Gold Glove Winners Announced
Major League Baseball announced the Gold Glove winners tonight, as selected by a group of managers, coaches, and statistical analysis. Twenty-five percent of the selection total was determined by SABR’s Defensive Index metrics, while the other 75 percent was determined by votes from all 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team. Of the latter pool, managers and coaches were limited to voting on players in their own league, and they weren’t allowed to vote for any players on their own team. The utility Gold Glove wasn’t determined with any votes, but rather via a defensive formula calculated by SABR and Rawlings.
The list of winners…
- AL catcher: Jonah Heim (1st Gold Glove)….finalists: Alejandro Kirk, Adley Rutschman
- AL first base: Nathaniel Lowe (1st)….finalists: Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Rizzo
- AL second base: Andres Gimenez (2nd)….finalists: Mauricio Dubon, Marcus Semien
- AL third base: Matt Chapman (4th)….finalists: Alex Bregman, Jose Ramirez
- AL shortstop: Anthony Volpe (1st)….finalists: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager
- AL left field: Steven Kwan (2nd)….finalists: Austin Hays, Daulton Varsho
- AL center field: Kevin Kiermaier (4th)….finalists: Luis Robert Jr., Julio Rodriguez
- AL right field: Adolis Garcia (1st)….finalists: Kyle Tucker, Alex Verdugo
- AL pitcher: Jose Berrios (1st)….finalists: Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez
- AL utility: Mauricio Dubon (1st)….finalists: Zach McKinstry, Taylor Walls
- NL catcher: Gabriel Moreno (1st)….finalists: Patrick Bailey, J.T. Realmuto
- NL first base: Christian Walker (2nd)….finalists: Freddie Freeman, Carlos Santana
- NL second base: Nico Hoerner (1st)….finalists: Ha-Seong Kim, Bryson Stott
- NL third base: Ke’Bryan Hayes (1st)….finalists: Ryan McMahon, Austin Riley
- NL shortstop: Dansby Swanson (2nd)….finalists: Francisco Lindor, Ezequiel Tovar
- NL left field: Ian Happ (2nd)….finalists: David Peralta, Eddie Rosario
- NL center field: Brenton Doyle (1st)….finalists: Michael Harris II, Alek Thomas
- NL right field: Fernando Tatis Jr. (1st)….finalists: Mookie Betts, Lane Thomas
- NL pitcher: Zack Wheeler (1st)….finalists: Jesus Luzardo, Taijuan Walker
- NL utility: Ha-Seong Kim (1st)….finalists: Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman
David Peralta Undergoes Flexor Tendon Repair Procedure
Outfielder David Peralta underwent a flexor tendon repair procedure on his left/throwing arm, reports Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. The impending free agent is expected to be throwing and hitting again by March.
Peralta, now 36, was signed by the Dodgers to a one-year deal with a $6.5MM guarantee coming into 2023. He carried a career batting line of .281/.339/.457 into the season, which translated to a wRC+ of 110, indicating he had been 10% better than the league average hitter in that time.
He ended up having a down year in 2023, though it’s possible the injury played a part in that. According to Harris, the issue popped up around the All-Star break and Peralta played through it in the second half of the season. The outfielder was hitting .283/.323/.434 for a 106 wRC+ at the break but then produced a diminished line of .231/.259/.319 and 54 wRC+ after.
With his one-year deal with the Dodgers now ending, Peralta is heading back to free agency on the heels of a subpar platform. The injury gives him a plausible explanation for the poor results, though it also creates some uncertainty about the future, as it seems as though he may not be fully healthy by the time Spring Training ramps up in February. Given his age and this procedure, teams may want to wait and see how things develop over the winter before agreeing to a deal for the 2024 season.
Thursday’s Waiver Priority Order
Tomorrow will be an active day on the transaction front. It’s the last day in which teams can add players from outside the organization and still have them eligible for postseason play. Not coincidentally, non-contending clubs placed a number of impending free agents on waivers yesterday. The two-day waiver window for all those players will be resolved tomorrow at 12:00 pm CDT (though it’s possible the claim results won’t be officially announced until later in the day).
[Related: Best fits for Starting Pitchers, Outfielders, Relief Pitchers]
Before getting to the waiver order, a refresh on the priority rules. Claim priority is the inverse order of win percentage as of Thursday morning. Waivers are not league specific, although teams in the same league as the club that put a player on waivers have priority over a claiming team in the opposite league among clubs with the same win percentage. To break ties between teams with identical records and in the same league, the club with the worse record in previous seasons has priority. (A team moves to the back of the line if they’re attempting to claim a player for the second time in a given season, though that won’t be a factor for any of the players known to be on waivers at the moment.)
Tomorrow’s waiver priority:
- Oakland Athletics, .291
- Kansas City Royals, .304
- Colorado Rockies, .368
- Chicago White Sox, .396
- St. Louis Cardinals, .433
- Detroit Tigers, .444
- Pittsburgh Pirates, .455
- New York Mets, .455
- Washington Nationals, .463
- San Diego Padres, .463
- Los Angeles Angels, .478
- Cleveland Guardians, .478
- New York Yankees, .489
- Miami Marlins, .496
- Cincinnati Reds, .511
- Arizona Diamondbacks, .515
- Minnesota Twins, .515
- Boston Red Sox, .515
- San Francisco Giants, .519
- Chicago Cubs, .534
- Toronto Blue Jays, .545
- Milwaukee Brewers, .556
- Philadelphia Phillies, .556
- Texas Rangers, .564
- Houston Astros, .570
- Seattle Mariners, .571
- Tampa Bay Rays, .612
- Baltimore Orioles, .624
- Los Angeles Dodgers, .629
- Atlanta Braves, .659
- Pittsburgh has priority over Mets based on 2022 record
- Washington has priority over San Diego based on 2022 record
- Angels have priority over Cleveland based on 2022 record
- D-backs have priority over Twins based on 2022 record
- Minnesota has priority over Boston based on 2021 record, as teams had identical records in ’22
- Milwaukee has priority over Philadelphia based on 2022 record
This post originally indicated that the Twins had priority over the D-backs. We regret the error.
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Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll often answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.
The trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror, but there’s still nearly two months of play left as the MLB season progresses into its final stages. Whether it’s a deadline retrospective, a question surrounding postseason races, or a forward-looking question to the offseason trade/free agent markets — 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.
Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!
Programming note: Due to some pre-deadline adjustments, this week’s podcast will be recorded on Thursday and released on Friday, as opposed to the standard Tuesday-Wednesday schedule.
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll often answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due Friday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few 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.
Chad Kuhl Declining Contract Offers Due To Family Health Situation
Veteran starter Chad Kuhl has been a free agent since he was released by the Nationals on June 26. It seems he’ll remain on the open market for the remainder of the season.
Kuhl took to Instagram this afternoon to explain he has declined contract offers since his release so he can remain with his wife Amanda while she continues a battle with breast cancer. After thanking the Nationals and their fans, the right-hander wrote:
“While I’ve received offers to continue to play this season, I have made the choice for my family to stay in (the) D.C. area for the time being and have Amanda continue to get the best care possible. I’ve decided to be with her through the course of chemo and radiation.
This is just a pause for me and my family. My desire to play and love for the game has never been stronger and I’m looking forward to the next time I step on a major league mound whenever that may be.”
Kuhl made 16 appearances for Washington this season, posting an 8.45 ERA over 38 1/3 innings. He’s pitched in seven of the past eight big league campaigns and owns a career 4.98 ERA through 816 frames. He’ll turn 31 in September and figures to find renewed minor league interest once he’s in a position to continue his playing career.
Amanda Kuhl announced on Twitter that her last round of chemotherapy is scheduled for the second week of September. MLBTR sends our best wishes to her and the rest of the Kuhl family.
Commissioner Election Vote Scheduled For Next Week; Manfred Expected To Be Re-Elected
Major League Baseball’s owners will vote next week to determine whether to keep Rob Manfred as commissioner, report Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. There’s little intrigue expected with the outcome, as one person told The Athletic it’s “a foregone conclusion” Manfred will be re-elected.
That’s no surprise. The last time Manfred’s job was up for debate — over the 2018-19 offseason — he was unanimously approved for a five-year extension. Manfred will only need to secure a simple majority for an extension, with 16 of the 30 ownership representatives approving. He’ll almost certainly get that and could have a chance at another unanimous vote.
The terms of a new extension aren’t clear. Manfred’s current deal runs through 2024. If he’s re-upped for another five years, that’d take him through the ’29 campaign.
Within the past few seasons, MLB and the Players Association were at odds both regarding the return-to-play measures during the 2020 pandemic peak and saw the first official work stoppage in more than two decades with the 2021-22 lockout. MLB revenues reportedly bounced back above pre-pandemic levels once the CBA was hammered out last spring, however. Manfred told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times towards the end of last season that league revenues were approaching a record $11 billion for 2022. Manfred first took over as commissioner in November 2014.
Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll often answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few 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.
Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll often answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few 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.