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I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to Windup!
Free agent bat shortage
Each free agent class is a little different. This year (with the most prestigious two-way player Shohei Ohtani in its own category), it is heavier in launcher.
Sure, top-tier starters Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Sonny Gray are all available, but the next tier features some pretty reliable guys – we’re talking Jordan Montgomery, Marcus StromanEduardo Rodriguez and others.
As for position players, the choices are a little slimmer.
Of course, there are a few stars: Cody BellingerMatt Chapman and Rhys Hoskins at the top of the list, but even they come with some question marks. Bellinger’s 2023 was a marked improvement over last year, but will he be able to replicate that success? Chapman’s defense rebounded this year, giving him a Gold Glove, but his OPS, after three straight years above .800 from 2018 to 2020, was in the mid-.700s again. And Hoskins returns from a torn ACL and plays first base — not an unimportant position, but certainly not the same as signing a star shortstop or center fielder. (Hell, even Ohtani just had UCL surgery.)
After that, we very quickly come to the level of Hunter Renfroe, Teoscar Hernández, Joc Pederson and JD Martinez. Good players, but not the kind of flashy signing you can center a season ticket sales campaign around.
As a result, we might see a few more trades than usual this winter, as teams attempt to land a big fish or two to bolster their rosters. Juan Soto is the most intriguing candidate, with San Diego perhaps by reducing your budget. Is the Dishes separate Pete Alonso a year before hitting free agency? And Alex Verdugo seems a likely candidate leave Bostonsaid Jen McCaffrey.
Of course, there could also be pitchers on the move (regarding Boston: could this be a good landing spot for Corbin Burnes?) The Brewers and the white Sox apparently enter into the reconstructions could also add several quality players as possible trade targets.
Jim Bowden a list of 10 players who might be on the move, including pitchers and hitters. And for more on another player who could be a trade candidate, here’s Ken…
Ken’s notebook: Rays could move Glasnow at the right price
From today’s notes column:
Brewers right-hander Burnes may be the starting pitcher most likely to be traded this offseason, but Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow is also a strong candidate to be moved.
Even if the Rays subtract Glasnow’s $25 million salary, their 2024 payroll could be a club record. The current estimate, according to FanGraphs, represents 126 million dollars. The teams Opening day payroll never exceeded $84 million.
The Rays could change the payroll in other ways if they prefer to keep Glasnow, perhaps by moving the outfielder. Manuel MargotThe $10 million salary. A suspension of the shortstop Take a walk Francowho is under investigation in the Dominican Republic for alleged inappropriate relationships with minors, could save the Rays some or all of his $2.45 million salary in 2024 and potentially more in the future; Franco began an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2022.
The expected interest in Glasnow could motivate the Rays to make a move, however. Glasnow, 30, has just one year of club control left, but a team that acquires him this offseason would be eligible to make him a qualifying offer and secure a draft pick if he leaves as a free agent. Players traded during the season are not eligible for QOs.
The Rays would also reserve the right to choose compensation if they kept Glasnow, so they probably wouldn’t accept a lower offer just to clear his salary. Glasnow, who underwent a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace procedure to repair his right elbow in August 2021, is expected to be at full strength next season. He missed almost the first two months of last season with a strained left oblique, but finished with 120 innings, which likely would have been about his limit in his first full season after surgery.
A potential free agent of Glasnow’s quality normally brings back quality prospects at the deadline, and that’s without the possibility of compensation in the draft. So the Rays will likely have a tough negotiation, especially because Glasnow’s best days may be ahead of him. His elbow ligament began to deteriorate in 2019. He avoided the injury list during the shortened 2020 season, but will start next season nearly three years removed from his ’21 surgery.
How the Bally Sports saga affects free agency
Another factor that could have implications in the area of free agency: the ongoing drama surrounding Bally Sports and the broadcast rights of a number of teams. You may remember that Bally defaulted on its payments for a few teams this year, resulting in MLB resume the Padres And Diamond back emissions.
Eleven teams are still broadcast by Bally at the moment, meaning their 2024 TV rights holder is stuck in a bankruptcy case. THE Twins’ the deal with Bally expired after the 2023 season.
For now, Diamond Sports Group (which owns Bally Sports) has announced plans to notify MLB by the end of December which teams it intends to continue broadcasting and which ones it plans to ‘give up. Predictably, MLB doesn’t like this deadline — teams need to know what their 2024 operating budgets will be as they navigate free agency.
Evan Drellich has all the details herebut we will know more in the coming weeks as the trials drag on.
Jason Benetti heads to Detroit
This time of year is always a bit of a carousel for front office members, coaches, managers and players. But we’re also seeing movement on the broadcasting front: Jason Benetti, who has been the White Sox TV broadcaster since replacing Hawk Harrelson in 2016, took the job same role with the Tigersreplacing Matt Shepard.
At Benetti, the Tigers get one of the most respected broadcasters in the game. His work covering the highs and — let’s be honest — an excessive number of lows since taking the White Sox job has consistently been among the most watchable in the league. He is also great on social media with his fans. In 2020, he responded to direct messages from his followers, asking for messages to send to those followers’ loved ones.
The White Sox were Benetti’s hometown team, but relations had apparently become strained in recent years. Benetti also broadcasts national broadcasts – baseball, college basketball and college football – and during his most recent contract negotiations with the White Sox, the team limited the number of Sox games he could miss. It is another White Sox loss in a year that saw a lot – both on the field and in personnel, as they parted ways with Ken Williams and Rick Hahn, traded away a slew of players and declined an option on shortstop Tim Anderson.
Cody Stavenhagen has a nice in-depth story on Benetti’s move, with a good look at the person behind the mic.
Handshakes and High Fives
The big picture of the offseason is here! Here is your complete overview of the needs of each team and how they hope to improve this offseason.
THE Astros will officially announce the hiring of Joe Espada as a new manager today. Espada has been the team’s coach for six years.
We’ll have the Rookie of the Year results later today. For ClevelandIt is Tanner Bibeeeven a second place would be perfectly acceptable, since it would mean a full year of service.
Aaron judgesthe influence of Yankees the decision-making process is, as Chris Kirschner says, “excessive”. We heard it before Game 3 of the World Series, when Aaron Judge said, of himself and Hal Steinbrenner: “We work hard; we have a busy offseason. This was reiterated last week when Steinbrenner said“There are going to be some changes that some people might not consider important, but (Aaron) Judge and I can do it because we do this every day.”
Sam Blum spoke to Rangers former general manager Jon Daniels and former infielder Michael Young on the Angels’ hiring of Ron Washington.
Grant Brisbee takes an in-depth look to Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Former recently dismissed Small Manager David Ross politely declined an interview offer for the vacant Yankees bench coach position, preferring to seek another management position.
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(Top photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
