Disgruntlement bubbles up in spring
man to $151 million over the next six seasons. Tucker has a $12 million, one-year deal and is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. Houston faces an uncertain future with third baseman Alex Bregman, who gets $28.5 million in 2024, the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract. Astros GM Dana Brown anticipates making offers. “I’m always open to having those conversations and talk it through,” Tucker said. “I’d rather not prolong it forever.” A twotime All-Star, the 27-year-old Tucker hit .284 last year with 29 homers, 30 stolen bases and a career-best 112 RBI. Bregman, who turns 30 on March 30, also is a two-time All-Star. He batted .262 with 25 homers and 98 RBI last year. “I expect to have the best season I’ve ever had,” he said. ”My body feels in incredible shape, my swing feels better than ever.” Bregman is represented by agent Scott Boras, who usually prefers his clients test the free agent market. “We’re listening to everything the team has to say,” Bregman said. “I’m letting Scott and the Astros do that together and handle that for me. So that way I can be fully focused on baseball and winning and do the things I love to do playing ball for this great city.”
Kansas City Royals: The greatest obstacles in this year’s free-agent market is that the traditional big spenders have not cracked open their checkbooks. The Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and World Series champion Texas Rangers have all spent less than the Royals. Who thought the Royals, who lost 106 games last season, would be dropping nearly $400 million this season, second-most to only the Los Angeles Dodgers? The largest contract they had ever given out before Witt was catcher Salvador Perez’s four-year, $82 million extension.
Los Angeles Angels: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Angels manager Ron Washington were thrilled to be invited by the Hall of Fame to be the voices on their new exhibit, “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball.” The exhibit opens on May 25 when Cooperstown hosts the Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game. “One of the things we’re trying to do is make sure that we go back to the beginning of when Black people started playing baseball all the way through modern times,” Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said. “These two guys, what they’ve accomplished both as players and managers, what they’ve seen and what they’ve experienced, we think are really important voices in the exhibit.” The Hall of Fame also will have Hall of Famers Lee Smith, Andre Dawson and Dave Winfield as part of the exhibit. “It’s important that we also find a way to take this whole project outside of Cooperstown and share it virtually with schools across the country,” Rawitch said.
Minnesota Twins: The Twins could be scary this season if Byron Buxton can finally stay healthy and be their everyday center fielder. He was limited to 85 games as a DH and pinch hitter last season. So far, so good. “The pain’s gone, so I’m a lot more happy,” Buxton told reporters. “The last couple of years were definitely painful, just waking up, feeling like a knife is in your knee every morning.”
New York Yankees: The Yankees would prefer to trade for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease instead of signing free agent Blake Snell, but they are at a standstill with the White Sox. They refuse to part with top outfield prospect Spencer Jones in any package for Cease while the White Sox are insisting on him. The Yankees say they will not consider a short-term deal or early opt-outs with Snell because of a luxury-tax surcharge. They offered a five-year, $150 million contract for Snell in January but there was no counteroffer. If the Yankees signed Snell, they would be taxed at 110% while also losing two draft picks.
Oakland Athletics: NBC Sports California announced it is hiring Chris Caray as a play-by-play announcer for the Athletics this season. Caray will join Jenny Cavnar, the A’s new primary play-byplay voice, and returning color commentator Dallas Braden in the booth. Cavnar, who is the first woman to be the primary voice for an MLB team, will call play-byplay for about 95 games this season. Caray will be responsible for about 65 games, according to NBCUniversal Vice President of Communications Brian Potter. Prior to joining the A’s booth, Caray worked with his twin brother, Stefan, as the play-by-play voice of the Amarillo (Texas) Sod Poodles, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Class AA affiliate. They began that job while still in college at the University of Georgia – where Chris directed the university’s student-run radio, WUOG – and have since graduated. He follows the footsteps of his father, Chip, current St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster; grandfather, Skip, former Atlanta Braves broadcaster; and great-grandfather and baseball broadcasting icon Harry Caray . ... The city of Oakland wants a guarantee from MLB that they will get an expansion team if they permit the A’s to stay at the Coliseum until their move to Las Vegas in 2028. There’s no chance of that happening, MLB officials say. The A’s instead could play the 2025-2027 seasons in Sacramento, with hopes they can retain most of their TV money.
Seattle Mariners: Several talent evaluators openly questioned the health of Seattle Mariners reliever Gregory Santos when he was acquired from the Chicago White Sox several weeks ago. After all, he ended the season on the IL with elbow inflammation. Sure enough, he showed up at the Mariners complex feeling discomfort behind his shoulder and is questionable for opening day.
Tampa Bay Rays: At 32, infielder Yandy Diaz has played all but 88 games for Tampa Bay, after a 2019 trade from Cleveland. Yet he’s just now reaching his apex as a player. Few put up tougher atbats than Diaz, whose .330 batting average was good enough for the AL batting title. His 22 homers, a .410 OBP and .932 OPS helped forge 5.2 WAR. “Yandy took his game to another level,” says Rays manager Kevin Cash, who enters his 10th season as the longest-tenured manager in the major leagues. Diaz’s first half in 2023 earned him an All-Star selection, and after some hesitation, he flew to the game in Seattle, hit a home run and was able to return for the birth of his son a day later. “It was a blessing to have him,” he says of Yandy Jared Diaz, born to his wife, Mayisleidis. “Now you have double goals – everything is for him. Everything I do is for him and to hopefully help the team at the same time.”
Texas Rangers: The Rangers hired Brett Bochy, 36, the son of Bruce Bochy, to be a first-year scout. It runs in the family. Joe Bochy, the older brother of Bruce, was a longtime amateur and professional scout . ... The Rangers are expected to receive $100 million in their local TV contract this season instead of the original $111 million from the Diamond Sports Group.
Toronto Blue Jays: Manager John Schneider already is seeing the potential benefits of having Justin Turner in his starting lineup. The 39-year-old Turner signed a $13 million, one-year deal with the Blue Jays after spending last season with the Boston Red Sox. Schneider watched Turner hit an RBI single, walk and score a run in a 14-13 Grapefruit League victory over the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. “That’s what we’re looking for from J.T., understanding hitting situations,” Schneider said. “That’s exactly what he’s been doing his whole career.”