Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rays Rumors

Rays Sign Yu Chang To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rays announced Monday that they’ve signed versatile infielder Yu Chang to a minor league contract. He’s been invited to big league camp and will compete for a spot on manager Kevin Cash’s bench.

It’s the second Rays stint for Chang, who played 36 games and slashed .260/.305/.385 in 105 plate appearances with Tampa Bay in 2022. The Rays were one of four teams for Chang that season. He’s appeared in each of the past five MLB campaigns, suiting up for Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Boston along the way. In 650 trips to the plate at the MLB level, Chang is a .204/.269/.359 hitter.

Chang likely won’t offer a ton at the plate against either left-handed or right-handed pitching. He’s a right-handed hitter without a glaring platoon split; if anything, he’s been slightly better against same-handed opponents in his career than he has versus southpaws. He’s shown modest pop over the past three seasons (.167 ISO, 16 homers in 553 plate appearances), but that’s been accompanied by a 5.4% walk rate and ugly 29.3% strikeout rate.

Now 28 years old, Chang has logged time at all four infield positions in his career, with a relatively even distribution of playing time between the four spots. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average consider him a strong defensive player at each of second base, shortstop, third base and first base.

Chang offers the Rays some depth all around the infield, which is of extra importance with Wander Franco in legal limbo and Taylor Walls recovering from offseason hip surgery. At the moment, they expect trade acquisition Jose Caballero to be the primary shortstop, with Isaac Paredes at third base, Brandon Lowe at second base and Yandy Diaz at first base. Jonathan Aranda, Osleivis Basabe, Curtis Mead and Junior Caminero (one of the top prospects in all of baseball) are all on the 40-man roster and give the Rays plenty of exciting young options to consider in their ever-changing infield outlook.

Rays Win Arbitration Hearing Over Harold Ramirez

By | at

The Rays were victorious in their arbitration hearing against Harold Ramírez, as first reported by The Associated Press. The DH/corner outfielder will be paid $3.8MM for the upcoming season. His camp had filed at $4.3MM.

Ramírez has been an effective rotational bat for Tampa Bay over the last two seasons. Acquired from the Cubs just before Opening Day in 2022, he hit .300/.343/.404 in his first year with the Rays. The righty hitter turned in an even better .313/.353/.460 slash with a career-best 12 home runs across 434 trips to the plate last season. He owns a .306/.348/.432 in a little under 900 plate appearances with Tampa Bay.

The 29-year-old isn’t a great defensive outfielder and saw the majority of his time at designated hitter a year ago. His lack of defensive value and slightly increasing salaries led Tampa Bay to float his name on the trade market earlier in the offseason. Nothing has come together to this point. Locking in his salary could make a trade moderately more appealing if the Rays continue to field offers during Spring Training, yet it’s also possible he sticks in Tampa Bay for a third season.

Ramírez has between four and five years of MLB service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration again next winter and is on track for free agency after the 2025 campaign, at which point he’ll be 31 years old. This is the second straight year in which Ramírez and the Rays went to a hearing. His camp won a $2.2MM salary (against a $1.9MM team figure) last offseason. They’re on the other end this time around. As the AP notes, the three players who went to a hearing this year after winning in arbitration last offseason — Ramírez, Jason Adam and Luis Arraez — all lost this winter.

Of the 13 hearings thus far, arbitrators have sided with the players on seven. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and Marlins closer Tanner Scott have the two cases yet to be resolved.

Rays Anticipate Jose Caballero, Rene Pinto Taking Starting Roles

By | at

Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander spoke with reporters yesterday at the opening of the team’s Spring Training camp. He addressed a pair of positions of relative uncertainty as the season approaches: shortstop and catcher.

At the former, Neander suggested the team anticipates José Caballero opening the year as the starter (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Tampa Bay acquired the 27-year-old from the Mariners over the winter, sending outfielder Luke Raley to Seattle. Caballero had appeared in 104 games as a rookie, running a fairly modest .221/.343/.320 batting line with four homers over 280 plate appearances.

While Caballero doesn’t provide much power, he drew walks at a strong 10% clip. That allowed him to reach base fairly frequently and wreak havoc on the basepaths. Caballero stole 26 bags in 29 attempts and rated as an excellent baserunner overall. He also drew strong grades for his defense at both middle infield positions. Caballero spent more time at second base in Seattle in deference to J.P. Crawford but seems a good enough athlete to handle shortstop.

It’s a similar profile to Taylor Walls, another highly-regarded defender with minimal offensive upside. Walls, a switch-hitter, is coming off a .201/.305/.333 line with eight homers in 349 plate appearances. He was successful on 22 of 23 stolen base attempts. Walls could push Caballero for the job once he’s healthy, although he’ll begin the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery to repair a labrum tear in his right hip last October. Walls is a little behind schedule but isn’t expected to be sidelined too deep into the season.

(Neander said the team didn’t have any update on Wander Franco, who was reinstated to the roster in a procedural move at the beginning of the offseason. MLB is still awaiting the results of the legal process in the Dominican Republic after Franco was accused of sexual abuse of a minor.)

Beyond Caballero and Walls, Tampa Bay has a pair of well-regarded young infielders who could push for shortstop reps during the season. Junior Caminero is widely viewed among the top five to 10 prospects in the sport. Osleivis Basabe has never been that highly touted but is generally seen as one of the better talents in the Rays’ system.

Caminero made the jump directly from Double-A to the majors at the tail end of last season. He had a monster .324/.384/.591 showing as a 19-year-old between High-A and Double-A a year ago but has yet to play a Triple-A game. Basabe appeared in his first 31 MLB contests last season. He struggled to a .218/.277/.310 showing. The 23-year-old had a stronger year at Triple-A Durham, hitting 296/.351/.426 through 94 contests.

The Rays have 12 listed infielders on their 40-man roster, although the majority of the group is better suited for positions other than shortstop. By contrast, they’re the only team carrying one catcher. René Pinto is the only backstop currently on the major league club. While they’ll obviously add someone else by Opening Day, Topkin writes in a separate piece that the Rays are happy with Pinto as their primary catcher.

Pinto, 27, had an intriguing 39-game stint last season. He connected on six homers in only 105 plate appearances. His 34:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t encouraging, but there’s a limited bar to clear offensively at catcher. The Rays, like many teams, tend to emphasize defense at the position. Pinto’s blocking metrics were subpar in limited MLB action, but he drew solid grades as a pitch framer and showcased plus arm strength.

Alex Jackson and Rob Brantly are in camp as non-roster invitees and have MLB experience. Logan Driscoll and Nick Meyer also received invites to Spring Training but have topped out at Triple-A. One of Jackson or Brantly would likely secure the backup job out of camp. Neander indicated the team would keep an eye on the market for depth additions but suggested they’re content with Pinto as the starter.

Rays Sign Phil Maton

By | at

The Rays bulked up their bullpen Wednesday, finalizing their previously reported one-year contract with free agent righty Phil Maton.  The Paragon Sports International client is reportedly guaranteed $6.5MM, which takes the form of a $6.25MM salary and a $250K buyout on a $7.75MM club option for the 2025 season.  Tampa Bay transferred left-hander Shane McClanahan, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the 60-day IL to open a spot for Maton on the 40-man roster.

The Cardinals, Phillies, and Yankees have been linked to Maton’s market this winter, but the reliever will now head to Tampa Bay as he enters his age-31 season.  Maton has seven years of MLB experience, breaking into the big leagues with San Diego in 2017 and then landing in Cleveland and Houston.  Maton had a 4.76 ERA over 215 1/3 innings in the 2017-21 seasons, but a 3.68 ERA in that same span and excellent spin rates and soft-contact numbers indicated that the ceiling was higher on the righty’s performance.

The results began to show over Maton’s last two seasons, both with the Astros.  He delivered a 3.84 ERA in 65 2/3 innings in 2022 and then followed up even more strongly with a 3.00 ERA over 66 frames this past year.  As per Statcast, Maton had the second-best hard-hit ball rate of any qualified pitcher in baseball in 2023, and the spin rates on his curveball and fastball were both in at least the 98th percentile of all pitchers.

Walks have been an issue for Maton, and his above-average but not standout barrel rates indicate that batters can hit for power on the rare occasions when they actually make solid contact on Maton’s offerings.  Still, between his ability to generate soft contact and his above-average strikeout rates, Maton has rather quietly been one of the more effective relievers in baseball over the last two seasons.  This success has also extended into the postseason, as while injuries forced Maton to miss the Astros’ 2022 World Series run, he has a sparking 0.83 ERA over 21 2/3 career playoff innings.

Given the Rays’ success at helping pitchers achieve higher levels of performance, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Maton at least continue or even improve on his strong numbers from 2022-23.  Maton figures to essentially act as the replacement for Robert Stephenson, a reclamation project-turned-high leverage reliever after joining the Rays last summer.

Stephenson parlayed his spectacular four-month run in Tampa into a three-year, $33MM free agent deal with the Angels.  Jake Diekman also signed with the Mets, Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Cardinals, and Jalen Beeks and Josh Fleming were both let go at the start of free agency, leaving the Rays with some holes to fill in the relief corps.  Pete Fairbanks figures to be the team’s primary closer again, and though the Rays are traditionally pretty flexible with their bullpen roles, Maton will likely stick to set-up duty since he has only one career save.

According to Roster Resource, Tampa Bay has a projected $93.3MM payroll, which would already be the highest payroll in Rays franchise history even before Maton’s deal is added to the tally.  President of baseball operations Erik Neander said in October that the club was open to spending at a (comparatively) higher level to help keep their core in place and to make a deeper playoff run, though the Rays did move Tyler Glasnow and his $25MM salary to the Dodgers in a trade.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported the two sides were nearing a deal (via X). Robert Murray of FanSided reported (on X) the terms of the deal, while Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reported the specific year-to-year breakdown (X link).

Jason Adam Loses Arbitration Hearing Against Rays

By | at

Reliever Jason Adam lost his arbitration hearing against the Rays, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (X link). He’ll make $2.7MM for the upcoming season instead of the $3.25MM his camp had been seeking.

Adam and the Rays went to a hearing for a second straight offseason. The right-hander was victorious a year ago, securing a $1.775MM salary against the club’s filing figure of $1.55MM. Things went in the opposite direction this winter, meaning Adam’s raise is a little less than $1MM relative to last year’s sum.

The 32-year-old is coming off a second consecutive very strong performance. Adam turned in a 2.98 ERA through 54 1/3 innings, an impressive follow-up to a dazzling 1.56 mark in the previous season. He punched out 31.1% of opposing hitters, held 11 leads and tallied a career-high 12 saves. An oblique strain cost him most of September and kept him off the playoff roster.

Adam has appeared in parts of six seasons but didn’t break through as a consistent high-leverage presence until landing in Tampa Bay. As a result, he only has between three and four years of MLB service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration two more times, allowing the Rays to keep him under club control until his age-35 season. Tampa Bay still has one more hearing this winter, as they’ve yet to settle on a salary for designated hitter/outfielder Harold Ramírez. That is one of five pending cases around the league; players have won seven of the 11 hearings thus far.

Corey Kluber Announces Retirement

By | at

Right-hander Corey Kluber announced his retirement on Instagram this morning. “With sincere appreciation, I am announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball, concluding a remarkable 13-season Major League Baseball journey,” his message reads. “I am deeply grateful for the support of numerous individuals and entities that profoundly influenced my path.” He goes on to thank the five clubs that he played for, the MLBPA, his representatives at Wasserman, various club staff members, teammates and his family.

Corey Kluber | Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY Sports“As I take my leave from the pitcher’s mound, my passion for baseball remains unwavering. I eagerly anticipate exploring opportunities to continue contributing to the sport in a different capacity. To all who have been involved with my baseball odyssey, thank you for crafting an indelible and unforgettable ride. For all of those that will be part of my next chapter in baseball, I look forward to passing on what I have learned to the next generation of MLB players.”

Kluber, now 37, was a fourth-round pick of the Padres in 2007 but went to Cleveland in three-team deal at the 2010 deadline. The Cardinals received Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and prospect Nick Greenwood from the Padres. The Friars got Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals while Cleveland got Kluber from the Padres. For Cleveland, that deal could hardly have worked out any better. They were having a poor season, which would eventually see them finish 69-93. Westbrook was an impending free agent and of little use to a club in that position, but they managed to exchange him for a huge piece of their future success.

As a prospect, Kluber didn’t have much hype. Baseball America didn’t consider him one of the Padres’ top 30 prospects going into 2010 and he had a 3.45 Double-A ERA at the time of the deal, a fine number but not anything outstanding. He made his major league debut in 2011 and didn’t do too much to impress there either, allowing four earned runs in his first 4 1/3 innings.

The legend really picked up steam in early 2012, as relayed by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com in this story from 2014. With Triple-A Columbus experiencing a rain delay, Kluber began tinkering with a two-seam fastball under the watch of pitching coach Ruben Niebla. “I’d never really thrown it much on a consistent basis,” Kluber said. “I’d throw my four-seam and, here and there, I’d mix in a two-seam. After I threw it over and over and over and over, and it kind of clicked. It was like, ’This feels a lot better.'” The two-seamer turned out to be the perfect pairing for his offspeed stuff and he took off from there.

He broke out in 2013 by tossing 147 1/3 innings for Cleveland in 24 starts and two relief appearances. He allowed 3.85 earned runs per nine innings that year, combining a 22.4% strikeout rate with a 5.4% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate. The next year, he took things to an utterly dominant level. He made 34 starts in 2014 with a 2.44 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate, 5.4% walk rate and 48% ground ball rate. He narrowly edged out Félix Hernández for the American League Cy Young Award that year.

Realizing they had something special, the club locked him up with a five-year, $38.5MM extension in April of 2015, with that deal running through 2019 and containing two club options. At the time, it was the largest guarantee ever given to a pre-arbitration pitcher.

Kluber continued to dominate in the coming years. He made 32 starts in each of the next two seasons, with ERAs of 3.49 and 3.14 in those campaigns. The 2016 season saw Cleveland go all the World Series, with Kluber posting a 1.83 ERA in six starts that postseason, though they eventually fell to the Cubs in seven games. 2017 was another incredible season for Kluber, as he made 29 starts with a tiny ERA of 2.25. He got his strikeout rate up to an incredible high of 34.1% while walking only 4.6% of batters. He was awarded his second Cy Young at the end of that campaign.

He followed that up with another excellent showing in 2018, posting a 2.89 ERA over 33 starts, but that would eventually turn out to be the final year of his stretch of utter dominance. Injuries hampered him from there and he was never quite the same. But during that 2014 to 2018 stretch, he posted a 2.85 ERA in 1,091 1/3 innings. His 30.3 wins above replacement from FanGraphs in that time period placed him third among all pitchers in the league, trailing only Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw.

In his seventh start of the 2019 season, he was struck by a line drive and suffered a right arm fracture. He wasn’t able to return and finished that campaign with just 35 2/3 innings pitched. Cleveland picked up his $17.5MM club option but then traded him to the Rangers for Emmanuel Clase and Delino DeShields. The 2020 campaign was eventually shortened to just 60 games by the pandemic, with Kluber tossing just one inning for the Rangers. He suffered a teres major tear in his first outing and missed the remainder of the season.

The Rangers declined the $18MM option for Kluber’s services in 2021, and he would go on to serve as a solid journeyman for a few years. He signed with the Yankees and was eventually limited by a shoulder strain to 16 starts, but one of them was a no-hitter against the Rangers in May. He finished the year with a 3.83 ERA. In 2022, he was healthy enough to make 31 starts for the Rays, but with diminished stuff and a 4.34 ERA. With the Red Sox last year, he struggled immensely, getting moved to the bullpen in May. He was placed on the IL in June due to shoulder inflammation, having thrown 55 innings with a 7.04 ERA on the year. He suffered a setback during his rehab and never returned.

Though it wasn’t a fairytale ending, Kluber nonetheless told a remarkable story. As mentioned, he had a five-year stretch where he was one of the best pitchers on the planet, winning two Cy Youngs in the process. He made three All-Star teams, threw a no-hitter and racked up 1,725 career strikeouts. We was worth 34 wins above replacement in the eyes of Baseball Reference and 38.3 per the calculations of FanGraphs. Per BR, he earned just under $90MM in his playing days. We at MLBTR salute him on a tremendous run as a player and wish him the best in whatever comes next.

Players Who Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins

By | at

28 out of the 30 clubs in the league currently have a full 40-man roster, with the Padres and Braves the only exceptions. That means that just about every transaction requires a corresponding move these days.

Some extra roster flexibility is on the way, as the 60-day injured list comes back when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, having gone away shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. This year, the Dodgers and Padres will have an earlier reporting date, due to their earlier Opening Day. Most clubs will begin their 2024 campaign on March 28, but those two clubs are playing a pair of games in Seoul on March 20 and 21. The official 60-day IL dates, per Joel Sherman of The New York Post, are February 8 for the Dodgers, February 11 for the Padres and February 14 for every other club. It’s fairly moot for the Padres since they only have 36 players on their 40-man roster right now, but the Dodgers could be moving guys to the IL as soon as today.

It’s worth pointing out that the “60 days” don’t start being counted until Opening Day. Although a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL quite soon, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until end of May or later. Transferring a player to the 60-day IL also requires a corresponding move, so a club can’t just make the move in isolation.

There are still plenty of free agents still out there, including big names like Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, as well as guys like Michael Lorenzen, Adam Duvall, Brandon Belt and many more. A player like Brandon Woodruff, who is expected to miss significant time and will need an IL spot himself, might be better able to secure a deal once IL spots open up. Perhaps the extra roster flexibility will spur some deals to come together in the next week or so. It could also increase the ability of some clubs to make waiver claims or small trades for players who have been designated for assignment.

Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time and could find themselves transferred soon, sorted by division.

NL West

Diamondbacks: Drey Jameson

Jameson underwent Tommy John surgery in September of last year. He will almost certainly spend the entire 2024 season on the IL.

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Nick Frasso

Kershaw is not officially signed yet, with his physical reportedly taking place today. It doesn’t seem as though it’s a coincidence that today is the first day the club can move players to the IL. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and not expected back until late in the summer. Gonsolin underwent Tommy John surgery in August and may miss the entire campaign. May had surgery in July to repair his flexor tendon as well as a Tommy John revision. He is expected to return at some point midseason. Frasso underwent labrum surgery in November and may miss the entire season.

Giants: Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb

The Giants acquired Ray from the Mariners in a trade last month, knowing full well that he underwent Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair in May of last year. He recently said that a return around the All-Star break would be a best-case scenario. Cobb underwent hip surgery in October and isn’t expected back until May at the earliest. His is a more of a borderline case since placing him on the IL would prevent him from returning until late May.

Padres: Tucupita Marcano

Marcano underwent ACL surgery in August of last year while with the Pirates. The Padres claimed him off waivers from the Bucs in November. Recovering from an ACL surgery usually takes about a year or so, meaning Marcano is likely to miss a decent chunk of the upcoming campaign. But as mentioned earlier, the Friars only have 36 players on their 40-man right now, meaning there’s no rush to get Marcano to the IL and open up a roster spot.

Rockies: Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Lucas Gilbreath

All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Gilbreath may be the closest to returning, as he went under the knife back in March. Márquez and Senzatela underwent their surgeries in May and July, respectively. General manager Bill Schmidt said recently that the club is hopeful Márquez can be back after the All-Star break but is anticipating Senzatela to miss the whole campaign.

NL Central

Brewers: None.

Cardinals: None.

Cubs: None.

Pirates: JT Brubaker, Mike Burrows, Johan Oviedo, Endy Rodríguez,

Brubaker and Burrows both underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. It’s possible they could be ready to go early in the upcoming season, as some pitchers return around a year after going under the knife. But most pitchers take 14 months or longer so their respective rehabs may push deeper into the upcoming season. Oviedo also underwent TJS but his was in November, meaning he’ll certainly miss the entire 2024 season. The same goes for Rodríguez, who underwent UCL/flexor tendon surgery in December.

Reds: None.

NL East

Braves: Ian Anderson, Penn Murfee, Ángel Perdomo

Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. He was on optional assignment at the time and spent the whole year on the minor league injured list. He could be placed on the major league IL this year if the club needs a roster spot, but they only have 37 guys on the 40-man as of today. Murfee underwent UCL surgery while with the Mariners in June of last year. The Braves signed him to a split deal even though he isn’t likely to be a factor until midseason. Perdomo also got a split deal despite undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of last year, meaning he will miss all of 2024. Since Murfee and Perdomo signed split deals, the club might try to pass them through waivers at some point rather than transferring them to the IL.

Marlins: Sandy Alcántara

Alcántara underwent Tommy John surgery in October and will have to miss the entire 2024 season.

Mets: Ronny Mauricio, David Peterson

Mauricio just suffered a torn ACL in December and will almost certainly miss the entire 2024 season. Peterson underwent hip surgery in November with a recovery timeline of six to seven months, meaning he won’t be able to return until May or June.

Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, Cade Cavalli, Zach Brzykcy

By all accounts, Strasburg will never be able to return to the mound due to nerve damage stemming from his battle with thoracic outlet syndrome. He and the Nats had a deal for him to retire but it reportedly fell apart due to some sort of squabble about his contract. His deal runs through 2026 and he may spend the next three years on the IL unless those retirement talks can be revamped. Cavalli had Tommy John surgery in March of last year, so he could return relatively early in the upcoming campaign. The Nats will probably only move him to the 60-day IL if they don’t think he can return before June. Brzykcy underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year but was added to the club’s roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

Phillies: None.

AL West

Angels: José Quijada

Quijada underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year and will miss some portion of the 2024 season. He’ll likely wind up on the 60-day IL unless the club expects him back within about a year of going under the knife.

Astros: Kendall Graveman, Luis García, Lance McCullers Jr.

Graveman recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season. García underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year and will have to at least miss some of the upcoming campaign. Whether he goes on the 60-day IL or not will depend upon how his rehab is progressing. McCullers underwent flexor tendon surgery in June and isn’t expected back until late in the summer.

Athletics: Ken Waldichuk

In December, it was reported that Waldichuk is rehabbing from a flexor strain and UCL sprain. He and the club opted for a non-surgical approach involving a Tenex procedure and PRP injection. As of reporting from this weekend, he still hasn’t begun throwing. His situation will likely be monitored in the spring to see how his rehab proceeds.

Mariners: None.

Rangers: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Carson Coleman

deGrom underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year and is targeting a return this August. Mahle underwent the same procedure in May and the Rangers signed him to a two-year deal, knowing he likely won’t be able to return until midseason in 2024. Scherzer underwent back surgery in December and won’t be able to return until June or July. Coleman was a Rule 5 selection of the Rangers, taken from the Yankees. He had Tommy John in April of last year and will likely still be rehabbing for the early parts of the upcoming campaign.

AL Central

Guardians: Daniel Espino

Espino underwent shoulder surgery in May of last year with an estimated recovery timeline of 12 to 14 months. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

Royals: Kris Bubic, Kyle Wright, Josh Taylor

Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year and will have to miss at least some of the 2024 season. Whether he winds up on the 60-day IL or not will depend if the club thinks he can return before June. Wright underwent shoulder surgery while with Atlanta last year and will miss all of 2024. The Royals acquired him in a trade, hoping for a return to health in 2025 and beyond. Taylor was already on the IL due to a shoulder impingement in June of last year when he required surgery on a herniated disc in his lower back. His current status isn’t publicly known.

Tigers: None.

Twins: Josh Staumont

Staumont underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in July of last year while with the Royals. He was non-tendered by the Royals and then signed by the Twins. His recovery timeline is unclear at the moment.

White Sox: Matt Foster, Davis Martin

Both of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery last year, Foster in April and Martin in May. They could perhaps return early in the season if their rehabs go especially well, but they also might need to continue rehabbing until midseason.

AL East

Blue Jays: None.

Orioles: Félix Bautista

Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery in October of last year and will miss the entire 2024 season.

Rays: Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Taylor Walls

Springs underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. He could be a factor in the early months of the season if his rehab is going well, as some pitchers can return after about a year, but he also may need a bit more time. McClanahan underwent the same procedure but in August and will likely miss the entirety of the upcoming season. Rasmussen was dealing with a flexor strain last year and underwent an internal brace procedure in July, which will keep him out until midseason. Walls underwent hip surgery in October and is more up in the air as there’s a chance he’s ready as soon as Opening Day, depending on how his rehab goes.

Red Sox: None.

Yankees: Jasson Domínguez

Domínguez underwent Tommy John surgery in September of last year. The return for hitters is generally shorter than pitchers, but the Yanks estimated his return timeline as 9-10 months, which will still keep him on the shelf until midseason.

Rays Extend Erik Neander, Kevin Cash

By | at

8:30am: The Rays have formally announced the pair of contract extensions.

“I believe there are none better in baseball,” owner Stuart Sternberg said of his president and manager. “What we’ve all accomplished together has been remarkable, and the best is yet to come.”

8:00am: The Rays have signed president of baseball operations Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash to long-term contract extensions, according to a report from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, with an announcement of the deals expected later today. The specifics of the deals are not yet known, though Topkin says they’ll run beyond the 2028 season, when the club is slated to move into a new stadium in St. Petersburg.

The pair’s tenure at the top of the Rays organization has been a resounding success. While Cash has been managing the club since 2015, Neander became the club’s top baseball operations executive during the 2017-18 offseason. He’d previously served as the senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager under then-president Matthew Silverman, but Silverman moved to the business side of the operation and ceded baseball autonomy to Neander.

From 2018 onward, the Rays have posted a winning record in each season with five postseason appearances, including a trip to the World Series in 2020. Overall, the club has enjoyed a 511-359 record under the duo’s guidance, good for a .587 winning percentage.

All that winning has come in spite of resources that pale in comparison to the arsenals available to other perennial contenders. The club’s payroll reached an all-time high of just under $84MM (per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) back in 2022, at which point the team ranked 25th in the majors in terms of player payroll. The club’s payroll ranked 26th in the majors in 2021, and has sat in the bottom three among all major league clubs every other season since Neander took over baseball operations. That’s left the club to occasionally part ways with top talents such as Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow in spite of the team’s consistent success, though those losses have been offset by the club’s ability to identify talent (both in trade partners and in the draft), a subsequent perennially strong farm system and success in developing talent at the major league level.

There’s been a fair bit of turnover in the Tampa Bay front office over the years, as rival teams frequently target Rays executives when seeking to reshape their own baseball operations outfits — hopeful of emulating the team’s constant success (both in terms of on-field play and player development). Neander was once a top lieutenant for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in Tampa Bay, before he was hired away by the Dodgers. Neander and Chaim Bloom were key figures in running baseball ops thereafter, concurrently holding senior vice president titles, but Bloom was hired away by the Red Sox (and has since joined the Cardinals as an advisor after being dismissed in Boston). Brewers GM Matt Arnold was also hired out of the Rays ranks, and more recently now-former Rays GM Peter Bendix, who’d been No. 2 on Tampa Bay’s hierarchy behind Neander, was hired as the Marlins’ president of baseball operations.

It’s a similar story among Cash’s top coaches. A look back at the Rays’ coaching staffs over the past few seasons will reveal a smattering of names who’ve gone on to become big league managers. Pirates skipper Derek Shelton, Royals manager Matt Quatraro and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli were all on Cash’s staff at one point, as was Charlie Montoyo, who was hired away from the Rays to manage the Blue Jays but is now the White Sox’ bench coach.

That’s only a short list of the number of executives, analysts and coaches who’ve been poached by other clubs over the years. Throughout all those personnel changes, however, Neander and Cash have been constants as the Rays have continually defied expectations set by their minimal payroll and roster that often resembles an island of misfit toys. Today’s extensions ensure that this same duo will remain in place for another half decade of baseball in St. Petersburg and that Neander and Cash will help to usher in a new era of Rays baseball when they move into their new stadium in 2028.

Collin McHugh Announces Retirement

By | at

Veteran right-hander Collin McHugh announced his retirement from the game Monday (Instagram link). The 36-year-old pitched in parts of 11 MLB seasons from 2012-23 and accrued more than nine years of big league service along the way.

“I was never the best player on any team I played for,” McHugh wrote in his announcement. “Including my 7th grade church league team, on which I played catcher. I never did travel baseball. I went to a small private high school and a small NAIA college. I got drafted in the 18th round by the Mets, most likely as a favor to my college coach. I threw 90 mph. I was NEVER supposed to make it out of A ball. 16 years later, it’s finally time for me to hang ‘em up. And as cringey as it might sound, I’m proud of myself. Proud that I didn’t give up. Proud of the clubhouses I’ve been lucky enough to have a locker in. Proud to be a member of the MLBPA alongside this generation of amazing ballplayers. To the Mets, Rockies, Astros, Red Sox, Rays, and my hometown Braves: Thanks for taking a chance on a kid like me. I’ll never forget it. And don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’ll be around the game forever. So if we see each other at a park near you, come say hey!”

McHugh, indeed, was never regarded as a top prospect. He debuted with the 2012 Mets and was tagged for a 7.59 ERA in 21 1/3 frames as a rookie. His struggles in Queens continued into the following season, and McHugh was traded to the Rockies in exchange for outfielder Eric Young Jr., who’d been designated for assignment in Colorado. Things didn’t pan out at Coors Field either; McHugh was torched for 21 runs in 19 innings as a Rockie.

Despite the lack of success, the Astros both tried to trade for McHugh prior to his Rockies acquisition and then later claimed him off waivers when Colorado removed him from its 40-man roster. That interest and subsequent acquisition came back in 2013, prior to the public advent of a great deal of pitching data that is now commonplace. At the time, the high spin rate on McHugh’s curveball gave the Astros confidence that with some tweaks to his repertoire and general approach to hitters on the mound, that could be a plus breaking pitch that fueled a breakout for the little-known righty.

Houston’s interest proved prescient. In 2014, McHugh stepped into the Astros’ rotation and made 25 starts while working to an excellent 2.74 ERA over 154 2/3 frames. He fanned just over a quarter of his opponents against a tidy 6.6% walk rate while keeping the ball on the ground at a roughly average clip. A year later, McHugh followed up with a career-high 203 2/3 innings, pitching to a 3.89 ERA in a full slate of 32 trips to the hill.

McHugh finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting during that 2014 breakout and was eighth in Cy Young voting during his followup effort. He made another 33 starts for Houston during the 2016 season before sustaining a shoulder injury that limited him to 12 starts of 3.55 ERA ball in 2017. McHugh returned as a reliever in 2018 and went from a key member of the Houston rotation to a similarly important reliever; he fired 72 1/3 innings of 1.99 ERA ball in 2018 before struggling to more pedestrian results in a 2019 campaign split between the rotation and bullpen.

Overall, McHugh went from a nondescript late-round pick to a clear-cut big leaguer during his time in Houston. He pitched 753 1/3 innings of 3.63 ERA ball there before hitting free agency and taking a one-year deal with the Red Sox that was wiped out by injury and the pandemic-shortened schedule. McHugh landed with the Rays in 2021 and bounced back in a major way: a 1.55 ERA in 64 innings. That prompted a two-year deal with the Braves — a homecoming for a pitcher who went to high school in Lilburn and college in Mount Berry — where McHugh went on to throw another 128 innings of 3.38 ERA ball.

All told, McHugh’s career will draw to a close with a 71-47 record, 46 holds, one save and a 3.72 ERA in 992 2/3 innings at the MLB level. He struck out 967 hitters against 280 walks and added another 27 innings of 4.00 ERA performance in the postseason. McHugh won a World Series ring with the controversial 2017 Astros club that is now infamous for its sign-stealing setup. FanGraphs valued McHugh’s career at nearly 16 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference pegged him at 12.4 WAR in a career that netted him just under $27MM in earnings. Few 18th-round signees can boast anything close to that type of success; McHugh and Mike Cameron stand as two of the best ever selected in that round. McHugh’s comment about being “around the game forever” seems to leave the door open for some kind of role with a team in the future. Best wishes to the righty on whatever the next step may be.

Details On Naoyuki Uwasawa’s Rays Contract

By | at

The Rays agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa earlier this month, as Uwasawa will test his fortunes in the majors after nine seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball.  The contract’s terms weren’t reported at the time, but MLB.com’s Adam Berry has the details on what is actually a split contract for the Japanese righty.

Uwasawa will earn $225K while in the minors and $2.5MM for his time on the big league roster.  He also receives a $25K signing bonus up front, and up to $1MM in incentive bonuses based on innings pitched.  The first bonus level of $100K would be unlocked if Uwasawa pitches 70 innings for the Rays, and he’d then receive an additional $100K for each additional ten innings pitched up to the 160-inning threshold.

Tampa Bay also owe the Fighters a posting fee, though the exact total of that fee has yet to be determined given the largely non-guaranteed nature of Uwasawa’s contract.  For now, the Fighters will receive the equivalent of one-quarter of Uwasawa’s signing bonus, and then will eventually be paid 15% of whatever Uwasawa ends up making during the 2024 season.

Interestingly, Berry reports that Uwasawa opted to take this contract over guaranteed offers from other MLB teams.  It isn’t know what other offers might have entailed in terms of money, length, or any number of other factors that might’ve led Uwasawa to prefer Tampa’s offer, but it might have simply come down to the fact that Uwasawa had particular interest in joining the Rays.  As per his statement at the time of the signing, Uwasawa “decided to play for the Rays because the success and the rich history of pitching development really intrigued me,” so it could be that Uwasawa decided to somewhat bet on himself in taking a slightly lesser deal in order to land on one of his preferred options.

The relationship between the two sides could also technically end before Opening Day, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the contract contains an out clause at the end of Spring Training.  However, in all likelihood the out clause is just a formality of minor league deals and Uwasawa will choose to stay in the Rays organization, even if he doesn’t necessarily break camp with the team.  The Rays could use Uwasawa in the minors to get him acclimated to North American baseball and to see how his stuff plays in a proper game setting before giving him a look on the active roster.

Uwasawa posted a 3.19 ERA over 1118 1/3 career innings with the Fighters, delivering both quality results and durability — he has thrown at least 160 innings in four of the last five full NPB seasons.  With only a 19.7% career strikeout rate and a fastball that averaged under 91mph last season, there are concerns from evaluators about whether or not Uwasawa will be able to fool MLB hitters as successfully as he did in Japan.  But, as Berry and Uwasawa himself observed, the Rays have such a strong reputation for developing and/or getting pitchers on track that it seems entirely possible that Uwasawa could blossom under the team’s wings.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top