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Padres To Add Nick Punto, Robby Hammock To Coaching Staff

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The Padres are going to add a couple of former big leaguers to their coaching staff. Per Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Nick Punto and Robby Hammock are going to be coming aboard, though their specific roles aren’t yet clear. Lin adds that Ryan Barba, the club’s major league field coordinator in 2024, recently left to join the Cardinals in some unspecified role.

Punto, 47, was in the big leagues from 2001 to 2014 as a utility player. He got into 1,163 games for the Phillies, Twins, Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers and Athletics. He hit .245/.323/.323 while playing every position on the diamond outside of the battery. He won a World Series ring with the Cards in 2011.

Hammock, also 47, was mostly a catcher but he also dabbled in the four corner spots. He played on-and-off for the Diamondbacks from 2003 to 2011, getting into 182 games. He hit .254/.312/.407 over his 527 plate appearances.

After his playing career ended, he transitioned into coaching with the D’Backs, working for various minor league clubs from 2012 to 2021. He then came to the Padres’ organization, serving as their Triple-A hitting coach in 2022. He then pivoted to the Pirates’ organization, managing the High-A Greensboro club in 2023 and then Double-A Altoona last year.

It’s unclear exactly what roles the two will have, but they will each bring an experienced voice to manager Mike Shildt’s staff. Shildt took over as San Diego’s skipper last year and the club went 93-69 in his first season.

Latest On Luis Arraez’s Trade Market

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The Padres and infielder Luis Arráez avoided arbitration earlier today by agreeing to a $14MM salary for the 2025 season, his final before he reaches free agency next offseason. Even after agreeing to a contract, however, there’s no guarantee that Arraez will be San Diego come Opening Day. The club is reportedly angling to lower its payroll to something closer to 2024’s $169MM figure. With outstanding needs in the outfield and rotation that have yet to be addressed, trading a pricey arbitration-level player like Arraez or Dylan Cease seems like it may be the best avenue for the club to simultaneously lower its payroll and add talent to remain competitive in the NL West this season.

That’s led the Padres to at least consider parting ways with Arraez this winter, and there have been some conflicting reports about potential interest from the Yankees regarding Arraez’s services. The club is in need of infield help after losing Gleyber Torres in free agency, and Arraez’s history as a second baseman makes him something of a plausible option. With that being said however, Andy Martino of SNY is the latest voice to cast doubt on the fit between Arraez and the Yankees. While Martino acknowledges that the club had some discussions back in November that involved Arraez, he adds that similarly brief conversations were held regarding fellow Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth along with a number of other players, and that the Yankees are not expected to pursue Arraez at this point in the winter.

That may not completely shut the door on Arraez winding up in the Big Apple, however. Martino suggests that while the Mets have not engaged with the Padres in “substantive” talks regarding Arraez to this point, they’re in the market for a veteran infielder and he could come into play for the club in the event that slugging first baseman Pete Alonso signs elsewhere. In that case, Arraez would provide the Mets with a short-term solution at first along with the ability to back up second and third base in a pinch. That would leave the door open for New York to reevaluate its needs next winter in a free agent class that figures to be headlined by star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. barring an extension with the Blue Jays. Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan O’Hearn, and Josh Naylor are among the other noteworthy names that figure to be available in next year’s first base class.

When it comes to their hole at first base, the club seems to be clearly focused on bringing Alonso back into the fold despite a number of recent reports have suggested that there remains a gap between the two sides in terms of years. It’s difficult to imagine the Mets going in another direction until Alonso’s market develops further, but it’s worth noting that the same surely could have been said about third baseman Alex Bregman and the Astros in the weeks prior to the club adding Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker to box him out of the club’s infield mix.

Should the Mets wind up searching for other options themselves, Arraez figures to be one of a number of backup options at their disposal in the event that Alonso ultimately signs elsewhere. There’s been some rumors that the club could consider Bregman as a backup to Alonso, which would kick incumbent third baseman Mark Vientos over to first. More direct first base options available in free agency or on the trade market include Justin Turner, LaMonte Wade Jr. or perhaps even Red Sox youngster Triston Casas, though none of those players have been directly connected to the Mets at this point.

Padres, Dylan Cease Avoid Arbitration

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The Padres and Dylan Cease have avoided arbitration, as reported by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The right-hander will earn $13.75MM in 2025. That’s $5.75MM more than his salary last season and just a hair over his $13.7MM salary projection, courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Cease, 29, was everything the Padres could have hoped for in 2024 after they sent Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Samuel Zavala, and  Steven Wilson to the White Sox last March to acquire him. In a league-leading 33 starts, Cease pitched to a 3.47 ERA and 3.46 SIERA. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. The Padres went 20-13 (.606) in his outings.

The 2024 campaign marked a resurgent bounceback for Cease following his disappointing 2023. After finishing runner-up in the AL Cy Young race in 2022, the righty lost velocity on his fastball the next season and finished with a 4.58 ERA. The underlying numbers suggested Cease was the victim of some rotten luck (and some terrible defense), but no matter how you sliced it, he didn’t look quite as dominant as he was the year before. In addition to his declining velocity, his strikeout rate was down, his hard-hit rate was up, and his 4.10 SIERA ranked 25th out of 43 qualified pitchers.

In 2024, Cease put all concerns to bed and proved he is still a frontline starting pitcher. His velocity was back up on all his pitches, and he even toyed with a new sweeper – to good results (.218 wOBA, 38.5% whiff rate). He ranked among the top 10 qualified pitchers in SIERA, FIP, and xERA, while cementing himself as one of the most durable starters in the league. Over the past four years, no one has started more games. Even the diminished version of Cease on display in 2023 would be well worth a $13.75MM salary. If he’s at the top of his game again in 2025, he’ll be one of the more underpaid aces around. Fortunately for Cease, if he can do that, he’ll be putting himself in a strong position to cash in big as a free agent next winter.

As for the Padres, they’ll be even more reliant on Cease in 2025 after losing fellow All-Star righty Joe Musgrove to a UCL injury in October. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Musgrove will miss the entire 2025 campaign. That makes it all the more surprising that Cease’s name has come up in trade speculation this offseason. While there is no indication the Padres are actively shopping their ace, teams have inquired about his availability, and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has not said anything to shut down the trade rumors. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently wrote, teams that have called the Padres about Cease “haven’t been rebuffed entirely.”

The Padres are reportedly trying to get their payroll down to somewhere in between last year’s $169MM total and this year’s current estimate of $208MM (per RosterResource). Trading Cease and his $13.75MM salary could allow the Padres to accomplish that. He’s not their most expensive player, but of the nine Padres set to earn eight figures in 2025, he is certainly the most tradeable. Still, the Padres are planning to compete this season, and it’s very difficult to imagine them trading their best starting pitcher to trim payroll without significantly hurting their chances in the NL West. It’s hard enough to find a pitcher of Cease’s caliber at any price, let alone on a one-year, $13.75MM deal.

Padres, Luis Arraez Avoid Arbitration

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The Padres have avoided arbitration with three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Arraez will earn $14MM in 2025, his final year of arbitration eligibility. A $14MM payday represents a nice raise for the infielder, who made $10.6MM in 2024, though it’s slightly less than his projected $14.6MM salary (per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz).

The Padres acquired Arraez in a trade with the Marlins last May. Although he represented San Diego at the All-Star Game this past summer and finished the season with an NL-best .314 batting average, the 2024 season was a down year for Arraez. His .739 OPS and 109 wRC+ were well below his .829 OPS and 130 wRC+ from 2022-23. In addition, his defensive numbers were worse than ever. He managed to accrue -3 DRS and -6 OAA at first base and -3 DRS and -7 OAA and second base. Thus, the Padres ended up using him as their DH a good amount of the time, which only further decreased his overall value.

If Arraez can shore up his defense and get back to hitting like he did in 2022 and ’23, he will still be a bargain for San Diego at a $14MM salary. However, the Padres are thought to be trying to cut payroll this winter. According to RosterResource, their projected payroll for the 2025 season is $39MM higher than their final payroll at the end of 2024. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller is reportedly trying to bring the payroll down to somewhere in between its current projected figure and last year’s final tally. If Preller plans to reduce payroll and still make any additions this winter, he will almost certainly have to trade some of his more expensive veterans. Thus, Arraez’s name has popped up in trade rumors.

About a month ago, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres had engaged in internal discussions about trading Arraez. It’s not hard to see why. His contract is more tradeable than the longer-term deals belonging to Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts,  Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Joe Musgrove, or Yu Darvish. Dylan Cease surely has more trade value than Arraez, but for the same reasons, the Padres might be more likely to want to keep him around. Cease is projected to earn $13.7MM in arbitration, a similar number to Arraez’s $14MM salary. So, trading Cease would free up a similar amount of payroll as trading Arraez, but it would mean giving up a far more productive player.

Yet, the only team to be formally linked to Arraez this winter is the Yankees, and it’s unclear how interested New York really is. ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently wrote that the Yankees have “continued to discuss” Arraez with the Padres, but the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and SNY’s Andy Martino have pushed back on that connection. Martino reports that the Yankees “briefly” checked in on Arraez in November and “have not engaged with the Padres” on the subject since.

To further complicate matters, Bob Nightengale of USA Today is now reporting that the Padres “plan to keep” Arraez after all. That’s somewhat surprising if the team is still serious about trimming payroll, but perhaps the Padres decided teams around the league were undervaluing Arraez after his down year in 2024. That might be the right decision. After all, if he can get back to being the hitter he was from 2022-23, the Padres would have a hard time replacing that kind of production for less than $14MM.

What Could The Padres Expect For Dylan Cease?

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The Padres have yet to make a significant move this offseason. San Diego hasn't made a single major league free agent or trade acquisition. It's clear they're hamstrung financially. The complaint filed by Peter Seidler's widow against the late owner's brothers only adds to the overall organizational uncertainty.

If San Diego is going to make any upgrades of note, they'll need to first offload some money. It seems the Padres intend to get below the $241MM luxury tax threshold. RosterResource calculates their CBT number around $244MM. There are a few ways they could try to accomplish that. The ideal scenario would be to offload some of the money owed to Xander Bogaerts or Jake Cronenworth, but trading an underwater deal isn't easy. San Diego could move Luis Arraez but seems to want more value in return than other teams are willing to offer.

As a result, Dylan Cease has been at the periphery of offseason trade rumors. Reporting at the Winter Meetings suggested that the right-hander was available. There hasn't been any indication that they've moved close to a deal in the past month. It seems they're mostly status quo. ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote this week that the Padres have been willing to hear other teams out on Cease, though he doesn't suggest that San Diego is actively shopping him.

Unlike Bogaerts, Arraez and Cronenworth, Cease holds immense trade value. The Padres could demand a significant package while offloading his entire salary. They'd need to weigh that against subtracting arguably their best starter from a rotation that comprises Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish and a host of question marks.

If the Padres decide they're motivated to move Cease within the next two months, what kind of return should they expect? A few trades over the past two offseasons provide some indications about how the market could value him.

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Padres, Luis Patino Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Padres have re-signed Luis Patiño to a minor league contract, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Mad Friars first reported the agreement last month.

Patiño, 25, underwent Tommy John surgery in April and missed the entire ’24 season. San Diego kept him on the 60-day injured list during the season and opted not to tender him a contract in November. Patiño’s projected $800K arbitration salary was barely above the MLB minimum. San Diego didn’t want to keep him on the 40-man all winter, though, so they sent him to free agency. They succeeded in bringing him back without dedicating a roster spot.

The timing of the surgery means that Patiño is unlikely to be ready for game action until at least the halfway point next season. He’ll be able to build into shape at various minor league levels before presumably heading to Triple-A El Paso. The Colombian-born righty has a 5.12 ERA across 123 Triple-A frames. He has appeared in parts of four MLB seasons between the Padres, Rays and White Sox. Patiño carries a 5.02 ERA over 136 1/3 major league innings. He owns a 20.2% strikeout rate and has issued walks to 11.4% of opponents.

While Patiño has yet to find sustained success at either the major league or Triple-A level, he was once considered one of the sport’s most talented pitching prospects. He was arguably the headliner of the four-player package that San Diego sent to the Rays for Blake Snell. The Friars brought Patiño back via waivers last offseason. He is out of options, so if the Padres call him up once he gets healthy, they’d need to keep him in the majors or expose him to waivers.

Peter Seidler’s Widow Files Lawsuit Against Peter’s Brothers For Control Of Padres

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6:59pm: The Peter Seidler Trust released a statement on Monday evening (relayed by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times). It calls Sheel Seidler’s complaint “entirely without merit.” The Trust claims that Peter Seidler had a “clear estate plan” which names three of his brothers as successor trustees. The Trust alleges that Peter Seidler “prohibited” his wife from ever becoming trustee and that Sheel Seidler agreed in 2020 “that she had no right to be or to designate” the franchise’s control person.

The Trust did not directly address Sheel Seidler’s claims that Matt Seidler could pursue a sale and relocation. However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that sources around the league consider the idea of the Padres leaving to be “extremely far-fetched.”

2:31pm: Last month, it was reported that the Padres would be appointing John Seidler to take over as the club’s new control person, but that was still pending league approval and there are new developments in that story. A report from Eben Novy-Williams and Daniel Libit at Sportico has details of a lawsuit filed by Sheel Seidler, Peter’s widow, trying to gain control of the team. Sheel later released a statement in relation to the story.

At issue is how things have proceeded in the wake of Peter Seidler’s death, which was just over a year ago. Peter was part of a group that purchased the Padres in 2012. Ron Fowler acted as the club’s control person until Peter took over after the 2020 season. MLB teams are often owned by multiple people but each team has one designated control person who is a point of contact for the league and votes on key matters.

During Peter’s ownership tenure, the club became known for being highly aggressive, despite being in a relatively smaller market. As shown in the data at Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Padres had been one of the lower-spending clubs for much of the century, until recently. They had one of the top ten payrolls in 2021, then got into the top five in 2022 and the top three a year after that.

That led to a huge increase in terms of fan engagement and also results, with the club having now made the postseason in three of the past five seasons. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. In September of 2023, it was reported that the club’s wild spending had put it “out of compliance with MLB regulations regarding their debt service ratio,” which was going to lead to a payroll crunch. Peter, who had a number of ongoing health problems, died less than two months later.

Shortly after Peter’s death, it was reported that a new control person had been decided upon. Eric Kutsenda, one of the co-founders of Seidler Equity Partners, was given the title on an interim basis. Just over a year later, the aforementioned reporting from last month indicated that Peter’s brother John would be taking over as control person. The report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune included a statement that mentioned two of Peter’s brothers: “Peter’s youngest brother Matt, as trustee of Peter’s trust, is pleased to announce that John Seidler, Peter’s oldest sibling, an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive, will be the Padres’ next control person, pending approval by Major League Baseball.” Acee added that the Seidler family owns “what is believed to be a 45% stake in the team.” That includes Peter’s brothers, widow, mother and others.

Today’s lawsuit suggests that segment of the ownership group is not aligned in their thinking. According to Sportico’s report, Sheel’s lawsuit alleges that two of Peter’s brothers, Matt and Bob, breached their fiduciary duties as trustees of the Seidler Trust. The suit claims they conspired to sell trust assets to themselves at “far-below-market prices,” as they “schemed to solidify their control of the Padres.”

The suit also suggests that the brothers had racial and sexist motivations for keeping the club out of Sheel’s hands, saying that Bob’s wife made multiple “racist, profane and hateful communications directed at Sheel—a woman of Indian descent—in communications.” Sheel claims that Peter wanted to eventually pass the club to his kids and wanted her to act as control person in the interim, with the brothers now trying to “falsely cast themselves as Peter’s true heirs.” Evan Drellich of The Athletic relays one section of the suit which suggests Matt wants to “sell, and perhaps relocate, the team, over Sheel’s strident objections.”

Sheel is seeking damages, that the defendants be denied compensation from the Seidler Trusts, to void any of their previous actions relating to advancing the Padres’ control person and also that Matt be removed as the trustee, with a receivership taking control of the trust.

“Earlier today,” Sheel’s statement reads, “I filed a complaint against Matthew Seidler and Robert Seidler to protect my family and to continue to carry out Peter’s legacy.” She goes on to talk about how much the club meant to the family and her desire to be named control person. “The complaint alleges claims against Matthew and Robert for breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud. I would urge anyone who is interested in the details to read the full complaint. This was not a decision I made lightly. During this difficult period, I have done everything in my power to avoid unwanted distractions and resolve the matter privately. I have focused on supporting the work of the many dedicated professionals within the Padres organization, as well as the incredible players we have the privilege of watching nearly every day throughout the season. I made this decision as a very last resort, but I am confident it is the right one, and the best way to protect the Padres franchise and ensure the vision that Peter and I shared for the team will continue.” She goes on to state her desire that the team will one day be left to hers and Peter’s children while hoping for a quick resolution to this dispute.

Legal disputes over a baseball club are not unprecedented. Most recently, Orioles owner Peter Angelos fell into ill health, which led to his family members filing multiple lawsuits against each other for control of the club. Those suits were eventually dropped and the club was sold to David Rubenstein.

Latest On Yankees’ Infield

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6:39pm: Jon Heyman of the New York Post pushes back against the Arraez fit, reporting that the Yankees don’t see him as a fit for the moment. Lux, meanwhile, is being traded to Cincinnati.

1:03pm: The Yankees have already had a busy offseason but aren’t done yet. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that they have had discussions with the Padres about Luis Arráez and the Dodgers about Gavin Lux, with either a possibility to take over the second base job in the Bronx. Jon Morosi of MLB Network says the Mariners, who are known to be looking for infield upgrades, have checked in on Lux as well.

For the Yanks, their infield took a couple of hits at the end of the 2024 season, with Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres both hitting free agency, leaving holes at first and second base. They have since taken care of first by signing Paul Goldschmidt, but another infield upgrade would make sense.

The versatility of Jazz Chisholm Jr. gives them some flexibility. He largely played third base after being acquired last year but has plenty of experience at the keystone, meaning the Yanks could add either a second or third basemen, with Chisholm taking over whichever position is not addressed. They’ve been connected to free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado as potential third base additions but appear to be exploring second base candidates as well.

Arráez is a logical trade candidate from San Diego’s perspective and something they have reportedly considered. RosterResource currently projects the Padres for a $210MM payroll this year, well beyond last year’s $169MM figure. While a payroll bump is reportedly possible, it’s been suggested they need to get their 2025 spending closer to 2024 levels. They are also projected to be just above the competitive balance tax and likely want to dip below that if they are going to be cutting payroll.

However, many of their players are difficult to move for contractual reasons. Many have no-trade clauses or hefty remaining guarantees or both. They also have a number of spots on the roster that could use upgrades.

Last winter, a similar set of circumstances led to the Friars parting ways with Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, sending them to the Yankees. The five players they received in return allowed them to shore up their depth in different areas while also offloading notable salary commitments.

Arráez, 28 in April could perhaps follow the same path this year. Like Soto last offseason, he is currently one year away from free agency and set to make a notable salary in his final season of club control. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Arráez to earn $14.6MM in 2025. That’s about half of what Soto was set to earn in 2024 but still a notable chunk of change for a team with budgetary constraints.

Though the projected salary is significantly lower, Arráez will still have far less appeal as a trade candidate than Soto did. Despite his elite bat-to-ball skills, Arráez is a limited player. He doesn’t take walks or add much power and is also not an asset defensively. Despite three straight batting titles, his .323/.372/.418 career batting line adds up to a wRC+ of 120, indicating his overall offensive contributions have been about 20% above average. Soto, on the other hand, has a .285/.421/.532 line and 158 wRC+ in his career.

The aforementioned defensive limitations are also something the Yankees will have to consider with Arráez. The Twins started using him more at first base in 2022 before trading him to the Marlins. With the Fish in 2023, Arráez got his largest sample of work at second and produced four Defensive Runs Saved but also -11 Outs Above Average. The Padres acquired him early in the 2024 season and only put him at the keystone for 58 innings the rest of the way.

The Yankees would have to weigh his defensive limitations against the attraction of putting his bat into the lineup, while also factoring in the money. RosterResource projects their competitive balance tax number at $303MM for this year, which is already above the fourth and final tier. As a third-time payor at that level, the Yanks face a 110% tax on any additional spending and would therefore have to pay about $30MM to employ Arráez this year. Of course, the Padres would also want something in return, though the cost savings might be their top priority at the moment.

As for Lux, it’s unclear if the 27-year-old is even available but it’s understandable why the Yanks would pick up the phone and check, as the Dodgers seem to be overloaded with middle infield options. They are planning to have Mookie Betts act as their everyday shortstop and committed themselves to that path by signing Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto to fill their corner outfield jobs, with guys like Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing also in the mix.

With Tommy Edman seemingly ticketed for the center field job, that leaves them with Betts at short and Lux at second, with Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor around as bench/utility guys. They added even further depth by signing Hyeseong Kim a few days ago. Reportedly, the club still plans to use Betts and Lux as their primarily middle infielders, but perhaps the Kim signing increases the chances of the Yankees prying Lux loose.

If they succeeded, they would be getting something of an unknown quantity. Lux has had an up-and-down career thus far, but with some encouraging up arrows. Through the end of the 2021 season, he had a tepid batting line of .233/.314/.368, which led to an 86 wRC+. He took a noticeable step forward in 2022, slashing .276/.346/.399 for a 113 wRC+, but then missed all of 2023 due to a torn ACL.

His 2024 season was a step back, in a sense, though he finished strong. He hit .251/.320/.383 for a wRC+ of 100 on the season overall but with a dismal .213/.267/.295 line in the first half and a robust .304/.390/.508 showing in the second, leading to respective wRC+ marks of 60 and 152 in those halves. His batting average on balls in play jumped over 100 points from the first half to the second, so it might not be entirely sustainable, but he also improved in terms of the quality of his batted balls. Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Both DRS and OAA gave Lux a negative grade at second base in 2024 but both have him in positive territory for his career overall.

Financially, Lux is more attractive than Arráez. Thanks to an inconsistent career and missing an entire season, Lux is projected to make just $2.7MM next year, with an extra year of club control beyond that as well. Given the Yankees’ CBT situation, that would be far more attractive, but it’s also valuable to the Dodgers for the same reason. Since the Dodgers don’t seem especially motivated to let go of Lux, the Yankees would have to send something of real value the other way.

For the Mariners, their infield needs are well known. They lost Justin Turner to free agency, turned down an option for Jorge Polanco and non-tendered Josh Rojas. Apart from shortstop J.P. Crawford, little is settled on the dirt in Seattle. They have some internal options, such as Luke Raley for first base. He would need a right-handed platoon partner, which could come in the form of bringing back Turner. At second, they reportedly have some willingness to ride with Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss until prospect Cole Young is ready to take over.

That has made it seem more likely that the club would add at third base, though bringing in a second baseman is still a consideration. The M’s were connected to Cubs’ second baseman Nico Hoerner earlier this winter, for instance, and are seemingly open to Lux as well. Lux does have some third base experience, but only six innings in the majors, so he would be a far more logical solution at the keystone.

His low projected salary is surely appealing to the Mariners, though for different reasons than the Yankees. Seattle reportedly has about $15MM to play with this offseason, a tight enough budget that Luis Castillo rumors have been swirling for quite a while. A Castillo trade would weaken the rotation but would open up some more spending capacity, perhaps to go after a player like Bregman or Arenado, though trading for Lux might be a more straightforward solution. That would allow the M’s to keep their strong rotation intact, though they would perhaps have to give the Dodgers some notable prospect capital in order to move Lux up the coast.

Padres, Moises Gomez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Padres agreed to a minor league contract with Moisés Gómez last month, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The 26-year-old corner outfielder had been outrighted and released by the Cardinals last season.

Gómez is working to get to the big leagues for the first time. He seemed on track after hitting 39 homers in the minor leagues in 2022. That earned him a 40-man roster spot with St. Louis. Gómez spent the entire ’23 campaign on optional assignment to their Triple-A affiliate. He popped another 30 homers but hit .232 with a .293 on-base percentage. That wasn’t enough to crack the MLB roster. St. Louis sent him through outright waivers last February.

The righty-hitting outfielder again opened the season at the Triple-A level. He hit .208 and saw his power production evaporate, as he only managed three longballs in 45 games before being released. Gómez closed the season in the independent American Association. He has mashed in winter ball in his native Venezuela this offseason. Gómez is hitting .273/.396/.613 with 15 longballs in 48 winter ball games.

San Diego will give him an opportunity to rebound from his difficult past two seasons. Gómez has big power, hitting 127 homers in parts of nine minor league seasons between the Tampa Bay and St. Louis systems. That includes 49 longballs in fewer than 1000 Triple-A plate appearances, though he’s a .236/.303/.452 hitter at that level. He has punched out in nearly a third of his trips to the plate in Triple-A.

Wolfe: “Market Size Isn’t A Factor” In Sasaki’s Decision

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Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe, the agent for NPB star Roki Sasaki, tells SNY’s Andy Martino that “market size isn’t a factor either way” in the player’s decision. At the Winter Meetings, the agent opined that Sasaki may prefer going to a smaller market after clashing with media members in Japan. However, Wolfe stressed at the time that was his own opinion and that he and Sasaki had yet to discuss the matter in depth. It seems the pitcher isn’t giving that any weight.

Sasaki has conducted initial meetings with at least seven teams, most of whom are big-market franchises. Previous reports indicated he met with Dodgers, Rangers, Yankees, Mets and Cubs. The Giants are believed to have gotten a meeting as well. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports today that the Padres were also granted a meeting during Sasaki’s trip to the U.S. earlier this month.

Wolfe met with various reporters (including Tim Healey of Newsday and Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) this evening to provide details on the process. He indicated that all in-person meetings occurred at Wasserman’s offices in Los Angeles. Wolfe declined to specify how many teams were involved. He said that 20 clubs sent initial presentations via PowerPoint, video or books to express interest.

It seems that each meeting followed specific protocols. According to Wolfe, Sasaki specifically requested that teams did not bring any players. He also limited each conversation to the same amount of time (less than two hours), ostensibly to keep every team on an equal footing. As planned, Sasaki then returned to Japan for the holidays.

It isn’t clear if any teams beyond the reported seven have met with Sasaki. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said last week that Detroit made an initial pitch, though as of Friday, they hadn’t heard back on whether they’d get a meeting. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said this morning that Boston was in a similar position (relayed by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe).

Wolfe did not close the door on granting another team or two an initial sit-down, though the agent indicated that they’d soon start to narrow the field (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). Sasaki has not visited any team’s cities — aside from his stay in L.A. because Wasserman is headquartered there — but could do so after the New Year.

The signing period for international amateur free agents opens on January 15. That’s the date at which Sasaki is first eligible to sign. His 45-day posting window runs through January 23, however. Wolfe indicated that Sasaki may not have made a decision by the opening of the signing window and could take things right up to the posting deadline. While the agent didn’t highlight this as a reason, that would give MLB teams just over a week to trade for international signing bonus allotments that’d increase what they’re able to offer Sasaki. Teams can acquire up to 60% of the initial value of their respective bonus pools. Teams have varying initial pool allotments, all of which land between $5.1462MM and $7.5555MM.

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