Kiley McDaniel
@kileymcd
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ESPN Baseball Insider. Trying to tell the future. DMs open. Former: FanGraphs & four MLB teams.
ATL
Joined January 2009
Yes, it's already time for fresh 2025 and 2026 MLB Draft Rankings, after I watched the tops of both classes in the last few weeks. - Yes, another (really talented) Holliday brother.- Yes, another SEC slugger at the top for 2025.- Rintaro Sasaki!
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BREAKING: Freddie Freeman has agreed to terms with the Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million deal according to @JeffPassan and me.
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BREAKING: New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole opted out of his contract, sources tell me and @JeffPassan. The Yankees can void the opt-out by adding one year and $36 million to the four years and $144 million that Cole had remaining on his deal.
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Sources: the Atlanta Braves notified their full-time and part-time employees yesterday that they would be paid through May 31. They are the first known MLB club to give their employees assurances beyond the end of April or beginning of May.
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Source: Turner is getting 11 years, $300 million with a full no trade clause.
BREAKING: Shortstop Trea Turner and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a contract, a source tells ESPN.
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Saw Druw Jones tonight (son of Andruw), my top prospect for the 2022 draft. Hostile road crowd and faced 90-93 mph from Georgia State commit Brady Jones. Amidst chants of "overrated" he hits a rocket dead central. Friend helped me with a side angle @espn @jones_druw
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BREAKING: Chicago Cubs CF/1B Cody Bellinger picked up his $27.5 million player option for the 2025 season and will not be a free agent, sources tell me and @JeffPassan.
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Get on board or don’t, this is the best of our sport and we need more of it
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Ole Miss would like a word with the baseball is boring crowd.
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Source: players are voting now on MLB’s CBA proposal, many already have cast their vote.
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Right-hander Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $55 million contract extension that includes a seventh-year club option for $21 million, sources tell ESPN. The Sox lock up the 24-year-old into the 2030s.
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LHP Jordan Montgomery has hired Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe & Nick Chanock as his agents, per sources. Montgomery was one of the Boras Four, who were unsigned late into free agency. I projected he would get 5 yrs, $106M and he eventually signed for 1 yr, $25M w/Arizona on March 26.
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BREAKING: Cubs and Dansby Swanson have an agreement on a seven-year deal for $177 million, per source.
BREAKING: Shortstop Dansby Swanson and the Chicago Cubs are finalizing an agreement on a contract, sources tell ESPN.
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Sources tell me the deal is. LAD gets: Mookie Betts, David Price, cash from BOS.MIN gets: Kenya Maeda.BOS gets: Alex Verdugo, Brusdar Graterol. Separately, LAD trades Joc Pederson to LAA for Luis Rengifo.
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today in baseball news here’s a tiktok of a 13 year old that goes by doodoo biscuittt carving Jose Bautista with a blitzball. look for doodoo on my upcoming top 100. according to some people at all 100 spots.
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Source: the Braves are calling up top prospect CF Cristian Pache.
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Shohei Ohtani's free agency is the most anticipated since The Decision in 2010. I collected predictions from 26 insiders about his next deal. They think they know where Ohtani wants to sign. The biggest contract in American sports is the starting point:
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The Reds have promoted shortstop Noelvi Marte to Triple-A, per source. Marte is a long time Top 100 prospect who is still just 21 years old. He was a key part of the Luis Castillo trade return from the Mariners.
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YO WHAT.
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Free agent OF Jason Heyward is nearing a one year deal with the Dodgers, per source.
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Source: 2B Dee Strange-Gordon has a minor league deal in place with the Cincinnati Reds.
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MLB righties Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa along with prospects OF Gabriel Gonzalez and RHP Darren Bowen is the four player return for Polanco, per sources. Believe cash is also involved.
The Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a trade that will send second baseman Jorge Polanco to Seattle, sources tell ESPN.
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Sources: the Yankees notified their baseball operations employees earlier today that they will be paid through May. Covers all employees on a uniform employee contract.
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2016 Florida prep IF Rylan Thomas hits a walk off bomb in a 0-0 playoff game. UCF commit.
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After the Correa/Mets deal, the FanGraphs depth chart projections & payroll rankings show:. Mets are 1st in payroll and in projected WAR.Yankees are 2nd in payroll and in projected WAR.Padres are 3rd in payroll and in projected WAR
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welcome to february, baseball fans.- congrats, you work for the athletic.- free agents over age 28 are forced to retire.- remember esteban loaiza? he’s pablo escobar now.
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Mets prospect RHP Christian Scott will be called up to make his big league debut, likely on Saturday in Tampa, per source. Scott was 99th on my top 100 prospects list entering the spring and has dealt at AAA since then: 25.1 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 36 K.
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Source: Dodgers prospect OF Andy Pages will be heading to the Angels in the Joc Pederson deal, pending medical review. Pages hit 19 homers last year in rookie ball as an 18 year old (now 19).
There will be more players involved in the Joc Pederson-Luis Rengifo trade between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels should it pass medical reviews, sources tell ESPN.
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The complete trade, per sources:. Padres receive:.RHP Dylan Cease. White Sox receive:.RHP Drew Thorpe (4th in SD system, 64th in Top 100).RHP Jairo Iriarte (7th in system, 109th overall).OF Samuel Zavala (12th in system).RHP Steven Wilson (graduated)
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Sources: the Braves have promoted SS Vaughn Grissom to Double-A. 21-year-old has dominated High-A (.312/.403/.488) en route to becoming one of the top prospects in the system. 11th rounder in 2019 from the same Hagerty HS team as Tigers CF Riley Greene.
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Execs are complaining that everyone’s prices are too high to facilitate trades after the Berrios deal. Prices still high!.
The White Sox paid a massive price for Craig Kimbrel: second baseman Nick Madrigal and reliever Codi Heuer, sources tell ESPN. When I said at the top of the show that Cubs had the chance to remake themselves for the next five years in the next two hours, this is what I meant.
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Source: Free agent RHP Vince Velasquez has an agreement on a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Former Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker underwent right shoulder surgery deemed a “minor scope” in September, sources tell me and @JeffPassan. Teams were informed recently. Now healthy and looking good, Rocker is moving up draft boards. News at ESPN:
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The Padres have traded a lot of long-term upside/controllable years to field a better club for the next couple years. BUT. they have kept the young core (Tatis, Paddack, Grisham, Gore, Patino, Abrams, Campusano, etc.). AND. the points of baseball is. *checks notes*. TO WIN GAMES*.
Is the SD farm system now a smoking crater? Nope!. My early math still has them narrowly as the 2nd-best farm bc:. - Many traded players had already graduated. - Other than Trammell, the traded prospects were sub-50 FV, so Cronenworth's gain in value (+$24M) offsets the others.
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To put it in context:. One year of Burnes, being paid $15.638M . For. Six years of Joey Ortiz.Six years of DL Hall.Late first round pick.
Full trade, sources tell me and @kileymcd :. Baltimore receives: RHP Corbin Burnes. Milwaukee receives: IF Joey Ortiz, LHP D.L. Hall and the 34th pick in the 2024 draft.
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Source: RHP Mike Foltynewicz is nearing a one-year MLB guaranteed deal with the Texas Rangers. Folty fell out of favor in Atlanta, would join Kohei Arihara and Dane Dunning as incoming rotation options in Texas. Rangers 40-man is full, so a corresponding move would be needed.
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The Braves are calling up IF Nacho Alvarez Jr., per source. Ozzie Albies broke his wrist so the Braves top infield prospect gets the call from Triple-A. It isn’t a public update yet, but Alvarez Jr. recently moved into the back end of my Top 100 prospects list.
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THIS KID’S NAME.
‘22 1B Chasin Cash (@FSPTCRecruiting) drives one into left center for a clutch go ahead 2 run 2B. Physical build that will only get stronger. Has been consistently barreling pitches for XBH all weekend. @PBRGeorgia #UpperclassWS
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Tired: Mets clearing space under CBT to go get Bryant or Bauer. Wired: Cohen freeing up capital for a complex derivatives bet to own the rapscallions on r/wallstreetbets.
The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade to acquire starter Steven Matz from the New York Mets for three prospects, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
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The Tigers are calling up SS Trey Sweeney to the big leagues, per source. The former first rounder has been on a tear of late and was one of two prospects coming from the Dodgers in return for Jack Flaherty.
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LHP Kyle Muller is headed to Oakland as part of the deal, per source. More pieces are coming out slowly.
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Right hander Jakob Junis has a deal with the Brewers pending physical, per source. He's being signed as a starting pitcher after having served as both starter and reliever for the Giants over the last two seasons.
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Source: MLB just informed clubs that they can begin scouting amateur events again, max of 3 scouts per club per event. Perfect Game National begins the summer showcase circuit for 2021 draft prospects on Wednesday in Birmingham, AL. Great news for scouts getting back to work.
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Yes, new Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs, a top 100 prospect in his own right, is named after Derek Jeter.
Catching prospect Connor Wong is headed to the Boston Red Sox alongside outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Jeter Downs in the trade that will send outfielder Mookie Betts, starter David Price and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources tell ESPN. Players have been notified.
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After playing 9 games in Double-A, the Giants are promoting top prospect 1B Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A, per source. Here’s what he looked like last spring as a high schooler, before the Giants made him the 16th overall pick. Eldridge will be 19 years old for another month.
James Madison HS (VA) 1B/RHP @BryceEldridge2 (Bama commit) is a consensus 1st rounder as a position player while also showing 2nd round ability on the mound. Looks like the 6-foot-7 Eldridge will do both at the next level. Here's a HR from 4/5:
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Source: Mets OF prospect Isaiah Greene is also in the Lindor trade. 2nd round comp pick out of California HS last summer, Cleveland was on him in the draft as well. Advanced hit tool, CF fit.
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ICYMI as the Mets jumped in the driver's seat for the last NL wild card spot, I reviewed how savvy team building, lots of open payroll space in 2025, and an improving farm has set the org up for a multi-year run
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The Dodgers have traded Dylan Campbell to the Phillies in a trade that includes international bonus pool space, per source.
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The Guardians have also claimed LHP Matt Moore from the Angels on waivers, per source.
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The qualifying offer for this offseason will be $21.05 million, per sources. The figure is calculated as the average of the top 125 salaries in MLB. The QO last offseason was $20.325 million. Teams have 5 days days after the World Series ends to offer it to qualified players.
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Cubs trade LF Yohendrick Pinango in the deal, per sources. 22 years old and in AA. Would need to be added to the 40-man this winter by Toronto to protect from the Rule 5 draft.
The Toronto Blue Jays are trading reliever Nate Pearson to the Cubs, sources tell @JeffPassan and me.
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1B/2B Spencer Horwitz is included in the deal headed to Cleveland, per source.
BREAKING: The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade to acquire three-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians, sources tell ESPN.
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The Phillies are planning to call up RHP Seth Johnson to start on Sunday in Miami, per source. His path has been unusual: the 40th pick in the 2019 draft, but he was a junior college shortstop in 2018. Johnson was acquired from Baltimore for Gregory Soto at the trade deadline.
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Tingler is 1000% wrong about this. A professional baseball player shouldn’t swing 3-0 because it would hurt the feelings of other professional players who aren’t as good? This is isn’t Little League.
Jayce Tingler was asked about the expectations on a 3-0 count and what he thought Fernando Tatis should have done in that situation:
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C Will Smith and the Dodgers settled at $8.55 million to avoid arbitration, per source. It’s a record for a second-time-eligible catcher.
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The Dodgers are close to signing 19-year-old Korean RHP Hyun-Suk Jang. @DanielKimW was 1st. The bonus will be around $1 million, per a source. L.A. traded RHP Maximo Martinez & Aldrin Batista to the White Sox for the needed int’l bonus pool space Friday
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Now that he’s in pro ball for the Guardians, it’s worth noting that Bazzana chose them over other, higher offers than the $8.95 million he signed for as the #1 overall pick, per source. Bazzana chose Cleveland because of their player development, analytics dept, and young core.
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The Rangers have claimed RHP Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Angels, per source.
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and here's more on Turner's case for $300 million including him crediting Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long for making his swing what it is today
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Source: third guy in the deal is Texas sending RHP Ronny Henriquez to the Twins. It’s a 2-for-1.
Catcher Mitch Garver is headed to the Rangers in the deal for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, sources tell ESPN.
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The Seattle Black Hole Suns.
UPDATE: City official tells me Suns owner Robert Sarver is threatening to take Suns to Seattle or Las Vegas. via @azcentral.
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Sources tell @JeffPassan and I: the Giants have traded RHP Sam Coonrod to the Phillies in a deal for RHP Carson Ragsdale.
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Source: for all 3 years, Hoffman will get $500,000 bonuses for each of 60, 70, 80, and 90 IP. Allows for more upside if he’s stretched out. Read (for free!) Hoffman’s thoughts on what he looks for in team and how he remade himself in the last two seasons.
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Seattle Mariners Gold Glove catcher Cal Raleigh has switched his representation to Excel Sports Management, per sources.
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Heyward's one year deal with the Dodgers is for $9 million, pending physical, per source.
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5 college hitters from the last 5 years have a game w/4 batted balls over 108 mph. Travis Bazzana 2024.Jac Caglianone 2023.Kemp Alderman 2023.Brock Wilken 2022.Spencer Jones 2022. Bazzana is the only one that plays up the middle. Other 4 have ++ raw power
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this is wild and I didn’t know any of it before this weekend:. -best rookie class since Pujols/Ichiro. -best rookie pitcher since Nomo. -all the top guys except one made the playoffs
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News: the top prospect for this year's NPB draft, a slugging 1B with the all-time Japanese HS HR record, has spurned the Japanese pro league to go to an American college. Why his NIL path is very complicated, scouting grades, and his draft outlook:
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Per sources, the Cincinnati Reds are promoting two of their top executives:. - VP/General Manager Nick Krall is becoming the President of Baseball Operations. - VP/Assistant GM Scouting & Player Development Brad Meador is becoming the Senior VP and General Manager.
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Sources: MLB & the MLB Players Association have the framework of an agreement that could be finalized as soon as today. Discussed terms on the draft: . - A draft sometime in July.- Likely 10 rounds, possibly 5.- Bonus deferment: 10% upfront, 45% in July '21, 45% in July '22.
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Jac Caglianone has a deal with the Royals for $7.5 million, per source. Slot value for the sixth overall pick was $7,213,800.
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UC San Diego RHP Anthony Eyanson has entered the transfer portal, per source. The 6’2 righty pitched last week at Collegiate Team USA Trials and is 2025 draft eligible with top three round buzz. 4-seam fastball 95-97, slider 83, curveball 77-79
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The Mariners are calling up OF Jonatan Clase, per source. He’s a plus-plus runner with an OPS over 1.000 in Triple-A so far this season.
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It probably won't matter, but this trade doesn't make any sense for KC. - KC isn't good. - Sandlin might be a big league starting pitcher in a few years. - Schreiber is fine RP, but he'll be 30 in a few weeks, has had one season that would justify this trade, and it wasn't 2023.
Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander David Sandlin, sources tell ESPN. Royals get an arm for a pen that needed it, Sox get a pitching prospect with strikeout stuff.
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NYY has arguably the best int’l department—believed to be the biggest staff and the most scouting reports. They have a track record of turning low bonus types quickly into assets, so this money goes further for them than it would for other clubs. Interesting strategy by Cash.
Int’l scout: “Yankees are killing it. There are still several unsigned international guys. (Cashman) upgraded his pitching, traded off surplus for international $$$ and can add very high-quality prospects to keep or guys he can trade (later) for top-of-the-rotation starters.”.
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Why did Yoshinobu Yamamoto have an 8.38 spring ERA? I charted all 151 pitches he threw. There was one specific thing he tried 6 times & was inches away from executing perfectly all 6 times. He'll do it more often in the regular season. Was he sandbagging?
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Source: The White Sox have a deal in place with Cuban RHP Norge Vera for $1.5 million for the 2020 signing class, beginning on July 2nd. More coming soon at
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MLB avoided a problem today with a few players hitting waivers, unlike last year's Angels-led cavalcade. Among the less than 10 players on today's list: Tommy Pham (STL), Robbie Grossman, Travis Jankowski (TEX), and Nicky Lopez (CHW), per sources. @katiejwoo was first on Pham.
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I spoke with projected 1st rounder Arjun Nimmala about his unique path. Until high school, there was some baseball but also regular trips to India to visit family, where he played cricket. When baseball became his focus, he jumped to the top of the class
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Source: MLB will hold its first-ever pre-draft combine for the top 88 prep players in the country June 20-28 in Cary, NC. Will have 8 games, showcase workouts, medical, performance, educational elements. Will be voluntary & free of charge for players. Clubs will pick the players.
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Source: Dan Altavilla is headed to SD as well. Ty France, Taylor Trammell, Luis Torrens, Andres Munoz. for. Austin Nola, Austin Adams, Altavilla.
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RHP Mike Baumann, recently released by the Marlins, has agreed to a deal with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan's NPB, per source. Baumann, 29, threw 58.1 innings of relief in the big leagues in 2024 for five different teams, averaging 96.7 mph with his fastball.
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There's a funny thing I've noticed in prospect calls this year. Teams are normally eager to tell me which prospects draw the most trade interest, but are especially eager this year to pinpoint when the Dodgers or Rays have interest. "We aren't sure why, but they asked for him.".
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Jason Heyward has a deal done with the Astros pending a physical, per source. He was released by the Dodgers yesterday and is making $9 million this season on a one-year deal signed last winter. @brianmctaggart mentioned things were close.
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You may have missed a court ruling last week in a lawsuit between the Vanderbilt quarterback and the NCAA. My phone has been buzzing ever since because coaches and scouts are convinced this will change college baseball, the draft, and the minor leagues.
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This price (two top 100 prospects: one top 50 guy, one 51-100) is way too close to the price for 1.5 years of Turner and a rental Scherzer, for me. 1.5 years of Berrios isn't close to as valuable as Turner/Scherzer in my mind.
SS/CF Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson are headed back to the Twins for Jose Berrios, sources tell ESPN. Wow. That is a massive haul for a year and a half of Berrios.
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🚨Batflip of the Year?🚨. Early candidate comes from Texas prep SS Sawyer Farr, who is rising into the top few rounds with a hot start to the season. 6-foot-4 switch hitter is committed to Texas A&M (@FarrSawyer)
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Aaron Judge. Then Shohei Ohtani. Now Juan Soto. We’ve had free agent frenzies for elite hitters the last three winters. How much will Soto get? Which teams will be bidding? 28 industry insiders gave me their guesses & I spoke with his agent Scott Boras.
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Is the SD farm system now a smoking crater? Nope!. My early math still has them narrowly as the 2nd-best farm bc:. - Many traded players had already graduated. - Other than Trammell, the traded prospects were sub-50 FV, so Cronenworth's gain in value (+$24M) offsets the others.
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Hand up: I was wrong about the Royals. They’ve been really good, there’s a run differential to back it up, and there aren’t a bunch of players w/unsustainable stats, either. Happy to admit I was off on this, because it’s great news for Royals fans after 6 pretty rough seasons.
It probably won't matter, but this trade doesn't make any sense for KC. - KC isn't good. - Sandlin might be a big league starting pitcher in a few years. - Schreiber is fine RP, but he'll be 30 in a few weeks, has had one season that would justify this trade, and it wasn't 2023.
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Padres RHP Dylan Lesko (88th on my Top 100 prospects list) added a new slider this winter. Here he’s testing his whole arsenal against big leaguers and top prospects that worked out in Atlanta in the winter: Matt Olson, Wyatt Langford, Joey Bart, Tim Anderson, and C.J. Abrams.
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