The Opener

As the offseason continues to plug along toward the start of Spring Training in a few weeks, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Unresolved DFAs come due

A pair of lefties who were designated for assignment last week are due for a conclusion today. Daniel Castano was DFA’d last week by the Marlins to make room for Johnny Cueto on the 40-man roster, while Justus Sheffield was designated by the Mariners to open a spot for Tommy La Stella. Castano has pitched to a 3.89 ERA (4.86 FIP) in 85 2/3 innings across 27 games (22 starts) with the Marlins spanning 2020-2022, making him an intriguing option for clubs looking to add starting depth.

Sheffield, on the other hand, has struggled mightily to this point in the big leagues and recently at Triple-A as well, with a career 5.47 ERA (4.77 FIP) in 186 big league innings for his career. As a former top prospect, however, it wouldn’t be a surprise if another organization wanted to try their hand at righting the ship for Sheffield. Unlike Castano, Sheffield also has a minor league option remaining, making him easier for interested clubs to stash in the minors.

2. Are more moves on the horizon for the Twins?

The Twins have been active on the trade market recently, adding Pablo Lopez and two prospects in a blockbuster that sent Luis Arraez to the Marlins while also landing Michael A. Taylor in a separate deal with the Royals. That’s already a considerable amount of action over the past week, but it seems possible Minnesota is still not quite done. Earlier this offseason, rumors frequently percolated regarding outfielder Max Kepler, and the Taylor trade gives Derek Falvey’s front office even more outfield depth. The Twins are particularly deep in lefty-hitting corner outfielders, with Kepler, offseason signee Joey Gallo, Trevor Larnach, Nick Gordon and Matt Wallner all on the roster. Righty Gilberto Celestino, meanwhile, is pushed further down the depth chart by the Taylor acquisition.

Furthermore, with Alex Kirilloff (another lefty-hitting corner outfield option) now primed to take on the lion’s share of playing time at first base, the Twins have looked into veteran complements for the former top prospect. The rumor mill has linked Yuli Gurriel to Minnesota recently, and Miami’s decision to step back from their pursuit of Gurriel could help the odds of a deal getting done.

3. MLBTR Player Chat Today

For our final player chat of the week, MLBTR is excited to welcome former Dodgers and Yankees reliever Cory Wade. Wade’s best season with the Dodgers came in 2008, when he posted a 2.27 ERA (3.78 FIP), good for a 184 ERA+ in 71 1/3 innings. With the Yankees, Wade had is best year in 2011, when he posted a 2.04 ERA (3.76 FIP), good for a 212 ERA+ in 39 2/3 innings. For his career, Wade finished with a 3.65 ERA (115 ERA+) with a 4.03 FIP in 177 2/3 innings of work in the majors. You can tune in at 10am CST today to participate in the live chat, and if you missed yesterday’s live chat with former Rockies and Pirates catcher (and current Pirates TV analyst) Michael McKenry, you can find the transcript here.

With Scott Rolen now the 19th third basemen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Is a Greinke deal close?

Future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke is arguably the best starting pitcher still available on the free agent market at this point, even heading into his age-39 season. Rumors have long percolated about a possible reunion between Greinke and the Royals, who he started his career with and returned to for the 2022 campaign. The Royals are optimistic about their chances of re-signing Greinke, and after shedding more than $6MM via their trades of Michael A. Taylor and Adalberto Mondesi, they could potentially increase their prior offer. The Orioles have reportedly checked in on Greinke as well.

2. Is the Astros’ GM search nearing a conclusion?

Ever since the Astros surprisingly parted ways with GM James Click shortly after the club won the 2022 World Series, Houston’s baseball operations department has been without a GM. That could be on the verge of changing, however. Dana Brown, Bobby Evans, James Harris, and Brad Ausmus are now among the reported finalists after Michael Hill reported removed himself from consideration for the position. Astros owner Jim Crane remains interested in bringing now-former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns back to Houston, but he’s still under contract with the Brewers as an advisor, placing him more on the periphery of this search.

3. MLBTR Player Chat Today

As we have for the past few days, we’ll be hosting a live chat at 10am CST with a former MLB player in addition to our usual 5pm CST Wednesday chat with MLBTR’s Anthony Franco. Today, we’re excited to welcome former big league catcher Michael McKenry, who played parts of seven Major League seasons as a member of the Rockies, Pirates, and Cardinals. His best seasons came in 2012, when he got into a career-high 88 games for the Pirates and slashed .233/.320/.442 (109 wRC+), and in 2014, when he slashed an impressive .315/.398/.512 (140 wRC+) for the Rockies across 57 games. If you missed yesterday’s chat with right-hander Jacob Turner, you can read the transcript here.

As the end of hot stove season and the return of baseball creeps ever closer, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Hall of Fame results announced tonight:

At 5pm CST tonight, the results of the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot will be announced. Todd Helton, Scott Rolen, and Billy Wagner have all done very well among the public revealed ballots and stand the best chances of getting in this year, but there will be intrigue involving other players, as well. How close will Jeff Kent get in his final year of eligibility? Will Gary Sheffield make a big enough leap in his penultimate year of eligibility that he might be able to get inducted next year? How will Carlos Beltran fare as the first of the 2017 Astros to hit the ballot? Will Alex Rodriguez make gains over his 34.3% year one showing last year? We’ll find out tonight.

2. Unresolved DFAs come due:

Two players were designated for assignment seven days ago, and those DFAs are due to reach a conclusion today. The Cubs DFA’d righty Manuel Rodriguez last week in order to claim righty Julian Merryweather off waivers from Toronto, while the Mariners designated outfielder Alberto Rodriguez in order to claim righty J.B. Bukauskas off waivers from Arizona. Manuel Rodriguez showed impressive stuff despite poor results in a late-season call up with Chicago in September 2021, but missed most of the 2022 season with an elbow injury and had lost some velocity upon his return this past September. Overall, he has a career 4.88 ERA in 31 1/3 innings of work in the majors. Alberto Rodriguez, on the other hand, has not yet made his major league debut. He was added to the Mariners’ 40-man roster in November 2021 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Neither player has the right to reject and outright assignment at this point in their career, so they can be retained by their club if they pass through waivers unclaimed.

3. MLBTR Player Chat

In addition to the usual Tuesday chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams at 1pm CST, MLBTR will be hosting a live chat with former big league right-hander Jacob Turner. Turner, the No. 9 overall pick in 2009, played in the majors for seven years, debuting in 2011 with the Tigers and making the final appearance of his career with them again in 2018. He also played for the Cubs, White Sox, and Nationals during his time in the big leagues, but most of his playing time came with the Marlins, who acquired him as the headliner in a 2012 trade sending Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to Detroit. As a Marlin, Turner threw 244 2/3 innings across 51 games (39 starts) and pitched to a 4.67 ERA (4.27 FIP). Tune in at 10am CST to participate in Turner’s chat. If you missed yesterday’s player chat with knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, you can read the transcript here.

With just three weeks left until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Signings to be made official:

According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are expected to make their one-year deal with outfielder Adam Duvall official early this week. That’s far from the only signing that could be made official in the coming days, however. Aroldis Chapman’s one-year contract with the Royals could also be made official after being agreed to late last week. Brian Anderson’s one-year pact with the Brewers and Nelson Cruz’s one-year agreement with the Padres are other deals still waiting to be made official; Cruz’s pact, in particular, was reportedly agreed to almost two weeks ago with no official announcement as of yet. All four clubs have full 40-man rosters, so a corresponding move will be necessary in all three cases to make room for the club’s newest acquisition.

2. Is a Gurriel signing immiment?

Reports over the weekend indicated that the market for first baseman and 2022 World Series champion Yuli Gurriel could be heating up, with the Marlins and Twins among the teams interested. Miami, in particular, was said to be “moving toward a deal” with Gurriel, per Mark Feinsand and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com Both clubs make for interesting fits for Gurriel. In Minnesota, a veteran right-handed complement to first base youngster Alex Kirilloff makes sense, whereas in Miami, Gurriel could provide an additional option in a first base/DH mix that already includes Garrett Cooper and Jorge Soler. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, it’s also possible that Gurriel could spend time at both second and third base for the Marlins, should he sign there.

3. MLBTR Player Chat

We regularly host chats with members of our writing team here at MLBTR, but this week we’ll be rebooting our Player Chat series. In the past, we’ve had names like Dan Straily, Jonny Gomes, Tyler Danish, Paul Sewald and Christian Colon (among others) host chats with our readers. We’ve got a wide range of guests set up this time around, ranging from players who only had a brief cup of coffee in the Majors but long grinds through the minors, to some who logged upwards of ten years of MLB service. Today’s chat will feature a special appearance by former knuckleballer Mickey Jannis. Jannis played professional baseball for twelve seasons, including eight seasons in the minor leagues, and made the big leagues with the Orioles in 2021. Jannis also played in Australia and Venezuela throughout his career. Tune in at 10am CST for Jannis’s live chat.

As Spring Training continues to draw closer, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Cutch’s homecoming today

After spending the last half decade with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers, longtime Pirate Andrew McCutchen is set to officially return to Pittsburgh today. McCutchen’s one-year, $5MM deal with the Pirates was reported last week, but the Pirates confirmed yesterday evening that the deal would be made official sometime today. It’s a heartwarming occasion for both the 36-year-old McCutchen and Pirates fans. McCutchen is an all-time franchise great, with his 40 bWAR accumulated with the franchise ranking top 10 in franchise history. Over his nine previous years in Pittsburgh, McCutchen was a five time All-Star, four time Silver Slugger, one time Gold Glove winner, and finished among the top five in MVP voting in four consecutive years, including an MVP win in 2013.

2. Guards Fest tomorrow

Tomorrow, the Cleveland Guardians will host Guards Fest 2023 at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. It’ll be the ninth instance of Cleveland’s offseason fan fest event and the first time it’s been held in three years — as well as the first time it’s been held since the organization’s rebranding. Several current players (Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario, Triston McKenzie, Andres Gimenez among them) will be in attendance, as will a handful of prospects (including touted names like George Valera and Brayan Rocchio) and newcomer Josh Bell, who inked a two-year, $33MM deal earlier in the offseason. Among the more unique elements of this year’s event, Gimenez will team with local artist Jonathan Hrusovsky to host a cleat design competition, where fans can submit a sketch for a custom pair of cleats for Gimenez to wear during spring training. As we’ve seen with the Cubs, Brewers and other clubs in recent weeks, annual events like this are making a resurgence and providing fans with more to look forward to in the offseason.

3. Leiter Jr., Reynolds face outright decisions

Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. and utilityman Matt Reynolds cleared waivers and were assigned outright to Triple-A yesterday by the Cubs and Reds, respectively. Leiter Jr. was designated for assignment last week to make room for Eric Hosmer on Chicago’s 40-man roster, while Reynolds was DFA’d to make room for Luke Weaver on Cincinnati’s 40-man. Both players have the right to reject an outright assignment and test free agency, though given they went unclaimed on waivers, they’ll likely have to compete for roster spots this spring whether they stay with their current organization or elect to explore the free agent market. Leiter Jr. had some success in 2022, pitching 67 2/3 innings of 3.99 ERA baseball, while Reynolds scuffled to a .246/.320/.332 (81 wRC+) line in 92 games 272 PA last season, though he showcased rare versatility by logging innings at each spot on the diamond except for catcher.

With a little over two months until Opening Day, here’s three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the day today around the baseball world:

1. Pham/Mets deal to be made official

Shortly after reports of Tommy Pham’s one-year, $6MM agreement with the Mets came in yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the signing will be made official today. The Mets currently have a full 40-man roster, so in order to make Pham’s deal official, a corresponding move will be required. The acquisition of Pham likely rounds out a bench that already sports Luis Guillorme, Darin Ruf, and Tomas Nido, likely pushing center fielder Khalil Lee down to Triple-A unless an additional move such as a trade of Ruf clears space. Such a move isn’t strictly necessary, however, because while there are no center fielders on New York’s bench, both Starling Marte and Mark Canha have center field experience despite starting in the corner spots in deference to Brandon Nimmo.

2. Is the lefty relief market about to heat up?

A fresh batch of rumors made the rounds yesterday concerning the market for left-handed relievers. Just a day after the Marlins were reported to have interest in departing Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, the Royals and Padres were added to the list of teams interested in the lefty fireballer’s services. Chapman, 35 in February, is looking to bounce back from a career-worst 4.46 ERA (88 ERA+) in 2022. Last year’s was his first below-average ERA in a career that has only seen him post a mark above 3.50 one other time, when he posted a 3.60 ERA for the Reds back in 2011.

Andrew Chafin, the top remaining reliever on the free agent market follow two excellent seasons with the Cubs, A’s, and Tigers, is reportedly seeing his market begin to heat up, with the Mets among seven teams known to be interested in his services. Earlier in the week, both Chafin and Matt Moore were connected to the Cubs, who appear focused on adding another bullpen arm ahead of Spring Training, with a preference for a lefty. Zack Britton, Will Smith, and Brad Hand are among the most recognizable lefties also still available in free agency.

3. Will the run on right-handed outfield bats continue?

Just as the stage could be set for a run on left-handed relievers, we’ve seen quite a few veteran right-handed bats come off the board this week. Andrew McCutchen’s return to the Pirates kicked things off, and it’s been followed by Adam Duvall agreeing with the Red Sox, Brian Anderson heading to Milwaukee, Tommy Pham landing with the Mets and Kevin Pillar inking a minor league deal with the Braves. Options in this regard are dwindling, but switch-hitters Jurickson Profar and Robbie Grossman remain unsigned, as do pure righties Chad Pinder, Albert Almora and Stephen Piscotty. As this subsection of the market begins to move, those names could find increased interest. Meanwhile, the trade market offers names like Michael A. Taylor (despite a lofty asking price) and Ramon Laureano (who may not be moved this offseason).

Following a busy morning on the hot stove, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Are the Marlins staying active in the free agent market?

The Marlins have been long expected to be more active on the trade market — where they’ve already dealt shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers and are currently marketing a group of young, controllable starters to rival clubs — than in free agency. That said, even as Miami discusses trades with the Twins and Cardinals (among many other suitors), they might be more active on the open market than otherwise expected. They’ve already signed right-hander Johnny Cueto to a one-year, $8.5MM deal, and reports yesterday indicated that the club has interest in first baseman Yuli Gurriel and closer Aroldis Chapman.

The Marlins enjoy a great deal of flexibility as to which MLB-ready players to target in their dealings with other clubs, with plenty of space to upgrade at virtually every position outside of the starting rotation. While this flexibility allows them to be adaptable in trade discussions, focusing more on the quality of the talent they bring in rather where they talent can contribute, it also means that it’s unlikely they’ll be able to fill every hole on a roster that lost 93 games last season.

2. Recent signings yet to be made official

In Monday’s Opener, we discussed Miami’s reported deal with Johnny Cueto and San Diego’s reported deal with Nelson Cruz, which both had yet to be made official. Those deals have still not been made official, and they are joined in limbo by four right-handed corner bats: Andrew McCutchen, Trey Mancini, Brian Anderson, and Adam Duvall. McCutchen’s $5MM agreement with the Pirates and Mancini’s two-year, $14MM pact with the Cubs were reported as far back as last weekend, so they’re likelier to be made official more quickly than Anderson’s deal with the Brewers or Duvall’s signing with the Red Sox, both of which were reported in just the past twelve hours. Pittsburgh, Chicago, Milwaukee and Boston all join Miami and San Diego in having full 40-man rosters, meaning corresponding moves will be needed for each signing.

3. MLBTR Chat Today

Yesterday, MLBTR’s Steve Adams fielded questions during a live chat (transcript here). If you still have unanswered questions about this offseason or the direction of your favorite team, you’re in luck, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting another chat today at 5pm CT. You can submit a question in advance here, and you can use the same link to check back in this evening and participate live once the chat begins.

As we continue to close in on Spring Training, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. DFA’d players who will have their situations resolved today

Four players were designated for assignment seven days ago, and a conclusion to those four DFAs is due today. Julian Merryweather and Junior Fernandez of the Blue Jays, Andres Machado of the Nationals, and Oliver Ortega of the Twins are all still awaiting resolution on their status. None of the four have enough service time or the prior outright assignment needed to reject an outright to the minors, so if of them clear waivers, they’ll likely remain with their organizations. Fernandez and Ortega have both been claimed already this offseason, making their situations ones to watch, as they easily could simply be claimed once again. Merryweather averages better than 97 mph on his heater and has above-average spin on the pitch. Machado has posted  a combined 3.41 ERA in 95 innings with the Nats over the past two seasons, albeit with strikeout and walk rates that are noticeably worse than the league average.

2. Brewers fan event tomorrow

For fans in the Milwaukee area, the Brewers are hosting a free fan event tomorrow evening called “Hot Stove & Cold Brews.” The event will feature a meet-and-greet with Brewers players Willy Adames, Freddy Peralta, Aaron Ashby, Garrett Mitchell, Owen Miller, and Sal Frelick. There will be voting opportunities with the players as well. Manager Craig Counsell and general manager Matt Arnold will also be in attendance for a Q&A session after an offseason that has seen the Brewers acquire just one free agent of significance (Wade Miley) but pull off significant trades for players such as William Contreras and Jesse Winker.

3. MLBTR Chat today

MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be taking questions from readers today when he hosts a live chat at 1pm CT. You can submit a question in advance, and the same link will take you to the chat when it begins later today if you would like to participate live.

With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Reported signings that could be made official

In last Monday’s Opener, we discussed four reported signings that had not yet been made official: Corey Kluber with the Red Sox, Wade Miley with the Brewers, Zach Davies with the Diamondbacks, and Eric Hosmer with the Cubs. Each of those deals were made official over the course of the last week. Today, there are two deals that stick out as likely to be made official in the coming days: the one-year, $8.5MM agreement between Johnny Cueto and the Marlins, and the one-year, $1MM deal Nelson Cruz has with the Padres. Both the Miami and San Diego have full 40-man rosters, which means each club will have to make a corresponding move to make their deal official.

2. What’s next for the Cubs after the Mancini deal?

The Cubs bolstered their lineup this weekend by landing first baseman Trey Mancini on a two-year deal with an opt-out after 2023. With Mancini signed, the position player corps on the North Side appears to be relatively set, barring a trade that clears space or perhaps the acquisition of a bench outfielder. That doesn’t mean the Cubs are done, however. While owner Tom Ricketts recently talked about being “strategic” about when to cross the luxury tax threshold, the club still has just under $12MM to work with before paying into the tax, per RosterResource. After both Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ avoided arbitration last week, it’s possible that even if the Cubs decide to pursue an extension with either player this offseason, any agreement reached wouldn’t impact this season’s luxury tax figure, as is the case with Boston’s extension of Rafael Devers.

One place where the Cubs seem primed to make a move that would impact the 2023 luxury tax line is the bullpen. Chicago is rumored to be interested in Matt Moore and Andrew Chafin, the two top lefty relievers remaining on the market. While the Cubs have done well in recent seasons turning reclamation relievers into successes, a more established arm would certainly make sense in a bullpen that largely lacks a player like that outside of Brad Boxberger. If Moore and Chafin are out of Chicago’s price range, there are still other interesting lefties available to take pressure off Brandon Hughes in 2023: Zack Britton, Brad Hand, and Will Smith are all still available and could bring closing experience to a projected Cubs bullpen without much of it.

3. Which hitters are still available on the free agent market?

The free agent market for position players continued to thin last week, as each of Cruz, Mancini, and Andrew McCutchen signed on with a club for the 2023 season. That said, there’s still some interesting names out there for clubs looking to bolster the lineup in the final weeks before Spring Training. Jurickson Profar and Elvis Andrus, both of whom have received interest from the Red Sox recently, join Luke Voit as perhaps the three best position players who have yet to sign on with a club. Each of those players seems capable of holding down an everyday role in 2023. In the tier below them, there’s a number of complementary options available, such as David Peralta and Tyler Naquin. Another option would be taking a flier on a player who struggled in 2023 but has had success in the past, such as Brian Anderson or Miguel Sano.

With the first significant date on the 2023 MLB calendar upon us, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Today is the deadline for submitting arbitration figures.

Today is the deadline day for both clubs and players to submit figures to MLB for salary arbitration. While players and their clubs can still avoid arbitration after today, many teams have adopted a “file-and-trial” policy in recent years, meaning they do not negotiate further on one-year arb level deals after today’s deadline. It’s likely there will be heaps of deals agreed to throughout the day today, and while these deals likely won’t wildly change any club’s payroll situation, the cost certainty provided could make it easier for teams to work out deals on the trade market going forward. As has been the case for more than a decade, MLBTR published Matt Swartz’s arbitration projections earlier this offseason.

2. International Free Agency To Open

The 2023 signing period for international free agency is set to begin on Sunday, January 15th. This period, which has been moved to January in recent seasons after years of July signing periods, gives all 30 clubs the opportunity to inject their farm systems with fresh talent. While these players are all almost assuredly several years away from impacting the major leagues, many of the biggest superstars of today’s game were acquired by their clubs through the IFA signing process. Most top prospects in a given IFA class likely unofficially made handshake agreements with clubs long before the official opening of their IFA signing period, so most of these top prospects already have publicly available expected landing spots. MLB and the MLBPA tried to come to an agreement on an international draft this summer following CBA negotiations but were unable to do so, leaving the current system in place for the foreseeable future.

3. Cubs Convention is returning this weekend.

Cubs Convention starts tonight, marking its return after two years of pandemic- and lockout-related absence. Perhaps most interestingly, the Ricketts family (who own the team) is set to make an appearance and interact with fans tomorrow. Tom Ricketts drew plenty of flak for canceling his annual Cubs Convention Q&A with fans in 2019 amid the what was then the team’s quietest offseason in years. He was booed in 2020 when citing the luxury tax as a reason for the team’s lack of spending. Since then, Cubs fans have seen the departure of their entire 2016 World Series core (aside from Kyle Hendricks), and the team has suffered back-to-back losing seasons. The signing of Dansby Swanson could perhaps bring about some good will this time around, but he’ll surely still face some tough questions and perhaps produce some notable quotes on the team’s outlook moving forward.