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Royals To Sign Jakson Reetz To Minor League Deal

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The Royals are signing catcher Jakson Reetz to a minor league deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. He will get an invite to Spring Training.

Reetz, 27 in January, got a brief major league debut in 2021, making two plate appearances over two games with the Nationals. That’s the extent of his big league experience thus far. He was designated for assignment in September and eventually signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.

His 2022 got off to a great start, as he hit 22 home runs in 64 Double-A games, getting bumped up to Triple-A and adding three more long balls. In August, the Brewers added him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from triggering an opt-out, but they kept him down on the farm on optional assignment. Though the club liked him enough to try to retain him, he got squeezed off the roster two weeks later. Reetz signed a minor league deal with the Royals in August and hit well as the season was winding down. In 21 games, he added another five home runs to bring his season total to 30. Between the different teams, he hit .264/.359/.575 for a wRC+ of 141.

Reetz was generally considered a glove-first catcher as a prospect, so to see him suddenly have a power outburst is certainly an encouraging development. The Royals already got a look at him as the 2022 season was winding down and liked him enough to bring him back for catching depth. The club has Salvador Perez entrenched as their everyday backstop, which has moved prospect MJ Melendez into an unknown role where he occasionally catches but also plays the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup. The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Freddy Fermín, who has just three games of MLB experience. Reetz and Fermín could potentially battle for a spot as a third/backup catcher on the active roster, alongside any other depth options the club adds between now and Opening Day.

Twins, Patrick Murphy Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Twins are in agreement with right-hander Patrick Murphy on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Presumably, the 27-year-old will get a chance to compete for a big league job in Spring Training.

Murphy has suited up at the highest level in each of the past three seasons. Originally a third-round selection of the Blue Jays in 2013, he spent parts of eight years in the Toronto system. Murphy was generally regarded as a solid prospect, but he battled myriad injury concerns in the minors that delayed his push up the ladder. He finally reached the majors during the abbreviated 2020 season, working six innings of relief across four appearances.

Toronto shuttled him on and off the active roster for most of 2021, eventually designating him for assignment in August. He landed with the Nationals via waivers, making 17 appearances with Washington down the stretch. Murphy held his roster spot over the winter and pitched six more times this past April before the Nats took him off the 40-man roster. He went unclaimed this time around, spending the remainder of the year with Triple-A Rochester before electing minor league free agency at season’s end.

Over his three MLB seasons, Murphy has tallied 39 2/3 innings of 4.76 ERA ball. He has a below-average 20.3% strikeout rate and an elevated 10.7% walk percentage. He’s averaged north of 96 MPH on his fastball but hasn’t missed many bats at the big league level. Murphy did punch out a solid 26.1% of opponents with a lofty 50% grounder rate over 63 frames in Triple-A this year, although he still walked just under 12% of batters faced.

While Murphy has some experience as a starter in the minors, he’s worked primarily as a multi-inning reliever for the past three seasons. That’s the role he’s expected to play in Minnesota, where he’ll compete for a spot in Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen. He’s out of minor league option years, so if he does crack the MLB roster at any point, he’ll have to remain in the majors or again be designated for assignment.

Cubs, Ben DeLuzio Agree To MInor League Deal

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The Cubs are in agreement with outfielder Ben DeLuzio on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The Ball Players Agency client receives an invite to big league Spring Training.

DeLuzio has spent six seasons in the minor leagues since going undrafted in 2016. After five-plus years in the Diamondbacks system, he moved to the St. Louis organization last winter in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. The right-handed hitter had a solid season with Triple-A Memphis, putting up a .277/.353/.429 line with a personal-best nine home runs across 408 plate appearances. He stole 30 bases in 36 attempts while playing almost exclusively center field, and that speed and defense profile made him a viable September call-up.

The Cards selected him onto the 40-man roster for the season’s final month. He played in 22 games, mostly as a late-game defensive replacement. DeLuzio worked 65 innings in center field and picked up 25 plate appearances, collecting three hits and walks apiece. St. Louis carried him on their Wild Card series roster and plugged him in both games off the bench. At the end of the year, the Cards non-tendered him and sent him back to free agency.

Now 28, DeLuzio has a bit of MLB experience under his belt. He’ll get a chance to compete for a big league job in Spring Training after his solid Triple-A showing. The Cubs signed Cody Bellinger to play center field, with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki manning the corners. Utilityman Christopher Morel could factor into the outfield mix as well, while DeLuzio will battle Nelson Velázquez and any other non-roster invitees for a bench spot.

Marlins Showing Interest In Alex Reyes

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The Marlins have checked in with the representatives for free agent reliever Alex Reyes, report Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The former All-Star closer is coming off a season lost to shoulder surgery.

Reyes has had an unfortunate number of injuries over the course of his career. One of the sport’s top pitching prospects during his days in the Cardinals system, he debuted in the big leagues with 46 innings of 1.57 ERA ball in 2016. That’d be almost the entirety of his major league work for a while, though, as he underwent Tommy John surgery the ensuing offseason. That cost him all of the 2017 campaign. Rehab from the TJ procedure and a subsequent lat strain limited him to just one MLB appearance in 2018, and he pitched only four times at the highest level in ’19 while struggling in the minors in his attempt to return to form.

St. Louis shuttled him on and off the active roster throughout the abbreviated 2020 season, but he finally carved out a full year in 2021. Working exclusively in relief, the righty tossed 72 1/3 innings with a 3.24 ERA. He carried a 1.52 mark while holding opponents to a .154/.307/.210 line in the first half to secure the aforementioned trip to the Midsummer Classic. The stretch run was a disaster, though, as he was tagged for a 5.52 ERA across 31 frames. Reyes’ strikeout and walk numbers were roughly the same in both halves, but he became increasingly homer-prone towards year’s end. That carried over into the playoffs, where Reyes surrendered a walk-off homer to Chris Taylor in the final National League Wild Card game.

While it wasn’t clear at the time, that looks as if it’ll be Reyes’ final pitch in a Cardinals uniform. St. Louis flirted with the idea of moving him to the rotation last offseason, but those plans were scuttled when he felt renewed soreness in his shoulder. He underwent surgery in May and St. Louis non-tendered him at the end of the season rather than pay an arbitration salary projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz at $2.85MM.

That’s at least partially motivated by the fact that Reyes isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day, as Jackson and Mish point out. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote last month the 28-year-old was targeting a return to game action by May, suggesting he’s still a few weeks behind the typical pitcher’s schedule as he builds back arm strength.

Despite the delayed timetable, it’s understandable other teams would consider rolling the dice on his upside. The Blue Jays and Dodgers have also been linked to Reyes at points this offseason. Reyes struck out 30% of opponents while averaging around 97 MPH on his fastball in 2021, and hitters came up empty more than half the time they offered at his mid-80s slider. A sky-high 16.4% walk rate was cause for some trepidation even before his latest lost season, but there’s no doubt a fully healthy Reyes boasts an electric arsenal. He also saved 29 games in 2021, suggesting he’s capable of taking on a ninth-inning role if entrusted with that responsibility.

Miami had a slightly below-average bullpen in 2022, finishing 22nd in ERA (4.15) and 13th in strikeout percentage (24%). Anthony Bass, their top reliever, was dealt to the Blue Jays midseason, while they flipped Jeff Brigham to the Mets at year’s end. Steven Okert, Richard Bleier and Tanner Scott are on hand as left-handed options, but the depth from the right side is lacking behind Dylan Floro. Adding a power righty arm makes some sense, and new manager Skip Schumaker has some familiarity with Reyes after spending this past season as the Cards bench coach.

Rays Designate J.P. Feyereisen For Assignment, Expect To Trade Him

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10:40am: At the press conference to introduce Eflin, general manager Peter Bendix said the Rays fully expect to find a trade partner for Feyereisen (Twitter link via Topkin).

9:58am: The Rays have designated right-hander J.P. Feyereisen for assignment in order to open a spot on then roster for right-hander Zach Eflin, whose previously reported three-year deal is now official.

While Feyereisen’s DFA might raise some eyebrows, given a sensational 2022 season in which he pitched 24 1/3 shutout innings for Tampa Bay with a 25-to-5 K/BB ratio, the decision comes less than a week after the right-hander required surgery to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his ailing right shoulder. Feyereisen won’t throw a ball for at least four months and is expected to be shelved well into the 2023 season. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Feyereisen isn’t expected back until late August.

Prior to the 2022 season, Feyereisen had enjoyed success in the upper minors but displayed more red flags in the big leagues. A 2.73 ERA in 56 innings between the Brewers and the Rays in 2021 was clearly encouraging, but Feyereisen walked a whopping 14.1% of his opponents that season, making that output appear unsustainable. The Rays, however, managed to sharpen his command in 2022, as he fanned 29.1% of hitters against a tidy 5.8% walk rate. His career walk rate of 12% is still concerning, particularly when coupled with the recent shoulder operation, but Feyereisen clearly has the makings of a solid late-game reliever if he can sustain his improved 2022 command.

The Rays, of course, could have opted to keep Feyereisen on the 40-man roster and place him on the 60-day injured list when Spring Training commences — there’s no injured list in the offseason — but they’re in somewhat of a bind, given that Feyereisen is just one of several players ticketed for the 60-day IL when camp begins. Both Shane Baz and Andrew Kittredge figure to require placement on the 60-day IL themselves, as each is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Waiting until Spring Training to make those moves would’ve effectively left the Rays working with a 37-man roster throughout the offseason.

Even with Feyereisen’s recent surgery, there’s a strong chance today’s DFA will spell the end of his time with the Rays. He has only two-plus years of MLB service time, meaning an acquiring team could control the 29-year-old righty for another four seasons. Even if he’ll miss a considerable portion of the 2023 season, there’s plenty of appeal in adding an arm of Feyereisen’s caliber, whether via a small trade or waiver claim, knowing he can be reasonably expected to be healthy for the 2024-26 seasons. The Rays clearly didn’t feel they had the luxury of rostering three immediate 60-day IL placements for the remainder of the offseason, but other clubs with greater flexibility won’t have such pressing concerns.

Guardians To Sign Mike Zunino

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The Guardians are in agreement on a contract with free-agent catcher Mike Zunino, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a one-year, $6MM contract for the Wasserman client, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided.

Zunino, 32 in March, should continue the tradition of high-quality defense behind the plate in Cleveland, though like many of his recent predecessors, he’s seen his fair share of struggles at the plate. The former No. 3 overall draft pick (Mariners, 2012) has batted under .200 in five of his ten Major League seasons, though he’s partially offset his penchant for punchouts with strong glovework and enormous power.

The 2022 season was perhaps the worst of Zunino’s career, as he turned in a .148/.195/.304 batting line in 123 plate appearances before undergoing season-ending surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. Just one season prior, however, Zunino mashed a career-best 33 home runs through just 375 plate appearances while batting .216/.301/.559. He’s had several seasons in which his power and defense have made him a valuable all-around asset even in spite of his perennially low batting averages and on-base percentages. All told, Zunino is a career .200/.271/.410 hitter with 146 home runs in 2958 plate appearances.

While the Guardians had a clear need for help behind the plate, Zunino is somewhat antithetical to the general hitting philosophy the Guardians relied on in 2022 when surging to the AL Central crown. Cleveland emphasized hitters who put the ball in play above all else, even designating struggling and strikeout-prone DH Franmil Reyes over the summer, and finished out the season with an MLB-low 18.2% strikeout rate as a team. Zunino, however, has a career 34.7% strikeout rate — one of the highest levels of any hitter during his decade in the big leagues.

Defensively, Zunino has been about average in terms of throwing out potential base thieves, with a career 28% caught-stealing mark that sits narrowly ahead of the 27% league average during his MLB tenure. That said, he’s consistently rated anywhere from above-average to excellent in terms of pitch framing, and Defensive Runs Saved credits him with a hearty +51 mark over his 6894 career innings behind the dish.

Zunino might not be quite on the same defensive level as the man he’ll be replacing, free agent Austin Hedges (arguably MLB’s best defensive catcher), but even if the pair both struggle to keep their average north of .200, Zunino trounces Hedges in terms of career power output and (to a lesser extent) on-base percentage. There will likely be even fewer balls in play off the bat of Zunino than with Hedges (career 27.7% strikeout rate), but the pitches on which Zunino does connect will be put into play with considerably more authority. Zunino’s career 89.7 mph average exit velocity and 41.6% hard-hit rate tower over Hedges’ marks of 86.4 mph and 29.8%, and Zunino has been particularly strong in this regard since 2021 (91 mph average exit velocity, 44.9% hard-hit rate).

Of course, all of that assumes good health, which is a lot to presume in the wake of an ominous TOS procedure. Thoracic outlet surgery is far more common among pitchers than position players, so there’s not much of a precedent for how a hitter — particularly a catcher — will recover from the ailment. Symptoms of TOS often include numbness in the hand/fingertips and weakness in the shoulder area, so there’s certainly some medical risk.

Zunino becomes the second free-agent addition to the reigning AL Central division champions, who recently signed slugger Josh Bell to a two-year, $33MM contract that allows him to opt out of the deal after one season. Bell and Zunino will unquestionably add some thump to a Guardians club that ranked 29th in baseball in both home runs (127) and ISO (.129). They’ll also boost the Guards’ projected payroll to a bit more than $92MM, which is miles away from the franchise-record mark of $135MM in 2018 but still a far sight north of last year’s $68.2MM Opening Day mark.

The one-year term of the deal is reflective both of Cleveland’s general aversion to long-term free-agent deals and to the fact that the front office hopes to have its catcher of the future on the cusp of MLB readiness. Bo Naylor, selected with the No. 29 overall pick in 2018, made his big league debut briefly in 2022, though he did not reach base in a tiny sample of eight plate appearances. Naylor, however, hit .271/.427/.471 in 52 Double-A games before ascending to Triple-A and batting .257/.366/.514 in an additional 66 games.

Scouting reports on Naylor, the younger brother of Cleveland first baseman/outfielder Josh Naylor, cite a need to improve his defense behind the plate and improve his bat-to-ball skills at the plate — he fanned in 25.9% of his Triple-A plate appearances — so it seems likely that Cleveland will hope he can continue to work on those areas of his game in the upper minors to begin the season.

There’s little sense in carrying the younger Naylor brother as a backup catcher when he’s viewed as a potential long-term regular, and the typically low-payroll Guardians likely wouldn’t commit $6MM to Zunino in order for him to serve as a backup. Cleveland has fellow catcher Bryan Lavastida on the 40-man and recently invited former Royals and Rangers backstop Meibrys Viloria to Spring Training. Either could open the season as Zunino’s backup, and it remains possible that the front office will add another name to that backup competition between now and Opening Day.

Diamondbacks Sign Ryan Hendrix

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Right-hander Ryan Hendrix announced on Instagram that he has signed with the Diamondbacks (hat tip to @HeyGingersaurus). Presumably, it’s a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, though there’s been no official announcement from the team just yet.

It’s a bit of an early birthday present for Hendrix, who turns 28 on Friday. This will be just the second organization for him, as he was drafted by the Reds in 2016 and has been with them ever since. The reliever worked his way up the minor league ladder and got selected to the club’s 40-man roster ahead of the 2020 season.

Though he didn’t make it to the show in 2020, he has seen some brief MLB action in the past two years. In his 40 combined innings, he has a 5.85 ERA with solid strikeout and ground ball rates of 24.4% and 42.2%, though a 12.2% walk rate that’s a few ticks above league average. The story is fairly similar in the minors, with Hendrix tossing 54 1/3 Triple-A innings over the past two years, posting a 6.13 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate and 16% walk rate, getting grounders on over 50% of balls in play in each season.

Hendrix was outrighted off the Reds’ roster in October and elected free agency. The Diamondbacks have stepped up and given him a new opportunity, presumably intrigued by his combination of strikeouts and ground balls. If he can rein in his control, he could prove to be a useful hurler. Assuming this is indeed a minor league deal, he will have to work his way back to a 40-man roster spot. If he succeeds there, he’s out of options and will need to hang onto his active roster spot or else be designated for assignment.

Mets Listening To Trade Offers On Carlos Carrasco

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The Mets are listening to trade offers on right-hander Carlos Carrasco, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post. There’s nothing to indicate that a deal is particularly close or that the Mets are actively shopping him, but the fact that they are open to a deal is noteworthy.

The Mets’ rotation has been in a constant state of flux over the past couple of months. Once the 2022 season ended, Max Scherzer was the only member of the group locked in for 2023. Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker all reached free agency, while the club had an option on Carrasco’s services. Given all of that uncertainty, it wasn’t shocking that the Mets went for Carrasco’s $14MM option instead of the $3MM buyout. They still had plenty of work to do, but they at least went into the offseason with two rotation spots spoken for instead of just one.

Much has changed since that time, with deGrom, Bassitt and Walker signing with the Rangers, Blue Jays and Phillies, respectively. The Mets gave a qualifying offer to deGrom and Bassitt, meaning they will receive draft picks as compensation. To make up for those departures, the club replaced them by giving Justin Verlander $86.66MM (plus a potential player option), giving Kodai Senga $75MM and José Quintana $26MM.

Despite throwing all that money around to add to their rotation, it appears the club is now willing to consider a subtraction. Per Sherman’s report, trading Carrasco wouldn’t be about the money, which makes sense. The wild spending has shot up to record heights, with Roster Resource putting their payroll at $335MM and their competitive balance tax figure at $350MM. It wouldn’t have been likely that the club would have inflated the payroll to such a degree just to start pinching pennies after the fact. The logic is that the rising price of starting pitching this winter now makes Carrasco an attractive trade piece at a somewhat nominal salary.

Spending on starting pitching has indeed been surpassing expectations. MLBTR predicted deGrom to get $135MM over three years but he got $185MM over five. Jameson Taillon and Walker were each projected for four years at $56MM and $52MM, respectively. They did get four years but Taillon got $68MM and Walker got $72MM. Sean Manaea and Andrew Heaney came in under expectations but they each secured opt-outs that allow them to return to free agency a year from now. Though if they disappoint or get hurt, their signings clubs will be on the hook for a second season.

Carrasco comes with just a one year commitment, as he’s set to reach to reach free agency after 2023. Finding a quality free agent pitcher willing to sign a modest one-year deal is tough to do. Kyle Gibson secured himself a one-year pact with a $10MM salary from the Orioles despite being 35 years old and posting a 5.05 ERA in 2022. Carrasco has a more impressive track record than someone like Gibson and could be appealing to clubs that want to steer clear of the open market.

Carrasco is turning 36 in March but is coming off a strong campaign. He made 29 starts and tossed 152 innings with a 3.97 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate. Most advanced metrics thought he deserved even better, with Carrasco pegged at a 3.53 FIP, 3.45 xFIP and 3.60 SIERA. A .337 batting average on balls in play likely helped push his ERA up a bit. Most teams could fit a pitcher of this quality in their rotation, especially at the back end. Carrasco has some health concerns, as he’s gone to the IL for oblique and hamstring strains in recent seasons and had elbow surgery between 2021 and 2022. Nonetheless, he still proved valuable in 2022 and would certainly garner interest.

For the Mets, the calculus would likely come down to how much they value their depth. With Scherzer, Verlander, Senga and Quintana in the front four, they could rely on pitchers like David Peterson and Tylor Megill to take the final spot while using a trade of Carrasco to bolster another area of the roster. However, doing so would come with risk, given that their rotation is on the older side. Verlander turns 40 in February, Scherzer will be 39 in July, Quintana 34 in January and Carrasco 36 in March. The youngest of the bunch is Senga, who turns 30 in January. However, he will be coming over from Japan, where pitchers typically throw once a week instead of every five days in MLB. It’s unknown how his arm and body will respond to that adjustment.

Every baseball team will deal with rotation injuries throughout a lengthy season, even if it’s primarily built of young hurlers in their prime. This group will certainly have ailments from time to time as the campaign rolls along, meaning the Mets will surely have to rely on guys like Peterson and Megill even if they hang onto Carrasco. Subtracting him from the mix makes it more likely that they will have to reach deeper into their farm at some point.

The Mets still have areas they could upgrade, particularly a bullpen that lost a number of pitchers to free agency. Sherman suggests that the ideal return would actually be a young starter to plug into the farm and help them down the line. Addressing those areas could make sense but it would also deal a blow to the rotation security they have worked so hard to strengthen.

Marlins Finalize Coaching Staff

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The Marlins have finalized their coaching staff under rookie manager Skip Schumaker, the team announced Tuesday. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda and bullpen coordinator Rob Flippo are all holdovers from the prior staff. The rest will be comprised of newcomers — most of whom have Major League playing experience.

Rod Barajas has been named the team’s field coordinator, while Jon Jay is the new first base and outfield coach. Brant Brown has been tabbed as Miami’s new hitting coach, and he’ll be assisted by John Mabry. Jody Reed will serve as the Marlins’ third base and infield coach, and Luis Urueta will take over as Schumaker’s bench coach. Griffin Benedict, meanwhile, has been hired as a quality assurance coach.

Since retiring as a player following the 2012 season, the 47-year-old Barajas has spent nine years with the Padres in various coaching roles and was also the Angels’ Major League catching coordinator in 2022. The former catcher briefly served as the Padres’ interim manager for their final eight games in 2019 and was also San Diego’s bench coach. Barajas hit .235/.284/.407 and won a World Series ring with the D-backs during a 14-year playing career.

Jay, 37, was an active player up through the 2021 season and will now take his first big league coaching role. A longtime teammate of Schumaker in St. Louis, he’s a Miami native who spent a dozen seasons playing at the MLB level from 2010-21. Along the way, Jay hit .283/.348/.373 while logging extensive time at all three outfield positions.

Brown, 51, played in parts of five big league seasons and saw a brief run with the then-Florida Marlins in 2000. He’s spent the past three seasons as a co-hitting coach with the Dodgers and has previously held coaching gigs with the both the Mariners and Rangers. He batted .247/.301/.445 in 424 big league games.

Mabry, who’ll take over as the new assistant hitting coach for the Fish, is no stranger to big league coaching. He spent seven seasons with the Cardinals, first as assistant coach and then as the lead hitting coach, and he’s been on the Royals’ staff for each of the past three seasons. The 52-year-old played parts of 14 seasons in the Majors, hitting .263/.322/.405 and, in his final season with the Cardinals in 2005, briefly overlapped with Schumaker, who made his big league debut with St. Louis that same season.

The 60-year-old Reed had an 11-year playing career himself, batting .279/.340/.350 while spending the majority of his time with the Red Sox. He’s since had minor league coaching and development positions with the Dodgers and Yankees, including a nine-year stint with the latter.

Urueta is one of two newcomers who doesn’t have big league playing experience, though despite being just 41 years of age, he joins Miami with a lengthy coaching history. After spending more than a decade coaching and managing in the D-backs’ minor league system, Urueta was added to the big league staff in 2018 and eventually elevated to the position of bench coach. He returned to a minor league role for the 2022 season, however.

Benedict was with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021-22, serving as the team’s hitting coach. Prior to that, he spent 10 seasons as a bullpen catcher and instructor with San Diego. Benedict played a pair of minor league seasons and also spent seven years working for the Padres’ scouting department.

ESPN’s Enrique Rojas first reported Urueta’s hiring back in November, while the hiring of Barajas and Reed were reported at the same time by Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.

The Opener: Catchers, Market Movement, Blue Jays

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The hot stove was busy yesterday, and here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout baseball today:

1. Catching market update

The top trade target and free agent are off the board on the catching market, as Sean Murphy is headed to the Braves, and Christian Vazquez is set to sign with the Twins. With the Guardians, Cubs, Rays, and Astros among the teams looking to land a catcher, what options remain? On the free agent market, Omar Narvaez is likely the top option, with Tucker Barnhart and Mike Zunino also getting attention. On the trade market, the only clear seller behind the plate is the Blue Jays, who are expected to deal a member of their catching trio (Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Gabriel Moreno) at some point. The Astros (Korey Lee) and Guardians (Bo Naylor) both have catching prospects who could see more playing time in 2023, perhaps supported by the addition of a lower cost veteran like Barnhart or Austin Hedges. The Astros are also reportedly discussing a Daulton Varsho trade with the Diamondbacks, and Varsho, though more of an outfielder at this point, could still support a catching tandem of Lee and Martin Maldonado with an occasional appearance behind the plate. Other teams could also see the limited impactful options on the market behind the plate and take advantage by dangling one of their catchers. If the Braves get an offer to their liking regarding Travis d’Arnaud, he could be flipped elsewhere while the team pivots to sign a less-expensive backup to Murphy. The Padres could offer up one of Luis Campusano or Austin Nola, while the Rangers have MLB-ready catchers in Jonah Heim, Sam Huff, and Mitch Garver.

2. What deals could be coming down the pipeline?

After a fairly busy day on the hot stove yesterday, there’s plenty more moves that could be made in the near future. As previously mentioned, the Diamondbacks and the Astros are reportedly discussing trade of Varsho, while the Blue Jays are looking to move one of their catchers. Aside from those moves, the Yankees still have plenty to do this offseason, even after re-signing Aaron Judge. They reportedly a preparing a formal offer to the top free agent pitcher left on the market, Carlos Rodon, while engaging in trade discussions with teams in order to fill the hole in left field. Reportedly, they have interest in a deal with the Pirates for Bryan Reynolds and have talked to both the Twins and Diamondbacks about trades. Moving down the east coast, the Marlins have reportedly made an offer to third baseman Justin Turner, who could provide the team with a much needed boost to their offense. Sticking with small markets, the Pirates, despite re-signing catcher Tyler Heineman on a minor league deal, could still add a starting catcher to their club in the near future. Barnhart is known to be a name that interests Pittsburgh.

3. The Blue Jays added a starter — is a bat next?

The Blue Jays yesterday signed Chris Bassitt to a three-year deal, fortifying a rotation that already contained Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman. While the move improves their rotation in a significant way, they Jays are still in the market for a left-handed bat. A trade of Jansen, Kirk, or Moreno could end up playing a part in solving this part of the roster for the Jays, but they could potentially stand to add another bat to the outfield mix as well, with the DH slot relatively vacant. Michael Conforto and Michael Brantley are both options who have previously been connected to Toronto, but Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo are also available on the free agent market, while the trade market offers options such as Reynolds and Max Kepler.

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