[U7Gohan]

State of the Team

The team had an eventful December, mostly fulfilling the goals GM U7Gohan set in the offseason preview.

News Dump

In the Rule 5 draft, we selected LF Yohendrick Pinango (2.0, 3.5, #99 Overall). He may be a bit underdeveloped, but he has a similar profile as is to that of Michael Brantley, so he could be worthwhile in getting DH reps this season.

We completed a trade as well.

Trade 1: Houston Astros

Outbound: SP Josh Wolf (2.0, 2.5), RP Nick Sandlin (2.5, 3.0), 2B Tyler Freeman (2.0, 2.5), SP Xzavion Curry (2.0, 2.0)

Inbound: RF Kyle Tucker (3.5, 3.5) (30% Retained), CL R.J. Dabovich (3.0, 4.0)

In the process of shopping top prospects looking for a big deal, I saw the Astros seemed eager to get rid of Kyle Tucker, and based on their stinginess with the retained amount, it seemed like there was financial motivation with Tucker's rising arbitration costs after coming off a down year in 2023. I quickly realized, though, that I could get this deal done without shipping off my top prospects, as the Astros were also interested in my upper minors SP depth. This led me to deal Josh Wolf, who has unimpressive cumulative ratings despite a good fastball and curveball, then Nick Sandlin who was due for regression and was replaceable, Tyler Freeman who was blocked from the MLB roster and not an elite prospect, and Xzavion Curry who lacked upside. I also got R.J. Dabovich back to fill the spot Nick Sandlin would leave. We got our corner OF bat.

There are also reports that the Guardians approached 2B Andres Gimenez with long-term extension interest, but that interest seems one-sided for now.

With this, I expect our offseason is mostly complete, but the possibility of adding another bat remains open. The 5th SP battle will likely be an internal one with the upper minors SP depth in the system and our wealth of top SP prospects.

Minor League Report

After the addition of Yohendrick Pinango in the Rule 5 Draft, the Guardians' farm system ranks 21st in MLB. Pinango is bound to the MLB Roster, however, so his addition means little for the farm. The Guardians now have five Top 100 prospects:

SS Angel Martinez (2.5, 3.0) - #45
SP Nazier Mule (0.5, 3.0) - #48
SP Lenny Torres (2.0, 3.0) - #80
SP Ryan Murphy (2.5, 3.0) - #81
LF Yohendrick Pinango (2.0, 3.5) - #98


Around the League

Major Free-Agent Signings

SP Jacob deGrom (4.5, 4.5) to Tigers, $83.4M/3yr
SP Carlos Rodon (3.5, 3.5) to Rangers, $47M/4yr
CF Manuel Margot (3.0, 3.0) to Dodgers, $121.6M/7yr
SP Mike Clevinger (3.0, 3.0) to Astros, $78M/5yr
3B Rafael Devers (3.5, 4.0) to Yankees, $163.4M/7yr
C Mitch Garver (3.5, 3.5) to Brewers, $100M/5yr
RF Teoscar Hernandez (3.0, 3.0) to Padres, $29M/2yr
CF Kevin Kiermaier (3.0, 3.0) to Brewers, $28.8M/3yr
SS Javier Baez (3.5, 3.5) to Giants, $188.4M/7yr
SS Adalberto Mondesi (3.0, 3.0) to Orioles, $36.2M/3yr
1B Joey Votto (3.0, 3.0) to Reds, $51M/3yr
SP Eduardo Rodriguez (3.0, 3.0) to Twins, $80M/4yr
2B Kolten Wong (3.5, 3.5) to Angels, $78M/5yr
2B Tony Kemp (3.0, 3.0) to Royals, $39.6M/4yr
C Gary Sanchez (3.0, 3.0) to Orioles, $14M/2yr
RP Kenley Jansen (4.0, 4.0) to Dodgers, $13.4M/2yr
SP Justin Verlander (3.0, 3.0) to Phillies, $14.3M/1yr


Major Trades

RP A.J. Minter (4.0, 4.0) to Rays
C Danny Jansen (3.0, 3.0) to Rangers
RF Max Kepler (3.0, 3.0) to DBacks
SP Jon Gray (3.0, 3.0) to Angels
LF Austin Meadows (3.0, 3.0) to Mariners


Major Extensions

SP Pablo Lopez (3.0, 3.5) signs with Mets for $108.6M/5yr
SP Noah Syndergaard (3.5, 3.5) signs with Angels for $106.4M/4yr


The next post will preview Spring Training.