Reds Decline Club Options On Joey Votto, Curt Casali
The Reds announced that they have declined their club options on first baseman Joey Votto and catcher Curt Casali for the 2024 season. Votto will receive a $7MM buyout instead of the $20MM he would’ve received in 2024 salary, while Casali will receive a $750K buyout since the Reds turned down their end of a $4MM mutual option.
President of baseball options Nick Krall released a statement in regards to Votto, in a nod to the longtime star’s status in team history: “For 17 seasons, Joey has been the heart of Reds baseball as a Most Valuable Player, All-Star and respected clubhouse leader. His contributions to our team and his extraordinary generosity toward those in need, throughout our region and beyond, cannot be measured. At this point of the offseason, based on our current roster and projected plans for 2024, as an organization we cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves. He forever will be part of the Reds’ family, and at the appropriate time we will thank and honor him as one of the greatest baseball players of this or any generation.”
A second-round pick for the Reds in the 2002 draft, Votto has spent his entire pro career in the Cincinnati organization, amassing an outstanding resume that includes six All-Star nods and the 2010 NL MVP Award. Votto’s emergence as a superstar inspired the Reds to sign the first baseman to what is still the largest contract in franchise history — a ten-year, $225MM extension covering the 2014-23 seasons, with that $20MM club option attached for 2024.
As Votto aged and his performance started to dip, it was generally expected that the Reds would buy out the option year, particularly as the team started to cut costs in the wake of the pandemic and entered another mini-rebuild phase. Votto did return to form with an excellent 2021 season, but shoulder problems impacted his performance and kept him off the field for large portions of both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, as Votto has played in only 156 of a possible 324 games over the last two years.
The Reds’ surplus of young and talented position players also left Votto in something of a crunch for playing time. Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand might already have the first base and DH positions spoken for in 2024, and if Steer is used at third base or in the corner outfield, Cincinnati might need that open DH spot to find at-bats for any of Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, Tyler Stephenson, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, or Will Benson when those players aren’t in the field.
This roster depth was probably as much of an impediment to a Votto return as the $13MM difference in salary. Re-signing Votto to a less-expensive contract might not be in the cards for the Reds given how Krall’s statement seemed to carry an air of finality about Votto’s spectacular tenure with the team. The 40-year-old Votto had floated the idea of retirement in the past, but he stated last month that he wants to play in “at least” the 2024 season and possibly beyond.
Despite Votto’s age, injury history, and modest (95 wRC+) production over the last two seasons, it seems likely that he’ll get that chance to continue his career. Votto has a great reputation as a clubhouse mentor, and several teams in need of DH or first base help could be interested in seeing what the veteran has left to contribute on the field. There has already been speculation in Votto’s hometown of Toronto that the Blue Jays might view Votto as a replacement for another left-handed hitting first baseman/DH in Brandon Belt, who is entering free agency.
Casali signed a one-year deal worth $3.25MM in guaranteed money last winter, as the Reds bolstered their catching ranks beyond Stephenson and Luke Maile. The team’s idea was to give Stephenson a good chunk of time at first base and DH in order to keep him healthy, with Casali and Maile picking up that additional slack behind the plate. The experiment didn’t really pan out, as Stephenson had an underwhelming year at the plate and Casali didn’t play after July 18 due to a foot contusion that wound up ending his season.
Casali (who turns 35 this week) had only a .490 OPS over 96 plate appearances in 2023. A veteran of 10 MLB seasons, Casali will enter free agency looking to catch on another team, though he’ll very likely have to settle for a minor league pact.
Marcus Stroman Opts Out Of Deal With Cubs
Marcus Stroman has enacted the opt-out clause in his contract and will now become a free agent, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports (X link). Stroman’s three-year, $71MM deal with the Cubs from the 2021-22 offseason allowed Stroman to opt out of the final year of that contract, and the right-hander will be leaving $21MM on the table in search of a larger and more lucrative deal this winter.
Stroman faced one of the more interesting option decisions of any player on the market, as his 2023 campaign was a tale of two seasons. In the first half, Stroman had a 2.96 ERA over 112 2/3 innings and received an All-Star nod for his efforts. In the second half, Stroman had an 8.63 ERA over only 24 innings, as he missed about six weeks on the injured list. Initially sidelined with hip inflammation, Stroman was revealed to have a right rib cartilage fracture, which delayed his IL stint beyond what seemed like a fairly minimal 15-day absence. While the righty was able to make it back for the Cubs’ late-season playoff push, Stroman was limited to bullpen duty and shortened starts, as Chicago ended up missing the postseason.
Altogether, Stroman delivered a 3.95 ERA over 136 2/3 innings, with his usual outstanding (57.1%) grounder rate and a below-average (20.7%) strikeout rate. Good control has also been part of Stroman’s repertoire, but his 9% walk rate in 2023 was both the highest of his career and only in the 40th percentile of all pitchers. It is fair to say that Stroman’s injuries contributed to his struggles over the season’s last three months, though it also marks his second straight year with a notable injury absence. Between shoulder inflammation and a brief stint on the COVID-related IL, Stroman threw only 138 2/3 innings in 2022, barely above his 2023 total.
While not the ideal platform into free agency for a pitcher entering his age-33, Stroman and his reps at Roc Nation Sports should certainly be able to find a multi-year pact on the open market, worth well above the $21MM Stroman would’ve received from the Cubs. Stroman’s groundball-heavy approach may not quite fit the preferred mold for some front offices, yet it’s hard to argue with results, as Stroman has posted generally good results over his nine MLB seasons. At his best, Stroman has looked like a front-of-the-rotation star, with two All-Star nods on his resume and a seventh-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting when he was a member of the Blue Jays in 2017.
Stroman will head into free agency without having to worry about a qualifying offer, as Stroman previously received (and accepted) a QO from the Mets following the 2020 season. The lack of draft compensation attached to his services could give Stroman a leg up on other starters on the market, and it also means that the Cubs won’t receive anything in return should Stroman sign with another team.
The Cubs reportedly had some degree of extension talks with Stroman this past spring, through the right-hander’s comments in June indicated that those negotiations were minimal at best. “Up until now, there’s been nothing from their side. No offers, no talks, really, at all,” Stroman said. Though Stroman made it clear that he wanted to stay in Chicago, the lack of contract discussions apparently lasted through the summer, as it seemed for much of the season that the Cubs were leaning towards trading Stroman at the deadline. However, Stroman’s second-half struggles and the Cubs’ own improvement and surge into the playoff race changed those plans, even if the irony was that Stroman wasn’t able to contribute much to the pennant race.
As recently as two weeks ago, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney wrote that Stroman and Kyle Hendricks were “expected” to return to Wrigleyville in 2024, with Stroman passing on his opt-out and the Cubs exercising Hendricks’ $16MM club option. There hasn’t yet been word on Hendricks’ option, though the two sides are reportedly discussing a contract extension that might overwrite the option entirely. Speculatively, this situation might’ve impacted Stroman’s choice, as if he felt the Cubs were prioritizing Hendricks in their long-term plans, Stroman might’ve decided to seek out a longer-term deal with another team now, rather than spend one final year in Chicago. Stroman might’ve faced more trade buzz if the Cubs weren’t in contention, or another injury-marred season might’ve more fully hampered his free agent case in the 2024-25 offseason.
A reunion between Stroman and the Cubs probably shouldn’t be entirely ruled out, though Chicago has other pitching options. Assuming Hendricks stays in some capacity, the rotation lines up as Justin Steele, Hendricks, Jameson Taillon as the top three starters, and Javier Assad, Hayden Wesneski, and Jordan Wicks competing for the last two spots. Drew Smyly could also be involved if he doesn’t opt out of the final year (and $11MM) of his contract. It stands to reason that the Cubs will look to augment this group with at least one veteran arm, whether Stroman or another free agent or trade chip.
Phillies Decline Option On Scott Kingery
TODAY: Kingery is still part of the Phillies organization despite the declined option, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. Kingery is still under team control on the initial minor league contract that he signed after he was first drafted, though it remains to be seen whether or not the Phillies might release him.
NOVEMBER 3: The Phillies announced they’ve declined their option on second baseman Scott Kingery. He’ll collect a $1MM buyout in lieu of a $13MM salary.
This was the most straightforward option call for any team this fall. Kingery spent the entire 2023 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after being outrighted from the 40-man roster in June 2022. He has played in only 16 MLB games since the start of the ’21 season.
A former second-round draftee, Kingery developed into a highly-regarded prospect. He signed a $24MM guarantee in Spring Training of 2018, shortly before making his MLB debut. The deal didn’t work at all for Philadelphia, as Kingery hasn’t consistently hit at the highest level. He owns a .229/.280/.387 line over 325 big league contests.
The Arizona product hit .244/.325/.400 in 466 plate appearances with Lehigh Valley this past season. He stole 24 bases and hit 13 home runs while striking out at a lofty 29% clip. He’s a free agent for the first time in his career. It’s possible he finds a minor league deal elsewhere. Kingery turns 30 in April.
A’s To Select Lazaro Armenteros
The Athletics are selecting outfielder Lazaro Armenteros onto the 40-man roster, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com (X link). That’ll bump Oakland’s roster count to 37.
Armenteros was a high-profile amateur signee from Cuba seven years ago. The right-handed hitter was viewed at the time as a potential power-hitting regular, leading to a fair bit of hype preceding the 2016-17 international period. The A’s eventually landed Armenteros with a $3MM signing bonus.
That offensive potential has been undercut by huge strikeout tallies throughout his minor league career. Armenteros has punched out in more than 37% of his professional plate appearances. That’d be alarming for any prospect but is particularly concerning for a player whom most scouts project as a left fielder. His stock has dimmed considerably. Armenteros has twice gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft.
The 24-year-old had a generally solid season with Double-A Midland in 2023. He hit .248/.380/.464. Armenteros connected on 14 home runs while drawing walks at a massive 15.3% clip. Swing-and-miss remained an issue, though, as he punched out nearly a third of the time he stepped to the plate.
Oakland’s front office clearly remains intrigued by Armenteros’ physical tools. He has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, meaning he would have qualified for minor league free agency on Monday if he weren’t on the 40-man roster. The A’s will keep that from happening. Armenteros has a full slate of options and would likely start next season in Triple-A if he holds the 40-man spot throughout the offseason.
Wade Miley Declines Mutual Option With Brewers
Veteran starter Wade Miley is declining his end of a $10MM mutual option with the Brewers, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (X link). It isn’t known if Milwaukee had accepted its end. In either event, he’ll receive a $1MM buyout and become a free agent.
Miley, 37 later this month, turned in solid results over 23 starts during his second stint with the Brew Crew. Signed to a $4.5MM guarantee last offseason, he worked 120 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball. As is often the case with the soft-tossing southpaw, that success came in spite of a modest strikeout rate. While Miley punched out 16.1% of opposing hitters, he kept the ball on the ground at a solid 46.3% clip.
Despite the lack of missed bats, Miley had posted a sub-4.00 ERA in three straight seasons. He was limited by injury to only 37 innings in 2022. The year before that, he worked 163 frames of 3.37 ERA ball for the Reds. When healthy, he turns in solid results. The veteran had a pair of injured list stints this year on account of a lat strain and elbow discomfort but took the ball every fifth day from August on.
Milwaukee has one remaining option decision, a borderline call on outfielder Mark Canha. The club holds an $11.5MM provision with a $2MM buyout. They’ll need to make that call by Monday afternoon.
Cody Bellinger Declines Mutual Option With Cubs
Cody Bellinger has declined his end of a mutual option with the Cubs, the team informed reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). He receives a $5MM buyout and officially becomes a free agent. Chicago also announced they’ve declined their end of a $5MM mutual option on reliever Brad Boxberger. He collects an $800K buyout.
Both moves were straightforward. Bellinger signed a one-year guarantee last offseason after being non-tendered by the Dodgers. His goal was to turn in a rebound campaign that allowed him to get back to the open market this winter. Bellinger followed through with a resurgent year, blasting 26 homers with a .307/.356/.525 showing. Aside from a month-long absence due to a left knee contusion, it would’ve been hard to draw up a much better season.
That makes taking the option buyout a formality. Bellinger is the clear #2 position player on the free agent market. Going into his age-28 campaign, he could find a deal approaching or exceeding a decade in length. The Cubs will make him a $20.325MM qualifying offer before Monday’s deadline. Bellinger will decline, thereby entitling Chicago to draft compensation if he signs with another team.
The Cubs have top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong as a potential successor in center field. They nevertheless figure to make an effort at retaining the 2019 NL MVP, although teams like the Giants, Yankees and Mariners could join them in the bidding.
Chicago signed Boxberger to a $2.8MM free agent deal last offseason. The veteran righty was limited to 22 contests by a pair of injuries, including a forearm strain that ended his season in September. Over 20 innings, he pitched to a 4.95 ERA with a modest 20.2% strikeout rate and an elevated 13.1% walk percentage. The 35-year-old might be limited to minor league offers this winter.
Mike Clevinger Declines Option With White Sox
Mike Clevinger has declined his half of a $12MM mutual option on his deal with the White Sox, the team announced. He receives a $4MM buyout and qualifies for free agency. Chicago also confirmed their previously-reported decision to buy out righty Liam Hendriks.
Clevinger spent one season on Chicago’s south side. He inked a $12MM guarantee last winter, collecting an $8MM salary and the buyout. He worked to a 3.88 ERA over 12 starts before biceps inflammation sent him to the injured list on June 16. The injury cost him six weeks and, arguably more importantly, a chance to pitch his way into trade candidacy. Clevinger was only able to make one start between his reinstatement from the injured list and the deadline.
That left the Sox to retain him for the remainder of a noncompetitive season. Chicago attempted to offload Clevinger’s salary by placing him on waivers in August. He went unclaimed, presumably because no other team wanted to take on the option buyout. The right-hander had an excellent August before a middling September. He concluded the year with a 3.77 ERA across 131 1/3 innings. Clevinger struck out a slightly below-average 20% of opponents against a solid 7.3% walk rate.
Turning 33 in December, he has a good chance to land a multi-year contract this offseason. While a two-year deal seems likely, it’s not out of the question he finds a three-year pact. That made it a fairly easy call for his camp to pass on the net $8MM deal with Chicago.
The White Sox will need to add multiple starting pitchers this winter. Dylan Cease may be the only pitcher certain to occupy a spot in the Opening Day five. Michael Kopech figures to battle for a job, while Garrett Crochet has angled for a rotation opportunity. Jesse Scholtens and Touki Toussaint occupied back-end roles for the stretch run.
Guardians Select Johnathan Rodriguez
The Guardians announced they’ve selected outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez onto the 40-man roster. He lands a spot for the first time in his career.
Cleveland selected Rodriguez in the third round of the 2017 draft. A right-handed hitter out of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez moved slowly through the minors. He spent his first four-plus seasons at various rookie or A-ball levels. He reached Double-A late in 2022, struggling in his first 28 games there.
Rodriguez unsurprisingly went unselected in last winter’s Rule 5 draft. He put himself on the radar for a 40-man spot with a breakout year in his first full season at the upper levels. Rodriguez spent the bulk of the season at Double-A Akron, hitting .289/.364/.512 in 88 games. He continued that pace after a bump to Triple-A Columbus, where he ran a .280/.376/.560 slash. Overall, the 23-year-old (24 tomorrow) hit .286/.368/.529 with 29 home runs over 565 trips to the plate. While a 28.8% strikeout rate is an alarming figure, he hit for enough power and drew sufficient free passes to earn a 40-man spot.
The impetus for Cleveland is the looming minor league free agent period. Players who have spent parts of seven seasons in the minors will qualify for free agency on Monday unless they’re on a 40-man roster. Cleveland ensured they wouldn’t lose Rodriguez via that process. He has a full slate of option years and could still be sent back to Columbus for the foreseeable future. If he holds the 40-man spot all offseason, he’d have a good chance of making his MLB debut at some point next year.
Justin Turner Declines Player Option
The Red Sox announced a pair of option decisions Friday evening. Infielder Justin Turner has declined his $13.4MM player option in favor of a $6.7MM buyout. Meanwhile, the team declined its $11MM provision on right-hander Corey Kluber.
Turner signed with Boston last offseason. He inked a two-year, $21.7MM guarantee that always looked likely to send him back to the market after one season. Turner locked in an $8.3MM base salary, an extra $1MM in incentives, and the hefty buyout — which only required he’d top $6.7MM on his next contract to come out on top.
There’s no doubt he’ll beat that number after another strong season. The right-handed hitter posted a .276/.345/.455 line while connecting on 23 home runs over 626 plate appearances. The presence of Rafael Devers and Triston Casas at the infield corners consigned Turner primarily to designated hitter work. It raises questions about whether he could be an everyday third base option for another team as he enters his age-39 season.
Despite his age, there’s little doubt that Turner still projects as one of the better hitters in the class. He has topped 20 homers in two of the past three seasons, running a .277/.352/.455 slash since the start of 2021. Turner still has plus contact skills and good plate discipline.
The Kluber signing worked out a lot less favorably. Boston inked the two-time Cy Young winner to a $10MM guarantee. Kluber had turned in 164 innings with a 4.34 ERA for the Rays a season ago. His stint in Boston didn’t go well, as he was tagged for a 7.04 ERA through 55 frames. The right-hander struggled both during an early-season stint from the rotation and following a bullpen transfer in May.
Making matters worse, Kluber landed on the injured list on June 21 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He suffered a setback a month later and never returned to the big league club, although he did pitch twice for Triple-A Worcester in September. There was never any chance the Sox were going to retain him for $11MM. Assuming he wants to continue playing, the 38-year-old could conduct some offseason showcases in hopes of finding a major league contract elsewhere.
Matt Carpenter Exercises Player Option
Matt Carpenter has exercised the $5.5MM player option in his contract with the Padres, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X link). He’ll play out the second season of a two-year, $12MM guarantee.
Triggering the option was likely an easy call for the left-handed hitter. Carpenter had a tough 2023 campaign, hitting .176/.322/.319 with five home runs through 276 trips to the plate. He seemed to fall out of favor with the coaching staff as a result, often going extended stretches without an at-bat. His season ended in mid-September when he landed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Clearly, that wasn’t what the front office envisioned when signing Carpenter a year ago. The longtime Cardinals second baseman had struggled mightily from 2020-21. When a minor league deal with the Rangers didn’t result in a big league opportunity, he considered retirement. Yet he absolutely raked over 47 games when he got a look from the Yankees in May 2022. Carpenter blasted 15 homers in 154 plate appearances, hitting .305/.412/.727. A foot fracture kept his time as a Yankee rather brief, leaving the Padres to gamble on him maintaining some kind of strong offensive form after that relatively small-sample performance.
It didn’t happen in year one. The Padres could give Carpenter another crack at securing a job on the bench, although it doesn’t seem guaranteed he’ll spend the entire offseason on the 40-man roster. In any event, he is assured of next year’s salary. With Seth Lugo making the similarly easy call to decline his option yesterday, the Padres are down to their two more borderline options on right-handers Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez.