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Soto, Steinbrenner Held Private Meeting In July

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Juan Soto and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had a one-on-one meeting in July, reports Brendan Kuty of the Athletic. The four-time All-Star confirmed the conversation, telling Kuty that “it was good to get to know the owner, get to see what he’s thinking about me and everything.”

Soto didn’t provide any specifics. However, Kuty reports that the general focus of the conversation was on Soto’s experience with the team. “It’s always good to see (an owner) coming over at least to say hi,” the outfielder told The Athletic, “see how we’re doing, what we have in mind, this and that. It’s great to have an owner that really cares for players.”

Steinbrenner hasn’t been shy about his desire to keep the superstar in pinstripes. The owner said in May that he was open to in-season extension talks. Soto closed that down a few weeks later, reiterating in June that he and agent Scott Boras would wait until the offseason to worry about contract terms. Considering Soto has reportedly declined a number of extension offers throughout his career, there was never much doubt that he’d test free agency.

[Related: Previewing The 2024-25 Corner Outfield Class]

The Yankees are going to face a push from the crosstown Mets and should have some amount of competition for Soto’s services from every high-payroll franchise. One meeting between Soto and Steinbrenner isn’t going to change the odds of keeping him around, but it’s presumably a bit of a preview of the months to come.

Soto has established a new career high with 41 homers during his first season in the Bronx. He leads the American League with 128 runs scored and is hitting .288/.418/.572 across 704 trips to the plate. By measure of wRC+, Soto has been 80 percentage points better than a league average batter. That’s his best mark in a 162-game schedule.

Rangers Recall Marc Church For MLB Debut

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The Rangers announced a few minor moves going into their final series of the season. Texas recalled relievers Marc Church and Daniel Robert from Triple-A Round Rock while activating Ezequiel Duran from the paternity list. The Rangers optioned Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Sandro Fabian to open active roster spots.

That’s most notable for the 23-year-old Church. He joins Bruce Bochy’s bullpen for the first time and could get a chance to make his big league debut. Texas had added him to the 40-man roster last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He opened the season in Round Rock and missed a good portion of the year to a rotator cuff injury.

The injury has limited the former 19th-round pick to 22 1/3 innings. Church impressed in that relatively small sample, turning in a 3.22 earned run average with a near-26% strikeout rate and a solid 7.5% walk percentage. In July, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Church the #15 prospect in the Texas system. Longenhagen credited Church with a promising fastball/cutter combination but expressed concern about his strike-throwing consistency. The righty should be in the mix for a middle relief spot in camp next year.

Optioning Rocker and Leiter is essentially a procedural move. The former Vanderbilt teammates combined for all eight innings in yesterday’s loss to the A’s. Rocker tossed 73 pitches, while Leiter threw 48 pitches in relief. Neither was going to appear again this season. Texas will get a pair of fresh arms up to lengthen the bullpen and potentially offer Church his first work at the highest level.

Previewing The 2024-25 MLB Free Agent Class: Left-Handed Relievers

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MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at the left-handed relief pitchers. Last year’s group was headlined by Josh Hader but there’s no such outlier this time. However, there are still some intriguing options.

Player ages, listed in parenthesis, are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 26. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Other Entries: Catcher | First Base | Second Base | Shortstop | Third Base | Center Field | Corner Outfield | Designated Hitter | Starting Pitcher

High-Leverage Relievers

Chapman isn’t quite at the same level he was a decade ago, but he’s still one of the most powerful pitchers in the game. Both of his fastballs average in the high 90s and he still racks up the punchouts. The Pirates signed him to a one-year, $10.5MM guarantee coming into 2024. He has tossed 60 innings for them so far this year with a 3.90 ERA. His 15% walk rate is quite high compared to league average but normal for Chapman. He has struck out 36.5% of batters faced while keeping 44.7% of balls in play on the ground. He has 12 saves and 22 holds for the Bucs and will likely be looking for a fairly similar contract this winter.

Coulombe took a long time to establish himself but is coming off a strong two-year run. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins in four straight offseasons, going into the 2020-2023 campaigns. In the last of those four, he triggered an assignment clause and got traded to the Orioles just before Opening Day. Since then, he has thrown 80 innings for the O’s with a 2.59 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate. He has three saves and 34 holds in that time.

Minter won’t be going into free agency at his best. He’s had some good seasons for Atlanta but went on the IL twice this year due to hip issues and underwent surgery in August. From 2020 to 2023, he tossed 208 2/3 innings for Atlanta with a 2.89 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. He recorded at least 21 holds in the three full seasons of that stretch. Here in 2024, his strikeout rate dropped to 26.1%. His 2.62 ERA is still nice, but a .222 BABIP and 94.2% strand rate helped him out there. His market will depend on his health and whether clubs expect him to bounce back.

Scott has had some ups and downs in his career but is coming off a strong two-year run. Most of that has come with the Marlins but he was flipped to the Padres at the deadline, with the Friars sending four prospects to get Scott and Bryan Hoeing out of Miami. Since the start of 2023, Scott has thrown 150 innings with a 2.04 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 50.4% ground ball rate. He has 34 saves and 35 holds in that time. Judging by the big trade return he netted the Marlins, he should be in high demand this winter and should be able to command a strong multi-year deal. With the Padres having clinched a playoff spot, he also has a chance to give himself some extra momentum if he can post some good results in the spotlight of the postseason.

Middle Relievers

Alexander and the Athletics signed a one-year deal with a $2.25MM guarantee coming into 2024. That investment has worked out quite well for the A’s, as Alexander has tossed 37 1/3 innings with a 2.65 ERA and 10 holds. There could be some luck in there, with his .267 BABIP and 79.4% strand rate both on the fortunate side, leading to a 3.89 FIP and 3.83 SIERA that are closer to his career rates. His 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate aren’t special but are normal for the groundballer. His 58.5% rate of getting the ball hit into the dirt this year is well above league average but actually a career low for him.

Beeks served as closer for the Rockies for a stretch this year, though that said more about the state of that club’s staff than about him. He was traded to the Pirates at the deadline and has a 4.52 ERA between the two clubs this year. That comes with a 17.5% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate. He currently has ten saves and eight holds for the season. Signing Beeks would be about hoping for a bounceback. With the Rays in 2022 and 2023, he tossed 103 1/3 innings with a 4.09 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate. He was put on waivers in November and claimed by the Rockies but ended up having a down year.

Diekman has a track record that spans more than a decade. Control has never been his strong suit, as he has walked 13.4% of batters faced overall. He has often been able to overcome that with strong strikeout rates, punching out 28.7% of batters faced in his career. He signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Mets for 2024 but posted a 5.63 ERA through early August and was released. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced and walked 16.6% but was severely hurt by a 29.2% home run per flyball ratio. His deal originally came with a club option but that’s now moot since he has been released. No one has picked him up in the past couple of months so he might be limited to minor league deals if he wants to keep going next year.

Ferguson is having a down year in terms of surface stats but things aren’t as bad under the hood. After missing 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, he tossed 95 innings for the Dodgers over 2022 and 2023. In that time, he had a 2.84 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 46.8% ground ball rate. He was flipped to the Yankees coming into 2024, then traded to the Astros at the deadline. Between those two clubs, he has a 4.64 ERA that’s well worse than his previous two seasons. But his 26.9% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 46.7% ground ball rate are very similar to that stretch with the Dodgers. A .340 BABIP and 66.6% strand rate are probably masking the fact that he’s the same guy he was before this year.

Garrett has mostly been in the minors this year. His major league work consists of just 5 1/3 innings with the Angels, allowing three earned runs while striking out 11 but walking five opponents. He has a 5.08 ERA in Triple-A while punching out 28.5% of batters but walking 10.6%. He has years of experience but his lack of control has generally undercut his ability to strike hitters out. In 330 2/3 big league innings overall, he has a 4.95 ERA and 26.7% strikeout rate but a 13.3% walk rate. He’ll have to settle for a minor league deal if he wants to keep pitching in 2025.

Hill has long had an ability to get ground balls, which is serving him well at the moment. After being non-tendered by the Padres a year ago, he signed a one-year deal with the White Sox with a $1.8MM guarantee. That team cut him loose in June when he had a 5.87 ERA, though that seemingly wasn’t his fault. He had a massive .436 BABIP and 63.5% strand rate during his time on the South Side. The Yankees picked him up, presumably figuring he could fare better with a stronger defense behind him. That has largely been borne out, as Hill has a 2.09 ERA since coming to the Bronx. Overall, Hill has a 3.41 ERA on the year while getting grounders on 68.4% of balls in play. His 10.4% strikeout rate is quite low but he doesn’t issue many walks and can clearly be effective if his grounders are being scooped up.

Matzek has some good results on his résumé but is not coming into free agency on a high note. Back in 2020, he posted a 2.79 ERA, 35.5% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate with Atlanta. In 2021, his walk rate climbed to 14% but he managed to keep his ERA down to 2.57. The year after that, he had a 19.6% strikeout rate and 15.8% walk rate before requiring Tommy John surgery in October. He missed all of 2023 while recovering from that procedure. He made 11 appearances earlier this year, posting a 9.90 ERA, before going back on the IL with elbow inflammation. He was flipped to the Giants as part of the Jorge Soler deal but put on waivers a few weeks later and then re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league deal.

Not too long ago, Moore seemed to be engineering a nice second act as a reliever. He posted a 1.95 ERA with the Rangers in 2022 and then a 2.56 ERA with multiple clubs in 2023. The Angels gave him $9MM for 2024 but things have fallen off a cliff this year. Last year, he had a 27.5% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate but those figures are 19.5% and 12.4% this year and his ERA has shot up to 5.03.

Raley underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of May and won’t be a factor until the middle of 2025 even in a best-case scenario. He plans to continue pitching so he could perhaps sign a deal while he’s rehabbing or perhaps wait until he’s healthy and then showcase himself for interested clubs. He has tossed 184 1/3 innings since returning from Korea for the 2020 season. In that time, he has a 3.42 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. From 2022 to the present, his ERA is just 2.58, though with similar peripherals.

Rodríguez signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in the winter and has been on and off their roster this year. He posted a 5.93 ERA in 13 2/3 major league innings. His 1.88 ERA in Triple-A looks nice but that’s mostly due to a tiny .175 BABIP.

Smith has a shot at an incredible feat this October. It’s already amazing that he has won a World Series ring three years in a row with three different teams: Atlanta in 2021, Astros in 2022 and Rangers in 2023. He can add another year to that if the Royals manage to take home the trophy a month from now. He signed with Kansas City on a one-year deal with a $5MM guarantee but has a 6.53 ERA on the year. His 15.6% strikeout rate is by far the lowest of his career, except for his 2012 rookie season when he was still a starter. From 2013 to 2021, his strikeout rate was always at least 28.7%. That dropped to just below 25% in 2022 and 2023 and even farther this year.

From 2020 to 2023, Thielbar tossed 174 innings for the Twins with a 3.21 ERA, 30.2% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. In 46 innings this year, his ERA has jumped to 5.28. Part of that is a .341 BABIP and 62.1% strand rate, but his strikeout rate has also dropped to 25.1% while his walk rate has climbed to 11.4%. He’ll surely be limited to one-year offers based on his age and recent struggles.

Wilson hardly pitched over the 2022-23 seasons, mostly due to Tommy John surgery. The Reds gave him $1.5MM on a major league deal for 2024, but Wilson hasn’t found success, at least in terms of surface results. In 46 2/3 innings, he has a 5.21 ERA. That’s despite a 24.8% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Making his home in a hitter-friendly park has led to a .328 BABIP and 15.9% home run per fly ball ratio this year. ERA estimators like his 4.67 FIP and 3.33 SIERA suggest he deserved better. For his career, he has over 500 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate.

Swingman

Across stints with the Rays, Royals, Dodgers and Blue Jays, Yarbrough has been consistently deployed as a swingman/depth starter, making spot starts or working in long relief out of the bullpen. He has 195 major league appearances, including 68 starts, with a 4.23 ERA in 764 1/3 innings thrown. That includes a 3.32 ERA in 95 innings between the Dodgers and Blue Jays this year. His 18.7% career strikeout rate isn’t high but he’s limited walks to a 5.5% clip while limiting damage. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate are often among the best in the league, landing in the 98th and 99th percentile this year respectively.

Options/Opt-Outs

Bummer signed a five-year, $16MM extension with the White Sox back in 2020. Since then, he has thrown 205 1/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA. That figure would be lower if it weren’t for a weird spike in 2023 when his ERA jumped to 6.79 thanks to a .340 BABIP and 55.4% strand rate. During the course of that contract, he has a 29.3% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 64.5% ground ball rate. Atlanta acquired him going into 2024, presumably attracted to his $5.5MM salary in 2024 and two subsequent club options valued at $7.25MM and $7.5MM, each having a $1.25MM buyout. The net $6MM decision seems like solid value but the club also hasn’t been leaning on Bummer too much, as he has only two holds on the season despite his 3.62 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 60.1% ground ball rate.

Chafin signed with the Tigers this offseason, a one-year deal with a $4.75MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $4.25MM base salary, incentives, and a $4.75MM club option for 2025 with a $500K buyout. Traded to the Rangers at the deadline, he has a 3.56 ERA in 55 2/3 innings on the year overall. His 12.3% walk rate is a bit high but he’s striking out 28.8% of batters faced. The net $4.25MM decision is a fair price for Chafin. Whether the Rangers pick it up or not might depend on factors apart from him. They had a budget crunch last winter due to uncertainty in their TV revenue situation and may prefer to keep that powder dry, as opposed to locking Chafin up right as the offseason gets going.

The Padres signed Peralta in the winter to a four-year, $16.5MM deal. That was a bit surprising since the club was dealing with a notable budget crunch but also because of the contract’s structure, as Peralta has the right to opt out after each year of the pact. He is making $3.35MM this year, followed by $4.25MM next year and then $4.45MM in each of the final two seasons. His first year in San Diego hasn’t gone well so far, as he has a 4.10 ERA over 45 appearances. If not for a .239 BABIP, it would probably be worse, which is why he has a 5.44 FIP and 4.46 SIERA. He’s still getting grounders but his 13.9% strikeout rate is a big drop, as he’s usually in the 20% range. He’ll pass on his opt-out chance for now and hope for a better season in 2025.

Suter signed with his hometown Reds coming into 2024, a $3MM guarantee that came in the form of a $2.5MM base salary in 2024 and $500K buyout on a $3.5MM club option for 2025. The veteran has continued to do what he always does, which is get weak contact and post good results despite not getting many strikeouts. He has 64 1/3 innings this year with a 3.22 ERA, 18.9% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 41.2% ground ball rate. Per Statcast, his average exit velocity allowed is in the 94th percentile while his hard hit rate is in the 96th. In addition to those strong results, Suter has a solid reputation as a veteran clubhouse leader. Given the modest $3MM difference between the buyout and option, it seems like this will be picked up.

From Minor League Deal To Top Reliever In The Upcoming Free Agent Class

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Perhaps you haven't heard this before, but relief pitching is volatile. Reliever performance often fluctuates wildly from year to year. At times, that leads to rapid ascensions from obscurity to stardom for players. Look no further than last year's three-year, $33MM deal for Robert Stephenson with the Angels. He'd been designated for assignment less than a calendar year prior but was so dominant in 42 games with the Rays that the Angels ponied up that weighty three-year deal.

Stephenson is just one of many instances of this, of course. Liam Hendriks had been designated for assignment by four different teams before breaking out with the A's. In fact, Oakland was one of the four teams who'd chosen to DFA him. He went unclaimed on waivers. Drew Pomeranz had been bounced from the Giants' rotation in 2019 and was potentially on the cusp of being cut loose himself when a stretch of just four relief appearances prompted the Brewers to give up a legitimate infield prospect (Mauricio Dubon) to acquire him in a trade. Pomeranz dominated for Milwaukee for two more months and went on to ink a four-year, $34MM deal in free agency.

Reliever fortunes can turn quickly, and the upcoming free agent class offers the latest example. It's always fun to wonder who might be the next Hendriks, Pomeranz or Stephenson -- and in this instance, it's even more fun because the buzz name on the market was traded for one of those very relievers just a few years back.

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Twins Activate Kody Funderburk From Injured List

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The Twins announced that they have reinstated left-hander Kody Funderburk from the 60-day injured list. Catcher Jair Camargo was optioned to open an active roster spot. Outfielder Max Kepler has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot. Prior to the official announcement, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reported on X that Funderburk would be activated.

Funderburk, 27, had an intriguing debut last year. Called up in August, he was able to pitch 12 innings for the Twins with a 0.75 earned run average. He struck out 40.4% of batters faced and got grounders on 54.5% of batters faced.

He hasn’t been able to maintain results that strong in 2024. He currently has 33 2/3 innings on the year with a 5.61 ERA. His ground ball rate is the same as last year but his strikeout rate has essentially been halved, landing at 20.3% so far. In July, he landed on the 15-injured list due to a left oblique strain, later being transferred to the 60-day version.

The Twins have just one lefty in their bullpen at the moment in Caleb Thielbar. They have had Steven Okert, Cole Irvin and Brent Headrick on the roster somewhat recently but Okert and Irvin were designated for assignment in recent weeks while Headrick was optioned a couple of days ago.

The club’s season is currently hanging by a thread. They are three games back of the Tigers and Royals with each team having three games remaining. The Twins hold the tiebreakers over both of those clubs but still have long odds of getting back into a playoff spot at this point. Funderburk will give manager Rocco Baldelli a second lefty option in the bullpen as they try to hang on. The Twins host the Orioles this weekend as the Royals are in Atlanta and the Tigers host the White Sox.

As for Kepler, this move will end his season, regardless of whether the club makes the postseason or not. He landed on the IL September 2 due to left patellar tendinitis in his knee. He told Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic a couple of days ago that he wasn’t likely to return and might need offseason surgery.

That would be unfortunate timing as he is heading to free agency for the first time in his career. He and the Twins signed a five-year, $35MM extension going into 2019, with that deal containing a $10MM club option for 2024 that was eventually picked up.

Kepler is a strong defender on the grass, with career tallies of 50 Defensive Runs Saved and 66 Outs Above Average. He has occasionally paired that with strong offense, though not consistently. He hit 24 home runs last year and drew walks at a 9.2% clip, leading to a .260/.332/.484 batting line and 123 wRC+. But this year, around multiple IL stints, he has just eight homers and a 5.5% walk rate. His .253/.302/.380 line has led to a 94 wRC+.

Garrett Crochet Open To Extension Talks With White Sox

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White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet spoke to members of the media yesterday, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, indicating that he would be open to having contract extension talks this winter. “I would be receptive to conversations,” Crochet said. “Those conversations are not reliant on only myself and what I might want. I know that (GM Chris) Getz does everything with the team’s future in mind. So I think we can trust that to be true.”

It’s perhaps notable that Crochet isn’t immediately shooting down the idea of a long-term deal, but a willingness to have conversations doesn’t necessarily indicate that a deal is likely or even plausible.

Up until this point in his career, Crochet’s earning power has been fairly modest by MLB standards but it is about to shoot up. In 2023, he surpassed three years of service time and therefore qualified for arbitration. However, since he missed significant time while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he was only able to secure himself a slight pay bump. He is making $800K here in 2024, just barely above the $740K league minimum.

But this year, he moved from the bullpen to the rotation with outstanding results. To this point, he has tossed 142 innings over 31 starts. That has come despite the club scaling back his workload in the second half, as he hasn’t thrown more than four innings in an outing since June. He has a 3.68 earned run average on the year and perhaps deserves better. His 35.1% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate are all strong numbers. His 18 home runs allowed are the biggest weak point, which is why an ERA estimator like SIERA that normalizes home run rate has him down at 2.54.

The excellent results turned Crochet into a much-discussed trade chip this summer, though his unique circumstances seemingly prevented a deal from being consummated. The White Sox were well out of contention and Crochet was plenty available, but there were questions about what his second half would look like. After being drafted, he was quickly shot up to the majors during the 2020 season and subsequently missed time due to his aforementioned surgery. As such, he had been able to throw just 85 1/3 professional innings over the 2020-23 period.

Though he had flourished as a starter in the first half of 2024, teams were naturally going to wonder how he would hold up if kept in that role during a pennant race and into the postseason. Crochet and his reps reportedly expressed a desire for him to continue starting and secure a contract extension before pitching in October.

Perhaps due to those complications, no trade occurred prior to the deadline, but it’s generally expected that those talks will be revisited this winter. The workload concerns should be less of an issue going forward with the base he established this year. Crochet has two arbitration seasons remaining and it will be difficult for this historically bad White Sox club to return to contention in that timeframe. His salary will leap up from $800K but will still be quite low compared to free agent rates, giving him plenty of surplus trade value. Rather than continuing to run out Crochet to be the best player on a bad team, there’s logic to flipping him for players that can help the club down the line, which Crochet seemingly alluded to in his comments yesterday.

An extension with the White Sox could change that calculus by keeping him around longer, but there are reasons not to expect that to happen. Crochet is only 25 years old, meaning he is currently slated to hit free agency just after his 27th birthday.

Pitchers almost never reach the open market that young, apart from guys coming from international leagues. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was coming over from Japan this past offseason at the age of 25 and had widespread interest, eventually managing to secure a $325MM guarantee from the Dodgers. That kind of spending on a player with no major league experience, plus the $51MM posting fee the Dodgers had to cough up, suggests that the league values that youth highly.

Crochet will be two years older as a free agent that Yamamoto was, but he could have a decent track record in the big leagues by then. There is risk by going year to year, as Crochet could always suffer another injury between now and then, but it would likely take a fairly notable investment to get him to give up that kind of opportunity. In August, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote a piece for Front Office subscribers that looked at some recent pitcher extensions and compared them to Crochet, suggesting that the lefty could get something close to a nine-figure deal.

The White Sox have never given out a guarantee larger than the $75MM they gave to Andrew Benintendi. Given that they are currently at the nadir of a rebuild, it’s probably not the time where they want to be setting new franchise records in that department.

Taking all these factors together, it still seems fair to expect a trade. If the club is interested in a public relations win after so many losses this year, they could consider breaking the bank on Crochet. If they have such thoughts, he is at least willing to answer the phone and talk, but other clubs will also be calling and trying to pry him loose this winter. In comments made a couple of weeks ago, Getz suggested the club would likely be having trade talks involving Crochet this winter.

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR’s Anthony Franco held live chat today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Anthony took questions on the Tigers' surprising playoff run, the A's outlook for 2025, what the Giants should do this offseason, the status of the Nationals' rebuild, the state of the American League, Pittsburgh's catching situation, and much more.

 

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Chaim Bloom To Take On Larger Role In Cardinals’ Front Office

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The Cardinals are set to hold a press conference early next week, and it’s already been reported that there will be some notable organizational changes announced at that time. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat suggested as much earlier this week, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported a couple weeks back that former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, hired as an adviser last winter, could see his role expand. That’ll indeed be the case, and Katie Woo of The Athletic now further details that Bloom will be tasked with hiring a new director of player development and overhauling that department.

It’s not fully clear what title Bloom will hold, but Woo spoke with multiple Cardinals staffers about the manner in which their player development system — once the gold standard in the sport — has become antiquated and been neglected over time. Cardinals employees who spoke to Woo for a simultaneously fascinating and damning overview of the organization suggest the club is lacking in coordinators, minor league coaches, technology and other resources, leaving players unprepared to make the jump to the majors.

That’s created a vicious cycle, forcing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak to spend more in free agency to offset the lack of homegrown contributors. In doing so, he’s increasingly had to allocate his baseball operations budget to the big league roster at the expense of player development. It’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy in many ways. Readers (especially Cardinals fans) are encouraged to check out Woo’s piece in full for an exhaustive breakdown of how the Cardinals’ once unparalleled development practices have faltered and failed to position touted prospects like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, Dylan Carlson and others for big league success.

From an even bigger-picture standpoint, the matter of Mozeliak’s future with the club has also been thrust into the spotlight. He’s signed through 2025 and has suggested previously that he’s likely to step down after that contract. MLB.com’s John Denton reports that it’s at least possible Mozeliak steps aside or transitions to a different role sooner than the end of his contract, however. Changes on the coaching front are expected too, as Jones reported earlier this week. Woo writes that manager Oli Marmol is expected to remain in place but points out that hitting coaches Turner Ward and Brandon Allen, game-planning coach Packy Elkins, first base coach Stubby Clapp and assistant pitching coach Julio Rangel are all signed only through the current season.

The full scope of the looming changes likely won’t be ascertainable until the Cardinals host their press conference Monday. What’s increasingly clear is that ownership and the majority of the baseball operations and player development staff recognize that changes are needed. Whether that results in a rebuilding effort of any magnitude isn’t yet clear. Woo reports that the Cardinals do not intend to go into a tanking-style rebuild but also plan to shift more focus on building up the player development staff and strengthening the minor league system.

Marmol, for his part, isn’t speaking like a manager who expects a pronounced step back. The recent focus on getting to 82 wins to avoid the first back-to-back losing seasons the Cardinals have endured in six decades hasn’t sat well with him, he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It’s not a goal of mine when I go into a season to only finish above .500, if I’m being quite honest,” says Marmol. “I understand not wanting to have back-to-back losing seasons. We have aspirations for a lot more than that, and we have to build toward it, bottom line.”

Goold joins the rest of the Cards beat in reporting that large-scale changes are indeed expected Monday at a press conference where the team’s “next direction” will be among the topics. The Cardinals face several pivotal decisions, many of them on aging veterans. They hold $12MM club options over starters Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn — both coming with a $1MM buyout. Paul Goldschmidt is a free agent, though there’s been talk of a potential reunion. Veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge is also a free agent, and the Cards have some interest in re-signing him. The 2025 season is closer Ryan Helsley’s final year of club control. Prospects like Walker and Gorman aren’t necessarily at a crossroads but have also failed to cement themselves in the team’s plans. Both were optioned to the minors this season, though both have at least one option year remaining beyond the current season (two, in Gorman’s case).

Monday’s press conference should shed light on how some of those vital organizational decisions will play out. The broad takeaway, for now, is that simply maintaining the status quo no longer feels tenable.

The Opener: Freeman, Twins, Diamondbacks

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Ahead of the 2024 regular season’s final weekend, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Freeman nursing injury:

While the mood surrounding the Dodgers was largely celebratory last night in the aftermath of the club clinching their 11th NL West title in 12 seasons, there was one possible cause for concern: first baseman Freddie Freeman, who departed last night’s game against the Padres during the seventh inning due to an ankle injury. As noted by MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, Freeman was in a walking boot and on crutches following last night’s game but seemed optimistic after telling reporters that x-rays came back negative, revealing a sprain.

Freeman noted that while his ankle is swollen, club officials are “optimistic” he’ll be ready to go in time for the playoffs when the NLDS kicks off next Saturday. Freeman joins Miguel Rojas as the second member of Los Angeles’ everyday starting lineup who won’t be participating in the club’s final series against Colorado in hopes of getting healthy enough to participate in the upcoming playoff run. The Dodgers appear likely to shift Max Muncy over to first base while Freeman is out, thereby opening the hot corner up for Enrique Hernandez.

2. Twins facing elimination:

The Twins are staring down elimination after dropping four of their previous five games to the Marlins and Red Sox, leaving them with a disastrous 9-15 record that has allowed the Tigers to surpass them in the AL Wild Card race. Just one season removed from breaking their lengthy drought without a playoff series win, Minnesota now sports a 82-77 record headed into the season’s final series. Both the Tigers and Royals have identical 85-74 records, leaving the Twins in need of a miracle to return to the postseason at this point.

They hold the tiebreaker over both of their rivals, but the club would need to not only sweep the Orioles in their final series of the season but also benefit from either Detroit or Kansas City getting swept in their final series of the year in order to make it into the playoffs. Of those two possibilities, the Royals getting swept by the Braves appears to be more likely than the Tigers getting swept by the White Sox, although Chicago has plenty of incentive to do everything it can to sweep considering they’d avoid taking sole possession of the modern era’s all-time loss record if they can extend their current winning streak from three games to six. Minnesota’s last stand begins at 7:10pm local time this evening when Pablo Lopez (4.11 ERA) takes on Baltimore rookie and former Twins prospect Cade Povich (5.59 ERA in 15 starts).

3. D-backs look to clinch:

The Padres have already clinched an NL Wild Card spot, but their final series of the regular season will still have major playoff implications as they head to the desert to face the Diamondbacks in a three-game set. Arizona currently holds an NL Wild Card spot with an 88-71 record that leaves them essentially tied with the Mets (87-70) and one game up on the Braves (86-71). Still, their playoff hopes aren’t quite as solid as it might seem at first glance after the final two games of this week’s series between Atlanta and New York were rescheduled for Monday. That leaves the Snakes in need of a sweep this weekend in order to punch their ticket to the postseason without waiting on the results of Monday’s doubleheader, as both the Mets and Braves hold the tiebreaker over them.

If Arizona manages to sweep the Padres, they’d finish with a record of 91-71. Either the Braves or Mets could reach that win total, but at least one club is guaranteed to fall short as the Braves would need to win all five of their remaining games in order to do so while the Mets would need to go at least 4-1. Anything less than a sweep, however, leaves Arizona’s fate in the hands of a doubleheader that will occur after they’ve wrapped up their regular season, a frustrating circumstance for the Diamondbacks that would leave them in limbo ahead of a potential NL Wild Card series on Tuesday. They’ll kick off their attempt to clinch at 6:40pm local time this evening with veteran righty Merrill Kelly (3.71 ERA) on the mound opposite Padres veteran Yu Darvish (3.18 ERA in 15 starts).

White Sox Notes: Sizemore, Managerial Search, Crochet, Moncada

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When the White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol (along with bench coach Charlie Montoyo, assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar and third base coach Eddie Rodriguez), they handed Grady Sizemore the unenviable task of steering the ship for the remainder of a historically inept season. The Sox are currently tied for the modern era record with 120 losses and figure to establish a new benchmark for futility in the coming days. At the time Sizemore was elevated to the top job in the dugout, general manager Chris Getz plainly stated that the Sox would conduct a managerial search and hire a new skipper from outside the organization after the season. It now seems that Sizemore will at least be considered for the permanent post, however.

“Grady’s in consideration,” Getz said this week (link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). “He has a lot of traits we’re looking for.”

The Sox will still conduct an extensive search for their next skipper, Getz emphasized. Sizemore will be one of many candidates from what the GM called a “deep pool” that they’ve cultivated since Grifol’s dismissal. (It’s not clear whether that pool will include Double-A manager and former Sox reliever Sergio Santos, but he’s publicly thrown his hat into the ring and voiced a desire to manage the club.) Still, Getz noted that Sizemore’s “temperament is exactly what we needed” for the remainder of the current season and praised his rookie manager’s communication skills with the players. Van Schouwen adds that Sizemore has another year remaining on his coaching contract, so it seems likely he’ll remain with the organization beyond the ’24 season in at least some capacity.

ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers report that Sizemore had never voiced a desire to manage prior to being promoted to his current post, but his strong relationship with the players made him the front office’s pick. Time will tell whether that leads to a more solid appointment following the season.

More broadly, Olney and Rogers explore the staggering levels of dysfunction that have permeated the White Sox organization this season. It’s a deep dive into the team’s many failures across virtually all levels, highlighting clubhouse rifts that date back to the 2023 season and questionable decisions from owner Jerry Reinsdorf, among many other fascinating aspects.

As has been suggested in the past, Rogers and Olney write that former general manager Rick Hahn appeared to have zeroed in on A.J. Hinch as the team’s new manager following the 2020 season when Reinsdorf went over his head and hired longtime friend and former White Sox skipper Tony La Russa. One club source told the ESPN pair that Grifol inherited “as negative a place as I’ve seen anywhere” in the game when he took over as manager. La Russa remains involved with the organization as an advisor and, notably, gave positive feedback about Getz when Reinsdorf fired longtime baseball operations leaders Hahn and Kenny Williams. That’s not to say Getz was promoted based solely on La Russa’s recommendation, but it’s a notable bit of context given that he was tabbed the new GM after just nine days and with no external search conducted.

There are countless other bits throughout the ESPN piece making it a must-read piece for fans not only of the White Sox but any club. Rogers and Olney delve into some specifics on the trade deadline, noting that the Sox targeted top Phillies prospect Andrew Painter when Philadelphia was in pursuit of Garrett Crochet — a price at which the Phillies balked. The Dodgers, per the report, believed they could make a compelling offer without including catcher Dalton Rushing, but that offer “never developed” in the end. They instead acquired Jack Flaherty from Detroit in exchange for another top catching prospect, Thayron Liranzo, and current Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney.

Crochet stayed in Chicago, as Getz and his staff were intent on getting their price met or revisiting the trade market for Crochet this winter. That’ll surely be the case, and Crochet will enter the season as perhaps the top trade candidate in the sport. The asking price will again be astronomical, but there will also theoretically be more bidders for him — in addition to a lack of concern about his status for pitching in the postseason and/or his reported desire for a contract extension.

Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. will be the last vestiges of the core that propelled the White Sox to playoff berths in 2020 and 2021. The rest have either been traded or, like third baseman Yoan Moncada, will become free agents at season’s end. Moncada has a $25MM club option, but the Sox will pay a $5MM buyout on that option and send him into free agency for the first time in his career.

Moncada, still just 29 years old, tells Bruce Levine of 670 The Score that he plans to play winter ball this offseason in order to showcase his health for the other 29 teams in the game. He missed nearly the entire season due to an adductor strain and has scarcely played since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list earlier this month. Chicago has been committed too getting the younger Miguel Vargas — acquired at the deadline in the three-team Erick Fedde/Michael Kopech/Tommy Pham swap — regular playing time at the hot corner even as he struggles mightily at the plate.

That’s left Moncada with just one plate appearance this month, despite the fact that he was activated back on Sept. 16. He’s hitting .275/.356/.400 on the season in a tiny sample of 45 plate appearances. On the one hand, it’s confounding that the Sox would leave a talented and fairly productive veteran out of the lineup as they try to stave off their inevitable date with history. On the other, Moncada clearly isn’t in the team’s plans going forward, so there’s some sense to allocating those at-bats to younger players.

Moncada once ranked as the top prospect in the sport. He signed with the Red Sox after leaving Cuba, taking home a massive $31.5MM signing bonus (which cost Boston a 100% tax under the former international free agent system, bringing their total price to $63MM). He landed in Chicago alongside Kopech as one two headliners in the trade sending Chris Sale to Fenway Park. It took a couple years, but by 2019 Moncada looked on the cusp of stardom. He swatted 25 homers while batting .315/.367/.548 in just 559 plate appearances. That breakout contributed to Chicago extending Moncada on a five-year, $70MM deal covering the 2020-24 seasons.

The contract hasn’t aged well. Moncada gave the Sox one healthy, productive season in 2021 but has otherwise spent more time on the injured list than in the lineup. Even when healthy, he’s been below-average at the plate more often than not. He’s appeared in 404 of 703 possible games during that five-year period and slashed .244/.326/.395 along the way. That’s league-average production on the whole (101 wRC+), but the vast majority of that positive output came during the aforementioned ’21 season.

A healthy showing in winter ball would surely help Moncada’s stock this offseason. He’s likely looking at a low-cost one-year contract with incentives baked in to potentially boost his guarantee. There’s clearly a talented player beneath all the recent health troubles. Moncada has had seasons worth five wins above replacement (2019) and four WAR (2021). He’s still on the right side of 30. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see him return to form in ’25 — almost assuredly with a new club — and then cash in on a multi-year deal the following offseason.

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