Sunday MLB Free Agency/Trades Wrap-Up

Quite a few high profile moves were made Sunday, but the Phillies top targets still remain on the free agent board. Can they secure their big ticket free agent before their first spring training game on March 18?

Ben Silver | Mar 14, 2022

It was a blustery March weekend in Philadelphia as spring training got underway, so let’s get the hot stove running, because MLB free agency is heating up post-lockout.

The Philadelphia Phillies made no official moves Sunday. Though they did reportedly get close to a reunion with former center fielder Odúbel Herrera, according to Jon Heyman of Audacy Sports.

Herrera’s defense and above-average hitting made him a valuable commodity during his first few years in the major leagues, but since 2018, he’s slashed only .253/.308/.409 for an OPS of .717 and -10 defensive runs saved.

Regarding former Phillies, Vince Velasquez signed a deal with the Chicago White Sox according to Robert Murray of FanSided, though it’s currently unknown what the terms of the deal will be.

Velasquez did not pitch well in a Phillies uniform in 2021, and he became even worse after a mid-September release saw him land with the San Diego Padres. There, he threw 12.2 innings, giving up 13 runs. For the season, Velasquez had a 6.30 ERA.

Given his uninspiring performance in 2021, it would be shocking to hear Velasquez received anything other than a minor league deal.

While you were sleeping, Phillies' 2021 trade deadline acquisition Ian Kennedy will no longer be sporting red pinstripes this season, as the reliever is reportedly headed for Arizona. The Diamondbacks inked the 37-year-old to a one-year, $4.75 million deal, per Jon Heyman.

The biggest move of the day, however, came late Sunday evening. The New York Yankees got their big move, getting Josh Donaldson, and newly-acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Minnesota Twins.

In return, the Twins received catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela.

This is a considerably light return for a player of Donaldson's caliber, but perhaps the price was so low because he's owed near $22 million per year through 2023 with an $8 million buy-out for 2024.

South down the I-95, the Washington Nationals acquired their DH in Nelson Cruz, according to Heyman.

He'll earn $15 million guaranteed in 2022, with a $16 million mutual option for 2023. Nationals fans will hope he follows the same trajectory as their last middle-of-the-order acquisition prior to 2021, Kyle Schwarber.

Another big move came earlier in the day, when the Cincinnati Reds and Twins made a move to send Sonny Gray out of Ohio and Northwest, to the Twin Cities. In return, the Reds received Twins first round draft pick from 2021, RHP Chase Petty.

After struggling with the New York Yankees in 2018, Gray revitalized his career in Cincinnati, rarely missing a start over three seasons and pitching to a 3.49 ERA over 366.2 IP.

Elsewhere in baseball, right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger agreed to a one-year/$2.5 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.

At age-33, Boxberger threw 64.2 innings in 2021 with a 3.34 ERA for the Brewers. He’ll return to Milwaukee hoping for the same effectiveness he provided last year.

Also making moves in the NL Central were the St. Louis Cardinals. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, they agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Nick Wittgren for $1.2 million over one year.

Wittgren had the worst year of his six-year career in 2021, but the 31-year-old has a career 3.75 ERA and 4.03 FIP. For such a low price, it’s not surprising the Cardinals decided to take a chance on a bounceback candidate in Wittgren.

Meanwhile, at home in the NL East, the Mets settled to terms with another major league player, this time it was Adam Ottavino for one-year/$4 million, according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post.

Ottavino has spent the last two years with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox respectively, pitching to a 4.59 ERA. However, the 36-year-old is a good bounceback candidate, his FIP in that time is 3.86.

Tim Locastro, former Diamondback and mid-season acquisition by the Yankees, will return to the Bronx in 2022 on a major league deal. Locastro has never been a heavy hitter. For his career, he’s slashed just .231/.333/.329, but he steals bases at an alarming clip. In 503 career plate appearances, he has 31 bases stolen and only three times caught stealing.

Though there were no other major league moves on Sunday, there were a plethora of rumors.

Regarding the Padres, they’ve been aggressively shopping two of their dead-weight contracts in Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers. Hosmer is owed a monstrous $60 million through 2025 while Myers is owed $20 million in 2022 before his club option can be voided for $1 million.

The Freddie Freeman sweepstakes still remain wide open. According to Heyman, the Yankees still remain linked to Freeman, but the Atlanta Braves and his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers remain the favorites.

Thankfully for Phillies fans, top-tier targets Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant, and Kyle Schwarber still remain free agents and almost entirely unlinked. Even lesser players like Michael Conforto are still available.

Spring Training games begin Friday, March 18 for the Phillies. One must wonder, will they have their big name player by then?

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Published Mar 14, 2022

BEN SILVER

Ben Silver is deputy editor for Inside the Phillies. A graduate of Boston University, Ben formerly covered the Phillies for PhilliesNation.com. Follow him on Twittter @BenHSilver.