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Tigers, Casey Mize Avoid Arbitration

By Darragh McDonald | January 19, 2024 at 5:30pm CDT

The Tigers and right-hander have avoided arbitration with right-hander Casey Mize, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The righty will make $840K this year and there’s a $3.1MM club option for 2025. Even if that option were to be turned down, he would still be under club control via arbitration. It will be a salary of $830K and a $10K buyout on the option, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The Tigers have now announced these details.

Mize, 27 in May, spent all of 2023 on the injured list after undergoing both Tommy John surgery and back surgery in the summer of 2022. Players on the major league injured list continue to accrue service time, so Mize was able to qualify for arbitration this offseason. Since he had missed so much time, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Mize for a modest raise to $1.2MM, not too far from the $740K minimum salary in the upcoming campaign.

The arbitration filing deadline was last week and it passed without an agreement between Mize and the Tigers, with an absurdly small gap between the two sides. The righty filed at $840K and the club at $815K. Clubs and players are allowed to continue negotiating and reach a settlement after filing, but many clubs deploy a “file and trial” strategy. This means that, for negotiating purposes, they won’t talk to players after the filing deadline except for a multi-year pact.

The Tigers are one such “file and trial” club but found themselves in a bit of an awkward situation after last week’s deadline. Going to a hearing over $25K is a bad look for public relations purposes and likely a significant waste of resources, when considering the time needed for staff to prepare for a hearing. But they also probably had little interest in locking up Mize on a long-term deal due to his struggles, both in terms of results and health. In the end, they have wriggled out of the jam by agreeing to this option structure, which gets Mize’s guarantee up to his filing figure without the Tigers committing any real future dollars.

The 2024 season could be significant for Mize. A former first-overall pick, he has posted middling results thus far in his big league career. He has thrown 188 2/3 innings with a 4.29 earned run average, 18.7% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate. After pitching just 10 innings in 2022 and none at all last year, he may face workload limitations.

The club signed Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty this winter to join a rotation mix that should be fronted by Tarik Skubal and also includes Matt Manning, Reese Olson, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Wilmer Flores and others. Mize has a full slate of options if he’s not able to secure a rotation job and/or the club wants to monitor his workload. He can be controlled via arbitration two more times before he’s set to become a free agent after 2026, though optional assignments could impact that trajectory.

22 players were set to go to hearings but this deal reduces that number to 21.

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Detroit Tigers Transactions Casey Mize

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Yankees Claim Diego Castillo, Designate Jeter Downs For Assignment

By Leo Morgenstern | January 19, 2024 at 4:40pm CDT

The Yankees have claimed utility player Diego Castillo off of waivers from the Mets, the team announced. In a corresponding move, infielder Jeter Downs was designated for assignment.

Castillo, 26, returns to his original organization. The Yankees signed him as an international amateur out of Venezuela but flipped him to the Pirates alongside Hoy Park in the 2021 deadline deal that didn’t work out well for the Bucs. Both Castillo and Park were designated for assignment and traded to new clubs by the end of 2022, while Holmes has turned into the closer for the Yankees.

As for Castillo, he hit .206/.251/.382 in 96 games with the Bucs in 2022 then was traded to the Diamondbacks. The latter club mostly kept him in the minors, putting him into just one major league game. In 124 Triple-A contests, he only hit three home runs but walked more than he struck out, a 17.4% rate of free passes compared to 14.2% for the punchouts. His .313/.431/.410 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 117. He’s had other good Triple-A seasons in that vein, pairing minimal power with strong on-base abilities.

Defensively, Castillo has played all four infield positions and has spent some time in the outfield corners. He can also swipe a bag here and there, stealing 13 with the Reno last year. Despite that solid year with the Aces, he’s been on the transaction carousel this offseason, getting claimed off waivers by the Mets and now the Yankees.

The Yanks project to have an infield of Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe and DJ LeMahieu. The guys on the corners are into their mid-30s now and coming off injury-marred seasons. Volpe had some mixed results but was only 22 and should get a chance to continue his development. Torres is solid at the keystone but is in his final year of club control before reaching free agency.  Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera,  and Jorbit Vivas are also on the 40-man but the club continues to focus on the depth. They recently signed Kevin Smith, Josh VanMeter and José Rojas to minor league deals and have now added Castillo into the mix. Since Castillo still has an option remaining, he can be kept in the minors as depth until his services as needed at the big league level.

They are also potentially losing one depth infielder in today’s transaction, with Downs no longer on the roster. The 25-year-old is perhaps best known for going from the Dodgers to the Red Sox as part of the return in the deal for Mookie Betts and David Price. Though he was once a top 100 prospect, he hasn’t lived up to that billing thus far. He struggled to establish himself with the Sox and has since gone to the Nationals and Yankees on waiver claims.

Between the Sox and the Nats, he’s only been put into 20 major league games, hitting .182/.260/.273 in those. His work in the minors hasn’t been much better, with a combined slash of .200/.309/.365 over the past three years.

The Yanks, who just claimed him last month, will now have a week to trade him or try to pass him through waivers. Despite the lack of offensive production, he may still garner interest from other clubs. He’s still quite young, has the former prospect pedigree and defensive versatility. He’s lined up at the three infield positions to the left of first base and a brief spell in the outfield. He also has one option year remaining, meaning he doesn’t need to be guaranteed an active roster spot.

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New York Mets New York Yankees Transactions Diego Castillo (b. 1997) Jeter Downs

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Mets, Phillies Interested In Robert Stephenson

By Darragh McDonald | January 19, 2024 at 11:20am CDT

Free agent right-hander Robert Stephenson continues to receive plenty of attention, with Jon Morosi of MLB.com listing the Mets, Dodgers and Phillies as clubs with interest in him. The Dodgers have previously been connected to the righty, as have the Rangers, Yankees, Astros, Angels, Cubs, Red Sox and Orioles, though some of those clubs have subsequently pivoted to other bullpen moves.

Though Stephenson might not be a household name, the popularity is understandable since Stephenson was one of the best relievers in the game during the second half of 2023. The Rays acquired him from the Pirates in early June and he went on to make 42 appearances for Tampa with a 2.35 earned run average. He only walked 5.7% of the batters he faced in that time while punching out 42.9% of them.

From the start of June to the end of the season, only Félix Bautista, Aroldis Chapman and Pete Fairbanks had higher strikeout rates among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched. But all three of them had higher walk rates, meaning Stephenson’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was higher than those three. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR put Stephenson in the #27 slot on the annual Top 50 Free Agents post with a prediction of a four-year, $36MM contract.

That’s a far cry from the six years and $110MM predicted for Josh Hader, which is a reflection of the differences in their track record. Hader has years of dominant relief work on his résumé while a team signing Stephenson would be banking on a few good months. But he has shown glimpses of his potential in the past, having been a first-round pick of the Reds in 2011 and a top 100 prospect as he worked his way up the minor league ladder.

He began his major league career as a starter and struggled, but a move to the bullpen seemed to work for him. He had a 3.76 ERA with the Reds in 2019, had a rough time in the shortened 2020 season, then rebounded with a 3.13 ERA for the Rockies in 2021. He struggled early in 2022 but finished strong after a claim by the Pirates. He started 2023 with some arm discomfort and struggled out of the gate, before getting traded to the Rays and having the aforementioned breakout.

That inconsistency would appear to make him more of a risk than Hader, but that will also make him more affordable and perhaps give some more upside to whoever eventually gets him to put pen to paper. If he signs for a guarantee roughly a third of what Hader gets and then can maintain his dominance going forward, it would be a clear bargain. But another swoon in his performance would obviously push things the other way.

If the Mets were to be the club to take the plunge, it would be at least a bit of a surprise. President of baseball operations David Stearns did just say last week that he expected more work to be done on the bullpen, and owner Steve Cohen has shown that he isn’t afraid to throw money around when he wants to get a deal done. But on the other hand, the club has been shifting gears this winter, opting for short-term and depth moves as they do a sort of retool.

The only multi-year deal they’ve given out so far this winter was a two-year pact for Sean Manaea, with that deal having an opt-out halfway through. The Mets have also given one-year deals to Luis Severino Harrison Bader, Joey Wendle, Jorge López, Austin Adams and Michael Tonkin. It seems the plan is to limit long-term commitments as they assess some internal players and decide how to proceed with more aggression next winter.

Beyond their own habits this offseason, there’s the competitive balance tax to consider. Roster Resource pegs the club’s CBT number at $318MM right now, well beyond the top tier of the tax, which is $297MM. As a third-time payor at that level, all further spending comes with a 110% tax rate, meaning they would have to pay out more than double the amount Stephenson would make. Combining that with their modest operating strategy in recent months, they may not end up with Stephenson on the roster, but they could make it happen if they decided they really wanted to.

As for the Phillies, they’ve had a relatively quiet winter, apart from re-signing Aaron Nola. The 2024 bullpen looks quite similar to the 2023 version, though Craig Kimbrel reached free agency and signed with the Orioles. That relief corps posted a collective 3.58 ERA last year, the seventh-best mark in the league. But relievers are known to be a fungible bunch and the club already has a strong lineup and rotation, leaving the bullpen as an obvious target area for the remainder of the offseason.

José Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm all had strong results last year, to varying degrees, and will be back this year. Orion Kerkering had an exciting season, blasting through four minor league levels and then having an enticing MLB debut. Dylan Covey had some interesting results in a low-strikeout, high-grounder fashion while Andrew Bellatti took a step back from a strong 2022 season.

It’s a strong group overall but any club could benefit from adding an elite reliever and bumping everyone down a peg on the chart. The Phillies currently have a CBT number of $252MM, per Roster Resource, which puts them over the $237MM base and nearing the $257MM second line. They finished last year between the second and third line and perhaps would be comfortable ending up in that range again. Crossing the $277MM third line would involve the club’s top pick in the 2025 draft being moved back 10 places, in addition to a higher tax rate. Perhaps the club would view that as a sort of barrier, but they have plenty of room to add a reliever on a significant contract even if that is a line they don’t want to cross.

For clubs that miss out on Hader and Stephenson, some of the other relievers still available include Aroldis Chapman, Matt Moore, David Robertson, Héctor Neris and Phil Maton.

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New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Robert Stephenson

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Each Team’s Local Broadcasting Arrangement

By Anthony Franco | January 19, 2024 at 9:27am CDT

With many regional sports networks in precarious positions, a number of teams have imposed payroll constraints this offseason to compensate for the less certain revenue streams. It’s thus worth identifying where all 30 clubs sit in terms of their local broadcasting picture.

[Related: Latest On Diamond Sports Group Bankruptcy]

A caveat: teams don’t announce the terms of their broadcasting contracts. Many clubs’ revenues for 2023 haven’t been reported. Last March, Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum of Forbes listed approximate 2022 local broadcasting sums for every team other than the Blue Jays. In cases where MLBTR was unable to find reported figures for last year or the upcoming season, we’re referencing that Forbes report for ’22 revenues. Revenue figures cited are for local broadcasting contracts only.

  • Angels: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. Expected ’23 revenues around $125MM (reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times in February ’23).
  • Astros: Formed joint venture with NBA’s Rockets to run Space City Home Network beginning in 2024. Previous RSN deal with AT&T SportsNet Southwest had paid $73MM in ’23 (reported by David Barron of the Houston Chronicle in November ’23).
  • Athletics: RSN deal with NBC Sports California. Projected ’24 revenue: approximately $70MM (reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN in January ’24). Contract expires once A’s leave the Bay Area.
  • Blue Jays: Owned by Rogers Communications, which distributes games via Sportsnet. All broadcast revenues unreported.
  • Braves: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. Expected ’23 revenues north of $100MM (reported by Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in November ’21).
  • Brewers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $33MM
  • Cardinals: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’24 revenue expected to be around $73MM (reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in January ’24)
  • Cubs: Owners of Marquee Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $99MM
  • Diamondbacks: No RSN contract. Previous deal, which had paid $68MM in 2022, dropped by Diamond Sports Group in June ’23. MLB handling in-market broadcasting in 2024.
  • Dodgers: Co-owners of Spectrum SportsNet LA. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $196MM.
  • Giants: RSN/partial ownership deal with NBC Sports Bay Area. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $92MM.
  • Guardians: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group being renegotiated at a lower price. ’23 revenue: $55MM (reported by Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com in November ’23).
  • Mariners: Assumed full ownership of ROOT Sports Northwest beginning in 2024. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $100MM.
  • Marlins: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $49MM.
  • Mets: RSN deal with SNY. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $88MM.
  • Nationals: Co-owners of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $61MM.*
  • Orioles: Co-owners of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $61MM.*
  • Padres: No RSN contract. Previous deal, which had paid $47MM in 2022, dropped by Diamond Sports Group in May ’23. MLB handling in-market broadcasting in 2024.
  • Phillies: RSN deal with NBC Sports Philadelphia. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $125MM.
  • Pirates: Formed joint venture with NHL’s Penguins to operate SportsNet Pittsburgh beginning in 2024. Previous RSN deal with AT&T SportsNet paid roughly $50-60MM annually (reported by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December ’23).
  • Rangers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group being renegotiated at a lower price. Deal has paid $111MM annually to this point (reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News in January ’24).
  • Rays: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $56MM.
  • Red Sox: Co-owners of New England Sports Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $97MM.
  • Reds: RSN/partial ownership deal with Diamond Sports Group pays roughly $60MM annually (reported by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer in December ’23).
  • Rockies: No RSN contract. Previous deal dropped by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain after 2023. MLB expected to handle in-market broadcasting in 2024. Previous deal paid roughly $57MM in ’23 (reported by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post in January ’24).
  • Royals: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $45MM.
  • Tigers: RSN deal with Diamond Sports Group.’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $60MM.
  • Twins: No current RSN contract. Previous deal with Diamond Sports Group, which expired after 2023 season, paid $54MM in ’23 (reported by Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in January ’24). Twins could renegotiate new deal with Diamond.
  • White Sox: RSN deal with NBC Sports Chicago. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $60MM.
  • Yankees: Co-owners of YES Network. ’23 figure unreported; ’22 revenue: $143MM.

* The Orioles and Nationals jointly own MASN, with the Orioles holding a majority stake. The sides receive equal rights fees but have been embroiled in a longstanding legal dispute about revenue calculation, which happens every five years under the terms of their contract.

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MLBTR Originals

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Twins, Matt Bowman Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | January 19, 2024 at 8:50am CDT

January 19: Bowman’s deal contains an opt-out clause, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. The timing of that opt-out isn’t known at this time. Wolfson adds that Hobie Harris, who also signed a minor league deal with the Twins, does not have an opt-out.

January 18: The Twins are adding reliever Matt Bowman on a minor league contract with a non-roster Spring Training invite, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (X link). The ZS Sports client would lock in a $925K salary if he secures a spot on the MLB roster.

Bowman, 32, got back to the big leagues late last season after an extended injury absence. The sinkerballer had thrown over 180 innings with the Cardinals and Reds between 2016-19. He was a generally solid middle innings arm during that stretch. The Princeton product turned in a sub-4.00 ERA in three of his four seasons while keeping the ball on the ground on more than 55% of batted balls allowed.

That’s when injuries intervened. An elbow sprain cost Bowman the shortened 2020 season. After a few months trying unsuccessfully to rehab the injury, he required Tommy John surgery that September. Bowman wound up missing another two full seasons after going under the knife. That spanned a two-year minor league pact with the Yankees, but Bowman returned to the organization on another non-roster deal last winter.

Finally healthy, he spent most of the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bowman had fairly typical results for the RailRiders. He allowed 3.99 earned runs per nine across 58 2/3 innings behind an above-average 51.9% grounder rate. He fanned a nearly average 22.6% of opponents. An 11.7% walk rate was higher than ideal, but it’s not uncommon for pitchers to battle some command issues early in a return from Tommy John surgery. In his MLB career, he owns a decent 8.1% walk percentage.

Bowman showed enough in the minors to get a brief look in Aaron Boone’s bullpen. New York added him to the 40-man roster shortly after the All-Star Break to keep him from becoming a free agent after he triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal. The Yankees didn’t actually recall him until September. He pitched three times, tallying four innings of four-run ball with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Bowman averaged 93.1 MPH on his sinker in that limited look.

The Yankees outrighted him from the 40-man roster at season’s end, sending him back to free agency. He’ll now battle for a spot in a Minnesota relief group that was a league average unit in 2023. Bowman is now out of options. If the Twins call him up, they’d need to keep him in the majors or again designate him for assignment.

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Minnesota Twins Transactions Hobie Harris Matt Bowman

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The Opener: Hader, Cardinals, Duvall

By Nick Deeds | January 19, 2024 at 8:13am CDT

As MLB’s offseason continues, here are three things worth keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Could a Hader signing be on the horizon?

Among the winter’s top free agents, relief ace Josh Hader’s market has been relatively quiet to this point in the offseason. Aside from stray connections to the Orioles and Yankees much earlier in the winter, ties between Hader and specific teams this winter have mostly stayed speculative. That changed yesterday afternoon, however, as reporting indicated that the Astros were making a “strong push” to bring Hader back to Houston, where he spent parts of three seasons as a prospect.

While the Astros have been among the teams most strongly connected to the bullpen market this winter, it would be something of a surprise to see a team that has openly acknowledged its payroll limitations this winter land the market’s top closer. After all, Hader has been rumored to be seeking a deal that would top the $102MM guarantee Edwin Diaz received from the Mets last offseason Hader would be a difference-maker for an Astros club that could lose Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman in free agency next winter. While the lefty posted a career-high walk rate in 2023 and struck out less than 37% of batters faced for the first time since his rookie season, he nonetheless posted a sterling 1.28 ERA and 2.69 FIP across 61 appearances this season while picking up 33 saves.

2. Cardinals roster move in the works?

The Cardinals allowed right-hander James Naile to depart the organization for an opportunity overseas last night, opening up a spot on their 40-man roster. That roster spot could be filled rather quickly, as MLB.com’s John Denton indicates that a roster move could come as soon as today. While Denton doesn’t discuss specifics of what that roster move could entail, he suggests that it will “likely” be the addition of a relief pitcher.

That’s hardly a surprise, as the Cards have been heavily connected to the bullpen market throughout the offseason and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was candid earlier this offseason about the club’s desire to add at least two players to its late-inning mix this winter. A deal with the Rays for Andrew Kittredge landed one of those arms, and it’s possible the impending roster move could be their second such addition. The club has been tied to the likes of Ryan Brasier and Phil Maton in free agency this winter, though plenty of relief arms remain on the market.

3. Could Duvall be nearing a decision?

According to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post yesterday, outfielder Adam Duvall’s market has seemingly come into focus in recent days with two finalists for the veteran’s services: the incumbent Red Sox, and the Angels. Either would be a sensible fit for the 35-year-old. The Red Sox benefited greatly from the presence of Duvall’s righty bat in their lefty-dominated lineup last season as he slashed .247/.303/.531 in 353 trips to the plate last year. If re-signed, he could serve as a righty complement to young outfielders like Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu while also potentially spelling youngster Triston Casas at first base. With the Angels, Duvall could serve as a platoon partner for unproven players like Mickey Moniak in the outfield and Nolan Schanuel at first base, while also deepening a position player mix that lost Gio Urshela, Randal Grichuk, Eduardo Escobar, and Mike Moustakas among others to free agency on top of franchise face Shohei Ohtani.

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The Opener

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Latest On Dylan Cease’s Trade Candidacy

By Anthony Franco | January 18, 2024 at 11:58pm CDT

Few players have found their names in more trade rumors this winter than Dylan Cease. It has been widely expected the White Sox would move him. He’s down to his final two years of arbitration control and first-year GM Chris Getz has expressed a willingness to reshape the roster.

At the same time, Getz and his front office have set a high goal in trade discussions. Reports have suggested they’re seeking a return built around multiple top prospects. Teams like the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers and Braves were involved in Cease discussions but have pivoted to other free agent/trade targets after balking at Chicago’s ask.

Cease remains with the Sox less than a month from the opening of Spring Training. That has led to increasing speculation that Chicago could hold him into the season. One rival executive cast doubt on a Cease trade to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com yesterday, suggesting the White Sox aren’t showing any interest in backing off their asking price.

That’s a sentiment echoed by a few other reports. ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted this morning that a pair of executives outside the organization believe Chicago will hold Cease until the deadline. Robert Murray of FanSided writes that the Sox don’t appear close to any deal, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests there’s a “growing belief” within the industry that Cease stays in Chicago until the summer.

None of that is a guarantee Cease won’t move in the coming weeks. There’s nothing to suggest the White Sox plan to cut off trade dialogue even as they hold firm to a lofty ask. Chicago believed they’d have increased leverage in talks once Yoshinobu Yamamoto came off the board. Yamamoto’s signing didn’t spur a deal, but it’s possible they’re taking a similar stance with regards to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

The Orioles, Red Sox and Mets have, to varying degrees, been linked to Cease this offseason. The Angels, Padres and Pirates haven’t been directly tied to the righty but are generally known to be looking for starting pitching. Baltimore has perhaps been the subject of the most speculation, a reflection of their loaded minor league pipeline and the benefit of adding a high-octane arm to last year’s 101-win club. Heyman reports that the O’s are reluctant to part with 24-year-old infielder Jordan Westburg, in whom the Sox are apparently showing interest. The former first-round pick hit .260/.311/.404 through his first 68 MLB games and has six years of club control.

Cease agreed to an $8MM salary for his second-to-last season of arbitration. He’s looking to rebound from a somewhat disappointing 2023 campaign in which he posted a 4.58 ERA over 177 innings. Cease still throws exceptionally hard and punched out 27.3% of opposing hitters a year ago. If the Sox do hold him into next season, he has the upside to be the most in-demand starter at the deadline.

José Berríos, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle have all returned multiple highly-regarded prospects in summer deals with a year and a half of control. Yet the Sox would also assume the risk of Cease suffering an injury or regression if they hold him for another few months.

It’s the biggest decision for Getz in his first offseason leading baseball operations. He pulled the trigger on a deal sending reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves for a five-player return at the start of the offseason. Getz and his staff have otherwise slow-played things thus far, supplementing the roster on the margins with fairly low-cost free agent pickups (i.e. Erick Fedde, Martín Maldonado, Chris Flexen, Tim Hill, Paul DeJong).

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Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Newsstand Dylan Cease Jordan Westburg

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Astros “Making A Push” To Sign Josh Hader

By Darragh McDonald | January 18, 2024 at 11:50pm CDT

The Astros are “making a push” to sign left-hander Josh Hader, per a report from Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The southpaw is represented by CAA Sports.

It hasn’t yet been reported what kind of contract discussions are taking place between the club and Hader’s representatives, but it will undoubtedly involve significant numbers. It was reported earlier this month that Hader was aiming to set a new benchmark for relievers by surpassing the Edwin Díaz deal from just over a year ago. Díaz re-signed with the Mets for $102MM over five years, though deferrals dropped the competitive balance tax value to $93MM. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted that Hader could indeed set a new record by getting to $110MM over six years.

Those hefty proposals are a reflection of Hader’s incredible work to this point in his career. Over 349 career appearances dating back to his 2017 debut, he has allowed just 2.50 earned runs per nine innings. His 10.2% walk rate is a tad high, but he has punched out 42.2% of batters that have stepped into the box against him. That included a strange blip in 2022 when his ERA jumped to 5.22, but the peripherals were still strong and he righted the ship last year, getting that ERA all the way down to 1.28.

The vast majority of that work has come as a closer, with Hader having racked up at least 33 saves in each of the past four full seasons, as well as 13 in the shortened 2020 campaign. These kinds of elite closers don’t grow on trees. That 42.2% strikeout rate over the past seven years is the highest in baseball among those with at least five innings pitched. Díaz has punched out 40.3% of opponents in his career, though with a better walk rate than Hader and more ground balls.

If the Astros end up sealing the deal with Hader, the details will come out and we will find out how the deal compares to the one Díaz signed with the Mets. It hasn’t been a secret that Houston has been looking to upgrade its bullpen, but it is at least a bit surprising to see them going after the top available free agent. The club has only once pushed their payroll into competitive balance tax territory, and that was in the shortened 2020 season when MLB suspended the tax system amid the pandemic.

That means the franchise still technically hasn’t “paid” the tax, but it seems as though 2024 may be the year. Roster Resource currently estimates that the club’s CBT number is just over $236MM, with this year’s base threshold set for $237MM. That means that adding essentially any money at all would push them over the line. If Hader were to secure the six-year, $110MM deal that MLBTR predicted, that would come with a CBT hit of $18.33MM.

The fact that the club may be willing to finally step onto the other side of that line is perhaps a reflection of their bullpen situation. They lost each of Héctor Neris, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek to free agency at the end of last year, subtracting three notable arms from their relief mix. General manager Dana Brown has frequently spoken about the need for bullpen upgrades this winter, and the situation got even worse with the recent news that Kendall Graveman will miss the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The club still has Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu as a strong foundation in the bullpen, but there’s plenty of uncertainty beyond those two. Rafael Montero parlayed a strong 2022 into a three-year, $34.5MM deal with Houston but then posted an ERA of 5.08 last year. Other than swingman Brandon Bielak, they don’t have any other relievers with two years of major league service time.

This week, Brown maintained that the club’s bullpen plans wouldn’t “intensify” due to the Graveman news, but perhaps it has inspired owner Jim Crane to push beyond his usual limits in order to address the relief corps. One pitcher wouldn’t eliminate the concerns around the overall depth, but the trio of Hader, Pressly and Abreu would be one of the most dominant late-inning groups in the sport.

Of course, it’s also possible the club could look to move some other contracts around in order to limbo back under the line, but that would come with its own challenges. There had been some speculation earlier this winter that Framber Valdez could be available for financial reasons, but that seemed to be a bit of wishful thinking coming from rival clubs as opposed to the Astros genuinely looking to move him. The lefty is going to make $12.1MM this year, and has one more season of arbitration control remaining, but trading him would open up a big hole in the rotation that is already going to start the season without Luis García and Lance McCullers Jr. due to injuries.

Beyond Valdez, Graveman has a CBT hit of $8MM but would be hard to move since he’s going to miss the entire season and then become a free agent. Houston would have to include some other talent, likely prospects, in order to make it worth it for another club to take that contract on. McCullers has a CBT hit of $17MM but similar logic would apply. His deal runs through 2026 but his significant health issues in his career and especially in recent years might make it hard for a deal to come together. Montero’s $11.5MM CBT hit over the next two seasons won’t be easily jettisoned after this down year.

Of course, all this is speculative under a deal with Hader is actually completed. There are still no details of what is being discussed or if it’s close to being completed. He has also received reported interest from the Orioles, while clubs like the Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers have been mentioned as speculative fits. Hader rejected a qualifying offer from the Padres so any signing club, whether it’s the Astros or someone else, will be subject to draft pick forfeiture and possibly a loss of international bonus pool money as well.

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Houston Astros Josh Hader

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Cardinals Release James Naile To Pursue KBO Opportunity

By Anthony Franco | January 18, 2024 at 11:14pm CDT

The Cardinals announced they’ve transferred the contract of right-hander James Naile to the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster, which now sits at 39.

This transaction is made with Naile’s consent. He’ll lock in a $550K guarantee — taking the form of a $200K signing bonus and a $350K salary — with an additional $150K available in incentives, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (on X). The Kia Tigers are also paying the Cardinals a $250K release fee.

It’s a beneficial transaction for all involved. Naile, who turns 31 next month, secures the strongest contract of his career to date. Selected by the A’s in the 20th round of the 2015 draft, the 6’4″ hurler spent seven years in the Oakland farm system. He never got a big league call and landed with the Cards in minor league free agency over the 2021-22 offseason.

That resulted in a long-awaited MLB look for the UAB product. Naile was called up for seven relief outings in 2022. St. Louis ran him through outright waivers last offseason, keeping him in the organization in a non-roster capacity. They reselected his contract in early May and bounced him on and off the MLB roster throughout the summer. Naile made 10 more big league appearances but surrendered 19 runs in 15 1/3 innings.

With a 7.40 ERA in 24 1/3 career MLB frames, Naile wasn’t a lock to hold his spot on the 40-man into next season. Even if he kept his position on the 40-man, he might’ve spent most of next year on optional assignment to Triple-A Memphis. Spending the majority or entirety of the season in the minors would’ve been less profitable than the guarantee he inked to jump to the KBO.

In addition to the final security, Naile will likely get a rotation look in Korea. He has pitched in relief for the past four years but worked out of the rotation up through 2019. He pitched in a multi-inning bullpen capacity a season ago, logging 59 frames over 31 Triple-A appearances. Naile posted strong numbers in the minors, turning in a 3.66 ERA while striking out over 26% of batters faced. He kept the ball on the ground at a robust 53.2% clip, a trait he’s shown throughout his minor league career.

KBO teams are allowed to carry two foreign-born pitchers on their roster. They tend to use those players out of the rotation as a result. Naile joins former Pirate Wil Crowe as the Tigers foreign pitchers. Outfielder Socrates Brito is their position player. They’ll add a player with an impressive Triple-A résumé, while the Cardinals receive some cash for someone they might’ve placed on waivers eventually anyway. If Naile pitches well as a starter in the KBO, he could elevate his stock for major league clubs an offseason or two from now.

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Korea Baseball Organization St. Louis Cardinals Transactions James Naile

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A’s Evaluating Salt Lake City As Potential Option For 2025

By Anthony Franco | January 18, 2024 at 9:28pm CDT

A’s officials will visit Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City this week, reports Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s another stadium under consideration as the organization tries to identify a temporary home park for the 2025-27 campaigns.

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Monday that the A’s were also looking at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. Akers reports that A’s owner John Fisher and president Dave Kaval were among a team contingent to tour the Sacramento facility today.

The A’s have yet to begin construction on their 33,000-seat stadium in Vegas. That project isn’t expected to be ready until the 2028 season. The franchise’s lease at Oakland’s Coliseum expires at the end of next year. That leaves them considering a number of options for the intervening trio of seasons.

Others known to be under consideration are a short-term lease extension in Oakland, sharing San Francisco’s Oracle Park with the Giants, and playing at the Summerlin, Nevada facility of their Triple-A affiliate. Akers adds one other possible venue: Greater Nevada Field in Reno.

None of those are perfect options. Splitting Oracle Park could leave logistical issues for MLB as it schedules A’s and Giants games. An extension at the Coliseum would require approval from Oakland officials. That’s hard to envision given the fractured relationship between the outgoing team and its longtime home. The other facilities are minor league stadiums.

Smith’s Ballpark is the home of the Angels’ top farm team, the Bees. Opened in 1994, it has a capacity of roughly 14,500. Greater Nevada Field is home of the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club, the Aces. It holds a little more than 9,500 people. It’s a fairly new facility, having opened in 2009.

A group in Salt Lake City has angled to add an expansion franchise to Utah’s capital in the future. If they get the opportunity to host the A’s for a few seasons, that could aid in their efforts to land a permanent team down the line.

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