MLB Hot Stove Morning Brew: Former Red Sox pitching prospect involved in the Luis Urías trade added to the Brewers 40-man roster, Brian Cashman shares thoughts on Giancarlo Stanton
The Milwaukee Brewers added righty-handed pitcher Bradley Blalock to their 40-man roster on Monday afternoon. The move allows the Brewers to protect him from December’s Rule 5 draft.
Blalock came over to the BrewCrew in a deal at the trade deadline for infielder Luis Urías. The right had a strong 2023 season, pitching to a 2.82 ERA over 15 starts.
The 23-year-old was a 32nd round pick by the Red Sox during the 2019 MLB draft. Blalock has not yet reached Double-A, but the Brewers like his makeup and aren’t risking losing him in the draft to a rebuilding team.
Brian Cashman offers blunt opinion on Giancarlo Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton has missed significant time four out of the last five seasons. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was open and candid on his expectations for his slugger in 2024.
"We try to limit the time he’s down," Cashman told Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News. "But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.
"But I know that when he’s right and healthy – other than this past year – the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time."
Stanton missed a chunk of time this season, missing 61 games with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He slashed a mediocre .191/.275/.420 with 24 homers and 13 doubles in 101 games.
"We’ve gotta get Stanton up and running again," Cashman said at the GM Meetings, via The Daily News. "He’s injury-prone. We all have lived and known that, but he’s never not hit when he’s playing, and this year is the first time that that’s happened.
"It’s been something that we’ve been working through and working on for a long time without the results that we want. So I don’t have an answer to that. I know he’s frustrated by it. We know he’s certainly better than what we saw last year."
Aaron Nola getting plenty of interest on the free agent market
The St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves are emerging as two teams that could potentially land right-hander Aaron Nola.
The Cardinals missed the postseason last year and are looking to make major upgrades to their rotation next season. St. Louis currently has Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Dakota Hudson and young lefty Matthew Liberatore as all options for their rotation in 2024.
Atlanta is an intriguing option for Nola due to his relationship with Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
"Of the pitchers available, righty Aaron Nola is perhaps the most intriguing fit," writes Rosenthal. "Nola is close with Braves pitching coach (Rick) Kranitz, who was with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2016 to ‘18. And as a native of Baton Rouge, La., who attended LSU, he might prefer to sign with a team in the south."
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