Your five-minute catch-up of the biggest stories in baseball over the last seven days.
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles balanced their youth movement by signing 41-year-old Charlie Morton. Over the last four seasons, Morton has been a workhorse, making at least 30 starts each year. In fact, only six pitchers have made more starts since 2021. He’s no Corbin Burnes, but Morton should be a reliable second/third starter in Baltimore’s rotation.
In last season’s 30 Boldish Predictions article, I suggested that catcher Rene Pinto could establish himself as a Top 5 catcher. He didn’t, and the Orioles DFA’d him to make room for Morton.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The World Series champions re-signed Teoscar Hernandez and added versatile infielder Hyeseong Kim. To create room, they designated former highly-rated catching prospect Diego Cartaya and traded Gavin Lux to the Reds. Still only 23, Cartaya landed with the Twins, which feels like a great opportunity behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez.
Charlie Morton was not the only 40-something pitcher to sign this week. Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander inked a deal to pitch in San Franciso in 2025. The 41-year-old struggled with injuries last season, which led many to believe this was the end of his illustrious career. However, in the two years since he won his third Cy Young Award, the 41-year-old has made 44 starts with a 4.04 ERA. Not bad for an old, injured geezer.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds picking up Gavin Lux feels a confusing deal. The Jonathan India move to Kansas City alleviated some of the infield logjam, but Lux just adds to it. The 27-year-old hit .152 against lefties last year, so presumably, he will form some sort of infield/outfield platoon for Cincinnati.
I like San Francisco’s move to take catcher Sam Huff. With Patrick Bailey, Tom Murphy, and Blake Sabol, there isn’t a clear path to playing time, but Huff’s bat produced .768 OPS in the majors and .813 in Triple-A, suggesting his out-of-option status will cause a few interesting Spring Training battles.
Another move I liked was by the Colorado Rockies – and I don’t type that frequently – when they signed multi-position Thairo Estrada to a one-year deal. The 28-year-old looked set to be a linchpin in the Giants lineup last year, but injuries and ineffectiveness meant a nosedive in production. His OPS+ plummeted from an average of 105 over the previous three seasons to just 69 in 2024. I don’t know what is happening with the Rockies, but I’m pleased Estrada will get the chance for everyday at-bats.
In sad news, pitcher Brian Matusz passed away at just 37. Fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, the left-hander was part of the Orioles’ group of stellar young starters (Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton) who never quite took Baltimore to the promised land.
Matusz eventually became a reliever and is best remembered for his ability to get David Ortiz out. Big Papi went 4-for-29 with 13 strikeouts against Matusz.
Miami Marlins
The biggest blow for any team this week came in Florida with the news that Braxton Garrett will miss the entire season after elbow surgery. With Jesús Luzardo traded to the Phillies, and Sandy Alcantara working his way back from TJ-surgery, Garrett was expected to pick up the lion’s share of innings.
Washington Nationals
No one wanted Amed Rosario during the last offseason, so the Rays got a great bargain when they signed the 29-year-old to a $1.5 million, one-year contract. It looked like an even better deal when Rosario hit over .300 in April.
His July was elite (.913 OPS) and the Rays shipped him off to the postseason-bound Dodgers, who promptly DFA’d him after five games. The Reds picked him up, but his season continued to crater – .307/.331/.417 with the Rays and .177/.211/.235 with the Dodgers & Reds.
The Nationals have just signed him to a $2 million, one-year deal and will be hoping to see first-half Amed rather than second-half.
Featured image of Teoscar Hernandez by Rob Leiter
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Maybe next week we will have some Roki Sasaki news. Maybe Alex Bregman will sign with Boston. Perhaps Pete Alonso joins a mystery team. Lots more storylines to follow before Spring Training starts.
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