Mets Notes: Bregman, Alonso, Loaisiga, Blackburn, Mauricio
As if signing Juan Soto to a record contract wasn’t enough, the Mets could be exploring another big-ticket addition for the corner infield. Ari Alexander of KPRC (X link) reports that the Mets are among the teams who have interest in Alex Bregman, while president of baseball operations David Stearns told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and other reporters that the Mets would “love to bring [Pete] Alonso back.”
While referring to Alonso’s market but perhaps speaking broadly about the Mets’ payroll situation as a whole, Stearns said “I think our ownership has consistently demonstrated that there’s going to be resources when we need them. There is the ability for us to make baseball moves when we think that they’re there to improve the team, and we’re going to continue to pursue a wide variety of areas to continue to improve our team.”
This means that neither Alonso, Bregman, or perhaps a top-tier pitcher can be ruled out during what has already been an aggressive offseason in Queens. The Mets had so much coming off the books this winter that even with Soto’s mega-deal now factored in, New York’s luxury tax number is still a relatively modest $251.8MM (as per RosterResource‘s estimate). While this is over the $241MM tax threshold, simply exceeding the tax line is nothing to Mets owner Steve Cohen, whose team had an estimated $358.1MM tax number in 2024.
Mark Vientos‘ breakout season makes him a lock for one corner infield slot, giving New York some flexibility in deciding what to do with the other side of the diamond. Vientos could just remain at the hot corner and the Mets could run it back entirely by re-signing a popular homegrown slugger Alonso. Or, the Mets could shake things up by moving Vientos to first base, clearing room for Bregman as the new starting third baseman.
Both Bregman and Alonso rejected qualifying offers, though in re-signing Alonso, the Mets wouldn’t have to give up any compensation since he is their own free agent. Signing Soto cost the Mets $1MM in international draft pool money and their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2025 draft, so signing another QO-rejecting free agent would cost another $1MM of bonus pool funds plus two more picks — this time New York’s third- and sixth-highest selections. It isn’t entirely out of the question that the Mets could burn such a big chunk of a draft year in search of premium win-now talent, though the club’s preference is likely to avoid another free agent tied to compensation.
Moving onto pitching targets, ESPN’s Jorge Castillo writes that the Mets are one of the teams linked to Jonathan Loaisiga‘s market. Loaisiga was known to have received interest from 14 teams, including both New York clubs. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is very familiar with Loaisiga from their shared time together in the Bronx when Mendoza was the Yankees’ bench coach.
Loaisiga pitched just four innings in the 2024 season before his year was cut short by a UCL-related surgery (not a Tommy John procedure). Multiple injuries have limited Loaisiga to 219 2/3 innings since his MLB debut in 2018, but the right-hander has been an intriguing bullpen weapon when he’s been healthy, delivering a 3.28 ERA over 181 1/3 frames as a reliever. The buy-low potential is strong, so it isn’t surprising that Loaisiga is drawing such widespread attention from teams in need of bullpen help.
Stearns also provided a couple of injury updates during his media session (hat tip to DiComo and Newsday’s Tim Healey). The Mets believe Paul Blackburn will be ready for Opening Day in the aftermath of an October surgery to fix a spinal fluid leak. As dangerous as that procedure sounds, it carried a relatively brief recovery timeline of 4-5 months, and the Mets are encouraged enough by Blackburn’s rehab to now project him on the shorter end of that timeframe.
Blackburn could be another part of New York’s bullpen picture, but Stearns said the right-hander is still being viewed as a starting pitching option. Blackburn would currently line up as the fifth starter behind Kodai Senga, Frankie Montas, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes, though both his health status throughout Spring Training and the Mets’ further offseason moves could impact that rotation job. Acquired from the A’s at last year’s trade deadline, Blackburn was limited to five starts and 24 1/3 innings (posting a 5.18 ERA) due to both his back problem and a hand bruise.
It was almost exactly a year ago that top prospect Ronny Mauricio suffered a torn ACL during winter ball action, and Stearns said that Mauricio is now getting back to baseball-related activities. A former regular of the top-100 prospect rankings, Mauricio made his MLB debut in the form of 26 games and 108 PA for the Mets in 2023, but his injury dealt a big setback to his chances of being a bigger part of the infield mix last season.
Mozeliak: “It’s My Intention To Try” For Arenado Trade
8:06pm: At least a trio of “mid-market” teams have reached out to the Cardinals about Arenado’s availability, writes Katie Woo of the Athletic. She adds that the Yankees do indeed have interest in the star third baseman, though it’s not known if Arenado would waive his no-trade rights to go to the Bronx.
6:17pm: Nolan Arenado‘s name has been floated as a natural trade candidate since the Cardinals are trying to reduce payroll to some extent, and perhaps aren’t making a full-fledged run at contention. Despite the many obstacles involved in moving Arenado, Cards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak outright stated “It’s my intention to try” to move Arenado this season when speaking today with Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (links to X), Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and other reporters. A trade could come relatively soon, within the next 7-10 days but probably not during the Winter Meetings.
It is rare to see any executive be so forthcoming in discussing a player’s trade availability, particularly a player who is still under contract for the next three seasons. However, even as Mozeliak recently walked back the idea of 2025 as a pure rebuilding year for the Cardinals, it seems as though the team would like to open up the third base spot for younger players, in addition to getting some of Arenado’s salary off the books.
Arenado has a full no-trade clause, so he ultimately has the final say over where he plays in 2025 and beyond. The fact that Mozeliak feels a trade is relatively close would imply that Arenado has already provisionally agreed to a deal to a particular team or to a few teams, so now the Cardinals are sorting through the best offers from this team or teams. It is already known that Arenado is even willing to move off third base if that’s a better roster fit for a particular club, though it would seem unusual for the 10-time Gold Glover to move away from his accustomed position.
Beyond the no-trade protection, Arenado is owed $74MM over the three remaining years of his contract, though $10MM of that figure is covered by the Rockies as per the terms of the trade that sent Arenado from Colorado to St. Louis during the 2020-21 offseason. The Cards could attempt to take on another unfavorable contract as salary offset, though that wouldn’t much help the club’s bigger-picture plans.
Finding a trade partner to absorb all of that $64MM would be easier if Arenado was still in his prime All-Star form, though his numbers have fallen off in the last two seasons. Arenado has hit .269/.320/.426 with 42 home runs in 1247 plate appearances since Opening Day 2023, which is still above average (104 wRC+) production, yet not at his past standard. His Isolated Power metric plummeted to .123 in 2024, the lowest of his career and drastically below his .241 average in the previous 11 seasons.
Position change notwithstanding, Arenado’s market could be helped by the fact that the pickings are a little slim for teams looking for third base help this winter. Alex Bregman is easily the best option available in free agency, and the Phillies’ Alec Bohm might be the top third baseman available on the trade front. If a club feels a change of scenery can produce a bounce-back year for Arenado, a trade might be possible, provided that Arenado is equally enthusiastic about this new location to okay a deal. Reports indicate that the Yankees are one team that has been approached by the Cardinals about Arenado, though New York’s level of interest isn’t known.
Speaking of Cardinals players with no-trade protection, Miles Mikolas told Goold that he would prefer to stay in St. Louis for the final year of his contract. Mikolas is owed $16MM in 2025, and finding a taker at that full price could be tricky anyway since Mikolas struggled to a 5.35 ERA over 171 2/3 innings last season. While the 36-year-old still brings plenty of durability, the Cards might prefer such an innings-eater in their own rotation, since the team has already parted ways with Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
White Sox Hire Joel McKeithan As Assistant Hitting Coach
The White Sox announced their finalized coaching staff on Monday afternoon. The only previously unreported addition was the hiring of Joel McKeithan as assistant hitting coach. The Sox also revealed that former interim manager Grady Sizemore is taking the title of offensive coordinator.
McKeithan, 32, spent two years as Cincinnati’s hitting coach. The Reds found more success in 2023 than they did this past season. Cincinnati battled some injuries to key players (i.e. Matt McLain and TJ Friedl) and navigated a PED suspension for infielder Noelvi Marte. The finished in the bottom third of MLB in overall offense. Incoming manager Terry Francona parted ways with McKeithan and assistant hitting instructors Terry Bradshaw and Tim LaMonte.
He and Sizemore will work on the offensive side along with returning hitting coach Marcus Thames. First-year skipper Will Venable tabbed Walker McKiven as his bench coach a few weeks ago. The Sox are otherwise retaining most of last year’s staff. Pitching coach Ethan Katz, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, third base coach Justin Jirschele, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise and catching coach Drew Butera are all back from last season.
Marlins Release Mike Baumann To Pursue NPB Opportunity
7:22pm: Baumann is actually headed to Japan. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports (on X) that the CAA client has agreed to a deal with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.
7:13pm: The Marlins released reliever Mike Baumann, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. Miami’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
Baumann landed with the Fish on a waiver claim in late August. They were rather incredibly his fifth team of the season. The out-of-options righty bounced around as the last man in the bullpen for each of the Orioles, Mariners, Giants and Angels as well. Baumann didn’t pitch especially well for any of those clubs. He finished the year with a 5.55 earned run average over 58 1/3 innings. His 22% strikeout percentage wasn’t far off the MLB average, but he walked an elevated 10.6% of opponents while giving up plenty of hard contact.
The 29-year-old was a capable middle reliever for the Orioles as recently as 2023. He worked to a 3.76 ERA in a career-high 64 2/3 innings with Baltimore two seasons ago. Assuming he clears release waivers, Baumann will become a free agent. He’s probably looking at minor league deals but won’t have any issue getting a non-roster invite to MLB camp.
As for Miami, the move appears to be related to Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft. The Fish could not have made a selection if they went into the draft with a full 40-man roster. Miami picks third behind the White Sox and Rockies. The Marlins could have a target of their own in mind or try to work out a draft-and-trade with a team that sits lower in the order.
Roberts: Shohei Ohtani “Very Unlikely” To Pitch In Dodgers’ Opening Series
Shohei Ohtani hasn’t thrown a big league pitch since August 23, 2023, as the superstar underwent a UCL surgery that kept him off the mound for the entirety of the 2024 season. Ohtani is expected to return to pitching during the 2025 campaign, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts it is “very unlikely” Ohtani pitches during the team’s season-opening series in Tokyo against the Cubs on March 18-19.
“I just don’t see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October. Then, that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season, so I don’t know,” Roberts told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and other reporters.
Ohtani’s recovery process hit a minor speed bump when he suffered a labrum tear in his left (non-throwing) shoulder while attempting to steal second base in Game 2 of the World Series. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to address the problem shortly after the Fall Classic was over, and he is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training, at least as a hitter.
“I don’t think the left shoulder is going to have much of an impact on Shohei’s pitching,” Roberts said, noting that Ohtani’s elbow is naturally “the biggest factor.” The manager didn’t have a set idea yet about “when he starts pitching in Major League games,” other than to say that the Dodgers wouldn’t be pushing the two-way star back to the mound until he is ready.
For the second straight year, Los Angeles is opening the season a little earlier than the rest of the league by playing in an international series. The Dodgers faced the Padres in a two-game series in Seoul last March, and now they’ll head to Tokyo for what is expected to be an even bigger event, given Ohtani’s return to his home country. This bit of schedule irregularity adds another wrinkle to the Dodgers’ plans, both for Ohtani specifically and for the roster in general, given how the team has to ramp up for regular-season games in between two long international flights and then return to Cactus League play before the full season slate begins on March 27.
It should be noted that Roberts downplayed the idea of Ohtani pitching in those two games in Japan, but not the possibility of pitching during that March 27-29 series against the Tigers. The Dodgers’ plan of using a six-man rotation adds more flexibility, since the team is trying to create extra rest for not just Ohtani, but several pitchers with a checkered health history. While L.A. was able to overcome a mountain of pitching injuries to win the World Series, obviously the team would like to avoid walking that same tightrope in 2025, and would prefer to have a proper rotation healthy and ready for another deep postseason run.
Like always, Ohtani will be a fascinating figure to watch, as his Dodgers debut as a pitcher is now the follow-up to his magical first season with the organization. Ohtani’s time with the Angels is clear evidence that he can produce at a high level as both a pitcher and hitter simultaneously, but doing so after a major UCL-related injury does add another degree of difficulty to Ohtani’s already-unique skillset.
Jace Jung Underwent Wrist Surgery, Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Tigers third baseman Jace Jung underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right wrist in October, the team announced this evening. The talented infielder has already begun a hitting program and is expected to be full go for Spring Training.
Jung is the in-house favorite for Detroit’s third base job. The Tigers have been frequently connected to Alex Bregman, largely because of the history with manager A.J. Hinch, but there’s no indication they’re willing to make that level of long-term commitment. Jung’s minor surgery isn’t going to have any impact on a potential Bregman pursuit, of course. Assuming he recovers as expected, he’s on track to vie with Matt Vierling and Andy Ibáñez for playing time.
A former 12th overall pick, Jung made his MLB debut late in the season. He appeared in 34 games, hitting .241/.362/.304 without a home run through 94 trips to the plate. The lefty-hitting Jung had a strong year in Triple-A. Over 91 games, he hit .257/.377/.454 with 14 longballs and an excellent 16.1% walk rate.
In another development on the Detroit infield, Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic tweets that Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy will take offseason reps at first base. Keith is expected to remain the team’s primary second baseman, as the measure is simply designed to increase his versatility on the right side of the infield.
It could be a more consequential development for Malloy, who has always been a promising hitter without a defensive home. Malloy worked in the corner outfield or at designated hitter as a rookie. He played third base in the minors through 2023 but was panned by scouts for his glove. Malloy logged a little bit of first base action in college but hasn’t played there professionally. Former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson could have a tenuous hold on the starting job. Detroit is reportedly among the teams that have been in contact with Paul Goldschmidt as they look for a right-handed bat this winter.
Astros Not Ruling Out Potential Trades of Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez
6:35pm: In a full column at The Athletic, Rome writes that the Astros have unsurprisingly received calls on Tucker. He indicates that none of those discussions have become serious but reports that Brown is indeed willing to consider moving one of the two players if the right opportunity presents itself.
6:20pm: Astros general manager Dana Brown met with reporters this evening at the Winter Meetings. In addition to reiterating their longstanding desire to re-sign Alex Bregman, Brown left the door at least slightly open to trading one of his star players.
In response to a question about the team’s willingness to field interest in Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez, Brown replied he “would listen on all the players” (X link with video via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). It doesn’t seem they’re actively shopping either, however.
“We’ll listen on anybody. We’re not trying to aggressively move anybody out the door… If it doesn’t make sense, we wouldn’t do it,” Brown expanded (relayed on X by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). “So it really would have to make sense. Because right now we’re a good team and we’re not motivated to move any of these guys.”
An open-mindedness to conversation isn’t a declaration that either player is on the block. It still seems likelier than not that both will begin next season in Houston. That said, there’s at least a little bit of chatter about the possibility of the Astros pulling off a blockbuster. Chandler Rome of the Athletic floated the idea last week, pointing out that it’d open a fair amount of immediate payroll space while helping to replenish a poor farm system. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network tweets that there’s “some buzz” around the Meetings regarding the potential for a Tucker trade, in particular.
Both players would net a strong return. They’re each down to their final year of arbitration but are among the best in baseball at their respective positions. Tucker, whom MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects for a $15.8MM salary, hit 23 home runs in only 78 games this year. He slashed .289/.408/.585 across 339 plate appearances. A nagging right leg injury cost him a few months, but Tucker’s rate production was the best of his career. He’s one of the game’s five to 10 best hitters and trending towards a free agent deal that could push near $400MM.
There’s little to suggest the Astros are going to make a push to sign Tucker to that kind of contract. Even if they expect him to walk in 12 months, a trade would be a tough sell. Houston is trying to win another AL West title. They wouldn’t come close to replacing Tucker’s production if they move him. They’re already thin in the outfield, where Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are the other projected starters. Yordan Alvarez could see time in left field, but manager Joe Espada said today the Astros were hoping to scale back his outfield work to give him more reps at designated hitter (X link via Rome).
Valdez probably wouldn’t bring quite the same return as Tucker. He’d arguably be easier to replace, though the Astros would be placing a lot of faith in injury returnees Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. to do so. The southpaw is coming off a 2.91 ERA showing through 176 2/3 innings. Valdez has topped 175 frames in three straight years. He hasn’t allowed an ERA above 3.45 in any of those seasons. While his strikeout rates are more good than great, Valdez posts elite ground-ball numbers.
Swartz projects Valdez for a $17.8MM salary in his final arbitration year. That’s a notable sum but still well below what he’d make for one season if he were a free agent. (Frankie Montas just signed for $17MM annually over two seasons, for example.) Valdez is going into his age-31 season and could be limited to a five-year free agent contract, but he’s on track for a deal that lands well north of $100MM. The Astros have a better chance of re-signing him than they do of keeping Tucker, but neither player seems especially likely to remain in Houston after next season.
Tigers Interested In Paul Goldschmidt
With their first prominent offseason move now in the books, the Tigers may be looking to follow up the Alex Cobb signing with some offensive help. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (via X) that Detroit has interest in seven-time All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who is a free agent for the first time in his 14-year career.
Acquiring Goldschmidt isn’t the type of blockbuster move it would’ve been just a few years ago, as the veteran is coming off the first true middling season of his long career. Goldschmidt had a perfectly average 100 wRC+ over 154 games and 654 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2024, while batting .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs. All three points of that slash line were career lows for Goldschmidt, and his strikeout, walk and chase rates were all well below the league average.
Since Goldschmidt turned 37 in September, it could be that he is simply hitting a decline phase after holding off Father Time for so long. That said, there is reason to believe the first baseman might still have something left in the tank for a 15th MLB season (or beyond). Most of Goldschmidt’s struggles were contained to the first half of the season, as he hit a more respectable .271/.319/.480 in 250 PA after the All-Star break. He has continued to blister the ball when he does make contact, as Goldschmidt had strong barrel rates and a hard-hit ball rate that ranked in the 92nd percentile of all batters.
Between the hard-contact numbers and Goldschmidt’s excellent track record, there is certainly reason for teams to think he might have a bounce-back season in a new environment. His age means that a one-year contract is likely, which fits the Tigers’ preference for shorter-term contracts. Recent reports have indicated that Detroit is known to be looking for one- or two-year deals for starting pitchers, and the team is also wary of making a play for any free agent attached to a qualifying offer. This would seemingly hamper the Tigers’ chances of signing another target in Christian Walker, so Goldschmidt could be viewed as alternative.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has been vocal about his desire to add some veteran leadership to a young and talented club that reached the playoffs this season. Goldschmidt would certainly fill that role in the clubhouse, and his right-handed bat fits well in a very left-handed Detroit lineup.
The Tigers can use all the offense they can get considering the team’s lackluster hitting numbers in 2024, though installing Goldschmidt at first base begs the question of what will be done with Spencer Torkelson. The DH spot would allow Torkelson or Goldschmidt some at-bats when Kerry Carpenter is used in right field, though naturally Torkelson would be something of an odd man out in this situation.
It doesn’t appear as though Detroit is giving up on Torkelson’s potential, even though he has yet to show much consistency over parts of three MLB seasons. In an interview on MLB Network (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press), Harris described Torkelson as “immensely talented. Just like these young guys, we got to stick with him. We got to keep finding ways to get a little bit more out of him.”
Phillies Sign Jordan Romano
The Phillies finalized a one-year contract with reliever Jordan Romano, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed at the Winter Meetings. The longtime Blue Jays righty is reportedly guaranteed $8.5MM and would receive another $500K if he pitches 60 innings next season. Romano is represented by VC Sports Group.
The Phils are making a bet on a bounceback. Romano, 32 in February, just finished a frustrating and injury-marred season with the Blue Jays but was their closer for three years prior to that. The righty saved 95 games for the Jays from 2021 to 2023, tossing 186 innings with a 2.37 earned run average. He struck out 30.3% of batters faced in that time while giving out walks at a 9.2% clip and getting grounders on 42.3% of balls in play.
But 2024 was mostly a lost season for him. He started the season on the injured list due to some right elbow inflammation and never seemed to be fully healthy. He went on and off the IL throughout the year, making just 15 appearances with a 6.59 ERA. His 21% strikeout rate in that small sample was not only below his previous work but also below league average.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery on the elbow in July and was given an estimated six-week shutdown time frame. The Jays were hoping to get Romano back on the mound before the season was up but that didn’t come to pass. His last major league appearance was May 29.
The Jays could have retained Romano for one more season via arbitration. Salaries almost never go down via the arb system, so MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected the righty for the same $7.75MM salary he made in 2024. The Jays apparently weren’t willing to fork over that kind of cash for the chance to find out if Romano could get over his lost season, as he was not tendered a contract for 2025. Last week, general manager Ross Atkins said that he expected Romano to be healthy and hoped to re-sign him, but presumably at a lower price point. Instead, Romano will get a fresh start with a new organization and get a slight pay bump.
The Philadelphia bullpen has been shuffled quite a bit in recent months. They traded away Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto at the trade deadline, then lost Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez to free agency at season’s end. They still have some good arms back there, including Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm, but they’ve naturally been looking for bullpen upgrades this winter.
Opting for Romano also makes sense for financial reasons. The Phils have spent a lot of money on their roster in recent years, both via free agency and extensions of incumbent players. That has led to them paying the competitive balance tax three years in a row now. Going into 2025, they were projected to have a high payroll and CBT number yet again, before even making any offseason moves.
That has seemingly led to a shift in approach this winter. While they have been connected to many of the top available free agents in recent offseasons, they seemingly didn’t get involved in the Juan Soto frenzy and there have been many rumors about them trying to trade players like Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and others.
They reportedly had some interest in re-signing Hoffman and Estévez but both will likely be signing deals far larger than this pact for Romano. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Hoffman for a four-year, $44MM deal. That was before the clubs reportedly expressed interest in him as a starter, which could potentially increase his earning power. Estévez was projected for a more modest $27MM guarantee over three years, but still a notable commitment.
By going for Romano, the Phils are hoping that they are making a big upgrade to their bullpen but at a relatively low cost since they are buying low. There is some risk there, as relievers are generally volatile in general and Romano is coming off an injury-marred season, but it’s a logical gamble to take. If things go especially well, it’s possible the Phils could extend a qualifying offer to Romano at the end of next year. Qualifying offers for relievers are rare, but guys like Josh Hader, Raisel Iglesias and Will Smith have received them in recent years.
Now factoring in Romano, RosterResource projects the Phillies for a $271MM payroll. That would be a franchise record by a significant margin, with Cot’s Baseball Contracts having them in the $242-244MM range in recent years but never higher than that. RR projects the CBT number at $289MM for next year. That’s not only beyond the $241MM base threshold but also the second and third tiers of $261MM and $281MM, respectively. As a third-time CBT payor, the Phils will be looking at a 50% base tax next year as well as surcharges of 12%, 45% and 60% for spending beyond the higher tiers. That means they are already slated for a 95% tax rate on any additional spending right now and a 110% rate if they go beyond $301MM, though successfully trading away a notable contract could drop them lower. If they remain above the third line of $281MM, they would also see their top pick in the 2026 draft dropped back ten spots. All of these could be significant factors as the club looks to make further upgrades in the rest of the offseason.
For the Jays, remaking the bullpen will also be a big storyline in the coming weeks and months. Their relief group had a collective ERA of 4.82 in 2024, ahead of just the Rockies and a key factor in their disappointing season. Getting better results out of the bullpen will be necessary for a turnaround but they will have to do so with a new closer. Chad Green racked up 17 saves in 2024 while Romano was mostly out of action and could be the favorite for the job among guys currently on the roster, but they could perhaps find an external addition and bump green into a setup role.
Jim Salisbury first reported the Phillies had interest in Romano. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the sides had reached an agreement. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first correctly reported the terms.
Giants Intend To Keep Jordan Hicks In Rotation
The Giants continue to view Jordan Hicks as a starting pitcher, baseball operations president Buster Posey said this afternoon (X link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The 28-year-old righty finished this past season in the bullpen.
San Francisco signed Hicks to a four-year, $44MM free agent contract last winter. They gave the hard-throwing sinkerballer a starting job. That was Hicks’ first extended rotation work. He had started eight games for the Cardinals in 2022 but moved back to the bullpen relatively early in that year. He was a full-time reliever in ’23 before getting the rotation spot with the Giants.
Hicks showed early promise as a starter. He posted a 2.70 earned run average over 12 starts through the end of May. It looked as if Hicks would be a reliever-to-rotation success story in the Seth Lugo or Michael King mold, but things went off the rails midway through the year. Hicks’ velocity trended down each month. While he averaged 95.6 MPH on his sinker in April, that was down to 93.4 MPH by July. The results sharply dropped with it, as he posted a 5.24 ERA in June and allowed nearly a run per inning in July.
San Francisco kicked Hicks to the bullpen by the end of that month. He pitched well in the more familiar one-inning role but battled shoulder inflammation late in the year. Hicks finished the season with a 4.10 ERA in a career-high 109 2/3 innings. The rate production was around average when all was said and done, but it was an up-and-down year.
Given the way Hicks wore down physically, it was fair to wonder if the Giants would move him back to relief for good. Posey also wasn’t responsible for signing him as a starter, a move that came under previous front office leader Farhan Zaidi. Nevertheless, it seems they’ll give Hicks another shot at a rotation spot.
Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison are locked into rotation roles going into camp. If Hicks takes the fourth spot, that’d leave one job up for grabs. That’ll probably be an external acquisition of some kind. The Giants have been linked to Corbin Burnes, though that reported interest predated their $182MM agreement with Willy Adames. It’s not clear if they’re still willing to play at the top of the rotation market. There are a number of more affordable possibilities in the middle tiers of free agency. Mason Black, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp are the top internal candidates for the fifth starter role. They each have options and could open next season in Triple-A if San Francisco makes an addition.
In other pitching news, Posey downplayed the possibility of trading former closer Camilo Doval (relayed on X by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). The Giants have gotten interest in the one-time All-Star, who struggled to a 4.88 ERA as his command deteriorated this year. Trading Doval this winter would be selling low, though, and the Giants are already a bit thin at the back of the bullpen. Ryan Walker had a breakout season to take the ninth inning, while Taylor Rogers and Tyler Rogers are in potential leverage roles. Doval, whom MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to make $4.6MM in his first season of arbitration eligibility, represents a volatile middle innings option.