Spring training, less than a month away from baseball fans. Click here for each team’s spring training report dateAs we wait for baseball to return in a few weeks, here are the rumors of Monday’s hot stove.
Red Sox Acquisition of Mondesi
The Red Sox have acquired frequently injured infielder Adalberto Mondesi. royals For left-handed relief pitcher Josh Taylor, According to MLB.comBoston will also acquire a player who would later be named in a trade. Even with Enrique Hernandez shifting from center field to shortstop, the Red Sox need infield depth with the departure of Xander Bogaerts and elbow surgery on Trevor Story.
Mondesi, 27, has played only 50 games in the past two seasons due to multiple injuries, including a torn ACL. 276/.306/.498 in 75 games in 2018, with 14 home runs and 32 stolen bases, showing five tool prowess early in his career, but injuries hampered his growth. hindered. Mondesi said he will be a free agent after 2023. Taylor, 29, said he didn’t pitch in the MLB last season and made only a handful of minor league appearances due to a back injury.
Royals discussing other deals
But wait, there could be more moves from the Royals who are now dealing with Mondesi. Outfielder Michael A. Taylor Within the last 24 hours. According to ESPNthe Royals are also discussing a deal involving utility player Hunter Dodger and infielder Nicky Lopez.
The 31-year-old Dozier, who could be signed by the 2025 season, has been having what seemed like a breakout season in 2019. He has recorded his 89 OPS+ over the past three years and bounced around his position in the corner. Lopez, 27, will remain under the team’s control until the 2025 season. He, too, has failed to build a 2021 banner season. His OPS+ of him dropped from 104 to 58.
The Royals have plenty of young position players in the majors or midway, making them obvious candidates to send out at least one more hitter between now and Opening Day.
The Athletics signed first baseman Jesús Aguilar to a one-year, $3 million deal. USA Today reportedOakland spent nearly $30 million on six free agents (Aguilar, Arredomis Diaz, Shintaro Fujinami, Trevor May, Jace Peterson and Drew Lusinski) this offseason, but their projected 2023 salary is just $5850. just a million dollars. per fan graphIt’s one of the lowest in baseball.
Aguilar, 32, batted .235/.281/.379 and hit 16 home runs in 129 games with the Marlins and Orioles in 2022. However, he is still an above-average hitter as of his 2021 and is considered an excellent presence in the clubhouse. Aguilar, at first base he can platoon with Seth Brown and even take the DH’s at bat. And if his performance is good, A could tip him off as a prospect before the deadline.
Marlins Stop chasing Gurriel
The Marlins stopped chasing free agent first baseman Yuri Gurriel. report miami heraldMiami currently faces Garrett Cooper at first base and Jorge Soler at DH, but there’s still room in Gurriel’s lineup if he’s willing to continue fielding alongside Cooper or Soler in the outfield. Jazz Chisholm shifts to center after Luis Ares trade.
Miami has been looking for a high-contact hitter all offseason, and Gurriel would be the perfect fit. Although he has one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball since his arrival in 2016, 2022 was the worst season of his MLB career. But for now, the Marlins have put the chase on hold. Not sure if they are concentrated elsewhere.
Raise still looking for attack
The Rays are still looking to upgrade their offense, but GM Eric Nieder admitted, “There aren’t that many[bats that make a difference]available.” report Tampa Bay Times. Jurickson Profar is the best free agent position player on the market.Miguel Sano, Franmil Reyes, Luke Voight, and others like former Ray David Peralta are similarly unsigned.
Last season, the Rays ranked 21st in points scored, scoring just one point in nine of the last 16 games of the regular season. After that, Tampa hit one solo home run in his 24th inning, a wild card in his series that saw him lose to second place. GuardianThe Rays have not added an offense this offseason. If anything, they were subtracted from the offense in the Choi Ji-man trade.
Orioles still looking for rotation help
Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in an interview with 105.7 FM The Fan over the weekend that he hopes to add another starting pitcher before spring training.via Baltimore Sun). The O’s signed Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal this winter. Kyle Vladish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Austin Voss round out the rotation, and front-runner Grayson Rodriguez is called up.
Baltimore has ties to Michael Wacha, best free agent starters available, the last few weeks. Other unsigned starters include Zach Greinke, Mike Minor and Michael Pineda. If nothing else, O could use another veteran to digest the innings, save a bit of the bullpen, and avoid asking the kids to carry too much workload at once. can.
Reds No plans to add more
The Reds aren’t expected to make any more additions before spring training and the roster is “almost set,” GM Nick Krall said at the team’s caravan event on Monday.via Cincinnati Enquirer). “Obviously we broke it[after making the postseason in 2020]. We traded off some players last year. That’s what we needed to go through. I’m trying,” added Krall.
It’s been a fairly uneventful offseason for the Reds. They traded off Kyle Farmer and added Will Myers and Luke Weaver. Cincinnati will open in 2022 with a salary of $114.1 million. Their estimated 2023 salary is now $81.5 million. per fan graphIn terms of 2022 salary percentage, the Reds are projected to take the biggest pay cuts in baseball this year.
