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Marlins Sign Freddy Tarnok To Minors Deal

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The Marlins have signed right-hander Freddy Tarnok to a minor league deal, Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media writes.  The contract includes an invitation for Tarnok to attend Miami’s big league Spring Training camp.

Tarnok made his MLB debut in the form of a single appearance and two-thirds of an inning for the Braves in 2022, and Atlanta then dealt him that winter as part of the three-team, nine-player trade that saw Sean Murphy head to the Braves and William Contreras and Joel Payamps land in Milwaukee.  The Athletics’ end of the trade saw them obtain Tarnok and four other players, only two of whom (Esteury Ruiz and Royber Salinas) are still with the A’s just over two years ago.

Tarnok’s own time on Oakland’s big league roster was limited to five games and 14 2/3 innings in 2023, with the righty delivering a 4.91 ERA in that limited sample while also allowing four homers and 11 walks.  Shoulder and hip injuries hampered Tarnok for much of the year, and he ended up having hip surgery in August 2023.  Some rust wasn’t unexpected after Tarnok’s recovery, but he managed only a 7.39 ERA in 31 2/3 Triple-A innings this past season.

That time in Triple-A was spent with both the Athletics’ top affiliate and in the Phillies’ farm system, as Philadelphia claimed Tarnok off waivers this past June.  The Phils outrighted Tarnok off their 40-man roster at the start of November and he elected to become a minor league free agent.

An increase in both his walk and home run totals plagued Tarnok in the upper minors as well as in his brief time in the majors.  These issues have led to a 4.68 ERA over 92 1/3 career Triple-A innings, as well as an 11.97% walk rate and 23.44% strikeout rate.

While Tarnok has some ability to miss bats, his inability to keep the ball in the park or keep batters off the basepaths has left him looking for a fresh start entering his age-26 season.  It is possible a healthy Tarnok gets back to his much more solid pre-injury form, and for the minimal cost of a minors contract, the Marlins are betting that he can become at least a depth swingman now that he is further removed from his hip surgery.  Leighton writes that Miami will again give Tarnok a chance to start games.

Red Sox Sign Walker Buehler

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TODAY: The breakdown of Buehler’s deal is provided by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (multiple links), who reports that the contract also contains a $25MM mutual option for the 2026 season.  Buehler receives a $3.05MM signing bonus, $15MM in base salary, and then a $3MM buyout of the mutual option, totaling the aforementioned $21.05MM guarantee.

As much as $2.5MM in bonus money is also available.  Buehler will unlock the first $500K of that cash when he makes his 20th start of the season, and he’ll earn another $500K upon making his 22nd, 24th, 26th, and 28th starts of the season.

DEC. 28: The Red Sox officially announced the Buehler signing.

DEC. 23: The Red Sox are in agreement with right-hander Walker Buehler on a one-year deal worth $21.05MM, according to a report from Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports. The deal is pending a physical and includes incentives that could raise the value beyond that aforementioned figure. Buehler is an Excel Sports Management client.

It’s an interesting deal for Buehler, as the $21.05MM guarantee perfectly mirrors that of the Qualifying Offer. Both Buehler himself and Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta were considered borderline candidates to be extended the QO at the outset of the winter. Ultimately, the Dodgers declined to extend that offer to Buehler while the Red Sox did so for Pivetta but were rebuffed. From a financial and roster perspective, today’s deal allows Buehler to secure the same guarantee he would’ve gotten had the Dodgers extended him the QO while allowing Boston to add a veteran right-hander to its young rotation on a one-year deal that mirrors what they offered Pivetta last month.

The 30-year-old right-hander was among the league’s most talented young starters during his rookie season back in 2018, and pitched to an excellent 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+) with a 3.16 FIP in a four-season stretch from 2018-21. That stretch concluded with Buehler finishing fourth in NL Cy Young award voting behind Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, and Max Scherzer in a race that seemingly cemented his status as one of the league’s top aces. That career trajectory was thrown off the rails early in the 2022 season, however. Buehler pitched to a relatively pedestrian 4.02 ERA (101 ERA+) in 12 starts for the Dodgers that year before going on the injured list in June and ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery.

Buehler wouldn’t return to a major league mound until May of 2024, nearly two full years later, and struggled badly upon returning. Additional injuries limited Buehler to just 16 starts for the Dodgers this year, and even when he took the mound the right-hander struggled badly. In all, Buehler pitched to a 5.38 ERA (72 ERA+) with a 5.54 FIP in his final regular season in a Dodgers uniform. With that being said, the righty did manage to end his season on a positive note with a solid 3.60 ERA during the club’s run to the World Series championship this year. After a brutal start against the Padres in the NLDS, Buehler fired off ten scoreless frames between the NLCS and the World Series while striking out a third of his opponents.

That combination of a strong postseason, a terrible regular season, a fraught injury history, and a dominant track record made Buehler one of the most intriguing free agents on the market this winter and perhaps the ultimate high-risk, high-reward signing. To that end, it’s perhaps no surprise that he garnered interest from a huge number of teams. In addition to the Red Sox, Buehler also garnered interest from the Tigers, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Athletics, and Braves this winter. That wide-ranging interest made it apparent early in the winter that Buehler was likely to surpass the one-year, $15MM deal MLBTR predicted he would land as part of our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, where Buehler was ranked as the #37 free agent this winter. It even seemed to open the door to the possibility the right-hander would be able to land a mutli-year deal with opt-outs; while he ultimately settled for a straight one-year pact, his $21.05MM salary in 2025 is likely much healthier than what he would’ve received on an annual basis on a multi-year deal.

For the Red Sox, the addition of Buehler adds another arm with plenty of upside to a rotation already full of it. If Buehler manages to rebound to the form he showed earlier in his career, he’ll form a daunting front two in the Boston rotation alongside lefty Garrett Crochet with right-handers Lucas Giolito and Tanner Houck joining them to create a formidable quartet. The additions of Crochet and Buehler have also significantly deepened the group, as right-handers Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts, and Cooper Criswell all figure to be in the conversation for starts as well after being key pieces of the club’s rotation last year. Further down the depth chart, the Red Sox also boast interesting upside plays Quinn Priester and Michael Fulmer.

The addition of Buehler brings the club’s payroll for 2025 up to just over $175MM, according to RosterResource. The figure is substantially higher for luxury tax purposes, however, sitting just under $212MM. That leaves the club with about $29MM to work with before they surpass the first luxury tax threshold. The Red Sox last surpassed that first threshold in 2022, but there’s been no indication from club brass that the first threshold represents a hard limit on their spending amid what has been a fairly busy offseason for the club. With the rotation seemingly solidified, it seems likely the club’s priorities will now shift towards adding a right-handed bat to their lineup, whether that comes in the form of an outfielder such as Teoscar Hernández or an infielder like Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado.

Diamondbacks Not Close To Any Pitching Trades

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The Diamondbacks’ surprise signing of Corbin Burnes added a new frontline arm to a rotation that was already operating at a surplus on paper.  Burnes joins Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt, and Ryne Nelson, giving the Snakes an enviably deep group of starting pitchers.  The D’backs had already been drawing trade interest in this group even before Burnes was added, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Burnes signing wasn’t made with any other pitching swaps immediately on the horizon.

According to Piecoro, no “other deals [are] lined up or even close” involving Arizona’s pitchers, as the Diamondbacks will continue to take a measured view of the market.  A source tells Piecoro that the D’Backs will likely “spend the coming days fielding calls from teams still in the hunt for starters, including those that were in on Burnes.”  The D’Backs aren’t in any particular rush to complete a trade any time soon, as having more than a full rotation in place before New Year’s Eve gives the club plenty of time to figure out the best possible offer.

It also isn’t entirely out of the question that the Diamondbacks stand pat on their starters, especially if an injury emerges to a starter during their offseason training, or during Spring Training.  Kelly, Rodriguez, and Montgomery all missed significant time with injuries last season, so there is obvious value in having extra pitchers on hand should any more health issues create openings in the rotation.  Operating with a six-man rotation is also a possibility, in order to keep everyone healthy and fresh for what the D’Backs hope can be an extended run through the playoffs.

Given how the Burnes deal reportedly came together just within the last week when Burnes himself approached the D’Backs, it isn’t surprising that the signing wasn’t part of an immediate plan to re-model the pitching staff.  Such two-step transactions are usually hard to pull off, though the Diamondbacks were part of such a set of moves from the Guardians just last week — Arizona acquired Josh Naylor from the Guards, and Cleveland then signed Carlos Santana that same day to immediately fill Naylor’s spot as the everyday first baseman.

The fact that Burnes signed with a team that was seemingly already set for starting pitching gives GM Mike Hazen even more leverage in shopping his hurlers.  Such known Burnes suitors like the Orioles, Blue Jays, or Giants are still in need of pitching, to say nothing of the many other starter-needy clubs on the market that weren’t willing or able to meet Burnes’ asking price.

Nothing seems to have changed in terms of which starters are most prominently on Arizona’s trade block.  Gallen and Kelly are both free agents next winter but don’t seem likely to be dealt, as a team source told Piecoro that the team’s focus in on “trying to put the best team on the field in 2025.”  Nelson is controlled through the 2027 season and Pfaadt through the 2029 season, so the Diamondbacks would probably only move either if a longer-term asset (likely a position player) could be obtained in return.  The D’Backs might not mind moving the $66MM remaining on Rodriguez’s contract, but the club would certainly have to sell low and eat some of that money in the wake of E-Rod’s injury-plagued down year.

That leaves Montgomery as still the chief candidate to be dealt before Opening Day.  Montgomery’s trade value is also at a low ebb after his rough first year in Arizona, and his $22.5MM salary for the 2025 season.  Owner Ken Kendrick’s public criticism of Montgomery following the season only increased the probability that the left-hander would be pitching elsewhere next year, yet again, the Burnes signing gives the D’Backs some flexibility in this regard.  The Diamondbacks technically don’t have to trade Montgomery if an acceptable offer for another starter comes their way, and offers for Montgomery might improve if other teams become increasingly desperate to add pitching.

Dodgers Expected To Discuss Extension With Dave Roberts

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The Dodgers are expected to discuss a contract extension with longtime manager Dave Roberts this offseason, per a report from Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Roberts’ current contract is slated to expire following the 2025 season.

It’s hardly a surprise that the Dodgers would look to lock up their skipper before Spring Training begins. Club brass acknowledged last month (as noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya at the time) that the sides had not yet discussed an extension in the aftermath of the club’s World Series championship but was quick to add that he hopes to keep Roberts in the dugout long-term. Even aside from those comments, teams often prefer to avoid having managers play out the final year of their contract without an extension in hand in hopes of avoid a “lame duck” situation, and it’s difficult to argue that Roberts’s performance hasn’t merited an extension.

Since joining the Dodgers as manager back in 2016, Roberts has led the club to nine consecutive postseason appearances, eight division titles, four NL Pennants, and two World Series championships. Ignoring the 60-game 2020 campaign where the Dodgers went 43-17, the club has never won less than 91 games in a season under Roberts’s guidance, and after winning the NL Manager of the Year award in 2016 he’s subsequently been a finalist for the award two more times and received votes in every season of his time at the helm in Los Angeles. Overall, Roberts has a lifetime 851-507 as a manager, giving him a .627 winning percentage. That’s the highest winning percentage of any manager in MLB history with at least 1000 games managed in his career and translates to approximately 102 wins in a 162-game season.

Given the Dodgers’ desire to keep Roberts in the fold long-term and his phenomenal work during his tenure as L.A.’s skipper, Harris goes on to suggest that a record-shattering extension could be on the table for the longtime skipper. Last offseason, Craig Counsell signed a record-breaking extension with the Cubs that guaranteed him $40MM over five years. Counsell is widely considered to be among the best managers in the game at the moment, but he’s never led a team to the World Series or won a Manager of the Year award. In other words, Roberts’s resume is much more robust than Counsell’s was last winter, and it’s not hard to imagine a high-spending club like the Dodgers rewarding their skipper with a record-breaking deal.

Of course, that’s by no means guaranteed to occur. Counsell signed his $40MM deal with Chicago on the open market after playing out the final season of his deal with Milwaukee and had a number of teams vying for his services as the Guardians, Astros, and Mets joined the incumbent Brewers in vying for his services before he ultimately landed on the north side. That stands in contrast to Red Sox skipper Alex Cora, who appeared poised to follow in Counsell’s footsteps and test the open market before ultimately opting to sign a three-year extension in Boston that guaranteed him around $21.75MM total.

Cora doesn’t quite compare to Roberts in terms of resume, with just one World Series championship and a .536 winning percentage under his belt in six seasons as manager in Boston. Even so, the extension between the Red Sox and their well-regarded skipper came in at just over half the total guarantee the Cubs offered Counsell and with a lower yearly salary. That outcome at least left the door open to the possibility that Counsell’s record-setting deal with Chicago was more of an outlier caused by multiple aggressive suitors rather than a new norm for manager salaries in the league.

Cubs, Marlins Swap Matt Mervis, Vidal Brujan

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1:28pm: The deal is now official, per a club announcement by the Marlins.

12:27pm: The Marlins are set to acquire first baseman Matt Mervis from the Cubs, according to a report from Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that infielder Vidal Bruján is headed to Chicago in exchange for Mervis’s services. Brujan had been designated for assignment by the Marlins last week. Maddie Lee of the Sun Times also reports that the Cubs are sending cash to Miami alongside Mervis.

Mervis, 26, signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent back in 2020. After struggling in his first taste of professional action in 2021, the slugger tore up the minor leagues in 2022, slashing an excellent .309/.379/.606 with 40 doubles and 36 homers in 137 games across three levels of the minors. That included a long run of success at the Triple-A level, where he hit .297/.383/.593 with 15 doubles and 15 homers in just 57 games. The performance was strong enough to earn Mervis some top-100 prospect buzz during the 2022-23 offseason, and his rapid ascent through the minors provided some optimism for a Cubs franchise that had recently dealt longtime first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline in 2021.

Unfortunately, Mervis wasn’t able to make the most of his opportunity when he first reached the big leagues in 2023. While he continued to rake at Triple-A (.282/.399/.533 in 100 games), he struggled badly in 99 big league plate appearances with a lackluster .167/.242/.289 slash line that was good for a 48 wRC+ that year. Strong batted ball data and a .317 xwOBA indicated that Mervis may have been slightly unlucky in his first cup of coffee in the majors, but his hefty 32.3% strikeout rate would’ve been a significant red flag even if he had gotten better fortune in terms of batted balls finding holes. That led the Cubs to pivot away from Mervis last winter, trading for Dodgers prospect Michael Busch and installing him as the club’s everyday first baseman.

Busch took off as an above-average hitter right out of the gate with Chicago, posting a 119 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR in his rookie season. Mervis, by contrast, appeared in just nine games and posted a dreadful -4 wRC+ in that limited playing time. Even his minor league numbers took a step back this year, as he hit just .235/.329/.434 (97 wRC+) in 81 games at Triple-A this past season. All this made Mervis entirely expendable for Chicago, so the club opting to trade him is hardly a shock. With a rebuilding Marlins club, the Triple-A slugger figures to get a larger big league opportunity than he ever received in Chicago. He’ll compete for playing time at first base with incumbent first baseman Jonah Bride, who impressed with a 123 wRC+ in 71 games for the Marlins last year but has yet to complete a wire-to-wire season in the majors ate age 29.

While Mervis is hardly a surefire big league piece, the Marlins are giving up very little to land him. Bruján, 27, was DFA’d by the Marlins last week to clear 40-man roster space after he struggled to produce as a big league regular in 2024. Once a consensus top-100 prospect with the Rays, Bruján failed to hit at all in 99 games with Tampa across three seasons before being dealt to Miami last winter. The Marlins made him a fixture of their bench mix this year, but he hit just .222/.303/.319 (73 wRC+) in 278 trips to the plate. Despite that lackluster performance at the plate, Brujan did provide some modest value as a decent baserunner and an extremely versatile fielder. The switch-hitter mostly split his time between shortstop, second base, and third base in Miami last year but is also capable of playing all three outfield spots and even made brief cameos at first base and on the pitchers mound last year.

That should be enough to earn Brujan the opportunity to compete for a bench job with the Cubs this spring. Chicago has completely overhauled their bench mix this offseason, parting ways with Christian Bethancourt, Mike Tauchman, Nick Madrigal, and Patrick Wisdom last month to make way for alternative options. Carson Kelly joined the club’s roster to form a tandem with Miguel Amaya that will occupy one bench spot, and outfielder Alexander Canario currently seems poised to act as the club’s reserve outfielder behind Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker. That leaves two spots up for grabs, and Brujan currently appears poised to compete with Rule 5 draft selection Gage Workman and internal options Miles Mastrobuoni and Luis Vasquez for those two spots, though another external addition could certainly grab at least one of those bench roles and only the catching tandem appears to be completely locked in for 2025.

Nationals Sign Patrick Weigel To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have signed right-hander Patrick Weigel to a minor league deal, as noted by Talk Nats. The deal presumably includes an invite to big league Spring Training.

Weigel, 30, was a seventh-round pick by the Braves back in 2015. The righty worked his way up through Atlanta’s minor league system to make his big league debut during the shortened 2020 season, but was shelled in his lone appearance to the tune of two runs on two hits, three walks, and a wild pitch during an outing that saw him record no strikeouts and just two outs overall. That rough big league debut proved to be his only work in the majors with Atlanta, as he was shipped to Milwaukee as part of the Orlando Arcia trade in 2021. Weigel was used as an up-and-down reliever with the Brewers, for whom he delivered three decent but unremarkable relief appearances. In four innings of work that year, he pitched to a 4.50 ERA with nine strikeouts and four walks.

Despite that serviceable work in his brief time in the majors during 2021, his time at Triple-A Nashville was nothing short of disastrous. In 43 1/3 innings of work at the level, Weigel posted a brutal 7.27 ERA while walking 17.6% of opponents faced. That complete lack of command led the Brewers to designate the right-hander for assignment on the day of the 2021 trade deadline, leading him to elect minor league free agency during the offseason. He eventually caught on with the Mariners on a minor league deal for the 2022 season and pitched to a decent 4.21 ERA in 62 innings of work, though his 13.9% walk rate still left much to be desired.

Since departing the Mariners during the 2022-23 offseason, Weigel has bounced between independent leagues. He pitched for the American Association’s Kansas City Monarchs in 2023, and his solid work there led him to split the 2024 campaign between the Reds’ minor league system and the Mexican League’s Saraperos de Saltillo. Weigel dominated the Double-A level with the Reds (0.90 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate) but was lit up at Triple-A to the tune of five runs in just two innings of work. Now, he’s poised to try his hand with a fifth MLB organization. The Nationals are surely hoping they’ll be able to help Weigel rein in his command, and if he can get his walk rate into a more manageable range going forward it’s easy to imagine him be a useful non-roster depth option for the club out of the bullpen this year.

Blue Jays Showed “Strong Interest” In Gleyber Torres

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The Blue Jays showed “strong interest” in second baseman Gleyber Torres early in his free agency, per a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Petzold goes on to report that the Giants, Reds, and Guardians were among the teams to show interest in Torres before he signed with the Tigers. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe previously reported that the Red Sox showed interest in the infielder but never reached the point of making a formal offer, and Petzold confirms that interest.

The Blue Jays made plenty of sense as a speculative fit for Torres early in the winter, and he was even loosely connected to them earlier this winter. After losing Matt Chapman in free agency last winter and dealing away both Justin Turner and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa over the summer, the Jays entered the winter in need of infield help. In a thin market for infielders, Torres was among the better options not expected to command a long-term, nine-figure contract. In fact, Petzold notes that Torres emphasized to his agent this winter that he wasn’t interested in anything more than a strict one-year contract, even eschewing the possibility of a two-year deal with an opt-out clause.

Petzold adds that Torres took this stance in hopes of betting on himself and landing the aforementioned nine-figure deal he was sure to be locked out of this winter following an up-and-down platform season that saw him finish with a 104 wRC+ and just 1.7 fWAR. That desire for a one-year deal likely made him an especially attractive target for a Blue Jays team that not only faces plenty of uncertainty following the 2025 season thanks to the impending free agency of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but also thanks to the club’s group of young infielders who could theoretically play their way into regular roles in the future.

It’s not clear if the Jays’ reported interest in Torres persisted even after they traded for second baseman Andrés Giménez earlier this winter. Even if it had, though, Torres apparent preference for remaining at second base likely would have created a major obstacle for the sides, likely leaving Toronto in a position where they’d need to deal shortstop Bo Bichette and move Giménez to short in order to open up the keystone for Torres. While Bichette is coming off an even more difficult season (71 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR) than Torres’s 2024 campaign, Bichette had been a consistent four-to-five win player throughout his career prior to getting bit by the injury bug last year and would be a difficult player for the Jays to part with unless they got a hefty package in return.

As for the other reported suitors for Torres’s services, the Guardians likely only became a fit for Torres after trading Giménez to Toronto. Juan Brito, Gabriel Arias, and Daniel Schneemann currently figure to split time at the keystone for Cleveland in Giménez’s absence, but a clear everyday player like Torres would be a definitive upgrade over that timeshare between youngsters. What’s more, moving on from Giménez and his hefty $106.5MM contract likely helped free up payroll that would make signing a player of Torres’s caliber possible even for the low-budget Guardians. With Torres now off the market and headed to a division rival, it’s entirely feasible that the Guardians could now pivot to another second base option available in free agency like Jorge Polanco or Whit Merrifield.

The Reds, by contrast, are a somewhat surprising suitor for Torres. The club has plenty of infield options available already, with Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain currently locking up the middle infield while some combination of Noelvi Marte, Jeimer Candelario, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand handle the infield corners. Adding a pure second baseman who lacks positional versatility like Torres would’ve complicated matters, though it’s certainly possible to squeeze him in by shifting McLain over to the hot corner, utilizing Candelario at first base, and leaving Encarnacion-Strand and Marte to fight for plate appearances at DH or in a part-time role.

Given the club’s dreadful 87 wRC+ overall last year, even Torres’s diminished results from 2024 would provide the Reds with a substantial boost to their lineup. That boost may have made figuring out a way to squeeze Torres into the lineup worth doing, but the Reds appear to have already more or less maxed out their payroll and seem unlikely to have been able to match the $15MM salary Detroit offered the infielder. The Giants are another reported suitor whose interest in Torres comes with complications, particularly given the fact that the club landed shortstop Willy Adames on the eve of the Winter Meetings. It’s possible that San Francisco’s interest in Torres predated their deal with Adames, though it’s also feasible the club was willing to sign both players and push Tyler Fitzgerald into a utility role entering the season.

As for the Red Sox, the club certainly made sense as a fit for Torres given their wide open second base situation. Boston acquired Vaughn Grissom from the Braves last winter in hopes that he could lock up the position, but injuries and ineffectiveness led to something of a lost season in 2024. That leaves the position without a clear incumbent headed into 2025, with Grissom, David Hamilton, and top prospect Kristian Campbell among the internal options. Adding Torres to the mix would’ve eased the pressure on Campbell to perform immediately upon reaching the majors while providing an upgrade over Grissom and Hamilton who bats from the right side to help balance the club’s lefty-heavy lineup. Boston is also known to have some level of interest in top free agent infielder Alex Bregman, but it’s possible that their reported interest in Torres could signal a willingness to sign a hitter closer to the middle of the free agent market like Ha-Seong Kim.

Looking For A Match In A Luis Castillo Trade

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One of the worst-kept secrets in baseball this winter is the Mariners’ need for infield help. If the 2024 season were to start today, the club would have J.P. Crawford locked in at shortstop but little certainty around the rest of the diamond. First base would likely be occupied by a platoon of Luke Raley and Tyler Locklear, the latter of whom struggled badly in a 16-game cup of coffee with Seattle last year. Second and third base would be even dicier. Dylan Moore is capable of playing both positions and could be an everyday player for the club after appearing in 135 games last year but may be better suited for a super utility role given his impressive versatility and struggles against same-handed pitching. Ryan Bliss, Austin Shenton, and Leo Rivas are all young and intriguing hitters who made their big league debuts in 2024, but none of them got even 100 plate appearances in the majors last year and would be risky to rely on in full-time roles.

That obvious need for an infielder or two has led the Mariners to consider making a move they’ve long resisted pulling the trigger on: trading from their vaunted starting rotation. There’s an argument to be made that Seattle boasts the best starting rotation in baseball. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo form the sort of proven, controllable corps of young starters that most teams can only dream of developing, and veteran right-hander Luis Castillo has served as a veteran anchor for the club’s rotation ever since he was acquired from the Reds following the 2022 trade deadline. While the Mariners still seem unlikely to part with any of the youngsters in their rotation, they’ve begun to at least listen to offers on Castillo, who has drawn interest around the league thanks to his fairly affordable contract and consistently above average results.

That’s not to say a Castillo trade comes without potential obstacles. While the right-hander has pitched well during his two full seasons in Seattle, he’s not posted the same front-of-the-rotation results he flashed earlier in his career with Cincinnati. After posting a 3.46 ERA (132 ERA+) with a near-matching 3.43 FIP from 2019 to 2022, Castillo’s 3.48 ERA (110 ERA+) has remained stagnant the last two years despite a much friendlier home ballpark for pitching while his 3.86 FIP is a noticeable step backwards from the earlier days of his career and his fastball velocity has lost a tick or two since he arrived in Washington.

Aside from those potential concerns for would-be suitors, Castillo also wields a full no-trade clause and could block any trade if he so chooses. One final wrinkle from the Mariners’ perspective is their lack of starting pitching depth behind an excellent top five rotation pieces; Emerson Hancock would likely be the next man up if Castillo was dealt, but he struggled in 12 starts last year and there’s virtually no big league ready starting depth behind him in the organization. That could make a team that could offer a young starter in addition to infield help a particularly attractive trade partner for Seattle.

So, which clubs are best suited to swinging a deal for the right-hander? Let’s take a look at nine possible options, listed alphabetically between three tiers:

Best Fits:

  • Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have had a difficult offseason so far, as they’ve struck out on both Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes in free agency. Their biggest addition to this point is infielder Andrés Giménez, who they swung a deal to acquire from the Guardians during the Winter Meetings. With that said, they’re known to be in the market for starting pitching help, and Castillo would form a solid veteran nucleus in the rotation alongside Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt. What’s more, the Jays have a number of interesting young infielders like Davis Schneider, Leo Jiménez, and Will Wagner who could be of interest to the Mariners.
  • Giants: The Giants made a big splash just before the Winter Meetings began by signing Willy Adames but join Toronto in being a top reported suitor for Burnes who missed out on the right-hander when he agreed to a deal with Arizona late Friday night. Castillo would be an excellent starter to pair with Logan Webb at the front of San Francisco’s rotation, and the Giants have previously expressed a willingness to deal first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. this winter. Wade, 31 on New Year’s Day, has posted a solid .258/.376/.401 (120 wRC+) with a fantastic 15% walk rate over the past two seasons.
  • Orioles: As the team Burnes pitched for in 2024 prior to reaching free agency, the Orioles join the Blue Jays and Giants in the hunt for a top-of-the-rotation arm now that he’s departed for the desert. The need for a front-end arm in Baltimore is perhaps more acute than it is anywhere else on this list, as 2023’s staff ace Kyle Bradish isn’t expected to pitch in the first half of 2025 following UCL surgery last year. Castillo would slot in front of Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez for the Orioles, offering some much-needed stability to the Baltimore rotation. In return, the Orioles could offer a player from their surplus of first base options such as Ryan Mountcastle and perhaps even add in a young starter like Cade Povich to help replace Castillo in the Seattle rotation. Notably, the Orioles are among the teams that have reportedly inquired after the right-hander this winter.

Next Tier Down:

  • Braves: The Braves watched both Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart from their rotation for free agency last month but have yet to make a significant move this offseason outside of trading Jorge Soler away to the Angels. Adding an arm like Castillo to the mix behind Chris Sale and (eventually) Spencer Strider would offer the club another high-end starter while also providing security to a rotation full of frequently injured hurlers. Atlanta doesn’t have much to offer in the way of infield help outside of prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. but could help supplement the Mariners rotation by offering a controllable starter like Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver as part of the return.
  • Cubs: The Cubs have already been connected to Castillo this winter and are known to be in the market for a front-end starter to pair with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, but the club’s recent trade for Kyle Tucker has seemingly complicated the fit between the two sides. The Mariners are known to have had interest in Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner this winter, and the Cubs previously could part with Hoerner and replace him at the keystone with Matt Shaw. Since then, however, the Cubs shipped third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros in exchange for Tucker. With Shaw now penciled in as Paredes’s replacement at the hot corner, the Cubs may be less inclined to part with Hoerner to bolster the Mariners’ infield. While a young starter such as Javier Assad or Jordan Wicks could help facilitate a trade, it’s hard to imagine a deal for Castillo getting done that doesn’t send some sort of infield help back to Seattle.
  • Red Sox: The Red Sox are also among the teams known to have discussed Castillo with Seattle, and the club specifically attempted to swing a trade involving him, Triston Casas, and Masataka Yoshida that was eventually shut down by the Mariners. It’s hard to imagine Boston parting with Casas in a straight one-for-one swap for Castillo, which could make finding a match between the two sides difficult. Perhaps a deal could still be had that sends a lesser infield piece such as Vaughn Grissom or David Hamilton to Seattle alongside a young starter like Kutter Crawford, but now that the Red Sox have brought Walker Buehler into the rotation other clubs may be more motivated to get a deal done with Seattle than Boston is.

Longer Shots:

  • Dodgers: The Dodgers are not known to have interest in Castillo but are always a threat to upgrade their roster and could certainly benefit from adding a steady, innings-eating arm like him to the cavalcade of high-octane arms with durability questions that currently make up their starting rotation. Even so, however, the Dodgers have little to offer from their infield mix at the moment. Perhaps Gavin Lux could be a serviceable platoon partner for Moore at second base, but even adding a young starter such as Landon Knack alongside Lux seems unlikely to entice the Mariners to part ways with Castillo.
  • Mets: The Mets are among the teams that have been connected to Castillo this winter, but they subsequently rounded out their rotation by adding left-hander Sean Manaea. It’s at least theoretically feasible that the club could add Castillo and push Clay Holmes out of their projected rotation and into the bullpen, but given the fact that New York explicitly signed Holmes to start that would be a major surprise, even as the Mets have excess pieces such as Brett Baty and Tylor Megill that would surely interest Seattle.
  • Tigers: Detroit could use a bona fide front-end arm to pair with Tarik Skubal next season, and adding mid-rotation veteran Alex Cobb didn’t exactly fill that need. The Tigers also recently signed Gleyber Torres in a move that pushed youngster Colt Keith to first base, seemingly leaving former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson without a role in the majors. Torkelson would be a high-upside addition who’s sure to be intriguing to the Mariners as they search for first base help, but it’s unclear whether they would part with Castillo to land him or if the Tigers are interested in taking on the $72.45MM Castillo is guaranteed over the next three seasons.

Rays Have Previously Expressed Interest In Harry Ford

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The Rays have previously expressed interest in Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. There is no indication that Tampa’s interest in the youngster is current or that there are any ongoing trade negotiations between the two clubs.

Ford, 22 in February, was Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft and is a consensus top-50 prospect in the game. He’s managed to hit well at every level of the minors he’s been exposed to from the moment he kicked off his pro career with a .291/.400/.582 slash line in 19 rookie ball games shortly after being drafted. He made the jump to full season ball in 2022 and found success there as well, slashing .274/.425/.438 at the Single-A level in 2023 before posting a nearly identical .257/.410/.430 slash line at High-A the following year. During both of his stops in A-ball, Ford floated walk rates north of 17% while while flashing 10-to-15 homer power. Most interestingly, he showed off very impressive wheels for a catcher and flashed 25-steal speed on the basepaths.

The youngster hit his first real roadblock in 2024 upon reaching the Double-A level. In his age-21 campaign this past year, Ford hit a solid but unspectacular .249/.377/.367, which was good for a 119 wRC+ at the level. Ford’s 14.1% walk rate remained impressive and he reached new heights on the bases with 35 steals, but his power output cratered as he swatted just seven homers in 523 trips to the plate. Even that relative down season was still noticeably above average relative to his league, however, and that feat is all the more impressive given the fact that Ford was one of just five qualified hitters in the Double-A Texas League who played the 2024 season at age-21 or younger.

While Ford’s bat is generally very well regarded, there are some questions about whether or not he’ll be able to stick behind the plate. Ford’s athleticism has drawn plenty of praise, but he’s a well below average fielder behind the plate at the moment which has led some to suggest he might follow in the footsteps of Daulton Varsho, who was also an athletic and speedy catching prospect through the minor leagues but moved to the outfield early in his big league career. For the time being, however, the Mariners appear poised to continue developing his skills behind the plate.

Given the Rays’ interest in Ford, it seems likely they too believe in his ability to stick behind the plate. Tampa’s needs behind the plate entering the offseason were well-known as they not only lacked a clear complement to Ben Rortvedt at the big league level for 2025 but also have no catching prospects of particular note currently coming through their pipeline. A look at MLB.com’s Top 30 Rays prospects list reveals just two catchers: catching convert Dominic Keegan ranks 13th, while 19-year-old J.D. Gonzalez ranks 27th despite having hit just .161/.268/.198 in his first taste of stateside baseball this past season.

Swinging a deal for Ford would do little to improve the club’s short-term catching situation given the fact that he’s not yet reached the Triple-A level and is still considered very raw behind the plate defensively. With that being said, the Rays already addressed their immediate need at catcher by signing Danny Jansen to a one-year deal, slotting him in ahead of Rortvedt in the club’s catching tandem. That leaves the club fairly set behind the plate for 2025, but those questions figure to come up once again when Jansen departs for free agency a year from now. Adding a top catching prospect like Ford who’s around a year away from the majors would make some sense for the Rays, then, allowing Jansen to serve as a bridge to the future of the position this year.

Even as Ford still makes sense as a potential trade target for the Rays, however, it’s fair to wonder how likely a deal coming together is even if Tampa remains interested in the young catcher. The Mariners are well known to be in the market for infield help this winter, having previously spoken to the Cubs and Phillies about Nico Hoerner and Alec Bohm. Those talks haven’t appeared to gain much traction, which makes pivoting to a Rays infielder like Yandy Díaz or Brandon Lowe at least theoretically feasible for Seattle.

With that being said, Diaz and Lowe figure to be key cogs in a Rays lineup that struggled to create runs last year, and with no apparent need to cut payroll further after dealing Jeffrey Springs to the A’s it’s unclear whether either player would even be available this winter. Perhaps a deal could be worked out involving a less-established Rays infielder like Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Mead, or Osleivis Basabe, but it’s unclear whether the Mariners would be interested in adding a youngster of that variety or are more focused on established players with a big league track record.

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