1 month agoThe Los Angeles Dodgers declined relief pitcher
Alex Reyes' (shoulder) $3 million club option for the 2024 season over the weekend, making him a free agent this winter, according to a source. Reyes will receive a $100,000 buyout. The 29-year-old right-hander continues to have shoulder problems and had surgery on his right shoulder in June. He didn't appear in a single game for the Dodgers in 2023 and hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2021, when he was an All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals. Reyes will likely have to prove his health this offseason before any team takes a chance on the talented but injury-prone hurler. In his five seasons in the majors with the Cardinals, he has a strong 2.86 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP with 31 saves, 97 walks and 177 strikeouts in 145 innings over 101 appearances (seven starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
1 month agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander
Ross Stripling exercised his $12.5 million player option for the 2024 season over the weekend. After signing a two-year, $25 million deal before the 2023 season, Stripling went 0-5 with a 5.36 ERA (5.21 FIP), 1.35 WHIP, 16 walks and 70 strikeouts in 89 innings over 22 outings (11 starts) in his first year in the Bay Area. The 33-year-old will look to bounce back in 2024. He was much better in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays, as he posted a 3.01 ERA (3.11 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with 20 walks and 111 strikeouts in a career-high 134 1/3 frames over 32 appearances (24 starts). But his strikeout rate dipped from 20.7 percent in 2022 to just 18.4 percent this year, and his walk rate also went the wrong direction from 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KNBR - Danny Emerman
1 month agoThe Toronto Blue Jays announced on Monday that they exercised their $21 million two-year option on relief pitcher
Chad Green. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander only tossed 12 innings in 12 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023 after debuting in September in his return from Tommy John surgery he had in June of 2022. Unsurprisingly, Green wasn't all that effective, allowing 10 runs (seven earned) on 12 hits while walking four and striking out 16. He has 11 career saves in his eight big-league seasons and could be a valuable late-inning bullpen piece for Toronto the next two years if he can stay healthy. Green has a career 3.24 ERA (3.27 FIP) and 1.03 WHIP with a 6.4 percent walk rate and 32.4 percent strikeout rate in 395 2/3 innings pitched.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Kaitlyn McGrath
1 month agoSan Diego Padres right-hander
Nick Martinez and the Padres declined their respective options for the 2024 campaign over the weekend, making him a free agent this offseason. The Padres had $16 million options on Martinez for the next two years, while Martinez had an $8 million player option. The 33-year-old swingman will look for a more lucrative contract on the open market this winter after going 6-4 with a career-best 3.43 ERA (3.92 FIP), 1.26 WHIP, one save, 15 holds, 40 walks and a career-high 106 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings over a career-high 63 appearances (nine starts) in his second year in San Diego. Martinez will likely look for a starting role on the open market, but if that falls through, he'll be plenty attractive in a multi-inning relief role.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
1 month agoThe Atlanta Braves exercised right-hander
Charlie Morton's $20 million option for the 2024 season on Monday. Morton will turn 40 years old next week, but he had a 3.64 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP with 83 walks and 183 strikeouts in 163 1/3 innings over 30 starts for Atlanta in 2023 and has a 3.77 ERA with 604 strikeouts in 521 innings over the last three seasons with the Braves, including two 14-win campaigns. Morton could be playing in his final big-league season in 2024, and there were some signs of regression, as expected, last year. He had a bloated 11.6 percent walk rate. However, he was able to keep the ball in the park for the most park and had a strong 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Injuries will be a concern, but Morton will continue to have fantasy appeal in fantasy leagues because of strikeout ability and the fact that he pitches for one of the best teams in baseball.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David O'Brien
1 month agoKorean star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee is being targeted by the Detroit Tigers, who are viewed as the front-runners to sign the 25-year-old. Lee is set to be posted on Monday night after Kiwoom of the KBO has ended its season. Lee has thrived in seven seasons in the KBO, which is largely viewed as the second-best professional baseball league in the world. He has hit .340 with 65 home runs, 69 stolen bases, and an .898 OPS since beginning his professional career at the age of 18 in the 2017 season. Lee has been an on-base machine, drawing 383 walks in 3,947 career plate appearances while posting a .407 on-base percentage in that time. An ankle injury limited Lee to just 86 games in 2023, but he managed to hit .318 with six homers, six steals and an .860 OPS across 387 trips to the plate.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jon Morosi
1 month agoThe Cleveland Guardians have hired
Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history. The former big-league backstop replaces Terry Francona who managed the club for 11 seasons before stepping down due to a lengthy battle with health issues. Vogt, 39, played 794 MLB games as a catcher and hit .239 with 82 home runs in that time with the Rays, A's, Brewers, Giants, D-backs, and Braves. He last appeared with the A's as recently as the 2022 season. He will be tasked with turning around a Guardians club that struggled last season, finishing with a 76-86 record, good for third place in the AL Central and 11 games back of the first-place Minnesota Twins. The Guardians reached the ALDS in the 2022 season, bowing out to the Yankees in five games.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Cleveland Guardians
1 month agoThe New York Mets have hired former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their new manager. Originally seen as finalists to land the highly-coveted Craig Counsell, they decided to go with Mendoza before Counsell was surprisingly hired by the Chicago Cubs. The 43-year-old Mendoza has spent the last four seasons as Aaron Boone's bench coach with the Yankees and spent 15 seasons as a coach within the organization. A native of Venezuela, Mendoza enjoyed a brief MLB career as a player that included 28 games split between the Mets in 1997 and the Rockies in 2000. The Mets are coming off a wildly disappointing 2023 season that began with heightened expectations following a wealth of offseason spending as the club went 75-87, finishing a whopping 29 games back of the first-place Braves in the NL East. They parted with manager Buck Showalter following the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
1 month agoFormer New York Mets reliever
Adam Ottavino has declined his $6.75 million player option with the club for the 2024 season and will become a free agent. The reliever will be in search of a new multi-year deal on the open market as $4 million of his $6.75 player option was to be deferred. The 37-year-old should garner significant interest on the open market as he is coming off his second straight excellent season with the Mets. Ottavino worked to a healthy 3.21 ERA across 66 appearances in 2023, just one season after tossing a sterling 2.06 ERA across another 66 appearances with the Mets. A veteran of 664 career big-league appearances, the right-hander owns a 3.42 ERA across 13 seasons spent with the Cardinals, Rockies, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Joel Sherman
1 month agoThe Chicago Cubs have hired former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Craig Counsell as their new manager. Counsell will replace
David Ross, who was under contract to manage the club in 2024. Hired by Milwaukee prior to the 2015 season, Counsell compiled a 707-625 record across nine seasons with the club, winning three NL Central titles while reaching the postseason in five of the last six seasons. His 707 wins are a club record for a manager as Counsell passed Phil Garner (563) with a win over the Mets in June of 2022. For his part, Ross posted a 262-284 record across four seasons at the helm of the Cubs. The former big-league catcher steered his club to a solid 83-79 record in 2022 and a second-place finish in the NL Central but missed the postseason. Counsell's deal with the Cubs is reportedly the richest by a manager in MLB history.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
1 month agoThe Chicago Cubs exercised catcher
Yan Gomes' $6 million option for the 2024 campaign over the weekend, according to a source. Gomes will return next year for a third season in the Windy City. The 36-year-old veteran backstop is much more valuable in real life for the Cubs than in fantasy. The Brazilian saw more playing time in 2023 with
Willson Contreras going to St. Louis, and he finished the year hitting a respectable .267 (102-for-382) with 10 home runs, 20 doubles, two triples, 63 RBI and 44 runs scored in 116 games played in Chicago. If the Cubs don't upgrade at the position, Gomes will be in line to open the 2024 regular season as the team's primary backstop while being spelled by
Miguel Amaya.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN Chicago - Jesse Rogers
1 month agoThe Chicago Cubs exercised right-hander
Kyle Hendricks' $16.5 million option for the 2024 season, according to sources. The move was expected, especially after starter
Marcus Stroman opted out of his deal over the weekend. Hendricks, the team's longest-tenured player, will return next year for his 11th season. The 33-year-old is a soft-tosser and doesn't strike out many batters, but he posted a respectable 3.74 ERA (3.81 FIP) and 1.20 WHIP in 24 starts in 2023 while walking 27 and striking out 93 in 137 innings pitched for the Cubbies. Hendrick's fantasy ceiling is very low, but he'll remain a valuable real-life pitcher in the middle of Chicago's starting rotation in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN Chicago - Jesse Rogers
1 month agoHouston Astros general manager Dana Brown said the team will be on the lookout for backup catcher options this offseason, as they plan to enter the 2024 season with
Yainer Diaz as "the guy."
Martin Maldonado was the club's primary backstop in 2023, but he will head to free agency this winter. The Astros saw enough from Diaz this year to move forward with him as their starting catcher in 2024. In 355 at-bats, the 25-year-old Dominican hit .282 (100-for-355) with 23 home runs, 22 doubles, 60 RBI and 51 runs scored in 377 plate appearances in his first full major-league season. For the power alone, Diaz will be an intriguing fantasy option at a weak position as he sees even more playing time next year for the Astros.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Ari Alexander
1 month agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Michael Conforto opted into his 2024 contract and will make $18 million next season. Conforto enjoyed his time in the Bay Area in 2023 after hitting .239/.334/.384 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles, 58 RBI, four stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 125 games for the Gigantes. He missed all of the 2022 campaign due to a shoulder injury, so all things considered, it was a successful season in San Fran for Conforto. The 30-year-old left-handed swinger has injury concerns, but he's a career. 253 hitter with 147 home runs and 454 RBI in eight major-league seasons with the Mets and Giants. He hit a career-high 33 long balls as recently as 2019 with the Mets.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
1 month agoTexas Rangers left-hander
Andrew Heaney exercised his $13 million player option for the 2024 season and will be back in Texas next year. Heaney was a big part of the Rangers' pitching staff this year on their way to their first-ever World Series championship. The 32-year-old southpaw appeared in five games (three starts) in the playoffs and allowed five earned runs on 11 hits while walking four and striking out four in 11 innings pitched. During the regular season (his first in Texas), he went 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA (4.66 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP while walking 60 and striking out 151 in 147 1/3 innings over 34 appearances (28 starts). Heaney should enter his second year with the Rangers as a back-end starter in their rotation.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers PR
RADIO
