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Reds Sign Austin Hays

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The Reds announced the signing of outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal. The MAS+ client is reportedly guaranteed $5MM. That takes the form of a $4MM salary for the upcoming season and a $1MM buyout on a $12MM mutual option for 2026. Hays can earn an additional $1MM via incentives. Right-hander Casey Legumina was designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Hays, 29, gives the Reds the right-handed-hitting complement they’ve been seeking for the lefty-swinging outfield group of TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and Will Benson. He’s a career .277/.331/.469 hitter against left-handed pitching and has experience playing all three outfield spots — though he’s generally better suited for corner work than center field.

As recently as 2023, Hays was an All-Star in Baltimore. He had a down showing in the second half after a monster .314/.355/.498 first half of that season but still finished out the year with a hearty .275/.325/.444 batting line in 566 plate appearances.

The 2024 season, however, was an abject nightmare for Hays. He struggled immensely on the field, due to a pair of leg injuries (hamstring strain, calf strain) and, far more concerning, a kidney infection. As Rosenthal detailed earlier in the offseason, Hays described that kidney infection as “the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.” Upon discovering it, doctors told him he’d likely been suffering from the ill effects of that infection for weeks prior.

Hays told Rosenthal that his symptoms included nausea, lightheadedness, lower back pain, sluggish legs and even a “brain fog” that would at times cause him to lose focus and forget what he was talking about mid-conversation. Hays initially chalked some of the exhaustion, leg fatigue and back pain up to the rigors of a full season and the prior hamstring/calf strains still impacting him. As time wore on and his symptoms increased, it became clear something else was at play.

A healthy Hays could well be a boon to the Cincinnati outfield, particularly if he’s in line to face a large slate of left-handed pitching. The move from Baltimore to Cincinnati should favor him considerably, too. Camden Yards has become a wasteland for right-handed power hitters in recent years, following the team’s decision to alter the dimensions in left field. Since 2022, when the O’s initially altered their park and installed a towering wall in left field (often referred to as “Mount Wall-timore”), their stadium has been the third-worst in MLB for right-handed home runs, per Statcast, leading only Cleveland’s Progressive Field and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, meanwhile, ranks as the third most-favorable park in MLB for right-handed home runs, by those same park factors.

Hays’ presence in Cincinnati could open up some more infield and/or DH at-bats for fellow righty Spencer Steer, who played primarily in the outfield last year. Steer is an infielder by trade, but his versatility was leveraged when the Reds’ infield became increasingly crowded.

The trade of Jonathan India and overwhelming struggles of Noelvi Marte last year have perhaps lent some extra clarity to the infield, however. There’s still some playing time to sort out this spring, but Steer could see time at the corners and DH alongside Jeimer Candelario, who also struggled in an injury-marred 2024 season, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who missed most of the year due to wrist surgery. Matt McLain (who missed most of the season due to shoulder surgery) and Elly De La Cruz are in line to serve as the primary second baseman and shortstop, respectively. Trade acquisition Gavin Lux could also see time at second base and in left field. Broadly speaking, the Reds’ lineup will feature quite a few moving parts for new skipper Terry Francona to juggle based on matchups, health and workload management.

Hays’ $5MM guarantee will push the Reds’ payroll just north of $110MM, marking an increase of about $10MM over their 2024 budget. Even an increase of that level looked questionable just weeks ago, but the team’s surprise agreement with Main Street Sports/FanDuel Sports Network (the rebranded Diamond Sports/Bally RSN provider) afforded president of baseball operations Nick Krall some additional resources to further build out the 2025 club. The Reds have also been tied to relief upgrades, Carlos Estevez most notably, but it’s not clear whether ownership’s budgetary preferences can accommodate both Hays and another bullpen arm — particularly one of Estevez’s caliber and likely asking price.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that Hays and the Reds had agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal with $1MM in incentives. Jon Heyman of The New York Post had the salary breakdown and the mutual option.

Mets Re-Sign Ryne Stanek

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January 30: The Mets now have made it official. Right-hander Dylan Covey has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

January 29: The Mets are bringing back right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek. New York is reportedly in agreement with the MVP Sports Group client on a one-year, $4.5MM guarantee with an additional $500K available in incentives. The Mets will pay a 95% luxury tax on the contract, pushing their investment to $8.775MM. The team has yet to announce the signing, which is still pending a physical.

Stanek, 33, played the 2024 season on a one-year, $4MM deal originally signed with the Mariners. Seattle flipped him to the Mets over the summer in a deal netting them minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas. Stanek had a pair of very rough outings early in his Mets tenure but finished out the regular season on a hot streak (2.92 ERA, 18-to-4 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings) before playing a key role in the Mets’ postseason run. The big 6’4″ righty held opponents to three runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in eight frames during the playoffs. He got the final out in three Mets victories during the postseason (all of them non-save situations): Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and Games 1 and 3 of the NLDS.

Since establishing himself as a big leaguer back in 2018, Stanek has been consistently successful in short stints. He’s pitched 382 1/3 innings and logged a 3.53 ERA, fanning a very strong 27.6% of opponents against a less palatable 11.6% walk rate (about three percentage points north of average). Stanek has technically “started” 56 games in his career, though those were all working as an opener in Tampa Bay.

Stanek is typically good for one to two innings of high-octane relief, averaging 97.8 mph on his four-seamer in his career — including 98.1 mph over the past three seasons. His strikeout rate is strong, and his bat-missing ability is elite, evidenced by a hefty 15.1% swinging-strike rate in his career (and a mark of 15% or better in five of his seven seasons). Since Stanek debuted in 2017, only nine of the 214 pitchers with at least 400 innings pitched have a better swinging-strike rate — and that list is a veritable who’s-who of star pitchers (Josh Hader, Edwin Diaz, Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Pressly, Craig Kimbrel, Shane McClanahan). Poor command undercuts Stanek’s raw ability to generate whiffs at times, but that ability and his potent raw stuff continue to intrigue clubs.

Stanek joins A.J. Minter — who inked a two-year, $22MM deal — as a late-inning addition for president of baseball operations David Stearns this offseason. That pair will help set up for Edwin Diaz. The Mets have a deep collection of other arms to consider for the bullpen. Free agent pickup Griffin Canning seems ticketed for a long relief/swingman role, while short-relief candidates include Reed Garrett, Jose Butto, Danny Young, Sean Reid-Foley, Dedniel Nunez, Huascar Brazoban, Austin Warren, Max Kranick, Kevin Herget and Tyler Zuber. Each of Butto, Young, Reid-Foley and Dylan Covey are on the 40-man roster but out of minor league options; there’ll be some movement among this collection of depth arms between now and Opening Day.

Stanek is the third free agent addition for the Mets in the past couple weeks. They’ve also added Minter and Jesse Winker in that span — all at a time when they’re reportedly expecting longtime cornerstone Pete Alonso to sign elsewhere after he rejected a three-year offer from the team. The potential for a reunion there will continue to linger, owner Steve Cohen’s recent public comments notwithstanding, but the Mets have now added $23-24MM in 2025 salary and another $25-26MM worth of luxury taxes since Alonso turned down that offer.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported that the Mets and Stanek were in agreement on a one-year deal. SNY’s Andy Martino indicated the salary would land between $4MM and $5MM. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the $4.5MM guarantee and the $500K in bonuses.

Athletics Designate Anthony Maldonado For Assignment

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The A’s announced that they have claimed Elvis Alvarado off waivers from the Pirates, a move that MLBTR covered earlier today. To open a 40-man roster spot, right-hander Anthony Maldonado has been designated for assignment.

Maldonado, 27 next month, was a recent waiver claimee himself. The A’s grabbed him from the Marlins in November, though he has only lasted a few months on the Athletics’ roster. He made his major league debut with the Marlins last year, tossing 19 innings over 16 appearances. He allowed 12 earned runs, leading to a 5.68 ERA in that small sample, striking out just 13.4% of batters faced.

The A’s were surely more interested in his minor league track record, which has naturally been of greater quality and quantity. Over the past four years, Maldonado threw 188 innings across various minor league levels. He had a 3.26 ERA, 32.4% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

That was enough to attract the interest of the A’s but he’s now been bumped off the roster in favor of Alvarado. Maldonado will now be in DFA limbo for a week at most, giving the club some time to explore trades or put him on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would need to come together in the next five days. Maldonado still has two option years and less than a full season of service time, which could perhaps attract other clubs looking to add some cheap bullpen depth.

Athletics Claim Elvis Alvarado

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2:40pm: The A’s have now officially announced the claim. Righty Anthony Maldonado has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

2:25pm: The Athletics are claiming right-hander Elvis Alvarado off waivers from the Pirates, reports Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Bucs designated him for assignment earlier this week to sign infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier. The A’s have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to complete this claim.

Alvarado, 26 next month, has yet to make his major league debut. He has pitched in the minors for the Nationals, Mariners, Tigers and Marlins over the years without getting the call to the big leagues. He hit free agency and the Pirates somewhat surprisingly gave him a roster spot in December, signing him to a split deal.

The Bucs were presumably willing to give him that roster spot based on a big uptick in strikeouts in 2024, though it also came with some control issues. He tossed 48 1/3 Triple-A innings in the Marlins’ system last year, allowing 2.79 earned runs per nine. He struck out 33.2% of batters faced but also gave out free passes at a massive 17.8% rate.

That was in stark contrast to his previous track record. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 137 2/3 innings on the farm with a 4.58 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. Per Brooks Baseball, he has been increasing his slider usage over the past two years. In 2023, that was combined with fewer four-seamers and more sinkers. He flipped that in 2024, dropping his sinker usage and getting the four-seamer back up to previous levels.

The specifics of Alvarado’s split deal weren’t reported but such deals often feature a high minor league salary, in part to dissuade other clubs from putting in a claim and/or to stop the player from electing free agency. In this case, it seems the A’s were intrigued by the same minor league numbers that interested the Pirates, so they have grabbed Alvarado to add some pitching depth.

Mariners Sign Neftali Feliz To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners’ announced 31 non-roster invitees to major league spring training today, most of whom were in-house prospects or previously reported veteran signees. One new name among the bunch is something of a blast from the past, as Seattle has invited former American League Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz to big league camp.

Feliz, 37 in May, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021, when he pitched one inning for the Phillies and another three for the Dodgers. Prior to that, his last MLB work came back in 2017. He’s spent the 2022-24 seasons pitching for three different clubs in the Mexican League and fared quite nicely in an extremely hitter-friendly setting there, logging a 2.37 earned run average with a 26.3% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate in 121 2/3 innings. He’s tallied 54 saves along the way. Feliz is pitching for las Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League this offseason and has logged another 21 1/3 innings with a tiny 2.11 ERA. His 18.4% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate stand out less, however.

Back in 2010, Feliz saved 40 games for the Rangers and notched a 2.73 ERA in 69 1/3 innings, fanning 26.4% of opponents against a 6.7% walk rate en route to AL Rookie of the Year honors. He secured 20 first-place votes, handily topping runners-up Austin Jackson (Tigers) and Danny Valencia (Twins) in the top three of that year’s balloting.

Feliz had a generally successful but injury-marred tenure in seven seasons with the Rangers. He saved 93 games for Texas and posted a 2.69 ERA in 261 1/3 innings but had Tommy John surgery in Aug. 2012 and subsequently missed nearly all of the 2013 season. He was also limited to fewer than 50 frames in both 2014 and 2015. The Rangers cut him loose in July 2015, and he finished out the year with a shaky stint in the Tigers’ bullpen (7.62 ERA in 28 1/3 innings).

A 2016 deal with the Pirates brought about a rebound showing, but Feliz was roughed up again in 2017 while pitching for the Brewers and Royals. His 2017 season in Kansas City ended in August after he reported ongoing numbness in his right hand and was diagnosed with ulnar nerve palsy.

There’s no telling what to expect from Feliz now that he’s in his late 30s. At his peak, he averaged better than 96 mph on his heater and flashed a hefty 14.1% swinging-strike rate thanks to that power fastball and a sharp slider. He still sat 95 mph with his fastball in that very brief 2021 big league work. For the Mariners, there’s little harm in a non-guaranteed deal to see if Feliz’s recent work in Mexico can carry back over to an improbably late-30s return to the big leagues.

Nationals Release Joe La Sorsa

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Jan. 30: La Sorsa cleared release waivers and is now a free agent, the Nationals announced.

Jan. 29: The Nationals announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on left-hander Joe La Sorsa. The lefty was already off the 40-man roster, as he was designated for assignment when the Nats signed Shinnosuke Ogasawara last week.

La Sorsa, 27 in April, has a previous career outright. The Nats passed him through waivers last offseason before eventually selecting him back to the roster in August. A player with a previous career outright has the right to reject another such assignment in favor of free agency. That’s likely why the Nats have placed him on release waivers instead of outright waivers.

The southpaw has 50 1/3 major league innings on his track record. Drafted by the Rays, he climbed to the majors with that club but was put on waivers after just two appearances. He was claimed by the Nats in June of 2023. As mentioned, he was off the roster for a portion of the 2024 season but most of his major league innings have come for the Nats. Overall, he has a 4.47 earned run average, 19.2% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 40.9% ground ball rate.

In the minors, he had really strong numbers in 2022 but has leveled off since then. He logged 73 1/3 innings on the farm in that 2022 season with a 2.33 ERA, 31.4% strikeout rate and 3.6% walk rate. Over the two most recent seasons, he’s thrown 92 2/3 minor league innings with a 2.82 ERA but with his 18% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate both moving in the wrong direction.

La Sorsa doesn’t throw hard, with his fastball averaging just 90.4 miles per hour in the majors last year, and has generally had subpar strikeout rates. But his small sample of big league work has had him avoid significant damage, with Statcast having his average exit velocity and hard hit rate both a bit better than average. He has a couple of options and less than a year of service time, which could add to his appeal as a depth option.

Reds, Albert Abreu Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent righty Albert Abreu, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Vayner Sports client will be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

Abreu, 29, has pitched in parts of four big league seasons, mostly with the Yankees, but spent the 2024 campaign with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He logged 49 innings out of the Lions’ bullpen and pitched to a strong 2.39 earned run average, albeit with poor rate stats. Abreu fanned only 16.3% of the hitters he faced and issued walks at a 9.9% clip. He’s had a similar run with los Tigres de Licey in the Dominican Winter League this offseason, tossing 22 2/3 frames with a 3.18 ERA, 15% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

Abreu originally debuted with the 2020 Yankees but was torched for four runs (three earned) in just 1 1/3 innings across two appearances. He fared better in larger samples across the next three seasons — including brief stints with the Royals and Rangers — but mirrored the same shaky K-BB profile he’s displayed in Japan and in winter ball over the past year. In 135 2/3 career innings, Abreu carries a 4.58 ERA, 22.4% strikeout rate and 12.9% walk rate. He’s kept the ball on the ground at a nice 47.4% rate and averaged a whopping 97.8 mph on his sinker, but home runs have also been an issue (1.53 HR/9).

The Reds beefed up their bullpen yesterday with a trade for San Francisco’s Taylor Rogers, though they’ve also subtracted righty Fernando Cruz this offseason (in a trade netting them backup catcher Jose Trevino). Rogers joins Alexis Diaz, Sam Moll, Emilio Pagan, Brent Suter and out-of-options Tony Santillan as virtual locks for the bullpen — health permitting. Former starters Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers are in the mix for spots but could also be optioned to Triple-A to either remain stretched out in the Louisville rotation or continue working on a transition to shorter stints. Righties Casey Legumina and Yosver Zulueta are also on the 40-man roster and could factor into the relief corps with a strong spring showing.

Abreu, Bryan Shaw, Alex Young and Ian Gibaut are among the experienced arms who’ll be non-roster invitees this spring and look to grab one of those final spots in new manager Terry Francona’s bullpen.

Reds Re-Sign Ian Gibaut To Minor League Deal

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The Reds brought back reliever Ian Gibaut on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Wasserman client will be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Gibaut, 31, has been with Cincinnati for the past two-plus seasons. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers halfway through the 2022 campaign. The righty turned in a 4.67 earned run average across 33 appearances for the rest of the season. Cincinnati kept him on the roster and were rewarded with a career-best showing in ’23. Gibaut worked to a 3.33 ERA over a personal-high 75 2/3 frames that year.

His follow-up was ruined by injury. Gibaut battled a nerve issue in his forearm and required surgery in May. The Reds activated him from the 60-day injured list in the final week of the season. Gibaut pitched twice, tossing two innings of one-run ball with a strikeout. Cincinnati decided not to carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason after an injury-wrecked year. They non-tendered him in lieu of an $800K arbitration projection.

Gibaut will get an opportunity to reestablish himself in camp. His velocity was down slightly in his limited MLB work last year. He averaged 93.6 MPH on his fastball after sitting above 95 during the prior season. That’s not surprising coming off an extended layoff related to forearm trouble. If the offseason allows Gibaut to regain some of that life, he could vie for a spot in the middle innings.

The Reds have six relievers who are essentially locks for Opening Day jobs if healthy. Alexis Díaz, Brent Suter, Sam Moll, Tony Santillan, Emilio Pagán and trade pickup Taylor Rogers will all be in Terry Francona’s bullpen. Nick Martinez could be in the rotation or back in a multi-inning relief capacity. Gibaut joins Bryan Shaw and Alex Young as non-roster invitees who have MLB experience. None of those players can be optioned, so if the Reds select any of them onto their 40-man roster, they’d need to stick in the majors or be designated for assignment.

Reds Designate Owen White For Assignment

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The Reds announced that they have designated right-hander Owen White for assignment. That opens a roster spot for left-hander Taylor Rogers, who has now been officially acquired from the Giants.

White, 25, has never suited up for the Reds. He was drafted by the Rangers and spent his entire career in that organization until they designated him for assignment last month. The Reds acquired him in early January, sending cash considerations to Texas, but have now quickly bumped him off the roster. He will be in DFA limbo for a week at most, during which time the Reds will see if they can trade him or pass him through waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours so any trade talks would need to come together in the next five days.

It’s certainly possible other clubs are interested, just as the Reds were, hoping for a bounceback. White’s recent results haven’t been great but he is not too far removed from being one of the top pitching prospects in the game.

The Rangers took him with a second-round pick in 2018, though Tommy John surgery and the pandemic pushed his professional debut to 2021. Once able to take the hill in the minors, he put up good numbers. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he threw 115 2/3 innings, allowing 3.42 earned runs per nine. His 34.1% strikeout rate was huge, while his 7.5% walk rate was also a strong mark.

He was a consensus top 100 prospect going into 2023 but his stock has been sliding since then. He pitched seven big league innings for the Rangers over the past two years, but allowed 13 earned runs, giving him a nauseating 16.71 ERA at the moment. That’s obviously a tiny sample size but his minor league work has also been unimpressive. In 151 1/3 Triple-A innings over the past two years, he has a 5.41 ERA. That was in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but his 17.4% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate were also rough numbers, suggesting it wasn’t just the environment.

For what it’s worth, the Rangers tried a bullpen move partway through 2024, with some mixed results. In 18 innings over his final 13 appearances of the year, he struck out 25.6% of batters faced. His 5.50 ERA and 12.8% walk rate in that time weren’t good numbers but the uptick in punchouts was maybe something.

White still has one option year remaining, so an acquiring club could perhaps use the 2025 to experiment without having to put him in the big leagues. It’s possible there are some clubs who would like to put him back in a starting role to chase his previous upside or others who would see an intriguing path forward in the bullpen. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll stick with the Reds as non-roster depth. He’ll know in the next week whether that’s his fate or if he’s destined to join a new club yet again.

Reds Acquire Taylor Rogers

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The Reds have acquired left-hander Taylor Rogers and cash considerations from the Giants, per announcements from both clubs. Minor league right-hander Braxton Roxby heads the other way. The cash going to Cincinnati is reportedly $6MM, half of Rogers’ salary this year. The Reds designated right-hander Owen White for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Rogers, 34, has been one of the better lefty relievers in the league for quite a while now. Dating back to 2016, he has thrown 490 2/3 innings, allowing 3.34 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 28.2% of batters faced, limited walks to a 7% clip and also kept balls in play on the ground at a 46.3% rate.

He has occasionally been deployed as a closer, with a couple of seasons with 30-plus saves, but has mostly been a really good setup guy. He has 98 holds in his career. From 2016 through 2024, only ten pitchers racked up more holds. Héctor Neris is the only guy with both more saves and more holds than Rogers in that span.

The southpaw has spent the past two years with the Giants. He signed a three-year, $33MM deal with that club going into 2023. That was broken up into a $9MM salary in 2023, followed by $12MM in the final two seasons. That signing allowed him to play on the same team as his brother, righty Tyler Rogers.

As a Giant, the left-handed Rogers continued to post good numbers overall. He had a 3.83 ERA in 2023 and dropped that to 2.40 last year. It’s possible that the club saw some yellow flags under the hood last year, however. He averaged 93 miles per hour on his sinker, a career low and the third straight season in which that number dropped. He was at 95.7 mph in 2021 but then went to 94.3 and 93.6 in the next two years. His strikeout rate has also been falling in step, going from 35.7% to 30.7, 29.6 and 25.7% over the past four seasons.

He did still manage a shiny ERA in 2024 but there may have been some luck there. His 81.8% strand rate was well above the 72.1% league average, perhaps why his 3.75 FIP and 3.47 SIERA were both more than a run higher than his ERA. The Giants placed him on waivers in August last year, meaning any club could have just grabbed him if they were willing to take on the remainder of his contract, but no club did.

Those adjusted numbers are still decent, so it’s a sensible pickup for the Reds. Their relievers had a collective 4.09 ERA last year, placing them 18th out of the 30 clubs in the majors. They lost Buck Farmer and Justin Wilson to free agency. They traded Fernando Cruz to the Yankees for catcher Jose Trevino.

Adding to that bullpen has clearly been part of their plans. They have been connected to reliever Carlos Estévez multiple times this offseason but it’s been unclear how much spending capacity they have.

A couple of weeks ago, they signed a new TV deal with Main Street Sports, which prompted president of baseball operations Nick Krall to say that the club could perhaps direct some extra funding into building the roster. In recent days, they have agreed to sign Austin Hays to a $5MM deal and acquire Rogers as well as $6MM of his $12MM salary. They also agreed to a minor league deal with Wade Miley, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery but would make a $2.5MM base salary if he eventually makes the club.

Bringing in Rogers will hopefully upgrade the bullpen and give them a third lefty alongside Brent Suter and Sam Moll. Whether they still have funds available to go after Estévez or any other free agent remains to be seen. RosterResource estimates the club’s payroll at $110MM, about $10MM above last year. As of this writing, that doesn’t include Rogers, so adding in $6MM for him should push them up to a $16MM difference.

For the Giants, they have essentially cut the left-handed portion of their bullpen in half. Rogers and Erik Miller were the only southpaw relievers to toss more than an inning for the club last year, so they are now down to just Miller.

As mentioned, Rogers has been declining in terms of velocity and strikeouts, so perhaps the Giants expected those trends to continue and just wanted to get out now. In the process, they have saved $6MM, which could be redirected towards another part of the roster. RosterResource calculates their competitive balance tax number at $211MM, $30MM below the base threshold of $241MM. They paid the tax last year but it’s unclear if they plan to do so again in 2025. They have been connected to notable free agents such as Pete Alonso and Jack Flaherty this winter, so perhaps the savings could help them land one of those guys or some other free agent of note.

Of course, they are also adding some young talent in the form of Roxby. 26 in March, Roxby was signed by the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Due to the pandemic, that year featured a truncated draft of just five rounds.

Exclusively a reliever in his career thus far, Roxby has thrown 169 2/3 innings across multiple levels over the past four years with a 4.30 ERA. His 10.4% walk rate is a bit high but his 30.6% strikeout rate quite strong. Back in April, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him as the #38 prospect in the Cincinnati system, noting that he’s a sidearming righty with two breaking balls. Geoff Pontes and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America highlighted Roxby ahead of the 2023 Rule 5 draft but he didn’t get selected that year nor in 2024.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Rogers-Roxby swap. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com first reported the $6MM heading to the Reds.

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