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Rickey Henderson Passes Away

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Baseball Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson has passed away. He was 65. Henderson’s friend and teammate Dave Winfield was among those to announce the tragic news, which was later confirmed by the New York Post.

Henderson was born in Chicago on Christmas Day in 1958. However, he spent much of his childhood in Oakland. The Athletics arrived in the city not long after Henderson, and once he finished high school, his hometown team called his name in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB draft. Three years after that, he arrived at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum to make his major league debut.

Following an underwhelming rookie season, Henderson broke out with a superstar performance in 1980. The 21-year-old outfielder showed off terrific bat-to-ball skills and a sharp eye at the plate, ranking third among qualified batters in walk rate and OBP. Of course, he put that OBP to good use, leading the majors with 100 stolen bases. It was the first of seven times he would lead the majors in steals. He also made his first of 10 All-Star teams that summer and finished 10th in MVP voting that fall. In retrospect, however, he deserved to finish much higher. According to both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, the only AL player with a higher WAR that season was MVP George Brett.

Henderson was even better in his third season, the strike-shortened 1981 campaign. He led the majors in runs scored and led the AL in hits and stolen bases. At the end of the year, he won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. However, he was still, arguably, overlooked in MVP voting. He finished a close second behind Brewers closer Rollie Fingers, but modern stats like fWAR and bWAR suggest he was the most productive player in the American League that season. Indeed, this was often the story of Henderson’s career. He was consistently excellent year in and year out, and although he received no shortage of praise and acclaim, he was still somehow overlooked. He made 10 All-Star teams and won three Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and one MVP. Yet, all that might not have been enough to properly recognize his greatness.

Henderson became a star in his early twenties. He remained productive on the field into his forties. Over his 15 best seasons from 1980-94, he was almost undeniably the best player in baseball. Whether you look at runs scored, stolen bases, fWAR, or bWAR, no other player was anywhere close to as productive. With his combination of speed, defensive range, contact skills, plate discipline, and eventually above-average power, he could impact a ballgame in all sorts of ways. He is best remembered as the all-time and modern-era single-season stolen base leader, but he also holds the all-time MLB records for runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs.

In addition to those career accolades, Henderson was a transformational player in the postseason. A two-time World Series champion who hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy for both Oakland in 1989 and Toronto in 1993, his 11 stolen bases during the 1989 postseason is tied with Kenny Lofton for the most steals by a player in a single postseason, and his 33 career steals in the playoffs were the most by a player in history until Lofton broke that record during the 2007 ALCS.

In addition to the havoc Henderson caused on the basepaths, he was a prolific hitter when the lights were brightest with a .284/.389/.441 slash line in 60 postseason games. Impressive as that work in the playoffs is, Henderson’s work during his 14 career World Series games boggles the mind: he hit .339/.448/.607 with more walks than strikeouts while going seven-for-nine on the basepaths. Those incredible numbers translate to a 194 wRC+ that leaves him sandwiched between Babe Ruth (195) and Lou Gehrig (194) on the career leaderboard for wRC+ in the World Series among players who made at least 60 trips to the plate during the Fall Classic.

While Henderson was the greatest player of the ’80s and early ’90s, the legend of the game kept his career going well past the age where most players hang up the spikes. After his age-35 season in Oakland, Henderson went on to play in an additional 1,001 games in the majors while bouncing between the A’s, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers. Those final nine years of Henderson’s career were naturally not on the level of his seemingly superhuman peak in Oakland the Bronx, but he remained a productive player through the end of his major league career. From 1995 through 2003, Henderson hit .254/.390/.369 with a 111 wRC+ while swiping 289 bags, making him well above average both at the plate and on the basepaths. Even during his 30-game stint with the Dodgers at the age of 44, Henderson produced above replacement-level value according to both Fangraphs (0.1 fWAR) and Baseball Reference (0.2 bWAR).

Henderson continued playing in Independent Leagues even after he played his final major league game as posted an .897 OPS in the Atlantic League and an .856 OPS in the Golden League before calling it a career in 2005 at the age of 46. The love of the game that caused him to continue playing in indy ball following the end of his big league career also led him to leave the door open to returning to a major league field even after his playing days were behind him. He maintained an interest in suiting up for a major league team again after being hired by the Mets as a hitting instructor in 2006 and famously suggested following his first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame back in 2009 that even at the age of 50 he could lead the league in stolen bases.

It’s that heart and love of the game that endeared Henderson to his teammates, coaches, and all those around the game who interacted with him while making him beloved by millions of fans around the world. Henderson’s otherworldly talent and passion for the game led him to collect 3,055 hits, steal 1,406 bases, score 2,295 runs, swat 873 extra-base hits, and manage a career .401 on-base percentage in his 3,081 games as a major league player. MLBTR extends our condolences to Henderson’s family, friends, and teammates as we join the rest of the baseball world in mourning his passing.

Guardians To Sign Carlos Santana

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The Guardians have reunited with a longtime veteran of the organization, as Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the club is in agreement with first baseman Carlos Santana on a one-year, $12MM deal. The deal comes on the heels of the club reportedly agreeing to a trade that sent first baseman Josh Naylor to Arizona earlier this evening.

Santana, 39 in April, is a veteran of 15 MLB seasons who made his big league debut with Cleveland back in 2010. A catcher early in his career, Santana eventually moved to first base and has been defined throughout his career by phenomenal plate discipline. His walk rate has never fallen below 10.5% in a season across his lengthy big league career, and his strikeout rate surpassed 20% just once back in 2011. The one-time All-Star has spent ten seasons in Cleveland and will now suit up for an eleventh in year 16 of his big league career.

A career .251/.368/.450 (121 wRC+) hitter with the club, Santana has seen his bat decline somewhat since he last suited up for Cleveland back in 2020. He’s played for five teams over the past four seasons, including the Guardians’ division rivals in Kansas City and Minnesota. Santana has been more of a league average hitter in those stints away from Cleveland, hitting a collective .224/.320/.392 (99 wRC+) since he last played for the club. With that said, 2024 was a bit of a rebound season for Santana as he slashed a solid .238/.328/.420 (114 wRC+) in 150 games for the Twins while playing strong enough defense at first to earn his first career Gold Glove award. What’s more, even in his down years Santana has continued to hit well against left-handed pitching with a 125 wRC+ against southpaws across the last four seasons.

It’s hard to imagine the Guardians committing $12MM to a longtime face of the franchise coming off a three-win season just to make him a platoon player, and Santana surely figures to be the club’s regular first baseman in 2025. That leaves well-regarded youngster Kyle Manzardo, a top-100 prospect prior to the 2024 season who posted a 98 wRC+ in his first taste of big league action this year, likely relegated to part-time role with appearances at DH while occasionally spelling Santana at first base. With that said, Manzardo’s presence offers the Guardians some insurance against Santana’s age catching up to him as well; pairing the lefty-swinging youngster with Santana’s switch-hitting bat that has long crushed lefties figures to be a solid way to get value out of the first base position even if Manzardo doesn’t take a step forward and Santana finds himself unable to replicate his excellent 2024 campaign.

Notably, Santana’s $12MM salary for 2025 is identical to the $12MM projection put forward by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for Naylor’s final year of arbitration eligibility. That makes Santana and Naylor a one-for-one swap from both a financial and team control perspective. Naylor (118 wRC+, 2.7 fWAR) was the slightly better hitter but slightly less productive overall in 2024, though the 11-year age gap between the two means he also projects better than Santana going forward. Even so, the addition of Santana allowed the Guardians to trade Naylor for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a pick in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2025 draft without losing much if anything in terms of on-the-field production for 2025.

That sleight of hand by the Guardians had the side effect of taking two more names off of a crowded first base market that has rapidly begun to thin out in recent days. Naylor and Santana are joined in having found their 2025 homes recently by Paul Goldschmidt, who signed with the Yankees on a one-year deal earlier today, and yesterday saw Christian Walker land a three-year deal with the Astros. Pete Alonso is the top free agent available at first base and remains on the market, with players like Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Justin Turner, and Mark Canha still available in the lower tiers of the market. The trade market has fewer options who are clearly available, but Nathaniel Lowe of the Rangers, Yandy Diaz of the Rays, and LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants are all at least plausible candidates to change hands.

Diamondbacks Acquire Josh Naylor

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The Diamondbacks are acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor from the Guardians for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that a deal between the sides involving Naylor was close. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the draft pick’s inclusion in the deal. The teams have since announced the trade.

An All-Star for the first time in 2024, Naylor hit a solid .243/.320/.456 (118 wRC+) with a career-high 31 homers in 152 games for the Guardians this past year. That continues a three-year run of solid production from Naylor in Cleveland, as he’s posted an even better .267/.330/.465 (121 wRC+) slash line since becoming a regular fixture of the Guardians’ lineup in 2022. In addition to that solid 20-to-30 homer power Naylor has displayed, he’s posted impressive contact numbers with a strikeout rate of just 15.6% across the past three seasons. He’s paired that low strikeout rate with an improving walk rate that reached 9.2% in 2024. In Arizona, the 27-year-old Naylor joins an offense that not only lost Christian Walker at first base when he landed in Houston on a three-year deal earlier this week but also figures to provide the left-handed pop the club lost when DH Joc Pederson elected free agency last month.

He’s a solid fit for that role, though with free agency just one season a way at an arbitration salary that MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to land at $12MM he lacks the surplus value more attractive trade targets typically offer. That increasing price tag in arbitration combined with the presence of youngster Kyle Manzardo as an obvious successor at first made Naylor somewhat expendable for the Guardians, however, and this evening’s addition of veteran first baseman Carlos Santana to the Cleveland lineup on a one-year deal suggests that the Guardians may have preferred to reallocate Naylor’s projected salary and playing time to the 15-year MLB veteran.

In exchange for parting ways with the slugger they’ve added some draft capital and an intriguing young arm in Cecconi. Competitive Balance Round B encompassed the 66th through 73rd picks in the 2024 draft. As noted by MLB.com’s Joe Trezza, the Guardians already had the first pick of Competitive Balance Round B in 2025. Now, the club will get a second pick in that same round as the Diamondbacks were slated to pick third behind Cleveland and Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Cecconi is a former first-round selection by the Diamondbacks who has pitched in parts of the last two seasons for the club but has yet to establish himself in the majors. He flashed league average numbers in an up-and-down role with Arizona in 2023, pitching to a 4.33 ERA (102 ERA+) with a 4.37 FIP in 27 innings spread between four starts and three relief appearances. Those numbers took a tumble in a longer stint with the big league club this year, however. Cecconi struggled to a 6.66 ERA (63 ERA+) in 77 innings of work. While his 5.02 FIP was substantially better, that figure was still well below league average. Cecconi enjoyed an excellent 5% walk rate in the majors last year, but his 18.9% strikeout rate was lackluster and he allowed an eye-popping 16 homers in just 20 games.

Disastrous as his 2024 season was, however, Cecconi will now get an opportunity to move to a club well-regarded for its ability to develop young pitchers. Still just 25, the right-hander’s 3.04 ERA and 29.5% strikeout rate in 47 innings at the Triple-A level this year offer some reason for optimism regarding his future in the big leagues, whether that winds up being out of the rotation or the bullpen. After losing Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb in free agency and with Shane Bieber expected not to pitch until midway through the 2025 season, Cleveland already added Luis Ortiz to their rotation earlier this winter. Cecconi may not be able to break a rotation that now projects to include Ortiz alongside Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively, Gavin Williams, and Triston McKenzie on Opening Day, but he’ll provide value depth for the club nonetheless.

Turning back to Arizona, the acquisition of Naylor brings the club’s estimated payroll to $160MM according to RosterResource. That leaves the club with some additional flexibility before they reach their 2024 figure of $173MM, which Diamondbacks brass has previously indicated the 2025 payroll will likely end up in the vicinity of. The club is known to be in the market for relief pitching and has previously expressed interest in a reunion with Pederson, though it’s possible they believe the addition of Naylor fills the void created by Pederson’s departure.

With Naylor now set to join Eugenio Suarez, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly as key Dbacks contributors slated for free agency next winter, it’s possible the club could also benefit from being in longer-term help for its lineup or rotation that can help preserve continuity alongside core pieces like Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, and Gabriel Moreno. Jordan Montgomery is also slated to reach free agency next winter, but the Diamondbacks haven’t been shy about looking to move him this winter and could free up additional payroll space by doing so.

Yankees To Sign Paul Goldschmidt

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The Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $12.5MM deal with Paul Goldschmidt. Jack Curry of YES Network was the first to report that the two sides were in agreement, while Bob Nightengale of USA Today added the dollar value of the contract for the Excel Sports Management client. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com notes that it is a straight one-year contract without any options attached.

Nightengale describes the Yankees’ pursuit of Goldschmidt this week as aggressive, though he notes they were also in talks with Christian Walker before he signed with the Astros. Carlos Santana was another first baseman New York reportedly considered. The Yankees had also been linked to Pete Alonso earlier in the offseason, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Thursday that they were “increasingly likely” to opt for a less expensive first base signing. Indeed, Goldschmidt’s $12.5MM salary is well below the three-year, $60MM guarantee Walker received from Houston and the five-year, $125MM deal MLBTR predicted for Alonso. It’s also below the one-year, $15MM pact we predicted for Goldschmidt when we ranked him at no. 35 on our Top 50 Free Agents list.

Goldschmidt, 37, was a free agent for the first time in his career. Drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2009, he made his big league debut with Arizona in 2011. After a strong start to his MLB career, he signed an extension with the D-backs that kept him under team control through the 2019 season. Upon being traded to the Cardinals in 2019, he signed another extension that ran through 2024. Through those years with Arizona and St. Louis, Goldschmidt was one of the best players in baseball. He made seven All-Star teams, won five Silver Sluggers, and earned NL MVP honors in 2022. Over 1928 career games, he has slashed .289/.381/.510 with 362 home runs and a 139 wRC+.

Since his MVP season in 2022, Goldschmidt has taken a few steps back. His .810 OPS and 122 wRC+ in 2023 were more good than great, while his .716 OPS and 100 wRC+ in 2024 were merely league average. That’s not an encouraging trend for a first baseman entering his late thirties. However, Goldschmidt’s underlying numbers in 2024 offer a little more promise. His .308 batting average on balls in play was well below his career average of .343. Similarly, his .310 wOBA was noticeably worse than his .329 xwOBA. A .329 wOBA still would have been the worst of his career, but it also would have been significantly better than league average. Finally, Goldschmidt’s second-half performance was vastly superior to his first-half effort. Through the All-Star break, he was slashing .230/.291/.373 with an 87 wRC+. From the break onward, he hit .271/.319/.480 with a 120 wRC+.

The Yankees are surely hoping Goldschmidt looks like his second-half self throughout the 2025 season. However, even his mediocre full-season numbers would be a big upgrade over what the Yankees got from their first basemen in 2024. Yankees first basemen ranked last in MLB in OPS (.619), second-to-last in wRC+ (76), and 26th in FanGraphs WAR (-1.1). If Goldschmidt can simply repeat his 2024 campaign, the Yankees would get a big boost over the combination of Anthony Rizzo, Ben Rice, and DJ LeMahieu. That will be especially true against left-handed pitching. Goldschmidt slashed .295/.366/.473 with a 134 wRC+ against lefties this past season. Meanwhile, New York’s offense was significantly worse against lefties than righties. Goldschmidt should be a big help in that department.

On the defensive side, Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, will undoubtedly play first base for the Yankees. That will push recent trade acquisition Cody Bellinger into the outfield. It always seemed likely that Bellinger would play the outfield in New York, but manager Aaron Boone suggested earlier this week that first base was still an option. It’s safe to say that option is now off the table.

If the Yankees are still looking to add another bat, third base could be the next avenue they turn to for improvement. Jazz Chisholm Jr. took over at the hot corner after the trade deadline in 2024, but second base is his natural position. By sliding back to second, he could give the Yankees more flexibility to seek an upgrade in the infield. Some intriguing options at third base include free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado. The Yankees have already expressed interest in both players.

Adding either Bregman or Arenado would likely push the team’s payroll above last year’s final estimate of $303MM (per RosterResource). It would also put them above the highest tier of the luxury tax once again. Although it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Yankees run such a high payroll in 2025, it’s worth keeping in mind that even the Steinbrenner’s have their spending limits. Chairman Hal Steinbrenner said earlier this year that the team’s current payroll is “simply not sustainable for us financially.” The fact that the Yankees were outbid for Juan Soto and that they were seeking a less expensive first baseman like Goldschmidt further suggests that GM Brian Cashman is working under payroll constraints. Those constraints could impact how the team operates for the rest of the offseason.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

Tigers Sign Matt Gage To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have signed left-hander Matt Gage to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training, per a report from Jon Heyman of The New York Post. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Gage will receive an $800K salary in the majors as part of the deal.

Gage, 32 in February, didn’t pitch in the majors at all in 2024 after making brief appearances in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons. The lefty was a 10th-round pick by the Giants back in 2014 but didn’t make his big league debut until his age-29 season with Toronto. He pitched 13 innings with the club but was claimed off waivers by the Astros prior to the 2023 season. He made just five appearances for the club before once again being subjected to the waiver wire back in January.

After being put on waivers by Houston, Gage found himself riding the transaction carousel throughout the rest of the year. The lefty was claimed off waivers by the Yankees in January before traded to the Dodgers in exchange for Caleb Ferguson in February. He was then released by the Dodgers in April before being promptly re-signed to a minor league deal that allowed him to stick in the organization without taking up a 40-man roster spot. He was selected back onto the roster in July but was traded to the Mets just days later before being outrighted off the roster in New York back in November.

Amid all those transactions, Gage never once made it to the big league mound despite having his contract selected by both the Dodgers and Mets. With that being said, he sports an excellent 1.83 ERA and a solid 3.97 FIP in 19 2/3 innings of work at the big league level from his time in Toronto and Houston. He followed that up with decent enough numbers at Triple-A for the Dodgers and Mets, combining for a 4.10 ERA and a 28.3% strikeout rate in 41 2/3 innings of work with the clubs’ affiliates in Oklahoma City and Syracuse. Clearly, Gage’s profile was intriguing enough for the Tigers to roll the dice on him this winter with a non-roster pact.

It’s been a relatively quiet offseason in Detroit after the club’s surprise run to the ALDS in the fall, and the addition of a depth piece for the bullpen won’t exactly move the needle for fans. With that being said, Gage does offer a lefty relief option behind Brant Hurter, Tyler Holton, and Sean Guenther for a Tigers club that relied on its left-handed relievers for more innings than any other MLB club last year, with 261 2/3 of its 694 bullpen innings thrown by left-handers.

Blue Jays, Diamondbacks Have Expressed Interest In Ryan Helsley

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As the Cardinals eye a reset focused on younger players in 2025, Mark Feinsand, John Denton, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com report that the club has received interest from the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks regarding closer Ryan Helsley. A subsequent report from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 confirms the interest in Helsley on the part of the D-Backs, though Gambadoro adds that the Cardinals do not appear to be interested in dealing their closer.

That apparent disinclination to deal Helsley meshes with a report from earlier this month that characterized St. Louis as unlikely to part ways with Helsley this winter, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak suggesting at the time that they plan on Helsley remaining with the team for 2025. Given the perennial desire for high-end relief talent at the trade deadline each summer, it stands to reason that if Helsley pitches anything like he did in 2024 (2.04 ERA, 49 saves, 29.7% strikeout rate) in the first half of 2025 the Cardinals would still be able to land quite the haul for his services in the event they aren’t in position to push for a return to the playoffs.

Given that reality, it’s perhaps not a shock that the Cardinals have seemingly set an incredibly high bar for even considering moving on from the two-time All-Star. The 30-year-old has been among the league’s most dominant relievers in recent years, with a 1.83 ERA and 82 saves to go with a 34.6% strikeout rate in 167 2/3 innings of work since the start of the 2022 campaign. That sort of dominant relief profile can net an impressive return even with just one year of team control remaining, as the Brewers demonstrated when they acquired Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin from the Yankees in exchange for star closer Devin Williams.

Considering a report earlier this week suggested that the Snakes had interest in Williams before he was ultimately traded to the Yankees, it’s perhaps no surprise that Arizona has made contact with the Cardinals regarding Helsley. Club brass has made plain their goal of adding high-leverage relief help this winter following the loss of Paul Sewald to free agency. The club’s current back-end trio of Justin Martinez, A.J. Puk, and Kevin Ginkel is a solid one, but it’s easy to see why the Diamondbacks would have interest in bumping a young arm like Martinez out of the closer role and bringing in someone more established.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, appear to be in the market for upgrades to virtually every area of their roster after a disappointing 2024 season that saw them finish dead last in the AL East. As star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. enters his final year of team control before free agency, Toronto appears to be focused on adding a bat to the lineup who can help offer him protection and bulking up a starting rotation that lost Yusei Kikuchi to a midseason trade and stands to lose Chris Bassitt to free agency next winter. In addition to those two issues, however, it can’t be ignored that the Jays non-tendered longtime closer Jordan Romano last month and currently figure to rely on Chad Green and the recently re-signed Yimi Garcia in the late innings. Adding a move proven closer to that mix would surely help turn around a Blue Jays club that saw its relievers struggle to the second-worst ERA and the worst FIP in baseball last year.

Other options beyond Helsley exist for strengthening either club’s bullpen corps, of course. It’s unclear whether either club would spend what it takes to land a top-of-the-market closing option like Tanner Scott or Jeff Hoffman, but veteran closers like Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and David Robertson are all available in free agency this winter and could be had on a shorter commitment. Sewald, José Leclerc, and Chris Martin are among the other relievers available who could impact a club’s late-inning mix and could be more affordable than other options available.

Dodgers Exploring Alternatives To Teoscar Hernandez

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Negotiations between the Dodgers and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez remain at an impasse, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. While L.A. and Hernandez have long expressed mutual interest in a reunion following a successful 2024 campaign that ended in a World Series championship, previous reporting indicated a “gap” remained between the sides in negotiations. Evidently, that gap remains, as Rosenthal reports that Los Angeles brass are “exploring” right-handed alternatives to Hernandez they could add to their lineup instead. The three names Rosenthal lists as potential options for the Dodgers are free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, and White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Rosenthal emphasizes, however, that it’s not yet clear how serious the Dodgers are about those pursuits.

Of the three names floated, Suzuki is perhaps the best replacement for Hernandez from the Dodgers’ perspective. He hit .283/.366/.482 with 21 homers and 16 steals in 132 games for the Cubs last year. His high on-base percentage and lesser power make him a somewhat different flavor of hitter than Hernandez, but Suzuki’s 138 wRC+ actually has the edge over Hernandez’s own figure of 134. Both are generally regarded as below-average defenders in an outfield corner, but either one would provide the Dodgers with a big right-handed bat to add to their lineup and a regular for the outfield corner not occupied by Michael Conforto.

Good a fit as Suzuki would be, however, acquiring him may be easier said than done. Rosenthal reports that the Cubs are “not inclined” to trade Suzuki this winter. The club entered the offseason with something of a logjam in the outfield due to the presence of both Suzuki and Cody Bellinger, and that logjam only grew when the club added star right fielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Astros earlier this month. Since then, the Cubs dealt Bellinger to the Yankees. While that leaves them in a similar situation as the one they entered the winter in, with two right fielders on the roster and Suzuki likely relegated to regular DH duties, the club still seems to prefer keeping Suzuki rather than parting ways with the talented hitter.

Rosenthal suggests that the Cubs feel that Suzuki would be difficult to replace due to a thin market for impactful right-handed hitters. Aside from Suzuki, the middle of Chicago’s lineup is occupied by switch-hitter Ian Happ as well as lefty bats Tucker and Michael Busch, so Suzuki’s presence adds some much-needed right-handed thump to that mix. Suzuki also holds a no-trade clause, but his previously reported desire to avoid being a full-time DH could make the possibility of a trade that would make him L.A.’s regular right fielder a palatable option. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible that the Dodgers could include a talented right-handed bat such as Andy Pages in a package for Suzuki’s services in order to bridge that gap, though six seasons of team control over Pages would be a steep price to pay. Suzuki for two more seasons and and will make $19MM in both 2025 and ’26 before hitting free agency.

Robert, meanwhile, certainly has the potential to match Hernandez’s offensive impact but has yet to demonstrate consistency in the majors. The 27-year-old endured the worst season of his career in 2024 as he hit just .224/.278/.379 (84 wRC+) while striking out at a 33.2% clip, but hit a much more palatable .287/.331/.511 (129 wRC+) over the prior three seasons and is just one season removed from a 4.9 fWAR 2023 campaign. Robert pairs that volatile but potentially impactful bat with impressive speed (he stole 23 bases in just 100 games this year) and quality defense in center field. He also comes with plenty of injury risk, as 2024 was just the second time in his career he played in even 100 games due to a number of trips to the injured list over the years.

Rosenthal suggests that if the Dodgers were to take a chance on the talented-but-inconsistent Robert, he’d slot into center field for Los Angeles. It’s unclear whether that would mean moving Mookie Betts back to right field and playing Tommy Edman at shortstop, or perhaps a move to second base for Edman that pushes Gavin Lux to the bench (or off the team via trade) and leaves right field open for some combination of Andy Pages and James Outman. Robert is guaranteed $17MM in the form of a $15MM salary and a $2MM buyout on a $20MM club option for 2026, but could be retained via club options through the end of the 2027 season if acquired. In terms of acquisition cost, it’s possible that Robert would be less pricey than Suzuki given that Rosenthal reports that the White Sox don’t expect to land multiple top prospects in exchange for Robert, though they would want a “meaningful piece” in return for the All-Star.

Kim is somewhat unique as a potential target for multiple reasons. As a free agent, he’d cost the Dodgers nothing but money as opposed to a trade for Suzuki or Robert that would require some sort of player or prospect return headed the other way. He’s also an infielder who derives much of his value from being a plus defender all across the infield dirt. That makes him a tricky positional fit for a Dodgers club that already figures to juggle Betts, Lux, and Miguel Rojas up the middle. While the club could simply move Betts back to right field, it’s possible they’d prefer to keep him on the dirt and play him alongside Kim with one at shortstop and the other at second base. That would leave Lux without a position, however, and also leave a hole in the outfield left to be internal options or another external addition.

Kim is also by far the weakest hitter of the three at the plate and an undeniable downgrade from Hernandez offensively. While Kim has improved leaps and bounds at the plate after a lackluster rookie season, he’s still more or less a league average hitter with a 101 wRC+ in 2024 and a .250/.336/.385 (106 wRC+) line overall since becoming a regular in 2022. It’s also worth noting that he seems ticketed for the injured list to start the season after undergoing shoulder surgery back in September, though Rosenthal reports that he’s targeting a return to the diamond “early” in the 2025 season. Even so, that would leave the Dodgers utilizing their internal options to fill out the lineup card until Kim is ready to return to action.

A’s Agree To One-Year Deal With Gio Urshela

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December 21: According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Urshela’s deal with the Athletics guarantees him $2.15MM with an additional $400K available in incentives.

December 19: The Athletics are in agreement with Gio Urshela on a free agent contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Financial terms for the Rep 1 Baseball client aren’t reported. The signing is pending a physical. Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reports that it’s a one-year deal, which seemingly confirms that it’ll be a big league contract.

If it’s an MLB contract, Urshela could get first crack at the third base job. A’s general manager David Forst has said on a few occasions that the front office was looking for answers at the hot corner. They explored at least one trade possibility, touching base with the Phillies regarding Alec Bohm, but balked at Philadelphia’s reported ask for star closer Mason Miller.

The free agent options at the position were limited. Alex Bregman is the only clear regular. He’d almost certainly be outside the club’s price range even if he were willing to play in Sacramento for the next three seasons. It’s not clear if Gleyber Torres is willing to sign as a third baseman. Yoán Moncada, Josh Rojas, Jorge Polanco and Urshela were among the rebound candidates who could be had for an affordable one-year deal.

Urshela, 33, is coming off a second consecutive middling season. He split the year between the Tigers and Braves. He combined for 461 plate appearances and hit .250/.286/.361 with nine home runs. Urshela’s plus contact skills remain intact, but his power has dropped off sharply in recent years. His slugging percentage has trended down in two straight seasons. The veteran has never taken many walks, so the dip in power leaves him with something of an empty batting average. Since the start of 2023, the righty-hitting infielder carries a .266/.300/.365 line with 11 longballs in nearly 700 trips to the plate.

While the bat has tailed off, Urshela remains a capable defender. Defensive Runs Saved gave him exactly league average marks in a little over 900 innings this past season. Statcast credited him with two runs above average. Although DRS has historically taken a more favorable view of Urshela’s glove than Statcast has, both metrics feel he’s been a little bit above par over the past two seasons.

Assuming Urshela cracks the big league roster, the A’s could deploy him at either corner infield position. Third base remains his primary spot, but he has topped 100 innings at first base in each of the last two years. Tyler Soderstrom should get the majority of the playing time there. Urshela could move across the diamond against left-handed pitching if the A’s want to shield Soderstrom from unfavorable platoon matchups. That could draw righty Darell Hernaiz into the lineup at third.

Image courtesy of Imagn.

White Sox Acquire Cam Booser

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6:06pm: The trade has now been announced, with Booser headed to Chicago in exchange for right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo. To make room for Booser on the club’s 40-man roster, the White Sox designated Corey Julks for assignment. Fajardo, 18, posted a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts during the Dominican Summer League this year. Julks, 28, hit .214/.275/.306 in 66 games with the White Sox this year.

4:01pm: The White Sox and Red Sox are in agreement on a deal that will send left-hander Cam Booser to Chicago, according to a report from Robert Murray of Fansided. The return headed to Boston in exchange for Booser’s services is not yet clear, though James Fegan of Sox Machine reports that a minor league player is the return and Chris Cotillo of MassLive further clarifies that the return is expected to be a minor league pitcher.

Booser, 33 in May, made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in April. After kicking off his professional career with the Twins in 2013, he climbed the minor league ladder but hit a wall in High-A during the 2017 season. He eventually resurfaced in independent ball in 2021 and bounced between indy ball and the minor leagues for the Diamondbacks until joining the Red Sox organization for the 2023 season.

Once he finally made his big league debut last year, he pitched quite well for the club with a 3.38 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of work with a 23.5% strikeout rate with an 8.7% walk rate. That was good for a solid 3.80 FIP, though an elevated 80% strand rate and a low 8.3% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio suggest the possibility of some regression in Booser’s profile as represented by a 3.92 SIERA and a 4.40 xFIP. Despite his somewhat questionable peripherals and an unusual path to the big leagues, however, Booser profiled as a quality middle relief option from the left side.

With Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson already added to the bullpen from the left side in Boston and Brennan Bernadino in the fold as a more established lefty option as well, Booser had become somewhat expendable for the Red Sox. That’s evidently led him to join the White Sox bullpen, where he joins former Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio among external additions this winter. Booser figures to be much higher on the lefty relief depth chart in Chicago than he would’ve been in Boston, as he trades the competition of established veterans like Chapman and Wilson out for less established arms like Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard.

John Seidler To Take Over As Padres’ Control Person

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Just over a year after the sudden passing of Padres owner Peter Seidler, the organization has its new control person. While Seidler’s business partner Eric Kutsenda took over as interim control person in the immediate aftermath of Seidler’s death, he’ll now be succeeded more permanently by John Seidler according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Kutsenda will remain part of the organization and the rest of the team’s senior leadership will remain in their current roles. Seidler’s ascent to title of control person will need to receive the approval from the league before it becomes official.

Seidler, 65, is the brother of the Padres’ previous owner and is among the members of the Seidler family who collectively hold what Acee notes is believed to be a 45% stake in the team. Previous reports have indicated that Peter Seidler intended for his family to maintain ownership of the Padres for generations to come and that the club intended to proceed with that plan following his death. John Seidler taking the reins of the organization appears to be the latest move toward making that plan a reality, and Acee added that a source familiar with the family’s plans confirmed to him that the Seidler family intends to own the Padres for “a long time.”

“Since Peter’s passing, Eric Kutsenda has served as our interim control person,” the Padres said in a statement provided to Acee. “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.

Peter never viewed the Padres as ‘his’ team. Instead, he saw the team as an asset of the community of which he was a faithful steward. John shares Peter’s vision and will continue to strengthen and nurture this great franchise, its players, fans and employees, and the entire San Diego community.”

Importantly, Acee notes that the upcoming changing of the guard at the top of the Padres organization is not expected to impact the club’s plans on the field in terms of payroll. In its final years under Peter Seidler, the Padres organization had operated hefty payrolls in hopes of speeding up the club’s timeline for contention, but starting last offseason began to lower payroll to something closer to the middle of the pack. Acee adds that the Padres believe that their current model for payroll is “more sustainable” and that it figures to continue going forward with John Seidler now at the helm.

For the 2025 season, that likely means the club’s payroll will need to come down as compared to current projections. RosterResource projects a $210MM payroll for the club next season as things stand, which is $41MM higher than last year’s $169MM figure. While previous reporting has indicated that the club has room to increase the budget beyond its 2024 level, that increase is expected to be marginal and leave the club to ponder trading pricey arbitration-level players such as Dylan Cease and Luis Arráez.

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