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Marlins, J.D. Martinez Have Had Recent Discussions

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The Marlins and free agent slugger J.D. Martinez have had recent talks, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. The slugger has been seeking a two-year deal. Mish notes that the Marlins have been planning to keep the DH spot open and rotate Josh Bell, Jake Burger and others through that spot. There doesn’t appear to be a fit between the two parties at the moment, he adds, though one would imagine that’s in part due to Martinez’s asking price.

Even if there’s no current fit, the conversations are of note. It shows at least some willingness from Miami to spend further in free agency, and it adds a new entrant to the Martinez mix, should his price drop to a certain point. Presumably, if the price fell to the point where a typically low-spending club like Miami was comfortable, other teams currently not in the mix for Martinez would also show interest.

The 36-year-old Martinez just wrapped up a strong rebound season with the Dodgers, wherein he slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs. Last year’s 7.1% walk rate was Martinez’s lowest since establishing himself as a big league regular, however, while his 31.1% strikeout rate was a career-high. That could suggest an aging hitter who’s selling out for more power at the expense of his once better-than-average contact skills, but even if that’s the case, the results are hard to argue with. The question moving forward is whether that approach is conducive to further success — particularly over a multi-year deal.

Martinez posted off-the-charts batted ball data in 2023. His 93.4 mph average exit velocity, 17% barrel rate and 54.8% hard-hit rate all ranked in the 98th percentile of MLB hitters. When Martinez did make contact, there was practically no one who did so with more authority. Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson and Matt Chapman are the only qualified hitters in baseball with a higher average exit velocity than Martinez’s 2023 mark. Only Judge, Chapman, Acuna, Olson and Juan Soto hit a higher percentage of their batted balls at 95 mph or more.

In Miami, Martinez would effectively be replacing Jorge Soler, who opted out of the final year and $13MM on his contract and eventually signed a three-year, $42MM deal with the Giants. Martinez, in some ways, is an older version of that same skill set: he’s a right fielder whose dwindling defensive prowess makes him best-suited for DH work, and his batted-ball data and production against left-handed pitching are elite, as is the case with Soler. Martinez has more even platoon splits than Soler, but he also struck out far more often last season than Soler.

The Marlins made practically no attempt to re-sign Soler, so it’s surprising to see them checking in with Martinez. Perhaps it’s simply a matter of trying to land a bargain upgrade for the lineup late in the year as the asking price on many free agents drop. But the Marlins probably do have enough money left to make a deal for Martinez work, even if his price hasn’t bottomed out. RosterResource pegs Miami at a projected $101.6MM Opening Day payroll — about $8.4MM shy of last season’s end-of-year mark.

Even if they’re not willing to stretch beyond last year’s payroll level — which probably would rule out getting Martinez on a one-year deal — the Fish could probably offer Martinez a backloaded two-year arrangement. The only contracts on the Marlins’ books in 2025 are Avisail Garcia ($12MM) and Sandy Alcantara ($17MM). They’ll also owe Garcia a $5MM buyout on a 2026 option.

That number will spike, as Miami has a huge arbitration class headlined by Luis Arraez, Jesus Luzardo, Jazz Chisholm Jr., A.J. Puk, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera (with several other role players also mixed in). Even still, there ought to be enough room for the Fish to creatively structure a deal to bring Martinez into the fold — if owner Bruce Sherman green-lights that type of expenditure. Whether he’ll do so remains an open question. Miami sat out free agency for the entire offseason before signing Tim Anderson to a one-year, $5MM contract recently. The team has shown little appetite for free agent spending in recent years and has frequently been burned when choosing to do so (Garcia, Johnny Cueto, Jean Segura).

Lars Nootbaar Diagnosed With Rib Fractures

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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced this afternoon that outfielder Lars Nootbaar has two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs on the left side, per John Denton of MLB.com. He underwent a CT scan yesterday after injuring himself making a catch in a recent game. Nootbaar will have a period of 10-14 days where he can swing the bat but have limited work otherwise, per Derrick Goold and Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His readiness for Opening Day is now in doubt but not ruled out just yet. That issue is compounded by the fact that Tommy Edman is also doubtful for Opening Day as he recovers from arthroscopic wrist surgery, per Goold.

In a vacuum, neither situation is devastating for the Cards but it’s not ideal for the club to be heading into the season with two thirds of its outfield now in jeopardy. Nootbaar has taken 974 trips to the plate for the Cardinals over the past three seasons, hitting 33 home runs while drawing walks at a 14% clip and limiting his strikeouts to a 20.3% rate. His combined batting line of .246/.351/.429 translates to a wRC+ of 117, indicating he’s been 17% better than the league average hitter. He’s also swiped 17 bags and received strong grades for his outfield defense.

Removing that kind of production from the lineup would be unwelcome at any time but having him out of action at the same time as Edman would be an unfortunate coincidence. Mozeliak suggested that Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson will likely step up for the time being, per Denton.

Carlson, 25, is a strong defender but hasn’t quite broken out with the bat yet, having hit .243/.322/.394 thus far in his career for a wRC+ of 99. Burleson is generally considered a bat-first guy, though his major league production hasn’t matched his work in the minors just yet. He’s hit .300/.350/.492 on the farm but just .237/.295/.375 in the big leagues, the latter line translating to a wRC+ of 85.

With those two likely to be slotted next to Jordan Walker on a regular basis, that could bump Michael Siani up to fourth outfielder status. Siani is a speed-and-defense guy who has hit just .138/.167/.138 in his big league career. That’s a tiny sample of just 30 plate appearances but his minor league offense has also been subpar. He slashed .227/.347/.350 in Triple-A last year for a wRC+ of 81.

Brendan Donovan is also on the roster and can play all over the diamond, but the club doesn’t have a regular designated hitter. That likely means Donovan will either be the DH or moving around to give someone else a partial day off most of the time. If Matt Carpenter could seize the DH job, perhaps that frees up Donovan to slot into the outfield more regularly but Carpenter is now 38 years old and hit just .176/.322/.319 for the Padres last year. Donovan also might need some infield time regardless as Brandon Crawford currently profiles as the backup infielder but he’s never played anywhere other than shortstop.

With the outfield injuries, speculation has turned to Victor Scott II, who is one of the club’s best prospects. But Mozeliak tells Denton that the club will take “a measured and patient approach” with the decision to promote him to the big leagues. Scott was just drafted in 2022 has yet to reach Triple-A, so it’s understandable the club may not want to rush him to the big leagues to cover what is likely a temporary need.

All told, there are many moving parts and there’s still a few weeks for the Cards to get everything figured out, but it’s at least somewhat concerning that health has become such a huge focus here in March. The club is looking to bounce back after a nightmare season in 2023 and is already dealing with notable injuries to two thirds of its starting outfield as well as Sonny Gray, their marquee offseason pickup, who is dealing with a hamstring strain.

White Sox Sign Brad Keller To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox announced that they have signed right-hander Brad Keller to a minor league deal. The Excel Sports Management client also receives an invite to major league Spring Training.

The 28-year-old Keller became a free agent for the first time following the 2023 season but didn’t hit the market at a particularly advantageous time. His 2023 season was cut to just 45 1/3 innings due to a shoulder injury and, eventually, a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome. TOS is a particularly difficult issue for pitchers to return from, but it’s notable that there was never an announcement that Keller underwent surgery to correct the issue. If he indeed avoided going under the knife and was able to deal with his symptoms via rest and rehab, that could portend a more optimistic outlook than the common TOS surgery that has derailed many pitching careers.

From 2018-20, Keller logged a 3.50 ERA in Kansas City, going from a long reliever whom the team selected out of the D-backs organization in the Rule 5 Draft to an entrenched member of the Royals rotation. His 2021-23 seasons went in the opposite direction.

Dating back to Opening Day 2021, Keller carries a 5.14 ERA in 318 2/3 innings. His once-strong walk rate has climbed to an untenable 11.5% — including a ghastly 21.3% clip in 2023 while he navigated that shoulder injury and the perhaps related TOS symptoms. Keller limited opponents to a 4.5% barrel rate and 35.7% hard-hit rate through his first three seasons but has seen those marks leap to 8.4% and 42%, respectively, over the past three years. He’s lost about a mile per hour off his fastball as well.

Keller tried to revamp his repertoire in 2023, ditching his four-seamer and scarcely using his sinker while instead deploying a trio of new pitches: cutter, splitter, curveball. That mix didn’t work out, though it’s hard to glean just how effective those pitches may or may not truly be, given the health troubles that were plaguing him. Keller has long had a plus slider, although that pitch’s efficacy took a step back over the past two seasons as well, particularly in 2023 due to an inability to locate the offering.

Suffice it to say, Keller is a project for the White Sox organization. There’s little harm in taking a look on a minor league pact, but it’s been three years and one particularly ominous injury since he was last an effective big league hurler. He’s not likely to break camp with the club but could join veterans like Chad Kuhl and Jake Woodford as an experienced right-handed depth starter to begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte.

Nathaniel Lowe Questionable For Opening Day

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Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has been diagnosed with an oblique strain that could keep him sidelined long enough that he’ll need to open the year on the injured list, manager Bruce Bochy announced to the Rangers beat this morning (X link via MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry). As Landry points out, it’d be the first IL stint of the ultra-durable Lowe’s professional career.

Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com adds that the team provided a rough, initial timetable for Lowe of three to four weeks. That generally aligns with the timeframe that’s common for most oblique injuries of note; even Grade 1 strains tend to sideline players for around a month. Presumably, the Rangers will provide further updates as camp progresses. Lowe was just lifted from Thursday’s Cactus League game after reporting some tightness in his side to the team’s training staff.

Texas has sufficient infield depth to withstand a short-term loss of Lowe, but his subtraction from the lineup would still be a notable hit to the team’s offense. While his 2023 performance (.262/.360/.414, 17 homers, 114 wRC+) wasn’t nearly as strong as his outstanding breakout campaign in 2022 (.302/.358/.492, 27 homers, 141 wRC+), Lowe was still one of the most productive hitters in a stacked Rangers lineup.

In the event that Lowe opens the year on the injured list, there are a number of routes the Rangers could go. Lowe has taken a whopping 94.2% of the team’s plate appearances at first base over the past three seasons, so Texas hasn’t needed to replace him too often. Utilityman Ezequiel Duran and catcher Sam Huff have both seen very brief time at first base on the rare days Lowe has been given a breather. The Rangers have bat-first infield prospect Justin Foscue in camp, and he’s already on the 40-man roster, so he’d also be an option to make his debut and take some reps at first base. Former Angels first baseman Jared Walsh is also in camp as a non-roster invitee and has thus far had a big showing in an obviously limited sample (7-for-17 with a double, a homer, three walks and four strikeouts).

The Rangers acquired Lowe from the Rays in a rare trade that’s gone poorly for Tampa Bay — at least thus far. In three seasons as Texas’ primary first baseman, Lowe has slashed .276/.359/.440 (122 wRC+) with 62 homers, an 11% walk rate and a 23.6% strikeout rate. Texas sent infielder Osleivis Basabe, catcher Heriberto Hernandez and outfielder Alexander Ovalles back to the Rays in that swap. Basabe made his MLB debut last year with the Rays but struggled in 31 games. Hernandez ranks 18th among Rays farmhands at Baseball America and isn’t in the team’s top 30 at MLB.com. Ovalles was selected by the Reds in the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft.

Offseason In Review: New York Mets

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After a disastrous 2023 season, there have been a lot of changes for the Mets. They have a new president of baseball operations, a new manager and plenty of new faces on the roster. With 2024 planned on being a sort of bridge year, the offseason moves ended up staying on the modest side, though there were many of them.

Major League Signings

2024 spending: $55.65MM
Total spending: $69.15MM

* Adams’ salary courtesy of the Associated Press

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

What a difference a year can make. Last winter, the Mets re-signed Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz to huge deals and added Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga to their pitching staff, which had them opening 2023 with World Series aspirations. But a series of injuries saw them fall out of contention quickly, which led to a deadline selloff that sent Verlander, Max Scherzer and others packing.

Scherzer had no-trade protection but said after the deal that he was told by the front office that 2024 was going to be something of a transitional year. With the club looking to do a sort of reboot, he decided to take the opportunity to head elsewhere and was able to win a World Series in Texas.

As the Mets became focused on changes, they started at the top of their baseball operations department. David Stearns was hired to be president of baseball operations, a move that had been anticipated for years. Stearns is a New York native who grew up a Mets fan and he stepped down to a lesser role in his final year with the Brewers. That seemed to pave the way for him to jump to the Mets, which came to fruition in October.

General manager Billy Eppler was initially expected to stay on and work under Stearns but he later stepped down. It was revealed that Eppler was under investigation for misuse of the injured list and he didn’t want to be a distraction as that played out. MLB eventually announced that Eppler will be placed on the ineligible list for the entire 2024 season. The Mets have not replaced him to this point, with Stearns atop the decision-making pyramid and several assistant general managers and others helping him out.

Change in the dugout was also on the menu, as one of Stearns’ first moves was to fire manager Buck Showalter. The Mets were connected to the high-profile Craig Counsell drama, which made some sense since Counsell was looking to push managerial salaries as high as possible and Mets’ owner Steve Cohen is famously not shy about spending. Counsell and Stearns also worked together with the Brewers for many years, but the Mets ultimately didn’t seem to be interested in that bidding war, with Counsell landing with the Cubs.

Instead, the Mets pivoted to Carlos Mendoza, who has been a coach with the Yankees for the past 18 years. This is his first managerial gig, which is why his earning power is significantly less than that of Counsell. Mendoza will make a total of $4.5MM over three years while Counsell will be making more than that annually, as he got a five-year, $40MM deal from the Cubbies.

With the front office and dugout leaders selected, the attention turned to the roster. Since the Mets have been so aggressive in past winters, they were connected to some big names like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. That interest didn’t really align with their plan of dialing things back this winter, but there were reasons to think they might make an exception. Ohtani is a unicorn talent and the ability to sign a player like him had never come up before and likely won’t ever happen again. Yamamoto is also incredibly talented and hit the open market at the age of 25, a situation that’s also fairly unprecedented.

The Mets seemed to at least consider these unique situations but ultimately didn’t land either player, with both of them going to the Dodgers. They made a real run at Yamamoto, reportedly offering the same 12 year, $325MM terms which he accepted from Los Angeles. Once they missed on those two, they seemed to have little interest in other top free agents, instead focusing on guys who could be signed to short-term deals.

The rotation was an obvious focus, with Verlander and Scherzer having been dealt last year. Carlos Carrasco also hit free agency, creating another opening and leaving the Mets with just Senga and José Quintana as established starters. One depth option was also subtracted over the winter when David Peterson underwent hip surgery that will keep him out of action until the middle of 2024.

The Mets’ interest extended to pitchers like Erick Fedde, Lucas Giolito, Hyun Jin Ryu and Shota Imanaga, but they ultimately landed deals with a couple of bounceback candidates. Sean Manaea agreed to a two-year deal with an opt-out on the heels of a poor season with the Giants but one in which he finished strong. If he can carry that over with the Mets, it could be a nice buy-low move for them.

Luis Severino was also brought aboard on a one-year deal in somewhat similar circumstances. He was once arguably an ace but has been battling injuries and poor performance over the past five years. If he can get over his health problems, and the rumors he was tipping his pitches last year, he could also be a nice find.

In addition to those two, the club brought aboard Adrian Houser from the Brewers, the former club of Stearns. Those three were planned to be paired with Quintana and Senga but the latter is going to miss the start of the season due to a posterior capsule strain. The club doesn’t seem like it will bring in any further additions, relying on depth arms to get by until Senga returns, perhaps in May. Tylor Megill is probably the favorite to step in, though Joey Lucchesi and José Buttó are also on the 40-man roster.

In the bullpen, the club deployed a similar strategy of spreading money around to various targets. Adam Ottavino was brought back, while the club also gave roster spots to Jake Diekman, Jorge López, Shintaro Fujinami and Michael Tonkin. They briefly gave a spot to Austin Adams, though he was later outrighted, putting him in the position of providing non-roster depth alongside various minor league signees.

A lot of those guys are inconsistent and/or wild, but the club just needs a couple of them to be in good form to be happy with their relief corps. Edwin Díaz will be coming back after missing all of 2023 due to knee surgery and the club has incumbents Brooks Raley and Drew Smith still on hand as well.

On the position player side of things, the club was mostly focused on marginal moves. They have flirted with J.D. Martinez but he’s still a free agent of this writing. Adding Harrison Bader on a one-year deal was the most significant of the moves they did make, as that pushes Brandon Nimmo into a corner and upgrades the defense. Tyrone Taylor, acquired in the same deal as Houser, also bolsters the group in terms of glovework. He should be in a fourth outfielder role behind Nimmo, Bader and Starling Marte.

On the infield, the club had a bit of a question mark at third base, with Brett Baty struggling in 2023. The Mets were connected to guys like Justin Turner and Gio Urshela this winter but seemed content to leave the spot open as a battle between Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio. The latter unfortunately suffered a torn ACL and will miss most or perhaps all of this year, but the Mets didn’t pivot to other free agents. They did add Joey Wendle, who could perhaps step in if neither Baty nor Vientos take hold of the spot, but he’ll ideally be in a utility role.

Perhaps the biggest storyline in their position player group this winter was about what they didn’t do. With the club undergoing this sort of retooling and Pete Alonso set for free agency at the end of 2024, there was plenty of speculation about whether the club would consider either a trade or an extension. Ultimately, neither came together and Alonso will go into 2024 in wait-and-see mode. If the club is in contention, he will likely be a big part of that and would be a lock for a qualifying offer at season’s end. If they slip out of the race again, he could find himself as the top rental player available at the deadline.

That situation is a mirror of the club as a whole right now. Despite the frustrations of 2023, the club comes into 2024 looking like a Wild Card contender. The lineup still features incumbents like Alonso, Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Marte and Francisco Álvarez. Breakouts from Baty and/or Vientos could be a huge help, as could a healthy Bader. Perhaps DJ Stewart can carry forward his hot streak from the second half of last year. The pitching staff isn’t as exciting as last year when they had two future Hall-of-Famers but it could be decent if a few things break right.

There are many ways the 2024 season could go, from surprising contention to another dismal summer and another deadline selloff. As they see how things go in the coming months, they will be keeping a close eye on a few youngsters. In addition to seeing how the third base competition plays out, they have prospects like Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Christian Scott and Luisangel Acuña who will all be in the upper minors and perhaps pushing for big league debuts.

The Mets are, in many ways, in between this and that. Their modest offseason is a result of that uncertainty. They are still way over the competitive balance tax this year thanks to their previous aggression, but they have limited their future commitments. Per RosterResource, this year’s CBT number is $328MM but it will drop all the way to $171MM next year. That doesn’t include raises for arbitration-eligible players, and they should have plenty of holes to fill with all of these one-year deals expiring, but it highlights how different things could be next winter. As the Mets and their fans know, a lot can change in a year.

The Opener: Nootbaar, Peraza, Offseason In Review

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As Spring Training continues, here are three things worth keeping an eye on for MLBTR readers around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Nootbaar awaiting test results:

Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been sidelined in recent days by soreness in his torso, with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adding that Nootbaar underwent a CT scan yesterday, with the club expecting to have a better idea of a timetable for his return sometime today. Nootbaar, 26, has slashed a strong .247/.356/.430 with a wRC+ of 120 over the past two seasons but was limited to just 117 games last year by back and abdomen issues. If Nootbaar were to face a notable absence, he’d run the risk of joining both staff ace Sonny Gray and center fielder Tommy Edman on the shelf to open the season. With both Edman and Nootbaar at risk of missing time, the club would likely turn to Dylan Carlson in center field with the likes of Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan among the options to take over for Nootbaar in left.

2. Peraza sent for imaging:

Nootbaar wasn’t the only young position player to undergo imaging yesterday, as MLB.com notes that Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza has done the same after battling shoulder issues in recent weeks. The 23-year-old youngster was a consensus top-50 prospect in the game last year but struggled in 52 games in the Bronx last year, hitting a paltry .191/.267/.272 in 191 trips to the plate. Despite those struggles, Peraza still figures to be key future piece for the Yankees alongside Anthony Volpe in the club’s infield, though the likes of DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres leave him blocked from regular starts in the majors for the time being. Headed into the 2024 season, Peraza figures to compete with the likes of Jorbit Vivas and Jahmai Jones for the final spot on the club’s bench alongside Jose Trevino, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Trent Grisham, though his shot at a bench role in the majors could be complicated by an absence of note with less than three weeks until Spring Training.

3. Offseason in Review series begins:

MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series began yesterday, with MLBTR’s Anthony Franco discussing the offseason of the reigning NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks as well as the Atlanta Braves, who had the league’s best record last year. Both clubs added a veteran southpaw to the middle of their rotation this winter while also making notable additions in the lineup. MLBTR readers have generally regarded both clubs as having done a solid job this winter, with around three-quarters of respondents grading both offseasons as a “B” or higher. The series, which will cover all 30 clubs in the coming weeks, will continue today with MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald’s discussion of what has been a relatively quiet offseason for the New York Mets.

Follow The NHL Trade Deadline At Pro Hockey Rumors

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The NHL trade deadline is here, and our Trade Rumors sister site, Pro Hockey Rumors, has coverage for all 32 teams! You can keep up with the moves with Twitter/X (@ProHockeyRumors) before the 2:00 p.m. CT cutoff.

PHR’s Josh Erickson will host a live chat early in the morning to discuss some big-name moves earlier in the week and what other news may come down the pike today.

Trade action began heating up in earnest on Wednesday, with big names like 2019 Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko heading south to the Panthers and top defense target Noah Hanifin joining the Golden Knights in their quest for a repeat championship. The best rental forward on the market, longtime Penguins fixture Jake Guentzel, headed to the Hurricanes late last night as Pittsburgh retools their roster in the final years of Sidney Crosby’s tenure.

We’ve seen 19 completed trades this month, including two three-way deals. There were 19 total swaps on deadline day alone last year, a figure 2024 is expected to surpass.

There are still a handful of top-tier names that could be on the move today, including Devils leading goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli, a pair of big-name goaltenders in Jacob Markström and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, and Blues star forward Pavel Buchnevich.

Check in with Pro Hockey Rumors throughout the day to keep track of all the action! You can also follow us on Twitter/X (@ProHockeyRumors).

Roberts Noncommittal On Gavin Lux As Opening Day Shortstop

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The Dodgers are faced with a surprising shortstop question midway through Spring Training. Expected starter Gavin Lux has been charged with a pair of errors in his first 10 1/3 innings of exhibition work. Lux has had a few more erratic moments, skipping a pair of throws to first base but being bailed out on scoops by Freddie Freeman.

His throwing accuracy is concerning enough it could impact his spot in the lineup at the start of the season. “I don’t know,” manager Dave Roberts replied when asked if Lux would be the Opening Day shortstop (link via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). “Obviously, performance is paramount at this level for a team vying to win a championship. So I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that it will be in the vein of whatever gives us the best chance to win.”

Throughout the offseason, the L.A. front office maintained that Lux was going to be the regular shortstop. They reportedly considered trade possibilities, particularly Milwaukee’s Willy Adames, but clearly had Lux atop the internal options. That might still be the case, but Roberts’ comments add some urgency for him to sort out his throwing.

This isn’t the first time that he has struggled with seemingly straightforward throws. He battled his accuracy at times in the minors, which he conceded was tied to anxiety. That’s part of the reason the Dodgers moved the one-time top prospect to second base early in his career, although Corey Seager and Trea Turner had blocked his path to shortstop anyhow. Los Angeles was prepared to move Lux back to shortstop last year. A Spring Training ACL tear instead ended his season before it began.

Playing on the right side of the infield suited him well. He was charged with five throwing errors over 819 2/3 second base innings in 2022. That’s a higher than average rate but certainly not untenable. Public defensive metrics have graded him as an above-average second baseman overall thanks to his plus range.

Mookie Betts is moving to the keystone this year. That would bump Lux to shortstop but obviously places extra stress on his arm. Signing Shohei Ohtani means the Dodgers will need Max Muncy to play regularly at third base. Muncy is a below-average defender, putting a little more pressure on the L.A. shortstop to compensate.

That’s part of the reason that Adames, one of the game’s top defensive infielders, was an appealing target. Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic wrote this evening that the Dodgers have continued interest in Adames, but Milwaukee remains reluctant to part with him. The Brewers have Joey Ortiz on hand as a potential shortstop replacement, but they could need to rely on Ortiz at either second or third base throughout the season. Adames is also a strong presence in the Milwaukee clubhouse and a solid offensive contributor as an annual threat for 25-30 homers.

A preseason Adames trade seems unlikely with roughly two weeks until Opening Day. He’d surely come up in deadline talks if Milwaukee falls out of contention, but they’ll make a push to defend their title in a wide-open NL Central.

It’d probably take that kind of significant upgrade for the Dodgers to look outside the organization. They have options to solidify the defense if they’re not sold on Lux handling the position at the moment. Miguel Rojas remains a plus defender. He owns a .236/.286/.322 batting line over the past two seasons, so the Dodgers would prefer to keep him in a depth role, but there’s no question Rojas could more than capably handle the position. He’d be a significant offensive downgrade from Lux, who hit .276/.346/.399 in 2022.

Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor are utility players who could cover shortstop at times. Betts even started 12 games there a year ago. There’s no indication the Dodgers are considering playing Betts at shortstop full time, but that’s a theoretical possibility that would allow them to keep Lux at second base.

Of course, the ideal outcome is that Lux settles in as he continues to build his defensive workload. It’s fair to expect some amount of rust in all facets for a player coming back from a year-long injury absence. His minor league issues make the recent throws more alarming, but it’s possible he’ll get increasingly comfortable with more reps. The Dodgers start the season early with a two-game set against the Padres in South Korea on March 20-21.

Abraham Almonte To Sign With Mexican League’s Olmecas De Tabasco

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Veteran outfielder Abraham Almonte is in agreement with the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (X link). Former MLB infielder José Peraza is also headed to Mexico, per McDaniel. He agreed to a deal with the Leones de Yucatán.

Almonte, 34, has reached the majors in each of the last 11 seasons. That’s a rather remarkable stretch for a player who has never been a regular. Almonte has only once topped 70 big league games in a year, but he has gotten depth opportunities for eight MLB clubs overall. His most recent major league action came in Queens. The switch-hitter played in eight games with the Mets last summer.

In a little less than 1400 MLB plate appearances, Almonte owns a .233/.300/.371 batting line. He’s coming off a .220/.361/.464 showing in 50 contests over three minor league levels in the Mets’ farm system. If Almonte is to extend his streak of reaching the big leagues to 12 years, he’ll first need to earn another minor league opportunity during the season.

Peraza reached the majors in seven consecutive campaigns between 2015-21. He was a reasonably highly-regarded prospect during his time in the Dodgers and Reds organizations early in his career. Peraza has hit .266/.306/.372 as a big leaguer. As with Almonte, he last saw the majors as a member of the Mets, although that came three years ago. He spent last year in the New York farm system, hitting .261/.315/.366 in 41 Triple-A games.

A.J. Puk Likely To Open Season In Marlins’ Rotation

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The Marlins revealed back in December that they planned to stretch lefty A.J. Puk out and plug him back into a starting role after he’s spent his entire career to date in the bullpen. Puk, a former standout starter at the University of Florida and a starter for most of his minor league tenure, is now “a frontrunner” to claim the fourth spot in Miami’s rotation, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Puk will turn 29 in April. He’s never made a big league start but has started 42 games in the minors — most coming early in his tenure. The former No. 6 overall draft pick (2016) moved to the bullpen in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery the year prior. Puk took well to that relief role, debuting in the majors with 11 1/3 innings late in 2019. He held opponents to four runs on ten hits and five walks with 13 strikeouts — good for a 3.18 ERA. He looked to have locked up a spot on the 2020 roster, but Puk experienced shoulder pain the following spring and wound up missing the season due to an eventual debridement surgery.

The 2021 season was a rough one for Puk, though that’s not entirely surprising for a pitcher who’d undergone Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery within 24 months of each other. He split the year between Triple-A and the big leagues, posting an ERA north of 6.00 in both settings. The 2022 campaign finally brought a breakout for the talented but snakebitten southpaw; he pitched 66 1/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen and worked to a 3.12 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 43.4% ground-ball rate.

The A’s, by then in the midst of a complete rebuild, traded Puk to the Marlins in exchange for outfielder JJ Bleday — another former top-10 overall pick (No. 4) who’d not yet lived up to the expectations associated with that lofty draft status. It worked out nicely for the Fish. In 56 2/3 frames, Puk logged a 3.97 ERA with far more encouraging secondary marks: 32.2% strikeout rate, 5.4% walk rate, 15.1% swinging-strike rate, 2.66 SIERA. Puk wound up leading the Marlins with 15 saves.

Clearly encouraged by the per-inning strength of those results, the Marlins will now try to maximize Puk’s workload by moving him into a starting role. Much has been made of the Marlins’ enviable pitching depth over the years, but Puk’s move to the rotation is in part due to the fact that Miami’s stash of promising young arms is no longer as deep as it once was.

Sandy Alcantara underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season. Pablo Lopez was traded to the Twins in exchange for Luis Arraez. Braxton Garrett is behind schedule in camp due to a shoulder issue and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. Top prospects Sixto Sanchez and Max Meyer have been slowed by injuries. Sanchez, in particular, hasn’t pitched since 2020. Another touted arm, Jake Eder, was traded to the White Sox for Jake Burger. Southpaw Trevor Rogers has struggled through injuries and poor results since his second-place finish in the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

If Puk is able to successfully move back into a starting role, it’d obviously be a boon for the Fish. It’s a move that could reap long-term benefits, too, as Puk is controllable through the 2026 season. The Marlins will presumably be careful with his workload after the lefty pitched just 59 1/3 innings last year between the majors and a brief minor league rehab assignment following a nerve issue in his elbow. But if he can progress to pitching 100-plus innings this year, it’s easier to envision any restrictions being removed for the 2025 campaign.

There’s some risk to the move, of course. Puk has a lengthy injury history and is no guarantee to hold up with a full rotation workload. By moving him to the starting staff, Miami is also notably weakening its relief corps. The Puk transition bodes well for Tanner Scott, who’ll likely spend his entire platform season before free agency as the Marlins’ closer. But beyond Scott, the Fish will rely on a series of arms with short track records and/or notable injury histories. Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender, JT Chargois and George Soriano all have had big league success but have all yet to establish themselves as consistent, year-to-year performers.

Assuming the Marlins indeed stick with this plan, Puk will slot into the rotation behind Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera. The aforementioned Rogers and fellow lefty Ryan Weathers are the leading candidates for the fifth spot, Jackson notes, with Rogers a likelier fit than Weathers. Sanchez, once viewed as a rotation building block, is out of minor league options but figures to head to the bullpen if he’s healthy enough to make the roster. Whoever grabs the fifth spot will essentially be a placeholder for Garrett anyhow. That said, given workload concerns for Puk and the general frequency with which pitchers get injured, it’s likely that all of Puk, Rogers, Garrett and Weathers will wind up starting a fair share of games in South Florida this season.

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