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Marlins Outright Xzavion Curry

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The Marlins have sent right-hander Xzavion Curry through waivers unclaimed, per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. He was designated for assignment earlier this week when the club claimed Ronny Henriquez off waivers. Curry has been outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville but will be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Curry, 26, was once a notable prospect in the Guardians’ system. A seventh-round pick of the Guards in 2019, he tossed 219 2/3 minor league innings over 2021 and 2022. He had a 3.28 earned run average, 28.7% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Baseball America ranked him as one of the club’s top 30 prospects going into 2022 and 2023.

He also made his MLB debut in 2022, though only made two appearances that year. He stuck in the majors in 2023 and was in a swing role for Cleveland, tossing 95 innings over nine starts and 32 relief appearances with a 4.07 ERA, 16.6% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate.

In 2024, he was frequently shuttled between the majors and minors. His big league work with Cleveland last year resulted in a 5.84 ERA, 13.9% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate. He also had a 6.58 ERA in 53 1/3 Triple-A innings, so the Guardians designated him for assignment in August.

The Marlins put in a claim at that time but have now passed him through waivers. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency. He will therefore give the club a bit of extra depth without taking up a roster spot. His numbers haven’t been great over the past two years but he also hasn’t had a consistent role in that time. If the Fish get him back on track and put him back on the roster, he has another option year and less than two years of service time.

Marlins Sign Cal Quantrill

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The Marlins announced that they have signed right-hander Cal Quantrill to a one-year deal. Left-hander Braxton Garrett has been transferred to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding move. Quantrill’s deal reportedly guarantees him $3.5MM, though the Excel Sports Management client can potentially earn another $500K via incentives.

Quantrill, 30, just finished a season pitching for the Rockies. After a few years pitching for the Guardians, he was flipped to Colorado and had to navigate the challenge of pitching at altitude in 2024. Given the conditions, the results were passable. He made 29 starts and logged 148 1/3 innings, allowing 4.98 earned runs per nine. His 16.8% strikeout rate was subpar but pretty normal for him. His 10.5% walk rate was a bit higher than average while his 44.4% ground ball rate was right around par.

The Rockies could have brought Quantrill back for 2025, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $9MM salary, but they opted to non-tender him instead. That sent him to free agency without being exposed to waivers, which made him available to work out this deal with the Marlins.

He has had some better numbers in the past. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Cleveland, he worked a swing role, making 54 starts and 18 relief appearances. Over those campaigns, he posted a 3.16 ERA with an 18% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 42.6% ground ball rate. He benefited from a .274 batting average on balls in play and 77.9% strand rate in that time, which were both on the lucky side. His 4.10 FIP and 4.50 SIERA over that span were perhaps better reflections of his performance but still solid numbers for a back-end starter or swingman.

In 2023, things regressed for him a bit. He spent some time on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation and was only able to make 19 starts. He had a 5.24 ERA and was designated for assignment after the season, which led to his trade to Colorado.

The Marlins are likely looking for Quantrill to serve as a steadying force in a rotation that has talent but is in flux. With the club rebuilding, they have had a strong willingness to deal players over the past year. In the rotation, they traded Trevor Rogers to the Orioles at last year’s deadline and then Jesús Luzardo to the Phillies in this offseason. Garrett is also going to miss the 2025 season while recovering from surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Eury Pérez is recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t slated to return until around the All-Star break.

As of now, the on-paper rotation consists of Sandy Alcántara, Ryan Weathers, Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer, with plenty of uncertainty in those remaining options. Alcántara is returning after Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 campaign. Even if he’s successful in coming back healthy, he will likely be in trade rumors this summer. Weathers had some good numbers last year but spent a decent chunk of time on the IL due to a finger strain and still hasn’t thrown 100 innings in an MLB season. Cabrera has also never hit the 100-inning plateau and has walked 13.3% of opponents in his career. He’s also been in plenty of trade rumors and could be flipped if he shows some hints of improvement. Meyer missed the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and came back last year to make 11 big league starts with a 5.68 ERA.

The Fish have some depth options like Valente Bellozo, Adam Mazur and Connor Gillispie, but those guys all have options. Quantrill can take a rotation spot and bump those guys down to the Triple-A rotation, at least until an injury or a trade opens up an opportunity. If Quantrill pitches well, he’ll likely end up on the trade block himself.

RosterResource currently pegs the Marlins for a competitive balance number of just over $83MM, which should jump to around $86-87MM once Quantrill’s deal is factored in. It has been reported that they may need to get up to $105MM to avoid being subject to a grievance from the MLBPA, in relation to the use of their revenue-sharing funds. If the club plans to get to that number, then perhaps they will look to make further upgrades to their roster in the coming weeks.

 Alden González of ESPN reported that the two sides were in agreement prior to the official announcement. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald first reported the $3.5MM guarantee. Robert Murray of FanSided reported that Quantrill can earn as much as $4MM on the deal, suggesting that there are potential incentives worth $500K.

MLBTR Podcast: Pete Alonso’s Deal, And Potential Landing Spots For Bregman and Arenado

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • Pete Alonso re-signing with the Mets (1:45)
  • What’s next for the Blue Jays after not getting Alonso? (9:25)
  • Will the Mets and Alonso going to reunite again in the future or will this be it? (12:55)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What teams could still sign Alex Bregman? (17:50)
  • Can the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado to the Red Sox? (29:20)
  • Do the Orioles need an ace? (37:55)
  • What are the Marlins building right now? (39:30)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Which Teams Should Still Sign A Free Agent Starter?

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Spring training is beginning to kick off around the league, and as is perennially the case, there are a handful of notable free agents still looking for homes. That's of particular importance for the group of starting pitchers who still remain unsigned. Over the years, we've typically (not always) seen late-signing hitters struggle less than late-signing pitchers. Starting pitchers, in particular, seem to benefit from a full, gradual ramp-up rather than the sort of accelerated build that inherently comes with a mid-March signing.

Nick Pivetta stands as the most notable starter who's yet to find a landing spot. He's surely been impacted by the qualifying offer that's hanging over his head. Any team other than the incumbent Red Sox would need to forfeit at least one draft pick (possibly two, depending on CBT status) in order to sign the longtime Boston righty. Others still on the market include veteran mid-rotation or back-end starters Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana, Kyle Gibson, Cal Quantrill, Ross Stripling, Lance Lynn and Patrick Corbin -- just to name some. (A full list can be seen here.)

This time of year, there's plenty of talk about teams that still need to add an arm. That can take different shapes, however. I wrote about the Mets' rotation for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers last week, but the Mets aren't necessarily the type of team that needs to go out and add an innings eater to step into the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation. They have myriad options there already. Any addition for them, presumably, would be a clear-cut playoff starter. It's a similar situation with the Orioles, Cubs, Blue Jays and many other postseason hopefuls. Other clubs, like the Tigers and Pirates, have a mostly set group with a bevy of interesting young, MLB-ready top prospects knocking on the door. Signing Quintana or Gibson to eat innings likely isn't in the cards for teams in either of these groups.

At this stage of the offseason, some of those available free agents might need to wait for a spring injury or a trade to create the opportunity they seek. But there are still teams around the league that are rather clearly in need of some steady innings in the Nos. 3-5 spots in the rotation. Let's run through some clubs that have the need and, as crucially, the budget (or lack thereof) to add an established veteran arm to the back of the staff.

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Marlins Claim Ronny Henriquez, Designate Xzavion Curry For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they have claimed right-hander Ronny Henriquez off waivers from the Twins. The latter club had designated him for assignment last week. To open a roster spot, the Marlins have designated right-hander Xzavion Curry for assignment.

Henriquez, 25 in June, came up through the minors as a starter but has been kept mostly in a relief role for the past two seasons. To this point in his career, he has thrown 31 innings in the big leagues over 19 appearances, including one start. He has allowed just 2.90 earned runs per nine in that small sample. His 18.2% strikeout rate is subpar but his 6.1% walk rate and 53.1% ground ball rate are both strong numbers.

He made 34 Triple-A appearances last year, just three of those being starts, logging 55 innings overall. In that time, he had a 3.44 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 53.8% ground ball rate.

That was a pretty decent season on the farm but he exhausted his final option year, meaning he’s now out of options going into 2025. That got him squeezed off the Minnesota roster when the Twins needed to make space for their signings of Danny Coulombe and Harrison Bader.

For the Marlins, they are clearly not targeting a competitive year in 2025. Their offseason has mostly focused on subtractions, as they have traded controllable players like Jesús Luzardo to the Phillies and Jake Burger to the Rangers.

Their bullpen is fairly wide open. They traded Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, Bryan Hoeing, Huascar Brazobán and JT Chargois at last year’s deadline. Now Anthony Bender is the only reliever on the club with more than three years of service time and Andrew Nardi is the only other guy over the two-year line. In short, Henriquez has much better odds of sticking on the roster in Miami than he did with a competitive club like the Twins.

If he manages to hold onto a spot, he’ll be affordable and controllable for quite a while. He has less than a year of service time, meaning he’s still at least two years away from arbitration and six years from free agency. Though of course, that all depends on him performing well enough to avoid another DFA from his new club.

Curry, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Guardians in August. He has 147 innings of big league experience with a 4.35 ERA, 15.7% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. He tossed 60 2/3 minor league innings last year with a 6.97 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate.

The Marlins will now have a week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next for Curry, whether that’s a trade or some fate on waivers. He was once a notable prospect in the Cleveland system, which could intrigue some clubs. Over 2021 and 2022, he tossed 219 2/3 innings in the minors with a 3.28 ERA, 28.7% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. He was then kept in the big league bullpen in 2023 before struggling last year.

Curry still has an option remaining, so he could be kept as minor league depth if any club is willing to give him a 40-man spot. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he would provide the Marlins with some non-roster depth. He has less than three years of service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright, meaning he won’t have the right to reject an outright assignment.

Marlins Sign Janson Junk To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins announced that right-hander Janson Junk has been signed to a minor league deal. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client will be in major league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Junk, 29, spent 2024 bouncing around the league. He started the year with the Brewers as a depth arm, getting frequently recalled and optioned back down to the minors. The club designated him for assignment in late July when Devin Williams came off the 60-day injured list. Junk was put on waivers and claimed by the Astros, then went to the Athletics via another waiver claim about a month later. The A’s outrighted him off their roster shortly thereafter and he was able to elect free agency at season’s end.

Around those transactions, he was only able to toss eight innings in the majors. He also got limited big league work in the previous three campaigns, so he now has a 6.75 earned run average in 40 innings in his career overall. His 18% strikeout rate in that time is subpar but his 5.8% walk rate has been good and his 44.3% ground ball rate around average.

His minor league track record has naturally been larger and more impressive. Over the past four years, he has tossed 367 innings on the farm with a 3.83 ERA, 20.5% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate. That includes 60 1/3 Triple-A innings in 2024, working both out of the rotation and bullpen, with a 3.58 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and 46.3% ground ball rate.

The Marlins have a fair amount of uncertainty on their pitching staff. In the rotation, they recently traded Jesús Luzardo and lost Braxton Garrett to season-ending surgery. Eury Pérez will return from his surgery this year, but probably not until the All-Star break. As of now, Sandy Alcántara, Ryan Weathers, Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer project as the front four, with guys like Valente Bellozo, Adam Mazur and others in the mix for back-end jobs.

In the bullpen, the Marlins traded away Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, Bryan Hoeing, Huascar Brazobán and JT Chargois at the deadline. They current have no relievers with more than four years of service time, with Anthony Bender the only one over the three-year mark and Andrew Nardi the only other one beyond the two-year line. In short, it’s wide open.

Since Junk has pitched both as a starter and reliever, he’ll give the Fish a bit of extra depth in both departments. If he makes it to the majors, he is out of options, which will limit his roster flexibility. If he does get a roster spot, he has less than a year of service time, so he can be cheaply retained for the foreseeable future.

Eury Pérez Targeting Return Around All-Star Break

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Marlins FanFest is taking place this weekend at loanDepot Park, giving members of the media access to players and staff. Right-hander Eury Pérez spoke today, giving an update on his situation, with Christina De Nicola of MLB.com among those to relay the particulars.

The young righty underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. Today, he said he has already thrown seven bullpens and described himself as 75%. As for a timeline, he says he’s targeting a return around the All-Star break in July. That roughly aligns with the normal timeline following such a surgery, as pitchers usually take 14-plus months to come back.

The Marlins don’t seem to have their sights set on competing in 2025. They went 62-100 last year and their offseason has been more focused on subtractions, at least when it comes to the major league roster. Their biggest signing has been adding utility player Eric Wagaman on a split deal. They traded Jesús Luzardo to the Phillies and Jake Burger to the Rangers, getting prospects back in both instances.

As such, Pérez and the club will have no real reason to rush the timeline. He is still quite young, not turning 22 until April, and is under club control through the 2029 season. Going at a measured pace and making sure he’s healthy for the long term is the sensible play. He was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball prior to his 2023 debut, when he tossed 91 1/3 innings with a 3.15 earned run average, 28.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.

As of now, the Marlins project to have a rotation nucleus of Sandy Alcántara, Ryan Weathers, Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer. Options for the back end include Valente Bellozo, Xzavion Curry, Adam Mazur and Connor Gillispie. If all goes according to plan, Pérez will jump into that mix in July, just before the trade deadline. If the Marlins are out of contention as expected, then it’s possible that Alcántara, Weathers and Cabrera could be in trade rumors at that time.

Elsewhere on the Miami roster, manager Clayton McCullough provided an update on left-hander Andrew Nardi, per De Nicola and Isaac Azout of Fish on First. Nardi had “some stuff flare up in the offseason” and will be a bit behind schedule in spring training, though the team is still awaiting clarity on the severity of the situation.

It’s unclear exactly what “stuff” was impacted by this flare-up. Nardi was placed on the injured list in August of last year due to a left elbow muscle injury and finished the season there. It’s unclear if his current status is related to that IL stint.

If Nardi is healthy, he would likely be viewed as a trade chip this summer, again assuming the Marlins aren’t in contention. He can be controlled through 2028, but the Fish haven’t been shy about trading controllable players in recent years. That includes the aforementioned Luzardo and Burger, as well as guys like Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., A.J. Puk, Huascar Brazobán, Bryan De La Cruz, Trevor Rogers and Bryan Hoeing last year.

In 2023, Nardi posted a 2.67 ERA across 57 1/3 innings, pairing a 30.3% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. In 49 2/3 innings in 2024, he actually increased his strikeout rate to 33.3% and lowered his walk rate to 8.6%. His ERA jumped to 5.07, but a lot of that was likely luck. His batting average on balls in play jumped from .288 to .325 from 2023 to 2024, while his strand rate dropped from 86.4% to 63.9%. Though his ERA almost doubled compared to the year prior, his 3.33 FIP last year was actually lower than his 3.60 FIP in 2023. His SIERA also dropped from 3.18 to 2.77.

Putting the last two years together, Nardi threw 107 innings with a 3.79 ERA, 32% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate. He won’t qualify for arbitration until after 2025 and would have three years of club control beyond that.

Marlins Considering Veteran Rotation Additions

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The Marlins have yet to sign a major league free agent to a fully guaranteed deal this offseason. (They signed former Angels farmhand Eric Wagaman to a major league pact, but that’s a non-guaranteed/split contract.) That could change in the near future, however, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Fish are considering a late-offseason addition of “a veteran starter or two.”

Miami lost lefty Braxton Garrett to UCL surgery and traded Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies this offseason. They’re not going to rush star prospect Eury Perez back from last April’s Tommy John surgery. Their once-vaunted rotation depth has been gutted by injuries and trades of several young arms.

As things stand, Miami projects to open the year with a rotation headlined by returning former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara (who missed the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery) and also including lefty Ryan Weathers, righty Edward Cabrera, and former No. 3 overall pick Max Meyer. Among the candidates for the final rotation spot are righties Valente Bellozo and Adam Mazur and southpaw Robby Snelling. Lefty Dax Fulton is also on the 40-man roster and once ranked as one of the system’s best arms, but he missed all of 2024 with the second Tommy John procedure of his young career.

Despite the trade of Luzardo and myriad question marks up and down the pitching staff, the Marlins have yet to make any big league additions and haven’t even been active in adding depth options on non-roster deals. It’s generally been a silent offseason for a Miami club that RosterResource currently projects for a paltry $67MM Opening Day payroll (with just $84MM of CBT obligations).

With a basement-level payroll (even by their standards) and plenty of fringe big leaguers on the current 40-man roster (plus the ability to put Garrett and/or Perez on the 60-day IL when camp opens), Miami has no real roadblocks to signing a starter or taking on a veteran via trade — other than whatever self-imposed spending limitations are in place. There are plenty of options to consider both via trade and free agency.

The Yankees, for instance, are eager to move sixth starter Marcus Stroman and willing to pay down some of his $18MM salary, though Miami might balk at the $18MM vesting player option that’d kick in if Stroman reached 140 innings. The D-backs would welcome trading a portion of Jordan Montgomery’s remaining year and $22.5MM. Ditto the Phillies and the remaining two years and $36MM on Taijuan Walker’s contract or the Cardinals and the $12MM they still owe to Steven Matz.

While the Fish could opportunistically use a Stroman, Montgomery, Matz or Walker trade as a means of effectively purchasing a prospect or two, the likelier and more straightforward path would be to finally venture into free agency. Miami isn’t going to surrender a draft pick to sign Nick Pivetta, but virtually any of the other remaining rotation arms could make sense. Among the yet unsigned names are Andrew Heaney, Kyle Gibson, Patrick Corbin, Cal Quantrill, Jose Quintana, Spencer Turnbull, Ross Stripling, Lance Lynn, Jakob Junis and Alex Wood. There also some post-injury rehab candidates to consider (e.g. Anthony DeSclafani, John Means, Jose Urquidy).

The Marlins are only in their second offseason under president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, but free agency essentially hasn’t been utilized during his tenure. Tim Anderson is the only guaranteed deal given out by Bendix in nearly two full offseasons at the wheel.

Marlins, Rob Brantly Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Marlins are in agreement with catcher Rob Brantly on a minor league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. The veteran returns to the organization with which he made his MLB debut more than a decade ago.

Brantly, now 35, was a Tigers draftee whom Detroit included in their 2012 deadline deal to acquire Aníbal Sánchez and Omar Infante from Miami. The Marlins called him up within a month of the trade. Brantly appeared in 98 games for the Fish, hitting .235/.298/.325 over 356 plate appearances. Miami lost him on waivers to the White Sox during the 2014-15 offseason.

That kicked off an extended career as a journeyman depth catcher. Brantly has appeared at the major league level in seven of the past 10 seasons. He hasn’t appeared in more than 14 big league games in any of those years. Brantly still has far more MLB experience with the Marlins than he does with any other team. He has appeared in 39 contests with five different teams since the end of the 2013 campaign.

Three of those games were last year as a member of the Rays. Brantly had a brief stint on Tampa Bay’s big league roster while starting catcher Ben Rortvedt was away attending to the birth of his child. He spent the rest of the year with Triple-A Durham, hitting .250/.316/.394 over 179 trips to the plate. Brantly is a .266/.324/.390 hitter over parts of 12 Triple-A seasons.

The Marlins have three catchers on their 40-man roster: Nick Fortes, Liam Hicks and Agustín Ramírez. Hicks is a Rule 5 pick out of the Rangers organization. Ramírez is a highly-regarded prospect who headlined last summer’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade return. Fortes is the only member of that trio who has played in the big leagues. Brantly brings a lot of experience to the upper minors. He could back up Ramírez at Triple-A Jacksonville to open the season.

Players Who Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins

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Most of the clubs in the league currently have a full 40-man roster, which means that just about every transaction requires a corresponding move these days. Some extra roster flexibility is on the way, however. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series but comes back when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Per R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports, most clubs have a report date of February 12th or 13th. The Cubs and Dodgers are a bit earlier than most, on the 9th and 11th, respectively. That’s due to the fact that those clubs are heading to Tokyo, with exhibition games in mid-March, followed by regular season games against each other on March 18th and 19th. All the other teams have Opening Day scheduled for March 27th.

It’s worth pointing out that the 60 days don’t start being counted until Opening Day. Although a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL quite soon, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until end of May or later. A team also must have a full 40-man roster in order to move a player to the 60-day IL.

There are still plenty of free agents still out there, including big names like Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, as well as Nick Pivetta, Andrew Heaney, David Robertson, Randal Grichuk, Kenley Jansen, Harrison Bader, Lance Lynn, Jose Quintana and many more. Perhaps the extra roster flexibility will spur some deals to come together in the next week or so. It could also increase the ability of some clubs to make waiver claims or small trades for players who have been designated for assignment.

Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time and could find themselves transferred soon.

Angels: Robert Stephenson

Stephenson underwent a hybrid Tommy John surgery with internal brace in late April. Given the 14-plus months required to recovery from such a procedure, he’s not likely to be ready in the early parts of the 2025 season.

Astros: Cristian Javier, J.P. France, Bennett Sousa

Javier underwent Tommy John surgery in June and is targeting a return in the second half of 2025. France is recovering from shoulder surgery and hoping to return in July. Sousa’s timeline is less clear but he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in April. Other possibilities include Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr., who are expected to start the season on the IL but returning in April or May still seems possible.

Athletics: Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk

Medina underwent Tommy John surgery in August and Waldichuk in May. Medina might miss the entire season while Waldichuk is likely to miss a few months at least.

Blue Jays: Angel Bastardo, Alek Manoah

The Jays grabbed Bastardo from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft in December, even though he had Tommy John surgery in June. Manoah also had Tommy John around that time and is hoping to be back by August.

Braves: Joe Jiménez

Jimenez had knee surgery in November with a timeline of eight to twelve months, so he might miss the entire season. Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. are also possibilities, though those will be more borderline. Strider had internal brace surgery in April, so returning in May is somewhat possible. Acuña is recovering from a torn ACL last year and it’s possible he’ll miss the first month or so of the season. Given how important both of those players are, Atlanta probably won’t put them on the 60-day IL unless it’s 100% certain that they can’t come back in the first 60 days of the season.

Brewers: Robert Gasser

Gasser had Tommy John surgery in June and will be looking at a late 2025 return even in a best-case scenario.

Diamondbacks: Kyle Nelson

Nelson’s timeline is unclear, but he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in May and missed the remainder of the 2024 season.

Dodgers: Gavin Stone, Brusdar Graterol, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Emmet Sheehan

Stone underwent shoulder surgery in October that will cause him to miss the entire year. Graterol also underwent shoulder surgery and isn’t expected back until the second half of 2025. Each of Ryan, Hurt and Sheehan required Tommy John surgery in 2024: Ryan in August, Hurt in July and Sheehan in May.

Guardians: Sam Hentges, David Fry, Shane Bieber, Trevor Stephan

Hentges required shoulder surgery in September, with an expected recovery timeline of 12 to 14 months. Fry underwent UCL surgery in November with a more fluid timeline. He won’t be able to throw at all in 2025 but could be cleared for designated hitter action six to eight months from that surgery. Bieber is perhaps a borderline case, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in April. Given his importance, the Guards may not transfer him to the 60-day IL until it’s assured that he won’t be back in the first 60 days of the season. Stephan underwent Tommy John surgery in March and perhaps has a chance to avoid the 60-day IL, depending on his progression.

Mariners: Matt Brash, Jackson Kowar

Brash underwent Tommy John surgery in May. Given the typical 14-month recovery timeline from that procedure, he would be looking at a midsummer return. However, it was reported in November that he’s ahead of schedule and could be back by the end of April. That’s an optimistic timeline but the Mariners will probably hold off moving him to the 60-day IL until the door is closed to an early return. Kowar underwent Tommy John in March, so an early return in 2025 is possible for him, depending on how his recovery is going.

Marlins: Braxton Garrett, Eury Pérez

Garrett just underwent UCL surgery last month and is going to miss the entire 2025 season. Pérez underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year and will miss at least part of the beginning of the 2025 campaign.

Mets: Christian Scott

Scott required a Tommy John surgery and internal brace hybrid procedure in September and will likely miss the entire 2025 season.

Nationals: Josiah Gray, Mason Thompson

Gray required a Tommy John surgery and internal brace hybrid procedure in July, meaning he’ll miss most or perhaps all of the 2025 season. Thompson required Tommy John surgery in March, so he has a better chance to make an early-season return if his recovery is going well.

Orioles: Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells

Bradish and Wells each required UCL surgery in June, so they’re both slated to miss the first half of the upcoming campaign.

Padres: Joe Musgrove

Musgrove had Tommy John surgery in October and will therefore miss the entire 2025 season. However, the Padres only have 36 guys on their 40-man roster at the moment, so they’ll need to fill those spots before moving Musgrove to the 60-day IL.

Pirates: Dauri Moreta

Moreta required UCL surgery in March, so an early-season return is possible if his rehab is going well, though he could end up on the 60-day if the club goes easy with his ramp-up or he suffers any kind of setback.

Rangers: Josh Sborz

Sborz underwent shoulder surgery in November and is expected to miss the first two to three months of the upcoming season.

Rays: Nate Lavender, Ha-Seong Kim

The Rays took Lavender from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft, even though he had Tommy John in May and will miss the start of the season. Kim’s status is more up in the air after he had shoulder surgery in October. Various reports have suggested he could return anywhere from April to July. The Rays made a sizable investment in Kim, their largest ever for a position player, so they probably won’t shelve him until they get more clarity on his status.

Red Sox: Patrick Sandoval, Garrett Whitlock, Chris Murphy

Sandoval had internal brace surgery in June of last year and should miss the first half of the season. Whitlock had the same surgery in May, so he could have a bit of a better chance to return in the first 60 days of the season. Murphy underwent a fully Tommy John surgery in April and will certainly miss the beginning of the upcoming season. Another possibility is Lucas Giolito, who had internal brace surgery in March, though he expects to be ready by Opening Day.

Reds: Julian Aguiar, Brandon Williamson

Aguiar underwent Tommy John surgery in October and Williamson in September, so both are likely slated to miss the entire 2025 season.

Tigers: Sawyer Gipson-Long

Gipson-Long underwent internal brace surgery in April. On top of that, he underwent left hip labral repair surgery in July, with the club hoping to address both issues at the same time. It seems likely that he’ll miss some of the early 2025 schedule, but his IL placement will depend on how he’s been progressing.

White Sox: Jesse Scholtens

Scholtens underwent Tommy John surgery in early March. Whether he goes on the 60-day IL or not will depend on how he’s progressed since then and when the White Sox expect him back.

Yankees: Jonathan Loáisiga

Loáisiga underwent internal brace surgery in April, so he could potentially be back on the mound early in the 2025 season. It was reported in December that the Yankees are expecting him to be in the bullpen by late April or early May, so he’ll only end up on the 60-day IL if he suffers a bit of a setback.

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