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Bobby Witt Jr. Tops Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool

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Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. received roughly $3.08MM from the pre-arbitration bonus pool, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Pirates righty Paul Skenes ($2.15MM) and Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson ($2MM) round out the top three.

The most recent collective bargaining agreement introduced a $50MM pool that is divided among players who have yet to accrue enough service time to reach arbitration. (Each team commits around $1.67MM to that fund every season.) The goal was to help highly-performing young players get paid earlier in their careers. Players are eligible even if they’ve signed a contract extension, as Witt did before the season. Despite inking a deal approaching $289MM, he’ll pick up a little more than $3MM as a result of his fantastic ’24 campaign.

A player receives $2.5MM for winning MVP or Cy Young. They’re awarded $1.75MM for a runner-up finish, $1.5MM for third place, and $1MM for fourth or fifth place. The Rookie of the Year winner in each league gets $750K, while the runners-up pick up $500K. Players named first-team All-MLB receive $1MM; a second-team All-MLB placement is worth $500K.

Players cannot double-up on those accolades. They’re paid in line with the highest award honors they received. Witt was the MVP runner-up in the American League. Skenes finished third in Cy Young voting. Henderson placed fourth in MVP voting.

After the award money is paid out, the remaining funds are divided between the top 100 eligible players based on a predetermined Wins Above Replacement formula which was mutually approved by MLB and the Players Association. William Contreras, Cole Ragans, Jarren Duran, Jackson Merrill and Luis Gil were the other players to top $1MM this year. The Associated Press lists every player who received some money based on their WAR totals — going down to Sal Frelick at a little over $232K.

Astros’ GM Discusses Valdez, Bregman

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Astros general manager Dana Brown met with reporters shortly after the team finalized its biggest trade in years. In the wake of sending Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith, Brown spoke about what’s next.

Most notably, he downplayed the chance of moving ace Framber Valdez. He indicated the front office continues to be open to offers on anyone but suggested he didn’t find it likely they’ll move the star lefty. “We’re not aggressively trying to move him, but we’ll listen,” Brown told reporters (link via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). “If you ask me if (I) think we’re going to trade Valdez, I don’t think we’re trading Valdez. I think he’s (a) pillar, and it’s really tough to keep a rotation intact, and we really feel like he’s going to be an important one in our rotation.”

Valdez and Tucker were each thrust into trade rumors on Monday, when Brown replied to a question on their availability by saying the team would “listen on all the players.” Today’s comments don’t refute that, though the Astros seem less motivated to pursue trade talks on Valdez now that they’ve moved Tucker. One of the primary motivations for trading either player was offloading their expensive projected salaries for their final season of arbitration. The Tucker trade should save the Astros around $9MM — the difference between the projections for Tucker’s and Paredes’ salaries — and drops their projected luxury tax number to roughly $225MM (courtesy of RosterResource). That puts them around $16MM shy of the base threshold.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Valdez for a $17.8MM salary. The Astros shouldn’t have as much of a desire to offload that money. Perhaps they will reconsider if they receive an offer that takes the general shape of the Tucker trade and allows them to acquire MLB help and at least one prospect of note. Brown acknowledged today that the club hasn’t had any extension talks with Valdez since last year, so they’re probably not optimistic about the chance of keeping him beyond next season. They’re still aiming to win the AL West in 2025, though, so they’re not going to move Valdez strictly for minor league talent.

Brown was also naturally asked how the Tucker trade impacts their pursuit of Alex Bregman. While there could be a few million dollars more to offer Bregman in the short term, landing Paredes gives the Astros a fallback at third base which they’d previously lacked. Brown indicated the Tucker trade doesn’t have much impact on the Bregman bidding. “Pretty much, Alex Bregman’s status [remains] the way it is,” he stated (link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). “Nothing has changed since the last time I’ve talked to you guys. … It’s still pretty much the same where we were Tuesday.”

There’s still room for Bregman on the roster. Paredes has played nearly 400 career innings at first base. He’s a serviceable defender at third base, but his profile is built around his bat. He wouldn’t lose a ton of value if he moves to the other side of the diamond. Houston needs first base help. They’d probably run a Jon Singleton and Zach Dezenzo platoon if the season opened today.

Brown acknowledged that the team was looking for a bat. They’re not going to find anyone of Tucker’s caliber, of course, but there’s still a decent amount of talent available in both the first base and corner outfield markets. Chandler Rome of the Athletic writes that Houston is looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder, in particular, as a direct replacement for the role Tucker filled.

The GM told Rome and other reporters that the Astros expect for Chas McCormick to open the season in right field while Jake Meyers plays center. He left the door open for a left field acquisition. Switch-hitter Jurickson Profar and lefty-swinging Max Kepler and Alex Verdugo are speculative possibilities who remain unsigned.

Pirates Hire Miguel Perez As Bullpen Coach

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The Pirates announced the hiring of Miguel Perez as bullpen coach on Friday afternoon. He’ll take over for Justin Meccage, with whom the club parted ways at the end of the season.

Perez, 41, is a former professional catcher. He had a cup of coffee with the Reds in 2005 amidst a 12-year minor league career. Perez finished his playing days in the Pittsburgh system in 2013. He moved directly into coaching. Perez has spent the past decade coaching and managing at various levels of the Bucs’ organization. He has managed their Triple-A team in Indianapolis for the last three years, overlapping with players like Oneil Cruz and Endy Rodríguez along the way.

While he wasn’t a pitcher himself, Perez’s catching background means he’s comfortable with pitching staffs. He’ll work alongside pitching coach Oscar Marin and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom to try to turn the relief group around. Pittsburgh relievers had the fourth-highest ERA in the majors this season, allowing 4.49 earned runs per nine. They ranked 20th in strikeout percentage (22.9%) while posting the seventh-worst walk rate (10%). The top priority is getting David Bednar on track after the star righty turned in 5.77 ERA and relinquished the closer role late in the season.

Diamondbacks Finalize Coaching Staff

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The D-Backs announced their 2025 coaching staff this evening. The previously unreported additions are the hirings of Travis Denker as assistant hitting coach and Owen Dew as assistant pitching coach. Former assistant hitting coach Rick Short is moving to minor league field coordinator, the team announced. Arizona dismissed prior assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson at the end of the season.

It’s the first MLB coaching jobs for both Denker and Dew. The former reached the majors as a player, suiting up in 24 games for the Giants in 2008. Denker spent 12 seasons in the minor leagues. He finished his playing career in the Arizona system in 2017 before moving into coaching. He has spent the past six years coaching in the minors, including two years as a hitting coach with Triple-A Reno.

Dew, 36, is a former Cleveland draftee who pitched in their system for four years. He moved into coaching with Cleveland in 2017. Dew worked his way from short season ball up the minor league ladder, getting to their top affiliate in Columbus in 2023. He spent two years with the Guardians’ Triple-A team before getting the bump to Arizona’s big league staff.

This will be Torey Lovullo’s ninth season at the helm in Phoenix. In addition to Denker and Dew, new hirings include pitching coach Brian Kaplan, bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda, and third base coach Shaun Larkin. Bench coach Jeff Banister, hitting coach Joe Mather, assistant hitting coach Damion Easley, and first base coach Dave McKay are returnees.

Pirates, Carson Fulmer Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Pirates are in agreement with right-hander Carson Fulmer on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). The Icon Sports Management client will be in MLB camp as a non-roster invitee.

Pittsburgh’s interest in the 31-year-old Fulmer as a depth option goes back a few years. They claimed the former eighth overall pick off waivers twice during the 2020 season. Pittsburgh never used in an MLB game and designated him for assignment early in the following year. While Fulmer hasn’t donned a Bucs uniform in the majors, he has appeared for five teams over a career spanning parts of eight seasons. A good portion of that work came with the White Sox early in his career.

After bouncing around in journeyman fashion, Fulmer found something of a home with the Angels. He inked a minor league deal with the Halos in 2023 and nabbed a spot on the big league roster late in the season. While they waived him at season’s end, they brought him back on another minor league deal and called him up within two weeks of the ’24 campaign.

Fulmer stuck on the roster for the rest of the season. He started eight of 37 appearances and logged a career-high 86 2/3 innings. The Vanderbilt product turned in a 4.15 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate that’s a little below average. He issued walks at a slight elevated 10.6% rate. The Halos ran him through waivers at the end of the year, sending him back to minor league free agency. He’ll battle for a spot in Derek Shelton’s bullpen during Spring Training.

Cubs Sign Carson Kelly

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The Cubs finalized a two-year free agent deal with catcher Carson Kelly on Friday evening. The CAA client is reportedly guaranteed $11.5MM with the chance to earn another $500K annually via incentives. Kelly will make $5MM salaries in each of the next two seasons and is guaranteed a $1.5MM buyout on a $7.5MM mutual option for 2027. He’d trigger a $250K bonus for starting 81 and 91 games in each season. Chicago already had a 40-man roster vacancy after dealing two roster players in this afternoon’s Kyle Tucker trade.

Kelly was the top unsigned catcher. The thin market has moved quickly. Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Higashioka, Gary Sánchez, Danny Jansen, Jacob Stallings and Austin Hedges have all gotten MLB deals. Kelly joins Higashioka and d’Arnaud in securing a second guaranteed year and exceeding the $10MM mark.

The righty-swinging backstop had a nice year in 2024. Kelly started the season particularly well, hitting .240/.325/.391 with seven home runs in 203 trips to the plate for the Tigers. Detroit dealt him to the Rangers at the deadline. That was designed to give Kelly a chance to join a contender, but the Rangers sputtered while the Tigers made a surprise playoff push in the final couple months. Kelly’s bat tailed off after the move, as he hit .235/.291/.343 with two homers over 31 games as a Ranger.

That mediocre finish led Texas to pursue Higashioka instead. Still, Kelly’s combined .238/.313/.374 slash line in 313 plate appearances is solid work from a part-time catcher. Statcast graded him positively for his work behind the plate, crediting him with better than average framing and blocking metrics. While Kelly’s raw arm strength was middle of the pack, he cut down an above-average 26.3% of basestealers.

That was a rebound after Kelly had consecutive poor offensive showings in 2022 and ’23. He combined for a .210/.281/.320 slash between the Diamondbacks and Tigers. Kelly had intermittently shown the upside to be a true #1 catcher early in his career in Arizona. He has since settled in as a quality part-time player.

That’s the role he should play in Chicago. The Cubs can somewhat evenly divide playing time between Kelly and 25-year-old Miguel Amaya. A former top prospect, Amaya struggled early in the year before going on a tear in the final two months of the season. He ended the season with a .232/.288/.357 slash over 363 plate appearances. The strong finish wasn’t enough for the Cubs to forego the catching market entirely, yet it lessened their urgency to entertain trading from the top of the farm system for a clear starter.

Kelly’s salary bumps Chicago’s projected payroll to roughly $199MM, according to the calculations at RosterResource. The $5.75MM average annual value pushes their estimated competitive balance tax number to $215MM. That leaves them around $25MM below the base luxury tax threshold.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported on Monday that the Cubs and Kelly were closing in on a deal. Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the $11.5MM guarantee. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported the presence of the ’27 mutual option and the potential $500K in annual incentives. Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic had the salary breakdown and specifics on the bonuses. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Yankees, Wilking Rodríguez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees and right-hander Wilking Rodríguez have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The righty will presumably receive an invite to big league spring training as well.

The Yanks previously signed Rodríguez to a minor league deal in August of 2022. He had been pitching for Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League that year, posting a 2.01 earned run average over 44 2/3 innings. He struck out 43.2% of batters faced for that club, limiting walks to a 7.7% clip.

That intrigued the Yankees but evidently also the Cardinals. The Cards took Rodríguez in the 2022 Rule 5 draft, a surprising pick since the righty was going into his age-33 season and most Rule 5 picks are guys in their 20s still looking to make their major league debuts. Rodríguez had been in the majors long before, throwing two innings for the Royals in 2014 before spending years away from affiliated ball.

The unorthodox pick didn’t work for the Cards, as Rodríguez required shoulder surgery and spent the entire 2023 season on the injured list. He was outrighted off the roster after that campaign and then re-signed with the Cards on a minor league deal. He spent most of 2024 on the minor league IL and only made 13 appearances.

Though it’s been a rough couple of years, Leighton relays that Rodríguez has been pitching in winter ball of late and hitting 97 miles per hour on his fastball. The Yankees were clearly interested in him a couple of years ago and have circled back to him now that he has perhaps gotten over his injury woes.

The Yankees made a big bullpen addition today by acquiring Devin Williams from the Brewers but all clubs need to reach into their non-roster pitching depth throughout a long season as injuries are inevitable.

Blue Jays Designate Nick Raposo For Assignment

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The Blue Jays officially announced their contract with right-hander Yimi García. To open a 40-man roster spot, catcher Nick Raposo has been designated for assignment, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Raposo, 27 in June, has only been with the Blue Jays for a few months. He was designated for assignment by the Cardinals when that club acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham ahead of the trade deadline, with the Jays grabbing Raposo off waivers.

The backstop was added to the St. Louis roster in June but never got to make his major league debut. An undrafted free agent in 2020, he signed with the Cards thereafter and has been a depth catcher for them. He has hit .241/.321/.387 in 219 minor league games over the past four years.

Raposo has never really been on the rader of prospect evaluators. He got a roster spot with the Cards while both Willson Contreras and Iván Herrera were on the injured list. The Jays put in a claim to add some depth after trading Danny Jansen to the Red Sox last year. Now that Raposo has been bumped off the 40-man, the Jays will have a week to either trade him or pass him through waivers.

The Jays are now down to just two catchers on the 40-man roster in Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman. They could perhaps add someone later this offseason, though Heineman is out of options. Perhaps they will look to add some non-roster depth by signing veteran to a minor league deal, though Raposo could also provide some of that depth if he clears waivers and is outrighted to Triple-A.

Blue Jays Re-Sign Yimi García

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The Blue Jays announced that they have signed right-hander Yimi García to a two-year contract. It’s a $15MM deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X link). The 34-year-old is represented by the Nova Sports Agency.

The last time García was a free agent, he also signed with the Jays. Going into the 2022 season, he and the Jays agreed to a two-year deal with an $11MM guarantee, with that deal also having a club/vesting option for 2024.

At that time, García had just finished a strong three-year run split between the Dodgers, Marlins and Astros. He tossed 135 innings over the 2019 to 2021 seasons, allowing 3.53 earned runs per nine. He struck out 26.7% of batters faced and limited walks to a 6.8% clip.

His first two years with the Jays saw him continue to pitch in roughly the same manner. He tossed 127 innings over 2022 and 2023 with a 3.61 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate. He racked up four saves and 41 holds for the Jays in that time and also vested his $6MM option along the way.

2024 was a bit of a mixed bag. García came out strong with a 0.47 ERA through his 19 innings, punching out 35.3% of batters faced. He even racked up five saves while closer Jordan Romano was battling injuries this year.

But García allowed seven earned runs in his next nine innings and then landed on the injured list in mid-June due to right elbow ulnar neuritis. He was activated from the IL in mid-July and traded to the Mariners shortly thereafter, with outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp coming back the other way. He was only able to toss nine innings for Seattle down the stretch due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.

There’s clearly a bit of injury risk with García not pitching much in the second half of 2024, but the Jays know García well after spending most of the past three years with him. They clearly like the fit and have brought him back, now having received two younger players for the brief few months that they were apart from him.

Remaking the bullpen is a clear priority for the Jays, as the relief group fell apart in 2024 and was a key reason for their rough season. Toronto relievers had a collective 4.82 ERA in 2024, a mark that was worse than all clubs except for the Rockies. They cut ties with their long-time closer when they declined to tender Romano a contract for his final arbitration season and Romano has now signed with the Phillies. They also non-tendered Génesis Cabrera, who then signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

García should jump into the mix for leverage work in the Toronto bullpen alongside guys like Chad Green and Erik Swanson, though the Jays will likely make other bullpen moves before the offseason is done, with several free agents on their radar.

RosterResource lists the club’s competitive balance tax number at $210MM, which is $31MM below the base threshold of the tax. The Jays were over the line for much of the 2024 season but they are believed to have ducked under via their midseason selloff, which included García. President Mark Shapiro has suggested the club should be working with similar financial parameters in 2025 so perhaps they would be willing to cross the tax line again in the coming season. They were heavily involved in the Juan Soto bidding but missed out there and now appear to be pivoting to other targets such as Max Fried and Corbin Burnes.

Giants Notes: Payroll, Goldschmidt, Wade

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It was reported last month that the Giants were looking to scale back payroll relative to 2024 levels, but that may no longer be the case. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports reports that the club initially had planned on focusing more on player development in 2025 while taking a step back in terms of building the major league roster, but now seems to have changed course.

That tracks with the club’s behavior in recent weeks. They just signed shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182MM deal and are reportedly involved on free agent right-hander Corbin Burnes, who is likely to get an even bigger deal than Adames. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Burnes for $200MM over seven years, but basically every pitcher has been beating expectations this winter. Max Fried was predicted for $156MM over six years, notably below the prediction for Burnes, but got to $218MM over eight years. As such, it’s fair to expect Burnes to beat Fried’s guarantee by some margin.

If the Giants are ultimately successful in signing Burnes, it would put them pretty close to the competitive balance tax line. RosterResource projects their 2025 number at $208MM right now, which is $33MM below next year’s $241MM base threshold. The Giants crossed the CBT line in 2024 and the planned pay cut likely would have seen them stay below the line in 2025, but a Burnes deal would bridge most of that gap with still other moves likely to follow. In terms of pure dollars, they’re projected for $167MM next year, almost $40MM below their 2024 spending.

The pivot to a more aggressive winter bodes well for their chances in the upcoming season. Adames fills a clear area of need and Burnes would be a huge rotation upgrade if it comes together. In addition to the financial costs of those deals, there would be long-term consequences in terms of draft capabilities. The Giants gave up two picks in 2024, one each for signing Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, since each guy had rejected a qualifying offer. Since the Giants paid the tax in 2024, the penalties are higher this winter. Signing Adames means forfeiting $1MM of international bonus pool space and two picks, their second- and fifth-highest choices in 2025. Like Adames, Burnes also rejected a qualifying offer, which would mean forfeiting another $1MM in pool space and another two picks.

Given that the club’s plan was initially going to involve player development, that’s a notable part of the pivot. However, it’s possible that the Giants simply want to make something happen now, more so than in the future. Their stunning 2021 campaign is their only winning season of the past eight years, so perhaps there’s an appetite to get over the hump sooner rather than later. New president of baseball operations Buster Posey spoke in his introductory press conference about the club getting back into the memory-making business, which has seemingly spurred the club towards shopping at or near the top of free agency.

Whether the Burnes deal can come together or not, the club will also have to consider other moves. In a separate column, Pavlovic notes that veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt “has a lot of fans in the organization.” Separately, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic suggests that Posey might be willing to sign veterans to short-term deals, floating Goldschmidt as a possibility alongside Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

Goldschmidt, 37, isn’t too far removed from winning National League Most Valuable Player in 2022 but his performance has declined in the past two years. He slashed .317/.404/.578 for a 175 wRC+ in his MVP season but he fell in 2023 and dropped even further this year. His 2024 batting line finished at .245/.302/.414 for a 100 wRC+, indicating he was exactly league average. His 7.2% walk rate and 26.5% strikeout rate were both career worsts, outside of his 2011 debut.

Whether he can bounce back in 2025 or not is a matter for debate. His age and recent decline don’t bode especially well, but there is arguably some confidence to be found in his strong finish this year. He hit just .230/.291/.373 in the first half of 2024 for an 87 wRC+ but then .271/.319/.480 in the second half for a 120 wRC+.

The Giants don’t strictly have a need at first base, with LaMonte Wade Jr. currently projected as their primary option there. However, they don’t have a clear everyday designated hitter at the moment. Jorge Soler and Michael Conforto got the most DH appearances in 2024 but Soler is now and Angel and Conforto a Dodger. Wilmer Flores could be in the mix there but he was dreadful in 2024 while battling knee problems and it’s unclear how much the Giants expect from him in 2025.

With the current roster construction, using the DH for some outfield overflow might make sense. The club has Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski likely in three outfield spots but with Grant McCray, Jerar Encarnación, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and others on the roster. Having Goldschmidt and Wade sharing the DH spot and first base would make it hard to find extra at-bats for that group, though perhaps the Giants are willing to live with that in order to take a shot on Goldschmidt for his veteran leadership. He also wouldn’t be able to command a lengthy deal on account of his age and recent performance. MLBTR predicted him for a one-year pact with a $15MM guarantee at the start of the offseason.

There’s also the possibility of signing Goldschmidt and then making Wade available in trades. It was reported last month that Wade and Yastrzemski were indeed available, as well as some other players, though it’s unclear if the club’s recent change in plans has altered the availability of such players.

Wade were surely draw interest from other clubs if the Giants wanted to move him. He doesn’t provide the pop that clubs usually look to get from a first baseman, but he gets on base and isn’t too expensive. Over the past two years, he has drawn a walk in 15% of his 920 plate appearances. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber were the only big leaguers with at least 900 plate appearances and better walk rates in that time. Wade only hit 25 home runs over those two seasons but his .258/.376/.401 batting line still translated to a strong 120 wRC+.

For his career, Wade has notable platoon splits, with a 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers and just a 64 wRC+ against lefties. He was much better against southpaws in 2024, though in a tiny sample of just 43 plate appearances. There are limits in his profile but MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a modest $4.7MM salary in his final year of club control.

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