Snake Bytes 11/14 - Awards Season is Upon Us

Diamondbacks News

[MLB] Carroll takes home D-backs’ first Rookie of the Year Award unanimously by Steve Gilbert

There was so much hype surrounding outfielder Corbin Carroll as he came up through the D-backs’ system that it would have been hard for him to live up to it.

As a rookie, Carroll did not live up to hype, he actually found a way to exceed it.

Carroll’s magical season was capped off Monday when he was the unanimous winner of the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year Award as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

[MLBTR] The Opener: Rule 5 Protection Deadline, Q.O. Deadline, Manager of the Year by Nick Deeds

This evening marks one of several deadlines in the early part of the offseason: the deadline for protecting prospects from next month’s Rule 5 draft. Though the Rule 5 draft won’t take place until the Winter Meetings, today at 5pm CT is the deadline by which teams must add prospects they wish to protect from the draft to their 40-man rosters. The deadline typically sparks plenty of movement as teams look to clear space on their 40-man rosters for prospects in need of protections, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi suggests that this year will be no different, reporting that trade talks are picking up all around baseball in advance of today’s deadline.

[MLB Pipeline] Here’s every team’s hardest roster decision ahead of the Rule 5 Draft by Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis

D-backs: Kristian Robinson, OF (No. 11)Legal issues stemming from an April 2020 incident kept Robinson from playing in official competition for nearly four seasons, but he made an impressive return in 2023 over 65 games, reaching Double-A for the first time. A one-time Top 100 prospect, Robinson hit 14 homers and swiped 23 bases during this last season. The tools point to him being worthy of a 40-man spot, but could his missed time and strikeout rate (31.6 percent in 2023) make Arizona think it can wait a year?

Baseball News

[MLB] Could Ohtani be open to signing a short-term deal? by MLB Writers (or AI)

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reports that people familiar with Ohtani’s thinking believe that he “might be open to a short-term deal with an exceedingly high average annual value.” As such, the number of possible suitors could significantly increase.

[MLBTR] Padres Exploring Scott Barlow Trades by Mark Polishuk

Barlow didn’t make MLBTR’s recent list of non-tender candidates, though it stands to reason that San Diego might consider cutting the 30-year-old entirely if they can’t find an acceptable trade. While losing Barlow for nothing is obviously not an ideal outcome for the team, it would represent some noteworthy savings for a Padres club that is reportedly aiming to get their payroll to around the $200MM range in 2024, down from $249MM last season. The $7.1MM price point could also be high for other teams, yet non-tendering Barlow altogether is still a somewhat unlikely outcome given the probable interest in his services, not to mention the fact that Padres could still shop him after Friday.

This will be Barlow’s third and final trip through the arbitration process before hitting free agency next winter, and the righty’s salaries have been elevated by the saves accumulated when he was the Royals’ closer in 2021-22. Barlow posted a 2.30 ERA, 40 saves (in 50 chances), a 28.2% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate over 148 2/3 innings in those two seasons, earning a reputation as one of baseball’s more underrated relievers. It also made him a popular trade candidate, though Barlow wasn’t actually dealt until Kansas City sent him to San Diego at the last trade deadline, and a case can be made that the Royals didn’t sell at the high point of Barlow’s value.

[MLBTR] Top 25 Offseason Trade Candidates by Anthony Franco

Before we get to the list, a note on methodology. This isn’t a strict ranking of players’ trade value, nor is it solely about likelihood of being moved. We’re trying to balance both of those things, an inherently subjective exercise. All projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.