The Weekly Rundown: 1/14/23 - 1/20/23
Top two relievers off the market, Yariel Rodriguez to the Jays, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
We’re another week closer to pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training. Until then, we’re stuck in the dead zone of the offseason just waiting for another one of the top remaining free agents to sign somewhere.
While the MLB hot stove was on a simmer this past week, a couple of notable moves were made. The relief pitching market is finally moving with the top two options now off the board. Other than that, it was an oddly quiet week in which even rumors were hard to come by.
Of course, even on the uneventful weeks we still have a rundown for you, so grab your coffee and let’s get into it.
Hader To Houston
With Hector Neris, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek hitting free agency, then Kendall Graveman undergoing shoulder surgery that will keep him out all of 2024, the Houston Astros needed to address their bullpen. They did so by signing the top relief pitcher available.
Josh Hader joined the Astros on a five-year contract worth $95 million. The deal doesn’t contain any deferrals, making it the largest contract for a reliever in history in terms of present-day value.
Hader, 29, was Houston’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2014. The following year, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.
Since then, the southpaw has made a name for himself as one of the top bullpen arms in baseball. The five-time All-Star has posted a 2.50 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 165 saves, 648 strikeouts and 157 walks through 388.2 innings (349 games) with the Brewers and San Diego Padres. He’s coming off a dominant season in San Diego in which he notched 33 saves and a 1.28 ERA while limiting hitters to a .161 average in 61 outings.
With Hader in the mix, the back end of the Astros ‘pen is among the scariest in the game. He’ll form a terrifying trio with veteran closer Ryan Pressly and set-up man Bryan Abreu.
Reliever Dominos Start To Fall
Shortly after Hader went off the board, the top right-handed reliever on the market found a new home — with another American League West club.
Robert Stephenson signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The soon-to-be 31-year-old is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign. After allowing eight earned runs in 14 innings with Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in June and dominated the rest of the campaign. He posted a 2.35 ERA in 38.1 innings with Tampa while striking out a ridiculous 42.9 percent of the hitters he faced.
With Hader and Stephenson off the board, the top relief pitchers remaining on the market include Hector Neris, Jakob Junis, Matt Moore, David Robertson, Aroldis Chapman, and Liam Hendriks.
From Cuba To Canada
Rodriguez has flown under the radar as a free agent who spent the last three seasons playing in Japan. The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly signed the Cuban right-hander this week to a four-year contract worth $32 million.
A starting pitcher in Cuba, Rodriguez transitioned to a relief role in the Nippon Professional League. The soon-to-be 27-year-old amassed a 3.03 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 188 strikeouts and 77 walks in 175.1 innings (79 games). He elected not to return to NPB in 2023 and last pitched for Cuba at the World Baseball Classic. In two WBC starts, he posted a 2.45 ERA with 10 Ks in 7.1 innings.
Rodriguez reportedly wants to start in MLB, but his role will likely be determined during spring training. As of now, the Blue Jays’ rotation consists of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, and Alek Manoah. Toronto will need to drop someone from its 40-man roster to make room for Rodriguez.
Rapid Fire
Houston Astros reliever Kendall Graveman will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery.
The Seattle Mariners signed reliever Austin Voth to a one-year contract.
Veteran slugger Matt Carpenter is reuniting with the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year deal.
The Chicago White Sox signed right-hander John Brebbia to a one-year, $5.5 million deal.
The Rumor Mill
The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are the frontrunners to sign free-agent reliever Hector Neris, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Veteran utility man Kiké Hernández is drawing interest from the Angels, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Angels and Boston Red Sox are finalists to sign free-agent slugger Adam Duvall, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
Thanks for reading! Catch you next Sunday.