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Red Sox Showing Interest In Willson Contreras

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After missing out on both Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, the Red Sox continue to pursue upgrades for their lineup. One target they’re recently looked into, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, is Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras.

Of course, the Red Sox and Cardinals already completed one trade sending a notable veteran to Boston; right-hander Sonny Gray was traded to the Sox in exchange for righty Richard Fitts and minor league lefty Brandon Clarke earlier in the offseason. (The Cardinals included $20MM in cash to help facilitate the swap.) Like Gray, Contreras is a veteran on a pricey contract with a full no-trade clause who St. Louis would like to move in order to clear payroll and create opportunities for younger players.

However, while Gray was very clear about his willingness to waive his no-trade clause this winter, Contreras has been more on the fence. The catcher-turned-first-baseman said at season’s end that he would consider certain scenarios but preferred to remain in St. Louis. Contreras has reportedly warmed a bit to the idea of approving a trade as the offseason has progressed, but he’s still going to be particular about his potential destination. It’s not yet clear to which teams Contreras would be willing to approve a trade, but he’d presumably prefer a contender. Boston clearly checks that box.

The fit in Boston is a natural one. First base was a question mark throughout the 2025 season. Young slugger Triston Casas struggled through a cold spell for the first three weeks and then suffered a season-ending knee injury just as he was beginning to show signs of emerging from that slump. Boston turned to Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro and eventual free agent pickup Nathaniel Lowe for much of the season. Gonzalez thrived against left-handed pitching but was below-average against righties, as is typical for him. Toro struggled and was eventually outrighted off the roster. Lowe performed decently down the stretch but was non-tendered due to a hefty arbitration price and a poor four months to begin the season.

Acquiring Contreras, who’s batted .256/.356/.461 (130 wRC+) across the past four seasons, would add an everyday option to the lineup and allow Gonzalez to be deployed in more of a utility role. Though he’s new to first base, Contreras made a smooth transition to the position in 2025. The longtime catcher had a poor defensive reputation behind the dish but turned in solid marks for his glovework at his new defensive home. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric pegged him as a positive defender (+6), and Defensive Runs Saved had him as a nearly average defender (-1). Those numbers could feasibly improve a bit as he takes even more reps at the position.

Contreras is earning $36.5MM over the next two seasons and has a $5MM buyout on a $17.5MM club option for the 2028 season. That remaining $41.5MM in guaranteed money is roughly in line with market value — at least in terms of average annual value — for a first baseman who’ll turn 34 next May. Christian Walker landed a three-year, $60MM contract covering his age-34 through age-36 seasons just last winter, for instance.

For the Red Sox, the $20.75MM in remaining AAV would put them over the luxury tax threshold, though given their pursuit of so many notable free agents and trade targets, that doesn’t seem like it’ll be a big impediment this time around. If the Sox don’t want to go too far beyond the tax line, the Cardinals’ inclusion of $20MM in the Gray trade shows a clear willingness to pay down salary in exchange for a better return. Those prior talks surely gave both parties an idea of which remaining players in Boston’s system would be of interest. And while it may not be a deciding factor in Contreras’ decision, the familiarity of having former teammates like Gray and Aroldis Chapman already on the roster could be somewhat of a perk.

White Sox Claim Ryan Rolison

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed left-hander Ryan Rolison off waivers from the Braves. Atlanta designated him for assignment this week as the corresponding move for their signing of right-hander Robert Suarez. The Sox had multiple 40-man vacancies and didn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Rolison, 28, was once a notable prospect with the Rockies. Colorado selected him 22nd overall in 2018, but then his path to the majors proved to be winding. The minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic and then Rolison was held back by injuries, most notably shoulder troubles. He didn’t pitch much from 2021 to 2023, missing the entirety of the 2022 campaign.

He finally got to the majors in 2025 but wasn’t able to put up good numbers. He tossed 42 1/3 innings for the Rockies this year but allowed 7.02 earned runs per nine. His 47.9% ground ball rate was above average but his 13% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate were subpar.

He had more intriguing numbers in the minors. In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he tossed 29 2/3 innings with a 3.34 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.

Despite that solid work for the Isotopes, the Rockies decided to move on. He was designated for assignment last month. Atlanta acquired him in a cash deal but he eventually got squeezed off their roster a few weeks later by further moves.

For the White Sox, it’s a sensible flier. They improved a bit in 2025 but nonetheless lost 102 games and are clearly still in rebuilding mode. That’s not ideal but the upside is that they are better positioned than other clubs to take chances on unproven guys. Rolison also still has an option year remaining, so he could be sent to Triple-A and back throughout the season. He has less than three years of service time, meaning he could be controlled through 2029 if he breaks out in Chicago.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Sign Michael Soroka

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December 12th: The Diamondbacks made it official today, announcing they signed Soroka to a one-year deal with a mutual option. Fellow righty Bryce Jarvis has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

December 8th: The Diamondbacks and free agent right-hander Michael Soroka are in agreement on a one-year deal that will reportedly pay the ISE Baseball client a guaranteed $7.5MM. Soroka can tack on an additional $2MM worth of incentives. The deal is pending a physical. Once complete, he’ll be penciled into the team’s rotation.

Soroka, still just 28 years old, is already signing the second free-agent contract of his career. He inked a one-year, $9MM deal with the Nats last offseason after an uneven year with the White Sox, wherein he struggled immensely as a starting pitcher before posting huge numbers as a reliever down the stretch. Washington plugged Soroka back into a starting role in 2025, eventually flipping him to the Cubs at the trade deadline. Soroka posted a middling 4.52 ERA in 89 2/3 innings (17 starts, six relief appearances) but continued to intrigue with sharp rate stats: 25.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate, 44.1% ground-ball rate.

Arizona is in need of help both in the rotation and in the bullpen, so even though Soroka is bound for the starting staff, he could be a fallback in the bullpen if the initial plan doesn’t work out. For now, he’ll join the trio of Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt as one of manager Torey Lovullo’s starters.

It still wasn’t that long ago that Soroka looked like one of the game’s most promising young arms. The 2015 first-round pick ranked as one of baseball’s top prospects prior to his debut with Atlanta, and the first two seasons of his career more than justified that billing. In 200 1/3 innings from his late-2018 callup through the end of the 2019 season, Soroka pitched to a sparkling 2.79 earned run average. His 20% strikeout rate was below-average, but he compensated for that with an excellent 5.9% walk rate, a 50.2% grounder rate and plenty of weak contact.

Injuries decimated the next several years of Soroka’s career and eventually pushed him out of the Braves’ plans. He’s twice torn his Achilles tendon and also missed time due to multiple shoulder injuries and a biceps strain. Soroka hasn’t reached even 100 innings in a major league season since that outstanding 2018-19 run; in fact, he’s pitched only 215 1/3 big league innings total since that time — just 15 more than he pitched in that initial MLB run.

Soroka will be one of multiple additions in general manager Mike Hazen’s rotation. The D-backs entered the offseason in dire need of pitching depth. Of the aforementioned trio of starters, only Nelson (3.39 ERA, 154 innings) posted quality bottom-line results last year. Both Rodriguez and Pfaadt posted ERAs north of 5.00, though each (Pfaadt in particular) was viewed more favorably by fielding-independent metrics.

Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick has already indicated that payroll will decline after last year’s mark topped $200MM for the first time in franchise history. However, he’s also made clear that the team is fully intent on striving to contend despite that reduction. It’s not clear exactly where the ultimate budget lies, but Hazen and his staff should have plenty of spending room even with the budget scaling down. The addition of Soroka pushes next year’s projected payroll to just over $151MM, per RosterResource.

Arizona has also been looking into a reunion with righty Merrill Kelly, whom they traded to the Rangers in July ahead of his free agent departure this offseason. There’s mutual interest there, though Kelly’s annual salary will likely more than double what Soroka just commanded. Pete Fairbanks is a known target on the bullpen side of things, though he’s surely just one of many. The D-backs are also at least hearing out other clubs who inquire on star second baseman Ketel Marte, though a trade is seen as unlikely, and they’re listening to offers on lefty-swinging outfielders Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy.

Suffice it to say, it’ll be a busy few days for the D-backs in Orlando at this week’s Winter Meetings, though it’s unlikely the check off every item on their to-do list before MLB’s premier offseason event concludes.

Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the one-year agreement between the two parties. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic first reported the salary terms, incentives and Soroka’s role.

Dodgers Claim Michael Siani

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The Dodgers announced that they have claimed outfielder Michael Siani off waivers from the Braves. Atlanta designated him for assignment when they signed Mike Yastrzemski earlier this week. The Dodgers had a couple of 40-man roster vacancies. This move technically brings them to 39 but Edwin Díaz will take the final spot once his signing becomes official.

Siani, 26, is a glove-first depth outfielder. He has appeared in the past four major league seasons, spending time with the Reds and Cardinals. He was sent to the plate 383 times in that span. His 6.3% walk rate and 27.9% strikeout rate thus far in his career are both subpar figures. His .221/.277/.270 batting line is well below average. His minor league numbers aren’t much better. He has a .217/.329/.337 line on the farm over the past three years.

But he has been able to provide value elsewhere. He has stolen 21 bases in 26 attempts. He has logged 1,014 innings on the grass, playing all three spots, but mostly in center. He has been credited with 17 Outs Above Average in that time and seven Defensive Runs Saved.

Siani still has an option, meaning he can be send to Triple-A without being exposed to waivers. Regardless, the Cards put him on the wire at the end of the 2025 season. Atlanta scooped him up but he lasted barely a month on their roster.

The Dodgers have some fluidity in their outfield group. On paper, they have Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages in two spots. There have been some trade rumblings around Hernández but general manager Brandon Gomes has pushed back on those. Pages had a good regular season but struggled in the playoffs and lost playing time. Tommy Edman could be involved but he’s recovering from ankle surgery right now and might be needed at second base. Hyeseong Kim is another multi-positional guy who could get some outfield time. Alex Call is in the mix.

Siani jumps into a depth group that also consists of Ryan Ward and Esteury Ruiz, all three of whom have options. Siani could be sent to Triple-A with those two but he could also carve out a bench role as a defensive specialist and pinch runner. He has less than two years of service time, meaning he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration and can theoretically be retained for several years if the Dodgers find him useful.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt Signed Multi-Year Extension

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When the Guardians originally hired Stephen Vogt as their new manager following the 2023 season, it was announced that he’d signed a three-year contract covering the 2024-26 seasons. Vogt, however, isn’t coming up on the final year of his contract as it might have seemed. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Guardians quietly signed Vogt to a multi-year extension following the 2024 campaign. The new contract was never announced, nor was it reported at the time.

Vogt, 41, has been named American League Manager of the Year in each of his two seasons as Cleveland’s skipper. Under his watch, the Guardians have twice enjoyed late-season rallies to force their way into the postseason. The ’24 Guardians won 88 games and topped the Tigers in the ALDS before falling to the Yankees in the ALCS. In 2025, Cleveland won 92 games but lost to the Tigers in a 2-1 Wild Card series defeat. Overall, Vogt is 180-143 as a big league manager.

It’s not entirely clear how long Vogt’s new contract runs, but he’s likely signed through at least the 2028 season now. He’ll continue overseeing a club that’s anchored by perennial MVP candidate José Ramirez and is on the cusp of welcoming a new wave of top prospects who could comprise the Guardians’ long-term core.

Outfield prospect Chase DeLauter made his big league debut in 2025. He’ll be joined by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana at some point in 2026, and fellow top prospects like infielder Angel Genao and catcher Cooper Ingle could make their debuts this coming season as well. Bazzana and Ingle both reached Triple-A in 2025; Genao held his own as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Pitching prospect Khal Stephen, acquired from the Blue Jays in the deadline deal sending Shane Bieber to Toronto, dominated up through the Double-A level in ’25 and could be an option to join Vogt’s rotation in 2026.

Though the Guardians are unlikely to ever field a payroll that’s consistently in the top half of the league, the presence of Ramirez, some quality arms (e.g. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee), looming young prospects and a perennially successful player development department should continue to put Vogt and the Guardians organization in position for success within the American League Central.

Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro Signs Five-Year Extension

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Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro has signed a five-year contract extension, Rogers Communications (which owns the Jays) announced Friday.

“The opportunity to lead the Blue Jays organization over the past 10 years has been incredibly fulfilling,” Shapiro said in a statement within today’s announcement. “Together we have built an organization with people who care deeply about baseball and take immense pride in being Canada’s team. I am grateful and honoured to be able to continue that work.”

Shapiro, 58, has spent the past decade as the Blue Jays’ president and CEO. He’d previously been the general manager and, eventually, team president in Cleveland. His past contract ran through the end of the calendar year. Current Jays general manager Ross Atkins was hired away from Cleveland by Shapiro; he’d previously been their vice president of player personnel.

Both Shapiro and Atkins have now signed multiple long-term extensions to remain in place as the top decision-makers for the Jays. Shapiro is now locked in through the 2030 season. Atkins signed a five-year extension back in 2021 and is currently signed through the end of the 2026 campaign.  Given the Jays’ run to Game 7 of the World Series, it stands to reason that Atkins could be in line for an extension of his own at some point in the coming months.

Under Shapiro and Atkins, the Jays have won 89 or more games in four of the past five seasons. They hadn’t had any playoff success — save for the 2016 season, though that was a largely inherited club from the prior regime — but broke through in a major way in 2025 when they toppled the Yankees and Mariners in the ALDS and ALCS before coming just two outs away from the franchise’s first World Series victory since the 1992-93 repeat.

While the Jays have often been runners-up for prominent free agents in recent seasons (e.g. Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani), this year’s World Series push and the team’s $500MM investment in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have perhaps helped to establish the Jays as more of a free agent destination. Right-hander Dylan Cease just inked a seven-year contract, and Toronto has shown interest in both Kyle Tucker and in re-signing star infielder Bo Bichette, who reached the open market for the first time in his career this offseason. Ownership’s decision to commit to another extension with Shapiro is both a vote of confidence in the team’s current core and vision, as well as a signal that Toronto will be continuing in win-now mode for the foreseeable future.

MLBTR Podcast: Winter Meetings Recap

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • An Agent’s Perspective with B.B. Abbott – Also, Cease, Williams, Helsley, And Gray – listen here
  • Some “Classic Baseball Trades,” Nimmo For Semien, And Ward For Rodriguez – listen here
  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top 50 Free Agents – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

The Opener: Alonso, Signings, Relief Market

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Alonso’s introductory press conference:

The Orioles are holding an introductory press conference for newly-minted first baseman Pete Alonso today at 4pm local time in Baltimore. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, principal owner David Rubenstein, and agent Scott Boras will be on hand to give statements and take questions alongside Alonso. The presser should offer some insight into  Alonso’s free agency and departure from the Mets, as well as the Orioles’ future plans — both this offseason and in the longer term.

2. Signings to be made official:

With this year’s Winter Meetings now in the rearview mirror, there’s a number of reported signings that have yet to be made official. Agreements between outfielder Lane Thomas and the Royals, reliever Mark Leiter Jr. and the Athletics, left-hander Hoby Milner and the Cubs, lefty Steven Matz and the Rays, right-hander Michael Soroka and the D-backs, closer Kyle Finnegan and the Tigers, and southpaw Gregory Soto and the Pirates have yet to be finalized and formally announced. Most notably, the Dodgers have yet to announce their signing of Edwin Diaz.

Most of those teams have spots available on their 40-man roster, so making the signing official is little more than a formality. For the Diamondbacks, Rays, and Tigers, however, their full rosters mean a corresponding move will be necessary in order for each club to finalize their respective additions. That will likely come by designating a player for assignment, though it’s also possible that those clubs could look to work out a minor trade to clear 40-man space.

3. Top relief options dwindling:

Right-hander Robert Suarez came off the board yesterday when he signed in Atlanta, and in doing so he joined Diaz, Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley and Kyle Finnegan as established closers who have already found a home this winter. That leaves the pickings as relatively slim for clubs interested in adding to the back of their bullpen at this point. Right-hander Brad Keller, who emerged as an outstanding setup man and part-time closer for the Cubs this past year, longtime Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, veteran submariner Tyler Rogers, and former Yankees righty Luke Weaver are among the top remaining arms on the market. Who will be next to sign?

Braves Sign Robert Suarez

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The Braves further solidified the back of their bullpen Thursday, announcing the signing of former Padres closer Robert Suarez on a three-year, $45MM contract. Suarez, a client of Primo Sports Group, became a free agent at season’s end when he opted out of the final two years and $16MM on his five-year contract with San Diego. He’ll be paid $13MM in 2026 and $16MM in both 2027 and 2028, per the team. There are reportedly no deferrals in the contract. Atlanta designated lefty Ryan Rolison for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster (more on that move here).

The 34-year-old Suarez (35 in March) went directly from Mexico to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball late last decade and, after establishing himself as one of the top relievers in NPB, has broken out as a top-tier reliever in the majors. Originally signed on a two-year deal with the Padres, he opted out after one year and inked a five-year, $46MM extension that afforded him another opt-out provision after the third year, which he took last month.

Now Atlanta-bound, Suarez has consistently posted quality numbers in high-leverage spots for the Friars. Dating back to his 2022 MLB debut, he’s posted a 2.91 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate in 210 innings. Suarez sits just under 99 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a changeup that got great results in ’22-’23 but has been hit hard the past two seasons. It hasn’t led to poor results, however, because Suarez’s fastball and sinker both grade out as dominant offerings.

Suarez joins right-hander Raisel Iglesias, who re-upped on a one-year, $16MM contract earlier in the offseason, to form a potent one-two punch at the back of new manager Walt Weiss’ bullpen. Notably, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Iglesias will continue to serve as the closer in Atlanta. Suarez will operate as his primary setup man (and, of course, can handle save opportunities in the event that Iglesias is unavailable or suffers an injury). Setup work is nothing new for Suarez, who in 2022 helped set up for Taylor Rogers and in 2023 was a key setup arm for Josh Hader.

On the surface, a three-year, $45MM contract for a high-end reliever feels fairly well in line with contractual norms around the game. However, Suarez’s camp did quite well to get him the third guaranteed year. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, this is the first deal of three or more years for a 35-year-old (or older) reliever since Will Harris signed for $24MM with the Nationals prior to the 2020 season. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to Ryan Madson’s three-year pact with the A’s back in 2015 to find another example of a bullpen arm being paid for this long of a term at Suarez’s age.

Adding Suarez brings Atlanta’s 2026 payroll up to about $241MM. RosterResource estimates that the team is carrying more than $236MM worth of luxury-tax considerations, which places them within $8MM of the 2026 season’s $244MM first-tier luxury threshold. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has already checked several items off his winter to-do list, though Atlanta still figures to be open to additions at shortstop, on the bench and/or on the pitching staff. That said, re-signing Iglesias, acquiring utilityman Mauricio Dubon and bringing in both Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (on a two-year, $23MM deal) has removed some of the urgency to make further additions.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the agreement and the terms of the contract. The Athletic’s Will Sammon first reported the year-to-year breakdown.

Marlins Notes: Fairbanks, Mullins, Matz, Marsee

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The Marlins entered the offseason targeting late-inning relief help. They haven’t come away with anything thus far, as they’ve evidently balked at the prices in a free agent bullpen market that has moved quickly.

Pete Fairbanks is one player known to be on their radar. He’s a logical fit as a proven closer who has ties to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from their time in Tampa Bay. However, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral of Fish On First wrote this week that Fairbanks’ market is likely to push beyond Miami’s comfort zone.

Fairbanks hit free agency when the Rays bought out his $11MM club option. They were unable to find trade interest at that price point within the first few days of the offseason. Fairbanks could command a two-year contract at a slightly lesser annual sum. His strikeout rates have dropped closer to league average over the past couple seasons, but he’s coming off a 2.83 ERA with 27 saves across 60 1/3 innings. Fairbanks still sits above 97 MPH and got swinging strikes on nearly 13% of his offerings this year. He fits alongside the likes of Emilio Pagán and Kyle Finnegan, who commanded two-year contracts in the $19-20MM range.

The Fish have yet to sign a free agent this offseason. They’ve shown interest in a few players who have wound up elsewhere, including a pair who are headed to Bendix’s old team. Azout noted that the Marlins were involved in the market for swingman Steven Matz before he agreed to a two-year, $15MM contract with the Rays. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported last week that the Marlins pursued Cedric Mullins prior to his $7MM deal to become Tampa Bay’s new center fielder.

Mullins would not have gotten everyday center field reps in Miami. Jakob Marsee is locked in there after an excellent half-season debut. The 24-year-old hit .292/.363/.478 with five home runs in his first 234 big league plate appearances. His .357 average on balls in play is due for some amount of regression, but he showed excellent plate discipline and contact skills with solid batted ball metrics. Marsee also graded as a slightly above-average defender in 475 innings.

The Marlins could use a veteran outfielder in a corner. Kyle Stowers can play either corner spot, which gives them some flexibility in that regard. Mullins has a below-average arm and would likely have been ticketed for left field, pushing Stowers to right. Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernandez and Dane Myers would be in the mix for playing time right now. They’re all in their mid-late 20s and have struck out at such alarming rates in the upper minors that it’s unlikely any of them is a long-term regular.

Miami is reportedly willing to spend more than usual this offseason, though they’ve yet to put that into action. They kicked around extension numbers with Stowers but reportedly faced an approximate $50MM divide. They’re planning to reengage with young starter Eury Pérez on a potential long-term deal after beginning those conversations in Spring Training.

Marsee stands as another logical candidate after his impressive first few months. Fish On First reports that there’s some interest on both sides about a long-term deal, though the team has yet to make an offer. Extension conversations frequently pick up later in the offseason and into Spring Training, so there’s plenty of time.

Hitters who sign extensions within their first year of MLB service are often top-tier prospects. That’s not the case with Marsee. He was a sixth-round pick by San Diego who was generally viewed as the second best of the three prospects traded to Miami for Luis Arraez. (The centerpiece, former first-round pick Dillon Head, is coming off a .223/.334/.318 season in A-ball.) Marsee entered the 2025 season as the #12 prospect in the Miami organization, according to Baseball America. He didn’t appear on any Top 100 lists.

The closest recent comparison point is probably Ceddanne Rafaela, though even he’d been more highly regarded before his MLB debut than Marsee was. The Red Sox signed him to an eight-year, $50MM guarantee with a club option for a ninth season. They’re very different players stylistically. Rafaela was an elite defensive outfielder whose extremely aggressive approach led to questions about the hit tool. Marsee isn’t as athletic but is a much more polished hitter who has had more big league success than Rafaela did at the time.

However, Rafaela had garnered some Top 100 fanfare and signed his deal in his age-23 season. Marsee turns 25 in June. The Fish are probably reluctant to put a $50MM offer on the table a couple months into his career. That’s reportedly close to what they offered Stowers, who is two years further along and is coming off an All-Star season. Marsee is under club control through his age-30 campaign.

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