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Archives for July 2023

The Opener: Romano, Robert, Cruz

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On the heels of the NL’s eighth-inning comeback in this year’s All-Star Game, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Romano exits:

Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano departed the All-Star Game yesterday in the seventh inning due to lower back tightness. As noted by Shi Davidi of Sportstnet, Romano is poised to meet with the club’s training staff today upon his return to Toronto. Blue Jays relievers currently rank fifth in the majors with a collective 3.68 ERA, thanks in no small part to Romano, who sports a 2.87 ERA, 3.07 FIP, and a majors-leading 26 saves. Left-hander Tim Mayza, right-hander Trevor Richards, and right-hander Erik Swanson are among the club’s other options to handle the late innings if Romano misses any time.

2. Robert scratched:

White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. was scratched from yesterday’s All-Star Game after feeling some tightness in his calf while participating in the Home Run Derby on Monday, the club announced yesterday. Robert defeated Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman 28-27 in the first round before falling to Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena in the semifinals 22-35. Per the White Sox, Robert will be reevaluated prior to Friday’s game against the Braves in Atlanta. The 25-year-old Robert has become one of the game’s brightest stars by combining strong defense in center field with a .271/.330/.569 slash line that’s good for a wRC+ of 143. Oscar Colas and Adam Haseley appear to be the club’s most likely options in center should Robert require time out of the lineup.

3. What’s next for Cruz?

After being designated for assignment earlier in the month, Padres DH Nelson Cruz has now been released. Despite that most recent setback in what has been a difficult few seasons for Cruz, ESPN’s Enrique Rojas indicates the now 43-year-old veteran has no plans to retire at the moment and would like to continue playing. Cruz struggled significantly with the Nationals last year, posting a .234/.313/.337 slash line with a wRC+ of just 85 that represented his first below-average figure since becoming an everyday player back in 2009. Cruz’s attempt to rebound with the Padres this year was similarly ill-fated, as his .245/.283/.399 slash line in 49 games this season made for an identical wRC+ of 85. Any club that signs Cruz at this point would only owe him the prorates league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster.

The Cubs Hit A Jackpot In Minor League Free Agency — Now What?

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Since the Cubs’ signing of Craig Kimbrel left them feeling burned for the first two seasons of the contract, ownership and the front office have eschewed spending on the bullpen. Rather than invest in high-priced relief options in free agency, the Cubs have spread out their bullpen investments over a series of small-scale additions, either on low-cost one-year deals or on minor league free agents. At times, they’ve had great success with the strategy (e.g. Andrew Chafin, David Robertson). Others haven’t gone so well (e.g. Brad Boxberger, Brandon Workman). They haven’t been burned by any big relief pitching commitments since Kimbrel, but they also have generally sat out on the top names on the market.

The merits of the strategy can be debated ad nauseum. On the one hand, it’s unequivocally a good thing to avoid being encumbered by any burdensome multi-year deals for relievers. On the other, the Cubs have the financial resources and payroll capacity to take such risks and withstand the missteps more than many of their smaller-payroll rivals. By steering clear of expensive, multi-year commitments they’ve also bypassed a number of quality relief options while trotting out bullpens with ERAs of 4.39 (2021), 4.12 (2022) and 4.01 (2023). Since 2021, Cubs relievers rank 20th in MLB with a 4.21 ERA.

It’s not as simple as stating, “You get what you pay for,” as player development plays an enormous role; the Guardians, for instance, have the second-best bullpen ERA in the past three years (3.30) despite signing just one reliever (Bryan Shaw) as a Major League free agent.

Relying on low-cost bullpen additions increases the importance of developing in-house relievers — which the Cubs have not done all that well — or striking it big in minor league free agency, where teams can potentially land multiple years of an effective reliever who’s not yet burned through his arbitration seasons. The Cubs’ lack of big investments and lack of development from the farm makes their biggest score in minor league free agency all the more important.

Mark Leiter Jr. has been nothing short of a godsend at Wrigley Field.

A 22nd-round pick by the Phillies back in 2013, Leiter (obviously) comes from a prolific baseball family. His father, Mark Sr., enjoyed an 11-year big league career. His uncle, Al, is a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion who pitched in 19 Major League seasons. Leiter Jr.’s cousin, Jack, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

Just two years ago, Leiter Jr. looked to be a footnote in the Leiter family baseball lineage. He didn’t pitch in the Majors from 2019-21, despite solid numbers with the Tigers’ upper minors affiliates in ’21. When he quietly joined the Cubs on a minor league deal during MLB’s lockout — minor league free agency for players who didn’t finish the prior season on a 40-man roster or MLB injured list still continued during the stoppage — few thought much of it. Leiter looked like minor league depth and little more than that.

Perhaps that was how the Cubs saw things, too. Leiter didn’t break camp with the team in 2022 and was only summoned to the big leagues as a spot starter in mid-April. He started three games for the Cubs, yielded nine runs in 9 1/3 innings, and was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. Over the next couple months, he was optioned back and forth a few different times, eventually moving into a full-time bullpen role.

For much of the season, Leiter was a nondescript swingman on a non-contending Cubs club. Trades of Scott Effross, David Robertson, Chris Martin and Mychal Givens, however, opened enough space in the bullpen for the Cubs to call Leiter back to the big leagues and stick him in the bullpen for good. The results were excellent. Although he carried a 5.35 ERA into last year’s All-Star break, Leiter was summoned to the Majors on July 30 and dominated in the season’s final two months: 29 innings, 2.17 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 27.4% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate, 50% ground-ball rate, three saves, four holds.

Even with that big finish to the season, however, Leiter didn’t stick on the Cubs’ 40-man roster all winter. Chicago held onto Leiter into January but ultimately chose to designate him for assignment in order to open a roster spot for Eric Hosmer (who’d eventually be released in June).

Perhaps it was Leiter’s lack of a power fastball, his spotty track record, his status as an out-of-options pitcher, or the fact that most clubs had already filled their 40-man rosters by mid-January and didn’t want to adjust — whatever the reason, Leiter cleared waivers. He elected free agency and re-signed with the Cubs less than two weeks later. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, manager David Ross and the rest of the Cubs brass have to be thrilled with that outcome.

This time around, Leiter wound up breaking camp with the team — and it’s hard to imagine where they’d be without him. In 36 2/3 innings, Leiter carries a 3.19 ERA with a career-high 34.7% strikeout rate against a tidy 8.0% walk rate. He’s kept the ball on the ground at a strong 48.8% clip, allowed just three home runs (0.74 HR/9), picked up three more saves and piled up 13 holds. The Cubs were hoping that offseason signees like Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer could hold down late-inning roles, but it’s been Leiter who’s stepped up as the team’s most reliable setup man.

Leiter doesn’t throw hard, averaging just 91.8 mph on his heater, but both his four-seamer and sinker take a backseat to his splitter anyhow. It’s a tumbling offering that opponents have hammered into the ground at a 52.9% clip… when they put the ball in play. Leiter carries a mammoth 49.2% whiff rate on the splitter, which is a huge reason that opponents are batting just .088/.186/.132 in the 102 plate appearances he’s ended with that pitch. Unsurprisingly, after throwing the pitch at a 22.7% clip last year (per Statcast), he’s ramped that usage rate up to 35.8% in 2023. It’s now his most-used pitch.

He’s had some rough outings recently, allowing a total of four runs in his past three innings, but the overall results this season have nevertheless been excellent. In fact, dating back to July 30 of last season, when Leiter was called to the big leagues for good, he’s now sporting a 2.74 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, 49.3% grounder rate and 0.69 HR/9 mark. Leiter has been proof that not all high-leverage arms need to feature triple-digit fireballs that blow opponents out of their socks.

Cubs management surely hopes the team can come firing out of the gates and play its way back into contention. The Cubs’ schedule coming out of the break, after all, isn’t exactly formidable. They’ll kick things off with three against the Red Sox before playing their next 13 games against the Nationals, Cardinals and White Sox — three of the worst teams in the Majors this season. It’s quite possible the Cubs can indeed climb back into the division race.

If, however, the Cubs continue to flounder and/or the Reds and Brewers pull away, Leiter is likely to draw some trade interest. Normally, a pitcher with more than three years of club control wouldn’t be a trade candidate for a team like the Cubs, who if not this year hope to contend in 2024. But Leiter is 32 — 33 next March — and only came to them on a minor league deal. If another club is willing to give up some actual prospect value, it’d be hard not to give serious consideration to the scenario.

Leiter’s emergence is a feel-good story — a 22nd-round pick that was never a top prospect despite coming from a high-profile baseball family, he hung on when his career looked lost, clawed back to the big leagues in his 30s and now finds himself as a valuable arm in a big league bullpen. More than that, however, his emergence could put the Cubs in a quandary — if they’re not able to turn their fortunes. Hang onto a quality reliever for his final three years of team control, or sell high and trade a 32-year-old who’s effectively “found money” for them when he’s at peak value? These are the types of decisions the Cubs will face over the next few weeks, making their immediate performance following the deadline a particularly important component of this year’s deadline season.

Giants Acquire Jack Larsen From Mariners

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The Giants acquired minor league outfielder Jack Larsen in a trade with the Mariners over the weekend (h/t to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America). San Francisco assigned the left-handed hitter to their top affiliate in Sacramento, where he made his organizational debut on Sunday.

Seattle’s return is unspecified, though most transactions of this nature see cash sent the other way. Larsen hadn’t been on the M’s 40-man roster, so he does not take a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man.

Larsen, 28, had spent the season with the M’s Triple-A club in Tacoma. The UC-San Diego product appeared in 25 games, hitting .313/.466/.338 across 103 plate appearances. Larsen only connected on two extra-base hits (both doubles), but he walked at an elite 21.4% clip against a 23.3% strikeout rate.

Plate discipline has been his calling card through seven professional campaigns. Larsen is a .267/.380/.441 hitter in more than 2200 minor league plate appearances. He got a cup of coffee in Seattle last summer, tallying one plate appearance (a strikeout) in his MLB debut. The M’s outrighted him off the 40-man thereafter.

Larsen has some center field experience but has played almost exclusively in the corner outfield this year. The Giants have Heliot Ramos and Bryce Johnson as 40-man outfielders in Sacramento. Larsen joins 27-year-old Michael Gigliotti as non-roster depth options on the grass.

Reds Outright Michael Mariot

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The Reds sent right-hander Michael Mariot outright to Triple-A Louisville, according to his transaction log at MLB.com. That suggests he went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend.

Mariot had an exceedingly brief stay on the Cincinnati roster. The Reds selected his contract on Saturday and carried him for one game. He didn’t pitch and was DFA on Sunday. The 34-year-old is still looking to make his first MLB appearance in seven years.

Owner of a 5.98 ERA over 49 2/3 career major league innings, Mariot joined Cincinnati on a minor league pact a month ago. He started four times for Louisville, working to a 2.59 ERA through 24 1/3 frames. He struck out fewer than 15% of opponents but kept his walks to a pristine 4.2% clip.

Mariot has been outrighted before in his career. He’ll have the right to test minor league free agency as a result, although he could choose to stick with the organization that signed him out of the independent ranks just a few weeks back.

Manfred Discusses Pitch Clock, Automatic Strike Zone, A’s Relocation Application

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Prior to today’s All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association executive director Tony Clark each met with reporters. The interviews covered various topics on the state of the game.

Clark indicated the MLBPA would like to discuss potentially relaxing some pace of play rules during the postseason (link via Jesse Rogers of ESPN). Such things as adding time to the pitch clock or increasing the number of mound disengagements for pitchers could be of interest to the union.

“Considering you just played a 162-game season, nobody is looking to play 3½- to 4-hour games,” Clark told reporters. “I don’t think a few seconds here or there is going to create a 3½- to 4-hour game.” Pitchers are permitted 15 seconds to begin their delivery with no one on base and 20 seconds to start throwing with a baserunner aboard. Hitters must be ready by the time the clock hits the eight-second mark. Pitchers are allowed two disengagements from the mound per plate appearance.

The MLBPA doesn’t have the ability to change those provisions. On-field rules changes are at the discretion of a competition committee comprising mostly league officials. Manfred suggested MLB might be open to adjusting the pitch clock for the playoffs but didn’t sound especially enthusiastic about the idea.

“We don’t want a postseason game decided by a rules violation, and I understand it’s a possibility,” the commissioner said (link via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). “In terms of doing something for the postseason, we’re going to continue to talk to the players. I think you ought to play the postseason the way you play the regular season. There’s exceptions. I’m open-minded on that topic. But I prefer to keep the same rules in the regular season and postseason.”

Of course, the league has already signed off on one major change between regular season and postseason play. The extra-inning runner is strictly a regular season provision; there are no free baserunners in the playoffs.

Manfred also addressed a few other big-picture items. Regarding the potential implementation of an automatic strike zone, the commissioner reiterated his preference for the challenge system over a full move to computer ball/strike calls (link via Associated Press). MLB has experimented with both potential avenues in the minor leagues.

The challenge setup primarily relies upon the home plate umpire to call balls and strikes. Pitchers, hitters and catchers are given a finite number of times they can contest a call. Manfred has previously suggested that setup better strikes a balance of preserving the receiving component of catcher defense while decreasing the odds of a very meaningful missed call at important stages of the game. As the AP notes, the challenge system was in place for last weekend’s Futures Game. Four calls were challenged; three were confirmed.

Regardless, it doesn’t seem any changes to the strike zone are coming next season. Nightengale hears from a league official that no automatic zone is likely to be in place before the 2025 campaign at the earliest as MLB continues to refine the tracking technology.

While there’s been plenty of attention on the on-field rule changes in recent years, one could argue the biggest story of the 2023 MLB season has been the A’s efforts to relocate to Las Vegas. Manfred said this afternoon the franchise has begun to provide the league with information regarding its relocation application but has yet to submit a full proposal (link via Alden González of ESPN). That’s the final significant step after the A’s secured $380MM in public funding for a ballpark in Las Vegas last month.

Once the A’s finalize their proposal, it’ll go in front of a three-person relocation committee. As first reported last week by Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Phillies’ owner John Middleton and Royals’ owner John Sherman join Milwaukee’s Mark Attanasio on the committee. The proposal will then go in front of all 30 owners for a vote. The A’s need 75% approval to officially relocate, which they’re expected to receive.

The Trade That Landed NL’s All-Star Starter In Arizona

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The All-Star Game is soon to get underway. Kicking off the festivities on the mound: Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

The two pitchers were acquired by their respective clubs at very different stages of their careers. Cole had established himself as arguably the sport’s best pitcher by the 2019-20 offseason. He’d join the Yankees on a nine-year, $324MM free agent contract that shattered the record for the largest pitching deal in MLB history. 519 innings of 3.19 ERA ball later, the Yankees are surely happy with that investment.

Gallen landed in Arizona well before he was established as an MLB starter. Originally drafted by the Cardinals, he was dealt to the Marlins as a prospect alongside Sandy Alcantara, Magneuris Sierra and Daniel Castano in the lopsided Marcell Ozuna trade over the 2017-18 offseason. Gallen spent a year and a half in the Miami system, reaching the big leagues in June ’19.

A rookie starter on a then-noncompetitive Miami club, Gallen wasn’t on many people’s radar as a viable trade candidate going into the 2019 deadline. The Fish and Diamondbacks ignored traditional competitive windows and lined up on the extremely rare swap of top young talents: a one-for-one deal that sent Gallen to Phoenix for Double-A middle infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Swapping highly-regarded prospects at positions of need is far more common in fan speculation than it is in practice. Organizations are typically reluctant to surrender quality controllable talent. Clubs liked those players enough to acquire and develop them in the first place; it’s only natural if teams tend to value their in-house talent more than other organizations might.

Going into the 2019 season, Chisholm was generally regarded as the superior prospect. The Bahamian infielder ranked 59th on Baseball America’s top 100 list and 32nd on Keith Law’s list (then at ESPN). His athleticism, switch-hitting ability and huge raw power made him a potential franchise middle infielder. Gallen was more generally perceived as a future strike-throwing #4 starter than a burgeoning ace.

Gallen flipped that script with a breakout 2019 campaign. He posted a 1.77 ERA over 14 Triple-A starts before his first call-up. He made seven starts with Miami, working to a 2.72 ERA with a strong 28.5% strikeout percentage in his first 36 2/3 frames. Arizona had to view Gallen as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter to make parting with Chisholm worthwhile.

They’ve been proven right in that evaluation. In parts of five seasons as a Diamondback, Gallen has worked to a 3.10 ERA through 539 1/3 innings. He’s striking out just over 27% of batters faced. The North Carolina product was a little walk-prone early in his career, but he has consistently cut into the free passes as he’s gotten more experience.

Only once has Gallen posted an ERA higher than this year’s 3.04 clip. His 4.30 mark in 2021 looks like a blip, as he followed up a career-low 2.54 last season with his All-Star first half. Of the 94 starters with 70+ innings, he’s in the top 25 in ERA (18th), strikeout rate (22nd at 26.5%) and SIERA (14th at 3.53).

Gallen has twice found himself on Cy Young ballots. He’s likely to land some support for a third season after picking up a deserved first All-Star selection. Gallen has been the clear staff ace for a resurgent Arizona club that went into the All-Star Break percentage points behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. He is eligible for arbitration for another two seasons.

While the trade leans in Arizona’s favor, Chisholm has tapped into a lot of the promise he’d shown as a minor leaguer. He connected on 14 home runs and swiped 12 bases in only 60 games last season, earning an All-Star nod of his own. Unfortunately, he couldn’t play in that game, as his campaign was ended on June 29 by a back injury.

The Fish moved Chisholm to center field to accommodate the acquisition of Luis Arraez over the offseason. Chisholm has gotten mixed reviews from public defensive metrics for his outfield performance. He’s hitting .246/.302/.443 with nine longballs and 14 steals over 183 trips to the dish this year. Injuries have again been a story, as he lost around a month to turf toe on his right foot and is currently on the injured list with an oblique strain.

While the repeated health questions are surely frustrating for Chisholm and the organization alike, he’s flashed the ability to be a franchise building block. Controllable through 2026, he figures to play an everyday role in South Florida for the next few seasons.

In spite of Chisholm’s two absences, Miami is 14 games over .500 and in possession of the National League’s top Wild Card spot. That’s in large part thanks to an excellent rotation. Miami’s starting staff would be better if Gallen were a part of it — every team’s would — but the Fish are as well suited as any club to surrender quality pitching for a potential impact position player. They took a similar approach last offseason, sending Pablo López to Minnesota for Arraez.

Overall, both clubs probably feel strongly about their evaluation of the young player they acquired four seasons ago. Gallen has been healthier and the more valuable player to this point, but Chisholm is one of the top hitters on a Marlins’ club that skews toward pitching. While trades like this don’t happen frequently, the surprising Gallen-Chisholm swap has been impactful for a pair of the NL’s upstart contenders.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Rays Release José López

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The Rays released left-hander José López, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The southpaw had been designated for assignment last week.

López, 24, came up through the Rays’ system and seemed to have a breakout season in 2022. He went from High-A to Double-A and then Triple-A last year, tossing a combined 59 1/3 innings across those three levels. He registered a 2.43 ERA in that time, striking out a tremendous 37.7% of batters faced, though also issuing walks to 15.1% of them.

Despite that strong season, the Rays couldn’t fit him onto their crowded roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft and he was nabbed by the Padres. His control issues continued to manifest in Spring Training, as he walked five batters in six innings. He wasn’t able to crack the Opening Day roster in San Diego and the Friars offered him back to the Rays, who accepted and sent him to Triple-A Durham.

Through June 10, he had tossed 26 innings at that level with a 5.19 ERA. He had lowered his walk rate to 11.1% but was also getting strikeouts at a reduced 23.1% clip. The Rays selected him to their 40-man roster at that point and he was able to make his major league debut by tossing two innings against the Rangers, allowing one earned run.

The Rays frequently cycle through pitchers at the fringes of their roster and quickly optioned Lopez back to Durham the next day. He was placed on the minor league injured list in early July, designated for assignment five days later and has now been released.

Poll: What Should The White Sox Do With Tim Anderson?

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The White Sox seem to be gradually accepting that this isn’t their year. A miserable 8-21 start in March and April put them in a bad spot out of the gate. They managed to stay afloat by going 15-14 in May and then 13-13 in June, keeping them near contention in a weak American League Central division. But they slid a bit further recently, going 2-6 in July prior to the All-Star break. Their overall record of 38-54 has them eight games back in the division and even further back in the Wild Card race.

As of about a month ago, it was reported that they were hoping to limit their upcoming summer sell-off to just rental players. But reporting from yesterday indicates they have widened that stance, now willing to trade just about anyone on the roster apart from Luis Robert Jr., Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez.

One of the more interesting trade candidates they will have to consider is shortstop Tim Anderson. The extension he signed with the club back in 2017 was guaranteed through 2022 with a pair of club options. The Sox triggered the 2023 option and still have the potential to do so again for 2024.

The decision to trigger the first option was an easy one, as Anderson had emerged as a solid above-average regular for the club over the course of his deal. He was a solid speed-and-defense player in the first couple of years but subpar at the plate. He took a huge step forward in 2019 and maintained it in the years to come. From 2019 to 2022, he hit .318/.347/.473 for a wRC+ of 123, indicating he was 23% above league average. When combined with his baserunning and glovework, he was able to produce 13.6 wins above replacement in 374 games, according to the calculations of FanGraphs.

At the end of last season, the Sox had to decide between triggering a $12.5MM option for 2023 or buying him out for $1MM. With many premier shortstops earning north of $30MM annually, that price point made Anderson a bargain. Unfortunately, this year has been a nightmare for him. He’s yet to hit a home run this season and is batting .223/.259/.263 overall for a wRC+ of just 43, the worst production in the majors among players with at least 250 plate appearances. The advanced defensive metrics also consider him to be below average this year. Those metrics can be fickle on a year-to-year basis but this would be the second straight season they have all had him in the negative range.

On the offensive side of things, if one wanted to look for signs of hope, there are things to squint at. Anderson’s Statcast numbers aren’t drastically different from previous seasons. His average exit velocity of 88.3 mph is in the same range as where he’s been in recent years and is even above his career average of 87.5. His 109.6 mph max exit velo and 40.9% hard hit rate are similar to other seasons as well. His sprint feet of 27.2 feet per second is about a foot shy of his norms, but that’s not too shocking given that he missed about three weeks with a left knee sprain.

What seems to be a real factor is launch angle, which is averaging 0.5 degrees this year, well below his career average of 6.6. His 65.1% ground ball rate is well above the 42.5% league average. Anderson has always had above-average grounder rates but was at 52% for his career coming into this campaign. All of that would perhaps explain why he doesn’t have a home run and why his .284 batting average on balls in play is so far beneath the .376 mark he had during his strong 2019-2022 stretch.

Perhaps Anderson can produce better results going forward just by pounding the ball into the dirt less often. Regardless, the Sox have a few weeks to decide between a few different paths. One is to trade Anderson, which they are apparently open to doing, since he wasn’t listed as one of the players that are off-limits. However, doing so would mean selling when his value is at an extremely low ebb, given his awful results so far this year.

It’s possible that some clubs are willing to overlook the rough season and take a shot on him. The upcoming free agent class is very light on position players, meaning the crop of available trade candidates is likely to be similar. There are several contenders who could use middle infield reinforcements, such as the Giants, Marlins, Angels, Dodgers and Brewers. Those clubs may not have too many options for lining up on trades. The Cardinals will likely listen to offers on Paul DeJong, but he has his own issues with inconsistency and is no guarantee to be moved with a couple of club options remaining. Teams like the Orioles and Guardians have many infield prospects and could be open trading from their respective surpluses, but they would likely be looking to part with the players who aren’t helping them right now.

Perhaps that leads to someone making the Sox an intriguing offer, but it will undoubtedly be less than what they could have gotten in the past or could potentially get in the future. The other path would be to hang onto Anderson and hope he finishes strong enough for them to justify triggering his $14MM option for 2024 instead of the $1MM buyout. If he’s able to return to his previous level of performance, that would still be good value.

If Anderson were indeed able to get back to being a solid everyday player, he could perhaps help the club have better outcomes next year. Even if the club stayed on the outside of a playoff race, he could increase his trade value relative to where it is today. But the risk would be in hanging onto him and spending $13MM on another disappointing season. There’s also the injury question to consider, as various ailments have prevented Anderson from tallying 125 games in any individual season since 2018. He’s since battled a right ankle injury, two right groin injuries, two left hamstring injuries, a sagittal band tear on his left middle finger and this year’s left knee sprain.

The third path would be to sign Anderson to an extension, something he openly pined for back in February. No deal has come together up until this point and Anderson’s leverage has surely dropped dramatically since then, when he said there would be “no discounts” and that he wanted to be “treated fair.” It’s unknown if the Sox ever had any formal negotiations with Anderson’s camp, but any offers they may have made at that point would undoubtedly be dropped if talks resumed. If the club believed in Anderson’s ability to get back on track, perhaps they would try to buy low and get him to agree to a lengthier pact, though doing so would essentially carry the same risks as simply triggering his 2024 option, only more so.

Each path comes with its own upsides and downsides, depending on what the future holds. Holding onto him for 2024 or longer is the smart thing if he bounces back but the wrong move if he doesn’t, while the inverse is true of the trading path. What do you think is the right choice? Have your say in the poll below. (Link to poll for app users)

Padres Release Nelson Cruz

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The Padres have released designated hitter Nelson Cruz, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment a week ago and the club was apparently unable to line up a trade in the meantime. He would have been able to elect free agency if he cleared waivers, so the Friars had little choice but to send him back to the open market.

Cruz, 43, had a lengthy run as one of the best sluggers in the game but has been far less effective over the past two years. From 2009 through 2020, he hit 395 home runs and batted .280/.350/.538 overall for a wRC+ of 137, indicating he was 37% better than the league average hitter.

He initially carried that production into 2021 as well, as he carried a batting line of .294/.370/.537 and a wRC+ of 142 through 85 games with the Twins. At that point, he was flipped to the Rays but couldn’t maintain that performance, hitting just .226/.283/.442 for a wRC+ of 95 with Tampa. He signed with the Nationals last year but couldn’t get back on track, slashing .234/.313/.337 for a wRC+ of 85. Cruz hoped that eye surgery at the end of last year would help him get back in form in 2023 but he’s just just .245/.283/.399 with the Padres, translating to a wRC+ of 85 that matches last year’s figure.

Cruz is effectively just a designated hitter at this point in his career. The last time he played the outfield was back in 2018, and even that was just four games. He played one game at first base with the Rays in 2021, playing the field for seven innings, and logged just a single inning at first for the Friars this year. With those defensive limitations, he needs to hit to justify his roster spot and hasn’t been able to do so for a couple of years now.

The Padres and Cruz agreed to a $1MM salary in the offseason, with just under half of that still to be paid out. It seems no club was willing to take that on, so the Padres will remain on the hook for it by releasing him. That will allow any of the 29 other clubs to bring him aboard while paying him just the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Friars pay. As mentioned, he has been struggling since the middle of 2021, but perhaps some club is willing to take a shot on his previous track record, especially since the financial risk would be essentially nonexistent.

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