Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Astros Have Kept Offer Out To Bregman

By | at

This afternoon provided a surprise when USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Astros were leaving the door open to bringing back Alex Bregman. It was generally expected that the Astros had moved on once they acquired Isaac Paredes and signed Christian Walker to play the corner infield spots.

However, it seems the Astros never fully closed the door on their longtime third baseman. Houston had reportedly made Bregman a six-year, $156MM offer before they landed Paredes as part of the Kyle Tucker return. Bregman obviously did not accept, though it does not seem that the team has pulled the offer even after what seemed to a pivot to contingency plans.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Houston’s offer “remains on the table.” Rome writes that pressure within the Astros’ clubhouse has contributed to the team reopening discussions with the two-time All-Star in recent days. It isn’t known if that means they’re open to pushing their offer beyond $156MM, or if they’re simply hoping that Bregman’s asking price will come down to their level now that he’s unsigned deep into January.

Nightengale suggested this afternoon that if the Astros managed to keep Bregman, they could slide Paredes to second base while bumping Jose Altuve to left field. Rome confirms that the team is indeed considering that scenario. While Altuve to the outfield doesn’t seem to be set in stone, Rome writes that Bregman would stick at third base if he signed back in Houston. They’d need to find somewhere else in the lineup for Paredes.

Money remains a stumbling block. The Astros exceeded the luxury tax threshold last season. Rome reports that owner Jim Crane has been reluctant to do so for a second straight year. Houston already projects narrowly above the $241MM base threshold, with RosterResource calculating their CBT number around $244MM. The Astros could make a trade to dip below that mark. They’ve been working to offload most or all of the $14MM owed to setup man Ryan Pressly, though the veteran righty has full no-trade rights and could scuttle those plans. Mauricio Dubón ($5MM) and Chas McCormick ($3.4MM) are on manageable arbitration salaries and could be possible trade options if Houston can’t deal Pressly.

There’s essentially no way they’d get below the tax line if they re-sign Bregman. He’d very likely command more than $25MM annually. Even if they trade Pressly and decide to deal Paredes, who’ll play on a $6.625MM arbitration salary, they’d be above the line. That the Astros apparently still have an offer out to Bregman demonstrates that Crane isn’t firmly committed to staying below the tax threshold. The owner has said as much this offseason, though he has also been reluctant to approve long-term deals. Houston hasn’t signed a free agent contract longer than the five-year, $95MM Josh Hader deal from last winter since Crane purchased the franchise more than a decade ago.

The Tigers, Red Sox and Blue Jays have also been linked to Bregman. Talks between the infielder and Detroit were reportedly at a standstill as of Tuesday evening.

Twins Among Teams With Interest In Dylan Cease

By | at

The Twins and Padres have both been fairly quiet this winter but could be ramping up to make some moves before the season starts. Per reporting from Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the club have discussed trade scenarios involving catcher Christian Vázquez but the Twins are also among the clubs that have interested in San Diego right-hander Dylan Cease.

That’s not to suggest that a one-for-one swap of Vázquez for Cease is at all feasible. Vázquez is going to make $10MM this year, making him a bit overpaid as a part-time, glove-first catcher. Cease, on the other hand, is an excellent starting pitcher who is going to make $13.75MM this  year. That gives him tremendous surplus value.

That the Twins would be interested in Cease is not surprising as just about any club would be, since he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past four years. From 2021 to 2024, he has made at least 32 starts in each of those seasons. His 716 innings thrown in that time is seventh in the majors behind only Aaron Nola, Logan Webb, Zack Wheeler, Corbin Burnes, José Berríos and Kevin Gausman.

That quantity has also come with quality, as Cease has allowed 3.52 earned runs per nine while striking out 29.7% of batters faced. His 9.7% walk rate was on the high side but not by much. His 17.2 wins above replacement in that time is sixth in the majors, behind the five the aforementioned pitchers but ahead of Berríos.

The best free agent pitchers generally get over $30MM annually, with Blake Snell and Corbin Burnes both getting over that line this year. Even older pitchers coming off injury-marred seasons like Alex Cobb and Justin Verlander will outearn Cease this year, with each getting a $15MM salary for 2025.

All those factors make him very valuable to the Padres but they might be boxed into a corner where they have to consider making him available. RosterResource projects them for a $208MM payroll this year, which is well beyond last year’s $169MM figure. They can reportedly push a little higher than their 2024 number but not by too much, so cutting some decent money seems to be necessary. They will have to do that while also filling holes in left field and behind the plate, as well as the rotation.

There aren’t many great options for clearing money. Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove all have no-trade clauses on their contracts. Jake Cronenworth only has an eight-team no-trade clause but his deal is tough to move regardless since his production dropped off after he signed that deal and there is still $71MM to be paid out over the next six years. Robert Suarez only has three years left on his deal but the opt-out/player option a year from now complicates trade talks.

All that leaves Luis Arráez and Cease as the best trade options. Each is going into his final arbitration season and set to make an eight-figure salary. However, Arráez may not have tremendous trade value, despite his elite batting averages. He’s not a good defender, baserunner or power threat, limiting his overall production.

It all leaves the Padres and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller with a tricky tightrope to walk. Cease is probably their best option for doing a trade somewhat resembling the Juan Soto deal from last offseason. In that deal, the Padres took one great player and his notable salary, trading him and Trent Grisham to the Yankees for a five-player package. One of those players was Michael King, who bolstered their rotation. Another was prospect Drew Thorpe, whom the Padres used to get Cease. The additions of Kyle Higashioka, Randy Vásquez and Jhony Brito also bolstered the catching and pitching depth.

Flipping Cease to help in several areas might be the best option for the Friars now but it would also likely weaken the rotation that already looks like a soft spot. With Musgrove set to miss the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, the rotation currently consists of King, Cease, Darvish and question marks. Guys like Vásquez, Brito, Matt Waldron and Adrián Morejón are potential back-end guys but it’s not a strong overall group. That would be even more true without Cease.

The Twins have their own financial concerns but could perhaps make it work with Cease. Recent reporting has suggested that the Twins don’t really need to cut payroll but don’t have much room to add at the moment either. Trading part of the $10MM owed to Vázquez would help, as could moving the $7.5MM owed to Chris Paddack or the $6.4MM for Willi Castro.

The Twins currently project to have a rotation consisting of Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and Paddack. Swapping in Cease for Paddack would obviously be an upgrade, considering Paddack hasn’t pitched much over the past few years due to elbow issues, including Tommy John surgery, and has had middling results when on the hill.

The Twins also have some young and affordable pitching that would surely interest the Padres. Pitchers like Zebby Matthews and David Festa debuted in 2024 without much success but both were notable prospects last year and could still have plenty of success ahead of them. The fact that each still has six years of cheap control available would be great for the Padres, but the Twins would have to think about whether that’s a fair price for just one year of a pitcher like Cease. The Twins also have arms like Marco Raya, Travis Adams and C.J. Culpepper in their depth mix.

As recently explored by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco, the Padres might look to last winter’s Burnes trade as a decent comparable for Cease. The Brewers flipped one year of Burnes for two notable prospects in DL Hall and Joey Ortiz. Both were top 100-type prospects that had cracked the majors but hadn’t been established yet.

That is perhaps the kind of return that could work for the Padres. Subtracting Cease for pitchers like Matthews/Festa would lower their rotation certainty but give them more options at cheaper prices. The Twins may not be keen on such an arrangement, however, as the report from The Athletic indicates that they “would prefer to provide a value-laden package to replenish the Padres’ depth as opposed to the higher-upside talent Preller likes to hunt.”

Though Preller has been exceptionally quiet this winter, it’s possible that it’s time for him to pounce. The Padres were one of the finalists for Roki Sasaki and he would have been a massive help for their current predicament. As a plug-and-play ace who will be making the minimum salary this year, he would have been a great fit for the club both in terms of roster construction and their financial situation.

Perhaps Preller was waiting for clarity on that massive decision from Sasaki. Now that the young righty has officially signed with the Dodgers, Preller has to pivot to other options. Given his constraints, a Cease trade might have to be on his to-do list. If so, the Twins are surely not the only club interested, so Preller should be fielding plenty of calls.

Latest On Blue Jays, Pete Alonso

By | at

5:30pm: Tim Healey of Newsday provides a similar report to Martino, saying that the two sides are deep in talks. However, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet report that there’s no gaining momentum for the Jays to sign Alonso or Scherzer.

3:05pm: The Blue Jays have been known for a while to have interest in free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Andy Martino of SNY reports today that talks between the two sides are “advancing,” though he cautions that nothing is done yet and it can’t be certain that a deal will be completed.

Though nothing is done yet, it would be quite an interesting offseason pivot for the Jays if they could get the deal over the line. For the first few months of the winter, the club was defined by coming up just short in their pursuits of free agents like Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. When combined with last winter’s near miss on Shohei Ohtani and a disappointing 2024 season, frustration was high among the fanbase.

The volume of the murmuring decreased somewhat in recent days as the Jays signed outfield Anthony Santander to provide the lineup with a power boost. But even after that deal, it didn’t seem as though the Jays were done. They reportedly still have payroll space and have been recently connected to players like Alonso, Jurickson Profar and Max Scherzer.

If Alonso is ultimately brought north of the border alongside Santander, the two would make for fairly similar additions. Both players have power as their clear best trait, with their other contributions a bit more muted.

Alonso has clubs 226 home runs over the past six seasons, which puts him second only to Aaron Judge for that span. But despite that huge power, he has lingered unsigned in free agency as spring training is just over the horizon.

That is perhaps due to the other parts of his profile. His 9.9% career walk rate is a bit above average but not by much. He doesn’t have huge speed on the basepaths. The reviews on his defense have been mixed, with Alonso having earned +2 Defensive Runs Saved in his career but getting a grade of -24 from Outs Above Average. His offense has also been relatively lower of late. He slashed .261/.349/.535 through 2022 for a wRC+ of 137, but then hit .229/.324/.480 for a 121 wRC+ over the past two years.

That’s still really strong production but it’s possible that it contributed to a gap between what Alonso and his reps were expecting from free agency and what clubs were willing to offer. The power-only right-handed slugger is a profile that hasn’t been paid well in a while and Alonso’s recent dip may not have helped him.

Many expected him and the Mets to reunite but the club didn’t seem too keen on that. Even as Alonso and his reps have pivoted to considering short-term deals recently, the Mets apparently capped their offer in the range of $68-70MM over three years. That amounts to something close to $23MM annually, a lower average annual value than Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery were able to get even though they remained unsigned into February/March of last year.

It’s unclear what kind of terms Alonso and Jays are discussing, but he would be a sensible fit for them, despite his flaws. The Jays had some strengths last year but power was a clear weakness. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only guy on the club to get to the 20-homer plateau. The team-wide tally of 156 long balls was 26th out of the 30 clubs in the league, ahead of only the Marlins, Rays, Nationals and White Sox.

Their walk rate, however, trailed only six teams. Their defense was considered quite strong, with DRS having them tops in the majors and OAA considering them the fourth-best. Therefore, adding a player who mostly provides power was a sensible target coming into the offseason.

They already made one such addition with Santander. Like Alonso, his power is a greater strength than his defense, speed or on-base ability. But the Jays are seemingly willing to go after the weakest part of their 2024 club and attack it.

Fitting everyone into the lineup would be a bit of a challenge. The Jays already have a first baseman in Guerrero. With Alonso on the club, the two would presumably share first base and the designated hitter spot somewhat regularly. Guerrero has played a bit of third base in his career but only 14 games in the past five seasons. Most of those came last year as the club was playing out the string on a lost season.

Without Alonso on the club, corner outfielders Santander and George Springer make sense as the top candidates to receive lengthy stints in the DH spot. As mentioned, Santander is not a great fielder. Springer has been a good defender in his career but is now 35 years old and he’s naturally sliding a bit in that department. Adding Alonso would limit the ability of the Jays to use Springer or Santander in the DH spot, unless they are willing to put Guerrero at third more often than expected. As of now, Ernie Clement profiles as the club’s best option at the hot corner. Since he’s more of a glove-first guy capable of playing other positions, it’s possible he could be deployed in more of a utility role. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible the Jays could start some games with Guerrero and Alonso at the corners, with Clement subbing in at third late in the game if the club is ahead and wants to prioritize defense. At that point, either Guerrero or Alonso could head to the bench, with the other at first.

It’s an interesting gambit and time will tell if the two sides get anything done. The Jays apparently still have some money to spend and have some options available. Whether that’s Alonso, Profar, Scherzer, someone else or some combination, it appears they are still busy in trying to salvage the offseason after a few misses earlier on.

Signing Alonso would also require the club to forfeit a draft pick and $500K of international bonus pool space because he rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets. The Jays already gave up pool space to sign Santander but added $2MM in the ill-fated Myles Straw deal when they were courting Sasaki, so they probably aren’t especially worried about that part. Since they already surrendered their second-best pick in the upcoming draft to get Santander, signing Alonso would mean also forfeiting their third-highest pick. The Mets would receive a compensation pick for Alonso leaving, but as a club that paid the competitive balance tax last year, that pick wouldn’t come until after the fourth round.

Cubs, Astros Have Discussed Ryan Pressly; Pitcher Has Not Waived No-Trade Clause

By and | at

4:46pm: Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Pressly has not agreed to waive his no-trade clause to this point. According to Rome, while the Astros are shopping Pressly, a deal is not considered imminent. The veteran righty would obviously need to approve a trade for anything to get across the finish line.

4:36pm: The Cubs are “on the verge” of acquiring right-hander Ryan Pressly from the Astros, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Pressly has a full no-trade clause and will have to waive it for a deal to be finalized.

Chicago has been looking for another back-end reliever. Pressly has plenty of experience in the late innings. He worked as Houston’s closer between 2020-23. Pressly saved 12 games in the shortened season and recorded between 26 and 33 saves over the next three years. He didn’t allow an earned run average north of 3.58 in any of those seasons.

Houston displaced Pressly in the ninth inning when they signed Josh Hader. Pressly pitched well in a setup capacity this year, posting a 3.49 ERA through 56 2/3 innings. He triggered a $14MM vesting option for the 2025 season. That’s probably close to market value for one year of his services. It’s $4MM above what Andrew Kittredge and José Leclerc received as free agents, for instance. The Astros are narrowly above the luxury tax threshold, though, so they could look to offload payroll to duck below the tax line. Pressly would be their most obvious trade candidate if he were open to moving. He’s a Texas native who has spent nearly seven years with the Astros, however, so it’d be understandable if he’s reluctant to move.

Report: Astros Still Not Ruling Out Alex Bregman Reunion

By | at

The Astros’ chances of retaining Alex Bregman seemingly went up in smoke when he declined their reported six-year, $156MM offer earlier this winter. Houston pivoted quickly, first trying to engineer a trade for Nolan Arenado, which the current Cardinals third baseman nixed by way of his no-trade clause. The ’Stros pivoted again, signing first baseman Christian Walker for three years and $60MM. In doing so, they pushed Isaac Paredes — acquired from the Cubs as part of the Kyle Tucker return — across the diamond to third base. Or, so it seemed.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Astros are still “keeping the door ajar” for Bregman. It’s a long-shot pairing in light of the new-look corner infield in Houston, but the team has at least considered a scenario where they’d move Paredes to second base and play Jose Altuve in left field, should Bregman ultimately return. It’s an out-of-the-box solution, but the Astros have been (unsuccessfully) hunting for outfielders in free agency and trade. Nightengale adds that the Astros “aren’t optimistic” about their chances, however, adding that Bregman presently has at least two serious offers in hand.

Beyond the roster considerations, there’s the financial aspect to consider. Owner Jim Crane has publicly stated that he has the “wherewithal” to match last year’s $244MM payroll and $262MM worth of luxury obligations, though the team’s actions this winter have suggested otherwise, to an extent. Houston traded its best player, Tucker, to the Cubs in exchange for Paredes, righty Hayden Wesneski and top prospect/2024 first-rounder Cam Smith. They’ve also reportedly been shopping Ryan Pressly, who’s owed $14MM but has full no-trade protection.

That said, Crane suggested when making his comments about 2025 spending that the extent to which the club did or not spend would depend on the specific players available to them. Pushing to a $260MM CBT number again for a free agent who’d be new to the organization and doing so for a longtime cornerstone player whose entire career has been spent with the ’Stros are quite different. One trait Bregman has drawn consistent praise for both from the Astros and in reports citing anonymous coaches and executives around the league is his fiery leadership and clubhouse demeanor. The Astros are more familiar with that than any team, and logic dictates that they’d likely be most willing to pay a premium for it. Currently, RosterResource projects the Astros aout $3MM north of the $241MM luxury barrier. Signing Bregman would put them over with minimal chance of ducking back underneath.

A move to the outfield for Altuve would register as a major surprise, but it’s not exactly hard to see why Houston might ponder it. Altuve’s defensive grades have cratered in the decade since he won his lone career Gold Glove. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him at -13 in both of the past two seasons. Statcast’s Outs Above Average had him at -8 this past season. Altuve made only five errors on the season, but that seems largely due to his inability to get to balls he might’ve had a play on several years ago; Statcast graded Altuve’s range in just the third percentile this past season. His arm strength was similarly panned, landing in the seventh percentile.

There are other alignments that could be considered. The Red Sox, among other teams, have been rumored to view Bregman as a second base option. (Skipper Alex Cora recently spoke on the record about his belief that Bregman could be a plus defender there.) Houston could also leave Bregman and Altuve at their customary spots and move Paredes to left field. However, he’s notably slower than Altuve and has below-average arm strength himself. Altuve still has nearly average speed, and Houston’s left field is smaller than most thanks to the short left field porch at the newly renamed Daikin Park. The Astros have reportedly been in the market for corner outfield upgrades but have not yet found a deal to their liking.

Bregman has reportedly drawn interest from the Red Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays and to a lesser extent the Cubs, although Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently indicated he feels next year’s third baseman is “likely” already in the organization. At least to this point, Bregman hasn’t been open to the sort of short-term pacts to which many top free agents acquiesce late in the winter. As of this writing, it’s not clear whether Bregman has received any long-term offers other than the original six-year proposal from Houston. The Tigers have been cast as perhaps the other top landing spot, but talks between the two sides reportedly reached a “standstill” this week.

Mets Sign A.J. Minter

By | at

The Mets announced that they have signed free agent reliever A.J. Minter. It’s reportedly a two-year, $22MM contract. The Bledsoe Agency client can opt out after the first season. The Mets had an opening on the 40-man roster.

Minter, 31, has been a strong performer in recent years. However, there is at least some uncertainty due to his health. He went on the injured list twice in 2024 due to left hip inflammation and eventually underwent surgery in August.

It’s unclear exactly when Minter will be fully healthy again but the surgery doesn’t seem to have hurt his market. He’s been connected to the Blue Jays, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox over the past couple of months and now has a strong pact with the Mets. Perhaps that indicates clubs aren’t too worried about his recovery from the hip procedure impacting him in 2025.

Just looking at Minter’s results, the robust interest makes plenty of sense. From 2020 to 2024, the lefty made 267 relief appearances, allowing 2.85 earned runs per nine innings. He struck out 30.1% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 7.8% clip. He was a key relief arm for Atlanta, who let him earn 16 saves and 92 holds in that time. Even while pitching through the hip problems in 2024, he managed to throw 34 1/3 innings with a 2.62 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate.

Despite the hip surgery, it was fair to expect Minter to be one of the most popular relief arms in this winter’s market. MLBTR predicted him for a two-year, $16MM pact but almost all pitchers have been outearning their projections this winter, with Minter no exception. He gets a $22MM guarantee and also an opt-out, meaning he will have the ability to become a free agent again next winter if he demonstrates his health and has a strong season.

The Mets are a sensible landing spot for Minter, as their bullpen is in a state of flux. At the end of the 2024 season, they saw Brooks Raley, Adam Ottavino, Ryne Stanek, Drew Smith and Phil Maton become free agents.

The club also came into the winter particularly shorthanded in terms of left-handed relief. Raley was one such member on the 2024 club, though he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of May, well before he became a free agent. Jake Diekman was released during the season. Josh Walker was traded around the same time. Alex Young was non-tendered at the end of the year.

All of that left the Mets with Danny Young as their only southpaw reliever on the roster, so an addition made plenty of sense. They signed Génesis Cabrera to a minor league deal and have been connected to free agents like Tanner Scott and Tim Hill. Signing either Scott or Hill could still be an option but the lefty contingent of the Mets bullpen now looks much stronger with Minter in it. Per Mike Puma of The New York Post, the Mets are unlikely to continue pursuing Scott with Minter now on board.

For the Mets, perhaps this is yet another move away from their relationship with Pete Alonso. As recently as yesterday morning, it seemed possible that the Mets and Alonso would work something out. But reporting from yesterday afternoon indicated that the Mets didn’t want to have a prolonged staredown with Alonso. Since they had other players on their radar, they planned instead to move on and spread money around to various different players. In the past 24 hours, they have agreed to new deals with Jesse Winker and now Minter.

The deal with Minter pushed the club’s payroll and competitive balance tax number up to $297MM and $293MM respectively, in the eyes of RosterResource. Last year, those numbers were $336MM and $346MM. If they are willing to get to similar levels in 2025, they still have lots of space to work with. That could be enough room to bring back Alonso but the Mets might also look to make further bullpen upgrades.

They are already between the third and four tiers of the CBT, which are $281MM and $301MM this year. As a third-time payor, they will be facing a tax of 95% for any more money they add up to the fourth line and a 110% rate for spending beyond it. Since Steve Cohen became owner of the team, the tax has never really seemed to be any kind of obstacle for the Mets.

Andy Martino of SNY first reported that the Mets had an agreement with Minter. Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported the two-year, $22MM guarantee. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first on the opt-out provision.

Yankees Claim Roansy Contreras

By | at

The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve claimed right-hander Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Orioles. Baltimore designated Contreras for assignment last week. He’ll now return to his original organization. The Yanks signed Contreras as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic back in 2016. He spent nearly five years in their organization and emerged as one of their better pitching prospects before being included in the trade netting righty Jameson Taillon from the Pirates in Jan. 2021. Coincidentally, today’s claim comes on the eve of that trade’s four-year anniversary.

At the time of the trade, Contreras was quite well regarded. His first season in the Pirates organization did nothing to dull that reputation. In 13 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, he logged a 2.64 ERA with plus strikeout and walk rates. The Bucs game him his MLB debut late in the season, and he fired three scoreless relief innings that December. In 2022, Contreras looked like he’d grabbed hold of a long-term rotation spot in the Steel City. He appeared in 21 games, 18 of them starts, and notched a 3.79 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. Both of those rates were a bit worse than average, but for a 22-year-old in his first big league season, it was hard not to be impressed.

The following season, however, Contreras lost more than a mile per hour off his fastball and saw opponents ambush him for a 6.59 earned run average across 68 1/3 MLB frames. He was hit hard in Triple-A, too, barely keeping his ERA under 5.00 in eight trips to the hill.

Out of minor league options and losing his grip on a roster spot, Contreras was designated for assignment by the Pirates back in May. The Angels picked him up in a cash swap and leaned on him for 52 innings of low-leverage relief. Contreras held his own with a 4.33 ERA and more questionable rate stats (17.9 K%, 10.6 BB%).

Since the end of the season, Contreras has bounced from the Angels to the Rangers to the Reds to the Orioles and now to the Yankees — all by way of waivers. On the one hand, the constant DFAs are surely a point of frustration. On the other, the fact that he’s yet to make it through waivers and has been with one-sixth of the league since the end of the season alone illustrates that clubs still believe there’s at least a competent MLB reliever to be unlocked.

If he lasts on the 40-man roster, Contreras will compete for a bullpen spot this spring. He’s out of minor league options, so he’d have to make the Opening Day roster or else be yet again jettisoned from a 40-man roster by way of DFA/waiver placement or perhaps a small trade.

Rays Acquire Brandon Eisert

By | at

The Rays have acquired left-hander Brandon Eisert from the Blue Jays, according to announcements from both clubs. The Jays, who designated Eisert for assignment earlier this week when they signed Anthony Santander, receive cash considerations in return. The Rays had an open 40-man spot and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Eisert, 27, joins the second club of his career. Selected by the Blue Jays in the 18th-round of the 2019 draft, he worked his way up to make his major league debut last year. To this point, his big league track record is minimal. He tossed 6 2/3 innings for the Jays last year, allowing three earned runs.

The Rays are surely more interested in the southpaw’s minor league numbers, which have generally been strong. Over the past four years, he has logged 264 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.76 earned run average, 29.1% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.

Despite the strong minor league results, Eisert lacks the power arsenal clubs are usually looking to get from relievers these days. His fastball only averaged 91.2 miles per hour during his brief major league work. It was a tick lower in Triple-A, coming in at 90.2 mph last year. Perhaps the Jays expected that the relatively lower velocity would prevent him from succeeding in the majors as much as he did in the minors.

The Rays had an open roster spot and will use it to get a close-up look at Eisert. He still has options, which is surely appealing for a club that regularly rotates arms on and off its roster throughout the season. Garrett Cleavinger is the top lefty reliever on the club right now. They gave Mason Montgomery some work in the big league bullpen last year but he’s mostly been a starter in the minors. Eisert and Montgomery both have options, so it wouldn’t be a surprise for Tampa to have them taking turns on the big league roster as the second lefty behind Cleavinger, while shuttling to Triple-A from time to time.

Yankees Claim Allan Winans

By | at

The Yankees have claimed right-hander Allan Winans off waivers from the Braves, who designated him for assignment earlier in the week, as first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

The 29-year-old Winans saw big league time with the Braves in both 2023 and 2024. He’s been hit hard in the majors, yielding a 7.20 ERA in 40 frames, but has a strong track record in Triple-A. Through 256 innings at the top minor league level, Winans sports a 3.26 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. He has a minor league option remaining, making him a candidate to give the Yankees some depth in the starting staff or length out of the bullpen.

Winans sits just 90-91 mph with his four-seamer and 89-90 mph with his sinker, coupling those offerings with a low-80s changeup and upper-70s slider. He’s excelled at limiting walks and piling up weak contact throughout his time in Triple-A, which has helped to offset below-average velocity and bat-missing capabilities. Major league hitters haven’t made hard contact with much frequency, but the hard contact he does allow tends to be quite loud; he’s averaged 1.80 homers per nine frames and allowed 10% of his batted balls to be barreled up, per Statcast.

The Yankees have multiple open spots on their 40-man roster, so they won’t necessarily need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Winans. He’ll compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring, but with a crowded rotation that could lead to a trade of Marcus Stroman and a generally veteran bullpen, the Yankees seem likelier to open the year with Winans in Triple-A — assuming he remains on the 40-man roster for the rest of the offseason.

Poll: Where Will Jurickson Profar Sign?

By | at

After more than a decade in the majors, Jurickson Profar finally lived up to his top prospect billing in 2024, his age-31 season. The switch-hitter slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and an NL-leading 18 hit-by-pitches. He did just about everything well, posting a high walk rate, a low strikeout rate, and above-average power numbers. His 139 wRC+ ranked 15th among qualified batters, while his 4.3 FanGraphs WAR placed him among the top 25 position players in either league. Even better, his Statcast expected metrics matched his actual output; his .364 xwOBA put him in the 92nd percentile of MLB hitters. With numbers like that, it was no surprise that Profar started for the NL All-Stars in the summer and collected a Silver Slugger at the end of the year.

Profar turns 32 next month, and his age, along with his spotty track record from 2012-23, will limit his earning potential in free agency. That’s why he ranked below fellow outfielders Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, despite outperforming both of them in wRC+ and fWAR last season. Nonetheless, the possibility that he could repeat his All-Star performance in 2025 should entice several suitors, and for that reason, Profar is easily the top outfielder still available on the free agent market. What’s more, his ability to hit from both sides of the plate, along with the fact that he is not saddled with the qualifying offer or seeking a particularly long-term commitment (he’s eyeing a three-year deal) should make him a good fit for any team in need of an impact bat in a corner outfield spot.

Indeed, with Santander off the market, the Profar rumor mill has picked up in recent days. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, “a number of teams” are interested in his services, including the Blue Jays and Astros. After signing Santander, Toronto is set in the corner outfield department with Santander in left field and George Springer in right. However, the Jays could still use another bat, and they could facilitate the addition of Profar by rotating Profar, Santander, and Springer between the corner outfield and the DH spots. GM Ross Atkins recently made it clear the Blue Jays have money left to spend this winter as they strive to return to contention after a disappointing 2024. There is no doubt that Profar would help them move toward that goal.

As for the Astros, they could desperately use some more thump in the outfield after trading Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. With manager Joe Espada on the record that Houston would like to limit Yordan Alvarez’s playing time in the field, the club’s current outfield options include Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón, and Taylor Trammell. As I wrote back in December, “It’s not hyperbole to say that could be one of the worst offensive outfields among contending teams.” Thus, it’s easy to see how Profar fits into the picture. The only question is if GM Dana Brown has the payroll flexibility to make such a signing. Earlier this month, KPRC’s Ari Alexander reported the Astros were “unlikely” to sign Santander because it would require a contract that would put them “well into the competitive balance tax for the second consecutive season.” Profar won’t command quite as high of a salary, but the Astros are already above the first luxury tax threshold as it is (per RosterResource). So, Brown might need to make a trade to clear some payroll before he can pursue any more free agent additions. Offloading Ryan Pressly’s $14MM salary from the books would surely help.

While Feinsand did not name any other suitors, the Royals are one more team that has been linked to Profar this winter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post connected the two sides back in November, writing that the Royals had “their eye on” the left fielder. However, there hasn’t been much smoke to that fire since, and Sherman’s report came before Kansas City traded for Jonathan India. Still, the Royals continue to seek another impact bat for their lineup. Although reporting has suggested they’d prefer to work on the trade market – they inquired about Nolan Arenado earlier in the offseason – signing Profar is another route they could take.

Two further landing spots to consider are the Angels and Tigers, both of whom were reportedly interested in Santander before he signed with the Blue Jays. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press described the Angels as one of the “frontrunners” to sign Santander, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post also mentioned Santander when he linked the Angels to Pete Alonso, acknowledging that the outfielder was a better positional fit. The Angels currently have Taylor Ward and Jo Adell penciled into the corner outfield spots, but Ward is a potential trade candidate (even if rumors of his availability may have been overblown) and Adell has hardly done enough to warrant a guaranteed starting job. Anthony Franco recently wrote about what the Angels could do next in a post for MLBTR Front Office subscribers, and he touched on Profar as a potential target.

Meanwhile, Petzold described Santander as a potential backup plan for the Tigers if they could not sign third baseman Alex Bregman. Considering that talks between Bregman and the Tigers are reportedly “at a standstill,” perhaps Detroit will pivot to Profar. After all, if the Tigers had interest in one switch-hitting corner outfielder, it stands to reason they’d have interest in another. While Riley Greene has one corner outfield spot on lock, manager A.J. Hinch could play Profar in the other corner. In addition, Profar could occasionally platoon at DH with Kerry Carpenter, who has struggled against left-handed pitching so far in his young career.

It would also be foolish to count out a reunion between Profar and the Padres. San Diego clearly likes what he brings to the table, having acquired him four separate times, first in a trade and then as a free agent in 2021, ’23, and ’24.  Moreover, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller worked in the Rangers’ international scouting department back when the team first signed Profar in 2009. It’s hard to imagine Preller could have lost interest now, given that Profar is coming off the best season of his career. On top of that, the Padres certainly still have space for him, having made no moves as of yet to replace his bat in the lineup. The big question, however, is if San Diego can afford to pay what Profar is seeking. The Padres are reportedly trying to reduce their payroll from its current $208MM projection (per RosterResource), which means they might need to offload some salary before considering any upgrades in free agency.

One more team that showed interest in Santander this winter was the Red Sox, but Chris Cotillo of MassLive suggests Boston is not actively pursuing Profar. That makes sense in light of manager Alex Cora’s recent comments that he hopes to use Masataka Yoshida in the outfield more often; Boston’s outfield picture is already quite crowded. In addition to Yoshida, the Red Sox have a pair of young, talented corner outfielders in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. They also plan to use Ceddanne Rafaela as an outfielder “as much as possible” instead of shuttling him back and forth between shortstop and center field. On top of that, the Red Sox have top prospect Roman Anthony to consider. The promising outfielder could be ready for his MLB debut at some point in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Mets were both serious suitors for Hernández earlier this winter, but the Yankees filled their hole in the outfield with Cody Bellinger, while the Mets presumably addressed that need by signing Jesse Winker. Other contenders that have already addressed needs in the corner outfield include the Orioles, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers. Notably, the Braves are one team not on that list. While they have not been linked to any notable free agent outfielders so far this winter, they were thought to be exploring the outfield market back in November. They could certainly use another outfielder if Ronald Acuña Jr. opens the season on the injured list, and even once Acuña returns, they might prefer an upgrade over Jarred Kelenic. According to RosterResource, their projected payroll currently sits about $31MM below last year’s final figure, which should give them plenty of flexibility to offer Profar the kind of contract he’s looking for.

So, where do MLBTR readers think Profar will ultimately end up? Have your say in the poll below:

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top