Mega Thread 2024-2025 MLB Hot Stove

[Dixie Flatline]

It appears that the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are leading the chase for OF Kyle Tucker, with reports suggesting that the Astros are interested in doing a deal with either team over Tucker. In particular, the Astros are targeting RHP Luis Gil (the reigning AL Rookie of the Year) in a deal for Tucker, while the Astros are also looking at acquiring OF/DH Seiya Suzuki and corner infielder Isaac Paredes in exchange for Tucker from the Cubs.

Astros, Cubs discuss possible trade involving Kyle Tucker, Isaac Paredes

Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has also been part of the discussions between Chicago and Houston.

www.nytimes.com

 

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The Rule 5 draft was held over night, with the results below:

Pick no.	Team	Player
1	Chicago White Sox	RHP Shane Smith (Milwaukee Brewers)
2	Colorado Rockies	Pass
3	Miami Marlins	C Liam Hicks (Detroit Tigers)
4	Los Angeles Angels	LHP Garrett McDaniels (Los Angeles Dodgers)
5	Oakland Athletics	RHP Noah Murdock (Kansas City Royals)
6	Washington Nationals	RHP Evan Reifert (Tampa Bay Rays)
7	Toronto Blue Jays	RHP Angel Bastardo (Boston Red Sox)
8	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pass
9	Cincinnati Reds	2B Cooper Bowman (Oakland Athletics)
10	Texas Rangers	Pass
11	San Francisco Giants	Pass
12	Tampa Bay Rays	LHP Nate Lavender (New York Mets)
13	Boston Red Sox	Pass
14	Minnesota Twins	RHP Eiberson Castellano (Philadelphia Phillies)
15	St Louis Cardinals	Pass
16	Chicago Cubs	3B Gage Workman (Detroit Tigers)
17	Seattle Mariners	Pass
18	Kansas City Royals	Pass
19	Detroit Tigers	Pass
20	Houston Astros	Pass
21	New York Mets	Pass
22	Arizona Diamondbacks	Pass
23	Atlanta Braves	RHP Anderson Pilar (Miami Marlins)
24	Baltimore Orioles	Pass
25	Cleveland Guardians	Pass
26	San Diego Padres	RHP Juan Nunez (Baltimore Orioles)
27	Milwaukee Brewers	LHP Connor Thomas (St Louis Cardinals)
28	New York Yankees	Pass
29	Philadelphia Phillies	RHP Mike Vasil (New York Mets)
30	Los Angeles Dodgers	Pass

The Phillies then traded Vasil to the Rays for cash considerations.

In the second round, all but one club passed, with the Braves taking shortstop Christian Cairo from the Guardians.

 

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The Texas Rangers are in agreement with RHP Jacob Webb on a one year contract worth $1.25 million, with up to another $250,000 available in incentives. The Rangers have a vacancy on their 40-man roster, but that is earmarked for RHP Nathan Eovaldi once that deal is made official, so a move will need to be made to accommodate Webb. Webb was non-tendered by the Orioles in November after he pitched 56 2/3 innings for Baltimore in 2024, with a 3.02 ERA. He struck out 24.5% of batters faced and walked 11.4%. Webb will slot into the bullpen for the Rangers in 2025, after the Rangers saw Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Leclerc and Jose Urena all become free agents after the season, while Josh Sborz underwent shoulder surgery and is going to miss half the season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly interested in signing catcher James McCann, who was also drawing some interest from Baltimore and from Boston (though the Orioles' signing of Gary Sanchez probably closes the door on McCann returning to Baltimore). McCann has previously played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and the Orioles. He was rated a below average defender with the Orioles last season, with average marks for throwing out runners and below average marks for blocking and pitch framing.

Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social)

According to a source, the Reds have shown interest in James McCann for their backup catcher opening. McCann spent the last two seasons with the Orioles.

bsky.app

 

[Jatz]

The White Sox to be even worse next season?

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Boston Red Sox have made a trade with the New York Yankees, but it's not likely to have the same impact on the sport as the Babe Ruth trade. The Red Sox have acquired catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space. The Red Sox have designated infielder Emmanuel Valdez for assignment to open a roster spot for Narvaez.

Narvaez is a depth catcher who had been on the Yankees' 40-man roster since last off-season. He made his MLB debut for the Yankees in July, appearing in six games, collecting three hits (all singles) and two walks in 15 plate appearances. He hit .254/.370/.412 with 20 doubles and 11 homeruns in 403 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Connor Wong was the only catcher on the Red Sox 40-man roster. Narvaez now makes himself favourite by default for the back-up role, though the Red Sox may continue to add depth as the offseason continues. Narvaez has a pair of minor league options and could open the 2025 season at Triple-A.

In exchange for Narvaez, the Yankees receive a bit of a lottery ticket in the form of Rodriguez-Cruz. The Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft and he worked as a starter in the low minors. He pitched 89 2/3 innings in 2024 between Low-A and High-A, with a 2.91 ERA and a 27.2% strikeout rate, but also a 11.5 walk rate (high for a starter).

Valdez was designated for assignment by Boston after he hit .214/.270/.363 in 223 MLB plate appearances in 2024, and he spent a fair amount of the 2024 season in Triple-A, where he hit .233/.330/.446 in 50 games.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Yankees are in agreement with RHP Jonathan Loaisiga on a one-year contract with a team option for 2026. Financial details are yet to be confirmed. Loaisiga missed all of 2024 after he underwent an internal brace procedure in April, but it is expected that he will resume pitching in April 2025.

 

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The Washington Nationals have some interest in second baseman Gleyber Torres, but would like to put him at third should he sign with the Nationals. Torres has never played third base in the majors, and has previous played shortstop for the Yankees in 2022.

Yankees free agent Gleyber Torres drawing interest from Angels, Nationals

The Yankees second baseman has a couple of teams expressing interest in him.

nypost.com

 

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OF Juan Soto is now officially a New York Met after he passed his physical and was announced formally by the Mets. He will attend a press conference tonight at Citi Field.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

RHP Kirby Yates is attracting interest from a number of clubs, including the Detroit Tigers. Yates turns 38 just before the start of the 2025 season, but had an excellent 2024 with the Rangers. He pitched 61 2/3 innings with a 1.17 ERA, although that was assisted by a .168 BABIP and an 88.1% strand rate. Yates struck out 35.9% of batters faced and walked 11.1% of batters faced. He had a groundball rate of 45.5%, and put up 33 saves for the Rangers in 2024.

The Tigers join the Cubs in leading the chase for Yates.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tampa Bay Rays officially signed catcher Danny Jansen overnight. He is guaranteed $8.5 million for 2024, in the form of a $8 million salary and a $500,000 buyout on a club option worth $12 million. Jansen reportedly turned down multi-year contract offers so that he could go back to the market in 2025. Jansen spent most of his career with the Blue Jays and was traded to the Red Sox last trade deadline. He's looking to recover after a poor season offensively, hitting just .206/.308/.348 in 328 plate appearances, which is a significant step down on his combined slash line from 2021-2023, where he hit .237/.317/.487 (121 wRC+).

Jansen's 2024 performance was made worse by the fact that he actually started the season with the Blue Jays on fire, hitting .295/.375/.533 in his first 120 plate appearances, but then hit .150/.270/.237 in the next 204 plate appearances.

Rays have a deal with veteran catcher Danny Jansen

The 29-year-old has played seven seasons, mostly with the Blue Jays, posting a .220 average and .727 OPS.

www.tampabay.com

 

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The Chicago Cubs have acquired OF Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Isaax Paredes, RHP Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith.

 

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The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed a minor league deal with LHP Eric Lauer. He will receive an invitation to Blue Jays Spring Training. If he makes the big league roster, he would earn a $2.2 million salary with additional incentives based on innings pitched and games started.

Lauer was drafted by the Padres in 2016 and has previously pitched for San Diego and the Brewers, but more recently has been plagued by injuries and then went to the KBO to pitch for the Kia Tigers in 2024.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

According to the New York Post, OF Anthony Santander is looking for a five year contract in free agency, after he hit 44 homeruns for the Orioles as part of a .235/.308/.506 batting line (129 wRC+). Santander does not hit for average and does not walk much, but he has been a consistent source of power, having hit .245/.312/.476 with 134 homeruns since 2020.

Yankees targeting Cubs’ Cody Bellinger — but money issues remain in pursuit

Cody Bellinger looks like a fit for the Yankees as a lefty-hitting first baseman/center fielder, but the Bombers and Cubs remain far apart on money.

nypost.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The New York Yankees have acquired RHP Devin Wiliams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for LHP Nestor Cortes, infield prospect Caleb Durbin and $2 million in cash considerations. Both Williams and Cortes are entering their final seasons of club control. Durbin is yet to make his MLB debut but was recently added to the 40-man roster to keep him from being drafted in the Rule 5 draft. He is likely to make his debut for the Brewers at either second or third base, with either Brice Turang or Joey Ortiz (acquired by the Brewers from the Orioles 12 months ago as part of the Corbin Burnes trade) playing shortstop in place of the now-departed Willy Adames.

Williams has been one of the best closers in the game since he made his MLB debut in 2020. He has a career 1.83 ERA, with 68 saves, 60 holds, a 39.4% strikeout rate and a 48.1% groundball rate. He has given up walks at a 11.8% rate, but his best pitch is the "Airbender" changeup, against which batters have hit a .139/.223/.200 in 2,229 plate appearances.

Among pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched since 2019, only RHP Emmanuel Clase (Guardians) has a better ERA (1.67) than Williams and only LHP Josh Hader and RHP Edwin Diaz have a higher strikeout rate than Williams. Only RHP Gerrit Cole has a higher mark in terms of win probability added.

Interestingly enough, the last pitch both Williams and Cortes threw for their previous team ended up losing the game for the relevant team. Williams' final pitch as a Brewer was hit out for a three-run homerun by Pete Alonso in the NLDS loss to the Mets, while Cortes final pitch as a Yankee was hit for a game-winning grand slam by Freddie Freeman in game 1 of the World Series.

Cortes has been a mid-rotation starter for the Yankees since breaking out in 2021. Since then, Cortes has pitched a combined 489 innings with a 3.33 ERA, a 25.2% strikeout rate and a 6.2% walk rate. In 2024, Cortes managed 174 1/3 innings with a 22.8% strikeout rate and a 5.5% walk rate. He is not a power pitcher (his average 92.1mph on his four-seamer in 2024 is the highest velocity on that pitch in his career), but he will be a nice third starter for the Brewers behind Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff (who is returning from shoulder surgery).

 

[largebus]

Vlad knows his price just skyrocketed after Soto's signing.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays have announced a multi-player trade that will see LHP Jeffrey Springs and LHP Jacob Lopez cross the country to join the Athletics, while the Rays will receive RHP Joe Boyle, the Athletics' pick in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2025 draft, and two minor league players in RHP Jacob Watters and 1B/OF Will Simpson.

Springs signed a contract extension with the Rays back in January 2023, and is owed $10.5 million in each of 2025 and 2026. The Athletics also inherit the $15 million club option over Springs for 2027, that can be bought out for $750,000.

For the first two years and $9.25 million on that extension, the Rays only saw 49 innings of work from Springs, albeit with a 2.39 ERA. Springs underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2023 that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2023 season and the first half of the 2024 season. Springs returned to pitching in July, putting up 33 innings of work with a 3.27 ERA in seven starts, before he was shut down for the season in early September with fatigue in his pitching elbow.

In addition to Springs, the Athletics also acquired LHP Jacob Lopez. He has 22 1/3 innings of work in the majors with the Rays in the last two seasons. He already has a Tommy John surgery under his belt (in 2022), but has worked 337 2/3 innings in the minors for a 2.99 ERA. Lopez does not profile as a topline starter, as he lacks the velocity that would make a difference, but he has a 27% strikeout rate in the minors. He will likely open the season in Triple-A as part of the pitching depth for the Athletics but could see himself promoted to the majors sooner rather than later.

Joe Boyle has experience both starting and relieving while with the Athletics. In 2023, he made three starts and pitched 16 innings for a 1.69 ERA. In 2024, however, he pitched 47 2/3 innings and put up a 6.42 ERA. He is the classic flamethrower (97.7mph average fastball velocity in the majors) who has problems commanding it, as Boyle has elevated walk totals in the first two seasons of his major league career. The Rays will hope to correct his command issues. He has two minor league options left so the Rays will have some flexibility to shuttle him back and forth between the majors and minors.

Will Simpson was ranked 16th in the rankings of the Athetics' farm system by Baseball America, while MLB Pipeline was less bullish on him, putting him 28th. He was a 15th round draft selection in 2023, and has crushed minor league pitching in his first two pro-seasons and made it to Double-A by the second half of the season. Scouts see that he has a good plate approach and has some power. However, he will need to improve his work on defence, with MLB Pipeline seeing him as a first baseman only.

Watters was a fourth round draft selection for the Athletics in 2022, with a career 5.86 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate and an inflated 13.73% walk rate in 152 pro innings so far. He mostly has pitched at high-A, but he had one appearance for the Aviators in Triple-A in 2024. He seems to be a better reliever than starter.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander told reporters that the decision to trade LHP Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics was "really, really difficult" and that the trade was a "situation where the Athletics really stepped forward and really wanted Jeffrey".

In exchange for Springs and LHP Jacob Lopez, the Rays acquired RHP Joe Boyle. Discussing Boyle, Neander told reporters that he is "somebody that has the physicality and the stuff to fit at the front of the rotation. I think there's signs of progress on the strike-throwing and he doesn't need to be a sharpshooter to be really effective. The upside, I think, is something that warrants great patience when it comes to his development".

Rays trade Springs for trio of prospects, including MLB-ready starter

TAMPA, Fla. -- With starting pitching to spare, the Rays swung a trade Saturday that brought their rotation into clearer focus and further fortified their highly regarded Minor League system. The Rays dealt starter Jeffrey Springs and left-hander Jacob Lopez to the Athletics for...

www.mlb.com

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox announced a trade that will see infielder Enmanuel Valdez traded to the Pirates in exchange for RHP Joe Vogatsky. Valdez had been designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox, after having played in 125 MLB games for the Red Sox during the 2023 season. He hit .266/.311/.453 in his first 149 plate appearances in the big leagues, but he regressed in 2024, hitting .214/.270/.363 in 223 plate appearances. Valdez made 56 starts and 65 total appearances at second base for the Red Sox in 2024, and is likely to be used by the Pirates in a platoon role at that position in 2024.

Vogatsky was a 19th round pick for the Pirates in the 2024 draft and is yet to commence his professional career. He worked exclusively as a reliever in his last two years of college baseball at James Madison University.

 

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The Atlanta Braves announced that they have signed OF Bryan De La Cruz to a non-guaranteed deal (split contract) for 2025. De La Cruz played for the Miami Marlins from 2021-2024, and he forced his way into an every-day role by the end of the 2022 season, hitting .263/.311/.420 with 37 homeruns in over 1,200 plate appearances between 2021-2023.

However, after putting up 111 wRC+ in 2021 and then regressing down to 77 wRC+ in 2024, he ended up with the Pirates. In 622 combined plate appearances between the Marlins and Pirates in 2024, he hit .233/.271/.384 with 21 homeruns, and he regressed further in Pittsburgh, hitting .200/.220/.294 in 168 plate appearances. The Pirates elected to non-tender De La Cruz at the end of the season rather than pay a projected $4 million in the first of three arbitration-eligible seasons.

De La Cruz is a slugger, with hard-contact numbers but low contact rate and a high strikeout rate (25%). He has experience at all three outfield positions, but is regarded as an average defender on a good day.

The Braves are taking a low-risk gamble on De La Cruz to evaluate him in Spring Training. If he can find more consistency at the plate, the Braves will have him under team control through the 2027 season, and he has two minor league option years remaining.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed utility player Nick Solak to a minor league contract according to the transactions tracker on his MLB.com profile page. It is not clear but it is assumed that Solak will get an invitation to Spring Training with the Pirates.

The Yankees selected Solak in the second round of the 2016 draft but he's bounced around multiple clubs during his time in the majors. The Yankees traded Solak to the Rays in a three-team swap that resulted in Brandon Drury playing for the Yankees prior to the 2018 season. The Rays then traded Solak to the Rangers in exchange for RHP Pete Fairbanks.

Solak made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2019, hitting .293/.393/.491 (126 wRC+) in 135 plate appearances for the Rangers. He played two more seasons with Texas, but his hot start cooled off quickly, as he hit just .218/.350/.357 (88 wRC+) in 744 combined plate appearances in 2020-2021. He mostly spent 2022 in the minors before he suffered a foot fracture that finished his 2022 season.

The Rangers then traded Solak in the 2022 off-season to the Reds for cash. The Reds designated him for assignment once it was clear he would not make the opening day roster for Cincinnati, and he then spent most of 2023 shuttling between organisations. He briefly played for the Mariners, the White Sox, the Braves and the Tigers during 2023. He was designated for assignment by Detroit in August 2023 and elected minor league free agency. He signed a minor league contract with the Mariners in January 2024. He plugged away in the minors, hitting .311/.406/.446 in Triple-A, for a wRC+ of 120, but never received a call-up to the majors. He entered free agency for the second time and has now signed with the Pirates.

 

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The Texas Rangers have signed LHP Michael Plassmeyer to a minor league contract, according to the transactions section on his profile page. The deal presumably includes an invitation to the Rangers' Spring Training. Seattle drafted Plassmeyer in the fourth round of the 2018 season, but he was traded to the Rays early in the 2018-2019 offseason. He zoomed through the minor leagues with the Rays in 2019, making it to Triple-A by the end of his first full season of professional baseball. However, his progress stalled with the cancellation of the minor leagues in 2020 thanks to COVID, and was then traded by the Rays to the Giants in exchange for RHP Matt Wisler.

Plassmeyer struggled with the Giants' Double-A affiliate, putting up a 5.08 ERA in 79 2/3 innings (16 appearances) and that continued into 2022, when he pitched 11 appearances in Triple-A for a 7.38 ERA. The Giants traded him to the Phillies mid-way through the 2022 season and he eventually made his MLB debut for Philadelphia in late 2022, pitching 7 1/3 innings in two appearances for a 3.68 ERA.

He struggled early in the 2023 season with injuries, and when available to pitch, he was knocked around to the tune of a 5.05 ERA in 16 appearances at Triple-A. When given a shot in the majors in 2023, he allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on eight hit and 3 HBPs while striking out only four in 3 2/3 innings of work. Plassmeyer was designated for assignment and signed a minor league deal with the Pirates. He never appeared in the majors in 2024, putting up a 7.93 ERA in 70 1/3 innings, but his FIP was measured at 4.14 and his .421 BABIP was on the high side, while his 53.8% strand rate was extremely low.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Seattle Mariners have signed LHP Drew Pomeranz to a minor league deal. It is not confirmed but presumably Pomeranz will be invited to Spring Training. Pomeranz has 11 years of experience in the majors but has not pitched at the top level since 2021. In the first eight seasons of his career, Pomeranz pitched to a 3.92 ERA (110 ERA+) with a 4.14 FIP in 710 innings split between 122 starts and 74 relief appearances. But it started to unravel for Pomeranz in 2019, when he posted a 5.68 ERA (5.24 FIP) in 77 2/3 innings with the Giants. San Francisco traded Pomeranz to the Brewers at the 2019 trade deadline, and the Brewers made him a full-time reliever, which precipitated a bounceback for Pomeranz. After the trade, Pomeranz managed a 2.39 ERA (2.68 FIP) with a 45% strikeout rate, and he converted that into a four-year contract worth $34 million with the Padres from the 2020 season. While Pomeranz was effective in the first two years of the contract, he was restricted to just 44 1/3 innings in the four years, with shoulder, forearm and elbow injuries that cost him the entirety of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

He signed with the Angels and then with the Dodgers last off-season on minor league deals but failed to stick with either team. He signed with the Giants and was promoted to their active roster but was designated for assignment a few days later after not making an appearance.

 

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The Cleveland Guardians announced that they have re-signed catcher Dom Nunez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Nunez spent 2024 with Columbus in Triple-A, playing 68 games for a .202/.330/.339 batting line in 263 plate appearances. The Guardians went with Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges and David Fry in the majors, so Nunez did not make a major league appearance last off-season, but Fry will not be available to catch in 2025 after he underwent tendon reconstruction surgery in November, which is expected to have a 12-month recovery timetable. Accordingly, Naylor and Hedges are the two catchers on the 40-man roster for the Guardians so Nunez could conceivably have more opportunities to play in the majors in 2025. He has 347 plate appearances in his MLB career with the Rockies between 2019 and 2022. He has a 34% career strikeout rate, but also walked at a 12.4% rate, and he has a career batting line of .180/.280/.373 for a paltry 58 wRC+ in the majors.

 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed RHP Matt Sauer to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Sauer made his MLB debut in 2024 after being selected by the Royals in the Rule 5 draft in 2023. The Royals gave him opportunities at the major league level, but he allowed 14 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings, for a 7.71 ERA. Sauer allowed 11 walks and nine strikeouts. The Royals returned Sauer to the Yankees before the end of May.

The Yankees sent him to Triple-A, where he struggled again, allowing 15 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, so Sauer went down to Double-A. He managed 24 innings over 17 relief appearances with a 2.63 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, 3.2% walk rate and 46.4% ground ball rate at Double-A. Sauer elected minor league free agency at the end of the season.