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Sternberg, Manfred Discuss Rays Stadium

By Anthony Franco | February 6, 2025 at 11:50pm CDT

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg spoke with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday from this week’s owners meetings. He made clear that he is not having any conversations about selling the franchise amidst their stadium uncertainty.

“If it was (for sale), people would know it,” Sternberg said. “I’ve always been, and I will continue to be, pretty transparent about our intentions. And pretty — not pretty — but very honest about them. And I have been.”

The Rays need to decide in the coming weeks whether to move on plans to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg. Last summer, the Rays had reached a tentative agreement with the city and Pinellas County to construct a new $1.3 billion stadium by the 2028 season. That was delayed following the hurricanes in the Tampa area last fall. The County postponed approval on $312.5MM in public funding on the project. The County voted to approve the bonds in mid-December, but the Rays had already expressed frustration with the delay.

The agreement leaves the team responsible for cost overruns in construction. The Rays have claimed the delayed bond approval makes it impossible to have the stadium ready until 2029. A county official said in December that the Rays had put the estimated price hike around $200MM; Topkin wrote yesterday that the overruns are expected to be close to $150MM. In either case, the team said in December it “cannot absorb this increase alone” and wanted to renegotiate with the city and county to “solve this funding gap together.” Local officials have stated that they will not commit more public money.

The Rays have until March 31 to meet various construction benchmarks. If they have not done so, the agreement is nullified. Sternberg did not provide a specific timeline on when the team will make its final decision. “I’m not saying a decision or this or that, but I’ll be prepared coming out of this (meeting) and speaking to owners here,” he told Topkin. “There’s a lot that goes into it. … I don’t know what the rush is for anybody, or for us. If this is, in fact, a multi-generational decision, I don’t think anyone will care if it’s a date in January, February or March.”

Topkin spoke with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the situation on Thursday. As he has on multiple occasions, Manfred made clear that the league does not want to see the team relocate. “We’d like to keep the franchise in Tampa Bay. We think the market is big enough and that there is passion for the game. Having said that, it is challenging,” Manfred said.

Whether they move forward with their long-term stadium plans, the Rays also need to figure something out for the next few seasons. They’ll play at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season because Hurricane Milton destroyed the Tropicana Field roof. The Rays’ lease at the Trop had run through 2027, but it’ll roll over through the ’28 campaign since it isn’t in use this year.

Responsibility for the Trop repairs falls on the City of St. Petersburg. That comes with an estimated $55.7MM cost. It’s unclear whether the stadium can be fixed in time for Opening Day 2026. Sternberg and Manfred each said there are no current plans for where the Rays would begin the ’26 season if the Trop is not done. “I remain committed to the idea (that) we’ve got to get the Trop fixed, because we have an interim period beyond 2025 that we have to cover no matter what,” Manfred said to Topkin. “I think Stu is on board with that idea that we need to get it fixed as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we have a ton of uncertainty in terms of ’how fast can you get it fixed?’“

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Tampa Bay Rays

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Avisail Garcia Expected To Miss 2025 Season

By Anthony Franco | February 6, 2025 at 11:08pm CDT

Free agent outfielder Avisaíl García is expected to miss the entire season, reports Francys Romero. The veteran underwent surgery in October that repaired a fracture and a disc injury in his lower back. While there was no initial timetable, Romero suggests that García is targeting a return in winter ball in his native Venezuela next offseason.

García signed a four-year, $53MM free agent deal with the Marlins over the 2021-22 offseason. That was a complete misfire on the part of Miami’s front office. García hit .217/.260/.322 in 153 games over two and a half seasons. Miami released him last June, a little more than halfway through the contract. He had hit .240/.255/.380 over 18 games in 2024.

The Marlins still owe García a decent chunk of money. He’ll collect a $12MM salary this year and will be paid a $5MM option buyout at season’s end. Sandy Alcantara’s $17MM salary is Miami’s only bigger commitment. García would have been limited to minor league offers if he were healthy. If his recovery goes as planned, he could pursue a non-roster invite to Spring Training in 2026. He’d be entering his age-35 season.

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Astros Have Reportedly Increased Offer To Bregman, Deal Still Seen As Unlikely

By Anthony Franco | February 6, 2025 at 9:51pm CDT

Of MLBTR’s top 20 free agents, Alex Bregman is the only one who remains unsigned. The star third baseman is reportedly sitting on multiple six-year offers but hasn’t found a price to his liking.

One of those is from the incumbent Astros. Houston has reportedly had a standing six-year, $156MM offer for much of the winter. Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Astros have bumped that number higher, though specifics on the new proposal aren’t clear. In any case, it doesn’t seem that it was a dramatic jump. Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reports that Houston’s increased offer is still unlikely to result in a deal.

The Tigers are still pursuing Bregman after agreeing to a two-year deal with Jack Flaherty over the weekend. The Blue Jays have an opening at third base. The Red Sox have shown interest, though Alex Speier of the Boston Globe has suggested they were reluctant to go beyond four years. The Sox have stayed in contact with the Cardinals regarding Nolan Arenado as well. MLB.com’s John Denton writes that Boston would “prefer” to sign Bregman over an Arenado trade, though that’s difficult to envision unless they push the length beyond their comfort zone.

While players like Flaherty and Pete Alonso have moved to short-term deals to conclude extended free agent stays, Bregman still seems committed to a longer contract. Agent Scott Boras said as much last month. Heyman writes that Bregman expects to sign for at least six years, though he has received offers on shorter terms.

The Astros dipped below the luxury tax threshold when they traded Ryan Pressly to the Cubs, offloading $8.5MM of his $14MM salary. RosterResource estimates their tax number around $237MM, about $4MM below the base threshold. They’d need to go well beyond the tax line to sign Bregman but otherwise prefer to stay under the $241MM marker. If they don’t re-sign Bregman, they’ll have Isaac Paredes at third base. That’d likely leave Jose Altuve as the primary second baseman with a left field mix that could occasionally feature Altuve alongside Mauricio Dubón, Ben Gamel and Zach Dezenzo.

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Houston Astros Alex Bregman

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Ippei Mizuhara Sentenced To 57 Months In Prison

By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2025 at 5:25pm CDT

Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced to 57 months in prison today. Per Sam Blum of The Athletic, there will be three years of supervised release and Mizuhara has been ordered to pay Ohtani nearly $17MM in restitution.

In March of 2024, reports emerged that millions of dollars had been wired from an account in Ohtani’s name to an illegal gambling ring. Mizuhara initially said that Ohtani agreed to the transfer in order to help him with gambling debts. Ohtani’s attorneys provided an alternative narrative, stating that the player “had been the victim of a massive theft” and Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers. MLB opened an investigation into the matter shortly thereafter.

Ohtani then read a statement to the media, interpreted by Dodgers employee Will Ireton, who had replaced Mizuhara. Ohtani stated that he had never bet on baseball, nor any other sport. He also claimed to have had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s behavior until just before the recent reporting. “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” Ohtani said.

In April of 2024, Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud, alleged to have transferred more than $16MM from Ohtani’s account to the betting ring. Prosecutors identified Ohtani as a victim in the case. Mizuhara allegedly set up the account with Ohtani in 2018, when the player was first making the move from Japan to North America. The two had met while both were employed by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Ohtani’s Nippon Professional Baseball club.

Per the allegations, Mizuhara repeatedly contacted the bank and pretended to be Ohtani in order to access the account and get money to fuel his gambling habit. Ohtani’s agent repeatedly asked about the account but Mizuhara told him it was “private” and that Ohtani didn’t want anyone else to monitor it. Ohtani, meanwhile, believed that his accountants and financial advisors were monitoring the accounts. Since Mizuhara handled all the language interpretation between Ohtani and his team, each side remained unaware of what was going on.

Investigators had also seen text messages from Mizuhara admitting to the theft. “Technically I did steal from him,” one message read. “It’s all over for me.” Investigators viewed the text messages between Ohtani and Mizuhara, finding no evidence that the player had made any bets on sports, nor that he knew anything about Mizuhara’s betting. Though Mizuhara made hundreds of bets on sports, there is no evidence of him betting on baseball.

In May of 2024, Mizuhara pled guilty to multiple charges, including bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return. It was suggested at that time that Mizuhara would likely be deported to Japan once the legal process had played out. Major League Baseball closed its investigation into Ohtani in June, citing the thorough investigation which had pointed to the player being a victim, with no charges against him. Per Blum, Mizuhara’s attorneys expect him to be deported, as Mizuhara is a permanent resident of the United States but not a citizen.

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Cardinals Acquire Michael Helman From Twins

By Anthony Franco | February 6, 2025 at 4:57pm CDT

The Twins announced that they’ve traded utility player Michael Helman to the Cardinals for cash. He’ll occupy a 40-man roster spot with St. Louis. The Cardinals had a vacancy, so no additional move was necessary.

Minnesota had a full 40-man roster and needed to create two openings. They have agreed to free agent deals with Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe this week. Neither contract has been finalized. Helman is the first of two players whom the Twins will squeeze off the roster.

An 11th-round pick in 2018, Helman reached the majors last year. He appeared in nine games and went 3-10 with a pair of doubles. The 28-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A St. Paul. He had a nice year, hitting .271/.350/.487 across 314 plate appearances. Helman hit 14 home runs and went 12-13 on stolen base attempts.

Helman is a right-handed batter who provides multi-positional versatility. He has played more than 1400 innings at second base in his minor league career. He has logged more than 1000 innings in the outfield — much of that in center — with some action at both positions on the left side of the infield. Helman still has a full slate of minor league options and can be kept at Triple-A Memphis for the foreseeable future.

This is the Cardinals’ first trade acquisition of the offseason. St. Louis is also the only team that has yet to sign a free agent to a major league deal. Helman is the third player they’ve added to their 40-man roster since the end of the season. Waiver pickups Roddery Muñoz and Bailey Horn are depth additions on the pitching side. Ownership has seemingly left the front office with minimal spending room in the absence of a payroll-clearing trade.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reported the Helman trade just before the official announcement.

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Braves, Chad Kuhl Agree To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2025 at 4:36pm CDT

Right-hander Chad Kuhl and the Braves have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The ACES client will presumably be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Kuhl, 32, was once a passable back-end starter but has slid into more of a swingman/long relief role in recent years. He spent 2024 with the White Sox, pitching out of their Triple-A rotation for the first half of the year. He was selected to the big league club in June and mostly tossed multi-inning stints out of the bullpen. He logged 53 1/3 innings over 31 appearances, including one start. He allowed 5.06 earned runs per nine, struck out 22.5% of batters faced, gave out walks at a 10.4% clip and got grounders on 44.4% of balls in play.

The best stretch of his career was with the Pirates. From 2016 to 2021, he logged 439 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh with a 4.44 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. He signed with the Rockies for the 2022 season and saw his ERA jump to 5.72. 2023 was an especially trying year. A minor league deal with the Nationals led to a roster spot but he battled a foot injury and posted an 8.45 ERA over 16 appearances in a swing role. He was released in June and didn’t sign anywhere after that so that he could be with his wife as she battled breast cancer, with her treatment coming to an end in November.

His year with the White Sox got him back on track somewhat, as his major league numbers were passable. He also posted a 4.34 ERA in Triple-A prior to getting called up. His 17.3% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate with Charlotte were both subpar numbers but he got opponents to pound the ball into the ground at a 53.5% rate.

With Atlanta, Kuhl will jump into a fairly crowded depth mix. The club has Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach leading the rotation, with Spencer Strider set to join them once he has recovered from last year’s elbow surgery. The chart behind those four includes Ian Anderson, Grant Holmes, Dylan Dodd, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder and Davis Daniel, who are all on the 40-man roster.

Atlanta may prefer to keep those guys in Triple-A and getting regular starts, so perhaps that will allow Kuhl to carve out a role as a veteran innings-eater in the bullpen if they need a long man at some point during the season.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions Chad Kuhl

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Yunior Marté Signs With NPB’s Chunichi Dragons

By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2025 at 3:23pm CDT

Right-hander Yunior Marté has signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, according to multiple reports out of Japan, including from Chunichi. He had signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in November but the Dragons paid the M’s a release fee, per Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. Romero also reports that Marte will make $1.25MM this year and could add another $200K via incentives.

Marté, 30, pitched for the Giants and Phillies over the past three MLB seasons. He threw 113 1/3 innings over those three campaigns, allowing 5.64 earned runs per nine. His 20.1% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate were both a bit shy of average but his 47.8% ground ball rate was quite strong.

That included a rough 6.92 ERA with the Phils in 2024, which prompted that club to put Marté on waivers at the end of the year. He passed through unclaimed, elected free agency and signed a minors pact with the Mariners. MLB clubs generally don’t stop players from pursuing opportunities in foreign leagues, so the M’s have let Marté go, collecting a release fee in the process.

Despite the tepid results, Marté has an intriguing arsenal. His four-seamer and sinker have both averaged between 96 and 98 miles per hour in his career. He has also thrown a slider, changeup, cutter and splitter.

Had he stayed in North America, he would have had a challenging path to a notable role. He is out of options and has less than two years of service time. Even if he earned a roster spot at some point, he might not have kept it for long. Even if he did cling to a spot for a while, he has not yet qualified for arbitration and likely would have earned a salary near the $760K league minimum.

By heading overseas, he locks in a higher salary right away and will likely get a longer opportunity to bounce back from a trying season. If he can take a step forward in his new environment, he can try to return to North American ball in the future or perhaps parlay his results into a new contract with the Dragons or another Asian club.

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Nippon Professional Baseball Seattle Mariners Transactions Yunior Marte

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Twins Have Shown Interest In Paul DeJong, Luis Urías

By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2025 at 2:27pm CDT

The Twins are interested in adding infield depth, particularly at shortstop, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. As part of that desire, free agents Paul DeJong and Luis Urías are two players they have recently checked in on. They also checked in on Jon Berti before he signed with the Cubs last month.

Adding depth is a sensible add for a club that was felled by injuries last year. The Twins were in playoff position for much of the 2024 season but went 9-18 in September, falling four games short of a postseason berth. Key players like Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton and others missed time in the second half as the club failed to tread water. Bolstering that depth makes plenty of sense. The club agreed to a deal with Harrison Bader this week, strengthening the outfield group, with an infield addition perhaps next on the to-do list.

Health has long been a focus for Correa. As a free agent, he famously had a couple of mega deals scuttled by concerns around his lower right leg. The Giants walked away from a 13-year, $350MM agreement with Correa after growing concerned about his right ankle going into the 2023 season. That led him to work out a 12-year, $315MM pact with the Mets, though they also had enough concern with the ankle to walk away. That led Correa back to the Twins on a six-year, $200MM pact with four vesting options.

In the first year of that deal, Correa got into 135 games but battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot. That seemed to impact his performance, as he hit .230/.312/.399 for a wRC+ of 95, his worst performance in a full season. He got back on track last year with a .310/.388/.517 line and 155 wRC+, but that plantar fasciitis and an oblique strain limited him to just 86 contests.

While Correa was away, Willi Castro got a lot of his playing time. He had a good season at the plate, slashing .247/.331/.385 for a 108 wRC+, but is overmatched as a defender at short. He has 1,187 2/3 innings at the position in his career, with more than a third of that coming in 2024. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a -21 grade at the position in his career, including -9 last year. Outs Above Average hasn’t been quite as negative, giving Castro +3 last year, but -3 in his career.

Since he can play other positions, Castro is perhaps better suited to being a super utility player who could play shortstop in a pinch, with the Twins adding a firmer backup at the position. They also have Edouard Julien and Austin Martin on the roster, though neither is considered a capable big league shortstop.

DeJong, 31, would certainly qualify based on his overall track record. He has logged 6543 1/3 innings at short in his career with +32 DRS and +2 OAA. DRS did drop him down to -9 last year, though that was his first negative score from that metric in his career.

Offensively, DeJong’s profile is well established, with lots of home runs and lots of strikeouts. That continued last year, as he launched 24 home runs between the White Sox and Royals but was also punched out at a massive 32.4% clip. Zack Gelof and Tyler O’Neill were the only two players with at least 450 plate appearances and a higher strikeout rate. In spite of the punchouts, the power helped him put up a .227/.276/.427 line and 95 wRC+. That was actually a nice upswing for him, since he hit a combined .189/.253/.330 for a 61 wRC+ in the previous two seasons.

Urías, 28 in June, would similarly come with concerns about inconsistency. He hit a combined .244/.340/.426 over 2021 and 2022 with the Brewers, production that translated to a 111 wRC+. He dipped to .194/.337/.299 and an 83 wRC+ between the Brewers and Red Sox in 2023. He was traded to the Mariners last year but kept in the minors until the end of August. He had a strong .260/.378/.413 line in Triple-A but then produced a .191/.303/.394 slash in 109 major league plate appearances down the stretch. That latter line came with four home runs but a 31.2% strikeout rate.

Defensively, Urías doesn’t have the same track record as DeJong. He has 1,116 innings at the shortstop position with marks of -6 DRS and -15 OAA. He hasn’t played there at the big league level since 2022.

Both DeJong and Urías can play other infield positions as well, which is likely important. Lewis projects as the club’s third baseman and has long-standing injury issues of his own. He has only played 152 games over his three-year career thanks to various ailments. Projected second baseman Brooks Lee dealt with a lower back strain and biceps tendinitis last year, only getting into 50 games. First baseman José Miranda had much of his 2023 wiped out by shoulder surgery. He bounced back in 2024 but was still limited to 121 games with a couple of IL stints for lower back strains.

Though adding more depth makes sense, the budget is still an ongoing question. For much of the winter, it seems as though the club might have to cut payroll before making any additions, leading to rumors involving Castro, catcher Christian Vázquez and righty Chris Paddack. More recently, Hayes reported last week that the club could actually add about $5MM to the payroll without subtractions. Since then, they agreed to deals with Bader and lefty Danny Coulombe worth $6.25MM and $3MM respectively.

DeJong or Urías shouldn’t cost much. Last winter’s deal with the White Sox only guaranteed DeJong $1.75MM. On the heels of a relative bounceback, he might be able to earn a raise, but it shouldn’t be massive. Urías was arbitration eligible this winter, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $5MM salary, but the Mariners outrighted him off their roster at season’s end.

The club has already spent a bit more than the $5MM Hayes was expecting as of a week ago. Whether they can add another modest deal remains to be seen, but some roster creativity might come up regardless. The Bader and Coulombe deals are still unofficial and the 40-man roster is full, so couple of spots have to be opened. If the club wants to add an infielder, that means a third spot will be required. Perhaps the combined payroll/roster crunch will lead to some maneuverings for the Twins in the final days before spring training gets rolling.

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Minnesota Twins Jon Berti Luis Urias Paul DeJong

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Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The AL West?

By Nick Deeds | February 6, 2025 at 1:30pm CDT

The calendar has flipped to February and the start of spring is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including seven of MLBTR’s Top 50) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. After the Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers have decisively won the polls covering the National League’s three divisions, the focus now shifts to the American League starting with the AL West.

The junior circuit’s west coast teams have been busy for the most part, perhaps reflecting the division’s tightly contested nature. A three-way race for the AL West came down to the final day of the 2023 season, and despite the Astros’ division title, the Rangers were the ones to be crowned World Series champions. In 2024, Houston’s long reign over the division started showing signs of cracks as they struggled out of the gate, won “just” 88 games (down by their standards) and were bounced from the playoffs in the AL Wild Card Series.

Which team has done the best job setting themselves up for 2024? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record:

Houston Astros

The winds of change are blowing through Houston, and they’ll enter 2025 with a significantly reshaped roster. The most notable move this winter was to ship star outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago ahead of his final season under team control. Losing a player of Tucker’s caliber is always a brutal blow, but Houston did fairly well in the trade. They not only added a new top prospect in third baseman Cam Smith, but they also managed to bring in All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and bolster their rotation depth with right-hander Hayden Wesneski.

The additions of Paredes and Wesneski have patched holes left by the departures of Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander in free agency, though the club has apparently not completely closed the door on a reunion with Bregman. Meanwhile, the need at first base caused by Jose Abreu’s dramatic decline was filled by the addition of three-time Gold Glove winner Christian Walker. Solid as those moves have been, though, the Astros have subtracted more than they’ve added. Ryan Pressly, Yusei Kikuchi, and Jose Urquidy are no longer with the club, and the Astros’ replacement for Tucker as a left-handed outfield bat to this point appears to be a reunion with journeyman Ben Gamel.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle has had the quietest offseason in the division despite typically being one of the most active teams on the trade market. Rumors of a Luis Castillo deal have not come to fruition, and trade targets to bolster the club’s lackluster infield such as Nico Hoerner, Alec Bohm, and Triston Casas have all remained with their current teams. The Mariners’ lack of activity on the trade market has led them to make mostly ancillary moves. As ownership has scaled back the budget substantially, the Mariners have re-signed Jorge Polanco and added Donovan Solano for a combined $11.25MM. Their only other additions have been minor trades for players with minimal big league experience like Austin Shenton and Miles Mastrobuoni.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers’ front office has had a tall order placed in front of them this winter: navigate under the luxury tax while supplementing an offense that struggled last year and completely rebuilding a pitching staff that saw seven major pieces reach free agency. They’ve most succeeded in those goals. Robert Garcia, Chris Martin, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, and Hoby Milner were all brought in to help patch up one of the league’s weaker bullpens. The club parted with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to bring Garcia into the fold, but his bat has been effectively swapped out for free agent pickup Joc Pederson and trade acquisition Jake Burger in trade.

Meanwhile, the club added some pop behind the plate by pairing Kyle Higashioka with Jonah Heim after Heim struggled through a down season offensively last year. The Rangers managed to keep Nathan Eovaldi on a three-year deal despite the soaring cost of starting pitching. Whether these additions will be enough to make up for the losses of Lowe, Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Leclerc, Andrew Heaney and Max Scherzer remains to be seen.

Athletics

After shuttering the Coliseum and departing Oakland for a temporary stay in West Sacramento, the A’s have begun to spend more aggressively than they have in years. The club locked up breakout slugger Brent Rooker for the next five seasons on a $60MM extension and has been active both the trade and free agent markets. The A’s signed Luis Severino to a club-record three-year, $67MM deal while also agreeing to deals with third baseman Gio Urshela, former Rangers closer Jose Leclerc and lefty T.J. McFarland. On the trade market, they added southpaws Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez in a deal with the Rays that saw them surrender Joe Boyle, their Competitive Balance Round A pick, and two prospects.

Los Angeles Angels

After narrowly avoiding the first 100-loss season in franchise history, the Angels were heavily active in the early stages of the offseason. They acquired slugger Jorge Soler in a trade with the Braves on day one of the offseason, surrendering only non-tender candidate Griffin Canning. They added Scott Kingery in a cash swap with the Phillies shortly thereafter. The early days of free agency brought deals for Yusei Kikuchi, Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Hendricks, and Kevin Newman.

Things have been mostly quiet in Anaheim since that flurry of moves back in November, and it will surely take a strong, healthy season from Mike Trout in addition to steps forward for multiple youngsters if the Angels are going to contend for the postseason in 2025.

__________________________________________________________

The AL West appears to have moved towards parity somewhat this winter. The Astros have sacrificed maximizing their immediate odds at continued dominance in the name of longer-term stability. The Mariners opted to keep their elite rotation together rather than risk breaking up the group to strengthen a mediocre lineup. The Rangers have been very active in reshaping their roster in hopes of recapturing the glory of 2023, while the fourth- and fifth-place A’s and Angels have been surprisingly aggressive in their efforts to separate themselves from the AL’s cellar dwellers.

Of the five AL West clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Which AL West team has had the best offseason so far?
The Athletics 30.47% (2,576 votes)
Texas Rangers 28.29% (2,391 votes)
Houston Astros 18.94% (1,601 votes)
Los Angeles Angels 14.69% (1,242 votes)
Seattle Mariners 7.61% (643 votes)
Total Votes: 8,453
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Giants Acquire Osleivis Basabe

By Steve Adams | February 6, 2025 at 1:05pm CDT

The Giants acquired infielder Osleivis Basabe from the Rays in exchange for cash, according to announcements from both teams. Tampa Bay designated Basabe for assignment earlier in the week. The Giants already had an open 40-man spot to accommodate Basabe.

The 24-year-old Basabe’s only big league experience came back in 2023, when he totaled 94 plate appearances across 31 games and batted .218/.277/.310. That inauspicious debut came after a more encouraging .296/.351/.426 output (95 wRC+) in Triple-A that year. However, the 2024 campaign brought significant declines for Basabe in nearly every meaningful category. He spent th entire year in Triple-A Durham, hitting .248/.293/.336. Basabe’s walk rate dropped from 7.3% to 4.9%. His strikeout rate jumped from 15.5% to 18%. His average exit velocity dipped by nearly three miles per hour, while his hard-hit rate fell by a hefty eight percentage points.

Rough as the previous season was, Basabe is regarded as a solid defender who can handle shortstop, second and third. He ranked within the top 10 prospects in Tampa Bay’s system an offseason ago and has a minor league option remaining, so the Giants can send him to Triple-A without needing to expose him to waivers.

With Willy Adames at short, Matt Chapman at third and Tyler Fitzgerald at second, there’s no immediate path to Basabe logging any kind of consistent at-bats in the majors, even if he has a big spring showing. However, the Giants’ bench is far less solidified, and he’ll join Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt and David Villar (among others) in competing for a utility role on Bob Melvin’s bench.

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San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Osleivis Basabe

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