MLB Hot Stove 2023-2024

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The New York Mets have signed veteran OF Ben Gamel to a minor league contract, according to an announcement from the Mets. Gamel will attend Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Gamel has played in eight MLB seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Mariners and Pirates. His career batting line is .252/.332/.384, with strong plate discipline but not much power. He has walked in 10.1% of his career plate appearances but never hit more than 11 homeruns in any one season.

Gamel has experience at all three outfield positions, but would be best suited for left field work. He also has a modicum of experience at first base.

Gamel is a pure depth signing only for the Mets, as they are set for their outfield spots with Brandon Nimmo (LF), Harrison Bader (CF) and Starling Marte (RF) likely to handle the regular work, while DJ Stewart and Tyrone Taylor are outfielders on the 40-man roster. Gamel joins Trayce Thompson as depth options at Triple-A.

 

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With Spring Training only just around the corner, there still remain a number of "big name" players out there in free agency, including LHP Blake Snell, LHP Jordan Montgomery, OF/1B Cody Bellinger and DH Jorge Soler.

According to reports, Soler is seeking three years from interested teams, which has become a sticking point as it seems most teams only want to offer a two-year deal to the former Marlins slugger. One of the teams that had been in discussions with Soler about a contract reportedly was the Giants, who were comfortable offering a two year contract to Soler, but declined to offer him a guaranteed third season. Other teams that have been linked to Soler include the Red Sox and the Nationals, while Soler seemed to pour cold water on the possibility of him going back to Miami. The Diamondbacks are also looking for a right handed slugger to pair with new signing Joc Pederson, but it would seem unlikely that Soler would agree to platooning with Pederson in the desert.

Jon Morosi on the free-agent market, Walker Buehler | 02/12/2024

Jon Morosi discusses the latest on free agents such as Jorge Soler, the Dodgers' plans for Walker Buehler and more on Hot Stove

www.mlb.com

 

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The San Diego Padres are reuniting with a former player, signing free agent utility player Jurickson Profar to a one year contract, with a guarantee of $1 million. Profar can earn up to another $1.5 million via incentives based on plate appearances. Profar turns 31 next week.

Profar opted out of his last deal with the Padres at the end of the 2022 season, taking the $1 million buyout rather than the $7.5 million salary for 2023. Although Profar went unsigned until almost the start of the season, he did wind up signing a $7.75 million contract with the Rockies, which put him marginally ahead money-wise.

Unfortunately, 2023 was not a good season for Profar. Although he went to the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field, he hit only eight homeruns for the season, and turned in a batting line of .236/.316/.364 for a wRC+ of just 72. With poor defensive grade, the Rockies released him in August and he re-joined the Padres, playing the final 14 games of the season.

Profar returns for his fifth season as a Padre, having previously played for Oakland and the Rangers in addition to the Padres and Rockies. Profar has a career .246/.334/.376 batting line in 1,321 plate appearances dating back to 2020 with the Padres.

Profar almost certainly will have a spot on the Opening Day roster, as he is the third MLB-experienced outfielder on the Padres roster, joining Fernando Tatis Jr and Jose Azocar.

 

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A bit late, but the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins executed a player for player swap over the weekend, with the Twins acquiring LHP Steven Okert in exchange for utility player Nick Gordon. The Twins drafted Gordon with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft and he was a top prospect in the Twins' farm system for much of his time in the minors. He made his MLB debut for the twins back in 2021, appearing in 73 games for the Twins, and then appeared in 136 games in 2022, hitting .272/.316/.427. However, Gordon's 2023 was injury interrupted, as he went on the IL for the remainder of the season in May after fouling a ball off his right shin, fracturing it, on 17 May.

Okert has pitched for the Marlins and the Giants, posting a 2.89 ERA over 87 1/3 innings of relief for the Marlins in 2021-2022. Okert's ERA lifted to 4.45 in 2023, over 58 2/3 innings. Okert profiles as an extreme fly ball pitcher, so he depends on keeping the ball in the park in order to be effective.

Okert will join Caleb Thielbar as the top left handed relievers in the Twins' bullpen.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement with catcher Yasmani Grandal on a contract which guarantees Grandal $2.5 million for 2024 and includes incentives. The deal is a one-year contract.

Grandal, 35, was a first round draft selection by the Reds in the 2010 draft and made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2012. In his rookie campaign in 2012, he hit .297/.394/.469, but was popped for PEDs by the MLB and missed 50 games in 2013. He was traded to the Dodgers before the 2015 season and his career really took off. Between 2015-2021, he hit .239/.357/.461 while playing for the Dodgers, Brewers and White Sox, which equates to a 122 wRC+, surpassed only by Will Smith and Mitch Garver among catchers. He also managed +56 Defensive Runs Saved, which ranked fourth among catchers in the MLB over that period, behind Roberto Perez, Austin Hedges and Buster Posey. Grandal was third in appearances over that seven year period, behind just J.T. Realmuto and Yadier Molina.

However, once Grandal hit 33, his production declined precipitously, hitting just .219/.305/.306 over his last two seasons in Chicago, and his power deserted him, as he posted an ISO of just .087, compared to a career ISO of .211 prior to the 2022 season. His defence has also declined significantly, with -16 DRS being the fourth worst figure in the MLB in the last two years, ahead of just Elias Diaz, MJ Melendez and Keibert Ruiz.

 

[Constantgin]

 

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The Miami Marlins are in agreement with RHP Yonny Chirinos on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Chirinos had been non-tendered by the Braves earlier in the off-season. He is looking to rebound from a frustrating season after he had missed most of the 2020-2022 seasons with various injuries.

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies claimed RHP Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Marlins, and designated INF Diego Castillo for assignment. The Phillies also announced that RHP David Buchanan has been signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, while RHP Andrew Bellatti and OF Simon Muzziotti cleared waivers and have been optioned to Triple-A.

Ort is joining his fourth team since the regular season ended, having finished the season with the Red Sox, then went to the Mariners, the Marlins and now the Phillies. Ort has 51 2/3 innings of MLB experience under his belt over the past three years, averaging 96 mph on his fastball but giving up 6.27 ERA, with a 20.9% strikeout rate.

Castillo would appear to be on the move yet again, after he finished the season with the Diamondbacks, he's gone to the Mets, Yankees and Phillies on waiver claims, but has lost his spot on the roster once more. Castillo played only one MLB game in 2023, and spent most of his time in Triple-A.

 

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The Texas Rangers announced that they have signed RHP Adrian Sampson to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Sampson has previously played in the Rangers' organisation for three years, between November 2016 through the 2019 campaign, pitching 153 major league innings for a 5.71 ERA. Sampson signed with the Lotte Giants in the KBO prior to the 2020 season and posted a 5.40 ERA in his one season in the KBO. He came back to the States in 2021, signing a contract with the Cubs and pitching 139 2/3 innings between 2021-2022, with a 3.03 ERA, 17.6% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate. He stayed with the Cubs for 2023, having agreed to a $1.9 million contract, but ended up being optioned to the minors. He was outrighted off the roster in late July and traded to the Rays. The Rays then released him after a week and he remained a free agent until now.

 

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The New York Yankees announced that they have claimed INF Jordan Groshans off waivers from the Marlins and designated LHP Matt Krook for assignment to open a roster spot. Groshans was designated for assignment last week by the Marlins after they traded for infielder Jonah Bride.

Groshans was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2018 and was then traded to the Marlins in 2022 without making his MLB debut for Toronto. He tasted big league action in 2022, appearing in 17 games for the Marlins hitting .262/.308/.311 with one homerun in his first 65 plate appearances. He was sent back to Triple-A at the start of the 2023 campaign and remained there for the season.

 

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The San Francisco Giants have acquired utility player Otto Lopez from the Toronto Blue Jays, according to announcements from both teams. The Blue Jays designated Lopez for assignment last week, and they receive cash considerations from the Giants. The Giants designated OF TJ Hopkins for assignment.

Lopez was designated for assignment by Toronto to create roster space for RHP Yariel Rodriguez. Lopez has had ten plate appearances in his MLB career so far, going six-for-10 (all singles) and spent most of his time at Triple-A Buffalo where has hit .297/.378/.415 in 391 plate appearances in 2022, but just .258/.313/.343 in 2023.

Lopez has played second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions in his career, but does not hit for power and is another right-handed bat on a team that is short on lefty hitters.

Hopkins was let go by the Giants. He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2023, going 7-for-41 (all singles) with a pair of walks and 17 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. He was drafted by the Reds in 2019 and hit .308/.411/.514 in his first full season in Triple-A. He was designated for assignment by Cincinnati in December and acquired by the Giants for cash shortly thereafter. Hopkins has generally played left field but also has some experience in right field and at centre field.

 

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Finally some good news. Rob Manfred spoke with the media today and advised that he will not seek an extension to his tenure as MLB commissioner, which is set to expire in January 2029. **** off you ****ing snake.

 

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Despite pitchers like LHP Blake Snell and LHP Jordan Montgomery being free agents into the start of Spring Training, it appears that some teams are looking to trade for pitchers to bolster their rotation. Once such team would appear to be the Orioles, who are reportedly interested in acquiring LHP Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins despite having already traded for RHP Corbin Burnes recently. This motivation might come about from the fact that RHP Kyle Bradish has been diagnosed with a sprain of his UCL, which might require Tommy John surgery to repair

Luzardo probably headlines the Marlins' starting rotation, which also features Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers, while they also have some depth pieces. The Marlins are not necessarily looking to trade a starting pitcher, but they do have holes elsewhere in their roster which could be filled by trading from a position of relative strength (like the Marlins did last off-season when they swapped RHP Pablo Lopez with the Twins for 2B Luis Arraez).

Reportedly, the Marlins consider RHP Eury Perez to be untouchable, but have apparently engaged with the Orioles in trade talks concerning Luzardo, seeking to include catching prospect Samuel Basallo in the trade (which the Orioles reportedly rejected).

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article285397497.html

 

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The Atlanta Braves are reportedly not planning on platooning OF Jarred Kelenic, whom the Braves acquired in a trade from the Mariners earlier in the offseason. Kelenic has struggled against left handed pitching (he has hit .189/.255/.311 against lefty pitchers) but Atlanta's president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters at Spring Training that the Braves are leaning towards giving Kelenic bats every day rather than using him in a platoon role. Kelenic is a career .204/.283/.373 in 974 plate appearances at the MLB level, depsite hitting .297/.350/.564 in his first 180 plate appearances of the 2023 season.

 

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Arte Moreno, the owner of the Los Angeles Angels, told The Orange County Register that he no longer plans to sell the Angels and that the club's payroll will be lower in 2024 than in 2023. Moreno did leave the door open to accepting a crazy offer to buy the Angels, but apart from that unlikely scenario, it appears that Moreno will continue to own the Angels for the foreseeable future. That leaves open questions regarding the home ballpark of Angel Stadium up in the air. Moreno had previously been looking at buying the venue in order to develop the surrounding area but the Anaheim City Council voted against that in May 2022.

The Angels lost phenom Shohei Ohtani to the cross-town Dodgers in free agency and have mostly spent their free agent money on acquiring bullpen pitchers, signing Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis Garcia, Adam Cimber and Jose Cisnero. Despite these signings, the Angels' payroll sits at $173 million and their CBT number at $188 million, which is some $40 million below last year's opening day payroll of $212 million.

Angels owner Arte Moreno says he’s around ‘for the long term’

Moreno, 77, pulled the team off the market 13 months ago, and he said he isn’t currently planning to try to sell the team. He admitted to a decision to trim the payroll this season, but said he bel…

www.ocregister.com

 

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According to Jeff Passan, Australia's own RHP Liam Hendriks is reportedly weighing up multiple contract offers from a number of interested clubs. Hendriks is continuing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery and expects to return to action around the trade deadline. He had set a deadline to sign with a team of this week, and it appears that he will be set to continue rehabbing the injury on his own before signing with a club closer to the return date.

Hendriks turned 35 last week and is an against the odds success story. He was designated for assignment four times and placed on waivers without a public DFA on another occasion. He was also traded three times. In 2018, the A's designated Hendriks for the fourth and final time in his career and managed to get him through waivers unclaimed. At the time, Hendriks was a fairly low leverage reliever for Oakland between 2016 and 2018, but in 2019 he came back as a different pitcher. He stopped throwing his sinker and started throwing a 4SB that was faster by 1.5 mph in average velocity. Hendriks relied on a combination of the four-seam fastball and the slider to destroy batters.

Between 2019-2022 for the A's and White Sox, Hendriks pitched 239 innings with 114 saves, an overwhelming 38.8% strikeout rate and a walk rate of 5.1%. He was an All-Star three times, twice the AL Reliever of the Year and signed a three year, $54 million contract with the White Sox.

He started the 2023 season on the IL to deal with non-Hodgkins lymphoma that required chemotherapy to treat. He returned from that in May to start a rehab assignment and made his 2023 MLB debut on 29 May 2023, just four months after announcing his cancer. It was a feel-good story for the long-suffering White Sox fans amid a disastrous start for the White Sox, but he then went on the IL only two weeks after returning with inflammation in his pitching elbow. While it was initially thought it was only a minor issue, damage to his UCL was diagnosed and he underwent surgery in August.

 

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According to reports, the Philadelphia Phillies have opened discussions with RHP Zack Wheeler over an extension during Spring Training. Talks are in the early stages and there is no indication that a deal is close. Wheeler turns 34 in May and enters the final season of a five-year contract he signed as a free agent. Wheeler has pitched to a 3.06 ERA in his first four seasons in Philadelphia and was runner-up in the Cy Young in 2021.

Zack Wheeler is front and center at Phillies camp: How extension talks could unfold

The Phillies have initiated negotiations with Wheeler's agents. There are different potential paths to an agreement this spring.

theathletic.com

 

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The San Francisco Giants officially announced Jorge Soler's contract over the weekend. He is set to receive a $9 million signing bonus in addition to $7 million for 2024 and $13 million for each of 2025 and 2026. The Giants put RHP Austin Warren on the 60 day IL to create a roster spot for Soler.

 

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The Los Angeles Angels have claimed INF Livan Soto off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, according to announcements from both teams. The Angels put LHP Jose Quijada on the 60 day IL to open a roster spot for Soto. The Orioles had designated Soto for assignment to create a roster spot for infielder Diego Castillo on the 40-man roster.

The Orioles also designated Castillo for assignment to create a roster spot for LHP Matt Krook, whom the Orioles acquired from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. Krook had been designated for assignment by the Yankees to create roster space for INF Jordan Groshans.

 

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The Boston Red Sox have had had preliminary discussions with first baseman Triston Casas on a contract extension. Casas finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting last year and prior to the commencement of last season, expressed an interest in signing an extension that would keep him in Boston beyond his years of club control (which run through the 2028 season).

 

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Blake Snell remains unsigned as Spring Training gets underway, and it is reported that the Yankees continue to have "serious interest" in the southpaw, though they are currently waiting for his asking price (set by his agent Scott Boras of the Boras Corporation) to drop before they re-engage with him, having previously made an offer to Snell before signing RHP Marcus Stroman last month.

Why NL champion Diamondbacks think they'll be even better in 2024 | Nightengale's Notebook

After a surprise trip to the World Series last season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are embracing the expectations.

www.usatoday.com

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies have signed RHP Ricardo Pinto to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Pinto began his professional career with the Phillies back in 2012 and made his MLB for Philadelphia in the 2017 season, pitching 29 2/3 innings for a 7.89 ERA. Pinto was traded to the White Sox but did not make a return to the majors until he was with Tampa Bay in 2019. He went to the KBO for the 2020 season and was used as a starter for the first time since 2016. He was hit around in Korea, pitching to a 6.17 ERA in 30 starts, but signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers to return to the US in 2021. He has not pitched in the majors since 2019 and will be battling a number of other pitchers the Phillies have signed to establish himself as a depth option for the Phillies bullpen.

 

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The Kansas City Royals have swung a trade for RHP reliever John Schreiber with the Red Sox in exchange for RHP prospect David Sandlin. Schreiber has 143 1/3 innings in the MLB in his career, with a 27.4% strikeout rate, but is prone to giving up runs. His best season was 2022, where he pitched 2.22 ERA in 65 innings, and a 3.86 ERA over 46 2/3 innings in 2023. Schreiber is under control via arbitration through the end of the 2026 season.

Sandlin turns 23 next week and has a 3.41 ERA in 68 2/3 innings in the minor leagues. He was an 11th round selection in 2022 draft and had made only two appearances at the High-A level before being cut down by injury. ESPN ranked Sandlin the fifth best prospect in the Royals' farm system, while The Athletic ranked him the seventh best. Baseball America had him down the list at the 20th best.

 

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The Detroit Tigers have acquired LHP Blake Dickerson from the San Diego Padres in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus pool money. The Padres selected Dickerson with the 12th round draft selection in the 2023 draft out of Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia, and he signed for a bonus of $500,000 (the equivalent to that of a fourth round draft pick). Dickerson never pitched for the Padres at any level, meaning that his Tigers debut will be his professional debut. Despite the lack of pitching, he was ranked the 22nd prospect in the Padres farm system entering the 2024 campaign.

The Padres recover half of the bonus pool space the Padres forfeited by signing shortstop Xander Bogaerts last off-season.

 

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The San Francisco Giants have signed veteran infielder Pablo Sandoval to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. Sandoval has not played in the majors since 2021 and is looking to revive his career at the organisation where it started, after he made his debut for the Giants as a 17 year old in 2008 and winning three World Championships before leaving for the Red Sox via free agency ahead of the 2015 season. His time with the Red Sox was not successful and he re-signed with the Giants in July 2017 after the Red Sox designated Sandoval for assignment. He stuck with the Giants until late in the 2020 season mostly in a bench role, before signing for the Braves. The Braves traded Sandoval to the Guardians at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for Eddie Rosario and was immediately released following the trade.

Sandoval has mostly played in the Mexican League but also appeared in a professional game in Dubai.

Giants fan favorite Sandoval to join camp as non-roster invitee

Giants fan-favorite Pablo Sandoval will return to the organization as non-roster invitee in spring training.

www.nbcsportsbayarea.com