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Brewers To Include Rule 5 Pick Connor Thomas On Opening Day Roster

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Left-hander Connor Thomas has made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  Thomas was selected out of the Cardinals’ organization in the Rule 5 Draft back in December, and the 26-year-old is now nearing his big league debut in what will be his sixth season of pro ball.

A fifth-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2019 draft, Thomas has pitched almost exclusively for Triple-A Memphis over the last four seasons, delivering a 4.36 ERA over 421 1/3 innings at the Cards’ top affiliate.  Thomas doesn’t miss many bats and his control is good but unspectacular, as the lefty’s calling card is a knack for inducing ground balls.  He has topped the 50% threshold with his grounder rates in each of his last three years in Memphis, and an inflated BABIP indicates that Thomas’ bottom-line numbers would’ve been better if he’d had just an average amount of batted-ball luck.

That kind of luck-dependent production could explain why St. Louis never gave Thomas a look on their active roster, but the Brewers were intrigued enough to draft him away from their NL Central rivals.  Thomas then did his part to stand out this spring, with an excellent 0.96 ERA over 9 1/3 relief innings.

Thomas worked as both a starter and reliever in the Cardinals’ farm system before transitioning more fully into bullpen work last year, with the result of a 2.89 ERA over 90 1/3 innings.  Several of Thomas’ 56 appearances involved more than one inning, so he can bring some innings-eating length to the Milwaukee bullpen.  Thomas is one of three left-handers projected to be part of the Brew Crew’s pen, along with Jared Koenig and Bryan Hudson.

As per the stipulations of the Rule 5 Draft, selected players cannot be optioned to the minors.  Thomas will have to spend the entire 2025 season on the Brewers’ roster (or, at least 90 days on the active roster and the rest on the big league injured list) for Milwaukee to fully claim his rights.  If the Brewers wanted to remove Thomas from their active roster, they would have to place him on outright waivers, then offer him back to the Cards for $50K.

Spencer Steer To Begin Season On Reds’ Injured List

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Spencer Steer hit during a minor league Spring Training game on Thursday, marking his first game action of any type since February 27.  Despite this step forward, the bothersome right shoulder that has sidelined Steer for much of camp will result in a season-opening placement on the injured list, Reds manager Terry Francona told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters today.

Because Steer’s shoulder problem only causes him discomfort while throwing, he had expressed some hope that he could break camp with the Reds in a DH-only capacity, allowing him to play while letting his shoulder fully heal up.  However, Francona said Steer was understanding of the roster situation, as “being a full-time DH probably isn’t best for him or our team.”  Steer will head north with the Reds and continue his work in simulated-game scenarios until the minor league season begins and he can start a proper rehab assignment.

The IL placement doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given how little Steer has played this spring and how his shoulder problem also bothered him for much of the 2024 season.  Specifically, the injury causes Steer to feel a twinge whenever he rears back to throw, though multiple tests and scans haven’t revealed anything structural at the root of this discomfort.  Steer received a cortisone shot this spring and was shut down entirely for over a week in order to let the shot take effect.

After an impressive rookie season for Cincinnati in 2023, Steer’s production took a step back last year, as he hit .225/.319/.402 with 20 home runs over 656 plate appearances.  On the defensive front, Steer played mostly as a left fielder and first baseman, while also chipping in for a few cameo appearances as a right fielder, second baseman, and shortstop.  Steer also saw a lot of time as a third baseman during the 2022-23 seasons.

It remains to be seen exactly how the Reds will deploy Steer in 2025, but his overall defensive utility underscores important it is that he can return to work on the diamond.  A return to form at the plate would also help, and while Steer has said that his shoulder problem didn’t impact his hitting, it seems like there might’ve been some correlation between his lingering injury and his downturn at the plate.

Offseason signing Austin Hays figures to get most of the left field work in Steer’s absence, while Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand look to handle first base, with CES also in line to act as the designated hitter.  Candelario is also expected to be part of a crowded mix of third base candidates, as Gavin Lux and Santiago Espinal will also be getting playing time at the hot corner.

Parker Meadows To Miss At Least Four More Weeks

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Parker Meadows’ season-opening stint on the injured list looks like it will stretch into May, as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that the outfielder will need four weeks of rest after undergoing a nerve conduction test.  Meadows has been sidelined by an issue with the musculocutaneous nerve in his upper right arm, which has prevented him from throwing.

The problem has been bothering Meadows for the better part of the month, and the uncertain nature of nerve-related injuries had left the door open for a somewhat sudden recovery, since the nerve could technically “wake up” (to use Hinch’s parlance) at any point.  However, the aftermath of this test has led to a firmer idea of how much time Meadows will miss in the near term, but the outfielder and the team will then wait and see about how well his right arm has responded.

Because the problem is limited to his right arm, Meadows can take part other limited baseball activities apart from throwing, Hinch said.  This leads to some hope that Meadows could be able to return to action relatively quickly once he is finally cleared, but even in the best-case scenario of a clean bill of health in four weeks’ time, Meadows figures to need some ramp-up time in extended Spring Training and on a minor league rehab assignment.  It seems like the Tigers will be placing Meadows on the 10-day IL, as a 60-day placement would mean that Meadows wouldn’t be able to play on the active roster until the end of May.

It’s a very unfortunate and frustrating situation for Meadows, an outstanding defensive player who seemed to turn the corner at the plate late last season.  His 2024 season got off to a rough start between a cold stretch at the plate, a demotion to Triple-A Toledo, and then a month-long IL stint due to a hamstring injury as soon as Meadows was called back up to the big leagues.  Once he got back from the IL, Meadows finally hit his stride, batting .296/.340/.500 over his final 201 plate appearances to help lead Detroit to a wild card berth.

Just as he had solidified his spot as an everyday center fielder, however, Meadows will now join Matt Vierling on the IL, leaving the Tigers thin in the outfield.  The plan is to give Wenceel Perez the bulk of playing time in center field in Meadows’ absence, with utilityman Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry, and possibly minor league signing Jahmai Jones all helping fill the gaps around the diamond and on the bench.  Detroit has also considered some less-conventional options like giving Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson a few reps in the outfield, just to provide as much flexibility as possible.

Nationals Select Colin Poche To 40-Man Roster

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The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Colin Poche.  The veteran reliever signed a minor league deal with Washington last month, and he’ll now be a part of the team’s Opening Day roster.

Poche has pitched in four of the last six MLB seasons, as a Tommy John surgery shelved him for the entirety of the 2020-21 campaigns.  He returned from that long layoff in pretty good form, posting a 3.27 ERA over 156 2/3 innings out of the Rays’ bullpen over the course of the 2022-24 seasons.  His strikeout rate has declined over those three years, however, bottoming out at a modest 21.6% rate last year.  Some back and shoulder injuries also sent Poche to the injured list, limiting him to 37 1/3 innings in what ended up as his final season in Tampa Bay.

The Rays opted to non-tender Poche rather than pay him a projected $3.4MM salary in what would’ve been his final season of arbitration eligibility.  The terms of his deal with Washington aren’t publicly known, but the southpaw will now lock in a guaranteed salary as a result of making the team.

Jose A. Ferrer is the only other left-hander slated to be part of the Nats’ bullpen, so there was clearly an opening for Poche to step in as a second lefty even though Poche’s spring numbers haven’t been impressive (a 7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings).  Amongst other southpaws on the 40-man roster, MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker will be part of the starting rotation, and the Nationals yesterday optioned Shinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A, where they will act as starting depth.  Konnor Pilkington is also in the organization on a minor league deal, but it stands to reason that Washington might look to add another lefty or two as other teams make their final camp cuts.

Jose Urena Won’t Opt Out Of Mets Deal, Will Pitch At Triple-A

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The Mets made some more camp cuts as Opening Day approaches, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and The Athletic’s Will Sammon were among those who reported that right-handers Jose Urena and Chris Devenski, left-hander Genesis Cabrera, utilityman Donovan Walton, and catcher Jakson Reetz won’t be making the team.  The five players were all in camp on minor league contracts, and Urena’s deal contained an XX(b) out clause that he won’t be exercising, as Urena will remain in the Mets organization and pitch at Triple-A.

Urena inked his minors deal less than a month ago, and he has been rocked for a 19.29 ERA over three Grapefruit League appearances (2 1/3 total innings).  It’s fair to assume that Urena guessed there might not be much of a market for his services if he re-entered free agency, so he’ll stick with the Mets and try to regain his form in the minors.

A veteran of 10 MLB seasons, Urena has worked primarily as a starting pitcher but operated in a swingman capacity with the Rangers last year, starting nine of his 33 appearances.  The righty had a solid 3.80 ERA over 109 innings for Texas, with his typical strong grounder rate (50.1%).  Urena is a groundball specialist who rarely misses any bats, and he has had some issues in preventing home runs when batters are able to square up on his offerings.

Having an experienced swingman at Triple-A gives New York a helpful depth option to call upon in the event of an injury within either the rotation or the bullpen.  Urena’s deal also has standard opt-out dates on May 1 and June 1, so he’ll have a couple more chances in the near future to evaluate his status with the Mets.

In other Amazins news, left-hander Danny Young and righties Reed Garrett and Jose Butto were all told they’d be breaking camp for Opening Day as part of the Mets bullpen.  There wasn’t too much drama in these decisions, and the fact that Young and Butto are both out of minor league options might’ve added to their cause.

Daulton Varsho To Begin Season On Blue Jays’ Injured List

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After undergoing rotator cuff surgery last September, Daulton Varsho’s status for Spring Training or Opening Day was up in the air, with the general expectation being that the center fielder would need to miss at least some time at the start of the season.  Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Varsho’s IL status to reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling) today, though the belief is that Varsho should be able to make his 2025 debut before the first month of the season is over.

Varsho has been able to play as a DH during Spring Training, and he has posted some big numbers in this somewhat limited capacity.  Simply using Varsho as a designated hitter until his shoulder fully heals isn’t an ideal situation, of course, since the Jays don’t want to do anything to aggravate the injury, and so much of Varsho’s import comes as a defensive player.  Varsho won his first career Gold Glove last season, and was recognized by the Fielding Bible as the best overall defender in all of baseball.

While sidelined, Varsho will continue to work at the Jays’ spring complex in Dunedin, with Zwelling writing that Varsho will play in simulated games and in official minor league games.  If all goes well, Varsho will start a proper rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo before returning to the Blue Jays’ active roster.

As to who will play center field until Varsho is ready, it appears the competition is down to Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, and Alan Roden.  Zwelling notes that the Jays want Roden (who has yet to make his MLB debut) to play on a regular basis, which could hint that Roden might instead be used in an everyday role in Buffalo rather than in what might be a platoon role in Toronto.  Roden may not have much less to prove after posting big minor league numbers in 2023-24, plus he has been making a strong case for a roster job with some impressive spring numbers.

Lukes and Straw could operate in a center-field platoon, as Varsho’s placement on the IL will naturally open up another roster spot.  The Jays also made more cuts by optioning Joey Loperfido (once also a candidate for part-time center field work) and Leo Jimenez to Triple-A yesterday, and Schneider said today that Davis Schneider and Tyler Heineman will both break camp with the team.  Schneidrer will work as backup or part-time player at second base and in left field, while Heineman will back up starting catcher Alejandro Kirk.

In other Jays roster news, Davidi reports that Eric Lauer’s minor league deal contains an assignment clause that can be exercised tomorrow.  Should Lauer use the clause, other teams can reach out to the Jays within a 48-hour window to express interest in adding Lauer to their active rosters, and Toronto then have 48 hours to decide whether to move Lauer or add him to the Blue Jays’ own roster.

Lauer split the 2024 season pitching in the KBO League and at the Triple-A level with the Astros and Pirates organization, thus marking his first season without any MLB action since 2017.  From 2018-23 with the Padres and Brewers, Lauer had a 4.30 ERA over 596 2/3 innings, operating primarily as a starting pitcher.  An injury-plagued 2023 campaign ended his stint in Milwaukee, and he is now looking to rebound in at least a depth role on a big league roster.  Should he remain with the Blue Jays, Lauer will be one of the team’s top options at Triple-A should an injury hit anyone in the projected starting rotation.

No Extension Talks Between Framber Valdez, Astros

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Framber Valdez and the Astros avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $18MM salary for the 2025 season, though these appear to have been the only contract talks between the two sides this winter.  Valdez said at the start of camp that the club hadn’t yet discussed a long-term deal with his reps at Octagon, and the same has remained true throughout Spring Training, as the left-hander told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle and other reporters yesterday.

Since Valdez is set for free agency after this season, he answered “Yes, I think so” when asked if he would indeed be testing the market.  There is nothing stopping Valdez and the Astros from negotiating during the season, though most players prefer to end contract talks by Opening Day in order to avoid distractions once play officially gets underway.  Things could be different if the two sides were perhaps restarting talks after some baseline discussions earlier in the offseason, yet Valdez’s comments indicate that the negotiations haven’t even gotten off the ground.

Valdez became a full-time member of Houston’s rotation in 2020, and the southpaw has since become a key part of the team’s success.  He has a 3.12 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate, and a whopping 62.2% grounder rate over 781 innings over the 2020-24 seasons.  That grounder rate is the best of any qualified pitcher in baseball over the last five seasons, and Valdez’s 781 innings are the seventh-most of any pitcher.  A broken finger cost Valdez about two months of the 2021 campaign and he had a minimal IL stint last season due to elbow soreness, but he has otherwise been the picture of health.

The big regular-season workload has been augmented by 85 innings of postseason ball, with Valdez posting a 4.34 ERA over five of Houston’s playoff runs.  While his production has been a little more inconsistent, his best work came in the Astros’ 2022 World Series championship year, when Valdez delivered a 2.07 ERA over 25 innings to help Houston capture a ring.

Assuming Valdez delivers his usual numbers in 2025, he’ll be in line for a significant contract next winter as a front-of-the-rotation arm that offers both durability and experience on the biggest stage in the game.  That said, the left-hander also turns 32 in November, and there are a couple of other red flags that might indicate why the Astros seem reluctant to explore an extension.

Valdez has gotten away with allowing a lot of hard contact, though his .282 BABIP from 2020-24 indicates only a bit of batted-ball luck.  He doesn’t offer a lot of fastball velocity, instead primarily relying on a mix of his very effective slider and curveball to fool batters.  The strikeout and walk rates are both generally above average but neither stand out, putting more pressure on Valdez’s grounder-heavy approach to keep being effective.

Astros GM Dana Brown said in December that the team would listen to what other teams had to say in trade offers for Valdez, though Brown reiterated Valdez’s importance to the rotation and hinted that he’d just be listening to offers out of due diligence more than any real desire to move the left-hander.  As it turned out, the Astros dealt another pending free agent in Kyle Tucker, freeing up some payroll space while creating a hole in the outfield.  It could be that Houston simply got a better offer for Tucker from the Cubs than they got from any other team that called about Valdez, or that the Astros felt it was more important to keep the rotation stable after a lot of injuries hit the pitching staff in 2024.

Houston has been relatively conservative in giving out long-term extensions during its run of success over the last decade.  Two of the more prominent extensions went to pitchers — Cristian Javier’s five-year, $64MM deal just prior to the 2023 season, and Lance McCullers Jr.’s five-year, $85MM deal signed prior to Opening Day 2021.  Neither of these contracts have panned out to date, as McCullers hasn’t pitched in over two seasons due to a variety of injuries, and Javier underwent a Tommy John surgery last June.

As stable and healthy has Valdez has been, those two deals are surely on the minds of Houston’s front office, especially since Valdez will be looking for a much higher salary.  Barring an unexpected change of heart between the two sides, it certainly looks like Valdez will be the latest prominent Astros star to depart in free agency, while the Astros will at least recoup some draft compensation back via the qualifying offer.

Offseason In Review: New York Mets

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The Mets gave out the largest contract in the history of baseball and all professional sports, but they otherwise avoided the top guys and tried to spread their money around to a wide variety of targets.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $236.475MM (not including split deals or accounting for deferrals)
Total spending: $1.0066 billion

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None.

Notable Losses

Going into the winter, it was still hard to get a firm grip on what the Steve Cohen and David Stearns relationship would really look like. Cohen had made the Mets one of the top-spending clubs in baseball. That would have been even more true if the Carlos Correa deal had gone through. But Cohen could easily sign top players on his own and presumably brought in Stearns to make wise decisions about how to allocate resources. Stearns, for his part, had previously been running the small-market Brewers. He had obviously been conservative with that club, only twice giving out a contract larger than $24MM, but how would he act with deeper pockets?

Stearns was hired prior to the 2023-24 offseason but it was hard to draw conclusions from that winter. The club had a disappointing 2023 and ended up having a midseason selloff, sending away Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Robertson and others. They ended up having a fairly modest winter ahead of 2024. They spent a decent amount of money but by signing multiple players to one- or two-year deals.

They went on to engineer a somewhat surprising season in 2024. They snuck into a playoff spot and then got by the Brewers and Phillies in the postseason before getting felled by the Dodgers in the NLCS.

On the heels of a better season and with the club in overall better shape, would Stearns and the Mets behave differently than they did in the previous winter? Many expected the aggression to be ramped up but it wasn't known for sure. It was an important wild card factor in an offseason that was highlighted by Juan Soto, the most sought-after free agent in recent baseball history, perhaps ever. But on top of that, the market also featured guys like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Willy Adames, Alex Bregman and Mets legend Pete Alonso. Would Stearns use Cohen's resources to own the offseason?

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Kenta Maeda To Open Season In Tigers’ Bullpen

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TODAY: Right-hander Keider Montero and infielder Ryan Kreidler were both optioned to Triple-A, Cody Stavenhagen writes, likely confirming that Mize and Jobe will get the final two rotation spots.

MARCH 21: The Tigers informed Kenta Maeda that he’ll open the season in the bullpen, manager A.J. Hinch announced on Friday (relayed by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). That takes the veteran righty out of the competition for the final two rotation spots behind Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Reese Olson.

Maeda is entering the second season of a two-year, $24MM free agent deal. His first year in Detroit was the worst of his career. He allowed more than six earned runs per nine innings with personal-worst strikeout and home run rates. That cost him his rotation spot midseason. Maeda worked in low-leverage relief from July onwards. He made one start in the season’s final weekend after Detroit clinched a playoff spot. They left him off their postseason rosters.

The 36-year-old entered camp trying to pitch his way back into the rotation. Maeda has worked 12 2/3 frames over four appearances this spring. Despite a brilliant 19:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, he gave up eight runs. Maeda surrendered 13 hits, four of which cleared the fences.

Hinch hasn’t finalized rotation plans, but Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe look like the favorites for the last two jobs. Mize has had a fantastic spring, allowing only two runs while striking out 18 over 16 innings. Jobe has had a tougher time, as he’s given up four homers in 12 1/3 innings.

Maeda becomes the seventh locked-in member of Detroit’s season-opening bullpen. Jason Foley, Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton and free agent pickups Tommy Kahnle and John Brebbia will be in the late-inning mix. Will Vest should have a roster spot secure despite his own home run troubles this spring. Maeda could also factor into leverage spots, as Hinch said he’s not locked into mop-up work.

Orioles Sign Kyle Gibson

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The Orioles announced on Friday that they’ve reunited with Kyle Gibson on a one-year deal. The Rowley Sports Management client is reportedly guaranteed $5.25MM and can earn another $1.525MM in performance bonuses — including $150K apiece at 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 starts. Baltimore placed Kyle Bradish, who underwent elbow surgery last June, on the 60-day injured list to open a roster spot.

Gibson was the top remaining free agent starting pitcher. The veteran righty has been a durable innings source at the back of various rotations. That included a 2023 season spent in Baltimore. Gibson made 33 starts and tossed 192 innings for the O’s two seasons ago. He posted a 4.73 earned run average while recording 157 strikeouts.

The Missouri product signed a $13MM free agent deal with the Cardinals during the 2023-24 offseason. He continued to work as a steady if unexciting back-end option. Gibson took 30 turns through the rotation and pitched to a 4.24 ERA over 169 2/3 innings. His 20.9% strikeout rate and 44.8% ground-ball percentage were near league average. St. Louis declined a $12MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout at year’s end.

Gibson has nine MLB seasons with at least 29 starts and more than 150 frames. He hasn’t spent any time on the injured list within the last three seasons. His 711 1/3 innings over the past four years ranks eighth among major league pitchers. Once he’s ready for major league work, he should slot into the fifth spot in Brandon Hyde’s rotation.

That won’t be from Opening Day. While Gibson has been throwing side sessions, that’s not a direct substitute for Spring Training. Hyde told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that Gibson will need the equivalent of a spring ramp-up. It’s not clear if he’ll consent to an optional assignment to begin the season in the minors or start the year on the injured list, but he won’t be on the active roster on Thursday.

Gibson is the third older starting pitcher whom the Orioles have added on a one-year deal. They signed Charlie Morton to a $15MM contract and brought in NPB veteran Tomoyuki Sugano at $13MM. All three project more as back-end arms at this stage of their careers.

Grayson Rodriguez received a cortisone shot to treat elbow inflammation a couple weeks ago. He’ll begin the season on the injured list. Zach Eflin leads a starting five that also includes Morton, Sugano and Dean Kremer. Swingman Albert Suárez and young lefty Cade Povich are battling to round out the rotation. Suárez entered camp as the sixth starter, but Povich has outperformed him this spring. They’ll need one of those pitchers to hold a rotation spot until Gibson is ready for regular season work.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the $5.25MM base salary and the $1.525MM in incentives. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reported the start breakdown. Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, USA Today Sports.

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