It’s negotiation szn!
- It’s arbitration season, and for the most part the division was without controversy. The Tigers agreed to terms with all of their remaining arb-eligible players, including Tarik Skubal at an eight-figure price.
- The Tigers may still be in on old friend Jack Flaherty, one of the more significant unsigned commodities on the market as of January. Flaherty, of course, enjoyed half of 2024 with the Tigers before they traded him to the Dodgers at the deadline, then made a postseason run anyway. Flaherty is in the market for somewhere around five years.
- The Guardians will retain their broadcast crew and on-field reporter as they transition from Bally to MLB-produced telecasts.
The Guardians main TV announcers are expected to return for the 2025 season. That includes play-by-play man Matt Underwood, analyst Rick Manning and reporter Andre Knott. https://t.co/HDcUHMKuAq
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) January 7, 2025
- It’s good news for Twins fans who enjoy our current crew; while the main folks have always been employees of the team and not the network, a little precedent never hurt nobody, especially in an age where less and less seems guaranteed to any consumer.
- A Baseball America poll of scouts rated the Guardian organization as the “least scout-friendly” in baseball — a bit of a surprise given their predilection for shrewdly identifying talent. 50% of 26 respondents identified Cleveland when asked which organizations were the least friendly to scouts.
- However, the general sense of the article communicates that, at least from the perspectives of the scouting department, organizations these days aren’t particularly concerned with how scout-friendly they are, when so much crucial data is buried beyond the scope of the human eye.
- Also, 50% of respondents said that the White Sox are the worst team at identifying talent lololol.
- Speaking of which, the Martin Perez Magical Mystery Tour of the League continues, with his latest stop placing him on the south side.
Free-agent pitcher Martin Pérez and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a contract, pending physical, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 8, 2025
- This will be Perez’s 14th season in the bigs, a tenure which has included multiple stints with the Texas Rangers, exactly one All-Star appearance, and a 2019 season during which he started 29 games while running a 5.12 ERA for one of the best teams in Twins franchise history.
- The Sox also grabbed Bobby Dalbec.
The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with INF Bobby Dalbec on a minor-league contract which includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 7, 2025
- And Nolan Arenado’s “Dodgers or Bust” crusade marches on.
Have heard that a few teams checked in on Arenado around the winter meetings that weren’t pursued because the Cardinals were under the strong belief that he wouldn’t accept the destination. Believe Kansas City is one of those teams. Would be interesting if that changed. https://t.co/gAj5yZ8cSk
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) January 9, 2025
- But they did snag a little Cavan Biggio action! Amusingly, this will be the fifth organization in 12 months for Biggio, including the aforementioned Royals, his original Blue Jays, the Dodgers, Braves, and a minor-league agreement with the Giants.
- And, I suppose I should mention the Michael Lorenzen reunion.
Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a one-year, $7 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Lorenzen, 33, was excellent down the stretch, and the deal includes a second-year mutual option for $12 million. Versatile arm, great clubhouse guy.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 6, 2025
See you next week!