As MLB’s offseason continues to plug along, here are three things worth keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Will recent activity on the relief market continue?
The market for relief pitching kicked into high gear over the weekend as the Astros agreed to a five-year deal with lefty relief ace Josh Hader just hours before the Angels came together with top right-hander Robert Stephenson on a three-year pact. The deals took the two best bullpen arms off the winter’s market, leaving Hector Neris and Aroldis Chapman among the best remaining options for teams in need of relief help. Plenty of clubs still figure to attempt to upgrade their bullpen mix. The Cardinals are reportedly on the lookout for another reliever to pair with recently-acquired righty Andrew Kittredge in their set-up mix, while the Rangers, Yankees, and Cubs have been frequently connected to the bullpen market this winter without moves to show for it to this point.
2. Signings to be made official:
The aforementioned deals for Hader and Stephenson still need to be officially announced, as does the four-year agreement reached between the Blue Jays and right-hander Yariel Rodriguez last week. The Astros, Angels, and Blue Jays all have full 40-man rosters already, meaning that a corresponding move will be necessary when each club announces its latest signing. Often, that move simply involves designating a player for assignment, though occasionally clubs will try to work out trades involving a player near the back of their roster to acquire talent that doesn’t require a 40-man spot. The Dodgers have pulled off a pair of trades in that mold this winter: one with the Yankees to acquire 2021 first-rounder Trey Sweeney in exchange for lefty Victor Gonzalez and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas, and a more significant deal with the Cubs where they shipped out top infield prospect Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte to Chicago while picking up a pair of youngsters in lefty Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
3. What’s the plan in Boston?
The Red Sox held their annual Winter Weekend fan event over the weekend, during which team officials made headlines by indicating the club is unlikely to match last year’s payroll in 2024 and suggesting the team doesn’t need to add another starting pitcher after swapping out Chris Sale for Lucas Giolito (despite making starting pitching a focus of the offseason). Even as club officials were downplaying expectations, local reporting indicated that the club remains in contact with free agent starters, including top-of-the-market southpaw Jordan Montgomery. There’s little question that the Red Sox, who finished 22nd in the majors last year with a 4.68 rotation ERA, would benefit from an impact addition at the top of their rotation, particularly after losing a high-upside arm like Sale, but there’s certainly question about whether they’ll actually make such a move.
TrumboRedux
Gooooddd Mooorrnniiiinnggg Viiieett…wait..Good Morning MLBTR! Snell to sign TODAY! Got a feeling!
GASoxFan
One of two things happens… breslow’s hires to help the young arms payoff bigger than anyone projects and he looks like a genius, or, it goes somewhere in between what it’d need to for the sp moves thus far to be a good choice and the floor everyone expects.
I’d expect the latter, the current sox 1-2 don’t stack up well against much of the competition which helps drive losses.
At least the Patriots own implosion this season gave Henry some cover to duck the full ire of New England fans
Mikenmn
Still waiting for that transformative deal……
Yankee Clipper
It already happened and you missed it Mike. Weaver signed with the Yankees last week!
Old York
@Yankee Clipper
Yes, he’s bringing an extra 0.3 WAR this year, something the Yankees were missing last year.
LordD99
0.3? Don’t be so optimistic!
Old York
@LordD99
Based off Fangraphs.
This one belongs to the Reds
Surprised his WAR isn’t negative.
Fever Pitch Guy
Clip – I just hope his warmup song is Dream Weaver!
TrumboRedux
Fever, that would violate the trademark on “Jered Weaver’s” nickname!
Yankee Clipper
Haha, that would be pretty funny!
Blue Baron
@Fever: Or any song by the Weavers.
Mikenmn
Is that true? OMG, I did miss it. Changes everything/
This one belongs to the Reds
All those relief options would help any club. Who steps up and who sits on their hands?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Blackpink in the area
What tends to happen in the relief market is a team overpays for a reliever or two and it scares other teams off so they back away.
You can guess what team did the overpaying this year.
Blackpink in the area
What?
jorge78
No chat today from Steve?
TrumboRedux
Steve said he is tired of the inmates running the asylum and is on strike!
Fever Pitch Guy
Trumbo – I think the inmates should take on the MLBTR staff in a game of baseball … and allow the catchers to block the plate!
TrumboRedux
Fever, That sounds like a perfectly good idea. I have a feeling that Tim D. would veto our idea though, and still allow the game to be played as long as we didn’t wear metal spikes. Rubber or no game I’m afraid..
Blackpink in the area
More Red Sox?
NewYorkSoxFan
The Red Sox should unload Jansen and Martin for some young arms and use freed up capital to sign Monty and Soler. Instead I expect them to just bring Paxton and Duvall back and call it an off-season.
TrumboRedux
NYSox, not a bad idea..
GASoxFan
Most sox fans want them to move Martin and Jansen, but, the problem is for what, how, and to who?
Jansen is underwater on his deal. It’s his age, plus the 16m rental, makes him worth more IF he can put up good numbers again this year that makes him a better deadline sale than offseason.
Martin is due for regression in a big way, so it’s kind of the same… That makes it tough on how to value him – Sox like to point to last year’s numbers. Other teams also look at his age, expiring deal, and up and down nature in terms of results.
If boston ate half of Jansen deal and took a couple a-ball players back, both outside the top-100 of course and depending on the team, one in their #8-15 prospect, the other #22-unranked, you probably find a taker
On Martin, trickier. I think someone in the 15-25 range plus a lottery ticket or two make him yours.
BUT, you’ve also got to assume Breslow WANTS to move either right now. With the SP situation in flux and no signings to bolster it, Houck and Whitlock are penciled in to compete for rotation slots, not moving to the pen.
Blackpink in the area
What happens with a rebuilding team is they trade away the veterans and then the young players step in and gain valuable experience in meaningless games so that they are ready when it matters again.
The problem is the Red Sox don’t want commit to a rebuild even if it’s a short one. So they are stuck in the middle.
whyhayzee
Did you see what Casas did in the first half of last year? Did you notice the youngsters playing in September? Did you notice the innings pitched by Bello and Crawford?
Blackpink in the area
That’s a few players. Sale and Paxton are both in their mid 30s. Same with Jansen and Martin. And what I didn’t notice last year is any of them being traded at the deadline.
You have to pick a direction. The Red Sox don’t want to do that. It’s why they are stuck where they are.
Canuckleball
To continue on further with the issues with that proposal, who pitches for Boston in the 8th/9th?
In that scenario, you trade away two late innings arms and replace them with Monty/Paxton and Soler/Duvall and then call the offseason done.
Kenley may not be great at times, and Martin may be due for regression, but I don’t see internal replacements and such trades would not see reliable replacements coming back.
GASoxFan
Houck and Whitlock are your late inning RP replacements of course.
But, it requires corresponding SP moves, and, not just meeting but exceeding 2023 payroll which the team president isn’t keen on, thus, breslow probably lacks the budget to do
Fever Pitch Guy
GASox – Cooper Criswell coming soon to a starting rotation near you!
NewYorkSoxFan
GA – I’m with you, it’s very reasonable for the Sox to half to eat half of Jansen’s deal to get him off the books with a couple lottery tickets coming back. I’m under the understanding this team needs to cut payroll in the event they do get Monty and/or Soler. Martin I wouldn’t eat any salary as his performance last year more than warrants his salary and I’d love to sell high on that. To everyone else mentioning the loss of those two and their replacement, I believe Houck and Whitlock are more than capable. The ouster of Jansen and Martin is being suggested IF it means spending the money towards Monty which then frees Whitlock or Houck to move to the BP. I’d also like to add this team really isn’t as dire as most fans think, I believe these few simple moves put us in the convo for a WC spot.
GASoxFan
NY – I’ve called this a bridge year since Breslow was hired, and all the recent gossip/fodder from top brass is nothing but waiving away the fog that hid that from some fans a few months ago.
I don’t expect, or even want, this team to try to go ‘all-in’ for a WC at this point. What I DONT want is to see Duvall Soler or any of their ilk signed! You *could* sell me on hoskins to be a backup corner IF and DH guy with a nice bat. That’s the one hole at the moment, back up 3B guy as we really lack depth on that side, 1B too but have more guys with marginally more experience to that side. Right now the 40man has *one* backup in dalbec. You could point to the NRIs so far as maybe getting juggled onto there, but, I dont have a bunch of faith in any of them either.
Let what promising kids we have play, and, play cheaply! See what we can make of them. BUT, start stabilizing the rotation! I’m against snell, for Montgomery, or, twist my arm to convince me some bottom tier arms make sense. You can’t fix this rotation in one offseason, so, the time to start is NOW so in 25/26 you’ve got something there.
Samthesoxman32
No Red Sox fan WANTS them to do that. But if that’s the condition for signing any legit starter, then yes, please do it
Fever Pitch Guy
NY – No, if they sign Monty and Soler that would mean they are actually trying to win this year therefore they would need Martin.
JoeBrady
therefore they would need Martin.
===========================
Jansen is nothing special. While my preference would be to eat substantial salary and get a better prospect, I’d be fine with just trading him for salary relief and making Houck the closer.
IRT Martin, while folks want to trade while he’s high, I don’t think other GMs think that way. Probably better off keeping him.
Outfieldflyrule??
Not exactly a ‘hot take’ I know but neither the Snell or Monty signings will age well.
Old York
Sox looking at an 84 win season this year. 84-78 season, Tied for last place with TB in the AL East in 2024.
drasco036
Red Sox haven’t done anything to get six games better in the win column.
Frankly, the should let Berslow fire sale and rebuild the franchise. Let him look to add some players on one year deals for flip candidates and spend the second half developing guys for the following year.
Old York
drasco036
Based on the player WAR projected. It doesn’t mean that’s guaranteed, though.
whyhayzee
Did they create a sixth place in the division just for the Yankees? I hope so.
Old York
@whyhayzee
Well, based on Fangraphs, the Yankees would be top in the AL East, But, again, that’s why we play the game and not just use data.
Maybe Sox are 1st this year.
I.M. Insane
84-78? You’re very generous. I predict 75-87. I have a friend who’s predicting 70-92 and he may well be right.
Old York
@.M. Insane
Maybe 30-132. Oh wait, that’s Jokeland!
Old York
So, if I switch to using 0.294 for a replacement team, based on the agreed # between Fangraphs/BR, then the record would now be 79-83
baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml?_…
Either way, I think a ceiling of 84 and a floor of 70s. Could things get worse? Sure, but this is all on paper with zero injuries.
DirtyWater04
There’s a plan in Boston? That’s a bold suggestion. Haven’t seen anything resembling one in quite some time.
30 Parks
Updating the Red Sox status is like updating the status of paint drying.
GASoxFan
Paint drying has a plan in place from the moment the paint was formulated in the factory – drying. And, you know it’ll actually get to its target.
The 2024 red sox…. not so much
30 Parks
You’re right, GA – paint drying is more interesting.
JoeBrady
Or, conversely, maybe the paint is already dry, and no one wants to admit it.
I feel bad for Breslow. He’s discussing acquiring pitching, while one boss is saying that we aren’t spending, while another boss is saying we are going full throttle.
GASoxFan
Cots has the 26 man projected roster at $163.9m in payroll.
I think that says what we need to know about where the throttle is
DirtyWater04
They’re pushing the throttle to the limit, they just forgot to mention that while we were expecting some kind of juiced up sports car, the vehicle they were actually referring to is one of those 12 Volt toy Bronco things you can get for your toddler.
Raysasineppswasplanted
I blv nyy are still on the FA/Trade Mkt for a closer. They’ll pass on any SP left in the mkt and go full throttle on Soto & Burnes for next year.
88 Brooklyn Dodgers
Shame that they didnt make Ellsbury a career Red Sock. Didnt even give him an offer, as widely reported.
Salzilla
Can NYY sign Neris already? Let’s get that done, bullpen is crying.
Bill M
Neris will probably be next to sign somewhere, followed by Chapman. Yankees? Maybe not – a lot of bullpens are crying.
Bruce wulff
The large market cubs are waiting until prices go down with all these free agents but as with the relief pitcher market their options becoming more limited by the day. Their waiting for bellinger, Hoskins, Chapman etc will blow up in their faces by not being aggressive!
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Who will be the first manager fired in 2024? A) John Schneider B) Oli Marmol C) Alex Cora D) Brandon Hyde E) Somebody Else
GASoxFan
Cora won’t get fired. Henry and company won’t allow it.
We get to see if breslow has any stones left though if Cora doesn’t get a new contract at best.
retire21
E. Derek Shelton. Hopefully.
tonyinsingapore
Remember when Chapman was an SP and there was perennial All Star talk? What could have been…
fenwayfrank
So the Sox are still in touch with Montgomerys agent, hoping the price will come down …..well whoopdee Flippin dooo…so are 10 other teams….you know the Sox will be outbid by 9 of those.
I feel they need at least 1, SP, 2 would better. At this point I’d take Paxton back and how about Ryu, he was pretty decent with Toronto.
Just so tired of Sox management blowing smoke up our backsides & insulting our intelligence. OK I’m done venting.