Headlines

  • Mets Sign Luke Weaver
  • Athletics Acquire Jeff McNeil
  • Nationals Sign Foster Griffin
  • Padres Sign Sung-Mun Song
  • Rangers Re-Sign Chris Martin
  • Red Sox Acquire Willson Contreras
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Nick Senzel Out Several Weeks Following Ankle Injury

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2019 at 2:50pm CDT

Top Reds prospect Nick Senzel, who was recently reassigned to minor league camp, incurred a right ankle sprain while sliding into second base during a minor league game and will be in a walking boot for seven to 14 days, the team announced. As president of baseball operations Dick Williams tells Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Senzel will require multiple weeks to get back up to speed once he’s out of the boot.

Cincinnati assigned Senzel to minor league camp earlier this week — a move that was met with noted protest from agent Joel Wolfe, who called the decision a “simply egregious case of service-time manipulation” in a statement to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Whether the move was indeed fueled by service time — the Reds can at least plausibly maintain that they’d like Senzel to continue getting reps in center field after shifting there from the infield just this spring — the injury will definitively keep in the minors long enough for the Reds to garner an additional year of club control over the former No. 2 overall draft pick (2015). Assuming Senzel is called up to the Majors later this season and sticks, he’ll be controlled through the 2025 season and, depending on the exact date he’s called up, would be eligible for arbitration after either the 2021 season (if he’s a Super Two player) or the 2022 season.

With Senzel sidelined, Scott Schebler will now get a lengthier look as the primary center fielder with the Reds to begin the 2019 season. He’ll be flanked by Jesse Winker, Yasiel Puig and (more occasionally) Matt Kemp in the outfield for at least the first few weeks of the season.

Share Repost Send via email

Cincinnati Reds Nick Senzel

50 comments

Rangers Claim Kyle Dowdy From Mets

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2019 at 1:50pm CDT

The Rangers announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Kyle Dowdy off waivers from the Mets, bringing their 40-man roster count to a total of 38 players. Dowdy was New York’s selection in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, meaning he’ll need to stick on Texas’ big league roster or else be exposed to waivers for a second time. If he clears, he’d need to be offered back to the organization from which he was originally selected: the Indians.

Dowdy, 26, posted unsightly results in a combined 124 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year: a 5.15 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. However, as Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser examined in depth earlier this spring, Dowdy caught the attention of scouts last season after an enormous velocity jump. Once regarded as a “pitchability” right-hander, with a fastball in the upper 80s and low 90s, Dowdy began working out on a weighted-ball program and altered his arm angle during the 2017-18 offseason. A fastball that previously topped out at 94 mph began sitting in the 94-96 range and even scraped 99 mph on radar guns.

The results weren’t there last season in the minors, and it was a similar tale for Dowdy this spring (seven runs on 15 hits and seven walks with seven strikeouts through 11 1/3 innings), but the rebuilding Rangers will at least take a look at the sudden hard-thrower in hopes of refining his newfound velocity.

Share Repost Send via email

New York Mets Rule 5 Draft Texas Rangers Transactions

20 comments

Cubs Extend Kyle Hendricks

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2019 at 12:57pm CDT

12:57pm: It’s a four-year, $55.5MM extension for Hendricks, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosethal (Twitter links). Hendricks will be paid $12MM in 2020 and $14MM annually from 2021-23. He has a $16MM vesting option for the 2024 season that comes with a $1.5MM buyout but would become guaranteed if he finishes top three in the 2020 Cy Young voting.

12:47pm: The Cubs announced Tuesday that they’ve signed right-hander Kyle Hendricks to a four-year contract extension spanning the 2020-23 seasons. The deal also contains an option for the 2024 season. Hendricks, who is already set to earn $7.405MM in 2019 after avoiding arbitration, was originally under control through the 2020 season. He’s represented by Wasserman.

Kyle Hendricks | Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Hendricks, 29, has blossomed from unheralded prospect to steadying force in the Chicago rotation. While he’s unlikely to ever match the dominance that carried him to a third-place finish in the 2016 Cy Young voting, when he pitched 190 innings of 2.13 ERA ball, he’s nevertheless a rock-solid mid-rotation piece, thriving on pristine control and weak contact rather than overpowering opponents. Hendricks averages just 87 mph on his fastball, but he ranked in the top eight percent of the league in terms of average opponents’ exit velocity in 2018 (85.2 mph), and the spin rate on his curveball is among the best in the game (89th percentile).

In all, since debuting in 2014, Hendricks has amassed 789 innings of 3.07 ERA ball with 7.6 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.86 HR/9 and an above-average 48.9 percent ground-ball rate. His plus changeup and hook, paired with pinpoint control, allow him to generate a well-above-average swing-rate on pitches outside the strike zone (32 percent), which helps to explain how he’s managed to continually limit hard contact despite laying claim to one of the slowest fastballs in the Majors.

Hendricks would’ve reached free agency heading into his age-31 season, and the price on his four-year extension is somewhat reflective both of his age and his proximity (or lack thereof) to an open-market setting. Both Nathan Eovaldi and Miles Mikolas, for instance, received $68MM on their own recent four-year contracts. However, Eovaldi received that sum as a 29-year-old on the free-agent market, while Mikolas received that deal with his own foray into free agency just a few months away.

For the Cubs, getting Hendricks locked up long-term was likely of particular importance given the long-term outlook of their starting staff. Lefties Jon Lester and Cole Hamels remain quality options but are both near the expiration of their contracts and are both aging. Lester has just two guaranteed years of his contract remaining, while Hamels can become a free-agent at season’s end. Jose Quintana, similarly, has just one year of control remaining beyond the current season.

The Cubs do have some longer-term options, but the organization can’t know exactly what to expect from Yu Darvish, who pitched just 40 innings in the first season of a six-year, $126MM contract last year. Chicago picked up Kendall Graveman this winter as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but while he’s controlled through the 2021 campaign, he won’t be a plausible option until next year. Mike Montgomery is arbitration-eligible through the 2021 season as well, but he’s never worked a full season as a starter. With Hendricks now in place for an additional three years beyond the point at which he’d have originally become a free agent, the Cubs have some much-needed certainty in place.

From a luxury tax standpoint, the extension does have some ramifications. Hendricks had counted as a $7.405MM hit against the team’s luxury-tax bill, but that number now rises to $12.581MM. And because the Cubs were already into the second bracket of luxury tax penalties, every single dollar of that increase will come with a 32 percent tax hit. As such, even though Hendricks’ salary is unchanged for the coming season, the Cubs will now pay an additional $1.656MM in surcharges. Beyond flying in the face of the audacious comments made by owner Tom Ricketts last month, in which he claimed that the Cubs “[didn’t] have any more” money to spend, the Hendricks extension will give the Cubs more than $232MM of salary that counts against the luxury tax. It’ll also push the Cubs’ 2020 payroll to a guaranteed $114MM before the 2019 season even kicks off.

From a broader perspective, Hendricks’ contract is the latest in an avalanche of long-term deals signed by players this spring against a backdrop of general unrest regarding the state of free agency. Dating back to Sonny Gray’s late-January extension with the Reds, there have been a remarkable 22 multi-year deals signed by players who were still under club control (as shown in MLBTR’s Extension Tracker). That number would typically constitute two, if not three year’s worth of spring extensions. The series of long-term deals has not only weakened next winter’s free-agent class but now, with extensions from Hendricks and Jacob deGrom, has begun to cut into the 2020-21 class of free agents as well.

Share Repost Send via email

Chicago Cubs Newsstand Transactions Kyle Hendricks

88 comments

Rockies Select Mark Reynolds

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2019 at 12:28pm CDT

Mark Reynolds is once again an official member of the Rockies’ roster, as the team announced this afternoon that they’ve formally selected his contract. Reynolds’ addition brings Colorado’s 40-man roster to a total of 39 players. As MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported at the time of Reynolds’ signing, he’ll now receive a $1MM base salary with the opportunity to earn an additional $1MM via incentives.

Reynolds, 35, spent the 2016-17 seasons with the Rockies before taking a one-year detour with the Nationals in 2018. Last season, the slugger posted a .248/.328/.476 slash that helped to prove his 2016-17 output with the Rox wasn’t merely fueled by Coors Field. As is the case with many veterans in their mid-30s in this age of baseball, however, Reynolds settled for a minor league contract this winter.

It was a rough spring for Reynolds, who hit just .133/.278/.333 in 54 plate appearances. The Rockies, though, weren’t swayed by the slow start and chose to instead bet on the productive three-year stretch Reynolds carried into camp. Dating back to Opening Day 2016, Reynolds has batted a combined .269/.349/.472 with 57 homers and 54 doubles. He’ll give the Rockies a right-handed bat off the bench who can occasionally spell Daniel Murphy at first base against left-handed pitching.

Reynolds will join catcher Tony Wolters and out-of-options outfielder Raimel Tapia in occupying three spots on the Rockies’ bench. It also now seems likely that both Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson, who have been thriving this spring as they battle for the second base job, will both break camp with the team, meaning one of that duo will be available in reserve on most days.

Although Reynolds’ role will be a limited one, there’s still a strong possibility that he’ll celebrate a milestone in Colorado this season. Reynolds, who has never hit fewer than 13 home runs in a season, will enter the year just six big flies shy of the 300 mark.

Share Repost Send via email

Colorado Rockies Transactions Mark Reynolds

15 comments

Devin Mesoraco Reportedly Considering Retirement

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2019 at 11:45am CDT

March 26: Mesoraco has indeed been placed on the restricted list, tweets Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.

March 25: Veteran catcher Devin Mesoraco, who was in Spring Training with the Mets as a non-roster invitee but reassigned to minor league camp over the weekend, is now contemplating retirement, The Record’s Matt Ehalt reports (Twitter link). Mesoraco has no plans to report to Triple-A with the Mets, but rather than release him the organization could instead place him on the restricted list. If that happens, per Ehalt, Mesoraco’s inclination is to retire.

It’s a bizarre scenario in which a veteran player does not appear to have been contractually promised anything but may have had a handshake agreement with the team. As Newsday’s Tim Healey reported over the weekend, during their discussions on a minor league contract this winter, Mesoraco’s camp was given the impression that he’d have a path to the big leagues either in the event that Travis d’Arnaud proved unready for Opening Day or should the Mets carry three catchers. Now, despite the fact that d’Arnaud will indeed be on the injured list to begin the season, Mesoraco was assigned to minor league camp and asked to report to Triple-A.

Mesoraco’s contract doesn’t contain an opt-out provision, it seems, though multiple reports last week indicated that his contract did have an “upward mobility” clause. The Mets last Wednesday informed teams that Mesoraco would be available should any team wish to put him on the big league roster, at which point they had 48 hours to inform him of their intent to do so. The Mets, in turn, would’ve then had the opportunity to instead place him on their own 25-man roster to prevent him from leaving. As the New York Post’s Mike Puma reported (via Twitter), however, no team expressed the intent to add Mesoraco to its big leagues roster.

Given that report, it’s possible that Mesoraco wouldn’t find a more immediate path to the Majors elsewhere anyhow. That said, he’d still have the opportunity to speak to other clubs with less-solidified catching situations where he could have a more plausible chance at a promotion back to the show. While it’s impossible to know exactly what kind of verbal assurances were given or implied during negotiations, it’s also understandable that Mesoraco would feel jilted had he spent the entirety of camp believing himself to have been competing for an opportunity that was never really there. To this point in Spring Training, he’s gone 6-for-26 with a homer and three doubles after batting .222/.306/.409 in 222 plate appearances with the Mets last year.

Frankly, it’s difficult to see what the Mets gain by placing Mesoraco on the restricted list rather than releasing him. The team doesn’t view him as one of its best options behind the plate — they’re reportedly in agreement with Rene Rivera and also have d’Arnaud, Nido and Ramos on the 40-man roster — and all 29 other clubs already passed when the Mets made him available. Perhaps the organization feels that Mesoraco is in violation of his contractual terms and that a hard line simply needs to be drawn, but beyond that possibility the motive seems muddled.

Share Repost Send via email

New York Mets Devin Mesoraco

88 comments

Cubs To Re-Sign Junichi Tazawa

By Jeff Todd | March 26, 2019 at 10:48am CDT

The Cubs have agreed to re-sign veteran righty Junichi Tazawa, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). It’s a minors deal that would pay $900K in the big leagues, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).

The 32-year-old Tazawa had been cut loose by the Cubs over the weekend. It appears that he was afforded an opportunity to test the open market when it was decided he wouldn’t crack the Chicago Opening Day roster. With no superior chances to be found, he landed back as a depth option for the Cubs, who now avoid paying Tazawa the $100K retention bonus to which he’d have been entitled as an Article XX(B) free agent (i.e. a player with six-plus years of service who finished the preceding season on a Major League roster but signed a minor league deal in the offseason).

Tazawa produced good results in his 5 2/3 innings in camp, racking up nine strikeouts without permitting any runs, but has struggled quite a bit in recent seasons. He long produced solid peripherals, if not always the desired results, during his run with the Red Sox. But over the past two seasons, Tazawa carries an ugly 6.16 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 83 1/3 MLB innings.

Share Repost Send via email

Chicago Cubs Transactions Junichi Tazawa

3 comments

Reds Reassign Matt Wisler

By Jeff Todd | March 26, 2019 at 10:37am CDT

The Reds are expected to place righty Matt Wisler on outright waivers, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). He was reassigned to minor-league camp today, with Robert Stephenson and Wandy Peralta being chosen instead for bullpen slots.

Wisler was one of three players with MLB experience who headed to the Reds in the July 2018 swap that shipped Adam Duvall to the Braves. He’s out of options and therefore will need to be traded or exposed to waivers if he’s to miss out on the active roster.

While he has largely disappointed at the game’s highest level, Wisler has actually been rather good in brief action in a relief capacity since landing in Cincinnati. He allowed just three earned runs in 13 1/3 frames late last year and racked up a 16:1 K/BB mix in a dozen innings this spring.

Share Repost Send via email

Cincinnati Reds Transactions Matt Wisler

29 comments

Giants CEO Larry Baer Suspended Through July 1st

By Jeff Todd | March 26, 2019 at 9:09am CDT

Giants president/CEO Larry Baer has been suspended without pay through July 1st of 2019, per an announcement from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. His preexisting leave of absence will be converted to an unpaid suspension, meaning the cumulative suspension will be for 120 days.

The discipline was applied after the league reviewed the facts surrounding a public altercation that was captured on video. In the course of a verbal argument, Baer attempted to retrieve a cell phone from his wife, causing her to fall to the ground. He is not expected to face criminal charges in relation to the incident.

Manfred says that he met with Baer and reviewed the results of an investigation into the matter. The suspension was arrived at upon the conclusion that Baer’s “conduct was unacceptable under MLB policies and warrants discipline,” with the length of the term set based upon the view that Baer “should be held to a higher standard because as a leader he is expected to be a role model for others in his organization and community.”

Notably, the commissioner’s statement does not specify that Baer was suspended pursuant to the league’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy. That policy, which applies to Baer and all MLB owners, players, and personnel, has been pointed to as the underlying grounds for discipline in recent player suspensions. Manfred’s statement does make clear that Baer will be totally precluded from involvement with the club during his suspension.

There are some potential long-term ramifications here from an organizational perspective. The Giants announced (Twitter link) that Baer will return to his position. However, the organization will not continue to utilize him as the designated control person vis-a-vis Major League Baseball. Ownership representative Rob Dean will continue to fulfill that role, as he has since Baer took a leave of absence, on an interim basis. A permanent control person will ultimately be designated, along with other unstated “changes to the Club’s corporate governance structure.”

There could also be a counseling component to the action. Per Manfred, “Baer will be required to undergo an evaluation by an expert to determine an appropriate treatment and counseling plan.” Baer released his own statement, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter. He says that he “made a serious mistake” and will “seek professional advice” as part of a plan for “doing what it takes to earn the trust and respect of the many people impacted by my actions.” Baer also made clear that he will will not challenge the suspension.

Share Repost Send via email

San Francisco Giants Larry Baer

71 comments

Angels Acquire Chris Stratton From Giants For Williams Jerez

By Jeff Todd | March 26, 2019 at 7:34am CDT

The Giants and Angels have swung an intrastate deal involving a pair of pitchers. Southpaw Williams Jerez is heading up to San Francisco in exchange for righty Chris Stratton.

Jerez, 26, will give the San Francisco organization a left-handed relief option. That could come in handy if the club ends up moving one or more of its veterans. Jerez handed out six walks to go with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 spring innings after struggling in his first 15 MLB frames last year. But he also showed a mid-nineties heater and the ability to get swings and misses (11.8% SwStr) at the game’s highest level and carried 12.0 K/9 in 55 2/3 innings over 38 Triple-A appearances.

The Giants will have the opportunity to shuttle Jerez up and down as they see fit. That would not have been the case with regard to Stratton, who is out of options. Presumably, then, the Halos see a spot for the former first-round pick on their MLB staff as either a starter or long reliever. The 28-year-old has worked to a 4.63 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 213 2/3 innings in the majors. He hasn’t excited much at Triple-A either, with 327 total frames of 4.10 ERA ball, but could help stabilize a Halos staff that has seen quite a lot of turnover in recent years.

Share Repost Send via email

Los Angeles Angels San Francisco Giants Transactions Chris Stratton

52 comments

Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants

By Mark Polishuk | March 26, 2019 at 12:15am CDT

This is the latest post of MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series, in which we take stock of every team’s winter dealings.

Apart from a late push in the Bryce Harper market, the Giants stuck to mostly low-profile signings and acquisitions in Farhan Zaidi’s first offseason as the club’s president of baseball operations.

Major League Signings

  • Derek Holland, SP: One year, $7MM (includes $500K buyout of a $6.5MM club option for 2020)
  • Drew Pomeranz, SP: One year, $1.5MM
  • Pat Venditte, RP: One year, $585K
  • Total spend: $9.085MM

Trades And Claims

  • Acquired RP Trevor Gott from the Nationals for cash considerations
  • Acquired OF Michael Reed from the Twins for OF John Andreoli and cash considerations (Andreoli was previously claimed from the Rangers during the offseason)
  • Acquired C Erik Kratz from the Brewers for SS C.J. Hinojosa
  • Acquired IF Breyvic Valera from the Orioles for cash considerations
  • Acquired IF/OF Connor Joe from the Reds for minor league RHP Jordan Johnson and cash considerations (Joe is a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Dodgers)
  • Acquired cash considerations from the Tigers for C Cameron Rupp
  • Claimed C Tom Murphy from the Rockies
  • Claimed OF Mike Gerber from the Tigers (later outrighted)
  • Claimed RHP Merandy Gonzalez from the Marlins (later designated for assignment)
  • Claimed RHP Jose Lopez from the Reds (later designated for assignment)
  • Claimed RP Travis Bergen from the Blue Jays and OF Drew Ferguson from the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft (Ferguson has since been returned to Houston)

Notable Minor League Signings

  • Gerardo Parra, Nick Vincent, Yangervis Solarte, Stephen Vogt, Fernando Abad, Craig Gentry, Donovan Solano, Jandel Gustave, Brandon Beachy (Cameron Maybin, Rene Rivera, and Matt Joyce also signed minors deals but were released in Spring Training.)

Notable Losses

  • Hunter Pence, Hunter Strickland, Gorkys Hernandez, Nick Hundley, Gregor Blanco, Josh Osich

[Giants Organizational Depth Chart | Giants Payroll Information]

Needs Addressed

Signed to a minor league deal last offseason, Derek Holland ended up being a major bargain for the Giants.  After four injury-riddled and ineffective years with the Rangers and White Sox, Holland got back on track by posting a 3.57 ERA, 8.88 K/9, and 2.52 K/9 rate over 171 1/3 innings for San Francisco in 2018.

The Reds, Rangers, and Mets were all linked to Holland over the course of the winter, though the southpaw ended up returning to the Giants on a one-year deal worth $7MM in guaranteed money, plus the club holds an option for 2020 that could result in Holland earning as much as $15MM over the course of the next two seasons.  There weren’t any big red flags in Holland’s peripherals from last season, so this new contract would also be well worth the Giants’ while if Holland remains healthy.

Drew PomeranzThere’s more of an injury concern in regards to new arrival Drew Pomeranz, who has had health issues over the course of his career and pitched only 74 innings last season due to a variety of arm problems.  At just a $1.5MM guaranteed salary, however, the Giants aren’t taking much of a financial risk on Pomeranz, and he is only a year removed from giving the Red Sox 173 2/3 innings of 3.32 ERA pitching.  Pomeranz is penciled in as the fifth starter (behind Madison Bumgarner, Holland, Jeff Samardzija, and Dereck Rodriguez). San Francisco has the likes of Andrew Suarez, waiver claims Jose Lopez and Merandy Gonzalez (if they clear waivers and remain in the organization), and former first-rounder Tyler Beede as Triple-A depth options.

Hunter Strickland was somewhat surprisingly let go just prior to the non-tender deadline, though the Giants have been getting good results from many of their relievers this spring, leaving the club with a bit of a logjam for the Opening Day bullpen.  Rule 5 Draft pick Travis Bergen has to remain on the MLB roster all season or else be offered back to Toronto, though Bergen has pitched well enough to retain his position regardless.  Low-risk acquisitions Nick Vincent, Trevor Gott, Fernando Abad, or Pat Venditte could either provide depth if they remain in the organization, win jobs outright, or potentially move into roles left open should the Giants swing a late trade involving Will Smith or Tony Watson.

A change was made at backup catcher, as Nick Hundley will be replaced by pair of late-spring acquisitions.  After it seemed like rookie Aramis Garcia and minor league signings Rene Rivera and Stephen Vogt would vie for the job, San Francisco changed course by adding veterans Erik Kratz and Tom Murphy.  Rivera was cut loose, while Vogt and Garcia will provide additional depth in the minors.  It seems like enough of a logjam that a future move seems inevitable, though the Giants want to have plenty of catching on hand as Buster Posey recovers from hip surgery.  On the plus side, Posey seems to be making good progress and is on track to appear in the Opening Day lineup, though obviously the Giants will keep a close eye on their franchise player’s status.

Outfield was the Giants’ biggest need heading into the offseason, and the club ultimately brought in a number of new faces to supplement youngster Steven Duggar (who looks to play more or less every day in center field).  Former Rockies/Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra will make the Opening Day roster after signing a minor league contract.  The Giants essentially swapped one Rule 5 pick for another in trading for Connor Joe and letting Drew Ferguson return to the Astros.  Michael Reed, Mike Gerber, and Craig Gentry are also on hand, while incumbent Mac Williamson remains in the mix for at least part-time duty in left field.

Yangervis Solarte hasn’t appeared in a big league game as an outfielder since 2014, though the former Blue Jays utilityman has been working out in left field during Spring Training with an eye towards improving his versatility.  Between Solarte, Joe, and Alen Hanson, the Giants have several players with experience at multiple positions — potentially bumping Pablo Sandoval out of the mix.

Questions Remaining

Of course, the Giants could have made a much more newsworthy outfield upgrade had they landed Harper.  The team was something of an eleventh-hour entry into “Harper’s Bazaar,” though San Francisco ended up being Harper’s apparent second choice before the star free agent signed a (temporarily) record-setting 13-year, $330MM deal with the Phillies.  The Giants’ reported offer of 12 years and $310MM fell shy, though the team would’ve had to top the $350MM mark to truly outbid the Phillies due to California’s higher tax rate.

It goes without saying that signing Harper would’ve changed not only the trajectory of this Giants offseason, but also the team’s outlook for the next several years.  With Harper in the fold, the Giants would have indicated a full-fledged push towards contending while many of their highest-salaried players (Bumgarner through this season, Samardzija and Mark Melancon through 2020, and then Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Johnny Cueto, and Evan Longoria through 2021) are still with the team.  Along those same lines, the Giants also had interest in signing Yusei Kikuchi before the Japanese left-hander joined the Mariners.

Without Harper or Kikuchi, however, San Francisco left the offseason still straddling the middle ground between contending and fully rebuilding.  The club has to this point resisted overtures from rival teams and held on to Bumgarner, Watson, and Smith; yet the Giants also took a very modest approach to adding to their roster.  They weren’t going to deal any prospects from an already-thin farm system, and they settled for inexpensive free agent and trade additions after missing out on Kikuchi and Harper.

Joe Panik’s status is perhaps indicative of the Giants’ overall stance this offseason.  The team kept Panik in the fold rather than non-tendering him following an injury-shortened and replacement-level season, at a one-year, $3.8MM deal to avoid arbitration.  At the same time, however, San Francisco also looked into signing second baseman DJ LeMahieu while checking the trade market to see what could be obtained for Panik.  As it turned out, the Giants didn’t get that upgrade, and will instead go into the season with a known quantity in Panik who the club hopes will rebound.

A case can be made that Zaidi may be waiting to see how things shake out; come mid-season, he may have some new trade avenues or even the makings of a contending core.  After all, Posey, Belt, Bumgarner, Samardzija, Crawford, and Melancon were all limited by injuries in 2018 — better health from even a few of those names would likely make a difference in the standings.  A full teardown wasn’t really possible this winter anyway since so many of those same players have limited trade value, due to their down years, health histories, hefty contracts, no-trade clauses, or all of the above.

On the other hand, it’s also unrealistic to imagine that all of those veterans will enjoy bounce-back years.  With so many big contracts already verging on albatross territory for the team, one can’t entirely blame Zaidi for eschewing the type of expensive acquisitions that have backfired on the Giants in recent years.  Signing a Harper or a Kikuchi is one thing, though settling for a lower-tier free agent as a stopgap isn’t the type of move that would fuel a bigger jump up the standings.

If San Francisco isn’t contending by midseason, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the club shift into a more definitive sell mode, at the very least on pending free agents like Bumgarner or Smith.  It also wouldn’t be a shock to see the Giants explore being both buyers and sellers at the deadline — moving some short-term assets while taking on an expensive longer-term asset that could help them in 2020 or beyond.  If the Giants were willing to spend $310MM on Harper, they’re clearly open to exceeding the luxury tax threshold again in order to land premium talent.

Should 2019 end up being the last hurrah for this group of Giants stars before a rebuild, it’s perhaps fitting longtime manager Bruce Bochy will retire when the year is out.  The three-time World Series champion will manage a 25th season before stepping out of the dugout and starting his inevitable path to Cooperstown.

2019 Season Outlook

Frankly, there’s still a few days for the roster to change, which could shift the outlook. Regardless, an awful lot would have to go right for the Giants to go from 89 losses in 2018 to a playoff contender in 2019.  In a very competitive National League, the Giants could themselves battling to stay out of last place in their division, rather than challenging the Dodgers for NL West supremacy.

How would you grade the Giants’ offseason moves? (Link for app users.)

How Would You Grade The Giants' Offseason?
D 38.13% (1,625 votes)
C 30.15% (1,285 votes)
F 21.47% (915 votes)
B 8.45% (360 votes)
A 1.81% (77 votes)
Total Votes: 4,262

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Share Repost Send via email

2018-19 Offseason In Review MLBTR Originals San Francisco Giants

24 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Mets Sign Luke Weaver

    Athletics Acquire Jeff McNeil

    Nationals Sign Foster Griffin

    Padres Sign Sung-Mun Song

    Rangers Re-Sign Chris Martin

    Red Sox Acquire Willson Contreras

    White Sox To Sign Munetaka Murakami

    Blue Jays Interested In Alex Bregman

    Tigers Re-Sign Kyle Finnegan

    Astros, Pirates, Rays Finalize Three-Team Trade Sending Brandon Lowe To Pittsburgh, Mike Burrows To Houston, Jacob Melton To Tampa

    Rays Trade Shane Baz To Orioles

    Nine Teams Exceeded Luxury Tax Threshold In 2025

    Royals Acquire Matt Strahm

    Twins Sign Josh Bell

    Diamondbacks Sign Merrill Kelly

    Padres Re-Sign Michael King

    Giants Sign Adrian Houser

    Phillies Sign Brad Keller

    Cardinals Sign Dustin May

    Royals Sign Lane Thomas

    Recent

    Ronny Henriquez Undergoes UCL Surgery

    Mets Sign Luke Weaver

    Pirates To Sign Dominic Fletcher To Minor League Deal

    Athletics Designate Ken Waldichuk For Assignment

    Athletics Acquire Jeff McNeil

    Mariners Sign Rob Refsnyder

    Phillies Sign Zach Pop To Major League Deal

    Nationals Sign Foster Griffin

    Cubs To Sign Christian Bethancourt To Minor League Deal

    Padres Sign Sung-Mun Song

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • 2025-26 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Front Office Originals
    • Tim Dierkes' MLB Mailbag
    • 2025-26 Offseason Outlook Series
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version