The Opener

As the MLB offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Are more injury announcements on the horizon?

With Spring Training less than a month away, Astros right-hander Kendall Graveman joined Rangers ace Max Scherzer as one of the first players to be announced as undergoing a surprise surgery that will impact their availability for the 2024. While Scherzer is expected to return to the mound sometime this summer after undergoing back surgery last month, Graveman is poised to miss the entire 2024 season on the heels of his recent shoulder surgery. Both veterans serve as a reminder that players will occasionally discover unexpected injury concerns as they ramp back up in preparation for the season over the weeks leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting in February.

While the Astros appear unlikely to change course following the Graveman news, unexpected injury announcements of this sort can at times serve as a catalyst for a sudden development on the free agent market as the club looks for a back-up plan to its injured player. With just 28 days until Spring Training, are there any other players who won’t make it to camp this year?

2. When will the relief market begin to heat up?

The market for relief pitching has largely stayed stagnant this winter, with two of the biggest signings (namely Jordan Hicks and Reynaldo Lopez) expected to compete for roles in their new club’s starting rotation. With that being said, plenty of demand for relief helps still remains as the Astros, Cardinals, and Cubs all remain heavily involved in the hunt for bullpen additions. While each of those clubs appear to be on the lookout for relief help more generally, both the Rangers and Yankees were specifically name-checked as potential frontrunners for right-hander Hector Neris over the weekend. Other teams that could be on the periphery of the relief market are the Dodgers, Angels, and Orioles, each of whom were connected to veteran righty Ryan Brasier earlier this month. Will the recent smoke percolating over the bullpen market lead to a signing in the coming days?

3. Is Rodriguez close to a deal?

The Blue Jays have been tied to a number of major players this winter, ranging from Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto to Cody Bellinger and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, though they’ve either come up short or seemingly backed away from the market’s top players in every instance in favor of lower-level additions like Kevin Kiermaier and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. That trend may be continuing on the starting pitching side of things, as reports indicated yesterday that the club is “optimistic” about their chances of signing Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. Rodriguez did not pitch with an affiliated league in 2023 as he worked to be declared an MLB free agent and most recently pitched to a 1.15 ERA in 54 2/3 NPB innings back in 2022.

It’s the second such report in that vein in as many months, as Toronto was said to have “taken the lead” in the hunt for Rodriguez’s services a few weeks ago. The addition of Rodriguez to the club’s pitching staff would likely give right-hander Alek Manoah competition for the club’s fifth starter spot this spring, and add a potentially strong late-inning reliever to the back of a Toronto bullpen that recently lost Jordan Hicks in the event that Manoah maintains his hold on the role. Will the club be able to get the deal done after missing on most of its targets earlier this winter?

With less than a month remaining until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Dodgers to introduce Hernandez:

The Dodgers have announced that outfielder Teoscar Hernandez will be made available to the media via Zoom later today. The virtual press conference is scheduled to begin at 5pm CT this evening, with GM Brandon Gomes also expected to be made available in addition to Hernandez. The addition of Hernandez may prove to be the capstone on an incredible offseason for L.A. headlined by the signing of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Along with Ohtani, the club has revamped its starting rotation by signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto as well as dealing for and extending Tyler Glasnow. Meanwhile, the outfield mix has seen a similar overhaul with the addition of right-handed bats in Hernandez and Manuel Margot who can complement existing center fielder James Outman as well as Jason Heyward, who was re-signed early in the offseason to patrol right field.

2. Will the Giants keep adding to their rotation?

San Francisco entered the offseason with a clear need for rotation upgrades, and that need was only exacerbated by the announcement that veteran righty Alex Cobb underwent hip surgery in late October and is expected to miss the start of the 2024 campaign. Without Cobb as part of the mix for the Opening Day rotation, the Giants had only ace Logan Webb locked into a rotation spot for the coming season with youngsters like Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn and depth options like Ross Stripling penciled in to fill out the rest of the group. Since then, the Giants have made a pair of additions to their rotation, though they’ve both been somewhat unorthodox.

The club landed left-hander Robbie Ray in a deal with Seattle, though the southpaw isn’t expected to return from Tommy John surgery until sometime this summer and San Francisco gave up a potential rotation piece in Anthony DeSclafani to complete the deal. Aside from that trade, the club’s major addition to the rotation has been landing right-hander Jordan Hicks on a four-year deal over the weekend. While the club has reportedly signed Hicks to be a starter, the flamethrower has just eight starts in the majors under his belt and has struggled to a 5.47 ERA in those 26 1/3 innings of work. Will these upside additions be the only rotation upgrades the Giants make this offseason, or will they seek the stability of a more surefire starter? Top-of-the-market lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain available, but options are dwindling after that duo with the likes of Mike Clevinger and James Paxton among the best starters available in the next tier down.

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

Now that 2024 is upon us, are there any questions burning in your mind about the offseason with Spring Training a matter of weeks away? Are you wondering what’s next for your favorite team, or perhaps curious about what the market for a particular free agent looks like? If so, tune in this afternoon when MLBTR’s Steve Adams hosts a live chat with readers at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after its completed.

Here are three things worth watching in baseball today…

1. Bellinger’s still out there:

After a bounceback season with the Cubs in 2023, Cody Bellinger seemed to set himself up for a nice payday going into 2024. That hasn’t materialized just yet, as he lingers on the open market in mid-January. His most recent employer held 2024 Cubs Convention over the weekend and Bellinger seemed like the star of the event, despite not being there. Per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, everyone was talking about Bellinger throughout the festivities. Will he end up back with the Cubbies? And when?

2. International signing period begins:

The 2024 international signing period has officially begun. Young players from countries like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and others often agree to deals years before they become official, but today is the day when pen can be put to paper. Each club has a fixed spending pool which they can use to give bonuses to players they sign from now until December 15. The lower-revenue clubs get larger pools and clubs sacrifice pool space by signing free agents that have rejected qualifying offers, while pool money can also be traded. Ben Badler of Baseball America is tracking each club’s pool space and the players they have agreements with.

3. Spring Training a month away:

Many parts of North America are currently dealing with frosty winter conditions and/or severe storms, but the boys of summer are just over the horizon. Not all clubs have the same date for pitchers and catchers to report to Spring Training, but it will be somewhere in the February 13-15 window for most clubs. If you’re one of the people who has to dig a car out of the snow today, perhaps you can hold that thought inside to help keep you warm.

One the heels of all but 22 arbitration-eligible players around the league agreeing to deals yesterday, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Cubs to introduce Imanaga:

The Cubs are expected to introduce newly-signed lefty Shota Imanaga in a press conference at 2pm CT this afternoon (h/t to Yuki Yamada of Sankei Sports) just hours before the team’s annual Cubs Convention kicks off this weekend. Imanaga signed in Chicago earlier this week on a four-year, $53MM deal with opt-outs after the second and third years that can be voided if the club exercises a fifth year club option that would take the total commitment to $80MM. Adding the lefty isn’t the only move the Cubs have made in recent days, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will surely be asked about the prospect-for-prospect swap that brought infielder Michael Busch to the Cubs from the Dodgers yesterday in addition to the signing of Imanaga. To acquire Busch and right-handed reliever Yency Almonte, the Cubs surrendered a pair of recent draftees: left-hander Jackson Ferris (2022 second round) and outfielder Zyhir Hope (a 2023 11th-rounder who signed an over-slot $400K bonus, the equivalent of fifth-round money).

2. Yankees roster moves incoming:

The Yankees deepened their pitching staff yesterday, adding right-hander Luke Weaver on a major league deal in the afternoon before signing veteran righty Marcus Stroman to a two-year pact last night. Stroman, in particular, is a significant boost to the rotation behind Gerrit Cole, filling out a staf that also includes Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt. Deepening the rotation mix has left something of a roster crunch in the Bronx. The club already had a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to clear two spots for Weaver and Stroman in the coming days. The club could accomplish this simply by designating two players for assignment, though an alternative solution could be working out a minor trade with another club to acquire non-roster talent in exchange for players towards the back of the club’s 40-man.

3. Kranick in DFA Limbo:

In order to make room for newly-signed lefty Martin Perez on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated right-hander Max Kranick for assignment last week. The seven-day period during which Kranick can be left in DFA limbo expires this afternoon, meaning a conclusion is expected sometime today. Kranick, 26, was an 11th-round pick in the 2016 draft by Pittsburgh and came up to the majors with the club back in 2021. The righty pitched to a 5.56 ERA in 43 2/3 innings of work across 11 appearances for the Pirates between 2021 and 2022 before he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of the latter year.

The righty didn’t appear in the majors 2023 due to a lengthy rehab but returned to action in the minor leagues toward the end of the season, posting a strong 2.76 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level. Kranick has a very solid Triple-A track record (3.72 ERA, 19% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate), but he’s also out of minor league options and therefore would need to be carried on any club’s active roster or else exposed to waivers again. If Kranick goes unclaimed, the righty figures to be outrighted to the minors by the Pirates, where he’ll serve as depth at the Triple-A level entering the season.

As we arrive at a major date on MLB’s offseason calendar, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Arbitration Exchange Deadline

The deadline for teams to exchange salary figures with players eligible for arbitration is set for today. The deadline was reportedly moved up from its original date of Friday, January 12 last month via joint agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, though news of the change only broke for the first time last night. A deadline for players and teams to come to contract agreements avoiding arbitration has been set for noon CT today, while salary figures will be exchanged by 7pm CT this evening. While teams and players can continue negotiating beyond the exchange of salary figures, teams have increasingly opted for a “file and trial” approach to arbitration in recent years, cutting off talks on pure one-year deals once figures are exchanged.

Today’s deadline should spur plenty of activity around the league throughout the day, as every team in baseball has at least two players with whom they’ll need to come to an agreement this afternoon or exchange salary figures with this evening. Most notably, each of the Orioles, Rays, Blue Jays, Yankees, Marlins, and Dodgers have ten or more such players. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all arbitration-eligible players back in October. Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto leads the pack this year with a projected salary of $33MM that would break the record set by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani last winter.

2. Could the market for starting pitching pick up soon?

With left-hander Shota Imanaga off the board after reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $53MM deal with the Cubs, could more movement on the starting pitching market be on the horizon? The trio of southpaws at the top of the starting pitching market this winter has been whittled down to two as only Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain available, though it doesn’t appear that either player is close to signing at the moment. That said, rumors have begun to pick up in recent days regarding right-hander Marcus Stroman, who is generally regarded as one of the better arms still on the board. Meanwhile, White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease remains the focus of the rumor mill in terms of trade candidates as all indications point toward a deal coming together in the coming weeks even as the club’s reported asking price for their top starter remains quite hefty.

3. Kuhnel exiting DFA limbo:

Astros right-hander Joel Kuhnel was designated for assignment last week after the club claimed fellow righty Declan Cronin off waivers from the White Sox. Today marks one week since Kuhnel’s DFA, meaning a resolution is expected sometime today. Kuhnel, 29 next month, spent his entire career in Cincinnati prior to a cash deal shipping him to Houston back in June. The righty sports a lackluster 6.02 ERA in 76 career appearances at the big league level, though his 4.55 career FIP improves his overall resume somewhat. While Kuhnel’s 19.3% strikeout rate is nothing to write home about, he does sport an impressive 52.5% groundball rate for his career. That could spur an interested club to take a chance on Kuhnel, claiming him off waivers and adding him to their own 40-man roster. If no team opts to do so, the Astros can attempt to outright the right-hander to Triple-A as non-roster depth, though Kuhnel would have the ability to reject such an assignment after previously being outrighted by the Reds back in 2020.

As the offseason continues to trundle along, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Imanaga contract to be finalized:

Left-hander Shota Imanaga reached an agreement with the Cubs last night, as first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, but there’s still plenty of information surrounding the deal that’s yet to come to light. The deal is pending a physical, which is expected to happen today. In addition to Imanaga’s physical, today could bring clarity regarding the specific terms of the arrangement between the sides. Reporting has indicated that the deal guarantees Imanaga just $30MM over two years and involves a complex series of options as well as incentives that could bring the total guarantee to around $80MM over a longer term.

More complex contract structures have become more commonplace in recent years with examples ranging from San Diego’s arrangement with right-hander Michael Wacha last year to superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez’s extension with the Mariners. Even so, it’s something of a surprise to see Imanaga agree to a two-year commitment. Many in the industry believed he’d surpass Kodai Senga’s five-year deal with the Mets, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote just last week that some executives around the sport expected the left-hander to top $100MM. MLBTR predicted a five-year, $85MM deal for the left-hander heading into the offseason.

2. Jordan Hicks’ market:

Right-hander Jordan Hicks is perhaps the best right-handed relief option on the market and arguably the market’s second-best bullpen arm behind relief ace Josh Hader. It appears the bidding for the flamethrowing righty’s services may be gaining steam, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post indicated yesterday evening that the market for Hicks has begun to pick up. Hicks has been connected to plenty of teams this offseason including the Yankees, Astros, Rangers, Red Sox, and Angels. Hicks, whom MLBTR predicted would land a deal worth four years and $40MM this offseason, combined a 28.4% strikeout rate with a 58.3% groundball percentage and would be a strong addition to virtually any club’s late-inning mix. Will the movement on his market lead to a signing in the near future?

3. Llovera exiting DFA limbo:

Red Sox right-hander Mauricio Llovera was designated for assignment back on January 3 to make room for fellow righty Lucas Giolito on the club’s 40-man roster. Today marks one week since Llovera was DFA’d, meaning a resolution is expected sometime today. The right-hander, 28 in April, made his big league debut with the Phillies back in 2020 and since then has spent time in the Giants and Red Sox organizations with a career 5.80 ERA and 5.29 FIP in 59 career big league innings.

While those numbers are nothing to write home about, it’s worth noting that he’s excelled in Triple-A in recent years, with a 2.82 ERA and 25.9% strikeout rate at the level since the start of the 2021 season. If a team is sufficiently intrigued by that performance, they could claim him on waivers and add him to their own 40-man roster. Should the Red Sox manage to sneak him through waivers, they’ll have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minor leagues where he can act as non-roster depth for Boston headed into the 2024 campaign. Llovera has previously been outrighted, however, giving him the right to reject a second outright assignment in favor of free agency.

As MLB’s offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. What’s next for the Rays?

The Rays pulled off a pair of trades over the weekend, shipping out right-hander Andrew Kittredge and outfielder Luke Raley in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios and infielder Jose Caballero. The moves added an optionable lefty bat and shortstop depth to the mix in Tampa, and it appears the Rays may not be finished; they’re reportedly shopping DH/first baseman/outfielder Harold Ramirez as well. If the Rays can successfully move Ramirez, it could allow the club to address other areas of need on its roster.

Rotation depth is a concern for the Rays because of injuries to Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Shane McClanahan last season — not to mention the Tyler Glasnow trade last month — but the biggest weakness in Tampa appears to be behind the plate. The Rays currently have Rene Pinto, a 27-year-old backstop with just 63 games of big league experience, penciled in as their starting catcher. The backup catcher spot on the roster sports even less certainty, with non-roster options like Rob Brantly and Alex Jackson currently slated to try and win the job this spring.

2. Signings to be made official:

Sunday saw a pair of the offseason’s Top 50 free agents find new homes, as left-hander Sean Manaea signed with the Mets on a two-year deal while outfielder Teoscar Hernandez landed with the Dodgers on a one-year pact. Those deals have not yet been made official, but once they are, both the Dodgers and Mets will need to make corresponding 40-man roster moves to make room for their newest additions. That typically comes in the form of designating a player near the back of a club’s 40-man for assignment, though teams will oftentimes try to work out a minor trade to recoup some value while cleaning up their roster. The Dodgers themselves pulled off this sort of maneuver last month by swapping a pair of players on the 40-man roster to the Yankees in exchange for prospect Trey Sweeney, who does not require a 40-man spot of his own.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

Now that 2024 is upon us, are there any questions burning in your mind about the offseason with Spring Training a matter of weeks away? Are you wondering what’s next for your favorite team, or perhaps curious about what the market for a particular free agent looks like? If so, tune in this afternoon when MLBTR’s Steve Adams hosts a live chat with readers at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after its completed.

As MLB’s offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. What’s next for the Dodgers?

The Dodgers added a big bat to their lineup yesterday evening, agreeing to sign Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year deal. The addition of Hernandez solidifies their outfield mix of James Outman, Jason Heyward, Manuel Margot, and Chris Taylor, allowing Mookie Betts to stay on the infield dirt on a regular basis headed into the 2024 campaign. The addition of Hernandez takes the club’s luxury tax payroll to just under $303MM, per RosterResource. Now that the club has surpassed the final luxury tax threshold for 2024, could more additions be on the horizon?

While the club’s positional group seems largely set, an addition at shortstop who can provide more certainty than the club’s current tandem of Gavin Lux and Miguel Rojas would certainly make sense. On the pitching side of things, another starter who can slot into the Opening Day rotation could allow the Dodgers to be more careful with their deployment of Walker Buehler in his first full season following his second career Tommy John surgery. Beyond that, the club has yet to make any changes of note to its bullpen mix, and longtime franchise stalwart Clayton Kershaw remains unsigned, though the veteran lefty won’t return to the mound until sometime this summer following shoulder surgery earlier this winter.

2. Will the Mariners continue retooling their roster?

The Mariners have altered the look of their lineup this winter after beginning the offseason with a focus on improving the club’s contact skills. By parting ways with Hernandez, Mike Ford, Eugenio Suarez, and Jarred Kelenic, Seattle made room for the additions of Luke Raley, Mitch Haniger, Luis Urias, and Mitch Garver while also shedding the remaining years on underwater contracts for Evan White and Robbie Ray.

The club’s corner outfield duo of Raley and Haniger sport question marks, however, as does the infield duo of Urias and Josh Rojas. Raley got off to a strong start in 2023 but petered out to slash just .200/.270/.380 over the season’s final two months. Meanwhile, Haniger posted a wRC+ of just 73 last year and has gotten into just 118 games across the past two seasons. On the infield, Urias and Rojas both appear to be best served in platoon roles. The addition of an infielder capable of playing everyday and perhaps another part-time outfielder would go a long way to rounding out the club’s offense, but the Mariners have seeming operated on a tight budget this winter. Do they have room for additional finishing touches?

3. The clock is ticking on Imanaga:

Left-hander Shota Imanaga, ranked No. 10 on MLBTR’s annual Top 50 MLB free agents list, is entering the final stretch of his window to sign with MLB clubs after being posted by his NPB team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Imanaga’s posting window will come to a close on Thursday, meaning just four days remain for the southpaw to sign with a big league club. There’s little question about whether he’ll be able to find a team given the interest he’s received from teams like the Giants, Red Sox, and Cubs this winter.

That being said, it remains up in the air not only which club the lefty will ultimately sign with, but what sort of guarantee he’ll land. MLBTR predicted a five-year, $85MM deal for Imanaga this winter, but reports last month indicated his market could be pushing toward a $100MM guarantee. Will Imanaga secure a nine-figure deal in the coming days? Any deal a club signs with Imanaga would come with an additional posting fee for the BayStars, which could cost around $16.9MM if Imanaga does land a $100MM deal before his posting window comes to a close.

Here are three things we’re watching around the baseball world today…

1. Pitching market heating up?

There’s less than six weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training and still plenty of moves left to be made, meaning the offseason has to pick up momentum soon. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto seemed to holds things up for a while, then the holidays put things on pause. Now that all that is settled, there’s plenty of smoke starting to appear around guys like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Shota Imanaga and Dylan Cease, meaning things could be about to get hectic.

2. Yankees in the spotlight:

It appears the Yankees are set to be one of the most aggressive clubs in that pitching market. They missed on Yamamoto and traded away a bunch of pitching depth in the Juan Soto deal, leaving them looking to bolster their rotation before the offseason is done. Will they be able to make a big splash in the coming weeks?

3. Arbitration deals upcoming:

January 12 is the deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures for the upcoming season. With that date just a week away, there may be some deals that get locked down in the preceding days. Many clubs have a “file and trial” approach where they won’t do a deal after the filing deadline, so it can serve as a sort of ticking clock for any player that wants to avoid a hearing.

Here are three things we’re monitoring in the baseball world today…

1. Teoscar nearing decision?

A couple of reporters yesterday, Marino Pepén and Moises Fabian, suggested that the market for Teoscar Hernández is nearing resolution. The Red Sox, Dodgers and Angels have been connected to the slugger and it seems those three teams are still at the table. Hernández is coming off a bit of a down year but it’s possible that the pitcher-friendly home park in Seattle played a role in that. From 2020 to 2022, he hit .283/.333/.519 for the Blue Jays for a 133 wRC+. After being traded to the Mariners, he hit just .258/.305/.435 for a 105 wRC+ last year, but he had a 126 wRC+ on the road and 81 at home.

2. One week left for Imanaga:

Left-hander Shota Imanaga’s posting window is open until January 11, giving him just one more week to work out a deal with interested clubs. Reporting from yesterday suggested that the Yankees may not be that excited about the southpaw, though clubs like the Giants, Red Sox and Cubs appear to still be in the mix. Imanaga has a 3.18 ERA over his career in Nippon Professional Baseball but is coming off two straight seasons at 2.80 or lower.

3. Extended DFA limbo continues:

Players designated for assignment are normally required to have resolution within a week but this clock is paused between Christmas and New Year’s. As mentioned in yesterday’s Opener, right-hander Ryan Jensen was been waiting to find out his status since December 20 and no news arrived before end of day yesterday. Just behind him, catcher Donny Sands and infielder Diego Castillo were designated for assignment December 22 and are still waiting for answers.