The Weekly Rundown: 12/31/23 - 1/6/23
Mariners make moves, Michael Brantley retires, and more.
Good morning and Happy Sunday!
It’s the first Weekly Rundown of 2024 but I’ll hold off on the “Happy New Year” stuff. After all, the statute of limitations has kind of run out on the New Year, according to Larry David.
That said, I look forward to improving this newsletter and staying consistent throughout 2024. I’m always looking for ways to make these rundowns more interesting to read each Sunday, so please feel free to leave any suggestions in the comment section or reach out to me via e-mail: justinjleger4@gmail.com.
I hope to double my subscriber count this year, so it would be a huge help if you could enter your e-mail below if you haven’t already. Huge thanks to those who do.
Now grab your coffee and let’s jump into the first rundown of the year.
Ray to the Bay
The San Francisco Giants took a gamble to improve their starting rotation, acquiring 2021 Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani.
Ray is coming off Tommy John surgery and is expected to return around the All-Star break. The 32-year-old is owed $73 million over the final three seasons of his contract.
In 2022, his debut season in Seattle, Ray posted a 3.71 ERA with 212 strikeouts and 62 walks over 189 innings. He made only one start in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John.
When he returns, Ray will join a Giants rotation that includes Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Ross Stripling, Kyle Harrison, and Keaton Winn. That, of course, is subject to change as San Francisco should still be in the mix to add a free-agent starter this offseason.
The Mariners hope to get the 2021 version of DeScalfani, who impressed with a 3.17 ERA in 31 starts with the Giants. He’s struggled mightily over the last two years while dealing with various injuries. He’ll be more of a depth piece in Seattle, which already has a rock-solid rotation with George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller.
Haniger returns to Seattle after one season in San Francisco. Last year with the Giants, the former All-Star slashed .209/.266/.365 with six homers in 61 games.
Mets Land Bader and Manaea
The New York Mets signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year, $10.5 million contract.
Bader, a speedy Gold Glove outfielder, already has plenty of experience in New York after spending parts of 2022 and 2023 with the Yankees. The 29-year-old should give the Mets a huge defensive upgrade in center field as long as he’s healthy. He played in only 98 games last season and 86 games in 2022 due to injuries.
Offensively, Bader doesn’t bring much to the table. He could, however, contribute in a platoon role. He boasts a career .824 OPS against left-handers and a .667 OPS against righties.
The Mets originally planned to have Jeff McNeil in left field, Brandon Nimmo in center, and Starling Marte in right. McNeil is now expected to play second base following prospect Ronny Mauricio’s torn ACL he suffered in December.
Also headed to Queens is veteran lefty Sean Manaea on a two-year contract worth $28 million. The deal includes a player option after the 2024 season.
Manaea was awful in his first few starts with the Giants last season, posting a 7.96 ERA through eight appearances before being moved to the bullpen. He finished the year strong, however. From that point on, he amassed a 3.44 ERA with 9.5 K/9. He returned to San Francisco’s rotation in September and was outstanding.
The Mets’ rotation will look different in 2024 with Manaea joining Adrian Houser and Luis Severino as offseason additions. Kodai Senga will anchor the staff, and Steven Cohen may not be done adding to the group.
Brantley Calls It A Career
Michael Brantley, a five-time All-Star outfielder and a World Series champion, announced his retirement after 15 MLB seasons.
Brantley told MLB.com that it’s time for him to start focusing more on his family.
“I have young kids, and now it’s time to be a dad, first and foremost,” Brantley said. “It’s time for me to be home 24/7, watch my kids grow up and not miss important milestones.”
The 36-year-old finishes his career with a .298/.355/.439 slash line between 10 seasons in Cleveland and five with the Houston Astros. He totaled 129 home runs with 720 RBIs and 125 stolen bases in 1,445 regular-season games. In 62 postseason games, he hit .283 with five homers.
Injuries have hampered Brantley in recent seasons. He played in only 15 games last season after recovering from shoulder surgery.
Rapid Fire
The Colorado Rockies signed right-hander Dakota Hudson and catcher Jacob Stallings to one-year contracts. Hudson’s contract is worth $1.5M while Stallings will make $2M for 2024.
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired righty reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios.
After the Ray trade, the Mariners acquired outfielder Luke Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder José Caballero.
After acquiring Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox, the Atlanta Braves signed the veteran southpaw to a two-year, $38 million contract extension.
The Rumor Mill
White Sox ace Dylan Cease remains on the trade block with the Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals among teams in the mix to trade for the right-hander, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Yankees are also interested in free-agent southpaw and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The Dodgers, Angels, and Red Sox are the “frontrunners” to sign slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Feinsand adds that the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and Red Sox have shown interest in outfielder/DH Jorge Soler.
Also from Feinsand: The Giants, Orioles, Red Sox, and Angels have all been connected to free-agent righty Marcus Stroman.
Veteran reliever Ryan Brasier has drawn interest from the Cardinals, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, Orioles, and Rangers, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Brasier posted a ridiculous 0.70 ERA with the Dodgers last season after struggling in Boston.
The Red Sox, Cubs, Giants, and Angels are the finalists for Japanese free-agent pitcher Shota Imanaga, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Imanaga’s posting window closes on Jan. 11.
Thanks for reading! Catch you next Sunday.