News Phillies Team Notes

Phillies Notes: Rojas, Harper, Coaching Staff

The Phillies are making center fielder Johan Rojas available in trade conversations, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. That’s not especially surprising, as the 25-year-old spent the final two months of the season on optional assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Rojas has appeared in each of the past three big league seasons. He has primarily worked as a fourth outfielder. He’s an elite athlete who hasn’t shown much with the bat. The righty-hitting Rojas owns a .252/.294/.340 slash in just under 700 career plate appearances. He rarely walks and hits a lot of soft ground-balls that limit his power upside. Rojas hasn’t been good against pitchers of either handedness, so the Phillies haven’t been able to maximize his production by using him as a short-side platoon player.

While there’s a limited offensive ceiling, Rojas is one of the sport’s best defensive outfielders. He’s among the fastest players in baseball and has a plus-plus arm. Both Defensive Runs Saved (+22) and Statcast (+21) have valued him more than 20 runs better than average in a little over 1700 career innings. Rojas ranks among the top 15 center fielders in MLB in both metrics over the past three seasons. That’s despite playing fewer innings at the position than all but Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho among those who ranked above him.

Despite the glove, it appears Rojas is falling out of favor in Philly. They acquired Harrison Bader at the deadline to bring in a better glove-first, righty-hitting center fielder. Bader is now a free agent, but it doesn’t seem the Phillies want to give that spot back to Rojas. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged yesterday that he’s looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder again this offseason even as they’re apparently making Rojas available to other clubs. He still has one minor league option remaining, so the Phils could send him back to Triple-A if nothing comes together.

A potential Rojas trade is part of a larger overhaul in the Philadelphia outfield. Nick Castellanos is almost certainly going to be traded or released. Gelb reported as much last month, and Dombrowski acknowledged yesterday that “sometimes a change of scenery can be beneficial for people” when asked about that situation. Max Kepler is unlikely to be re-signed, and the Phillies will want to get former first-round pick Justin Crawford into the mix early in the year. Dombrowski told reporters that the Phillies would be comfortable with Crawford as a center fielder, but most public scouting reports feel he projects better in left. He and Brandon Marsh are the likeliest options to start on Opening Day, yet they’ll need a right fielder and probably a righty-hitting fourth outfielder if they move on from Rojas.

Moving Bryce Harper back to the outfield is apparently not a consideration. For the past few seasons, Harper has said he’s willing to play right field if it enables the Phils to land a big bat at first base. Dombrowski downplayed the club’s interest in doing that.

“He’s actually (said) that for a couple years now, and we really appreciate the aspect of it, but we really look at him as a first baseman at this time,” Dombrowksi said (link via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “I’m sure he could go out there, but he’s played first well. He’s a good first baseman and continues to get better. We really like our club with him there, so I think he is more of our first baseman.”

Harper has been a full-time first baseman over the past two seasons. Public defensive metrics graded him highly in 2024, though his numbers fell back to league average this year. The Phils could get him a few more designated hitter at-bats if Kyle Schwarber signs elsewhere. Harper remains a solid athlete and probably would have the range to play a decent right field, but the Phillies have wanted to avoid using him out there since he underwent elbow surgery over the 2022-23 offseason.

Dombrowski also touched on the relationship between the organization and the two-time MVP. There was a bit of controversy when Harper took umbrage with the executive’s comment that his ’25 campaign was not “an elite season like he has had in the past.” Harper said in late October that he hadn’t heard from Dombrowski personally. That apparently has changed, as the front office leader said the sides have “had a nice conversation, and everything went well.”

In one other piece of Phillies news, the club announced the hiring of Edwar Gonzalez as an assistant hitting coach. They had a vacancy in that role after Dustin Lind departed to accept the lead hitting coach job with the Orioles. It’s an internal promotion for the 42-year-old, who has spent the past three seasons in the organization. Gonzalez had been the club’s assistant director of hitting development and has one season of experience on an MLB coaching staff, as he spent the ’22 season as an assistant hitting coach for the Marlins. He and Rafael Pena will work as assistants under top hitting instructor Kevin Long.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-notes-rojas-harper-coaching-staff.html
 
Phillies Receiving Trade Interest In Lefty Relievers

The Phillies have gotten trade calls on left-handed relievers Matt Strahm, José Alvarado and Tanner Banks, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Philadelphia could leverage their bullpen depth for help in a different area of the roster.

All three pitchers are affordable and above-average performers. Alvarado, who’ll make $9MM next season, is the most talented of the group. He’s the hardest-throwing lefty reliever in the game, averaging more than 99 MPH on his fastball. The 30-year-old dominated early in the season and took over the closer role until MLB suspended him for 80 games because of a failed performance-enhancing drug test. That made him ineligible for postseason play, but the Phillies welcomed Alvarado back for the end of the regular season and were confident enough in his ability to exercise a 2026 club option.

Jhoan Duran is locked into the ninth inning now. Alvarado projects as Philly’s top lefty setup arm. He’ll be eligible for the playoffs in future seasons, so it’s unlikely the Phillies are putting much stock in the PED suspension moving forward. Alvarado also finished the year on the injured list with a forearm strain but is expected to be fine going into Spring Training.

An Alvarado trade would be relatively surprising. It’s easier to see the Phils swapping one of Strahm or Banks for someone at a position of greater need. Strahm, who turned 34 on Wednesday, vested a $7.5MM salary for the upcoming season. He’s coming off a 2.74 ERA with an above-average 27.3% strikeout rate across 66 appearances. Strahm owns a 2.71 mark over three seasons in Philadelphia and led the team with 22 holds this year.

While Strahm remains a quality leverage option, the Phillies could have some concern about his trend lines. His strikeout rate dropped six percentage points relative to 2024, when he fanned a third of opponents. He averaged a career-low 92.3 MPH on his fastball and has seen his swinging strike rate dip in consecutive years.

Banks, also 34, is the least well known of the Phils’ lefty trio. He didn’t reach the big leagues until his age-30 season and spent his first couple seasons on a rebuilding White Sox team. Banks was an under-the-radar deadline pickup in 2024 and has turned in a 3.24 ERA with a league average 22.5% strikeout rate over 91 2/3 innings in Philadelphia.

His fastball sits in the low-90s, but he attacks the strike zone with a pair of breaking pitches and held lefty batters to a putrid .172/.213/.243 slash line this year. Banks has held his own against right-handed hitters as well, but he’s the kind of pitcher whom teams generally prefer in a middle relief/specialist role rather than as a true high-leverage arm. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.2MM salary in his first of three seasons of arbitration eligibility.

Teams seeking lefty relief help don’t have many free agent options. Gregory Soto is probably in line for the largest contract. He’s a power arm but has inconsistent command and has allowed more than four earned runs per nine in each of the past three seasons. Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, Justin Wilson, Taylor Rogers and Danny Coulombe should be limited to one-year deals based on their age. Sean Newcomb or Caleb Ferguson could command a cheap two-year deal but aren’t ideal high-leverage options. Steven Matz, Ryan Yarbrough and NPB returnees Anthony Kay and Foster Griffin are swing types.

It’s a weak group, which could lead teams to turn to the trade market. The Cardinals are likely to move former Phillie JoJo Romero, who is going into his final season of arbitration. The rebuilding Nationals could hear teams out on grounder specialist Jose A. Ferrer. The Rays are down to two years of control on Garrett Cleavinger and would surely entertain offers, but they’re going to have a huge asking price. Every contender could evaluate the bullpen market. The Blue Jays, Giants, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Cubs are among the teams that could use another left-handed arm in particular.

While the Phillies have a good group of southpaws, they could use a more reliable right-handed setup arm than Orion Kerkering in front of Duran. They’re also in the market for outfield help and potentially a depth starter/swingman with Harrison Bader and Ranger Suárez hitting free agency. They’re prioritizing re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. They’d need to go outside the organization for a catcher if Realmuto signs elsewhere, as a Rafael Marchán/Garrett Stubbs pairing would be one of the worst offensive duos in the game. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged at the GM Meetings that they’re evaluating an otherwise weak catching market as a backup plan in case Realmuto doesn’t return (link via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-receiving-trade-interest-in-lefty-relievers.html
 
Phillies Interested In Re-Signing Harrison Bader

After a disappointing seasons that saw them earn a bye through the Wild Card series but immediately fall to the Dodgers in the NLDS, the Phillies are in an uncertain spot as the team figures to look very different by the time Opening Day rolls around. Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are free agents, while Nick Castellanos is expected to play elsewhere next year. While the team’s roster is in flux more than usual this winter, it’s long seemed likely that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski would look to engage with some of those outgoing free agents.

That includes some players who haven’t been around quite as long as the team’s veteran core, as Dombrowski indicated to reporters (including Lochlan March of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that the team not only has interest in bringing free agent outfielder Harrison Bader back into the fold, but has also conveyed that to Bader’s camp already this winter.

“They know we’d like to bring him back,” Dombrowski said during last week’s GM Meetings, as relayed by March. “They also had expressed that they want to see what’s out there, because this was the best year he’s had, I think, in quite a while.”

That would seem to indicate that Bader won’t be jumping the market to sign right away, the way Josh Naylor did last night when he re-upped with the Mariners. Still, a reunion between Bader and the Phillies would make plenty of sense. After being dealt to the Phillies from the Twins at the trade deadline, Bader found another gear amid what was already a career year. In 50 games with Philadelphia, Bader slashed .300/.361/.463 (129 wRC+) to boost his season-long slash line to .277/.347/.449 (122 wRC+). Bader’s 7.8% walk rate was his best full-season mark since 2019, and while he struck out at an elevated 27.1% clip he made up for it by slugging a career-high 17 homers and 24 doubles.

This year’s performance from Bader was enough for him to profile as a solid regular in an outfield corner offensively, but even as his defensive metrics have slipped from once-elite levels he remains a solidly above average defender all across the grass, including center field. That adds a solid floor of production to the upside Bader flashed this year, and it’s been widely speculated that the 31-year-old will be able to land a multi-year guarantee this year on the back of his strong 2025, and MLBTR’s own prediction is that he’ll secure a two-year, $26MM guarantee.

For a team that enters the offseason with only Brandon Marsh locked into its outfield for next year, it’s easy to see why bringing back Bader would make plenty of sense. With that said, the Phillies are far from the only team that Bader could be a fit for. His old stomping grounds in both Queens and the Bronx could both use a center fielder, and teams like the Angels, Orioles, Guardians, Giants, and Royals are all known to be on the prowl for help either in center or the outfield generally this winter.

Some of those teams may be priced out of Bader’s market when all is said and done, and not all of them are perfect fits, but it’s a large enough cast of potential suitors that even with Philadelphia’s interest in a reunion Bader could have some incentive to wait out the market for at least a little while yet. Meanwhile, the Phillies will need to prioritize bigger ticket free agents like Schwarber and Realmuto themselves, whether that comes by way of re-signing them outright or finding another way to replace their production for 2026.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-interested-in-re-signing-harrison-bader.html
 
Phillies Select Andrew Painter, Two Others

The Phillies added three prospects to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day: pitchers Andrew Painter and Alex McFarlane and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. Their roster count sits at 33.

Painter, 23 in April, was one of the most obvious calls to be kept out of the Rule 5 draft. The 6’7″ right-hander was arguably the best pitching prospect in MLB a couple seasons ago. Painter’s stock has dropped over the last two and a half seasons because of injuries and an underwhelming performance at Triple-A. The Phillies were never going to let an arm as talented as Painter go in the Rule 5 draft, though.

A first-round pick out of high school in 2021, Painter turned in a 1.56 earned run average over 22 starts during his first full professional season. Painter reached Double-A in his age-19 season. The Phillies were open to him pitching his way to the big leagues by the end of the ’23 campaign, but an elbow injury intervened. Painter eventually required Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 minor league campaign (though he returned to get 15 2/3 innings of Arizona Fall League action).

Painter’s first season at the Triple-A level didn’t go well. He was tagged for a 5.40 ERA while walking almost 10% of batters faced. Painter gave up more than 1.5 home runs per nine innings. It wasn’t enough to earn a late-season debut, but he still sits around 97 MPH on his fastball and struck out a solid 23.4% of Triple-A opponents. He’s one of the better pitching prospects in the game and should debut next season. Baseball America ranks him the #2 prospect in the Philly system.

Rincones, 25 in March, is seventh on that list. He’s a left-handed hitting outfielder who turned in a .240/.370/.430 line across 506 Triple-A plate appearances. Rincones is a limited defender with concerns about his ability to hit lefty pitching, but he has big power in a 6’3″ frame and is clearly willing to wait until pitchers come into the zone.

McFarlane, a 24-year-old righty, is a former fourth-round pick out of the University of Miami. He spent much of the season in High-A, where he struggled to a 4.72 ERA through 74 1/3 frames. The minor league numbers aren’t encouraging, but the Phils still clearly like McFarlane as a developmental play and had plenty of roster space with which to work.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-select-andrew-painter-two-others.html
 
Phillies, Liover Peguero Agree To Minor League Deal

The Phillies have agreed to a minor league contract with former Pirates infielder Liover Peguero, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. He’ll presumably be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee next spring.

Peguero was once a touted young infielder whom the Pirates acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Starling Marte. He’s a former top-100 prospect who was once viewed as a possible shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. Peguero’s bat has never come around, however. He’s seen action in four big league seasons but has mustered only a .227/.278/.368 slash line in 315 turns at the plate.

Peguero has also looked overmatched at the top minor league level. Outside of a late-2023 cameo in Triple-A where he smacked a pair of homers in 30 promising plate appearances, he’s produced well below-average numbers with the Pirates’ top affiliate in Indianapolis. He’s a .253/.317/.403 hitter in 888 plate appearances there, including a career-worst .247/.313/.375 showing in 75 games with Indy this season. Baseball America and other outlets have lauded his quality defensive tools but also noted a penchant for slipping into poor mechanical stretches that lead to far too many throwing errors.

For the Phillies, Peguero is a simple depth add — a roll of the dice on a former top prospect who doesn’t have a clear path to playing time with the big league club. Peguero could vie for a bench job if he has a big showing in camp, but with Trea Turner and Bryson Stott in the middle infield and Edmundo Sosa in a key utility role, he’ll head to spring training a ways down the depth chart.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-liover-peguero-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
 
Nine Players Reject Qualifying Offer

The deadline to accept the qualifying offer has passed. Four players — Trent Grisham, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Woodruff, and Shota Imanaga — chose to accept the one-year, $22.025MM deal and remain with their current clubs. The remaining nine players rejected the deal. They are: Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette, Astros lefty Framber Valdez, Padres righty Dylan Cease, Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez, Mets closer Edwin Diaz, Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen, and Padres righty Michael King. All nine are now free agents.

There’s not much surprise in any of the nine players who rejected. Tucker, Schwarber, Bichette, Valdez, Cease, Suarez and Diaz were all locks. Gallen may have given some brief thought to accepting after a rough showing in 2025, but he finished strong and has a track record as a high-end starter who’s garnered multiple top-five finishes in NL Cy Young balloting. King was hobbled by nerve and knee injuries in an odd season but was dominant in 2023-24 and through the first two months of the current season. He was healthy late in the year and fanned three in his lone inning of postseason work. He’ll test the waters in search of a multi-year deal as well.

Now that this nonet has rejected qualifying offers, they’ll all be subject to draft compensation. Interested teams will need to surrender a draft pick (or multiple picks) and, in some cases, space from their bonus pool for international amateurs in order to sign any of this group. The extent of that draft compensation depends on the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the new team. MLBTR broke down which pick(s) each club would forfeit by signing a “qualified” free agent last month.

Similarly, the compensation for each player’s former club is dependent on revenue-sharing and luxury tax status — as well as the size of the contract signed by the player in question. MLBTR also ran through the compensation each team would receive if their qualified free agents turned down the offer and signed elsewhere.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/nine-players-reject-qualifying-offer.html
 
Phillies, Bryan De La Cruz Agree To Minor League Deal

The Phillies signed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a minor league contract earlier this month, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Reporter Mike Rodriguez first mentioned the two sides were in agreement and noted that the client of Premier Talent Sports & Entertainment received an invite to major league camp next spring. The team hasn’t formally announced the pickup, though many clubs wait to announce their minor league deals and non-roster invitees in bulk later in the offseason.

De La Cruz showed promise early in his career with Miami, hitting .269/.318/.430 with 18 homers, 27 doubles and a pair of triples in his first 574 plate appearances from 2021-22. He popped 19 homers in 2023, but poor glovework and an OBP barely north of .300 made him a roughly replacement-level player. De La Cruz had a better start in ’24, connecting on 18 long balls through his first 454 turns at the plate. The Pirates, in need of affordable power as they hoped to make a Wild Card push, acquired him in a deal that immediately went south.

Pittsburgh, at the time, was acquiring a player with three-plus years of club control remaining. However, he hit so poorly with the Bucs (.200/.220/.294 in 168 plate appearances) that the Pirates simply moved on after the season. De La Cruz landed in Atlanta but struggled badly in 50 big league plate appearances and in 11 Triple-A games. He eventually went to the Yankees on a minor league deal and posted solid, if unspectacular numbers with their Triple-A club in Scranton: 368 plate appearances, 15 homers, eight steals, .271/.340/.456 (111 wRC+).

The righty-swinging De La Cruz has some power but an over-aggressive approach and suspect defensive skills in the corners. He also lacks the track record against left-handed pitching you’d prefer to see out of a corner outfielder. He decimated southpaws in a small sample during his rookie season, but dating back to 2022 he’s actually been slightly better versus righties (and well below-average against both overall).

There’s no harm in taking a non-roster look at an experienced outfielder who’ll play all of next season at 29, but De La Cruz is more of a depth signing than anything else. The Phils will be in the market for outfielders this winter, but it’d probably take multiple spring injuries and a big performance from De La Cruz for him to make the club. The likeliest scenario is that he heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley next season with a shot to mash his way into the big league picture. If he’s able to do that, he’d be controllable through at least 2028, but there’s a long way to go before that future control is any kind of consideration.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-bryan-de-la-cruz-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
 
National League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

Every National League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the NL, while the American League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Braves announced that right-handers Alek Manoah and Carson Ragsdale were not tendered contracts. Both had been acquired earlier in the offseason via waivers, and both are now free agents. Manoah was projected to earn $2.2MM. Ragsdale was not arb-eligible.
  • The Brewers tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
  • The Cardinals chose not to tender contracts to lefty John King, catcher Yohel Pozo and righty Sem Robberse, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Jorge Alcala, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was also non-tendered, John Denton of MLB.com adds. King and Alcala were both projected for a $2.1MM salary. The others were not arb-eligible.
  • The Cubs non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. He hit .226/.245/.444 through 140 plate appearances in a backup catcher role and was arb-eligible for the final time. He’d been projected to earn $1.9MM. Right-hander Eli Morgan, who was projected to earn $1.1MM, was also non-tendered, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.
  • The D-backs non-tendered left-hander Tommy Henry, who’d already been designated for assignment, and right-hander Taylor Rashi. Neither was eligible for arbitration. They tendered contracts to their entire arb class.
  • The Dodgers did not tender a contract to closer Evan Phillips, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He was only under club control for one more season and projected for a $6.1MM salary but underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Dodgers righty Nick Frasso, who was not arb-eligible and finished the season on the 60-day IL, was also non-tendered, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
  • The Giants non-tendered left-hander Joey Lucchesi, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Lucchesi pitched to a solid 3.76 ERA with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate and strong 7.3% walk rate in 38 1/3 innings and had been projected for a $2MM salary. San Francisco also non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, who was designated for assignment this afternoon when the Giants acquired Joey Wiemer from Miami.
  • The Marlins tendered contracts to all of their eligible players, per Isaac Azout of Fish On First.
  • The Mets are non-tendering right-hander Max Kranick, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Kranick, 28, posted a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings with the Mets this year. It was his first big league opportunity since a five-inning cameo with the Pirates back in 2022. Kranick’s season came to an abrupt end back in July due to flexor tendon repair surgery. Southpaws Jose Castillo and Danny Young were also non-tendered, Sammon adds. Young had Tommy John surgery back in May. Castillo was a waiver claim who pitched for four different teams in 2025.
  • The Nationals tendered contracts to their entire roster, per a team announcement.
  • The Padres announced that lefty Omar Cruz and righty Sean Reynolds were non-tendered. Neither was arbitration-eligible. They tendered contracts to every member of their arbitration class.
  • The Phillies non-tendered righties Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert, neither of whom was arbitration-eligible. They’re both free agents. The Phils tendered contracts to all of their arb-eligible players otherwise.
  • The Pirates non-tendered outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon, as well as righties Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta. All four were designated for assignment earlier in the week. Holderman was projected for a $1.7MM salary and Moreta for $800K. The others weren’t arb-eligible.
  • The Reds announced that catcher Will Banfield and right-handers Carson Spiers and Roddery Munoz were not tendered contracts. They’re all free agents. None of the three were arbitration-eligible, but by non-tendering them rather than designating them for assignment, Cincinnati bypasses the need to place them on waivers and can try to quickly re-sign any of the bunch to minor league deals, if the Reds are so inclined.
  • The Rockies non-tendered first baseman Michael Toglia, the team announced. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week, making today’s non-tender all but a formality.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/national-league-non-tenders-11-21-25.html
 
Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/21/25

The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day as deals are announced and/or reported. Salary figures are from The Associated Press unless otherwise noted.


Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/players-avoiding-arbitration-11-21-25.html
 
Latest On Kyle Tucker’s Market

We’re still in the nascent stages of the MLB offseason, with only a handful of notable free-agent signings and trades thus far. Still, with the GM Meetings now in the rearview mirror, teams have laid a fair bit of groundwork for the weeks and months ahead, both on the free agent and trade markets. Kyle Tucker stands as the offseason’s top free agent, and while there’s no indication he’s close to signing, there are also some hints falling into place about his potential market.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote this week that some rival teams feel the Blue Jays are the likeliest landing spot for the four-time All-Star. They’ve been a popular speculative pick early on after a deep World Series run and with only one other major long-term commitment (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) on the books. Of course, Bo Bichette could be the priority, and it’s rare for any team to sign two free agents of that magnitude in a single offseason.

Tucker is a prominent enough star that some unexpected suitors figure to jump into the fray. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote this morning that while the Orioles are prioritizing pitching this winter, they haven’t ruled out a run at Tucker. Having already acquired Taylor Ward from the Angels, the addition of Tucker would free Baltimore to dangle young outfielders Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers on the trade market in hopes of securing some controllable arms. There are quite a few pitchers of note who could be on the block this winter, and both Cowser and Beavers would intrigue clubs looking to move arms. Both are former first-round picks. Cowser has four more seasons of club control, while Beavers only debuted late in 2025 and thus has a full slate of six years of club control remaining.

Baltimore stands as a fascinating fit. President of baseball operations Mike Elias was the Astros’ scouting director when Tucker was selected with the No. 5 overall pick. The O’s don’t have anything on the books long-term, other than Samuel Basallo’s eight-year, $67MM extension. That $8.375MM annual value isn’t going to be stand in the way of any other long-term deals. Beyond Basallo, Tyler O’Neill is the only other player signed to a guaranteed deal beyond the 2026 season. His three-year, $49.5MM contract runs through 2027.

The Orioles’ long-term financial outlook is so clean that there’s no true impediment to them signing Tucker and a notable a free agent starter. That’s not to say such a scenario is likely, of course, but Baltimore’s 2026 payroll currently projects for about $105MM, per RosterResource, and that’s before potential non-tenders or trades of Ryan Mountcastle ($7.8MM projected salary), Keegan Akin ($3MM projection), Yennier Cano ($1.8MM projection) and/or Alex Jackson ($1.8MM projection) prior to tomorrow’s 5pm ET non-tender deadline.

Depending on what happens with the Orioles’ arbitration class, they could realistically see next year’s projected payroll drop into the $93-100MM range by tomorrow evening. The opened the 2025 season with a payroll around $164.5MM. We’re certainly not accustomed to seeing Baltimore spend like this, but this is also only the second offseason under new owner David Rubenstein. Elias has already publicly stated that he is “fully prepared” to sacrifice draft picks by signing free agents who rejected qualifying offers, and for all the focus on pitching, it was reported more than a month ago that the O’s also covet an impact bat — likely in the outfield.

None of this is intended to frame the Orioles as any sort of favorite to sign Tucker, to be clear. Far from it. However, the fit and logic behind it are probably more sensible than one might think at first glance.

Other clubs will still loom in the market. Passan cites the Phillies as a possible landing spot, should Kyle Schwarber sign elsewhere. The Yankees have been linked to both Tucker and a Cody Bellinger reunion. GM Brian Cashman indicated this week that Trent Grisham’s decision to accept his qualifying offer will not impact the team’s pursuit of Bellinger. Presumably, then, that thinking extends to Tucker as well. The Dodgers have also been linked to Tucker, though Passan doubles down on his prior reporting that their interest would “likely” be on a shorter-term but high-AAV deal — the type we rarely see taken by the consensus top free agent in a given offseason.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/kyle-tucker-rumors-orioles-blue-jays.html
 
Red Sox Interested In J.T. Realmuto

The Red Sox are showing interest in free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, though they note that there’s still an expectation Realmuto will re-sign with the Phillies.

Realmuto has been one of the best catchers of recent history, if not the very best. He has been a mainstay in the big leagues for over a decade now. From 2015 to 2025, he appeared in at least 125 games in all but one full season. The only exception was 2024, when a knee injury limited him to 99 contests. For that 11-year span, he led the majors among primary catchers with 1,362 games played and 36.7 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.

The question now is what he can be in the future. He will turn 35 years old in March. In 2025, he slashed .257/.315/.384. That resulted in a 94 wRC+, indicating he was 6% below league average. That’s still passable for a catcher but it was the first time Realmuto finished below the century mark since 2015. His glovework also seems to have tailed off a bit, per outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus. He can still throw out attempted base stealers and is decent in terms of blocking but all outlets agree his framing has been subpar for the past three seasons.

Flaws aside, Realmuto is still the top free agent catcher this winter. MLBTR predicted him to land a two-year, $30MM deal, though a three-year isn’t totally out of the question. Other on the market include Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen. The Rangers recently added Jonah Heim to the pile when they non-tendered him last week.

Many in the baseball world expect Realmuto to end up back in Philadelphia. He has been with the Phillies since 2019 and has already re-signed with them as a free agent once. As mentioned in the report from The Athletic, his family owns a home in Clearwater, Florida, the spring training home of the Phillies. While Realmuto is a free agent, the Phils currently have Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs as their top catchers. They have to do something to improve their catching corps. However, the Phils have a bunch of other priorities this winter. They also want to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and remake their outfield.

For the Red Sox, there’s little harm in checking in to see if there’s a chance they can pry Realmuto away, as their catching group could be strengthened. Carlos Narváez had a nice rookie season in 2025 but he’s still fairly inexperienced and trailed off as the season went along. He hit .241/.306/.419 for a 97 wRC+ for the whole year but just .187/.233/.387 for a 64 wRC+ in the second half. Connor Wong seemed to take a step forward in 2024 but then hit just .190/.262/.238 in 2025.

Both of those catchers are still optionable, so it’s possible for the Sox to sign Realmuto and bump one down to Triple-A as depth. Realmuto’s right-handed bat would fit nicely on a lineup that leans left-handed right now, though Narváez and Wong are also righties. It’s also possible the Sox would be drawn to Realmuto as a veteran clubhouse leader for a team that skews young and inexperienced.

The Sox will have to balance that pursuit with other priorities. One big target for them this winter was to bolster the rotation and they acquired Sonny Gray from the Cardinals earlier today. They will probably look for more pitching and could try to re-sign Alex Bregman.

RosterResource projects the Sox for a $177MM payroll and $223MM competitive balance tax figure. Last year, those numbers finished at $207MM and $245MM. That could give them something like $20-3oMM to play with if they are willing to spend similarly in 2026, though it’s possible their playoff berth in 2025 prompts them to push things up higher.

Their ability to pursue a notable catching upgrade will depend on what they have to spend and how things proceed with their other targets. Even if they can’t pluck Realmuto from Philadelphia, perhaps they will turn to some of the other available backstops.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/red-sox-interested-in-j-t-realmuto.html
 
Phillies, Blue Jays Among Teams To Inquire On Ketel Marte’s Availability

Ketel Marte’s name continues to pop up on the offseason rumor mill as teams check in with the D-backs on the star second baseman. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has already plainly indicated that a trade is “unlikely,” and reports out of Arizona generally suggest that the Snakes are loath to part with Marte but will at least hear interested parties out as a matter of due diligence. About one-quarter of the league had already inquired as of two weeks ago.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, playing up the chances of a trade in a recent on-air segment, noted that the Phillies and Blue Jays are among the teams that have contacted the D-backs about Marte. That clearly doesn’t indicate anything is close, nor does it suggest that Marte specifically is a top target for either party. Nevertheless, it’s of modest note that they’ve at least gauged Marte’s availability and perhaps put out some feelers on the potential cost of acquisition.

The Phillies are largely set in the infield, with Bryce Harper at first base, Bryson Stott at second base, Trea Turner at shortstop and Alec Bohm at third base (though Bohm is once again an offseason trade candidate himself). Marte has plenty of experience in the outfield, which is a more prominent area of need for the Phils, but he graded poorly as a center fielder over 1292 innings there earlier in his career (-11 Defensive Runs Saved, -7 Outs Above Average).

It’s a stretch to think that Marte, whose average sprint speed has fallen to the 29th percentile of big leaguers, could handle a move back to center field ahead of his age-32 season. The Phils have little set in place in the outfield aside from Brandon Marsh, though, so perhaps they’d consider plugging Marte into left field. Right fielder Nick Castellanos is widely expected to be traded or released this winter.

The focus in adding Marte wouldn’t be on his glove anyhow, but rather on his bat. The switch-hitting, multi-time All-Star is perennially excellent at the dish, evidenced by a .279/.360/.498 batting line (133 wRC+) dating back to 2021. Marte has been particularly dominant in the batter’s box over the past two seasons, slashing a combined .288/.374/.549 with 64 home runs in 1139 plate appearances.

The fit with the Jays is even more interesting, due to their expected run at retaining franchise icon Bo Bichette. Toronto already moved Andres Gimenez to Bichette’s shortstop position during the playoffs, when Bichette was originally sidelined with a sprained PCL. Even when Bichette returned in the World Series, he did so as a second baseman. Gimenez is a vastly superior shortstop defender, so if the Jays do plan to re-sign Bichette, they could well do so with a permanent switch to second base in mind.

Marte is four years older than Bichette, but he’d also be markedly more affordable. He’s signed through 2031 for a total of $102.5MM, though the final season on his contract is an $11.5MM player option. Marte would be 37 for that 2031 season.

It bears emphasizing that the Jays doing a bit of groundwork on a potential second base alternative — one who may not even be truly “available” in trade talks, save for an overwhelming offer — in no way suggests a shift in priorities. Toronto brass has voiced a desire to keep Bichette, and the resources to do so would’ve been present even without a deep World Series run further filling the team’s coffers.

If the D-backs were to move Marte, the goal would surely be to acquire controllable, MLB-ready young pitching to plug into the rotation. That’s not exactly a core area of strength for either Philadelphia or Toronto.

The Phils, of course, have top prospect Andrew Painter on the cusp of MLB readiness, but they’ve been staunchly against trading him in any deal over the past few seasons, even while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Righty Moises Chace, another touted righty in the system, underwent Tommy John surgery last June. Mick Abel was traded to the Twins in July’s Jhoan Duran deal.

In Toronto, there’s even less high-end pitching near the majors. Trey Yesavage obviously isn’t going anywhere. Ricky Tiedemann missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Like the Phils, the Jays traded one of their next-best young arms, Kendry Rojas, to Minnesota as part of a win-now push at the deadline (netting Louis Varland). Another, Khal Stephen, went to the Guardians in the Shane Bieber trade.

There’s at least some modest intrigue in the fact that a pair of World Series hopefuls of this magnitude has looked into Marte, but to this point there’s little in the way of smoke suggesting a trade is actually plausible. Even if the D-backs become more serious about trading Marte, the Phillies and Jays would face steep competition in bidding to acquire him — presumably from contending clubs with more controllable pitching to spare. For now, it’s worth revisiting what Hazen said when prompted on Marte earlier in the month, telling the Burns & Gambo Show on 98.7 FM:

“It’s what happens. Everyone checks in on your better players. They’re coming after your better players. … [Marte is] one of our best players. We have some of the top position players in all of baseball on our roster and we need those players to be good next year.”

Hazen doubled down when asked on 98.7’s Wolf & Luke Show:

“Ketel is one of, if not our best player. He’s a superstar in this league. You win with superstars in this league. Yes, I do know it’s a team game and putting a team together to win baseball games is also equally important. That’s on us to figure out what the right mix of players is.”
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/ketel-marte-trade-rumors-phillies-blue-jays.html
 
Phillies, Kyle Schwarber Currently “Not Close To A Deal”

There has been plenty of mutual interest between the Phillies and Kyle Schwarber, leading to a sense around the league (and among MLBTR’s staff) that Schwarber’s free agent path will ultimately lead him back to the City of Brotherly Love. It doesn’t appear, however, that a reunion is imminent, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki wrote earlier this week that the two sides “are not close to a deal.”

Zolecki didn’t specify if there has been any standstill in talks, or if there is a sizable gap between the two sides in terms of money or contract length. By that same measure, there’s also nothing to indicate that talks couldn’t heat up with a single phone call. All in all, the news shouldn’t be construed as a sign that Schwarber won’t eventually return, or that either party is favoring another option.

It has only been a little over three weeks since free agents have been allowed to negotiate with other teams, and most of the top names on the market are still testing the waters. A couple of the most prominent early signings (Josh Naylor to the Mariners, Raisel Iglesias to the Braves) did involve players quickly opting to re-up with their former teams, which perhaps raised hopes among Philadelphia fans that a new deal with Schwarber might also resolved in rapid fashion. A little over two years ago, Aaron Nola entered free agency but then worked out his seven-year, $172MM deal with the Phillies within just a couple of weeks of the market opening.

As Zolecki simply puts it, “there’s no reason to rush it” for Schwarber’s camp at this point, given how much interest the slugger is generating in the wake of his 56-homer season. The Red Sox, Orioles, and (surprisingly) the Pirates have all been publicly linked to Schwarber’s market thus far, plus the Reds have been mentioned as a speculative contender since they need hitting help and Schwarber is from the Cincinnati area. DH-only players entering their age-33 seasons don’t usually command the kind of attention Schwarber is garnering, but then again, Schwarber’s career year is just one of 23 seasons of 56+ home runs in baseball history.

The fact that Schwarber is essentially the Phillies’ top priority (give or take J.T. Realmuto) gives the slugger added leverage. He and his agents can likely afford to wait and see what other offers emerge, with the comfort of knowing that Philadelphia might well match or top whatever rival offer is put on the table. From the Phillies’ perspective, they will likely wait on Schwarber before proceeding with any other major offseason business, apart from matters that wouldn’t be impacted by Schwarber staying or leaving — i.e. negotiating with Realmuto, trying to trade Nick Castellanos, or perhaps looking for bullpen help.

There’s some risk for the Phillies in that if Schwarber signed elsewhere after taking several more weeks, the Phils could be left behind in their offseason shopping if other free agents have already left the market. That said, rival agents are also aware of this scenario, and could advise their clients to wait on their own decisions just in case a Schwarber-less Phillies team suddenly broadens its free agent horizons.
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Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/phillies-kyle-schwarber-currently-not-close-to-a-deal.html
 
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