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Central Notes: Cardinals, Quero, Cantillo

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The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries in the early days of the 2024 season, but they have recently received some good news about several players.

Major offseason acquisition Sonny Gray suffered a right hamstring strain in spring training, robbing him of the necessary game action he needed to be ready for the regular season. The right-hander threw 36 pitches over three simulated innings today (per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat), and he will pitch for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on Wednesday (per Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Jones adds that a return as soon as April 9 or 10 is a possibility.

Keynan Middleton, another significant free agent signing this winter, is not quite as close to returning, but Worthy notes that he will begin to work off a mound on Wednesday. He was shut down with a forearm strain in mid-March.

As for the position players, Jones mentions that Lars Nootbaar took eight live at-bats today and will take another four tomorrow. Manager Oliver Marmol will meet with the outfielder to decide if he needs a rehab stint at Triple-A before coming off the IL. Nootbaar is recovering from two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs.

Tommy Edman is dealing with wrist pain following offseason surgery. Worthy reports that he is set to undergo an MRI on Wednesday. The scan will show whether or not he is ready to start ramping up his swing. Finally, Worthy notes that Dylan Carlson received an injection to help combat pain in his left shoulder. The pain is a result of a sprained AC joint that he suffered during an outfield collision in one of the final games of spring training. Barring a setback, he should be ready to get back into game action before too long.

More news from around the NL and AL Central…

  • Brewers catching prospect Jeferson Quero is being evaluated for a right shoulder injury, GM Matt Arnold told reporters, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The severity of the injury is currently unclear, although it’s certainly worrisome when a catcher known for his strong arm injures his throwing shoulder. Quero is only 21 years old and has yet to make his MLB debut. However, the highly-regarded catching prospect is one of three backstops on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, along with William Contreras and Gary Sánchez. If his injury proves to be serious, the team’s catching depth will be tested early in the season.
  • Joey Cantillo, a left-handed pitcher in the Guardians organization, will miss eight to 10 weeks with a hamstring strain he suffered at the end of spring training, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Cantillo was unlikely to make the Guardians Opening Day roster, even if he had stayed healthy this spring. That said, he is already on the 40-man roster, and after 18 starts at Triple-A last season, he seemed like a good candidate to make his MLB debut at some point this year. That could still happen, but he’ll have to wait at least a couple of months to get that chance.

Brandon Belt “Baffled” By Lack Of Offers In Free Agency

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Two days into the regular season, only one position player from MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list remains unsigned: designated hitter/first baseman Brandon Belt. On Friday, the veteran slugger discussed his enduring free agency in an appearance on The JD Bunkis Podcast. According to Belt, he had very few calls with teams this winter that went further than the teams expressing loose interest. He never got to the point of “talking about money” with any clubs.

Belt suggests that numerous teams considered him a second-choice option if they were unable to land their first choice on a longer-term deal. In the end, he says “pretty much every one” of those teams “got their guy.” He could be referring to the Giants, who signed Jorge Soler to a three-year deal, or the Mariners, who signed Mitch Garver to a two-year contract. Several other teams signed designated hitters to one-year deals this offseason, including the Diamondbacks (Joc Pederson), the Mets (J.D. Martinez), and the Blue Jays (Justin Turner).

The Rangers were one team that reportedly discussed signing Belt, but evidently, they never reached the point of making him an offer. That surely has something to do with top prospect Wyatt Langford earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, but still, Texas could have considered Belt for the spot that ultimately went to non-roster invitee Jared Walsh. Two more teams that seemed like potential fits for Belt also opted to sign veterans on minor league deals instead: the Blue Jays went with Daniel Vogelbach, while the Angels added Miguel Sano.

Although Belt “definitely” wants to play in 2024 (per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic), he told Bunkis that he didn’t want to settle for a minor league contract. He made $9.3 million last season, and it’s safe to say he outperformed the Blue Jays’ expectations when they offered him that deal. It’s reasonable to presume he was hoping for a raise. Instead, he will almost certainly have to settle for a sizeable pay cut, if and when he eventually signs. To that point, Belt mentioned how different his free agent experience was during the 2022-23 offseason. He says it was “pretty easy” to land a contract because “quite a few teams” were interested in his services. That couldn’t be further from the case this time around.

Belt says the whole experience has “baffled [him] a little bit,” and it’s not hard to see why. The left-handed hitter is coming off an excellent season with Toronto in which he hit 19 home runs in just 103 games. He also hit 23 doubles and drew 61 walks over 404 plate appearances. Only seven AL batters (min. 400 PA) outproduced his .858 OPS and 138 wRC+. His .336 expected wOBA was more good than great, and he’s likely due for some regression as he enters his late thirties. Still, plenty of teams would be better off with his experienced lefty bat on their roster.

Brown: Astros, Alex Bregman Will Discuss Extension “At Some Point”

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Speaking to reporters on Thursday (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com), Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the team has not yet broached the subject of an extension with Alex Bregman. This aligns with comments Bregman made this spring, telling reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic) that he had not received an offer and did not expect to before Opening Day.

However, Brown added that he still plans to discuss a new contract with his third baseman. “At some point,” the GM stated, “we will have some discussions with Bregman and make him an offer” (per McTaggart).

While there is often a long way to go between an initial offer and an agreement, this is a reassuring update for Astros fans hoping the two-time All-Star signs a long-term deal with the club. Brown made similar comments regarding Bregman ahead of spring training, which is often considered the best time for extension discussions. Although the spring has wrapped up and the season has begun, the executive’s more recent remarks clarify that the Astros are open to negotiations over the next several months. For his part, Bregman has also expressed a willingness to allow his agent, Scott Boras, to negotiate with Houston during the season (per Rome).

Bregman made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2018 and ’19. He slashed .291/.409/.561 with 72 home runs across those two seasons, finishing in the top five in AL MVP voting each year. Leg injuries limited him to 133 games between 2020 and ’21, and although he has stayed healthy ever since, he has never quite returned to his 2018-19 form. Nonetheless, Bregman has remained a highly productive player, thanks to excellent plate discipline, plus power, and a capable glove at the hot corner. As he enters his age-30 season, he is still one of the better third basemen in the American League. With another strong showing in 2024, he will be one of the top free agents available if he hits the open market this coming winter.

Brown also told reporters that Kyle Tucker will receive an extension offer, though he noted that the two sides are not engaged in “deep discussions” (per McTaggart). The GM had previously expressed a desire to extend Tucker, but his words on Thursday suggest a further degree of certainty that the Astros will in fact make an offer. 

Tucker has blossomed into one of the better corner outfielders in baseball over the past four seasons. He won a Gold Glove in 2022, a Silver Slugger in 2023, and made the AL All-Star team both years. However, extending Tucker is less pressing business for the Astros; the right fielder won’t reach free agency until after the 2025 campaign. 

Giants Recall Kai-Wei Teng For Major League Debut

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves today, with outfielder Luis Matos and right-hander Kai-Wai Teng recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. Teng will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. In corresponding moves, outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been placed on the paternity list while right-hander Luke Jackson goes on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase had reported earlier that Matos would be taking Yastrzemski’s place on the roster. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first relayed that Teng was at the ballpark tonight.

Jackson departed last night’s game with an apparent back issue. He didn’t seem terribly concerned with the severity but the club evidently feels he will need at least a couple of weeks to get back on the mound.

His injury will pave the way for Teng to be called up to the big leagues for the first time. The 25-year-old was signed by the Twins as an international amateur out of Taiwan. He came to the Giants in the 2019 deadline deal that sent Sam Dyson to Minnesota.

He has climbed the rungs of the minor league ladder since then, showcasing strikeout stuff but also control issues. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, making 28 starts and one relief appearance, tossing 126 1/3 innings. He struck out 29.8% of batters faced but also gave out free passes at a 12.4% clip, leading to a combined earned run average of 4.42.

He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster but Jackson’s injury will allow him to come up just after. He’ll likely be in a long relief role out of the bullpen. The club is currently operating with 14 positions players and just 12 pitchers, meaning that eating multiple innings from the bullpen will be valuable for the club.

Yankees Acquire JT Brubaker From Pirates

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The Yankees have acquired right-hander JT Brubaker and international bonus pool space from the Pirates for a player to be named later, per announcements from both clubs. Prior to the official announcements, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported on that Brubaker was going to the Yanks for a PTBNL. The righty is on the 60-day injured list, recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He won’t need a roster spot with the Yankees but won’t be available to them immediately. Per Stumpf, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Brubaker is targeting a return around the All-Star break. He’s controllable via arbitration through the 2025 season. The bonus pool money is worth $550K, per Francys Romero.

Brubaker, 30, missed the entire 2023 season after requiring Tommy John in mid-April. In the three preceding seasons, he had been one of the steadier arms on Pittsburgh’s staff. He tossed 315 2/3 innings over the 2020 to 2022 campaigns, one of which was shortened by the pandemic, with an earned run average of 4.99.

Though that ERA may not be terribly exciting, it’s possible that it doesn’t represent his true skill level, with some underlying metrics painting a more favorable picture. He struck out 23.3% of batters faced in that stretch and walked 7.8%, with both of those numbers being slightly better than average for a starting pitcher in the modern game. His 44% ground ball rate was also right around typical league average.

The discrepancy may be down to luck, as his .313 batting average on balls in play and 70.1% strand rate have both been on the unfortunate side of par. ERA estimators like his 4.43 FIP and 4.04 SIERA suggest he may have deserved better. That was especially true in 2022, when he had a 4.69 ERA but a 3.92 FIP and 3.97 SIERA.

But it’s also possible the difference is down to Brubaker’s struggles with lefties, something explored by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco prior to Brubaker’s surgery. He only throws his changeup about 5.5% of the time and hasn’t had great results with it, meaning he doesn’t have a great weapon for tackling lefty hitters. They have hit .269/.339/.481 against him, compared to a line of .272/.342/.391 from righty-swinging opponents.

Whether the Yankees can help Brubaker find another gear remains to be seen, but there’s likely some appeal even if he remains a back-of-the-rotation kind of guy. The Yankees were looking for starting pitching this offseason, even after signing Marcus Stroman. Their need for rotation reinforcements was only increased with the recent news that Gerrit Cole is going to miss some time with an elbow issue.

Cole and Brubaker may be on somewhat similar timelines, as Cole was also placed on the 60-day IL, putting him on the shelf until at least late May but with an uncertain timeline after that. Brubaker won’t be able to help out during Cole’s absence but other injuries could crop up throughout the season that could require reinforcements. The Yankees currently have Stroman, Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón in three rotation spots, all three of whom missed significant time last year. Luis Gil won a rotation spot out of camp despite missing most of the past two seasons recovering from his own Tommy John surgery.

Brubaker comes into 2024 with exactly four years of service time. He first qualified for arbitration going into 2023 and earned a salary of $2.275MM. After sitting out the whole campaign, he agreed to the same mark this year, with one more arbitration season remaining.

For the Bucs, they were looking at another season and a half of Brubaker’s services, including next year and the post-All-Star portion of 2024. Once healthy, he would have been entering a rotation mix that currently consists of Mitch Keller, Martín Pérez, Marco Gonzales, Jared Jones and Bailey Falter, but prospects like Paul Skenes and Quinn Priester might be in there by midseason. Bubba Chandler will be a bit behind that group and Johan Oviedo, who will miss 2024 due to his own Tommy John, will be back in the picture next year.

General manager Ben Cherington spoke to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying that the club preferred to get something in return now. That return is unknown at this time but will become more clear when the PTBNL is revealed. In the meantime, they will save a small amount of money.

The Yanks will be taking on slightly more than the Bucs are saving, since they are over the fourth line of the competitive balance tax and a third-time payor. That means they are paying a 110% tax on any money they add to the payroll at this point. On top of Brubaker’s $2.275MM salary, they will also have to pay $2.5025MM in taxes.

If Brubaker is healthy in a few months but the Yankee rotation is in decent shape, he has a couple of options and could be sent to Triple-A. That could provide the club with some extra depth, it could also give them an extra year of control. As mentioned, Brubaker is coming into 2024 with exactly four years of service time. He’s currently accruing more service time while on the 60-day IL but an optional assignment of a few weeks would prevent him from getting to the five-year mark this year.

Regardless of how that plays out, the Yankees are adding some rotation depth for the latter half of this year and for the future as well. Additionally, they’ve added some unknown amount of international bonus pool space. The Bucs have saved a bit of money and bolstered their system with another player who is presumably younger and more controllable than Brubaker, though the details of their return have not yet emerged.

Diamondbacks Sign Jordan Montgomery

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March 29: The Diamondbacks have made it official, announcing Montgomery’s signing today, adding that Montgomery has been optioned to Triple-A Reno. Players with more than five years of service time can’t be optioned without their consent, but the lefty presumably agreed to be sent down so that he could get in some work after missing Spring Training while unsigned. The lefty is targeting April 19 for his first start with the Snakes, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

March 26: The Diamondbacks and left-hander Jordan Montgomery are reportedly in agreement on a one-year, $25MM pact. The deal includes a $20MM vesting player option for the 2025 season, with Montgomery earning the ability to opt out if he starts at least ten games in 2024. Montgomery’s option will vest at $20MM if he makes ten starts, with an additional $2.5MM added to the option upon reaching 18 starts and 23 starts during the 2024 season. The deal is pending a physical.

The deal brings to a close a lengthy free agency for Montgomery, who defeated the Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series alongside the Rangers just five months ago. Arizona will be the 31-year-old’s fourth team in the past three seasons. Montgomery’s free agent odyssey dragged on longer than anyone could have reasonably anticipated heading into the offseason, when he was widely expected to command a long-term, nine-figure contract. The 2023-24 offseason, however, will be one remembered as an oddity, given the stark number of clubs dealing with uncertainty regarding their television broadcast rights — Montgomery’s incumbent Rangers among them — and about a third of the league facing luxury-tax concerns of some degree.

All of that combined to limit the market for Montgomery and other top-tier free agents, although the left-hander’s lofty asking price on the heels of a career-year punctuated by postseason heroics surely didn’t do him any favors. Even as late into the offseason as early March, the left-hander and agent Scott Boras were reported to be seeking a six- or even seven-year deal. A six-year deal under conventional market circumstances early in the offseason might’ve been attainable, but this offseason’s market simply didn’t bear that. The nature of this new contract with the D-backs will allow him the opportunity to take another bite at the free agent apple next offseason, with some added insurance in the form of a player option that safeguards against a late-season injury.

After spending his entire career until the 2022 trade deadline in a Yankees uniform, Montgomery was swapped to St. Louis in exchange for center fielder Harrison Bader. The southpaw found great success in St. Louis, delivering a 3.31 ERA and 3.50 FIP in 32 starts for the club before he was once again swapped in a deadline deal, this time going to Texas as the Cardinals faced their first 90-loss campaign of the 21st century. His strong performance continued in Texas as he pitched to a sterling 2.79 ERA down the stretch before delivering a 2.90 ERA in 31 postseason innings as the Rangers claimed their first World Series championship in franchise history.

While Montgomery has emerged as a starter capable of comfortably pitching at the front of a playoff rotation in his 50 appearances (both postseason and regular season) since leaving New York, he showed himself to be a quality mid-rotation arm even during his days in the Bronx. While he missed much of the 2018 and 2019 campaigns rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, the lefty pitched to a respectable 3.94 ERA and 3.90 FIP in 98 appearances across five-and-a-half years with the club. During his time in New York, he struck out 22.7% of batters faced while walking just 6.9% and generating grounders at an above-average 43.7% clip. Those peripheral numbers are fairly consistent with the ones he’s posted during his breakout over the past two seasons; since the start of the 2022 campaign, Montgomery has struck out opponents at a 21.6% clip while walking 5.6% with a 45.3% groundball rate.

For the Diamondbacks, the addition of Montgomery further strengthens a starting rotation that the club already took a major step toward addressing when they signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80MM deal back in December. When at full strength, the club’s rotation now figures to feature NL Cy Young Award finalist Zac Gallen and Montgomery at the front, with Rodriguez and veteran righty Merrill Kelly in the middle, and youngster Brandon Pfaadt bringing up the rear. It’s a massive upgrade from the club’s 2023 group, which pitched to a combined 4.67 ERA last season. That was a bottom-ten figure in the majors last year and placed the club dead last among all 2023 playoff teams. By signing Montgomery, the Diamondbacks have successfully converted one of their biggest weaknesses in 2023 into a clear strength ahead of the 2024 season, at least on paper.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether that on-paper strength in the rotation will yield results. Availability remains a major question mark for the starting staff in Arizona entering the regular season, as neither major pitching addition will open the season in the club’s rotation. Rodriguez was shut down last week due to a lat strain and has no announced timetable for return. As for Montgomery, John Gambadoro of 98.7FM Phoenix reports that the club doesn’t expect him to be ready for at least “a few weeks.” Previous reports had indicated that Montgomery had built up to 75 pitches in his offseason workouts, though said training is no replacement for facing live hitting in organized ball.

Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that the delayed start to the southpaw’s season comes with what could prove to be a significant financial benefit. Because Montgomery has agreed to start in the minor leagues to ramp up for his D-backs debut, Piecoro indicates that the left-hander will be rendered ineligible to receive a qualifying offer should he return to free agency this winter. That removes perhaps the most significant drawback Montgomery faced in signing a short-term deal this winter, as his midseason trade from St. Louis to Texas allowed him to enter free agency unencumbered by draft pick compensation. Had he been eligible for the QO this coming winter, he’d run the risks of facing a deflated market as a qualified free agent. That possibility is now no longer a concern.

The addition of Montgomery sends Arizona’s already franchise-record payroll to new levels after an offseason spending spree. In addition to Montgomery and Rodriguez, the club also fortified their outfield mix with Joc Pederson, Randal Grichuk, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in free agency while swinging a deal to land third baseman Eugenio Suarez to bolster their infield. Those additions wound up bringing the club’s estimated payroll (per RosterResource) to more than $167MM, with a $215MM figure for luxury tax purposes. Both numbers blow Arizona’s past records of $132MM in 2018 and $155MM in 2023 (per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) out of the water as the club enters 2024 eager to return to the postseason and establish themselves as a top contender in the NL alongside clubs such as the Dodgers, Braves, and Phillies.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the sides had reached an agreement. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the salary terms for 2024 as well as the 2025 vesting option. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported additional details regarding the nature of the vesting option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dodgers Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have signed left-hander Drew Pomeranz to a minor league deal, per Alex Freedman, the broadcaster/communications director for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The lefty has been assigned to OKC.

Pomeranz, 35, is looking to get back to the majors after two lost seasons. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels this winter but was released at the end of camp, either because he triggered an opt-out or the club simply let him go when they decided he wasn’t going to break camp with the club. Either way, he hit the open market again and now has a new deal with the Dodgers.

The lefty had once been one of the most dominant relievers in the league. The Brewers acquired him at the 2019 deadline and moved him from the rotation to the bullpen, at which point Pomeranz fired off 26 1/3 innings with a 2.39 earned run average. He struck out a tremendous 45% of batters faced in that time, while also keeping his walk rate to 8% and getting grounders on 46.8% of balls in play.

The Padres decided to make a bet on that breakout, signing him to a four-year deal with a $34MM guarantee. For the first half of that deal, it looked like a brilliant move for the Friars. Over 2020 and 2021, Pomeranz made 47 appearances with a tiny ERA of 1.62. His 11.4% walk rate was on the high side but he punched out 33.7% of batters faced and got grounders at a 45.8% clip, racking up four saves and 22 holds.

But he required surgery for a torn flexor tendon in August of 2021 and hasn’t been back on a mound for a big league game since then. Over the intervening years, he has repeatedly hit setbacks in his attempts to get back in action. He underwent a “cleanup surgery” on his elbow in May of last year and was able to go on a rehab assignment towards the end of the season, but only tossed 5 2/3 innings on the farm before being shut down again.

In Spring Training with the Angels this year, he made nine appearances, striking out six batters while giving out three walks and allowing eight hits and five earned runs. That’s not nearly as impressive as his previous results but it’s a small sample and it’s fair to expect some rust after such a long layoff. The main thing is that he appears to be the healthiest he has been in almost three years.

The Dodgers are generally unafraid to take chances on talented pitchers trying to get over significant injuries and there’s effectively no risk on a minor deal like this. For Pomeranz, he can utilize the tools of an organization that has a strong track record for helping pitchers maximize their results, which could perhaps benefit both player and club if Pomeranz can stay on the hill and get in a nice groove.

Cubs, Curt Casali Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have signed veteran catcher Curt Casali to a minor league contract, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The BHSC client spent spring training with the Marlins but didn’t make the roster and was granted his release earlier this week.

Casali, 35, is a veteran of 10 big league seasons. He had a solid run with the Reds and (more briefly) the Rays from 2017-20, batting .262/.348/.444 over the life of 498 plate appearances, working primarily in a backup role. His bat has declined in the three seasons since, however.

Dating back to 2021, Casali has posted a lackluster .201/.311/.315 batting line — about 22% below league-average (78 wRC+) in a span of 504 plate appearances. He had a tough showing in camp with Miami, too, going just 1-for-17 with a double, a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Though his bat has seen a clear downturn in recent seasons, Casali is generally regarded as a sound defender. He nabbed six of 19 potential thieves on the bases last year (32%), and Statcast graded him as better than average when it comes to blocking pitches in the dirt. Defensive Runs Saved (+3) had a favorable view of his glovework as well.

The Cubs don’t have an immediate need behind the dish. Veteran Yan Gomes is slated to serve as the primary catcher for new manager Craig Counsell, and he’ll split time with 25-year-old Miguel Amaya, who’s out of minor league options and thus has to remain on the big league roster or else be traded or exposed to waivers. Presumably, Casali will head to Des Moines to suit up for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate and be one of their first considerations in the event of an injury on the big league catching corps.

Cardinals Outright Jared Young

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March 29: Young cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Memphis, the Cardinals announced. He’ll remain with the organization.

March 27: The Cardinals announced that infielder/outfielder Jared Young has been placed on outright waivers. That opens up a spot on their 40-man roster for outfielder Victor Scott II.

Young, 28, was claimed off waivers out of the division-rival Cubs organization back in November. A 15th-round pick in 2017, he’s logged big league time in each of the past two seasons with Chicago, albeit in limited fashion. He’s appeared in just 22 games and tallied 69 plate appearances, hitting .210/.290/.435 in his brief cups of coffee at the MLB level.

Those numbers don’t stand out, nor do the results from Young’s first two seasons at the Triple-A level, but he laid waste to opposing pitchers with Triple-A Iowa last season in his third run through that level. In 90 games and 376 plate appearances, Young turned in a stout .310/.417/.577 batting line with 21 homers, a huge 13.3% walk rate and a 22.3% strikeout rate. He collected only three hits in 45 plate appearances this spring, but last year’s upper-minors results are genuinely intriguing.

Young has spent notable time at first base, second base, third base and in both outfield corners on the defensive side of things. The bulk of that time has come at first base and in left field, but any team that places a claim or looks to swing a minor trade to pick him up would be adding a lefty bat with some decent versatility. Young has a pair of minor league options remaining as well, which could add to his appeal. The outright waiver process lasts 48 hours, so Young should know relatively soon whether he’ll head to another club’s 40-man roster or stick with the Cardinals and be assigned outright to Triple-A Memphis.

Pitchers Approaching Career Milestones In 2024

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The 2024 season is just days away. It’s a time of renewed hope for at least the vast majority of teams. It also opens the opportunity for a few veteran players to continue building on what have already been very accomplished careers, some of which should happen early in the year.

Wins

There’s no pitcher who’s particularly close to a magic round number — unless we drop all the way down to 100, which is notable but not especially illustrious. However, Justin Verlander’s win total will still be worth tracking. The Houston ace will begin the season on the injured list but is hopeful of a quick return. The three-time Cy Young winner is at 257 wins in his career and will pass Ted Lyons for 41st all-time if he records even four victories this year. Eight wins will push Verlander into the top 40, surpassing Gus Weyhing. With nine wins, he’ll leapfrog Jim McCormick. Ten victories will be enough to overtake both Eppa Rixey and Bob Feller. With a dozen wins, Verlander will move past Jim Palmer. Recording 13 wins will eclipse Jamie Moyer, while 14 will pass Mike Mussina and Burleigh Grimes. Perhaps 17 is a long shot, but if Verlander can get to that point, he’ll pass Red Ruffing and move into 32nd place all-time. Each of Lyons, Rixey, Feller, Palmer, Mussina, Grimes and Ruffing is a Hall of Famer — a distinction that surely awaits Verlander in the future.

As an aside, Verlander would also become just the fifth pitcher to ever record 200-plus strikeouts in 10 seasons of his career. Again, starting out on the injured list doesn’t help his chances. He hasn’t topped 200 in a season since fanning 300 back in 2019, but there’s always a slim chance. Only Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Tom Seaver have recorded 10 or more seasons of 200 punchouts.

Saves

Heading into the 2024 season, the current No. 7 and 8 names on the all-time saves list will have active closer’s jobs: Kenley Jansen (Red Sox) and Craig Kimbrel (Orioles). Jansen currently boasts 420 saves. Kimbrel is at 417. Jansen and Kimbrel not only have a chance to finish the season in MLB’s top five all-time saves leaders — it seems quite likely both will get there with good health. Jansen needs three saves to pass Billy Wagner, five to pass John Franco and 18 to pass Francisco Rodriguez, who’s currently fourth all-time. Kimbrel is only three saves behind him, so he needs just six, eight and 21 to wind up in the top five right behind Jansen. It’s also possible the two will flip spots, given the proximity on the current leaderboards.

Way down the list, Braves closer Raisel Iglesias enters the season with 190 career saves. That puts him 58th all-time. He has a strong chance to become the 54th pitcher to ever reach 200 saves in a career. Iglesias saved 33 games for the Braves in 2023, and if he repeats that he’ll jump to 45th all-time. He’ll pitch this season at 34, and if he can remain a serviceable closer into his mid- and late-30s, he has a decent chance at passing Jason Isringhausen and Bruce Sutter — both at exactly 300 saves — and becoming just the 32nd pitcher to ever reach that milestone, though clearly that’ll take another few years.

Other possibilities to reach 200 saves this season include David Robertson, who currently sits at 175 saves in his career, and Josh Hader, who’s sitting on 165. Jose Leclerc might get first crack at the ninth inning over Robertson, but he’s been inconsistent and had his share of injuries. Hader is the clear favorite for saves in Houston, but he’s only reached 35 saves in a single season twice before. Both pitchers could get to that nice round number given their presence as late-inning options on contending clubs.

Taking a slightly different approach to career save totals, Kimbrel is already one of just four players in MLB history to have five or more seasons of 40-plus saves, joining Mariano Rivera (9), Trevor Hoffman (9) and the previously mentioned K-Rod (6). He hasn’t had a 40-save season since 2018, but if he can turn back the clock he’d tie Rodriguez with his sixth 40-save season. Similarly, Jansen is one of just ten pitchers to ever have four seasons of 40 or more saves. He reached that mark as recently as 2022. A 40-save season would tie him with Kimbrel at five and make him just the fifth pitcher to ever enjoy five such seasons.

Strikeouts

Max Scherzer likely won’t pitch in the season’s first half, but if he takes the ball at all this year he’ll be a virtual lock to move into tenth place on the all-time strikeout list, surpassing Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Mad Max’s 3367 punchouts are just four behind the Professor. With a full season, Scherzer might’ve had a shot at Walter Johnson’s ninth-place mark (3509), but that’ll likely have to wait for future seasons — assuming Scherzer keeps going after the ’24 campaign.

The aforementioned Verlander is only 25 strikeouts behind Scherzer and thus all but certain to pass his former teammate. Verlander is currently tied with Phil Niekro at 3442, meaning his next strikeout will give him sole possession of 11th place all-time. And if he can return early enough in the 2024 season, Verlander will have a shot at the 168 strikeouts he needs to inch past Johnson on the all-time list. He’d need 193 to pass Gaylord Perry for eighth all-time, which probably won’t happen this year, but Verlander has said he wants to pitch into his mid-40s and has an option on his contract for the 2025 season.

We don’t know when Clayton Kershaw will pitch this year or whether the still-unsigned Zack Greinke will pitch at all, but both are within arm’s reach of 3000 punchouts in their respective careers. Only 19 pitchers have ever done so. Kershaw needs 56 whiffs to get to that point and is hopeful of rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation in the second half after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. His deal comes with a 2025 option, so even if 3000 doesn’t happen this year, there’s a good chance we’ll see it in ’25. Greinke is just 21 strikeouts away from 3000. A return to the Royals seems unlikely, but if he decides he wants to pitch and chase down that 3000 milestone, he’d surely garner some interest from teams seeking depth.

There are a handful of names chasing down the 2000-strikeout mark as well. As of this writing, 87 pitchers have reached that threshold in MLB history. Yu Darvish, who currently has 1932 strikeouts, needs just 68 more to get there. Darvish, Lance Lynn (1906 strikeouts) and Charlie Morton (1880) are all practically locks to get to 2000 with full, healthy seasons.

Total Appearances

Jansen already ranks 50th all-time with 817 games pitched, but he can jump into the top-40 if he makes it into 32 games this season. He’s already one of only 54 pitchers to ever reach 800 appearances in his career.

Three more names will likely join that 800 club — two of whom I’ve already mentioned: Robertson (793 games) and Kimbrel (780). The third is veteran righty Bryan Shaw, who’s reportedly likely to make the White Sox’ roster. At 791 appearances, he already ranks 59th all-time. With just nine games this season, the rubber-armed Shaw can further his workhorse reputation and perhaps move into the top-50 all time.

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