American League
Angels
Astros
• The GM expects outfielder Jacob Melton to contribute subsequent season.
Melton break up final season between Double-A Corpus Christi (58 video games) and Triple-A Sugar Land (47 video games) and slashed .253/.310/.426 with 15 homers and 30 stolen bases. His numbers have been a tad higher at Double-A, which is to be anticipated, posting a .748 OPS with Corpus Christi and .719 with Sugar Land. He hung out in any respect three outfield spots final season however performed most in heart area.
“Melton’s one other man that could possibly be a giant piece for us,” Brown stated final month. “He’s a extremely good defensive outfielder with energy. He has an opportunity to make an impression.”
Orioles
• The GM expects Jorge Mateo to contribute as soon as wholesome.
Every week in the past, it appeared that Jorge Mateo was a doable non-tender, however in final week’s video convention name to debate the brand new left-field dimensions, Elias introduced up Mateo.
“I believe he was an underrated absence for us within the second half,” Elias stated. “He had a reconstructive elbow surgical procedure. Whether or not he’s one hundred pc full-go on the primary day of spring coaching continues to be TBD, however suffice to say, he’s going to have a really full, if not 162 video games, one thing near that season. He’s actually anyone that we’re capable of plan round absolutely roughly in 2025, and that hasn’t modified.”
Rays
• The workforce’s president of operations said that Jonny DeLuca will probably be their new centerfielder.
Shifting Siri creates a gap in heart area that can primarily be stuffed by Jonny DeLuca, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander stated Tuesday night time. DeLuca had seven hits and 10 RBIs in his first 5 video games with Tampa Bay, struggled by means of the summer time, then hit .265/.315/.392 whereas taking part in high-quality protection over his last 50 video games.
“His historical past of simply what he’s been capable of do with extra reps, given what an excellent athlete he’s, he’s simply continued to get higher. And I believe we noticed that the previous few months,” Neander stated of DeLuca. “After we stay up for subsequent yr, we felt higher about leaning on him to take the vast majority of the reps in heart area. And as soon as we made that call, then you start thinking about how one can take advantage of your roster spots round that, and we felt like this was in the perfect curiosity of our membership.”…
The Rays may use Richie Palacios or Josh Lowe to again up DeLuca in heart area, Neander stated. Or they may think about Jake Mangum, the switch-hitting heart fielder who was added to their 40-man roster on Tuesday after a wonderful season with Triple-A Durham to guard him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Nationwide League
Dodgers
• Walker Buehler reworked his fastball to be more practical within the submit season.
However Buehler’s four-seamer misplaced its explosiveness amid his accidents. Despite the fact that it was nonetheless sitting at 95 mph, it bought shelled within the 2024 common season. Buehler allowed a .342 batting common and .696 slugging share in opposition to his four-seamer, with almost as many dwelling runs in opposition to it (eight) as strikeouts with it (9).
So it’s no marvel Buehler threw his heater a career-low 29% of the time. He couldn’t belief it.
However within the playoffs, he began to determine one thing out. Buehler began producing extra rise on his four-seamer, and hitters began swinging and lacking at it. Extra “rise” on a fastball simply means the pitch is dropping much less on its option to the plate, actually because the pitcher is throwing it with true backspin, making a hitter extra prone to swing underneath the ball.
Phillies
• The workforce’s president of operations talked about Taijuan Walker, Nick Abel, Seth Johnson, and ultimately Andrew Painter as rotation choices.
The Phillies added righties Mick Abel, Moisés Chace and Jean Cabrera to their 40-man roster Tuesday to stop them from being chosen in subsequent month’s Rule 5 draft. All three have been starters within the minors. They’ll be a part of Tyler Phillips, Seth Johnson and Alan Rangel within the present combine to compete this spring for a rotation job.
The Phillies have varied wants to handle this offseason — the outfield and bullpen, particularly — and people would outweigh the necessity for a Painter stopgap. However that gained’t cease them from pursuing a rotation improve.
“We’ve bought 4 strong beginning pitchers that we like,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated earlier this month. “I actually don’t have a fifth starter proper now. Painter will probably be that ultimately. I hope Taijuan Walker will probably be higher. However we’re not going to anoint him on that. We have now another arms that we like within the group. We expect Abel can bounce at any time. We like Seth Johnson.
