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Kyle Schwarber got non tendered by the Cubs making him a free agent.Comment -
Ozuna is solid.
People don't realize he's won a gold glove in the outfield to go along with two silver sluggers.
But he is slowing down and his defensive metrics are dropping off.
The knock on Ozuna was he wasn't taking walks, but his OBA has climbed the last couple of seasons.
Guaranteed to give you 28-34 HR's
He won't hurt any team, OF, DH wherever you play him.Comment -
Minnesota Twins, closer Taylor Rogers agree to $6M contract
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins and closer Taylor Rogers agreed to terms Thursday on a $6 million, one-year contract, according to multiple reports.
Rogers compiled a 4.05 ERA in 21 appearances with nine saves and two blown chances during the abbreviated 60-game season.
The left-hander was the last remaining Minnesota player eligible for arbitration, meaning the Twins have no proposed salaries to exchange with agents this winter and won't have to worry about heading to any hearings. They declined Wednesday to offer 2021 contracts to left fielder Eddie Rosario and reliever Matt Wisler, making them free agents.
The team also reached one-year deals with starting pitcher José BerrÃos ($5.6 million salary plus $500,000 signing bonus), center fielder Byron Buxton ($5,125,000), reliever Tyler Duffey ($2.2 million), catcher Mitch Garver ($1,875,000) and reliever Caleb Thielbar ($650,000).Comment -
*never mind*
Double postComment -
Wrong threadComment -
Cubs off season really getting me down. They just let go of Len Kasper, their tv guy. I’m going to miss him more than Schwarber.Comment -
Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela underwent surgery Friday to remove a bone chip from his right elbow, the team announced. He’ll need three months to recover.
Based on the estimated timeline of his recovery, Urshela should be in line to return by the start of next season. If not, the Yankees could hand third base to Miguel Andujar, who was their solution at the hot corner in 2018 before injuries cut him dow the next year. He didn’t play much at all last season, totaling 65 plate appearances in Urshela’s shadow. Andujar has hit a weak .193/.219/.257 with one home run in 105 plate appearances dating back to 2019.
Andujar once looked like the Yankees’ long-term option at third, but his health troubles opened the door for Urshela, a former Indian and Blue Jay who has unexpectedly thrived since New York acquired him from Toronto in August 2018. Going back to 2019, Urshela has slashed .310/.358/.523 (132 wRC+) with 27 homers in 650 trips to the plate.Comment -
Sonny Gray rumors
Last week, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported that the Reds were listening to trade offers for starting pitcher Sonny Gray. It caught some people -- including me -- by surprise, because Cincinnati's rotation could lose Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani as free agents and 2021 is viewed as a year to contend, not rebuild.
When I filled in as co-host on the Reds Hot Stove League radio show last week, I asked Krall about the Gray rumors. He downplayed its significance.
"We've had multiple conversations with every team, agents for free agents, all that stuff, and you're just trying to figure out what is out there, how can you make your team the best," Krall said. "We've had hits on just about every player on our roster. Some guys have had 15 hits from different clubs and people ask about it. You're going to ask about it because you want to know, at least, who is available, who is not available and what the landscape of that market looks like.
"Whether you're doing something or not is a whole different ballgame. I think that's where we have to take a step back and look at this and say, 'OK, let's see what is available, let's see what is not available and then let's figure out what makes the most sense for our team moving forward.'"
Krall and former baseball operations president Dick Williams have long maintained there are no "untouchable" players. But, obviously, there are levels of seriousness. There's no harm in listening and I don't expect Gray to go anywhere.
Besides having a 3.07 ERA over 42 starts in two seasons for the Reds, Gray has two years and over $20 million left on his contract. He's also emerged as a clubhouse leader. That's been good value for Cincinnati and all reasons why he will stay.Comment -
I am excited to see Vlad in decent shape.Comment -
The Mariners and outfielder Mitch Haniger have agreed to a one-year, $3.01MM contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). The deal replicates the agreement made between the two sides last winter heading into Haniger’s first year of arbitration eligibility, which is no surprise given that Haniger missed the entire 2020 season.
Haniger hasn’t played since June 6, 2019, when he suffered a ruptured testicle. While rehabbing from that horrific injury, Haniger then tore an adductor muscle that eventually led to a pair of surgeries (one for his core, the other a discectomy) during the 2019-20 offseason and he never got onto the field last year. However, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto indicated during his end-of-season press conference that Haniger was making good progress in his recovery and was expected to be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
Seattle’s decision to tender Haniger a contract reinforces that optimism in the outfielder’s health, and he will now look to resume what had been a very promising career. Haniger hit .271/.351/.486 with 57 home runs over his first 1376 plate appearances in a Mariners uniform, emerging as Seattle’s breakout star of the memorable November 2016 deal with the Diamondbacks that sent Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to Arizona.
Haniger (who turns 30 in December) is under team control through the 2022 season, so a good performance in 2021 will line him up for a nice raise in third and final year of arbitration eligibility. While the M’s might make some level of a push to reach the playoffs next season, Haniger might still project as a trade chip for the deadline if he regains his old form. Between Kyle Lewis and star prospects Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, and Taylor Trammell, Seattle is loaded with young outfielders, so Haniger could still be expendable. For now, however, the focus is just on getting Haniger fully recovered after all of his health woes over the last 18 months.
With Haniger’s deal settled, the Mariners have two remaining arbitration candidates in J.P. Crawford and Tom Murphy.Comment -
Ozuna really turned a corner, he was an automatic strikeout in 2019 playoffs with Cardinals.Comment -
Puig signed with a Mexican league. Will he be back for MLB season?Comment -
Giants Farhan Zaidi said there still isn't final word about whether the universal designated hitter will remain, but indicated that the league is leaning against it....Good...Hope it doesn'tComment -
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6:20 pm: Middleton rather firmly reiterated his unwillingness to trade Wheeler. “If they offered me Babe Ruth, I wouldn’t trade him,” the managing general partner told Olney. “I have authorized no one to have a conversation about trading him.”
12:57 pm: Both owner John Middleton and team president Andy MacPhail have denied Olney’s report, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, with Middleton saying “there’s zero truth to this.” MacPhail stated that Wheeler “is very much in our plans going forward,” and while “I’m not surprised that other clubs might inquire about him, [a trade is] not something on our radar.”
11:25 am: The Phillies have let other teams know that they are open to hearing trade offers for right-hander Zack Wheeler, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Wheeler signed a five-year, $119MM free agent deal with Philadelphia almost exactly one year ago, yet the Phils “have communicated…that they are facing a financial crunch,” Olney writes.
As always, teams are routinely “open to” receiving trade offers on just about any player as a matter of due diligence, just in case an unexpectedly great offer is floated. The Phils being willing to listen about Wheeler trades doesn’t necessarily mean that he is being openly shopped. This being said, there were already indications that the Phillies were looking to limit spending or even cut payroll in the wake of their revenue losses from the shortened 2020 season, and moving some or all of Wheeler’s remaining $96.5MM would certainly accomplish those rumored financial goals.
In the bigger picture, of course, trading Wheeler could also be a sign that a larger shakeup is coming in Philadelphia. Trading an established front-of-the-rotation arm isn’t the type of move made by a big-market team that is planning to contend, and if Wheeler is on the table in trade negotiations, it’s fair to assume the Phils are also willing to discuss anyone earning a big salary. Olney reports that “there is no indication” Bryce Harper is a trade candidate at this point. Harper has a full no-trade clause and is still owed $274MM over the next 11 seasons, so moving him might possibly be too complicated to manage.
Beyond Harper, however, Jean Segura (owed $30MM through 2022) has already been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, Andrew McCutchen is owed $20MM in salary for 2021 plus a $3MM buyout of a $15MM club option for 2022, and Aaron Nola is slated to earn $31MM through the 2022 season and is controllable through 2023 on a club option. Nola would certainly be the most attractive trade chip to rival teams, though one would think he would be pretty untouchable unless the Phillies were embarking on another complete team rebuild.
It also remains to be seen if the Phils would entirely abandon the idea of competing in 2021, or whether they would try the even more difficult strategy of trying to add pieces to contend even while in the midst of this “financial crunch.” Olney opines that it’s at least possible the Phillies would reallocate any money saved in a Wheeler trade towards trying to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, though it would seem likely that Realmuto would be wary about rejoining a team that just dealt another star free agent a year into a long-term contract. Plus, as Olney notes, “no matter what happens, there will be gaping holes in the roster,” since the Phillies already have needs in the bullpen and around the diamond, and trading Wheeler would create even greater need in the rotation.
Despite some fingernail issues that led to surgery in October, Wheeler posted some strong numbers in his first year in Philadelphia. The right-hander posted a 2.92 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.31 K/BB rate, and 55.9% groundball rate over 71 innings in 2020, reducing his strikeout rate at the benefit of generating more grounders and keeping the ball in the park. Among qualified pitchers, only Dallas Keuchel had a lower HR/9 than Wheeler’s NL-leading 0.38 figure.
Trevor Bauer is the only free agent pitcher projected to earn more than $96.5MM on the open market this offseason, and that assumes Bauer takes a longer-term deal rather than a shorter-term contract with a higher average annual value. With that in mind, Wheeler’s remaining contractual obligations will give some trade suitors pause, unless some other salary is moved back to Philadelphia in return. If the Phillies do have some level of desperation to cut payroll, however, a club willing to take Wheeler’s contract in full might only have to surrender a minimal amount of prospect return.Comment -
Hopefully Bauer keeps cheating to add more spin for his new team.Comment -
Blue Jays interested in Kiki HernandezComment -
reds traded closer to angels
jfc cincyComment -
In an out-of-the-blue move, the Angels have acquired closer Raisel Iglesias and cash from the Reds in exchange for right-hander Noe Ramirez and a player to be named later, per announcements from both teams.
It’s the latest indication that the Reds are looking to cut costs. In addition to their surprising decision to non-tender Archie Bradley last week, the Reds have also reportedly been open to moving right-hander Sonny Gray, who is owed two years and $20MM on his contract. Iglesias is signed for $9.125MM this coming season and will be a free agent following the 2021 season.
This is the second notable trade for the Angels under new general manager Perry Minasian, who last week acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from the Orioles in exchange for a pair of minor league pitchers. Iglesias will give the Halos a more clearly defined closing option after non-tendering a slate of five relievers, including Hansel Robles and Keynan Middleton, last Tuesday.
Iglesias, 31 in January, has been the Reds’ primary closer for the past four seasons. He had something of a down year in 2019 but saw both his velocity and his bottom-line results rebound in 2020. This past season, Iglesias tallied 23 innings of 2.74 ERA ball with a terrific 31-to-5 K/BB ratio, eight saves and a 41.5 percent grounder rate. Since taking over the ninth inning following countryman Aroldis Chapman’s trade to the Yankees, Iglesias has been highly effective, pitching to a combined 2.95 ERA with 100 saves, 11.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9 and a 37.5 percent ground-ball rate.
A return of Ramirez and a PTBNL suggests that from the Reds’ vantage point, this move was primarily a means of jettisoning Iglesias’ salary. Ramirez is two weeks older than Iglesias with a fraction of the track record. He’s pitched to a respectable 3.76 ERA over the past two seasons but done so with more questionable peripherals and primarily in low-leverage spots. Ramirez’s fastball sat at a career-low 88.8 mph in 2020 as his K/9 mark dropped to a career-low 6.0.
To his credit, Ramirez did have a nice year in 2019, when he gave the Angels 67 2/3 innings of 3.99 ERA and 3.72 FIP ball with averages of 10.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. Statcast rated him in the 75th percentile or better in terms of average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel rate, curveball spin and overall swinging-strike rate. It was a solid season, to be sure, but even that career-best year pales in comparison to the best efforts put forth by Iglesias.
Perhaps the Reds are hopeful that Ramirez can regain that form, and it’s certainly worth pointing out that he’s controllable through the 2023 season. However, Ramirez looked like a non-tender candidate just one week ago, and trading an established closer of Iglesias’ stature for a low-leverage reliever in need of a rebound looks like little more than a salary dump. If the PTBNL involved in the deal proves to unexpectedly be a prospect of note, the swap might look better, but the Reds have now jettisoned Iglesias and Bradley from an already problematic bullpen.
With Iglesias out of the picture, the Reds’ projected payroll drops from closer to $130MM to a bit more than $120MM. Lefty Amir Garrett and righty Lucas Sims are the in-house favorites to assume some of Iglesias’ high-leverage spots, particularly with Michael Lorenzen expected to move into the starting rotation. The Reds could still add some arms from outside the organization, but based on their activity to this point in the winter, it doesn’t seem likely that any additions will be especially high-profile in nature.Comment -
Yes I always watched MadBum bat with anticipation of him running into one every once in a while but the truth is the average pitcher hits below .200 and is almost always an automatic out. I don't like the DH because I think it takes the strategy out of the game but at the same time nobody wants to watch teams give away outs with the pitcher at the plate.Comment -
Nice trade by the White Sox to acquire Lance Lynn. They have a solid rotation now with Lynn, Keuchel and Giolito leading the way to go along with their formidable offense.Comment
