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Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!

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Each week on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we’ll answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due out Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions and we’ll pick three to answer.

If there’s anything you’d like to get our thoughts on then please send your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 6 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Katie Woo and I discussed the the state of the Cardinals and their handling of Willson Contreras, while Darragh Macdonald and I talked the Rays’ continued success and the sluggish start from the Astros.

Ken Giles To Hold Showcase For Interested Clubs

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Free agent right-hander Ken Giles is planning to throw live bullpen sessions for interested clubs on Friday, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Giles previously held a showcase for clubs in February and then threw in front of Padres officials at that club’s Arizona complex shortly thereafter, but a deal didn’t come together and he remains unsigned. Heyman notes that Giles has spent the past five weeks working out with Driveline, the data-driven biomechanics company, at their Arizona facility.

The 32-year-old Giles has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at times in his career but has been dealing with some challenges recently. From 2014 to 2019, he pitched for the Phillies, Astros and Blue Jays, posting a 2.67 ERA in that time while racking up 114 saves. He struck out 33.3% of batters faced while issuing walks at just a 7.5% clip.

He was only able to make four appearances in 2020, ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2021 season. He signed a two-year deal with the Mariners that covered 2021 and 2022, with the club knowing the first year of that deal would be dedicated primarily to rehabbing the surgery. He made five scoreless appearances for the M’s last year but walked 22.2% of the batters he faced. His 94.8 mph fastball velocity was a few ticks below the 97-99 mph range he managed in previous seasons. He was designated for assignment in August, elected free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Giants but was released about a week later.

Despite that rough stretch, a healthy Giles should garner interest, especially if the work with Driveline did anything to get him closer to his previous form. When he was last able to pitch for an extended stretch in 2019, he posted a 1.87 ERA for the Jays while striking out 39.9% of opponents against an 8.2% walk rate. With various clubs throughout the league dealing with pitching injuries and the trade deadline still a few months away, taking a flier on Giles might be intriguing for clubs that could use a boost in the bullpen.

Pedro Strop Eyeing Comeback Attempt

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Longtime Cubs reliever Pedro Strop is eyeing a comeback attempt, as the right-hander himself made clear when tweeting out video of himself throwing a bullpen session this weekend. “I want to come back,” Strop wrote in yesterday’s tweet. It’s the second time in the past couple weeks that he’s alluded to a comeback by tweeting out video of a ’pen session, though yesterday’s was more direct than the first.

Strop, who’ll turn 38 in June, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021 and has thrown just 4 1/3 big league innings since the conclusion of the 2019 season. He’s pitched for los Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League in each of the past two offseasons, combining for 23 2/3 innings of 3.80 ERA ball with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Strop also tossed 14 innings in the 2021 Mexican League, allowing five runs (3.21 ERA) on 14 hits and five walks with 16 punchouts.

Strop’s last season with a significant amount of time spent in the Majors was back in 2019, when he limped to a 4.97 ERA in 41 2/3 frames. His 27.5% strikeout rate that year remained plenty strong, but Strop’s 11.2% walk rate was one of the highest of his career and his velocity dipped to what was then a career-low 93.6 mph. In two subsequent seasons, he tossed 4 1/3 frames between the Reds and Cubs but walked eight of his 25 opponents in that time while sitting at 91.8 mph with his heater.

Prior to those struggles, Strop was a durable and excellent reliever over a six-year stretch with the Cubs. Acquired alongside Jake Arrieta in an absolute heist of a trade with the Orioles, Strop’s first six seasons in Chicago resulted in a 2.63 ERA over 331 1/3 innings. He pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA every season, fanned 28.2% of his total opponents and walked 9.5% of them. He picked up 19 saves and another 114 holds during regular-season play along the way, and he also excelled in the postseason. Through 17 total innings, he allowed just four runs (2.12 ERA) on eight hits and six walks with 12 strikeouts — including two scoreless frames during the Cubs’ 2016 World Series run.

Time will tell whether Strop actually gets another opportunity with an affiliated club and whether he can take that hypothetical opportunity a step further and ultimately return to a big league mound. He certainly wouldn’t be the first pitcher to engineer a successful big league return in his late 30s, though. Daniel Bard returned from a seven-year MLB absence at age 35 back in 2020, and Rich Hill was also 35 by the time he kicked off a late-career renaissance that he’s still continuing into his age-43 season.

Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

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Each week on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we’ll answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due out Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit a voice memo with their question and we’ll pick three to answer.

If there’s anything you’d like to get our thoughts on then please submit your questions via a voice memo to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Voice memos will be played out on air so speak clearly and cleanly. Please start your recording with your name and try and keep it as succinct as possible – no more than 15 seconds. An example might be: “Hey guys, Simon here in Minneapolis, what are your thoughts on the Pablo Lopez extension and do you think the Twins will try and extend any of their other starters?”

We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 4 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Betsy Helfand and I discussed the A’s likely move to Las Vegas and the state of the Twins, while Anthony Franco and I talked Bryan Reynolds’ extension with the Pirates and what’s next for Madison Bumgarner.

Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

By | at

Each week on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we’ll answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due out Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit a voice memo with their question and we’ll pick three to answer.

If there’s anything you’d like to get our thoughts on then please submit your questions via a voice memo to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Voice memos will be played out on air so speak clearly and cleanly. Please start your recording with your name and try and keep it as succinct as possible – no more than 15 seconds. An example might be: “Hey guys, Simon here in Minneapolis, what are your thoughts on the Pablo Lopez extension and do you think the Twins will try and extend any of their other starters?”

We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 3 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Tim Dierkes and I discussed Tim’s free agent power rankings, Shohei Ohtani’s next contract, the Ian Happ and Pablo Lopez extensions and much more.

MLB To Experiment With Designated Pinch Runner In 2023 Atlantic League Season

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Major League Baseball announced today that it will experiment with various rule changes in the Atlantic League this season, which begins April 28. Since 2019, the Atlantic League and MLB have had a partnership whereby the latter uses the former to test out rule changes before they are brought to the majors, with the general goal being a better pace of play and more game action.

This year’s season will be testing the following rules, with direct wording from the MLB release:

  • New to the Atlantic League this season will be the use of a Designated Pinch Runner. Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
  • Unlike the new MLB rule which allows a pitcher to disengage from the pitching rubber twice during an at-bat, the Atlantic League will permit only a single disengagement per at-bat in 2023.
  • The ALPB will continue the use of the “Double-Hook” DH rule, which allows clubs to use the designated hitter throughout the game provided that the club’s starting pitcher has completed at least five innings. If the starter fails to make it through the fifth, the club then loses the DH for the remainder of the game.

Of these three changes, the first one is clearly the most significant. The “Double-Hook” rule is not in place in the majors, but was previously attempted in the Atlantic League in 2021. Initially, a team would lose its designated hitter as soon as the starter was removed from the game. Last year, that was modified so that a team could keep its DH if the starter lasted five innings, with that modification continuing into 2023. The goal here seems to discourage creative pitcher usage, such as deploying openers or bullpen games. This would also increase the importance of strong starting pitching, something that has waned with time as teams rely more and more on relievers to finish games. Even if this rule were to ultimate make it to the major leagues, it wouldn’t be a drastic change, as it would simply revert certain teams to pre-DH rules on a temporary basis. The universal DH only became permanent a year ago with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The disengagement rule is already in place at the major league level, with this just being a slight modification of it. The goal there is to increase action by having more base stealing attempts. Along those same lines, we have this new designated runner rule. It’s easy to see how this would lead to increased action on the bases, with the league having many players who can hit but who lack speed, or vice versa. Pinch running is obviously not new to baseball, but it has traditionally involved the removed runner also being removed from the game entirely. This new rule would allow a pinch running specialist to repeatedly ply their trade throughout the game, whereas a slower player could be removed early in a game but continue to hold their place in the lineup.

Like all proposed rule changes, the intended goals will be tested to see if they actually work, while many will debate whether the changes are worth it. Some baseball fans are resistant to any change whatsoever, while even some who don’t consider themselves traditionalists might still have problems with certain proposals.

It’s worth stating that it’s not a given that a rule tested in the Atlantic League will inevitably make it to the majors. Some changes have made the jump, including the three-batter minimum for pitchers, the bigger bases, defensive shift restrictions and others. But there are also changes that were tried and ultimately abandoned, such as moving the pitching rubber back one foot.

Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

By | at

Each week on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we’ll answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due out Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit a voice memo with their question and we’ll pick three to answer.

This week, I’ll be joined by MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes. If there’s anything you’d like to get myself and Tim’s thoughts on then please submit your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Voice memos will be played out on air so speak clearly and cleanly. Please start your recording with your name and try and keep it as succinct as possible – no more than 15 seconds. An example might be: “Hey guys, Simon here in Minneapolis, what are your thoughts on the Pablo Lopez extension and do you think the Twins will try and extend any of their other starters?”

We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 2 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Steve Adams and I discussed the Rays’ hot start to the season, Grayson Rodriguez’ call-up to the Orioles, the state of the Angels’ bullpen and much more.

MLB Agency Update

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As you know, we maintain an MLB agency database here at MLB Trade Rumors, consisting of all players who played in the Majors in the last three completed seasons (currently 2020-22).

We currently have 559 players for whom we do not have an agency, and they’re listed if you hit the “Read More” button.  If your company represents any of these players, or you know of their agencies through media reports or social media, please reach out through our contact form.

In the database, you will find the 1,742 players for whom we do have an agency, but errors are possible.  If you see any errors please contact us about that as well!

Here’s the list of players for whom we do not have an agency:

Read more

Salt Lake City Group Interested In MLB Expansion Franchise

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Big League Utah, a group led by former Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller, is interested in bringing an expansion Major League Baseball franchise to Salt Lake City, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Major League Baseball has not expanded in 25 years now, when the 1998 season saw the league grow to 30 teams with the additions of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with the latter club later dropping the demonic portion of their name. Many have wondered when the league might consider expanding again, with commissioner Rob Manfred frequently stating that the Rays and Athletics need to resolve their respective stadium situations before expansion will be legitimately on the table. Passan’s report indicates that is indeed still the priority, though all signs point to expansion being just over the horizon.

Both of those stadium situations seem to be moving towards resolutions, one way or another. The Rays have put forth a plan to redevelop the St. Petersburg Gas Plant District, with mayor Ken Welch backing the proposal. The negotiations are still ongoing but it seems like progress is being made before the club’s lease on Tropicana Field expires after the 2027 season. The A’s, meanwhile, have been in talks with the city of Oakland for a while about developing their own stadium, threatening to move to Las Vegas if nothing gets done. Manfred recently suggested that January of 2024 is an unofficial deadline for them to get something done with Oakland.

As those situations near their conclusions, the talk of expansion should only increase. A couple of groups have already positioned themselves to be in the mix for new franchises. A group in Nashville has attached familiar names like Dave Dombrowski, Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart. They recently added Don Mattingly while branding themselves as the Nashville Stars. Dombrowski and Mattingly are currently employed by the Phillies and Blue Jays, respectively, but are still connected to the Stars/Music City Baseball. There’s also the Portland Diamond Project, which has been trying to position itself for a club for many years, submitting bids for parcels of land five years ago. Passan also lists Charlotte, Montreal and Las Vegas as potential expansion locations, the latter presumably only if they don’t end up hosting the Athletics.

Those two ventures will now seemingly have some competition from this Salt Lake City group. The 79-year-old Miller owned the Utah Jazz until recently. Her husband Larry H. Miller had purchased the team in the 1980s but she took over the club, and his other business ventures, upon his death in 2009. The Miller family sold the Jazz in October of 2020. Passan reports that Big League Utah involves the Larry H. Miller Company but also former big leaguers Dale Murphy and Jeremy Guthrie, both of whom live in Utah now. The group has its sights set on building a stadium in the Rocky Mountain Power District, an area outside the downtown core of Salt Lake City.

“Salt Lake City is a major league city,” said Steve Starks, CEO of the Miller Company. “We believe that as a top-30 media market in the fastest-growing state in the country with the youngest population, that’s where our attention should be — and that we could accomplish bringing a team to the Wasatch Front.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox also seems on board. “It would be, I think, a validation of everything that we’ve worked so hard to do,” Cox said. “We’ve proven ourselves in a sports capacity with Olympics in 2002 and coming back in 2030 or, more likely, 2034. We’ve hosted two NBA All-Star Games. We know we can do this. It would just be meaningful for people who love this sport, who care deeply about it. We’re a baseball state.”

Per Passan’s report, members of the group have already been in contact with Major League Baseball and have also toured the facilities of the Atlanta Braves. They are touting the viability of Salt Lake City as a destination based on its population, which makes it a larger media market than that of the Padres, Royals, Reds and Brewers. They also highlight a strong economy which includes an unemployment rate of just 2.4%. Starks also said local residents were surveyed about their preferences for expansion sports teams and MLB was the top choice in that polling, ahead of the NFL.

However the expansion competition ultimately plays out, it figures to be a boon to the league. For one thing, expansion tends to create millions of new dedicated fans, which is good for growing the sport. There also should be plenty of interest among current baseball fans, as expansion will need to be accompanied by a draft, with the new clubs filling their rosters by plucking players from the others. Beyond that, expansion franchises pay fees for the right to join the league, with that money divided amongst the existing clubs. The new franchises in Arizona and Tampa each paid $130MM in fees back in 1998 but Passan estimates the fee will be closer to $2 billion this time around.

Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

By | at

The MLB Trade Rumors podcast is back, and we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit questions to be answered in the next episode due out Wednesday morning.

This week, I’ll be joined by MLBTR’s Steve Adams. If there’s anything you’d like to get myself and Steve’s thoughts on then please submit your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 1 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Anthony Franco and I discussed Shohei Ohtani’s future in LA, took a look at the Cardinals’ and Marlins’ rotation pictures and wondered what Jake Cronenworth’s extension in San Diego means for other Padres players.

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