Yeah we have plenty of guys we can put as a warm body at 2B. None of them Platinum Glove caliber like Giminez. But they have more promise at the plate. From what I briefly read yesterday, Brito is ready so I won’t be surprised to see him in March.
Actually even if Robert goes, the ChiSox do have a batter with a bWAR above 0.2 - their lone free agent signing so far, Mike Tauchman, who racked up a 0.6 bWAR on the north side of Chicago last year.
Thanks – I’d missed that signing!
And, to be entirely fair, they still have Andrew Benintendi on the roster. He had a terrible bWAR of -0.8 last season, but was substantially better in August and September than he had been earlier in the season – so if he could actually build on that, he might not be awful in '25.
But, even so, they are looking to be a starless team next year.
The Mets are going to retire David Wright’s #5 jersey in 2025.
Makes sense. Their best 3b ever. A position they were mostly snakebit at. Played his entire career for the Mets. The lesser #5 in town, but a worthy choice all the same.
The Yankees have traded Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to the Brewers in exchange for Devin Williams.
Devin Williams
Very solid right-handed relief pitcher and possible alternate closer.
He missed the start of last season with a stress fractures in the back. He had a strong August & September after his return.
He has virtually no record in the AL East, but uses a changeup — nicknamed the “Airbender”
is one of the most dominant pitches in the entire sport. He’s finished off 2299 big league plate appearances with that pitch, during which opponents have posted a comically feeble .139/.223/.200. The pitch boasts a preposterous 23% swinging-strike rate.
So there is a good chance that Cashman is close to signing or trading for either a 2B or 3B as Durbin was basically our closest to ready 2B prospect. The idea of a third baseman is to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second. I wonder if Bregman maybe is close to signing with the Yanks?
They weren’t going to give up Durbin unless they thought Williams will be the closer. Weaver stepped up last year but there is no confidence in him being the closer long term. I’m sorry to see Durbin go. I think he’s going to be good.
The Cubs have acquired OF Kyle Tucker from the Astros in exchange for 3B Isaac Paredes and RHP Hayden Wesneski. Chicago also sends IF prospect Cam Smith to Houston.
Smith, 21, was the 14th overall pick out of Florida St. in last year’s amateur draft. He made headlines during his short pro debut, hitting home runs in six straight games for Single-A Myrtle Beach last August. He played mostly third base in college.
He’s easily in the top five of all relievers in the game right now - he’s not an “alternate” closer, he’s the closer.
His history of saves is not high, sorry. But closer makes sense.
There were rumors flying around that the Yankees were looking at him. Glad to see him go elsewhere. Not a bad player but he will be a free agent after next season. That’s not a road I want to go down again.
I think the Cubs may have overpaid a little much if Tucker doesn’t sign an extension. I’m not thrilled with losing Cam Smith, but if Tucker sticks around for a few more years, it becomes more palatable. At least they didn’t trade Matt Shaw. That kid looks like a stud, and he may be the opening day 2B if Horner is traded.
Reports are the Astros were interested in trading Tucker to the Yankees but only if Luis Gil was part of the trade. The Yankees rightly said no.
Wow, that was quite the demand.
Well they did have this guy named Hader for a while.
The A’s are continuing towards relevancy, as they’ve acquired P Jeffrey Springs from the Rays in a six-player deal.
Springs and one other player will go to the A’s while right-handers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, first baseman Will Simpson, and a Competitive Balance A round draft pick – somewhere in the late 30s – will go to the Rays, sources said.
The move pushes the Athletics’ payroll over $100 million.
I watch a lot of FSU baseball games. Extremely impressed with him. Of course, I’m no expert in telling what a stud amateur will be like in the big leagues.
There’s not a chance the Cubs overpaid for Kyle Tucker. He is an absolutely amazing baseball player. He has gold glove defense paired with tremendous plate,l discipline, paired with some real raw power. Extension or no extension, he is a huge asset, even for one year. Giving up a couple prospects, and keeping Matt Shaw in the system was a tremendous move.
Mind if I quote you on that for a Facebook argument I’m having?