Rockies manager Bud Black and owner Dick Monfort are discu sing a contract extension that would keep Black in Colorado beyond the 2024 season, per a report from . Harding notes that while Black and Monfort acknowledged that they are talking about a deal, no agreement has been reached at this point and its unclear if a deal will come together prior to Opening Day, which is now le s than two weeks away. Per Harding, Monfort indicated that the clubs focus remains on preparing for the regular season, but that he nonethele s hopes that the sides will be able to reach an agreement. Theres certainly reason for optimism that the sides will eventually work out a deal in some capacity, as the veteran manager has inked one-year extensions in each of the past two springs and reporting in previous years has that the Rockies and Black have a long-standing unofficial agreement on a rolling year-to-year deal where either side can walk away after any given season. Black, 66, spent nine years as manager of the Padres from 2007 to 2015 (including a 2010 season that saw him win the NL Jorbit Vivas Jersey Manager of the Year award) before joining the Rockies prior to the 2017 season. He led the club to back-to-back postseason appearances in his first two years with the club but the club has struggled badly under his leadership over the past five seasons, never winning more than 74 games in a season and even suffering the franchises first ever 100-lo s campaign in 2023, when the team lost 103 games en route to a last place finish in not only the NL West but the entire National League; only the Royals and As lost more games last year. With that being said, Monfort is well-known for being loyal to his employees and valuing continuity in the organization, so its not nece sarily a surprise that he would be interested in continuing the clubs relationship with Black beyond the 2024 campaign. More from around MLBs West divisions The Giants are set to enter the regular season with little certainty in their starting rotation behind staff ace . With veterans and starting the season on the injured list where theyll be joined by youngsters like and , the club figures to lean on offseason signing and top prospect to fill out the middle of its rotation. That still leaves two spots undecided, however, and noted today that manager Bob Melvin brought up right-handed rookie as one arm the club is likely to turn to for a rotation spot this season. Black, 24, was the clubs third-round pick in the 2021 draft and posted a solid 3.71 ERA in 29 starts split between the Double- and Triple-A levels last year. Slu ser adds that other po sibilities for the final spots in the rotation and/or bullpen mix are fellow youngster and non-roster veterans and . Of course, that could all change if the clubs at left-hander were to bear fruit. The Athletics announced earlier this evening that they have optioned catcher to Triple-A, effectively ending the 2020 first-round picks bid to open the 2024 season with the club. Soderstrom, 22, was a consensus top-100 prospect entering last season as a well-regarded, bat-first catcher. Things came off the rails for the youngster upon making his major league debut, however, as he hit a paltry .160/.232/.240 in 138 trips to the plate during a 45-game stint in the majors last year. Soderstroms first taste of big league action saw him strike out in 31.2% of his plate appearances while recording just four extra-base hits. His struggles continued this spring as he recorded just four hits against eight strikeouts in 34 trips to the plate acro s 14 games, prompting Oakland to send him back to the minors for additional development time. In the meantime, the club appears likely to rely on a tandem of and non-roster invitee behind the plate to open the season. Gleyber Torres Jersey
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