has been out for a month since suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger. While he’d continued to battle soreness as recently as this week, he’s evidently capable of getting back on the diamond. Marte will be in the starting lineup tonight against Yu Darvish, hitting sixth while playing right field.

The Mets also carry Alvarez, their top catching prospect who made his big league debut last week. He and veteran corner outfielder/first baseman Ruf are right-handed options off the bench for skipper Buck Showalter. Fellow righty bat Mark Vientos is left off the roster, as is the lefty-swinging Tyler Naquin. Naquin was acquired from the Reds at the deadline to add some balance to the Mets outfield, but he has just a .203/.246/.390 line since landing in Queens. The Mets will opt for a speed and defense oriented player in Gore to round out the outfield instead.

New York’s pitching plans are also sure to be the focus of some debate. The club has yet to announce a Game 2 starter, only noting that deGrom and Bassitt are lined up for the next two outings in some capacity. Showalter confirmed the Mets will turn to deGrom tomorrow if they lose tonight but hold him in reserve for a potential Game 3 if they win today (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). In an ideal world for the Mets, they’d pull off a sweep with Scherzer and Bassitt on the hill, leaving deGrom to take Game 1 of a Division Series match-up with the Dodgers.

Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker aren’t active, as the Mets elected to go with a number of traditional relievers while not carrying their fourth/fifth starters for this three-game set. At least one of Carrasco and Walker would presumably be activated for the Division Series if the Mets advance.

Rangers Will Meet With Martin Perez Next Week

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The Rangers are planning to meet with Martin Perez and his representatives at Octagon next week, general manager Chris Young said at today’s end-of-season press conference (Twitter link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Perez, a free agent, has expressed interest in re-signing with Texas at multiple points this summer, and Young went on record to express interest in retaining the 31-year-old southpaw.

Originally signed by the Rangers as an amateur out of Venezuela, Perez one ranked among the sport’s very best pitching prospects. He finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting back in 2013 and looked very much like a pitcher on the rise; Perez inked a four-year, $12.5MM contract extension that included three club options after that rookie season.

Perez’s upward trajectory quickly hit a snag in 2014, however, as elbow discomfort sidelined him for much of the season and ultimately culminated in Tommy John surgery. He returned late in 2015, but Perez saw his command and strikeout rates both continue to trend in the wrong direction. He settled in as a back-of-the-rotation starter, bouncing from Texas to Minnesota to Boston before returning to the Rangers on a one-year, $4MM deal in free agency this past winter.

The Perez reunion was met with a healthy bit of skepticism, but he’s quieted naysayers with far and away the best showing of his career. In 32 starts and 196 2/3 innings, Perez worked to a 2.89 ERA, a career-best 20.6% strikeout rate and an 8.4% walk rate that was his third-best mark since returning from Tommy John surgery. Perez’s 51.4% grounder rate was his best mark since 2016.

There hasn’t been a radical overhaul of Perez’s pitch arsenal — no new, bat-missing slider that’s turned him into a dominant arm — but he’s succeeded with some more subtle changes. This year’s 27.7% usage rate on his changeup is the highest of his career, and Perez has increasingly favored his sinker, relegating his four-seamer and curveball to little more than occasional change-of-pace offerings. It’s been primarily sinker, cutter and changeup for Perez in 2022, and it’s hard to argue with the results.

For all the money the Rangers spent last year — more than a half-billion dollars in free agent contracts — the starting rotation remains in a state of flux. Last year’s main pickup for the starting staff, Jon Gray, posted strong results in his first season away from Colorado’s Coors Field, pitching to a 3.96 ERA in 127 1/3 innings but also missing time with minor knee and oblique issues. Right-handers Dane Dunning and Glenn Otto made 29 and 27 starts, respectively, finishing with ERAs in the mid-4.00s (though Otto’s strikeout and walk rates paint a more bearish picture). Texas has about $85MM on next year’s payroll, before considering a $6MM club option on Jose Leclerc and a small arbitration class headlined by Mitch Garver and Taylor Hearn.

Beyond that trio of Gray, Dunning and Otto, there’s no real certainty. Starting pitching figures to be a primary focus for the Rangers this winter, and while Perez may not be expected to repeat his 2022 excellence, he’d be a strong stabilizing presence and a nice early complement as the new-look Texas front office seeks a higher-profile addition for the top of the rotation. Perez has certainly earned himself a multi-year deal with that 2022 showing, and the question will now become one of whether the two parties can find a common ground.

Publicly stated mutual interest from the two parties is a good start but hardly solidifies that a deal will come together. If Perez does reach the open market, he ought to draw a fair bit of interest. He continued to command Major League contracts with decent guarantees even on the heels of lackluster performances, after all, signaling that teams throughout the league have long believed there’s another gear for him to reach. Now that he’s seemingly found that next level, that interest will only intensify.

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