Astros Claim Ben Gamel
The Astros have claimed outfielder Ben Gamel off waivers from the Mets, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X. Gamel had recently been designated for assignment by the Mets. To open a 40-man roster spot for Gamel, the Astros have recalled right-hander J.P. France and placed him on the major league 60-day injured list. They will need to open an active roster spot for Gamel once he reports to the team.
Gamel, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason. He had a strong run for Triple-A Syracuse, getting into 45 games and slashing .314/.423/.538 for a wRC+ of 150. At least some of that production was related to a .400 batting average on balls in play that he wasn’t going to maintain, but he did hit seven home runs and was drawing walks at a strong clip of 16.3%.
The Mets called him up near the end of June with fellow outfielder Starling Marte going on the injured list. Gamel didn’t get much playing time but carried himself well whenever the Mets put him in there. In almost two months on the roster, he got into just 18 games and received just 30 plate appearances. But he walked in seven of those, a huge 23.3% rate, and slashed .217/.400/.261 for a wRC+ of 110. When Marte returned from the IL on the weekend, Gamel was nudged off the roster and onto the waiver wire.
Gamel now has nine major league seasons on his track record, a lengthy run of serviceable major league performance. Since his 2016 debut, he has played for the Yankees, Mariners, Brewers, Guardians, Pirates, Padres and now the Mets. In 703 big league games, he has a line of .252/.333/.382 and a 96 wRC+ while playing all three outfield positions and a bit of first base.
The Houston lineup has taken a few hits in the recent weeks and months. Kyle Tucker hasn’t played since the first week of June due to a shin contusion. Alex Bregman hasn’t played in almost a week due to an elbow injury. José Abreu was released earlier this year after a dismal performance. They also traded away some depth in the Yusei Kikuchi trade by sending Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner to the Blue Jays.
That has led to playing time going to guys with fairly uninspiring results. Jake Meyers has strong defensive grades in center but is hitting .228/.293/.387 for a wRC+ of 93. Mauricio Dubón has been bouncing around the diamond but is slashing .252/.284/.362 for a wRC+ of 82. Jon Singleton has taken over Abreu’s job at first base and has been passable but his .234/.316/.362 line leads to a subpar 96 wRC+. In the group of Trey Cabbage, Chas McCormick, Zach Dezenzo, Aledmys Díaz and Pedro León, no one has a wRC+ higher than 65. León was recently optioned and Díaz released. Shay Whitcomb has done well covering third for Bregman but in a small sample of just three games.
Dubón and McCormick have been getting regular playing time in the corners lately but Gamel could perhaps factor in there, as well as in the first base mix with Singleton and Dezenzo. Both Cabbage and Dezenzo have options and were just recalled in the past week, so perhaps one of those two will be optioned whenever Gamel can link up with the club.
As for France, he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in June, so it’s unsurprising to see him now landing on the 60-day IL. He had been optioned at the end of April and was on the minor league IL. By getting recalled now, he’ll get major league service time and pay for the remainder of the season. He had already crossed the one-year service mark earlier in the season, but will add a few weeks to his tally here at the end of 2024.
NL Injury Notes: Kim, Marte, Nimmo
In what might be remembered as a pivotal day in the National League postseason race, all three wild-card teams and the top club below the playoff line lost a key member of their lineup to injury. We’ve already covered Austin Riley‘s hand/wrist injury earlier tonight on MLBTR, but let’s look at some other concerning injuries for the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets…
- Ha-Seong Kim will undergo an MRI after suffering what the Padres described as a jammed shoulder in today’s game. Kim hurt himself on a dive back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the third inning, and immediately left the game in obvious discomfort. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Kim was briefly wearing a sling, but didn’t have the sling on when speaking with the media post-game. “It doesn’t feel too good at the moment…But I’m just trying to stay optimistic and try to come back as soon as possible,” Kim said via his interpreter. Taking over as the Padres’ full-time shortstop this season, Kim has delivered strong defense and roughly league-average (102 wRC+) offense, hitting .233/.330/.370 over 470 plate appearances with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts. As Sanders notes, former shortstop Xander Bogaerts, utilityman Tyler Wade, or possibly Jake Cronenworth could be candidates to take over at shortstop if Kim is facing a trip to the injured list. In the more long-term view, Kim is also slated to hit free agency this winter.
- Ketel Marte has been battling a sore ankle for over a week, and had to leave today’s game after aggravating the injury during a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks sat Marte for three games earlier this week and he wasn’t in today’s starting lineup in order to further help keep him fresh, but Marte hurt himself on a check swing during the second pitch of his at-bat off the bench. Manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Brian Murphy and other media after the game that Marte “just needs a little bit of rest” and that “I think we’re in a good spot” with the injury, though the skipper isn’t sure when Marte will be back in the lineup. An NL MVP candidate this season, Marte has been the driver of Arizona’s offense with 30 homers and a .298/.370/.560 slash line over an even 500 PA. Losing him for any amount of time isn’t ideal in a tight playoff race, but since the D’Backs have off-days upcoming on August 22 and 26, a 10-day IL stint now would allow for Marte to heal up while minimizing the amount of games he’d actually miss.
- After making a diving catch and landing on his right shoulder in the seventh inning of today’s 3-2 Mets loss to the Marlins, Brandon Nimmo felt soreness in the shoulder during his at-bat in the bottom half of the frame, as he told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters. Nimmo was replaced in left field for the eighth inning, and he’ll undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury. The outfielder missed time due to a right shoulder sprain right at the end of the 2023 season and was known for being plagued by injuries earlier in his career, but Nimmo has been quite durable over the last three years, playing in 419 of a possible 448 games since Opening Day 2022. Despite some very streaky production at the plate this season, Nimmo still has a 119 wRC+ from a .229/.343/.414 slash line, 11 stolen bases, and 18 homers, including a long ball in today’s game before his injury. With Starling Marte just back from the IL today, New York’s outfield was seemingly back at full strength, but now Jesse Winker, Tyrone Taylor, and Jeff McNeil could all be cycled into left field if Nimmo has to visit the injured list himself.
Mets Activate Starling Marte, Designate Ben Gamel For Assignment
The Mets have activated veteran outfielder Starling Marte from the 10-day injured list, according to a team announcement. To make room for Marte on the active roster, the club has designated outfielder Ben Gamel for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.
Marte, 35, is a two-time All-Star and veteran of 13 MLB seasons who first joined the Mets back in 2022. The outfielder’s time in New York got off to a strong start in his first season with the club when he slashed an excellent .292/.347/.468 (134 wRC+) in 505 trips to the plate. That earned him his second career All-Star appearance and even some down-ballot MVP votes, but the good times did not continue until his sophomore season with the Mets as he was plagued by injury woes and struggled to perform even in the 86 games where he was healthy enough to take the field with a lackluster 76 wRC+ thanks in large part to career-worst power numbers.
It was hard to know what to expect from Marte entering the 2024 season after battling groin, migraine, and neck issues the previous year. In terms of results on the field, Marte’s performance has been a clear success as he’s slashed a solid .278/.328/.416 (113 wRC+) while chipping in 12 stolen bases in 66 games. The downside, of course, is that Marte has been limited to just 66 games due to a bone bruise in his knee that sidelined him for nearly two months. Now that he’s once again active, Marte figures to work into a crowded outfield mix that currently features Brandon Nimmo and Jesse Winker in the outfield corners with Harrison Bader in center while Jeff McNeil also vies for occasional starts.
It’s not yet clear just how frequently Marte will start going forward given the strong performances of Bader and Winker this year, although it’s worth noting that Winker has slumped somewhat in 14 games since being dealt to New York by the Nationals. It’s possible that the Mets will use Marte as their usual starter in right field while allowing Winker to mix in to keep the oft-injured veteran fresh, perhaps also kicking Nimmo to center on occasion to get Winker into the lineup more often. At the very least, Marte appears to be a strong bet to make regular starts against lefty pitchers given the fact that Winker and Bader both sport lackluster numbers against southpaws.
Exiting the roster to make room for Marte is Gamel, a 32-year-old outfielder who has now played in parts of nine big league seasons. Initially a tenth-round pick by the Yankees back in 2010, Gamel made his big league debut with the club in 2016 but lasted just six games before being dealt to Seattle. He posted a roughly league average .264/.334/.392 slash line in four seasons as a regular with the Mariners and Brewers from 2017 to 2020 and has subsequently offered similarly average production at the plate while bouncing between Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Queens.
He’s stepped up to the plate just 30 times with the Mets at the big league level this year, posting a .217/.400/.261 in that minimal playing time but paired it with an excellent .314/.423/.539 line at the Triple-A level. With the trade deadline in the rear view mirror, Gamel figures to be placed on waivers in the coming days, where any team will have the opportunity to claim the outfielder and bring him into the fold. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the opportunity to elect free agency and return to the open market in search of an opportunity elsewhere, though it’s also possible he could remain with the Mets as non-roster depth.
Mets Sign Eddie Rosario To Minor League Deal
The Mets signed outfielder Eddie Rosario to a minor league contract, the team’s Triple-A club with Syracuse announced this evening. Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated first reported the agreement on Tuesday (X link). The veteran outfielder elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves over the weekend.
Rosario is now on his third NL East club of the season. He began the year on a minor league deal with the Nationals. Rosario broke camp with Washington, securing a $2MM base salary in the process, and went on to play 67 games. He hit just .183/.226/.329, sandwiching a solid performance in May with almost no production in April or June. The Nats cut Rosario loose when they promoted top prospect James Wood at the start of July.
Atlanta then circled back to their old left fielder. The Braves inked Rosario to a minor league pact and almost immediately called him up. It never seemed likely that Atlanta would get the kind of hot streak that helped propel them to a World Series title three years ago. They were presumably hoping for something close to last year’s league average .255/.305/.450 showing. Rosario’s return to Truist Park did not reinvigorate his bat. He hit .154/.181/.282 through 84 trips to the plate before being released.
This has been a career-worst showing for the 10-year MLB veteran. Rosario carries a .175/.215/.316 slash in 319 plate appearances between the two teams. No hitter with 300+ PAs has a lower on-base mark. Only Mitch Garver (.167) has a lower average, while Rosario is seventh from the bottom in slugging. That makes it difficult for a team to continue affording him big league opportunities, but there’s no downside for New York in taking a minor league flier. Rosario has been a very streaky hitter throughout his career, so the Mets can give him some time with Syracuse to see if he can find his form.
Regardless of whether he makes it to the big leagues in Queens, Rosario will be a free agent next offseason. It’s a depth pickup for the stretch run for a team that is just a game out of the playoff race. The Mets have Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader and Jesse Winker as their primary outfield. J.D. Martinez is locked in at designated hitter, while Tyrone Taylor is working as the fourth outfielder. Lefty-hitting Ben Gamel is on the roster as a fifth outfielder/bench bat, while DJ Stewart is on optional assignment to Syracuse. Barring injury, Rosario would presumably need to outplay both Gamel and Stewart to get an opportunity at Citi Field.
Rosario would be eligible for postseason play with New York. A player can participate in the playoffs so long as they’re in that organization by September 1. It is not necessary for the Mets to call Rosario up before that date to get him on the postseason roster; the league routinely allows teams to call players up as injury substitutes if they were playing on a non-roster contract by the start of September. Rosario would really need to catch fire to make that a consideration even if the Mets snag a Wild Card spot.
Mike Cubbage Passes Away
Former major league infielder and coach Mike Cubbage has passed away after a battle with cancer, according to a report from Bradley Locker of the New York Post. He was 74.
Cubbage played parts of eight seasons between 1974-81. A left-handed hitter, he was drafted by the Washington Senators in the second round in 1971. The Senators had also taken Cubbage in the sixth round of the ’68 draft, but the Charlottesville native had honored his college commitment to the University of Virginia. A few months after selecting him for a second time, the Senators moved to Texas and became the Rangers.
After playing parts of four seasons in the minors, Cubbage made his debut with Texas early in the ’74 season. He nevertheless spent most of that year in Triple-A. Cubbage appeared in 58 MLB contests the following season. Texas included him in a four-player package to land future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven from the Twins midway through the ’76 campaign. Cubbage played regularly for Minnesota over the next four-plus seasons. He topped 100 games on three occasions while working as the Twins’ primary third baseman. He hit .266/.336/.378 in just under 2000 plate appearances with Minnesota.
Cubbage signed with the Mets as a free agent going into the 1981 season. He finished his career with 67 games for New York. While he didn’t make a huge impact on the organization as a player, he quickly embarked on a lengthy run as a minor league manager in the New York system. Cubbage reached the MLB coaching staff in 1990, working as a hitting coach under Davey Johnson. He served as the MLB team’s interim manager for a week in 1991 and continued coaching throughout the decade. Cubbage was on the Red Sox’s staff in the early 2000s and subsequently worked in various scouting roles. He was a member of the Nationals’ pro scouting department during the team’s 2019 World Series season.
In just over 700 MLB games, Cubbage was a .258/.330/.369 hitter. He connected on 34 homers and drove in 251 runs. His playing days served as a springboard into a true “baseball lifer” career that spanned nearly four more decades. MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, loved ones, friends and the various people he impacted over his lengthy career.
NL East Notes: Harris, Laureano, Reid-Foley, Núñez, Alcantara
Braves outfielder Michael Harris II went 3-for-4 with a home run yesterday, as the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers fell to the Memphis Redbirds 8-2. He is now batting .421 with a 1.079 OPS over five rehab games. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year has been out with a hamstring injury since mid-June, but if his performance at Triple-A is any indication, he certainly seems ready to return to the majors. Unfortunately for Atlanta, he is not eligible to come back until Wednesday when his 60 days on the IL are up.
Harris was off to a slow start over his first 67 games (.653 OPS, 80 wRC+), but he has always been a strong defender in center field, and he was an impact bat in the lineup in each of his first two big league seasons. He will be an immediate defensive upgrade over Jarred Kelenic in center, and if he can get back on track at the plate, his lefty bat will be a nice boost for the lineup. The Braves rank 21st in MLB with a 95 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season.
Getting Harris back will be especially beneficial for Atlanta if Ramón Laureano‘s heel continues to bother him. Laureano started in center field on Saturday but was removed from the game in the fourth inning with what the team described as “soreness in his right heel.” The outfielder appeared to hurt himself running out an infield single in the third, but he initially remained in the game. He came around to score on three consecutive walks. In the bottom of the third, he was involved in a misplay in shallow center field, in which four Braves defenders allowed a high pop-up to drop in between them for a double. It’s possible his sore heel caused him some trouble as he ran toward the ball. Laureano is batting .204 with a 75 wRC+ on the season, but he has looked much better since joining the Braves in mid-June, batting .269 with a 105 wRC+ over 26 games.
In further injury news from around the NL East…
- Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, 28, is nearing his return to the Mets, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The reliever will make a multi-inning rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse today. It will be his sixth rehab outing. The Mets have not offered an exact timeline for Reid-Foley, but DiComo describes him as “very close” to a return. However, Tim Britton of The Athletic provides a slightly different update, suggesting Reid-Foley “needs some time” to build up to pitching multiple innings. Regardless of the precise timeline, he should be back before the end of the month. The righty has been out since mid-June with a shoulder impingement. Prior to his injury, he was enjoying a mini-breakout season, with a 1.66 ERA and 3.99 SIERA in 21 2/3 innings pitched.
- Reid-Foley isn’t the only 28-year-old right-handed reliever for the Mets nearing his return, as Dedniel Núñez will throw a bullpen session today (per Britton). Interestingly, Britton suggests that Núñez could make it back to the majors sooner than Reid-Foley. While Núñez is behind Reid-Foley in his rehab, Núñez has only been out since mid-July. He, too, has been enjoying a successful breakout season, with a 2.43 ERA and 2.23 SIERA in 33 1/3 innings pitched. The rookie was starting to pitch more high-leverage innings before suffering a forearm strain, and Britton says he will return to a late-inning role with the Mets.
- Lastly, Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara is making progress in his rehab from Tommy John surgery last October. He threw a sixth bullpen session on Saturday, reaching 75% intensity (per Isaac Azout of Fish On First). While the 2022 NL Cy Young winner will not pitch for Miami this season, he seems to making good progress toward a return next spring.
Mets Sign Vinny Nittoli To Minor League Contract
The Mets have signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (X link). Nittoli became a free agent after rejecting an outright assignment from the Orioles at the start of August, and he’ll now return for a second stint in Queens after appearing in three games for the Mets in 2023.
Nittoli has been a member of 11 different organizations since he was a 25th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2014 draft, and he has suited up for five of those teams at the Major League level during the 2021-24 seasons. His 12 innings in 2024 represent the bulk of his 18 2/3 career innings in the Show, and Nittoli has a 1.50 ERA in those 12 frames with the A’s and Orioles.
In keeping with the journeyman nature of Nittoli’s career, the Mets are now his fourth team in the last two months. He started the 2024 season on a minor league deal with the Athletics but was then designated for assignment and released after he opted for free agency rather than an outright assignment to the minors. Nittoli then caught on with the Cubs on a big league contract but was DFA’ed again just a day after signing that contract, marking the second time that Nittoli has been part of the Cubs organization without pitching in a Major League game for the Wrigleyville side. Nittoli then landed with the Orioles on another minors deal and made two appearances at the MLB level before another trip to DFA limbo.
There has naturally been some inconsistency baked into Nittoli’s 4.33 ERA in 320 career minor league innings, as he has shown enough flashes of higher performance to continually draw interest from teams looking to add long relief depth. While Nittoli has posted good strikeout numbers in the past, his 36% strikeout rate in 26 1/3 Triple-A innings this season represents a new career best, and he has a strong 2.73 ERA pitching for the Athletics’ and Orioles’ top affiliates.
Several Veterans Who Could Be Available On Waivers This Month
Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, it's harder for contending clubs to upgrade their respective rosters. There are still a few ways to do so, as MLBTR's Steve Adams recently laid out, but most of those methods involve adding guys not currently rostered who are naturally depth pieces at best.
To add a solid, usable big leaguer, the best remaining path is waivers. The old August waiver trade system ended in 2019, but many veteran players found themselves on waivers last August anyway, which started with the Angels.
The Halos fell out of contention in August and their priority shifted from winning to ducking under the competitive balance tax. Since trades were no longer possible, they put a whole bunch of guys on waivers and just hoped that other clubs would take them, the baseball equivalent of putting a "for free" box by the curb. Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Randal Grichuk, Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe, Dominic Leone and Tyler Anderson were put on waivers and then other clubs followed suit, though to a less significant degree. The Yankees had no hope of avoiding the CBT but were slipping in the standings and had no use for an impending free agent like Harrison Bader. It was a similar situation with the Mets and Carlos Carrasco. The Tigers and White Sox weren't going to be CBT payors but made José Cisnero and Mike Clevinger available, simply hoping to cut costs.
Because the waiver priority order goes in reverse order of standings, the clubs best positioned to benefit were those just on the fringes of contention. The teams buried in the standings would have no motivation to grab such players and take on salary while the teams at the top of the standings would get last dibs in the waiver process. The Guardians claimed Giolito, López and Moore while the Reds grabbed Bader and Renfroe.
It doesn't seem like this trend will stop here in 2024. This year, Kevin Kiermaier, Ty France and Josh Bell have already been on waivers at some point. All three players cleared and were ultimately traded prior to the deadline, with some money changing hands in each of those deals. Others will surely follow them in the weeks to come, but clubs won't be able to work out trades involving cash considerations. The claiming club will have to take on all that's left of the contract from the waiving club.
Logically, these players will be available on waivers before the end of August. Players acquired after that time are not postseason eligible, which limits the attraction, though it could still happen. After the Guards fell from contention, they put Moore back on waivers just a few weeks after claiming him, and the Marlins nabbed him at that time. He made four scoreless appearances for Miami, helping them squeak into the playoffs, but wasn't eligible to join the club in the postseason.
So who could be available this time around? The most likely players are those making a notable salary on a club that could fall back in the playoff race, particularly one with CBT concerns. But an underwater contract won't be terribly appealing, so the player should still have some utility that makes it at least vaguely justifiable for the claiming club to take on some money. Many of these will require the team to really perform poorly in the next few weeks, making them long-shot possibilities, but let's take a look at some of the most interesting guys who could plausibly fit the bill.
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Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/24
The frenzy of moves before the trade deadline always has ripple effects of players being nudged out of their roster spots. 15 players were designated for assignment on deadline day and several in the days leading up to it as well. That has led to many recent waiver claims, with the Marlins claiming seven different players in the past two weeks. But they can’t claim them all, so here’s a round-up of some guys who passed through unclaimed recently.
As a reminder, players can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if they have a previous career outright or at least three years of major league service time. Players need at least five years of service to both elect free agency and keep their salary intact.
- The Diamondbacks released Miguel Castro, according to his transactions tracker on MLB.com. The righty signed with the Snakes heading into 2023 on a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2024. He reached 60 appearances last year and locked in a $5MM salary for himself in 2024. Unfortunately, his results have tailed off as he has a 5.93 ERA this year. That has come in just 11 appearances as he missed close to three months with a shoulder strain. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and keep all of his money. Another club could now sign him and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster with that amount subtracted from what Arizona pays. He has a career 4.20 ERA in 419 appearances with the Blue Jays, Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Yankees and Diamondbacks.
- The Pirates sent Ryder Ryan outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his second career outright and he therefore has the right to elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. The righty has an ERA of 5.00 in his 18 major league innings. He has thrown 27 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 4.61 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.
- The Mets sent catcher Logan Porter outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s his first career outright and he has just a few days of service time, so he’ll have to accept the assignment. The backstop was signed just a couple of weeks prior to the deadline after opting out of his minor league deal with the Giants, which had been acquired from the Royals. He was hitting .319/.428/.575 for the Royals’ Triple-A club before the Giants acquired him, but then his results tapered off. The Mets were still intrigued enough to give him a 40-man spot but the other 29 clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers.
- The Dodgers sent left-hander Nick Ramirez outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has previous career outrights and therefore has the right to elect free agency. Acquired from the Yankees in early April, he spent most of the year on optional assignment. He logged 11 1/3 big league innings over seven appearances with a 6.35 ERA. In his 23 Triple-A innings since the trade, he had a 2.35 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate, 3.3% walk rate and 54.5% ground ball rate.
- The Braves have sent right-hander Darius Vines outright to Double-A Mississippi, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. This is his first career outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has a 5.82 ERA in 34 big league innings between last year and this year. His 2024 output at Triple-A includes 77 innings over 14 starts with a 5.14 ERA, 16.6% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40.3% ground ball rate.
- The Cardinals sent right-hander Jacob Bosiokovic outright to Triple-A Memphis, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty had his contract selected at the end of June, his first time added to a big league roster, but was optioned a few days later without getting into a game. That means this is his first outright and he doesn’t have the necessary service time to elect free agency. He has 43 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year with a 4.15 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate, 13.4% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate.
Marlins Were Among Teams Interested In Brett Baty
The Marlins were the sport’s most active seller on deadline day, showing willingness to listen on virtually every short-term asset they had while also targeting controllable young players around whom they could potentially build future iterations of the club. One player sought by Miami’s front office was within their own division; the Fish showed “heavy interest” in third base prospect Brett Baty, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post, adding that Miami was one of multiple clubs interested in buying low on the former first-rounder and top-100 prospect.
Selected 12th overall back in 2019, Baty ranked on MLB.com’s top-100 prospects list every year from 2020-23. By the time the 2022-23 seasons rolled around, just about every publication of note ranked Baty among the game’s 50 or so best prospects. He and current third baseman Mark Vientos — second-round pick in 2017 — ranked highly in the Mets’ system throughout their prospect tenures, but it’s Vientos who’s taken the reins at third base and run with the opportunity. In 259 plate appearances this season, the 24-year-old Vientos owns a hearty .280/.336/.547 slash (148 wRC+) with 16 homers and 15 doubles.
The emergence of Vientos naturally led to some speculation regarding Baty in the lead-in to last month’s trade deadline. However, Vientos’ presence alone hardly means there’s no long-term fit on the roster for Baty. He’s seen minor league work at second base and also played left field in the majors. Current second baseman Jeff McNeil is no stranger to the outfield corners and could shift there. The Mets will also see both Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez become free agents at season’s end. Baty is considered a superior defender at third to Vientos, so if Alonso and/or Martinez depart in free agency, Vientos could work in more of a first base/DH role next year (or rotate between the two infield corners and DH). That’d free up third base for Baty — if he hits enough to merit the opportunity.
To this point in his career, Baty simply hasn’t done that. He’s played in parts of three big league seasons but managed only a .215/.282/.325 batting line (73 wRC+) in 602 trips to the plate. However, he was also rushed to the majors in ’22 despite only having six games of Triple-A experience to his credit. And, of course, Baty would hardly be the first prospect to struggle at the plate in his first few MLB looks before hitting his stride in his mid-20s. Even Vientos flailed away at a .205/.255/.354 clip through his first 81 games in 2022-23 before hitting his stride in the majors this year.
It’s worth noting that while he didn’t hit in the majors this season, Baty’s still showing plenty of promise in Syracuse. He’s taken 203 turns at the plate with the Mets’ Triple-A club there and posted a sound .260/.360/.497 line (119 wRC+) with 11 homers, eight doubles, a big 12.8% walk rate and a lower-than-average 18.7% strikeout rate. Baty still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season as well, so even if he struggles next spring or early in the season, he could still be freely sent to Triple-A for additional refinement.
Ronny Mauricio has missed the entire season due to a torn ACL but will be back in the mix next year. A top prospect himself, he has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past three minor league seasons while playing shortstop, second base and third base. He recently underwent surgery to clean up some scar tissue in his right knee, per Will Sammon of The Athletic on X, but that isn’t expected to have a noticeable impact on his timeline. Francisco Lindor has shortstop locked up for the foreseeable future but Mauricio could eventually factor into the infield picture at third or second base, depending on other developments around the roster.
The offseason will be interesting with regard to the Mets’ corner mix. They’ll surely receive interest in Baty again while simultaneously exploring the possibility of keeping a franchise cornerstone (Alonso) and a still very productive veteran DH (Martinez). Baty could arguably be used as a trade chip to acquire help on the pitching front — Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana can all become free agents at season’s end — but there’s also a possible long-term role to be had in Queens, especially if Alonso signs elsewhere.
From the Marlins’ vantage point, targeting Baty is perfectly sensible. They don’t have a long-term solution at third base. Jake Burger has handled that spot regularly since being acquired prior to the 2023 deadline, but he’s a defensive liability whose free-swinging, low-OBP approach at the plate leads to wild fluctuations in terms of offensive output. He’s better suited at first base or at designated hitter. Deadline pickup Graham Pauley could get a long-term look at third, but he’s a versatile prospect who could bounce around the diamond in a semi-regular role.
Adding Baty and his remaining five seasons of club control surely holds some appeal, but the Mets are presumably wary of sending Baty to another NL East club and watching him blossom into a regular. Still, the Marlins will have pitching to peddle again this winter (e.g. Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers and potentially even former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara), so they could rekindle their interest in Baty. He’ll likely draw interest from both rebuilding teams and others simply looking for a long-term option at the hot corner, but it’s far from a given that the Mets will actually move Baty this offseason.