MLBTR Newsletter: Rob Manfred Will Not Seek Another Term as Commissioner
Confirming the implication in his comments about expansion last week, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters on Thursday that he will not seek another term as commissioner after his current one expires in January 2029.
“You can only have so much fun in one lifetime,” Manfred said, adding, “I have been open with [the owners] about the fact that this is going to be my last term.”
Last week, speaking about expansion, Manfred said, “I have five years left. Those teams won’t be playing by the time I’m done, but I would like the [cities] . . . selected.”
Manfred, who has been commissioner since January 2015, will be 70 at the end of his current term. His predecessor, Bud Selig, was 80 at the end of his term as commissioner.
Kyle Bradish Has Sprained UCL, Will Start Season on IL
Righty Kyle Bradish, who was the ace of the 101-win AL East champion Orioles last year, has been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Bradish has received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will begin a throwing program today but will not be ready for the start of the regular season, general manager Mike Elias told reporters.
Per Elias, Bradish suffered the injury when he began throwing last month, but the team is optimistic about the 27-year-old’s outlook, with Elias telling reporters, “everything is pointing in the right direction.”
A UCL injury is obviously a major concern for a pitcher. The worst-case scenario here is a Tommy John surgery that, depending on the timing, could sideline Bradish for not only all of the 2024 season but most and possibly all of 2025, as well (if Bradish tries to rehab for a few months, then has the surgery in June, there goes 2025).
Elias’s comments suggest that the Orioles think Bradish can avoid surgery and return at some point this season. That’s not unreasonable if the injury is minor, and Elias did describe it as a sprain and not a tear. Still, this is bad news for the Orioles. Even if Bradish doesn’t need surgery, it’s unclear how much of the coming season he could miss.
Bradish was excellent last year, his sophomore season, posting a 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+) in 168 2/3 innings over 30 starts with a 3.82 strikeout-to-walk ratio and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. Bradish was arguably better in 2023 than new rotation addition Corbin Burnes (127 ERA+, albeit in 25 more innings). It’s less arguable that losing Bradish for the season would effectively negate the addition of Burnes, who will be a free agent after the coming season and cost the O’s two well-regarded prospects and a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
In addition, Elias told reporters that LHP John Means, who returned from his own Tommy John surgery late last year, is about a month behind the rest of the team’s starting pitchers due to an elbow issue that arose during last year’s Division Series. Far less was expected of Means this season, but he was still expected to be part of the team’s Opening Day rotation, had been a front-line pitcher for them before his surgery, and is heading into his walk year.
Without Bradish and Means, the Orioles are likely to open the season with a rotation of Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, and perhaps Cole Irvin, but the concerns about Bradish and Means could prompt the Orioles to pursue further rotation reinforcements. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the Orioles were the team that showed the most interest in acquiring Marlins LHP Jesús Luzardo this offseason. A trade for Luzardo is less likely in the wake of the acquisition of Burnes, but the team could revisit those conversations in light of concerns about Bradish.
Arbitration Decisions
Rays defeated DH/OF/1B Harold Ramírez in salary arbitration, per the Associated Press. Ramírez will make $3.8 million this season instead of the $4.3 million he had requested.
Injury News & Updates
Orioles IF Gunnar Henderson is behind schedule due to an oblique issue and will be shut down for two or three weeks but should still have time to be ready for Opening Day. Catching prospect Samuel Basallo has a stress fracture in his throwing elbow but can still hit and could begin throwing in late April. Both per general manager Mike Elias.
Rockies RHP Daniel Bard had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee but did not need a meniscus repair, contrary to initial reports. The team is now hoping he can return in a month rather than the five-to-seven weeks initially estimated, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
Rumors
Angels owner Arte Moreno told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register that he has no plans to sell the team and that player payroll will be lower in 2024 than it was in 2023. The team has interest in free-agent utilitymen Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernández, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Atlanta’s president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters on Thursday that the team is leaning toward playing LF Jarred Kelenic every day, rather than platooning him, and plan to be patient if he struggles early. David O’Brien of The Athletic adds that one of the team’s last two bench spots is likely to go to a player with “great speed.”
Padres spoke to the Brewers about sophomore OF Sal Frelick, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that the team’s desire to give playing time to its young players means “there aren’t a ton of at-bats available for another everyday-type bat.”
Yankees had a “brief conversation” with newly retired pitcher Corey Kluber about a position as a special advisor, general manager Brian Cashman told reporters. Kluber, played for the Yankees in 2021.
Free-agent 2B/OF Whit Merrifield has been in contact with up to five teams and expects to sign with one of them by Sunday, per Jon Morosi of the MLB Network.
Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters on Thursday that he would like there to be a deadline for offseason free-agent signings, resulting in a set signing period, “ideally in December. . . . we’d rather have two weeks of flurried activity in December, preferably around the winter meetings were you’re all there to write about it.” Manfred said that the league has proposed the idea to the Players’ Association, but it was “not warmly received.”
Minor-League Signings
Blue Jays have come to terms with IF Eduardo Escobar on a minor-league contract, per Shi Davidi of Sportnet and Jon Heyman of the New York Post.