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AL Notes: Dozier, Bautista, Tanaka, Yankees, Tigers

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While the Brian Dozier saga has been a drawn out process, it seems that the Twins and Dodgers have agreed to table talks for the time being. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press adds a bit more on the talks that never gained enough traction to push a deal across the finish line, reporting that Los Angeles wasn’t willing to part with any of Yadier Alvarez, Walker Buehler or Brock Stewart alongside top prospect Jose De Leon. L.A.’s refusal to deal Alvarez or Buehler has been previously reported, though Stewart’s name hasn’t been previously mentioned as a sticking point. As Berardino also adds in his column, Twins GM Thad Levine discussed the talks on Go 96.3 FM, explaining that a hard deadline in talks was never set. However, he also suggested that the Twins won’t be initiating further talks with the Dodgers. “The reality is there’s going to be a point in time in this offseason where we may stop initiating calls but we’re always going to pick up the phone and hear teams out,” said Levine.

Dozier, too, appeared on the show (audio link) and called the trade drama an “eye-opening experience,” adding that it was interesting to “[dig] deeper into how other clubs value you, how the Twins value you, and that kind of thing.”

A few additional notes from the American League…

  • The Twins were somewhat surprisingly connected to free agent Jose Bautista yesterday, but La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the Twins don’t have interest in the slugger. The link between the Twins and Bautista was never characterized as a strong one, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reported that the Twins touched base with Bautista’s agent. They may well have done so out of due diligence — chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said yesterday that the club has an idea of a price point at which they’d be interested in every remaining free agent — and simply found that Bautista is still seeking more than they’d care to commit. Of course, the 36-year-old Bautista doesn’t seem like a great on-paper fit for a team in the Twins’ situation anyhow, though a team with a protected first-round pick (like Minnesota) could perhaps gamble on punting its second pick in the hopes of flipping Bautista this July for greater value.
  • There’s been no talk of a new contract between the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka, general manager Brian Cashman tells Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News. Tanaka is, of course, technically under contract with the Yankees for another four years, but he also has an opt-out clause in his contract following the 2017 season, which will allow him to re-enter the free agent market if he performs well. “We have a significant contract with Masahiro Tanaka,” said Cashman. “…I think he pitched like a Cy Young award candidate last year, and I certainly hope he does so again this year. But at this point we’ve had no discussions internally to pursue any kind of extension.” Tanaka is just one of three Yankees starters that is set to hit free agency next winter, as lefty CC Sabathia and righty Michael Pineda will also see their contracts expire.
  • Mazzeo adds that Cashman said he’s “not in active trade talks at all” regarding veteran Yankees like Brett Gardner, Chase Headley or any of his position players. That comes as little surprise, as Cashman has quite recently suggested that the roster, as currently constructed, is the likely roster that the team will take into Spring Training. While both seemed like on-paper trade candidates entering the offseason, neither Gardner nor Headley ever surfaced all that much on the rumor circuit.
  • Tigers GM Al Avila appeared on 97.1 FM The Ticket in Detroit and discussed the team’s needs in center field, and CBS Detroit’s Will Burchfield has highlights from the interview. Avila acknowledged that the Tigers are keeping tabs on the free agent market, but also cautioned, “…if you look at what you’re going to get in production, you have to evaluate that compared to what you already have in-house.” Avila listed usual candidates Tyler Collins, Anthony Gose and JaCoby Jones as options and also twice mentioned non-roster invite Alex Presley without being prompted (per MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery, on Twitter).
  • In a full column on Avila’s interview, Woodbery notes that the GM said he’s fielded calls about left-handed reliever Justin Wilson this winter but decided there’s more value to Wilson opening the year in the bullpen. Wilson, as Woodbery notes, could boost his value with improved results this season and become a more appealing trade chip this summer. As I noted when previewing the Tigers’ offseason in October, Wilson’s bottom-line results were rather pedestrian, but his secondary stats suggest that he should see a rebound from 2016’s lackluster 4.14 ERA.

Giants, Conor Gillaspie Avoid Arbitration

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The Giants and third baseman Conor Gillaspie have agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). San Francisco’s latest postseason hero will make $1.4MM with the team in 2017, per Heyman. That figure checks in quite a bit north of his $900K projection.

Gillaspie, 29, returned to the Giants, the team that originally drafted him, on a minor league deal last February. He’d spent the bulk of the past three seasons with the White Sox, logging significant playing time as the team’s primary third baseman. He sputtered in 2015, however, and was ultimately designated for assignment before being traded to the Angels in exchange for cash. The Halos cut Gillaspie loose following that 2015 season, in which he posted a disheartening .228/.269/.359 batting line.

Gillaspie had a brief stint with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in 2016 but quickly made his way to the big league roster, seeing his contract selected in late April. He’d go on to appear in 101 games for the Giants, primarily in a bench role, hitting .262/.307/.440 in 205 trips to the plate. Gillaspie went on to cement himself in Giants lore by crushing a three-run homer against Mets closer Jeurys Familia, which broke a scoreless tie in what had been a masterful pitching duel between Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard for much of the night. He turned in a valiant 4-for-4 effort in the roller-coaster game that proved to be the Giants’ final contest of the season — a 6-5 loss to the Cubs in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The Giants will be able to control Gillaspie through the 2018 season if they wish, as the Hendricks Sports client enters the 2017 campaign with just over four full seasons of big league service time under his belt. Gillaspie figures to enter the season in a reserve role, with Eduardo Nunez lined up to be the team’s primary third baseman.

Mets, Zack Wheeler Avoid Arbitration

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The Mets have reached an agreement with right-hander Zack Wheeler on a one-year deal worth $800K, thus avoiding arbitration, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter).

Wheeler comes in shy of the $1MM projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, although the unique circumstances surrounding his health make him a tricky player to project. Wheeler has undeniable talent and looked to be emerging as an excellent long-term rotation cog for the Mets when he tossed 285 1/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball from 2013-14. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2015 and missed the entire 2016 season due to lingering complications in his recovery. This winter marked his first trip through the arbitration process, and he remains controllable through the 2019 season.

The Mets are planning on Wheeler returning to health in 2017, though it’s not known exactly how heavily his arm can be depended upon. Now 26 years old, Wheeler is just one of many talented Mets arms that carries significant injury question marks. Matt Harvey underwent surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome this past summer (and has a Tommy John procedure under his belt as well), while Jacob deGrom had surgery to repair the ulnar nerve in his right arm and Steven Matz underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his left elbow (to say nothing of left shoulder issues that plagued him late in the year as well). Even ace Noah Syndergaard, who didn’t require any surgery or miss any time this year, was said to be pitching through a small spur in his own elbow.

As it stands, Wheeler could join that quartet in New York’s 2017 rotation, although there’s also been some talk of him working out of the bullpen as he eases back into the rigors of a Major League pitching regimen. If that’s the case, the Mets have a number of alternatives in the fifth spot of the rotation, headed by right-handers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa made his big league debut last year as well, and former top prospect Rafael Montero remains a depth option. Southpaw Sean Gilmartin, too, has plenty of experience starting, although he’s worked almost exclusively as a reliever in the Majors.

Mariners Acquire Drew Smyly For Mallex Smith, Two Prospects

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The Mariners have struck yet another two-deal day, as Seattle has announced the acquisition of lefty Drew Smyly from the Rays. Tampa Bay will pick up center fielder Mallex Smith — who was just added by Seattle in a trade with the Braves — along with minor league infielder Carlos Vargas and minor league lefty Ryan Yarbrough.

Drew Smyly

This move represents a continuation of an immensely active offseason for the Jerry Dipoto-led Mariners front office. The club will surely install Smyly in its rotation, hoping that the 27-year-old southpaw can regain the form that he showed prior to a disappointing 2016 campaign. He’ll slot in alongside fellow newcomer Yovani Gallardo — acquired last week in a straight-up swap that sent Seth Smith to Baltimore — and holdovers Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton.

Despite carrying an ugly 4.88 ERA in 2016, Smyly did post career highs in both starts (30) and innings (175 1/3). And he managed to post a solid 8.6 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9, though his groundball rate sat at just 31.3% and he allowed 1.6 home runs per nine innings. If he can tamp down the long balls and remain healthy, perhaps there’s reason to think that Smyly will return to being a solid mid-rotation piece for Seattle, particularly given the excellent defensive trio that figures to roam the outfield at Safeco Field. Leonys Martin will return in center field and be flanked by trade acquisitions Jarrod Dyson and Mitch Haniger to to provide a strong defensive unit. Another pair of strong defenders, Ben Gamel and Guillermo Heredia, are also present beyond that presumptive starting trio.

[Related: Updated Mariners Depth Chart and Mariners Payroll Info]

The M’s will only control Smyly for two years, as the second-time arb-eligible hurler is set to reach the open market after the 2018 campaign. MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz project him to earn $6.9MM via arbitration for the coming season — his second trip through the arb process as a Super Two player.

Dipoto tells Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) that he “probably spent more time through the course of the offseason trying to acquire Drew Smyly than any other player.” Clearly, then, the M’s had targeted the lefty all along, though it took another deal to get the assets needed to make it happen.

When Seattle picked up Smith earlier today (along with Shae Simmons) in a trade that cost the team prospects Luiz Gohara and Thomas Burrows, it obviously did so with intentions to flip Smith. He was evidently targeted by the Rays, despite the continued presence of Kevin Kiermaier in center and the recent signing of Colby Rasmus.

It’s certainly plausible to imagine those players co-existing on the MLB roster, though the presence of Steven Souza, Corey Dickerson, and others could complicate maters. Alternatively, Smith might simply start the year in Triple-A, unless the Rays find yet another deal that shifts some assets.

[Related: Updated Tampa Bay Rays Depth Chart and Rays Payroll Info]

Smith is primarily valued for his defense and baserunning, though he has put up strong numbers at the plate during much of his minor-league career. He’s most valuable playing up the middle but could also presumably function in a corner spot while occasionally spelling Kiermaier in center. Though Smith is generally regarded as a strong defender, Kiermaier is one of the game’s premier defenders in center field and doesn’t figure to be displaced anytime soon.

Mallex Smith

In making this deal, Tampa Bay is acquiring at least five years of Smith’s services. The 23-year-old (24 in May) logged exactly one year of service time in the Majors last year. Another full year would put him on track to be arbitration-eligible following the 2019 season and eligible for free agency following the completion of the 2021 campaign, although if he spends even three to four weeks in the minors to open the season, Tampa Bay would gain another year of club control (while also putting Smith on track for Super Two status).

Smith’s big league debut last year was born out of necessity, as he was called up to the Majors when Ender Inciarte hit the disabled list early in the year. Smith didn’t hit much early on, but the Braves liked his speed and glovework enough to keep him around even when Inciarte returned. A fractured thumb would ultimately cost Smith roughly three months of the season. He batted a lackluster .238/.316/.365 in 215 plate appearances on the season as a whole, though he’d rebounded from a poor start to hit .272/.338/.440 in 43 games from late April until the time of his injury in mid-June. Paired with his 80-grade speed, that type of production would likely elate the Rays, though his defensive prowess would allow Smith to deliver value even if he can’t replicate that output over the course of a full season.

Yarbrough, who turned 25 on New Year’s Eve, rated as the Mariners’ No. 11 prospect per MLB.com, and Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets that he’d have placed 12th on BA’s soon-to-be-released list of the Mariners’ top 30 prospects. Per Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com, Yarbrough’s fastball sits 91-93 mph and scrapes the mid-90s at times, and he also has an above-average changeup. The MLB.com duo praises Yarbrough’s “oustanding” command and strong ground-ball tendencies, adding that improvement on his breaking ball could ultimately make him a mid-rotation starter. If not, he projects as a quality lefty relief piece due to his fastball, slider and command.

Vargas is still just 17 years of age — he’ll turn 18 in March — and ranked as one of the top available international prospects on the market a couple of years ago. Cooper tweets that he was set to rank 26th on Seattle’s forthcoming top 30 prospect list, and there’s reason to believe he could carry even more upside than that most ranking would suggest. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, for instance, tweets that there’s “sneaky” value in Vargas, whom he tabs as eventual third baseman with “big pull power projection” and a good approach.

In writing about Vargas last spring, BA’s Ben Badler noted that he has too many moving parts in his swing but has displayed a strong baseball IQ and an impressive ability to make adjustments at the behest of the Mariners’ staff. Badler also credited Vargas with above-average raw power, an ability to hit the ball the opposite way, and an above-average arm with a quick release. In 62 games/256 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League last year, Vargas batted .242/.344/.391 with seven homers, 11 doubles and nearly as many walks (32) as strikeouts (35).

Rays Claim Jason Coats, Designate Dylan Floro

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The Rays have claimed outfielder Jason Coats off waivers from the White Sox. In a corresponding move, the team designated righty Dylan Floro for assignment.

Coats, 27 next month, was designated for assignment by the White Sox recently when they claimed fellow outfielder Willy Garcia off waivers from the Pirates. A former 29th-round selection by Chicago, Coats made his Major League debut with the ChiSox in 2016, batting .200/.298/.340 in a tiny sample of 58 plate appearances. Coats has spent more time in right field than any other outfield spot (by a wide margin) in his minor league career, but he does have 350 innings of work or more at all three positions. He’s also coming off a monster year in Triple-A Charlotte, where he batted .330/.394/.519 with 10 homers, 22 doubles and a pair of triples in just 332 plate appearances.

Floro recently turned 26 and, like Coats, made his big league debut in 2016. He picked up 15 innings out of the Tampa Bay bullpen and allowed seven earned runs (4.20 ERA) with 14 strikeouts against four unintentional walks to go along with a 54.7 percent ground-ball rate. Floro averaged a respectable 92.5 mph on his fastball and enjoyed a successful season at the Triple-A level, logging 50 innings with a 2.88 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 and a 56.5 percent ground-ball rate. Given his excellent control (career 1.3 BB/9 in the minors) and strong ground-ball tendencies, it seems as though he could be a candidate to be claimed if the Rays ultimately expose him to outright waivers.

Mariners Working On Another Trade, Possibly Involving Just-Acquired Mallex Smith

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2:47pm: Smith “appears bound for Tampa,” Crasnick adds on Twitter.

2:11pm: The Rays are a possible landing spot for Smith, per Crasnick, who tweets that the teams have held trade talks. That connection opens up all kinds of intriguing theoretical possibilities. Tampa Bay already employs top-notch defender Kevin Kiermaier in center — a reported target of other organizations — and just signed another left-handed hitter capable of playing up the middle in Colby Rasmus. The team has also reportedly dangled a variety of its starters in trade talks, some of whom might well interest the Mariners (as well as other teams). It’s certainly impossible to guess what might be in the works, but any move on Smith could conceivably come with a corresponding swap from the Rays’ perspective.

2:00pm: The Mariners just added outfielder Mallex Smith and righty Shae Simmons in a swap with the Braves, but may not be done with their work for the day, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Seattle could flip Smith to another organization, Crasnick suggests.

That does make some sense at first glance, as Smith joins a long list of center-field-capable players on the Seattle roster. The club just dealt for Jarrod Dyson, who joins Leonys Martin, Mitch Haniger, Guillermo Heredia, and Ben Gamel in a highly athletic outfield mix.

It’s not immediately clear what organization might constitute a trade partner, or what Seattle might be pursuing in return, if it is indeed Smith who’s back on the block. Teams like the Tigers, White Sox, and perhaps the Indians could all conceivably make some degree of sense as teams that might utilize Smith in their respective center field mixes in the near term.

Braves Acquire Luiz Gohara & Thomas Burrows From Mariners For Mallex Smith & Shae Simmons

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The Braves and Mariners have announced a trade involving younger assets. Atlanta will receive lefties Luiz Gohara and Thomas Burrows, while Seattle will pick up outfielder Mallex Smith and righty Shae Simmons. Seattle has designated righty Cody Martin to clear roster space.

The 20-year-old Gohara has only reached the Class A level, but is considered a high-quality pitching prospect. He worked to a 1.81 ERA over 69 2/3 total minor league frames in 2016, with 10.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. MLB.com rated him Seattle’s fifth-best prospect, while Baseball America placed him third among the organization’s pre-MLB assets.

A rare Brazilian pitching prospect, Gohara impresses with a mid-nineties heater, promising slider, and still-developing change that give him the promise of a useful three-pitch mix that could work in a starting role at the game’s highest level.

Burrows also checked in on MLB.com’s ranking of the M’s prospects, placing 25th. The collegiate closer is a two-pitch hurler who was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He showed well at the low-A level in his first taste of professional ball, allowing just seven earned runs with 37 strikeouts against 11 walks over his 24 2/3 innings. The 22-year-old figures to move rather quickly through the system given his collegiate pedigree.

[RELATED: Updated Braves & Mariners Depth Charts]

For the Mariners, Smith represents yet another fleet-footed outfielder. He’s still optionable, and may not have much daylight to crack the MLB roster to start the 2016 season, but could figure as a near-term piece who also comes with five full seasons of control. Smith had been viewed as a key prospect for the Braves, but was somewhat expendable with the team locking up Ender Inciarte for the foreseeable future and fellow youngster Dustin Peterson also rising through the system.

May 17, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Mallex Smith (17) rounds the bases after hitting his second two run home run of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Smith, 23, missed time last year with a thumb injury, but got his first taste of the big leagues in a fairly extended stretch. Over 215 plate appearances, he slashed .238/.316/.365 and swiped 16 bases while drawing strong defensive ratings. He has long been a major stolen-base threat in the minors, and could yet turn into a semi-regular major leaguer if he’s able to drive up his batting average. Smith posted a roughly average .302 BABIP last year, but has traditionally carried much higher marks in the minors thanks to his speed.

The 26-year-old Simmons, meanwhile, comes with four years of remaining control. He has thrown 28 1/3 total major league innings, wrapped around a Tommy John procedure, with a 2.54 ERA and 8.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9. The high-octane reliever also showed well at Triple-A in 2016 and has a history of lofty strikeout totals in the minors, though he has also struggled at times with command.

Adding two 40-man players led to the move to bump Martin, a 27-year-old who has seen action in each of the past two major league seasons with three organizations (including the Braves, Athletics, and Mariners). He was hit hard in his first go-round, but posted a 3.86 ERA over 25 2/3 innings last year. Still, Martin managed only 15 strikeouts to go with nine walks while surrendering five long balls in that stretch. He was much better at Triple-A, where he worked mostly as a starter. At the highest level of the minors in 2016, Martin posted a 3.62 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 across 114 1/3 frames.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Twins Agree To Minor League Deals With Ryan Vogelsong, Nick Tepesch

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JANUARY 11: Tepesch would earn $1MM if he makes the MLB roster, while Vogelsong’s deal has a lower base rate with greater incentives, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter).

Berardino provides details on the Vogelsong’s contract, too. He’d earn at a $1MM base rate if he cracks the roster. In terms of incentives, he could take home up to $2.5MM if he earns and keeps a rotation spot for most of the year (30 starts), or as much as $1MM if he’s a stalwart in the pen (55 appearances, available in $200K increments). Though Vogelsong can opt out just before the start of the season, he won’t have any later opt-out opportunities if he ends up opening the year in the minors.

JANUARY 10: The Twins have agreed to minor league contracts with right-handers Ryan Vogelsong and Nick Tepesch, reports Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Both players will receive invitations to Major League Spring Training, Miller adds. Paul Roberts of WEEU radio in Reading, Pa. was the first to report that Vogelsong had reached a deal with Minnesota (Twitter link).

The 39-year-old Vogelsong struggled to a 4.81 ERA with the Pirates last year and missed a significant portion of the season after being struck in the face by a fastball during an at-bat against the Rockies. Vogelsong’s career looked to be in serious jeopardy, and he underwent surgery and spent two-plus months on the disabled list due the facial fractures he suffered in that incident. However, he was able to return to the diamond and make a dozen starts for the Pirates down the stretch.

While Vogelsong’s past two seasons have been somewhat discouraging (4.72 ERA in 217 1/3 innings), he was a key member of the Giants’ pitching staff in 2011-12 and turned in a very solid effort as recently as 2014 in San Francisco (4.00 ERA in 184 2/3 frames). Vogelsong’s best years in the Majors have all come in his second stint as a Major Leaguer; after being knocked around for several years and battling injuries early in his career, Vogelsong spent three seasons pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball before an unexpected resurgence with the 2011 Giants. Since returning to the U.S., he’s turned in 875 innings with a 3.98 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9/.

As for Tepesch, he’s a familiar commodity for first-year Twins GM Thad Levine. The 28-year-old broke into the Majors with the 2013 Rangers and made 39 starts for Texas from 2013-14 (plus three relief appearances). In that time, Tepesch logged a 4.56 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and roughly league-average ground-ball tendencies. Shoulder issues prevented Tepesch from pitching in 2015 and ultimately led to surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome — the same surgical procedure that Twins righty Phil Hughes underwent this past summer. Tepesch split the 2016 season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Rangers, A’s, Royals and Dodgers, and he also tallied four big league innings for L.A. His Triple-A work resulted in a solid, if unspectacular 3.96 ERA with 4.8 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.

Both Vogelsong and Tepesch will compete for jobs either in the Twins’ rotation (which seems unlikely) or possibly as a long man out of the bullpen. Minnesota currently projects to have Ervin Santana, Hector Santiago, Kyle Gibson and Hughes as locks for the 2017 rotation (assuming Santana isn’t traded and Hughes is healthy). Candidates for the fifth spot include top prospect Jose Berrios, who struggled tremendously in his brief MLB look last year, as well as left-hander Adalberto Mejia and right-handers Tyler Duffey and Trevor May. Minnesota could also still strike up a trade that alters its rotation outlook as well; Brian Dozier has been the most talked-about trade candidate in recent weeks and could net the team an MLB-ready arm such as the Dodgers’ Jose De Leon. Alternatively, it stands to reason that Santana could draw interest from teams seeking veteran starters, which would obviously alter the rotation composition in Minnesota.

Padres Avoid Arbitration With Carter Capps

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The Padres have agreed to a $987.5K salary to avoid arbitration with righty Carter Capps, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). That’s a repeat of Capps’s first-year arb salary, owing to the fact that he missed the entirety of the 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery.

Capps, 26, landed in San Diego as part of the deadline deal that sent Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea to the Marlins. (Rea ended up being shipped back to Miami owing to health disclosure issues, though that didn’t impact Capps.) He continued to rehab his surgically replaced ulnar collateral ligament — the procedure occurred in early March of 2016 — and will be expected make his way back to the majors at some point in the 2017 season.

While the injury obviously put a big dent in his value, Capps brings plenty of intriguing upside with him to the Padres. He was absurdly dominant in 2015, pitching to a 1.16 ERA over 31 frames while racking up 58 strikeouts against just seven walks. While he had never before been nearly as successful at keeping runs off the board, Capps had run up impressive impressive peripherals in several prior seasons. It remains to be seen, perhaps, whether he’ll be able to maintain his elbow health in the long run while still employing the unorthodox, hopping delivery that drove his success (and also generated some controversy).

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