Cardinals open 3-game series against the Dodgers

Dodgers' Chris Stratton Elects to Leave Organization

Newsweek

an hour ago

Newsweek

Dodgers' Chris Stratton Elects to Leave Organization

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Veteran right-handed pitcher Chris Stratton, who was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, has cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, Stratton has rejected his outright assignment, instead electing to enter free agency. More news: MLB Power Rankings — Yankees Fall, Mets and Dodgers Rise LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Chris Stratton #41 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2025 in Los... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Chris Stratton #41 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. MoreStratton signed a major league deal with the Dodgers on May 25 as the team was looking for bullpen help amid their rash of injuries. Stratton ended up making two appearances with the reigning World Series champions, allowing two earned runs in three innings of work for a 6.00 ERA. Stratton was then designated for assignment on Monday when the team made a trade and another roster move to shuffle their bullpen. Read more: Dodgers Acquire Pitcher From Mariners in 2-Player Trade Stratton will now head back to free agency to look for his next home. The 34-year-old began the season with the Kansas City Royals — where he also spent the 2024 season — sporting a 7.94 ERA over 12 appearances. Last year, he had a 5.55 ERA across 57 appearances in Kansas City. Stratton was initially a first-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2012. He debuted in 2016 and spent three seasons of his career with San Francisco before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2019 season. The Angels traded Stratton to the Pittsburgh Pirates midway through the 2019 season. He was then with Pittsburgh until 2022, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. At the 2023 trade deadline, Stratton was traded again, this time to the Texas Rangers. He played a key role in Texas' bullpen in their 2023 World Series run. More news: Phillies' Bryce Harper Breaks Silence on Kyle Schwarber's Upcoming Free Agency Across his 10-year career, Stratton has made 373 appearances (42 starts), sporting a 4.63 ERA over 623.1 innings pitched. Now, he'll look to continue his career with another team, and shouldn't have much trouble finding a minor league opportunity that could turn into a major league one. Stratton has six pitches in his arsenal, mainly using a four-seam fastball, curveball, changeup and slider while also mixing in a sinker and sweeper. While he's struggled this season, he is in the 90th percentile of average exit velocity and the 81st percentile in hard hit percentage. It shouldn't be long before Stratton joins another team and contributes to their bullpen — he'll just likely hope to get a longer stay at his next stop. For more MLB news, head over to Newsweek Sports.

Early grades for top 25 MLB free agents from this past offseason

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

Early grades for top 25 MLB free agents from this past offseason

The Arizona Diamondbacks' difficult start to the season took another unfortunate turn this week when ace Corbin Burnes, in the first season of a six-year, $210 million contract, went on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation. Burnes' velocity had dipped dramatically in the fifth inning of his most recent start, prompting him to call for the team athletic trainer and cut his outing short. The team subsequently confirmed the ever-ominous diagnosis that it was indeed elbow-related, necessitating a visit to Dr. Neal ElAttrache to further clarify the injury. This is a devastating setback, depending on the severity of the diagnosis, for a D-backs pitching staff that was already in a rather tenuous position even with Burnes healthy and pitching well. The Snakes stunned the baseball world when they landed Burnes just before the new year, seemingly securing a certified ace to headline a rotation that was already quite talented on paper. Instead, the pitching staff surrounding Burnes, with the exception of Merrill Kelly, who has been solid, has woefully underperformed. Now Burnes is out for at least half of this month, and even with an elite offense, the D-backs have quite an uphill battle to climb if they want to stay relevant in the NL West race, let alone the wild-card picture. Advertisement While Burnes' injury feels painful considering the massive contract he signed, he's hardly the only big-ticket free-agent addition whose tenure with their new team is off to a rocky start. Such is the nature of free agency: sometimes these splashy additions completely alter the complexion of the team for the better, but adding star-level talent for star-level prices does not always immediately provide star-level production. While it's certainly unfair to evaluate the totality of these long-term contracts after just a couple months, here's an early report card for this past offseason's biggest free-agent signings, featuring the top half of our top 50 list: 1. Juan Soto, Mets OF Contract: 15 years, $765M Grade: B- Soto's uncharacteristic 16-game swoon in May, during which he went 7-for-59 with zero homers, put his overall statline in a hole that the spectacular slugger is still digging out of. A player who receives the largest contract in baseball history and is universally hailed as a generational offensive talent should be held to the highest possible standard, and he simply hasn't met it yet. That's not to say he has been downright bad on the whole. This modest grade reflects that. We all know how much better he can be. Soto's recent power surge and renewed shuffling swagger has rightfully restored optimism that he's trending in the right direction, which is great news for Mets fans and bad news for pitchers. 2. Roki Sasaki, Dodgers RHP Contract: minor league deal; $6.5M signing bonus Grade: C Advertisement Without a traditionally titanic free agent contract attached, and as a 23-year-old adjusting to a new league in a new country, Sasaki does not deserve to be graded nearly as harshly as his veteran counterparts on this list. But it'd also be disingenuous to suggest that his first eight starts as a big leaguer were especially encouraging — and that's before even factoring in the shoulder ailment that now has him on the injured list without any clarity about when he could return to LA's rotation. There is still ample upside attainable here if Sasaki can get healthy, but there are also clear developmental hurdles for the right-hander to clear for him to become a reliable big league starter. For as special as his splitter is, Sasaki's fastball is just not a good pitch as currently constituted, and his command remains shoddy at best. There's plenty of time for Sasaki to figure these things out and become a star, but expecting it to happen in his rookie season may be overzealous at this point. 3. Corbin Burnes, D-backs RHP Contract: 6 years, $210M, opt-out after Year 2 Grade: B/Incomplete Advertisement The ramifications of Burnes' injury cannot be fully understood until the severity becomes more clear. A short-term absence would obviously be an ideal outcome and a bullet dodged for the Snakes, but even a handful of missed starts could make a big difference considering how little margin for error the D-backs currently have in the standings. If it's indeed a longer-term injury and Burnes is out for the year, that's a much more daunting hole in the roster to overcome, especially with how unreliable the rest of the pitching staff has been. It could also influence the likelihood of Burnes opting out of the remaining four years and $140 million on his deal after next season — which could be viewed as good or bad news for Arizona, depending how he looks in 2026. For now, it's simply a massive bummer for both player and team, as Burnes has been such an enjoyable constant as one of baseball's aces over the past half-decade. 4. Alex Bregman, Red Sox 3B Contract: 3 years, $120M, opt-out after Year 1 Grade: A- Advertisement For all the drama involving the construction of the roster that has swirled around the Red Sox since Bregman's arrival, Bregman himself was thoroughly fulfilling his obligations until his quad injury last month. Though he was striking out a bit more than usual, Bregman's slugging and underlying power indicators had skyrocketed to start the year, suggesting he was on track for a season resembling his 2018-2019 peak more so than the merely very good level he had performed at in recent years with Houston. It'll be fascinating to see where the currently scuffling Red Sox are in the standings when Bregman returns from his injury later this summer. 5. Willy Adames, Giants SS Contract: 7 years, $182M Grade: C- Advertisement Durability hasn't been an issue for Adames, who has started all 62 games for San Francisco, including 61 at shortstop. But Adames' track record of high-level offensive production from a premium position that warranted his sizable contract has yet to carry over as a Giant. While Adames' plate discipline metrics remain in line with his career norms, the quality/genre of his contact has suffered this year, with a dramatic decline in how often he is pulling fly balls, which he was near-elite at over the previous two seasons. After batting second for the first 41 games, Adames has been hitting fifth or sixth lately, depending on the matchup as he looks to find his stride. For now, Adames remains one of the more glaring holes in a San Francisco lineup that has collectively struggled to find a rhythm. 6. Blake Snell, Dodgers LHP Contract: 5 years, $182M Grade: D/incomplete Advertisement Trying to predict which Dodgers starting pitcher was the best bet to stay healthy was a fool's errand from the beginning, yet it was especially frustrating to see Snell be the first one to hit the injured list this season after just two starts. Snell is reportedly working his way back from his shoulder injury and is scheduled to throw a bullpen in the coming weeks, but for now, he's just another high-profile hurler on the shelf for the defending champs who has yet to meaningfully contribute on the field for his new team. 7. Max Fried, Yankees LHP Contract: 8 years, $218M Grade: A Fried's excellence would be praiseworthy in any context, but has proven especially crucial for the Yankees in the absence of ace Gerrit Cole and reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil. Fried's consistently crafty deployment of his ultra-deep arsenal has fit in brilliantly within New York's impressive pitching infrastructure, and he's formed one heck of a duo of southpaws atop the rotation alongside Carlos Rodón, another recent high-dollar free-agent addition who is enjoying his best season as a Yankee yet. 8. Pete Alonso, Mets 1B Contract: 2 years, $54M with an opt-out after Year 1 Grade: A Advertisement As disappointing as it may have been for Alonso to not secure a monster contract in his first go at free agency — and several other teams should be regretting not pursuing Alonso more aggressively — this has worked out rather brilliantly for both sides so far. Alonso continues to anchor New York's new-look lineup with Soto and Francisco Lindor while re-establishing his bona fides as one of the game's most reliable and fearsome sluggers, priming him for a deserved, if delayed payday this winter if/when he chooses to exercise his opt-out. 9. Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers OF Contract: 3 years, $66M Grade: B Advertisement From a slugging and run-producing standpoint, Hernández has hardly missed a beat in his second year in Dodger blue, and remains a key contributor in the heart of Los Angeles' lineup. It's also been a strange season for the 32-year-old outfielder by certain measures, as he's currently running career-low strikeout (23.4%) and walk (3.6%) rates. The improved contact is a pleasant surprise, but his complete refusal to draw free passes has left his OBP (.306) in a less-than-stellar state. In this loaded lineup, Hernández's sketchy on-base skills are probably not a nit worth picking, but for a player whose value is entirely derived from his bat — the defense remains well below-average — it's something to monitor moving forward. 10. Christian Walker, Astros 1B Contract: 3 years, $60M Grade: D+ Advertisement No, Walker hasn't been quite as bad as Jose Abreu was in the first year of the nearly identical contract (3 years, $58.5 million) signed to solidify Houston's first base situation, but he hasn't been markedly better either. It's been a discouraging introduction to the Astros for Walker, whose strikeouts have spiked and walks have plummeted. He's provided terrific defense at first, as expected, and he's still hitting the ball reasonably hard, so perhaps there is a hot streak ahead of him. But Walker has thus far failed to help backfill the offensive production lost by the departures of Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and that's a troubling trend for a first baseman who just turned 34. 11. Anthony Santander, Blue Jays OF Contract: 5 years, $92.5M Grade: D- Advertisement Besides a career-high walk rate (11.5%), it is awfully difficult to find much positive about the first couple months of Santander's Toronto tenure. Coming off a 44-homer season with Baltimore, Santander was brought in to help address the Blue Jays' severe lack of power in the lineup outside of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He has barely made an impact so far. His .304 SLG% ranks last among qualified Blue Jays bats and in the bottom 10 of all qualified big league hitters. Now on the injured list with a shoulder injury, it's unclear when Santander will have a chance to validate his hefty contract in a Blue Jays lineup that could still use a power boost. 12. Jack Flaherty, Tigers RHP Contract: 2 years, $35M Grade: B- Advertisement Flaherty has been more good than great in his return to the Motor City following a prolonged free agency that didn't seem to garner much interest from a wide swath of teams. His strikeout-to-walk ratio remains sterling, but he allows a bit more hard contact than you'd prefer from one of your best starting pitchers. That said, Flaherty doesn't need to be a no-doubt ace for Detroit with Tarik Skubal firmly entrenched as the ultimate frontline arm. He just needs to be good — and Flaherty has broadly met that standard thus far. 13. Luis Severino, Athletics RHP Contract: 3 years, $67M Grade: C Severino's performance hasn't been nearly the biggest problem on a problematic pitching staff that has completely sabotaged the Athletics in the standings in recent weeks. But as the pitcher who received the largest free-agent deal in franchise history, Severino's effectiveness has been a letdown. One key split worth noting: Severino has a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings across five starts on the road, but a 6.99 ERA at the supremely hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Health Park, the Athletics' temporary home. Yikes. Advertisement 14. Sean Manaea, Mets LHP Contract: 3 years, $75M Grade: Incomplete The popular lefty who endeared himself to the Mets' fan base last season has yet to throw a pitch for New York this season after suffering an oblique strain during spring training. He's scheduled to make his first rehab start with High-A Brooklyn this week. 15. Jurickson Profar, Braves OF Contract: 3 years, $42M Grade: F You fail a PED test, you get an F in this exercise. Profar played just four games before being suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned substance. He's eligible to rejoin the Braves' lineup on June 29, but it's tough to know what to expect from the 32-year-old outfielder upon his return. He also would be unable to participate in the postseason, though that doesn't feel like an especially relevant concern at this stage considering Atlanta's current place in the standings. 16. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B Contract: 1 year, $15M Grade: B+ Advertisement Torres' continued defensive deficiencies at second base keep this grade from being an A, but he's been a fantastic addition to the top of the Tigers' lineup and is setting himself up well to secure a significant multiyear deal this winter. While he still isn't slugging anywhere near his early-career peak, Torres' plate discipline has been elite with Detroit. He has a career-low strikeout rate, a career-high walk rate and the second-lowest chase rate in baseball, with only Soto ranking better. 17. Yusei Kikuchi, Angels LHP Contract: 3 years, $63M Grade: C+ He's eaten innings and the ERA looks solid, but nothing about Kikuchi's underlying numbers indicate that he's having an especially strong season. Most notably, Kikuchi's command and control have regressed badly — his 12.9% walk rate isn't just a career-high mark, it's the highest of any qualified starting pitcher in MLB. 18. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers RHP Contract: 3 years, $75M Grade: A- Advertisement Before Eovaldi went on the injured list with triceps inflammation, Texas' decision to retain the right-hander was looking like one of the best moves any team made last offseason, as Eovaldi was downright dominant across his first dozen starts. This recent injury scare is a relevant data point for a 35-year-old who has had his fair share of ailments over the course of his career, hence the A- and not A. But strictly from a performance standpoint, it's tough to argue with Eovaldi's tremendous results. 19. Nick Martinez, Reds RHP Contract: 1 year, $21.05M (accepted the qualifying offer) Grade: B- Many were surprised when Martinez accepted the QO coming off a quietly splendid season in 2024, and now it'll be interesting to see what kind of deal he can command this winter. He's been perfectly cromulent in his second year in Cincy, albeit hardly a standout in a Reds rotation that features some pitchers with far more eye-catching stuff, like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. 20. Ha-Seong Kim, Rays INF Contract: 2 years, $29M Grade: Incomplete Advertisement Still working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, Kim has yet to appear for Tampa Bay but is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. 21. Tyler O'Neill, Orioles OF Contract: 3 years, $49.5M Grade: D Much of the frustration surrounding Baltimore's wayward start to the season has understandably been directed at the ill-equipped pitching staff, but O'Neill's complete lack of production stands out as another major blemish on the Orioles' front office's résumé. Currently on the injured list with a shoulder issue, O'Neill is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon. 22. Tanner Scott, Dodgers LHP Contract: 4 years, $72M Grade: C- Advertisement For years, Scott's pure stuff from velocity and movement standpoints have been so overwhelmingly good that it hasn't much mattered that he'd frequently walk batters — he could always find a timely whiff when he needed it to get out of trouble. Suddenly and strangely, Scott is throwing more strikes than ever in his first year with the Dodgers, but his stuff has not been nearly as nasty — and he's getting hit hard as a result. We've still seen flashes of dominance, but Scott's struggles are a sobering reminder of how fickle relievers can be, even the best ones. 23. Walker Buehler, Red Sox RHP Contract: 1 year, $21.05M Grade: C+ Advertisement Amid a tumultuous first couple months for the Red Sox, Buehler hasn't been a stabilizing force in the rotation. He's had a handful of quality outings along the way but on the whole, he's looked like more of a No. 4 starter than the No. 2 starter Boston may have been hoping for after Buehler's high-profile postseason run last October. 24. Shane Bieber, Guardians RHP Contract: 2 years, $26M opt-out after Year 1 Grade: Incomplete Bieber appeared to be nearing his highly anticipated return from Tommy John surgery before reporting soreness after his most recent bullpen session. That's hardly the news Guardians fans want to hear at this stage, but if Bieber can get back on track and return sooner rather than later, he should provide a much-needed jolt to a Cleveland rotation that has sorely missed him since he went down last April. How he performs in the second half could play a huge part in whether the Guardians can return to the postseason. 25. Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays RHP Contract: 3 years, $33M Grade: B Advertisement As with Scott, Hoffman represents another example of how volatile relievers can be. The 32-year-old right-hander looked completely invincible through the end of April but then had multiple catastrophic outings in May that completely tanked his statline. On talent alone, Hoffman is clearly still one of baseball's best bullpen arms, but the performance has undeniably been underwhelming of late.

Early grades for top 25 MLB free agents this past season

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

Early grades for top 25 MLB free agents this past season

The Arizona Diamondbacks' difficult start to the season took another unfortunate turn this week when ace Corbin Burnes, in the first season of a six-year, $210 million contract, went on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation. Burnes' velocity had dipped dramatically in the fifth inning of his most recent start, prompting him to call for the team athletic trainer and cut his outing short. The team subsequently confirmed the ever-ominous diagnosis that it was indeed elbow-related, necessitating a visit to Dr. Neal ElAttrache to further clarify the injury. This is a devastating setback, depending on the severity of the diagnosis, for a D-backs pitching staff that was already in a rather tenuous position even with Burnes healthy and pitching well. The Snakes stunned the baseball world when they landed Burnes just before the new year, seemingly securing a certified ace to headline a rotation that was already quite talented on paper. Instead, the pitching staff surrounding Burnes, with the exception of Merrill Kelly, who has been solid, has woefully underperformed. Now Burnes is out for at least half of this month, and even with an elite offense, the D-backs have quite an uphill battle to climb if they want to stay relevant in the NL West race, let alone the wild-card picture. Advertisement While Burnes' injury feels painful considering the massive contract he signed, he's hardly the only big-ticket free-agent addition whose tenure with their new team is off to a rocky start. Such is the nature of free agency: sometimes these splashy additions completely alter the complexion of the team for the better, but adding star-level talent for star-level prices does not always immediately provide star-level production. While it's certainly unfair to evaluate the totality of these long-term contracts after just a couple months, here's an early report card for this past offseason's biggest free-agent signings, featuring the top half of our top 50 list: 1. Juan Soto, Mets OF Contract: 15 years, $765M Grade: B- Soto's uncharacteristic 16-game swoon in May, during which he went 7-for-59 with zero homers, put his overall statline in a hole that the spectacular slugger is still digging out of. A player who receives the largest contract in baseball history and is universally hailed as a generational offensive talent should be held to the highest possible standard, and he simply hasn't met it yet. That's not to say he has been downright bad on the whole. This modest grade reflects that. We all know how much better he can be. Soto's recent power surge and renewed shuffling swagger has rightfully restored optimism that he's trending in the right direction, which is great news for Mets fans and bad news for pitchers. 2. Roki Sasaki, Dodgers RHP Contract: minor league deal; $6.5M signing bonus Grade: C Advertisement Without a traditionally titanic free agent contract attached, and as a 23-year-old adjusting to a new league in a new country, Sasaki does not deserve to be graded nearly as harshly as his veteran counterparts on this list. But it'd also be disingenuous to suggest that his first eight starts as a big leaguer were especially encouraging — and that's before even factoring in the shoulder ailment that now has him on the injured list without any clarity about when he could return to LA's rotation. There is still ample upside attainable here if Sasaki can get healthy, but there are also clear developmental hurdles for the right-hander to clear for him to become a reliable big league starter. For as special as his splitter is, Sasaki's fastball is just not a good pitch as currently constituted, and his command remains shoddy at best. There's plenty of time for Sasaki to figure these things out and become a star, but expecting it to happen in his rookie season may be overzealous at this point. 3. Corbin Burnes, D-backs RHP Contract: 6 years, $210M, opt-out after Year 2 Grade: B/Incomplete Advertisement The ramifications of Burnes' injury cannot be fully understood until the severity becomes more clear. A short-term absence would obviously be an ideal outcome and a bullet dodged for the Snakes, but even a handful of missed starts could make a big difference considering how little margin for error the D-backs currently have in the standings. If it's indeed a longer-term injury and Burnes is out for the year, that's a much more daunting hole in the roster to overcome, especially with how unreliable the rest of the pitching staff has been. It could also influence the likelihood of Burnes opting out of the remaining four years and $140 million on his deal after next season — which could be viewed as good or bad news for Arizona, depending how he looks in 2026. For now, it's simply a massive bummer for both player and team, as Burnes has been such an enjoyable constant as one of baseball's aces over the past half-decade. 4. Alex Bregman, Red Sox 3B Contract: 3 years, $120M, opt-out after Year 1 Grade: A- Advertisement For all the drama involving the construction of the roster that has swirled around the Red Sox since Bregman's arrival, Bregman himself was thoroughly fulfilling his obligations until his quad injury last month. Though he was striking out a bit more than usual, Bregman's slugging and underlying power indicators had skyrocketed to start the year, suggesting he was on track for a season resembling his 2018-2019 peak more so than the merely very good level he had performed at in recent years with Houston. It'll be fascinating to see where the currently scuffling Red Sox are in the standings when Bregman returns from his injury later this summer. 5. Willy Adames, Giants SS Contract: 7 years, $182M Grade: C- Advertisement Durability hasn't been an issue for Adames, who has started all 62 games for San Francisco, including 61 at shortstop. But Adames' track record of high-level offensive production from a premium position that warranted his sizable contract has yet to carry over as a Giant. While Adames' plate discipline metrics remain in line with his career norms, the quality/genre of his contact has suffered this year, with a dramatic decline in how often he is pulling fly balls, which he was near-elite at over the previous two seasons. After batting second for the first 41 games, Adames has been hitting fifth or sixth lately, depending on the matchup as he looks to find his stride. For now, Adames remains one of the more glaring holes in a San Francisco lineup that has collectively struggled to find a rhythm. 6. Blake Snell, Dodgers LHP Contract: 5 years, $182M Grade: D/incomplete Advertisement Trying to predict which Dodgers starting pitcher was the best bet to stay healthy was a fool's errand from the beginning, yet it was especially frustrating to see Snell be the first one to hit the injured list this season after just two starts. Snell is reportedly working his way back from his shoulder injury and is scheduled to throw a bullpen in the coming weeks, but for now, he's just another high-profile hurler on the shelf for the defending champs who has yet to meaningfully contribute on the field for his new team. 7. Max Fried, Yankees LHP Contract: 8 years, $218M Grade: A Fried's excellence would be praiseworthy in any context, but has proven especially crucial for the Yankees in the absence of ace Gerrit Cole and reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil. Fried's consistently crafty deployment of his ultra-deep arsenal has fit in brilliantly within New York's impressive pitching infrastructure, and he's formed one heck of a duo of southpaws atop the rotation alongside Carlos Rodón, another recent high-dollar free-agent addition who is enjoying his best season as a Yankee yet. 8. Pete Alonso, Mets 1B Contract: 2 years, $54M with an opt-out after Year 1 Grade: A Advertisement As disappointing as it may have been for Alonso to not secure a monster contract in his first go at free agency — and several other teams should be regretting not pursuing Alonso more aggressively — this has worked out rather brilliantly for both sides so far. Alonso continues to anchor New York's new-look lineup with Soto and Francisco Lindor while re-establishing his bona fides as one of the game's most reliable and fearsome sluggers, priming him for a deserved, if delayed payday this winter if/when he chooses to exercise his opt-out. 9. Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers OF Contract: 3 years, $66M Grade: B Advertisement From a slugging and run-producing standpoint, Hernández has hardly missed a beat in his second year in Dodger blue, and remains a key contributor in the heart of Los Angeles' lineup. It's also been a strange season for the 32-year-old outfielder by certain measures, as he's currently running career-low strikeout (23.4%) and walk (3.6%) rates. The improved contact is a pleasant surprise, but his complete refusal to draw free passes has left his OBP (.306) in a less-than-stellar state. In this loaded lineup, Hernández's sketchy on-base skills are probably not a nit worth picking, but for a player whose value is entirely derived from his bat — the defense remains well below-average — it's something to monitor moving forward. 10. Christian Walker, Astros 1B Contract: 3 years, $60M Grade: D+ Advertisement No, Walker hasn't been quite as bad as Jose Abreu was in the first year of the nearly identical contract (3 years, $58.5 million) signed to solidify Houston's first base situation, but he hasn't been markedly better either. It's been a discouraging introduction to the Astros for Walker, whose strikeouts have spiked and walks have plummeted. He's provided terrific defense at first, as expected, and he's still hitting the ball reasonably hard, so perhaps there is a hot streak ahead of him. But Walker has thus far failed to help backfill the offensive production lost by the departures of Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and that's a troubling trend for a first baseman who just turned 34. 11. Anthony Santander, Blue Jays OF Contract: 5 years, $92.5M Grade: D- Advertisement Besides a career-high walk rate (11.5%), it is awfully difficult to find much positive about the first couple months of Santander's Toronto tenure. Coming off a 44-homer season with Baltimore, Santander was brought in to help address the Blue Jays' severe lack of power in the lineup outside of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He has barely made an impact so far. His .304 SLG% ranks last among qualified Blue Jays bats and in the bottom 10 of all qualified big league hitters. Now on the injured list with a shoulder injury, it's unclear when Santander will have a chance to validate his hefty contract in a Blue Jays lineup that could still use a power boost. 12. Jack Flaherty, Tigers RHP Contract: 2 years, $35M Grade: B- Advertisement Flaherty has been more good than great in his return to the Motor City following a prolonged free agency that didn't seem to garner much interest from a wide swath of teams. His strikeout-to-walk ratio remains sterling, but he allows a bit more hard contact than you'd prefer from one of your best starting pitchers. That said, Flaherty doesn't need to be a no-doubt ace for Detroit with Tarik Skubal firmly entrenched as the ultimate frontline arm. He just needs to be good — and Flaherty has broadly met that standard thus far. 13. Luis Severino, Athletics RHP Contract: 3 years, $67M Grade: C Severino's performance hasn't been nearly the biggest problem on a problematic pitching staff that has completely sabotaged the Athletics in the standings in recent weeks. But as the pitcher who received the largest free-agent deal in franchise history, Severino's effectiveness has been a letdown. One key split worth noting: Severino has a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings across five starts on the road, but a 6.99 ERA at the supremely hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Health Park, the Athletics' temporary home. Yikes. Advertisement 14. Sean Manaea, Mets LHP Contract: 3 years, $75M Grade: Incomplete The popular lefty who endeared himself to the Mets' fan base last season has yet to throw a pitch for New York this season after suffering an oblique strain during spring training. He's scheduled to make his first rehab start with High-A Brooklyn this week. 15. Jurickson Profar, Braves OF Contract: 3 years, $42M Grade: F You fail a PED test, you get an F in this exercise. Profar played just four games before being suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned substance. He's eligible to rejoin the Braves' lineup on June 29, but it's tough to know what to expect from the 32-year-old outfielder upon his return. He also would be unable to participate in the postseason, though that doesn't feel like an especially relevant concern at this stage considering Atlanta's current place in the standings. 16. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B Contract: 1 year, $15M Grade: B+ Advertisement Torres' continued defensive deficiencies at second base keep this grade from being an A, but he's been a fantastic addition to the top of the Tigers' lineup and is setting himself up well to secure a significant multiyear deal this winter. While he still isn't slugging anywhere near his early-career peak, Torres' plate discipline has been elite with Detroit. He has a career-low strikeout rate, a career-high walk rate and the second-lowest chase rate in baseball, with only Soto ranking better. 17. Yusei Kikuchi, Angels LHP Contract: 3 years, $63M Grade: C+ He's eaten innings and the ERA looks solid, but nothing about Kikuchi's underlying numbers indicate that he's having an especially strong season. Most notably, Kikuchi's command and control have regressed badly — his 12.9% walk rate isn't just a career-high mark, it's the highest of any qualified starting pitcher in MLB. 18. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers RHP Contract: 3 years, $75M Grade: A- Advertisement Before Eovaldi went on the injured list with triceps inflammation, Texas' decision to retain the right-hander was looking like one of the best moves any team made last offseason, as Eovaldi was downright dominant across his first dozen starts. This recent injury scare is a relevant data point for a 35-year-old who has had his fair share of ailments over the course of his career, hence the A- and not A. But strictly from a performance standpoint, it's tough to argue with Eovaldi's tremendous results. 19. Nick Martinez, Reds RHP Contract: 1 year, $21.05M (accepted the qualifying offer) Grade: B- Many were surprised when Martinez accepted the QO coming off a quietly splendid season in 2024, and now it'll be interesting to see what kind of deal he can command this winter. He's been perfectly cromulent in his second year in Cincy, albeit hardly a standout in a Reds rotation that features some pitchers with far more eye-catching stuff, like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. 20. Ha-Seong Kim, Rays INF Contract: 2 years, $29M Grade: Incomplete Advertisement Still working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, Kim has yet to appear for Tampa Bay but is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. 21. Tyler O'Neill, Orioles OF Contract: 3 years, $49.5M Grade: D Much of the frustration surrounding Baltimore's wayward start to the season has understandably been directed at the ill-equipped pitching staff, but O'Neill's complete lack of production stands out as another major blemish on the Orioles' front office's résumé. Currently on the injured list with a shoulder issue, O'Neill is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon. 22. Tanner Scott, Dodgers LHP Contract: 4 years, $72M Grade: C- Advertisement For years, Scott's pure stuff from velocity and movement standpoints have been so overwhelmingly good that it hasn't much mattered that he'd frequently walk batters — he could always find a timely whiff when he needed it to get out of trouble. Suddenly and strangely, Scott is throwing more strikes than ever in his first year with the Dodgers, but his stuff has not been nearly as nasty — and he's getting hit hard as a result. We've still seen flashes of dominance, but Scott's struggles are a sobering reminder of how fickle relievers can be, even the best ones. 23. Walker Buehler, Red Sox RHP Contract: 1 year, $21.05M Grade: C+ Advertisement Amid a tumultuous first couple months for the Red Sox, Buehler hasn't been a stabilizing force in the rotation. He's had a handful of quality outings along the way but on the whole, he's looked like more of a No. 4 starter than the No. 2 starter Boston may have been hoping for after Buehler's high-profile postseason run last October. 24. Shane Bieber, Guardians RHP Contract: 2 years, $26M opt-out after Year 1 Grade: Incomplete Bieber appeared to be nearing his highly anticipated return from Tommy John surgery before reporting soreness after his most recent bullpen session. That's hardly the news Guardians fans want to hear at this stage, but if Bieber can get back on track and return sooner rather than later, he should provide a much-needed jolt to a Cleveland rotation that has sorely missed him since he went down last April. How he performs in the second half could play a huge part in whether the Guardians can return to the postseason. 25. Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays RHP Contract: 3 years, $33M Grade: B Advertisement As with Scott, Hoffman represents another example of how volatile relievers can be. The 32-year-old right-hander looked completely invincible through the end of April but then had multiple catastrophic outings in May that completely tanked his statline. On talent alone, Hoffman is clearly still one of baseball's best bullpen arms, but the performance has undeniably been underwhelming of late.

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