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Cardinals Granted Fourth Option On Zack Thompson

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The Cardinals will get some extra roster flexibility. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported yesterday (on X) that St. Louis was granted a fourth option on left-hander Zack Thompson.

After a player is added to the 40-man roster, they can typically be assigned to the minors in three seasons. If a player who is on the 40-man spends at least 20 days in the minors during a season, that subtracts one of those years. In certain circumstances, teams are allowed to option a player for a fourth season.

A player is eligible for a fourth option if they exhaust their three option years before they’ve played five professional seasons. MLB defines a professional season as one in which a player spent at least 90 days on an MLB or minor league active roster. Many players will spend a few years with a minor league affiliate before they’re added to a 40-man roster. As those count as professional seasons but are not option years, most players reach five seasons prior to running out of options.

Thompson was St. Louis’ first-round pick in 2019. The Cardinals assigned him to their rookie ball affiliate that year. That league didn’t have a 90-day schedule, so that did not count as a professional season. The following minor league season was canceled by the pandemic. As a result, the southpaw didn’t accrue a full professional season until 2021. The Cardinals put him on the 40-man roster the following year. Thompson was optioned in each of the last three years but falls shy of five professional seasons.

The 27-year-old Thompson has yet to find much MLB success. He owns a 4.50 earned run average across 52 appearances. After turning in a 2.08 ERA as a rookie, he allowed 4.48 earned runs per nine in ’23. Thompson only made five MLB appearances this past season. He was rocked for 18 runs in 17 innings.

That would’ve made it difficult for the Cards to justify carrying him in the Opening Day bullpen. There’s a solid chance Thompson would’ve landed on waivers if were out of options. Instead, the Cardinals can send him back to Triple-A Memphis for one more year. He started 20 of 21 appearances there this year, posting a 4.90 ERA while striking out 27.4% of opponents over 90 innings.

Marlins Hire Derek Shomon As Assistant Hitting Coach

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The Marlins are hiring Derek Shomon as assistant hitting coach, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. The 34-year-old had previously held that role in Minnesota.

Shomon had a brief professional playing career in the independent ranks. He took a coaching role in the Minnesota system and worked his way up the ladder. He joined Rocco Baldelli’s staff going into 2023. Shomon had that job for two years. Minnesota moved on from its entire hitting staff after the offense collapsed late in the ’24 season as the Twins missed the playoffs. They parted with lead hitting coach David Popkins and both assistants, Shomon and Rudy Hernandez.

Miami hired Pedro Guerrero as hitting coach under first-year skipper Clayton McCullough. The Fish have also added bench coach Carson Vitale and pitching coach Daniel Moskos. They’ve yet to announce the full staff.

Diamondbacks Sign Jeff Brigham To Minor League Deal

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Earlier this month, the Diamondbacks signed right-hander Jeff Brigham to a minor league deal, as confirmed by his player page on MLB.com. Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, confirmed that Brigham will receive an invitation to major league spring training.

After being drafted by the Dodgers in 2014, Brigham was included in a wild three-team, thirteen-player trade between the Dodgers, Braves, and Marlins that included names such as Bronson Arroyo, Mat Latos, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, and Michael Morse. Brigham ended up in Miami, where he would spend the next eight years of his professional career. He made his big league debut for the Marlins in 2018 and would go on to throw 79 2/3 innings with a 4.52 ERA and 4.58 SIERA for the club from 2018-22. In the middle of that stretch, he missed most of 2020 and all of 2021 with a biceps injury. Although he looked solid upon his return, putting up a 3.38 ERA and 3.54 SIERA in 24 big league innings, it was not enough to save him from a DFA at the end of the 2022 season.

The Mets acquired Brigham from the Marlins in a trade shortly after his DFA, and he made 37 appearances for New York in 2023, a new career high. However, his 5.26 ERA was poor, as was his 11.3% walk rate. He also gave up nine home runs in 37 2/3 innings of work. It was hardly surprising when he was non-tendered at the end of the year.

Brigham found his next home in Minnesota, signing with the Twins over the 2023-24 offseason. Unfortunately, he struggled in spring training (5.06 ERA in 10 2/3 IP) and didn’t look much better for Triple-A Saint Paul. He pitched to a 4.64 ERA and 5.21 FIP over 42 2/3 minor league innings, failing to make his way back to the major leagues. On the bright side, his fastball velocity, which declined in 2023, was back up a tick in 2024.

Now entering his age-33 season, Brigham isn’t a high-upside signing for the Diamondbacks. Still, he is an experienced major leaguer who will provide bullpen depth for the club. With 90 MLB appearances (117 1/3 IP) under his belt, he could be a candidate to eat some innings for the D-backs in 2025.

No Recent Contract Talks Between Braves, Charlie Morton

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Charlie Morton is still deciding whether to return for an 18th big league season, according to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark. If he does choose to play, the righty may need to find a new landing spot after four years with the Braves.

Stark’s colleague David O’Brien writes that Morton and the Braves have not had any recent contract talks. Atlanta and Morton had preliminary discussions shortly after the postseason, but it appears the team has pivoted to other targets as they look for outfield and pitching help. Morton is open to pitching elsewhere, though O’Brien writes that the two-time All-Star prefers teams that host Spring Training near his home in Bradenton, Florida. In addition to Atlanta, the Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, Pirates and Tigers are among the teams that could fit that description.

Morton played this past season on a $20MM club option. Even in a strong pitching market, he’ll probably need to take a reduction this winter. Morton turned in back-of-the-rotation results over 30 starts. He worked to a 4.19 ERA across 165 1/3 innings. Morton struck out 23.8% of batters faced with a 46.3% ground-ball percentage. While that was his strongest grounder rate since 2021, his strikeouts have dropped in consecutive seasons. Morton fanned 25.6% of opponents in 2023 and posted a 28.2% strikeout rate back in ’22.

The velocity and swinging strike rate have also gone backwards slightly. Morton averaged roughly 94 MPH on his fastball and posted an 11.4% swinging strike rate. Both numbers are solid but below his 2021-23 production. Those yellow flags started to catch up to him as the season progressed. Morton carried a 4.07 ERA into the All-Star Break. He allowed 4.37 earned runs per nine while opponents hit .279/.357/.469 in the second half.

None of that is to say that Morton isn’t still a solid pitcher. There’s value in a veteran who can top 150 innings with roughly league average results. Even if he projects more as a #4/5 starter than the mid-rotation arm he’s been for most of his career, he could land something like the $13MM which Kyle Gibson got last winter.

That could be beyond Atlanta’s comfort zone financially. The Braves pushed close to the third tier of luxury tax penalization this year, their second straight season paying the tax. It doesn’t appear they’re inclined to match that spending level next season. RosterResource calculates their CBT number around $217MM, including arbitration estimates. That puts them around $24MM shy of the base threshold.

Atlanta could look to limbo under the tax line to reset their status and avoid the escalating penalties levied on repeat payors. That doesn’t appear to be a firm mandate, however. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the Winter Meetings that the Braves would be willing to pay the tax again under certain circumstances. “It’s just a percentage you’re going up. It’s for every dollar over. You’re aware of it, but it doesn’t stop you from doing anything,” he said (link via Mark Bowman of MLB.com). “If the right opportunity presents itself, we’ll do it.”

That said, Atlanta’s start to the winter has been quiet. They restructured deals for Aaron Bummer and Reynaldo López to move some money back to future seasons. The Braves dumped Jorge Soler’s salary for no return, as they ended up non-tendering the player they acquired (Griffin Canning). Atlanta seemingly made little effort to retain Max Fried, nor is there any indication they made a serious play for speculative target Willy Adames. Their only MLB acquisitions thus far are split deals for Carlos D. Rodriguez and Connor Gillispie.

The Braves have almost never been free agent spenders under Anthopoulos. They’ve made much more of an impact on the trade market. Perhaps there’s another such move on the horizon, but they could also be relying on internal rotation options to step up after losing Fried and Morton.

Chris Sale will lead the staff on the heels of his first Cy Young win. López and Spencer Schwellenbach slot behind him as a strong 2-3 combination. Spencer Strider isn’t going to be ready for Opening Day, but he could return from his internal brace procedure within the season’s first half. The back of the staff is questionable. Ian Anderson hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since 2022. AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep struggled with their command in the minors. Bryce Elder performed well in Triple-A but was rocked for a 6.52 ERA in 10 major league starts.

That could open a rotation opportunity for Grant Holmes depending on how the remainder of the offseason progresses. The 28-year-old righty pitched mostly in relief this year, working to a 3.56 ERA over 26 MLB appearances (seven starts). Anthopoulos said this week that the Braves were intrigued by the possibility for Holmes to grab a rotation job in Spring Training. “He’s someone that we’d like to find out what he can do, because we do think there’s significant upside there if he can get a starting spot,” Anthopoulos said (link via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “But again, that won’t stop us from either trading for or signing any starter.”

Mariners Seeking Right-Handed, Veteran First Baseman

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It’s been a quiet offseason so far for the Mariners, who have yet to sign a free agent to a major league deal. They have been linked to trade candidates like Cody Bellinger, Alec Bohm, and Nico Hoerner, and are reportedly listening to offers for Luis Castillo, but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto came away from the Winter Meetings without pulling off any swaps either.

Still, the Mariners remain on the lookout for ways to improve an offense that finished 21st in runs scored in 2024. Reports surfaced at the beginning of the offseason that the club was looking for infield bats. Earlier this week, Dipoto confirmed that first, second, and third base are all areas of need (per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times). As things stand, shortstop J.P. Crawford seems to be Seattle’s only infielder with a guaranteed everyday starting role.

According to Divish, the Mariners were aiming to check first base off their to-do list before the end of the Winter Meetings. They had previously expressed interest in both Carlos Santana and Justin Turner, and they were apparently willing to offer either veteran a one-year deal this week. Needless to say, neither fish was biting, but that doesn’t mean Dipoto has given up. On that note, Divish offered further insight into Seattle’s pursuit of Santana and Turner, reporting that the team is looking for an experienced hitter who can bat from the right side to split playing time with the lefty-batting Luke Raley. Raley hits well against righties but struggled badly in limited playing time against same-handed pitching in 2024. Turner has had neutral platoon splits throughout his career, and the switch-hitting Santana has done his best work against southpaws. Either could make a productive platoon partner for Raley.

With that said, one has to wonder if the newly minted Gold Glove winner Santana would be willing to accept anything less than a full-time job at first base. He’s coming off his best season in five years and might not be interested in a role that would involve splitting playing time. Turner, on the other hand, thrived in a first base/DH role for Seattle down the stretch in 2024. He has also made it clear that he’d be happy to return to the M’s. At the end of the regular season, he told Daniel Kramer of MLB.com in no uncertain terms, “I would love to be back and be a Mariner.”

Then again, if Santana can be persuaded to sign in Seattle, he might be the more impactful player. Thanks to his strong defense, he has outproduced Turner over the past two years according to every version of Wins Above Replacement. He’s also a year and a half younger than Turner, who turned 40 in November. To that point, Divish suggested the Mariners might be leaning toward Santana in a recent appearance on the “Daily Puck Drop” podcast, saying he believes Santana is their “priority” right now at first base.

Speaking of righty-batting, veteran first basemen, the Mariners have also expressed interest in Christian Walker. Kramer reports the team has had “conversations” about signing Walker, though he notes the three-time Gold Glove winner is probably out of their price range. Indeed, Divish suggests the Mariners have approximately $15MM to $17MM left to spend this winter, barring any trades to cut payroll. Given the fact that Walker turned down the one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer, he is surely looking for a contract worth more than $17MM per year. MLBTR predicted a three-year, $60MM deal for Walker on our Top 50 Free Agents list. While he could be a far more valuable addition than either Santana or Turner, that value will be reflected in his asking price.

It’s also worth pointing out that a player like Walker certainly isn’t going to split playing time with Raley. He is going to be the everyday first baseman wherever he signs. Thus, if the Mariners were to sign Walker, it would push Raley into the designated hitter role. That could be another reason the fit doesn’t make sense. Alternatively, perhaps Dipoto could package the talented and cost-controlled Raley with one of his higher-priced veterans (such as Mitch Haniger or Mitch Garver) as a way to get another team to take on one of his desirable contracts. If he could pull off such a move, perhaps he could free up enough payroll to sign Walker without going over budget.

Mets Willing To Pay Down Salary To Facilitate Starling Marte Trade

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The Mets are open to paying down part of Starling Marte’s contract to facilitate a trade, write Tim Britton and Will Sammon of the Athletic. There’s nothing to suggest a deal is imminent or guaranteed to happen at all, but the Mets could consider the veteran outfielder expandable.

After finalizing the Juan Soto signing, New York has an excellent outfield. Soto and Brandon Nimmo will play the corners. Tyrone Taylor had a nice first season in Queens and projects as the starter in center field. The Mets acquired defensive stalwart Jose Siri from the Rays last month. He’s a quality fourth outfielder who could cut into Taylor’s playing time up the middle.

The Mets don’t necessarily need to trade Marte. They’re willing to pay to stockpile depth under Steve Cohen’s ownership. Yet he’s probably fifth on their outfield depth chart and doesn’t have a great path to playing time. He’s no longer an option in center field at age 36. The Mets probably wouldn’t move Nimmo back to center field to force Marte into the lineup.

An outfield of Marte, Nimmo, and Soto would be limited defensively. The two-time All-Star would essentially be limited to a rotational corner role. He could pick up some at-bats at designated hitter, though the Mets are likely to add a first baseman and may want to leave DH playing time for some combination of Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and (if he’s not traded) Brett Baty. Marte doesn’t have the kind of power teams generally want from their primary DH regardless.

To find a taker, the Mets would need to eat a decent chunk of money. Marte is under contract for $19.5MM in the final season of a four-year free agent pact. If he were a free agent, he’d probably make a little less than half that. He’s coming off a league average .269/.327/.388 showing with seven homers through 370 plate appearances. Marte stole 16 bases in 17 attempts, though his defensive grades in right field have plummeted. His once elite speed is essentially average at this point. A bone bruise in his right knee cost him around seven weeks between June and August.

Marte is probably stretched as a regular, but there are teams that could give him more opportunity than the Mets can offer. Speculatively speaking, the Red Sox may be a fit as they search for a righty-hitting outfielder. The Guardians, Padres, Astros, Royals, Reds and Marte’s old team in Pittsburgh are other teams that could be in the market for corner outfield help.

Reds Showing Interest In Nick Pivetta

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As starting pitchers continue to fly off the shelves, Nick Pivetta is one of the more established starters remaining on the open market. He’s already been linked to the Mets, and today the Reds have emerged as another suitor. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported earlier today that the Reds have checked in on Pivetta, implying their interest might have heightened after they missed out on trade target Garrett Crochet.

The Reds have already been active on the starting pitching market this offseason. They extended a qualifying offer to Nick Martinez in November, which he accepted. Not long after, they acquired Brady Singer from the Royals in exchange for Jonathan India. Along with young arms Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Andrew Abbott, that gives the Reds five capable big league starters, in addition to top prospect Rhett Lowder. Nonetheless, it’s not hard to understand why president of baseball operations Nick Krall is still pursuing starting pitching.

Abbott and Lodolo both finished the 2024 season on the injured list. Greene came off the IL in time to make two short starts at the end of the year, but he was out from mid-August to late September. All three have shown promise when healthy, but none has pitched a full MLB season. The same is true of the veteran Martinez, who has played a hybrid starter-reliever role for most of his MLB career. If the Reds sign Pivetta, they’d be much better equipped to weather an injury to one of their starters. In a best-case scenario in which everyone is healthy on Opening Day, Martinez can pitch out of the bullpen while Lowder starts the year in the minors. If Lowder forces his way onto the Opening Day roster with a strong spring, new manager Terry Francona could be facing a logjam, but that would be a pretty good problem to have.

That said, it would be slightly surprising to see Cincinnati sign Pivetta given the numerous other areas of need for Krall to address. The Reds finished among the bottom half of teams in runs scored this past season. They ranked 21st in OPS and 26th in wRC+. They recently traded India, one of their better offensive players in 2024, and have not made any additions to the starting lineup. Considering they already have six contenders for five spots in next year’s rotation, one might think the Reds would put most of their remaining resources toward improving the offense. To that end, they have been linked to trade candidates such as Luis Robert Jr., Josh Naylor, and Lane Thomas.

Earlier this offseason, Reds chief operating officer and chief financial officer Doug Healy told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that his team would “maintain payroll levels at or above 2024.” That’s a vague and noncommittal statement, but it does seem to imply that a major increase in payroll is unlikely. So, it’s fair to wonder if Reds ownership would be willing to spend what it takes to sign Pivetta and bolster the offense. After all, RosterResource estimates that their payroll for 2025 ($101MM) is already slightly higher than their final payroll from 2024 ($100MM).

Pivetta is most likely seeking a multi-year deal similar to those Luis Severino signed with the A’s (three years, $67MM) and Yusei Kikuchi signed with the Angels (three years, $63MM). Meanwhile, Thomas is projected to earn $8.3MM and Naylor $12MM in 2025. Robert will earn $15MM in the final guaranteed year of his contract. All three of those salaries are team-friendly figures; a similarly impactful position player would cost significantly more in free agency. Will Krall have the financial flexibility to offer Pivetta an AAV above $20MM and still acquire an impact bat?

Red Sox Acquire Carlos Narvaez From Yankees

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The Red Sox acquired catcher Carlos Narváez from the Yankees for minor league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space. Boston designated infielder Enmanuel Valdez for assignment to open the necessary 40-man roster spot.

Narváez, 26, is a depth catcher who has been on New York’s 40-man roster since last offseason. The Venezuela native reached the majors for the first time in July. He appeared in six games, collecting three singles and two walks in 15 plate appearances. Narváez had a good year in Triple-A, hitting .254/.370/.412 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs through 403 plate appearances. He walked at an excellent 13.9% clip while striking out 26.1% of the time.

The righty-hitting Narváez strikes out a lot, but he walks enough to reach base at a solid rate. Connor Wong was the only catcher on Boston’s 40-man roster. Narváez is now the favorite for the backup job by default, though the Sox will probably look for a more established veteran in the coming months. Narváez has a pair of minor league options and could begin next season at Triple-A Worcester.

New York had five catchers on the 40-man roster. Austin Wells and Jose Trevino form the MLB duo. J.C. Escarra, who finished the season in Triple-A, secured a 40-man spot at the end of the season. Carrying Narváez and Escarra was redundant, so the Yanks cash in the former to take a flier on a young pitcher.

Rodriguez-Cruz, 21, was Boston’s fourth-round pick three years ago. The 6’3″ righty has worked as a starter in the low minors. Rodriguez-Cruz had a nice season between Low-A and High-A, working to a 2.91 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout percentage across 89 2/3 innings. The Puerto Rico native issued free passes at a lofty 11.5% clip. He’ll need to dial in his command if he’s to stick as a starter. He’s an intriguing developmental flier for the Yankees to land for a player who was at the back of the roster.

New York also picks up an undisclosed amount of money it can use to sign an international amateur before the end of the signing period on Sunday. To be clear, the signing bonus space is unrelated to Roki Sasaki. The Japanese star will be part of next year’s amateur class. Teams cannot trade for 2025 bonus allotments until that signing period begins on January 15.

Valdez gets pushed off the roster after a disappointing season. The lefty-hitting infielder posted a .214/.270/.363 slash with six homers through 223 plate appearances. That’s a big drop from last year’s intriguing .266/.311/.453 showing over 49 games as a rookie. Valdez spent a good portion of the season in Worcester, where he had a league average .233/.330/.446 line in 50 contests.

Boston has five days to trade Valdez or put him on waivers. He still has a minor league option remaining and has a career .254/.345/.473 line over parts of three Triple-A seasons. Between that and his ability to bounce between second and third base, there’s a good chance he’ll find a new home within the next week.

Nationals Interested In Gleyber Torres As Third Base Option

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The Nationals are showing interest in Gleyber Torres, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman reports that the Nats have inquired on the infielder’s willingness to move to third base.

Torres has never played third base in the majors. He has spent his entire MLB career in the middle infield. Since moving off shortstop in 2022, Torres has essentially been limited to second base. He stuck at the keystone after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins at last summer’s deadline. New York moved Chisholm to the hot corner instead.

While Torres seemingly didn’t want to move off second base with the Yankees, he might be more willing to do so now. It’s not a midseason change that would require him to learn third base on the fly. There’s also the simple matter that expanding his versatility would give Torres more appeal. Free agency is generally not kind to players who are pigeonholed at second. Sliding to third would allow him to field broader interest.

Washington has one of the weakest third base groups in the majors. Light-hitting José Tena is the expected starter. Brady House, one of the organization’s top prospects, has gotten to the high minors. House struck out at an elevated 28.8% clip in 54 Triple-A games, though, so he’s unlikely to start next season in the big leagues. General manager Mike Rizzo has spoken about the team’s desire to add a middle-of-the-order bat. Torres doesn’t really qualify as such, but he’s a good hitter who would upgrade the lineup. The corner infield and designated hitter are the biggest questions marks in the Nats’ offense.

At second base, former top prospect Luis García Jr. is coming off the strongest season of his career. The lefty-swinging infielder hit .282/.318/.444 with 18 longballs and 22 stolen bases over 140 games. García’s defensive grades remain mixed, but this was easily his best year at the plate. García and Torres have a broadly similar profile as bat-first second basemen with good contact skills.

Torres, 28 on Friday, hit 15 homers with a .257/.330/.378 slash across 665 plate appearances. That middling production was mostly a result of a horrible April. Torres had a typically strong .267/.339/.409 slash from the start of May onward. He continued to produce during the Yankees’ run to the World Series.

If the Nationals were to land Torres as a third baseman, they’d be running a risk defensively. He’s not an especially good defender at the keystone. The position change is a potential complication, while the middle infield duo of García and CJ Abrams is already one of the league’s weakest defensive combinations. The Angels, who would likely keep Torres at second base, are also known to be in the mix.

Phillies Trade Rule 5 Pick Mike Vasil To Rays

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5:20 PM: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes that the trade between the Phillies and Rays could be for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

5:11 PM: Mike Vasil wasn’t with the Phillies for long. Soon after the Phillies selected the right-hander from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft, they turned around and flipped him to the Rays for cash considerations. Both teams have confirmed the deal.

Once a promising draft prospect in high school, Vasil suffered an injury in his senior year. He ended up withdrawing himself from the 2018 draft and attended the University of Virginia instead. Unfortunately, his stock plummeted after a rough few years in college. The Mets ultimately took him in the eighth round of the 2021 draft. To make matters worse, his struggles have only continued in affiliated ball. Over 43 starts at Triple-A across the past two seasons, he has pitched to a 5.78 ERA and 5.42 FIP.

Nevertheless, the Rays evidently saw something they liked in the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Entering the 2024 season, The Athletic’s Keith Law described Vasil as “a league-average starter at his peak with the potential to eat some innings.” Similarly, the staff at Baseball America considered him “a high-probability starter who might fit at no. 4 or 5 in a rotation.” Of course, both of those observations came before his rough 2024 season (6.04 ERA, 5.75 FIP in 134 IP at Triple-A). Still, Vasil’s selection in the Rule 5 draft suggests the Rays see him as an arm that could eat major league innings in 2025. What’s more, the Rays are known to enjoy tinkering with pitchers’ arsenals, and Vasil’s wide array of pitches seems to have made him a particularly appealing target. According to Baseball Savant, Vasil threw six different pitches in 2024: a sinker, cutter, four-seam fastball, changeup, sweeper, and curveball.

Rays assistant GM Kevin Ibach praised Vasil’s versatility, telling Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, “There are a lot of different ways he can impact a 26-man roster, more so than just a traditional reliever.”

It’s possible the Rays and Phillies tentatively agreed to this swap before the draft. Then again, if the Phillies hadn’t picked Vasil, the Rays could have scooped him up themselves in the second round. The vast majority of teams pass in round two; this year, only the Braves made a second-round selection. Regardless, the Rays are presumably better able to imagine giving Vasil significant innings to pitch in 2025.  As a Rule 5 pick, he needs to stay on his new team’s 40-man roster (or the 60-day IL) all season. Otherwise, he has to be placed on waivers, and if he clears waivers, he must be offered back to his original club (the Mets).

If Vasil thrives in a Rays uniform, he wouldn’t be their first Rule 5 trade success. Two years ago, the Rays acquired Kevin Kelly from the Rockies for cash considerations shortly after Colorado selected him in the Rule 5 draft. Kelly has been one of Tampa Bay’s top relievers over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.88 ERA and 3.34 SIERA in 125 appearances.

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