11:33 PM EDT, Mon March 18, 2024
Lone Star Ball

Snell to the Giants, per report

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Blake Snell is reportedly headed to San Francisco on a two year, $62 million deal MLB Rumors: Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a two year, $62 million deal with an opt out after year one, per Jon Heyman on Twitter. Thus does the offseason saga of the two time Cy Young Award winner come to a close. Well, presumably...this is going to be subject to a physical, I imagine, and we know the Giants have missed out on a significant free agent in the past due to an issue with the physical. The 31 year old Snell...

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

NL Central Preview: Cardinals, Cubs and Reds are at the front of a wide-open division

The St. Louis Cardinals signed Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. The Chicago Cubs added Shota Imanaga and Héctor Neris. Even the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates jumped into free agency.

Amazin Avenue

Adam Ottavino is back in the Mets’ bullpen in 2024

Photo by Alex Slitz/ Ottavino is entering his age-38 season. Back at the start of this offseason, Adam Ottavino chose to decline his option to stay with the Mets on a $6.75 million salary for the 2024 season. After testing free agency, the 38-year-old reliever ended up signing back with the Mets on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. In between those decisions, he also made some appearances on SNY and expressed concerns about what the Mets were trying to accomplish this year along with his desire to play for a contender. It was all a bit weird. Here we are, though, with...

www.ocregister.com

Alexander: This is the Dodgers’ year … or else

After more than $1 billion in free-agent signings, the heat, it says here, is squarely on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as the 2024 season begins.

DodgerBlue.com

Dodgers Minor League Free Agent Justin Wilson Signs With Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds announced the signing of Justin Wilson to a one-year contract for the 2024 season...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees show their new payroll limitation line in ‘Cohen tax’ era

Photo by Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via This week was an interesting test of the organization’s lack of appetite for going into the fourth-tier, 110 percent surcharge tax threshold. As Yankee fans, we are the rich kids of the league, and with that privilege creates a complex relationship when it comes to free-agent spending. The organization’s wealth stems from the large and passionate Yankee fan base, which contributes an extraordinary amount of money and time supporting the team, both through game attendance and backing a robust regional cable network. Because...

MASN: School of Roch

French recalls early days coaching Pérez

SARASOTA, Fla. – The reunion between Orioles reliever Cionel Pérez and pitching coach Drew French was much easier to arrange than their first meeting.The Astros signed Pérez, a native of Matanzas, Cuba, to a $5.15 million bonus in 2016 as an international free agent, but they voided the deal a month later due to an issue with his physical that led to concerns from the medical staff that he’d eventually need elbow surgery. The agreement was restructured in December at $2 million.Perez made his professional debut in 2017 with the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits, the eventual Midwest...

Bless You Boys

Breaking down the battle for the Tigers final bullpen spots

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK With only a few outings left with which to impress, the competition for the bullpen is coming down to the wire. The Detroit Tigers didn’t make much noise this offseason, but one area that they did fortify pretty aggressively was the bullpen. With a solid core consisting of Jason Foley, Alex Lange, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest already in place, Scott Harris inked right-hander Shelby Miller and lefty Andrew Chafin to free agent deals. That whole group still tracks as the core of the Opening Day bullpen despite a few hiccups this spring. So...

Camden Chat

Orioles 2024 preseason projections: Craig Kimbrel

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports The free agent signee is one of the best closers ever to play the game, but how well he fill the Félix Bautista-sized hole in the bullpen? It’s no exaggeration to say that the expectations for the 2024 Orioles are the highest they’ve been in decades. And why not? Coming off a 101-win season and AL East title, the Birds’ roster seems just as strong, if not more so. The acquisition of ace Corbin Burnes has made the rotation a real force, even with Kyle Bradish and John Means injured to start the year. The offense didn’t lose...

Camden Chat

Orioles 2024 preseason projections: Corbin Burnes

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Can the Orioles’ recently acquired ace live up to the projections and expectations? The Orioles became a contender by drafting well, acquiring young players, and developing talent from within. The club made a few low-risk trade and free agent acquisitions, but Mike Elias had yet to make a true splash move before this offseason. That all changed when the Orioles sent DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and the 34th pick to Milwaukee in exchange for Corbin Burnes. The Orioles acquired Burnes during one of the most exciting offseason weeks in team...

NESN.com

MLB Rumors: Yankees ‘Extremely Unlikely’ To Sign Potential Red Sox Targets

Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain free agents two weeks ahead of Opening Day, but a longtime MLB writer speculated they are “extremely unlikely” to find a home with a Boston Red Sox rival. The New York Yankees suffered a blow this week when Gerrit Cole went down with a right elbow injury. The 2023 […]

Over the Monster

OTM Open Thread 3/14: It is Thursday

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/ Two weeks left Happy Thursday and Happy Pi Day. There are two weeks remaining until the Red Sox play on Opening Day in Seattle. Jordan Montgomery remains unsigned. The Red Sox are still connected to him although at this point you have to wonder where the connection rumors are coming from given that the one free agent pitcher they signed wasn’t him. The Sox take on the Philadelphia Phillies at 1:05 PM ET with Josh Winckowski getting the start. Talk about what you want and be good to one another.

Amazin Avenue

Mets Morning News for March 13, 2024

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports Your Wednesday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets Jose Quintana had a strong game on Tuesday while Joey Lucchesi did not. Darryl Strawberry is recovering after suffering a heart attack. Steve and Alex Cohen released a statement on the news of Strawberry. J.D. Martinez and the Mets have shown mutual interest in each other in bringing the free agent DH to New York. The Mets redid their field-level Delta luxury club, making it three times bigger than what it was previously. Carlos Mendoza likes the Mets...

DodgerBlue.com

Justin Wilson Opts Out Of Dodgers Contract To Become free Agent

Justin Wilson joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in February on a Minor League contract with an outside...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Here are all the remaining MLB free agents

Photo by Elsa/ Could any of them interest the Cubs? Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season is two weeks from this Thursday. Most teams have the players they want on their Opening Day rosters already in camp. But injuries happen — as appears to be the case with Cubs righthander Jameson Taillon — and perhaps teams are still looking for backup plans. Also, there are still the Boras Three, top free agents represented by Scott Boras: Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and J.D. Martinez, still looking for work. Here are all the players still listed as free agents by MLB Trade...

Bluebird Banter

Better Know Your Blue Jays 40-man: Yariel Rodríguez

Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Yariel Rodríguez is a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher from Cuba. In February, he became a free agent. The Jays signed him to a 5-year, $32 million contract, making him the team’s biggest free agent signing of the off-season. It is a little concerning when the team’s biggest signing is a guy who hasn’t played major league baseball before. Yariel throws a 96.2 mph fastball, a slider, curve, splitter and change-up. He spent three years in Japan throwing for the Chunichi Dragons, pitching out of the bullpen. In 2022, he had a...

Royals Review

2024 Division rival preview: Detroit Tigers

Photo by Gregory Shamus/ Are the Tigers ready to roar? The Tigers began their rebuild a year before the Royals did, and while last year was their seventh consecutive losing season, their 78 wins were more than the Royals have managed in any season since 2017. The Tigers had a fairly young team last year, and will likely add two rookies to the starting lineup this season. But they have also supplemented the roster with some veteran free agents, notably pitchers Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda. The Tigers signed manager A.J. Hinch to a contract extension last December and...

Amazin Avenue

Shintaro Fujinami is one of the most intriguing players on the 2024 Mets

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via The flamethrower was brought in as a low-risk option with tons of upside in the bullpen. Last offseason, the Oakland A’s made their one-and-only splash in the free agent market by signing Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami to a one-year, $3.25 million contract out of NPB. There was a lot of interest in Fujinami coming over from Japan due to his velocity and his raw stuff—he easily touches 100 MPH with a plus splitter—but a lot of teams saw him as a reliever due to his command issues despite elite strikeout rates in Japan...

Pinstripe Alley

NYY News: Trevy’s triumphant return

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Trevino’s triumphant return; Soto goes deep again; things to know about the upcoming Spring Breakout; counting down the Yankees’ best ever free agent signings New York Post | Dan Martin: In Sunday’s game against the Braves, catcher Jose Trevino made his spring training debut after the start of camp due to a calf injury (and of course the wrist surgery that curtailed his 2023). Trevino described his journey back as a “long, long road” and described his frustration at not being able to help the team during last year’s...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees Making the Team Meter: Week Three

Despite another round of cuts and multiple injuries, the bench and bullpen remain in flux. It’s a Monday in March, and you know what that means — it’s time for another edition of the Pinstripe Alley Making the Team Meter! After a fairly quiet first two weeks, the third week of spring training games threw some wrenches into our equations. Injury concerns surrounding Tommy Kahnle and Oswald Peraza have intensified the battles for spots in the bullpen and on the bench, free agent rumors have suggested the Yankees are dissatisfied with certain parts of the roster, and...

Over the Monster

What if One of the Big Three Prospects Stalls?

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/ The Red Sox are putting a lot of pressure on the notoriously unpredictable development of prospects For the Boston Red Sox, this offseason devolved from “full throttle” to “pursue trade markets and free agency to have more consistent starting pitching” to “pressing (sic) all levers,” and finally to a payroll that will “probably be lower.” This eventually led to Craig Breslow uttering the following: “And it’s going to require aggressive player development in the minor leagues and the major leagues so guys that...

Twinkie Town

Rival Roundup, Vol. 53: The Grinds of March

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Spring has splooted. In that strange milieu of action and inaction, the Central has settled into the spring training routine and mostly quieted down — at the same time, the free agent landscape is still ripe, and Opening Day is only about three weeks away. It’s the calm before the storm around the league, as the novelty of February box scores wears off, and the smell of a pennant chase wafts into the room. As such, this weekend’s updates aren’t so much tentpole headlines, and are more-so needles-in-information-haystacks, such as...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Outside The Confines: It might as well be Spring (Training)

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/ The Red Sox lock up a young pitcher. There are still a lot of unsigned free agents. The Dodgers and Padres are heading to Korea. And other news from around baseball. Good morning. The Red Sox have agreed to a six-year, $55 million contract extension with right-hander Brayan Bello. There is a team option for a seventh year at $21 million. There are still a lot of unsigned free agents. Gabe Lacques brings you the best 13 still on the market. Michael Baumann examines how long can the free agent pitchers continue to stay unsigned...

The Seattle Times

Mariners reach agreement with free agent reliever Ryne Stanek

With several key contributors to their bullpen dealing with arm issues, the Mariners grabbed the best reliever remaining on the free agent market in Ryne Stanek.

Pinstripe Alley

NYY News: How much is that fox in the window?

Photo by Rich Storry/ Examining extension season; Peraza’s shoulder worries; the potential future Boss; breaking down the pending free agents; Complex League arms to follow The Athletic | Tim Britton ($): We’re reaching the part of spring training where extension talks start to heat up, as players look to solidify their contract status and most prefer not to negotiate in-season. Just yesterday, the Red Sox came to terms with righty starter Brayan Bello on a deal that will likely keep him in Boston for at least the rest of the decade. It’s probably too late now for...

Pinstripe Alley

NYY news: Rodón still ramping up

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Carlos Rodón ramping up; DJ the landlord; A Soto bidding war is coming; Yanks free agency spending very normal ESPN.com | Jorge Castillo: Carlos Rodón is still ramping up, which he showed in yesterday’s outing. Castillo called it a “mixed bag” and that is pretty spot on. Rodón is working on a new pitch that may or may not stick. There is a process in place that is happening regardless of the result. We’ll see if it pays off or if Rodón goes back to primarily two-pitch mix. The Athletic ($) | Andy McCullough: DJ LeMahieu,...

Amazin Avenue

Pete Alonso looks to continue his prolific power-hitting ways in 2024

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via The slugging first baseman will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign. Before we dive into what will be an uncertain year for Pete Alonso and the Mets, let’s take a moment to acknowledge how special Alonso’s tenure has been for the organization. The Mets have been a pitching-dominant franchise since their inception, making Alonso something of a unicorn for them. Sure, they’ve had home run hitters in the past, but none who have made the long ball the central tenant of their game, and have not just excelled at...

MLB.com FastCast: Tigers sign Josh Harrison - 2/20/19

The baseball world's attention focuses on Bryce Harper's free agency, plus Josh Harrison agrees to a one-year deal with the Tigers About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United Stat

Adam Pellerin and Nick Cafardo break down Red Sox Spring Training

NESN's Adam Pellerin and Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo analyze Matt Barnes as a closer, Craig Kimbrel's future and what moves the Red Sox could make with different free agents around the MLB.

MLB.com FastCast: Angels sign closer Allen - 1/18/19

The Angels add free-agent closer Cody Allen, Avisail Garcia officially joins the Rays, plus the Manny Machado rumor mill keeps churning About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United