Bligh Madris Inks Minors Pact With Tigers

Outfielder/first baseman Bligh Madris has signed a minor-league deal with the Detroit Tigers for the 2024 season. The 27-year-old was a brief member of the Tigers organization in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates but was ultimately traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for cash. Madris logged just 30 plate appearances […]

Mike Ford Designated For Assignment Tuesday

Seattle Mariners first baseman/designated hitter Mike Ford was designated for assignment Tuesday, per Seattle Sports. The move came to protect minor league outfielder Zach DeLoach from the Rule 5 draft. The 31-year-old provided power off the bench but little else, slashing .228/.323/.475 with 16 home runs and 34 RBI in 251 plate appearances. On the […]

Skip Schumaker Earns NL Manager Of The Year Award

Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker was named the 2023 National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. The Marlins had not posted a winning record in a full season since 2009, but Schumaker was able to earn a Wild Card spot with an 84-78 record in his first big-league season as a manager. Schumaker became […]

Brandon Hyde Wins AL Manager Of The Year Award

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was named the 2023 American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. Hyde's first season as the O's manager in 2019 resulted in a 54-108 record during the beginning of a rebuild. However, he led his team to a 101-61 record this season, winning the franchise's first AL East title […]

Padres Chairman/Owner Peter Seidler Dies At 63

The San Diego Padres announced on Tuesday that chairman and owner Peter Seidler passed away at the age of 63. Seidler had elevated the Padres to national prominence with financial commitments in the hundreds of millions but didn't get to see the team win a World Series. He was a two-time cancer survivor and revealed […]

Nationals Designate Dominic Smith For Assignment

The Washington Nationals designated first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott for assignment on Tuesday. In additional moves, they also selected the contracts of Zach Brzykcy, Cole Henry, DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker. Smith will now hit the open market as he heads into his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2024. The 28-year-old […]

Blue Jays A Potential Landing Spot For Joey Votto?

Assuming free-agent first baseman Joey Votto doesn't change his mind about wanting to play at least one more year, his hometown Toronto Blue Jays are an obvious landing spot for speculation, especially given their first base/designated hitter opening with the departure of Brandon Belt. "It's definitely something that we would have to consider if that […]

Cubs Considering Rhys Hoskins

The Chicago Cubs have an opening at first base and need a middle-of-the-order hitter and view free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins (knee) as a good fit for their roster, according to league sources. The Cubs see it as another opportunity to add an impact player with playoff experience without having to go long on a […]

Rangers Expected To Be Aggressive In Free Agency

After winning the first World Series title in franchise history this fall, the Texas Rangers are expected to be one of the biggest players on the free-agent market this offseason. "I expect the Rangers are going to be aggressive this offseason," Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and The Athletic said on his weekly show, "Foul […]

Bo Porter Joining Angels As First Base Coach

The Los Angeles Angels have hired Bo Porter to join new manager Ron Washington's staff as a first base coach, the Athletic's Britt Ghiroli reported Monday. Porter previously played on the Oakland Athletics when Washington was the team's manager and also served as a front-office member of the Atlanta Braves while Washington was a coach. […]

Brewers Expected To Name Pat Murphy As Next Manager

The Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing plans to promote bench coach Pat Murphy as their next manager, a source told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy on Monday night. Former manager Craig Counsell recently accepted the managerial position for the Cubs, creating an in-division vacancy. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said Wednesday from the GM meetings that the team […]

Reds Sign P.J. Higgins To Minor-League Deal

The Cincinnati Reds signed free-agent catcher/first baseman P.J. Higgins to a minor-league deal on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league camp. Higgins didn't see any action in the majors in 2023. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and hit a combined .210/.291/.348 with six home runs, 11 doubles, a […]

Yankees Serious About Cody Bellinger

The New York Yankees are one of the most serious suitors for free-agent outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger so far this offseason, and MLB Network's Jon Morosi expects that will remain the case as the offseason unfolds. The Chicago Cubs, Yankees and San Francisco Giants are the three teams believed to be the most interested in […]

Mookie Betts Wins Sixth Silver Slugger Award

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts won his sixth career Silver Slugger award in 2023 by hitting .307/.408/.579, his best marks in each category since he won the 2018 American League MVP, and he also had a career-high 39 home runs. Betts had 80 extra-base hits for the second time in his career and led […]

Corey Seager Wins Third Silver Slugger Award

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager added to his impressive hardware for the 2023 season after winning a World Series title and World Series MVP for the second time in his career, as he was named the American League's Silver Slugger award winner on Thursday. He did it by recording 33 home runs, 96 RBI, 88 […]

Jeimer Candelario Drawing Plenty Of Interest

Free-agent third baseman Jeimer Candelario has drawn interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels already this offseason, as well as the Toronto Blue Jays. It's no surprise after the 29-year-old had a strong bounce-back season in 2023, hitting a combined .251/.336/.471 with an .807 OPS, career-high 22 home runs, 39 doubles, […]

Teams Interested In Reds Depth

Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall said rival teams are asking about "a handful" of the team's position players this offseason, which is an unsurprising development given their depth, especially in the infield. Jonathan India and Nick Senzel and rookies Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte all had […]

Brewers May Be Willing To Move Anyone On Their Roster

The Milwaukee Brewers are open to moving virtually any player on their roster this offseason, according to industry sources briefed on the Brewers' discussions but not authorized to speak publicly. The process effectively began when they sent outfielder Mark Canha to the Detroit Tigers for a pitching prospect. A continued teardown of the roster would […]

2024 Chicago Cubs Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospects

Welcome to my 2024 team-by-team prospect rankings. Over the next few months, I'll be going through all 30 MLB farm systems, ranking my top 10 in each system, and discussing the profiles and long-term outlooks of these players. After finishing the National League West, we shift over to the Central Division. The Chicago Cubs have […]

Christopher Morel Likely To Move To First Base

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said that outfielder Christopher Morel is playing first base in winter ball and is likely to stay there heading into next season. Morel broke out in his second major-league season in 2023 with a .247/.313/.508 slash line, an .821 OPS, 26 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, […]

Bryce Harper Sticking At First Base Moving Forward

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke to Bryce Harper, and the plan moving forward is for Harper to play only first base. Harper had Tommy John surgery in November of 2022 and returned to first base in 2023, with the belief that he would eventually return to the outfield later in the […]

Angels Hire Ron Washington As New Manager

The Los Angeles Angels hired Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington as their new manager on Wednesday. They will give him an undisclosed two-year contract. Washington will become the 23rd manager in franchise history after the Halos fired Phil Nevin following another disappointing season in 2023 that ended without a playoff berth. The 71-year-old […]

Triston Casas Close To Starting A Hitting Program

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (shoulder) is getting close to starting a hitting program this offseason now that his shoulder injury has healed up. Casas was unable to finish out the 2023 regular season due to inflammation in his right shoulder, but he didn't need surgery of any kind and will have plenty […]

Blue Jays Meet With Jeimer Candelario's Representation At GM Meetings

The Toronto Blue Jays have met with the representatives of free-agent infielder Jeimer Candelario at the general manager meetings this week. The club has issued a qualifying offer to free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman but are presumably checking in on Candelario in case Chapman decides to decline the offer and pursue a multi-year deal on […]

A's Exercise Mark Kotsay's 2025 Option

The Oakland Athletics announced on Tuesday that they exercised manager Mark Kotsay's option for the 2025 season. The move comes after another trying season for the A's in which they went 50-112 in 2023 after going 60-102 in his first season as the skipper in 2022. The 47-year-old former big-league outfielder signed a three-year deal […]

Rhys Hoskins Does Not Receive Qualifying Offer

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (knee) was not tendered a qualifying offer from the club and is set to become a free agent. However, the 30-year-old could return to the club on a lesser deal than the one-year, $20.325 million value of the qualifying offer after he missed the entire 2023 season following an […]

Tigers Pick Up Mark Canha's Option

The Detroit Tigers picked up the 2024 options on outfielder Mark Canha ($11.5 million) and catcher Carson Kelly ($3.5 million) on Monday. It's no surprise the Tigers picked up Canha's option after acquiring him on Saturday from the Milwaukee Brewers. The 34-year-old has a career .349 on-base percentage and hit a combined .262/.355/.400 slash line […]

Matt Chapman Wins Fourth Gold Glove

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman won his fourth career Gold Glove award in 2023, becoming the second third baseman in Blue Jays history to win the honor (Kelly Gruber in 1990). Chapman led all AL third baseman with 12 defensive runs saved, upping his career total to 92. Also winning Gold Gloves in […]

Stephen Vogt Hired To Manage Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history. The former big-league backstop replaces Terry Francona who managed the club for 11 seasons before stepping down due to a lengthy battle with health issues. Vogt, 39, played 794 MLB games as a catcher and hit .239 with 82 home runs […]

Carlos Mendoza Tabbed To Manage Mets

The New York Mets have hired former Yankees bench coach Carlos  Mendoza as their new manager. Originally seen as finalists to land the highly-coveted Craig Counsell, they decided to go with Mendoza before Counsell was surprisingly hired by the Chicago Cubs. The 43-year-old Mendoza has spent the last four seasons as Aaron Boone's bench coach with […]