MLB Rumors

Four days after being officially released by the New York Mets, Robinson Cano is reportedly nearing a deal with the San Diego Padres. 

Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and the New York Post, Cano and the Padres are "close" to an agreement. 

Cano has no intention or interest to prove himself in the minors.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 12, 2022

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported the two sides are expected to finalize the contract on Friday.

The Mets designated Cano for assignment on May 2, giving the team seven days to either trade him or place him on waivers. He was released by the team on Sunday. 

As a result of the abbreviated spring training caused by the lockout, Major League Baseball allowed teams to carry 28 players on the roster for the first month of the season. May 2 marked the deadline for teams to cut their roster down to 26 players.

The move left the Mets on the hook for the $44.7 million that was still remaining on Cano's contract. He was hitting .195/.233/.268 with one homer and three RBI in 12 games this season. 

San Diego could look to use Cano at designated hitter or as a bench player. Luke Voit, the team's primary DH, has a .184/.349/.327 slash line with two homers and seven RBI in 15 games. 

Second baseman Jake Cronenworth has a .657 OPS in 117 at-bats. The Padres could get superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. back in mid-June after he underwent wrist surgery in March. 

Cano was looking to re-establish himself for the Mets this season. The eight-time All-Star was suspended for the entire 2021 season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in November 2020. 

Instead, after a slow start, Cano found his career at a crossroads as a 39-year-old free agent. His sample size of at-bats this season is so small that it's hard to draw any conclusions from his .591 OPS. 

During the 2020 season, Cano fared well with a .316/.352/.544 slash line and 10 homers in 49 games. 

The Padres would be an ideal landing spot for Cano. They are a playoff contender in the NL with plenty of depth already on the roster, so he doesn't have to come in to potentially save their season.     

The Boston Red Sox "haven't engaged in any contract conversations" with starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.

Bradford added that the right-hander prefers not to negotiate a new deal during the 2022 MLB season. However, "there is an expectation" his representatives could discuss terms with the Red Sox once the season ends. 

Next winter is shaping up to be a pivotal period in Boston. Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez are due to hit free agency, while Xander Bogaerts can opt out of the $80 million he's owed over the next four seasons. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers can hit free agency after the 2023 season.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the gap between what the Red Sox were offering Devers and Bogaerts and what the players wanted might have been $100 million or more.

While he's unlikely to command ace-level money, Eovaldi will figure to have a lot of suitors should he reach the open market.

The 32-year-old finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting in 2021 after going 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA and an AL-leading 2.79 FIP in 32 appearances. He hasn't gotten off to a great start in 2022 (allowing four home runs and five earned runs over 10 innings), but it's still very early. 

The state of the Red Sox's starting rotation heightens the need to retain Eovaldi beyond 2022.

Behind him, Boston is leaning on Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta as its starters. Chris Sale is on the 60-day injured list, and James Paxton is still recovering from his Tommy John surgery.

What the Red Sox decide to do with Eovaldi won't make or break their championship hopes in 2023, but it will clearly signal their short-term goals for next year.

Aaron Judge didn't request an extension from the New York Yankees surpassing eight years, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the team put a seven-year, $213.5 million deal on the table, which would've added to the $17 million he's projected to get this season. 

The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Judge was looking to sign a nine- or 10-year pact that averaged $36 million annually.

The three-time All-Star acknowledged he was "disappointed" that he was unable to work out an agreement with the Bronx Bombers.

"I want to bring a championship back to New York. I want to do it for the fans here," he told reporters. "This is home for me. And I'm not getting that done right now. It stinks, but I got a job to do on the field. I got to shift my focus to that now and play some ball."

Judging a player's value in monetary terms is always subjective, because a player is worth whatever a team will pay him.

An entire package of eight years and $230 million doesn't seem to be insultingly low for Judge, though.

Rosenthal noted the $30.5 million average salary from New York's offer would've been the second-highest among outfielders behind Mike Trout, who signed a 12-year, $426.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels.

Judge owns a .276/.386/.553 slash line for his career. Since he entered the majors in 2016, he's fifth in wOBA (.393) and fourth in wRC+ (150), per FanGraphs. Throw in his plus defense, and the 29-year-old could plausibly command more money than New York was willing to include.

However, he's going to turn 30 in April, so it's fair to wonder how much longer his prime playing window will remain open beyond 2022.

ESPN's Buster Olney also spoke with multiple agents who expressed concerns stemming from Judge's 6'7", 282-pound frame.

"Judge is awesome, but I'm terrified of gargantuan people and whether they can stay healthy," one agent said.

"I just don't know if you can really predict how effective he's going to be when he gets into his mid-30s," another agent told Olney. "Because we've never seen a player his size. Will he be able to catch up to fastballs when he's in the back half of his next contract? I don't know. There are a lot of unknowns."

Regardless of the exact circumstances behind the breakdown in negotiations between the Yankees and Judge, they were unable to broker a deal.

The two-time Silver Slugger seems to be betting on himself, and he has the opportunity to justify that gamble through his performance on the field this year.

The New York Yankees and All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge didn't reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension before the team's first game of the 2022 season Friday, which was the slugger's deadline for a deal.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier Friday the Yanks made an offer worth over $225 million, but their efforts fell short, which general manager Brian Cashman later confirmed:

Official from Yankees GM Brian Cashman: No long-term deal for Aaron Judge. Said Yankees offered a seven-year, $213.5 million extension, which, paired with the $17 million they’ve offered in arbitration this season, would have made the entire package just over $230 million.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 8, 2022

Judge said he didn't want to discuss the negotiations any further until after Friday's home clash with the rival Boston Red Sox, which is slated for a 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch.

"We'll have an update for you guys. I've got a game to focus on right now," he told reporters. "So if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'll see you guys after the game and we'll talk about that."

Judge is entering his final year of arbitration. He's eligible to become a free agent after the 2022 season if a deal with the Yankees isn't reached.

A contract package worth $225 million would rank tied for 15th in MLB with Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, per Spotrac.

Here's a look at the top five:

1. Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels): $426.5 million
2. Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers): $365 million
3. Francisco Lindor (New York Mets): $341 million
4. Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres): $340 million
5. Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies): $330 million

Judge would have an opportunity to crack that list if he hits the open market next winter.

The 29-year-old California native made his debut for the Yankees in 2016 and has established himself as one of MLB's top power hitters over the past five seasons. His 154 home runs between 2017 and 2021 ranked fifth in baseball.

He's earned three All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards after being named the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year.

Judge owns a .276/.386/.554 career slash line, and his .940 OPS across 572 games for New York would rank second among all active players if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. He needs 535 more PAs, putting him on pace to join the list this year if he stays healthy.

It's hard to imagine the Yankees would let him get away, but the same thing was said with Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves at this time last year. Now he's a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, though Atlanta found a high-end replacement in Matt Olson.

Once a superstar hits free agency and can listen to pitches from other teams, including big-spenders like the Dodgers and New York Mets, all bets are off.

Getting a deal done before Friday's game would have allowed Yankees fans to breathe a sigh of relief, but it appears that won't be the case and the drama will only build from here.

The Boston Red Sox will be starting the 2022 MLB season later than expected, but that might not provide much help toward working out a new contract with Rafael Devers before Opening Day.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Thursday the two sides "are not making progress" on an extension and that "it is almost certain" nothing will be finalized before the Red Sox begin play on Friday.

Devers will earn $11.2 million this year and is arbitration-eligible for one more year before he can hit free agency in 2024.

Red Sox fans won't forget the Mookie Betts trade anytime soon. Rather than extending Betts' contract or letting him hit free agency and trying their luck there, the Red Sox sent the five-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The longer Devers remains without a new contract, the more the fanbase might grow concerned he could be on the way out.

The 25-year-old third baseman is coming off a big 2021 season. He hit 38 home runs and finished with a .890 OPS and a 132 OPS+, per Baseball Reference. His 4.7 WAR were second-most at his position on FanGraphs.

Devers also delivered in the postseason, posting a .296/.392/.636 slash line as Boston pushed the Houston Astros to six games in the American League Championship Series.

There's no question about where he should theoretically fit into the franchise's long-term plans. But if ownership was willing to draw a line in the sand with Betts—one of the best position players in baseball—then it would presumably be willing to adopt the same tactic with Devers.

The return of meaningful games will help to shift the focus away from Devers' contract status, but the situation is likely to remain a subplot of the Red Sox's 2022 campaign.

Third baseman Rafael Devers reportedly has rejected a contract extension from the Boston Red Sox, per Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital, who offered more information Wednesday:

SOURCE: The #RedSox offered Rafael Devers a contract extension but the player rejected because it was lower than he is willing to consider. Devers will focus now on his 2022 season looking to further increase his market value.@z101digital @ZDeportes

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 6, 2022

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the two sides were "very far off."

Devers, 25, has played all five of his MLB seasons with the Red Sox. He earned American League All-Star and Silver Slugger honors last year after hitting .279 (.890 OPS) with 38 home runs and 113 RBI.

Devers is eligible to become a free agent after the 2023 season.

Cotillo added more information on the Devers-Sox talks: "Devers has said he doesn't want to talk during the season. Still time before he's a free agent (end of 2023). Considering this is the first time the sides have really talked about a deal not a major surprise they're far off. Would take last-minute Hail Mary to do deal before Friday."

Ideally, the Red Sox would love to keep Devers around long-term. He has the potential to be a perennial All-Star and played a key role in the Red Sox's run to the American League Championship Series last year.

Another star third baseman, the Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, recently landed a five-year, $124 million contract extension. He is guaranteed $150 million when including the 2022 season and the 2023 team option, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Unless Devers' play takes a nosedive in 2022, one has to figure he'll get a contract that meets or exceeds those numbers, either with the Red Sox via extension after the season or as a free agent in 2023.

Per FanGraphs, Devers' .373 WOBA (weighted on-base average) was second among all third basemen behind the Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley. He was second with a 4.7 WAR, behind only Ramirez (6.3 WAR).

For now, Devers and the Red Sox are focusing on the 2022 season. They'll start the year on the road against the New York Yankees on Friday afternoon.

The MLB Players Association has reportedly expressed a willingness to potentially accept a 14-team playoff field in order to continue collective bargaining agreement negotiations with Major League Baseball.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the MLBPA approached MLB with the idea of reopening talks on expanding the playoff field from 10 teams to 14 teams in hopes that MLB would return the favor by being more flexible on the competitive balance tax and other issues.

Olney added that people on both sides are "hopeful" reopening discussions regarding the playoffs could be a "breakthrough" in terms of agreeing on an overall CBA.

Talks between the MLBPA and MLB broke down earlier this week, which led to MLB canceling the first two series of the 2022 regular season.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that the MLBPA and MLB negotiated for 16 hours Monday into the early morning hours of Tuesday, which led to MLB extending the deadline for canceling regular-season games to 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Passan noted at the time that while some progress had been made, there were still clear divides between the two sides.

MLB reportedly offered a CBT threshold of $220 million, a minimum salary of $675,000 and a bonus pool of $25 million. That fell short of the CBT threshold of $245 million, minimum salary of $775,000 and bonus pool of $115 million that the players asked for, but it was a better offer than MLB made previously.

The CBT threshold is an especially significant issue since teams must pay a luxury tax if they spend over that amount. The players want it to be higher so as not to deter teams from spending money on player salaries.

Also, MLB proposed a 14-team playoff field, but the MLBPA balked and countered with a 12-team field because of reported concerns about teams getting into the playoffs with poor records and causing them to spend less on players.

Talks resumed Tuesday, but no deal was reached, as the MLBPA rejected what was described as MLB's "best and final offer," per ESPN.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred subsequently announced the cancellation of the first two series of the regular season before saying: "My deepest hope is we get an agreement quickly. I'm really disappointed we didn't make an agreement."

The cancellation of games means teams are likely to play no more than 156 games each in 2022 rather than the usual 162.

Opening Day had been scheduled for March 31, but now it is unclear when the regular season will commence.

The ongoing lockout has also led to the cancellation of many spring training games, which were supposed to start at the end of February.

MLB is now in the midst of the second-longest work stoppage in its history behind only the 1994-95 strike, which resulted in the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

The sides still have plenty of time to get a deal done and save the season, but more games are in danger of getting canceled if the standoff lasts much longer.

It's back to the meeting room for Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday that the league's Dan Halem and the union's Bruce Meyer had an "informal" one-on-one meeting in New York. Halem and Meyer have been the lead negotiators up to this point.

The Athletic's Evan Drellich provided details of the meeting:

MLB, MLBPA discussed key topics today: both bargaining subjects and timing of talks from here. Meeting went for about an hour and a half. Wound up having two people from each side: Dan Halem and Morgan Sword from MLB, Bruce Meyer and Ian Penny from the MLBPA

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 3, 2022

ESPN's Marly Rivera reported the tone was "the same" with "no breakthroughs" or official proposals during the meeting.

Thursday's meeting was the first since the league, which initiated the ongoing lockout, elected Tuesday to cancel the regular season's first week of games.

"The calendar dictates that we're not going to be able to play the first two series of the regular season, and those games are officially canceled," commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters.

He added: "Our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party."

The press conference came after the two sides failed to reach an agreement following nine days of negotiations in Florida, although the league previously waited 43 days to make its first offer.

MLB issued a deadline of 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday to either come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement or cancel some games, and it made its final offer shortly before that deadline. 

Drellich shared the details, which included no changes to the competitive balance tax and slight increases to minimum salaries and the pre-arbitration bonus pool:

MLB’s best, final offer before pulling down games, per MLBPA official:
• Pre-arb bonus pool of $30 million, up $5 million from before
• No change on CBT thresholds (220/220/220/224/230)
• Minimum salary starting at $700k, going to $740k over course of deal. PA starts $725k

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022

The players rejected the offer, and many then reacted to how the process played out:     

Regarding The MLB Lockout: pic.twitter.com/QQUC1pWr5F

— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) March 2, 2022

Wish MLB would use some of their PR tactics to promote the stars in our game! pic.twitter.com/Iktd7PqReh

— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) March 1, 2022

Manclown. https://t.co/EbnJx48LZl

— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 1, 2022

To the fans we will miss you most. To the younger generation of baseball players, this is for you.

— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) March 1, 2022

While the first two series of the season were canceled for each team, the two sides will need to reach an agreement in the near future if they want to prevent further cancellations. After all, there are still a number of unsigned free agents who will eventually join teams, and players will need some time to ramp up during a spring training.

Even if the meeting was "informal," it is notable it happened Thursday since Manfred previously told reporters there would be no agreement "until at least Thursday."

This year marks the first time since 1995 that the start of a MLB season will be delayed due to a work stoppage.                   

Thursday's meetings between Major League Baseball and the players association reportedly didn't result in much progress as the league-implemented lockout continues.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported "progress was minimal" Thursday with just four days remaining until the league's deadline for reaching a deal before regular-season games will be canceled.

"They've had four days to move and there's been next to nothing—just incremental," Passan noted.

Evan Drellich of The Athletic explained the players made a proposal that narrowed the scope of service-time manipulation to fewer players and a proposal for the draft that would keep the seven-pick lottery in place but penalize teams in other ways for back-to-back losing seasons.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers and Passan provided additional context:

The union’s move on service time would have given a full year to about 20 extra players over the past 5 years, down from a previous offer which would have accounted for about 29 players. Like all week, it’s a decent tweak. Big issues remain.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 24, 2022

The union moved a little towards the league on draft order and service time manipulation but the day ended early because the sides had nothing more to discuss, according to sources.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 24, 2022

There's a lot of talk about tanking and how to fix it. This, according to sources, was part of the MLBPA's proposal today -- similar to what it has proposed in the past. The league's counter has been simple: the top four picks are subject to a lottery with no other adjustments. pic.twitter.com/Ikz41Wk36h

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 25, 2022

This comes after a league spokesperson told reporters, "A deadline is a deadline," when saying games will be canceled starting Monday. "Missed games are missed games. Salary will not be paid for those games."

That it was the league suddenly imposing such a strict deadline was notable since it waited a full 43 days to make a counterproposal in previous negotiations.

Rogers reported Tuesday that the union rejected the league's suggestion to use a federal mediator for the second time.

The pattern to this point has been minor concessions on each side but little meaningful progress on major issues. Given that reality, it is difficult to feel optimistic about the possibility of there being a deal in place by Monday, regardless of the league's supposed deadline.

Spring training games were initially scheduled to start on Saturday, but that clearly will not happen. Opening Day is now in serious danger with no end to the back-and-forth in sight as of Thursday.

When the two sides do finally reach an agreement, there are a number of free agents who still have to sign with teams. It is also logical to expect players will need weeks of spring training to ramp up before the regular season, so it could be a while until there are meaningful MLB games.          

After a long day of meetings between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, it appears not much progress has been made toward ending the lockout. 

According to The Athletic's Evan Drellich, the two sides were unable to agree to a revised competitive balance tax proposal. In addition, Drellich reports there is still a "very large gap" in the pre-arbitration bonus pool. MLB reportedly raised the pre-arbitration pool from $15 million to $20 million. 

The CBT was first introduced as a luxury tax, but baseball owners have made it into an unofficial salary cap of sorts. Teams that exceed the predetermined payroll threshold are subject to the luxury tax. The further over the threshold they are, they more they are taxed. 

Owners look at the CBT as a way to save money. If they stay under the luxury tax threshold, they will not be taxed. Since 2017, the CBT has increased each season, though not by much, with the threshold for the 2021 campaign being $210 million. For comparison, the threshold in 2020 was $208 million and in 2019 it was $206 million.

The MLBPA's biggest concern with the CBT is that the tax level hasn't grown at the same rate as MLB revenues. The players initially proposed a $245 million luxury tax threshold for 2022 in collective bargaining agreement discussions and it would increase to $273 million in 2026 under their proposal, according to theScore's Travis Sawchik. 

MLB already has a soft cap with the CBT, and the players fear MLB's latest proposal would create a much more rigid cap. The issue they see? MLB revenues are compounding at a much faster rate than the tax threshold. https://t.co/q7EJls49tm pic.twitter.com/MZ3ZbxPQFO

— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) February 16, 2022

However, MLB's most recent CBT proposal came one week ago. They offered a $214 threshold for 2022 and an increase to $222 million in the last year of the deal. That shows the significant gap between both sides. 

Also of note, per Drellich, MLB has withdrawn its proposal that was seeking the ability to control minor league roster sizes. The league also reportedly withdrew its proposal that would have limited the number of times a player could be optioned in a season to five.

The lockout began on Dec. 2 and little progress on a new CBA has been made between MLB and the MLBPA. The league recently announced that spring training games had been delayed a week due to the inability to reach a deal, and games could only continue to be postponed. 

At this point, the start of the 2022 regular season is in danger of being delayed. The first games are set to begin on March 31 but with a CBA still not in place, it's possible the start of the regular season gets pushed back. 

Players also need time to ramp up activity before the season begins. So if the regular season is to begin as scheduled, the two sides need to reach a deal quickly.