MLB

Jeter Downs has been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, the team announced Thursday.

ESPN's Alden González was the first to report the move.

Downs was the top prospect Boston acquired in the deal that shipped star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020.

The decision to DFA Downs came after the Red Sox made the signing of Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida official Thursday. Boston needed room on its 40-man roster for Yoshida, who inked a five-year deal through 2027.

Boston acquired Downs, outfielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong from the Dodgers in the deal that sent Betts and left-hander David Price to L.A.

Downs was once ranked a top-five prospect in the Boston organization by MLB.com, but his stock took a nosedive over the last two seasons as he struggled to live up to expectations in Triple-A Worcester following the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19.

In 2021, Downs hit .191/.272/.333 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI in 99 games with the WooSox. He followed that with an equally disappointing performance at the dish in 2022, slashing .197/.316/.412 with 16 home runs and 33 RBI 81 games.

Downs also appeared in 14 games for the Red Sox last season, hitting .154/.171/.256 with one home run and four RBI. He struck out in 21 of 41 plate appearances, an unacceptable 51.2 strikeout rate.

With only Verdugo and Wong left to show for the Betts deal, and just one playoff appearance since 2020, it's clear Boston lost the trade.

Betts, meanwhile, is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he slashed .269/.340/.533 with a career-high 35 home runs, in addition to 82 RBI in 142 games. The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and won the World Series in 2020.

The Red Sox still have a decent prospect pool headlined by Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela, but it still doesn't match up to some of the league's best.

Carlos Rodón is one of the top free-agent pitchers left on the market, but at least one team has been deterred from paying the hefty price tag for the veteran.

The St. Louis Cardinals are unlikely to "shell out the years and money" that Rodón is seeking on his next deal, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.

Rodón is seeking a deal in the range of seven-plus years and worth at least $200 million, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Dec. 12. It's not surprising the Cardinals are hesitant to cough up that much cash.

St. Louis has never signed a player for that kind of money. While Nolan Arenado is the highest-paid player on the roster, he signed his eight-year, $260 million deal when he was still a member of the Colorado Rockies.

Paul Goldschmidt's $130 million extension signed in March 2019 is the largest the franchise has ever handed out. Adam Wainwright's $97.5 million extension signed in March 2013 is the largest the Cards have ever dished out to a pitcher.

Further, the Cardinals are set to have a 2023 rotation that includes Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Matthew Liberatore. While Rodón would undoubtedly improve the rotation, he's not a necessity.

Additionally, not many pitchers have earned $200 million or more on a single contract. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke are the only arms to hit the $200 million mark in their careers.

Rodón has been impressive in each of the last two seasons, but he doesn't match up with some of those elite pitchers.

The 30-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He didn't break out until the 2021 campaign, when he went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings across 24 starts en route to his first All-Star Game selection.

Rodón went on to sign with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2022 campaign. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings across 31 starts, earning his second straight All-Star Game selection.

The lefty has also topped more than 170 innings in a season just once—2022—and has been limited by injuries for much of his career.

If Rodón's price drops, then the Cardinals would likely continue to express interest. For now, it seems like pursuing him has been put on the backburner.

Looking for pitching depth heading into next season, the Cincinnati Reds could turn to a familiar face for help.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Reds have shown interest in bringing back Johnny Cueto.

The right-hander made his MLB debut with Cincinnati in 2008 and spent seven-and-a-half seasons with the organization.

The Reds could face competition to sign Cueto. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported Wednesday the Toronto Blue Jays have shown interest in Cueto, even after agreeing to a three-year deal with Chris Bassitt.

If Cueto is looking for an opportunity to win, the Blue Jays have a lot more to offer than the Reds.

Cincinnati's starting rotation features Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Luis Cessa, Graham Ashcraft and Justin Dunn. Lodolo is the only member of that group who had a sub-4.00 ERA in 2022 (3.66).

Reds starters ranked 20th in MLB with 809.2 innings pitched last season. Greene led the way with 125.2 innings.

Cueto is coming off two straight effective seasons. The 36-year-old had a 4.08 ERA in 22 appearances with the San Francisco Giants in 2021.

Cueto signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox in April. He made his season debut May 16 and finished with a 3.35 ERA in 158.1 innings.

Cueto was one of the best pitchers in baseball during his first stint with the Reds. He had a 2.48 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 102 starts over four seasons from 2011 to 2014. The Dominican Republic native finished in the top four in NL Cy Young voting in 2012 and 2014.

The Reds finished last season with a 62-100 record, only the second time in franchise history they've lost at least 100 games. They have just two winning seasons and one playoff appearance since 2014.

Outfielder Bryan Reynolds requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this offseason. The winter meeting came and went without a deal, but that doesn't mean that Reynolds will still be a Pirate when spring training begins.

For the Boston Red Sox—a team looking to climb out of the AL East basement—Reynolds would make a lot of sense.

Boston is open to working the trade market, especially after losing top free agent Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres in free agency.

"I actually think the trade market could be a really good route to adding impact to our club," chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said, per The Athletic's Chad Jennings. "We are looking (into) a lot of significant moves there as long as we can do it in a way that isn't just robbing Peter to pay Paul, that's actually moving us forward in 2023 and giving us a chance to make a significant step forward from where we sit today."

A player who can help in 2023 and beyond? That's Reynolds. A 2021 All-Star, Reynolds will only turn 28 next month. He's also a financial fit for rebuilding Boston, as he'll remain arbitration-eligible through the 2025 season.

In 2023, Reynolds will carry a salary of only $6.8 million, according to Spotrac.

Naturally, Reynolds will want an extension at some point, but he would nevertheless come with three more years of team control.

Then, there's the fact that—according to Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal—the Red Sox have already looked into adding outfield and offensive help.

"In need of offensive help, the Red Sox have, according to a source familiar with the talks, made inquires about first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper," McAdam wrote. "The Sox have an opening in the outfield, with Alex Verdugo and Kiké Hernandez set to cover two of the three outfield spots."

Reynolds could help round out the outfield group while providing a boost at the plate. He has hit 74 home runs and 239 RBI over the last four seasons. He finished 2022 with a .262 batting average, 27 home runs and 62 RBI.

While Reynolds was more impressive during his 2021 All-Star campaign (90 RBI, .302 average), these were still strong numbers for a player just entering his prime.

In a vacuum, Reynolds appears to be a perfect fit for Boston. The question, of course, is how much a trade will cost. This is where the idea of trading for the 27-year-old becomes a bit less desirable.

According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, a bargain trade package won't get a deal done:

"One rival official, in what surely was an exaggeration, said the Pirates want a '[Juan] Soto-type package' for Reynolds. Another said Reynolds is 'super expensive.' A third described him as 'unlikely to move.'"

Soto, for the record, was dealt along with Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals to the Padres in exchange for C. J. Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit.

While the Soto trade is an extreme comparison, the message is clear. Pittsburgh won't move Reynolds for a couple of draft picks and/or low-end prospects. The good news is that Boston has a farm system loaded with high-end talent.

Players like Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Yorke and Bryan Mata could entice Pittsburgh—especially if Boston is willing to include a blue-chip prospect like Miguel Bleis or Marcelo Mayer.

The Red Sox would have to weigh the long-term potential of said prospects against their desire to turn things around this season. Ultimately, they might decide that Reynolds simply isn't worth what it would take to force Pittsburgh's hand.

However, Boston should at least inquire about Reynolds and come at the Pirates with serious intentions. The 2016 second-rounder has emerged as a bona fide rising star, and he checks just about every box Boston could hope to address in this offseason's trade market.

The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their starting rotation on Wednesday, signing veteran pitcher Noah Syndergaard, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported it was a one-year deal, with Heyman adding it was for $13 million plus incentives. That should bring the team's projected total payroll to around $215 million.

As ESPN's Alden González noted, Syndergaard will join a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. A number of intriguing prospects, including Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone, are also waiting in the wings.

Walker Buehler will also be under contract with the team after his arbitration is settled, though it's unclear if he'll pitch at all next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, the second time in his career he's required the procedure.

Syndergaard, 30, went 10-10 last season for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. He also made four appearances (two starts) for the Phillies in the postseason, going 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

He is no longer the caliber of pitcher who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was an All-Star the following season.

Injuries are arguably the biggest reason. He made only 32 starts between the 2017 and '18 seasons, as he had a partially torn lat muscle and a strained ligament in his right index finger. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.

As Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com noted, Syndergaard's dip in velocity since those injuries has limited his effectiveness:

Before his elbow injury, Syndergaard could light up the radar gun like few others. From 2015-19 (including playoffs), Syndergaard threw 1,241 pitches at 99 mph or faster, second in MLB only to Aroldis Chapman. He averaged 98.0 mph on sinkers and four-seamers in that span. Syndergaard's fastest pitch during the 2022 regular season was 96.4 mph, and his two fastballs collectively averaged 93.8 mph. On average, he also threw his slider, changeup and curveball slower than he did in his heyday.

The velocity drop coincided with a sharp decrease in whiff rate and strikeout rate. Syndergaard not only finished 2022 with career lows in both departments, his 20.1 percent whiff rate and 16.8 percent strikeout rate were both well below the MLB average.

That makes him a back-of-the-rotation option at best, though in Kershaw, Urias and Gonsolin, the Dodgers have an excellent top three, while Dustin May spent much of the 2022 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but was has largely been excellent when healthy.

So Syndergaard very likely will be the No. 4 or 5 option in this rotation. The Dodgers have some major questions after losing Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Tyler Anderson in free agency, among others, but the pitching staff isn't one of them.

Noah Syndergaard is on the move again after agreeing to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post added the deal is for one year and $13 million as Syndergaard is going to "bet on himself."

Passan reports Syndergaard is expected to join L.A.'s rotation in 2023.

Last season saw Syndergaard split time between the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He began the year with Los Angeles and pitched well for the club before being traded to Philadelphia in August.

Syndergaard looked like he was regaining some of his old form during his brief tenure with the Angels. The right-hander had a 3.83 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 80 innings in 15 starts.

Things didn't go as well for Syndergaard after he was moved to the Phillies. He posted a 4.12 ERA and averaged just 5.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 10 appearances (nine starts).

The key for Syndergaard in 2022 was staying healthy. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2020 after experiencing elbow discomfort during spring training before the season was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Syndergaard experienced an injury setback early in the 2021 season that delayed his return. The 30-year-old was able to appear in two games out of the bullpen for the New York Mets late in the season.

The Angels signed Syndergaard to a one-year, $21 million contract during the offseason. He did change his pitching repertoire to make up for a dip in velocity.

Per FanGraphs, Syndergaard's fastball averaged a career-low 93.8 mph and he threw it just 47.5 percent of the time. He significantly increased the use of his slider (22.3 percent) and changeup (19.3 percent) to keep hitters off balance.

It's unlikely Syndergaard will ever get back to the form that made him a sensation for the Mets early in his career, the 2023 season could be a better barometer of what kind of pitcher he will be going forward.

The Dodgers taking a low-risk, high-reward bet that Syndergaard can at least become a mid-rotation starter as they pursue a playoff berth.

If the New York Yankees want to sign Carlos Rodón, they are going to have to make significant changes to their initial contract proposal for the left-handed starting pitcher.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there is a "sizable gap" between what the Yankees offered and what Rodón is seeking in free agency.

It's unclear what New York's offer was, but Heyman noted Rodón is believed to be after a deal of at least seven years and $30 million per season.

Rodón is arguably the top remaining free agent after Carlos Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Certainly, Rodón is the best pitcher still on the market. Heyman noted the two-time All-Star remains the Yankees' top priority, and the two sides "are expected to work on potential compromises over the next few days."

After getting Aaron Judge to agree to a nine-year, $360 million to remain in the Bronx, starting pitching seemed like it should be a priority for the team. They lost Jameson Taillon, who ranked second on the team with 177.1 innings in 2022, to the Chicago Cubs in free agency.

Nestor Cortes Jr. had a breakout season with a 2.44 ERA, but he threw nearly as many innings in 2022 (158.1) as he did in the previous four seasons combined (172).

Luis Severino pitched well last season with a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 19 starts, but it was also the first time he broke the 100-inning barrier since 2018.

Rodón is a player who also comes with significant risk. He only made 11 appearances total in two seasons from 2019-20 and had a 5.74 ERA during that span.

Since the start of 2021, however, Rodón ranks third among all pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched in FanGraphs wins above replacement (11.1) and fourth in ERA (2.67). He has made the All-Star team and finished in the top six in Cy Young voting in both seasons.

A rotation led by Rodón and Gerrit Cole would be very formidable in the regular season and postseason. The Yankees are all-in to win right now after paying to bring back Judge and Anthony Rizzo.

If there's any way for the Yankees to close the gap with Rodón, they need to make it work because he would fill a huge need for them as they chase a World Series appearance in 2023.

The New York Yankees were reportedly preparing for Aaron Judge to leave for the San Francisco Giants or San Diego Padres before a nine-year, $360 million deal came together at the last minute.

One Yankee executive told Buster Olney of ESPN that he had a "feeling" Judge would bolt to the West Coast amid interest from the Padres and Giants.

The Yankees' most serious competitor in the race was San Francisco. Olney reported the Giants' offer came in at somewhere between $320 million and $360 million. There was even a brief period when seemingly credible but ultimately erroneous reports of Judge leaving for San Francisco made the rounds on social media.

The Padres reportedly made it clear they were willing to outbid the Yankees, but nothing "formal was presented to the league offices."

In the end, the Yankees' negotiations with Judge came down to one question: Did he want to be a Yankee? Olney reported Hal Steinbrenner asked Judge that exact question during a phone conversation Dec. 6. When the reigning AL MVP indicated he wanted to stay in New York, Steinbrenner gave the OK to increase the team's offer from $320 million to $360 million.

"Hal Steinbrenner has been the tip of the spear with this one," general manager Brian Cashman told reporters a few hours later. "Our organization has tried to stay connected in every way possible—Hal Steinbrenner directly with Aaron Judge, as well—to make sure that there was going to be no stone unturned and there was no effort missed in our discussions."

Judge is coming off one of the greatest power-hitting seasons in MLB history—and the greatest since the steroid era. His 62 home runs in 2022 are the most in American League history and the most by a player who has not fallen under a cloud of steroid suspicion.