Free Brokers
• José Abreu hopes to extend his worth by taking part in winter ball.
Sources: José Abreu signed with the Senadores of San Juan in Puerto Rico’s winter ball.
Abreu will start his journey towards an MLB comeback in 2025.
He’ll quickly report back to the Senadores for the winter season, which begins in early November. pic.twitter.com/XNwG3RiwvV
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) October 9, 2024
American League
Angels
• The supervisor says José Suarez will probably be within the combine for a rotation or bullpen spot.
The Angels could have an attention-grabbing determination to make this offseason with Suarez, who’s out of Minor League choices and eligible for wage arbitration for a second time. He could possibly be a non-tender candidate however isn’t anticipated to obtain a lot of a increase on the $925,000 he made this season due to his second straight uneven efficiency within the Majors.
“He’s within the combine,” Washington mentioned. “Whether or not it’s within the bullpen or the beginning rotation, he’s within the combine and simply has to return in and compete for a job.”
Astros
• Mauricio Dubón could have surgical procedure on this thumb.
Houston Astros utilityman Mauricio Dubón performed the ultimate month of the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, an individual with data of the harm advised The Athletic.
Dubón would require surgical procedure to restore the harm. Famend hand surgeon Dr. Thomas Graham is scheduled to carry out the process in Philadelphia.
A typical restoration time for the harm is six to eight weeks, which means Dubón ought to be at full power when the crew studies to spring coaching in February.
Dubón injured his thumb whereas sliding into first base throughout a Sept. 6 recreation in opposition to the Arizona Diamondbacks. X-rays revealed no harm on the time, however additional imaging uncovered the ligament tear.
Athletics
• Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris are the main candidates for the 2025 third base job.
The A’s trotted out a number of third basemen in 2024 with out really figuring out a long-term choice on the place. Of these on the Main League roster, it could appear that Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris have the very best probabilities to win the job out of Spring Coaching. There may be additionally No. 8 prospect Max Muncy, whose ’24 season with Triple-A Las Vegas was derailed by accidents, although he stays extremely regarded inside the group. The membership can be prone to discover free company and the commerce marketplace for hot-corner assist.
“Darell and Brett performed there at occasions this 12 months,” Forst mentioned. “Any of these guys are going to be a part of the dialogue at third base. I feel we’ll additionally look outdoors the group for choices, as a result of it’s the one place on the sector the place we most likely shuffled by essentially the most gamers this season.”
• Esteury Ruiz had knee surgical procedure.
A’s speedster Esteury Ruiz underwent arthroscopic surgical procedure to repair the patellar tendon in his proper knee this afternoon. The crew introduced that Ruiz “will full post-surgical rehabilitation within the offseason to arrange for 2025 Spring Coaching,” suggesting this shouldn’t influence his availability subsequent season.
• Lawrence Butler made a number of mechanical swing adjustments earlier than his season took off.
But it surely wasn’t till June 29 in Arizona when A’s director of hitting Darren Bush helped Butler make a number of mechanical tweaks, together with holding the teenager’s head motion underneath management and guaranteeing he stayed again extra on the baseball.
The adjustments Bush steered had been hardly new to the younger hitter, however they got here at a superb time.
…“He’s actually discovered his swing, I feel, since proper earlier than the All-Star break, proper when he received known as again up this 12 months,” Bleday mentioned. “He’s actually trusted himself and reduce down on some actions. He’s at all times been a hitter, however he’s actually grow to be extra skilled and extra mature with what he must do each day.”
Blue Jays
• Orelvis Martinez may play second or third base subsequent season. Additionally, he plans on taking part in winter ball.
Schneider mentioned whereas they don’t have a definitive plan but, they’re discussing the potential for Martínez taking part in winter ball to compensate for at-bats and reps he misplaced throughout his suspension. The membership can be encouraging Martínez, who usually resides within the Dominican Republic within the offseason, to spend as a lot time as doable on the participant growth advanced in Dunedin, Fla., over the winter.
…
After we final noticed Martínez, he’d been taking part in second base, a place he was adjusting to this 12 months after largely taking part in third base within the minors. The Blue Jays infield image has shifted since with center infielders like Jiménez and Will Wagner displaying they’ll capably play second base. Nonetheless, each are contact-oriented bats somewhat than energy hitters like Martínez.
The Blue Jays need Martínez to stay open to each second and third base, Schneider mentioned, however “we’ll know extra because the offseason unfolds.”
Regulate his place throughout winter ball to get an thought of the place he would possibly play as soon as the season begins.
• Kevin Gausman restated that he pitched damage to start out the season and plans of engaged on his sinker.
Gausman’s 2024 marketing campaign was a battle from the outset. He was sidelined for many of spring coaching with proper shoulder fatigue and as an alternative of occurring the injured checklist, the right-hander started the season on the again finish of the rotation and used his first few begins to construct himself up.
The consequence was a primary half through which Gausman struggled to discover a rhythm. He made changes to his mechanics and settled down significantly after the all-star break, however his strikeout numbers have been down from his profession norm, with the right-hander remarking on a number of events that his trademark splitter simply hasn’t been the place he wants it to be.
“The consistency undoubtedly wasn’t there as a lot as I might’ve appreciated,” Gausman mentioned following Wednesday’s recreation. “I assumed I did a superb job making changes once I wanted to, however the actuality is I had a very unhealthy first month.”
…
Gausman mentioned he plans to dedicate time within the low season to work on his sinker, a pitch he believes may play in opposition to right-handed hitters and finally enable him to go deeper into video games. Whereas he was proud of the best way he completed the marketing campaign, Gausman, who turns 34 in January, says he’ll have to proceed to be open to vary.
Gausman’s sinker had a 6% SwStr% and 54% GB% with below-average STUPH metrics (90 Stuff+, 44 BotStuff). Listed here are the pitch’s comps.
An appropriate pitch but it surely may take a step ahead.
• Bo Bichette could have surgical procedure on his finger.
After Bo Bichette’s long-awaited return to the Blue Jays lineup was abruptly shut down thanks to a different journey to the injured checklist, the crew has offered readability on what’s subsequent for the shortstop.
Supervisor John Schneider advised reporters on Wednesday that Bichette could have surgical procedure to insert a pin in an effort to restore a fracture to his proper center finger, per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.
Orioles
• Coby Mayo may play at first base, third base, or the outfield subsequent season.
Elias mentioned that Mayo is most achieved as a primary baseman, although he’s performed creditably at third. He didn’t dismiss Mayo taking part in within the outfield however says it could be “a fairly important transfer.”
Pink Sox
• Justin Slaten and Liam Hendriks are in competition to be the nearer subsequent season.
Notably, Breslow mentioned that if Liam Hendriks’ offseason goes nicely, and he comes into spring coaching with no restrictions, they count on him to contribute within the again finish of the bullpen subsequent season. Whereas he referenced Hendriks’ “observe document as an elite nearer,” he didn’t say Hendriks can be the nearer in 2025 if wholesome. Cora has talked about Justin Slaten’s potential as a more in-depth at varied factors this season and it appears there could possibly be a state of affairs the place Hendriks, coming off surgical procedure, is the eighth-inning setup man. It’s one thing to look at this winter.
Twins
• Bailey Ober is now throwing a cutter and sweeper/slider.
Laurila: You’re not throwing a sweeper anymore?
Ober: “No, I nonetheless throw it. It’s my slider now. It’s my sweeper.”
Laurila: I observed that Savant doesn’t present you throwing a sweeper.
Ober: “Since I began throwing the tougher breaking ball, they’re sort of grouping them collectively — the cutter and the sweeper/slider. However they’re two totally different pitches.”
We’ve the 2 pitches (inexperienced) labeled as only one.
• A “wholesome” Byron Buxton will probably be restricted to about 100 video games subsequent season.
This could possibly be necessary as a constructing block, however there’s additionally some worth to this season as proof of idea, Baldelli famous. Attempting to play Buxton day by day hasn’t labored previously, and the few-days-on, one-day-off schedule the Twins used with him this 12 months clearly stored him more healthy and extra productive than he has been for fairly a while.
“Possibly it’s a good threshold, too, for us to take a look at and say, ‘That is what he’s able to: Enjoying 100 to barely over 100 video games. That is good. That is resulting in us successful video games,’” Baldelli mentioned.
White Sox
• Yoán Moncada plans to play winter ball to point out he’s wholesome.
White Sox 3B Yoan Moncada advised me immediately that he’ll play winter ball to showcase his good well being to the 29 different groups. A Free Agent as quickly because the Sox refuse his2025 $25 million choice, Moncada mentioned he hopes to play for Ozzie Guillen in Venezuela.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) September 26, 2024
I may see the A’s give him a one-year pillow contract.
• Colson Montgomery performed by an harm final season and already received damage within the Arizona Fall League.
Colson Montgomery, SS/3B, CHW, 22
Montgomery handled a minor harm throughout the 2024 season which definitely affected his swing and skill to get to energy. Whereas many, together with myself, thought Montgomery would spend a big portion of the season in Chicago, he struggled in Triple-A, slashing .214/.329/.381 whereas seeing his strikeout price explode. It was very uncharacteristic of the sort of hitter he. The harm largely performed a component for my part.
Having almost three weeks off, hopefully issues have healed up. Montgomery was aggressive, seeing simply 9 pitches in 4 journeys to the plate, however he put each ball in play that he swung at. Within the first inning, he smoked a 105.4 mph single to proper earlier than doubling to the other subject in his subsequent AB. Montgomery was hit by a pitch on the elbow in his third plate look of the sport and ended up leaving. One thing to observe. Hopefully Montgomery is again within the lineup immediately.
• Jonathan Cannon began throwing his changeup and four-seamer extra.
“That’s one of many causes I’ve elevated the utilization of my changeup. I wasn’t throwing it an entire lot at starting of the 12 months, however then I began having good outcomes with it after making an attempt it in some extra counts. I’ve been tying to get the remainder of my pitches extra concerned. That’s why you’ve seen an uptick in the usage of the four-seamer as nicely. It’s not a superb pitch by itself; it doesn’t have numerous vert, and I don’t have an amazing strategy angle, however as a result of I throw so much that strikes on the backside, I get good outcomes on the four-seamer. I’m sort of making an attempt to get away from utilizing the sinker an excessive amount of.”
Laurila: What are the metrics in your sinker?
Cannon: “It’s anyplace from two to 4 vert, and 15 horizontal. The metrics on it are good. It’s extra that the utilization has perhaps been a little bit bit an excessive amount of, and once more, the placement hasn’t at all times been nice. One thing I needed to study once I received right here is that whereas within the minor leagues I may rip that factor proper down the center and get a groundball more often than not, however in opposition to these guys, when it will get thigh excessive and above they’re fairly good at hitting it within the air.
Nationwide League
Cardinals
• Lars Nootbaar continues to attempt to hit extra balls within the air.
“It’s nearly ensuring now we have a plan with what the teaching workers desires to see out of me extra and the way we are able to assault that. Having the ability to hear that from them after which with the ability to categorical it whereas speaking it over offers you extra confidence while you’re engaged on these issues.”
Engaged on making an attempt to raise the ball extra to avoid the rollover floor balls that plagued him so usually this season, Nootbaar drilled a four-seam fastball from Kyle Freeland 384 ft for a homer in his first at-bat. Displaying off his uncommon skill to whip the bat by the zone to create triple-digit exit velocity, Nootbaar spanked the ball with 105.7 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.…
“We’ve been speaking fairly a bit about him being on the bottom and early in counts him with the ability to do extra harm,” mentioned Marmol, whose bullpen was shorthanded on Thursday after Andrew Kittredge and Matthew Liberatore had been utilized in a win the evening earlier than. “He’s very selective, however early we’d like him to take his A swing. He was in a position to open up the sport that approach immediately, and it was good to see.”
Coming into September, Nootbaar posted a 54% GB%. Within the final month, it dropped to 44%.
Dodgers
• Clayton Kershaw is coping with a bone spur in his large toe.
The 36-year-old left-hander went on the injured checklist Aug. 31 with a bone spur in his left large toe. Kershaw didn’t pitch till July 25 after having offseason shoulder surgical procedure.
I don’t like this example in any respect. First Kershaw has been dominated out for the postseason so it bathers him fairly a bit. He’s not getting surgical procedure to get the issue eliminated, so both:
He’ll wait on the surgical procedure and have fewer restoration days.
Cope with it subsequent season.
I don’t like both state of affairs.
Giants
• Logan Webb is including a cutter.
Whereas Webb has constantly posted for the Giants, he expressed some dissatisfaction along with his general physique of labor this 12 months, as his ERA is his highest since 2020. His signature changeup — which was the second-most beneficial pitch within the Majors with a +28 Run Worth in 2023 — plummeted to -4 this 12 months, prompting him to introduce a cutter to offer him one other weapon to deploy in opposition to left-handed hitters.
Webb threw a season-high 20 cutters in opposition to the D-backs on Tuesday and mentioned he hopes to achieve extra confidence within the pitch as he begins to look towards 2025.
“I feel it’s simply one thing I’ve sort of felt snug with,” Webb mentioned. “I feel the changeup has sort of been bizarre all 12 months. I feel it simply helps with sort of getting them off a number of the softer stuff down. That’s sort of my recreation. If I can do one thing that’s transferring in to them — you guys know I’ve tried to throw one for some time now. I lastly discovered a grip that makes the ball truly go that approach. I’m excited to maintain tinkering with it. These final two video games, I felt good throwing it.”
Phillies
• Andrew Painter will throw 20 IP within the Fall League and received’t have a full workload subsequent season.
Painter, who turns 22 in April 2025, is scheduled to throw two innings Saturday. Dombrowski expects him to succeed in 20 innings throughout fall ball. What comes after that continues to be an organizational debate.
“What we’re going to have to determine is how we get him to pitch subsequent 12 months,” Dombrowski mentioned. “Since you’ll nonetheless be restricted with the variety of innings he can pitch. And I don’t know the precise variety of innings at this level; even we haven’t mentioned that. However he’s not going to have the ability to go on the market like a big-league starter and pitch each 5 – 6 days and pitch an entire season and have 180 innings. He’s going to be restricted rather more than that.”
Dombrowski floated varied situations.
“Will we begin him pitching video games later?” he mentioned. “Will we begin him pitching on the minor leagues as soon as every week and restrict the innings? Might he pitch (within the majors)? Sure. However it would additionally depend upon how he does. Individuals who have seen him throw mentioned he hasn’t missed a beat. In actual fact, once I received my studies on him at one time, I mentioned, ‘Hey, I hope we all know that we don’t should throw 100 (mph) already.’ I imply, it’s higher 90s. However he simply does it. He’s not overthrowing.”
Reds
• Spencer Steer may play extra infield whereas Jonathan India may play first base, third base, or within the outfield.
Spencer Steer performed 5 defensive positions final 12 months, however the majority of his time was spent within the outfield. He may play extra infield in 2025.
Jonathan India entered final spring coaching as a participant with no house after the ascension of Matt McLain and performed first base and outfield along with second base throughout spring coaching. After McLain’s harm, India returned to the on a regular basis lineup because the Reds’ second baseman. Second base continues to be the one defensive place India has performed within the large leagues after beginning 132 video games there.
First base and outfield may once more be a chance for India, in addition to third base, a place he performed in faculty.
The Reds spoke to Steer and India in Chicago and each advised Krall and Meador that they had been open to transferring round. Steer, significantly, mentioned he enjoys it.
• India had surgical procedure to wash up his ankle.
India had surgical procedure to “clear up” his ankle, Krall mentioned. The surgical procedure was anticipated and India ought to be able to have a standard offseason. He ought to begin spring coaching on time.
• Connor Phillips‘ fastball sat 96 to 99 mph (96.5 mph within the majors) along with his slider at 84 to 87 mph (84.4 mph within the majors) within the Fall League.
Following two months on the Reds’ coaching advanced in Goodyear, Ariz., Phillips returned to Triple-A Louisville and logged a 2.49 ERA with a 24/10 Ok/BB ratio in 5 begins. Cincinnati’s No. 15 prospect carried that momentum into the Arizona Fall League. He dominated in his first begin on Wednesday for the Glendale Desert Canines, who misplaced to the Salt River Rafters, 4-2.
Phillips fanned seven in 4 scoreless innings, yielding simply two hits with no stroll whereas throwing 36 of 58 pitches for strikes. His most dominant providing was his 85-87 mph slider, which completed 4 of his whiffs, and notched eight swinging strikes and 6 known as strikes in 25 pitches. He sat at 96-99 mph along with his fastball and he additionally blended in a handful of 85-86 mph curveballs and 89-90 mph changeups.
“The slider has at all times been my pitch,” Phillips mentioned. “I went by a little bit part the place it was once 80-84 and a ton of sweep and sort of arduous to regulate. Now I’m throwing it extra 84-87, a little bit bit shorter however nonetheless has that sweep. So I’m in a position to management it extra and put it within the zone after which get it out of the zone each time I have to.”
• Matt McLain was crushing balls within the Fall League
We’re speaking a distinct caliber pitching than McLain is was once, however he appeared prepared on Tuesday, mashing a house run and a double in his return to recreation motion.
The house run left the bat at simply 93.7 mph which reveals the sort of circumstances we had been taking a look at yesterday and the way the ball travled. That swing led to a 398 foot shot at a 35 diploma launch angle. HIs double left the bat at 106 mph and was smoked off the wall in left subject.
Wanting on the field rating, he performed second base.
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand can be hitting the ball arduous whereas being the DH.
In his return to motion, Encarnacion-Strand mashed a double that left the bat at 110.3 mph on a line drive to left subject. He additionally added a single on a line drive to proper and a sacrifice fly. He did swing and miss 5 occasions on 12 swings, having only a 58 % contact price and he chased 43 % of pitches he noticed out of the zone. One thing to look at transferring ahead.
