With MLB’s Seoul Series now in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world heading into the weekend:
1. Article XX(B) Opt-Outs are today:
As a provision of the current collective bargaining agreement, uniform opt-out opportunities are provided to Article XX(B) free agents who are in camp with clubs on minor league deals. An Article XX(B) free agent is a player with at least six years of MLB service time who finished the prior season on a big league roster or injured list. The first of those aforementioned uniform opt-out opportunities is set for today at 1pm CT. At that point, any XX(B) eligible player can exercise their opt-out, which would leave their current club with a 48-hour window to either add them to the 40-man roster or release them. Players who remain in their current organization and are not added to the 40-man will have additional opt-out opportunities on May 1 and June 1.
Today’s opt-outs could be particularly impactful for clubs that have been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks. Teams looking for help on the positional side, such as the Reds and Rays, figure to benefit the most from today’s opt-outs, as sixteen of the 31 players with opt-out opportunities are hitters. Included amongst the names on that list are up-the-middle options such as Kolten Wong, Elvis Andrus, and Jake Marisnick as well as corner bats like Mike Moustakas and Garrett Cooper. By contrast, just five of them are starting pitchers, meaning teams facing pitching injuries such as the Marlins, Astros, and Yankees are far less likely to benefit from today’s opt-outs, though it’s at least feasible that a back-end arm or two such as Carlos Carrasco or Brad Keller could return to the open market.
2. Martinez deal to be made official:
The Mets and veteran slugger J.D. Martinez reached an agreement on a one-year deal yesterday that guarantees the 36-year-old a $12MM salary, though the majority of that money is deferred to reduce the net present value of the deal to just under $9MM per RosterResource. The Mets will need to clear space for Martinez on their 40-man roster assuming the deal, which is pending a physical, becomes official in the coming days. New York has no obvious candidates for a trip to the 60-day injured list, as right-hander Kodai Senga is on the verge of beginning a throwing program as he looks to return for a shoulder issue that has sidelined him this spring while fellow righty Max Kranick’s hamstring strain appears unlikely to sideline him for that long either. Barring a surprise injury or a setback for one of the two aforementioned players, that leaves the Mets in position to either designate a player for assignment or attempt to work out a trade of some sort that clears roster space.
3. Will the trade market heat up in the coming days?
The Mets are unlikely to be the only club looking to do 40-man roster maneuvering in the coming days, however. Between the impending opt-out opportunity for Article XX(B) veterans and the fact that Opening Day is fast approaching, teams have already begun to finalize their roster decisions ahead of the 2024 season. Clubs with full 40-man rosters hoping to add non-roster players to the Opening Day squad, whether they be veterans on minor league deals or top prospects who have yet to debut in the big leagues, will need to make room on their rosters in the coming days. That could lead to trades involving players already on the 40-man roster being moved elsewhere for non-roster pieces, allowing teams in need of 40-man space to recoup some value for a player rather than simply designating them for assignment.
Many trades of this caliber, such as the deal that sent outfielder Greg Jones from the Rays to the Rockies yesterday, are fairly minor. Others can be more significant, such as the deal between the Cubs and the Dodgers this offseason that saw the clubs swap top prospects, with Michael Busch headed to Chicago alongside reliever Yency Almonte. In return, the Dodgers cleared two spots on their 40-man roster while bringing back non-roster youngsters in left-hander Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. Of course, it’s not always feasible for a team to work out a trade when they need 40-man roster space, though the flurry of transactions typically associated with Opening Day roster construction could help to spark a deal or two that might not otherwise get done.
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