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Archives for January 2025

Reds Designate Roansy Contreras For Assignment

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The Reds announced they’ve designated Roansy Contreras for assignment. The move opens the necessary 40-man roster spot for Gavin Lux, whose acquisition from the Dodgers is now official.

Contreras hasn’t spent much time with the Reds. Cincinnati grabbed him off waivers from the Rangers a couple weeks ago. Texas had just claimed him from the Angels a month before that. The 25-year-old righty seems ticketed for the waiver wire for a third time in as many months.

Once one of the game’s better pitching prospects, Contreras was a key piece of the package that the Yankees sent to the Pirates for Jameson Taillon. He had a decent debut season with the Bucs in 2022, turning in a 3.79 ERA across 95 innings. He looked like a long-term rotation piece at the time, but his production has dropped sharply over the last two seasons.

Contreras struggled to an ERA near 7.00 across 68 1/3 MLB frames in 2023. He exhausted his last minor league option that year. The Pirates carried him in the season-opening bullpen in ’24. He pitched 12 times in medium-leverage spots before the Bucs took him off the roster. They dealt him to the Angels for cash in May. Contreras played out the year with the Halos in a long relief role, posting a 4.33 ERA with subpar peripherals in 37 appearances.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Contreras owns a 5.47 earned run average over 136 2/3 innings. His 18.5% strikeout percentage and 10.5% walk rate are worse than the respective MLB averages, as is his 1.4 home runs allowed per nine. The performance and the inability to send him to the minors without putting him on waivers could lead to him continuing to bounce around the league. Contreras has intrigued a few teams as a depth arm, as he sits around 95 MPH with his four-seam fastball and throws six different pitches.

Reds Acquire Gavin Lux

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The Dodgers and Reds have announced a trade sending Gavin Lux to Cincinnati for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and the Reds’ Competitive Balance Round A selection. The competitive balance pick — the only kind of draft choice that can be traded — lands at 37th overall next summer.

L.A. general manager Brandon Gomes had downplayed the possibility of trading Lux late last week, but it seems the Dodgers intend to play free agent pickup Hyeseong Kim at second base. Lux is going into his age-27 season. The left-handed hitting infielder was a first-round pick in 2016 and had emerged as one of the top prospects in baseball by the time he was promoted at the end of the ’19 season. Lux has been a solid big leaguer but not the kind of star that many evaluators had hoped.

The Dodgers didn’t give him consistent big league run until 2021. He struggled offensively that season, hitting .242/.328/.364 through 102 games. His bat took a step forward the following year, as he hit .276/.346/.399 through 471 trips to the plate. Lux looked like the starting shortstop going into 2023, but he tore his right ACL during Spring Training and wound up missing the entire season.

Lux returned from injury last year. He was healthy in Spring Training and expected to start at shortstop. A series of throwing errors during exhibition play called that into question. By the middle of Spring Training, Los Angeles announced that Lux would slide back to second base while Mookie Betts tried his hand at shortstop. Lux had started his professional career on the left side of the infield but encountered throwing accuracy issues in the minors as well.

The start of the season did not go well. Lux was the weakest link in the L.A. lineup in the first half. He carried a .213/.267/.295 batting line into the All-Star Break. The Dodgers stuck with him and were rewarded with a huge showing down the stretch. Lux hit .304/.391/.508 in 61 games during the second half. The end results were exactly league average. Lux finished the year with a .251/.320/.383 showing in 487 plate appearances. His 24 doubles and 10 home runs were both personal highs. Lux’s postseason numbers were unimpressive, though he did drive in the tying run in the eighth inning of what proved to be the decisive Game 5 victory in the World Series.

That will go down as Lux’s final at-bat in a Dodger uniform. He entered the offseason as the projected starter at second base. The Dodgers somewhat surprisingly signed Kim, who’s coming off a .326/.383/.458 showing in his final season in South Korea, to a three-year deal last week. That only guaranteed $12.5MM, a modest sum that aligned with most scouting reports that suggested Kim projected as a utility player in MLB. The Dodgers initially indicated they felt the same way, but it seems that was about not publicly telegraphing that they were shopping Lux.

Betts is expected to return to shortstop after finishing last season in the outfield. Kim looks like the starting second baseman with Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor behind them in utility roles. Tommy Edman can play the middle infield but projects as the starting center fielder. It would have been difficult to carry each of Lux, Kim, Rojas and Taylor on the 26-man roster. The Dodgers could’ve opened a spot by designating Taylor for assignment, but they preferred to cash Lux in for future value. It’s a surprising decision for a team that hopes to repeat as World Series winners. The Dodgers apparently feel that the downgrade from Lux to Kim won’t be substantial.

The Reds may not have everyday at-bats to offer either. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggests Lux is likely to assume a utility role at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati has Elly De La Cruz at shortstop and will welcome Matt McLain back at second base. Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, each of whom is coming off a down year, project as the corner infield tandem. Lux has only started one major league game at third base, where his throwing accuracy could be problematic. He saw limited action in left and center field between 2021-22.

If Cincinnati feels Lux could handle third base, that’d be his clearest path to playing time. They could also use Lux at second base and slide McLain to the hot corner. It’s another infield acquisition for the Reds, whose seeming surplus has become a question mark over the past 12 months. They’ve traded away Jonathan India. Candelario and Encarnacion-Strand are rebound hopefuls. Noelvi Marte missed half the season after a failed performance-enhancing drug test and didn’t play well when he returned. McLain is coming back after losing all of 2024 to shoulder surgery. Among Cincinnati’s talented infield group, only De La Cruz took a step forward last season.

Lux has between four and five years of major league service. He’s under arbitration control for two seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a modest $2.7MM salary. The Yankees and Mariners were reportedly also in contact with the Dodgers regarding Lux. They’ll need to turn elsewhere to address their respective infields.

Sirota, 21, was Cincinnati’s third-round pick last summer. He’s a righty-hitting outfielder who hit .298/.473/.513 against mid-major competition during his draft year at Northeastern. Baseball America’s draft report praised his speed and potential for above-average defense in center field. Sirota’s 6’3″ frame offers some physical projection, but BA writes that his bat path plays more for low-angle contact than power.

The Reds didn’t get Sirota into any game action after the draft. He spent the final two months of the season at the team’s Arizona complex. The Dodgers’ amateur scouting department has had its eye on him for a while, though. Los Angeles drafted him in the 16th round out of high school in 2021. It was clear by that point that Sirota — whom BA had ranked among the top 200 prospects in that year’s class — was likely headed to Northeastern, but teams frequently take late-round fliers on talented high schoolers in case a deal with a higher draftee falls through and leaves unexpected space in the team’s bonus pool.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Reds were finalizing a deal for Lux. Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic confirmed a Lux trade was in place. KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander was first with Sirota and the Competitive Balance pick heading back to Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Imagn.

Peter Seidler’s Widow Files Lawsuit Against Peter’s Brothers For Control Of Padres

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6:59pm: The Peter Seidler Trust released a statement on Monday evening (relayed by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times). It calls Sheel Seidler’s complaint “entirely without merit.” The Trust claims that Peter Seidler had a “clear estate plan” which names three of his brothers as successor trustees. The Trust alleges that Peter Seidler “prohibited” his wife from ever becoming trustee and that Sheel Seidler agreed in 2020 “that she had no right to be or to designate” the franchise’s control person.

The Trust did not directly address Sheel Seidler’s claims that Matt Seidler could pursue a sale and relocation. However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that sources around the league consider the idea of the Padres leaving to be “extremely far-fetched.”

2:31pm: Last month, it was reported that the Padres would be appointing John Seidler to take over as the club’s new control person, but that was still pending league approval and there are new developments in that story. A report from Eben Novy-Williams and Daniel Libit at Sportico has details of a lawsuit filed by Sheel Seidler, Peter’s widow, trying to gain control of the team. Sheel later released a statement in relation to the story.

At issue is how things have proceeded in the wake of Peter Seidler’s death, which was just over a year ago. Peter was part of a group that purchased the Padres in 2012. Ron Fowler acted as the club’s control person until Peter took over after the 2020 season. MLB teams are often owned by multiple people but each team has one designated control person who is a point of contact for the league and votes on key matters.

During Peter’s ownership tenure, the club became known for being highly aggressive, despite being in a relatively smaller market. As shown in the data at Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Padres had been one of the lower-spending clubs for much of the century, until recently. They had one of the top ten payrolls in 2021, then got into the top five in 2022 and the top three a year after that.

That led to a huge increase in terms of fan engagement and also results, with the club having now made the postseason in three of the past five seasons. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. In September of 2023, it was reported that the club’s wild spending had put it “out of compliance with MLB regulations regarding their debt service ratio,” which was going to lead to a payroll crunch. Peter, who had a number of ongoing health problems, died less than two months later.

Shortly after Peter’s death, it was reported that a new control person had been decided upon. Eric Kutsenda, one of the co-founders of Seidler Equity Partners, was given the title on an interim basis. Just over a year later, the aforementioned reporting from last month indicated that Peter’s brother John would be taking over as control person. The report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune included a statement that mentioned two of Peter’s brothers: “Peter’s youngest brother Matt, as trustee of Peter’s trust, is pleased to announce that John Seidler, Peter’s oldest sibling, an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive, will be the Padres’ next control person, pending approval by Major League Baseball.” Acee added that the Seidler family owns “what is believed to be a 45% stake in the team.” That includes Peter’s brothers, widow, mother and others.

Today’s lawsuit suggests that segment of the ownership group is not aligned in their thinking. According to Sportico’s report, Sheel’s lawsuit alleges that two of Peter’s brothers, Matt and Bob, breached their fiduciary duties as trustees of the Seidler Trust. The suit claims they conspired to sell trust assets to themselves at “far-below-market prices,” as they “schemed to solidify their control of the Padres.”

The suit also suggests that the brothers had racial and sexist motivations for keeping the club out of Sheel’s hands, saying that Bob’s wife made multiple “racist, profane and hateful communications directed at Sheel—a woman of Indian descent—in communications.” Sheel claims that Peter wanted to eventually pass the club to his kids and wanted her to act as control person in the interim, with the brothers now trying to “falsely cast themselves as Peter’s true heirs.” Evan Drellich of The Athletic relays one section of the suit which suggests Matt wants to “sell, and perhaps relocate, the team, over Sheel’s strident objections.”

Sheel is seeking damages, that the defendants be denied compensation from the Seidler Trusts, to void any of their previous actions relating to advancing the Padres’ control person and also that Matt be removed as the trustee, with a receivership taking control of the trust.

“Earlier today,” Sheel’s statement reads, “I filed a complaint against Matthew Seidler and Robert Seidler to protect my family and to continue to carry out Peter’s legacy.” She goes on to talk about how much the club meant to the family and her desire to be named control person. “The complaint alleges claims against Matthew and Robert for breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud. I would urge anyone who is interested in the details to read the full complaint. This was not a decision I made lightly. During this difficult period, I have done everything in my power to avoid unwanted distractions and resolve the matter privately. I have focused on supporting the work of the many dedicated professionals within the Padres organization, as well as the incredible players we have the privilege of watching nearly every day throughout the season. I made this decision as a very last resort, but I am confident it is the right one, and the best way to protect the Padres franchise and ensure the vision that Peter and I shared for the team will continue.” She goes on to state her desire that the team will one day be left to hers and Peter’s children while hoping for a quick resolution to this dispute.

Legal disputes over a baseball club are not unprecedented. Most recently, Orioles owner Peter Angelos fell into ill health, which led to his family members filing multiple lawsuits against each other for control of the club. Those suits were eventually dropped and the club was sold to David Rubenstein.

Latest On Yankees’ Infield

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6:39pm: Jon Heyman of the New York Post pushes back against the Arraez fit, reporting that the Yankees don’t see him as a fit for the moment. Lux, meanwhile, is being traded to Cincinnati.

1:03pm: The Yankees have already had a busy offseason but aren’t done yet. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that they have had discussions with the Padres about Luis Arráez and the Dodgers about Gavin Lux, with either a possibility to take over the second base job in the Bronx. Jon Morosi of MLB Network says the Mariners, who are known to be looking for infield upgrades, have checked in on Lux as well.

For the Yanks, their infield took a couple of hits at the end of the 2024 season, with Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres both hitting free agency, leaving holes at first and second base. They have since taken care of first by signing Paul Goldschmidt, but another infield upgrade would make sense.

The versatility of Jazz Chisholm Jr. gives them some flexibility. He largely played third base after being acquired last year but has plenty of experience at the keystone, meaning the Yanks could add either a second or third basemen, with Chisholm taking over whichever position is not addressed. They’ve been connected to free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado as potential third base additions but appear to be exploring second base candidates as well.

Arráez is a logical trade candidate from San Diego’s perspective and something they have reportedly considered. RosterResource currently projects the Padres for a $210MM payroll this year, well beyond last year’s $169MM figure. While a payroll bump is reportedly possible, it’s been suggested they need to get their 2025 spending closer to 2024 levels. They are also projected to be just above the competitive balance tax and likely want to dip below that if they are going to be cutting payroll.

However, many of their players are difficult to move for contractual reasons. Many have no-trade clauses or hefty remaining guarantees or both. They also have a number of spots on the roster that could use upgrades.

Last winter, a similar set of circumstances led to the Friars parting ways with Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, sending them to the Yankees. The five players they received in return allowed them to shore up their depth in different areas while also offloading notable salary commitments.

Arráez, 28 in April could perhaps follow the same path this year. Like Soto last offseason, he is currently one year away from free agency and set to make a notable salary in his final season of club control. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Arráez to earn $14.6MM in 2025. That’s about half of what Soto was set to earn in 2024 but still a notable chunk of change for a team with budgetary constraints.

Though the projected salary is significantly lower, Arráez will still have far less appeal as a trade candidate than Soto did. Despite his elite bat-to-ball skills, Arráez is a limited player. He doesn’t take walks or add much power and is also not an asset defensively. Despite three straight batting titles, his .323/.372/.418 career batting line adds up to a wRC+ of 120, indicating his overall offensive contributions have been about 20% above average. Soto, on the other hand, has a .285/.421/.532 line and 158 wRC+ in his career.

The aforementioned defensive limitations are also something the Yankees will have to consider with Arráez. The Twins started using him more at first base in 2022 before trading him to the Marlins. With the Fish in 2023, Arráez got his largest sample of work at second and produced four Defensive Runs Saved but also -11 Outs Above Average. The Padres acquired him early in the 2024 season and only put him at the keystone for 58 innings the rest of the way.

The Yankees would have to weigh his defensive limitations against the attraction of putting his bat into the lineup, while also factoring in the money. RosterResource projects their competitive balance tax number at $303MM for this year, which is already above the fourth and final tier. As a third-time payor at that level, the Yanks face a 110% tax on any additional spending and would therefore have to pay about $30MM to employ Arráez this year. Of course, the Padres would also want something in return, though the cost savings might be their top priority at the moment.

As for Lux, it’s unclear if the 27-year-old is even available but it’s understandable why the Yanks would pick up the phone and check, as the Dodgers seem to be overloaded with middle infield options. They are planning to have Mookie Betts act as their everyday shortstop and committed themselves to that path by signing Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto to fill their corner outfield jobs, with guys like Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing also in the mix.

With Tommy Edman seemingly ticketed for the center field job, that leaves them with Betts at short and Lux at second, with Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor around as bench/utility guys. They added even further depth by signing Hyeseong Kim a few days ago. Reportedly, the club still plans to use Betts and Lux as their primarily middle infielders, but perhaps the Kim signing increases the chances of the Yankees prying Lux loose.

If they succeeded, they would be getting something of an unknown quantity. Lux has had an up-and-down career thus far, but with some encouraging up arrows. Through the end of the 2021 season, he had a tepid batting line of .233/.314/.368, which led to an 86 wRC+. He took a noticeable step forward in 2022, slashing .276/.346/.399 for a 113 wRC+, but then missed all of 2023 due to a torn ACL.

His 2024 season was a step back, in a sense, though he finished strong. He hit .251/.320/.383 for a wRC+ of 100 on the season overall but with a dismal .213/.267/.295 line in the first half and a robust .304/.390/.508 showing in the second, leading to respective wRC+ marks of 60 and 152 in those halves. His batting average on balls in play jumped over 100 points from the first half to the second, so it might not be entirely sustainable, but he also improved in terms of the quality of his batted balls. Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Both DRS and OAA gave Lux a negative grade at second base in 2024 but both have him in positive territory for his career overall.

Financially, Lux is more attractive than Arráez. Thanks to an inconsistent career and missing an entire season, Lux is projected to make just $2.7MM next year, with an extra year of club control beyond that as well. Given the Yankees’ CBT situation, that would be far more attractive, but it’s also valuable to the Dodgers for the same reason. Since the Dodgers don’t seem especially motivated to let go of Lux, the Yankees would have to send something of real value the other way.

For the Mariners, their infield needs are well known. They lost Justin Turner to free agency, turned down an option for Jorge Polanco and non-tendered Josh Rojas. Apart from shortstop J.P. Crawford, little is settled on the dirt in Seattle. They have some internal options, such as Luke Raley for first base. He would need a right-handed platoon partner, which could come in the form of bringing back Turner. At second, they reportedly have some willingness to ride with Dylan Moore and Ryan Bliss until prospect Cole Young is ready to take over.

That has made it seem more likely that the club would add at third base, though bringing in a second baseman is still a consideration. The M’s were connected to Cubs’ second baseman Nico Hoerner earlier this winter, for instance, and are seemingly open to Lux as well. Lux does have some third base experience, but only six innings in the majors, so he would be a far more logical solution at the keystone.

His low projected salary is surely appealing to the Mariners, though for different reasons than the Yankees. Seattle reportedly has about $15MM to play with this offseason, a tight enough budget that Luis Castillo rumors have been swirling for quite a while. A Castillo trade would weaken the rotation but would open up some more spending capacity, perhaps to go after a player like Bregman or Arenado, though trading for Lux might be a more straightforward solution. That would allow the M’s to keep their strong rotation intact, though they would perhaps have to give the Dodgers some notable prospect capital in order to move Lux up the coast.

Twins To Hire Ehire Adrianza As Assistant Of Player Development

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It was less than two weeks ago that Ehire Adrianza announced his retirement as a player but it seems he has already lined up a new job. Per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, Adrianza is will be joining the Twins’ front office as assistant of player development, working with infielders throughout all levels of the organization.

Adrianza, 35, spent over a decade in the big leagues, playing in each season from 2013 to 2024. He never hit much but managed to stay consistently employed as a utility player, bouncing all around the diamond. He eventually got into 625 major league games, playing every position except catcher.

The best stretch of that career was with the Twins from 2017 to 2020. He played 312 of his games in those years, consisting of three full seasons and the shortened 2020 campaign. He hit .253/.317/.377 as a Twin while stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts and bouncing all around the diamond.

Evidently, he made a positive impression on people in the organization and will now circle back to Minnesota to start the next phase of his baseball life. He will presumably be using his years of experience as a multi-positional player to impart wisdom upon the younger players in the organization. Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic relays that Adrianza had a strong clubhouse reputation during his previous stint with the Twins, which should help him transition into this new role.

Apply To Join The MLB Trade Rumors TikTok Team

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We are assembling a team of people to post to our new MLB Trade Rumors TikTok account.  The gig will also involve posting to YouTube Shorts.

The initial goal is to try a bunch of stuff on these platforms and see what works.  The videos we post will be related to MLB trades and free agency and the articles we post on MLBTR, but I’m open-minded as to how that will look.  The pay will be on a per-video basis.  Here’s what we’re looking for:

  • Experience using and posting to TikTok and YouTube Shorts
  • Familiarity with the different formats available on these platforms
  • Familiarity with the vibes and best/common practices on these platforms
  • Ability to shoot a video on your phone and use the tools provided by TikTok and YouTube Shorts to edit
  • Ability to create videos on the fly.  Our process will evolve, but when major news breaks, the first available team member to claim the story will be the one to create the video.
  • Creativity to come up with content ideas when there is not breaking news
  • Comfort on camera
  • Strong knowledge of MLB and hot stove concepts.  We will email a set of questions to select applicants as a test.

If you are interested in joining the MLBTR TikTok Team, please email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain your qualifications.

Trey Wingenter Signs With NPB’s Seibu Lions

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The Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced that they have signed right-hander Trey Wingenter, relayed by Yakyu Cosmopolitan. Salary figures for the Ballengee Group client were not disclosed.

Wingenter, 31 in April, has shown potential in his North American career but without really cementing himself as a major leaguer over a long stretch. His biggest chunk of big league playing time was with the Padres in 2018 and 2019. In that time, he tossed 70 innings for the Friars, allowing 5.14 earned runs per nine innings. His 33.1% strikeout rate was impressive but he also gave out free passes at a 13% clip.

He then spent a long time in the wilderness, as Tommy John surgery and some back surgeries prevented him from pitching in the majors from 2020 to 2022. In 2023, he was back in the bigs with the Tigers, but right shoulder tendinitis put him on the injured list for almost half the year. He finished the year with a 5.82 ERA in 17 big league appearances, though he may have been unlucky in that sample. His .333 batting average on balls in play and 64.7% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side, leading to a 3.43 SIERA and 3.96 FIP as he struck out 28.9% of batters faced and limited walks to a 9.2% clip.

In 2024, he re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league deal but didn’t get called up to the majors with them, eventually bouncing to the Red Sox and Cubs. He only logged 8 1/3 big league innings last year and allowed nine earned runs in that small sample, getting non-tendered by Chicago at season’s end. His minor league numbers on the year were more intriguing, however. Between the three clubs, he tossed 48 1/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 2.98 ERA, 35.9% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate.

If Wingenter had stayed in North America this year, he likely would have been limited to another minor league deal. Even if he got a roster spot at some point, he may have had a hard time hanging onto it since he exhausted his final option year in 2024. Instead, he’ll head overseas and join the Lions. Though the salary figures weren’t reported, it’s possible he locked in a nice guarantee that he would not have found in affiliated ball. If he can turn the opportunity into a solid season, perhaps he can parlay that into a return to North America or another contract in Asia for the 2026 season.

Reds Acquire Owen White

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The Rangers have traded right-hander Owen White to the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty had been designated for assignment by Texas last month. The Reds had an open 40-man spot and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

White, 25, was designated for assignment a couple of weeks ago when the Rangers signed Hoby Milner. DFA limbo normally comes with a seven-day maximum but that clock is put on pause over the holidays, so White’s situation resolved at a slower pace than usual.

Though White has struggled recently and lost his roster spot in Texas, it seemed fair that some other club would take a shot on him based on his past prospect pedigree, which has indeed come to pass.

The Rangers initially grabbed him in the second-round of the 2018 draft, though his professional debut was delayed both by Tommy John surgery in 2019 and the pandemic in 2020. He quickly got back on track, however, throwing 115 2/3 minor league innings over 2021 and 2022, allowing 3.42 earned runs per nine. He struck out 34.1% of opponents and limited walks to a 7.5% clip, getting as high as Double-A in the process.

Going into 2023, he was added to the Rangers’ roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft and also found his way onto top 100 lists. Unfortunately, the past two years have been a struggle. He made his major league debut in 2023 but was roughed up, allowing five earned runs in four innings. In his 108 2/3 minor league innings, his 4.22 ERA wasn’t disastrous but he was lucky that number wasn’t worse. He only struck out 17.2% of batters against an 11.9% walk rate. If it weren’t for a low .254 batting average on balls in play, far more runs would have crossed the plate, which is why his 5.96 FIP was far higher than his ERA.

2024 didn’t go much better. He allowed eight earned runs in three major league innings, spiking his career ERA to an unsightly 16.71 at the big league level, though in a tiny sample of seven innings. In Triple-A, he tossed 99 innings with a 5.64 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate.

After two straight years of poor results, it’s understandable why the Rangers nudged him off the roster, but it’s also easy to see why the Reds would take a shot. White was transitioned to a relief role midway through 2024 and saw a bump in his strikeout rate, punching out 25.6% of batters faced over his final 18 innings. He still walked 12.8% of opponents and had a 5.50 ERA in that stretch, but it’s perhaps a good sign that the punchouts came back.

White still has one option year remaining, so the Reds have some time to get a close-up look at him and see how things go, without needing to give him an active roster spot. Considering he is still young and is not too far removed from being one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, it’s a sensible buy-low move to make for what is surely a nominal sum of money in baseball terms. White has just a handful of service days and can be cheaply retained well into the future if he can get things back on track.

Where Will Jack Flaherty End Up?

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If there’s been one defining characteristic of the 2024-25 offseason so far (aside from Juan Soto’s record-shattering contract), it’s that the market for starting pitching has been extremely robust. On the heels of a 2023-24 offseason that saw top-of-the-market arms like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery linger on the market until the calendar flipped to March, right-hander Michael Wacha kicked things off by re-upping with the Royals before free agency started and the pace hasn’t slowed down much since then. After right-hander Corbin Burnes reached a deal with the Diamondbacks in the final days of December, nearly every notable starting pitcher was already off the market by the time the calendar flipped to January.

Perhaps the biggest exception to that is right-hander Jack Flaherty, who MLBTR ranked as the offseason’s #8 free agent (fourth among starters) at the outset of the winter as part of our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. At the time, we predicted Flaherty would land a five-year, $115MM pact in free agency. That prediction at least seems to have ended up in the right ballpark, as Flaherty is reportedly seeking a five-year deal at this stage of his free agency. Between the winter’s robust market for pitching and the fact that Flaherty was able to reach free agency unencumbered by a Qualifying Offer thanks to a midseason trade from the Tigers to the Dodgers, it stands to reason that he should have a strong chance of reaching that sort of deal.

On the other hand, however, it’s worth noting that there are some signs the market for pitching has begun to cool. Burnes’s deal with Arizona just before the New Year came with a strong average annual value and a potentially lucrative opt-out clause after the second year, but the deferred money involved in the deal reportedly knocks the net present value of the pact below $200MM. MLBTR predicted a seven-year, $200MM pact for Burnes at the outset of the winter, so while even that diminished net present value is more-or-less in line with expectations headed into the offseason, the deal in some ways pales in comparison to the one signed by Max Fried earlier in the winter and certainly falls short of the righty’s reported asking price of $245MM.

If the market for starters has indeed begun to cool somewhat, it’s possible that the market for Flaherty could start to fizzle out when the start of Spring Training games draws near. After all, we need only look back at Montgomery and Snell last winter to see how a pitcher’s market can collapse once they don’t have enough time left to have a typical Spring Training. For now, however, Flaherty still seems to enjoy a fairly robust market. The Blue Jays, Giants, Cubs, Tigers and Oroles have all been connected to the right-hander in recent days.

The Blue Jays and Giants have both been connected to the majority of the offseason’s high-end free agents, as neither club has been particularly shy about its desire to land impact talent this winter. Toronto was notably among the apparent finalists for Burnes before he signed in Arizona, and while the Giants were also strongly connected to Burnes there’s been some indications in the aftermath of his deal with the Diamondbacks that San Francisco is more focused on offense than pitching. Given that the Giants have been attached to first baseman Pete Alonso, it’s possible that the club’s interest in a pitcher of Flaherty’s caliber is more as a backup plan in case they find themselves unable to land the big bat they desire. There’s a possibility that a similar situation could play out with the Blue Jays, as well. The club is known to have extended an offer to outfielder Anthony Santander already, and reporting earlier this winter suggested that Toronto may only have room for one significant multi-year deal in the budget.

It’s possible that the Tigers fall into a similar boat. While the club certainly has the payroll flexibility to make multiple significant multi-year additions if they so desire, president of baseball operations Scott Harris has seemed to be hesitant about making significant multi-year commitments this winter, instead opting to land Alex Cobb and Gleyber Torres on one-year deals. That hasn’t stopped them from engaging in the markets of some big-time free agents, but with Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson helping to anchor a young rotation it’s easy to imaging the club prioritizing a hitter if they decide to offer a nine-figure deal to a player this winter. To that end, Detroit has been one of the teams most frequently connected to third baseman Alex Bregman and also appears to be in the mix for Santander.

Two clubs that have been generally focused on pitching upgrades this winter are the Orioles and the Cubs. Baltimore has already added Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton to its rotation this winter, and those additions have left them with a deep group of potential starters that isn’t in desperate need of another arm. With that being said, neither Sugano nor Morton can be expected to replace Burnes as the ace of the staff, and with 2023’s staff ace Kyle Bradish expected to miss at least the first half of 2025 it’s fair to think the club would benefit from adding a player of Flaherty’s caliber. To that end, they’ve seemingly remained on the periphery of his market as they continue their search for upgrades even after last week’s deal for Morton.

As for Chicago, they in some ways appear to be the best fit for Flaherty’s services. The Cubs appear to be mostly set on offense after adding Kyle Tucker and Carson Kelly; while there’s potentially room at third base for another bat, they haven’t been closely connected to Alex Bregman in free agency given the presence of top prospect Matt Shaw as a potential Opening Day starter at the position. There’s been plenty of buzz about them adding to their pitching staff, however, and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic recently described another rotation addition as “inevitable” for the club, whether that’s a move to improve depth or bringing a more impactful piece into the fold. Flaherty would certainly fall into the latter category, but it’s worth noting that Sharma reported earlier this winter that while the Cubs have engaged with Flaherty, they were feeling a bit squeamish about his asking price at that point.

There’s some incentive for Flaherty to wait at least a little longer before making his decision: the presence of right-hander Roki Sasaki on the market. Sasaki is being pursued by a large number of teams and is rumored to have met with at least two Flaherty suitors: the Giants and Cubs. Given his unique situation as a potential front-of-the-rotation piece who can be had for nothing more than a minor league deal (and a hefty portion of a club’s international bonus pool), it’s easy to imagine a number of pitching-hungry clubs focusing their attention squarely on Sasaki while he’s available. The right-hander’s decision is due by January 23, so it’s not hard to imagine Flaherty waiting for that date in case a club that misses out on Sasaki either steps up their offer or enters the fray as a new potential suitor.

In the meantime, how do you think Flaherty’s free agency will play out? Will he land with one of his currently known suitors, or will a “mystery team” swoop in and get a deal done? Is the right-hander going to land a deal within the ballpark of MLBTR’s prediction? Will he fall short of, or perhaps exceed, expectations? Have your say in the polls below.

The Opener: Santander, Infield Market, Cartaya

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As the 2024-25 offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Could Santander’s market be heating up?

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that seemed to indicate the market for outfielder Anthony Santander could be heating up. The slugger has at least one offer on the table from the Blue Jays, and the Angels are also reportedly considered “frontrunners” for his services. He’s also been connected to each of the Tigers, Red Sox, and Yankees, though New York seems to be the least likely destination given that their reported interest stems from before Cody Bellinger was brought into the fold. The Dodgers’ recent move to re-sign Teoscar Hernandez may help to get Santander’s market moving further, seeing as it took a major alternative to the switch-hitter’s services off the board.

That’s not necessarily a guarantee, however. Santander is joined by first baseman Pete Alonso and third baseman Alex Bregman as the best remaining hitters on the market, and it’s fair to note that while Nolan Arenado’s availability on the trade market appears to be a factor holding up Bregman’s free agency, the market for Alonso did not heat up much following Christian Walker’s deal with the Astros. Santander’s reported asking price of $100MM over five years may serve as a sticking point in negotiations that drags things out a bit longer, particularly after Hernandez signed for just three years and $66MM.

2. Infielders coming off the board:

The hottest market in baseball right now is surely that for infielders—though not for top-tier options like Bregman or Arenado. Rather, recent days have seen a number of utility infielders come off the board. The Dodgers adding Hyeseong Kim on Friday stands out as the most notable transaction in this corner of the market, but Josh Rojas also inked a big league deal with the White Sox on Thursday while the Royals and Yankees both added players in this part of the market (Cavan Biggio and Andrew Velazquez, respectively) on minor league pacts. Could the next domino to fall be switch-hitting third baseman Yoán Moncada, who it was reported yesterday has received interest from the Cubs, Mariners, and Blue Jays? Jose Iglesias, Whit Merrifield, Amed Rosario, and Jorge Polanco are among the other hitters available in this tier of free agency.

3. Cartaya on the trade block:

The Dodgers made a somewhat surprising move on Friday when they opted to designate former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya for assignment. The 23-year-old was a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport as recently as the 2023 season but hit just .208/.293/.350 at Triple-A last year and is entering his final minor league option year. With Will Smith already in L.A. on a long-term deal and Dalton Rushing having leapfrogged Cartaya on the organization depth chart, it’s easy to see why that sort of performance made Cartaya expendable for the Dodgers. Even so, his status as a former top prospect and the ever-present need around baseball for upper-level catching depth could make Cartaya an attractive potential option on the trade market for rival clubs, to the point where it’s easy to imagine Cartaya not making it to the waiver wire. The Dodgers have only a few days to work out a trade before they’ll need to expose the catcher to waivers—could a deal come together today?

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