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Via a tweet from Jeff Passan, the Pirates are extending P Mitch Keller 5 years.
Keller is in his 6th year in the MLB and is 26-38 with a 4.71 ERA. The reported contract numbers are 5 years, $77 Million in total dollars. He is sure to be a big piece of the Pirates rebuild and hopefully move towards the postseason in the coming years.
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It has been rumored, but not is has been confirmed, SS Tim Anderson and the Marlins have agreed to a 1-year deal worth $5 Million.
Anderson will be the Marlins starting SS, a position they need some stability...badly. Jesse Rogers confirmed the signing on Twitter. Joey Votto, the longtime first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, now finds himself in unfamiliar territory as a free agent after dedicating his entire career to the team. The Reds declined their $20 million option for his services in 2024, instead opting for a $7 million buyout, which marks the first time he has hit the open market in his illustrious career12.
While Votto hopes to continue playing this year, it appears likely that he’ll need to don a new uniform to do so. Nick Krall, Cincinnati’s president of baseball operations, was unusually forthcoming last month, stating firmly that the Reds “don’t plan to bring him back as of now" Despite being a free agent, Votto has attracted interest from teams like the Blue Jays and Angels this offseason, although he remains unsigned. Whether he secures a new playing opportunity or not, it seems he has promising future job prospects. Krall expressed that the club would welcome Votto back in some capacity for a post-playing role. The exact nature of that role would likely be determined in the future, with possibilities such as a mentor, coach, or special assistant being floated. Given Votto’s franchise icon status, the Reds value his contributions both on and off the field. Having played parts of 17 seasons with them, Votto boasts an impressive resume, including winning the National League MVP in 2010 and making six All-Star teams. “I’ve left the door open for that,” Krall said. “I’d love to have Joey in the organization, once his playing days are over. He’s a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer. He’s very well respected in the organization, and we all love him.” The exact nature of that role would likely be determined in the future, with the article floating possibilities such as a mentor, coach, special assistant, etc. Votto has a huge impact on the younger Reds players and this would be a huge benefit to the club. We reported earlier this week that former Blue Jays Pitcher Hyun-Jim Ryu was going to sign a contract with the Hanwha Eagles from the KBO.
That happened, but the contract is different than originally thought. It is an 8-year 17 billion won ($12.8 Million) deal. 8 years. Much longer than originally reported (4). The Brewers announced on Twitter they have officially signed Gary Sanchez to a 1-year contract worth $3 Million, with a mutual option for 2025.
Sanchez is in his 10th MLB Season, while playing for the Yankees, Twins, Blue Jays and Padres before signing with the Brewers. He has 173 HR and 448 RBI with an average of .225. Via a tweet by Robert Murray, Derek Law has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Nationals.
The contract includes an invite to Spring Training, will pay $1.5 Million and include $500K in incentives. Law just completed his 7th year in the MLB, where he has played for the Giants, Blue Jays, Tigers and Reds. He was in 54 games last year with Cincy and finished with a 4-6 record and 3.60 ERA. It had been rumored, but the Brewers made it official - they have re-signed Pitcher Brandon Woodruff to a 2-year deal, reportedly $2.5 Million in 2024, and $5 Million in 2025, which is backloaded to total $17.5 Million. There is also a mutual option for 2026.
Woodruff is already on the 60-day IL as he works to works his way back from shoulder issues he had in 2023, which required surgery in October. The 31 year old is 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA through his first 7 MLB seasons, which have all been with Milwaukee. New York Mets right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga encountered arm fatigue following a side session during spring training, prompting an evaluation by the team's trainers, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed on Wednesday. "We'll see [about an MRI]," Mendoza said. "We've got to get with the trainers. ... I've got to get more information. But he got on the mound yesterday and today he came in and just overall arm fatigue." New York is relying on Kodai Senga to anchor its rotation after his impressive rookie season. Alongside Senga, the Mets have strengthened their pitching staff by adding right-hander Luis Severino, left-hander Sean Manaea, and right-hander Adrian Houser through offseason signings and trades. Senga, a 31-year-old right-hander, signed a significant $75 million, five-year contract with New York in December 2022. His stellar performance last season included a 12-7 record with an impressive 2.98 ERA across 29 starts1. The Mets are hoping to rebound after finishing fourth in the NL East in 2023, and Senga will be a big part of their success...or lackthereof. Via tweets from Jon Morosi & Ken Rosenthal, Miami has offered a contract to former batting champ Tim Anderson to be their everyday SS.
At 30 years old Anderson has played SS his entire career, except during the WBC where he played 2nd. Anderson boasts a strong track record, hitting .318 with a 123 wRC+ from 2019 to 2022, and at only 30 years old, he remains a compelling candidate for a bounce-back season. Currently, the Marlins have Jon Berti slated as their starting shortstop, with trade acquisitions Nick Gordon and Vidal Bruján also capable of filling the position. However, Anderson isn’t the sole infielder the Marlins are considering in free agency, according to Rosenthal's report. They are also engaged in discussions with Adalberto Mondesi for the shortstop role and Gio Urshela for potential roles at first base, third base, and designated hitter. "I don't want to leave," the 27-year-old infielder Gleyer Torres said Wednesday. "I want to be a Yankee for life."
With a one-year, $14.2 million contract, Torres is poised to hit free agency following the World Series. Despite his eligibility, there have been no talks regarding a long-term deal, a stance he comprehends. This reluctance may stem from the team's experience with two prominent players who failed to meet expectations: Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks. Severino secured a deal in February 2019 worth $52.25 million over five seasons, but his performance was limited to 40 starts and five relief appearances, resulting in a 13-12 record with a 4.47 ERA. Similarly, Hicks signed a contract in the same month, spanning seven years and totaling $70 million from 2019 to 2025. However, he faced numerous injuries and posted a .218 batting average with 31 home runs and 145 RBIs across 303 games before being released in May We know what's happened in the past, and I don't blame them. That's the business," Torres said. "So if I [have] a really good year and put [up] really good numbers, I think we can get a conversation, for sure." "I can't lie," Torres said. "I just think sometimes maybe that I'm starting my last year here because I don't know what's the business plan next year. But, man, it's just like, motivate myself. Like I always say, we play for another team sometimes, and it's a business." Mets SS Francisco Lindor emphasized the importance of self-awareness for players in such situations his teammate and All-Star 1B Pete Alonso is in, with a possible upcoming Free Agent year, stating, "From a player standpoint, you gotta understand who you are." He fexplained to Robert Sanchez of SNY, "I think that’s the most important thing. Understanding who you are and how you perform thinking about [contract] numbers. If you don’t perform [well] thinking about numbers then you should try and get [a deal] done in the offseason, at the beginning of spring training and then don’t worry about it the rest of the season. But if you can talk about numbers and you can talk about the future while you’re in the thick of it, then sure, go ahead and play through it and talk about money in the middle of the year. That shouldn’t be a problem." "However, I think Pete is in a unique situation because, first of all, not everybody gets to go through this process," Lindor continued. "Second, in a way, he can control his own destiny, and that’s beautiful. If he doesn’t sign now, he’s going to get an opportunity in free agency again with the Mets. Nimmo did it, and there’s other players that have done it as well." In a pretty cool turn from the playing field to the media world, Veteran 1B Eric Hosmer has announced he is stepping away from playing baseball and moving into the world of reporting/talking baseball.
The Diggin' Deep Podcast has been launched and is on YouTube. Hosmer, 34, played 13 seasons for San Diego, Toronto, Boston and the Cubs. He finishes with a .276 average, 198 HR and 893 RBI. One of the biggest pieces, if not the biggest, piece of the Yankees lineup shared some interesting comments about the injury that affected his 2023 season, and might linger for the rest of his career.
"Anything with injuries like that, you’ve just got to stay on top of it so it doesn’t flare up again or something doesn’t happen again," Judge explained while speaking with reporters, as shared by Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "So we’re feeling good right now. We’re out there, we’re moving, we’re grooving. We’re gonna try to keep it that way." "Well, I keep getting hurt in right field, so that’s why I think they moved me to center field so I don’t get hurt over there," Judge said on Tuesday. "There’s definitely a gear, I think it’s just about playing smarter, understanding the field, understanding the dimensions. In that case (at Dodger Stadium), I thought I had one extra step, and I didn’t in that situation. That always goes back on me. I gotta be a little smarter there. Just like this year, gotta play smart. I don’t think there’ll be any cement bottoms of walls in center field hopefully." Following the Yankees' acquisition of All-Star outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in December, multiple knowledgeable individuals cautioned the 6-foot-7 Judge against making a permanent switch to center field. Nevertheless, the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player is slated to start the 2024 season in center field. Despite Opening Day being a month away, Judge managed to find humor in the situation, making light of the topic. Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers didn't hold back when addressing reporters on Tuesday, openly criticizing the team's roster construction during his media session.
When asked about his thoughts on the organization's lack of spending in the offseason, despite prior indications of being big spenders, Devers didn't mince words. "They [ownership] need to make changes to put us players in a better position to win," Devers asserted, conveying his message through an interpreter [via The Athletic]. "Everyone in this organization shares the desire to win, and as players, we're determined to win. I believe adjustments need to be made to support our collective goal of winning." “Everybody knows what we need. You know what we need and they know what we need. It’s just some things I can’t say. I'm not allowed.” It looks like we get to see all the new additions to the Dodgers right out of the gate.
Ohtani looks solid in the cage, and looks like he is on track to be Opening Day DH. We also expect to see the newest pitching additions as well. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced on Tuesday that Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are currently slated to start the two-game Seoul Series against the division-rival San Diego Padres on March 20-21. Roberts emphasized that while it's highly likely both pitchers will start, plans could still be subject to change. "This is a unique ramp-up for everyone," Roberts remarked during a spring training media event attended by managers and general managers from all Cactus League teams. "While these two games hold significance, it's important to prioritize the readiness of our players for the entirety of the season and ensure they are prepared to take on regular starts." The Dodgers effectively finalized the terms of a trade to bring Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays on the same day they unveiled Ohtani on December 14. Prior to even joining the Dodgers, Glasnow agreed to a substantial five-year, $136.6 million extension with the team. Just a week later, they secured Yamamoto with a significant 12-year, $325 million deal. With Ohtani's heavily-deferred 10-year, $700 million contract also factored in, the Dodgers' offseason spending spree reached approximately $1.2 billion. Reds 2B missed the last month of his amazing 2023 rookie campaign with a right oblique strain and almost immediately into 2024 Spring Training Camp, he has the same injury.
"I was going at it too hard too early," McLain said on Tuesday. "I didn’t want to go through that again, so I told them it was bothering me. I took the foot off the gas for a couple days." McLain underwent an MRI examination on Monday, offering a glimmer of hope. The results indicated no fresh strain in the oblique and confirmed that his previous injury had fully healed. "Which is great news," manager David Bell said. "But it doesn't change the fact that he had a symptom, so we'll back him down for five to seven days and treat it and [do] a couple other protocols, and then hopefully get them back out there, back on track." "This next five days will be really important [to] let that irritation go away, and we'll just start building him back up," Bell said. Chris Caray has been appointed as a play-by-play announcer for Athletics games on NBC Sports California, marking the fourth generation of his family to join the ranks of MLB broadcasters.
Chip Caray, Chris's father, serves as the TV play-by-play voice for the Cardinals. Chris's grandfather, Skip, held the same role for the Braves for an impressive 32-year tenure. Adding to the family legacy, Harry Caray, Chris's great-grandfather, was honored with the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his outstanding contributions to baseball broadcasting. Reflecting on his new role, Chris Caray expressed his excitement, stating, "Ever since I was a 12-year-old kid, I dreamed of becoming a major league broadcaster. Now, I'm thrilled that that dream has come true." Per numerous reports, the Rays have signed SS Amed Rosario to a one-year, $1.5 Million deal that has an additional $1 Million in incentives. Roasio is in his 8th year and has previously been with the Dodgers, Guardians and Mets.  Per a tweet from the club, the Tigers have claimed T.J. Hopkins from the Giants, and to make room on the 40-man roster, they have assigned Kolton Ingram for assignment. Hopkins has appeared in 25 MLB games with Cincy last year.  Reigning two-time batting champ Luis Arraez is set up perfectly to get an extension this Spring, but he has yet to hear from the club.
Arraez, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on April 9, recently underwent arbitration against the Marlins and lost. As reported by El ExtraBase, he is set to earn $10.6 million for the 2024 season. With one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining, Arraez will be able to explore the free-agent market after the 2025 season. Regarding his arbitration outcome, Arraez commented, "Not yet. We just went through the arbitration process. Business is business. Right now, I'm focused on helping my team win, making the playoffs, and hopefully reaching the World Series. We'll see what happens." During his debut season with the Marlins, Arraez achieved personal bests in several categories, including games played (147), home runs (10), RBIs (69), batting average (.354), slugging percentage (.469), and OPS (.861). He earned the starting second baseman position for the National League at the All-Star Game, received a Silver Slugger Award, and secured an eighth-place finish in NL MVP Award voting. Notably, Arraez also made history for the franchise by hitting the first cycle. "Absolutely, without a doubt," Arraez affirmed regarding his desire for an extension. "I'm fully invested in Miami. My family resides here, and it's home to everyone. The fans have been incredibly supportive, and I have a deep affection for the team's uniform. Let's wait and see how things unfold." Mark Lerner informed Andrew Golden of The Washington Post that the Lerner family has opted against proceeding with the sale of the Nationals. "We have determined, our family has determined, that we are not going to sell the team," Lerner stated, noting that this decision was made "a while ago."
This announcement comes nearly two years after Lerner initially disclosed in April 2022 that the club would explore the possibility of a sale. "Nothing has really changed," Lerner remarked today. "We've simply concluded that now is not the appropriate time for such a move. We are content with owning the team and look forward to the day when we bring home a championship ring." Some observers had speculated that the lack of activity within the club was indicative of a potential sale. With a relatively clean payroll outlook, the Lerner family could have utilized this as an enticing feature to attract potential buyers, providing them with an opportunity to shape the future of the franchise. However, now that the sale is off the table, attention will refocus on the Lerner family and their strategy for steering the Nationals out of their recent decline. The team has endured four consecutive seasons below .500, and according to most projection systems, they are anticipated to rank among the league's weakest clubs in 2024. Per a tweet from Jeeho Yoo, Free Agent Pitcher, and former Blue Jay, Hyun-Jim Ryu will be signing with the KBO Hanwha Eagles.
The contract is reportedly for 4 years and $12.7 Million. Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012. Was MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2006. Ryu has pitched in the MLB the last 10 years with a 78-48 record with the Dodgers and Blue Jays. Via a tweet from the club, the Red Sox have officially signed P Liam Hendricks to a 2-year deal with a mutual option for 2026.
Reports indicate the contract will start at $10 Million and go up with incentives. At 35 years old, Hendriks battled through stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a diagnosis he received during his time with the Chicago White Sox in the autumn of 2022. Following a triumphant completion of treatment, he made a comeback to the field on May 29, 2023. Unfortunately, his return was short-lived as he endured a torn ulnar collateral ligament after pitching in only five games. Throughout his 13-season tenure in Major League Baseball, Hendriks has showcased his pitching prowess across 476 games while representing the Twins, Royals, Athletics, and White Sox. His impressive resume includes three selections to the American League All-Star teams and two instances of receiving down-ballot votes for the Cy Young Award. Notably, he claimed the top spot in the AL for saves in 2021 with 38 under his belt. Accumulating 727 strikeouts in 650 innings throughout his career, Hendriks is recognized not only for his ability to miss bats but also for his vibrant and engaging personality. Via a tweet from the club, Tampa Bay has signed Yu Chang to a Minor League Deal.
Chang is in his 6th year and Tampa this will be his second stint with the team. For his career he is batting .204, 20 hr and 79 rbis. Per a tweet from Mark Feinsand, Free Agent stud Pitcher Blake Snell has a contract offer from the New York Yankees.
The Angels and Giants are also options for the reigning AL Cy Young winner. This report comes directly after USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees still have “serious interest” in Snell. The team reportedly offered him five years and $150 million earlier this offseason before pivoting to Marcus Stroman, per Nightengale. |