Atlanta Braves to Open Season with Reynaldo Lopez as Team’s Fifth Starter

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Braves new season for Reynaldo Lopez…

The Atlanta Braves will open the season with the 30-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher as their fifth starter.

López, who signed a $30 million, three-year deal with the Braves in November, earned the rotation spot by allowing just four earned runs over 16 ⅔ innings in five spring appearances.

He surrendered 10 hits, walked six and struck out 13.

This marks a return to a starting role for Lopez after he was used exclusively as a reliever the past two seasons by the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians. He thrived out of the bullpen, posting a 3.02 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 131⅓ innings over 129 appearances.

But the Braves signed López early in free agency with an eye toward using the hard-throwing right-hander as a starter again. He made a total of 65 starts for the White Sox over the 2018 and ’19 seasons, going 17-22 with a 4.64 ERA.

López joins a rotation that also includes MLB All-Star Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and another newcomer, Chris Sale.

It also makes sense for the Braves to use López as a starter early in the season, even if he winds up returning to the bullpen. If he began as a reliever, it would have been difficult to stretch out his arm later in the year for a starting role.

Atlanta, which has won six straight NL East titles, opens the season March 28 at Philadelphia.

Yasmani Grandal Reportedly Agrees to One-Year, $2.5 Million Contract with Pittsburgh Pirates

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s all hands on deck for Yasmani Grandal.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding the 35-year-old Cuban professional baseball catcher, a two-time MLB All-Star, according to multiple ESPN reports.

The Pirates and Grandal have agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, according to the reports.

Pittsburgh is searching for depth at catcher with Endy Rodriguez — who started 57 games in 2023 as a rookie — already ruled out for 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in December. He got injured while playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic.

Grandal would join a catching situation that includes 2021 first overall pick Henry Davis, Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez.

Grandal is a career .237 hitter while playing for four teams across 12 seasons, including the past four years with the Chicago White Sox.

Grandal hit .234 with eight home runs and had 33 RBIs in 118 games with the White Sox in 2023.

The Pirates have remained bullish that Davis can become an every-day catcher even though he spent the vast majority of his rookie season playing right field. Adding Grandal gives the Pirates a little bit of flexibility as Davis continues to refine his work defensively.

Grandal provided power at the plate during his prime. He has topped 20 home runs in a season five times, most recently with Chicago in 2021. He made a pair of All-Star teams earlier in his career, first in 2015 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and again in 2019 while with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Adolis García Agrees to Two-Year Contract with Texas Rangers to Avoid Salary Arbitration

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Adolis García is staying put…

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball outfielder has agreed to a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers, the team announced this week.

The deal, according to multiple reports, is worth $14 million and avoids a salary arbitration hearing for the American League Championship Series MVP and the World Series champions. The deal through 2025 is pending a physical.

García was the only Rangers player eligible for salary arbitration who didn’t reach a deal before last month’s deadline. An arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Thursday before the agreement was reached.

The two-time MLB All-Star (2021, 2023) slugger, who set an MLB postseason record with 22 RBIs last fall, had requested $6.9 million and Texas offered $5 million. That was the widest gap among the 23 players around the league who exchanged salary proposals with their teams.

García had indicated through an interpreter before the team’s annual awards dinner two weeks ago that he was prepared for a hearing. General manager Chris Young had said then that there had been good dialogue with García and his representatives and described being encouraged by those.

Garcia, who turns 31 next month, made $747,760 last season when he set career highs with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs. He had 27 home runs and 101 RBI in the 2022 season. He was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time and isn’t set to become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026 season.

An emotional leader with a big bat for the Rangers, García hit .357 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. He went deep in five consecutive postseason games, including his 11th-inning winner in Game 1 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But he missed the last two World Series games with an oblique issue.

García had said before the Rangers’ annual awards banquet on January 26 that he felt good. He said he took about a month off after the season before resuming his workouts.

The Rangers haven’t been to a salary arbitration hearing since 2000 with designated hitter Lee Stevens.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Awarded Record $19.9 Million in Arbitration Case Win Against Toronto Blue Jays

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has nearly 20 million reasons to smile…

The 24-year-old Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays won a record $19.9 million in salary arbitration on Wednesday when a three-person panel picked his request rather than the team’s $18.05 million offer.

Scott Buchheit, Walt De Treux and Jeanne Charles made the decision a day after listening to arguments. Players have a 6-2 lead in hearings this year with 10 cases pending.

Guerrero topped the previous high awarded from a hearing, the $14 million Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez received after he lost last year.

A three-time MLB All-Star, Guerrero hit .264 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs last year, when he had a $14.5 million salary. He’s eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.

A son of Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the younger Guerrero turns 25 next month. He has a .279 average with 130 homers and 404 RBIs in five seasons with the Blue Jays.

Guerrero’s best season was in 2021, when he tied for the major league lead with 48 home runs and hit .311 with 111 RBIs. He earned a Gold Glove in 2022 and won last year’s MLB All-Star Home Run Derby at Seattle, matching the feat of his father in 2007 at San Francisco.

Jose Altuve Signs Five-Year, $125 Million Extension with Houston Astros

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jose Altuve isn’t leaving his current universe…

The 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman has signed a five-year extension that all but guarantees he will finish his career with the Houston Astros.

The deal is worth $125 million, sources told ESPN, taking him all the way through his age-39 season.

“He’s a franchise-type player; one of the best in Houston history,” owner Jim Crane said at the owners meetings in Orlando, Florida. “And we hope someday he’s a Hall of Famer.”

The Astros announced the agreement on social media, calling their superstar an “Astro For Life.“

Altuve was heading into his final season — at $26 million — before free agency. His new deal begins in 2025 and takes him through 2029.

He has established himself as a central figure of the most successful era in franchise history, a seven-year stretch that has included two World Series titles, four American League pennants and seven consecutive trips (and counting) to the American League Championship Series.

Signed out of Venezuela in 2007, Altuve defied the odds and turned himself into a superstar despite being one of the most undersized players in baseball history at 5-foot-6.

Through 13 years in the big leagues, Altuve has slashed .307/.364/.471 while accumulating 2,047 hits, 295 stolen bases and 209 home runs. His résumé includes eight MLB All-Star invites, six Silver Sluggers, three batting titles, a Gold Glove and an MVP, won in 2017.

His career batting average is the highest of any active player with at least 2,000 at-bats, and the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Freddie Freeman (2,017) is the only other player with more than 2,000 hits since Altuve made his debut on July 20, 2011.

But some of Altuve’s greatest work has been done in the postseason. Most recently, Altuve hit the dramatic winning home run to cap a contentious game against the division-rival Texas Rangers and force Game 7 of the ALCS. He did something similar in the 2019 ALCS, walking off the New York Yankees with a ninth-inning home run against MLB All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman to send the Astros to the World Series.

In 103 playoff games, Altuve has 27 home runs and 89 runs scored, which both rank second all time. His 117 hits are tied for third. He is one of just four players in MLB postseason history to surpass 100 hits and 50 RBIs, joining Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Manny Ramirez.

Cristian Mena Traded by Chicago White Sox to Arizona Diamondbacks

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Cristian Mena is headed to The Grand Canyon State.

The Chicago White Sox have traded the 21-year-old Dominican pitcher and right-handed prospect to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the deal, which was announced on social media by the White Sox, outfielder Dominic Fletcher goes to Chicago from Arizona and should be in the mix for playing time this year.

Mena throws a hard curveball, a low-to-mid-90s fastball and will provide upper-level rotation depth after striking out 156 in 133.2 innings between Double A and Triple A last season.

At 5-foot-6, 185 pounds, Fletcher has nevertheless managed to cut an imposing figure at the plate since Arizona drafted him in 2019. In more than 1,600 minor league appearances, he has hit .295/.366/.474 with 42 home runs and 201 RBIs, and in 28 games with the Diamondbacks last season, Fletcher hit .301/.350/.441 with a pair of home runs and 14 RBIs. The younger brother of Atlanta utilityman David Fletcher, the left-handed hitter will compete for right-field at-bats, with MLB All-Star Luis Robert Jr. in center and Andrew Benintendi in left.

Arizona traded from a position of strength, with MLB All-Star Corbin Carroll, Yuli Gurriel, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy and the recently signed Joc Pederson all outfielders.

Mena throws a hard curveball, a low-to-mid-90s fastball and will provide upper-level rotation depth after striking out 156 in 133.2 innings between Double A and Triple A last season.

Under new general manager Chris Getz, the White Sox have been aggressive in turning over their roster after dealing a handful of veterans at the trade deadline last year.

Carlos Carrasco Agrees to Minor League Contract with Cleveland Guardians

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Carrasco is returning to Cleveland…

The 36-year-old Venezuelan-American professional baseball pitcher, who spent 11 seasons pitching for the Cleveland Guardians, has agreed to a minor league contract with the team featuring an invitation to spring training, per ESPN.

Carrasco’s base salary will be $2 million if he is on the big league team, according to ESPN sources.

The Athletic was first to report Carrasco’s return to the Guardians.

Carrasco, nicknamed Cookie, was a dependable part of Cleveland’s rotation for several seasons. He led the American League with 18 wins in 2017, and he became one of the team’s most popular players because of his warm personality and later for his courage in battling cancer.

In 2019, Carrasco was diagnosed with leukemia and was sidelined for three months. He was recognized during an emotional appearance on the field during the All-Star Game in Cleveland that season.

Carrasco went 88-73 with a 3.77 ERA in 242 games (195 starts) with Cleveland from 2009 to 2020.

He was traded as part of the deal that sent MLB All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets in 2021. Carrasco went 19-20 in three seasons with the Mets, going 15-7 in 2022. Carrasco went 3-8 in 20 starts last season.

Carrasco was sidelined during Cleveland’s run to the World Series in 2016 after he was struck by a line drive on his pitching hand in the final month of the season.

Yariel Rodriguez Agrees to 4-Year, $32 Million Deal with Toronto Blue Jays

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Yariel Rodriguez is headed to the Great White North…

The Toronto Blue Jays have reached a four-year, $32 million deal with the 26-year-old Cuban professional baseball pitcher, per multiple outlets.

The deal is pending a physical and the resolution of immigration hurdles.

Rodriguez went 10-10 with a 3.03 ERA in 79 relief appearances with Chunichi of the Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan from 2020 to 2022. He last pitched for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, electing not to return to Chunichi in 2023.

The Dragons released him in November, making him a free agent.

Rodriguez, who sports a fastball in the mid-90s, made two starts in the WBC, finishing with a 2.45 ERA while striking out 10 in 7 1/3 innings.

José Bautista Becomes New Principal Owner of USL Championship Franchise Las Vegas Lights FC

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

José Bautista is hitting the pitch…

The 43-year-old Dominican former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman, who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Toronto Blue Jays, is the new principal owner of the USL Championship franchise Las Vegas Lights FC, the club announced on Tuesday.

“Las Vegas is the place to be and has emerged as a big professional sports town, and I will do everything I can to push this club forward,” Bautista said in a statement.

“As a soccer fan and former professional athlete, I am excited to be involved with the world’s game. Since my retirement from professional baseball, I have witnessed the incredible growth of soccer in the United States, and I look forward to sharing my love of sports with the Las Vegas soccer community.”

Bautista was a six-time MLB All-Star and with a .247 career batting average with 344 home runs, 975 RBIs and 1,022 runs. He played 15 seasons and donned the jersey of eight franchises along the way, but it was his 2015 playoff go-ahead home run — and the bat flip that followed — that cemented him in Blue Jays history.

The tie-breaking three-run home run in the seventh inning of a deciding Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers was capped by a memorable flip of the bat before he started rounding the bases in front of a raucous Toronto crowd.

“I kind of blacked out after the swing, hearing the roar of the crowd and the emotion of the moment,” Bautista told ESPN in 2021. “I don’t really recall anything in particular until I was catching my breath back at the bench.”

Las Vegas Lights FC have played in USL Championship since 2018. The team plays its home games at Cashman Field and the 2024 season begins in March.

According to the club’s news release, Bautista was an early equity partner for Marucci Sports, a baseball equipment startup that was sold to Compass Diversified Holdings in 2020.

Bautista represented the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Tokyo Games. His leadership helped the D.R. team earn a bronze medal, punctuated by a walk-off hit and his signature bat flip that sealed the win over Israel to secure the team’s place in the semifinals.

Raul Ibanez Named Vice President of Baseball Development & Special Projects for Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Ibanez is getting a special promotion…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have rehired the 51-year-old Cuban American former professional baseball player, an MLB All-Star in 2009, as their new vice president of baseball development and special projects.

Ibanez spent the past two years working with Major League Baseball as a senior vice president of on-field operations, reporting directly to executive vice president Morgan Sword — who helped spearhead last year’s rule changes — while working on issues related to rules, equipment and on-field technology.

Prior to that, Ibanez spent six years as a special assistant within the Dodgers’ baseball operations department.

Ibanez’s current Dodgers role is full-time, which means he will relinquish his duties with MLB.

Ibanez spent 19 years in the big leagues, accumulating 2,034 hits and 305 home runs while playing for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees from 1996 to 2014.

Ibanez’s most productive years were spent in Seattle, but he made his only All-Star team as a member of the Phillies in 2009 and later starred for them in the postseason.

With the Yankees, he had perhaps the most memorable moment of his career, hitting the tying, pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 2012 American League Division Series then the walk-off homer in the 12th.

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