The Wife’s car died last night in her work parking lot, so that was a mini-adventure. Got pretty lucky overall, but it made for some collllllld waiting.
Today is the arbitration exchange deadline, so you can expect a whole lot of deals today, and maybe a few extensions around the game. The remaining arbitration-eligible players on the Cubs’ 40-man roster who’ve not yet signed a deal for 2025: Justin Steele, Kyle Tucker, and Nate Pearson. (Obligatory re-mention of the possibility of the Cubs extending Justin Steele, which is unlikely but desirable.) Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett is going to miss the 2025 season after having revision surgery on his UCL with an internal brace (he originally had Tommy John surgery back in 2017, so this is functionally a second TJS, even if not technically). The 27-year-old former 7th overall pick looked like he was finally breaking out in 2023, but then a flexor strain in June ended his season. Apparently there was more going on, and it didn’t become clear until this offseason. The Marlins do still have a lot of young pitching to fill out their rotation (since they aren’t really trying this year anyway), and they also have Sandy Alcántara and Eury Perez coming back from Tommy John surgery at some point. But this might nevertheless open the door to them making a meaningful signing in free agency, given that they have spent bupkis this offseason, and there are expectations for what revenue-sharing recipients do with the money they receive. So stay tuned for the Marlins to potentially jump into the starting pitcher market. Speaking of the pitching market, Matt Trueblood writes about why the Cubs should sign Jeff Hoffman, specifically, because of the potential for a starting pitcher conversion there (and, yes, if it worked, he’d be an extremely ideal fit for the Cubs’ rotation (and if it didn’t work, he might well go back to being a stud reliever, which they also need)). I don’t disagree with him, I just have a hard time seeing this front office go to the price level necessary to sign a guy who may very well wind up in the bullpen (his breakout the last two years was largely based on a velocity boost that came with his move to the bullpen) – the Cubs simply do not sign relievers to large multi-year deals. Clay Holmes got three years and $38 million in a similar situation from the Mets, and I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that Hoffman wants even more. I’d kinda love the move, but I’m not counting on it. Hoffman, 32, has posted a 2.28 ERA and 2.54 FIP the last two years with the Phillies as a late-inning reliever, totaling 3.6 WAR over 118.2 IP, and having his fastball pop to 97 mph on average. He’s had a 33.4% K rate and a 7.4% BB rate. Maybe just sign him and let him close? (Again, until this front office does something fundamentally different in this area, I won’t get my hopes up.) And speaking of pitcher signings, the White Sox are bringing in lefty Martin Perez on a one-year, $5 million deal. You can safely assume they hope he becomes a flip candidate at the deadline. The Nationals signed Amed Rosario to a $2 million deal. It’s extremely cheap for a guy who has a near league-average bat in a utility role, but I think teams tend not to love the defense, maybe? He’ll joining his fifth team in the last 25 months. Crazy blast from the past: while I was looking at the Marlins’ almost-unrecognizable 40-man roster, one name jumped out at me. Remember Cubs catching prospect Jhonny Pereda? He was last in the org back in early 2020, when they sent him to the Red Sox to complete the Travis Lakins trade (you TOTALLY do not remember him, as he never threw a pitch in the Cubs’ org). Pereda, still only 28, bounced from the Red Sox to the Giants to the Reds to the Marlins, where he made his big league debut last season. I had no idea! He has hit quite well at Triple-A the last couple years, but he’s the third catcher on the Marlins’ 40-man, with two option years remaining. I assume he’ll continue on as depth, but kudos to him for making it to The Show. The Cubs made the earlier-reported Ben Heller and Carlos Perez minor league signings officially official. Pitching at 42 is rare and apparently reserved for memorable guys:since 2000, only 12 SP have made 10+ starts in a season at age-42 or older: BRAVES Greg Maddux Tom Glavine John Smoltz GOATs Roger Clemens Randy Johnson ETERNAL LHP David Wells Kenny Rogers Jamie Moyer Rich Hill KNUCKLEBALLERS R.A. Dickey Tim Wakefield BARTOLO Bartolo Colon[image or embed]
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@cespedesbbq.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM Former Cubs legend:The time Billy Hamilton scored from second on a sacrifice fly to CF. pic.twitter.com/MPv6QAStbK
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) April 17, 2024ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
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