A’s Hire Barry Enright As Pitching Coordinator
The Athletics are hiring Barry Enright as pitching coordinator and director of pitching in their player development department, reports Sam Blum of The Athletic. Enright has spent the past couple seasons as pitching coach of the Angels.
A former reliever who pitched parts of four seasons in the big leagues, Enright moved into coaching in 2019. He began as a minor league coach in the Arizona system before getting an MLB job as assistant pitching coach going into 2022. Enright held that role for two seasons before joining Ron Washington’s staff as lead pitching coach.
Enright worked in that capacity for two years. The Angels had one of the worst pitching staffs in MLB over that stretch, finishing 28th with a cumulative 4.73 earned run average. Their 20.4% strikeout rate was better only than Colorado’s 17.4% mark. The pitching staff wasn’t much better the season before Enright’s arrival, and the team’s performance over the past couple seasons is of course mostly a reflection on the roster itself.
The Angels made a managerial change, tabbing former A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki to lead the dugout. Suzuki overhauled the coaching staff and brought in veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux from the Rangers. Enright doesn’t jump directly back onto an MLB staff but will get to work with a farm system that’ll need steps forward from its talented arms in a challenging environment.
The A’s have an excellent offensive core but are light on established pitching. Four of their top five prospects at Baseball America are pitchers. They’ll need continued development from that group if they’re to compete for a playoff spot over the next two seasons at the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.
Tigers To Re-Sign Bryan Sammons To Minor League Deal
The Tigers are signing left-hander Bryan Sammons to a minor league contract, reports Jon Morosi of The MLB Network. The 6’4″ southpaw will be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Sammons returns to the organization with which he spent the 2023-24 seasons. A former Twins draftee, Sammons signed with the Tigers out of the independent ranks. Sammons earned a big league look in July ’24 and made six MLB appearances as a long reliever. He posted a 3.62 ERA through 27 1/3 innings.
That earned the Western Carolina product a guaranteed contract from the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan last winter. Sammons had a decent year in NPB, working to a 3.78 ERA across 85 2/3 frames. That came with middling strikeout (19.6%) and walk (10.7%) rates, and the 30-year-old heads back to the affiliated ranks with a familiar team.
Sammons will likely head to Triple-A Toledo, where he posted a 4.15 ERA through 102 innings two seasons ago. He fanned 23.1% of batters faced against a 10% walk rate. Sammons uses a five-pitch mix to compensate for fringe velocity, as he sits around 91 MPH with the fastball.
Cubs, Corbin Martin Agree To Minor League Deal
The Cubs are in agreement with right-hander Corbin Martin on a minor league contract, reports Marquee’s Lance Brozdowski. The 30-year-old will presumably get a non-roster invite to MLB camp.
Martin was on and off Baltimore’s big league roster throughout the 2025 season. He wound up throwing 18 innings, allowing 15 runs (12 earned). That actually lowered his career earned run average to 6.54 across 75 2/3 frames over parts of four seasons. Martin had similarly rough numbers with Triple-A Norfolk, allowing a 5.82 ERA in 34 appearances. He recorded an average 22.5% strikeout percentage while issuing walks at a huge 13.6% clip.
A former second-round pick of the Astros, Martin was a highly-regarded prospect whom the Diamondbacks acquired in the Zack Greinke trade. Injuries threw him off track. The 6’2″ righty underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and missed the entire ’23 season on account of a torn lat tendon. His control, which was solid enough early in his minor league career, has held him back at the upper levels. Martin has walked more than 12% of opponents in the big leagues and Triple-A alike.
The Cubs are intrigued enough by the raw stuff to give him a look on a non-roster deal. Martin’s heater sits in the 95-96 MPH range and he has a slider and curveball. It’s a good enough arsenal to miss bats but he’ll need to be around the strike zone more consistently to secure a spot in Craig Counsell’s relief group. Martin has exhausted his minor league option years, meaning the Cubs would need to keep him in the majors or expose him to waivers if they call him up.
How Will The Guardians’ Middle Infield Play Out?
The Guardians have had a quiet offseason, only re-signing backup catcher Austin Hedges and acquiring a handful of relievers on one-year deals. They’ve yet to add anyone to a lineup that ranked 28th in scoring. They were the only team in the bottom 10 that made the postseason, so it’s unlikely they’ll get back to October without improving the offense.
Cleveland’s budgetary restrictions mean they’re never going to accomplish much via free agency. They’re unlikely to often package top prospects for marquee trade chips. The Guardians should make a smaller move or two in the back half of the offseason. They opened last season with a $103MM payroll, and RosterResource calculates their ’26 obligations around $78MM. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote as part of a reader mailbag over the weekend that he expected some kind of lineup acquisition on a short-term deal. Adding a complementary right-handed outfield bat would make sense with Lane Thomas departing via free agency.
That said, the majority of the necessary offensive improvements will have to come internally. That’s especially true in the middle infield, where serviceable free agent options are slim. Cleveland middle infielders combined for a .225/.289/.359 slash line with a 27.6% strikeout rate that was 29th in MLB (marginally better than the Angels’ 27.8% mark). That’s clearly an area for upgrade as the 2024 first overall pick gets closer to making his debut. How will things shake out?
The Incumbents
Of the five players who logged any middle infield action for Stephen Vogt’s club last year, only Will Wilson is off the roster. Last year’s middle infield usually involved a three-player rotation: Gabriel Arias mostly at shortstop, Daniel Schneemann in a multi-position role with a lot of second base work, and Brayan Rocchio bouncing between the up-the-middle spots.
Angel Martínez also started 25 games at second base but was more frequently used in center field. The Guardians could push him back into a utility role this year depending on their outfield performance. Chase DeLauter made the ALDS roster and should be ticketed for his regular season MLB debut on Opening Day. They could add a center fielder in free agency. Harrison Bader would be an excellent fit but might be out of their price range. Even if that’s the case, taking a buy-low flier on Chas McCormick as a fourth outfielder makes sense.
None of Arias, Rocchio, Schneemann or Martínez contributed much offensively. By measure of wRC+, they were all between 21 and 26 points below league average. Rocchio led the pack with a subpar .233 batting average and .290 on-base percentage. He hit five home runs in 115 games. Schneemann, Martínez and Arias each had 11 or 12 longballs.
The season trend lines were most favorable to Rocchio. He was at least within range of league average in the second half, batting .257/.313/.376 over his final 241 plate appearances. Arias (.203/.247/.356), Schneemann (.194/.268/.309), and Martínez (.207/.283/.313) all had terrible numbers after the All-Star Break. Arias and Rocchio were the starters in the postseason, though Vogt was quick to hit for Arias and use Schneemann off the bench.
Rocchio is probably on the strongest ground of the group, yet he remains a .222/.293/.327 hitter in more than 900 career plate appearances. He turns 25 tomorrow and is out of minor league options. He’ll break camp but shouldn’t be a lock to remain on the roster all season if he doesn’t build off the second half promise. Public metrics have been divided on his defense, grading him highly in 2024 but looking less favorably on last year’s work.
Arias, 26 in February, is also out of options. He has huge physical tools: plus bat speed and raw power, a solid glove, and an excellent arm. That’s undercut by an untenable approach. Arias chases tons of pitches off the plate and too frequently gets beat within the strike zone. He had the fourth-highest strikeout rate among hitters with 300+ plate appearances. No one missed more often on a per-pitch basis. Aside from occasionally running into a fastball for a homer, he’s not going to provide any offense.
Schneemann is a utility player who is a couple weeks away from his 29th birthday. He’ll work some walks and pop a few home runs against right-handed pitching, but there’s also too much swing-and-miss in his game to be a regular. He’s a .210/.290/.358 hitter with 17 homers and a 29% strikeout rate in 643 career plate appearances. Schneemann has a full slate of minor league options and could therefore be the first one sent down if/when the Guardians bring up a higher-upside player from the minor leagues.
The Prospects
Guards fans have eagerly awaited the arrival of second baseman Travis Bazzana since the club announced his selection with the top pick in the ’24 draft. It has become increasingly common for top college draftees to get to the big leagues before the end of their first full professional season. Bazzana didn’t move that quickly, at least in part because of recurring oblique issues. The Oregon State product had decent numbers between the top two minor league levels (.245/.389/.424 including seven rehab games in the Complex League), but he was limited to 84 games by a pair of IL stints.
Bazzana will be one of the most important players to watch in Spring Training. He remains one of the better offensive talents in the minors. He has 26 games of Triple-A experience. The Guardians could justify sending him back there to begin the season but should leave the door open to him breaking camp. Bazzana’s minor league approach probably tipped over the line from patient to passive, leading both to a ton of walks (17.6%) and a decent amount of strikeouts (24.3%). He’s not a finished product, but there’s a good chance he’s already a better hitter than Arias or Schneemann would be.
Vogt said at the Winter Meetings that Rocchio would get a lot of shortstop work during Spring Training (link via Zack Meisel of The Athletic). That’d leave the door open for Bazzana at second with Arias and/or Schneemann in a utility role. It also magnifies camp’s importance for 24-year-old second base prospect Juan Brito.
Brito has held a spot on the 40-man roster for three years but has yet to make his MLB debut. He would have gotten that opportunity last year but for thumb and hamstring injuries that both required surgery. He was limited to 24 Triple-A contests. The Guardians were granted a fourth option year, so they’re not forced to carry Brito on the MLB roster.
If they give the Opening Day second base job to Bazzana, Brito probably needs an injury or the more highly-regarded prospect to struggle in order to find his way into the lineup. He’s not a great athlete and unlikely to be all that effective as a multi-positional defender. Yet Brito has hit throughout his career, posting an OPS above .800 at every stop. That includes a .255/.366/.442 mark across nearly 800 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of three seasons. That’s an appealing profile for a lineup that had far too many wasted at-bats.
Shortstop prospect Angel Genao is the only other middle infielder on the 40-man roster. He’s a 21-year-old who has yet to play a Triple-A game. Genao is coming off a solid but unspectacular .259/.323/.359 showing over 77 Double-A contests. Scouting reports peg him as a potential everyday player, but he remains a work in progress on both sides of the ball. While he’ll hopefully be an upgrade over Rocchio and Arias down the line, there’s little to no chance that he’s on the Opening Day roster. A second half debut is plausible but not guaranteed.
Red Sox, Seth Martinez Agree To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Seth Martinez, as first reported by Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects. He’ll get a non-roster invitation to MLB camp.
Martinez has pitched in the majors in five straight seasons. He got a decent amount of run in the Astros’ middle relief corps from 2022-24. He didn’t get as much big league work last year, only making it into six games for the Marlins. Martinez gave up four runs with three walks and four strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings.
The 31-year-old righty spent the majority of the year with Miami’s Triple-A club. He pitched to a 3.71 ERA behind a 29% strikeout rate over 43 2/3 frames. Martinez routinely posts strong whiff numbers in the minors and has fanned more than 30% of opponents with a sub-3.00 ERA in five Triple-A seasons. His flat 4.00 earned run average and 20.5% strikeout percentage in 117 MLB appearances are more solid than great.
Martinez only sits around 90 MPH with his fastball. He frequently relies on his breaking ball while mixing in a changeup. He’s out of options, meaning the Sox would need to keep him on the big league roster or expose him to waivers if they call him up at any point.
Pirates Open To Adding Left Side Infielder, Rotation Depth
The Pirates finalized their two-year deal with Ryan O’Hearn on Thursday. That signing paired with the Brandon Lowe trade gives the Bucs a couple of middle-of-the-order bats from the left side.
General manager Ben Cherington spoke with reporters at O’Hearn’s introductory press conference and highlighted two areas the team is still looking to add. “If we could add someone on the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye out for. We’ll remain opportunistic in the outfield, see what comes our way,” the GM said (link via Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Cherington also said they’d like to “add back” to the pitching staff after they dealt Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo in the respective Lowe and Jhostynxon Garcia trades.
The left side of the infield is an expected target. Pittsburgh was involved on NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto before he signed a four-year contract with Toronto. They’ve been loosely linked to Eugenio Suárez, the second-best available free agent at the position after Alex Bregman. If Suárez’s asking price also proves too rich, the Bucs could look to a one-year deal for Yoán Moncada, Willi Castro or Ramón Urías.
It’d be more difficult to find an everyday answer at shortstop. There aren’t any free agent options beyond Bo Bichette, assuming they’re not interested in an Isiah Kiner-Falefa reunion. There hasn’t been any kind of trade market at the position. The Pirates would only be interested in a stopgap anyway. Konnor Griffin is arguably the best prospect in baseball. Pittsburgh hasn’t closed the door on him forcing his way to the big leagues out of Spring Training even though he only has 21 games of Double-A experience. Even if that’s too ambitious a timeline, he figures to be up at some point in 2026.
Unless Griffin breaks camp, they’re projected for a Nick Gonzales/Jared Triolo pairing on the left side. Gonzales is a former top 10 pick but has a middling .257/.300/.375 batting line in parts of three seasons. He’s miscast as a shortstop. Gonzales was drafted as a second baseman and has mostly played the keystone with varying reviews from scouts and defensive metrics. He has 230 MLB innings at shortstop and has only started one game at third base.
Adding a third baseman would allow the Bucs to use Triolo as their stopgap shortstop. The 27-year-old is a better defender at third base but has more shortstop experience than Gonzales. He also has the superior defensive grades as a second baseman. Triolo has a similarly light bat, carrying a .236/.320/.347 slash in three seasons. A strong second half (.276/.353/.422) has earned him multiple votes of confidence from Cherington, yet he’s not going to firmly stand in the way of an upgrade.
Suárez might be the only clear improvement on the free agent market among realistic targets for the Bucs. There’s still time for a late-offseason trade opportunity to present itself. The Phillies run at Bichette, for instance, would almost certainly lead to an Alec Bohm trade if a deal comes together.
Left field doesn’t seem to be as big a priority. Pittsburgh acquired Garcia and Jake Mangum via trade. O’Hearn has the ability to work as a semi-regular corner outfielder on top of his first base/DH split alongside Spencer Horwitz. Lowe has outfield experience as well, though Cherington said he’ll work as the primary second baseman. Pittsburgh also tendered a contract to Jack Suwinski, so he’s still in the mix as a depth piece.
Any rotation pickup is likely to be on a one-year deal late in the winter. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler are locked into the rotation. Braxton Ashcraft should be in there as well, though he worked in a swing role last season and only once pitched beyond five innings in a start. Rookies Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington would compete for the fifth starter role. Carmen Mlodzinski could get another look as a starter but struggled in that role early last season and worked 2-3 inning stints in the second half. Jared Jones will hopefully be back from elbow surgery by the All-Star Break.
There’s plenty of talent, but only Skenes and Keller are established sources of innings. Pittsburgh generally signs a fifth starter to a one-year contract worth $8MM or less. That’s often a soft-tossing lefty whom they can get for cheap and rely on PNC Park — the most difficult for right-handed home run power — to get decent results. Jose Quintana, Tyler Anderson, Martín Pérez, Andrew Heaney and trade pickup Bailey Falter have all fallen in that bucket. Quintana, Anderson, Pérez and Patrick Corbin are speculative possibilities this offseason.
Anthony Rendon’s 2026 Salary To Be Paid Over Five Years
The Angels finalized their buyout with Anthony Rendon shortly before the New Year. That was known to include some kind of contract restructure to defer his $38MM salary for the upcoming season, the final of his seven-year contract.
Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reported last night that it’ll be an even five-year deferral plan. The Angels will pay him $7.6MM annually between 2026-30. That’ll save them $30.4MM this year relative to what they would have paid had there been no buyout. Rendon will not play for the team again. He is not officially retiring but it certainly seems as if his MLB career is over.
Will the Angels reinvest any of their short-term savings? Sam Blum of The Athletic wrote this week that’s not guaranteed, noting that general manager Perry Minasian avoided a question about a potential payroll reduction. “I’m not going to make any statements. We’ll see where the offseason takes us. There’s still a lot of good players available. There’s still time to improve the club,” the GM said.
The Angels entered the offseason with $126.7MM in guaranteed salaries. They’ve added another $12.95MM via one-year contracts for Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano and Alek Manoah. Their arbitration class will cost roughly $20MM. That’d put them around $160MM before accounting for minimum salaries to round out the roster. Rendon’s deferrals drop that back to the $130MM range. The Halos opened the ’25 season with a $193MM payroll.
If they’re willing to match last year’s spending, they’d have the money to be involved on any free agent. Only owner Arte Moreno and the front office know where they’ll draw the line. The Angels are among the nine teams whose local broadcasting contract with Main Street Sports collapsed this week. That’s again an uncertain revenue stream. There has also been speculation that the Angels could be reluctant to make multi-year commitments with the likelihood of a lockout in December. A contract gap was reportedly a big reason that discussion with their preferred managerial candidate, Albert Pujols, didn’t result in a deal. They eventually hired Kurt Suzuki on a one-year contract, an atypically short managerial commitment.
The Angels continue to have glaring needs around the roster. Second base, third base and center field are all concerns on the position player side. Catcher is as well, though Logan O’Hoppe has enough of a track record that it’s understandable they’re sticking with him and Travis d’Arnaud for another season. They’re light at least one mid-rotation starter and would benefit from another high-leverage reliever, even if the bullpen market has essentially dried up.
Angels To Sign Nick Madrigal To Minor League Deal
The Angels are in agreement with Nick Madrigal on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Wasserman client gets a non-roster invite to big league camp.
Madrigal spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list. He’d signed a $1.35MM free agent deal with the Mets to compete for a utility job. Madrigal broke his left shoulder when he stumbled while fielding a ground ball during Spring Training. He underwent surgery and was immediately ruled out for the year. The Mets dropped him from the roster at the beginning of the offseason.
A former fourth overall pick by the White Sox, Madrigal hasn’t lived up to that high draft billing. He’s one of the most difficult players in the game to strike out, but he hits the ball with very little impact. The 5’7″ infielder has a career .274/.323/.344 slash line with four home runs in parts of five seasons.
Madrigal enters his age-29 season looking to play his way back to the majors. There’s a decent chance to do so with the Halos. Christian Moore struck out in a third of his plate appearances and hit .198/.284/.370 as a rookie. Denzer Guzman had worrisome strikeout numbers in the minors. They’ve taken fliers on former top prospects Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza, neither of whom has had any kind of MLB success. It’s one of the weakest second/third base groups in the league. Madrigal can play either position, though his below-average arm fits better on the right side.
Giants, Eric Haase Agree To Minor League Deal
The Giants are in agreement with catcher Eric Haase on a minor league contract, reports Jon Morosi of The MLB Network. The Warner Sports Management client would lock in a $1.6MM base salary if he breaks camp and can opt out at the end of Spring Training if he’s not on the MLB roster.
Haase finished last season in Triple-A with the Brewers. He spent the first half of the season on the big league roster as William Contreras’ backup. Milwaukee acquired Danny Jansen in a deadline trade and pushed Haase to Triple-A. He cleared waivers and appeared in 19 minor league contests. He elected free agency at the end of the year.
The 33-year-old Haase has played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. He had a two-year run as a #1 option with his hometown Tigers from 2021-22. Haase has otherwise mostly been a backup and combined for 60 appearances with the Brewers over the last two seasons. He has some right-handed power but has plenty of swing and miss. Haase has fanned at a 31% clip while hitting .228/.278/.396 in just under 400 big league contests. He’s regarded as a fringe defender behind the dish. Haase has a plus arm but hasn’t graded highly as a receiver, either framing or blocking balls in the dirt.
Two-time Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey will get the majority of playing time behind the dish. The Giants were lacking in experience behind the defensive stalwart. Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac and prospect Jesus Rodriguez, neither of whom has played in MLB, are the other catchers on the 40-man roster. Logan Porter was their only non-roster catcher with any big league experience. He’s an organizational depth type who has played in 16 career games.
Rodriguez, whom the Giants acquired from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval deadline deal, is coming off a .307/.393/.403 showing in the upper minors. The Giants had him travel with the MLB team as a member of the taxi squad in the final week of the ’25 season. They’ll give serious consideration to allowing him to make the team. He has two options remaining and could be sent back to the minors. The Giants don’t have that luxury with Susac, who needs to stick on the MLB roster or be offered back to the A’s. The former first-round pick is coming off a .275/.349/.483 showing in an extremely hitter-friendly setting in Triple-A.
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon everyone, hope you've enjoyed your week! Steve's off today and it's been pretty busy so I'll probably have to keep this one around an hour
Pudge
- What is Detroit thinking?? Vladdy's final year of Arb was 28Mil. 30 is closer than 19.
Anthony Franco
- Covered this in more detail in the Skubal writeup itself but the $19M is way closer to the precedent we've seen for starting pitchers than $32M -- both in terms of max value and raise relative to the previous season
- Skubal's trying to get a $22M raise, which is unheard of in arbitration. I understand why he's trying to do this -- both in terms of wanting to be valued as a top five player in MLB, which he is -- and to break the ceiling that arbitrators have put on starters
ThePhillyPope
- The Phils don't seem to be "in" on any starting pitching this off season. IMO the rotation after Sanchez & Luzardo is very suspect. Nola is average at best, Walker is worse, Painter is unproven, and we have zero idea how/if Wheeler will come back from his surgery. What are your thoughts?
Anthony Franco
- The budget isn't infinite and they were right to make Schwarber the priority. I'd still like to see them add a swingman (or give Keller a rotation opportunity, but it seems they closed the door on that right away) but I'm alright with the rotation for the moment
- If Painter continues to struggle and/or Wheeler comes back shaky, it becomes the priority at the deadline. I think they're talented enough both at the top end and in the lineup that they can give it a few months to see how things shake out
MetsFan
- Has your projection for Kyle Tucker changed since the beginning of the offseason? I know you guys originally predicted 400/11, curious if that's changed since he's still unsigned so close to spring training.
Anthony Franco
- I'd probably drop into the 350-375 range at this point. Tim Dierkes was there the whole time and deferred to Steve, Darragh and myself in agreeing to 400. Still would be surprised if we're looking at three or four with opt-outs though
jrizz1e
- does the diamond sports group news from yesterday put the market on any sort of hold?
Anthony Franco
- Doubt it matters much at the top end since it's mostly mid-market teams that are fighting the TV stuff. Could see it trickling down a little more to the mid-tier guys, though they're the ones who get the hit the hardest for remaining unsigned close to Spring Training anyway
- I wonder a little bit about the Angels though. They feel like they should've been involved on Suárez (Ranger and Geno, really), Gallen, etc. and a dark horse on Belli. This could be Arte Moreno's excuse to do essentially nothing
Kay
- Rob Manfred HAS to know that a free agency deadline is a non-starter, right??
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I can't imagine the PA's agreeing to that. Players resoundingly hate it
- It's just an opportunity for Manfred to frame it publicly as something he wants that'd be exciting for the sport, and I'm sure there are plenty of fans who agree with that, though his primary motivation (which he leaves unsaid) is cost suppression
Brian
- Is bellinger worth 30 million a year?
Anthony Franco
- For the Yankees or Mets on a four-year deal? Sure. For six or seven? Pass
Dana Brown
- Would Abreu and Blubaugh be enough for Cowser from Orioles?
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