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Diamondbacks Sign Casey Kelly To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Casey Kelly to a minor league deal, according to the transactions log on Kelly’s MLB.com profile page.

Kelly, 35, was a first-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2008. He quickly rose to minor league stardom, becoming a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport before he was traded to the Padres alongside future All-Star Anthony Rizzo in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez. Kelly made his big league debut with San Diego just a year later, though he struggled to a 6.21 ERA in 29 innings of work across six starts in that first big league cup of coffee. Tommy John surgery in 2013 forced him to stay away from the big league mound for quite some time after that, however, and upon his return in 2015 he was torched to the tune of a 7.94 ERA in 11 1/3 innings of work that brought the Padres chapter of his career to a disappointing end.

Kelly bounced through the Braves, Cubs, and Giants organizations over the next couple of seasons, even getting a brief look in the majors with Atlanta during the 2016 season, but it wasn’t until the 2018 campaign in San Francisco that the right-hander found success in the majors. That success was fairly limited, as Kelly pitched just 23 2/3 frames at the highest level that year, but his 3.04 ERA was the first above-average showing in the majors of his career. It even earned him some attention on the other side of the world, as Kelly went on to depart the Giants organization in favor of joining the Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins.

Kelly’s stint in Korea ultimately lasted six seasons, and saw him put together an impressive overseas career. The right-hander pitched to a 3.25 ERA overall in 989 1/3 innings of work for the LG Twins in parts of six seasons from 2019 to 2024. Those first four seasons were particularly impressive, as Kelly made at least 27 starts in each of them with ERAs ranging from 2.54 to 3.32 and solid peripheral numbers to match. Unfortunately, Kelly started to show signs of decline in 2023 that brought about the end of his KBO career in 2024 after he struggled to a 4.51 ERA in 19 starts for the LG Twins that led the club to cut him from the team in July of last year.

After being cut loose in Korea, Kelly made his way back into stateside ball with the Reds on a minor league deal. He managed to get called up to the majors for a brief stint down the stretch last year, his first stint in the majors in more than half a decade. He pitched just 5 1/3 innings for the Reds last year, surrendering three runs on three hits (one homer) and a walk while striking out four. The right-hander was then outrighted to Triple-A Louisville in August and elected minor league free agency back in October. Now, Kelly appears likely to serve as non-roster depth for the Diamondbacks headed into 2025. He’s got plenty of competition on the club’s pitching depth chart, with Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Henry among the pitchers just on the 40-man roster who could vie for a long relief role with the club this season.

Rockies Reportedly Place Justin Lawrence On Waivers

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The Rockies have placed right-hander Justin Lawrence on waivers, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Notably, that does not mean the righty has been designated for assignment, and Lawrence can continue to workout with the Rockies and pitch in spring games while the waiver process runs its course. With that being said, Lawrence’s placement on waivers is irrevocable, meaning the right-hander will land with a new team in the coming days if any rival clubs put in a claim on his services.

Lawrence, 30, has parts of four MLB seasons under his belt since he debuted with the Rockies back in 2021. After struggling badly in a brief cup of coffee with the club during the 2021 campaign, Lawrence posted lackluster results in 2022 despite solid peripherals. While his 5.70 ERA that year was well below-average, a 3.39 FIP, a 3.54 xERA, and a 3.63 SIERA all suggested Lawrence had pitched much better than his surface level production would’ve suggested. He was a victim of a low 63.7% strand rate and an inflated .350 BABIP, but his strong 25.1% strikeout rate combined with a 50.8% groundball rate made clear the bones of a quality MLB reliever were present.

The right-hander then proved to be exactly that sort of quality MLB reliever the very next year, as he enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 at the age of 28. In 75 innings of work, Lawrence posted a 3.72 ERA with a matching 3.76 FIP while picking up 11 saves during a season where he shared the closer role with struggling veteran Pierce Johnson. Lawrence’s ERA that season may not jump off the page, but when factoring in the inflated offensive environment Rockies pitchers face at Coors Field he was actually well above average as demonstrated by his 134 ERA+. Lawrence’s peripherals more or less matched his work in the 2022 campaign, with a 23.9% strikeout rate, an 11% walk rate, and a 48.5% groundball rate. Entering 2024, it seemed as though the right-hander had a solid foundation for MLB success from which he could build off of going forward.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things worked out. Lawrence had the worst season of his career in 2024 as he surrendered a 6.49 ERA in 59 2/3 innings of work while his peripheral numbers regressed nearly across the board. Lawrence saw his walk rate tick up to 11.8% last year, while his strikeout rate plummeted to just 16.1%. Just four pitchers in the majors last year had a lower K-BB% than Lawrence, and in conjunction with the BABIP and strand rate related issues that are common for pitchers calling Coors Field home, it’s hardly a surprise that the right-hander struggled badly with metrics that mostly supported his poor performance including a 5.63 FIP, a 6.25 xERA, and a 4.73 SIERA.

In his first few outings this spring, Lawrence hasn’t looked much better. Spring results always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but the right-hander has looked wild with three walks and two hit batters against two strikeouts across three innings of work. That seems to have been enough for the Rockies, who expressed a desire to deal Lawrence this winter, to pull the plug. In doing so, the club opens up playing time for younger relief arms like Angel Chivilli and Jeff Criswell amid an noncompetitive season and could save the sum of Lawrence’s $975K arbitration salary if he’s plucked off waivers by another organization.

From when Lawrence is officially placed on waivers, rival clubs will have 48 hours to place a claim for his services. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll remain with the Rockies. The righty could be outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster at that point and stashed in the minors as depth, but Colorado would not necessarily have to do so and could just keep him in their big league bullpen going forward as well.

Javier Assad Ruled Out For Opening Day

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Cubs right-hander Javier Assad has been sidelined this spring due to oblique soreness, and 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine relays this afternoon that the righty won’t be ready to pitch in time for either the Tokyo Series on March 18 or the club’s stateside opener against the Diamondbacks on March 27. Presumably, the Cubs will place him on the injured list to open the season, leaving him out of action for at least the beginning of April.

Assad, 27, has found plenty of success over three seasons in the majors with Chicago despite questionable peripherals. The right-hander served in a part-time swing role for the Cubs in both the 2022 and ’23 seasons, posting a 3.06 ERA (139 ERA+) in 147 innings of work across 41 appearances (18 starts) during that two-year stretch. That excellent production came in spite of underlying numbers that were far less impressive. Assad walked 9.9% of his opponents while striking out just 20.2% of them over those first two seasons, and his 44.7% groundball rate was strong but not outstanding. That left him with a 4.34 FIP and a 4.59 SIERA over those two years, both of which painted him as a below average pitcher despite his above-average results.

When the right-hander was handed an Opening Day rotation spot by the Cubs last year, it was fair to wonder whether those lackluster peripherals would come back to bite him. He once again managed to defy the underlying metrics in 2024, however, posting a 3.73 ERA (107 ERA+) despite a 4.64 FIP and 4.72 SIERA. His strikeout, walk, and groundball rates were largely unchanged from the prior two seasons, but despite that he still posted the numbers of a solid back-end start across 147 innings and 29 starts. His 4.38 ERA and 4.80 FIP after the All-Star break last year stuck out as a potential cause for concern, but after an offseason that saw the club focus more on upgrading its lineup and bullpen rather than the rotation Assad once again figured to feature in the club’s starting five to open the 2025 season.

Those plans will have to be put on hold for now, however, as Assad is only just beginning to work his way back to the mound after being sidelined for all of last month by an oblique strain. Levine writes that the Cubs hope he’ll be able to proceed to throwing a bullpen session next week, but even that seems up in the air. Given the uncertainty surrounding Assad’s status, it’s hardly a surprise that the Cubs decided to formally pull the plug on him as an Opening Day possibility and begin exploring other options to fill out the rotation in earnest.

Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele front Chicago’s rotation and are slated to start the club’s two-game series against the Dodgers in Tokyo. Meanwhile, veterans Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd make up the middle of the Cubs’ rotation after Chicago added Boyd on a two-year deal back in December. With Assad no longer an option for the fifth starter job, it seems likely that the gig could fall to veteran swing man Colin Rea. Rea, 34, posted a 4.40 ERA (96 ERA+) and 4.82 FIP in 58 appearances (49 starts) with Milwaukee over the past two years. He figures to be on the Opening Day roster so long as he’s healthy, though he does have ample experience pitching in relief as well.

The possibility that Rea could be used as a long reliever rather than a starter leaves the door open for one of the Cubs’ other potential starting options to grab the fifth starter job. Right-hander Ben Brown dazzled in his rookie season with a 3.58 ERA and 3.11 FIP in 55 1/3 innings of work, and while he was sidelined by an osteoma on his neck for the entire second half last year he now appears to be fully healthy. Jordan Wicks struggled through an injury-marred campaign in 2024 but is a recent top-100 prospect with plenty of upside.

Veteran rotation arms Chris Flexen and Brad Keller are both in camp as non-roster invitees, and it’s possible either could factor into the competition for the fifth starter job alongside Rea, Brown, and Wicks. One player who is unlikely to compete for the job is top pitching prospect Cade Horton, who is healthy this spring after what amounted to a lost season in 2024 but still has minimal experience at the Triple-A level under his belt. Whoever earns the fifth starter job could theoretically pitch themselves into a more permanent job that lasts even beyond Assad’s upcoming IL stint, given that the 27-year-old has both ample bullpen experience and minor league options remaining.

AL Central Notes: Guardians, Taylor, Jenkins

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The Guardians’ estimated $100.4MM payroll is lower than the $104.2MM they spent in 2024, as per RosterResource’s calculations, and Cleveland also moved a lot of long-term money off the books by trading Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw to the Blue Jays in separate deals.  Despite what might seemingly be a bit of extra money available for the Guards to spend before Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the team won’t dip into free agency for any late additions, and is more likely to re-invest those savings towards possible extensions for current players on the roster.

Early-career extensions have long been a key plank of Cleveland’s team-building strategy, dating back to John Hart’s tenure as general manager in the 1990’s.  On the current team, Jose Ramirez, Emmanuel Clase, and Trevor Stephan are all playing on multi-year extensions, and there are plenty of interesting talents the Guardians might look to lock up for the future.  Steven Kwan is in his first of three years of arbitration eligibility, and Tanner Bibee stands out as the top extension candidate among the Guards’ long list of pre-arb players.  It takes two to tango, of course, so there would have to be an equal desire on the part of any interested players in working out an extension that is acceptable to both sides.

More from the AL Central…

  • Michael A. Taylor will undergo scans on his right elbow, White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) today.  Taylor was scratched from the lineup due to what the Sox initially described just as elbow inflammation, but the issue is serious enough to merit more testing.  An injury would be a rough start to Taylor’s stint with the White Sox, as it was less than three weeks ago that the veteran outfielder and former Gold Glover signed his one-year, $1.95MM deal.
  • Walker Jenkins suffered a left ankle sprain last Sunday, and Twins GM Jeremy Zoll told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and other reporters that Jenkins will be set back around one or two weeks.  This might mean Jenkins misses the very start of the minor league season, but the injury is minor enough that the top prospect shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.  The fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft, the 20-year-old Jenkins is considered one of baseball’s elite prospects, and he made it up the ladder for six games in Double-A last season.  Jenkins’ big league debut is probably likelier to happen in 2026 than in 2025, yet a cup of coffee in the Show could be possible this year if Jenkins keeps performing well against minor league pitching.

Giancarlo Stanton To Begin Season On Injured List

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The Yankees officially announced that Giancarlo Stanton won’t be available for the start of the season, as the slugger will be placed on the injured list due to his recurring elbow issues.  Stanton received PRP injections in both elbows, and is expected to return to the team’s spring camp later this week after dealing with an unspecified personal matter in New York.

The announcement doesn’t come as any surprise, as Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in five or six weeks due to continued soreness in his elbows.  Two weeks ago, Stanton and manager Aaron Boone described the problem as similar to tennis elbow, with Stanton noting that some tendon damage had taken place.  While surgery wasn’t being considered, surgery would naturally become an option (or inevitable) in the event of an actual tendon tear, which is why Stanton said he and the team were being cautious in their approach to the injuries.

No timetable was announced for Stanton’s recovery, but probably the end of April would represent a best-case scenario for the five-time All-Star to make his 2025 debut.  Some time will be needed to evaluate Stanton’s elbows in the aftermath of the PRP treatment, and if all is well, he’d then need to start his usual ramp-up proceedings after missing so much of both Spring Training and even his pre-camp offseason work.  Given Stanton’s long history of leg-related injuries, he’ll need some prep time beyond just hitting work, even if he is going to be a DH-only player this season.

Injuries have long hampered Stanton’s career, and kept from fully delivering on the whopping 13-year, $325MM contract he signed with the Marlins back in November 2014.  There is still $96MM owed to Stanton in the final three guaranteed years of that deal, counting the $10MM, though the Yankees are only responsible for covering $66MM of that figure as per the terms of the trade that brought Stanton from Miami to New York in December 2017.

Stanton has been pretty productive (.241/.323/.483 with 162 home runs in 2776 plate appearances) during his time in the pinstripes, and has still looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters from time to time.  However, those red-hot streaks have been countered by both extended slumps, and several times when Stanton has simply been unable to play due to injury.

The 2024 season saw Stanton miss about five weeks due to a hamstring strain, though he bounced back reasonably well from a down year in 2023.  Stanton hit .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs in 459 PA last season, which translated to a 116 wRC+ even if low average and on-base numbers continue to be a concern.  The slugger then elevated his game in October, hitting .273/.339/.709 with seven homers over 62 PA during New York’s playoff run, and he captured ALCS MVP honors for his huge performance in the Yankees’ five-game elimination of the Guardians.

Following up that great postseason with yet another significant injury is undoubtedly a huge frustration for Stanton as he enters his 16th Major League campaign (and his age-35 season).  The fact that these elbow problems are an entirely new injury for Stanton could be viewed in one of two ways — either as a positive that he isn’t again dealing with leg problems, or as a negative that Stanton is now dealing with elbow issues on top of the ever-present concern over his lower body.

With Stanton out, the Yankees might just opt to fill the designated hitter spot with a rotation of players, in order to spread around at-bats and partial rest days for other veterans like Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, or DJ LeMahieu.  In terms of overall roster construction, Ben Rice now looks to have a better chance of making the Opening Day roster, and picking up some DH at-bats himself.

An external addition also can’t be ruled out, if Stanton is facing an extended amount of time on the IL.  Reports have already indicated the Yankees have been in touch with J.D. Martinez, perhaps laying some groundwork for a future contract in case Stanton isn’t making much progress in a couple of weeks’ time.  Adding a prominent veteran like Martinez, however, would also threaten to push the Yankees’ even further over the top luxury tax tire — RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, and beyond the upper penalty threshold of $301MM.

Latest On Spencer Steer

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Spencer Steer chose to receive a cortisone shot in his right shoulder after an evaluation from team doctors today, the Reds announced to the media (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer).  As a result, Steer was removed from the lineup for the Reds’ Spring Training game today, and he’ll be out of action for a few days while the shot takes effect.

The lingering issue has bothered Steer since last season, and he recently described the issue to reporters as a tweak within his right shoulder whenever is preparing to throw.  Steer said he doesn’t feel any discomfort while hitting, though it is fair to wonder if this shoulder problem contributed to the dropoff in production between Steer’s 2023 and 2024 seasons.  Steer batted .271/.356/.464 with 23 homers over 665 plate appearances in 2023, but then followed up by hitting only .225/.319/.402 in 656 PA, though he still cracked 20 home runs.

A change in batted-ball luck (.318 BABIP in 2023 and a .260 BABIP in 2024) might have been a larger factor, as Steer’s other advanced metrics between the two seasons are pretty similar.  The larger change in regards to throwing was that Steer played much more regularly in left field last season than he did in 2023, so the longer throws may have put more stress on his shoulder.

Multiple MRI scans haven’t revealed any structural damage, and Steer has still felt good enough to play as a designated hitter in Cincinnati’s spring action to date.  However, the simple fact that Steer’s shoulder is still bothering him even after an offseason of rest is naturally some concern, and the cortisone shot can hopefully correct the problem once and for all.

There hasn’t been any suggestion that Steer’s injury might cause him to miss any time during the regular season, or that the Reds’ decision to DH him is based on necessity rather than precaution on the team’s part.  The injury does add yet another wrinkle within a roster full of question marks for Cincinnati, as the Reds are coming off a disappointing 77-85 season marred by injuries and under-performance from several key players (Steer included).

Heading into 2025, Steer was expected to contribute at both corner infield slots and in left field, though exactly how the playing time will be divvied up between these positions and the DH spot has yet to be determined.  The newly-acquired Gavin Lux looks to be the Reds’ top option at third base, while Jeimer Candelario is looking to bounce back from a tough 2024 season as part of the corner infield mix, plus Christian Encarnacion-Strand could play first base or DH.

AL East Notes: Varsho, Bello, Orioles

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Daulton Varsho underwent rotator cuff surgery in late September, with the expectation that he would likely start the season on the 10-day injured list, even if his absence wouldn’t stretch too far into April.  That timeline isn’t much clearer now that Spring Training is well underway, but Varsho logged his first Grapefruit League action yesterday, going 1-for-3 with a homer while acting as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter in a 10-7 win over the Tigers.  Getting back to regular hitting action is certainly a good sign for Varsho, and Jays manager John Schneider also provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) with some updates on Varsho’s defensive progress.

“There’s more boxes to check, like throwing to the bases on back-to-back days,” Schneider said.  “This was another good day for him, throwing out to 120 feet, so I think it’s more about how he’s rebounding from those once he does start throwing to the bases and getting into games….We’re trying to take this in three- or four-day buckets.  He’s progressing well.  I don’t want to put anything past him or say [Opening Day is] not a definite possibility.  It will go right down to the end as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks.  If he’s there, great.  If he’s not, we know he’s going to be soon.”

The defense is the biggest factor in Varsho’s recovery, as the Gold Glove winner is one of baseball’s best defensive players.  Matheson figures Joey Loperfido is the top candidate to fill in for Varsho in center field if an IL stint is indeed required, though these early results provide some optimism that Varsho could be ready to go for March 27.

More from around the AL East….

  • Brayan Bello continues to feel confident about breaking camp with the Red Sox, as the right-hander threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training yesterday following some shoulder soreness.  “The trainers are telling me that I’m right on track as long as I just keep doing my work that I’ve been doing,” Bello told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and other reporters, adding that only threw at around 70-75% of his capacity during the “very light session.”  An exact timeline hasn’t been established, but Bello figures he’ll get a couple more bullpen sessions before getting into his first game activity of the spring.  Obviously the Sox will continue to watch Bello closely and a season-opening IL stint hasn’t been ruled out, though Bello said Friday that “the shoulders are good, the mechanics are good.”
  • Though the Orioles signed Gary Sanchez to back up Adley Rutschman at the catching position, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko wonders if the team might still add a veteran for depth purposes, just because the O’s would suddenly be thin behind the plate if Rutschman or Sanchez got hurt.  David Banuelos is the only other catcher in Baltimore’s camp with any MLB experience, and Banuelos’ big league resume consists of a pinch-hit at-bat in a single game last April.  A later-season catching injury might open the door for top prospect Samuel Basallo to make his debut in the Show, though Kubatko isn’t sure the Orioles would want to rush Basallo’s development in such a circumstance.  Basallo is regarded as one of the sport’s top prospects, and he made his Triple-A debut in the form of 21 games with Norfolk last season.

Parker Meadows Sidelined By Nerve Issue In Right Arm

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Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows has halted baseball activities due to a nerve problem in his upper right arm, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery).  It is unclear at this point if Meadows will be ready for the start of the season, due to what Hinch noted as the fluid nature of the injury.

“My understanding is that we’re in a wait-and-see situation,” Hinch said.  “We have to get that nerve firing again for [Meadows] to resume baseball activities.  It could be short-term, or it could linger a little.  No one has a firm timeline, but we feel like we’re on a good path now that we have a diagnosis and a treatment plan.”

After hitting .232/.331/.368 over 145 plate appearances during his 2023 rookie season, Meadows took another step forward by batting .244/.310/.433 in 298 PA last year, with the increase in slugging percentage fueling his jump from a 95 wRC+ in 2023 to a 111 wRC+ in 2024.  The improvement didn’t come in smooth fashion, however, as Meadows hit so poorly over the first six weeks that the Tigers demoted him to Triple-A in early May, and didn’t recall him until early July.  Upon returning to the Show, Meadows almost immediately picked up a hamstring injury that put him on the injured list for another month.

Meadows was activated from the 10-day IL on August 3, and proceeded to hit a strong .296/.340/.500 with six homers over his final 201 PA of the season while playing pretty much every day in center field.  Between this production at the plate and his excellent glovework, Meadows was one of the key drivers of the late-season surge that saw the Tigers go from deadline sellers to a wild card berth.  Meadows then kept it going in October, batting .269/.345/.462 in 29 PA during Detroit’s playoff run.

If Meadows can continue this type of offense in addition to his strong defense and baserunning, the former second-round pick projects as a cornerstone piece for a Tigers team that has emerged from its rebuild.  The plan was for Meadows to again be the everyday center fielder, though this nerve problem throws a possible wrench in the works.

Riley Greene or Wenceel Perez are the likeliest candidates to handle center field if Meadows does need to miss time, but the larger issue is that the Tigers may suddenly have a shortage of outfield depth.  News broke yesterday that utilityman Matt Vierling will start the season on the IL while recovering from a rotator cuff strain, leaving the Tigers without a player projected to get playing time at either third base or right field (or a mixture of both positions).  If Meadows’ nerve problem sets him back enough that he’ll also need to hit the injured list, utilitymen Zach McKinstry or Andy Ibanez will get more playing time in some capacity, and Detroit could also utilize Kerry Carpenter in right field whenever a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Yankees Have Had “Some Contact With” J.D. Martinez

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J.D. Martinez is still looking for a new contract as March begins, as the 37-year-old is coming off a decent but unspectacular season with the Mets.  There hadn’t been any public buzz about teams connected to Martinez, yet Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have “some contact with” Martinez’s camp, likely in connection to the ongoing uncertainty over Giancarlo Stanton’s status.

There isn’t any indication that the Yankees’ interest is anything more than due diligence at this point, though reaching out to establish some rapport with Martinez could be viewed as a first step in case Stanton ends up missing significant time.  As Heyman notes, it doesn’t seem likely that Martinez would be signed just “as a stopgap player” if Stanton ultimately isn’t out of action for much beyond Opening Day.  Martinez has limited roster utility as a virtual DH-only player at this point in his career, and the Yankees could always opt to rotate players through the DH spot if Stanton has only a limited absence.

Stanton has been battling discomfort in both of his elbows, and it has now been five or six weeks since the veteran slugger has even swung a bat.  Stanton isn’t in camp at all right now, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Heyman and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that Stanton is in New York due to reasons unrelated to his elbow injuries, and it isn’t known when Stanton might be back in Tampa to take part in Spring Training.

Based on the amount of time Stanton has already lost, it seems quite likely he’ll start the season on the injured list, if for no other reason than to give him extra time to fully get healthy and pick up some at-bats during extended Spring Training.  Though hitting is the primary focus since Stanton is also a DH-only player, some overall physical maintenance is necessary given Stanton’s long history of lower-body injuries.  These elbow problems are a new issue for Stanton, adding another unwelcome entry to his checkered injury history.

With all of this in mind, there might be an opening for Martinez in the Bronx, who could basically slide directly into Stanton’s role as the primary designated hitter.  The right-handed hitting Martinez struggled against same-sided pitching in 2024, which could open the door for New York to use a left-handed bat or switch-hitter to spell Martinez against righty pitching.

Martinez hit .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs over 495 plate appearances for the Mets last season, translating to a 108 wRC+.  A .351 xwOBA that was far above his .318 wOBA indicates that Martinez may have been somewhat unlucky at the plate, as Martinez still made a lot of hard contact and his walk rate was well above the league average.  His 28.5% strikeout rate was quite poor, though strikeouts have long been an issue for Martinez for much of his career.  As noted, Martinez’s chief issue in 2024 was a lack of production against right-handed pitching — he had only a .683 OPS against righties, in comparison to an .836 OPS against southpaws.

It is fair to wonder if Martinez’s late start contributed to these numbers, as he didn’t sign with the Mets until March 23, and he didn’t make his season debut until April 26.  By this standard, Martinez is at least ahead of last year’s schedule in terms of finding his next contract, though missing over two weeks of spring camp has already made for another adjustment to his usual offseason calendar.  In regards to a possible deal with the Yankees, the club is likely to want to gather as much information as possible on Stanton before deciding on a next course of action, so it may yet be a while before the Yankees make a pursuit of Martinez or anyone at all if they opt for external help.

Martinez made a $12MM salary with the Mets last year, in the form of $4.5MM in actual salary and the rest in deferred payments.  The dropoff from his 2023 numbers will mean that Martinez will surely have to settle for less than $12MM wherever he signs, and the Yankees’ luxury tax situation is another possible obstacle to a deal, even if Martinez was available at a relatively inexpensive price.  RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, already over the highest penalty tier of $301MM, and thus meaning the team will be taxed at a 110 percent rate on every dollar spent beyond $301MM.

10 Out Of Options Players To Watch This Spring

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One of the most interesting elements of spring training every year, at least for those of us who feast on roster construction minutiae, is the collection of players who are out of minor league options. MLBTR just released a full list of such players earlier today.

In many instances, a player being out of minor league options is inconsequential. Justin Steele, Isaac Paredes and Evan Phillips are among the players who fit that description but are in no risk of losing their MLB roster spot. They're all key players on big league rosters who'd never be in danger of being sent down to the minors anyhow.

However, there are typically a handful of players every spring who are on the roster bubble with their current club but who could be a better fit on a team with less competition in their current position. Most of these players have already had big league opportunities with their current club but whether due to injury or poor performance (or both) have yet to firmly seize hold of a roster spot. As players exhaust their minor league options, they'll tend to face increased competition from younger players progressing through the minor league ranks and/or external additions made via trade or free agency. An out-of-options player who doesn't fit his current roster can still go on to find a more solid role and some success elsewhere. Joey Bart was in just this spot last year and after being squeezed out in San Francisco has emerged as Pittsburgh's starting catcher. The Yankees didn't have a spot for Ben Rortvedt, but he's the Rays' clear No. 2 catcher now.

Let's run through 10 names to keep an eye on this spring. Not all of these players will lose their roster spots, and even some who do might not wind up making an impact elsewhere. But each of the names listed here has some reason to hold a bit more intrigue than many of their out-of-options brethren (players listed alphabetically)...

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