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Wil Myers Ends Playing Career

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Wil Myers has decided to call it a career after 11 big league seasons, the longtime Padres first baseman/outfielder told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.  While Myers stressed that he wouldn’t ever “officially” retire, he made his decision in June 2023 after he’d been released by the Reds and was dealing with some shoulder problems.

“I had a great career.  I loved what I did.  I made a lot of great friends.  I have no regrets,” Myers said.  “If you had told me the day I was drafted that this would be your career, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat.  I loved what I did, and now it’s just kind of onto the next chapter of life.”

Myers, who just recently turned 34, will hang up his glove after an even 1100 career games with the Rays, Padres, and Reds from 2013-23.  Myers hit .252/.326/.437 with 156 home runs over 4290 plate appearances, good for a 107 wRC+ during his time in the Show.  He spent the majority of his time in the field as a first baseman and right fielder, but also with a big chunk of time at the other two outfield positions and some time at third base (primarily in 2018, when the Padres had several first base/outfield types they were trying to fit into the lineup).

A third-round pick for the Royals in the 2009 draft, Myers quickly became one of baseball’s most highly-touted prospects, and made headlines before his MLB career even began due to his involvement in a blockbuster trade.  In December 2012, the Royals sent Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and third-base prospect Patrick Leonard to Tampa Bay in exchange for James Shields, Wade Davis, and Elliot Johnson.  Kansas City’s farm system was viewed as deep enough that it could afford to move even a top prospect like Myers in exchange for win-now help, and the decision paid off — K.C. won the AL pennant in both 2014 and 2015, and Davis was one of the relief aces of the Royals’ 2015 World Series title team.

For the Rays, the deal paid some immediate dividends, as Myers won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 on the strength of 13 homers and a .293/.354/.478 slash line over 373 plate appearances.  However, Myers then battled wrist injuries and the sophomore slump in 2014, leading to his involvement in an even bigger trade.  The Rays, Padres, and Nationals combined on a mammoth three-team, 11-player deal that is perhaps best remembered today as the swap that brought Trea Turner to Washington (and thus setting the table for the Nats’ 2019 World Series championship).

From Myers’ perspective, the deal kicked off an eight-year run in San Diego that was overall a success, albeit with plenty of ups and downs.  Much of his time with the Padres is viewed through the lens of the six-year, $83MM extension he signed prior to the 2017 season, which at the time was the largest contract in San Diego franchise history.  The big salary inevitably led to higher expectations that Myers didn’t entirely fulfill, as injuries and a propensity for strikeouts limited Myers’ production.

That said, Myers still had plenty of notable performances over the length of the deal.  Myers was an All-Star in 2016, hit 30 homers during the 2017 season, and was one of the best hitters in baseball during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.  That 2020 campaign was particularly notable since the Padres earned a wild card berth, marking San Diego’s first postseason appearance since 2006 and the official end of the team’s lengthy rebuild.  Ironically, Myers’ contract made him difficult to trade amidst the Padres’ other cost-cutting moves, and as a result, Myers ended up being “the one player on hand for the entirety of the franchise’s turnaround,” Cassavell writes.

As the 2022 season rolled along, Myers became a part-time player and was again hampered by injuries, so it was no surprise when the Padres declined their $20MM club option on Myers’ services for the 2023 season.  A free agent for the first time in his career, Myers landed in Cincinnati on a one-year deal worth $7.5MM in guaranteed money, but he hit only .189/.257/.283 in 141 PA over what will end up as his final season in the majors.

MLBTR congratulates Myers on a fine career and we wish him all the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Cubs Sign Carlos Pérez To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have signed veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Pérez’s MLB.com profile page. The deal presumably includes an invite to MLB Spring Training.

Pérez, 34, should not be confused with his younger brother and fellow catcher Carlos Pérez, who is currently a free agent but played parts of two MLB seasons with the White Sox. The elder Pérez signed with the Blue Jays out of Venezuela before making his pro debut in 2008 and has spent parts of five seasons in the majors since then. A well-regarded defensive catcher, Pérez made his big league debut with the Angels back in 2015 but slashed just .224/.267/.332 (64 wRC+) in 595 plate appearances across 184 games and three seasons in Anaheim. Pérez split the 2018 season between the Braves and Rangers but made it into just 28 games while posting a ghastly -4 wRC+ in 75 trips to the plate.

After that lackluster showing in 2018, Pérez shuffled between the Orioles, A’s, and Rockies systems over the years before finally resurfacing in the majors last year at the age of 32. The 2023 campaign was arguably the best of Pérez’s career as he served as Oakland’s primary backup behind Shea Langeliers. His .226/.293/.357 slash line in 68 games for the A’s was well below league average (83 wRC+) overall but roughly on par with the expectations associated with a typical big league backup. Pérez returned to the A’s on a minor league deal last winter but did not ultimately crack the club’s big league roster this year despite hitting quite well at Triple-A. In 112 games with the club’s Las Vegas affiliate, Pérez slashed a strong .260/.344/.544 with 27 homers and 27 doubles. Those numbers are inflated by the offense-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, but even when adjusted for that environment are still good for a 114 wRC+ at the level.

Pérez elected minor league free agency last month in search of greener pastures, which he seems to have found in Chicago. The Cubs appear mostly set at the big league level with a catching tandem of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, but it’s possible that Pérez could be the next man up in the event of an injury, earning a big league opportunity similar to the ones Christian Bethancourt and Tomás Nido got with the club last year. From Chicago’s perspective, meanwhile, Pérez offers a non-roster depth option behind the plate who can also serve as a mentor to young pitchers at the Triple-A level like Cade Horton as well as the club’s top catching prospect, Moisés Ballesteros. Ballesteros reached Triple-A at just 20 years old last year on the power of his exciting bat, but his defensive skills are questionable and it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be able to stick behind the plate in the majors.

Rays Notes: Littell, Outfield, Caballero, Front Office

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The Rays made a long-awaited trade from their rotation depth last week when they packaged left-hander Jeffrey Springs and reliever Jacob Lopez in a deal with the A’s that brought back right-hander Joe Boyle, two minor leaguers, and a pick in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2025 draft. Prior to that deal, Springs was viewed alongside right-hander Zack Littell as the two most likely Rays hurlers to be moved this winter. Now that Springs is off the board, however, ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggests that the Rays are “less likely” to part with Littell this winter.

That’s not exactly surprising. After all, while the Rays have a considerable rotation surplus with a number of excellent potential arms, those arms generally come with question marks. Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen will both have recently returned from elbow surgery and could see their innings managed, while youngsters like Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot, and Taj Bradley have never even thrown 150 innings in a big league season before in their careers. That leaves Littell, who threw 156 1/3 innings of work across 29 starts for the Rays last year, as potentially the club’s most durable arm headed into 2025. Given the frequency with which pitchers get hurt in the modern game, having a sixth starter locked and loaded is hardly a bad idea in case of injuries for any club, to say nothing of the value it could provide a club with a rotation that sports as many injury risks as the Rays’ does.

Of course, it’s impossible to rule out a trade completely when discussing a player with just one year remaining before free agency on the Rays. The club’s front office typically attempts to cash in their players on the trade market before they reach free agency, and even if Littell starts the season with the Rays a midseason trade can’t be ruled out. With that said, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times recently suggested that the club might be more or less done making moves after dealing Springs and adding Danny Jansen in free agency. One place Topkin suggests the club could look to make an addition is in the outfield, particularly if a lefty bat were to fall into the club’s lap in free agency or via trade. Topkin makes particular mention of Joc Pederson and Jurickson Profar as hypothetical options, though he’s quick to note that either player would surely need to see their market in free agency crater before they’d become realistic options for the Rays as things stand.

A more likely outcome in Topkin’s view seems to be going with internal options. That could include giving infielder José Caballero a serious look in the outfield. With Josh Lowe locked into one starting outfield spot and some combination of Jonny DeLuca, Christopher Morel, and Richie Palacios slated to handle the rest of the playing time on the grass as things stand, mixing Caballero in would give the club additional depth in the outfield should they fail to make an external addition. It’s easy to imagine Caballero’s strong glove at shortstop translating fairly well to the outfield grass, and getting a speedster who stole an AL-best 44 bases in just 483 plate appearances last year into the lineup more regularly could help to spark the club’s offense. With that being said, Caballero’s .227/.283/.347 (83 wRC+) slash line last year likely isn’t enough to make it as an outfield regular unless he proves to be a plus defensive option in center.

Turning to off-the-field matters, Topkin also reports that the club currently has no plans to install a GM beneath president of baseball operations Erik Neander. Current Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix served as GM of the Rays under Neander before taking his current gig with Miami last winter, but Topkin suggests that the club’s current set up of two vice presidents and four assistant GMs serving as Neander’s top lieutenants suits the Rays just fine and that Bendix’s title will remain unfilled for the foreseeable future.

A’s Sign Ben Bowden To Minor League Deal

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The A’s have signed left-hander Ben Bowden to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Bowden’s MLB.com profile page.

Bowden, 30, was a second-round pick by the Rockies in the 2016 draft. A pure relief prospect dating back to his days in the SEC, the lefty missed the 2017 due to shoulder injuries but was a fast riser in the club’s minor league system once he got going. He reached Triple-A by the end of his second full professional season after dominating the Double-A level to the tune of a 1.05 ERA with a 46.2% strikeout rate in 26 appearances. The cancelled minor league season in 2020 further delayed Bowden’s ascent to the majors, but after posting 11 2/3 scoreless frames at the Triple-A level in 2021 he was promoted to the big leagues.

In the majors, unfortunately, Bowden struggled badly. His 23.7% strikeout rate was a far cry from the gaudy numbers he posted in the minors, and his 11.9% walk rate left much to be desired. In all, Bowden posted a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings of work for the Rockies during his rookie season. His 4.85 FIP indicated that he had pitched better than his results might indicate, but even that more charitable figure was below league average. Given his 6.19 ERA away from Coors Field, it’s also difficult to blame Bowden’s struggles on his offense-inflating home ballpark.

Those lackluster results led the Rockies to leave Bowden off their Opening Day roster in 2022. The southpaw struggled badly at Triple-A Albuquerque with an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work before the Rockies decided to expose the lefty to waivers in hopes of outrighting him off the 40-man roster. Instead, Bowden found himself claimed off waivers by the Rays who themselves later outrighted him off of their 40-man. The lefty’s stint in Tampa went quite well despite him not making it to the majors with the club. In 22 innings of work at Triple-A for the Rays, Bowden pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a 24.7% strikeout rate, though his 14.4% walk rate left much to be desired. Tampa eventually flipped Bowden to the Giants ahead of the 2022 trade deadline in a minor deal, though Bowden struggled in his return to the Pacific Coast League and elected free agency when the season concluded.

Since reaching free agency during the 2022-23 offseason, Bowden has pitched for the Phillies and Braves for stints at Triple-A without cracking the big league roster of either club. He’s posted a 30.4% strikeout rate in 81 1/3 innings of work across the last two seasons but posted an ERA north of 4.00 in both seasons. Now, he’ll hope to make it back to the big leagues with an Athletics club that has a much less crowded bullpen than either the 2023 Phillies or the 2024 Braves, though in order to do so he’ll likely need to get past his long-standing struggles performing in the PCL’s inflated offensive environment.

A’s Sign Gio Urshela

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The Athletics announced a one-year contract with infielder Gio Urshela. The Rep 1 Baseball client is reportedly guaranteed $2.15MM and can earn another $450K in incentives. He’d unlock $100K apiece at 300, 350, 400 and 450 plate appearances and receive another $50K for his 500th trip to the plate.

Urshela could get first crack at the third base job. A’s general manager David Forst has said on a few occasions that the front office was looking for answers at the hot corner. They explored at least one trade possibility, touching base with the Phillies regarding Alec Bohm, but balked at Philadelphia’s reported ask for star closer Mason Miller.

The free agent options at the position were limited. Alex Bregman is the only clear regular. He’d almost certainly be outside the club’s price range even if he were willing to play in Sacramento for the next three seasons. It’s not clear if Gleyber Torres is willing to sign as a third baseman. Yoán Moncada, Josh Rojas, Jorge Polanco and Urshela were among the rebound candidates who could be had for an affordable one-year deal.

Urshela, 33, is coming off a second consecutive middling season. He split the year between the Tigers and Braves. He combined for 461 plate appearances and hit .250/.286/.361 with nine home runs. Urshela’s plus contact skills remain intact, but his power has dropped off sharply in recent years. His slugging percentage has trended down in two straight seasons. The veteran has never taken many walks, so the dip in power leaves him with something of an empty batting average. Since the start of 2023, the righty-hitting infielder carries a .266/.300/.365 line with 11 longballs in nearly 700 trips to the plate.

While the bat has tailed off, Urshela remains a capable defender. Defensive Runs Saved gave him exactly league average marks in a little over 900 innings this past season. Statcast credited him with two runs above average. Although DRS has historically taken a more favorable view of Urshela’s glove than Statcast has, both metrics feel he’s been a little bit above par over the past two seasons.

Assuming Urshela cracks the big league roster, the A’s could deploy him at either corner infield position. Third base remains his primary spot, but he has topped 100 innings at first base in each of the last two years. Tyler Soderstrom should get the majority of the playing time there. Urshela could move across the diamond against left-handed pitching if the A’s want to shield Soderstrom from unfavorable platoon matchups. That could draw righty Darell Hernaiz into the lineup at third.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the A’s and Urshela had a deal. Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reported the one-year term. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman had the $2.15MM base salary, while The Associated Press reported the incentive specifics.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

Phillies Designate Tyler Gilbert For Assignment

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The Phillies have designated left-hander Tyler Gilbert for assignment, per a team announcement. Gilbert’s 40-man roster spot will go to fellow southpaw Jesús Luzardo, who was acquired by the Phillies in a trade with the Marlins earlier today.

The news is an unwelcome birthday present for Gilbert, who turned 31 today. The lefty pitched just 8 1/3 innings for the Phillies this year after signing a minor league deal with the Reds last winter and being traded to Philadelphia back in May. He was selected to the active roster for the stretch run and pitched decently with a 3.24 ERA despite a 4.85 FIP. That brief stint with Philadelphia was actually something of a reunion, as the Phillies actually drafted Gilbert in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. He was surrendered to the Diamondbacks in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, however, and spent parts of three seasons in Arizona after making his debut with the club back in 2021.

Gilbert’s 2021 campaign is actually what the lefty is best known for. After being added to the club’s roster in early August and making a handful of relief appearances, the lefty actually tossed a no-hitter against the Padres in his first career start. The lefty struck out five and walked three across those nine hitless innings of work and remained in the club’s rotation down the stretch. He struggled to a 4.61 ERA in his final five starts of the year, however, and did not crack the club’s Opening Day rotation in 2022. The southpaw pitched to a lackluster 5.23 ERA and 5.10 FIP over his final two years with the Diamondbacks before being outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster last November.

Traditionally, the Phillies would have one week to either work out a trade involving Gilbert or attempt to pass him through waivers. With that said, that clock has put on pause over the holidays in previous seasons, so it’s possible that a resolution for Gilbert won’t ultimately be announced until the new year. Should he clear waivers successfully, Gilbert would have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency after previously been outrighted in his career. Should he elect free agency, he’d be an interesting depth option from the left side for clubs in need of pitching depth but would likely be limited to minor league deals due to his limited track record of success at the big league level.

Phillies Acquire Jesus Luzardo

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The Phillies made a big acquisition to their rotation, announcing they’ve acquired Jesús Luzardo from the Marlins. It’s a two-for-two trade sending Luzardo and minor league catcher Paul McIntosh to Philadelphia for shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and outfield prospect Emaarion Boyd.

Luzardo, 27, is coming off something of a lost season but was among the most coveted starters available on the trade market as recently as last winter. The southpaw made just 12 starts in 2024 due to a lumbar stress reaction and struggled when he was healthy enough to take the mound with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+) in 66 2/3 innings of work. While Luzardo maintained a solid 8% walk rate, his 21.2% strikeout rate was far below his career norms and his fastball velocity was more than a tick below where it was in 2023.

Even with those warts, however, it’s easy to see why Luzardo would be an attractive addition to the rotation for the Phillies. In 279 innings of work for the Marlins between 2022 and ’23, Luzardo dominated to the tune of a 3.48 ERA (129 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP. His 96.7 mph average fastball velocity was near the top of the scale for left-handed starting pitchers, and his 28.7% strikeout rate ranked eighth among starters with at least 250 innings of work in that time, sandwiched between Dylan Cease and Shane McClanahan.

While there’s no guarantee Luzardo will be able to recapture that ace-level production he flashed prior to his injured 2024 season, the Phillies won’t need to rely on him for front-end production. Instead, Luzardo joins an incredibly deep Phillies rotation that already features Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez. Even a fully healthy and effective Luzardo would slot in as the #2 starter in that rotation between Wheeler and Nola, and even if the southpaw merely pitches to the peripherals (4.23 FIP, 4.33 SIERA) he posted during his injury-marred 2024 campaign he’d be a noticeable upgrade over Taijuan Walker, who pitched to an ugly 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings of work this past season.

The Phillies have been known to have interest in adding rotation help this winter, though that was generally expected to come in the form of a depth piece who could pitch out of the bullpen or give Walker competition for the fifth starter spot, not unlike the club’s signing of right-hander Spencer Turnbull last winter. The acquisition of a player with Luzardo’s talent and pedigree obviously goes well beyond that, however, and surely pushes Walker into a long relief role to open the season assuming the rest of the rotation is healthy.

Adding Luzardo also eases the club’s long-term need for rotation help, as he’s under team control for the next two seasons. With Suarez scheduled to hit free agency following the 2025 season, it’s possible that the addition of Luzardo allows the Phillies to rely on some combination of Walker and top prospect Andrew Painter to round out their 2026 rotation. That would push the need for an additional starter off to the 2026-27 offseason, at which point both Walker and Luzardo himself will be eligible for free agency.

For now, though, Luzardo is a cost-controlled addition to the Phillies’ rotation who figures to raise the group’s already impressive ceiling considerably. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Luzardo for an arbitration salary of just $6MM in 2025, a figure that pushes the Phillies’ payroll to the $285MM range and their luxury tax payroll up to $304MM per RosterResource. Notably, that pushes them past the highest $301MM tax threshold for next season, at which point the club is taxed at a 110% rate on any overages beyond $301MM in addition to their highest pick in the 2026 draft being pushed back ten spots.

In terms of the actual financial cost, then, bringing Luzardo into the fold figures to cost the Phillies something closer to $10.5MM between the southpaw’s salary and the tax bill that comes with it. It’s an unprecedented level of spending for the Phillies, and it’s not clear how much more room the club will have to manuever as it seeks to make further upgrades. Perhaps that’s why president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested the club was unlikely to make further major additions earlier this week, with a swingman for the pitching staff and a bench piece for the lineup highlighted as the club’s remaining priorities. The addition of Luzardo likely eliminates the need for a swingman by pushing Walker into that role, of course.

For the Marlins, the prize in this deal is Caba. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s #81 prospect in the game and #54 at Baseball America, Caba just celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this month and looked solid in complex league play this year with a .254/.427/.335 slash line. While he offered little power, he walked more than he struck out and stole 37 bases in 45 attempts across 225 plate appearances at the level. Caba was promoted to Single-A down the stretch and struggled badly with a .179/.304/.190 slash line in 115 trips to the plate, though he still recorded more walks (16) than strikeouts (15). While he’s roundly projected for below-average power by prospecting services, he’s regarded as having the potential to be a special defender at shortstop and his impressive knack for plate discipline should give him a solid offensive floor.

Boyd, meanwhile, was the Phillies’ 11th-round pick in the 2022 draft. The 21-year-old hit just .239/.317/.331 in 400 trips to the plate at the High-A level in 2024, though he’s stolen 83 bases over the past two seasons due to elite speed and is regarded as a potentially plus defender in center field due to his wheels. That was enough to make him the #23 prospect in the Phillies organization, according to Pipeline. That said, Boyd currently offers minimal power and has a below average hit tool, though his contact-heavy approach and potential to grow into a little more power as he physically matures is enough to keep him on the radar as a potential big league contributor.

Also in the deal is McIntosh, who joins Luzardo in heading from Miami to Philadelphia. The 26-year-old isn’t considered to be much of a prospect, having been selected by the Marlins in the 34th round of the 2018 draft. He slashed .246/.340/.385 in 117 games with the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate in Pensacola this past season. For the Phillies, McIntosh should offer a solid glove-first option behind the plate to help guide the club’s young pitchers in the upper minors and perhaps provide some depth behind the club’s big league catching corps.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Phillies were acquiring Luzardo. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald was first to report that Miami was acquiring Caba and Boyd. Matt Gelb of the Athletic had McIntosh’s inclusion.

Tigers Re-Sign Brendan White To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have re-signed right-hander Brendan White to a minor league deal, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. White, who was non-tendered by Detroit last month, receives a non-roster invitation to big league Spring Training as part of the deal and will earn $765K when in the majors.

White, 26, got his start in the Tigers organization as a 26th-round pick in the 2019 draft. After making his pro debut shortly after being drafted, White didn’t pitch during the cancelled minor league season in 2020 but returned to the mound in 2021 for the club’s High-A affiliate. In 26 appearances (18 starts) at the level, White posted a solid enough 4.17 ERA in 101 1/3 innings of work with a 23.9% strikeout rate against a 6% walk rate. Despite those solid results, White was moved to the bullpen upon his arrival in Double-A the following year. That change in role came with excellent results as he dominated opposing hitters to the tune of a 2.67 ERA in 67 1/3 innings of work. His walk rate held steady at 6.3%, but his strikeout rate ticked up to 27.1% in the new role.

That not only earned him a promotion to Triple-A Toledo in 2023, but also opened the door for White to make his big league debut. The right-hander split his time between the majors and Triple-A in 2023 and totaled 77 2/3 innings of work between the two levels. At Triple-A, White posted an excellent 30.9% strikeout rate while walking 6.8% of opponents despite a rather pedestrian 4.14 ERA. In the majors, White struggled to a 5.09 ERA (86 ERA+) despite excellent peripherals. He punched out 24.9% of opponents against an 8.5% walk rate. On top of that, White also floated an impressive 51.9% groundball rate in the majors.

The right-hander’s strong peripherals seemed likely to earn him a spot in the Tigers’ bullpen mix for the 2024 season, but elbow inflammation kept him off the mound for almost the entirety of 2024. He pitched just 7 1/3 innings total last year across four levels of the minors before being placed on the 60-day IL in the majors back in August. Following White’s lost season, the Tigers opted to designate him for assignment and subsequently non-tender him last month. That made him a free agent eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 organizations, but he ultimately will return to Detroit on a non-roster pact and attempt to work his way back to the majors.

The first step in that process figures to be getting healthy, a box which Petzold reports is already checked. He notes that the right-hander underwent a procedure to address a right radial nerve injury back in August and was back throwing off a mound the following month, allowing him to participate in a normal offseason throwing program. Assuming he stays healthy going forward, it’s not at all difficult to imagine White pitching his way back onto the Tigers’ roster at some point in 2025, and perhaps even in time for Opening Day 2025.

Rickey Henderson Passes Away

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Baseball Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson has passed away. He was 65. Henderson’s friend and teammate Dave Winfield was among those to announce the tragic news, which was later confirmed by the New York Post.

Henderson was born in Chicago on Christmas Day in 1958. However, he spent much of his childhood in Oakland. The Athletics arrived in the city not long after Henderson, and once he finished high school, his hometown team called his name in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB draft. Three years after that, he arrived at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum to make his major league debut.

Following an underwhelming rookie season, Henderson broke out with a superstar performance in 1980. The 21-year-old outfielder showed off terrific bat-to-ball skills and a sharp eye at the plate, ranking third among qualified batters in walk rate and OBP. Of course, he put that OBP to good use, leading the majors with 100 stolen bases. It was the first of six times he would lead the majors in steals, and the first of 12 times he’d lead the American League in the category. He also made his first of 10 All-Star teams that summer and finished 10th in MVP voting that fall. In retrospect, however, he deserved to finish much higher. According to both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, the only AL player with a higher WAR that season was MVP George Brett.

Henderson was even better in his third season, the strike-shortened 1981 campaign. He led the majors in runs scored and led the AL in hits and stolen bases. At the end of the year, he won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. However, he was still, arguably, overlooked in MVP voting. He finished a close second behind Brewers closer Rollie Fingers, but modern stats like fWAR and bWAR suggest he was the most productive player in the American League that season. Indeed, this was often the story of Henderson’s career. He was consistently excellent year in and year out, and although he received no shortage of praise and acclaim, he was still somehow overlooked. He made 10 All-Star teams and won three Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and one MVP. Yet, all that might not have been enough to properly recognize his greatness.

Henderson became a star in his early twenties. He remained productive on the field into his forties. Over his 15 best seasons from 1980-94, he was almost undeniably the best player in baseball. Whether you look at runs scored, stolen bases, fWAR, or bWAR, no other player was anywhere close to as productive. With his combination of speed, defensive range, contact skills, plate discipline, and eventually above-average power, he could impact a ballgame in all sorts of ways. He is best remembered as the all-time and modern-era single-season stolen base leader, but he also holds the all-time MLB records for runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs.

In addition to those career accolades, Henderson was a transformational player in the postseason. A two-time World Series champion who hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy for both Oakland in 1989 and Toronto in 1993, his 11 stolen bases during the 1989 postseason is tied with Kenny Lofton for the most steals by a player in a single postseason, and his 33 career steals in the playoffs were the most by a player in history until Lofton broke that record during the 2007 ALCS.

In addition to the havoc Henderson caused on the basepaths, he was a prolific hitter when the lights were brightest with a .284/.389/.441 slash line in 60 postseason games. Impressive as that work in the playoffs is, Henderson’s work during his 14 career World Series games boggles the mind: he hit .339/.448/.607 with more walks than strikeouts while going seven-for-nine on the basepaths. Those incredible numbers translate to a 194 wRC+ that leaves him sandwiched between Babe Ruth (195) and Lou Gehrig (194) on the career leaderboard for wRC+ in the World Series among players who made at least 60 trips to the plate during the Fall Classic.

While Henderson was the greatest player of the ’80s and early ’90s, the legend of the game kept his career going well past the age where most players hang up the spikes. After his age-35 season in Oakland, Henderson went on to play in an additional 1,001 games in the majors while bouncing between the A’s, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers. Those final nine years of Henderson’s career were naturally not on the level of his seemingly superhuman peak in Oakland the Bronx, but he remained a productive player through the end of his major league career. From 1995 through 2003, Henderson hit .254/.390/.369 with a 111 wRC+ while swiping 289 bags, making him well above average both at the plate and on the basepaths. Even during his 30-game stint with the Dodgers at the age of 44, Henderson produced above replacement-level value according to both Fangraphs (0.1 fWAR) and Baseball Reference (0.2 bWAR).

Henderson continued playing in Independent Leagues even after he played his final major league game as posted an .897 OPS in the Atlantic League and an .856 OPS in the Golden League before calling it a career in 2005 at the age of 46. The love of the game that caused him to continue playing in indy ball following the end of his big league career also led him to leave the door open to returning to a major league field even after his playing days were behind him. He maintained an interest in suiting up for a major league team again after being hired by the Mets as a hitting instructor in 2006 and famously suggested following his first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame back in 2009 that even at the age of 50 he could lead the league in stolen bases.

It’s that heart and love of the game that endeared Henderson to his teammates, coaches, and all those around the game who interacted with him while making him beloved by millions of fans around the world. Henderson’s otherworldly talent and passion for the game led him to collect 3,055 hits, steal 1,406 bases, score 2,295 runs, swat 873 extra-base hits, and manage a career .401 on-base percentage in his 3,081 games as a major league player. MLBTR extends our condolences to Henderson’s family, friends, and teammates as we join the rest of the baseball world in mourning his passing.

Guardians Sign Carlos Santana

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The Guardians have reunited with a longtime veteran of the organization, announcing a one-year deal with first baseman Carlos Santana. The Octagon client is reportedly guaranteed $12MM. The signing comes on the heels of the club agreeing to a trade that sent first baseman Josh Naylor to Arizona on Saturday.

Santana, 39 in April, is a veteran of 15 MLB seasons who made his big league debut with Cleveland back in 2010. A catcher early in his career, Santana eventually moved to first base and has been defined throughout his career by phenomenal plate discipline. His walk rate has never fallen below 10.5% in a season across his lengthy big league career, and his strikeout rate surpassed 20% just once back in 2011. The one-time All-Star has spent ten seasons in Cleveland and will now suit up for an eleventh in year 16 of his big league career.

A career .251/.368/.450 (121 wRC+) hitter with the club, Santana has seen his bat decline somewhat since he last suited up for Cleveland back in 2020. He’s played for five teams over the past four seasons, including the Guardians’ division rivals in Kansas City and Minnesota. Santana has been more of a league average hitter in those stints away from Cleveland, hitting a collective .224/.320/.392 (99 wRC+) since he last played for the club. With that said, 2024 was a bit of a rebound season for Santana as he slashed a solid .238/.328/.420 (114 wRC+) in 150 games for the Twins while playing strong enough defense at first to earn his first career Gold Glove award. What’s more, even in his down years Santana has continued to hit well against left-handed pitching with a 125 wRC+ against southpaws across the last four seasons.

It’s hard to imagine the Guardians committing $12MM to a longtime face of the franchise coming off a three-win season just to make him a platoon player, and Santana surely figures to be the club’s regular first baseman in 2025. That leaves well-regarded youngster Kyle Manzardo, a top-100 prospect prior to the 2024 season who posted a 98 wRC+ in his first taste of big league action this year, likely relegated to a part-time role with appearances at DH while occasionally spelling Santana at first base. With that said, Manzardo’s presence offers the Guardians some insurance against Santana’s age catching up to him as well; pairing the lefty-swinging youngster with Santana’s switch-hitting bat that has long crushed lefties figures to be a solid way to get value out of the first base position even if Manzardo doesn’t take a step forward and Santana finds himself unable to replicate his excellent 2024 campaign.

Notably, Santana’s $12MM salary for 2025 is identical to the $12MM projection put forward by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for Naylor’s final year of arbitration eligibility. That makes Santana and Naylor a one-for-one swap from both a financial and team control perspective. Naylor (118 wRC+, 2.7 fWAR) was the slightly better hitter but slightly less productive overall in 2024, though the 11-year age gap between the two means he also projects better than Santana going forward. Even so, the addition of Santana allowed the Guardians to trade Naylor for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a pick in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2025 draft without losing much if anything in terms of on-the-field production for 2025.

That sleight of hand by the Guardians had the side effect of taking two more names off of a crowded first base market that has rapidly begun to thin out in recent days. Naylor and Santana are joined in having found their 2025 homes recently by Paul Goldschmidt, who signed with the Yankees on a one-year deal earlier today, and yesterday saw Christian Walker land a three-year deal with the Astros. Pete Alonso is the top free agent available at first base and remains on the market, with players like Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Justin Turner, and Mark Canha still available in the lower tiers of the market. The trade market has fewer options who are clearly available, but Nathaniel Lowe of the Rangers, Yandy Diaz of the Rays, and LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants are all at least plausible candidates to change hands.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Guardians and Santana were in agreement on a one-year, $12MM deal.

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