MLB

The Philadelphia Phillies have shored up their bullpen by signing right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $10 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Kimbrel will be reuniting with former Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in Philadelphia. Dombrowski worked for the Red Sox from 2015 to '19, and Kimbrel spent three seasons in Boston from 2016 to '18.

Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations for the Phillies in 2021.

The 34-year-old Kimbrel has been on the move quite a bit in recent years, spending last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his sixth different organization since 2014.

After signing a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs in 2019, Kimbrel was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2021 before being flipped to the Dodgers last offseason in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock.

He became a big part of Los Angeles' success in 2022, recording a 3.75 ERA, 22 saves and 72 strikeouts in 60 innings. The squad posted the best record in the majors during the regular season before falling to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.

Consistency has been a problem for the veteran, however, which was especially seen in 2021. After producing a 0.49 ERA across 39 appearances with the Cubs, he had a 5.09 ERA in 24 games with the White Sox.

The eight-time All-Star was one of the top closers in baseball during his prime, posting a 1.43 ERA across five seasons with the Atlanta Braves, adding 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

With his past success and lengthy experience, Kimbrel could be a valuable addition for his new team.

The only question is whether his up-and-down play makes him a trustworthy option in high-leverage situations.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are trading outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays for top prospect Gabriel Moreno and more, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Arizona will also receive outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the deal, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Varsho, 26, spent the first three seasons of his MLB career in Arizona.

During the 2022 campaign, Varsho spent much of his time playing in center and right field. However, he's pretty versatile and can also play catcher. In 151 games, he slashed .235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs, 74 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

The Blue Jays were in need of some outfield help this offseason, especially after trading Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners.

Gurriel was Toronto's starting left fielder, but now that he's off to Arizona, Varsho will likely take over that position with Kevin Kiermaier in center field and George Springer in right field.

Varsho is under contract through 2026, and he figures to be a key piece for the Blue Jays moving forward.

Gurriel had spent the first five years of his career in Toronto. In 2022, he hit .291/.343/.400 with five home runs and 52 RBI in 121 games. While he's been a solid player for much of his career, he's not the reason the Diamondbacks decided to give up Varsho.

Arizona parted with Varsho to receive one of the best prospects in baseball in Moreno, who was listed as Toronto's top prospect by Baseball America.

The catcher spent much of his time with Triple-A Buffalo in 2022, hitting .315/.386/.420 with three home runs and 39 RBI in 62 games. The Venezuelan also appeared in 25 games for the Blue Jays in 2022, slashing .319/.356/.377 with one home run and seven RBI.

At just 22 years old, Moreno could emerge as one of the best catchers in baseball by the time he hits his prime.

The San Diego Padres are showing interest in veteran starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, according to FanSided's Robert Murray and the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Miami Marlins have weighed a move for Cueto as well and posited the 36-year-old could be a replacement for Pablo López if the 26-year-old gets traded.

Cueto posted his highest WAR (2.4) since 2016 last season, per FanGraphs. He went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA and a 3.79 FIP in 25 appearances. Although his 5.80 strikeouts per nine innings were a career low, he had his second-lowest walk rate (1.88).

The two-time All-Star could be a good stopgap on a playoff contender or perhaps serve as a trade asset to flip ahead of the 2023 deadline.

The Padres fit firmly in the former category after reaching the National League Championship Series in 2022. They fortified their ranks by signing Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract.

The rotation remains a bit of a question mark, though, considering San Diego is projected to lean on two pitchers, Nick Martinez and the newly signed Seth Lugo, who operated primarily as relievers this past year. Only 38 of Lugo's 275 career appearances have come in a starting capacity.

Whether it's Cueto or another solution, signing a veteran starter makes sense for the Padres.

As Morosi speculated, Miami's interest might hinge on another player going out. The Marlins return their entire starting rotation, a group headlined by National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara.

The franchise doesn't have a pressing need for pitching help at the moment, but the situation could change between now and Opening Day.

After losing Carlos Correa earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants are hoping Michael Conforto can provide a spark for their lineup.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Conforto has agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal with the Giants.

ESPN's Buster Olney added the deal includes an opt-out after the 2023 season.

Conforto profiled as a solid bounce-back candidate in 2022 before he underwent offseason shoulder surgery. His agent, Scott Boras, indicated in May he might sign with a team following July's MLB draft, which would remove any draft-pick compensation from his deal.

Nobody chose to take Boras up on the opportunity.

Even before the shoulder injury, Conforto saw his value take a big hit. The 29-year-old picked a bad time to have one of the worst years of his career.

Unlike new teammate Francisco Lindor, who signed a 10-year, $341 million deal, Conforto headed into Opening Day in 2021 without a new contract. New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson signaled the franchise's desire to keep the 2017 All-Star that March.

"We've had Conforto for many years," Alderson said, per the New York Post's Ken Davidoff. "He has not only become an excellent player, but also part of the leadership group within the clubhouse. He's represented the Mets for a long period of time and represented us well. I think if it's possible, we will make the effort to keep Michael with us."

He added the Mets weren't as aggressive as the Toronto Blue Jays in landing George Springer, who signed with Toronto for six years and $150 million, because a new deal for Conforto was part of the calculus.

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported in April 2021 that Conforto might look to sign for $200 million or more, eclipsing the total Springer received.

His performance ultimately didn't help his bargaining position with the Mets or any other team interested in his services.

In 125 games, Conforto had 14 home runs, 55 RBI and a .232/.344/.384 slash line. According to FanGraphs, his .322 weighted on-base average was 30 points lower than his career average (.352).

The Mets offense as a whole was a bit of mess and failed to live up to expectations. Hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater were both fired in the middle of the season.

Lindor saw his batting average slip all the way to .230. Dominic Smith slugged .525 and .616 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, before finishing with a .363 slugging percentage in 2021. Jeff McNeil saw his on-base percentage fall from .383 to .317. In short, Conforto wasn't the only one who struggled at the plate.

Prior to 2021, he was a consistent producer in New York's lineup, so that year may be a bit of an outlier. Per Baseball Savant, his .249 expected batting average was only fractionally worse than his career number (.251), while his expected slugging (.428) was a more pronounced drop from the .463 he has posted since 2015.

The shoulder injury is obviously a massive variable. He might have a clean bill of health now, but nobody can know for sure whether he'll rebound. He may never be the same player after the surgery.

As a short-term gamble, signing Conforto is a worthwhile risk for San Francisco because he was so good from 2017-20. His demand for $200 million looks laughable in retrospect, but his market value before the 2021 season arguably wasn't much below that.

The possible upside justifies the Giants' investment.

As much as this move could help San Francisco, there's no salvaging what has been a disastrous offseason for the franchise.

Carlos Rodón, the ace of the staff, signed with the New York Yankees. That came after Aaron Judged opted to re-sign with the Bronx Bombers having entertained overtures from the Giants. The final insult came as Correa left San Francisco at the altar and signed with the New York Mets instead.

Conforto could make a major difference for a team in need of outfield help, but it already feels like the 2023 season is a lost cause for the Giants.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has won the appeal of his 324-game suspension.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared a statement from Major League Baseball announcing arbitrator Martin Scheinman reduced Bauer's suspension to 194 games on Thursday, meaning he is reinstated.

"While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator's decision, which upholds baseball's longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence," the statement said.

On April 29, Major League Baseball announced a 324-game suspension for Bauer covering two full seasons. The suspension didn't include the games he was ineligible to play while on administrative leave.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted on a May 2022 episode of the Baseball Tonight podcast that a reduced suspension was the most likely outcome from Bauer's grievance against MLB.

"When you look at a suspension as enormous as this one, typically huge suspensions find some kind of reduction," Passan said (h/t SI.com's Inside the Dodgers). "I don't know if it's going to be a half-season, I don't know if it's going to be a full season. But MLB believes that it has a mountain of evidence against Trevor Bauer."

Bauer hasn't appeared in a game since June 28, 2021. Two days later, Southern California law enforcement officials confirmed they were investigating allegations Bauer had sexually assaulted a woman who contacted police on approximately May 16.

Jon Fetterolf, Bauer's attorney, released a statement on behalf of his client denying the allegations:

"Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [his accuser] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [his accuser] repeatedly asking for 'rough' sexual encounters. In the days following their second and final encounter, [his accuser] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [his accuser] was neither angry nor accusatory."

The woman who accused Bauer was granted a temporary restraining order against him. It was dissolved in August 2021 when Los Angeles Superior Court judge Dianna Gould-Saltman denied her request for a permanent restraining order.

MLB placed Bauer on administrative leave on July 2, 2021. Since administrative leave only covers a period of seven days, the league continued to extend it as its investigation into the allegations continued.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in February it would not pursue criminal charges against Bauer.

"After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the D.A.'s office statement said.

Bauer tweeted after the suspension was announced that he was appealing the decision and denied violating MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy.

On the same day the suspension was announced, Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post reported a second woman had previously been granted a temporary restraining order in 2020 after accusing Bauer of choking her unconscious and punching her without her consent, among other things.

Bauer denied that allegation, and he did the same in April after a third woman told the Washington Post that Bauer had choked her without consent multiple times during sex across a multiyear relationship. Bauer said the acts were consensual.

In May, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported people within the sport were uncertain whether Bauer will ever pitch in MLB again.

"No one wants to stand up there next to him," one longtime baseball person told Heyman.

Bauer's contract with the Dodgers will expire after the 2023 season, though Heyman noted the team could release him now that the result of his appeal is known. The 31-year-old signed a three-year, $102 million deal with Los Angeles in February 2021.

The San Francisco Giants were involved in the most shocking offseason turn of events this week when they held up their deal with star shortstop Carlos Correa over a medical concern, opening the door for him to sign with the New York Mets.

On Thursday, ESPN's Jeff Passan shed light on the thought process behind San Francisco's hesitation, revealing the team had concerns over Correa's lower right leg following his physical examination. The 28-year-old had broken his fibula in 2014 on a slide during a minor league game, which led to surgery.

Passan noted that the Giants' fear "concerned the long-term stability of his leg—and the potential for Correa to quickly lose the mobility that won him a Platinum Glove in 2021."

The assertion likely came as a shock to Correa, who had agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal on Dec. 13. Per Passan, his surgically repaired leg was an injury he "hadn't thought about in years, and suddenly it was putting in jeopardy the fourth-largest guaranteed contract in North American sports history."

Correa's agent, Scott Boras, dismissed the notion that an injury from eight years ago could affect his client down the line, pointing out that Correa received a 10-year contract offer from the Minnesota Twins, with whom he played the 2022 season.

"If a team familiar with his medical history was willing to offer Correa a decade-long contract, [Boras'] reasoning went, how bad could the injury really be?" Passan wrote.

The Mets swooped in and signed Correa to a 12-year, $315 million contract. It was another heartbreaker for San Francisco this offseason after its failed pursuit of American League MVP Aaron Judge, who re-signed with the New York Yankees.

The Giants are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season in which they finished with an 81-81 record and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years.

Carlos Correa will have to learn a new position with the New York Mets, but the two-time All-Star's agent has no concerns about his ability to thrive.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Scott Boras said Correa thinks he can "seize" third base and that he will be able to "get a little bit stronger."

News of Correa's deal with the Mets sent shock waves throughout the baseball world. The 28-year-old originally agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Dec. 13.

The Giants scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to officially announce the contract, but it was postponed shortly before the 2 p.m. ET start time because of concerns over Correa's physical.

The Mets acted quickly to give Correa a deal that isn't far off what he would have received from the Giants. He agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract in the early morning hours Wednesday, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the issue involved an ankle injury Correa suffered in the minors during the 2014 season that required surgery to repair a fractured right fibula and a ligament.

Adding Correa to the Mets roster meant a position change because Francisco Lindor is entrenched as the shortstop.

This will be the second time Correa and Lindor will have been teammates. They were on the Puerto Rican team that finished second in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Lindor was the starting shortstop, with Correa handling third base.

As Boras alluded to, moving to the hot corner could help Correa's offensive game. He can add muscle because he doesn't have to be as fast at third base as he does at shortstop.

A more potent offensive version of Correa is a dangerous proposition for the rest of the National League. He is a .279/.357/.479 career hitter and has hit at least 20 homers in six of his eight seasons.

In addition to Correa, New York brought in Justin Verlander, José Quintana, Kodai Senga, Adam Ottavino and David Robertson and re-signed Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz.

The Mets are looking for a stronger finish next season after their 101-win 2022 campaign ended with a loss to the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series.

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly signed Wil Myers to a one-year, $7.5 million contract on Thursday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The deal can reach up to $9.5 million "based on playing time or if he's traded," per that report, and includes a mutual option for 2024.

Mayers was excellent for the San Diego Padres in 2020, hitting .288 with 15 homers, 40 RBI, 34 runs and a .959 OPS in 55 games. Paired with players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, he gave the Padres one of the most fearsome lineups in baseball.

It was an important bounce-back year for Myers, who played in just 83 games in 2018, hitting .253 with 11 homers, 39 RBI and 39 runs, as a left oblique strain and a left foot bone bruise cost him time on the disabled list. In 2019, he played in 155 games but disappointed, hitting just .239 with 18 homers and 53 RBI.

After hitting 28 homers in 2016 (which earned him a trip to the All-Star Game) and 30 home runs in 2017, Myers established himself as a solid power hitter, though his time on the shelf in 2018 limited that productivity and his power numbers were lacking in 2019 compared to previous heights.

The 31-year-old's 2021 season regressed to his form in 2018-19, however, as he hit .256 with just 17 homers and 63 RBI in 146 games. And he was far worse in 2022, hitting .261 with seven homers and 41 RBI in just 77 games.

Getting on base has remained an issue, as Myers has a career .254 batting average and .315 on-base percentage. Since hitting .293 in his 2013 rookie season, earning him AL Rookie of the Year honors, he hadn't hit .260 or higher until the 2020 campaign.

That made him the subject of trade rumors throughout last season, though the Padres couldn't find any takers. And it made it fairly unsurprising when the team declined his $20 club option in 2023.

But his defensive versatility—the former Tampa Bay Rays man has spent time at third base, left field, right field, first base and even center field during his career—and his past history of pop at the plate clearly made him an attractive target for the Reds.

Whether he can return to the level he played at in 2020 remains to be seen.