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Astros Could Open Season With Six-Man Rotation

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The Astros officially introduced Tatsuya Imai at Daikin Park this morning. The surprising three-year deal continues what has been a pitching-focused offseason for a Houston team losing Framber Valdez to free agency. The Astros also acquired Mike Burrows in a trade that cost two of their better prospects while adding potential back-end starters Ryan Weiss and Nate Pearson on cheap one-year deals.

Manager Joe Espada said at Imai’s press conference that the club is likely to lean on a six-man rotation frequently throughout the season (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). That could be the case from day one, as the skipper indicated they may begin the year with an extra starter. Espada pointed to the team’s heavy early-season workload. The Astros only have two off days between Opening Day on March 26 and April 22. Barring rainouts, they’ll play 26 games in their first 28 days.

Hunter Brown is the clear #1 starter with Valdez expected to head elsewhere. Imai and Burrows slot into the middle of the rotation, while Cristian Javier is lined up for a spot somewhere in that 2-4 mix. Options for the final rotation spot or two include Weiss, Pearson, AJ Blubaugh, Spencer Arrighetti, Jason Alexander, Lance McCullers Jr. and prospect Miguel Ullola. Weiss, who signed for $2.6MM after pitching to a 2.87 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate in Korea, probably enters camp at the top of that group.

There are durability and/or experience questions with everyone who slots behind Brown. Javier has been a quality starter at his best but was up-and-down upon his return from Tommy John surgery in the second half of 2025. This will be Burrows’ first full season in the big leagues. Neither Imai nor Weiss have pitched in MLB. Arrighetti and McCullers slogged through injuries last year and were ineffective when healthy. Blubaugh has three career starts. Alexander, J.P. France and Colton Gordon all look more like depth arms than rotation stalwarts.

Given the innings questions for almost everyone after Brown, it’s sensible to ease their early-season workloads. That would leave one fewer spot in the bullpen given the 13-pitcher limit, however. Houston has six relievers who are either slam dunks or near-locks for the MLB roster if healthy: Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King and Enyel De Los Santos. They’re also bringing Rule 5 pick Roddery Muñoz to camp and would need to carry him on the MLB roster to keep his contractual rights. Spring Training injuries and any late-offseason additions will change the picture.

Join The Beta Test For The New Trade Rumors iPhone App

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It’s been 11 years since our iOS app launched. Now, the fully revamped version is almost ready for your iPhone or iPad.

Here’s what’s new:

  • Completely rebuilt and modernized interface, so that we can deliver new features and system integrations that we haven’t been able to before, and do so quickly.
  • Redesigned comment threads with improvements for composing and replying to comments.
  • Quick search for a team or player with the ability to read those feeds without adding them to your saved feeds. Great for quickly looking up things you might care about occasionally without clogging up your primary reading.
  • Trade Rumors Front Office content fully available within the app. Just go to the Settings icon in the upper right and log in.

To join the beta test, you’ll first need to download Apple’s TestFlight app from the App Store.  Then go here to download the beta version of Trade Rumors.  If you already have the old version of the app, the new app will take the place of it on your device.

Send your feedback to traderumorsapp@gmail.com, or leave a comment on this post.  We are eager to catch bugs and address other concerns before rolling the app out in the store.

Android user? Don’t worry, we’re revamping our Android app in much the same way.  Google seems to make large-group beta testing more difficult on Android, so we’re planning to just test it internally and roll it out to the store when it’s ready.

Red Sox Sign Devin Sweet To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox have signed right-hander Devin Sweet to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester but may get an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Sweet, 29, has a limited big league track record. He tossed 8 2/3 innings in 2023, split between the Mariners and Athletics. He allowed ten earned runs, giving him an unsightly 10.38 earned run average in that small sample.

The M’s called him up in July of 2023 but he was designated for assignment the following month and went to the A’s via waivers. In the 2023-24 offseason, he went to the Giants and Tigers via waiver claims. Detroit later passed him through waivers unclaimed in February of 2024. In November of 2024, the Phillies acquired him and added him to their 40-man, preventing him from becoming a minor league free agent. He was outrighted in August of 2025 and then became a minor league free agent at season’s end.

Despite his limited track record, the interest from all those clubs demonstrates his appeal. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 257 2/3 innings on the farm, with a 4.19 ERA. His 9.2% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 30% of batters faced. Unfortunately, he had a downturn in results in 2025. He logged 51 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 5.08 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate. That’s why the Phillies bumped him from the roster last summer and no one claimed him.

For Boston, there’s no harm in a non-roster deal for some extra bullpen depth as they see if Sweet can bounce back. If he eventually earns his way onto the roster, he still has an option year remaining and less than a year of service time, meaning he can provide roster flexibility and is still years away from qualifying for arbitration.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Phillies Sign Zach Pop To Major League Deal

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January 5th, 2026: According to the Associated Press, Pop will make $900K in the majors and $250K in the minors.

December 22nd, 2025: The Phillies announced that they have signed right-hander Zach Pop to a major league deal. Their 40-man roster count jumps to 39. Salary figures haven’t been reported.

It’s a bit surprising to see Pop command a big league deal. He bounced around during the 2025 season. He opened the year with the Blue Jays but was released shortly after Opening Day. Pop got to the big leagues for four appearances with the Mariners and pitched one time as a member of the Mets. He allowed 12 runs (11 earned) in just 6 2/3 MLB innings. That pushed his career earned run average to 4.88 over 162 1/3 frames spanning five seasons.

The Canadian-born righty made 20 appearances in the minors this year. He allowed a 4.19 ERA over 19 1/3 innings. His underlying numbers were more encouraging. Pop fanned more than a quarter of opponents against a manageable 8.9% walk rate. He got ground-balls at a massive 75% clip while sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his sinker. Pop has always done a good job keeping the ball down, running a career 55% grounder percentage in the big leagues.

Philadelphia was intrigued enough by the stuff to give Pop one of their two vacant roster spots. Assuming he remains on the 40-man into Spring Training, he’ll get an opportunity to battle for a middle relief job in camp. Pop has exhausted his minor league option years, so the Phils cannot send him down without running him through waivers.

Philly has six bullpen spots accounted for if everyone gets through camp healthy. Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, José Alvarado, Tanner Banks and the out-of-options Jonathan Bowlan are locks. Right-hander Orion Kerkering should pretty safely be in there as well unless he has a terrible Spring Training. Pop and Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley either need to stick in the big leagues or be taken off the 40-man (and offered back to the Marlins after clearing waivers, in McCambley’s case).

Mets To Sign Christian Arroyo To Minor League Deal

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The Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with infielder Christian Arroyo, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. The O’Connell Sports Management also receives an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Arroyo, 31 in May, was once a notable prospect but he hasn’t been able to do much with scattered big league opportunities. In seven seasons from 2017 to 2023, he appeared in 295 games split between the Giants, Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. In his 992 plate appearances, his 21.7% strikeout rate was decent but he only walked 5.1% of the time and hit just 24 home runs. That led to a combined .252/.299/.394 line and 86 wRC+.

He did at least provide defensive versatility. He has experience at all four infield spots as well as right field. But the lack of offensive output has kept him in the minors for the past two years. He signed a minor league deal with the Brewers for the 2024 season and the Phillies for 2025, without getting called up by either club.

With the Phils last year, he went on and off the minor league injured list throughout the season. He got into just 45 Triple-A games on the year. His .314/.384/.485 line in those was quite strong but aided by a .375 batting average on balls in play.

For the Mets, there’s no harm in a non-roster deal to add some more depth. They have the middle infield spots settled with Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Marcus Semien at second base. At first base, Pete Alonso has departed for the Orioles. Jorge Polanco has signed with the Mets and could take over at first but he could also spend significant time in the designated hitter spot. That could allow Mark Vientos to spend time at first and leave Brett Baty as the regular at third. Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña and Jared Young are also on the roster and could be in the mix.

It’s a fairly crowded group but Mauricio and Young still have options, meaning the Mets could send them to Triple-A for regular at-bats, which could open up room on the bench. It’s also possible that another swap shakes things up, as the Mets are reportedly open to talking Vientos, Mauricio and Acuña in trade talks. If Arroyo is eventually able to earn a roster spot as a veteran bench/utility player, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement, Imagn Images

The Rangers’ Wide Open Infield Mix

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The Rangers entered the offseason in need of a lineup reboot. They’ve had below-average offenses in consecutive years and haven’t strung together competitive at-bats consistently. They’ve been 20th and 26th, respectively, in on-base percentage over the last two seasons. Their walk rate dropped from 14th to 23rd. Their hitters were among the most aggressive in MLB, both on pitches within and outside the strike zone.

While that needed to be addressed, the front office is seemingly operating within a tight budget. They have five contracts on the books that pay at least $18.5MM annually. They’re now two years removed from their World Series run, and ownership began scaling back spending during the 2023-24 offseason in the wake of the collapse of their local broadcast agreement. Offseason reporting has cast doubt on their chances of meeting the asking price for even mid-tier free agent hitters J.T. Realmuto and Luis Arraez.

Texas has made a pair of significant changes on the offensive side, though they’ve each come with a notable corresponding subtraction. They swapped Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo, taking on more money overall but clearing a little payroll room in the short term. Nimmo provides the patient approach they’re seeking and allowed them to move on from Adolis García in right field. The other change has come behind the plate, where they non-tendered Jonah Heim after a second straight poor season. He has been replaced by Danny Jansen on a two-year free agent deal.

Catcher and the outfield mix are probably set. Jansen joins Kyle Higashioka as a veteran pairing behind the dish. Nimmo slots alongside Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter on the grass. However, they haven’t acquired anyone to replace Semien at second base. It seems they’re planning to do that internally. That’d be a tall ask for an infield group that was a weakness even with Semien.

The Rangers were in the bottom half of MLB in offense from each non-shortstop infield position. Semien’s strong defensive grades kept them above average at second base overall despite his declining production at the dish. The corners were the biggest issue. They had a combined .248/.298/.393 batting line from their first and third basemen.

Most of the positives came from utilityman Josh Smith, who had a .283/.369/.439 showing in his 227 plate appearances at those positions. If the Rangers don’t replace Semien externally, Smith is ticketed for regular playing time at second base. The other nine players who logged any corner infield reps last year combined to hit .241/.283/.384 in nearly 1100 trips.

Three players from that group — Rowdy Tellez, Dylan Moore and Blaine Crim — are no longer on the roster. Former first-round pick Justin Foscue is coming off back-to-back league average seasons in Triple-A and turns 27 before Opening Day. He’s probably on the roster bubble. Ezequiel Duran should be as well, as he’s a .237/.278/.309 hitter over the last two seasons. Joc Pederson made two starts at first base but was otherwise a full-time designated hitter, and he was a major disappointment in the first season of a two-year free agent deal.

As it stands, that leaves three players battling for the remaining two infield spots: Jake Burger, Josh Jung and Cody Freeman. Freeman, who turns 25 today, is coming off a fantastic Triple-A season but hit .228/.258/.342 in 36 MLB games. He’s a gifted contact hitter but doesn’t walk often and has questionable power upside. Freeman did slug a personal-best 19 homers at Triple-A Round Rock last year, but the Pacific Coast League inflates most hitters’ power numbers. He ranked near the bottom of the league in hard contact rate in his brief MLB look.

If Freeman settled in as an everyday third or second baseman, that’d allow Skip Schumaker to move Smith around the infield in a utility role. Freeman feels more like a utility type himself, though. Burger and Jung project as the primary corner infield tandem despite speculation that Texas could move on from one or both players.

The Rangers acquired Burger from the Marlins last offseason. He went on the injured list three times and had a brief stint in Triple-A when he slumped early in the year. Burger concluded his first season in Arlington with a replacement level performance. He hit .236/.269/.419 over 376 plate appearances and offered limited baserunning and defensive value. Burger underwent postseason surgery to address a tendon sheath tear in his left wrist. The hope is that his power was limited by playing through the issue and he can get back to being a 30-homer threat. Burger has never posted an OBP above .310 in a season (excluding a rookie year in which he played in 15 games), so he’s not going to get on base much even if the power returns.

Jung is a similarly aggressive hitter. The Rangers clearly grew frustrated with his approach. They optioned him after he’d hit .158 with a .208 on-base mark in June. He came back on a hot streak a few weeks later, but that was driven by a huge average on balls in play that masked a continuing rough strikeout/walk profile. Jung’s numbers crashed again in September. He finished the season with a .251/.294/.390 slash and seemed like a change-of-scenery candidate coming into the winter. There haven’t been any reports about the Rangers shopping Jung. It seems they’re leaning towards giving him a rebound opportunity, which could be driven by their lack of alternatives.

Maybe that’ll change once Spring Training approaches and free agent prices fall. Alex Bregman or Eugenio Suárez are probably out of their range no matter the timing. If Arraez lingers unsigned into February, could he come into play on a one-year deal? Rhys Hoskins or Yoán Moncada will sign affordable one-year contracts and would at least provide insurance at first or third base, respectively. Ryan Mountcastle should be traded now that the Orioles signed Pete Alonso. Would the Rangers be willing to meet a near-$8MM arbitration projection, or is Mountcastle too similar to Burger? Maybe Bregman signs with a team that has a semi-established third baseman who comes available as a trade chip.

Otherwise, the Rangers would be reliant on a handful of rebound hopefuls and a thin farm system. Top infield prospect Sebastian Walcott could be the answer by the end of the season. He has no Triple-A experience and doesn’t turn 20 until March, so he’s unlikely to break camp. First baseman Abimelec Ortiz hit his way onto the 40-man roster with a .257/.356/.479 showing between the top two minor league levels. Most prospect evaluators feel he projects as a bench bat/Quad-A type, but the opportunity is there if he can outperform that. Texas will need someone unexpected to step up to get enough production on the dirt.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Phillies Interested In Randal Grichuk

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It was reported last month that the Phillies are looking for a righty-swinging platoon bat to add to their outfield mix. Today, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that Randal Grichuk is one specific name they are showing interest in.

The Phillies are likely to have a regular outfield of Adolis García in right, Justin Crawford in center and Brandon Marsh in left. Nick Castellanos is still on the roster but reporting throughout the winter has indicated the Phils are planning to move on from him before the season starts. That could be via a trade but he won’t have a ton of value due to his declining performance and $20MM left on the final year of his contract. If they can’t work out a trade in the coming weeks, he may just be released.

With the García/Crawford/Marsh trio, adding a righty-swinging complement makes a lot of sense, as Marsh and Crawford both swing from the left side. Marsh has a career .213/.278/.303 line and 61 wRC+ against southpaws, so it’s logical to shield him from those matchups as much as possible.

Crawford hasn’t even made his major league debut yet, but the Phils seem determined to give him a shot at taking the center field job this year. In the minors, his exposure to lefties has been limited. He only stepped to the plate 61 times against them in 2024 and just 91 times last year. His 2024 line was a fairly lackluster .263/.295/.439. He shot that up to .376/.411/.518 in 2025 but with a big spike in batting average on balls in play.

It’s hard to read much into the data with Crawford, since we’re talking about a small number of minor league events with no big league experience. Generally speaking, he’s a low-power contact-based hitter. He’s never hit more than nine home runs in a minor league season, as his production generally comes from putting the ball in play and using his speed. Time will tell how that approach translates against major league pitchers. Having a righty bat on hand to platoon with Marsh makes plenty of sense and perhaps Crawford as well, depending on how the latter fares in his first exposure to big league arms.

Grichuk fits the profile, as he swings from the right side and has been utilized as a lefty masher in recent years. He signed a $2MM deal with the Diamondbacks going into 2024 and provided excellent return on that modest investment. He was sent to the plate 279 times and slashed .291/.348/.528 for a 139 wRC+. That included a .319/.386/.528 line and 152 wRC+ against lefties.

Despite that solid season, Grichuk’s earning power didn’t improve greatly. He returned to the Snakes for 2025 with a $5MM guarantee. He wasn’t able to produce in quite the same way, as he slashed .228/.273/.401 for the year, getting flipped to the Royals at the deadline. His numbers were better against lefties last year but still not great, as he hit .227/.273/.430 for an 89 wRC+ in the split.

Obviously, the Phillies would be hoping for more of the 2024 version of Grichuk if they were to sign him. As an interesting sidenote, Grichuk and Castellanos actually have somewhat comparable profiles right now. Castellanos also didn’t have a great 2025 season but hit .269/.324/.506 against lefties in 2024, production that translated to a 124 wRC+. Each player is going into his age-34 season.

Perhaps it speaks to the poor relationship between Castellanos and manager Rob Thomson, who have publicly clashed a few times, that the Phils are seemingly plotting to get rid of Castellanos and replace him with a comparable player while potentially eating millions of dollars in the process. Castellanos was benched in June for some kind of inappropriate comment made to the skipper, per ESPN. Castellanos also publicly criticized Thomson for his communication skills. The Phils signed Thomson to an extension last month.

Grichuk is clearly superior in the field, however. Castellanos has never been a great defender. From 2018 to the present, he has been credited with minus-82 Defensive Runs Saved and minus-75 Outs Above Average. Those are the worst figures of any player in the majors for that span, regardless of position.

Grichuk, meanwhile, has been a strong defender in his career. His numbers have slipped to below average as he has pushed into his mid-30s but not by too much. Grichuk only has two center field innings since the start of 2024, which may work against him providing cover for Crawford in center. But Marsh is still arguably a viable center fielder, so it could still be possible to make the fit work.

Even if the Phillies don’t line up with Grichuk specifically, they will have other options to consider. Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Tommy Pham and Austin Slater are some other righty-swinging free agents who are available, none of whom should break the bank. Old friend Harrison Bader is out there but he might have enough juice to get a full-time job, as opposed to a short-side platoon role.

The Phils are one of the top-spending teams in the league but there have been some indications things are getting tight after their big deal to re-sign Kyle Schwarber. In addition to a platoon outfielder, they need to bring back J.T. Realmuto or do something else to replace him behind the plate.

The Phils opened last year with a payroll of $284MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They are projected for $265MM next year, according to RosterResource. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Realmuto for a $30MM deal over two years. Between Realmuto and a platoon outfielder, the Phils would likely end up in the same range, though it’s still possible the offseason goes in some different directions. The Phils have reportedly explored the catching trade market, indicating a reunion with Realmuto isn’t guaranteed. They were also connected to Bo Bichette a few days ago, so perhaps there’s some chance of a big plot twist in the final weeks of the offseason.

Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images

Athletics Sign Brian Serven, Cade Marlowe To Minor League Deals

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The Athletics have signed catcher Brian Serven and outfielder Cade Marlowe to minor league deals, according to each player’s respective transaction tracker at MLB.com. The Prime Agency clients have both been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas for now but may be invited to big league camp in spring training.

Serven, 31 in May, spent 2025 with the Tigers on a minor league deal. He got into 62 contests for Triple-A Toledo with a .232/.335/.313 batting line. The Tigers didn’t call him up during the campaign and he returned to free agency at season’s end.

He does have 101 big league games on his track record from previous seasons, having suited up for the Rockies and Blue Jays. He only mustered a .187/.247/.293 line in his 299 plate appearances for those clubs but he got strong reviews for his work behind the plate. Outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus all considered him adequate in terms of blocking and controlling the running game and very strong in terms of pitch framing.

The A’s currently have just two catchers on their 40-man roster. Shea Langeliers is slated to be the regular with Austin Wynns projected to be the backup. Bringing Serven aboard gives them some experienced non-roster depth. If Serven is eventually needed in the big leagues, he may not hit very much but he will at least be a glove-first option for the A’s. If he’s added to the roster at some point, he still has an option and less than two years of service time. That means he can provide roster flexibility and hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration.

Marlowe, 29 in June, joins a new organization for the first time. He was drafted by the Mariners in 2019. He was added to that club’s 40-man roster in November of 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

He has shown some potential with the bat but also with big strikeout numbers. In his 109 big league plate appearances, his .240/.330/.406 line is decent but he has been punched out at a 31.2% rate. He also struck out 29.4% of the time at the Triple-A level over 2023 and 2024. His .246/.340/.419 line for Tacoma over those two seasons isn’t bad at first blush but actually translates to an 89 wRC+ in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

In February of 2025, the Mariners passed him through waivers unclaimed. He spent last year still in the system but in a non-roster capacity. He began the season on the injured list and didn’t make it into game action until July. He finished the year having played 46 Triple-A contests with a strong .316/.401/.474 line and 123 wRC+. He got some help from a .400 batting average on balls in play but his 23.6% strikeout rate was an encouraging improvement.

The A’s have a strong group of outfielders but there’s no harm in adding some extra non-roster depth. If Marlowe eventually gets a roster spot, he has a minor league option remaining and less than a year of big league service time.

Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images

Orioles Claim Jhonkensy Noel, Designate George Soriano For Assignment

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jhonkensy Noel from the Guardians, according to announcements from both clubs. Noel was designated for assignment last month. To open a spot for Noel, the O’s designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment.

Noel, 24, changes organizations for the first time. The Guards signed him as an international amateur back in 2017 and he has been part of that system until today. Over the past two years, he has shown some big power ability but also a poor approach. In 351 big league plate appearances, he has 19 home runs but his 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% strikeout rate are both awful figures. That’s led to a lopsided .193/.242/.401 slash line thus far.

He exhausted his final option season in 2025, which pushed him off Cleveland’s roster. He was designated for assignment December 17th when Cleveland acquired Justin Bruihl from the Blue Jays. DFA limbo is normally capped at one week but there are clearly different rules around the holidays, as “Big Christmas” just spent close to three weeks in that liminal space.

The O’s have grabbed him today, though Noel won’t have a great path to playing time. Baltimore has a fairly crowded group for their outfield corners, as well as the first base and designated hitter spots. Pete Alonso should be the regular at first, with Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle also in the mix there. Those guys could spill over into the DH slot, though the O’s might also want at-bats for their catching tandem of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. The outfield group includes Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras, Heston Kjerstad and others.

Alonso, Mayo, Mountcastle, Ward and O’Neill are all right-handed power bats. The same is true of Noel, though he has a lesser track record of major league success than everyone in that group. The O’s tend to be very aggressive at claiming players off waivers and then putting them back on the wire later, hoping to keep them as non-roster depth. It’s possible that is the plan here, as Noel currently faces a steep path to a big league role.

His numbers in the minors are more encouraging than his major league work. Over the past two years, he has stepped to the plate 536 times at the Triple-A level with 30 home runs. His 7.5% walk rate and 23.7% strikeout rate were still not amazing but much better than his big league work. His .285/.349/.538 line in that sample translates to a 130 wRC+.

Being out of options will make it challenging for him to carve out a lengthy amount of big league playing time. But if he gets a chance and runs with it, he can be affordably controlled for years to come. His service time clock is at one year and 29 days, meaning he is still five years from free agency and two years from qualifying for arbitration.

Soriano, 27 in March, has never pitched for Baltimore. He spent his entire career with the Marlins until the Orioles grabbed him off waivers in early November. Over the past three years, he tossed 118 innings for Miami, allowing 5.95 earned runs per nine. He struck out 22% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10.3% clip.

Like Noel, Soriano exhausted his final option season in 2025 and got pushed to the waiver wire. As mentioned, the O’s like to make claims and then try to pass guys through waivers later to keep them as non-roster depth. Soriano flashed some intriguing potential in Triple-A last year, tossing 42 2/3 innings with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate.

His service time clock is at 1.095, so he also has years of potential cheap control. That could entice another club to acquire him but the O’s would surely be happy if they can get him through waivers and hang onto him in a non-roster capacity.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Royals, Jorge Alfaro Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Royals and veteran catcher Jorge Alfaro are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. Presumably, there’s an invitation to major league camp included in the CAA client’s deal.

Now 32 years old, Alfaro was one of the top catching prospects in the game when the Phillies sent him to Miami alongside right-hander Sixto Sanchez in the trade that sent star backstop J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia. Alfaro had a decent run between the Phils and the Fish from 2017-19 when he slashed .269/.322/.429 with 33 homers in 956 plate appearances. That output came with a sky-high 34% strikeout rate, however.

While the bloated strikeout rate made it hard to imagine Alfaro continuing his success at the plate, his plus raw power and accurate rocket of an arm gave him a chance to stick around in at least a part-time role, but Alfaro has slipped into journeyman status as his strikeout woes have escalated and his framing/blocking grades have dwindled. Over his past 736 MLB plate appearances dating back to 2020, Alfaro is a .237/.277/.352 hitter. He’s walked in just 3.6% of his plate appearances during that time and fanned nearly 10 times as often. Even in Triple-A with the Brewers in 2025, Alfaro swatted 15 homers and slashed .244/.285/.430 … but did so with a 36.5% strikeout rate.

The Royals don’t need immediate help behind the plate. Alfaro is likely being viewed as a depth option for Triple-A Omaha, but injuries or trades could always impact the depth chart. Team captain Salvador Perez, of course, isn’t going anywhere and will again see plenty of time behind the plate.

That said, Perez has seen more time at first base and at designated hitter in recent seasons, and with prospect Carter Jensen looking ready for a real audition, Perez could spend even less time behind the dish. Blake Mitchell is another well-regarded catching option in the upper minors, and 20-year-old Ramon Ramirez gives them a third catching prospect of note (although he’s yet to play above High-A).

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