2023-24 free agency, trades, and signings

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.mlb.com/news/rangers-kirby-yates-contract-free-agent

1 year to the Rangers

[Slateman]

https://fxtwitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1732185416240070899?s=46&t=KpKo-quuv_Pogl5PIM3m8A

Fedde to the White Sox. Two years, 15 million

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Nice haul for Fedde. I suppose if he pitches well, the ChiSox can flip him or keep him, depending on how they see themselves. I have not checked, but how much service time does he have?

[imref]

Nice haul for Fedde. I suppose if he pitches well, the ChiSox can flip him or keep him, depending on how they see themselves. I have not checked, but how much service time does he have?

wow, that's a huge risk for the White Sox. Korea league isn't even on par with Japan. That's a ton of money for a guy who has never demonstrated an ability to pitch in the majors.

Once again, the Roy Halladay Onion piece is relevant: Learn how to throw a baseball really fast and you too can make millions of dollars.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

$7.5 million AAV is cheap for a rotation regular. It's Fedde, so you wonder if it is smoke and mirrors, but if he's just a bit better than Trevor Williams it's a good contract.

[Natsinpwc]

Sox hoping for another Merrill Kelly.  More likely to get Emmitt Kelly.

[UMDNats]

Good for Fedde. Not many go to Asia and come back with a multi-year contract.

[Slateman]

https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1732220490943488184?s=46&t=sFQ1esZ2sOxJBCUP0CZX3g

BREAKING: The New York Yankees are acquiring outfielder Alex Verdugo in a trade with the Boston Red Sox for right-handeres Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.

Fitts was ranked as the number 12 prospect in the Yankees system.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1732220490943488184?s=46&t=sFQ1esZ2sOxJBCUP0CZX3g

Fitts was ranked as the number 12 prospect in the Yankees system.

interesting. Earlier in the off-season, there was a lot of talk of Verdugo for Gleyber.

Also, with that much pitching going for Verdugo, I wonder if there's an impact on Soto to the Yankees? The ask from SD was for a lot of pitching. OTOH, if they want an OF back, I could see Verdugo going to SD along with fewer pitchers. I can't imagine the Sox being happy with that scenario, Breslow giving Cashman ammo.

[welch]

interesting. Earlier in the off-season, there was a lot of talk of Verdugo for Gleyber.

Also, with that much pitching going for Verdugo, I wonder if there's an impact on Soto to the Yankees? The ask from SD was for a lot of pitching. OTOH, if they want an OF back, I could see Verdugo going to SD along with fewer pitchers. I can't imagine the Sox being happy with that scenario, Breslow giving Cashman ammo.

Keith Law, in the Atlantic, thinks that the Yankees must intend to trade away Verdugo in a larger package...or else it is a foolish deal. He doubts the Padres would want Verdugo, so he could not be part of a deal for Soto.

It’s possible that the Yankees acquired him to spin him onward in another trade. But, if we assume for the moment that they intend to keep him, the one argument I might see is that they think he’ll benefit from the short porch in Yankee Stadium’s right field. In 2023, he didn’t pull the ball that often, hitting more doubles to the opposite field than he did homers and doubles to his pull side, and he’s never been very pull-conscious, although in 2022 he did hit a bunch of doubles to right and right-center that could have been homers in the Bronx. It’s thin gruel as a rationale for acquiring him, and if there’s another team out there interested in him at his expected salary, I’m not entirely sure why. He’s a part-time player who’s about to make full-time money, and the Padres — who could potentially match-up with the Yankees in a Juan Soto deal — don’t need players like that while they try to trim their major-league payroll.


Weissert has 31 1/3 innings of major-league experience. (Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
The Red Sox get three arms back — well, technically six, but only three of them throw the baseball — and none is likely to be more than a middle reliever. Right-hander Greg Weissert has been in the majors a little the last two years, with more success in 2023, sinking the fastball enough to generate some groundballs (a 50 percent rate in the majors in 20 innings) and getting some whiffs up top with the four-seamer. The Yankees gave him a sweeper that has been ineffective, so he doesn’t have an average secondary pitch, which limits him to middle-innings work.

Right-hander Richard Fitts had success in Double A this year, but he’s 91-96 mph without much life and has a below-average slider and changeup. He does throw a ton of strikes and commands the fastball reasonably well, so his results were above his pure stuff. I see the 22 homers allowed in 152 2/3 innings as a harbinger of more hard contact as he moves up the ladder. Right-hander Nicholas Judice was the Yankees’ eighth-round pick in 2023, a senior reliever at Louisiana-Monroe who’s mostly 91-93 mph with some ride to the four-seamer, a fringy slider, and a 40 changeup. He’s an org guy at this point, with a big vulnerability to left-handed batters. This is organizational pitching depth at best, and the main value to Boston comes from shedding Verdugo’s salary and his feeble bat against lefties.

[imref]

Jack Curry from YES reports the Yankees have "intensified" efforts to get Soto and that a trade is likely.

[imref]

Per Rosenthal: Orioles and Craig Kimbrel are close to a deal

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Per Rosenthal: Orioles and Craig Kimbrel are close to a deal

one more reason to boo the Orioles.

[imref]

Hector Gomez says Soto to the Yankees is just pending medical record review. Morosi says San Diego will get Michael King and Otis Drew Thorpe (Yankees #5 prospect) plus additional players. Verdugo is not part of the deal.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Hector Gomez says Soto to the Yankees is just pending medical record review. Morosi says San Diego will get Michael King and Otis Drew Thorpe (Yankees #5 prospect) plus additional players. Verdugo is not part of the deal.

SD had been asking for a ton of pitching, so it seemed a little weird that they moved a ton of pitching before a Soto deal. I guess it's Verdugo in left, Judge in center, Soto in right, Stanton DH until Dominguez is back?

[Slateman]

https://fxtwitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1732521351297019963?s=21

Juan Soto trade agreement is being finalized now, source confirms.

The deal, as @JackCurryYES and @Joelsherman1 reported, sends Soto and Trent Grisham to New York for Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, and Kyle Higashioka.

@MLB @MLBNetwork

So, basically, Soto for King and Thorpe

[JCA-CrystalCity]

higashioka can be useful to the Padres. I'm not sure getting Grisham and Verdugo makes sense. Maybe they've decided to eat Stanton's contract. Otherwise, I guess one is a pure defensive replacement.

[Slateman]

higashioka can be useful to the Padres. I'm not sure getting Grisham and Verdugo makes sense. Maybe they've decided to eat Stanton's contract. Otherwise, I guess one is a pure defensive replacement.

Grisham becomes a 4th OFer.

Verdugo in LF, Judge in CF,  Soto in RF. Grisham as the 4th OFer, late inning replacememt. Given Judge and Stanton's durability issues, Grisham probably gets a significant number of starts

The two reasons the Yankees didnt make the playoffs was the starting pitching after Cole and no offensive production after Judge. They have addressed one of those issues, albeit, at the cost of back end pitching.

[Natsinpwc]

Grisham becomes a 4th OFer.

Verdugo in LF, Judge in CF,  Soto in RF. Grisham as the 4th OFer, late inning replacememt. Given Judge and Stanton's durability issues, Grisham probably gets a significant number of starts

The two reasons the Yankees didnt make the playoffs was the starting pitching after Cole and no offensive production after Judge. They have addressed one of those issues, albeit, at the cost of back end pitching.

Yamamoto coming soon to address the other.

[Slateman]

Yamamoto coming soon to address the other.

Maybe, but Cohen flew to Japan to meet him. Think the Mets will outbid

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I think I saw that the Soto deal would put the NYY in the highest luxury tax level. That may impact their Y pursuit

[imref]

And it’s done: Soto and Trent Grisham to New York for Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, and Kyle Higashioka.

[Lintyfresh85]

Soto to the Yankees just seems dirty

[imref]

Projected lineup:
D.J. LeMahieu, 3B
Juan Soto, RF
Aaron Judge, CF
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Gleyber Torres, 2B
Alex Verdugo, LF
Anthony Volpe, SS
Austin Wells, C

I imagine they make a full court press now for Yamamoto to replace King as they don't have a lot behind Cole and Rondon. King was projected as a rotation piece. The defense is going to be...interesting.

[imref]

Mark Feinsand:
“After 2 trades in 16 months, the Padres essentially dealt James Wood, Robert Hassell, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Jarlin Susana & Luke Voit for Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez & Kyle Higashioka,  214 Juan Soto games,  53 Josh Bell games and 1 NLCS appearance.“