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Orioles Sign Tomoyuki Sugano

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The Orioles signed longtime NPB star Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year contract on Monday evening. Sugano, a client of VC Sports Group, is reportedly guaranteed $13MM. Baltimore had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Sugano makes the jump to Major League Baseball for the first time in what’ll be his age-35 season. He’s one of Japan’s most accomplished pitchers. The 6’1″ right-hander spent 12 years with the Yomiuri Giants in his home country. He posted a 2.43 earned run average in more than 1800 innings at the NPB level.

Major league scouts have followed Sugano for some time. He first appeared on many fans’ radars when the Yomiuri Giants made him available via the posting system during the 2020-21 offseason. Sugano was coming off a 1.97 ERA showing in his age-30 season. While he certainly attracted attention from big league clubs, he didn’t find a deal that compelled him to leave Japan. Instead, Sugano returned to the Giants on a four-year deal that paid him $40MM.

That contract allowed Sugano to opt out after each season, potentially clearing a path for him to make the move to MLB. He was evidently happy with his longtime club and decided not to take any of the early outs. Once the four-year term concluded, his camp made clear he intended to sign with an MLB team this offseason. Sugano had surpassed the nine years of NPB service time necessary to qualify for international free agency. Yomiuri will not receive any compensation for his departure, nor will the deal cost the Orioles anything other than the player’s salary.

Despite his age, Sugano is coming off one of his strongest seasons. He turned in a 1.67 ERA across 156 2/3 innings spanning 24 starts. It’s the second-lowest ERA of his career and earned him the NPB’s Central League MVP award for the third time. That’s not to say he’s still at his absolute peak form, however. Sugano only threw 77 2/3 innings during the 2023 season, reportedly on account of an elbow injury. His swing-and-miss rates have also dropped significantly compared to earlier years. Sugano struck out 18.3% of batters faced this year — well off the 24-26% range he’d posted in his late 20s.

Sugano’s NPB strikeout rate was about four percentage points lower than the 22% MLB average for starting pitchers. Many NPB hitters adopt a more contact-oriented approach than is common in the big leagues, so perhaps he’ll miss a few more bats in the majors. Sugano doesn’t have the same upside he would’ve brought a few seasons ago, though. Baseball America’s scouting report notes that his fastball velocity has dipped into the 92-93 MPH range after sitting somewhere between 94-96 MPH earlier in his career.

While the pure stuff has dropped as he’s aged and battled injury, Sugano has thrived thanks to his feel for pitching. That’s most evident in his excellent command. Sugano only walked 16 hitters all season, a microscopic 2.6% rate that’s lower than what any MLB starter managed this year (minimum 100 innings). That should rise slightly as he faces more patient hitters, but it’s fair to project Sugano for plus or better command.

Baseball America writes that Sugano indeed profiles as a control-oriented fourth or fifth starter. The outlet credits him with a five-pitch mix headlined by an above-average slider and splitter. Fans are encouraged to read BA’s full column, which also includes updated scouting reports on other prominent NPB and KBO players who are available to MLB teams (i.e. Roki Sasaki, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Hyeseong Kim and Koyo Aoyagi).

The contract aligns with MLBTR’s prediction of one year and $12MM. It values Sugano as a capable back-end starter. Alex Cobb signed for $15MM with the Tigers last week. Late-career innings eaters Lance Lynn ($11MM) and Kyle Gibson ($13MM) got similar one-year deals with the Cardinals last offseason.

Sugano is a needed rotation upgrade for GM Mike Elias and his front office. The O’s should continue searching for higher-upside arms in the coming weeks. Sugano slots behind Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez in the projected rotation. Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Albert Suarez and youngsters Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott are options for the final two spots. The rotation remains Baltimore’s biggest question mark.

Sugano is the third highest-paid player on the roster, narrowly trailing Eflin ($18MM) and newly signed outfielder Tyler O’Neill ($16.5MM). Their player payroll is up to $134MM, as calculated by RosterResource. It’s not clear how far they’re willing to push spending in the first offseason under the David Rubenstein ownership group.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the salary. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blue Jays Finalize Coaching Staff

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The Blue Jays announced their 2025 coaching staff on Monday afternoon. The only previously unreported addition is assistant pitching coach Sam Greene.

The 27-year-old Greene is one of the younger coaches on an MLB staff. This is his first big league coaching work. The Jays noted that he spent the ’24 season working as a senior pitching research specialist. Greene, a Pennsylvania native, pitched collegiately in Canada at Montreal’s McGill University. He has worked for the Jays for four seasons.

Greene joins newly-hired bullpen coach Graham Johnson as assistants to pitching coach Pete Walker. The Jays also shook up the hitting side, bringing in David Popkins to work as lead hitting instructor and tabbing Lou Iannotti as an assistant. The rest of John Schneider’s staff — all of whom are returnees from last season — is as follows: associate manager DeMarlo Hale, bench coach Don Mattingly, first base coach Mark Budzinski, third base coach Carlos Febles, assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense, and mental performance coach John Lannan.

Astros Sign Joe Hudson To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have signed catcher Joe Hudson to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land for now but will presumably receive an invite to big league spring training.

Hudson, 34 in May, was briefly in the majors in 2024. He had started the year with the Cubs on a minor league deal but was traded to the Mets in April. The latter club selected him to their roster for about three weeks in June, though Hudson only got into one big league game in that time and didn’t get a plate appearance. On June 21, the Mets were leading the Cubs 11-1 and had Hudson catch the bottom of the ninth, replacing Francisco Alvarez. He was later outrighted off the roster and elected free agency at season’s end.

That technically added to Hudson’s big league résumé, getting him up to 19 games played over four different seasons. He has a .167/.219/.200 batting line in his 33 plate appearances at the major league level.

He’s generally been a serviceable depth piece at Triple-A. He’s played 198 games at that level over the past four years, stepping to the plate 740 times. He was punched out in 29.1% of those appearances but also managed to draw a walk 14.5% of the time. That allowed him to produce a combined .215/.338/.389 line and 92 wRC+. Baseball Prospectus has generally given him good grades for his framing, blocking and throwing throughout his minor league career.

The Astros currently have three catchers on their 40-man roster. Yainer Diaz should get the bulk of big league playing time, with Victor Caratini also lined up for a notable chunk and César Salazar in Triple-A. Diaz and Caratini also spent some time at first base last year as the Astros tried to cover that spot after releasing José Abreu. Diaz was also slotted in as the designated hitter from time to time, keeping his bat in the lineup even when he got a break from catching.

Hudson gives them a bit of non-roster depth at the Triple-A level. That could perhaps be important as they might continue to experiment with rotating Diaz and Caratini through first, which might tempt them to have Salazar in the majors as a third catcher. Then there’s the ever-present possibility of an injury changing the plans. If Hudson gets a roster spot at any point, he has less than a year of service time and still has options, meaning he’ll be cheap and provide roster flexibility.

Blue Jays, Ali Sanchez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays are in agreement with catcher Ali Sánchez on a minor league contract, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. He’ll be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Sánchez, 28 in January, got into 31 games for the Marlins this year. The Venezuelan-born backstop hit .167/.211/.190. That was Sánchez’s most significant stretch of big league play. His previous MLB experience consisted of seven games split between the Mets and Cardinals in 2020-21. His struggles led Miami to outright him off the 40-man roster in September.

The right-handed hitting Sánchez made 48 appearances at the Triple-A level. He split the season between the Cubs and Miami systems, hitting .226/.310/.361 across 174 plate appearances. Sánchez now carries a .267/.339/.395 batting line over parts of five Triple-A seasons. He has a solid defensive reputation and threw out a quarter of attempted basestealers in his limited MLB look.

Toronto only has two catchers on the 40-man roster: Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman. It seems unlikely Sánchez will beat Heineman for the backup job out of camp, but he could begin next season at Triple-A Buffalo as Toronto’s top non-roster depth catcher.

Braves Sign Bryan De La Cruz

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December 16: De La Cruz will be paid at an $860K rate for time spent in the majors, according to The Associated Press. He’ll make $180K for his time in the minor leagues.

December 15: The Braves announced that outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been signed to a non-guaranteed deal for the 2025 season.  De La Cruz’s deal is specifically a split contract, not a minor league deal.  The contract is an early birthday present for De La Cruz, who turns 28 years old tomorrow.

No stranger to the NL East, De La Cruz broke into the majors with the Marlins in 2021 and spent parts of the next four seasons in the Miami outfield.  A part-time role turned into essentially everyday duty by the end of the 2022 campaign, and De La Cruz hit .263/.311/.420 with 37 homers over 1200 plate appearances for the Fish during the 2021-23 seasons.

Unfortunately, the production trended downward, from a 111 wRC+ in 219 PA in De La Cruz’s rookie season to a 99 in 2022, then a 90 in 2023, and down to a 77 wRC+ in 2024.  De La Cruz hit 21 homers this past season but only with a .233/.271/.384 slash line in 622 combined PA with the Marlins and Pirates.  The bulk of the struggles came after Pittsburgh acquired De La Cruz at the trade deadline, as De La Cruz hit only .200/.220/.294 in 168 PA with his new team.

The dropoff was so drastic that the Pirates opted to non-tender De La Cruz rather than pay him a projected $4MM salary in the first of three arbitration-eligible seasons.  Given those three years of control and the fact that the Bucs gave up two prospects for De La Cruz at the deadline, it would’ve been understandable if the Pirates had kept De La Cruz around for another look, yet the $4MM price tag and his sub-replacement level play made the non-tender a justifiable call.

De La Cruz has essentially been a power-only player to this point in his career, and he has had consistently solid hard-contact numbers.  However, making contact has been a struggle since De La Cruz has a 25% career strikeout rate, and he doesn’t often take walks.  De La Cruz has experience at all three outfield positions and he has a good throwing arm but is considered a middling defender at best.

The non-guaranteed nature of the contract means that the Braves lose nothing by seeing what De La Cruz can do in Spring Training.  If he can get himself on track at the plate and more consistently translate his power into steady production, the Braves suddenly have a controllable outfielder in the fold through the 2027 season.  De La Cruz has two minor league option years remaining, adding more flexibility to Atlanta’s decision-making about whether or not to deploy him on the active roster.

The Braves’ need for outfield help is no secret.  Ronald Acuna Jr.’s recovery from a torn ACL could stretch well into May, Jarred Kelenic wasn’t particularly productive in his first season in Atlanta, and Jorge Soler (though mostly a DH) was traded to the Giants in a salary dump right at the outset of the offseason.  De La Cruz could ideally pair with Kelenic in a platoon in left field once Acuna is back, and perhaps might be viewed as a starter capable of holding the fort in right field in Acuna’s absence.  That said, De La Cruz’s contract certainly won’t preclude the Braves from continuing to seek out a more clear-cut starting outfield option in the coming months.

Mets, Brandon Waddell Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mets are in agreement with left-hander Brandon Waddell on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. While it was initially reported as an MLB deal, Murray subsequently issued a correction. The deal is pending a physical.

Waddell is the second former member of the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears to agree to terms with the Mets today. New York added multi-positional bat Jared Young on an MLB split deal after he clubbed 10 homers in 38 games for the Bears late in the season. Waddell, a 30-year-old southpaw, spent parts of three years with the club between 2022-24.

That was a generally successful run. Waddell turned in 244 2/3 innings of 2.98 ERA ball in the KBO. That included a 3.12 mark in 75 frames this year. The UVA product fanned 23.8% of opposing hitters against a 3.5% walk rate. His season was unfortunately cut short by a rotator cuff injury in late June.

The Mets were evidently intrigued enough by Waddell’s form to give him a look as non-roster rotation or long relief depth. This will be his first stint in affiliated ball since 2022, which he spent in Triple-A in the St. Louis system. Waddell last pitched in the big leagues in 2021. He divided that season between four teams — the Twins, Pirates, Orioles and Cardinals — and allowed eight runs across 9 1/3 innings. He has 11 career MLB appearances and owns a 5.37 ERA over parts of four years at the Triple-A level.

Finlete Offers Fans The Opportunity To Acquire A Piece Of Emmanuel Clase’s MLB Salary (Sponsored)

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The following is a sponsored post from Finlete.

As anyone who watched the Cleveland Guardians this past season can attest to, entrusting the ninth inning to a lights-out closer like Emmanuel Clase is about as good as it gets. For the Guardians, it’s a competitive edge that few other teams can match. For fans, it’s a reason to rise from your seat. For Clase, it further solidifies his surging trajectory as one of the best closers of all-time – a fact that leaves him well-positioned to become one of the highest paid relievers in the game.

Finlete, a new sports investment platform, has partnered with Clase to offer fans the chance to invest in his career and get a piece of his MLB salary in exchange. Investors will receive their first dividend in the middle of the 2025 MLB season.

Clase represents the second athlete and first active Major Leaguer to sign a future earnings contract with Finlete, following Marlins prospect Echedry Vargas earlier this year. The company expects to launch several more athletes in 2025. Fans can currently get in on the ground floor of this exciting, SEC-compliant platform.

You may be asking yourself, what’s in it for Emmanuel? Well, the answers are clear. For starters, Finlete is raising capital for Clase, which he can spend on his family, offseason training, and his own investment goals. He also benefits from Finlete by forging a connection with a rapidly growing community of fan-investors who are first and foremost fans of his, regardless of what team he plays for. Those who invest have every incentive to support his career from both an emotional and financial standpoint every step of the way. Game in, game out. Season in, season out. Through Finlete, Clase is building a devoted fanbase of uniquely invested supporters.

Let’s look back at the major milestones notched by Clase during the 2024 MLB season:

  • 3-time AL Reliever of the Month
  • 3rd straight All-Star appearance
  • 3rd straight year leading AL in Saves
  • 2nd All-MLB 1st Team honors
  • 2nd Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year Award
  • 1st reliever to finish top 3 in Cy Young voting since 2008
  • 5th lowest single-season ERA in MLB history (0.61)
  • Became Cleveland’s all-time Saves leader (157)
  • Set a Cleveland record for Saves in a season (47)
  • Converted 34 Saves in a row

All in all, it was a banner season for the 26-year old, and one of the most dominating ever recorded in MLB history.

Now let’s talk finances. Currently, Clase is locked into a team-friendly contract extension with Cleveland that he signed in 2022. Over the remainder of the contract, he’s set to receive base salaries of:

  • 2024: $2.9 million
  • 2025: $4.9 million
  • 2026: $6.4 million
  • 2027: $10 million (club option)
  • 2028: $10 million (club option)

The contract also includes the following clauses:

  • 2027 club option includes a $2M buyout
  • 2028 club option includes a $1M buyout
  • Cy Young Award Bonus Structure
    • 1st Place: $250K
    • 2nd or 3rd Place: $150K
    • 4th or 5th Place: $75K
  • Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award: $100K
  • All-Star: $100K
  • ALCS MVP: $50K
  • World Series MVP: $100K
  • $500,000 for 200 innings pitched or 200 appearances from 2022-2026
  • Trade Assignment Bonus: $1M

Thanks to his excellence at the back end of the Cleveland bullpen, it should come as no surprise that Clase has earned nearly every major possible incentive in his contract.

Given that he’s now entering the prime of his career age-wise, barring health issues or a sudden drop in effectiveness, he should be in a strong position to become one of the highest-paid relief pitchers when he reaches free agency in 2029 (assuming his 2027 and 2028 club options are picked up).

Those who invest in Clase’s career through Finlete will get a piece of his earnings for the rest of his career. That starts with the $30+ million he currently has left on his contract and gets even more exciting once he reaches free agency. The greater his success on the field between now and then, the greater the size of his next contract will likely be, and the greater the potential return for investors.

The minimum investment is under $400 and Finlete is currently offering up to 25% bonus shares when you invest today. Additionally, investors are eligible to receive exclusive bonus perks such as a baseball or baseball card signed by Clase and a special baseball trip package during the upcoming MLB season.

The world of sports investing is changing rapidly, that much is clear. The line between fan and investor is blurring, and Finlete is at the forefront of it all. This is your chance to join a superstar athlete on their journey in a meaningful and potentially lucrative way. See the game from a totally new perspective and own a tangible piece of the action.

Welcome to the future. Welcome to Finlete. To learn more about this new sports investment platform, visit finlete.com today.

Tigers, Brian Serven Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Tigers are in agreement with catcher Brian Serven on a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball (X link). Serven, a PRIME client, will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Serven, 29, joins the fourth organization of his career. A fifth-round pick of the Rockies in 2016, he got to the big leagues six years later. The Arizona State product appeared in 62 games as a rookie, hitting .203/.261/.332 in a backup role. He only made 11 appearances the following season, spending the bulk of the year in Triple-A on optional assignment. Colorado placed him on waivers last winter.

The Cubs claimed Serven and briefly carried him on their 40-man roster. Chicago designated him for assignment around one week later. He landed with the Blue Jays on another claim. Toronto ran him through waivers at the end of January but reselected his contract after Danny Jansen broke a bone in his wrist in Spring Training.

Serven spent the majority of the season on Toronto’s 40-man. He only made 28 big league appearances, hitting .159/.243/.222 across 71 trips to the plate. Serven showed much better on-base skills in the minors. The right-handed hitter put up a .265/.390/.379 slash over 40 Triple-A contests. His overall offensive track record is middling, though, and the Jays designated him for assignment when they claimed Tyler Heineman off waivers in September. Serven elected minor league free agency at season’s end.

Jake Rogers will open the season as A.J. Hinch’s primary catcher. Dillon Dingler is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. He debuted this past season and struggled to a .167/.195/.310 batting line in his first 27 MLB contests. Dingler still has a couple minor league options remaining, so the Tigers could turn to a more experienced backup if they want the former second-round pick to continue playing regularly in Triple-A. Detroit could continue looking for upper minors depth, but there’s a decent opportunity right now for Serven to play his way into the backup role.

Mets Sign Jared Young To Major League Deal

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The Mets announced that they have signed infielder Jared Young to a one-year major league contract. The club has multiple vacancies on its 40-man roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move for the Ball Players Agency client. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that it’s a split deal with “seven-figure upside.” The Associated Press reports that Young will make a prorated $1.15MM salary while in the majors and be paid at a $425K rate for his time in the minor leagues.

Young, 29, has struggled with strikeouts in his very limited major league career but has performed well in the minors and in Korea. In 2022 and 2023, he got into 22 games for the Cubs and stepped to the plate 69 times. He struck out in 29% of those appearances but tallied a few extra base hits and some walks, leading to a .210/.290/.435 line and wRC+ of 98.

He was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals after the 2023 campaign and then outrighted off their roster going into 2024. In July, he signed with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization. His stint in Korea seemed to go very well, as he hit 10 home runs in just 169 plate appearances over a 38-game stretch. He struck out 20.7% of the time while drawing walks at a 12.4% clip. That led to a .326/.420/.660 line and massive 172 wRC+.

His strong performance in Korea and his weak performance in the majors both come in fairly small sample sizes. His body of work in the minors is naturally larger and has been quite good. Over the past four years, he has 1,402 minor league plate appearances. In that time, he has an 11.3% walk rate, 21.5% strikeout rate, .274/.370/.488 batting line and 124 wRC+. Over the past two years, it has been a 13.7% walk rate, 20.7% strikeout rate, .299/.414/.547 line and 145 wRC+.

The Mets are apparently intrigued enough by those numbers to give Young a roster spot, though he still has options and can therefore be kept in Triple-A as a depth piece. Defensively, Young has lined up at all four infield spots, though his shortstop work consists of just nine innings at Low-A back in 2017. He’s also spent some time in the outfield corners, so perhaps there’s a path for Young to fill a utility role in Queens.

Pete Alonso is currently a free agent and could perhaps re-sign with the Mets. But under the current roster construction, Mark Vientos projects as the first baseman since he just had an offensive breakout but with poor glovework at third. Second base is also a bit of a question mark after an uneven season from Jeff McNeil. Guys like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña could perhaps offers solutions at those spots but they’re not fully established majors leaguers yet. Young will give the Mets another option in that mix.

Young has less than a year of service time, which could mean the Mets can cheaply control him for years to come. However, players returning from stints overseas can often negotiate clauses in their contracts that allow them to return to the open market despite not having six years of service time. It’s unclear whether Young will definitely be a free agent again after 2025 or if the Mets can theoretically retain him as long as his service time clock is below six years.

Where Will Corbin Burnes End Up?

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With Blake Snell and Max Fried off the board, Corbin Burnes stands alone at the top of the pitching market. There was some thought that the former Cy Young winner might sign within a day or two of Fried agreeing to an eight-year term at the Winter Meetings. That hasn’t happened, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if Burnes signs before league activity goes quiet with the holidays next week.

Thus far, the starting pitching class has outperformed expectations. That’s most true of Fried, whom few would’ve foreseen getting eight years or handily beating $200MM at the start of the offseason. With Fried securing $218MM, how much should one project upwards on Burnes? Every free agent projection would’ve had Burnes above Fried when the offseason got underway. Fried money feels like a floor for Burnes, whom MLBTR predicted for seven years and $200MM just six weeks ago.

That said, the Yankees and Mets were two of the most obvious on-paper fits at the start of the offseason. The Yankees can safely be ruled out after the Fried deal. The Mets are still in the market for starting pitching and have the payroll room to lurk as a threat on Burnes even after landing Juan Soto. Yet it seems the Mets’ focus for starting pitching has been on the middle tiers. They added Frankie Montas and converted Clay Holmes to the rotation, preferring more affordable upside plays than a quick strike for any of free agency’s top three arms. They’re reportedly still interested in re-signing Sean Manaea, which would very likely close the door on a Burnes acquisition.

Recent rumors have most prominently connected Burnes to a few teams: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Giants and (to a lesser extent) the Orioles. Boston is still engaged in the rotation market after landing Garrett Crochet last week. Trading for Crochet leaves them with ample payroll space — the former White Sox staff ace is projected for a meager $2.9MM arbitration salary — but could indicate that the Sox weren’t keen on the climbing cost for free agent starting pitching.

The Giants would benefit greatly from an ace they could plug alongside Logan Webb in the rotation to replace Snell’s production. Yet San Francisco has already made a pair of big investments ($151MM on the Matt Chapman extension, $182MM for Willy Adames) within the past few months. Does ownership have interest in a deal that should easily exceed those already significant contracts?

Depending on how one feels about the Andrés Giménez trade, it’s debatable whether the Blue Jays have made a splash acquisition this offseason. They were heavily involved on Soto and Fried but watched both players head elsewhere. Their front office could be most motivated to land a marquee free agent, but they’re also faced with some payroll questions. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote last week that the Jays landing Burnes “doesn’t seem especially likely,” suggesting the organization could prefer to focus on a bat as its biggest addition while looking for a cheaper rebound target on the rotation front.

Maybe that opens the opportunity for the incumbent Orioles to make a push. GM Mike Elias has said that the ownership change has allowed the O’s front office to explore the top of the rotation market. (They reportedly were involved on Snell, in particular.) Still, it’s fair to take a “believe it when I see it” approach for Baltimore. The O’s have brought up spending since David Rubenstein purchased the franchise in April. They took on Zach Eflin’s $18MM salary in a deadline trade with the Rays and signed Tyler O’Neill for three years and $49.5MM last week. Yet neither investment is close to what it’d take to retain Burnes.

How will the Burnes situation play out? Will there be a late push by a mystery team to land him, and how much will it take? Is he soon to be the latest beneficiary of a bullish rotation market, or is the number of teams willing to make a $200MM+ investment drying up?

 

 

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