MLB Could Consider Allowing Big Leaguers To Participate In 2028 Olympics
High-profile MLB agent Casey Wasserman met with team executives at this week’s owners’ meetings about the potential for MLB players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. While that push is in the very early stages, Drellich adds that some owners are “increasingly supportive” of the idea of sending big leaguers to the ’28 games in Los Angeles.
Baseball returned to the Olympics for the 2020 event in Tokyo (played in ’21 because of the pandemic). It is not on the docket for this year’s festivities in Paris. Baseball will return for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but it’s unclear whether MLB players would be allowed to participate. Players on a 40-man roster were not included for the 2020 Olympic festivities.
There seems at least some appetite to allowing MLB players to participate four years from now. Drellich notes that the success of the World Baseball Classic has assuaged some concerns about allowing MLB players to partake in international competition (although the most recent WBC obviously wasn’t without a couple serious injuries).
The most significant difference between the WBC and the Olympics is the timing. The World Baseball Classic is in March. The Olympics are scheduled to run from July 14 to 30, although baseball likely wouldn’t run for the full two weeks. The Olympics could partially overlap with the All-Star Break, allowing MLB to substitute those for the Midsummer Classic that year.
Nothing is set in stone. Even if MLB were on-board, there are other hurdles. The Players Association would need to sign off. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement that “The (MLBPA) would be willing to listen to any formal proposal related to baseball and the Olympics” (relayed by Drellich). There’d also be logistics to sort out with the International Olympic Committee. This far in advance, it’s a situation worth monitoring.
Follow The NBA Trade Deadline At Hoops Rumors
The NBA trade deadline is just two days away (Thursday at 2:00pm CT), and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams!
The 2023/24 season has been unusual so far, with eight completed in-season trades to this point, including seven before the calendar flipped to February. Typically, most in-season trades aren’t completed until the week (often the day) of the deadline, but several teams decided to make major roster decisions earlier than normal.
In part because several noteworthy trade candidates have already swapped teams in 2023/24, the rumor mill hasn’t featured many All-Star caliber players of late, but there’s always a chance that a disgruntled player asks out – that’s what happened last year when Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant requested trades and were moved shortly thereafter.
That doesn’t mean the rumor mill has been quiet, of course. The Bucks, who won the championship in 2021, are reportedly being aggressive in looking for upgrades. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Wizards, who are reportedly looking to accumulate assets in the first year of their rebuild. The Hawks have also been active in trade discussions, according to multiple reports.
Will the Sixers look to shake things up after reigning MVP Joel Embiid underwent knee surgery on Tuesday? What about the Bulls, who have six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan possibly heading for unrestricted free agency in the summer? Will the Warriors or Lakers make moves amid disappointing seasons?
For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Last season saw a total of 17 in-season trades — including 12 on deadline day alone — and we’ll likely see a flurry of activity over the next few days. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.
Evan Longoria Undecided On Future
Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria is still “weighing his options” regarding his future ahead of the 2024 season, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Reporting back in October indicated that while the 38-year-old was undecided on his future, he was “leaning” towards playing in 2024.
A veteran of 16 MLB seasons, Longoria was selected third overall in the 2006 draft by the then-Devil Rays and rose to prominence in the big leagues quickly, becoming an All Star in each of his first three major league seasons. During that time, he posted a strong .283/.361/.521 slash line while collecting MVP votes in each year along with two Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger award, and the 2008 Rookie of the Year award. Longoria spent ten seasons as the face of the franchise in Tampa, appearing in 1,435 games with the club and slashing .270/.341/.483 during that time while playing excellent defense at the hot corner.
Longoria’s production took a bit of a dip upon the infielder being shipped to San Francisco prior to the 2018 season. While he hit a decent .251/.312/.438 during his five seasons in San Francisco, that slightly better than average production was a far cry from the star-level production he boasted earlier in his career, and the veteran began to miss time with injuries more frequently after regularly playing 150-plus games during his time with the Rays. Across five years with the Giants, Longoria never appeared in more than 129 games with the club in a season and eclipsed 100 games just twice, in 2018 and 2019.
The veteran’s Giants tenure came to an end last season, when he departed for the Diamondbacks via free agency. In a part-time role with Arizona this year, Longoria flashed considerable power as he slashed .223/.295/.422 with 11 home runs in just 74 games. Notably, Longoria’s production through the season’s first four months was considerably stronger as he raked to the tune of a .238/.303/.500 slash line with 30 extra base hits in just 178 trips to the plate. Unfortunately, Longoria hit the shelf with a lower back strain in late July and struggled badly upon his return, batting just .171 while reaching base at a 27.1% clip and failing to record an extra-base hit over his final 59 trips to the plate last year.
Given the veteran’s age and lengthy injury history, his late-season struggles cannot be completely ignored. With that being said, the form Longoria’s flashed for the majority of the season would represent a noticeable improvement for a number of clubs at the hot corner, particularly given Longoria’s willingness to accept a part-time role. The allure of returning for another season is fairly clear from Longoria’s perspective, as well: he currently sits at 1,930 career hits, putting him just 70 away from the 2,000 hit milestone. He’s also just eight round-trippers away from becoming the 100th player in MLB history to club 350 home runs in his career.
While the 38-year-old hasn’t been publicly connected to any clubs to this point in the winter, there are a few teams for whom he could make some sense, speculatively speaking. The Mets lost infield prospect Ronny Mauricio for the 2024 season due to an injury during winter ball, and Longoria could serve as a veteran mentor and right-handed hitting complement to youngster Brett Baty at third base headed into the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, the Cubs lack an established third baseman could mix-and-match Longoria with other internal options like Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni at the hot corner.
Jesse Chavez “Probably” Going To Retire After 2024 Season
Jesse Chavez has pitched in each of the last 16 MLB seasons, appearing in 607 games as a reliever, starter, and swingman with nine different teams. Chavez is a free agent still looking to land his next contract, but in an interview on the “Loud Outs” show on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, the 40-year-old revealed that he will likely be retiring after one more season.
“This is probably going to be it. We all talked about me going out the way I came in — being able to roll out of bed and pick up a baseball and throw it,” Chavez said. “And that’s how I feel still. So I feel like that’s kind of unique in a way, where we don’t get that option too many times when we can go home healthy….Like every year, we’ll probably give it all we have, and go into coaching next season.”
Chavez has had his share of injuries over his long career, including an absence of over three months last season after he was hit in the leg by a comebacker. That lengthy IL stint limited him to 34 1/3 innings and 36 appearances for the Braves, yet Chavez had an impact with a 1.56 ERA. Even with a 3.35 SIERA that accounts for some strand rate (81.2%) and batted-ball (.273 BABIP) fortune, Chavez still had an above-average strikeout rate, solid hard-contact numbers, and a career-best 51.7% grounder rate.
It continued what has quietly been a bit of a renaissance for Chavez in the twilight of his career, as the right-hander has a 2.81 ERA over 137 2/3 innings since Opening Day 2021. He struggled in brief stints with the Cubs and Angels in 2022, but has otherwise been excellent in a Braves uniform, including a 2.14 ERA in 33 2/3 innings for Atlanta’s World Series championship club in 2021.
Chavez has had to settle for minor league deals in each of the last three years, though in both 2022 and 2023, the Cubs and Braves quickly selected Chavez’s contract to the Major League roster right at the start of the season. Considering how Chavez is coming off a significant injury, he might have to sign another minors deal again, though with perhaps an unofficial handshake agreement in place to immediately make him part of the Opening Day roster.
A reunion with the Braves can’t be ruled out, given that Atlanta has acquired and re-acquired Chavez four different times in the last three years. Chavez and his 90.8mph fastball may not be an exact fit within the bullpen given how Atlanta has prioritized adding high-velocity arms this offseason, yet Chavez has still been able to get results, to say nothing off his off-the-field contributions as a clubhouse leader. Perhaps already acting as something of a player/coach within the relief corps, it sets Chavez up well for his post-playing ambitions of a coaching career.
Jarlín García Drawing Interest
Left-hander Jarlín García recently resumed throwing, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams, but won’t be ready for the start of spring. He is expected to be game ready around May 1 and around six teams have shown some interest.
García, now 31, is coming off an entirely lost season. He signed a one-year deal with the Pirates, with a $2.5MM salary for 2023 and a $3.25MM club option for 2024, but he left a Spring Training game in early March due to some left arm tightness. He was shut down and later diagnosed with a nerve injury in the biceps area. He was placed on the 60-day injured list when the season began and wasn’t able to return at any point.
The Bucs naturally turned down that club option after the injury-marred campaign, but it’s understandable that clubs will be interested based on García’s previous work. From 2019 to 2022, with the Marlins and Giants, he made 188 appearances with good results. He tossed 202 2/3 innings in that time, allowing just 2.89 earned runs per nine. His 21.6% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 42.1% ground ball rate were all fairly close to league average.
Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand, so it’s understandable that those kinds of results would intrigue clubs. The 2023 season was obviously a frustrating one and it seems he’ll miss at least part of 2024 as well, but the fact that he has now resumed throwing is an encouraging sign of progress.
The relief market has picked up a bit of steam in recent weeks, with lefties like Josh Hader, Aroldis Chapman and Matt Moore having come off the board since mid-January. Southpaws like Wandy Peralta and Brad Hand are some of the more enticing options still on the open market, but García could be an interesting buy-low flier for a club if he’s able to put his injury behind him.
Yuli Gurriel Has Drawn Interest For 2024 Season
Veteran first baseman Yuli Gurriel has drawn interest from MLB clubs ahead of the 2024 season, reports Francys Romero. “Soon, a decision must be made,” Gurriel told Romero.
After seven seasons with the Astros, Gurriel spent the 2023 season with Miami. The Marlins inked him to a minor league pact late in the 2022-23 offseason, and Gurriel won a roster spot in spring training. He got out to a strong start, hitting .291/.350/.440 through his first 157 trips to the plate. However, Gurriel’s bat went cold in mid-June and never really recovered. Over his final 172 plate appearances, he slashed just .204/.262/.287 with only one home run.
That marked the second straight lackluster season at the plate for the now-39-year-old Gurriel, who posted a .242/.288/.360 output in his final season as an Astro. As recently as 2022, he’d turned in a robust .319/.383/.462 slash with 15 home runs, but Gurriel’s age, slow finish and back-to-back shaky seasons seem likely to limit him to another minor league deal — assuming he indeed plans to continue playing for what would be a ninth MLB season.
It’s not clear which clubs have shown interest in the Cuban-born veteran, though a few speculative landing spots come to mind. The Twins had interest in Gurriel last winter, and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey suggested earlier this winter that he could look to bring in a first base option from outside the organization. The D-backs have been tied to several right-handed-hitting DH options, and Gurriel’s younger brother of course re-signed in Arizona earlier this winter. The Mariners have been linked to more expensive righty-swinging DH options but are working with some known financial restrictions. The Guardians gravitate toward low-strikeout hitters like Gurriel (career 11.4%) and have a very left-handed lineup. Gurriel could be a right-handed addition to a first base/DH mix that includes lefties Josh Naylor and top prospect Kyle Manzardo.
On a minor league deal, there’s any number of fits that could be drawn up for Gurriel, who carries a career .281/.326/.440 batting line in 3634 plate appearances. He’s just two home runs shy of 100 for his career and is 61 hits away from 1000, so there are some round numbers in his future if he can latch on with another big league team. Gurriel, of course, didn’t make his MLB debut until age 32. He’d previously starred in his native Cuba since making his pro debut as a 17-year-old back in 2001. Gurriel is one of the most prolific hitters in the history of the Cuban National Series, evidenced by a career .320/.425/.599 batting line in nearly 5300 plate appearances in his home country’s top league.
Latest On Joey Votto
Longtime Reds first baseman Joey Votto likely saw his 22-year tenure as a member of the organization come to a close back in November when the team declined their club option on his services for the 2024 season. Votto has made clear that he plans to continue playing in 2024 whether in a Reds uniform or not, however, and as such has entered free agency for the first time in his 17-year big league career. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, three teams are currently expressing interest in the services of the veteran slugger. It’s a noteworthy development in Votto’s market, seeing as prior to today the only club that had been connected to the 40-year-old this winter was his hometown Blue Jays.
A potential future Hall of Famer, Votto slashed an eye-popping .315/.436/.545 across nine seasons from 2009 to 2017, good for a wRC+ of 162. During that peak, he represented the Reds at the All Star game five times, won the NL MVP award in 2010, finished as a finalist in both 2015 and 2017, and received votes for the award in every season except 2014, when he was limited to just 62 games by injuries. Since entering his mid-thirties, however, Votto has begun to decline at the plate. From 2018 to 2020, Votto slashed an uncharacteristic .265/.382/.400 (114 wRC+) with just 38 home runs in 341 games, a far cry from his career .313/.428/.541 slash line entering the 2018 campaign.
While the 2021 season saw Votto rebound at the age of 37 with a strong .266/.375/.563 slash line (140 wRC+) as he slugged 36 home runs in just 129 games, the veteran has been dogged by injury woes ever since. He’s been limited to just 156 games over the past two seasons by shoulder surgery and when healthy enough to take the field has slashed a paltry .204/.317/.394 that clocks in just below league average with a wRC+ of 95. Votto saw flashes of success as he managed a solid .219/.323/.533 slash line with 13 home runs in just 41 games through August 9 this past season, but ultimately ran out of gas down the stretch and slashed just .169/.298/.239 the rest of the way.
Despite the inauspicious end to his 2023 season, Votto told C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic during a recent interview that he isn’t concerned about finding a job with a big league club this winter, noting that “this is a good place to be” so long as he continues to feel healthy.
“I’ve said this over the last couple of years — if I’m healthy, I can play for basically everyone,” Votto told Rosencrans. “I said it in ’21, it was easy again, my game had evolved…it just so happened that the last couple of years, I’ve been working through a pretty serious injury. I thought I competed well. I’d like to enter the season fully healthy and play with confidence, knowing that my instincts were correct and that when healthy, I was still able to compete.”
As Votto notes, it’s impossible to ignore the significant injury woes he’s dealt with the past two seasons. Given how successful he was in his last fully healthy season, it’s far from impossible to imagine the veteran bouncing back to produce at a solid level in the majors next year. While gets more and more difficult to maintain in a player’s late 30s and 40s, it’s far from impossible for a player to find success even at that advanced age. Nelson Cruz slashed .265/.334/.497 in his age-40 campaign back in 2021, while 2022 saw 42-year-old Albert Pujols post an incredible .270/.345/.550 slash line with 24 home runs in just 350 plate appearances during his farewell season. While a season that strong from a quadragenarian is quite rare, Votto wouldn’t have to replicate those fantastic efforts to be a productive major leaguer.
Nightengale did not name the three teams with interest in Votto’s services headed into 2024, but it’s not hard to identify teams he could be a speculative fit for. The aforementioned Blue Jays are an obvious pick for the Toronto native given his ties to the city and the club’s need to find a replacement for Brandon Belt as a lefty-swinging DH. Looking beyond Votto’s homeland, the Nationals are reportedly in the market for a left-handed power bat who could serve as a complement to Joey Meneses at first base and DH.
Meanwhile, the Padres have a hole at DH and have traded away lefty bats Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Matt Carpenter in an attempt to clear salary this winter. Votto could provide San Diego with a relatively inexpensive lefty bat who could be parked at DH or play first base in the event Jake Cronenworth is moved back to the keystone in 2024. The Mariners, Astros, and Angels are among other clubs who could stand to benefit from adding a lefty-swinging veteran to their first base/DH mix, though Votto would likely be relegated to a bench role with any of those clubs.
Requested Salary Figures For 22 Players Who Didn’t Reach Agreements By Arbitration-Filing Deadline
Today was the deadline for teams and players eligible for arbitration to exchange salary figures for the 2024 season ahead of possible arbitration hearings. And, as usual, the vast majority of eligible players worked out deals for 2024 (and, in some cases, beyond) before the deadline this afternoon. While these agreements are all listed in MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker, unfinished business remains around the league. 22 players have not yet settled on a salary for the 2024 and are therefore at risk of having their salaries determined by an arbiter. That number is down considerably from last season, when 33 players exchanged figures. Of note, this list does not include Brewers right-hander Devin Williams. While the sides exchanged figures earlier this evening, they managed to avoid arbitration after the deadline had passed.
This year, arbitration hearings will begin on January 29th and run through February 16th, two days after pitchers and catchers are due to report for Spring Training. While there’s nothing stopping teams and players from settling to avoid arbitration between now and their hearing, the majority of clubs employ a “file and trial” approach to arbitration hearings, stopping negotiations prior to the formal exchange of figures in order to put additional pressure on players to agree to a deal early. While this approach generally puts a moratorium on discussion of one-year deals, teams are typically still willing to discuss multi-year pacts beyond today’s deadline.
Below are the 22 players who have yet to reach an agreement regarding their 2024 salaries, as well as the players’ requested salaries and the counteroffers issued by clubs. The league tends to pay close attention to arbitration salaries because outliers can serve as precedent going forward, raising the bar both for individual players and players as a whole in the future. That reality incentivizes teams to strictly stick to a “file and trial” approach in arbitration and risk a tense hearing between club and player rather than bridge even fairly minimal gaps between club and player salary figures.
[RELATED: Arbitration projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz]
14 of the league’s 30 clubs have at least one case that has yet to be settled. The Orioles have the most cases that have yet to be settled, with five players on track for a hearing against the club. That being said, it’s worth noting that Baltimore has a massive, 17-player class of arbitration-eligible players, so it’s hardly a surprise that they wound up exchanging figures with an elevated number of players. Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. submitted the highest salary figure among all players headed for a hearing at $19.9MM, while the Rangers and outfielder Adolis Garcia narrowly top Guerrero and the Blue Jays for the largest gap between figures, with $1.9MM separating Garcia’s request of $6.9MM from the Rangers’ $5MM counteroffer.
The total list, which will be updated as settlements are reached and the results of hearings are made available…
- Taylor Ward: $4.8MM in desired salary….Angels offered $4.3MM (via MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand)
- Jose Suarez: $1.35MM….Angels $925K (via Feinsand)
- Mauricio Dubon: $3.5MM….Astros $3MM (via Feinsand)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: $19.9MM….Blue Jays $18.05MM (via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet)
- Tommy Edman: $6.95MM….Cardinals $6.5MM (via Feinsand)
- J.D. Davis: $6.9MM….Giants $6.55MM (via Feinsand)
- Luis Arraez: $12MM….Marlins $10.6MM (via Feinsand)
- Tanner Scott: $5.7MM….Marlins $5.15MM (via Feinsand)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.: $2.9MM….Marlins $2.625MM (via Feinsand)
- Phil Bickford: $900K….Mets $815K (via Feinsand)
- Austin Hays: $6.3MM….Orioles $5.85MM (via Feinsand)
- Ryan O’Hearn: $3.8MM….Orioles $3.2MM (via Feinsand)
- Danny Coulombe: $2.4MM….Orioles $2.2MM (via Feinsand)
- Cionel Perez: $1.4MM….Orioles $1.1MM (via Feinsand)
- Jacob Webb: $1MM….Orioles $925K (via Feinsand)
- Alec Bohm: $4MM….Phillies $3.4MM (via Feinsand)
- Adolis Garcia: $6.9MM….Rangers $5MM (via Feinsand)
- Harold Ramirez: $4.3MM….Rays $3.8MM (via Feinsand)
- Jason Adam: $3.25MM….Rays $2.7MM (via Feinsand)
- Jonathan India: $4MM….Reds $3.2MM (via The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer)
- Casey Mize: $840K….Tigers $815K (via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic)
- Nick Gordon: $1.25MM….Twins $900K (via Feinsand)
L.A. District Attorney’s Office Will Not File Felony Charges Against Julio Urias; Case Referred For Misdemeanor Consideration
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has determined not to file felony charges against free agent pitcher Julio Urías, reports Alden González of ESPN (X link). The investigation has been forwarded to the L.A. City Attorney’s Office to determine whether misdemeanor charges are warranted.
Urías, then a member of the Dodgers, was arrested and booked on a felony charge of “corporal injury on a spouse” on September 3. According to ESPN, police alleged in the arrest report that Urías was arrested after a physical altercation between a man and a woman following an MLS game. Law enforcement turned the case over to the District Attorney’s Office in mid-December.
Prosecutors have evidently determined not to proceed with the felony case. Whether misdemeanor charges are filed will determine if the criminal proceedings continue. The decision not to bring felony charges is not a declaration that no assault of any kind was committed. Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reports that the D.A.’s office’s charge evaluation worksheet claims that Urías “pushed his wife against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders” but stated that “neither the Victim’s injuries nor the Defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing.”
MLB will presumably wait on the resolution of the criminal matter before deciding whether discipline is warranted. The league can impose discipline even in the absence of criminal charges under the Joint Domestic Violence policy with the Players Association.
In 2019, MLB suspended Urías for 20 games after determining he violated the domestic violence policy at that time. (He was arrested on the 2019 incident but did not face criminal charges after the DA’s Office agreed to defer prosecution.) No player has yet been suspended twice for violations of the domestic violence policy.
Urías spent the remainder of the 2023 season on administrative leave. He became a free agent at the start of the offseason thanks to his six years of service time. He finished the year with a 4.60 ERA in 21 starts.
Brent Suter Drawing Some Rotation Interest
Eight teams are involved in the market for free agent pitcher Brent Suter, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Murray adds that a few of those clubs have told the left-hander’s camp they’d be interested in stretching him back out as a starter.
Suter has worked in relief for the last five years. His only consistent rotation run came in 2017-18 when he combined to make 32 starts in 42 outings for the Brewers. Suter had generally solid results over that stretch. He posted a 4.09 ERA while holding opponents to a .259/.300/.429 slash in 165 innings as a starter. Milwaukee nevertheless kicked him into relief as they continued developing starters with higher upside than the soft-tossing Suter provided.
The Harvard product has quietly turned in consistently strong numbers in relief as well. He has topped 60 innings while allowing between three and four earned runs per nine in each of the last three seasons. That’s despite hitter-friendly home environments. After pitching parts of seven years in Milwaukee, he was claimed off waivers by the Rockies last offseason.
Suter didn’t have any issues acclimating to Coors Field. He turned in a 3.38 ERA in 69 1/3 innings. As has always been the case, he did so without missing many bats. Suter struck out 18.8% of batters on a modest 9.3% swinging strike rate. He did a solid job avoiding walks and keeping the ball on the ground. Suter also proved one of the toughest pitchers for opponents to square up, a skill he has shown throughout his career.
The 34-year-old clearly has the ability to be a successful reliever. There’d be more of a leap of faith in projecting him as a starter. However, as Murray points out, Suter has effectively handled hitters from either side of the dish. Since the start of 2021, he has held right-handed batters to a .250/.309/.376 slash in 586 plate appearances. Lefties own a .236/.321/.399 mark over 291 trips. That should keep opponents from stacking a lineup with right-handed bats if Suter were tabbed as a starter. He also has the command to hold up for multiple innings and a traditional four-pitch mix (four-seam, sinker, changeup, slider).
A few former relievers have gotten chances to start as free agents. Michael Lorenzen made that jump two years ago. Seth Lugo had a very good season out of the rotation with the Padres, positioning him for a three-year pact with Kansas City in a return trip to free agency this offseason. The Braves are considering that possibility with Reynaldo López. Perhaps Suter will get a chance to join that group, although he doesn’t throw nearly as hard as any of that trio. There haven’t been any teams publicly linked to him in free agency. Colorado held onto him despite interest at the trade deadline, in part because Rox GM Bill Schmidt noted in July the team had interest in an extension.