The Free Agent Market is heating up and appears to be at a tipping point as the Yoshinobu Yamamoto decision is likely to come this week. With Yamamoto's domino set to fall, that should spark a wave of movement on the likes of Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins and other high-profile names that RDBL clubs are closely monitoring.
Here's the latest 3 Up, 3 Down following the last two weeks of MLB transactions.
OF Jung Hoo Lee (Free Agent)
The San Francisco Giants inked Jung Hoo Lee to a 6-year, $113M deal last week that should lead to a healthy market for the outfielder in the 2024 Auction Draft. Lee, 25, has been a highly anticipated free agent for a long time now. It was reported in January that the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization would post him for MLB clubs after the 2023 campaign. At that point, Lee was coming off an excellent 2022 campaign. He had always had strong plate discipline but took that part of his game to new heights last year, walking in 10.5% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 5.1% of them. He had never hit more than 15 home runs in a season but managed to tally 23 in that season. He finished with a batting line of .349/.421/.575 for a wRC+ of 175, indicating he was 75 percent better than league average. He also won a Golden Glove award for a fifth straight year and also earned MVP honors.
But his platform year didn’t go quite according to plan. He hit .318/.406/.455 with just six homers in his 86 games in 2023. He injured his left ankle in late July, necessitating season-ending surgery. Nonetheless, he garnered plenty of interest from clubs like the Giants, Padres, Yankees and Mets before being officially posted last week. He figures to draw a similar market to Masataka Yoshida who went for $23 to the Asti Grape Stompers in 2023, though it could come with a bump for being a San Francisco Giant.
RHP Ryan Pepiot (2FA/$5), San Mateo Oppo Tacos
Pepiot was traded from the Dodgers to the Rays along with Jonny DeLuca in exchange for Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot on Thursday, locking in a full-time starting spot for Tampa Bay as well as a return to the San Mateo Oppo Tacos in 2024. Pepiot missed most of the 2023 season with an oblique injury, though he ended the season healthy while handling a full starting workload. He also enjoyed plenty of success, maintaining a 2.14 ERA with a 38:5 K:BB across 42 innings with the belief from the Rays in his talents only solidifying his spot for GM Erik Nielsen.
RHP Seth Lugo (2FA/$5), Maltese Falcons
The Falcons are light on rotation options behind activation-ready right-hander Eury Perez, making Seth Lugo's 3-year, $45M deal with the Kansas City Royals a potential confidence boost for GM Gary Falzon to slot him into the second spot. Lugo was connected to a wide range of teams this winter -- including the Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Reds, Tigers and Atlanta -- but he has opted to join the Royals and should immediately jump to the top of their rotation depth chart. The 34-year-old right-hander worked as a full-time starter with the Padres in 2023 and registered a sharp 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 140:36 K:BB across 146.1 innings. He had a 3.56 ERA and 124:37 K:BB in 111.1 innings of relief with the Mets between 2021-22.
IF Jonathan India (Free Agent)
The Reds’ signing of Jeimer Candelario added to the infield surplus that could lead to the outing of former National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India. If Candelario is now taking regular time at third base, that leaves India, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, and Noelvi Marte all competing for middle infield spots. Even if Candelario slides over to first base, Christian Encarnacion-Strand also needs a place to play, and the DH position provides some a few extra at-bats for the Reds to juggle all these options.
Since winning the ROY in 2021, India has hit .246/.333/.394 with 27 homers over 960 plate appearances for Cincinnati, with hamstring injuries and plantar fasciitis impacting his ability to stay on the field. Public defensive metrics have also been very unimpressed with India’s glovework, so his contributions as a second baseman specifically could be limited. His ultimate landing spot will be a big factor in how strong his market will be in the 2024 Auction Draft.
IF Miguel Vargas (2R/$3), Alamo Short Stacks
The Stacks aggressively activated Vargas to start the 2023 season, but by mid-July he was back in the minors, where he remained for the remainder of the campaign. The heralded prospect struggled to a .195/.305/.367 slash line over 81 games, and the demotion came after he batted a paltry .079 (5-for-63) over his final 23 contests. Despite the disappointing stat line, there are reasons to believe that Vargas can succeed at the MLB level. He demonstrated refined plate discipline while up with the big club, posting a hearty 12.5 percent walk rate and a respectable 20.1 percent strikeout rate along with a borderline-elite 20.8 percent chase rate, per Statcast. Vargas didn't sulk after being sent down, instead extending his run of minor-league success with an .886 OPS and 10 homers over 60 Triple-A contests. Los Angeles filled the void at second base following Vargas' demotion primarily by transitioning Mookie Betts from right field, and the experiment went smoothly enough that Betts has been announced as the full-time option at the keystone again in 2024. The Dodgers plan on moving Vargas to the outfield, but that's unlikely to come with consistent playing time to start next season making Vargas a lock to be released.
IF Ronny Mauricio (Minors), Lake Merced Goutfish
Goutfish infielder Ronny Mauricio suffered a knee injury playing in the Dominican Winter League on Sunday and it turns out it's a torn ACL, which will require surgery, the Mets announced Tuesday. Depending upon how the recovery goes, it's possible Mauricio could return and play maybe around half the 2024 season, but there's no doubt he'll start the season on the injured list. The team said an estimated timeline would be determined after the procedure.
Mauricio, 22, was having a big winter ball season so far, hitting .433 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in seven games. He debuted for the Mets last season and the former top-65 prospect was expected to compete for a starting job heading into spring training with the potential of an Opening Day activation for GM Ryan Atkinson.
As things stood prior to Mauricio's injury, the Mets were set to have him, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Joey Wendle fight for the third base job out of camp, though they have also been attached to Justin Turner in Free Agency.
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