MLB Hot Stove 2023-2024

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According to the New York Post, the Blue Jays made Matt Chapman an offer to stay in Toronto before he signed with the Giants. According to the reports, the Blue Jays offered Chapman a two-year contract. It is assumed that the offer included an opt-out after the first year (or a player option, depending on the language used in the contract).

Alex Cora could follow in Craig Counsell’s $40 million footsteps

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is expected to hit the free-agent market after the year and is under a contract that currently pays him $3 million annually.

nypost.com

 

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The sale of the Orioles passed a significant milestone on Friday, with the MLB's ownership committee approving the sale to a consortium headed by hedge fund billionaire David Rubenstein. Rubenstein now requires approval from the eight-man executive council, and then at least 23 of the votes of the other owners to finalise the purchase of the Orioles from Peter Angelos.

Sources: O's sale takes first step toward approval

Major League Baseball's ownership committee voted to approve private-equity heavyweight David Rubenstein's purchase of the Orioles, sources told ESPN, the first step toward a sale that could be finalized by April.

www.espn.com

 

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The Seattle Mariners announced that RHP Jackson Kowar has been placed on the 60-day IL due to a torn right UCL. The Mariners GM, Justin Hollander, told reporters that Kowar is set to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, which will keep him off the mound until part-way through the 2025 season.

The Mariners signed RHP Ryne Stanek over the weekend to strengthen their bullpen. Stanek is due to make $4 million as a base salary with $2 million available in incentives. The contract is for the 2024 season only.

Stanek spent the last three seasons with the Houston Astros, serving as a setup man for closer Ryan Pressly. Stanek made 186 appearances for the Astros in that period, racking up 41 holds and three saves. Stanek pitched to a combined 2.90 ERA and struck out 27% of batters faced. He walked batters at a 12.2% rate. However, last season seemed to be his most ineffective season for some time, as he allowed his ERA to balloon to 4.09 and he struck out batters only at a 23.9% rate, just above the league-average rate of 23.6%.

Stanek has velocity under his belt, with an average fastball speed of 98.2mph in 2023, and he combines that fastball with a splitter and a slider. The Astros at one stage wanted him back, while Stanek also fielded interest from the Mets, Cubs and Red Sox. He will likely serve as the set-up man for Mariners' closer Andres Munoz.

The placement of Kowar on the IL opens a roster spot for Stanek.

 

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The Miami Marlins have signed RHP Mychal Givens to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Givens only pitched four big league innings for the Orioles in 2023, thanks mostly to a spate of injuries that included inflammation in his knee and inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Baltimore designated Givens for assignment and released him in August once he had returned from the 60-day IL, less than a year after signing him to a $5 million contract (comprising a $3 million base salary and a $2 million buyout on the Orioles' side of a mutual option). Prior to his lost 2023 season, Givens had pitched 461 2/3 innings for five different teams (including the Orioles) for a 3.47 ERA.

 

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RHP Lucas Giolito is set to undergo surgery this week on his pitching elbow in his right arm, according to reporters. It is not yet clear whether Giolito requires a full Tommy John surgery or a brace procedure. However, regardless of the nature of the procedure, he is set for an extended stint on the sidelines.

 

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Miami Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera is set to undergo an MRI on his pitching shoulder, according to his manager Skip Schumaker. Cabrera was scratched from his Spring Training start yesterday due to tightness in his right shoulder. Though it was indicated that the scratching was merely precautionary, the concern is sufficient that Cabrera has been sent for further assessment.

 

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The San Francisco Giants have requested unconditional release waivers on corner infielder J.D. Davis after he went unclaimed on outright waivers. Once Davis clears, he will become a free agent. Davis won an arbitration hearing over the Giants earlier in the offseason, which awarded him a $6.9 million salary. However, under the terms of the CBA between the owners and the MLBPA that amount is not fully guaranteed until the season commences. By releasing Davis now, the Giants can save approximately $5.8 million of that salary, since they would only owe him 30 days of termination pay (approximately $1.11 million). The catch is that the CBA provides that this applies only to players who have "failed to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability". Given that Davis hit .248/.325/.413 with 18 homeruns during the 2023 regular season and is batting .400 in Spring Training, it is likely that Davis would contest that this does not apply to him.

After signing Matt Chapman to a contract, the Giants offered Davis for trade but according to reports, no other club would agree to take on Davis' salary.

 

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The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with corner infielder Jason Vosler, who previously played with the Giants and Reds. After a hot start in Cincinnati (where Vosler hit three homeruns in his first 15 plate appearances), Vosler hit just .106/.160/.128 in the next 50 plate appearances. Vosler was designated for assignment by the Reds in April and outrighted him to Triple-A Louisville after he cleared waivers. Vosler did not return to the major leagues in 2023. In Triple-A, Vosler hit .240/.333/.482 with 20 homeruns in 363 plate appearances.

Mariners' Jason Vosler: Catches on with Seattle

Mariners' Jason Vosler: Catches on with Seattle

www.cbssports.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The NL Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, remains unemployed as we inch closer towards Opening Day. The AL Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, is set to undergo an MRI on his pitching elbow, according to manager Aaron Boone. Cole has reported problems recovering as well between throwing sessions. Cole will receive multiple opinions on the status of his elbow and it is not expected that the Yankees will announce a prognosis in the next couple of days. However, it is believed that the MRI is "precautionary" and there is not much concern about a potential long-term injury to Cole.

Gerrit Cole’s MRI deemed 'precautionary' as Yankees await results

The Yankees are awaiting results of an MRI on the right elbow of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, and might not be ready to announce a diagnosis until mid-week.

sny.tv

Interestingly, chatter has picked up that the Yankees have engaged with the White Sox about a possible Dylan Cease trade, while the White Sox have become linked to free agent RHP Michael Lorenzen. The two clubs previously have had discussions about a potential Cease trade, with the White Sox asking the Yankees to include top prospect outfielder Spencer Jones as part of the return for Cease, which the Yankees have apparently refused. It seems, however, that the White Sox have softened their stance on Jones being part of the return.

It appears that the Yankees are not interested in signing either of the two top remaining pitching free agents on the market, primarily due to a motivation that the cost of signing such pitchers would affect their luxury tax. Currently, the Yankees would pay a 110% luxury tax on any addition to the roster at this point. Signing Snell would cost the Yankees their second highest draft pick and $1 million in space from next year's international amateur free agency pool, since Snell rejected a qualifying offer from the Padres.

On the other hand, Cease earns $8 million in 2024 and is controllable through the end of the 2025 season through arbitration. He is coming off a down year with the White Sox, having put up an ERA of 4.58 in 177 innings pitched, with a slower fastball velocity in 2023 compared to 2022.

 

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From out of nowhere, the Padres have swooped on RHP Dylan Cease, with Jeff Passan tweeting that the Padres are finalising a trade that will lead to them acquiring Cease from the White Sox. The contents of the trade deal have not yet been confirmed.



Jon Heyman of the New York Post also has tweeted that Cease has been traded to the Padres.

 

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The Washington Nationals have annoucned that third baseman Carter Kieboom has cleared outright waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Rochester. There had not been any previous indication that the Nationals had removed Kieboom from their 40-man roster. Kieboom was the Nationals' first round pick in 2016, having been drafted 28th overall. He progressed well through the minors to the point that he was ranked the 15th overall prospect in 2020 by Baseball America, but his progress has stalled since then, including a stint on the extended injury list thanks to Tommy John surgery early in 2022. Kieboom returned to professional baseball in 2023 but started the season on the IL with a shoulder impingement and was optioned to the minors when reactivated in May. He then experienced some lat soreness. Kieboom played 27 MLB games for the Nationals in 2023, hitting .207/.266/.368.

Kieboom has been supplanted by Nick Senzel whom the Nationals signed to be their everyday third baseman. Kieboom will remain with the Nationals as a non-rostered player for the time being. Playhers with three years of MLB service time have the right to reject an outright assignment, but Kieboom falls short of that threshold, as he has two years and 168 days of service time. Unfortunately for Kieboom, the year rolls over at 172 days, so he is four days short of enjoying that right.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

According to the New York Post, RHP Gerrit Cole is expected to miss the first month or two of the season due to an elbow injury. Cole underwent an MRI earlier in the week after experiencing difficulty recovering between spring starts and throwing sessions. The Yankees are yet to formally confirm the amount of time Cole is expected to miss, but it appears that Cole has not torn a ligament in his elbow though there is some inflammation and swelling around the elbow ligaments. Cole's MRI has been reviewed by multiple doctors, including renowned surgeon Dr Neal ElAttrache, who suggested that Cole come and see him personally.

Gerrit Cole to miss at least 1 to 2 months as Yankees ace visits noted surgeon

Word is that the defending AL Cy Young Award winner will be out for an “extended period,” although for now, the hope and belief is that Cole has a chance to return sometime in May or early June.…

nypost.com

 

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[Dixie Flatline]

Jon Morosi is reporting that Drew Thorpe and Jairo Irarte are among the players being sent to Chicago by the Padres as part of the package for RHP Dylan Cease.





Padres' beat reporter Dennis Lin also reporting that the Padres are trading Steven Wilson to the White Sox as part of the return for Cease.

 

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Bad news for the Brewers and closer Devin Williams. He has been diagnosed with stress fractures in his back and is set to miss approximately three months. Williams pitched through back soreness in September 2023, and it came back in Spring Training.

According to Passan, Williams visited a back specialist overnight and he was diagnosed with fractures on both sides of Williams' T12 vertebra. Williams will be shut down for six weeks and rehab for a further six. He is expected to make a full recovery.

 

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The Chicago White SOx have announced the trade of RHP Dylan Cease to the Padres. In exchange for Cease, the White Sox have acquired RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Jairo Iriate, RHP Steven Wilson and OF Samuel Zavala. Thorpe, Iriate and Zavala were all rated in the top ten prospects in the Padres' farm system.

The White Sox further announced that to make room on the 40-man roster, the White Sox have designated OF Peyton Burdick for assignment.

 

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The Padres have also announced their acquisition of Cease.

 

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According to reports, Cease has not travelled to San Diego in time to catch the team flight to Seoul that leaves today, but is expected to make his own way to Seoul and link up with his new team. The Padres and Dodgers start a series in Seoul that precedes Opening Day back in the States.



In the latest instalment of lets all point and laugh at the Yankees, it appears that the Yankees were still attempting to acquire Cease from the White Sox up to 24 hours before the White Sox traded him to the Padres.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

It is expected that reigning AL Cy Young award winner, RHP Gerrit Cole will not require surgery to rectify problems with his pitching elbow, according to reports. Instead, Cole will opt for a treatment program of rest and non-surgical rehabilitation to try to correct the problems in his elbow. The amount of time Cole is expected to miss varies depending on which report you read. One report suggests that Cole will miss between 1-2 months, while another report suggests that Cole could miss up to 10-12 weeks.

Gerrit Cole can avoid Tommy John surgery in Yankees’ sigh of relief

After Gerrit Cole visited with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Thursday, the belief for now is he can avoid Tommy John surgery, The Post has learned.

nypost.com

 

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The Atlanta Braves announced overnight that they have signed veteran OF Adam Duvall to a one-year, $3 million contract. Although the 40-man roster had vacancies, the Braves have decided to release OF Jordan Luplow to pursue other opportunities. Luplow was in the Braves' camp as a non-roster player after signing a minor league contract with the Braves in January. He had been competing for a bench role on the active roster, but that will now be given to Duvall, who is familiar with the Braves' organisation, having previously played for Atlanta.

Luplow has had a strong Spring, hitting .280/.379/.560 in 29 plate appearances, including two home runs and a double in his seven hits. He last played in the Show in 2023, hitting .208/.322/.325 between the Blue Jays and Twins in 39 games last year.



Duvall returns to the Braves on a one-year, $3 million contract. Duvall is set to split time in left field with left handed Jarred Kelenic, whom the Braves acquired from the Mariners in the off-season.

Duvall has played with five teams in his MLB career, but has spent the most time with the Braves compared the other four clubs with whom he has played. In parts of five prior seasons with the Braves, Duvall has hit .224/.285/.464, which suggests a lot of strikeouts and low batting averages, but plus power. He also has generally been rated as plus defensive grades in the outfield corners.

 

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The Oakland Athletics have signed former Giant and Met J.D. Davis to a one year, $2.5 million contract, with an additional $1 million in performance bonuses. Davis was released by the Giants last week after they signed former Oakland third baseman Matt Chapman. The guaranteed portion of Davis' salary will bring his earnings up to approximately $3.6 million for the season, compared to the salary he was awarded through arbitration of $6.9 million. Davis was paid $1.1 million by the Giants as termination pay when he was released.

The Athletics beat out Davis' former team the Mets to signing Davis after the A's promised Davis the opportunity to play regular baseball at third base while the Mets could not offer him such guarantee. The A's were slated to start either Abraham Toro or rookie Darell Hernaiz at third base. Toro is a career .211/.282/.354 hitter who spent the 2023 season in Triple-A as part of the Brewers' organisation. Hernaiz was acquired by the A's last season from Baltimore and is a highly regarded prospect but is also untested at the major league level.

Davis, 31 in April, has been an above average hitter in each of the last five seasons. In 2023, he hit .248/.325/.413 with the Giants, including 18 home runs. Davis is slated to reach free agency at the end of the season again and is likely to either be the second or third most coveted third baseman on the market, behind Houston's Alex Bregman and possibly Matt Chapman (depending on whether Chapman decides to opt out of his contract with the Giants).

Davis is yet another former Giant to link up with the A's this off-season, joining Ross Stripling, Alex Wood and Scott Alexander as players who have crossed the bridge to play in Oakland.





The A's announced the signing of Davis and announced that they had designated Angel Felipe for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Davis.





Felipe will be sidelined by rehab from Tommy John surgery for the entirety of the 2024 season after making his debut for the A's in 2023. Felipe was very wild on the mound, striking out 19 but also giving up 13 walks in 15 innings pitched (across 14 appearances). Felipe allowed only six hits, but the 19 walks and hits combined saw him gave up seven earned runs. By not placing Felipe on the IL, the A's save money that they would have spent on his salary, which is right in line for the modus operandi of the nepo baby.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed centre fielder Michael A. Taylor on a one-year, $4 million contract. To create a roster spot for Taylor, the Pirates have putt RHP Dauri Moreta on the 60-day IL after Moreta suffered a ligament injury in his elbow that will sideline him indefinitely.

Taylor is a 10-year veteran of the Show, having made his MLB debut back in 2014. He is an experienced defensive centre fielder, being credited with 72 Defensive Runs Saved, 55 Outs Above Average and a grade of 41.1 from Ultimate Zone Rating, which puts him in the top 11 among outfielders in that span. Taylor most recently played with the Twins, where he bopped 21 homeruns but struck out 33.5% of the time and walked just 6.7% of the time. That led to a batting line of .220/.278/.442, which equates to a wRC+ of 96. Despite the less than average hitting, he stole 13 bases and provided quality defence, which pegged him at 1.7 WAR by FanGraphs and 1.9 WAR by Baseball Reference.



The Pirates also announced that they have signed former Yankee pitcher, Domingo German to a minor league contract, with an invitation to Spring Training. According to reports, if German makes the active roster out of Spring Training, he will earn $1.25 million. The Pirates would also hold a club option worth $2.25 million for 2025. There are performance bonuses available in both seasons for German.

German pitched a perfect game against the hapless Oakland Athletics in June 2023 which was the 24th perfect game in MLB history and the first since Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game in 2012. However, in August, the Yankees announced that they were putting him on the restricted list so that he could report to an inpatient treatment facility for alcohol abuse. Reports emerged of a drunk German arguing with teammates and coaches in the clubhouse. The Yankees released German at the end of the season.

Behind staff ace Mitch Keller, there are plenty of question marks in the starting rotation for the Pirates, especially after the Pirates decided to send their 2023 no. 1 draft pick RHP Paul Skenes back to the minors during Spring Training. The Pirates have assembled a number of veterans on non-roster invitations to see who might stick with the organisation after Spring Training, including Eric Lauer, Chase Anderson, Wily Peralta and Michael Plassmeyer, while veteran pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger are both available as free agents.

 

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According to reports, the San Diego Padres are in discussions with free agent OF Tommy Pham over a contract, likely to be one year in duration and worth between $3 million and $4 million. The Padres could be competing against the White Sox to sign Pham. Pham played for the Padres in 2020-2021 and is open to a reunion.

For ESPN announcers on MLB's Korea series, pandemic memories come flooding back

The memories of the pandemic will come flooding back this week for ESPN's crew with the Dodgers-Padres season-opener from South Korea.

www.usatoday.com

 

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The Houston Astros had been linked with a serious pursuit of LHP Blake Snell over the weekend, but it seems that they remain long shots to sign Snell. According to reports, the Astros are not interested in signing Snell at his reported contract demands of $60 million guaranteed over two years with an opt-out after the 2024 season. According to calculations, the Astros will have an Opening Day payroll of $240 million which reaches nearly $256 million for luxury tax purposes. If the Astros signed Snell at his demanded salary, then they would risk exceeding the third luxury tax threshold of $277 million. While the first two brackets of luxury tax come with only financial considerations, should a club exceed the third level, their highest pick in the draft is pushed back 10 spots and their bonus pool for signing international free agents is reduced.

However, the Astros' starting rotation is plagued by uncertainty at the moment. Presumptive starters Lance McCullers Jr and Luis Garcia are set to miss a fair chunk of the 2024 season while Justin Verlander is under some doubt after he suffered delayed soreness in his pitching shoulder. Back of the rotation pitcher Jose Urquidy is reportedly dealing with forearm stiffness and has met with doctors to discuss the concerns. Accordingly, only Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier are currently reliable starters, with the Astros having to cobble together a rotation from depth options such as Hunter Brown, J.P. France and Ronel Blanco.

For ESPN announcers on MLB's Korea series, pandemic memories come flooding back

The memories of the pandemic will come flooding back this week for ESPN's crew with the Dodgers-Padres season-opener from South Korea.

www.usatoday.com

 

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Regular season begins tomorrow night between the Padres and Dodgers in Seoul, live on Kayo.