View from the Catwalks: Love me non-tender
Non tender deadline is 8PM ET tonight. The Rays will get busy looking for SPs and catchers. Also, Bitsko update, and the minor league makeover continues.
The non-tender deadline is upon us. Teams must decide whether to tender contracts to players with less than six years of big league service time by 8 p.m. ET today.
Marc Carig and Andy McCullough write about a free agent pool that is going to get significantly bigger.
John Romano on how the Rays search for a catcher is going to get a lot more intense soon.
Mark Feinsand says the Rays are interested in SPs...along with half the other teams in the league.
The teams making the biggest push to sign starters, per sources, are the Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, White Sox, Padres, Giants & Rays, while the Twins, Marlins & Reds are also expected to be in the SP market. Big game of SP musical chairs; who will be left without a seat?
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 2, 2020
Marc Topkin with a status update on Nick Bitsko.
RHP Nick Bitsko, #Rays top pick in 2020 draft, had surgery today on right shoulder to repair labrum issue. Will miss some of 2021 season, timeline for return to be determined as he gets into rehab.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 2, 2020
In a sign of the times, Eddie Rosario of the Twins was placed on outright waivers.
Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario is on outright waivers, sources tell The Athletic. The move is the clearest sign yet he will be non-tendered. Twins essentially giving him chance to be claimed by team that might pay him his projected arbitration salary of $9.6M. 1/1
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 2, 2020
Trevor May signs a two year deal with the Mets.
Reliever Trevor May and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year contract, sources tell ESPN. Deal is pending a physical and could be official as soon as tomorrow. @AnthonyDiComo and @martinonyc were on it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 1, 2020
MLB continues its overhaul of the minor leagues with two moves: the creation of a new wood bat league for draft eligible players, and reassigning the Pioneer League as an unaffiliated “league partner.”
In other minor league news, the city of Fresno and the AAA Fresno Grizzlies continue to fight demotion to A ball.
Marlins DFA Jose Urena.
The Royals sign Mike Minor to a two year deal and Michael Taylor to a one year deal.