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Nick Madrigal Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Shoulder Surgery

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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that infielder Nick Madrigal will require surgery on his fractured left shoulder. The recovery from that procedure will likely keep him out of action for the entire 2025 season.

The news doesn’t come as a shock. Madrigal dislocated his shoulder in Sunday’s game when falling to the ground after making a throw to first base on a ground ball. On Monday, the club announced that an MRI had revealed a fracture and that Madrigal would miss “a long time.” That timeline was nebulous but the Mets quickly put Madrigal on the 60-day injured list when they acquired Alexander Canario, suggesting they didn’t expect Madrigal back in the first two months.

Today’s news provides some more clarity on the situation. It seems there’s some chance that Madrigal could return late in the year, but the Mets will probably operate with the expectation that he won’t.

The Mets signed Madrigal to a one-year deal back in January after he had been non-tendered by the Cubs. He’s never been much of a hitter, with just four home runs in 940 big league plate appearances. His .274/.323/.344 batting line translates to an 88 wRC+. But he’s tough to strike out and is a strong defender at multiple infield positions.

It also seems like the Mets were attracted to the fact that Madrigal could still be optioned to the minors. Their bench is currently projected to include backup catcher Luis Torrens, who can’t be optioned. Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor are going to split center field, meaning one should be on the bench each day. Both of them are out of options. Jesse Winker and Starling Marte might platoon in the designated hitter spot and they both have at least than five years of service time, meaning they can’t be optioned without their consent.

That’s three out of four bench spots taken up by guys who can’t be sent to the minors. Throughout a long baseball season, there are situations that arise where players have small injuries that might require them to sit out for a few days but they don’t want to go on the injured list for a full ten-day minimum stint. In such cases, having some roster flexibility to bring a player up from the minor could be attractive. The Mets reportedly haven’t pursued a reunion with Jose Iglesias due to the fact that he would not be optionable.

With Madrigal now unlikely to return this year, the club will have to figure out who their bench infielder would be. Guys like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña are on the 40-man but there are arguments against using those guys in a bench role. All three have the capability to be notable long-term pieces at the big league level, so the club presumably prefers to have them getting regular at-bats in Triple-A in order to continue their development.

On top of that, Baty doesn’t play shortstop. If he were the club’s bench infielder, there would be no cover for Francisco Lindor. He normally doesn’t take many days off but he’s now 31 years old and any player is susceptible to getting a small injury from fouling a ball off his leg or what have you. Mauricio is still working his way back from last year’s ACL tear and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Opening Day. Mike Puma of The New York Post relayed yesterday that Mauricio is now running at 80% speed and could get into some games before camp breaks.

Acuña is an option but, as mentioned, the Mets might prefer to have him playing regularly in the minors. If that’s true, then they would have to pivot to someone else. Luis De Los Santos and Donovan Walton are not on the 40-man but they are in camp as non-roster invitees. The Mets would have to open a roster spot to add one of them but they both have options. The Mets also have Yonny Hernández aboard on a minor league deal, though he’s not in big league camp. He has some big league experience and would also be optionable if added to the 40-man.

The Opener: Steer, Ohtani, Alvarez

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As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Steer to undergo testing:

Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer has been dealing with shoulder discomfort this spring, and Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the club’s plan is to have him re-examined by a team doctor before determining a course of action. That seemingly scuttles plans for him to return to playing catch on Monday, though Wittenmyer adds that the team is “confident” there’s no structural damage in his shoulder and that Steer’s swing is not impacted by the issue.

Steer has been serving as the club’s DH in spring games when he’s played due to the soreness he feels when throwing, but when healthy he’s one of the club’s more versatile players with experience at first, second, and third base as well as in left field. According to Wittenmyer, manager Terry Francona suggested that Steer could see more rest or perhaps receive a cortisone shot in his shoulder to speed up the healing process depending on the outcome of this weekend’s exam.

2. Ohtani to make spring debut:

Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring debut today at DH, as Dave Roberts told reporters (including the Associated Press) earlier this week. It’s a notable step forward for Ohtani as he’s spent the offseason and early part of the spring not only rehabbing his right elbow ahead of his return to pitching during the first half of the 2025 campaign, but he’s also been rehabbing his left shoulder after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a labrum tear suffered during the World Series. With the Dodgers slated to get an early start to the season in the Tokyo Series in just over two weeks, Ohtani getting into spring lineups is a crucial step to ensuring that he’ll be ready for the two-game set against the Cubs.

3. Alvarez exits:

Atlanta infield prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. departed yesterday evening’s game due to left wrist discomfort, as the club themselves announced. Alvarez, 22 in April, was not projected to make the club’s Opening Day roster with Orlando Arcia slated to serve as the club’s shortstop, Ozzie Albies entrenched at second, and Austin Riley back at third base after last year’s hand surgery. Even so, an absence from Alvarez that extends into the season would certainly be worrisome for the team given their relative lack of infield depth behind those three starters. Nick Allen projects to be their backup infield on the bench at present, with utility men Luke Williams and Christian Cairo also on the 40-man roster.

Andrew Benintendi To Miss Four To Six Weeks Due To Hand Fracture

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The White Sox announced that outfielder Andrew Benintendi has a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will miss four to six weeks. He departed today’s spring training game after being hit by a pitch.

It’s an unfortunate blow for Benintendi and the White Sox. With the spring just getting going, he’ll now be shut down and miss the remainder of camp. Once healthy, he’ll have to head out on a rehab assignment and effectively start his spring training over again.

The Sox weren’t going to compete this year. They set a modern-day record with 121 losses in 2024. They aren’t likely to be significantly better in 2025. They did sign a few veterans to fill some roster spots but also traded Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in exchange for prospects.

However, Benintendi had a chance to play himself into being a trade candidate, something that MLBTR looked at just yesterday. With three years and $15.83MM left on his deal and the Sox deep in a rebuild, they would surely love to move him. Any improved performance would have helped them do that while allowing Benintendi to play for a contender, a win-win for both sides.

Since signing with the Sox ahead of the 2023 season, Benintendi has hit just .246/.309/.374 for a wRC+ of 90 with poor defensive metrics to boot. But his 2024 season finished on a strong note. He had a stint on the injured in June due to left achilles tendinitis. He had hit just .195/.230/.284 before that IL stint but then slashed .251/.326/.470 the rest of the way. That latter line translated to a 124 wRC+, indicating he was 24% above league average at the plate.

That led to some hope that he could return to form in 2025, since he had hit .279/.351/.431 for a 109 wRC+ before joining the White Sox. If Benintendi has a bounceback in him, it will have to stay on ice until he gets over this injury.

The Sox will now have some early-season playing time to reallocate. Luis Robert Jr., another trade candidate that the Sox are hoping to see build value, will be the everyday guy in center. Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater could perhaps form a platoon in one corner. Michael A. Taylor is on the roster, likely viewed as a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement/pinch runner type.

Oscar Colás and Dominic Fletcher are on the 40-man roster. Each still has an option remaining and seemed ticketed for time in Triple-A but perhaps this opens some big league time for one of them. Joey Gallo is also in camp as a non-roster invitee, so this could lead to his contract being selected. Other NRIs with some big league experience include Corey Julks and Calvin Mitchell. If the Sox decide they want to bring in some more depth, players like Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and Robbie Grossman remain unsigned.

Braves Chairman: Team Has “Dry Powder” To Add Payroll

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The Braves enter Spring Training with a luxury tax payroll around $230MM, according to the RosterResource calculations. That puts them about $11MM shy of the base threshold. Atlanta has paid the tax in two straight seasons, pushing their spending to $276MM by the end of last year.

That seemingly indicates that the Braves have room to add to their payroll. Chairman Terry McGuirk confirmed as much to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. “We have crossed the competitive balance tax each of the last two years. It’s possible we could do it again this year,” McGuirk told Drellich. He added that the team “(has) some dry powder” to add spending and implied that Atlanta could make a move in free agency this spring. McGuirk noted that the Braves waited until the middle of March before bringing back Adam Duvall on a $3MM deal last year.

Atlanta has had a quiet offseason. Their only free agent move of significance was the signing of Jurickson Profar on a three-year, $42MM contract. Their remaining free agent pickups were split deals. Their biggest trade was to offload the final two years on Jorge Soler’s contract to the Angels for no return. They acquired Griffin Canning, then non-tendered him. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the Winter Meetings that the Braves were willing to exceed the tax threshold. Perhaps that’d have happened if a failed physical hadn’t scuttled their reported five-year agreement with Jeff Hoffman, though it’s possible they wouldn’t have subsequently signed Profar if the Hoffman deal had been finalized.

The Braves seem unlikely to add $11MM+ to their tax ledger before Opening Day. There are only a few free agents who are sure to sign major league deals. A one-year deal for David Robertson, Jose Quintana or Kyle Gibson could still approach eight-figures, but most remaining free agents are unsigned because their markets haven’t materialized the way they’d hoped.

Anthopoulos has indicated that any rotation pickups would need to be marked improvements on Ian Anderson and/or Grant Holmes, who are out of minor league options and are vying for back-end jobs. Robertson would be an upgrade for any team’s bullpen. Atlanta has a few questionable spots in the middle innings. Their relief group is anchored by a strong four of Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee, however.

A team’s luxury tax number isn’t calculated until the end of the season. The Braves hope to add to the roster midseason. If they added a few million dollars to their CBT payroll with a Spring Training free agent pickup, a midseason trade or two could push them past $241MM. Their current $230MM calculation is an unofficial estimate, so it’s possible that number is off a couple million dollars in either direction.

Clubs are generally hesitant about narrowly exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Teams pay escalating penalties for going beyond the marker in consecutive seasons. Staying underneath $241MM would allow the Braves to reset their status rather than pushing them to third-time payors, which comes with the top tax rates. The tax is only on the overages, so they’d have a minimal tax bill if they only exceed the threshold by a few million dollars, but the repeat penalties could limit their financial flexibility in future offseasons. They’ll need to weigh that against the benefits of short-term upgrades as they vie with the Phillies and Mets atop the NL East in 2025.

Yankees Extend Aaron Boone

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February 27: Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports the salary breakdown on Boone’s deal. His salary this season jumps to $4.5M. He’ll respectively make $5MM and $5.5MM in 2026 and ’27.

February 20: The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve signed manager Aaron Boone to a two-year contract extension covering the 2026-27 seasons. His previous contract was set to expire after 2025, so this takes him out of “lame duck” status.

The news doesn’t come as a shock. Teams generally don’t like to have managers operating in a lame-duck position. The Yankees did it with Boone once before, in 2021, though that was a rare occurrence. He originally joined the Yankees via a three-year deal going into 2018, with a club option for 2021. The Yanks picked up that option and did let Boone manage that season on an expiring contract.

On October 19 of that year, Boone and the club agreed to a new three-year deal which covered the 2022-24 seasons and came with a ’25 option. There was perhaps a bit of drama around his status as manager when the club missed the playoffs in 2023, but they bounced back last year by winning the American League East and going as far as the World Series. The Yanks picked up their ’25 option at the start of the offseason. More recently, both owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman spoke of wanting to get an extension done.

Boone is a divisive figure in the fanbase but there’s a lot of good stuff on his track record. The Yanks have made the postseason in six of his seven seasons at the helm, with the aforementioned 2023 campaign being the lone exception. They have had some tough postseason losses but, as mentioned, just went to the World Series a few months ago. As skipper, he has a regular season record of 603-429, a .584 winning percentage.

Though some fans will remain unhappy with Boone until he wins a title, it would have been very unusual for a club to move on from a manager or even let him stay in lame-duck status on the heels of winning a pennant.

As always, the Yankees will be going into the upcoming season with their eyes on contention. They lost Juan Soto but had an aggressive offseason nonetheless, adding Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Devin Williams and others. Another disappointing season will embolden those who are already upset with Boone, but the club clearly feels good enough to put pen to paper with him today, avoiding in-season storylines about his uncertain contract status.

A’s Continuing To Give Tyler Soderstrom Catching Reps

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The A’s remain open to the possibility of using Tyler Soderstrom as their backup catcher, manager Mark Kotsay tells Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The former first-round pick got the start behind the dish in yesterday’s Spring Training matchup with Seattle.

“What we talked about with Tyler is continuing to keep that skill set,” Kotsay told Gallegos. “It gives us an opportunity to have a player that provides maybe a role for us that would allow maybe another bench spot.” The A’s will use Shea Langeliers as their starting catcher for the third consecutive season. They would gain some bench flexibility if they’re comfortable with the 23-year-old Soderstrom as Langeliers’ backup. Otherwise, he’d be the primary first baseman.

Soderstrom was drafted as a bat-first catching prospect out of high school in 2020. His bat pushed him quickly through the minor leagues. He’s a .272/.339/.532 hitter in the minors. Soderstrom hasn’t found anywhere near that level of success against big league pitching. He owns a .204/.282/.354 line with a 27.4% strikeout rate over 351 plate appearances.

Most of his big league work has come as a first baseman. Soderstrom has caught a little more than 1200 innings over four minor league seasons. He made 15 starts behind the dish for the A’s during his 2023 rookie season. He got another 21 starts as a catcher in Triple-A last year, but they didn’t give him any MLB starts there.

The youngster’s only MLB catching experience last year was a four-inning appearance in a game in which that day’s starting catcher Kyle McCann was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning. Langeliers was the designated hitter. If the A’s wanted to have him catch after pulling McCann, they’d have forfeited their DH for the rest of the game. Soderstrom, who had started at first base, moved to catcher.

The A’s clearly didn’t feel his glove was up to par last year. They kept McCann on the major league roster as the backup all season. Langeliers started 123 games, second-most at the position behind Cal Raleigh. McCann made the other 39 starts. Soderstrom’s four-inning appearance was the only catching work by any other player.

The A’s already shook that up last month, designating McCann for assignment while acquiring Jhonny Pereda in a cash trade with Miami. Langeliers and Pereda are the only primary catchers on the 40-man roster. That’d very likely be Kotsay’s season-opening duo if they’re still apprehensive about Soderstrom’s glove. If they’re comfortable with Soderstrom behind the plate, he could pick up around 40 starts there while playing first base on days when Langeliers is rested. That’d allow the A’s to option Pereda and carry another infielder or outfielder on the active roster.

McCann cleared waivers and is in camp as a non-roster invitee. The A’s could reselect his contract at any point, but he’s behind Pereda on the depth chart. The 28-year-old Pereda only has 20 games of major league experience. He’s a .293/.385/.408 hitter over four Triple-A seasons and has a stronger defensive reputation than McCann brings.

Franco Aleman Undergoes Hernia Procedure

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The Guardians announced that right-hander Franco Aleman “submitted to a left hip inguinal hernia repair” yesterday. The club announced his recovery timeline as four to six weeks, so he’ll be injured through the remainder of spring training.

Aleman, 25 in June, isn’t a household name but he is on Cleveland’s 40-man roster. They added him in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. A tenth-round pick from 2021, he worked both as a starter and a reliever in 2022 with a 6.31 earned run average. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen over the past two seasons with great results, logging 77 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA. He struck out 36.2% of batters faced with an 8.6% walk rate.

The righty spent last year at Triple-A. Since he’s now on the 40-man, a major league debut at any point in 2025 is possible. That now seems unlikely occur in the initial weeks of the season, as the club will presumably want to give him some time to catch up to everyone else after this layoff.

That will cut into the club’s bullpen depth for the start of the 2025 campaign, though that’s unlikely to be a significant concern for now. Cleveland had the best bullpen in the majors in 2024 and most of that group is back this year. Unless a few other injuries pop up in the relief mix, they’ll be well positioned to proceed while Aleman is out of action.

Fantasy Baseball: Becoming a Fantasy Expert With Two Weird Tricks

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Hello friends.

Ooops, I did it again. And by it, I mean went full clickbait on the title. Sorry but it made me laugh.

Do you know what's not a laughing matter, though? Going into your draft feeling unprepared. Or even if you are prepared, not feeling confident in your ability to find the edges that'll let you draft a championship contender. Well, fear not, my friends -- the answers lie within. Clickbait, smlickbait --we're going to teach a couple of easy ways to put you on the road from joe to pro. And there's even a free prize at the bottom of the box.

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Marlins Claim Brett de Geus, Desigate Seth Martinez For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they have claimed right-hander Brett de Geus off waivers from the Pirates. The latter club designated him for assignment last week. In a corresponding move, the Marlins designated fellow right-hander Seth Martinez for assignment.

de Geus, 27, has never pitched for the Pirates. They acquired him from the Blue Jays in a cash deal last month. Though when they were able to sign Andrew Heaney last week, de Geus was the roster casualty.

He has bounced around the league quite a bit, pitching for the Mariners, Marlins and Jays last year. His major league work to this point hasn’t been great, as he has a 7.48 earned run average in 61 1/3 innings. His 16.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate are both poor marks, but he has generated ground balls on 52.5% of balls in play.

Those grounders are likely why he keeps garnering interest from so many clubs, despite the poor run prevention. He also tossed 39 Triple-A innings last year with a 5.31 ERA, getting grounders at a 56.6% clip.

The raw stuff is also intriguing. de Geus averaged 96.4 miles per hour on his sinker last year and 98 mph on his four-seamer, in addition to throwing a knuckle curve, cutter and splitter. He didn’t translate that arsenal into good results last year but clubs clearly think it’s possible, including the Marlins, as they claimed him off waivers in August. They bumped him off the roster a month later, with de Geus claimed by the Jays, but the Fish have now taken the chance to bring him back into the fold again.

He still has options and therefore won’t need to be guaranteed a roster spot. He also has just a bit more than a year of service time, meaning he can theoretically be affordably controlled for years to come if things click for him.

Martinez, 30, was himself just claimed off waivers a week ago. He is out of options and therefore has less roster flexibility than de Geus. With the quick claim and DFA, it’s possible the Marlins claimed Martinez with the plan to put him right back on waivers in short order. He has less than three years of service time and no previous career outright, so he would stick with the Marlins as non-roster depth if he can be passed through waivers unclaimed.

The righty tossed 137 1/3 innings for the Astros over the past four years with a 3.93 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. Over that same timespan, he also threw 105 innings in the minors with a 2.66 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. He got put on waivers at the end of last season, getting claimed by the Diamondbacks, though the Snakes put him back on waivers when they signed Kendall Graveman.

The Fish will now have one week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next for Martinez, whether that’s a trade or another trip to the waiver wire. The waiver process can take as long as 48 hours, so any trade interest would have to be explored in the next five days.

Pirates Sign Andrew Heaney

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February 27: Per Ethan Hullihen, Heaney’s bonuses start at $50K for 120 innings pitched, followed by $100K for 130 innings and then $150K for 140, 150, 160 and 170. He can therefore earn an extra $750K if he unlocks all of those. When combined with his $5.25MM guarantee, he can earn as much as $6MM this year.

February 22: The Pirates officially announcing the signing.

February 20: The Pirates are reportedly in agreement with Andrew Heaney on a one-year deal that’ll guarantee $5.25MM. The deal, which is pending a physical, also includes performance bonuses for the Icon Sports Management client. Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster is at capacity, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move when the signing is finalized.

It’s a relatively low-cost addition to the back of the rotation. Heaney has been a capable fourth or fifth starter in Texas over the last two seasons. He turned in a 4.15 ERA across 147 1/3 innings two seasons ago. Last year, he pitched to a 4.28 mark while ranking second on the team with 160 innings. Heaney took the ball 66 times for the Rangers and allowed 4.22 earned runs per nine over 307 1/3 frames.

The 33-year-old southpaw had a solid if unspectacular strikeout and walk profile. Heaney has fanned around 23-24% of opposing hitters in each of the past two seasons. After running a career-high 9.4% walk rate in ’23, he cut the free passes to a personal-low 5.9% clip last year. His 12% swinging strike rate was a little better than average.

Heaney has long had the ability to miss bats. Last season’s 22.9% strikeout rate, while slightly above the 22% league average for starting pitchers, was Heaney’s lowest mark in a decade. He has never really been a flamethrower. Heaney’s fastball sat in the 92-93 MPH range during his best seasons. It was down slightly to 91.5 MPH on average last year. The pitch has always had good life that allows it to play above its velocity as a swing-and-miss offering.

Despite the impressive strikeout rates, Heaney owns a 4.45 ERA in more than 1000 career innings. As a fly-ball pitcher without huge velocity, he’s quite susceptible to home runs. Heaney has allowed 1.54 homers per nine innings in his career, while he surrendered 1.29 longballs per nine last year. The Pirates hope that their park can mitigate some of that. According to Statcast’s park factors, only Oracle Park and the Oakland Coliseum have played less favorably for home runs over the past three seasons than PNC Park. Pittsburgh’s home field has been the toughest venue for right-handed power hitters, in particular, so there aren’t many more sensible landing spots for a fly-ball lefty pitcher.

Pittsburgh has a loaded top three in their rotation: Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. Heaney projects as the fourth starter. Bailey Falter, who has a similar profile as a soft-tossing lefty, is the favorite for the fifth spot. The Bucs thinned their rotation depth when they included Luis Ortiz in the return for first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Depth options on the 40-man roster include Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo (the latter of whom will return after missing the ’24 season rehabbing Tommy John surgery). Prospects Bubba Chandler and Tom Harrington have reached Triple-A and should make their debuts at some point in 2025.

This is Pittsburgh’s sixth major league free agent pickup of the offseason. They’ve all been one-year commitments worth fewer than $6MM. They brought back Andrew McCutchen on another $5MM guarantee and added Tommy Pham ($4MM), Caleb Ferguson ($3MM), Adam Frazier ($1.5MM) and Tim Mayza ($1.15MM). Pittsburgh’s player payroll now sits around $88MM, as calculated by RosterResource. That’s essentially where they ended last season. Cot’s Baseball Contracts projects the Pirates for the fifth-lowest payroll in MLB.

Heaney was one of the few remaining free agent starters who was sure to find a big league deal. Jose Quintana and Kyle Gibson are the best unsigned options for teams looking to deepen their rotation.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Pirates and Heaney were nearing a deal. Jon Heyman of The New York Post confirmed the agreement. Alden González of ESPN had it as a one-year deal at $5MM with incentives. Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the guarantee was $5.25MM. Image courtesy of Imagn.

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