Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals leaned more heavily into the rebuild they should have begun during the previous offseason. They made four significant future focused trades in Chaim Bloom’s first season running baseball operations.
Major League Signings
- RHP Dustin May: One year, $12.5MM (including buyout of ’27 mutual option)
- RHP Ryne Stanek: One year, $3.5MM (deal includes ’27 club option)
- 3B Ramón Urías: One year, $2MM (including buyout of ’27 mutual option)
- C Yohel Pozo: One year split contract
2026 spending: $17MM
Total future spending: $18MM
Trades and Claims
- Traded 2B Brendan Donovan to Mariners in three-team deal (also involving Rays) for minor league RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, minor league OF Tai Peete, minor league OF Colton Ledbetter, and two Competitive Balance Round B draft choices (#68 and 72 overall)
- Traded RHP Sonny Gray and $20MM to Red Sox for RHP Richard Fitts, minor league LHP Brandon Clarke and a player to be named later or cash
- Traded 1B Willson Contreras and $8MM to Red Sox for RHP Hunter Dobbins, minor league RHP Yhoiker Fajardo and minor league RHP Blake Aita
- Traded 3B Nolan Arenado and $31MM to Diamondbacks for minor league RHP Jack Martinez
- Acquired LHP Justin Bruihl from Guardians for cash
- Acquired RHP George Soriano from Nationals for RHP Andre Granillo
- Selected RHP Matt Pushard from Marlins organization in Rule 5 draft
- Claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers from Guardians (later lost on waivers to Texas, re-claimed, then lost on waivers again to Minnesota)
- Claimed 3B Bryan Ramos off waivers from Orioles (later lost back to Baltimore on waivers)
Option Decisions
- None
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas, John King (non-tender), Michael Siani (lost via waivers), Andre Granillo, Jorge Alcala (non-tender), Roddery Muñoz (lost via waivers), Anthony Veneziano (outrighted)
The Cardinals officially entered the Chaim Bloom era as soon as the 2025 regular season concluded. The team had announced a year in advance that Bloom would take over baseball operations from the retiring John Mozeliak. They felt their new front office leader would benefit from a year to familiarize himself with the organization, but the atypical arrangement contributed to an inert 2024-25 offseason that squandered trade value on veterans who should have been moved (e.g. Ryan Helsley, Erick Fedde).
St. Louis was reasonably competitive last year and finished within a few games of .500. At the same time, it was clear ownership was pulling back payroll as their local broadcast deal teetered on the brink of collapse — which finally happened this winter after Main Street Sports defaulted on a rights payment. If they weren’t going to invest to fix the pitching staff, they needed to more proactively strip things down.
That’d be the focus of the 2025-26 offseason. Bloom may never have used the term “rebuild,” but it was obvious between the lines. He said that adding a long-term influx of talent to the organization took priority over immediate upgrades to the big league club. Bloom also made the direction clear to a trio of veteran players who had say over their fate in the form of no-trade clauses.
Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras had all previously been very choosy about whether or where to accept a trade. Gray and Arenado said that’d change this winter, considering more possibilities to play for a contender on the back ends of their respective careers. Contreras was a little more reticent early on, but he’d also approve a trade once the time came.
In all three cases, the primary motivations for the Cardinals were in shedding money and opening playing time for younger players. Gray, Contreras and Arenado all remain solid or better players, but none of them had immense trade value. Gray’s and Arenado’s respective contracts were above market value, in fact, while the remaining two years and $41.5MM on the Contreras deal felt about right for what he’d earn if he were a free agent.
That left Brendan Donovan as the Cardinals’ biggest trade chip. He’s controllable for two seasons via arbitration and was set for a salary in the $6MM range. Of the players that St. Louis would realistically consider trading (i.e. not Masyn Winn or top prospect JJ Wetherholt), Donovan was the only one who’d fetch a significant prospect haul.
St. Louis focused on the more expensive players first. The field for those veterans was smaller given the money involved and their no-trade protection, so it made sense to prioritize them while teams had more budgetary flexibility. There’d surely be a market for Donovan at any point of the offseason.
Gray was the first one to go. The Cardinals sent the three-time All-Star to the Red Sox just before Thanksgiving. Gray’s heavily backloaded free agent contract essentially meant he was playing on a one-year, $40MM deal ($35MM salary plus a $5MM option buyout to be paid at season’s end). That kind of salary is reserved for aces, while Gray is more of a #2 or high-end #3 starter. The Cards would need to kick in some money.
Ownership signed off on paying down half the contract. They’re sending the Red Sox $20MM as part of the trade, which also involved a minor restructure to Gray’s contract. An additional $5MM was pushed back to year’s end in the buyout, while Gray received an extra $1MM and a guaranteed buyout in exchange for waiving the no-trade clause.
The trade netted the Cardinals a pair of controllable pitchers, which would be a theme of their offseason. Richard Fitts has made 15 MLB appearances over the past two seasons, compiling a near-4.00 ERA with middling strikeout and walk numbers. It’s the statistical profile of a fifth or sixth starter, but Fitts has a 96 mph fastball and a pair of power breaking balls. He’ll start games over the course of the season.
St. Louis also landed a higher-upside arm in the form of A-ball pitching prospect Brandon Clarke. He’s a 6’4″ lefty with upper-90s velocity and massive strikeout rates in the low minors. Clarke’s command will need to improve significantly if he’s to be a high-leverage reliever, much less a starter, but he’s clearly an intriguing arm for the player development department.
One month later, Contreras followed Gray to Fenway. The Red Sox were looking for a power bat and needed to upgrade at first base, making Contreras a logical target once Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber signed elsewhere. The Cardinals again chipped in a little bit of money, though the cash was much more modest than in the Gray trade. St. Louis paid $8MM over two years on the Contreras deal (including an extra $1MM the slugger received for waiving the no-trade clause).
It was a lesser return than the Gray trade but one that followed a similar path: a near-MLB depth starter and a pair of pitching prospects. The former, Hunter Dobbins, is rehabbing a torn ACL and won’t be available on Opening Day. He managed a 4.13 ERA across 13 appearances as a rookie, albeit with a modest 18% strikeout rate. Dobbins hasn’t missed many bats but also has a mid-90s heater and a pair of breaking balls that make him an intriguing swing option. The prospects, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita, are low minors development fliers who slot into the middle of the farm system.
The eventual Arenado trade was purely about a change of scenery. His declining offensive numbers made him a less appealing target for other teams than Gray or Contreras had been. The Cardinals reportedly had the framework of a trade in place with the Athletics, but the 10-time Gold Glove winner preferred to approve a move to the Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals paid all but $11MM of the remaining $42MM and two years on Arenado’s contract. The only player they received in return, Jack Martinez, is a 2025 eighth-round pick who hasn’t thrown a minor league pitch. Aside from the marginal cash savings, this was about getting younger in the infield.
Nolan Gorman will get what’ll probably be his last shot to cement himself as a key piece of the organization’s future. Gorman slugged 27 homers a couple seasons ago but hasn’t hit over the past two years. He has immense raw power from the left side but figures to rank among the league leaders in strikeouts if he gets a full season of playing time.
At the other infield corner, Alec Burleson will replace Contreras as the primary first baseman. Burleson has played more outfield in his career, but he doesn’t run well and has never covered much ground on the grass. He fits better as a primary first baseman/designated hitter who’ll slot somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
Winn is locked in as the franchise shortstop. Wetherholt’s impending arrival at second base meant this was the right time for the Cardinals to trade Donovan. They’d seemingly not shown much interest in extending the All-Star utilityman. His trade value wasn’t going to get any higher within the next two seasons.
Donovan’s high-contact bat and defensive versatility made him an ideal fit for a number of teams. The Royals, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Red Sox, Astros and Guardians were among the clubs that checked in over the offseason. He’d been a target of the Yankees and Dodgers at the 2025 deadline. Yet this winter’s bidding seemingly came down to the Giants and Mariners.
Seattle ultimately pulled ahead by building a prospect package around 2024 first-rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje. He’s another touted minor league pitcher who adds ceiling to a pipeline that hasn’t graduated enough pitchers with swing-and-miss stuff. Cijntje is most famous for being a switch-pitcher, though his stuff as a righty is much more impressive. Even if he settles in as “only” a right-handed pitcher, he has a chance to be a mid-rotation arm. Cijntje fanned 26% of opponents with an ERA around 4.00 between High-A and Double-A last season. A 2027 debut seems likely.
The Cardinals also landed a former supplemental first-rounder with plus tools but significant whiff concerns in A-ball center fielder Tai Peete. Double-A outfielder Colton Ledbetter came over from the Rays in the three-team deal. He has a lower ceiling but could be a factor by the end of this season if he makes enough contact in Triple-A.
St. Louis also netted two Competitive Balance Round B draft picks — one apiece from the Mariners and Rays — that’ll become a pair of mid-level prospects this summer. Those selections add more than $2.5MM to their draft bonus pool. It sets the Cardinals up well to take an upside swing on a solid high school prospect to whom they can float an overslot bonus in the middle rounds.
The Donovan trade more or less ensures that Wetherholt will begin the season on the Opening Day roster. The seventh overall pick in 2024, Wetherholt is coming off a .306/.421/.510 season between the top two minor league levels. Even though he’s only hitting .240 this spring, he has a pair of home runs and an excellent eight walks against five strikeouts. Wetherholt could be an adequate shortstop but will surely slide to second base in deference to Winn, one of the sport’s premier defensive infielders.
Carrying Wetherholt on the Opening Day roster starts his six-year service clock in a rebuilding year. However, it could set the Cardinals up for another draft choice down the line via the Prospect Promotion Incentive — as soon as 2027 if he wins the NL Rookie of the Year award. If the Cards waited until midseason to call him up, they’d lose the potential for a PPI pick while still running the risk that Wetherholt earns a full year of service with a top two Rookie of the Year finish.
St. Louis added veteran utility player Ramón Urías on a $2MM deal late in the offseason. He plays second and third base and will be a righty-hitting complement to lefty swingers Wetherholt and Gorman. The Cardinals also wanted to add a complementary right-handed bat in the outfield, but that search didn’t bear fruit. Reported targets Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar found better paths to everyday playing time elsewhere (White Sox and Padres, respectively). A multi-year deal for Harrison Bader’s age 32-33 seasons doesn’t really fit the timeline.
Lars Nootbaar is opening the season on the injured list after undergoing surgeries on both heels. That more or less took him off the trade market despite loose ties to teams like the Pirates, Mets and Rangers. The Cardinals control Nootbaar for two seasons in arbitration and didn’t need to force a sell-low trade. They can move him at the deadline or next offseason.
That leaves a wide open opportunity in left field to begin the season. Minor league signee Nelson Velázquez has had an excellent camp to take advantage. He’ll probably make the team as the righty bat in a platoon, likely with lefty-hitting Nathan Church. The Cards have also gotten righty-hitting infielders Thomas Saggese and José Fermín work in the outfield this spring.
Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker will play center and right field, respectively. It’s approaching make-or-break time for Walker, a former top prospect who simply hasn’t performed over two and a half seasons in the big leagues.
Walker is still young, turning 24 in May, but he’s over 1000 plate appearances into his career and has been well below replacement level. The reemergence of former second-round pick Joshua Baez as a legitimate prospect gives the Cardinals a potential right field alternative by 2027. Nootbaar will be traded at some point, so Walker and Baez could coexist on the same roster, but the former is running out of time to continue warranting regular playing time.
They’ll run things back with the same catching group as they had in 2025. It’s technically a three-catcher setup, but they’ve never been keen on Iván Herrera defensively. He’ll be the primary designated hitter/third catcher behind Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo.
Prospects Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal and (much further off) Rainiel Rodriguez are in the pipeline. This is an area of organizational depth even if Herrera moves off the position entirely. It’s easy to envision them swapping someone for pitching, but they have the luxury of waiting to see how the minor leaguers develop. Pages and Pozo would have modest trade value — the latter was non-tendered and re-signed to a split deal — so Herrera or one of the prospects would have the better chance of netting a significant return.
Strengthening the pitching pipeline was a clear goal. The Cardinals had previously relied on an excellent infield defense to compensate for lacking swing-and-miss arms. They’re moving away from that approach after ranking 23rd in runs allowed and 29th in strikeout rate (ahead of only the Rockies) over the last three seasons.
It’ll take time for that to translate into MLB success. Their only big league rotation move this winter was to sign Dustin May to a one-year, $12.5MM free agent deal. It’s a decent sized bet on a pitcher with his injury history who is coming off a near-5.00 ERA. May has mid-90s velocity and found success early in his career with the Dodgers, but he struggled to get hitters to chase or miss bats last year.
The Cardinals will hope to coax better results that could turn him into a midseason trade chip. He’s also young enough (28) that he could be a candidate for a two- or three-year extension if he’s healthy and pitching well as the deadline approaches. The Cardinals don’t have much in the way of long-term certainty in the rotation.
Matthew Liberatore should probably be in line for his career Opening Day start. May is going to be in the rotation, and it seems safe to pencil reliever convert Kyle Leahy in there as well. Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy and Fitts are vying for the final couple spots. It’s probably a bottom five rotation in MLB right now. They’re awaiting the arrivals of Cijntje, Clarke and last year’s fifth overall pick Liam Doyle — plus a hopeful rebound season from Quinn Mathews — to improve the long-term outlook.
There wasn’t much turnover in the bullpen, where they’ll use a committee approach in the ninth inning after trading Ryan Helsley last summer. The Cardinals opted not to move left-hander JoJo Romero, who is coming off a career-low 2.07 ERA but had a mediocre strikeout and walk profile that seemingly limited trade interest. Romero is an impending free agent and one of the safer bets to be traded midseason, but the Cardinals evidently feel they can do a little better at the deadline than whatever was on the table over the offseason.
St. Louis took a rebound flier on Ryne Stanek on a $3.5MM free agent deal. Stanek is coming off a bad year but has plus-plus velocity and late-game experience that the bullpen was lacking in general. Riley O’Brien will work in leverage spots and could close games after a solid ’25 campaign.
The Cards sent cash to the Guardians to add lefty Justin Bruihl to the middle innings. They flipped Andre Granillo for righty George Soriano, who is out of options and has presumably nailed down a roster spot by striking out seven over five scoreless innings this spring. Soriano rode the DFA carousel all winter but never made it as far as the Cardinals (who ranked middle of the pack in waiver priority after a 78-84 season). After multiple unsuccessful efforts to claim him, they jumped the line with a trade. Matt Pushard, a Rule 5 pick out of the Miami system, is also vying for a middle relief job.
St. Louis rounded out the offseason with an extension for their fifth-year skipper. Despite the front office change, they evidently believe Oli Marmol is well positioned to oversee the rebuild. Bloom preemptively shut down any speculation about a managerial change early in the offseason. Marmol is entering the final year of his previous deal and signed an extension running through 2028.
They’re new times in St. Louis. Most of the previous core is either gone or likely to be traded within a year. At the same time, a nucleus of Winn, Herrera, and Wetherholt means they’re unlikely to bottom out the way teams like the Rockies or White Sox have. There’s a path back to contention within two or three seasons — one that’ll largely be determined by how well they develop the pitchers who are now the focal point of the rebuild.
How would you grade the Cardinals' offseason?
Quinn Priester Dealing With Nerve Issue
TODAY: Priester told McCalvy and other reporters that he hopes to be back in “late April, May, but I certainly think I’m on the optimistic side as a player. I want to be back as quick as possible. Ultimately, I’ll trust whatever the scheduling is, to make sure we do it right.”
MARCH 12: Brewers starter Quinn Priester met with a specialist this afternoon after being nagged by wrist soreness. Testing revealed that the righty is dealing with a nerve issue in his shoulder, manager Pat Murphy told reporters (links via Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).
Murphy said the injury is “in that thoracic outlet syndrome family.” Any mention of TOS is concerning given how difficult it can be for some pitchers to overcome. The Brewers are still mostly downplaying their level of concern. Murphy expressed confidence Priester will be able to rehab without surgery. He’s continuing a light throwing program and is scheduled for a bullpen session next weekend.
The nerve pressure explains the recurring nature of Priester’s injury. He first felt the wrist discomfort in the second half of last season. He didn’t anticipate it being an issue this spring but battled it intermittently during his ramp-up period. Although it’s rooted in his shoulder, nerve pain can manifest throughout the arm. Max Scherzer, for example, battled an upper arm nerve injury between 2024-25 that mostly appeared as thumb soreness.
It was already apparent that Priester would open the season on the injured list. This diagnosis doesn’t inherently mean he’s facing an extended absence. However, it highlights the open-endedness of his recovery timeline. Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick project as Milwaukee’s top three starters to begin the season — assuming Woodruff builds back fully from last year’s lat strain. Brandon Sproat and Kyle Harrison could round out the group if Logan Henderson’s minor elbow discomfort puts him behind schedule for Opening Day.
Murphy also provided an update on depth outfielder Akil Baddoo, who suffered a left quad strain this week. The injury is more serious than the Brewers initially anticipated. Baddoo will need multiple weeks before he’s able to resume baseball activity. He’s obviously going to begin the season on the injured list and could be a 60-day IL candidate. Baddoo wasn’t in line for an Opening Day roster spot, but the Brewers liked him enough to sign him to a big league split deal over the offseason.
Giants’ Hayden Birdsong Getting Second Opinion On Forearm Issue
TODAY: Birdsong’s agent Scott Boras told Susan Slusser that his client’s issue is related to his forearm. After an initial MRI, Birdsong is now getting a second opinion. Despite this somewhat ominous situation, Birdsong himself is hopeful that he’ll just miss a few weeks of action, which seems like it would be a best-case scenario even if it means a season-opening IL stint.
MARCH 12: Giants right-hander Hayden Birdsong is being evaluated for an elbow issue, reports Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. President of baseball operations Buster Posey tells Slusser that the team is awaiting word from their medical staff.
At this point, it’s not clear if the team fears a potential long-term injury. Birdsong has had a brutal Spring Training, giving up eight runs over 2 1/3 innings. His velocity is intact, though, as he’s averaging 97.3 mph on his heater. He averaged 95-96 mph on his fastball while working multiple innings last year.
Birdsong was one of the organization’s better pitching prospects when he debuted in 2024. He has shown the ability to miss bats at the highest level, but subpar command has undercut his consistency. Birdsong excelled out of the bullpen early in the ’25 season.
The Giants moved him to the rotation towards the end of May. Birdsong’s first five starts were solid enough, if inefficient, but the wheels fell off in his latter five appearances. A July 21 outing in which Birdsong didn’t retire any of six batters faced was the final straw. The Giants optioned him to Triple-A. A 6.23 ERA across 10 Triple-A starts wasn’t enough to get back to the MLB level.
Birdsong entered the spring no higher than sixth on the rotation depth chart. He can continue to start in the minors or be an option for work in a wide open San Francisco bullpen. His Spring Training numbers hadn’t put him in a great position to break camp even before the potential for an injured list stint.
Latest On Blake Snell’s Timeline
Blake Snell has had a delayed spring ramp-up after experiencing offseason arm fatigue. The two-time Cy Young winner is now certain to begin the season on the 15-day injured list, though he expressed hope he won’t miss too much of the regular season.
Snell threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Thursday, his first mound work of the spring. He said afterward that he’s aiming to make his season debut by the end of April (links via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic and Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register). Snell said he’s essentially at the beginning of what would be a usual six-week Spring Training buildup.
Manager Dave Roberts was less eager to identify a specific timeline. Roberts pointed to the team’s rotation talent in noting that they “have the luxury of trying to err on the side of caution.” That’s the usual approach for the Dodgers when it comes to regular season injuries. Their roster is so loaded that they enter each season with overwhelmingly strong playoff odds. They can afford to have players skip a few regular season starts with an eye towards having them available later in the year when the games are more meaningful.
Snell’s 2025 campaign was an example of that. He only made 11 starts and threw 61 1/3 innings during the regular season because of shoulder inflammation. He was firing on all cylinders in October, though, working 34 frames of 3.18 ERA ball in the postseason. Snell had a trio of exceptional starts in the first three playoff rounds — one each in the Wild Card Series, Division Series and NLCS. The Blue Jays found some success against him over his two World Series starts, though Snell recorded a pivotal four outs in relief in Game 7 to help set the stage for Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s extra-inning heroics.
Yamamoto is the obvious choice to take the ball against the Diamondbacks on Opening Day, though the Dodgers haven’t made an official announcement. (They’re presumably waiting to see how Yamamoto’s schedule maps out during the World Baseball Classic.) Tyler Glasnow will follow. Shohei Ohtani isn’t pitching in games during the WBC, but he’s throwing side sessions and expected to be in the Opening Day rotation.
Roki Sasaki has battled his command over two Spring Training starts, walking five batters in 3 1/3 innings. That led the Dodgers to shake things up, pitching him in a minor league outing against White Sox prospects on Tuesday. Sasaki struck out nine without issuing any walks and threw 59 pitches in that backfield appearance. Roberts reiterated that the 24-year-old will open the season in the MLB rotation, telling Sonja Chen of MLB.com and other reporters he ” just (doesn’t) see a world where (Sasaki) doesn’t break with us as a starter.”
Gavin Stone is joining Snell on the season-opening injured list. That all but ensures that Emmet Sheehan will land a rotation spot. They could carry a nine-man bullpen — Ohtani doesn’t count against the 13-pitcher limit as a two-way player — or turn to one of Justin Wrobleski or River Ryan to round out a six-man rotation. They’ll inevitably go to a six-man rotation at some point but might be content with a five-man group for the first week of the regular season since they have off days on March 29 and April 2.
Nationals Option Mitchell Parker
The Nationals announced Friday they’ve optioned left-handers Mitchell Parker, Andrew Alvarez and Jake Eder. That takes three pitchers, one of whom has been on the MLB roster for the last two years, out of the mix for the Opening Day rotation.
Parker’s demotion is the most notable. He had been in the big leagues since his first callup in April 2024. Parker had a solid rookie year, turning in a 4.29 ERA across 29 starts. His sophomore season was a lot less encouraging. Parker was tagged for 5.68 earned runs per nine over 164 2/3 innings. He had the ninth-highest ERA and sixth-lowest strikeout rate (14.2%) among pitchers who reached 100 innings.
The 26-year-old Parker took the ball twice this spring. His command was erratic, as he walked five batters over 3 2/3 innings. He’ll begin the season at Triple-A Rochester as he tries to get on track.
Alvarez and Eder were also competing for rotation spots. The former is a 26-year-old rookie who turned in a 2.31 ERA over five major league starts last season. Alvarez doesn’t throw especially hard and had middling strikeout and walk numbers in his MLB look. He’ll head back to Triple-A, where he made 25 starts and posted a 4.10 ERA with a league average 21.5% strikeout rate last season.
The Nats acquired Eder from the Angels as part of last summer’s Andrew Chafin deadline deal. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A and quickly landed on the injured list. The 6’4″ southpaw was once a notable prospect but has struggled to find the strike zone consistently. He walked six batters across 6 2/3 frames this spring.
First-year skipper Blake Butera has already tabbed righty Cade Cavalli as the Opening Day starter. The Nats added Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas and Foster Griffin on one-year free agent deals. Littell’s signing was just finalized this week, but he was able to throw 39 pitches over three innings in his Spring Training debut this afternoon. He’ll probably have time to build up for Opening Day.
Josiah Gray, Brad Lord, and Jake Irvin are in the mix for the fifth starter spot. Gray is coming back from internal brace surgery that cost him the entire 2025 season. He has struck out five over 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in camp.
Lord pitched to a 4.34 ERA across 130 2/3 innings last year in a swing role. He has allowed four runs (three earned) with four strikeouts over 7 1/3 frames. Irvin led the Nats with 180 innings a year ago but was tagged for a 5.70 ERA and led the majors in earned runs and homers allowed. He has had an excellent start to the spring, though, firing 8 1/3 frames of two-run ball while punching out 10.
Diamondbacks Notes: Moreno, Lawlar, Kelly, Burnes
The D-Backs scratched catcher Gabriel Moreno from tonight’s Spring Training matchup against the Royals, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). The Gold Glover is dealing with forearm tightness and headed for imaging.
Lovullo largely downplayed the concern, noting that it’s only a slight issue for Moreno when he throws. It seems the MRI is precautionary, though it’s a situation the D-Backs will closely monitor. Moreno has had his share of injuries over the past few seasons. He missed time in 2023 with a left shoulder issue, had thumb and adductor strains in ’24, then missed two months last season when a foul tip broke his right index finger.
When healthy, Moreno is one of the better two-way catchers in MLB. He’s coming off a .285/.353/.433 showing at the plate. He’s an excellent all-around defender, a quality receiver with a plus arm who has thrown out 30% of basestealers in his career.
Non-roster invitee Aramis Garcia drew into tonight’s starting lineup. He’s slated to open the season in Triple-A but would probably break camp if Moreno’s forearm discomfort leads to an injured list stint. James McCann is currently set for the backup role and would then be the primary option behind the dish. Adrian Del Castillo, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, hasn’t played this spring because of a left calf strain. He’ll open the season on the 10-day injured list.
Elsewhere in camp, Arizona’s outfield picture is coming into focus. Corbin Carroll returned to the lineup as a designated hitter on Wednesday. He’s a month removed from a hamate fracture in his right hand that required surgery. Carroll has maintained optimism that he’ll be ready for Opening Day and is trending in that direction. He still needs to clear the hurdle of getting back in the outfield but projects as the season-opening right fielder.
Jordan Lawlar has had an excellent camp as he tries to nail down the center field job. The former top prospect is hitting .323 with four homers across 37 plate appearances. Lawlar, who had never played the outfield prior to offseason work in the Dominican Winter League, has logged 66 innings over 10 center field starts this spring.
Lovullo spoke highly of the 23-year-old’s early work in center (link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). They’ll take the latter part of camp to move him around, as he’s also expected to get work some in the corner outfield. Lovullo added that the Snakes still view Lawlar as an emergency option at shortstop, but his infield defense was a major issue last year. The D-Backs acquired Nolan Arenado to join Geraldo Perdomo on the left side of the infield, meaning Lawlar is most valuable to the team as an outfielder.
The bat should ensure he’s on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, likely in center field. Alek Thomas will probably play left until Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recovers from last season’s ACL tear. Left field prospect Ryan Waldschmidt had an outside chance of breaking camp, but he’s hitting .257 with 11 strikeouts and only two walks across 37 plate appearances this spring. Waldschmidt figures to open the season at Triple-A Reno.
On the pitching side, Merrill Kelly is making his exhibition debut tonight. He’d been held up by back soreness early in camp. The injury scuttled plans for Kelly to make his first career Opening Day start, but it’s not a given that he’ll begin the season on the injured list. The Snakes could move him to the back of the rotation and hope he’s ready for even an abbreviated regular season debut during the first week of April. Zac Gallen has been tabbed for his fourth straight Opening Day start instead.
Corbin Burnes is the actual ace, though he’s still months away from a return to game action. The former Cy Young winner hit a notable milestone in his rehab from last June’s Tommy John surgery. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that Burnes threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Friday — his first mound work since the operation. The four-time All-Star was encouraged by the outing, noting that he ran his fastball up to 91 mph (higher than he’d anticipated for his first bullpen session) while commanding the ball as hoped.
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope you've all enjoyed your week!
- Less than two weeks from Opening Day! Let's get rolling
Fake Jim Bouton
- Seem to me the Yankees should start the season with Carlos Lagrange in the bullpen - why waste those bullets in the minors? Any reason not to?
Anthony Franco
- I assume they'll start him in Triple-A to try to keep open the long-term possibility that he can start but given how far the control would need to come, I'd be pretty tempted to just throw him in the MLB bullpen as well
- Some of it comes down to how you feel about Cade Winquest, I guess. Tough to carry both of those guys in lower-leverage roles, at least to start the season. Obviously Winquest would need to be offered back to St. Louis if they don't hold him, whereas Lagrange could open in the minors without occupying a 40-man spot and buy them a little more time on the Rule 5 decision
Lysol
- Do you think Casas will be productive for the sox in 2026? Or with Contreras do you think they will trade him?
Anthony Franco
- I feel like a deadline trade is ideal for everyone, needs to get healthy first before that's really an option. Nationals fit is easy with the Toboni connection but also the most sensible one since they've got nothing at first base and plenty of runway
Ben Cherrington
- Glad Tim was able to exonerate me in my inability to decision not to trade for a 3B in this week’s mailbag!
Anthony Franco
- Haha here's Tim's much lengthier breakdown on Pittsburgh's third base situation that this question is referencing
- https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/mlb-mailbag-pirates-shortstops-...
- I don't entirely agree with him -- would consider Abrams a pretty clear upgrade over Triolo, for instance -- but I'm also generally alright with them using Triolo as a low-end regular for a while given how many other moves they made offensively
- Will say that if the cost on Donovan was something like Barco, Termarr and Triolo (which Tim loosely floated as a comp to the package they got back from Seattle, not saying St. Louis definitely would've done it), I'd have easily jumped on that if I were the Bucs
Black and Gold
- With the Pirates starting 4 pretty much set in clay. (Skenes, Kellar, Chandler, Ashcraft) Who is the front runner for the 5th spot?
Anthony Franco
- Urquidy needs to be on the MLB roster so I imagine he's pretty well locked in there, at least for a few starts
- If he's carrying a 7.00 ERA with a bunch of homers in the middle of May, they can pull the plug and go to Barco or Harrington
Idiotic Failson
- Any chance we see a breakout from Masyn Wynn this year? He's gotten some games under his belt and used to have a 60 hit tool projection
Anthony Franco
- He's not far off being a 60 bat if you view the hit tool as putting the ball in play and hitting for average. Bigger issue is that it's not all that valuable (at least offensively) when it comes with minimal walks or power
- I do think there's a little more in there than he's shown though. He should be getting to double digit home run totals with 30 doubles annually. Approach is good enough that I'll take the over on his career 6.5% walk rate moving forward. Could see his 2024 numbers being the baseline into his mid-late 20s, which is a really good player when you're a top three defensive shortstop
- Also think some of the slugging can play up just from him being more aggressive when he's fully past the knee issue. He didn't hit any triples last year, which I have to imagine is driven largely by playing through a meniscus injury given the athlete he is. Turning a handful of doubles into triples over the course of the season can juice the slug by a few points without any change in the batter's box
Guest
- Is it my imagination or is Detroit stashing shortstops? 6 of their top 30 players are shortstops starting with McGonigle. I understand that if you play short you’re probably athletic enough to play elsewhere. Can’t play them all at short so do they trade some for pitching?
Still an A
- Does Kevin McGonigle make the Tigers opening day roster?
-
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
BENEFITS- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Rangers Sign Jalen Beeks
The Rangers announced the signing of lefty reliever Jalen Beeks to a one-year contract. The Frontline client is reportedly guaranteed $1.6MM and can earn an additional $1MM in incentives. He’d receive $75K bonuses at 10 and 15 appearances, $100K for his 20th outing, and $125K each at 25, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 65 games. Texas designated Alexis Díaz for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
Beeks finds a guaranteed contract just two weeks from the beginning of the regular season. The southpaw spent the 2025 campaign with the Diamondbacks on a $1.25MM contract. He made 61 appearances, working to a 3.77 earned run average across 57 1/3 innings. There’s a decent chance he would have been traded at the deadline if not for a three-week injured list stint in July due to lower back inflammation.
The 32-year-old wound up finishing the season as one of the rare veteran pieces in Arizona’s bullpen. He allowed only four runs across his final 16 1/3 innings. Beeks’ underlying marks were middle of the road. He had a slightly below-average 20.3% strikeout rate with decent but unexceptional walk and ground-ball marks.
Unlike a lot of lefty relievers, Beeks doesn’t have a great breaking ball. He only used his cutter around 10% of the time last year. Beeks works mostly with a 94-95 mph fastball and an upper 80s changeup that serves as his best swing-and-miss pitch. He doesn’t have extreme platoon splits as a result. Beeks allowed similar slash lines to left-handed (.218/.266/.345) and righty (.190/.285/.339) bats alike last year, though his strikeout rate was quite a bit higher when he had the platoon advantage.
Beeks will have a couple weeks to get ready for the start of the regular season. It’ll be a patched together Texas bullpen for a second straight year. Robert Garcia is their one high-leverage lefty. There’s a decent chance he gets some save opportunities. Tyler Alexander will pitch in a long relief role. Beeks isn’t a pure specialist but can take some left on left matchups in the middle innings.
Garcia, Chris Martin, Cole Winn, Jakob Junis, Beeks and Alexander all seem assured of Opening Day bullpen spots. Diaz signed a one-year deal, but he’s been bombed for eight runs in 1 2/3 innings this spring and was pushed off the roster.
Rule 5 draftee Carter Baumler needs to stick on the MLB team or be waived and offered back to the Orioles. He has only surrendered one unearned run with a 4-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 5 2/3 frames. Minor league signees Ryan Brasier and Josh Sborz are also in camp. Sborz has had the much more impressive spring.
As Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports observes, this may also tip the team’s hand on their rotation plans. Left-hander Jacob Latz will be on the big league roster in some capacity. Latz pitched mostly in relief last year but is competing with Kumar Rocker for the fifth starter job. Rocker has the higher pedigree, but Latz was the better pitcher in 2025. There hasn’t been a huge divide between the two this spring.
If the Rangers keep Rocker as the fifth starter, they’d have four left-handers in their projected Opening Day bullpen. Most teams prefer to carry two or three lefty relievers. That could point to Latz having the upper hand in the rotation competition and Rocker beginning the season in Triple-A.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News first reported the Rangers and Beeks had agreed to a big league deal. The Associated Press reported the salary and bonuses.
Image courtesy of Rob Schumacher, Imagn Images.
Who Will Top Next Winter’s Free Agent Hitting Class?
Tarik Skubal is the overwhelming favorite to be next offseason's top free agent. The two-time defending AL Cy Young winner is probably the best pitcher on the planet. He's almost certainly not signing an extension with the Tigers. As long as he stays healthy during his walk year, Skubal should become MLB's first $400MM+ pitcher.
Clear as the top of the pitching market looks, the #1 spot in the hitting class is wide open. That's a rare position even in March. Each year at MLBTR, we publish our first power ranking of the following winter's free agent class not long after Opening Day.
Over the past five Aprils, the #1 players on our initial free agent ranking were: Corey Seager*, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker. The first four players went on to sign for more than $300MM (well above in Ohtani's and Soto's cases). Tucker had at least one $350MM offer but opted for a shorter deal at a record average annual value. It's usually very easy to identify an upcoming free class's top hitter one or more years in advance.
Since that's not the case for the 2026-27 class, there's room for debate as to which player enters the season in pole position. Their respective '26 performances will naturally play a large role in determining future contracts, but there are only a handful of players who have a real chance to land the biggest deal among next offseason's hitters. Randy Arozarena, for example, is one of the best hitters in the class, but it's safe to assume he's not commanding the biggest contract as a left fielder who'll test the market in his age-32 season. That's just not a profile that lends itself to a nine-figure deal.
Let's run through the more realistic possibilities. The full list of 2026-27 free agents is available here.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Caleb Ferguson To Begin Season On Injured List
Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson will open the season on the 15-day injured list, manager Terry Francona told reporters (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). The southpaw strained his right oblique and will be shelved for at least a few weeks.
The injury will delay Ferguson’s team debut. The Reds signed him to a one-year, $4.5MM free agent contract. Ferguson is coming off a 3.58 earned run average over 65 1/3 innings split between the Pirates and Mariners. His 18.9% strikeout percentage was easily a career worst, but he compensated by allowing one of the lowest hard contact rates in the sport.
Ferguson hasn’t pitched well this spring, giving up five runs while allowing nine of 13 batters faced to reach base (six hits and three walks). His track record locked him into a bullpen role either way, of course. Ferguson and trade acquisition Brock Burke would have been the two left-handers guaranteed to be on the Opening Day roster.
His injury should increase Sam Moll’s chances of breaking camp. The 34-year-old is out of options and on the roster bubble as the #3 lefty reliever on the depth chart. Moll gave up a 6.38 ERA despite an impressive 27% strikeout rate across 23 big league appearances last year. He has worked six scoreless innings with only one hit allowed this spring, but he has walked six of 23 hitters.
Francona said the Reds aren’t committed to replacing Ferguson with a left-hander, so Moll still doesn’t seem fully assured of a roster spot. Cincinnati would need to trade him or place him on waivers if they squeeze him out.
There’s also at least one spot available for a hard-throwing righty like Luis Mey, Connor Phillips, Zach Maxwell or the recently acquired Kyle Nicolas. Southpaw Brandon Williamson makes sense for a long relief role. Tejay Antone, Hagen Danner and Yunior Marte are among the non-roster invitees vying for jobs.