The Texas Rangers hired Chris Young as executive vice president and general manager on Friday, and he'll work under president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, who has been the team's GM since 2005. The 6-foot-10 Young pitched 13 seasons in the majors and has been the senior vice president in charge of on-field operations and the umpires with MLB since May of 2018. Young lives in Dallas with his wife and three children. The right-hander won a career high-tying 12 games for the Rangers in 2005 but was part of a six-player trade with the Padres. He spent five years in San Diego and was an All-Star in 2007. He also pitched with the Mets, Mariners and Royals, helping KC win the World Series in 2015. Young went 79-67 with a 3.95 ERA in 271 career appearances (221 starts).
The Minnesota Twins and closer Taylor Rogers agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Rogers had a 4.05 ERA with nine saves and two blown chances in 21 relief outings during the shortened 2020 season. The southpaw was the team's last arbitration-eligible player. In 2019, the left-hander had 30 saves with 90 strikeouts in 69 innings. He'll turn 30 years old in December and has a career 3.12 ERA with 302 strikeouts in 274 1/3 innings pitched after being an 11th-round pick in 2012. The 29-year-old took a step back in 2020, albeit in a smaller sample size, but he should be the team's closer again in 2021 and will be a low-end fantasy closing option.
The Boston Red Sox have some interest in free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario after he was non-tendered by the Twins on Wednesday, according to sources. Rosario would likely have to play right field in Fenway Park, but manager Alex Cora selected Rosario to play for Team Puerto Rico during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Andrew Benintendi plays left field, where Rosario played in Minnesota, but the Sox could also move Benintendi to center field while keeping Rosario in left and Alex Verdugo in right. Rosario, 29, hit .257/.316/.476 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 31 runs scored and three stolen bases in 210 plate appearances during the shortened 2020 season. He had a career-high 32 homers and 109 RBI in 2019 but has a career .310 on-base percentage. The Red Sox will be downgrading a lot in terms of their outfield defense after losing Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. the last two seasons.
The Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered third baseman Travis Shaw and reliever A.J. Cole on Wednesday, making them both free agents. Shaw signed a one-year deal for $4 million last December, and he hit .239 with six home runs and a .717 OPS in 50 games after an extremely disappointing 2019 season in Milwaukee in which he was sent to the minors. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants another shot at the hot corner and Cavan Biggio could also play there, but the Blue Jays could look to add a free agent to play the position or go the trade route. Shaw will turn 31 in April, but he topped 30 home runs in both 2017 and 2018 and could get another shot to prove himself in a starting gig on the open market. It's the second straight season that Shaw has been non-tendered by his club.
The Kansas City Royals non-tendered third baseman Maikel Franco, infielder Jeison Guzman, infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia and outfielder Bubba Starling on Wednesday. They also agreed to one-year deals with outfielder Jorge Soler, first baseman/outfielder Hunter Dozier, right-handers Jesse Hahn and Jakob Junis and outfielder Franchy Cordero. Franco was in line for a big raise -- projected from $5-$8 million -- after leading the club with 38 RBI in the shortened 2020 season. The 28-year-old slashed .278/.321/.457 over 243 plate appearances. It's the second straight season that he's been non-tendered, but he could latch on elsewhere and find work as a regular third baseman after a solid season with KC.
The Cincinnati Reds declined to tender contracts to relief pitcher Archie Bradley, outfielder Brian Goodwin, infielder/outfielder Kyle Farmer, catcher Curt Casali and reliever R.J. Alaniz on Wednesday. Farmer was quickly re-signed to a one-year deal. Bradley, 28, was acquired from the Diamondbacks in 2020 and had a 1.17 ERA in six games as a setup man for Cincy. Overall, he had a 2.95 ERA and six saves. Goodwin was also acquired in a trade last year and hit .163 with two home runs in 20 games for the Reds. He hit .215 with four homers in 50 total games in 2020. The left-handed hitter was primarily acquired to give the team depth in the outfield with Nick Senzel injured. The Reds also have Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos and Aristides Aquino as outfield options heading into 2021.
The Colorado Rockies non-tendered center fielder David Dahl on Wednesday, making him a free agent. The team also declined to offer 2021 contracts to catcher Tony Wolters and right-hander Chic Chi Gonzalez. Dahl was an All-Star in 2019 but has dealt with plenty of injuries and was set to make $2.55-$2.6 million via the arbitration process. The 26-year-old dealt with a right shoulder injury last year and hit just .183 in only 24 games. Dahl had a cleanup surgery on his shoulder in the offseason and will be ready for spring training. He was the 10th overall pick in 2012 and hit .315 with seven homers and 24 RBI in his first 63 big league games in 2016. But he missed all of 2017 with a stress reaction in his rib cage and missed 54 games in 2018 with a fractured foot. Dahl's departure is great news for Raimel Tapia, who took over at leadoff in 2020 and hit .321/.369/.402.
The Chicago White Sox declined to tender 2021 contracts to outfielder Nomar Mazara and left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon on Wednesday. They also signed left-hander Jace Fry to a one-year, $862,500 contract to avoid arbitration. Mazara, 25, slashed just .228/.295/.294 with one homer and six doubles in 149 plate appearances in 42 games last year after being acquired from the Rangers in 2019. Rodon was the team's top pick in 2014 (third overall), and his 3.75 ERA in his rookie season in 2015 marked his lone sub-4.00 ERA season in six years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2019 after having shoulder surgery in 2017. He's thrown 42 1/3 innings combined the last two seasons. Mazara hit .267 over his final nine games and could return to the team at a lower cost.
The Atlanta Braves declined to tender a contract to outfielder Adam Duvall on Wednesday, making him a free agent. Duvall was the team's only arbitration-eligible player not tendered a contract. The 32-year-old was second on the team with 16 homers during the shortened 2020 season. The power hitter is projected to receive between $4.4-$7.1 million via arbitration, with the high end being a steep price for a veteran who spent a lot of 2019 in the minors. Six of his 16 long balls last year came in two games over an eight-day span. Duvall also hit .169 with three home runs and a .609 OPS in the final 16 games of the regular season.
Tests revealed that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Wander Franco (biceps, shoulder), the top prospect in baseball heading into 2021, doesn't have structural damage in his shoulder and biceps area. Franco experienced biceps soreness and shoulder inflammation while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and flew back to the U.S. earlier this week to be examined by doctors. It's good news for the Rays, but they are shutting the 19-year-old down for the rest of the winter league season as a precaution. He's expected to be 100 percent recovered going into next season. Franco is expected to play in multiple spring training games, but it's unclear if he'll be invited to big league camp. He hit .350 (7-for-20) with a home run and a stolen base in the Dominican before being shut down. Whenever Franco gets the call to make his major league debut next season, he should become an immediate contributor for fantasy managers at a premium position.
