Sahadev Sharma a nice Cubs beat writer on the Athletic.
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I like him too the talent is there but you really have to manage his innings which the White Sox did in the 2nd Half of the season last year as he battled arm fatigue and shoulder soreness. The Giants had to address pitching though so I'm happy with them picking up a guy who was an All Star last season.Comment -
Do we anticipate any injuries due to the short spring trainingComment -
The Cardinals have made one relatively minor move since the lockout was lifted, signing reliever Drew VerHagen to a two-year deal. He steps into a bullpen that also features Giovanny Gallegos, Ryan Helsleyand T.J. McFarland and seems as if it’ll include flamethrowing righties Alex Reyes and Jordan Hicks.
St. Louis brass has floated the idea of each of Reyes and Hicks lengthening out into rotation roles over the offseason. Yet president of baseball operations John Mozeliak cast some doubt on that possibility when speaking with reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat) yesterday.
“I do think getting Alex and Jordan stretched is going to be much more challenging than in a normal time,” Mozeliak said in reference to the ban on staff members from communicating with players on their 40-man rosters between December 2 and March 10. While he didn’t specifically rule a rotation conversion out, that prospect always seemed a bit of a reach — particularly with regards to Hicks. Hicks pitched only ten innings in 2021, as he went on the injured list in early May with elbow inflammation that proved season-ending. That came on the heels of a June 2019 Tommy John surgery that had wiped out his prior season and a half, so building him towards a starter’s workload would’ve been a challenge even had there not been a work stoppage.
Reyes logged a full season in 2021, tossing 72 1/3 frames over 69 appearances. That marks almost exactly the same amount of work Reyes took on at the major league level from 2016-20 combined, as he also required a Tommy John procedure (in February 2017, in his case). He struggled quite a bit in the second half, and his 16.4% walk rate was higher than that of any starting pitcher last year. Between those innings and strike-throwing concerns, Reyes might also have had trouble cracking a starting rotation that currently projects to include Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Steven Matz, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas.
Mozeliak also addressed the position player mix, suggesting the club might look externally for help in handling the designated hitter spot now available for National League teams (Jones link). He suggested that internal options like Lars Nootbaar or Juan Yepez could be considered for that role but noted there may be “short term solutions” available on the market. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported during the lockout that former Pirates infielder Colin Moran was of interest to the Cards, presumably as an option for such a role.
One position at which it doesn’t seem the Cardinals will consider outside help is shortstop. Speaking with Dani Wexelman of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this afternoon (Twitter link), Mozeliak downplayed the possibility of upgrading there. “I don’t think so,” he replied when asked if they’d acquire another shortstop. “We met with Paul (DeJong) prior to the lockout. We told him we thought he could be our shortstop. … Obviously, there’s going to be some competition in this camp with somebody like Edmundo Sosa, but in terms of going outside of that, I don’t think that makes a whole lot of sense for us.”
That’s not a surprise, as reports have increasingly suggested the Cardinals seem confident in DeJong’s ability to bounce back from a second straight down year at the plate. He rates highly in the eyes of public defensive metrics, and last year’s career-best barrel rate suggests he can continue to at least bring some power to the table offensively. St. Louis was mentioned earlier in the offseason as a speculative fit for star free agents like Carlos Correa or Trevor Story, but Mozeliak’s comments seem to close the book on the chances they make a run at either player.Comment -
I can finally bet on the Dodgers taking the 2022 seasonComment -
Well pitchers don’t go deep into games anyway so shouldn’t matter.Comment -
After a few months in limbo, Jordan Lyles’ one-year contract with the Orioles finally became official today. The righty reached an agreement with the O’s just hours before the lockout halted all offseason business, and thus Lyles wasn’t able to get a physical and fully finalize his new contract. Lyles will receive $7MM in guaranteed money, which breaks down as a $500K signing bonus and a $5.5MM salary for 2022, as per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). This would also mean that there is a $1MM buyout of Baltimore’s club option on Lyles for 2023, and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that the Orioles’ option is worth $11MM.
More from around baseball….
- Top Rangers prospect Josh Jung could miss the entire season due to shoulder surgery, and the Rangers traded Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Twins earlier today. Despite these two losses, Rangers president of operations Jon Daniels told reporters (including Jeff Wilson) that the club wasn’t intending to make a big investment at third base going forward. This would mean that Texas is going to roll with internal options like Yonny Hernandez, Andy Ibanez, Nick Solak or possibly some minor league infielders that could make their MLB debuts at some point in the season. Or, given how aggressive the Rangers have been in revamping their roster this winter, it could be that Daniels was just engaging in some gamesmanship, and is on the lookout for some more established third base help.
- The Dodgers had interest in Chris Bassitt before the lockout, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. It isn’t known whether Los Angeles got in touch with the A’s about Bassitt again once the transactions freeze was lifted, but it’s now a moot point, as the A’s dealt Bassitt to the Mets earlier today. With Bassitt off the table, starting pitching continues to be a target for the Dodgers, even after re-signing Clayton Kershaw on Friday and adding Andrew Heaney back in November.
- Pitching has also been the Blue Jays’ primary offseason focus to date, with the Jays signing Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi, and also locking up Jose Berrios to a contract extension. However, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes that Toronto will likely still explore infielders in trades and signings. It has been assume that the Jays will target a second or third baseman this winter, with some combination of Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal handling whichever infield spot isn’t covered by a new arrival.
- Free agent hurlers Anibal Sanchez, Julio Teheran, and Erasmo Ramirez all threw during a showcase for scouts today in Miami, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links). One unknown team was impressed enough by Sanchez’s performance that they made a contract offer to the veteran right-hander almost immediately after he left the mound. The Nationals (as per Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post) and Tigers (as per MLB.com’s Jason Beck) were among the teams who had evaluators at the showcase, though it isn’t known if this was just due diligence or because of a specific interest in any of the three pitchers. Sanchez is both a former National and a former Tiger, while both Teheran and Ramirez pitched for Detroit just last season.
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Last year Wheeler led the ML with 213 innings pitched.
Here's a list of pitchers who pitched more than Wheeler in 1968
Check out the CG number for Juan Marachal.
Rk Name Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP▼ H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 1 Denny McLain 24 DET AL 31 6 0.838 1.96 41 41 0 28 6 0 336 241 86 73 31 63 2 280 6 0 3 1288 154 2.53 0.905 6.5 0.8 1.7 7.5 4.44 2 Juan Marichal 30 SFG NL 26 9 0.743 2.43 38 38 0 30 5 0 325.2 295 106 88 21 46 9 218 6 2 8 1307 123 2.36 1.047 8.2 0.6 1.3 6 4.74 3 Fergie Jenkins 25 CHC NL 20 15 0.571 2.63 40 40 0 20 3 0 308 255 96 90 26 65 7 260 3 1 6 1231 121 2.46 1.039 7.5 0.8 1.9 7.6 4 4 Bob Gibson 32 STL NL 22 9 0.71 1.12 34 34 0 28 13 0 304.2 198 49 38 11 62 6 268 7 0 4 1161 258 1.77 0.853 5.8 0.3 1.8 7.9 4.32 5 Dean Chance 27 MIN AL 16 16 0.5 2.53 43 39 3 15 6 1 292 224 96 82 15 63 8 234 10 1 12 1161 124 2.2 0.983 6.9 0.5 1.9 7.2 3.71 6 Gaylord Perry 29 SFG NL 16 15 0.516 2.45 39 38 1 19 3 1 290.2 240 93 79 10 59 12 173 4 0 6 1159 122 2.29 1.029 7.4 0.3 1.8 5.4 2.93 7 Mel Stottlemyre 26 NYY AL 21 12 0.636 2.45 36 36 0 19 6 0 278.2 243 86 76 21 65 7 140 3 1 3 1123 117 3.09 1.105 7.8 0.7 2.1 4.5 2.15 8 Tom Seaver 23 NYM NL 16 12 0.571 2.2 36 35 1 14 5 1 278 224 73 68 15 48 5 205 8 1 8 1088 137 2.22 0.978 7.3 0.5 1.6 6.6 4.27 9 Dave McNally* 25 BAL AL 22 10 0.688 1.95 35 35 0 18 5 0 273 175 67 59 24 55 1 202 10 1 5 1038 150 2.76 0.842 5.8 0.8 1.8 6.7 3.67 10 Chris Short* 30 PHI NL 19 13 0.594 2.94 42 36 4 9 2 1 269.2 236 99 88 25 81 10 202 9 0 3 1103 103 3.09 1.176 7.9 0.8 2.7 6.7 2.49 11 Sam McDowell* 25 CLE AL 15 14 0.517 1.81 38 37 0 11 3 0 269 181 78 54 13 110 9 283 10 1 7 1098 165 2.25 1.082 6.1 0.4 3.7 9.5 2.57 12 Stan Bahnsen 23 NYY AL 17 12 0.586 2.05 37 34 3 10 1 0 267.1 216 72 61 14 68 6 162 2 1 4 1070 140 2.64 1.062 7.3 0.5 2.3 5.5 2.38 13 Jerry Koosman* 25 NYM NL 19 12 0.613 2.08 35 34 0 17 7 0 263.2 221 72 61 16 69 7 178 8 0 8 1058 145 2.7 1.1 7.5 0.5 2.4 6.1 2.58 14 Bill Hands 28 CHC NL 16 10 0.615 2.89 38 34 0 11 4 0 258.2 221 91 83 26 36 0 148 6 0 4 1013 110 3.03 0.994 7.7 0.9 1.3 5.1 4.11 15 Luis Tiant 27 CLE AL 21 9 0.7 1.6 34 32 0 19 9 0 258.1 152 53 46 16 73 4 264 4 0 3 987 186 2.04 0.871 5.3 0.6 2.5 9.2 3.62 16 Phil Niekro 29 ATL NL 14 12 0.538 2.59 37 34 3 15 5 2 256.2 228 83 74 16 45 3 140 5 3 16 1019 116 2.69 1.064 8 0.6 1.6 4.9 3.11 17 Bill Singer 24 LAD NL 13 17 0.433 2.88 37 36 0 12 6 0 256.1 227 97 82 14 78 10 227 5 1 12 1061 96 2.3 1.19 8 0.5 2.7 8 2.91 18 Pat Jarvis 27 ATL NL 16 12 0.571 2.6 34 34 0 14 1 0 256 202 82 74 15 50 5 157 2 2 5 1018 116 2.53 0.984 7.1 0.5 1.8 5.5 3.14 19 Claude Osteen* 28 LAD NL 12 18 0.4 3.08 39 36 1 5 3 0 254 267 109 87 14 54 10 119 5 0 4 1053 89 2.86 1.264 9.5 0.5 1.9 4.2 2.2 20 Ray Sadecki* 27 SFG NL 12 18 0.4 2.91 38 36 0 13 6 0 253.2 225 94 82 14 70 17 206 3 0 9 1040 103 2.34 1.163 8 0.5 2.5 7.3 2.94 21 Dave Giusti 28 HOU NL 11 14 0.44 3.19 37 34 1 12 2 1 251 226 95 89 15 67 7 186 4 2 11 1031 93 2.53 1.167 8.1 0.5 2.4 6.7 2.78 22 George Brunet* 33 CAL AL 13 17 0.433 2.86 39 36 2 8 5 0 245.1 191 83 78 23 68 3 132 2 0 10 973 101 3.38 1.056 7 0.8 2.5 4.8 1.94 23 Bob Veale* 32 PIT NL 13 14 0.481 2.05 36 33 2 13 4 0 245.1 187 67 56 13 94 5 171 2 1 9 997 141 2.85 1.145 6.9 0.5 3.4 6.3 1.82 24 Jim Hardin 24 BAL AL 18 13 0.581 2.51 35 35 0 16 2 0 244 188 79 68 20 70 5 160 10 1 9 974 117 3.12 1.057 6.9 0.7 2.6 5.9 2.29 25 Nelson Briles 24 STL NL 19 11 0.633 2.81 33 33 0 13 4 0 243.2 251 90 76 18 55 12 141 7 0 4 1024 103 2.95 1.256 9.3 0.7 2 5.2 2.56 26 Larry Jackson 37 PHI NL 13 17 0.433 2.77 34 34 0 12 2 0 243.2 229 86 75 9 60 15 127 4 0 2 997 109 2.61 1.186 8.5 0.3 2.2 4.7 2.12 27 Tom Phoebus 26 BAL AL 15 15 0.5 2.62 36 36 0 9 3 0 240.2 186 81 70 10 105 5 193 4 3 10 994 112 2.68 1.209 7 0.4 3.9 7.2 1.84 28 Don Drysdale 31 LAD NL 14 12 0.538 2.15 31 31 0 12 8 0 239 201 68 57 11 56 10 155 12 0 4 954 128 2.54 1.075 7.6 0.4 2.1 5.8 2.77 29 Jim Merritt* 24 MIN AL 12 16 0.429 3.25 38 34 4 11 1 1 238.1 207 102 86 21 52 1 181 7 1 1 968 97 2.75 1.087 7.8 0.8 2 6.8 3.48 30 Catfish Hunter 22 OAK AL 13 13 0.5 3.35 36 34 2 11 2 1 234 210 99 87 29 69 10 172 4 1 0 968 83 3.46 1.192 8.1 1.1 2.7 6.6 2.49 31 Larry Dierker 21 HOU NL 12 15 0.444 3.31 32 32 0 10 1 0 233.2 206 95 86 14 89 12 161 8 0 20 981 89 3.03 1.262 7.9 0.5 3.4 6.2 1.81 32 Steve Carlton* 23 STL NL 13 11 0.542 2.99 34 33 1 10 5 0 232 214 87 77 11 61 4 162 3 0 6 954 97 2.43 1.185 8.3 0.4 2.4 6.3 2.66 33 Blue Moon Odom 23 OAK AL 16 10 0.615 2.45 32 31 0 9 4 0 231.1 179 74 63 9 98 9 143 7 0 17 950 113 3.02 1.197 7 0.4 3.8 5.6 1.46 34 Jim Nash 23 OAK AL 13 13 0.5 2.28 34 33 0 12 6 0 228.2 185 63 58 18 55 12 169 3 0 5 910 122 2.69 1.05 7.3 0.7 2.2 6.7 3.07 35 George Culver 24 CIN NL 11 16 0.407 3.23 42 35 5 5 2 2 226 229 95 81 8 84 7 114 14 0 5 980 98 3.14 1.385 9.1 0.3 3.3 4.5 1.36 36 Chuck Dobson 24 OAK AL 12 14 0.462 3 35 34 1 11 3 0 225.1 197 91 75 20 80 10 168 4 0 10 939 93 3.17 1.229 7.9 0.8 3.2 6.7 2.1 37 Earl Wilson 33 DET AL 13 12 0.52 2.85 34 33 0 10 3 0 224.1 192 77 71 20 65 4 168 0 2 7 909 106 2.92 1.146 7.7 0.8 2.6 6.7 2.58 38 Denny Lemaster* 29 HOU NL 10 15 0.4 2.81 33 32 0 7 2 0 224 231 79 70 11 72 11 146 4 2 7 965 105 2.74 1.353 9.3 0.4 2.9 5.9 2.03 39 Joe Horlen 30 CHW AL 12 14 0.462 2.37 35 35 0 4 1 0 223.2 197 75 59 16 70 7 102 14 0 6 928 135 3.53 1.194 7.9 0.6 2.8 4.1 1.46 40 Joe Coleman 21 WSA AL 12 16 0.429 3.27 33 33 0 12 2 0 223 212 98 81 18 51 3 139 12 2 9 929 89 3.04 1.179 8.6 0.7 2.1 5.6 2.73 41 Steve Blass 26 PIT NL 18 6 0.75 2.12 33 31 3 12 7 0 220.1 191 64 52 13 57 5 132 4 0 7 885 137 2.78 1.126 7.8 0.5 2.3 5.4 2.32 42 Mickey Lolich* 27 DET AL 17 9 0.654 3.19 39 32 4 8 4 1 220 178 84 78 23 65 4 197 11 0 3 905 95 2.99 1.105 7.3 0.9 2.7 8.1 3.03 43 Ray Culp 26 BOS AL 16 6 0.727 2.91 35 30 2 11 6 0 216.1 166 79 70 18 82 8 190 9 0 9 888 110 2.97 1.146 6.9 0.7 3.4 7.9 2.32 44 Ray Washburn 30 STL NL 14 8 0.636 2.26 31 30 1 8 4 0 215.1 191 67 54 9 47 7 124 1 0 3 861 129 2.45 1.105 8 0.4 2 5.2 2.64 45 Ken Holtzman* 22 CHC NL 11 14 0.44 3.35 34 32 1 6 3 1 215 201 89 80 17 76 7 151 6 0 9 907 95 3.15 1.288 8.4 0.7 3.2 6.3 1.99 46 Woodie Fryman* 28 PHI NL 12 14 0.462 2.78 34 32 1 10 5 0 213.2 198 78 66 12 64 2 151 6 2 7 892 109 2.68 1.226 8.3 0.5 2.7 6.4 2.36 Comment -
Relief pitching is pretty nasty these days you have to admit.Comment -
I like what Seattle did last season.
Started the year with five starters, six relievers.
Four of the five starters threw left.
Five of the six relievers threw right.Comment -
I thought that the hot stove would be a lot more active than it has been this week.
Next week we will have a ton of activity...Comment -
The Padres are known to be making a push for Seiya Suzuki, and the outfielder worked out in front of Padres executives at Petco Park this weekend, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports (Twitter link). Suzuki’s time in San Diego also included a visit with Padres righty Yu Darvish and Darvish’s family.
Now that the lockout is over, Suzuki is finally free to partake in normal free-agent recruitment tours, which are particularly key for players coming to Major League Baseball for the first time. Lin notes that it isn’t known if Suzuki visited any other teams this weekend or what his other travel plans may entail, though given the number of teams interested in Suzuki, he could have quite a few stops to make before his posting period is up. Suzuki now has 17 of his 30 posting days remaining, as the lockout interrupted this process and kept Suzuki from any contract with big league clubs.
Suzuki has seemingly become an increasingly important figure in the Padres’ roster-building efforts, as Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune said earlier today that obtaining Suzuki was part of a “Plan A” scenario for the team. That outline included signing Suzuki and Nelson Cruz, and then trading one of Eric Hosmer or Wil Myers to open up payroll space, though one element of that plan has now been scuttled since Cruz signed with the Nationals.
With Cruz now off the board, it could only intensify the Padres’ pursuit of Suzuki. Since Cruz is limited to DH duty, adding Suzuki would arguably be a better fit for San Diego anyway given the team’s needs in the outfield. Suzuki could be easily slotted right into the Padres’ right field spot, as Myers (if he isn’t traded) could be moved across the grass to fill San Diego’s left field vacancy.Comment -
I'm pretty sure you're right although the Yankees did make a move by acquiring Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and a prospect from Minnesota for Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez. That's a blockbuster trade right there and I'm sure there's more to come as we approach the season starting.Last edited by jrgum3; 03-14-22, 01:26 AM.Comment -
Not sure i like the Padres going after Suzuki after Ha Seong Kim has looked lost at the plate since signing him from Korea.Comment -
I've been doing this sort of stuff since I was a teenager, this is the first year I don't start with the starting pitching, move on to the position players, finally ending up with the relievers.
All week I'm focusing on just the non starters/non closers in the league.
Just the set up men, long relievers/spot starters.
There's about 180 of those pitchers across the 30 teams.Last edited by stevenash; 03-14-22, 09:10 AM.Comment -
Pitching has the huge advantage from modern analytics. Interesting to see how hitters keep evolving.Comment -
Looks like Braves won't make an offer to Freeman any moreComment -
The Cubs have a decision to make regarding Willson Contreras, who’s heading into his final season of club control. Contreras is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for an arbitration salary in the $8.7MM range this year. Amidst an organizational reboot, the Chicago front office finds themselves in something of an awkward spot with their longtime catcher.
Chicago signed Yan Gomes, perhaps the best catcher in this year’s free agent class, to a two-year contract in November. That seemed to position Contreras as one of the likeliest trade candidates around the league on-paper, but there’s been no real indication the Cubs have shopped him. That could indicate they’re not looking to move on from Contreras, although they’ve also not yet broached the topic of extending the relationship.
Speaking with reporters (including Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic) yesterday, the 29-year-old backstop said the organization and his reps at Octagon haven’t discussed a potential long-term deal. “No, there haven’t been any talks. I’m good with it” he said. “They know what they’re doing, they know what’s best for the team. I’m here because I love my team. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.” Contreras went on to indicate he’d be willing to have those discussions. “I’m always open. You know me, I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on having a good year, having fun with my team and trying to win.”
The Cubs stripped down a good portion of the 2016 World Series winning club at last summer’s trade deadline, moving Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez. Those departures kicked off what one might consider a new era of Cubs baseball, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer maintained there were no plans for a full rebuild. Hoyer, GM Carter Hawkins and the rest of the front office have largely backed up those assertions this winter. In addition to Gomes, they also signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year deal, added Andrelton Simmons on a one-year pact and claimed Wade Miley off waivers. They don’t seem done, as Hoyer told reporters (including Jesse Rogers of ESPN) this morning they’re still on the hunt for pitching help.
Even in the event the Cubs are trying to hang around the periphery of contention this season, there’s a case to be made for moving Contreras. Gomes is a capable #1 catcher in his own right; getting both players regular reps probably involves Contreras seeing a lot of time at designated hitter. He’s a good hitter, particularly in comparison to his peers at catcher, but he’s not the kind of elite bat for whom teams have been inclined to set aside the DH role.
Contreras has been an above-average hitter by measure of wRC+ in each of his six career seasons. Going back to the start of 2020, he owns a .239/.345/.429 line, numbers that check in nine percentage points above the league average. That’s markedly better than the .230/.307/.392 figure put up by catchers around the league, but it’s not elite middle-of-the-order output overall. Defensively, Contreras has typically been adept at throwing out attempted base-stealers, although he struggled in that regard last season. His pitch framing metrics, per Statcast, have checked in right around the league average over the past two years after he struggled mightily in that regard early in his career.
All told, the Cubs have to decide whether they view Contreras as a potential long-term building block. Recent free agent pickups notwithstanding, they’ve pared back payroll over the past twelve months. With only around $72MM in guaranteed commitments on the books in 2023 (per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource), the flexibility should be there for Chicago if they want to make a run at an extension.
Yet if the Gomes signing signaled a changing of the guard behind the plate on the North Side, Contreras could find himself switching uniforms over the coming weeks. If he doesn’t sign an extension, he’d be on track to hit free agency as one of next winter’s top available catchers — part of a group that could also include Gary Sánchez, Mike Zunino, Christian Vázquez and Max Stassi.Comment -
Tatis broke his hand?Comment -
The Athletic just broke down the Freeman situation.
No disrespect on either side.
The terms Freeman wants (length of contract being the main point) was too long for the Braves liking.
And his asking price was sky high.
Braves want to put that money in another outfielder to compliment Acuna,
Nothing personal, all business, and there's still love between Freddie and Atlanta.
Expect a big ass Freeman love in in a couple of years when Freeman hangs them up and the Braves retire his number.Comment
