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Rockies Acquire Alan Trejo, Plan To Select His Contract Sunday

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The Rockies have acquired utility infielder Alan Trejo in a trade with the Rangers. Texas receives cash considerations in return. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the Rockies plan to add Trejo to their active roster ahead of Sunday’s series finale with the Reds. They will need to free up space for him on both the 26 and 40-man rosters.

This trade reunites Trejo with the team that drafted him in 2017. He made his MLB debut for the Rockies in 2021 and played in 174 games for Colorado between 2021-24. In that time, he slashed .228/.276/.334, good for just a 54 wRC+ given the harsh park adjustments for the hitter-friendly Coors Field. While Trejo never offered much with the bat, he was a versatile defender, capable of playing second base, third base, and shortstop.

After he was designated for assignment last summer, Trejo became a free agent for the first time in his career and inked a minor league pact with the Dodgers. He spent the final three months of the 2024 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He then elected free agency again in November and latched on with the Rangers over the offseason. While he earned an invitation to big league camp, he failed to make Texas’s Opening Day roster.

Trejo got off to a rough start in 2025 for the Round Rock Express, the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. Through 19 games, he hit just .211 with a .599 OPS and a 45 wRC+. Nonetheless, the Rockies clearly missed his versatile glove on their bench, so they’re bringing him back into the fold. With Ezequiel Tovar, Thairo Estrada, and Tyler Freeman on the injured list, the Rockies were short enough on infielders before Aaron Schunk hit the 10-day IL with a groin strain earlier today. Trejo will provide some much-needed depth. Presumably, he will take third-string catcher Braxton Fulford’s spot on the active roster. The Rockies called Fulford back up on Saturday when Schunk was placed on the IL, just a day after Fulford was optioned to Triple-A.

Rangers Place Kumar Rocker On Injured List

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The Rangers are placing Kumar Rocker on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, manager Bruce Bochy told the team’s beat (including Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News). Gerson Garabito has been recalled to add an extra bullpen arm for the time being.

Spring Training injuries to Cody Bradford and Jon Gray opened the door for Rocker to begin the season as the fifth starter. The former #3 overall pick had blitzed through the minor leagues late last season. Rocker was utterly dominant following his return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 1.96 ERA with 55 strikeouts over 36 2/3 minor league innings. He held his own over his first three MLB starts, allowing five earned runs with 14 punchouts across 11 2/3 frames.

It has been a completely different story through the first month of this season. Rocker has been hit hard in three of his five outings. None was worse than last night’s start in Sacramento. Rocker failed to make it out of the second inning while giving up five runs in a loss to the A’s. He has surrendered an 8.10 earned run average overall. He’s striking out just 16.8% of opponents. His swinging strike rate — which had sat at a plus 13.3% mark over his three MLB appearances last September — is down to 10.8%. Rocker’s fastball is still sitting above 95 MPH on average, but the stuff clearly hasn’t been sharp.

Bochy didn’t provide a timeline for Rocker’s return. He’ll be out for at least a couple weeks, and it’s possible the Rangers will option him back to Triple-A Round Rock once he’s healthy. Patrick Corbin is in the major league rotation after his late signing delayed his season debut by a couple weeks. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle are at the top of the staff. Jack Leiter is on the IL because of a blister, but he made it through 4 2/3 scoreless innings during a rehab start on Tuesday. There’s a good chance he’ll be activated for Sunday’s game in San Francisco. He has worked 10 innings of one-run ball over his first two starts.

Tyler Mahle Can Push The Rangers Over The Tax Line

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The Rangers clearly want to avoid the competitive balance tax in 2025. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported as much way back in October and owner Ray Davis confirmed that plan to Grant in January.

There are likely a few reasons for the club taking this route. The Rangers were one of several clubs which had a broadcast deal with Main Street Sports, formerly known as the Diamond Sports Group. As that company was going through bankruptcy, several clubs saw their contracts fall apart. Some of those organizations renegotiated new deals with the company but with lower fees. Other wound up with the league running their broadcasts.

The Rangers took a different approach and decided to launch their own regional sports network (RSN). Several big market clubs own RSNs, either in whole or in part, and many of them are doing well financially. The Rangers may have taken a smart route in the long run but it also might take some time to get it set up from scratch.

With that uncertain financial situation, the club decided it would be a good time to reset its CBT status after paying the tax in 2023 and 2024. Teams face increasing tax rates for paying the CBT in consecutive years. A team that avoids the tax in one year can then go into the following year as a “first-time” payor. Most teams like to limbo under the line from time to time, just to go back to square one.

But the Rangers still wanted to compete. They signed multiple players this offseason, including Nathan Eovaldi, Joc Pederson, Kyle Higashioka, Patrick Corbin, Kevin Pillar and a whole bunch of relievers. In the end, they came close to the line without going over it, at least according to publicly available metrics. RosterResource currently pegs them at $236.4MM, less than $5MM from the $241MM base threshold. Cot’s Baseball Contracts has them even closer at $237.8MM. Those are just estimates but they are probably close to accurate, given that the club wanted to be a bit under.

However, a club’s CBT number isn’t calculated until the end of the season, with any in-season developments being factored in. That includes contract bonuses/incentives for guys already on the club. Any players added midseason, such as in deadline trades, would also count.

That will be a situation worth watching in the coming months as the Rangers are currently atop the American League West with a 14-10 record. Assuming they stay in the race into the month of July, they should be deadline buyers. But if they want to stay under the tax, they may need their moves to be revenue neutral, or they might even need to move some money off their books.

Creeping just barely over the line wouldn’t lead to a massive tax bill. The club would be a third-time payor and subject to a 50% base tax rate. A hypothetical overage of $1MM would only lead to $500K in taxes, which is nothing for a baseball club. But it would mean the club would also face a 50% base tax rate in 2026, whereas ducking under the line this year and becoming a “first-time” payor means a 20% base tax rate next year. Avoiding the tax also changes the penalties and compensation for qualifying offer situations, providing another incentive to a team to stay under the line if they are near it.

In short, the CBT number is a living, breathing thing which will be moving throughout the year and it should have a real impact on the club’s deadline approach. There are many players with bonuses in their contract, but Tyler Mahle is the most notable with $5MM. Assuming the calculations of the club’s current CBT number are correct, that means he can single-handedly push them over the line.

Mahle was coming off May 2023 Tommy John surgery when the Rangers signed him to a back-loaded deal heading into 2024. It was a two-year, $22MM guarantee, with the Rangers knowing they likely wouldn’t get much in 2024. As such, they only paid him $5.5MM in the first year, followed by $16.5MM in 2025 with $5MM also available in incentives.

As expected, the Rangers didn’t get much from Mahle last year. He came off the injured list in August and made just three starts before some shoulder tightness put him back on the IL again. He stayed there for the remainder of the campaign.

Now in 2025, the Rangers seem to be getting what they hoped for. Mahle has been healthy and also in excellent form. He has a 0.68 earned run average though his first five starts. There’s a bit of luck in there from a .156 batting average on balls in play and 90.9% strand rate but he’s been a big part of their early-season success regardless.

The only downside for the Rangers is that Mahle’s bonuses are very achievable. MLBTR has learned that he gets an extra $500K for getting to 100 innings, $1MM each at 110, 120 and 130 innings, then $1.5MM at 140 innings.

He’s not a lock to earn the full $5MM, as he only has one season in his career where he got to 140 innings. He was still getting optioned to the minors at times in 2018 and 2019 and then fully established himself during the shortened 2020 season, before logging 180 frames in 2021. Shoulder troubles capped him at 120 2/3 in 2022, and then the aforementioned Tommy John surgery limited him in the following two seasons. Still, with the Rangers so close to the line, it could be a notable development even if he gets into triple digits and nudges them closer a million or two.

If he stays healthy, he would unlock the full $5MM easily. The Rangers might be tempted to back off his workload, as they did with Andrew Heaney in 2023. Heaney had a $13MM player option for 2024, which would bump up to $20MM if he hit 150 innings in 2023. The Rangers moved him to the bullpen to prevent that from happening, with Heaney finishing the year at 147 1/3 innings.

Doing the same with Mahle might be tricky if he continues pitching well. The Rangers have Cody Bradford, Jon Gray and Jack Leiter on the injured list. Kumar Rocker has a 6.38 ERA through four starts this year. Corbin is holding his own right now but hasn’t had an ERA under 5.00 in a full season since 2019. Jacob deGrom and Eovaldi are out to good starts but each is in his mid-30s with a notable injury track record. In short, this team might need Mahle more than the 2023 Rangers needed Heaney.

There are other players who could also factor in to lesser degrees. Luke Jackson is the second most notable after Mahle, as he is earning a $1.5MM base salary but could earn as much as $4MM via incentives, an extra $2.5MM. He can unlock $75K for pitching in 20 games, $100K at 25, $125 at 30, $150K at 35, $175K at 40, $225K at 45, $250K at 50, $300 at 55 and $350K at 60. That’s potentially an extra $1.75MM just for appearances. There’s another $750K for games finished: $50K for 25, $100K for 30, $150K for 35, $200K for 40 and $250K for 45. He has taken over the club’s closer role in the early going and already has nine games finished and ten appearances overall.

Corbin has batches of bonuses based both on innings pitched and relief appearances, so he should get paid some extra money as long as he’s healthy, regardless of which role the Rangers have him in. He gets $100K at 40 and 55 innings, $150K at 70 and 85, $200K at 100 and 115, $250K at 130, 145 and 160, then $350K at 170. He also gets $100K for 35 relief appearances, $150K for 40, $200K for 45, $250K for 50, $300K for 55. He’s in the rotation for now and those relief appearance bonuses are unlikely to be a factor, but he could certainly earn more money based on innings pitched. Getting to 170 innings pitched and unlocking all the bonuses would be an extra $2MM.

Chris Martin can earn an extra $150K by getting to 45 innings pitched this year and again at 50 frames, followed by $200K at 55 innings. Hoby Milner can get an extra $100K at 35 and then 45 innings, then an extra $150K at 55 and 65. Jacob Webb is making $1.25MM this year but can get that to $1.5MM via incentives worth $250K. MLBTR has learned that Webb gets $50K at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 innings pitched. Josh Sborz can unlock an extra $25K at five innings, $50K at 10, $75K at 15, $100K at 20. He underwent shoulder surgery in November and is expected to miss at least the first half of the season.

deGrom and Eovaldi have the same awards bonuses. They can earn an extra $250K for winning the Cy Young this year, as well as $200K, $150K, $100K or $50K for finishing second, third, fourth or fifth in the voting. They can also get $150K for winning World Series MVP, as well as $100K for getting an All-Star selection, a Gold Glove award, or LCS MVP. Pederson can get an extra $150K for winning MVP, $100K for an All-Star selection or World Series MVP, plus $50K for for a Silver Slugger or LCS MVP.

All of those bonuses could nudge the Rangers closer to the line or even over it, which will make for an interesting balancing act this summer. As mentioned, they will almost certainly be looking for upgrades as the deadline rolls around but they might also have to move some money around if they continue to plan on avoiding the tax.

Pederson is out to an awful start, so maybe they try to flip him somewhere else, though they would surely have to attach prospect talent in order to convince another club to absorb his contract. He is earning $13MM this year and will be owed $18.5MM next year. He can opt out after 2025 with the club able to override that by picking up a two-year option at $18.5MM annually for 2026 and 2027. If he continues struggling, he will obviously not take that opt-out.

Gray is making $13MM this year, the final season of his contract. He has been on the injured list all season due to a wrist fracture and it’s unclear when he’ll be back. It’s possible the Rangers won’t need him in the rotation once he’s healthy, depending on how others are performing. His deal has an AAV of $14MM, so trading him just ahead of the deadline could shave almost $5MM off the club’s CBT number. However, doing so would subtract from the club’s rotation depth. His trade value will also depend on how he heals up and performs in the coming months.

There are a great many factors at play here, but taking them all into consideration, it feels as though the Rangers are going to be right near the edge. If they abandon their desire to avoid the tax, that could simplify a lot. But if not, they will have to be watching all these numbers in the coming months.

Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron and Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Nick Ahmed, Place Corey Seager On Injured List

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The Rangers announced that they’ve placed Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Texas selected Nick Ahmed onto the roster in his place. They designated left-hander Walter Pennington for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.

Seager pulled up as he ran out a ground-ball during yesterday’s win in Sacramento. He immediately subbed out of the game. Josh Smith, who had started in center field, came in to play shortstop. Leody Taveras drew into center field off the bench. Any kind of hamstring strain usually results in an IL placement, but the Rangers seem optimistic that they’ve avoided the worst. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com notes that Seager is expected back right around 10 days from now.

The five-time All-Star has started 20 of 23 games at shortstop. Smith has started twice, while the since-optioned Jonathan Ornelas made one appearance. Seager has joined Smith and Wyatt Langford as the most productive hitters in an otherwise struggling lineup. He’s hitting .286/.345/.468 with four homers through 84 plate appearances.

Smith made his first major league start in center field last night. He could move back to the infield on a regular basis while Seager is out. That’d push Taveras back into everyday center field work. The switch-hitting outfielder is off to a .197/.210/.246 start and has yet to hit a home run through 62 plate appearances. If the Rangers want to keep Smith in center, they’d turn to the veteran Ahmed as their starting shortstop.

This will be the 12th big league season for Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove winner who has spent the majority of his career with the Diamondbacks. Arizona released him late in the ’23 campaign. He divided last season between the Giants, Dodgers and Padres and combined for a .229/.267/.295 batting line across 228 plate appearances. The 35-year-old signed an offseason minor league deal with Texas. He had a big spring, batting .324 with a trio of homers over 15 games.

It wasn’t enough to break camp. Ahmed was granted his release before Opening Day but returned to the organization on a new minor league contract last week. He’d been working out at their Arizona complex rather than playing in Triple-A. Spring Training numbers aside, the Rangers won’t expect much from Ahmed offensively. He should remain a plus on defense. Statcast credited him with nine Outs Above Average across 554 1/3 innings last season.

The roster shuffling squeezes out Pennington, who made 15 relief appearances for Texas last year. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with the Royals last July. Kansas City dealt him to Texas for Michael Lorenzen at the deadline. Pennington carried a 2.26 ERA through 37 Triple-A appearances at the time. He worked 17 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen after the trade. While he only allowed six earned runs, he issued 11 walks against 16 strikeouts.

Pennington made four appearances this spring, allowing three runs on eight hits with two walks and strikeouts apiece. Texas initially optioned him to Triple-A but reassigned him to the complex before Opening Day. There hasn’t been any indication of an injury, but Pennington hasn’t made any regular season appearances in the minors.

Texas will have five days to trade Pennington or place him on waivers. Assuming he hasn’t suffered any kind of undisclosed injury, they could attempt to outright him to the minors. (Injured players cannot be outrighted, so they’re almost always released after a DFA.) Last year’s strong numbers in Triple-A could get him some attention on the waiver wire. Pennington has two minor league option years remaining.

Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News relayed the moves before the club announcement.

Rangers Getting Josh Smith Reps In Center Field

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The Rangers played utility guy Josh Smith in center field last night, something that Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News spoke to manager Bruce Bochy about. Smith had played a bit of center field in the minors but this was his first appearance there in the big leagues.

The decision speaks to a couple of things, one of which is just that the club wanted to get Smith in there somewhere. “He’s swinging the bat so well,” Bochy said. “I’ve got to find a place for him in the lineup.” Smith currently sports a monster line of .367/.456/.571 on the season. He won’t be able to keep a .485 batting average on balls in play going forever but he’s drawing walks at a 14% clip and his hard hit rate on pace to jump for a third straight year.

Given that performance, it’s understandable that Bochy wants to ride the hot hand, but Smith’s regular spots are taken. The Rangers have Jake Burger, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung around the infield. Joc Pederson is the designated hitter while Wyatt Langford and Adolis García are in the outfield corners. Not everyone in that group is performing well but the struggling ones are established big league bats and should bounce back.

Center field is a bit more open, however. Leody Taveras has seen most of the playing time there in recent seasons but with diminishing returns. He managed to hit .266/.312/.421 for a league average 100 wRC+ in 2023. When combined with his speed and defense, that made him a useful player. But he dropped down to a .229/.289/.352 line and 82 wRC+ last year. It’s even worse so far in 2025, as he currently sports a dismal .197/.210/.246 line. He is striking out at a 27.4% pace so far and only drawing walks 1.6% of the time.

Time will tell if it’s a brief experiment or if Smith says in there longer, which will presumably depend on many factors. An injury for anyone else on the diamond might lead to Smith being moved elsewhere. Dustin Harris and Kevin Pillar have also been performing well in part-time roles. If Smith’s results taper off or Taveras improves, perhaps the calculus will change.

There’s also the Evan Carter factor. He once seemed like a potential long-term solution in center, as he came up late in 2023 and hit the ground running, playing a key role in the club’s title run that year. But he was injured for most of last year and the Rangers optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock to start this year, where he’s currently hitting .167/.352/.262.

General manager Ross Fenstermaker tells McFarland that the club is “pretty encouraged” by Carter’s progress as he works on managing his autoimmune back issue and making a swing adjustment. “We’re confident that he’s going to find his footing here and get going,” Fenstermaker said. “When that time comes that he’s the best option to help this club, he’ll be up here.”

Carter may be a factor down the line but his Triple-A numbers don’t suggest he’s likely to be called upon soon. That situation and the recent struggles of Taveras have opened a spot for Smith, which has expanded his versatility. He has now played every position on the diamond outside of the battery. His glovework in the outfield corners has been around league average thus far, but center field will be a bit more of a test for him defensively.

Photo courtesy of Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images

Player Option/Opt-Out Update: April Edition

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The increasing popularity of opt-outs/player options as a means to close the gap in free agent signings and extensions has changed the face of free agency entirely. Not long ago, opt-outs were perks reserved for the game’s truly elite stars — a benefit to help differentiate nine-figure offers and secure the game’s top stars.

In 2025, they’re downright commonplace. Opt-out laden short-term deals have become a common alternative to the more conventional one-year pillow contract that a player in search of a rebound campaign might pursue. They’ll also provide a soft landing for a veteran whose market didn’t materialize as expected, even coming off a productive season. Some teams simply use them as a means of sweetening the pot even when negotiating with mid- and lower-tier free agents. The Royals gave opt-outs/player options to both Chris Stratton and Hunter Renfroe two offseasons ago. The Reds did the same with Emilio Pagan and Nick Martinez. Tucker Barnhart, Trey Mancini and Ross Stripling are just a few of the other recent examples of solid but non-star veterans to land such clauses in their free agent contracts.

At their core, opt-out provisions aren’t particularly different from club options that have been widely accepted as commonplace for decades. Teams guarantee a certain number of dollars over a certain number of years, and if the player continues performing at a high enough level, they’ll exercise a club option that’s typically locked in at a below-market price. If not, the player will be bought out and sent back to free agency. Player options and opt-outs are merely the inverse; the player/agent negotiate a certain length and annual value but reserve the right to opt back into the market if the player continues to perform at a high level. It’s two sides of the same coin, one favoring the team and the other favoring the player.

There are 16 players around the league this year who’ll have the right to opt into free agency at season’s end, depending on their performance. (Conversely, there are 27 players with club options.) We’ll periodically take a look at this group over the course of the season, as their performances will have a major impact on the 2025-26 market. For more context, you can check out our full list of 2025-26 MLB free agents as well as the first installment of our recent 2025-26 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings, wherein we rank the top 10 free agents in terms of earning power. Darragh McDonald, Anthony Franco and I recently discussed the decision process behind those rankings in the latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast.

Onto this year’s group!

Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets | One year, $24MM remaining

Alonso looked like a good bet to opt out from the moment he agreed to terms on his front-loaded two-year, $54MM contract. That he’s been one of the best hitters on the planet in the season’s first three weeks only improves that likelihood. The 30-year-old slugger is slashing a comical .365/.474/.730 with five homers, eight doubles and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) through his first 78 turns at the plate. Alonso is chasing pitches off the plate at a career-low 19.1% rate and is sporting the best contact rate of his career at 82.8%. He’s doing all of that with career-best marks in average exit velocity (96.3 mph), barrel rate (24.1%) and hard-hit rate (61.1%). Alonso has been an absolute monster, and the fact that he can’t receive a qualifying offer — players can only receive one in their career, and he rejected one last November — is a cherry on top of his dominant output.

Cody Bellinger, OF/1B, Yankees | One year, $25MM remaining (Bellinger receives $5MM buyout if he opts out)

Bellinger posted All-Star numbers with the 2023 Cubs, signed back for three years with a pair of opt-outs and hit well in 2024 — just not to his 2023 standard. Traded to the Yankees this past offseason, many thought he was primed for a rebound because of the favorable dimensions at Yankee Stadium. It hasn’t played out that way. Through his first 62 plate appearances, Bellinger looks more like the lost version of himself from 2021-22 than the strong performer we saw in ’23-’24. He’s hitting .185/.242/.296 with what would be career-worst strikeout and swinging-strike rates of 29% and 15.2%, respectively. When he’s made contact, it’s been loud (90.8 mph average exit velocity, 53.5% hard-hit rate) — and there’s still plenty of time to turn things around. It’s not the start he or the Yankees hoped for, however.

Shane Bieber, RHP, Guardians | One year, $16MM remaining (Bieber receives $4MM buyout if he opts out)

Bieber has yet to pitch this season as he rehabs from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Cleveland has yet to place him on the 60-day injured list, which could offer some optimism regarding his timetable for a return, but he’s not on a minor league rehab assignment yet. At last check, he was targeting a return around the All-Star break.

Alex Bregman, 3B, Red Sox | Two years, $80MM remaining (Bregman can opt out again after 2026)

Bregman has started his Boston tenure on a tear, hitting .321/.365/.564 with four big flies in 85 plate appearances. He’s been 62% better than average, by measure of wRC+, but there are still some of the same red flags he displayed early in the 2024 season. During his peak, Bregman was one of the sport’s toughest strikeouts and showed outstanding plate discipline. From 2018-23, he walked in 13.8% of his plate appearances against a puny 12.3% strikeout rate. Bregman’s walk rate fell off a cliff last season, and it hasn’t recovered so far in 2024. He’s drawn only four free passes (4.7%). More concerning, he’s fanned 18 times, leading to what would be a career-worst 21.2% strikeout rate. Bregman’s chase rate is down, and he’s still making elite contact within the strike zone, but he’s making contact on a career-low 56.5% of his swings on balls off the plate. If he keeps hitting like this, it probably won’t matter, but it’s something to watch as the season continues.

Edwin Diaz, RHP, Mets | Two years, $37MM remaining (Diaz can opt out again after 2026)

Diaz had a nice return from a 2023 season lost to a knee injury in 2024, pitching to a 3.52 ERA with a 38.9% strikeout rate against a 9.3% walk rate. It wasn’t quite his usual level of dominance, but most relievers would happily take a 39% punchout rate in a “down” season. Things aren’t going as well in 2025. Diaz’s four-seamer is sitting at a career-low 96.4 mph, per Statcast. That’s down 1.1 mph from last year’s mark and 2.5 mph from his 99.1 mph peak in 2022. If he were still overpowering opponents, it wouldn’t matter much, but Diaz has been tagged for five runs on six hits and five walks in 6 2/3 frames. That’s a 16% walk rate, and he’s already tossed four wild pitches — more than he did in 53 2/3 innings a year ago. The caveat with everyone on this list is that we’re all of 11-12% through the season, but the early trendlines aren’t good for Diaz.

Jack Flaherty, RHP, Tigers | One year, $10MM remaining (increases to $20MM once Flaherty makes 15 starts)

Flaherty’s heater is down nearly a mile per hour, and his walk rate is up from 5.9% to 10.3% … but that’s in a span of 21 1/3 innings. He’s still getting strikeouts at a plus level (28.7%), and the bottom-line results are good: 2.53 ERA. Flaherty seems healthy, which will be a big factor for him — both in terms of boosting his stock ahead of a potential return to free agency and in boosting his 2026 salary if he winds up forgoing the opt-out opportunity. If he can deliver a third straight season of 27-plus starts and a second straight year with a plus strikeout rate and low-3.00s (or even mid-3.00s) ERA, the market will likely reward him with the long-term deal that eluded him this past winter. Flaherty doesn’t turn 30 until October. He’ll have a chance at a deal ranging from four to six years in length if he comes close to replicating his 2024 performance. One potential downside: he was traded last summer and thus ineligible to receive a qualifying offer. If the Tigers contend all season, as expected, they’ll be able to make Flaherty a QO if he opts out.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF, D-backs | One year, $18MM remaining

Though he’s one of the most consistent hitters in the sport, Gurriel is out to a woeful start in 2025. His D-backs are red-hot, but their current win streak comes in spite of an anemic .145/.176/.304 start from their everyday left fielder. Gurriel has some of the best contact skills in MLB, fanning in only 17.3% of his plate appearances and making contact on just shy of 90% of his swings in the zone dating back to 2022. He’s punched out in what would be a career-low 13.5% of his plate appearances this year, but he’s staring down a .121 average on balls in play. He should be due for a course correction, but it’s worth noting that he’s hitting more fly-balls and fewer line-drives than ever, which is going to naturally suppress his BABIP a bit (although certainly not to this extent). Gurriel is owed $13MM in 2026 and has a $5MM buyout on a $14MM club option for 2027. He’d need to be confident he could top not just $18MM but probably that he’d top two years and $27MM; the hefty nature of that buyout makes him a net $9MM decision for the D-backs in 2027, which seems like a price they’ll be willing to pay.

Ha-Seong Kim, SS, Rays | One year, $16MM remaining

Kim is still finishing up the rehab from last October’s shoulder surgery. He’s expected back mid-to-late May, which would give him about four months to prove he’s back to form. A healthy Kim would’ve been a coveted free agent who could’ve commanded four or more years in free agency. A plus defender at three positions and a plus runner with enough power to pop 10 to 20 homers annually, Kim will be in high demand next offseason if the shoulder injury doesn’t prove a major drain on his offensive capabilities.

Seth Lugo, RHP, Royals | One year, $15MM remaining

Lugo’s rise from reliever to starter to Cy Young finalist has been remarkable. He’s gotten decent results in 2025, with a 3.86 ERA in his first 23 1/3 innings, but his strikeout and walk rates are nowhere near last year’s marks. After fanning 21.7% of his opponents against a pristine 5.7% mark last year, the 35-year-old Lugo currently sports respective rates of 17% and 9.6%. His velocity is below par (92.2 mph average fastball) but right in line with last year’s levels. A year and $15MM should be the floor for a healthy Lugo, even if he doesn’t repeat his brilliant 2024 season. That’s the same mark that older starters like Charlie Morton, Justin Verlander, Alex Cobb and Max Scherzer (well, $15.5MM) received this past offseason. The Royals could tag him with a qualifying offer if he opts out, which would give him a tougher call on a one-year deal that should be worth more than $21MM. That said, if Lugo comes anywhere close to last year’s results, he’d turn that down in pursuit of a multi-year deal.

A.J. Minter, LHP, Mets | One year, $11MM remaining

Minter’s 94.3 mph average fastball is a career-low, but it’s only narrowly shy of his 2024 mark (94.5 mph). It’s feasible that as he further distances himself from last year’s hip surgery, that number could tick up, too. He’s pitched 8 1/3 innings, allowed a pair of runs on five hits and a walk, and punched out a dozen hitters. That’s a whopping 38.7% strikeout rate. So far, Minter is missing more bats within the strike zone than ever before; opponents have an awful 73% contact rate on his pitches in the zone (compared to the 85% league average). Minter landed two years and $22MM with an opt-out when he was coming off hip surgery. He should be able to top a year and $11MM so long as he’s healthy and pitches to his typical levels. So far, so good.

Frankie Montas, RHP, Mets | One year, $17MM remaining

Montas has yet to pitch in 2025 after suffering a lat strain during spring training. He’s yet to begin a minor league rehab stint but, like Bieber, also has not been placed on the 60-day injured list yet. The size of the Mets’ commitment to Montas this winter registered as a bit of a surprise even when he was thought to be healthy. He’ll need a strong few months to walk away from $17MM guaranteed.

Tyler O’Neill, OF, Orioles | Two years, $33MM remaining

The biggest question with O’Neill is whether he can stay healthy enough to position himself for an opt-out. He’s mashing with a .265/.339/.490 slash and two homers through 56 plate appearances. (One of those big flies extended his ludicrous MLB record of six straight Opening Days with a long ball.) He’s also missed the past couple games due to neck discomfort. O’Neill has never played in more than 138 games in a season, and he’s only twice reached 100 games in a year. (He did play 50 of 60 games in the shortened 2020 season.) O’Neill’s 21.4% strikeout rate would be a career-low, but his actual contact rate and swinging-strike rate aren’t career-best marks. It’s hard to see him sustaining that career-low strikeout rate as a result, but O’Neill’s power is substantial enough that he can be a productive hitter even running strikeout rates approaching/exceeding 30%.

Joc Pederson, DH/OF, Rangers | One year, $18.5MM remaining (Rangers can counter opt-out by exercising 2027 club option for $18.5MM)

Signed to help the Rangers remedy their 2024 ineptitude against fastballs, Pederson has instead turned in a career-worst performance against heaters (and every other offering). It’s only 16 games, but Pederson has collected just one hit against fastballs in 2025 — a single. It’s an alarming development for a hitter who carries a lifetime .244 average and .521 slugging percentage against four-seamers. Pederson has compiled an unfathomable .060/.161/.080 slash in 57 plate appearances. He’s still making a fair bit of hard contact, but most of it is resulting in grounders. His 55.6% ground-ball rate and 2.8% (!) line-drive rates are career-worst marks. There’s no earthly way he can continue to struggle this much, but he’ll need quite the turnaround for that opt-out provision to come into play.

Wandy Peralta, LHP, Padres | Two years, $8.9MM remaining (Peralta can opt out again after 2026)

Peralta posted a career-worst 13.6% strikeout rate in year one of his four-year pact with San Diego in 2024. He passed on his first opt-out opportunity, and understandably so. It’s early, but the veteran lefty has more than doubled last year’s awful 8.3% swinging-strike rate, which now sits at 16.8% through 8 1/3 innings. Peralta is generating chases on an eye-popping 40% of his pitches off the plate, and his opponents’ 44.4% contact rate on those swings is the second-best mark of his career. He’s all but shelved his four-seamer, is barely using his slider, and is leaning hard into a sinker/changeup combo. He won’t sustain a 1.08 ERA, of course, but if he keeps piling up grounders and whiffs, he’ll have a good case to opt out, even at age 34.

Trevor Story, SS, Red Sox | Two years, $55MM remaining

It’s hard to believe we’re already in year four of Story’s six-year deal with Boston — in part because we simply haven’t seen him in a Red Sox uniform all that often. The former Rockies All-Star played in only one-third of the team’s games through the first three years of the contract. Injuries have decimated Story in recent years, and he produced a middling .232/.296/.397 line when healthy enough to play from 2022-24. He’s out to a much better start in 2025, playing in 20 games (already just six shy of last year’s total) and recording a .299/.325/.442 line with three homers. A 3.8% walk rate, 30% strikeout rate and .400 BABIP through 80 plate appearances don’t bode especially well, but to his credit, Story is torching the ball; he’s averaging 90.3 mph off the bat and has even better marks in barrel rate (11.3%) and hard-hit rate (54.7%). It’s hard to see him turning down the two years and $55MM after he’s been injured so much in Boston, but he’s enjoying a fine start to the year.

Robert Suarez, RHP, Padres | Two years, $16MM remaining

Suarez’s name popped up late in the offseason rumor mill, but he was always going to be a tough trade candidate because of this two-year player option. If he performed well, he’d opt out, and if he struggled and/or got hurt, the acquiring team would be saddled with two unwanted years. Such is the nature of trading anyone with a player option/opt-out. Suarez stayed put, and the Padres have to be thrilled. He’s 8-for-8 in save opportunities, hasn’t allowed a run in nine innings, and is boasting a 31.3% strikeout rate against a 6.3% walk rate. That strikeout rate is supported by a huge 16% swinging-strike rate. Suarez looks unhittable right now, just as he has in the past when at his best. There’s a lot of season left, and things can go south in a hurry for relievers in particular, but a player couldn’t ask for a better start to a platform season.

Jon Gray Hopeful To Begin Throwing In Two Weeks

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  • Rangers righty Jon Gray broke his right wrist when he was hit by a comebacker late in Spring Training. The veteran starter tells Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports that his injury has healed as hoped over the past month. Gray is hoping to begin throwing a couple weeks from now. He’s not expected to be ready for MLB game action until at least July. Gray owns a 4.16 earned run average in just under 400 innings over three seasons with Texas. He’s in the final season of his four-year free agent deal.

Rangers Release JT Chargois

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The Rangers have released right-hander JT Chargois, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been pitching for their Triple-A affiliate after signing a minor league deal in the offseason.

Chargois pitched well for the Rangers in spring training, rattling off 4 2/3 shutout frames, but he didn’t make the initial cut and opened the season in Round Rock. It’s been a nightmare showing for him there, with 10 earned runs allowed through 4 2/3 frames (19.29 ERA) on the strength of 11 hits (five homers) and three walks. He’s fanned seven of 29 opponents (24.1%).

Brutal as that showing was, the 34-year-old Chargois has a nice big league track record — particularly in recent seasons. Dating back to 2021, the journeyman righty has totaled 154 2/3 innings of 2.73 ERA ball. His 21.7% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in that time are both worse than league average, but Chargois has done a nice job keeping the ball in the yard (0.99 HR/9) and on the ground (47.4%).

In parts of seven major league seasons, Chargois has picked up 5.101 years of service time and pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 231 1/3 innings. Even though the Rangers stint didn’t work out, his track record should earn him a look elsewhere on another minor league contract.

Rangers Re-Sign Nick Ahmed To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have re-signed infielder Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was participating in extended spring training this weekend, per Phrake Photography.

Ahmed, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in February. He put up a strong .324/.361/.647 showing during Spring Training but didn’t break camp with the club. He was released at that time but has returned to the same club a few weeks later.

The Rangers likely didn’t put much stock into Ahmed’s strong spring numbers. He has been in the majors for over a decade and is well established as a strong defender but subpar hitter. His career batting line of .234/.287/.371 translates to a 72 wRC+, indicating he’s been 28% below average overall. That’s been trending down in recent years, as he hit .221/.271/.327 for a 62 wRC+ in the 2021 through 2024 seasons.

There’s little denying the glovework. Ahmed has 79 Defensive Runs Saved and 118 Outs Above Average at shortstop in his career. From 2016 to 2019, his 76 OAA at short was tops in the majors while his 65 DRS was second only to Andrelton Simmons. He also hit close to league average at times and the combination was occasionally quite valuable. He slashed .248/.307/.421 over 2018-2020. His 89 wRC+ in that time indicates he was still 11% below league average but that passable offense and excellent glovework made him worth 8.9 wins above replacement over 368 games in that span, per the calculations of FanGraphs.

But the recent decline in offense has pushed him into journeyman status. He played for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres in 2024. As mentioned, he settled for a minor league deal with the Rangers this winter and didn’t make the big league roster.

He’ll now provide the Rangers with some non-roster infield depth. As mentioned, he’s getting a bit of action in extended spring training, presumably to get back in game shape after being unsigned for about three weeks. His transaction tracker says he’s been assigned to the Arizona Complex League Rangers. Presumably, he’ll head to Triple-A Round Rock eventually after getting some reps.

The Rangers have Corey Seager at shortstop but he has a spotty health history. Second baseman Marcus Semien has been incredibly reliable in the health department but will turn 35 this year. If either of them needed to miss some time, the Rangers have Jonathan Ornelas and Ezequiel Durán on the 40-man. Ahmed joins Sam Haggerty and Alan Trejo as non-roster middle infield options.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Rangers Place Wyatt Langford On Injured List

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The Rangers announced Wednesday that outfielder Wyatt Langford has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Additionally, infielder Jonathan Ornelas has been optioned to Round Rock. Utilityman Ezequiel Duran and outfielder Dustin Harris have been recalled in a pair of corresponding transactions. Duran was only optioned to Triple-A yesterday, but he can return in fewer than the minimum 10 days since he’s technically replacing the injured Langford on the roster.

The 23-year-old Langford is out to a fast start, clubbing four homers through his first dozen games while slashing .244/.333/.561 overall. The 2023 No. 4 overall pick’s bid to follow up on a strong rookie showing last year will be placed on hold for the next week-plus at the very least, however, with a chance that he’ll require a lengthier stay.

Every injury is different, but even many Grade 1 oblique strains (the most mild on a scale of one to three) can sideline a player for upwards of a month. Texas will hope Langford’s current oblique strain plays out similarly to the one he sustained on the other side of his body early in camp this year, when a mild left oblique strain required him to be out of games for only about two weeks.

With Langford shelved for the time being, his reps in left field will fall to a combination of Harris, Duran, Kevin Pillar and Josh Smith. Leody Taveras and Adolis Garcia remain on hand to man center field and right field, respectively.

Harris, 25, could get his first stretch of any real action in the majors following this promotion. He was briefly called up last year but only appeared in two games, going 2-for-6 with a homer. He has a decent track record at the plate in the upper minors but is widely considered a sub-par defender with no true home on the diamond.

The Rangers have given Harris a look at all three outfield spots this season, and he’s also spent ample time at every infield position other than shortstop. He’s a lefty hitter who could work his way into Bruce Bochy’s lineup at a variety of positions, but he’s generally blocked from any sort of long-term regular role in Texas. Jake Burger, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung have the infield locked down, while Langford, Taveras, Garcia and Evan Carter give him plenty of roadblocks in the outfield. Harris is out to a tough start in Triple-A this year but is a career .268/.361/.401 hitter in 894 plate appearances there (in addition to a .252/.358/.445 line in 660 Double-A plate appearances).

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