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The door for an Alex Bregman reunion in Houston closed this week when the former No. 2 overall pick agreed to an opt-out laden three-year deal in Boston. However, the notion of Jose Altuve playing some left field — a concept first floated when the Astros reengaged with Bregman late in the offseason — remains in play even with Bregman headed to the Red Sox. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that even without Bregman, there are plans for Altuve to get some work in left field in at least a part-time capacity.
At this point, it’s not exactly a surprising development. Even as the Astros signaled that a reunion with Bregman was a longshot last week, both general manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada spoke on record with the team’s beat about the possibility of Altuve getting some work in left field this year. Espada said on Feb. 4 that Altuve had been working out in the outfield for several weeks, and that while he’s still taking his usual reps at second base, the left field experiment is something the team is indeed considering. Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle and Chandler Rome of The Athletic both touched on the possibility during spring previews for the team earlier this week.
The reasoning behind the concept is fairly straightforward. After years of rating as a high quality defender at second base, including a Gold Glove win in 2015, Altuve has seen his defensive grades plummet in recent seasons. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him at -13 or worse in each of the past three seasons. Statcast’s Outs Above Average isn’t nearly so bearish on that three-year period but does agree that Altuve has been a negative since 2023, including a grisly -8 mark in 2024.
Altuve’s decline with the glove is particularly problematic when the Astros send Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown to the mound. Valdez’s 60.6% ground-ball rate was the highest in MLB among all qualified starters. Brown isn’t quite so pronounced, but once he incorporated a sinker into his repertoire in mid-May, he posted a 50% grounder rate the rest of the way. Speculatively speaking, if the Astros want to get Altuve some occasional work in the outfield, doing so on days when Brown and especially Valdez take the bump would be prudent. That’s made all the more true by the presence of Mauricio Dubon on the bench. The Astros’ utilityman is a quality defender at multiple spots, but none more so than second base; in 1154 innings there, he’s been credited with 12 DRS and 8 OAA.
Espada said last week that the Astros are aiming to significantly reduce Yordan Alvarez’s time in the outfield after he played 53 games in left last season. Moving Altuve there on a part-time basis could be one way to achieve that goal. If Altuve looks comfortable enough there, it’ll presumably remain an option beyond the current season. He’s entering the first season of a five-year, $125MM extension inked just over one year ago. He’ll earn $30MM each year from 2025-27 before taking home $10MM in both 2028 and 2029. (The contract also contained a $15MM signing bonus.)
That’s one of just two extensions the Astros have worked out since Dana Brown was named the team’s general manager two years ago. Brown has spoken frequently about his desire to get long-term deals with core players hammered out, but Altuve and Cristian Javier are the only two thus far to put pen to paper.
Time will tell whether this spring might bring some additional long-term arrangements, but for the second straight season the ’Stros find themselves with a key player on the cusp of reaching the market. Valdez, set to earn $18MM in 2025, will be a free agent at season’s end. To this point, the left-hander says the team has not yet approached him about signing a long-term deal (link via Kawahara). The 31-year-old southpaw said he’s open to discussing a long-term deal to keep him in Houston but is also ready to take on free agency if the Astros don’t make an overture or if the two sides can’t come to a deal.
Valdez will hit free agency ahead of his age-32 season, which is a year or two later than most top starters. That might cap his earning power to an extent. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, Zack Greinke is the only free agent pitcher in the past decade to land a deal of six or more years beginning in his age-32 season. Blake Snell and Jacob deGrom are the only others to secure guarantees of at least five years. A big enough season could put Valdez in line for five years, but even if he’s capped at four, he’d still have a real chance at a $100MM+ contract; there have been ten pitchers in that same time/age bracket who’ve commanded annual salaries of $25MM or more.
Over the past four seasons, Valdez has emerged as a bona fide top-end starter. He’s pitched 710 1/3 innings in that time, logging a combined 3.08 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and enormous 62.4% ground-ball rate. Since 2022, Valdez ranks fifth in the majors in innings pitched despite having fewer starts made than any other pitcher in the top 10. That’s a testament to his ability to work deep into games. He’s averaged better than 6 1/3 innings per appearance in those three years — a rare feat in today’s era of avoiding three trips through the order and prioritizing impactful bullpen arms.
At this point, an extension (or multiple extensions) might be all that’s left in terms of major additions. Asked this week about the potential for further additions to the roster, Brown noted that he’s always looking for more pitching but downplayed the possibility of anything coming together (link via Kawahara). “…Right now, our roster’s pretty good,” Brown added. “I think we’re pretty much in shape to be in position to win this division.”
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Happy Valentine's Day! Or, as I like to call it, Happy My Birthday Eve! That's right, y'all -- much like a bearded Cupid, this cherubic lothario was born just a whisper from our Hallmark-created day of lo-oove. Fitting but a little on the nose, if I say so myself.
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The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve signed outfielder Oscar Mercado to a minor league contract and invited him to big league camp this spring. He’s represented by Excel Sports Management. Philadelphia also confirmed its signing of infielder Christian Arroyo to a minor league deal and invitation to camp, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reported yesterday.
The 30-year-old Mercado will give the Phillies a right-handed bat to join their outfield competition. He’s a veteran of five big league seasons who most recently appeared with the Cardinals in 2023, when he hit .290/.313/.387 in 20 games.
A 2013 second-round pick by the Cards, Mercado had a big rookie showing with Cleveland (who picked him up via trade) back in 2019, slashing .269/.318/.443 with 15 homers and 15 steals in 482 plate appearances. He’s yet to replicate that production in the majors but brings some speed and good bat-to-ball skills (career 19% strikeout rate) to the Phillies’ non-roster group this spring. In 973 major league plate appearances, Mercado is a .237/.289/.388 hitter. He can play all three outfield spots and has plus grades in center (10 Defensive Runs Saved, 7 Outs Above Average) in 951 big league innings there.
Mercado split the 2024 season between the Triple-A clubs for the Padres and Tigers, batting a combined .222/.308/.415 with a dozen homers and a 16-for-20 showing in stolen base attempts. He’s played in parts of six Triple-A seasons and tallied 1787 plate appearances there, with a .266/.347/.434 slash to show for his efforts.
The Phillies’ outfield right now includes Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rojas and, to a lesser extent, utilityman Weston Wilson. The general expectation has been that Kepler and Castellanos would handle the corners, with Marsh and Rojas forming a platoon in center. Mercado creates some competition for Rojas in that regard. He’s a career .254/.309/.406 hitter against lefties, whereas Rojas carries a .258/.285/.340 output versus southpaws. Kepler has rough-looking career marks against lefties as well, though his production in recent years suggests he’s made considerable strides against southpaws; since 2022, he’s posted a roughly average .254/.319/.396 line against lefties (102 wRC+).
Feb. 14: Stroman reported to camp this morning. Both he and Boone have spoken with reporters about the right-hander’s arrival (all subsequent video links via SNY). Stroman, notably, when asked about the potential of pitching in the bullpen, decisively stated, “I’m a starter.” Asked whether that was a message to general manager Brian Cashman, Stroman said that was not the case but rather just a statement based on his track record and his offseason work to prepare himself to be available every fifth day.
Both Stroman and Boone pointed out the folly of assuming anything regarding the health of an entire rotation so early in camp, with Boone joking: “First of all, happy Valentine’s Day. It’s February 14. You’re getting way ahead of this. We’re building him up to be a starting pitcher. That’s so far out there. Obviously, we’ll address anything we have to when we get into certain situations, but right now the focus is on getting him ready.”
Boone added that he doesn’t envision the Yankees going to a six-man rotation but wouldn’t rule it out entirely. He noted that the Yankees have 10 to 11 pitchers who are preparing as starting pitchers this spring, adding: “Who knows how many of them you’re going to have to use right away?”
Feb. 13: The Yankees’ signing of Max Fried pushed Marcus Stroman out of the team’s rotation, effectively bumping him down to seventh starter. Even after sending Nestor Cortes to Milwaukee in the trade that netted closer Devin Williams, Stroman was sixth on the team’s depth chart. The Yankees have spent much of the offseason looking for a trade partner, but to no avail. Stroman is not only owed $18.5MM this coming season but would unlock an $18.5MM player option for the 2026 season if he pitches 140 innings in 2025.
The ongoing trade saga has created plenty of chatter about Stroman already this winter, but the opening of spring camps creates a bit more intrigue. Stroman hasn’t been with the team for the past two days of workouts. SNY’s Andy Martino reports that the 33-year-old did take his physical for the club already. Stroman isn’t holding out, per Martino, but rather is taking a few extra days, which is permissible under the collective bargaining agreement.
Manager Aaron Boone downplayed the issue, stating that he and Stroman had a “very good” conversation and that the right-hander is in a good spot (video links via SNY). Stroman isn’t missing any mandatory dates; even though pitchers and catchers technically began reporting this week, the CBA stipulates that Feb. 22 is the mandatory report date. Workouts and practices thus far have technically been optional/voluntary. Boone was asked today if Stroman’s absence from camp was in any way disappointing.
“Obviously I want all of our players here, clearly,” said Boone. “That said, I’m comfortable with where he’s at physically and mentally. He’s a prideful player. This is a guy that’s had a great career. It’s a little bit of an awkward situation, obviously. So, of course I want him here. I’m trying to keep nudging him to get him here, but again, you also have to respect the fact that this is something that players are allowed to do. There’s a mandatory [report] date.”
It’s possible Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could find a trade partner in the coming days, but it’s likelier that Stroman will simply report to camp and begin progressing through his standard spring schedule. As camp progresses, injuries with the Yankees or with a potential trade partner could change the veteran Stroman’s current situation. Were it not for the ongoing trade efforts and a free agent signing that bumped him from the team’s rotation plans, the optics of him missing an extra couple days early in camp wouldn’t be as notable.
Stroman signed a two-year, $37MM deal in the Bronx last winter. He got out to an excellent start in pinstripes, pitching to a 2.60 ERA through his first dozen starts. He hit a cold spell in June, and while Stroman had a couple more pockets of strong outings, his overall ERA from June 1 onward checked in at 5.70. He finished the season with a 4.31 ERA in 154 2/3 frames. A disproportionate amount of the damage versus Stroman came at home and against left-handed batters. Stroman held righties to a .260/.327/.391 slash and logged a 3.09 earned run average on the road. Lefties torched him for a .296/.372/.474 slash, however, and he was rocked for a 5.31 ERA at Yankee Stadium, where he allowed 15 of his 19 home runs on the season.
With Spring Training now underway for all 30 teams, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Full-squad workouts begin:
With pitchers and catchers all around the league having already reported to camp, the Cubs are set to kick off the first full-squad workout of the year today as the club’s position players report to camp. That’s followed by the first full-squad workout of the spring for the Dodgers this weekend. While the report date for position players isn’t attached to a notable roster change like the return of the 60-day injured list, it still gives fans a first chance to get a glimpse of the hitters their club added during the offseason. In Chicago’s case, the highlight is star outfielder Kyle Tucker. L.A. doesn’t have a new star hitter on that level, but Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto are both notable offseason additions.
2. Lowe arbitration hearing:
The final arbitration hearing of the winter is set to begin today, with new Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe requesting an $11.1MM salary while the Nats counter with $10.3MM. A decision figures to be announced over the weekend, and that decision will serve as a tiebreaker between teams and players for this cycle of arbitration after an even 4-4 split between the sides across the first eight decisions. Pirates right-handers Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana, Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan, and Yankees righty Mark Leiter Jr. all lost their cases against their clubs, while Angels infielder Luis Rengifo, Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak, Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar, and Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante all emerged victorious from their own hearings.
3. Veterans accepting minor league deals?
With camp underway for all 30 clubs, some veterans still lingering in free agency have begun to accept minor league deals in order to get into camp with a club and get to work. Slugger Joey Gallo signed a non-roster deal with the White Sox yesterday, while veteran reliever Luis Garcia reportedly signed a minor league pact with the Dodgers. Those veterans, as Article XX(B) free agents under the current collective bargaining agreements, will have uniform opt-out opportunities headed into Opening Day and throughout the first half of the season. That makes it a bit easier for players in their situation to find big league playing time even after accepting a minor league deal. It’s likely we’ll see some of the other lingering free agents on the market begin to follow suit in the coming days, though there are still a handful of players who’ll surely command major league contracts as well (e.g. David Robertson, Kyle Gibson, Andrew Heaney). You can check out an up-to-date list of the remaining unsigned free agents here.
On the transaction front, Spring Training's arrival opens extension season. Teams and players are free to talk extensions at any time of year, but it's most common in the lead-up to the start of the regular season. While most of those deals are for players early in their careers, there have been a few high-profile impending free agents (e.g. Rafael Devers, Ian Happ) who have recently signed extensions in the run-up to their platform years.
The Phillies pulled off the biggest extension of that ilk last spring. They kept Zack Wheeler off the market on a three-year term at a record-setting $42MM average annual value. That came a few months after the Phils brought back Aaron Nola on a seven-year contract early in free agency. For the third straight season, they're faced with the possibility of losing one of their most valuable pitchers to the open market.
Ranger Suárez is headed into his final year of club control. He and the Phillies already agreed to an $8.8MM salary to avoid arbitration. The question now is whether they want to initiate talks on a longer-term contract to try to keep him off next winter's open market. What kind of offer might that take, and how well-positioned are the Phils for another extended pitching investment?
Suárez, who turned 29 last August, has been a mid-rotation presence for three years running. The southpaw had an earned run average between 3.46 and 4.18 in each season from 2022-24. He turned in a cumulative 3.74 mark across 431 innings over that stretch. Suárez has fanned a league average 21.5% of opposing hitters against an 8% walk rate. He has kept the ball on the ground at a robust 52.2% clip while allowing a lower than average hard contact rate in each season.
The Tigers are signing utility player David Hensley to a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. It seems likely that the 28-year-old will be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Hensley was a 26th-round pick by the Astros in 2018. He got to the majors with Houston four years later. Hensley appeared in 46 games between 2022-23, hitting .177/.273/.274 over 128 plate appearances. The Astros kept him in Triple-A for the first half of last season. They designated him for assignment in the middle of July.
Miami grabbed Hensley off waivers. He took 58 trips to the dish with the Marlins, hitting .212/.293/.288. The Fish waived him at the beginning of the offseason. Hensley went unclaimed and elected minor league free agency. He’s a .188/.280/.279 hitter over 169 major league plate appearances.
The righty-swinging Hensley has a better minor league track record. He has taken over 1100 Triple-A plate appearances and has a .257/.384/.413 showing at the top minor league level. That’s built largely on a near-17% walk rate, as Hensley has shown a very patient plate approach. He has plenty of experience at all four infield positions and has some time in the corner outfield.
The Diamondbacks have pursued late-inning help all offseason. Arizona’s lone major league bullpen pickup was their waiver claim of Seth Martinez from Houston. The Snakes let Paul Sewald walk in free agency, leaving them without much in the way of experienced closers.
General manager Mike Hazen told reporters this afternoon that any late-offseason bullpen pickup is likelier to come by way of free agency than trade (relayed by Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). The bullpen market has moved rapidly over the past four or five weeks. David Robertson stands as the top unsigned reliever. He has ample experience as both a closer and setup man. Robertson will be limited to a one-year deal at age 40, though he could command an eight-figure guarantee after posting an even 3.00 earned run average while striking out a third of opponents across 72 innings for the Rangers.
There are a handful of other free agent relievers who still seem likely to land big league deals. Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin, and Phil Maton should all get major league contracts. Buck Farmer, Lucas Sims, Héctor Neris and injury returnees Kendall Graveman and Keynan Middleton are all unsigned. Craig Kimbrel has the most closing experience of any free agent, though he’s coming off a dismal season with the Orioles.
If the Diamondbacks don’t add anyone from that group, the ninth inning could be up for grabs in camp. Manager Torey Lovullo said yesterday that he’d prefer having an established closer but is “not going to force it” if a committee approach works better (link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Lovullo listed A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel as in-house candidates to close.
Puk was utterly dominant after the D-Backs acquired him from the Marlins at last summer’s deadline. The southpaw fired 27 1/3 innings of 1.32 ERA ball while striking out nearly 42% of batters faced. Puk has had three straight seasons as an excellent late-game weapon. He didn’t close much last year but recorded 15 saves two seasons ago.
Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA over 72 2/3 innings in his first full big league campaign. The righty punched out nearly 30% of batters faced with a massive 58.9% grounder percentage. His sinker landed north of 100 MPH on average, while opposing hitters had no success against his splitter. Martinez doesn’t have Puk’s multi-year track record but clearly has closing stuff. Ginkel turned in a 3.21 ERA with a strong 26.5% strikeout rate across 70 innings. While he seems likelier to stick in a setup capacity, the righty has been a reliable bullpen piece for the past three years.
The Dodgers agreed to a minor league contract with veteran reliever Luis García, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The signing comes with a non-roster invitation to big league camp.
García had mixed results in 2024. The hard-throwing sinkerballer pitched reasonably well for the Angels early in the year. Signed to a $4.25MM free agent deal, he pitched his way into a setup capacity for Halos skipper Ron Washington. García turned in a 3.71 earned run average through 43 2/3 innings. He posted roughly average strikeout (22%) and walk (7.7%) rates with a strong 51.2% ground-ball percentage. García recorded four saves and 11 holds while only relinquishing two leads.
As a veteran rental on a non-competitive team, García was an obvious deadline trade candidate. It nevertheless registered as a surprise that the Halos were able to get four players from the Red Sox when they flipped him. Boston didn’t part with any top-end talents, but they included a trio of players (Niko Kavadas, Ryan Zeferjahn and Matthew Lugo) who were on the doorstep of the majors. Kavadas and Zeferjahn each debuted with the Halos after the trade, with the latter performing well to put himself in consideration for an Opening Day bullpen job.
The deal didn’t work out well for Boston. García missed a couple weeks late in the season with elbow inflammation. He was tagged for 15 runs across 15 1/3 innings in a Sox uniform. That pushed his season ERA to an unimpressive 4.88 mark through 59 frames. The tough finish evidently prevented him from finding a guaranteed deal as he enters his age-38 season.
García nevertheless makes for an intriguing depth option. He has gotten grounders on at least half the batted balls he has allowed in each of the last three years. Despite his age, García still throws hard. He averaged 96 MPH on his heater with the Halos and had a velocity uptick in Boston even though he battled the minor elbow concern. He’d have a tough time cracking the Dodger bullpen if everyone’s healthy but adds an experienced depth piece with Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips each delayed in camp.
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