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Luis Gil's Throwing Program Delayed Another 10 Days

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Luis Gil has not thrown since being diagnosed with a lat strain during the first week of March. The Yankees righty was shut down for at least six weeks at the time of the injury. While Gil has hit the six-week mark, he’s still not ready to begin throwing. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that Gil will remain shut down for at least another 10 days. Recent imaging hasn’t revealed sufficient healing for last year’s Rookie of the Year winner to resume throwing.

Gil will remain more than a month away from returning to MLB action even after he begins throwing. He’ll need a full ramp-up period after missing all of Spring Training, progressing through multiple sessions before he’s ready for a minor league rehab assignment. The Yankees welcomed Clarke Schmidt back from his own season-opening injured list stint on Wednesday, but they’re still down three starting pitchers. Gerrit Cole will miss the entire season, while Marcus Stroman went on the IL with knee inflammation over the weekend.

Yankees Place Marcus Stroman On 15-Day IL, Select Allan Winans

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TODAY: Stroman’s MRI revealed swelling but no structural damage, Boone told the New York Post’s Greg Joyce and other reporters.  Stroman received a cortisone shot to help deal with the inflammation.

APRIL 12: The Yankees announced that right-hander Marcus Stroman was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation.  Right-hander Allan Winans is taking Stroman’s spot on the active roster, after Winans’ contract was selected from Triple-A.

It has been a brutal start to the season for Stroman, who has an 11.57 ERA over three starts and 9 1/3 innings.  The lowest point came in the Yankees’ 9-1 loss to the Giants yesterday, as Stroman was charged with five earned runs over an abbreviated start that lasted only two-thirds of an inning.  Following the game, New York manager Aaron Boone said Stroman was dealing with some knee soreness and had undergone x-rays.

Since the issue is being described just as inflammation, it appears as though Stroman has avoided any type of structural damage, even if an IL stint is still necessary.  If the injury ends up being relatively minor and Stroman misses around the 15-day minimum, the absence could essentially act as an unofficial reset to his difficult year.

Missing any time at all could heavily impact Stroman’s contractual future, as he has a vesting option in his contract for the 2026 season.  Stroman is in the final guaranteed season of his two-year, $37MM deal with the Yankees, but he’ll lock in an $18MM player option for 2026 if he pitches at least 140 innings this year.  Stroman logged 154 2/3 innings in 2024, while posting a 4.31 ERA, 49.2% grounder rate, 8.9% walk rate, and a 16.7% strikeout rate that was well below his career norm.

Between this so-so production and up to two years of salary commitments on the way, the Yankees made Stroman available on the trade market last winter, but no takers were found.  New York also seemingly had a rotation surplus that made Stroman expendable, but the Yankees’ pitching depth was quickly reduced when Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and JT Brubaker were all lost to the IL.  Schmidt is expected back this coming week, but his return just as Stroman hits the injured list only adds to the Yankees’ difficulties in finding enough healthy arms to cover the rotation workload.

Winans was claimed off waivers from the Braves in January, and was then designated for assignment and outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster in February.  Winans has started all eight of his career MLB games (all with Atlanta in 2023-24) but seems much likelier to take on a long relief role in the Yankees’ bullpen.  Over 40 big league innings, Winans has an ungainly 7.20 ERA, but his minor league numbers are far more impressive.  The righty has a 3.20 ERA in 258 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, perhaps hinting at some late breakout potential as he enters his age-29 season.

Adam Ottavino Elects Free Agency

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The Yankees announced that righty Adam Ottavino cleared waivers, rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and elected free agency. New York designated Ottavino for the second time in a week on Tuesday. He elected free agency following his first DFA and quickly re-signed.

A similar path could play out here, though it’s not a guarantee. Ottavino stated plainly in an appearance on Foul Territory yesterday that at 39 years old and with more than 13 years of big league service, he’s not keen on signing a minor league deal (video link). Ottavino noted he’s open to big league deals with a 45-day advance consent clause — a provision that allows the team to cut a player and not owe him the remainder of his salary, so long as it’s within the contract’s first 45 days — but he doesn’t sound like he’d head to Triple-A.

Ottavino also chatted with host A.J. Pierzynski about his pair of contracts and quick DFAs with the Yankees, noting that the team was up-front with him about their plans and that he was on board with it (video link).

“Devin Williams was on the paternity list,” said Ottavino. “That only lasts three days, so I knew he was coming back. The clock was ticking. Obviously, something could happen there. Somebody could get hurt or underperform and [the Yankees] could change their mind and keep you around. At the same time, I kind of knew that it was going to be a short stay, more than likely. They were up front with that. They were great to me. I have a good relationship with those people over there, a lot of love for them.

…It was great. I knew what it was. I tried to enjoy the three days I was there. I pitched in two of the games. It was great. I never saw myself back in Pinstripes again, to be honest, and it felt great. It was pretty special. … Every day in the big leagues is precious. I’ve had a lot of them, but I don’t take them for granted.”

A native of New York City, Ottavino has spent the majority of the past several years playing with the Yankees or Mets. He posted a 4.34 ERA in 56 innings with the Mets last year and tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings with the Yankees in his brief Bronx return, albeit with four walks against three strikeouts. Dating back to 2022, Ottavino carries a 3.11 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate in 185 major league innings.

While it initially looked as though he may be amenable to the frequent DFA carousel role that the Yankees have used with journeymen like David Hale and Ryan Weber in the past, Ottavino’s comments yesterday pretty clearly indicate he’s looking for a more stable situation in a big league bullpen. Time will tell whether that opportunity presents itself, although given his track record and the number of pitching injuries around the league, logic would suggest there should be at least a team or two interested in bringing the righty aboard. It’s not clear, however, whether Ottavino will be selective based on geography, postseason outlook or other factors — only that he’s focused on offers with a quick or immediate path back to the majors.

Octavio Dotel Dies In Roof Collapse Tragedy

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Former major leaguer Octavio Dotel has died in a tragic accident, Major League Baseball confirmed. The news was first reported by multiple outlets in the Dominican Republic, including Diario Libre. The roof of the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday night, at least 98 people have lost their lives while nearly 200 more were injured, according to The Associated Press. Dotel was 51 years old.

Exact details of the tragic situation are difficult to pin down, but it appears hundreds of people were in the venue for a concert when the collapse happened. Dozens of people have been pulled out alive but many have died and the figures are likely to change. Dotel was reportedly trapped for about 11 hours before being rescued and initially survived, but was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Dotel was well known to baseball fans because he pitched in the majors for over a decade and bounced around to various teams. He made his major league debut with the Mets in 1999, working in a swing role. He was traded to the Astros ahead of the 2000 season and continued to work both out of the rotation and the bullpen for a while.

He eventually moved into a primary relief role and had more success. Though his earned run average was over 5.00 in both 1999 and 2000, he posted a 2.66 ERA in 2001. He tossed 105 innings over 61 appearances, only four of those being starts.

He continued working as a solid reliever for years after that, bouncing to the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers. He finished his career with a 3.78 ERA in 758 games. He recorded 109 saves and 127 holds. He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. He was a part of a combined no-hitter with the Astros in 2003. He retired in 2014.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our deepest condolences to Dotel’s family, friends and fans, as well as the hundreds of others who have been impacted by this awful event.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images

Yankees Designate Adam Ottavino For Assignment

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The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve designated veteran righty Adam Ottavino for assignment in order to clear roster space for fellow righty reliever Ian Hamilton, who’s being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

It’s the second time the Yankees have designated Ottavino for assignment in the past week; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed after his previous DFA. The 39-year-old righty and New York City native has pitched in three games with the Yankees and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings — albeit with four walks. He’s also punched out three of the nine batters he’s faced.

The swift turnaround likely didn’t come as a surprise after his quick DFA and re-signing. Veteran pitchers, especially relievers who can’t be optioned to the minors, can often find themselves in this situation. The Yankees themselves have gone through similar situations in the past with righties David Hale and Ryan Weber; both pitchers were designated for assignment by the Yankees several times in the same season, quickly clearing waivers and re-signing on each occasion.

If Ottavino is comfortable with the setup, it’s quite possible he’ll go the same route following this DFA. Fans sometimes bristle at the nature of these carousel scenarios, but the player tends to be on board. Since he can’t be optioned, the recurring DFAs/re-signings effectively amount to being optioned and resummoned to the majors when a fresh arm is needed. If Ottavino (or any other player in this situation) grows weary of the gambit, electing free agency presents a clear path to finding a more palatable situation. However, as a Brooklyn native, he may be more amenable to a cyclical arrangement of this nature than most other veterans with his level of service time (13+ years). And, of course, if another club chooses to claim Ottavino, he’d gladly head to a new club willing to carry him in the big league bullpen.

Selected 30th overall by the Cardinals back in 2006, Ottavino made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2010 and then spent the 2012-18 seasons as a mainstay in the Rockies’ bullpen after being claimed off waivers by Colorado early in the 2012 campaign. Since reaching free agency, he’s repeatedly signed with his hometown Yankees and Mets, plus a one-year stay in Boston (where he attended college) after being traded over from the Yankees in 2021.

In his more than 13 years of MLB service, Ottavino has tallied 744 2/3 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 46 saves, 194 holds, a 27.2% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. He’s tacked on another 12 2/3 innings across five years and eight series in the postseason.

As for the 29-year-old Hamilton, he opened the season on the 15-day injured list. He was slowed by a lengthy bout with a viral illness early in camp which set him back a few weeks. He was hit hard in three Triple-A rehab outings, but the Yankees apparently feel his stuff is crisp enough and his arm is built up enough to rejoin the big league ’pen.

Hamilton was a minor league signee for the Yankees in 2023. He’d previously bounced from the White Sox, to the Mariners, to the Phillies, to the Twins, to the Guardians via the DFA carousel but has since broken out as a steady member of Aaron Boone’s relief corps. In 95 2/3 innings for New York across the past two seasons, he’s posted a 3.10 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate, 16 holds and three saves.

Adam Ottavino Re-Signs With Yankees

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April 7: The Yanks made it official today, announcing that Ottavino has been re-signed and added to the active roster.

April 6: The Yankees announced this evening that Ottavino has cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues. SNY’s Andy Martino reported shortly thereafter that the Yankees are re-signing Ottavino. It’s unclear if it’s a major or minor league deal, but either way it appears the that the veteran will be joining the club in Detroit for tomorrow’s game against the Tigers. Southpaw Brent Headrick was optioned to the minors this evening, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Ottavino back into the fold as the 40-man roster spot created by Ottavino’s own departure has not yet been filled.

April 4: The Yankees announced this morning that they have designated right-hander Adam Ottavino for assignment. The move opens up a roster spot for closer Devin Williams, who is returning from the paternity list.

Ottavino, 39, is in his 15th season as a big league player. The veteran made his big league debut in St. Louis with 22 1/3 innings of work back in 2010 but didn’t stick consistently in the majors until 2012 as a member of the Rockies bullpen. Ottavino made a name for himself across seven seasons in Colorado as a rare pitcher who was able to post consistently above-average results despite calling Coors Field home, with a 3.41 ERA (136 ERA+) and a nearly matching 3.42 FIP across 390 2/3 innings of work in a Rockies uniform.

Since the start of the 2019 season, however, Ottavino has pitched on the east coast. The right-hander signed with the Yankees on a three-year deal in January of 2019, and in 73 appearances for the club that year he immediately made good on the deal with a sterling 1.90 ERA and a 31.1% strikeout rate. Things took a turn for the worse during the shortened 2020 season, however, as Ottavino struggled to the first below-average ERA of his career since arriving in Colorado and ultimately had his salary dumped to the Red Sox ahead of the final year of his deal. That year saw him bounce back somewhat, though his 4.21 ERA (112 ERA+) and 3.96 FIP were still that of a solid middle reliever rather than a quality set-up man.

The right-hander returned to New York in 2022, though this time he pitched in Queens rather than the Bronx. He ultimately spent three seasons with the Mets, posting a solid 3.14 ERA (128 ERA+) with a 3.66 FIP during that time. His effectiveness began to decline over the course of that time as he entered his late 30s, however, and his 3.75 ERA (111 ERA+) and 4.11 FIP in 117 2/3 innings over the past two years were far more pedestrian. After putting up a below-average 91 ERA+ in his final year with the Mets, Ottavino was unable to find a big league guarantee on the open market this winter. He pitched for the Red Sox in Spring Training this year, but was lit up to the tune of six runs in five innings of work.

Ultimately, the veteran did not make Boston’s Opening Day roster and was granted his release. That gave him the opportunity to sign with the Yankees earlier this week, though he ended up making just two appearances during this second stint in the Bronx. Overall, he threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Yankees during his brief return to the club, with zero hits allowed and two strikeouts against two walks. Going forward, the Yankees will have one week to either work out a trade involving Ottavino or try to pass him through waivers. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, the Yankees could attempt to outright him to the minors but Ottavino has more than enough service time to reject that assignment in favor of free agency should he so choose.

Ottavino’s departure makes way for the return of Williams, who the club acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes over the offseason. The NL Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a two-time All-Star, Williams has made a name for himself as one of the best closers in the game after posting a 1.83 ERA and 2.39 FIP in 235 2/3 innings of work for the Brewers over the years. The start to his Yankees career began inauspiciously with a run allowed in his first outing, but there’s little doubt that the righty will be able to get things back on track now that he’s back with the club.

Yankees, Cooper Hummel Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Yankees reached agreement with corner outfielder/first baseman/catcher Cooper Hummel on a minor league deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. He had elected free agency yesterday after being outrighted off Houston’s 40-man roster. The Gaeta Sports Management client would be paid at an $820K rate for time spent in the big leagues, Passan adds. He’ll start his tenure at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Hummel is out of minor league options, so he needed to break camp with the Astros or be designated for assignment. The switch-hitter put a strong foot forward in Spring Training, hitting .316 with seven walks and nine strikeouts across 46 plate appearances. The Astros nevertheless opted not to carry him on their bench, tabbing former Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers as their final position player. They officially designated Hummel for assignment on Opening Day and placed him on waivers this week.

The 30-year-old spent one full season in the Houston organization. The Astros had claimed him off waivers from the Giants last spring. They outrighted him a couple weeks later but reselected his contract in June when they released José Abreu. Hummel spent most of the season in Triple-A, exhausting his final option year in the process. He went 0-8 with a pair of strikeouts in his big league work. He had a solid year in Triple-A, hitting .277/.419/.454 with a massive 17.9% walk rate through 442 plate appearances.

A former Milwaukee draftee, Hummel went to the Diamondbacks at the 2021 trade deadline as part of the return for Eduardo Escobar. He made a career-high 66 appearances for the Snakes the following season, putting up a .176/.274/.307 slash over 201 plate appearances. Arizona swapped him to the Mariners for former Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis during the 2022-23 offseason. He bounced to the Mets and Giants before the move to Houston.

Hummel’s patient approach has resulted in an impressive .285/.419/.480 line across four Triple-A seasons. He has only made 16 big league appearances since the end of the ’22 season. Hummel has a decent amount of catching experience in the minors, but he divided his Triple-A time between the outfield and first base last year. He could potentially catch on occasion while joining Dominic Smith as non-roster first base depth.

Poll: Who Will Win The AL East?

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Opening Day has finally arrived, and teams all around the league are gearing up for another pennant chase in hopes of being crowned this year’s World Series champion. Of course, there’s still another seven months to go before someone raises the Commissioner’s Trophy. Until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. We have been conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. That series has already covered the National League, with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Phillies each coming out on top in their respective divisions. In the American League, meanwhile, the Rangers and Tigers have been voted as the favorites to win their respective divisions. The final division left to cover in this series is the AL East. Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

New York Yankees (94-68)

The reigning league champion can never be counted out as a contender for their division, and that’s certainly true when it comes to a franchise with as strong of a history as the Yankees. With that being said, it’s difficult to argue the club is better on paper today than it was a year ago. 2024’s club was largely built around the presence of three superstars: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Gerrit Cole. While Judge is still crushing baseballs in the Bronx as reliably as ever, Soto departed for Queens on a massive $765MM pact over the winter while Cole underwent Tommy John surgery last month and will miss the entire 2025 season. The losses of Soto and Cole are a major blow to the club’s lineup and rotation, and the latter has been further dented by injuries suffered by Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil while the former is exacerbated by the absence of Giancarlo Stanton.

That’s not to say the club has no reasons for optimism, however. All of Stanton, Gil, and Schmidt could return at some point during the first half, with Schmidt in particular likely to be back in the rotation later this month. The addition of star southpaw Max Fried offers the club a suitable stand-in ace for Cole this season even after a somewhat middling debut in pinstripes, while an offensive nucleus of Judge, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. should score plenty of runs even without Soto, especially if Goldschmidt can turn back the clock during his age-37 season. That’s before even mentioning their elite bullpen, which was top three in the AL last year even before this winter’s upgrade from Clay Holmes to Devin Williams in the ninth inning. Even with the loss of Soto and their many early season injuries, the Yankees cannot be ruled out to repeat at the top of the division.

Baltimore Orioles (91-71)

After a second consecutive playoff appearance with zero wins to show for it, some fans in Baltimore are starting to get antsy. New owner David Rubenstein’s first offseason at the helm of the club came with big expectations that the club would step away from the frugality of recent years and commit more strongly to contention, and in some ways that did happen. The club replaced Anthony Santander’s power in the lineup by bringing in Tyler O’Neill on the first multi-year guarantee the club has made since Mike Elias took over baseball operations, and went about upgrading an already-strong offense in other ways by bringing in Gary Sanchez and Ramon Laureano. Considering the Orioles already have a phenomenal offensive nucleus built around players like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, and Colton Cowser, those upgrades should give them among the most fearsome lineups in the sport.

That aggressiveness in bolstering the offense was not matched on the pitching side of things, however. Staff ace Corbin Burnes was allowed to depart for Arizona, and his replacements in the rotation are a pair of aging veterans in Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. While both are decorated pitchers who could offer strong mid-rotation production, the loss of Burnes puts a great deal of pressure on Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez (the latter of whom is currently on the injured list) to perform in front-of-the-rotation roles. The possible return of Kyle Bradish later this season from UCL surgery should help things, but even that would come with question marks due to a year-long layoff. The bullpen is in better shape, fortunately, with closer Felix Bautista back from his own UCL surgery and Yennier Cano, Gregory Soto, and Seranthony Dominguez among the other late inning options. If the club’s rotation can hold up and avoid further injuries, the Orioles should have as good of a shot as anyone at the AL East crown this year.

Boston Red Sox (81-81)

The AL East club with by far the biggest offseason, the Red Sox made significant splashes this winter when they traded for (and, more recently, extended) ace southpaw Garrett Crochet before bringing in third baseman Alex Bregman on a three-year, opt-out laden deal. Both of those moves are likely to transform last year’s middling club into true contenders, giving Boston an ace-caliber arm ahead of homegrown mid-rotation pieces like Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello (not to mention offseason signing Walker Buehler) while allowing them to kick Rafael Devers’s lackluster glove off of third base and into a DH role. Those additions build on a solid group of talent already in place, with players like Devers, Triston Casas, and Jarren Duran standing as likely offensive contributors.

Perhaps even more important than this winter’s additions, however, is the impending arrival of the club’s top prospects. Kristian Campbell is already in the majors and emerging as a potential early favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year award, with fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer also expected to make their big league debuts at some point this year. All three are consensus top-15 prospects in the sport, with Anthony in particular being rated as the sport’s #1 prospect by a number of services. That sort of high-end prospect talent all arriving in the majors simultaneously is quite rare, and affords the club an exceptionally deep positional mix with plenty of potential impact. With that being said, the club does have one potential Achilles’ heel in the bullpen. After relying on an elite tandem of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin to close out games last year, the Red Sox are now banking on a strong return from nearly two years away from the mound for Liam Hendriks and a resurgence from Aroldis Chapman in the late innings. If the club’s strong offense and solid rotation can overcome that questionable bullpen, however, they should be in strong position to return to the top of the AL East.

Tampa Bay Rays (80-82)

After suffering their first losing season in recent memory and selling at the trade deadline last year, the Rays avoided their annual winter of sell-side trades (the Jeffrey Springs deal notwithstanding) and actually made a handful of modest but potentially impactful additions this winter. Arguably the club’s two biggest weaknesses last season were catcher and shortstop, so the additions of Danny Jansen and Ha-Seong Kim figure to go a long way to bring up the floor for the club as they try to get back on track. Jansen and Kim (when the latter returns from the IL) figure to be joined this year by the Rays’ usual suspects on offense with Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, and trendy breakout pick Junior Caminero set to serve as anchors of the lineup. Outside of those names, however, the Rays are likely to need big performances from less established pieces like Christopher Morel and Jonathan Aranda in order to make noise in a crowded AL East.

Fortunately, whatever questions the Rays face on offense are largely avoided on the pitching side of things. The temporary loss of ace Shane McClanahan to open the season hurts the rotation, but the club still features a bevy of solid arms that includes Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, and Shane Baz. Each of those arms have the upside of at least a #4 starter, and Rasmussen in particular has flashed the sort of production that could front a rotation over the years. In the bullpen, meanwhile, the club will once again rely on Pete Fairbanks in the ninth inning with a group of interesting arms including Edwin Uceta and Hunter Bigge also in their bullpen mix. If the club’s offense can get going, it’s not hard to imagine that pitching talent carrying the Rays back into the playoffs this year.

Toronto Blue Jays (74-88)

The Blue Jays failed in their offseason bid for Juan Soto, and similarly have seemingly come up short in their efforts to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ahead of his final season of club control. That puts plenty of pressure on the Jays to return from the basement of the AL East and compete in what could be their superstar’s last season in town, and Toronto brass answered that pressure by bringing in some notable reinforcements this winter. Anthony Santander offers the sort of big bat to protect Guerrero in the lineup that the Jays lacked last year, Andres Gimenez should greatly improve the club’s defense, Jeff Hoffman looks like a strong replacement for Jordan Romano in the ninth inning, and Max Scherzer (when he returns from the IL) should offer quality innings to a rotation that lost Yusei Kikuchi last summer.

Even with solid additions like those, however, a lot needs to go right for the Jays if they’re going to get to the top of the AL East this year. Perhaps the most important would be a return to form for Bo Bichette, who endured the worst season of his career last year. A lineup featuring Bichette at his best alongside Guerrero and Santander would go a long way to making this club look like a playoff team, as would a resurgence from veteran righty Kevin Gausman, who took a step back from his previous ace-level seasons with the Blue Jays last year. A strong year on offense from franchise catcher Alejandro Kirk and a repeat of Bowden Francis’s excellent rookie campaign could also serve as X-factors that help the club stay competitive this year.

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With all five clubs making a legitimate effort to compete this year, who will come out on top? Will the Yankees reign supreme once again despite their losses, or will they be successfully challenged by the young, up-and-coming Orioles despite a middling rotation? Can the Red Sox ride their splashy signings and top prospects to the postseason, or will a team like the Rays or even the Blue Jays surprise? Have your say in the poll below:

Yankees Sign Adam Ottavino

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The Yankees have signed veteran reliever Adam Ottavino to a major league contract, the team announced this morning. The right-hander was released by the Red Sox in March. Devin Williams has been placed on the paternity list, temporarily opening a space for Ottavino on the active roster, while JT Brubaker has been transferred to the 60-day IL, thereby making room for Ottavino on the 40-man.

Ottavino, 39, is a veteran of 14 MLB seasons. Over 724 regular season appearances, he has pitched to a 3.49 ERA and 3.44 SIERA, amassing 46 saves and 194 holds. Despite his advanced age, he has remained reliable in recent years. He has made at least 60 appearances in each of the past four seasons with a 3.41 ERA and 3.52 SIERA in that time. While his 4.34 ERA with the Mets last season was not particularly impressive, his 3.19 xERA and 3.27 SIERA offer reason to believe he can bounce back in 2025. While his ERA does not show it, he was equally good at racking up strikeouts and inducing weak contact. That’s usually a good recipe for success. On top of that, Ottavino is only one year removed from a 3.21 ERA performance in 2023 and only two years removed from a 2.06 ERA performance in 2022. That’s not to say Ottavino is a sure thing to succeed with the Yankees. There’s a reason the Mets left him off their NLCS roster last fall, and there’s a reason the Red Sox cut him this spring. Still, his long track record is the reason the Yankees are giving him another shot. After all, this team knows the highs and lows of the Ottavino experience as well as anyone. The righty was a Yankee for two years in 2019 and 2020. He pitched to a 1.90 ERA in 73 games his first season with the club and a 5.89 ERA in 24 games in his second.

The Yankees’ bullpen has not been hit by injuries quite as hard as their rotation. However, they are currently without Ian Hamilton (virus), Jonathan Loáisiga (rehab from elbow surgery), and Scott Effross (hamstring strain). Ottavino can offer some helpful depth, at least in the short term. When Williams returns from the paternity list, the Yankees will need to make another move if they plan to keep Ottavino in their bullpen. The most likely course of action would be that they send Brent Headrick to Triple-A. Headrick, 27, has one option year remaining.

Brubaker, 31, broke three ribs early on in spring training. He will now be unavailable until mid-to-late May. Acquired from the Pirates last March, the right-hander has not appeared in the majors since 2022. He missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he was limited to just a handful of minor league rehab appearances in 2024. He looked like a capable back-end innings eater when last healthy, making 61 starts for Pittsburgh from 2020-22 with a 4.99 ERA but a 4.04 SIERA, averaging just over five innings per outing.

Yankees Re-Sign Dominic Smith To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees announced that they have re-signed first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith to a minor league deal. He had been in camp with the Yanks on a previous minor league deal but opted out when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster.

Smith, 30, had a pretty solid showing in camp. He got 38 plate appearances with the Yankees and slashed .297/.289/.568. However, his recent MLB track record is more middling and there wasn’t a great path to playing time for him.

Despite some outfield experience, he’s mostly a first base/designated hitter option at this point, having not played the outfield in the majors since 2021. Even when he did play on the grass, he wasn’t great at it. The Yanks have Paul Goldschmidt at first base. They could have put Smith at DH but opted for Ben Rice instead. Their bench spots went to guys with more defensive versatility like Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes.

When Smith didn’t get an Opening Day job, he opted out and presumably assessed his options for a few days, but is now back with the Yanks as non-roster depth. He has some theoretical upside as a former first-round pick and top prospect. He also hit .299/.366/.571 in the majors over 2019 and 2020, production which translates to a 150 wRC+.

But as mentioned, he hasn’t been quite as good since. He had a combined line of .241/.311/.360 over the 2021 through 2024 seasons, with those numbers translating to an 87 wRC+. Given that he doesn’t provide much with the glove or on the bases, that lack of offense has turned him into a journeyman, suiting up for the Mets, Nationals, Red Sox and Reds in recent years.

The old saying goes that there’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal. The Yanks can install Smith into their system and see if a need arises. Their lineup is already without DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton, who are both on the injured list. If any further health issues crop up, they will have the ability to call up an experienced big leaguer for some at-bats.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images

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