Activity in the baseball world could pick up this week as the holiday season nears its end. A few things to keep an eye on with the beginning of 2024:
1. Unofficial contracts
A few free agent signings have yet to be made official. That’s not uncommon for late-December agreements, as holiday plans can lead some players or teams to hold off on physicals that will put the finishing touch on a contract. The Pirates have yet to announce their $8MM deal with left-hander Martín Pérez from two weeks back, while the White Sox haven’t finalized their $4MM signing of catcher Martín Maldonado. Starters Lucas Giolito (Red Sox), Frankie Montas (Reds) and Zach Plesac (Angels) agreed to deals in the last few days that haven’t been made official. Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cincinnati and Los Angeles all have 40-man rosters that are at capacity, so they’ll need to make corresponding trades or DFA once those acquisitions are announced.
2. DFA resolutions
On the other side of the equation, a handful of players have awaited resolution on their status. Teams typically have a week to trade or waive someone they had designated for assignment. That clock is paused between Christmas and New Year’s, leaving a few players with an unusually long stay in DFA limbo. Max Castillo, who was DFA by the Royals on December 19, has spent the past two weeks with that uncertainty. Ryan Jensen (Marlins), Donny Sands (Tigers) and Diego Castillo (Diamondbacks) should all receive clarity on their status by the end of this week. More recent DFAs like Bryan Hudson (Dodgers), Bubba Thompson (Reds) and Declan Cronin and Carlos Pérez (both White Sox) may also be traded or placed on waivers in the next couple days.
3. Rodríguez Nearing Decision?
Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez is one of the more intriguing entrants on this year’s pitching market. The 26-year-old dominated while working out of the bullpen for NPB’s Chunichi Dragons in 2022. He didn’t pitch after last year’s World Baseball Classic while awaiting an MLB opportunity, which will come this winter. Teams are divided on Rodríguez’s future as a starting pitcher, but he has a high-octane arsenal that should land him a notable multi-year pact as an upside play. ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported on Friday that Rodríguez was close to making a decision, suggesting the Blue Jays had emerged as his top suitor. Will there be an agreement by the end of the week?
Action could pick up this week. Every week it’s the same old, same old.
We say that every week!
The Pirates will trade their entire team for the Royals plus cash considerations
Would be so cool and wild to see an entire team for team swap. Hot stove please.
While not the whole team here is a gem from November 14th 1954:
The Baltimore Orioles trade Billy Hunter, Don Larsen, Bob Turley, Mike Blyzka, Jim Fridley, Darrell Johnson and Dick Kryhoski to the New York Yankees for Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Willy Miranda, Hal Smith, Gus Triandos, Gene Woodling, Ted Del Guercio, Don Leppert, Bill Miller and Kal Segrist.
The trade took 17 days to complete and still features the most players ever in one single trade (17) and is the stuff Jerry DiPoto dreams about
Yeah but! The Royals will have a better year in 2024!
Kudos just so glad Wander Franco has been found!
It will be nice to see Ryan Jensen get out of DFA limbo after spending 18 years out of organized baseball.
He pitched AA and AAA baseball last season.
Thank you for clarifying what clearly was nonsense, Mr. Gamble.
Not nonsense. It was how to say can you correct the link to the correct Jensen without saying it. You were too late to the party to see it.
Woosh
What if the Reds got Yariel at this jucture? That would be exciting. Not sure if his signing would require Reds to add him to 40 man roster immediately and I believe he comes with options. Still would keep their 2024 payroll at $110-113MM.
He would go on 40 right away bc he’s signing a major league contract. And I wouldn’t put it past the reds, They love a good log jam lol !
Big Whiffa: I didn’t know Montas signed with the Reds. Good news if he can bounce back. I don’t think they’ll get Rodriquez, but serious division and PO contender if they do.
Yariel not going to the Reds. They ain’t serious about winning. When Cincinnati accepts the fair market value trade offer for Dylan Cease, I will then believe they are interested in a ring.
The Reds are not going to give up 5 of their best young players for two years of Dylan Cease. Reds fan may not always approve of their front office, but they are almost unanimous in their approval of Nick Krall rejecting that silly offer. Good luck with the White Sox and their 105 losses this year.
Why all the hype for Dylan Cease? I’m shocked he’s gotten as much interest as he has, given how badly he pitched last year. Teams must just be that desperate for pitching.
I think he is a good pitcher, but no GM in their right mind is going to give up 4-5 of their top prospects for him.
@cguy: Why would that be any more exciting than any other team signing him?
I hope boras doesn’t pull his nonsense where he keeps his clients unsigned into March
That’s exactly what he plans to do to maximize the players return but he better be careful as it could backfire. Just wait until next winter as Soto is going to be mlb 2nd highest paid player ever and wont be signed until February 2025. Yankees won’t even be in the bidding once Boras tells interested teams the bidding starts at $550 million.
@Oscar Gamble: What’s it to you? He tries to act in the best interest of his clients, and they trust him to do that, but he works for them and where and when they sign is ultimately up to them.
I have no idea how that process affects you.
Well, happy new year. It doesn’t have any bearing on myself or my family I will give you that. On the second hand what’s your problem? Didn’t I misread the banner at the top of the page? Ya know what, it does affect me. I live in florida and stars not being signed before spring training… you’ve already taken too much of my time
And yet you were the one taking the time to originally post about it.
I have no problem. What’s yours?
I wonder If there are a few free agents out there who had one number that they thought they were going to get and reality bite them In seat of their pants and now have to take a lower salary.
Cody Bellinger and few more
I’m guessing Matt Chapman.
stymeedone: I don’t know if Chapman is asking for the moon, but I don’t think Bellinger is going to get the money he’s asking for.
Jays offered him 5 years $100MM+ last offseason which he turned down. I can’t see him getting more than that now given how questionable the bat has become.
You apparently didn’t see Bellinger’s number’s last season. They couldn’t have hurt what he is offered.
That offer was made to Champman.
You’d have to think so, way to many question marks with the top bats this year, I’d rather Gio Urshela on a 1 or 2 year deal over Chapman on a potential 5 year or more deal. Rather dip into the higher end market next off season.
Watching the way the NFL, NBA, and the NHL use their free agent signing periods to generate excitement and increase fan demand….makes me think MLB and the owners need a new plan…or someone else in charge! They are really whiffing at using the inherent excitement that comes with free agency. A really ignorant business plan considering most young people have limited interest in watching the games…. Hopefully 2024 brings some common sense to MLB
So what do you suggest?
JV — You are posting on a Trade Rumor site for MLB, during free agency, seems you are excited.
What is it that the other leagues do you don’t see in MLB? Do any other leagues have 2 way players that are International Superstars that signed the largest professional contract ever?
What secret sauce does MLB need that All the other leagues already have?
O’s There was an article or chat answer that explained that the difference is the other major sports sign FA quicker. I know people are impatient, but just go along for the ride. I find it funny that teams like the cubs have been basically been connected to every top player out there, yet they’ve signed nobody. The old Let’s float names out there, get the fan base excited, but they never intended to sign any of them. cubs fans are so easy.
avenger65 — Ah, that’s clear. Yes, the other sports have Caps…which motivates Players to sign quickly because, well, budgets. That follows.
Without the known Cap level like other leagues, it’s anybody guess at the budgets of different teams.
The Caps make Free Agency happen quicker. …and yet, there are hold outs into pre-season’s of each of the other sports. That doesn’t seem to be the case too often in MLB.
The other sports have restricted free agency, the players that typically hold out are players that are controlled by a single team or their contracts can be matched by that team, so they have no real upper hand in negotiations except to hold out.
In MLB those players don’t reach any kind of free agency unless the team decides to release them or not qualify them. Because of arbitration and the non tender deadline, there is no reason for a player to hold out. Only free agents with draft pick comp attached to them, may hold out until after the draft
Sox fans like avenger so obsessed with the Cubs.
Other sports have a draft where the top picks go right to the major league team and that generates excitement. That cannot be done in mlb unfortunately
I disagree. Those other sports have say a week to negotiate before deals can be signed and made official, yet on the first day of the negotiating period all the signings are leaked. So you get maybe a day or 2 of excitement with the odd trade sprinkled in. MLB has it so news breaks all the time, extending the news cycle and making each signing or trade a bit more exciting when they happen. It’s more just the media that can’t help but spread false update every day because they get impatient
Mystery13 — I’m see it as you said. The differences in the Leagues free agency are a by-product of Caps, not intentional. Great take.
The NHL, for one example, has a hard salary cap, which means there is a musical chairs scramble among free agents to sign in the first few days before the money runs out. Then the hot stove is really really dull for the rest of the off season as teams fill out rosters with marginal players. While the baseball hot stove is never as exciting as the first couple of days of free agency in other sports, it carries more sustained interest through the off season.
highfly — Agreed.
“suggesting the Blue Jays had emerged as his top suitor”
Isn’t that mentioned in every other story?
Kinda feels like more than a few agents are using the Jays as the boogey man… Better sign my client or the Jays might swoop in and take him from you.
POST SUGGESTION: the opener posts do not include the team/player tags. a team tag at least would be nice
Maldonado hasn’t signed yet? Maybe there’s still hope. Korea, maybe?
He’s probably spending his holidays somewhere where he hasn’t taken a physical yet to make it official. Teams very rarely renege on handshake agreements.
He’s got a temporary job in marketing for a photography studio. He calls a good game and he’s great at framing.
We was great at framing maybe 3 years ago. Nice try though
People seem to forget that Bellinger spent two and a half years wandering in the desert so to speak. Watching him attempt to hit was painful. Yes, he had been injured at the beginning but his recovery was so very slow. He is finally dropped by Dodgers, goes to Chicago and has a good year. Believe it or not, most Dodger fans were really happy for him. But it was one year. One. Any team that pays him his asking price is making a potential huge mistake.
Any team that pays any player his asking price is potentially making a huge mistake.
and all potential mistakes can be huge for any teams with players, potentially
Orioles threatening to sign someone* if other teams don’t get off the pot
*to a minor league deal
How come none of the free agents have had a televised decision? It’s been a while since we had one of those with LeBron James.
there’s a winter shortage of solid form carbon dioxide for smoke machines
Rumor has it, Little Caesar’s is considering adding Tostones with mojo sauce!