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Diamond Sports Group Emerges From Bankruptcy

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A bankruptcy judge has approved the plan put forward by Diamond Sports Group for the company to return from bankruptcy. The Athletic’s Evan Drellich was among those to first report the news.

Today’s confirmation hearing was the last step in a long-drawn-out process for DSG to return to business as usual, or at least some semblance of such. The company remains the broadcast home of the Braves, Cardinals, Marlins, Angels, Tigers, and Rays for 2025 and beyond. However, it will no longer host the Twins, Guardians, Brewers, Rangers, and Reds. The Royals could also be looking elsewhere for a broadcast deal; their relationship with DSG is still up in the air. Further changes include a new name for DSG’s regional sports networks (RSNs), FanDuel Sports Networks, and a deal to make DSG’s RSNs available on the Amazon Prime streaming service (for an additional fee).

The Braves and Major League Baseball filed an objection to DSG’s proposal last Friday, but Drellich noted that they later withdrew the objection. The United States Trustee Program also issued an objection, but Judge Christopher Lopez approved the plan regardless.

Reports emerged about two years ago, in the early days of 2023, that the company was in financial trouble. Cord cutting had delivered a big blow to the RSN model, impacting DSG and several other companies. DSG officially filed for bankruptcy in March of 2023 and it seemed at times as though they might not survive as their deals with teams fell apart one-by-one.

They have continued to hang on, though with a diminished portfolio. DSG used to have deals with the Padres and Diamondbacks, though both were dropped by DSG last year as part of the bankruptcy process. MLB took over the broadcasting, leaving things relatively unchanged for TV viewers while also opening up a direct-to-consumer streaming option. The Twins, Guardians and Brewers will be going down that path in 2025 as well. The Rangers and Reds are also cutting ties with DSG, though the future broadcast situation with those two clubs is less clear.

DSG will see if a pivot to streaming can help them. Many of their previous deals were only for in-market television broadcasting but Drellich relays today (X link) that the Braves have granted DSG streaming rights, meaning that the company now has those rights for each of the clubs that it still has deals with.

Whether that can that business model is sustainable in the long run for DSG remains to be seen. MLB expressed concern that the club would fall back into bankruptcy in the near future, so time will tell if that line of thinking is correct or not.

Whether it’s through DSG or MLB, these teams are generally expected to be receiving less revenue for the short term. It’s possible that streaming will eventually grow and make up some of the difference, but it’s impossible to know what those revenue streams will look like down the line. Some clubs, such as the Padres and Twins, have already lowered their payrolls in the wake of this paradigm shift. The Cardinals and Rangers plan to follow suit in 2025. That seemingly contributed to the weak offseason a year ago, so it’s an important facet of the baseball landscape and something to monitor going forward, for teams and players alike.

For fans of the clubs still with DSG, they can maintain the status quo if they like, as watching the games through a cable package will still be an option. But fans of many of these teams who are cord cutters will also now have the option of streaming the games without blackout restrictions, such as through the FanDuel app or an add-on to Amazon Prime.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed a desire to market a multi-team streaming bundle one day, something akin to MLB.TV but without local blackouts. If DSG had not been able to emerge from bankruptcy, then MLB would have had a base of almost half the league to include in that bundle. That didn’t end up coming to pass but perhaps the league could work out a deal with the company involving the few remaining clubs still connected to DSG.

Rangers Sign Luis Curvelo To Major League Contract

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November 13: The Rangers made it official today, announced they signed Curvelo to a major league deal. Their 40-man roster count climbs to 37.

November 10: The Rangers are closing in on a deal with right-handed reliever Luis Curvelo, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It will be a major league contract for the 24-year-old hurler.

Earlier this month, Morosi reported that Curvelo was “one of the most popular free agents” at the annual GM Meetings in San Antonio. To be clear, that doesn’t necessarily mean that teams preferred Curvelo to any of the top relievers on the market. More likely, it means they viewed him as a low-risk, high-reward target who could provide meaningful innings at a fraction of the price of a proven big league pitcher.

The Venezuela native signed with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2018 and worked his way up to Double-A Arkansas in 2024. Over 49 games (66 2/3 IP) this past season, he produced the best numbers of his career to date, pitching to a 2.57 ERA and 3.03 FIP. An unusually low 7.8% home run-to-fly ball ratio and an unsustainable .227 BABIP are signs that he’s due for some regression, but even so, it’s hard not to be impressed by his performance – especially his 30.6% strikeout rate.

Curvelo has been a full-time reliever since his age-18 season, which partially explains why he was never a highly-ranked prospect in Seattle’s system. However, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs liked what he saw enough to rank Curvelo as the no. 31 prospect in the Mariners organization this past July. Longenhagen was unconvinced by the righty’s fastball but had nothing but praise for his slider. For what it’s worth, Curvelo was even better from July onward, putting up a 1.86 ERA, a 2.44 FIP, and a 33.6% strikeout rate over his final 29 innings pitched.

As for why Seattle would let Curvelo walk after such a strong season? He was eligible for minor league free agency this offseason, and the Mariners would have had to add him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from leaving. Morosi suggests they simply didn’t have space on the 40-man, and evidently, they weren’t willing to make space either. The Rangers currently have four open spots on the 40-man, giving them plenty of room to add Curvelo to the mix. There’s a good chance he’ll begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Round Rock (he still has all of his minor league options remaining), but presumably, Texas is hoping he’ll play a role in the big league bullpen at some point next year.

By almost every metric, the Rangers’ bullpen was one of the worst in the league this past season. Collectively, Texas relievers ranked 26th in ERA, 23rd in SIERA, and 25th in FanGraphs WAR. To make matters worse, those poor numbers came in spite of phenomenal performances from veterans Kirby Yates and David Robertson, both of whom are now free agents. So are swingman José Ureña and Rangers bullpen mainstay José Leclerc. If this team is planning to get back into contention in 2025, and there’s no reason to think they aren’t, the bullpen is an obvious area for improvement. However, owner Ray Davis is reportedly hoping to get back under the $241MM luxury threshold, which means president of baseball operations Chris Young will have limited funds at his disposal. Thus, it makes perfect sense that Young would target the relatively inexpensive upside of Curvelo.

The Opener: Award Finalists, McCullough, Free Agent Prediction Contest

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As a new week of the MLB offseason begins, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. BBWAA awards finalists to be announced:

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will reveal the top three vote-getters (a.k.a. the finalists) for each of their four major awards tonight at 5:00 pm CT on MLB Network. Those four awards are the Most Valuable Player, the Cy Young Award, the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year, and the Manager of the Year. The favorites for the MVP and Cy Young in each league are already quite clear, while the Rookie of the Year looks like a two-man race in both the AL and NL. Aaron Judge (AL) and Shohei Ohtani (NL) are the MVP frontrunners, and Tarik Skubal (AL) and Chris Sale (NL) are the Cy Young frontrunners. Colton Cowser and Luis Gil seem to be the two strongest candidates for AL Rookie of the Year, while Jackson Merrill and Paul Skenes are battling it out in the NL. Simply put, it will be a major upset if any of the above names are not included among the finalists.

Tonight’s announcement could be most eye-opening when it comes to the Manager of the Year competition, which is often harder to predict. Potential candidates include Stephen Vogt (CLE), Matt Quatraro (KCR), A.J. Hinch (DET), and Brandon Hyde (BAL) in the AL and Pat Murphy (MIL), Mike Shildt (SDP), Rob Thomson (PHI), and Carlos Mendoza (NYM) in the NL.

2. Marlins and McCullough to make it official?

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reported on Sunday that the Marlins have hired Clayton McCullough as their new manager, but the team has yet to confirm the news. Fans can expect a formal announcement from Miami in the coming days, as well as a press conference to introduce the new skipper. For what it’s worth, the Marlins announced Skip Schumaker’s hiring in 2022 the same day the news broke, although he wasn’t officially introduced until the following week.

With McCullough’s hiring, all three managerial openings around the league have now been filled. However, there are still plenty of coaching roles available, particularly on McCullough’s staff in Miami. The Marlins have reportedly hired Pedro Guerrero to be their new hitting coach, but just about every other coaching job in Miami is still up for grabs.

3. Free Agent Prediction Contest closes tonight:

Get your picks in quick, because the annual MLB Trade Rumors Free Agent Prediction Contest closes tonight at 11:00 pm CT. And if you’ve already submitted your answers, don’t forget that you can edit the form until the entry period closes. Click here to enter the contest now!

The goal is simple: Correctly predict where MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents will sign this offseason. The winner will receive a $500 prize, and there is a $300 prize for the runner-up and a $100 prize for the third-place finisher. Anyone who finishes in the top 15 will also receive a one-year membership to Trade Rumors Front Office. For more details about the contest, click here.

Trade Candidate: Brandon Lowe

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When Brandon Lowe was healthy in 2020 and ’21, he was arguably the best second baseman in baseball. The Rays slugger led primary second basemen in home runs, RBI, OPS, wRC+, and FanGraphs WAR over those two seasons. Unfortunately, he has missed significant time with various injuries in each of the three years since. When he takes the field, however, Lowe is still a highly productive player. He launched 21 homers in 107 games this past season while producing a 123 wRC+ and 2.2 fWAR. His .350 xwOBA ranked in the 85th percentile of major league hitters.

Earlier this month, Tampa Bay picked up a $10.5MM team option for Lowe’s services in 2025, rather than paying him a $1MM buyout and sending him off to free agency. The Rays might be notoriously close-fisted, but still, there was little doubt they’d exercise the option. A net $9.5MM is a bargain for a player like Lowe, even if he sits out a third of the season with injuries once again. That being said, a $10.5MM salary puts Lowe in a tie with Jeffrey Springs for the highest paycheck on the club next year. To put it another way, it’s approximately 12% of the team’s estimated payroll for 2025 (per RosterResource). Thus, it’s more than fair to wonder if the Rays would rather spread that money across multiple roster spots rather than give it all to one injury-prone player. In other words, it’s fair to wonder if Lowe will be wearing a new uniform by Opening Day next March.

Tampa Bay has a long track of trading veteran players once their salaries start to increase, even when the team is still planning to contend. As the Rays enter the 2024-25 offseason coming off their worst finish since 2017, and coming off a season in which they sold big at the trade deadline, it seems even more believable that they would consider trading Lowe. Furthermore, the Rays have multiple internal options who could replace Lowe in the lineup (even if they can’t necessarily replace his production). One of Junior Caminero or José Caballero could potentially slide over to second base, while Christopher Morel could slot in for Caminero at third base or Taylor Walls could replace Caballero at shortstop. Former top prospect Curtis Mead is another infielder to keep in mind.

Then again, the fact that the Rays didn’t trade Lowe at last year’s deadline could be an indication that they’d like to hold onto him for 2025. After all, they might be cheap, but they also love a good value play. If the Rays shop Lowe around and come to the conclusion that he is severely undervalued around the league, they might prefer to hold onto him.

Back in August, Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, “I don’t think the industry and even our own fans understand the impact [Lowe] makes in our lineup.” If president of baseball operations Erik Neander shares that opinion, he might be hesitant to part with his All-Star second baseman. Neander recently expressed confidence in Lowe’s bat and glove, telling Topkin, that Lowe is “most valuable” as a second baseman but that the team could continue to give him some time at first base and DH next season to have his powerful bat in the lineup as often as possible.

It’s also worth mentioning that Lowe has another team option for 2026 (valued at $11.5MM with a $500K buyout), which means Tampa Bay could keep him around for the start of next season and still have the flexibility to trade him at a later date. What’s more, the Rays have numerous other trade candidates on the roster. Lowe isn’t the only player they can flip if they’re facing pressure to cut payroll in light of the damage to Tropicana Field or the team’s current lack of a broadcast deal.

First baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks are two of the top 10 players on MLBTR’s list of the top 35 trade candidates of the offseason. Díaz (no. 5) will be making $10MM next year, and he has a $12MM team option for the following season. His contract also includes a $1MM trade assignment bonus. Fairbanks (no. 7) is set to collect $3.67MM in 2025, and he has a $7MM club option with a $1MM buyout for 2026. One more name to keep in mind is Zack Littell. He doesn’t have the same star power as Díaz or even Fairbanks, but he has proven himself to be a capable mid-rotation starter over the last year and a half. He made just $1.85MM this past season, but he is projected to earn close to a $3MM raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Another factor to consider is the market for second baseman this offseason, both in terms of free agents and trade candidates. Only two of MLBTR’s top 50 free agents are primary second basemen: Gleyber Torres (no. 20) and Hyeseong Kim (no. 26). One could easily imagine why teams would prefer Lowe over either of them, especially on such a team-friendly contract. However, things could get more complicated if any teams are seriously pursuing Alex Bregman (no. 3), Willy Adames (no. 5), or Ha-Seong Kim (no. 43) to play second base. Ha-Seong Kim was a primary second baseman as recently as 2023, while both Adames and Bregman have expressed a willingness to switch positions.

As for the trade market, second basemen who could be on the move include Luis Arraez (no. 17 on MLBTR’s top trade candidates list), Brendan Donovan (no. 20), and Nolan Gorman (no. 21). However, none of those players seem particularly likely to be dealt, and they all fill different niches than Lowe. Funnily enough, all four bat left-handed, but Lowe is the only one who offers proven, middle-of-the-order power against both left- and right-handed pitching.

So, do you think the Rays will hold onto Lowe this winter? Or will they have a new second baseman on Opening Day 2025? Have your say in the poll below!

(poll link for app users)

 

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Gosuke Katoh Retires, Joins Blue Jays Front Office

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After 10 years in affiliated ball and two seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, infielder Gosuke Katoh is trading in his playing equipment for a gig behind the scenes. Days after announcing his retirement, Katoh revealed on his Instagram account that he has taken a job in the Blue Jays front office.

Katoh, 30, was born and raised in California, moving from the Bay Area to San Diego as a young child. The Yankees selected him out of high school in the second round of the 2013 draft, and he spent the next seven years working his way up the minor league ladder in their system. He elected minor league free agency after the 2019 campaign and proceeded to bounce between the Marlins, Padres, and Blue Jays organizations before finally getting the chance to make his major league debut. He made Toronto’s Opening Day roster in 2022, appearing in eight games before he was designated for assignment in early May. Across 11 plate appearances, he went 1-for-7 with three walks and a sacrifice bunt, scoring twice and striking out only once. The Mets claimed him off of waivers, and although they briefly recalled him from Triple-A for a handful of days, he never appeared in another big league game. New York DFA’d and outrighted him in June and released him at the end of the year.

Following the 2022 season, Katoh entered the NPB draft. (As a Japanese citizen, he had no choice but to be drafted before he could sign with an NPB club.) The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, his favorite team growing up, selected him in the third round, and he played for the Fighters in 2023 and ’24. Over those two years, he appeared in 90 games for the Fighters and another 64 with their minor league farm team in the Eastern League. Unfortunately, he had a particularly rough year at the plate this past season. Over 28 NPB games, he slashed .172/.238/.190 with one run, one RBI, and one extra-base hit.

Last Sunday, Katoh announced his retirement on Instagram, and yesterday, he revealed that he’ll be reuniting with the Blue Jays to take on an as-of-yet-unspecified role in the front office. The team has yet to confirm the news itself or provide any further details about Katoh’s role.

Reggie Jackson Steps Down From Astros Front Office Role

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After four seasons as a special advisor in the Astros front office, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is leaving the team. The 78-year-old baseball lifer reportedly wants to spend more time with his family in California. He also has other business ventures to focus on, including a car dealership and various endorsements. Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post were the first to announce the news.

Jackson was thought to be a highly influential presence in Houston’s front office. Speaking with Heyman and Sherman on their podcast “The Show” earlier this year, he named himself, Craig Biggio, and Jeff Bagwell as three advisors who were “very much involved” in the team’s decision-making, along with general manager Dana Brown and owner Jim Crane. His specific duties with the Astros were never entirely clear, although Chandler Rome of The Athletic explains that he was “a fixture in spring training, on select trips and behind the batting cages at Minute Maid Park.” He also worked with two of the team’s charitable foundations. Jackson described himself to the New York Post as a “pseudo executive.”

Presumably, his advisory gig with the Astros was more fulfilling than the special advisor role he previously held in the Yankees organization. Although Jackson spent twice as many seasons with the Athletics, he is perhaps best remembered as a member of the Yankees. It was in New York that he earned the nickname “Mr. October,” and it is a Yankees cap atop his head on his Hall of Fame plaque. Soon after his playing career ended, he joined New York’s front office as an advisor, a role he held for close to 30 years. However, speaking about his job in the organization for the documentary Reggie, he expressed frustration with his lack of influence in the front office, saying it reached a point where he “really couldn’t get heard.” In contrast, he said that in Houston he was genuinely “part of the decision-making process” and added that he “couldn’t have landed in a better spot.”

While Jackson is stepping away from the game for now, he has not closed the book on his career in Major League Baseball. It’s not as if he’s already looking for a new job, but he stopped short of shutting down the possibility. He didn’t even rule out a potential return to the Yankees. “I still like being around the game,” he explained. “[But] I don’t want to be gone as much.”

Tigers To Give Kenta Maeda “Every Opportunity” To Earn Back Role In Rotation

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Kenta Maeda was the Tigers’ biggest signing of the 2023-24 offseason, but his tenure in Detroit got off to a disappointing start. Kicking off the first season of a two-year, $24MM deal, he gave up three long balls and six runs over 3 1/3 innings in his Tigers debut. It was more of the same across his first 16 starts: 65 2/3 innings, 15 home runs, and a 7.26 ERA. Detroit went 5-11 in those contests. While his 4.88 SIERA suggested he was due for some positive regression, it still put him among the bottom 10 pitchers (min. 60 IP) in the American League.

Thus, just before the All-Star break, the Tigers decided to move Maeda to the bullpen indefinitely – although not necessarily permanently. Indeed, he still took on a starter’s workload in several of his bullpen appearances, throwing at least 80 pitches out of the ’pen on four separate occasions. He also started the final game of the regular season after the Tigers had already clinched a Wild Card berth. Now, he’s back in the conversation for a role in the starting rotation in 2025.

President of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke to members of the media (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) at the GM Meetings in San Antonio, where he made it clear that Maeda “will have every opportunity to earn a job” in the Tigers rotation this spring. The POBO acknowledged that Maeda’s pure stuff and pitchability were lacking early in the year but noted that the veteran looked much stronger in the summer months. “I thought he pitched pretty well down the stretch for us,” Harris explained.

Indeed, Maeda put up much better numbers out of the bullpen, pitching to a 3.86 ERA and 3.23 SIERA over 42 innings in July, August, and September. However, he struggled once again upon his return to the rotation for game 162, giving up five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.

That final outing notwithstanding, it isn’t surprising the Tigers are giving Maeda another chance to earn a starting role. With a $10MM salary for 2025, he’s currently the highest-paid pitcher on the team. He also has a long track record of success as a starter, with a career 4.23 ERA and 3.91 FIP in 171 big league starts. What’s more, he was downright dominant in his last fully healthy season, putting up a 2.70 ERA and 2.92 SIERA in 2020 en route to a second-place finish for the AL Cy Young.

Admittedly, that was several years ago and a shortened season, but the point remains that Maeda has been a highly successful starting pitcher in the not-too-distant past. Finally, the Tigers don’t have any locks for the 2025 rotation beyond ace Tarik Skubal and promising young righty Reese Olson. Even if they make a couple of additions, there will be a battle for at least one spot in the rotation this spring.

Harris re-emphasized that the team “could have done a better job” preparing Maeda last winter as he transitioned from the Twins to the Tigers. To that point, the Tigers have designed a new program for the right-hander this offseason. As part of that program, Petzold suggests Maeda will be throwing more regularly throughout the coming months; last year, he only threw one bullpen session back home in Japan before returning stateside for spring training.

It’s far from a guarantee that Maeda will re-claim his job in the rotation. Even if he does, it’s no sure thing he’ll stay there all year long. He’s going to turn 37 next April, an age at which it would be fair to worry about his performance even if he weren’t an injury-prone pitcher coming off a career-worst season. And now that the Tigers have officially entered their window of contention, they can’t afford to give him as long of a leash as they might have in years past. If Maeda is going to be a key contributor for the Tigers next season, he’s going to have to earn it by looking more like his younger self and less like the starter he was in 2024.

The Opener: Platinum Gloves, Objection Deadline, Premier12

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Now that the GM Meetings have wrapped up, here are three things we’ll be watching around baseball this weekend:

1. Platinum Glove winners to be revealed:

The Gold Glove Award winners were announced last weekend, honoring the best defensive player in each league at each position. Later today, Rawlings will reveal the winner of the 2024 Platinum Glove Awards, which honor the top defensive player in each league, regardless of position. All 10 Gold Glove winners in each league are eligible for the Platinum Glove, which is determined by a fan vote. Voting was live from Sunday through Thursday night.

Two previous Platinum Glove winners are eligible again this year: Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez and Giants third baseman Matt Chapman. Other strong contenders include Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho, who won the Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who led the majors in Statcast’s Fielding Run Value.

2. MLB’s objection deadline in DSG bankruptcy case:

Diamond Sports Group must prove in bankruptcy court that it has a feasible plan of action to avoid liquidation in the future, and Major League Baseball has the right to object to that plan. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, MLB has until 2:00 pm CT this afternoon to file its formal objection. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that this deadline has already been pushed back several times.

The Braves, Cardinals, and Marlins reportedly have deals in place to continue broadcasting their games with Diamond if/when the company emerges from bankruptcy, while the Twins, Guardians, and Brewers will broadcast their games through MLB instead. The Rangers have not yet made alternate plans, but they have suggested they will not negotiate a new deal with Diamond. As Drellich points out, that leaves the broadcast situations for the Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, and Rays up in the air. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reports that DSG “remains in talks with at least some of those teams.”

3. WBSC Premier12 kicks off this weekend:

The Premier12 championship, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, is set to kick off this Saturday. The action will begin with Panama vs. Netherlands, while Puerto Rico will take on the USA later that day. More matchups of the weekend include Venezuela vs. Mexico, Venezuela vs. Panama, Netherlands vs. the USA, and Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. The tournament, which features the 12 highest-ranked national baseball teams worldwide, runs from November 9 to 24. Games will be played in Mexico, Japan, and Taiwan.

Players on a 40-man roster are not eligible to participate in the Premier12, but there are several top-100 prospects on this year’s Team USA roster: Rays infielder Carson Williams, Cubs infielder Matt Shaw, Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford, Pirates infielder Termarr Johnson and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin. There are also a handful of free agents with MLB experience on this year’s roster, including Rich Hill and Dan Altavilla. The WBSC’s official web site has more info on the Premier12 event and full rosters for all the teams involved.

Alex Bregman Willing To Move To Second Base

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Earlier this month, Alex Bregman was awarded a Gold Glove for his defense at third base. He has been an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and a World Series champion, but this was the first Gold Glove of his nine-year career. The honor was well deserved. According to Baseball Savant, Bregman set new career highs in Outs Above Average (OAA) and Fielding Run Value (FRV). The metrics at FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus agree he was the most valuable defensive third baseman in the American League. Yet, Bregman’s agent Scott Boras revealed at the GM meetings this week that multiple teams have asked about his client’s willingness to move to second base – and Boras confirmed that Bregman would indeed be willing to make the change (per Bob Nightengale of USA Today).

It’s not necessarily surprising that Bregman would be amenable to switching positions. Extra versatility will only make him more appealing as a free agent. The more suitors he can attract, the more money he can command. Similar reports came out this week about fellow top free agent Willy Adames, a talented shortstop who would be willing to move to second or third base on the right deal. Moreover, it’s not as if Bregman would be completely new to the keystone. He played a handful of games at second base in each of his first three MLB seasons. He also has plenty of experience at shortstop from college and his early professional years.

What is slightly more surprising is the fact that teams would be interested in Bregman playing second base in the first place. He’s a good enough hitter that his bat could play anywhere around the diamond, but he is an experienced third baseman coming off the best defensive season of his career. It’s hard to imagine his glove would be quite as valuable at a new position – nor would his bat necessarily play any better at second base. Historically, second base has been a weaker offensive position than third, but the gap has nearly disappeared over the last two years. From 2023-24, second basemen have produced a .308 wOBA. Third baseman have put up a .309 wOBA in that time. Finally, there is more competition on the free agent market at second base than third. Adames and Ha-Seong Kim can play both positions, but each has more big league experience at second. In addition, two of MLBTR’s top 50 free agents are primary second basemen: Gleyber Torres and Hyeseong Kim. Bregman is the only primary third baseman on our top 50 list.

On the other hand, Bregman has never had a good arm for a third baseman. What’s more, it’s quite possible he would have been a second baseman all along if it weren’t for Jose Altuve blocking the position in Houston. Considering Bregman’s arm looked weaker than usual in 2024 (and that he just had surgery on his throwing elbow), perhaps some of his suitors think he’ll be a better defender at second base in the long run. Alternatively, they might just be hedging their bets in case his elbow problems linger into next season.

Regardless, Bregman continues to be most strongly linked to Houston this offseason. GM Dana Brown told reporters (including Jon Heyman of the New York Post) at the GM Meetings that he thinks the Astros have “a really good chance” of re-signing their homegrown star. In that case, there is no doubt he would resume his duties at the hot corner in 2025. Altuve is coming off another All-Star season at second, and the face of the Astros franchise is under contract for another five years and $125 million.

Blue Jays Believed To Have Gotten Under Luxury Tax Threshold

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According to a report from Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays are thought to have gotten their 2024 player payroll below the first competitive balance tax threshold of $237MM. However, that will not be confirmed until later this offseason when the commissioner’s office calculates each team’s final payroll and formally announces which clubs will have to pay luxury tax penalties for the 2024 season.

The Blue Jays came into the season with a luxury tax payroll approximately $11MM above the first threshold, but they shaved some money off the books by trading several players ahead of the deadline. It’s also worth keeping in mind that publicly available payroll estimates are exactly that – estimates.

According to the estimates at RosterResource, 10 teams (including the Blue Jays) are in line to pay the luxury tax this January. The Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Phillies, Astros, Giants, and Rangers are certain to be penalized, while the Blue Jays and Cubs are close enough that they could potentially slip under the $237MM threshold in the final calculations. RosterResource has Toronto’s final 2024 luxury tax payroll at $240.4MM and Chicago’s at $238.4MM. While neither the Blue Jays nor the Cubs would have to pay a particularly high penalty for their modest overages (if they do in fact go over), the Blue Jays, in particular, could benefit from resetting their penalties. They paid the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history last season. Luxury tax penalties increase when a team goes over the first threshold for a second consecutive season and increase again when a team goes over for a third consecutive season. Unless the Blue Jays are confidently planning to decrease payroll this winter, it would make a big difference if they could reset their penalties this year. After all, a 30% tax on a few million dollars in overages wouldn’t be that big of a deal for Toronto, but the potential for a 50% tax (the penalty for a third-time offender) next year and beyond could significantly hamper offseason spending.

What’s more, if the Blue Jays get under the luxury tax threshold, they would only lose their second-highest draft pick (and not their second and fifth-highest picks) if they sign a free agent who received the qualifying offer this winter. Similarly, they would only lose $500K of international bonus pool money rather than $1MM. Perennial high-spenders, like the World Series champion Dodgers, understand that it’s worth losing a few draft picks and some international bonus pool money in order to sign the best major league players and field the most competitive major league team. However, one can understand why the Blue Jays, who finished 74-88 in 2024 and would likely only be a few million over the luxury tax threshold (if they went over at all), would prefer not to be so harshly penalized.

There is no reason to believe the Blue Jays are entering a rebuilding or retooling phase after their disappointing 2024 season. Instead, it seems more likely they will try to contend once again in their final season of team control over Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. As they attempt to do so, it would certainly help if they don’t have to be quite so concerned about signing a QO free agent or bringing next year’s payroll above the first luxury tax threshold ($241MM in 2025). Davidi notes that team president Mark Shapiro doesn’t see the team’s payroll “either growing or decreasing in a big way,” but that still leaves for the team to sign at least one QO free agent and possibly eclipse the first tier of the CBT. RosterResource estimates that Toronto’s luxury tax payroll for 2025 is currently $211.2MM, approximately $29.2MM lower than this past year’s estimated total.

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