As the calendar flips to December, here’s three things we’re keeping an eye on around baseball:  1. Catcher market heating up? It’s not a particularly deep catching market in free agency this year, with Willson Contreras and Christian Vazquez headlining, but the trade market offers some strong options for catcher-hungry teams. Yesterday, it was reported that the Astros are … [Read more...] about The Opener: Catchers, Judge, Shortstop Market

Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry has passed away, according to multiple reports. He was 84 years old. Perry made his MLB debut with the Giants in 1962 and wound up sticking around the majors through 1983, getting into 22 different seasons with eight different ball clubs. Perry gained a reputation around the league for his use of a spitball, leading to frequent suspicion from … [Read more...] about Gaylord Perry Passes Away

The Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have officially posted right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan. It was reported back in October that the Tigers planned to post Fujinami. Now that it’s been made official, he and his representatives will have 30 days to secure a major league contract. If a deal is reached, the signing team will … [Read more...] about NPB’s Hanshin Tigers Post Shintaro Fujinami

The Tigers and left-hander Matt Boyd are in agreement on a deal to bring him back to Detroit. Boyd will make a $10MM salary with $1MM in performance bonuses available to him. The deal is pending a physical. Boyd, 32 in February, was drafted by the Blue Jays and made his MLB debut with them, but he went to the Tigers in the 2015 David Price trade and has spent the bulk of his … [Read more...] about Tigers To Sign Matt Boyd To One-Year Deal

The Guardians and left-hander Anthony Gose have agreed on a two-year minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Gose will make $1MM per season if in the big leagues. The reason for the two-year deal is that Gose is unlikely to pitch at all in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. At the end of the year, he was non-tendered by the club but will stick … [Read more...] about Guardians, Anthony Gose In Agreement On Two-Year Minor League Deal

12:15 pm: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Brosseau will make $1.4MM. 12:10 pm: The Brewers announced that they have signed utility player Mike Brosseau to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. His salary is not yet publicly known. Brosseau, 29 in March, made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2019. Over that year and the shortened 2020 campaign, he got into 88 contests … [Read more...] about Brewers, Mike Brosseau Avoid Arbitration

The Royals announced two additions to their coaching staff today, with Brian Sweeney being named pitching coach and José Alguacil named infield coach. Sweeney, 48, is a former big league pitcher, having thrown for the Mariners and Padres over 2003-2006. He went to Japan for three seasons from 2007 to 2009 and came back to the Mariners in 2010. He played a few more seasons in … [Read more...] about Royals Hire Brian Sweeney As Pitching Coach

Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has been taking Zoom meetings with clubs and his market is “gaining steam,” according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It’s hardly surprising that teams are interested in Taillon, given that just about every club is looking to bolster its rotation at this time of year. The starting pitching market is headlined by aces like Jacob deGrom, Justin … [Read more...] about Jameson Taillon Drawing Strong Interest In Free Agency

The Nationals announced they have outrighted outfielders Yasel Antuna and Josh Palacios. Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reported Antuna’s outright prior to the official announcement. There had been no public indication that the players had been designated for assignment, but the club evidently passed them through waivers in recent days. Their 40-man roster count is now … [Read more...] about Nationals Outright Yasel Antuna, Josh Palacios