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Starling Marte Discusses Trade Talks, Bench Role
Reports surfaced back in December that the Mets were looking into the possibility of a Starling Marte trade, and were willing to eat some of Marte’s $19.5MM salary. The Athletic’s Will Sammon reported today that the Mets “did not come especially close to” moving Marte, though some teams did check in about the possibility and some discussions took place.
Marte shared his own take on the process with Sammon, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, and other reporters today at the Mets’ spring camp, revealing that the team was in contact with him about trade possibilities. “They spoke to me before the [Juan Soto] signing, and then after the signing, they reiterated that they would try to move me,” Marte said. “They were very clear, very honest with me up front. They obviously want the best for this team, but also the best for my future. They were really helpful, and they were really transparent about the situation.”
The Mets have yet to tell Marte whether or not a trade might still happen, Sammon writes, though the possibility looks increasingly less likely now that Spring Training is underway. As a result, Marte is penciled in for part-time duty at best, slated to mostly work as a backup outfielder and as the team’s DH whenever a left-handed starter is on the mound. Marte has offered to also chip in as a center fielder, even if he has played just three games at the position in the last three seasons, and with Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor seemingly having things covered up the middle.
Regardless, Marte’s willingness to return to his old position underscores his desire to help the Mets win, even if he’s receiving less playing time than usual.
“Whenever you’re with a team for the amount of time I’ve been with the team, you get comfortable, you don’t want to get traded because you’ve created relationships with the staff, the players, everybody around here,” Marte said. “But at the same time, any baseball player would love to play every single day because that’s how a player gets reps, gets better day in and day out. But at the same time, I’m here and I’m going to do the best I can do.”
While his four-year, $78MM contract is (incredibly) barely a tenth of Soto’s megadeal, it wasn’t long ago that Marte was a prized free agent contract in his own right, joining the Mets in the 2021-22 offseason. He delivered an All-Star performance in the first year of that deal, even if a fractured finger prematurely ended his regular season and hampered him during the Mets’ playoff run. The finger issue proved to be a harbinger for the next two seasons, as Marte battled a number of different health issues and played in 180 of a possible 324 games, while hitting .258/.314/.357 with 12 home runs in 711 plate appearances.
Most of those struggles were focused into the 2023 season, as Marte had a more respectable 104 wRC+ in 370 PA in 2024. As DiComo noted, Marte had some pretty sharp splits last season with the bulk of his production coming against southpaws, so a more specialized role against mostly left-handed pitching could help Marte become an impact bat even in a limited capacity.
Of course, Marte might well earn himself more at-bats the better he hits, or he could get more playing time if injuries strike any of New York’s other outfielders. To that end, Brandon Nimmo dealt with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for much of the 2024 season, and he told Sammon and Tim Britton that he received a PRP injection to deal with the problem over the offseason.
The early returns in camp are promising, as Nimmo estimated he was moving at 91 percent of his top speed during a running drill on Friday. The plan is to ramp up relatively slowly during the spring, with Nimmo again planning to wait until the first week of March to start playing in games. If all goes as expected, Nimmo felt he should be ready for Opening Day.
Pirates Sign Tommy Pham
TODAY: The Pirates officially announced Pham’s deal, and moved right-hander Dauri Moreta to the 60-day injured list in the corresponding move. Moreta underwent a UCL surgery in March 2024 and will miss at least the first two months of the season rehabbing.
FEBRUARY 6: The Pirates and outfielder Tommy Pham are in agreement on a one-year, $4MM contract, per Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com adds, slightly more specifically, that Pham is guaranteed $4.025MM. The Vayner client can earn an additional $250K via incentives. Pittsburgh has a full 40-man roster already and will need to make a corresponding transaction to accommodate their latest signing.
Pham, 37 next month, split the 2024 season between the White Sox, Royals and Cardinals (his second stint with the team that originally drafted him). He’s suited up for nine teams in his 11-year big league career, including seven teams in the past three years alone, as he’s settled into a journeyman role player signing a series of affordable one-year deals that frequently render him a trade chip. The Pirates make an even ten teams as Pham heads into his 12th big league season.
Pham hit well for the White Sox last season, slashing .266/.330/.380 in 297 plate appearances before heading to the Cards as part of the three-team Tommy Edman/Erick Fedde/Michael Kopech swap between the Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers. His return to St. Louis sparked an immediate feel-good moment, as Pham belted a pinch-hit grand slam in his first plate appearance wearing Cardinal red since 2018. He followed that up with three multi-hit performances in his next four games and went on to pop his second Cardinals homer just a few days later. Through eight games back with his original club, he posted a Herculean .379/.400/.759 slash and looked to be just the jolt the lineup had needed.
The good vibes didn’t last, however. Pham fell into a deep slump that saw him go 3-for-39 as the Cardinals faded from contention. He was placed on waivers in late August and claimed by the Royals, who plugged Pham in frequently as they pushed toward their eventual postseason berth. He didn’t hit well in Kansas City overall but had a few big hits, including a three-run homer against the division-leading Guardians that proved to be a game winner. Overall, he finished out the season at .248/.305/.368 in 478 plate appearances.
Over the past four seasons, Pham has produced offense almost exactly in line with the league average. He’s a .242/.322/.391 hitter (98 wRC+) with 57 home runs, 94 doubles, nine triples, 51 steals, a 10.1% walk rate and a 23.7% strikeout rate in that stretch. He’s been a bit better against lefties (.238/.328/.413) than righties (.243/.319/.383) but has generally held his own in the batter’s box regardless of opponents’ handedness. He did see a notable dip in batted-ball quality (albeit with still-strong marks in exit velocity and hard-hit rate) as well as a notable dip in walk rate (down to 7.3%).
Results-wise, Pham’s 2024 output doesn’t look all that different from former Pirate Connor Joe, whom the Bucs non-tendered earlier this winter. He’d been projected for a $3.2MM salary. Like Pham, Joe is a righty-hitting corner bat who’s provided almost exactly average offense in recent years. He’s slashed .238/.330/.396 in 888 plate appearances from 2023-24. Pham provides more speed and a more natural outfield glove (Joe split his time between first base and the outfield corners.) Pham does have far better quality of contact, so perhaps that made the Pirates a bit more bullish on his outlook than the comparably priced Joe, but it’s nonetheless quite arguable that this is a lateral move.
With the Bucs, Pham can be expected to play frequently in a corner, perhaps forming a de facto platoon with lefty-hitting Joshua Palacios or Jack Suwinski. Both struggled against lefties in 2024, with Suwinski also struggling so much versus righties that he was optioned to Triple-A at multiple points. Given that neither is established as a consistent big league presence, it’s possible that Pham simply emerges as a regular alongside Bryan Reynolds and center fielder Oneil Cruz.
The Pham signing isn’t especially exciting but is emblematic of the Pirates’ free agent approach under owner Bob Nutting, who is staunchly against taking virtually any risk on the open market. The Pirates have never given a free agent more than Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39MM deal more than a decade ago. Russell Martin’s two-year, $17MM pact (also more than a decade ago) is the largest free agent position-player signing the team has issued.
Under general manager Ben Cherington’s watch, the Pirates have never signed a free agent to a multi-year deal. Aroldis Chapman’s $10.75MM pact last winter is both the largest signing for Cherington and the lone time Nutting has authorize an eight-figure free agent salary in the current front office’s tenure. The Bucs have spent more on extensions for Bryan Reynolds (seven years, $100MM in new money) and Mitch Keller (four years, $71.6MM in new money) but there has been no appetite for any meaningful risk when it comes to open-market spending.
On paper anyhow, the Pirates looked well positioned to dip into a solid crop of free agent first basemen and/or corner outfield bats as they looked to beef up a lineup that generally lacked punch in 2024. They’ve instead brought in a new first baseman via trade (Spencer Horwitz) and signed veteran role players Pham, Adam Frazier and Andrew McCutchen, with short-term deals to match on the pitching side (Tim Mayza, Caleb Ferguson). The Pirates’ hope seems to be that a young rotation anchored by Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Keller can make further strides in 2024, with rebounds and/or breakouts from Horwitz, Cruz, Suwinski, Nick Gonzales and other young bats (Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, Billy Cook) can spur a more productive offense.
That’s a big bet to make, when the first full season of Skenes/Jones dovetails with the Cardinals taking a step back and the Brewers seemingly unable to add to their payroll whatsoever this winter. The Pham signing pushes Pittsburgh’s payroll to $83MM, per RosterResource, a few million shy of last year’s $87MM mark. The Pirates haven’t run a $90MM payroll since 2017.
Braves Sign Buck Farmer To Minor League Contract
The Braves have signed right-hander Buck Farmer to a minor league deal. The Nati Sports X account was the first to report the news, and Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Farmer will receive an invitation to the Braves’ big league spring camp.
Farmer was born in Conyers, Georgia and played his college ball at Georgia Tech, so the signing represents something of a homecoming for the veteran reliever. (Not to mention an early birthday present, as Farmer turns 34 on Thursday.). The Braves actually made Farmer a 46th-round pick in the 2009 draft but he elected to attend college instead, and his pro career didn’t officially begin until he was a fifth-round pick for the Tigers in 2013.
In terms of bottom-line results, his 2024 campaign was the best of his 11 big league seasons. Farmer posted a 3.04 ERA over 71 innings for the Reds, chewing up innings as a bullpen workhorse for the second consecutive year. His 3.94 SIERA was more reflective of his overall performance, as Farmer had an unimpressive 9.7% walk rate and roughly a league-average 23.4% strikeout rate, but he did a good job of limiting hard contact.
Since Opening Day 2018, Farmer has posted a 4.03 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate, and 9.8% walk rate across 386 2/3 Major League inning with Detroit and Cincinnati. A rough 2021 season with the Tigers skewed those numbers upwards a bit, but it still represents some solid production and durability for Farmer, even if he lacked the standout secondary statistics to land a guaranteed contract.
Farmer is the latest in a long line of veteran non-roster invites battling for jobs in the Atlanta bullpen, and his track record could give him a bit of an edge within a busy competition. Jake Diekman, Chasen Shreve, Dylan Covey, Wander Suero, Jordan Weems, Enyel De Los Santos, and Enoli Paredes are also in camp on minor league contracts, not to mention the Braves’ in-house prospects and starter candidates who could be battling for relief work. The Braves had some holes to fill after losing several relievers in free agency, and Joe Jimenez to what might be a season-ending knee surgery.
Royals Sign Luke Maile To Minor League Deal
The Royals announced that catcher Luke Maile was signed to a minor league contract. Maile will receive an invitation to Kansas City’s big league Spring Training camp.
Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin are locked in as the catching tandem on the Royals’ active roster, so Maile projects as a depth piece for their minor league ranks if he remains in the organization. Perez, Fermin, and Brian O’Keefe are the only Royals catchers with any MLB playing time on their resume, so Maile’s nine years in the bigs adds quite a bit of experience to the depth chart.
Maile has played for five different teams during his time in the Show, usually acting as a backup or part-time catcher unless an injury to another catcher opened up more playing time. Maile spent the last two seasons with the Reds, and Cincinnati declined its $3.5MM club option on Maile for 2025 in favor of a $500K buyout.
Long considered a solid defender, Maile’s glovework dipped below average in 2024 in the view of both the Defensive Runs Saved metric (-5) and Statcast’s Catcher Defense metric (-4). His framing and caught-stealing numbers were also subpar, though Maile continued to do well in blocking balls. Maile has only rarely shown much production at the plate, and he hit .178/.268/.252 over 154 plate appearances with the Reds.
While Maile has the big edge in experience over the Royals’ other depth catchers, it should be noted that Perez and Fermin handled every inning behind the plate for the 2024 team, leaving no room for any other backstops to receive playing time. Obviously an injury could arise at any time, but if Maile isn’t comfortably acting as veteran depth at Triple-A, he could opt out of his contract closer to the end of Spring Training if a clearer path to MLB playing time opens up with another organization.
Red Sox Continue To Have “Due Diligence” Interest In Dylan Cease
The Red Sox were first linked to Dylan Cease’s market back in early December, before Boston acquired Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed free agent Walker Buehler. These moves brought some needed reinforcement to Boston’s rotation, but the team’s interest in Cease continues to at least linger, as MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam reports that the Sox “have been in touch with the” Padres about Cease’s availability.
A source indicated to McAdam that Boston’s interest is more of the “due diligence” variety, and could simply be due to the fact that Cease’s trade market might not be fully closed until San Diego actually moves the right-hander elsewhere. There is also no guarantee that Cease will be dealt whatsoever, as reports from earlier this week suggested that the Padres were more apt to keep both Cease and Michael King (another pending free agent) to keep their own rotation strong.
Speculatively speaking, moving Cease to the Red Sox wouldn’t necessarily create a hole in the Padres’ rotation, just because it would seem likely that the Sox would send a starter-capable pitcher back in return. The Red Sox already have enough pitchers on hand that a six-man rotation isn’t out of the question, so this volume alone would suggest that at least one of those hurlers would be dealt to the Padres in exchange for Cease.
Crochet, Buehler, Brayan Bello, and Tanner Houck wouldn’t be doing anywhere, and Lucas Giolito’s salary and recent injury history would likely keep him off the Padres’ radar. Beyond those pitchers, any of Kutter Crawford, Quinn Priester, or Richard Fitts could work as part of a trade package, fitting in nearer the back of San Diego’s rotation behind the top three of King, Yu Darvish, and former Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta.
It would take more than just a single young starter to pry Cease away from the Padres, of course. As McAdam notes, the Red Sox would have to factor how much they’d be willing to give up for a rental pitcher like Cease, particularly when the club has already significantly dipped into its farm system to swing the Crochet trade. Crochet was a different situation altogether, as he is arbitration-controlled for two seasons and is making only $3.8MM in 2025, plus the left-hander has already expressed some interest in signing a contract extension. Cease is making $13.75MM in his final year before free agency, and like most Boras Corporation clients, is more likely to test the open market than explore an extension to remain with the Padres, Red Sox, or whatever team Cease might be playing for by season’s end.
The shorter-term benefit of adding Cease is obvious for a Red Sox club that seems intent on returning to contention. Cease could slide right in as Boston’s No. 1 starter, bumping everyone down a step and lengthening the team’s rotation. Since Alex Bregman could opt out of his new contract as early as next winter, the Sox might be viewing 2025 with particular “win now” urgency, and acquiring Cease would certainly help in quickly getting Boston back into the playoff race.
Salary-wise, the Red Sox are projected (as per RosterResource) for an approximate $241.6MM luxury tax number this season, putting the team just a touch over the $241MM tax threshold. Bringing Cease’s salary on board would put the Sox more firmly into tax territory, which is perhaps notable since the traditionally high-spending Red Sox have crossed the tax line just once in the last five years. Again, Boston’s renewed focus on contending might not make a one-year tax hit a big deal in the eyes of ownership, especially since even without adding Cease, it stands to reason the Sox will look to make some kind of in-season add at the deadline if the club is indeed competing for a postseason spot.
Diamondbacks Sign Shelby Miller To Minors Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Shelby Miller to a minor league contract, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports. Miller will receive an invitation to Arizona’s big league spring camp.
This will be Miller’s second stint in a D’Backs uniform, as he previously pitched for the team from 2016-18. Miller’s first arrival in Arizona came with much more fanfare in December 2015, as the rebuilding Braves sent Miller and Gabe Speier for Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and pitching prospect Aaron Blair. The Diamondbacks viewed Miller as a rotation cornerstone, but fate intervened, as he struggled to a 6.35 ERA over three seasons and 139 innings with the team. Injuries played a large role, particularly a Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2017-18 seasons.
Arizona non-tendered Miller after the 2018 season, more or less closing the book on one of the more infamous trades in franchise history. He has since pitched for six more teams at the MLB level, posting a 5.35 ERA in 161 1/3 innings while showing some glimpses of a higher ceiling as a relief pitcher. Miller posted a 1.71 ERA over 42 innings with the Dodgers in 2023 but he couldn’t follow up, as he had a 4.53 ERA in 55 2/3 frames last season after signing a one-year, $3MM deal with the Tigers. Miller didn’t quite make it to the end of the full season, as Detroit designated him for assignment and released him in the final week of regular-season play.
Miller’s big season in Los Angeles involved some good fortune in the form of a .165 BABIP and an 89.3% strand rate. He still had a .215 BABIP with the Tigers last year, but the strand rate plummeted to 60.3%, while his strikeout and homer rates both went in the wrong direction. Miller’s 93.5mph fastball was still a plus pitch, but after a newly-developed splitter led to a lot of success for Miller in 2023, batters figured the pitch out last year and made a lot more loud contact.
The 34-year-old Miller brings some veteran experience to the Diamondbacks’ depth chart, and it would make for a great story if he could make the roster and find some redemption after his previous stint with the team went so poorly. The D’Backs have been looking for relief help for much of the offseason, with Kendall Graveman and Seth Martinez the most prominent additions. Miller is one of several non-roster invites in Arizona’s camp that will be vying for jobs at the back end of the Snakes’ bullpen.
Guardians, John Means “In Advanced Talks” About Contract
The Guardians and free agent southpaw John Means may be nearing an agreement, as MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo hears from sources that the two sides are “in advanced talks.”
Means underwent a Tommy John surgery last June, so it is possible his recovery process might prevent from pitching at all during the 2025 season. It stands to reason that Means and the Guards could be discussing a two-year contract that would pay Means a limited salary in 2025 and then a larger guarantee in 2026 when he would presumably be ready to take on a full workload.
Cleveland re-signed Shane Bieber (coming off a TJ surgery of his own) to something of a similar structure this offseason worth $26MM in guaranteed money, though it is fair to assume Means will be landing less money due to his more checkered recent health history. Means has pitched only 52 1/3 MLB innings since the start of the 2022 due to not one but two different Tommy John procedures.
These injuries brought a sour end to an overall successful seven-season run for Means with the Orioles, as the left-hander posted a 3.68 ERA over 401 innings for the only organization of his professional career. This stint in Baltimore might technically not be over yet since the O’s have had interest in re-signing Means, but Cleveland has now emerged as perhaps a more ardent suitor for Means’ services.
Means wouldn’t be an option for the Guardians until the second half of the season at the absolute earliest, so he could join Bieber as some late-season reinforcements to a rotation that has a few question marks heading into 2025. Luis Ortiz, Slade Cecconi, and swingman Jakob Junis were brought to help bolster a rotation that was average at best last season, though Ortiz is the only one of that trio projected for a rotation spot at the moment. Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Ben Lively, and Triston McKenzie are penciled in as the rest of the starting five, though there figures to be some fluidity as the Guards figure out how to best get the ball to their elite bullpen.
Blue Jays Sign Amir Garrett To Minors Contract
The Blue Jays have signed left-hander Amir Garrett to a minor league deal, according to Johnny Giunta of the Gate 14 Podcast. Garrett will earn a guarantee in the “low seven figures” if he makes Toronto’s active roster, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes. Garrett has been on the open market since last August, when he was released by the Angels.
A veteran of eight MLB seasons, Garrett tossed a career-low 5 1/3 innings in the Show in 2024, as he spent the majority of the season with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. The southpaw inked a minors deal with the Giants a year ago but was released near the end of Spring Training, and then quickly caught on with Los Angeles on another minor league contract just prior to Opening Day. Selected to the Angels’ active roster at the end of April, Garrett had a 5.06 ERA in his brief stint in Anaheim before he was designated for assignment and released in mid-May, only to soon rejoin the Angels on another minors deal.
Control problems have long plagued Garrett’s career, but he kept the walks in check along enough to deliver some good results out of the Reds’ bullpen during the 2018-20 seasons. It seemed like the former top prospect had carved out a niche for himself as a reliever, but things then went sideways, as Garrett has posted a 5.06 ERA and 15.7% walk rate over 122 2/3 innings since Opening Day 2021.
Garrett’s mid-90’s velocity and strikeout potential is still apparent, as he also has a 27.2% strikeout rate in his last four seasons of big league work. But, his walk rates have only continued to increase, and Garrett has also had trouble keeping the ball in the park. The lefty’s minor league numbers weren’t too promising, as he had a 5.08 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2024, though with at least a better (10.6%) walk rate and a strong 28.5K%.
Garrett turns 33 in May, so it remains to be seen if he can truly harness his control at this later stage in his career. If he can limit his walks to even a passable number, the Blue Jays can certainly use such a pitcher in their bullpen mix, particularly since Brendon Little is the only southpaw projected to be part of the relief corps. Easton Lucas, Josh Walker, and another minor league signing in Richard Lovelady are also in Toronto’s camp battling for a potential bullpen spot if the Jays opt to break camp with a second left-handed reliever.
Kyle Schwarber Interested In Extension With Phillies
The Phillies are entering 2025 with a team that looks a whole lot like the one they finished the year with in 2024, with Jordan Romano, Max Kepler, and Jesus Luzardo being the club’s only major additions. While the club’s core group of players has been very consistent throughout this run of playoff appearances over the last three seasons, this year could be the final one with that level of consistency as Ranger Suarez, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber are all staring down free agency come November. On the other hand, the Phillies faced similar situations with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the recent past but managed to keep both players in the fold, re-signing Nola in free agency last winter and following that up by extending Wheeler last spring.
It seems possible that the club could employ a similar tactic with at least some of the core pieces set to depart after the current season. Realmuto and the Phillies reportedly have mutual interest in working out an extension, and now Schwarber had thrown his hat into the ring as well. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Schwarber told reporters that he hasn’t heard of any extension talks between his camp and the Phillies but that he would have interest working something out to stay in Philadelphia. Gelb adds that Schwarber did not set any sort of deadline for extension talks to take place and suggests that the Phillies could “prioritize” getting a deal done with Schwarber out of their crop of pending free agents this spring.
That Schwarber may be the club’s priority to keep in the fold long-term is somewhat surprising given the smoke surrounding Realmuto, but it’s easy to see why the Phillies would want to keep Schwarber in the fold. Since arriving in Philadelphia prior to the 2022 season, Schwarber has emerged as one of the most reliable sluggers in the game. While his 29.4% strikeout rate is certainly higher than is desirable, he’s made up for it by walking at an incredible 15.3% clip and clobbering 131 home runs during his time as a Phillie. That’s good for third among all big leaguers over the past three seasons and just one long ball behind Shohei Ohtani for second place.
That sort of offensive production would be extremely difficult for the Phillies to replace, particularly if the club isn’t able to secure a superstar position player like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Kyle Tucker in next winter’s free agent class. Whether that’s enough incentive for Philadelphia to overlook Schwarber’s propensity for strikeouts and complete lack of defensive value and aggressively pursue and extension remains to be seen, but Gelb goes on to add that Schwarber is slated to work on improving his viability as a defensive option for the Phillies this spring. Schwarber came up as a catcher but wasn’t able to stick behind the plate and eventually moved to left field, but he was always an awkward defensive fit on the grass and played just five games in the field last year, spending the entire rest of the 2024 campaign at DH.
Now, Gelb reports that Schwarber is not only planning to play a bit more outfield in 2025 than he did last year, but that he’s also begun working with the club’s infield coach to learn first base. Schwarber has a little bit of experience at first over the course of his career, most of which came with the Red Sox back in 2021. In total, Schwarber has spent just 75 innings across 11 games at the position in his career. If he can make himself into a viable part-time option at the position, however, that could lessen the workload of fellow slugger Bryce Harper at the position while also potentially making him a more attractive free agent should the sides not work out an extension. Josh Naylor, Luis Arraez, and perhaps Pete Alonso are among the best first basemen aside from Guerrero set to be available in free agency next winter, and Schwarber offers a more robust offensive profile than any of them aside from Toronto’s superstar.
