With 2023 officially underway, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Where can the Royals look for pitching?
Recently, Royals GM J.J. Picollo told reporters that the team is still interested in adding to their rotation, even following deals with righty Jordan Lyles and lefty Ryan Yarbrough. While a deal for another starter makes sense for the club, the best available arms, such as Pablo Lopez and Chris Sale, reside on the trade market at this point in the offseason. It seems unlikely that Kansas City would go to the level of prospect (in the case of Lopez) or financial (in the case of Sale) commitment necessary to land either of those arms, or any other top arm that could become available, for that matter. Given this reality, it seems the best option for Picollo’s front office would be scouring what’s left on the free agent market.
Few quality free agent starting pitchers remain, but a reunion with future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke might make the most sense if the Royals are going to continue adding pitching. Greinke was a stabilizing force in the Kansas City rotation in 2022, posting a solid 3.68 ERA over 137 innings. Failing a Greinke reunion, the Royals could look to take a flier on a pitcher with a solid track record who battled injuries in 2022, such as Wade Miley or former Royal Danny Duffy. Either pitcher comes with durability concerns, but Kansas City should have enough young depth to cover for those potentially missed innings.
2. Could a Hosmer deal be imminent?
Following the Red Sox decision to release Eric Hosmer, other clubs have expressed interest in adding the first baseman to their roster. In particular, the Cubs and Orioles have been connected to Hosmer since his release by Boston, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post describing the prospects of a deal between Hosmer and the Cubs, specifically, as “promising” in a tweet over the weekend. A Hosmer signing would allow the Cubs to give first base prospect Matt Mervis more time in the minors should he not win a big league job out of camp this spring. Hosmer can hold down first base at Wrigley until Mervis is ready and afterwards could act as an additional lefty bat in the DH mix for a team that saw only Ian Happ take regular at-bats from the left side in 2022. A deal with Hosmer could take the Cubs out of the market for the likes of Dominic Smith and Trey Mancini, to whom Chicago had previously been connected this offseason.
As for the Orioles, Hosmer would provide a veteran clubhouse presence to a young roster that exceeded expectations in 2023 on a league-minimum salary. He could share time with Ryan Mountcastle at first base while joining Kyle Stowers and Terrin Vavra in the mix for DH at bats. The Orioles are far from the only club who could be interested in Hosmer’s combination of veteran leadership and cheap acquisition cost, however, even in spite of his release by Boston.
3. Which teams have the biggest weaknesses left to address?
Yesterday, MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk took a look at how each AL and NL club has addressed their weakest positions in 2022 by bWAR, and a few weaknesses on contenders stick out as potential places the clubs could look to address headed into the next phase of the offseason. As has been mentioned in previous Openers, perhaps the most glaring needs remaining on teams looking to contend in 2022 are that of the Rangers and Braves in left field, where each club got negative contributions in terms of bWAR. Jurickson Profar is the last everyday player on the free agent market, but even a part time addition like David Peralta or Andrew McCutchen could improve either team’s production at the position.
Looking elsewhere around the league, the Rays have pursued a handful of potential upgrades at catcher throughout the offseason, but as of now are set to go into the season with Francisco Mejia and Christian Bethancourt as their tandem behind the plate. And a handful of catchers remain on the free agent market, however, so it’s possible the club could see a potential upgrade in a player like Jorge Alfaro or Gary Sanchez. By contrast, the Diamondbacks have made several additions to their weakest 2022 position, adding Miguel Castro and Scott McGough (among others) to their MLB-worst bullpen. Still, given the massive struggles of Arizona’s relief corps in 2022 (-4.4 bWAR), more additions could make sense, with former Diamondback Andrew Chafin leading the pack of relief options still on the market.
Can’t see Profar staying unemployed much longer.
I still see Profar as a utility player and not an “everyday player.” He’s not someone I’d want on a long term contract.
Agreed. The way the Pads throw money around, they would have resigned him if they regarded him as a regular.
I see your point.
Profar has versatility, there’s a fit somewhere for a team wanting to contend.
How is Profar defensively?
Could be wrong but I’m pretty sure he’s playable almost anywhere but ideally is mostly in the outfield
Disagree on him being “versatile”. He only played left field last year, and he wasn’t very good. He has played some center, right, and second base in recent years, but he was absolutely horrible at all of them. A competitive team should not use him as anything other than a LF/DH.
Welp, looks like Profar’s situation is hopeless.
Memo To Jurickson: the ghost of Dr. Kevorkian will soon be making a housecall.
I’ll start writing Profar’s obit.
The defensive metrics on Profar in LF are a bit inconclusive. Two of the three rate him positive, one negative. He’s probably average out there. He’d be fine on a one year deal, but he’s probably looking for a three year contract, and that’s likely why he’s still available.
Well, if Leury Garcia can get one, lol!
The Padres signed Profar to a three year deal a few years back with an opt out after each year. So, if he has a mediocre year, he just stays put and collects his salary. If he has a halfway decent year, he just opts out.
Although the words Royals and Hosmer appear next to each other in the title there’s nothing involving the two of them together. He used to play for the Kansas City Royals so some may see and reminisce about the days Hosmer spent as a Royal. Those days are history and the Royals are now a team struggling to be competitive. Hosmer has also been struggling although he is still making a very healthy salary, especially for a player of his caliber.
The word “upgrade” and Gary Sanchez do not belong in the same sentence.
I remember some Yankee fans touting him as the next Buster Posey lol
I remember the proposals of some combo of Sanchez/Frazier/Andujar for other teams’ cost-controlled stars. To me, those were even funnier.
Don’t get me started on Rob Refsnyder
Sanchez was an extremely valuable player his first two seasons, so I doubt Yankee fans were trying to trade him.
All fans overrate their players, and poorly rate players on other teams. For example, I remember many White Sox fans outraged at the thought of trading Quintana for Aaron Judge post the 2016 season when it was clear Quintana would be moved. Many wanted Sanchez! I also remember some White Sox fans were sure Nick Madrigal was on his way to 3,000 career hits.
I could do that for every team fanbase, but it would be pointless.
@LordD99 I remember Cubs fans thinking Starlin Castro would reach 3,000 hits
Based on his first four or five seasons, that wasn’t an entirely crazy thought! He was cranking out hits. His lack of plate discipline was always going to be his downfall.
You’re right he had like 3-4 years of 200+ hits but it never felt sustainable what he was doing (at least not 3000 hits worth)
If the Orioles are going to add a 1B/DH, I’d much rather just bring Trey back. Hosmer adds nothing of value to the team and he rubbed a lot of O’s fans the wrong way during the 2014 ALCS while Trey is absolutely adored here in Bawlmer, by fans and players alike.
I don’t think they would bring him back. Hyde would feel obligated to play him more than he should, they need a left handed bench bat more than a right handed one, and Trey got absolutely jobbed by the Wall so I doubt the Os are his first choice anyway.
I don’t think they will bring Trey back either, I would just prefer him over Hosmer if they are going to add one of the remaining 1B/DH free agents.
I don’t understand how Mancini and Hosmer are being rumored, yet Voit is not in the conversation. His bat has more power than either of them.
Voit is a decent player but I think Mancini in Hosmer are much better overall players. As much hate as Hos gets, his bat has never really been below league average (only three seasons he posted sub 100 OPS+ and two were 99+ and 94+). He was just overpaid but everyone knew that when the Pads signed him. He was a spark plug and leader in his Kansas City era so I like him for a young team like the O’s.
Both Hosmer and Mancini have better defensive reputations than Voit, so that might be the reason they are drawing more interest at this point.
Voit was one of the most shifted against RH’d hitters last season, so there might be additional upside with him with shift restrictions coming. Not a good fielder, but neither is Mancini, and Hosmer’s glove has been declining too. If I’m looking for a DH and backup 1B’man, then I’d lean toward Voit.
@King, just curious about how Hosmer “rubbed O’s fans the wrong way” during that series. Was this just a matter of him playing the villain on a team that would go on to win or were there some dust-ups I’m not recalling? Just interested in hearing your take. Thanks.
I don’t have any particular gripes with him, but apparently a lot of other fans do.
I’d rather have Boom Boom but it isn’t happening. Hosmer is a lefty and will cost minimum. Mancini is looking to get 10 mil.
Dbacks had two major team flaws last season. It looks like they’ve successfully corrected their weakness against left handed pitching problem, but their biggest problem was their bullpen, which was light years away the worst in the league, as detailed above.
Only 4 holdovers remain from the 2022 bullpen. They’ve already made 5-6 additions via trade, Free Agency and international signings, but didn’t sign any of the “big name” relievers. It is the typical Dbacks strategy of spending very little on the bullpen. That strategy didn’t work last year(s).
This Dback fan is very nervous that the bullpen will drag down an otherwise very strong, young, upcoming team in 2023.
scottaz…Don’t worry. The Sox will probably trade Hendriks for whatever low minor league scraps the D’backs are willing to give up.
Exactly 🙁
I’d say the White Sox have a glaring hole at 2B. It’s not just their contributions at 2B last year, but the fact that they let Harrison go and now have no good internal options. Not to mention that it’s been a hole for years, since Madrigal failed to live up to the hype, save on his contact ability. With Segura off the board, Sox need to make a trade, preferably from their ‘pen, to address this.
An actual major league right fielder would be nice too, in case Colas isn’t ready. And another catcher in case Grandal can’t stay on the field. And some starting pitcher depth. The one thing they don’t lack is weaknesses
Maybe they claim La Stella or swing a trade for Escobar or Kim. Dunno who we would trade for either of them, but we’re limited on options at this point.
Escobar isn’t nearly the player he used to be, so pass on him. I’d love a trade for Kim, but unfortunately, I don’t really see the match. It’s too bad the Padres are set in their pen. It’s the one area the Sox have enough depth to be able to absorb a significant loss.
Madrigal was fine when y’all had him, your FO just made the very silly decision to trade him for Cardiac Craig Kimbrel
I agree the trade did not turn out well. I was fan of Madrigal and wasn’t happy with the deal at the time, but Nick’s durability is a huge concern. For a guy who’s only real value is in his legs he has had far too many serious injuries to justify any real optimism at this point. It’s a shame too, I really like his skill set.
I disagree that he was fine. His contact ability translated, but his defense and baserunning that supposedly gave him such a high floor evaporated in the majors. He never could learn to walk, either, so his OBP wasn’t impressive, despite his >.300 BA. His getting injured was unfortunate, but I was already questioning whether he could be the long-term answer.
They still made a dumb move trading for Kimbrel, but Madrigal wasn’t some budding star. He was a one-dimensional player.
But that one dimension, if he was healthy, is one that teams find of value these days. Yes, he doesn’t walk much but he never struck out much either, and was a leader in the minors. Great teammate and all that. But he has to stay on the field.
Yeah Hydrax, I really felt that Segura made a lot of sense for the Pale Hose. Jerry must have told Hahn he has to trade a salary first (Liam?)
Kinda off topic here but for anyone who watches MLB Network, has MLB Now been canceled? I haven’t seen it on in a while and it dates back before the holidays. It’s also not listed to be on for at least the next week. I can’t find any info on it.
Season 9 getting ready to kick off on Jan 23, so it’s probably a scheduled break in-between seasons I’d guess, Joe. MLB Now’s Top 10 begins on Jan 10th as well.
Thanks Clip.
You da man Clip! I was wondering about that myself.
Ever since Covid, MLBN has treated MLB Now as their ugly stepchild with inconsistent scheduling, even though it’s one of the few shows there I want to watch. High Heat stats can be obnoxious with Russo, and Intentional Talk is useless.
I suspect the scheduling is driven by Brian Kenny’s schedule. Looks like he went off on vacation right after the Winter Meetings, so they probably put MLB Now on hiatus until post holidays.
Yeah, MLB Now is one of the best produced shows on the Network, imo as well. I enjoy the different player and positional assessments they do. It does get a bit cumbersome with some of the arbitrary time frame selections for statistical analysis, but I get it.
LordD once I kinda got past Russo being obnoxious, I found I agree with a lot of what he says. And him and Alanna Rizzo have gotten pretty good together, though I do miss Bruce. Just turn the volume down a bit on the tv.
I do not understand Hazen, here he has had all winter to upgrade and I mean upgrade the D’Backs. They definitely could of upgraded to maybe a Jensen, but instead we get another year of Meloncon.
desertdawg
I think most knowledgeable Dbacks fans are concerned about the bullpen for 2023. Hazen has made a number of off-season moves, just not securing an established Closer which is what I think we all want to see.
Melancon’s contract kept him on the roster, and I understand Hazen not wanting to just piss away $4+ M by releasing him. Some glimmer of hope on Melancon…looking at his career stats, he’s had 1 bad year every 5 years and last year was that #5 year! So I’m hoping for a bit of regression back up to his career norm.
Well, for teams with rotational needs/weaknesses, the Dodgers have four days to dump Bauer or assign him to their 40-man. According to media reports (via Sports Illustrated) they plan on releasing him.
I wonder how many teams would be willing to deal with the fallout of hiring Bauer. But I guess Michael Vick went on to have a 2nd half of his career after missing two years for his dog fighting, so there will probably be someone willing to take him.
It’s going to be interesting for sure. I’d guess some teams with more forgiving fanbases will entertain it. It’s such a unique circumstance, but not too far off (in general principle) from other guys suspended for domestic violence policy violations that were reemployed.
Clipper, I am curious what happens with him. The Dodgers probably want to convince themselves to keep him since they’re paying him, but fan reaction, media reaction, and most importantly, Dodger player reaction are going to likely lead to his release. Curious if any team will claim him. Royals do need a pitcher and he’ll be league minimum!
L99: I agree with you, and one report from Dodgerblue asserts that members of the team already requested that Bauer be released because they don’t want him in the locker room.
I think he will be traded post-DFA, claimed, or signed post-release. It’s too good of an opportunity for 29 other GMs to pass on, imo. There are places where the fans wouldn’t be a problem – likely a mid-or small-market team with a congenial mentality towards players.
I think he will get tortured if he stays in a large market.
If you can sign him for the league minimum there would be very little risk involved, financially anyway. Tbh I’d be ok with my team signing him, I’ve never liked him personally but he’s a helluva pitcher.
Cubs just need to roll with Mervis. Playing a couple teams’ former junk (Hosmer) to start the season just looks bad. Which, well, it is the Cubs, so……
The only reason I see them signing Hosmer is that he would be a good defender at 1B, better than Rivas. That would push Mervis to DH.
I still think there are enough AB for all four of Hosmer, Mancini, Mervis, and Wisdom split between 1B/DH and Wisdom/Morel at 3B. Figure there are 1800 PA across those three lineup spots for five guys, that’s about 375 PA each assuming Happ plays the entire year in Chicago.
As a Mets’ fan it hurts to say this, but I think the Royals should party like it’s 2015 and bring back all the available stars from that team – Greinke, Cain, Hosmer, Moustakas and A. Escobar. Mix the old and the new at a price they can afford.
Brewers offense still appears weaker on paper. They shuffled arms in and out.
Getting WIlliam Contreras for Esteury Ruiz was an absolutely genius move for MIL and should be applauded as such. But otherwise, It they’ve replaced two of their best three hitters with a possibly washed Jesse Winker and two prospects (Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang) who might not be able to hit. I agree it’s a net step backwards overall
Contreras was a total steal. Plus a couple arms. Still not sure how Arnold pulled that off.
#3. Biggest weakness left to address:
Pirates, ownership.
Oh well, I can dream can’t I?
I think the A’s fans have even more to complain about. I mean, at least the Pirates have a nice stadium.
Think Royals and Marlins lineup great for a deal
Royals need P, Marlins need a 1B and Royals could offer Vinny P or Pratto
CUBS are going to roll with a Hosmer/Mike Olt platoon @1b…..After all Olt is only 34 and should be well rested…..
….And then you can ask Kris Bryant when Mervis will be up…..(monday morning sarcasm….)
avenger65
I’ve looked at that possibility too. Two big obstacles are Hendriks’ big contract and his 5 team no-trade clause. I don’t know if the Dbacks are on his 2023 no-trade list, but his contract stipulates that if he is traded, the 2024 option vests. So that is $14M in 2023 plus $15 M in 2024 = $29M!
I understand the White Sox potential desire to dump some salary, but I’m not sure I see Hazen taking on that much for a Closer in 23-24? Most think the competitive window opens in 2024 for the Dbacks, so not a good short term investment.
Dbacks have some near MLB ready prospects that fit White Sox needs, and 1 of them might be traded for Hendriks, but White Sox fans shouldn’t expect much in a salary dump return.
I floated the idea of trading sunk contracts—Hendriks for Madison Bumgarner straight up.
I’m sure you’d like getting rid of MadBum, who is estimated to have a -$33.5M value over the remainder of his deal, for Hendriks, with a positive value of $11.6M. Sox aren’t really looking for another starter anyway, neither are they looking for prospects with the FO believing their window is open now. If you want the other team to agree to a trade, it generally has to make at least some sense for them. Sox need a 2B and Rojas has a similar value. A little cash goes to the D’backs or a lesser prospect to make up the roughly $2M difference.
And Hendriks has a weird contract, with his 2024 option the same as the buyout, but with different payment terms than if the team selects the buyout. With Diaz’ big deal, it is comparatively affordable for one of baseball’s best and most consistent closers.
Hendricks has positive value. Amazing how you consistently undervalue other team’s players.
The article says the Orioles exceeded expectations in 2023.
Bauer will sign in Korea. No MLB will pick him up. We’ll, maybe the Mets.
Quote: “a reunion with future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke might make the most sense.”
Have we really let HOF standards drop so much that Zack Greinke, a good, but definitely NOT great pitcher, is a HOFer?
Lumping in Greinke with people like Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Cy Young, Water Johnson, and so many others is Pathetically Absurd. He belongs in the Hall of Very Good, not the HOF.
Bit of a hot take. He has comparable fWAR to Scherzer and Kershaw (albeit in more seasons) and more than Jeter. He could conceivably pass Frank Thomas and Reggie Jackson this year, but sure, he’s just pretty good.
More than your valuation just seeming light, why do you think that being put into the Hall means you’re equal to everyone else in there? Frank Thomas was a great hitter, but even as a die hard White Sox fan, I can’t say he even holds a candle to the likes of Ruth and Ted Williams with the bat. There are Hall of Famers and inner-circle Hall of Famers. True fans can tell the difference.
Frank Thomas compares better than Harold Baines. Baines and Greinke should be down the same hallway.
Baines is an example of how the HOF has been diluted. He was very good, but definitely not an all-time great player.
Frank Thomas was an imposing hitter, someone every team feared. That’s one measure, imo, of what makes for a HOFer.
No one feared facing Harold Baines. He was a very nice player with a very good career, and I don’t mean that because he didn’t have Thomas’ HR power. Great hitters & defenders, like ichiro suzuki, were feared for how they could turn a game around with their bats & gloves.
Baines has every right to be proud of that career, but he’s not an HOFer, in my view. I never once thought of Baines, now there’s an HOFer, or there’s one of the best players in baseball.
The argument that few players are as great as Ted Williams or Sandy Koufax is exactly the point of the HOF, imo. Only the truly ELITE in the game during their era should receive that honor. Does anyone here think Baines was elite?
You won’t find me arguing for Baines, but in my mind, he’s in a different category than Greinke. Greinke has a CYA and could have had a 2nd if not for an otherworldly 2nd half of 2015 by Arrieta. For a while, he was one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers and he was solid to excellent for a long time. He doesn’t attain to the level of guys like Maddux and Randy Johnson (much less Walter Johnson), but I would vote for him if I had a vote.
As for elite, there have been more than 22,000 baseball players in the sport’s 150-yr history, only 269 are HOFers, which is just over 1.2%. Now, there are included in this number “cup of coffee” guys, but also a large number of successful careers that have fallen short. It could be a little tighter (again, Baines), but I don’t think it should be so restrictive that only legends belong.
Greinke
76.5 career WAR | 48.4 7yr-peak WAR | 62.5 JAWS | 62.5 S-JAWS | 4.8 WAR/162
Average HOF P (out of 66):
73.0 career WAR | 49.8 7yr-peak WAR | 61.4 JAWS | 56.8 S-JAWS | 4.5 WAR/162
Doesn’t really look out of place unless I’m missing something.