Though many of us are still full of cookies and eggnog, here are three things to keep an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. What’s next for the Mariners after signing Garver?
The Mariners made their first buy-side splash of the offseason on Christmas Eve, inking catcher Mitch Garver to a two-year, $24MM deal. While he’s unlikely to do too much catching given the presence of Cal Raleigh, Garver’s bat has proven to be more than capable of handling work as a regular DH. In 87 games with the Rangers last year, Garver slashed an impressive .270/.370/.500 with 19 home runs in just 344 plate appearances and a wRC+ of 138, the 15th best figure among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.
With Garver likely to take over regular DH duties in Seattle, it’s fair to wonder what the Mariners will do next. While Garver looks to be a strong addition to the club’s lineup, GM Jerry Dipoto and his front office have plenty of work to do in renovating a lineup that has lost Teoscar Hernandez, Jarred Kelenic, and Eugenio Suarez this offseason. An infielder to pair with Luis Urias and Josh Rojas alongside JP Crawford could make some sense, and the club would surely benefit from adding a corner outfielder or two to a mix that currently features the likes of Cade Marlowe, Taylor Trammell, and Sam Haggerty.
2. Can the Padres address all their needs on a budget?
The Padres’ financial woes are well-documented at this point, having spurred the club to flip superstar Juan Soto to the Yankees alongside center fielder Trent Grisham. As things currently stand, the club is reportedly hoping to stay under the luxury tax threshold in 2024, leaving San Diego without much room to address needs all across the roster. The club’s deal with left-hander Yuki Matsui, which became official over the weekend, comes with a $5.7MM AAV for luxury tax purposes, giving the club (according to RosterResource) around $27MM to work with below the first threshold of the luxury tax. While that offers some flexibility to president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and his front office, the club likely needs at least one more reliever, at least one more starting pitcher, and at least two more everyday players in outfield/DH mix.
3. Will Matsui’s signing cause the relief market to pick up?
San Diego’s deal with Matsui land the second multi-year deal for a reliever headed to a new team this offseason after Emilio Pagan’s deal with the Reds late last month. The slow relief market this offseason stands in sharp contrast to last year’s which saw the likes of Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, and Rafael Montero sign multi-year pacts in early November. This year, relief ace Josh Hader headlines a class of relievers that also includes the likes of Robert Stephenson, Jordan Hicks, Matt Moore, and Aroldis Chapman. While virtually every contender could benefit from bullpen upgrades, the Cardinals, Cubs, Rangers, and Astros all have specific interest in retooling their relief corps this winter.
Don’t really see the padres adding another pen arm. They have about 10 legit options on the 40 man roster already.
I could see them adding 2 starters and 2-3 position players.
Of course they may decide to leave a spot or so open for prospects to fill.
Somebody better wake up Jed Hoyer.
There are needs in the bullpen and arms available but Jed is thinking his best move and only move was getting Craig Counsell. So far it’s all talk from him. Should be kicking the tires on a feasible package to get Cease from the White Sox but here we are…
Bout time Seattle started to add some bats ! Nice pick up.
They need to sign a pitcher then trade a young controllable pitcher for a bat
No crystal ball but the M’s seem to have gone the cheaper route for the DH. While all three could have on paper worse seasons playing 81 games in Seattle, I’d have preferred either JDM or Turner. Thus, I’m glad on the deal because it leaves it possible that the RS end up again with either of them. I’m still not convinced Yoshida will be their full-time DH in 24.
Would think it is in the best interest of the Mets to revamp their bullpen. Multiyear deal for any solid reliever will overlap their desired window of competition. Shown in past of using former closers to solidify the backend before Diaz.
Would love Hader but too expensive if seeking to have the most lucrative contract for reliever. Robert Stephenson would be interesting…though a reunion with Robertson and signing Chapman would be as interesting.
You could build a great backend of the bullpen, especially if you have 4-5 inning starters. That seems a novel idea to some folks, but championship clubs have that.
Oakland A’s best bullpen in the game 2024
The Bogarts contract will be haunting San Diego for quite some time and I’m actually a big fan of Xander Bogarts.
I don’t think you know what “woes” means. This is just lazy writing at this point. The padres are resetting the CBT – spending at the max allowed without penalties does not equal “financial woes.”
Padres = Last Place
I could see last place if Darvish and/or Musgrove don’t stay healthy. They’re still better than the Rockies and maybe the Giants.
You getting high on yer own supply again, Crack…?
The most amusing part of the article “Pads woes well-documented”.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, Nick
The controlled media narrative is always interesting to me. Like they figure out how to get more clicks by twisting the truth a little bit then running w it.
When it comes to the padres – some billionaire tried to buy a ws on his way out the door, spent a billion dollars trying, and now padres are just readjusting their business strategy in the wake of that attempt. To me, that seems to be a more interesting narrative than proclaiming the padres broke and ya know, the truth.
I could list the 25 other woeful teams with lower projected payrolls in 2024, but it wouldn’t change the now well-documented mlbtr narrative.
List them
Every team other than Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Yankees, and a couple more. We’ll see how the rest of the offseason goes. If Pads are at $200M, and if 2023 as a guide, then they will fall between top 5-7 in MLB payroll. Point is they are not broke, woeful, etc..
As things stand now. Padres are 11th in payroll for 2024. Teams below them are
Sf
Tor
Laa
Col
Kc
Min
Chw
Arz
Sea
Cin
Was
Clev
Mia
Mil
Tb
Bal
Pit
Oak
spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/2024/
Let’s see where they are in April, either way not woeful
Keep in mind that most of their contracts are long term. They’d have been at about $200M no matter what they did.
Keep in mind they just traded Soto and his salary, and won’t be paying Wacha, Snell, Martinez, Lugo, etc… They will be adding salary with trade acquisitions over next month.
Trade Kim for a cost controlled OF – Red Sox in a deal for Abreu or Rafaela who are mlb ready. Replaces Grisham and adds a few more prospects Padres could deal from.
Move cronenworth back to 2B
Resign Profar to play LF
Sign Bader to platoon with Abreu or Rafaela
Sign Greinke as #5- last year first time thru the order and second time he pitched well. So maybe 3 or 4 innings
Sign an actual 1B
Giants need to be all over Kim to pair him with Lee.
I think the Padres would take Beck & Matos for him
May be an overpay on the Giants but they have a great shot at an extension because of Lee & in the division trades are difficult to make happen.
I don’t see the padres taking that trade
Anything goes at the deadline within division but not today. Assuming Kim continues his upward trend, I don’t see the return much less at deadline than now – it could even be more considering: (1) Kim shows more upward offense; (2) injuries; (3) competitive bidding at deadline that doesn’t really exist now.
That and if they move him it’s hard to see it being to the giants. The giants would need to seriously outbid other teams. Kim his a great market being he can play 2b, SS at a gold glove level and is cheap. Plus he is probably easier to extend than say a boras client.
He loves it in San Diego and the padres extending him still isn’t out of the question. Though they likely would need to move cronenworth to do so.
Simm – and possibly Merrill (unless he can play LF). I’m liking the Merrill option at SS in 25 over the tensing Kim at 15-20/year.
My hope is that we see both Kim and Merrill for a few months and thst both thrive. That makes a deadline deal for Kim more palatable.
I hope Merrill is not the next TT or CJ narrative in SD. Let’s keep this one and roll with him.
Yeah Merrill is interesting. You can argue they can just replace Kim with Merrill later this year or next. They could move Merrill to the outfield or they could trade him.
Problem with Merrill replacing Kim is then they still have cronenworth out of position unless he is traded. In what 3 years they probably move Xander of short but they are about to sign Vries who is an international SS prospect who people say is the best one since wander Franco. So he maybe the replacement for Xander when he moves off short.
I think Cro can become the super utility / DH / 1b guy when that happens though to eliminate that part of the problem.
Given they had Merrill make starts last year at SS, 2b, 1b and LF that maybe the idea to at least get Merrill some at bats next year if everyone stays.
Of course that’s if he has a good enough spring to make the team and isn’t traded. I wouldn’t rule out the padres trading him for a young controllable starter.
Lots of directions the padres can go from trading, Kim, cronenworth, Merrill combination of them or none of them at all.
I definitely think some prospect capital will be spent on a controllable starter – just hope it’s not from their 1-6.
Right now, LF project is probably Merrill’s to lose – they need to see him and well, they do t really have an mlb LFer on the roster today so there is that!
People are suggesting Profar for cheap – I’d say Merrill for cheaper is a better shot.
Right now I have Marsee and CF and Merrill in LF. That will likely change some but it’s not the worse possible outcome. They need lefty bats and they both are that.
Profar for me is either a one year fill on guy or better yet a in case a guy like Merrill needs more time in the minors.
This is why I like adding Kiermaier and Profar. Leaves LF open for either Maraee or Merrill to win during spring and if neither do then Profar is the cheap security blanket.
I think Marsee is a few months away but a possible mid season add if needed.
Merrill is projected a little ahead so go with him at LF, the Yankee prospect or Azocar can start off at CF if theh don’t add. Save the money on those other basically league average guys and hold it for possible trade deadline move if they are in WC contention. The overall goal still needs to be to stay under CBT for “next year signing”.
Idk marsee is older and played in aa as well last year.
Marsee is older but farther behind in milb. SD top 30 has him at 2025 projected ETA after he played in AFL. I think he spent most of the year at LE even though he did finish at AA.
Azocar allows Marsee to spend 60-90 days in AA for seasoning.
Hey, I’m all for any prospect earning a spot in ST and coming up sooner though.
Then there is 19 year old Zavala a year behind Marsee.
Then there’s Head who might pass Zavala on the charts. Then there’s Bush Jr, who could also make a quick jump.
Reds having trouble getting FA SP to sign a reasonable contract to pitch in GABP. Relievers?- maybe not as much. Hader probably too much for Reds budget and not interested in a Chapman or Stephenson reunion, but Hicks, Moore. Juinis, etc may be doable. Upgrading 50-70 leveraged innings would be a big help. If Reds run into SP trouble during 2024 season, they have the quality prospects to pry a TOR sp from a noncontending team- when they have to.
I think lodolo is that guy. Lots of high end lefties get transitioned into back end pieces when starting doesn’t work itself out. He would hader 2.0 and reds could adjust their 8/9 innings for matchup purposes
Greene is that TOR. I rather see reds keep all their prospect capitol and sign giolito to eat a 180 innings next season. Like 3/75 mil, give him a couple opt outs w a potential 4th year and a buyout.
Then flip india for an upcoming 2/3A pitcher like Richard Fitts from Boston
Preller already said he wants to go into spring training giving some of the young minor leaguers a shot at the roster (Marsee and Merril mentioned by name). I think he is banking on one or more of them hopefully breaking with the team out of camp.
That said a lot of fans of other teams would love to have the Padres’ “financial woes”. Trying to duck under the CBT doesn’t exactly scream financial woes. They just stopped spending like a drunken Sailor they must be broke and bankrupt.
Padres = punting in 2024. Not seeing anything otherwise.
From MLTR Top 50 FA , predict who will be next 4 FA signings
1. M Stroman. 2. Y Rodriguez. 3. T Hernendez. 4. L. Giolito
Rodriguez seems like a good next 4 as does hernendez. I’ll go with imanaga and Hoskins as my other two.
The dodgers reset their CBT they’re geniuses….the Padres do it they’re broke.
The Padres sign a star till the age of 41 they’re idiots…the dodgers do it they’re geniuses.
The dodgers let Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger go they’re geniuses….the Padres trade Soto…they’re broke.
The dodger loving,double standard, is ridiculous.
The Dodgers sign Bauer they’re victims, the Padres trade for Clevinger they’re fools. Etc…
mrpadre19-The Padres sign a star till the age of 41 they’re idiots…the dodgers do it they’re geniuses.
=========================
Which guys did the Dodgers sign until age 41?
The dodger loving,double standard, is ridiculous.
========================
I’d also add that double-standards usually exist for a reason. The LAD have come in 1st for so long as I can remember, sans one year with 106 wins. They will get the benefit of the doubt.
Racism also exists for a reason. There is never justification for a double standard
Of course there is. Some people do exceptional work. They get away with more stuff. And they should. Atl, Hou, and LAD have had long records of success. Their GMs will get the benefit of the doubt..
So if the LA and SD do similar things, folks are more likely to assume that Friedman is correct.
Now, who are all these 41 year olds that LA is signing.
That’s not what double standard means
Any more moves by the M’s will also be on the cheap side, assuming we believe the Root Sports issues. I don’t see J&J going for some top end pricey talent. Sad but true.
why in the world is Dave Dombrowski isn’t doing anything of note with our bullpen. we might have had overall good numbers at the end of the year but is there any really die hard Philly fan that watched every game out there last year that was truly confident in our Bullpen on a nightly basis?
currently this team isn’t good enough to win a World Series we need improvements and have our biggest off-season move is just reciting Aaron Nola while the Braves have got better the Dodgers are obviously the team to beat my opinion that was a bridge and we got to do something to keep up with the Joneses
How did the braves get better?
@simm
If the Braves have gotten better it hasn’t been by much. The good thing for them is they haven’t lost anyone important though. Kelenic is questionable (In my opinion.) But he at least has upside potential (at least more upside potential than Rosario.) I like the Reynaldo Lopez signing, his stuff intrigues me. But other than a starting pitcher what holes do they really need to fill? Also I wouldn’t worry about DD, there is still plenty of time in the off-season and like the Braves they really don’t have too many holes to fill, they could use a closer but I wouldn’t put a Josh Hader signing past them. They have made deep playoff runs the past two seasons so again, not too much to do.
I find it funny that this ‘cut and paste’ job that has been posted fmsince the eend of the season. Will payroll come down…yes. Is Preller done shaping this roster…nope. I’m glad that they may finally have to use homegrown talent…
The Mariners have jettisoned three players with extremely high strikeout rates and “chase” rates (Kelenic, Suarez, T. Hernandez), and replaced them with players with far lower strikeout rates and chase rates and far better on-base percentages.
The M’s also have added youth and power in Luis Urias at 3B (age 26) who came into the league at 21, improved from 2018 to 2019 to 2020 to 2021, then was hurt for a good part of the last two years. If he’s healthy, he’s a 20-homer guy. A look at his minor league numbers gives a pretty good hint at what might be a surprising upside: .302 BA/.393 OBP..
Josh Rojas (also in his prime at age 29) and Jose Caballero (in his prime at age 27) make a good left/right combination at 2B, (.250 BA/.335 OBP combined at ML level) with lower 23% strikeout rates. However, their minor league numbers hint at significant upside as well, with Rojas at .288/.371 and Caballero at .283/.395. Again, some potentially surprising upside.
The addition of Mitch Garver at (likely permanent) DH is an all-around improvement from Mike Ford, no question there: Garver has higher BA, higher OBP, equal or better power, lower chase rate, AND slightly lower strikeout rate.
And while many pundits are lamenting the M’s current outfield (minus Kelenick and T. Hernandez), a closer look suggests that Dominic Canzone, picked up in trade from Arizona, has substantial upside.
In fact, Canzone’s minor league numbers were superior to Kelenic, with career minor league stats at .310 BA, .377 OBP, .933 OPS. And Canzone’s first major league peek in 2023 resulted in a BA higher by over 20 points than Kelenic’s first year. And Canzone, too, is just entering his prime at age 26. He, too, is a 20 homer guy. And frankly, he’s far more composed and in command of his emotions than Kelenic (that being said, Kelenic may yet be a star, but the point is, in the present, Canzone is likely very adequate replacement with some nice upside).
Given the above potential combined with a likely bounce-back year by Ty France at 1B, the M’s infield, including catcher and shortstop, appears reasonably solid, as does the outfield with the exception of the T. Hernandez “empty” space….he of the “plus 30% strikeout rate” and low .305 OBP in 2023. But the bigger number of concern is the 25-30 HR power that’s left the building.
Not every one of the players (named and unnamed) on the M’s roster is likely to live up to such optimistic expectations, of course. But it’s clear that potential upside IS there. And if the M’s happen to be on-target with their younger additions of Rojas, Caballero,, Urias, and Canzone and their upside add of Mitch Garver, the chances of them moving guys over and getting them in in 2024 are much improved. And IF they fill the T. Hernandez hole with some decent power (and a little speed, if possible), the prediction here is that they will be in the thick of it in 2024. Remember, their pitching is some of the some of the best in baseball.
Right – I like Seattle as my AL team. I don’t know the details but as a long time Padres fan, I’ll speak to what I know.
Urias = bust. He didn’t hit like his minor league numbers in any year. He was supposed to pair with Tatis as a combo for years to come and flopped. Some say it’s personality / attitude – I don’t know.
France – loved the guy as a SD prospect and hated to see him gone but he was blocked (pre DH) so prospects get traded. I hope he bounces back but really, he has declined steadily each year so his bounce back would be from his 1st ML season a few years ago. Not the best to bet on but wish him the best.
I’ve followed these 2 and many more SD prospects because I watched them develop and had the typical high hopes / dreams that lost fans have for their team’s prospects.
Agreed, Rick! I think removing Suarez, Hernandez, Ford and Kelenic from the lineup is addition by subtraction, as long as the M’s replace them with guys who have good OBP and don’t chase so much. Our high-K guys killed a lot of rallies last year. At this point in their development, I also like Canzone over Kelenic. Things aren’t as bad as they might seem, given the strength of the pitching. OTOH, I still hope they’ll sign Snell, then trade for Arozarena and/or Paredes from the pitching surplus. Still some work to do, anyway.
Slotthcliff is right on. Sign Snell (who is begging to come home and if he uses driveline, can improve on his walk rate), trade for Arozarena and, if possible, trade for Ha-Song Kim to move Rojas to 3B. Somehow, divest the team of its 37 middling middle infielders who hit .180 and still swing for the fences (looking at you, Dylan Moore). Not sold on Urias – to me, he’s a placeholder.
Miller for Kim and Iriarte? Make an offer. I’m sure the Padres would listen.
Not sold on Iriarte, but if he has the makings of a middle inning relief option instead of starting, it’s not a bad deal. But I’d rather the Ms included Urias to get a LH higher RP prospect
Unfortunately the Padres don’t have any higher ranked relief pitching prospects. Iriarte is borderline top 100, but it will be up the the GMs anyways.
Also, I’m pretty sure the Padres don’t want Urias back.
Urias. POS autocorrect.
Iriarte is a beast! I saw him pitch at Elsinore a couple of years ago and was amazed at his velocity. I don’t think the Padres will move him as he could actually contribute this year as a middle inning guy. In my opinion, he’s a part of the 2025 starting rotation.
I agree, but I’m sure that Miller would be tempting to the Padres.
Savannah Bananas legend Cade Marlowe in the outfield!
I keep looking and looking and can find no articles about the Padres so called financial woes that don’t refer to or link back to the Kevin Acee article.
There are other teams that have come out and said they are going to have to cut back on payroll, but we are not seeing endless mentions of their financial situations. Only the Padres.
Which is strange to me since the Padres new control guy, the deceased owners brother Tom who is also a minority partner in the team, the CEO, and the GM have not said they are having issues. In fact they have all said they would keep operating the team the same way they did under Peter Seidler with a goal of “putting a championship level team on the field”.
Those words I put in quotation marks are what we keep hearing and reading from the people making the decisions but somehow its “well documented” that the opposite is true? Its really starting to bug me and I’m not a Padres in any way, shape, or form. I can’t imagine how angry Padres fans must be at this site and other publications for endlessly repeating that one writer but not what the ownership and front office has said over and over.
Ok. Rant over.
Hope you all had a great holiday season.
Pitchers and catchers report in 50 days.
Baseball – yep, right there with you. See my rants above on the X contract which is the same situation only more pointed at the fans than the writers.
Sure, you keep bringing up facts, and that’s fine and all, but facts aside, and all evidence to the contrary, they are woefully broke, because someone somewhere once said that and now no amount of clarification can change my mind. Happy Holidays
Maybe the authors on here are responding to all the unjustified criticism they got originally by trolling them. Fair enough too.
More likely the opposite. Regardless, it’s the very job of a journalist to be objective. Fans are allowed to be fans, and I’m sure you would agree with that, no?
Justify it however you want.
The intensity of it was farked up.
Dipoto’s biggest FA hitter signing since taking over in seattle. The fact that it’s 2/$12 isn’t saying much
Some long winded comments on this thread
2/$24
That’s why MLB-R posts articles on the RS and SDP.. It’s guaranteed to elicit 100s of responses.
Maybe Machado can get some time in at 1B/DH to help preserve him and keep him off the DL?
Bring up the youth. It’s the next set coming in. A cool buzz and a tasty wave and we’re fine…