MLB Hot Stove 2023-2024

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OF Taylor Ward has prevailed in the arbitration hearing against the Los Angeles Angels and is set to earn $4.8 million for 2024, rather than the $4.3 million the Angels tabled during the off-season. Ward was a first round draft pick of the Angels back in 2015 and took some time to get going in the majors. In 2023, Ward hit .254/.335/.421 for a wRC+ of 107 before he was hit in the face by an Alek Manoah pitch in late July that forced him to the IL as a result of facial fractures. Barring the possibility of a long-term extension that buys out his arbitration years, Ward is set to go through arbitration two more times before hitting free agency after the 2026 season.

 

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OF Austin Hays also won his arbitration hearing against the Baltimore Orioles, according to reports. Hays will earn $6.3 million in 2024 rather than the $5.85 million tabled by the Orioles. Hays has been with the Orioles since being drafted by Baltimore in 2016. It took Hays until 2021 to cement himself as part of the regular lineup for the Orioles, having played in 420 games for Baltimore since the start of the 2021 season. His slash line over that time is .261/.313/.439, for a wRC+ of 108. Although more likely to be a natural centre fielder, Hays has mostly played in left field with Baltimore preferring Cedric Mullins in centre. Hays is set to go through arbitration one more time before becoming a free agent after the 2025 season (the same as Mullins).

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies announced that they have acquired RHP Michael Rucker from the Cubs for cash considerations after the Cubs designated Rucker for assignment last week. In order to create roster space on their 40-man roster, the Phillies designated RHP Andrew Bellatti for assignment. This is the first change in organisations for Rucker in his professional career, having been drafted by the Cubs in 2016. After a couple of seasons as a starter, he was converted into a reliever in 2019 and he made his MLB debut in 2021. He has pitched at the majors in each of the past three seasons, with a career ERA just south of 5.00 through 123 1/3 innings, and a career-best ERA of 3.95 in 2022. Rucker has been squeezed off the Cubs' roster by their acquisition of Hector Neris during free agency.

 

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Utility player Mauricio Dubon has been successful in his arbitration hearing against the Astros. He will earn $3.5 million in 2024, as opposed to the $3 million salary tabled by the Astros. Dubon is coming off his career best season, having played in 132 games and putting up almost 500 plate appearances. Dubon struck out at less than a 15% rate and hit 11 homeruns on his way to a .278/.309/.411 slash line in 2023. Dubon played at first base, second base, shortstop, left field and centre field for the Astros during 2023. This is Dubon's second of four potential trips through arbitration and is not eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season.

 

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According to reports, the Houston Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve are in agreement on a five year extension commencing from the 2025 season and running through to the end of the 2029 season. Altuve will receive a guaranteed $125 million from the Astros during the course of the extension, commencing with a $15 million signing bonus followed by $30 million salaries in the first three years and then $10 million salaries in the final two years.

Although the Astros did not confirm the reported details of the extension, they have confirmed that Altuve has signed the extension.

 

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The Milwaukee Brewers have made their signing of RHP Jakob Junis official overnight, and designated LHP Clayton Andrews for assignment to open a roster spot for Junis. Andrews made his MLB debut in 2023 for Milwaukee, and was shifted between Triple-A and the big leagues frequently in the second half of the season. He made four major league appearances in 2023, being tagged for 10 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

 

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The Minnesota Twins announced that they have claimed RHP Zack Weiss off waivers from the Boston Red Sox and made their signings of 1B Carlos Santana and RHP Jay Jackson official. To open spots on their roster for these three players, the Twins designated for assignment OF Bubba Thompson, RHP Daniel Duarte and RHP Jordan Balazovic.

Weiss made 24 MLB appearances over the past two seasons with the Angels and Red Sox, posting an ERA of 3.29 in 27 1/3 innings. As is often the case with pitchers on the roster bubble, Weiss has problems with command, striking out batters 29% of the time but walking them 11.4% of the time.

Bubba Thompson is one of the fastest players in the MLB but does not hit often. Thompson stole 22 bases in 27 attempts in the last two years, but has hit .242/.286/.305 over that time frame, with a 4.6% walk rate and a 29.9% strikeout rate. Since August 2023, Thompson has shuffled between the Rangers, Royals, Reds, Yankees and Twins through waiver claims. He has a couple of options left and might find a role as a depth player who can be a useful pinch runner and defensive substitute in the outfield.

Daniel Duarte has also shuffled between clubs this offseason. He started the off-season as a member of the Reds, and was sent to the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. The Twins then picked him up off waivers. Duarte pitched 31 2/3 innings with the Reds in 2023, turning in a 3.69 ERA.

Balazovic is looking for a club for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Twins in 2016 and was a top 100 prospect on Baseball America's list heading into the 2020 season. He was protected from the Rule 5 draft by the Twins in November 2020. In 2021, Balazovic put up a 3.62 ERA in 20 starts at the Double-A level, but it went downhill for him from then on. He made 22 Triple-A starts in 2022, but was torched for a 7.39 ERA, and Baseball America noted that his heater had lost velocity. The start to 2023 was rocky, with reports indicating that Balazovic had broken his jaw in February due to an altercation away from the field. He made it back healthy and was promoted to the MLB by the Twins, putting up a 4.44 ERA in 24 1/3 innings.

 

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The Seattle Mariners have reunited the Smith-Ngijba brothers in Seattle, with the Mariners announcing that they have claimed OF Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mariners designated RHP Darren McCaughan for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Smith-Ngijba's brother, Jaxon, is a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.

Smith-Ngijba was one of the prospects the Pirates acquired from the Yankees in the trade that sent RHP Jameson Taillon to New York. He has not had much time or success in the major leagues at this stage, putting up a .135/.250/.243 in 44 plate appearances at the top level in baseball. He has had more encouraging results at the minor league level, hitting .273/.366/.439 across three seasons at Triple-A.

McCaughan turns 28 in March and has spent his entire professional career with the Mariners since being drafted by them in 2017. He has made his MLB debut, with 14 innings, but gave up 11 earned runs during that time.

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies are poised to claim RHP Max Castillo off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, with OF Simon Muzziotti to be designated for assignment to create roster space. Castillo has pitched in the majors in 2022-2023 for the Blue Jays and Royals, with a combined 5.43 ERA. Castillo was one of the players received by the Royals in exchange for Whit Merrifield back in 2022 and he was ranked 18th in the Royals' minor leagues by Baseball America heading into the 2023 season. Castillo will not overpower batters with velocity, but relies on above-average command and an above-average changeup to help him overcome batters.

The Phillies look to have a reasonably settled starting rotation, with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Taijuan Walker all mainstays, while the Phillies hope that Cristopher Sanchez will build on his encouraging first year in the majors. Castillo will join LHP Kolby Allard as a newcomer to the 40-man roster who has options remaining and therefore can provide some flexibility at the back end of the Phillies' rotation if required.

Muzziotti was the only minor league outfielder on the team's 40-man roster and has very short MLB experience (has gone 1-for-7 in his debut at the MLB in 2023).

 

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The Milwaukee Brewers have signed free agent catcher Gary Sanchez to a one-year contract worth $7 million, with a mutual option. Sanchez bounced around the league a little bit last year, signing a minor league deal with the Giants but exercising an opt-out when the Giants chose not to promote him to their major league roster. Sanchez caught on with the Mets on a minor league deal, but was put on waivers. He was claimed by the Padres and made the most of his opportunity, having 260 plate appearances in 72 games with San Diego in the second half of the season. He hit 19 homeruns for the Padres but the power he afforded to them made up for the low average. Sanchez hit .218/.292/.500 during his time with the Padres, translating to a wRC+ of 115, indicating that even with the low average, he was 15% better than league average.

Sanchez's season was cut short in 2023 when he suffered a fractured wrist in early September, but even so, he was valued at 1.8 WAR by FanGraphs and 2.5 WAR by Baseball Reference.

 

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J.D. Davis won his arbitration hearing against the San Francisco Giants and will earn $6.9 million in 2024, rather than the $6.5 million salary tabled by the Giants. The Giants acquired Davis from the Mets in August 2022 and saw sustained success in his first full season with the Giants, hitting .248/.325/.413, including 18 homeruns. Davis was a Super Two player, meaning that he is eligible for four runs through arbitration before hitting free agency. This year was his final go-round through arbitration and is set to hit free agency after the 2024 season.

 

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The Chicago White Sox have sent reliever Lane Ramsey to Triple-A Charlotte after Ramsey cleared waivers, according to the team. This is his first career outright assignment and as he has less than three years of MLB service time, he cannot refuse the assignment. Ramsey was drafted by the White Sox in 2018 and spent parts of five seasons in the minors before hitting the big time in August 2023. He pitched 21 times for the White Sox last year, with a 5.85 ERA and a 19.6% strikeout rate in 20 innings.

 

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The Baltimore Orioles announced that they have claimed INF Livan Soto off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels after the Angels designated Soto for assignment on the weekend. He fills the last free spot on the Orioles' 40 man roster. Soto is regarded as a good defender and a reasonable contact hitter, but with no pop at the plate. He made his MLB debut in 2022 and managed a slash line of .400/.414/.582 in his first 59 plate appearances, though that was powered by an unsustainable .500 BABIP. He only had 12 plate appearances in the majors in 2023 and hit .222/.417/.222. In three years in the minors, Soto managed 1,470 plate appearances, hitting .247/.341/.356.

 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed utility man Chris Owings to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Owings has already reported to camp. Owings has played in each of the last 11 MLB seasons, but does not turn 33 until August 2024. He played 11 games for the Pirates in 2023 and went 4-for-25 with 12 strikeouts and no walks. Owings owns a career MLB batting line of .239/.286/.364 in 2,489 plate appearances. He has experience everywhere on the baseball field except catcher and first base.

 

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World champions the Texas Rangers are in agreement with OF Adolis Garcia, pending the completion of a physical, on a contract that guarantees Garcia a minimum of $14 million over the two years. The contract contains a series of escalators based on MVP voting that could increase his salary in the second year of the contract, maxing out at $20.25 million. The agreement buys out two years of arbitration for Garcia and was struck as the parties were heading into an arbitration hearing for his 2024 salary. Garcia will still be under club control for one more year after he completes this contract.

Garcia has hit .246/.305/.472 (110 wRC+) for the Rangers over the past three seasons, and had a career-best year in 2023, hitting .245/.328/.508 with 39 home runs (second most in the AL and tied for seventh most in the MLB). He was an All-Star in 2023 and also a Gold Glover at right field. Garcia was one of the prime reasons why the Rangers made it to the World Series, as he hit five homeruns during the ALCS, but was forced to withdraw from the Rangers' world series roster after game 3 when he suffered an oblique strain.

Texas Rangers avoid arbitration hearing with ALCS MVP Adolis García with two-year deal

The Rangers and García, who had been scheduled for an arbitration hearing Thursday, reached the framework on a two-year contract agreement, a person familiar...

www.dallasnews.com

 

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The Boston Red Sox have signed RHP Michael Fulmer to a minor league contract. He is not expected to pitch in 2024 after undergoing a UCL revision in his right elbow in October 2023, so the contract is for two years with, presumably, an invitation to 2025 spring training. The Red Sox have not formally announced the deal.

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The MLB has placed former Mets GM Billy Eppler on the Ineligible List through the 2024 World Series. According to the MLB's announcement, Eppler violated rules regarding "improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper Injured List placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons". The MLB stated that the investigation "concluded that the pattern of conduct was at Mr Eppler's sole direction and without any involvement of Club ownership or superiors. MLB considers the matter closed and will have no further comment".

The Mets released a statement: "The Mets have been informed of the conclusion of MLB's investigation. With Billy Eppler's resignation on 5 October 2023 and with David Stearns leading the Baseball Operations team, the Mets consider the matter closed and will have no further comment".

Eppler released his own statement indicating that he fully and transparently cooperated and he accepts the MLB's decision.

It is not clear which Mets players were involved or the details of the transgressions, and it is also an open secret that the Mets were not the only club to attempt to juggle their active roster through the use of the IL. According to reports, the MLB was tipped off to Eppler's practice through an anonymous letter.

Former Mets GM Billy Eppler banned for season over fabricated injuries

It was determined that Eppler was involved with improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries.

nypost.com

 

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The Miami Marlins are acquiring RHP Darren McCaughan from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations and the Marlins are designating OF Peyton Burdick for assignment to open roster space for McCaughan. The Mariners designated McCaughan for assignment last week to create roster space for OF Canaan Smith-Njigba, whom the Mariners claimed off waivers from the Pirates. McCaughan has limited experience in the MLB, having given up 13 runs in 14 MLB innings in 2021 and 2023.

 

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Baltimore Orioles' RHP Felix Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023 but apparently underwent a further procedure according to a statement from the Orioles. Bautista had "right elbow debridement and an ulnar nerve transposition ... with Dr Keith Meister in Dallas" per the Orioles. It should not affect his timetable for return.

 

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The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a two-year contract with INF Jonathan India, according to the team. It has been reported that India will be paid $3.8 million in 2024 and $5 million in 2025, with the opportunity to earn an additional $2.05 million in 2025 based on plate appearances and games started.

India had filed for a $4 million salary in his first trip through the arbitration process, while the Reds countered with a $3.2 million figure.

Accordingly, the Reds and India will avoid arbitration in 2024 and 2025 as a result of the deal. India was previously seen as a trade candidate with the Reds needing to find playing time for the likes of Matt McLain, Elly de la Cruz, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and also signed Jeimer Candelario to a three-year contract. It appears, however, that the preliminary trade discussions the Reds had with other teams over India were not to their liking. In order to resolve the crunch on playing time for all the infielders, it seems that the Reds will move Spencer Steer to left field on a full-time basis, while India might be moved from his natural second base role to first base.

 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Saturday (our time) that LHP Clayton Kershaw will return to the Dodgers, having been signed to a two-year contract (the second of which is a player optioin). Kershaw is recovering from shoulder surgery undertaken in November and is not expected to pitch until the second half of the 2024 season, at the earliest. The deal is worth $5 million per season, but Kershaw could boost his 2024 salary to $12.5 million depending on the number of games he started, which will also influence the value of his 2025 player option.

The Dodgers put RHP Tony Gonsolin on the 60-day injured list in order to open a 40-man roster spot for Kershaw. It is highly likely that Kershaw will go to the 60-day IL himself when the Dodgers need his roster spot.

According to reports, Kershaw could boost his salary for 2025 to $25 million, depending on his performances on the mound.

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with RHP Spencer Turnbull. He could double his salary if he hits his incentives triggers. Turnbull was formerly with the Tigers but was non-tendered by Detroit in November 2023, potentially over disagreements regarding his MLB service time. Current Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, was working in the Tigers front office when they drafted Turnbull in the second round of the 2014 draft. Turnbull has suffered injuries on his way through the minor leagues, but made his MLB debut in 2018 (16 1/3 innings pitched) before settling in to a starting rotation role in 2019 (148 1/3 innings). Between 2020-2021, Turnbull pitched 106 2/3 innings for a 3.46 ERA, including a no-hitter for the Tigers on 18 May 2021. However, Turnbull had to complete Tommy John surgery part way through the 2021 season that cost him the remainder of that season and all of 2022.

Turnbull returned to the mound in 2023, but fared badly, putting up a 7.26 ERA in seven starts and did not pitch in the majors for the Tigers after 6 May. Detroit optioned him to the minors the next day, but he was then placed on the IL due to neck discomfort and it wasn't until August that he was fit enough to come off the IL, whereupon he was optioned to Triple-A. Turnbull and the Tigers had a dispute over his MLB service time which was eventually resolved in Turnbull's favour when he was awarded a full year of service time. He now has five years and 20 days of service time.

 

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For most of the off-season, it appeared that RHP Dylan Cease would be on his way to a new team, but the White Sox GM Chris Getz told reporters that he expects Cease to be the White Sox opening day starter. Like most baseball executives, Getz did not speak in absolutes and there is always a chance that the White Sox receive an offer that exceeds their expectations, especially if another contending team suffers an injury to a top-line starter during the MLB pre-season.

Getz has done a fair amount of work to re-shape the White Sox roster, trading away Aaron Bummer and Gregory Santos, acquiring young outfielder Dominic Fletcher and trading for veteran catcher Max Stassi. Getz told reporters that when White Sox spoke with free agent pitchers earlier in the off-season, they consistently told the White Sox that they were reluctant to sign with Chicago due to problems with defence. Getz set out to rectify that by acquiring Nicky Lopez and glove-first prospect Braden Shewmake from the Braves in the Aaron Bummer trade, signed Paul DeJong and acquired Max Stassi and Martin Maldonado to improve the defence behind the plate. Dominic Fletcher was acquired from the Diamondbacks to help stiffen the defence in the outfield.

Cease had a down season in 2023, pitching to a 4.58 ERA, but was runner up in 2022 for the AL Cy Young award where he pitched 184 innings of 2.20 ERA. His strikeout rate and velocity dropped in 2023 compared to 2022, and he also gave up hard contact at a higher rate than in the past.

For the White Sox, a good first half from Cease could see trade talks revisited as the trade deadline approaches, especially if the White Sox are not in contention. Cease is controllable through the end of the 2025 season through arbitration, with the two sides having agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract for 2024 to avoid arbitration for this season. Cease has 109 starts under his belt dating back to 2020, which is the most among all MLB pitchers.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced overnight that they have added three right handed pitchers to their camp as non-roster invitees, indicating that they have signed minor league deals with the club. Two were already known - Wily Peralta and Brent Honeywell Jr, while the third was for Connor Sadzeck, who most recently pitched with the Twins (albeit at Triple-A level) in 2023, having signed a minor league deal with Minnesota last off-season.

 

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The Boston Red Sox are in agreement with LHP Lucas Luetge on a minor league deal that will pay Luetge $1 million in salary if he is promoted to the major league roster. Luetge turns 37 before the season starts, and made his MLB debut back in 2012 with the Mariners. He also previously pitched for the Yankees and the Braves.

Lucas Luetge on Instagram: "Year 17 and heading back to the Northeast! Excited to join the @redsox organization! #mlb #baseball #redsox"

1,012 likes, 22 comments - lucasluetge on February 10, 2024: "Year 17 and heading back to the Northeast! Excited to join the @redsox organization! #mlb #baseball #redsox".

www.instagram.com