MLB Hot Stove 2023-2024

[Dixie Flatline]

The Atlanta Braves have added INF Andrew Velazquez and LHP Ben Bowden to their organisation on minor league contracts over the weekend. Velazquez returns to the organisation after he elected free agency following his release from the Braves at the start of November. The Braves claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels in early September, but he played entirely at Triple-A level last season and is looking for his MLB debut with the Braves, although he probably moves up a spot on the depth chart after the Braves traded Nicky Lopez to the White Sox. Velazquez has experience of the major leagues with appearances in six seasons, with the bulk of his appearances coming with the Angels in 2022.

Ben Bowden has pitched 35 2/3 innings of relief (39 games played) for the Rockies back in 2021, after being drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 2016 draft. He was designated for assignment by the Rockies in April 2022 and has had a nomadic career since then, being part of the Rays, the Phillies, the Giants and now the Braves.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Most minor league contracts are only for a year, so it is a little unusual that the Red Sox have signed RHP Wyatt Mills to a two-year minor league contract. The length of the contract is due to the fact that Mills will likely to miss all of the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last July. Mills has pitched 42 innings in the major leagues, all for the Mariners and Royals in the 2021-2022 seasons, for a career 6.21 ERA.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Los Angeles Angels have signed INF Charles Leblanc to a minor league contract, and it is unclear whether Leblanc will be invited to Spring Training. Leblanc was a fourth round draft selection by the Rangers back in 2016. He never made it to the bigs with the Rangers and signed with the Marlins on a minor league deal prior to the 2022 season. He was called up by the Marlins just before the trade deadline in 2022. He mostly played second base with the Fish, though has some innings at first and third base. He hit .263/.320/.404 in 169 plate appearances. He was designated for assignment by Miami in January 2023 to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Jean Segura. He cleared outright waivers and stayed with the Marlins in their minor league farm system for the 2023 campaign, at Triple-A level.

Transactions

The Official Site of Major League Baseball

www.mlb.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Mariners have added first baseman Rangel Ravelo on a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. He was a sixth round selection of the White Sox back in the 2010 draft, and did not make his major league debut until 2019 with the Cardinals. He hit .189/.250/.351 in 84 plate appearances in 2019-2020. Ravelo has spent some time in Japan, before returning to the US with the Padres at the start of the 2023 season. However, before he could see some time in the majors with the Padres, he was put on the IL near the end of June and spent the remainder of the season on the IL.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the big fish in the free agent pitching pool, and some detail has emerged over the weekend about how he and his agent intend to approach the negotiations with MLB clubs. According to reports, the first stage will be a round of phone calls and Zoom meetings with all of the interested teams. He is then expected to travel to the US to meet in-person with the shortlisted clubs in order to hold further negotiations. The timeline for the in-person meetings is after the Winter Meetings (scheduled to run from 4-7 December). Yamamoto has until 4 January 2024 to sign a contract with an MLB club, but it is expected that negotiations will conclude earlier than that.

New details on how Yankees, Mets target Yoshinobu Yamamoto will choose an MLB team

Now that he's posted, here's how and when NPB star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will meet with MLB teams.

www.sny.tv

 

[Dixie Flatline]

RHP Yariel Rodriguez has held a private workout for interested teams after he was declared a free agent by the MLB following his release from his NPB team, the Chunichi Dragons in October. Rodriguez was a reliever for the Dragons in three seasons, pitching 175 1/3 innings of relief for a 3.03 ERA and a 25.4% strikeout rate. The Red Sox and Padres were in attendance at the private workout.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Cleveland Guardians, now under the management of first-time skipper Stephen Vogt, has added former Giants bench coach and interim manager Kai Correa, to an unspecified role in the organisation. Correa was the bench coach and infield coordinator for the Giants under former manager Gabe Kapler, and took over management of the Giants on an interim basis once Kapler was fired by the Giants late in the season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

It appears that the Phillies fended off significant interest from the Dodgers and Braves to re-sign Aaron Nola for seven years and $172 million. According to reports, it appears that the Dodgers had floated the amount of $165 million to Nola, though it is not clear whether this represented a formal offer or was just offered in discussions with Nola's representatives. The Braves made a starting off of six years and $162 million. It also appears that a third, unnamed club, actually offered Nola more than the Phillies.

How the Phillies closed the seven-year, $172 million megadeal with Aaron Nola

In Aaron Nola, the Phillies once again landed their top free agent — something that's become common in recent years. But it wasn’t without competition from the Braves, Dodgers, and more.

www.inquirer.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

According to reporters, the Chicago Cubs have signed a contract with LHP Edwin Escobar. The details of the deal have not been made public, although Escobar has updated his own social media to reflect the fact he is now part of the Cubs. Escobar was a top-100 prospect prior to the 2014 season. After making his professional debut in the Rangers, he spent several years with the Giants before being traded to the Red Sox in exchange for Jake Peavy. Escobar made his MLB debut for the Red Sox after the 2014 trade deadline, before bouncing down to the Diamondbacks in 2016. Escobar has spent several years in Japan and will come back to the US for the first time since 2016.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

It appears that negotiations between RHP Kenta Maeda and the Detroit Tigers have "intensified in recent days" according to Jon Morosi, though notably since this tweet was published, there has been no further update on whether Maeda will indeed sign with the Tigers.



Edited to add: The Tigers and Maeda have agreed to a two-year contract, according to numerous reports. In particular, Jeff Passan has reported that Maeda will earn $24 million in guaranteed money. The deal will become official tonight (Australian time) once Maeda passes a physical.

Detroit Tigers sign right-hander Kenta Maeda to two-year, $24 million contract

The Detroit Tigers have added to their starting rotation by signing Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda, a seven-year MLB veteran, to a contract.

www.freep.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tigers have also re-signed RHP Garrett Hill to a minor league contract last week. He was non-tendered by the Tigers to open space on their 40-man roster. Hill was a 26th round selection in the 2018 draft, and made his MLB debut in 2022 (on 4 July, no less). Hill started his first eight MLB games before being moved into the bullpen for the remainder of 2022, resulting in an ERA of 4.03 over 60 1/3 innings pitched. However, he was hit hard by batters in 2023, giving up a 9.19 ERA over 15 2/3 innings in relief in 2023 for the Tigers, a trend that continued once he was demoted to Triple-A (6.02 ERA in 46 1/3 innings).

Garrett Hill Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News

Garrett Hill Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News

www.mlb.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The St Louis Cardinals have secured Sonny Gray in a significant boost to their starting rotation. The former Athletic, Yankee, Red and Twin has signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals, with a club option for 2027. The value of the option has not been made public at this point in time. The three year deal is reportedly worth $75 million. Gray was light's out for the Twins this season, finishing runner-up in the AL Cy Young race behind winner Gerrit Cole and earning a third All-Star appearance. Gray pitched a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. The deal is Gray's first foray into free agency after 11 years in the majors.

For their part, the Twins lose a cornerstone of their rotation but will gain a compensatory pick that will fall between the first and second rounds in the draft from the MLB for losing Gray after they extended him a qualifying offer (which he quickly rejected). The Cardinals will also lose their second-highest pick in the 2024 draft, and $500,000 in international bonus pool space. Those losses will be more than offset (the Cardinals hope) by the stability that Gray should bring to their starting rotation.

It seems likely that the Cardinals beat out interest from the Braves, who were hoping to lure Gray close to home (Gray grew up in Tennessee), and it seems that the Braves have now been beaten to the punch on two free agent starting pitchers, with Aaron Nola apparently spurning the Braves in favour of re-signing with the Phillies, while Gray has now agreed to sign with the Cardinals over the Braves.

Gray joins Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson as new faces in the starting rotation for the Cardinals, and they may not necessarily be done, as they have been linked with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and former Cardinal Jordan Montgomery in recent times.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Diamondbacks have signed LHP Jose Castillo to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league Spring Training. Castillo has spent most of his career with the Padres, having first appeared in the majors back in 2018 as a 22 year old pitching in relief. He only made one big league appearance in 2019 due to a torn ligament in his hand. He missed the 2020 season due to a lat strain and then Tommy John surgery kept him out of the 2021 season and most of 2022. He started 2023 on the IL thanks to a shoulder strain, and only made one appearance in the majors in the most recent season. The Padres designated Castillo for assignment in July and was traded to the Marlins for cash considerations. He was passed through waivers at the end of August and didn't get his roster spot back by the end of the season, leading him to hit free agency.

Although the Diamondbacks claimed the NL pennant and lost to the Rangers in the World Series, they will be interested in acquiring additional pitching depth, especially left handed pitching depth, with the Diamondbacks having to rely on the rookie Andrew Saalfrank to be their primary left handed pitcher in the playoffs. Castillo's history doesn't suggest that he's going to break out any time soon, but it's a cheap, low risk flier on a pitcher who does have some major league experience under his belt.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Miami Marlins have claimed RHP Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, after he was designated for assignment by Seattle to make room for Seby Zavala and Carlos Vargas, who were acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. The Marlins' roster is now up to 38 players.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

One of the teams that fell short in the chase to sign Sonny Gray, the Cincinnati Reds, are expected to pivot to the thought of trading with the Rays for their ace Tyler Glasnow, who is due $25 million this year thanks to a reasonably complicated contract structure Glasnow signed with the Rays.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Nippon-Ham Fighters of the NPB have posted RHP Naoyuki Uwasawa for major league teams, honouring the wishes of the pitcher that he made public earlier this year. Shota Imanaga was also formally posted today. Both Uwasawa and Imanaga have 45 days to conclude a contract with an MLB team.

Uwasawa turns 30 in January, and pitched 170 innings of 2.96 ERA in the NPB in the most recent season. Uwasawa is not a big strikeout guy (career rate of 19.7% and a 17.8% strikeout rate in the most recent season), which may put a dampener on his market in the MLB, while his fastball averages a tick under 91 mph, which is below average for RHP pitchers in the major leagues (the average fastball velocity of right handed pitchers in 2023 was 94.2 mph).

In his NPB career, Uwasawa has pitched 1118 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA with a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. He was an NPB All-Star in 2021 and 2023.



The Yokohama BayStars also kickstarted the process for Imanaga to join an MLB team by formally posting him overnight (Australian time). Imanaga turned 30 in September and pitched 148 innings of 2.80 ERA ball with the BayStars in 2023, with a 29.5% strikeout rate and a 3.8% walk rate. Since 2019, Imanaga has managed 2.79 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate and a 5.9% walk rate. Imanaga averages approximately 93 mph on his fastball, and will bring a splitter, curveball and a cutter/slider with him.

Baseball: Japanese lefty Imanaga posted for MLB move

Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga has been posted by the DeNA BayStars for negotiations with major league teams, according to the Yokohama-based club.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to re-sign OF Jason Heyward on a 1-year, $9 million contract, pending the completion of a physical. After a mediocre run with the Cubs, Heyward signed with the Dodgers last off-season and had a bounceback season, hitting .269/.340/.473 with 15 homeruns and 23 doubles in 377 plate appearances. The Dodgers tried to keep him from facing left handed pitching as much as possible, with 7.4% of his plate appearances in 2023 coming against left handed pitching. The Dodgers played Heyward in right field but also managed 120 innings in centre field. He was +3 on Defensive Runs Saved and +6 on Outs Above Average for his work in the field last season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a minor league contract with RHP reliever Jose Ruiz, with an invitation to Spring Training. Ruiz spent the 2023 season with the White Sox and the Diamondbacks.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Free agent RHP Robert Stephenson is drawing interest from several clubs, including the Dodgers, Cubs and Angels, together with some unnamed clubs. Stephenson was traded from the Pirates to the Rays in early June and changed his pitch mix (ditching his slider in favour of a cutter) with excellent results. He made 42 appearances for the Rays after being traded, with an ERA of 2.35 in 38 1/3 innings, with an unsustainable 42.9% strikeout rate and a walk rate of 5.7%.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

As noted above, the Braves have missed out on their top two free agent pitcher targets in Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray. Their attention now seems to be turning towards a potential trade for a topline starter, with reports linking the Braves with a possible trade for the White Sox's RHP Dylan Cease. Cease was runner up in the AL Cy Young in 2022, but had a down year in 2023, with an ERA of 4.58 in 177 innings, a diminished fastball and a lesser strikeout rate compared to his 2022 season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Milwaukee Brewers are in discussions with top outfield prospect Jackson Chourio on an extension, despite Chourio having no major league experience. Chourio only turns 20 in March, but has put himself at the forefront of prospect lists thanks to his all-round game. He spent most of 2023 in Double A, playing 122 games with 22 home runs, and 43 stolen bases. He hit .280/.336/.467. He was promoted to Triple-A by the Brewers late in the season, playing in six games at that level.

Chourio is commonly rated the second overall prospect in the game, behind Jackson Holliday.

Rosenthal: Brewers discussing deal with top prospect Jackson Chourio that could influence team's direction

The deal for Chourio would establish a new standard for players with zero major-league experience who already were under team control.

theathletic.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

There had been some reports that the Blue Jays were considering a potential trade of Bo Bichette during the off-season, but it appears that Toronto are less likely to deal Bichette than initially thought. The Jays have been taking calls from other teams about the availability and cost of Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Jays are looking to replace a number of free agents, including third baseman Matt Chapman, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Belt and Kevin Miermaier, so the Jays would need to have a decent return at least in order to entertain a potential trade of either Bichette or Guerrero Jr.

Indeed, the Jays are known to be one of the clubs interested in acquiring Shohei Ohtani, while they are also interested in reuniting with Matt Chapman, notwithstanding the former Oakland Athletic turned down an extension offer from the Blue Jays during the season.

Rosenthal: What's behind the trade talks with Juan Soto, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman

Anything can happen at this time of year and teams are asking, but which conversations are actually progressing.

theathletic.com

Blue Jays Notebook: How could teams get creative in recruiting Ohtani?

By all accounts, Shohei Ohtani's priority is winning, so selling the free agent on your vision will be essential. But there may also be other, more creative, ways to get Ohtani’s attention

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tigers have officially announced the signing of Kenta Maeda. He will make $14 million in 2024 and $10 million in 2025.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Houston Astros are promoting Omar Lopez to bench coach, replacing Joe Espada's promotion to manager of the Astros to replace the retired Dusty Baker. Lopez had a very brief minor league playing career and then began as a scout in his early 20s. By 2009, he was named as manager of one of the organisation's rookie ball affiliates, and has managed at various levels of the farm system for the next 11 seasons, topping out at Double-A Corpus Christi at 2019. He was promoted onto the major league coaching team in 2020 as first base coach, under A.J. Hinch, and was kept in that role when Baker was hired to replace Hinch.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Brewers have signed RHP Easton McGee and OF Brewer Hicklen to minor league contracts, with invitations to Spring Training. McGee underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023. He signed for two years, suggesting that the Brewers do not expect him to pitch much, if at all, during the 2024 season.