by Spring training camps have opened in Florida and Arizona, but that doesn’t mean Major League Baseball teams are done with rumors or deals. In fact, CBS Sports will catch all of Friday’s news, notes and moves in the space below. Keep it here all day for the latest.
Yankees unlikely to be traded as starter
The Yankees suffered a loss in their projected rotation earlier this week when it was announced that veteran right-hander Frankie Montas will miss most, if not all, of the campaign because of shoulder surgery. Still, the Yankees aren’t expected to make a trade to replace Montas in their starting five, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.
Martino notes that a source told him the Yankees plan to lean on inside options like Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt. The Yankees inquired about veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco in December when it looked like Carlos Correa would be signing with the Mets, but Martino’s sources believe Carrasco was removed from the trade block even before that investigation. In other words, there is no reason to believe that these talks have gone far or will be reignited.
Our own Mike Axisa profiled Germán and Schmidt (among other Yankees options) on Thursday. Here is part of what he wrote:
The Yankees will almost certainly replace Montas, at least initially. Germán made 70 starts over parts of five seasons with the Yankees, including 14 starts with a 3.69 ERA and 1.16 WHIP last season. He is inconsistent – Germán has stretches where he will dominate for 8-10 games and then be beaten for 8-10 games – although he usually settles for league average and the sixth guy’s average league performance on rotation depth chart is very good.
Schmidt, who turns 27 next week, has been a deep arm up and down (mostly down) for the past three years and has pitched mostly in relief in the majors. There are questions as to whether Schmidt can start at the next level given his dubious command of the fastball and tendency to lean heavily on his broken ball, but he is a former first-round pick and is at the point in his career where the Yankees need find out what they have in it. Montas’ injury makes room for Schmidt if the Yankees want it.
As Axisa pointed out, the free agent market won’t help the Yankees much. The projected top starters are Mike Minor, Michael Pineda and Dylan Bundy. None of the three should clear a win above substitution.
For the second time this spring, the Phillies reached a contract extension with a veteran reliever. Initially it was Seranthony Dominguez, now Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld have closed left-hander José Alvarado.
Alvarado will earn $18.55 million over two years, starting in 2024, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Phillies will have a club option on their services for the 2026 season worth an additional $9 million. This option has a buyout of $500,000. (The extra $50,000 stems from a signing bonus.) In other words, Alvarado could earn more than $27 million over the course of his contract should the Phillies exercise that option.
Alvarado, who would be a free agent after the next season, posted a 3.71 ERA (112 ERA+) and a 2.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in two years with the Phillies. He had already pitched in four years as part of the Rays.
