Mining the News (1/31/25)

American League
Angels
• Scott Kingery ignored the Phillies’ advice in 2024 and did his own thing.
Kingery, with nothing to lose, said he did things the way he wanted to in 2024. With that came an uptick in production. His walks decreased significantly. The enhanced aggressiveness resulted in 12 more homers, 25 more hits and 20 more RBI in just 39 more at-bats compared to the year prior. But also zero call-ups. Not even a promotion back to the 40-man roster.
Last season in AAA, the 30-year-old hit .268/.316/.488 with 25 HR and 25 SB in AAA.
Astros
• Zach Dezenzo has been playing in the outfield after primarily being a third baseman.
Another option for left field is prospect Zach Dezenzo, who spent a month playing winter ball in Puerto Rico to get more at-bats and some reps in left field. Dezenzo, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Astros’ No. 6 prospect, has played mostly third base in the Minor Leagues, along with some time at second and first base. He was a shortstop when he played at Ohio State University.
While in Puerto Rico, Dezenzo played eight games in left field, 10 at first base and one at third base. The Astros have since signed Christian Walker to play first base, but there remains a real opportunity for Dezenzo to make the club as a contributor in left field.
“The whole goal for me going out there was to get reps in the outfield and get more at-bats,” Dezenzo said. “As you guys know, I missed some games earlier last season [with a wrist injury]. I was in rehab until mid-June. And getting those at-bats, continuing to play, was big. I get better when I’m playing. So I think being in those game environments, atmosphere and situation was good for me.”
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“Zach Dezenzo played some really good left field there,” Espada said. “I think he’s someone who is going to go to spring, and I’m going to give him some looks in the outfield. I already had that conversation with him. I really like his potential, his athleticism, his bat.”
• Cristian Javier and J.P. France will return mid-season while Luis Garcia’s and Lance McCullers Jr.’s start to the season will be delayed …
Both Cristian Javier and J.P. France underwent season-ending surgery last year and are locks to start 2025 on the injured list, while reporting yesterday revealed that both Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are also slated to miss at least the start of the upcoming campaign. France indicated earlier this month that he was targeting a return from shoulder surgery in July of this year, while Ari Alexander of KPRC2 reports that Javier suggested during the club’s FanFest event yesterday that he’s eyeing a return at some point in the second half.
… so Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski will start the season in the rotation.
The club’s projected Opening Day rotation figures to feature Valdez, Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, and freshly acquired youngster Hayden Wesneski.
• There is a scenario where Jose Altuve plays some outfield next season.
If Houston cannot engineer a reunion with Bregman, the team also maintains serious interest in free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco, who could see the majority of his time at second base and also move Altuve to left field. Polanco underwent left knee surgery in October, and though he’s been cleared to resume baseball activities, it stands to reason the Astros would have to monitor his workload, allowing Altuve at least some time at second base.
Asked whether moving Altuve to left field is contingent on adding another player to the roster, Brown replied that “for the most part” it would, but left the door open for a more permanent move if nothing else is accomplished. Altuve has done some work in left field this offseason at Daikin Park.
• Yordan Alvarez almost needed knee surgery late into the offseason and won’t play much outfield next season.
The knee sprain was a little more serious than appeared at the time, as Alvarez told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle through an interpreter that “there was a lot of damage” and “at the time of the injury, there was a lot of doubts” about whether or not a surgical procedure would be required.
“But the last three or four weeks, it’s been feeling great, so everything is good to go….Apparently, it wasn’t enough damage to have surgery, [because] the body’s been recovering good and I feel good to go,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez’s mention of that 3-4 week timeline is somewhat eyebrow-raising, as it would somewhat indicate that surgery remained on the table until pretty recently. However, Alvarez declared himself ready for the start of Spring Training, and said he didn’t expect to have any limitations on his ability to play in left field. “I’ve been running, training, and I haven’t had any setbacks, and it’s good,” Alvarez said.
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A change to even this limited outfield usage could be coming, since manager Joe Espada told Kawahara and other reporters during the Winter Meetings that “I would like to kind of cut back on the amount of reps that [Alvarez] gets in left field.” While this isn’t a huge surprise given Alvarez’s most recent knee issue and his subpar defense, it is noteworthy considering the Astros’ lack of outfield depth.
• In September, Luis Garcia’s rehab was shut down because of elbow tightness.
Luis Garcia said he had some elbow tightness during his recovery process in September, so the Astros shut him down for six weeks. He’s back throwing and said he feels great.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 25, 2025
Guardians
• Slade Cecconi will be built up as a starter and has made adjustments to his delivery.
Vogt raved about Cecconi’s pure stuff, and he has already made adjustments to his delivery, based on feedback from Cleveland’s pitching gurus. He has experience in the rotation and the bullpen, but the Guardians will build him up as a starter in spring training.
Orioles
• Dylan Carlson might be platooned with Cedric Mullins and/or Colton Cowser.
Carlson has started most often in center field, and with Mullins and Cowser both left-handed hitters, it’s a plus to have a right-handed hitter who can play center. O’Neill has played center occasionally, but he’s probably needed in right field more often.
Here is how the three performed over their careers versus different pitcher handedness.
Name: OPSvsLHP, OPSvsRHP
Cowser: .653, .757
Mullins: .636, .788
Carlson: .792, .655
Carlson will steal some at-bats from the pair. The breakdown is just not obvious right now.
Mariners
• There is an “optimistic” feeling that Jorge Polanco will be 100% to start the season.
Polanco has been cleared to resume baseball activities after undergoing left knee surgery on Oct. 10. In a letter from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Cooper that Polanco’s agent, Ulises Cabrera, released to interested teams, Cooper said, “I am optimistic that (Polanco) will be 100 percent and fully recovered” by the beginning of the regular season. Cooper added he does “not think he will have any restrictions during spring training.”
Polanco has only played shortstop, second base and third base at the major-league level, but could contribute in left field if he signs with the Astros, team and league sources said.
Rangers
• Dane Dunning is “cleaning up a lot of problems”.
He’s spent a lot of time watching video of both his good outings and his bad ones, trying to find the balance to be consistent all season.
“The offseason’s been really good,” Dunning said. “I’ve been working on a lot of things, cleaning up a lot of problems that I created throughout the year. … This offseason, a lot of it was directional. I was landing very far over the last year, and I was really losing my hips. I think that’s been a common theme for the past couple years with my hips. I want to just get more directed toward my line and be able to work freely. Just let my arm move freely. It’s been really good so far, and I feel like I’ve made some major improvements, and I’m looking for this next season.”
Red Sox
• Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Slaten will battle over the closer’s job.
All of those moving parts mean a new bullpen mix for 2025.
Chapman, Hendriks, Wilson and Whitlock figure to have four of those bullpen spots already locked up, with Justin Slaten almost certainly in line for a fifth spot. Hendriks, Chapman and Slaten all appear to be competing for the closer’s role.
Tigers
• Spencer Torkelson “tinkered” with his swing.
But Torkelson is a great insurance policy to have. He’s tinkered with offseason swing adjustments. Chances are the Tigers would rather have him in Toledo than trade him elsewhere in the event he unlocks something.
• Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic senses a vibe that the team wants Jackson Jobe in the Opening Day rotation.
The vibe entering spring training is this: The Tigers want Jobe to make the rotation. These things could always change, but so long as Jobe has an adequate spring and displays his high-level stuff, he has the inside track for a rotation spot. The Tigers started his service clock last year, and there are potential rewards if Jobe starts the season on the Opening Day roster and finishes as a Rookie of the Year contender.
Twins
• Carlos Correa feels healthy for Spring Training (plantar fasciitis) but will maintain a treatment program to keep it from returning.
Carlos Correa declared himself ready for spring training after spending the first part of the offseason rehabbing and treating a case of plantar fasciitis that led to him missing 53 games last season.
The Twins shortstop is running, sprinting, changing directions and preparing himself to play after suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Correa also battled plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the 2023 season.
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Correa described his recovery process as more natural than a year earlier because of his treatment program and exercise regimen. Though he feels great, Correa will continue to take daily preventive measures with his feet, including the shockwave therapy he endured late last season in an attempt to return to the field.
• Joe Ryan got a clean MRI in November and is up to 89 mph.
Joe Ryan wanted to hit 90 mph on the radar gun before he left for spring training. In his first session, one he describes as easygoing, Ryan reached 89 mph.
The Twins starting pitcher is medically cleared and on a normal throwing program after an early November determination that he was completely healed from the Grade 2 teres major strain he suffered behind his right shoulder in August.
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Ryan underwent three MRIs after the end of the season. His third and final exam on Nov. 5 showed complete resolution and no signs of his strain.
• Simeon Woods Richardson mentioned he was trying to change his arm slot last season.
During his appearance as a guest on my “Gleeman and The Geek” podcast Saturday as part of our annual Winter Meltdown live event, Woods Richardson pointed to the mechanical changes and spring success giving him the confidence to think a rotation spot could be there for the taking. So that’s exactly what he did in 2024, logging 28 starts and 133 2/3 innings with a 4.17 ERA and 4.05 xERA.
“It was having the confidence to know I had to change my arm slot and be OK with that,” Woods Richardson said. “Practicing it, trying to get it to be muscle memory. It wasn’t until spring training where I could actually see it come to life. When we start facing guys, and I can see results from the hard work. You don’t know until you go in the ring and try to fight somebody.”
His release point was all over the place last season varying by two feet.
Maybe a little consistency will lead to a better season.
• Royce Lewis will play third base but practice some at second base.
Falvey said Royce Lewis will play third base but will mix in some second base during spring training.
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) January 25, 2025
White Sox
• Drew Thorpe had a setback while recovering from offseason elbow surgery.
Right-hander Drew Thorpe received a cortisone shot on Friday, a setback in his recovery from season-ending surgery last Sept. 7 to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow.
“I’m hoping that kind of clears it up and we are good to go from here,” Thorpe said during a media session prior to SoxFest Live on Friday at the Ramova Theatre. “Everything structurally in my arm — I got MRIs a couple of weeks ago — everything is clean, everything is good. It’s part of the surgery process, I guess.”
• Colson Montgomery will play shortstop at some point next season.
The 22-year-old left-handed hitter clearly will be a key figure at the Major League level for the 2025 White Sox, regardless of that Opening Day outcome.
“He’s going to get a lot of opportunity come Spring Training,” said general manager Chris Getz of Montgomery, during Thursday’s pre-SoxFest Live press conference with manager Will Venable at Rate Field. “We expect to see Colson Montgomery playing shortstop for the White Sox this year at some point.
“He’s a guy that has continued to improve defensively. What he did in August and September and the Fall League, he made some real material changes to cover certain pitches and getting back to the player that we had seen throughout the Minor Leagues. He’s going to get a shot to make the club. Now, we’ve got other players on the roster that are going to compete for shortstop opportunities.”
National League
Braves
• Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson have a leg up on the fourth and fifth starter jobs.
Or one that is at least a considerably better option than Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson, a pair of out-of-options hurlers who stand as the favorites to begin the season as Atlanta’s fourth and fifth starters, since Strider likely won’t return from right elbow surgery until the end of April.
Cubs
• Jordan Wicks is getting in shape (lost 20 pounds).
Of note there, Wicks spoke with Marquee about his offseason, which has seen him recommit to fitness and health, about his role going forward, and about how those two things relate to each other:
“We’ve been doing a lot of stuff. A lot of it is cleaner eating, just taking care of what we’re eating. I’ve lost about 20 pounds, doing pilates twice a week. There’s nothing more humbling than going to pilates twice a week and having your wife kick your butt every time you go there ….
“I’m hoping to be able to be in better cardio shape, go deeper into games. I think last year we focused so much on strength we kind of forgot the other elements that go along with it and I think that caught up with me at the end of the year so I think it will help a lot of aspects of our game ….
“I think it’s focusing more on the details from day to day. Being able to focus each and every day of, ‘okay, I got to get my body in the best shape possible for the next day, whatever that means.’ You could be up out of the bullpen the next day or whether you’re on a five-day [routine], it’s understanding how those things change and what I need to do to get my body in a position to do that.”
• Ryan Pressly was not “guaranteed” the closer’s role.
On that last one, however, Maddie Lee reports that Pressly was *not* guaranteed the closer job: “Pressly is a strong candidate to be the Cubs’ closer this season, but he’ll have to compete for the role. A source threw cold water on rumors that suggested Pressly only would approve the trade if he was guaranteed to be the closer, saying no such promises were made.”
I tend to trust that report, and I think we’ll go into Spring Training with the presumption that Pressly may have the first crack at locking down the closer job, but it might not be a come-hell-or-high-water situation. If he struggles, he could lose the job.
Giants
• Pitching coach J.P. Martinez believes in Kyle Harrison improving.
Do any of the young pitchers stand out from what you’ve heard about their offseason workouts? Is there anyone you believe is primed to come into spring training and open eyes?
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There’s no lefties like Kyle in the league right now. There’s a great pitcher like Tarik Skubal, or a Jesús Luzardo, guys who are 27 or 28 years old. But there’s nobody doing it at 23. I talked to Kyle about this (Friday), actually, when I saw him in Arizona: He always played with an aggressive joy when he was in the minor leagues. And I felt like last year, he lost some of that. Just because he was a little nervous, or overthinking or was a little stressed about his stuff, his velocity, his performance. And I really want him to get back to pitching with that joy.
• Landen Roupp plans on throwing his change more and introducing a cutter.
Roupp said he’s hoping to utilize his changeup more in the upcoming season, as well as introduce a cutter. In refining his repertoire, he’s learning from the ace of San Francisco’s staff.
“I talked with Webby [Logan Webb] in Spring Training last year about the changeup,” Roupp said. “We kind of have the same arm slot and a similar arsenal. I kind of got his grip and started throwing it. But it didn’t click for me until Boston.”
Mets
• Brandon Nimmo is still not able to sprint.
Nimmo was able to get an injection in the foot after the season and has done physical therapy, but the foot is coming along slowly. He is jogging at the moment. Like he did in years past, Nimmo will not play the first few games of Spring Training, but he feels like he will be ready for Opening Day, which is March 27 against the Astros at Daikin Park. The foot injury hasn’t stopped him from hitting in the batting cage.
“The biggest thing is to be ready for Opening Day. To that point, we are just going to try and go as fast as the foot will let us,” Nimmo said. “I’m in the jogging progression now. Hopefully, that will go to the sprinting [level], and then we’ll be able to get back into it. It should be good to go. But obviously, there will be steps forward and backwards through all of it.
• Ronny Mauricio is performing “baseball activities”.
The Mets will take things slow with Mauricio, who missed last season after tearing his ACL in winter ball. “This is a guy that missed the whole year last year and had some setbacks, but we like where he’s at physically right now,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s doing baseball activities. He’s hitting in the cages, he’s taking ground balls. He’s throwing.”
• Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are taking first base reps.
Baty and Vientos — both natural third basemen — have been taking reps at first to ready themselves in case Alonso doesn’t return.
“It’s hard not to pay attention to it when you see it on every platform,” Vientos said of the Alonso noise. “But you just kind of focus on [being] ready to get back. I’m excited.”
“I think it’s really fun, honestly,” added Baty, who changed his uniform to No. 7 to accommodate incoming slugger Juan Soto. “I’ve always prided myself on being as athletic as I can, and I think athleticism, you can show it off at any position — whether it be first base, second base, the outfield, wherever it is. I think it’s just been really fun to learn all those new positions.”
Nationals
• Shinnosuke Ogasawara was signed to be a starting pitcher.
“Like a lot of players from the Japanese major leagues, [Ogasawara]’s (made his scheduled starts) every year,” Rizzo said. “I think the last four or five years, he’s thrown 150-160 innings as a starter. He’s got a good pitch mix, and a good repertoire to be a starter. And he’s shown that he has durability and longevity that allows us to believe he’ll be a starting pitcher for us.”
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“We signed him to be a starting pitcher for us in the big leagues,” Rizzo said. “Of course, he’ll have to earn that spot in the rotation. I think there’s going to be great competition for the five spots in the rotation by some good, young, talented players. If he’s not ready for the big leagues, then we could always option him to Triple-A and bring him up sometime during the season. But we anticipate him battling out for a rotation spot, and I think it’s going to be a fun competition to watch.”
• The team has several starting pitcher candidates and here are the projected ERA for them.
Rizzo already signed Michael Soroka to a one-year, $9 million deal and re-signed Trevor Williams to a two-year, $14 million deal. Both right-handers suggested they were told upon signing they would be starting for the Nats. That, of course, could change, and both Soroka and Williams have had success elsewhere as multi-inning relievers. But for now, their salaries (two of the highest on the current roster) would seem to dictate they get priority to start over less accomplished pitchers.
Name: Projected ERA
MacKenzie Gore: 3.77
DJ Herz: 3.98
Mitchell Parker: 4.25
Michael Soroka: 4.25
Jake Irvin: 4.33
Trevor Williams: 4.50
Phillies
• Cristopher Sánchez is adding a new pitch.
Cristopher Sánchez didn’t want to tip his hand.
“I am working on a few new things,” he said through an interpreter on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. “I won’t say what those are, but I’m working on a few new things.”
A new pitch?
“Yeah,” he said, smiling.
Rockies
• Germán Márquez had healed from his elbow injury.
German Marquez was one of those players, as Schmidt said the right-hander is recovered from the stress reaction in his right elbow that prematurely ended Marquez’s 2024 season.
Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
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