Good morning Mets fans, it has finally happened!
No, still no deals for Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, but the long lasting saga of J.T. Realmuto trade rumors and scenarios have finally come to fruition. The Miami Marlins dealt him to their division rival, Philadelphia Phillies in a deal centered around MLB Pipeline’s 21st ranked prospect in baseball, Sixto Sanchez. The Marlins also acquired young catcher Jorge Alfaro, left-handed pitcher Will Stewart, and an international bonus slot per Jeff Passan of ESPN, as also covered here at MMO by Jack Hendon yesterday.
Now that the Realmuto saga has finally concluded, we can now shift our focus to the remaining names left on the market as previously noted. In other news around the league, here are some minor moves along the Hot Stove that may have been overshadowed by the big splash that occurred yesterday.
Hunter Pence Signs Minor League Deal With Rangers
As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted, outfielder Hunter Pence has signed a minor league deal with his hometown, Texas Rangers that includes an invitation to spring training. This contract gives Pence a $2 million base salary, as well as $1.25 million in incentives as Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reported.
In his age 35 season, Pence experienced his worst career numbers with a .226/.258/.332 stat line and an astonishingly low wRC+ of 59, to go along with four home runs and 24 RBI in 97 games. Despite this poor season, Pence was a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants, where he spent the last six and a half seasons. In 12 total seasons he has also managed to put up an impressive .280/.334/.458 stat line, 115 wRC+, 224 home runs and 877 RBI.
Josh Tomlin Signs Minor League Deal With Brewers
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Brewers signed starting pitcher Josh Tomlin to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp in spring training. Rosenthal also notes that the deal is worth $1.25 million in the majors, along with the possibility of $2.25 million based on the amount of innings Tomlin pitches. This means he could potentially max out at $3.5 million if he reaches 150 innings this season.
Tomlin is looking to bounce back after a career worst year with the Cleveland Indians in 2018, where he started out as their fourth starter only to struggle and get moved to the bullpen after making only six starts. The 34-year-old ultimately went 2-5 with a 6.14 ERA, 7.16 FIP, and 1.479 WHIP in 70 1/3 innings pitched in his final season with the tribe.
