JT Brubaker Likely To Begin Season On IL With Elbow/Forearm Discomfort
Pirates right-hander JT Brubaker is dealing with discomfort in his right elbow/forearm, manager Derek Shelton tells Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Brubaker is likely headed for the injured list to start the season.
Brubaker, 29, has been part of the club’s rotation for the past three seasons. Last year, he made 28 starts with a 4.69 ERA that might not look too impressive at first glance. However, it’s possible that figure masks his true talent, something that MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently explored. His 22.8% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 44% ground ball rate were all pretty close to league average last year. Some bad luck may have been in play, as his .334 batting average on balls in play and 68.8% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side of average. His 3.92 FIP and 3.97 SIERA suggest that better results could have been possible going forward.
The Bucs would have loved to have seen that materialize here in 2023 but it will have to wait. It’s unknown exactly how long Brubaker will be on the shelf but an injury to a pitcher’s throwing elbow or forearm is always concerning. The club will surely do some further testing and figure out the next steps forward.
In the meantime, the Pirates will have to proceed with one less starter in their rotation. The four other spots figure to be occupied by Mitch Keller, Rich Hill, Vince Velasquez and Roansy Contreras. While Brubaker is out, it’s possible that Johan Oviedo steps up and takes a few starts, though the club also has Luis Ortiz and Mike Burrows on the 40-man roster. “I think there’s a good chance it could be Oviedo,” Shelton tells Mackey. “We’re still working through things as we finalize our roster. With the fact that he’s been lengthened out, he’s the most likely one out of the group. I think there’s a good chance we could see that.”
Oviedo, 25, came over to the club in the trade that sent José Quintana to the Cardinals. Though the Cards had moved him to a relief role, the Pirates gave him another chance to start. He took the ball seven times after the trade and posted a 3.23 ERA. He may now get a chance to build on that at the start of the 2023 campaign.
Mets To Select Tim Locastro, Designate Darin Ruf For Assignment
9:15am: The Mets announced they have selected right-hander Tommy Hunter to the roster, a move that had been previously reported as upcoming. Ruf was designated for assignment as the corresponding move. The corresponding move for Locastro was the placement of Edwin Diaz on the 60-day injured list.
7:38am: The Mets are finalizing their bench ahead of Opening Day, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the club has designated first baseman and outfielder Darin Ruf for assignment. That paves the way for non-roster invitee Tim Locastro to make the Opening Day roster.
Ruf, 37 in July, was acquired by the Mets in a deadline trade with the Giants last summer that sent JD Davis and three prospects to San Francisco. Following a stint in South Korea’s KBO, Ruf had spent the past three seasons hitting well for the Giants while bouncing between first base, the outfield corners, and the DH slot. Over that time, Ruf slashed .248/.358/.455 with 32 home runs and 28 doubles in 726 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 125. Upon acquiring Ruf, the Mets envisioned his career .891 OPS against left-handed pitching as the perfect complement to the lefty-swinging Daniel Vogelbach in a DH platoon.
Unfortunately for both Ruf and the Mets, however, that did not pan out down the stretch in 2022, as Ruf struggled mightily in 28 games as a Met, slashing a disastrous .152/.216/.197 (24 wRC+). With a guaranteed $3MM salary in 2023 and a $3.5MM club option for 2024 that came with a $500K buyout, the Mets kept Ruf on the 40-man roster throughout the 2022-2023 offseason in hopes he would be able to rebound this season. However, Sherman notes that Ruf received a cortisone injection in his wrist last month before struggling badly during camp, posting a .498 OPS in 35 spring plate appearances.
That was enough for the Mets to cut bait on Ruf, it seems, and they now have seven days to try and arrange a trade to reduce the amount of Ruf’s $3.5MM guaranteed money they’re on the hook for. Should no trade take place and Ruf pass through waivers successfully, Ruf can sign with any club for the prorated big league minimum, with Mets paying the remainder of the $3.5MM figure.
In Ruf’s place, outfielder Tim Locastro is set to make the Opening Day roster. The 30 year-old Locastro has a career wRC+ of just 82, 18% below that of the league average hitter, but is a capable defender at all three outfield spots, sports a solid career on-base percentage of .325, and most importantly, is one of the premiere baserunners in the sport. With 39 career steals in 43 attempts as a part-time player, Locastro’s 88% success rate on the basepaths is excellent, and his sprint speed has consistently topped the Statcast leaderboards through his career, ranging from 30.8 ft/s in 2019 to last year’s 30.1 ft/s figure.
Given Locastro’s already premiere baserunning abilities, he figures to benefit considerably from this season’s rule changes. In addition to larger bases in 2023, pickoff attempts have been limited. After two pickoff attempts, a third attempt must end in an out being recorded or else the runner will automatically advance one base. With Locastro likely to serve as a pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement for the most part, the DH at-bats that would have gone to Ruf seem likely to instead go to Tommy Pham, who struggled to an 89 wRC+ in 144 games last season but sports a career .843 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Reds To Select Derek Law
Right-hander Derek Law has been told that he’s made the Reds’ Opening Day roster, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Law was in camp on a minor league deal and will need to be added to the club’s 40-man roster.
Law, 32, has pitched in each of the past six full MLB seasons, suiting up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers and Reds in that time. He’s made 193 appearances in that time, posting a 4.21 ERA with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 46.3% ground ball rate.
Last year, Law signed a minors deal with Detroit and got selected to the big league roster in June, but he was designated for assignment after just two appearances. The Reds scooped him up by signing him to another minor league deal and added him to the roster shortly thereafter. He made 15 appearances for them down the stretch and finished the year with a 4.12 ERA. The Reds could have retained Law via arbitration but non-tendered him instead, though they re-signed him on another minors deal in January.
The righty has earned his way back onto the roster for this season’s opener with an excellent spring. Through 7 1/3 innings, he has a 1.23 ERA, striking out 10 opponents while walking just one. Manager David Bell says that Law is in line for high leverage work, alongside Buck Farmer, Ian Gibaut and Fernando Cruz, with Alexis Díaz in the closing role.
Since Law is not yet on the 40-man roster, the club will need to open a spot for him between now and Opening Day. They could do so by placing a player on the 60-day injured list, with right-hander Justin Dunn perhaps the most likely since he’s been shut down for a few months due to a shoulder injury.
Padres Return Rule 5 Pick Jose Lopez To Rays; Option Brandon Dixon; Reassign Julio Teheran, and Tim Lopes
As the Padres begin to make some of their final roster cuts ahead of Opening Day, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reports that San Diego has returned Rule 5 draft pick Jose Lopez to the Rays, optioned utilityman Brandon Dixon, and reassigned right-hander Julio Teheran and utilityman Tim Lopes to minor league camp.
Lopez became the 12th player picked in this year’s Rule 5 draft when the Padres selected him with the 21st pick. A left-handed pitcher Lopez was dominant at Double-A with the Rays last year, striking out a whopping 38.7% of batters faced at the level en route to a 2.60 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. That dominance was enough for the Padres to take a chance on the 24 year-old Lopez, but after a difficult spring where he walked five batters in six innings of work, Lopez is being returned to the Rays, who will pay San Diego back half of the $100k fee the Padres paid to select Lopez in order to reclaim him.
Teheran, meanwhile, was a potential option to act as the sixth starter in San Diego while Joe Musgrove is on the shelf with a fractured toe. An 11-year MLB veteran, the 32 year old Teheran has a career 3.80 ERA in 1396 1/3 innings of work that came primarily as a member of the Braves rotation from 2013 to 2019. Over that period of time, Teheran showed himself to be a reliable, innings-eating back-end starter with an ERA+ of 111. Teheran struggled mightily in the shortened 2020 season with the Angels, however, and has only pitched five big league innings since then. Cassavell notes that due to the assignment clause in Teheran’s contract, he can depart the Padres organization if he receives a big league offer elsewhere. For now, though, Teheran seems poised to remain with San Diego, serving as depth in Triple-A.
Both Dixon and Lopes were in the mix to be part of the Padres bench. Dixon, 31, has a career 74 wRC+ in 201 games at the big league level but provides versatility, with experience at first, second, and third base and all three outfield spots during his major league career. However, with versatile players such as Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim already on the roster, the Padres will instead opt to send Dixon to Triple-A as depth. Lopes, meanwhile, has primarily been a corner outfielder in the big leagues but also has experience in center field, at second base, third base, and shortstop. The 29 year-old Lopes has just 94 games of big league experience to this point in his career, and hit well this spring with an .890 OPS in 55 plate appearances. Despite that solid showing, Lopes will join Dixon as depth in Triple-A.
After this round of cuts, it would appear that outfielder David Dahl and infielder Rougned Odor are in line to make the Opening Day roster in San Diego, while the sixth starter spot could go to left-hander Jay Groome or right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. Dahl had some early success with the Rockies in his career, but has battled injuries throughout his career and has struggled to just a .538 OPS in 87 games since the start of the 2021 season. Odor, meanwhile, spent seven seasons as the regular second baseman for the Rangers, posting an 86 wRC+ during that time, before spending 2021 with the Yankees and 2022 with the Royals. Despite the meager offense numbers for both players in recent years, each can provide the Padres with a left-handed swing off the bench while providing depth in the outfield and infield, respectively.
As for the sixth starter battle, Groome, whom the Padres acquired in the Eric Hosmer deal with the Red Sox last summer, has dazzled in 14 innings of work this spring with a 1.29 ERA, though he has struggled with his control, walking 10 batters while striking out 13. Honeywell, meanwhile, signed a major league deal with the Padres this offseason after the former top prospect was non-tendered by the Rays after years of injury woes. Honeywell got hit hard this spring, posting a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings, but with 22 strikeouts and just six walks in those innings, there’s reason to believe the quality arm he seemed destined to become as a prospect could still surface.
White Sox To Select Contracts Of Oscar Colas, Hanser Alberto; Leury Garcia Won’t Make Opening Day Roster
3:27 PM: According to James Fegan of The Athletic, Hanser Alberto is expected to make the Opening Day roster with Garcia not making the team.
2:57 PM: The White Sox continue to shape their roster in advance of Opening Day, and according to reporter Francys Romero (Twitter link), outfielder Oscar Colas has been told by the team that he will break camp. In a more surprising development, Leury Garcia will not be part of the 26-man roster, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (via Twitter).
Garcia was initially acquired from the Rangers in an August 2013 trade, and has since become a longstanding roster staple. Used mostly as a bench player over his 10 seasons with the White Sox, Garcia’s ability to play all over the diamond has made him a solid backup and fill-in option, as he has logged many games at all three outfield positions, shortstop, third base, and second base. This versatility has helped offset Garcia’s lack of offense, as he has only a .253/.293/.350 career slash line over 2402 plate appearances.
When Garcia entered the free agent market last winter, the Sox re-signed him to a three-year, $16.5MM deal that stood out as relatively steep for a 30-year-old career backup. The decision to retain Garcia became even more questionable when his offense declined even further in 2022, as he hit a meager .210/.233/.267 over 315 PA. Garcia’s 39 wRC+ was the lowest of any player in baseball last season with at least 300 plate appearances, and he was a sub-replacement -1.1 fWAR player overall.
In terms of other utility options, minor league signing Hanser Alberto has had a strong camp, and Romy Gonzalez is something of a utilityman-of-the-future down at Triple-A (plus, Gonzalez has already had a taste of the big leagues). Since veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus is returning to the White Sox as their new second baseman, manager Pedro Grifol hinted yesterday to reporters (including The Athletic’s James Fegan) that Andrus’ presence made Garcia somewhat redundant.
“Our backup shortstop plays second base for us every day,” Grifol said. “So, it’s not really a pressing need to have a utility player on our bench that is a shortstop. We are not pressed to do that. Would it be of value? Yeah, maybe. Not of great value, but of some value.“
It remains to be seen if Garcia would accept an assignment to the minor leagues, or if his omission from the roster is the beginning of the end of his time in the organization altogether. The Sox would be eating the remaining $11MM on Garcia’s contract in the event of a release, and a trade or a waiver claim seems pretty unlikely since teams won’t want to absorb that salary.
As for Colas, there was little doubt that he would be heading north to the Windy City, and the 24-year-old now seems set to make his MLB debut on Opening Day. Colas signed with Chicago for a $2.7MM bonus when the 2022 international signing period opened, and he hit a combined .314/.371/.524 with 23 homers over 526 combined PA at the high-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels in 2022.
While Colas has only had okay numbers throughout Spring Training, his minor league dominance and his past track record in the Cuban National Series has indicated that he is ready for MLB competition. Colas is expected to get the majority of work in right field, with Eloy Jimenez (when he isn’t at DH) and Gavin Sheets also in the mix. Between the debuting Colas and the newly-signed Andrew Benintendi, Chicago’s outfield will have a new look, with Luis Robert returning as the incumbent in center field.
Athletics Sign Jeurys Familia
TODAY: The Athletics officially announced Familia’s signing. To create 40-man roster space, left-hander Kirby Snead was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a strained throwing shoulder. Snead hasn’t thrown for over a month since first suffering the strain in Spring Training action.
MARCH 25: The A’s have signed right-hander Jeurys Familia to a Major League contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reported earlier today that Familia was present in the Athletics’ clubhouse. Familia is represented by ACES.
It was a pretty quick trip through free agency for Familia, as he was only released yesterday from his previous minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. Since Familia could’ve opted out of that minors deal today if Arizona hadn’t included him on its Opening Day roster, the D’Backs chose to release Familia and give him a bit of a jump on the rest of the Article XX(B) market.
That head start has now paid off in a guaranteed MLB contract for the 33-year-old reliever, as well as a familiar landing spot. Familia previously pitched for the A’s in 2018, joining the team after a trade deadline swap with the Mets. Over his previous 31 1/3 innings in the green-and-gold, Familia posted a 3.45 ERA, helping Oakland reach the AL wild card game.
Since that 2018 season, Familia’s performance has been quite inconsistent, with a couple of okay seasons in 2020-21 (at least in terms of bottom-line results) sandwiched in between rough years in both 2019 and 2022. Last season, Familia struggled to a 6.09 ERA over 44 1/3 combined innings with the Phillies and Red Sox, with below-average walk and strikeout rates as well as some of the most hard contact allowed of any pitcher in baseball.
Familia did look quite a bit sharper this spring in Arizona’s camp, with a 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 frames of work. It wasn’t enough to win him a job in the Diamondbacks bullpen, but Familia will now bring some veteran knowhow to an Athletics relief corps that is short on MLB experience. There is enough uncertainty in Oakland’s bullpen that it might not be a surprise if Familia ends up earning some save chances at some point, and given how the A’s are still in rebuild mode, Familia certainly looks like a potential trade chip this summer if he is pitching well.
Mariners Return Rule 5 Pick Chris Clarke To Cubs
Right-hander Chris Clarke is officially once again part of the Cubs organization, as the Mariners returned the Rule 5 Draft selection to Chicago. (Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report the news.)
The Mariners took Clarke with the 22nd pick of last December’s R5, taking the opportunity to get a closer look at the 24-year-old in action. Clarke was a fourth-round draft choice for the Cubs in 2019, and the 6’7″ USC product had posted some solid strikeout rates and very impressive walk rates over 196 2/3 career innings in the minors.
Those numbers came with a modest 4.26 ERA, however, though some bad batted-ball luck was partially to blame. Clarke is more of a grounder specialist, and thus his 58% groundball rate in 96 2/3 Double-A innings last season would’ve likely led to better results had Clarke not been hampered by a large .375 BABIP.
As per the regulations of the Rule 5 Draft, Clarke would’ve had to remain on Seattle’s active roster for the entire season in order for the team to fully assume his rights from the Cubs. Even with Clarke’s potential, it seemed unlikely that he would’ve made the jump from Double-A to the majors and won a job in a pretty loaded Mariners relief corps. Seattle had one of baseball’s better bullpens in 2022, leaving Clarke will little margin for error just in breaking camp with the team, let alone sticking with the M’s throughout the year.
Yankees To Select Anthony Volpe’s Contract
Top Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe has made the Yankees, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Volpe, a consensus top 10 prospect in the game, is now poised to be the Opening Day starter at shortstop in the Bronx this season. The Yankees later confirmed the news on Twitter. Volpe will need a spot on the 40-man roster before Opening Day, though a 60-day IL transfer for an injured player such as Scott Effross or Frankie Montas could easily be used to clear space.
Volpe was selected out of high school in the first round of the 2019 draft by the Yankees as the 30th overall pick. After the 2020 minor league season was cancelled, Volpe broke out in 2021 with the bat, posting a whopping 1.027 OPS in 109 games split between Single-A and High-A. His success continued upon his promotion to Double-A at the beginning of the 2022 season, where he slashed .251/.348/.472 in 110 games even in spite of his deflated .272 BABIP. That performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A, where he struggled for the first time in his professional career. His slash line declined to just .236/.313/.404 in 22 games in Triple-A last year, while his strikeout rate spiked from 17.7% in Double-A up to 30.3% in Triple-A.
Fortunately for Volpe, those struggles appeared to be behind him this spring, as he slashed an exceptional .314/.417/.647 in 60 plate appearance during camp. That outstanding offensive performance was enough for the Yankees to anoint Volpe the Opening Day starter at shortstop in spite of his minimal experience above the Double-A level and struggles late last year at Triple-A.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Yankees’s every day shortstop in 2022, was already expected to move to a utility role entering the 2022 season, leaving the shortstop job open for a trio of youngsters: Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza. The switch-hitting Cabrera, according to Jack Curry of YES Network, is set to make the Opening Day roster as well, likely playing all around the diamond as he did in a 44 game stint with the Yankees last season. No decision has been made yet on Peraza, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Peraza is widely considered to be the best defender of the three youngsters, has more Triple-A experience than Volpe, and hit well in a cup of coffee in the majors last year, but has struggled to a .644 OPS in 45 plate appearances this spring.
By adding Volpe to the Opening Day roster, the Yankees stand to earn a draft pick should he finish Top 3 in AL Rookie of the Year voting, as the Mariners did when Julio Rodriguez won the award last year. Volpe a consensus top prospect who plays a premium position, certainly seems poised as a potential preseason favorite for the award, though he could have plenty of competition, with Grayson Rodriguez of the Orioles and Masataka Yoshida of the Red Sox representing just two of the other interesting rookies who could contend for the award.
Whether Volpe ultimately secures an additional draft pick for the Yankees with his play this season or not, the willingness of Yankees brass to promote Volpe to open the season rather than hold him in the minors to open the year, which would have gotten Volpe more Triple-A experience and potentially securing an additional year of service time in the process, signals a clear intent to win now. That’s no surprise for a perennial contender such as the Yankees, particularly with reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge still in his prime and older veterans like Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu still figuring to be quality contributors to the club this year.
Kole Calhoun Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Mariners
Kole Calhoun has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Mariners, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link). Yesterday was the first designated opt-out deadline for Article XX(B) free agents on minor league deals, and since the Mariners weren’t planning to include Calhoun on their active roster, Calhoun instead chose free agency.
Even with Taylor Trammell and utilityman Dylan Moore projected to start the year on the injured list, there wasn’t room in Seattle’s outfield for Calhoun to win a job. The 35-year-old didn’t help his case with a lackluster .250/.314/.281 slash line over 35 plate appearances in Cactus League action.
It has been a tough couple of years for Calhoun, as he has batted only .208/.269/.343 over 606 PA since the start of the 2021 season. Injuries have factored into that lack of production, but Calhoun’s struggles cost him playing time with the Rangers in 2022 as Texas just preferred to give younger players more of a look against big-league pitching. The Rangers held a $5.5MM club option on Calhoun for 2023 that they declined last fall, leading to Calhoun’s last trip to the open market and his subsequent contract with Seattle.
Calhoun will now join the field of free agents, late-camp roster cuts, and fellow Article XX(B) opt-out players in trying to land another deal with a new team. Calhoun’s experience and pre-2021 track record figures to get him some looks from clubs looking to add outfield depth or perhaps fill a vacancy due to injury.
Nationals Announce Several Roster Cuts
TODAY: Adams will wait until at least Tuesday to decide on his future, the infielder told Mark Zuckerman and other reporters. He’ll report to the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate unless another team presents a clear big league opportunity in the coming days.
MARCH 25: With Opening Day now less than a week away, teams around the league are making their final roster decisions. The Nationals announced several such decisions today, with right-hander Paolo Espino and infielder Jeter Downs getting optioned to the minors, while non-roster invitees right-hander Alex Colome, Andres Machado and Wily Peralta were all reassigned to minor league camp. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com spoke to manager Dave Martinez about the roster configuration, who added that first baseman Matt Adams has been informed that he won’t be making the club.
These moves bring the club’s roster down to 26, which suggests everyone who has not been cut has made the team. However, it seems that is not set in stone, with the Nats staying open to a late waiver claim or perhaps some other player become available by an opt-out. “There’s no set roster right now,” Martinez said. “We still have decisions to make. We probably won’t make any decisions until we go back to D.C.” Several veterans on minor league deals have opt-outs they could trigger this weekend and other players could wind up on waivers as teams make their final roster decisions, so the Nats aren’t carving things in stone. However, the cuts do seem to indicate who won’t be on the club.
Espino, 36, seems like he could be the first one called if the Nats need another starter. With Stephen Strasburg on the shelf for the foreseeable future and Cade Cavalli set to miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery, the club’s rotation has already taken a couple of hits. It seems like they will start the year with Patrick Corbin, Trevor Williams, Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Chad Kuhl as the top five, with Espino staying stretched out in Triple-A.
“I think I’ve done a really good job in spring,” Espino said. “But at the same time, I have options. There’s always a possibility (of getting demoted) having options. I know some of the guys, most of them, don’t have options. It’s just part of the game, part of baseball, and some decisions they have to make. For my part, I’m just going to go where they send me and I’m going to put in the innings I need to do to get the job done. And hopefully be back up soon.”
Of the five aforementioned rotation members, only Gray and Gore can be optioned, but they are two of the club’s top prospects. Getting them big league experience is a priority for the team this year, which seemingly nudged Espino down to the minors. Kuhl is not yet on the 40-man but can opt out of his minor league deal today if he doesn’t get a spot. Espino operated as a swingman for the club last year, posting a 4.84 ERA in 113 1/3 innings. It seems highly likely he’ll get another shot in the big leagues as soon as health or fatigue among the other pitchers warrants it.
Colome and Machado, meanwhile, both seem likely to factor into the Nats bullpen at some point this season, while Peralta could feasibly contribute in either role, given 139 of his 258 career appearances have come as a starter, though the Nationals mostly used him as a reliever during camp. Of course, Colome and Peralta will both have the ability to opt out of their contracts this weekend, should their wish to do so.
With ten seasons under his belt as a big league reliever, Colome is among the more experienced options at Washington’s disposal for their bullpen, but with a 4.82 ERA (92 ERA+) since the start of the 2021 season, it’s easy to wonder if the 34 year old Colome might not reclaim the success he saw from 2016 to 2020, when he posted a 2.62 ERA (163 ERA+) in 274 2/3 innings while racking up 138 saves for the Rays, Mariners, and White Sox.
Machado, 29, has posted a 3.41 ERA (117 ERA+) in 95 innings of work in the big leagues since making his Nationals debut in 2021. That being said, underlying metrics don’t rate the right-hander’s work so highly, with subpar strikeout (18.3%) and walk (9.9%) rates explaining his 4.56 FIP over the past two seasons. Peralta, meanwhile, provides the Nationals with a veteran swing-man who has posted a 4.29 ERA (95 ERA+) in 911 1/3 innings of work over ten seasons in the major leagues.
On the positional side, Downs was among the more highly regarded prospects in baseball in the lead-up to the 2020 season, when he was shipped from Los Angeles to Boston as part of the Mookie Betts deal. Since, then, however, Downs has struggled mightily, with a .661 OPS in 180 games at the Triple-A level. Downs figures to attempt to right the ship in Triple-A with the Nationals to begin the season, and could supplant Ildemaro Vargas as a middle infield option for the big league roster sometime this season if he manages to bounce back.
Adams was a member of the World Series champion 2019 Nationals, though he struggled to a .226/.276/.465 slash line in 111 games that season. A power bat with a high strikeout rate, Adams stood as the primary challenger to Michael Chavis for a role as a pinch hitter off the bench. That role appears to be poised to go to Chavis while Adams, 34, will decide whether or not to try his luck in another organization or stick with the Nationals.