Archives for February 2017

Camp Battles: St. Louis Cardinals

By Connor Byrne | February 26, 2017 at 7:42pm CDT

Before they attempt to bounce back from their first non-playoff season since 2010, the Cardinals have a few positions they’ll need to figure out leading up to April. Let’s take a look in the latest edition of MLBTR’s Camp Battles series…

Third Base

Jhonny Peralta
Age: 34
Bats: R
Contract Status: One year, $10MM
Options Remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jedd Gyorko
Age: 28
Bats: R
Contract Status: Three years, $28MM (club option worth $13MM – or $1MM buyout – for 2020)
Options Remaining: 2

Judging by their disparate 2016 outputs, this shouldn’t be much of a competition. Peralta slashed .260/.307/.408 in 313 plate appearances, which paled in comparison to Gyorko’s .243/.306/.495 line buoyed by a team-high 30 home runs across 438 PAs. However, the Cardinals continue to value the normally steady Peralta, who dealt with a thumb injury last season and looks like the favorite to open the year at the hot corner for the Redbirds. If a healthy Peralta grabs the job, Gyorko would serve as a fallback option all over the infield, having accrued double-digit appearances at first, second, short and third last year.

Prediction: Peralta does indeed win the battle, leaving Gyorko to begin the season in a utility role.

Starting Rotation (one spot)

Michael Wacha
Age: 25
Throws: R
Contract Status: One year, $2.775MM (first of three arbitration-eligible seasons)
Options Remaining: 2

Trevor Rosenthal
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: One year, $6.4MM (second of three arbitration-eligible seasons)
Options Remaining: 2

Luke Weaver
Age: 23
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 3

Star prospect Alex Reyes might have been the front-runner for this role before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament, which could be a yearslong blow to the Cardinals organization if he’s unable to regain form after Tommy John surgery. While the Cardinals hope for a smooth recovery for Reyes, they’ll choose among three intriguing candidates to fill the No. 5 spot in their rotation this year.

Wacha is easily the most experienced starter of the trio, having totaled 82 appearances from the rotation since debuting in 2013. Wacha looked like a front-end starter in the making in his first three years, during which he combined for a 3.21 ERA (3.48 FIP), 7.95 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 44.3 percent ground-ball rate over 353 innings. Unfortunately, shoulder injuries have undermined Wacha lately, especially during a 138-inning 2016 in which he spent some time in the bullpen. Wacha posted a bloated ERA (5.09) and a career-low swinging-strike percentage (8.1, down from a lifetime 9.5), though that did come with a 3.91 FIP and normal strikeout (7.43 K/9), walk (2.93 BB/9) and grounder rates (45 percent). He also maintained his typical velocity.

Like Wacha, Rosenthal went from an eminently valuable contributor during his first few big league seasons to a player who endured a shoulder injury-plagued year to forget in 2016. While Rosenthal has worked exclusively out of the bullpen to this point, he was once a well-regarded starting prospect. The 26-year-old became a top-level setup man/closer from 2013-15, but Rosenthal surrendered the ninth-inning job to Seung-hwan Oh during the summer as he lost his control (his career 3.99 BB/9 climbed to 6.47), saw his home run-to-fly ball ratio more than double (from 6.1 percent to 12.5 percent) and posted a sky-high BABIP (.425, up from .338). However, after returning from a multiple-month absence in mid-September, the hard-throwing Rosenthal closed the season on a high note. In his final five appearances (seven innings), he yielded just one earned run and two walks while striking out eight. Regardless of whether Rosenthal starts or relieves this year, the Cardinals will obviously hope his late-2016 surge proves to be a sign of things to come.

Weaver, meanwhile, has been great in the minors since 2015, which helped lead to a nine-appearance, eight-start audition in the bigs last year. Despite notching 11.15 strikeouts per nine against 2.97 walks, Weaver had home run issues en route to a 5.70 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. All told, Weaver gave up seven long balls and induced grounders at a meager 30.7 percent clip. But Weaver’s troubles last season haven’t turned off MLB.com or Baseball America, two outlets that rank him as a top 70 prospect. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote in January that Weaver “projects as a solid, league-average starter.”

Prediction: Wacha joins Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn and Mike Leake in the St. Louis rotation. Rosenthal stays in the the bullpen. Weaver heads back to Triple-A Memphis.

Bullpen (one spot)

Tyler Lyons
Age: 29
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2020-21 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

Miguel Socolovich
Age: 30
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

John Gant
Age: 24
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 2

Sam Tuivailala
Age: 24
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 1

Jordan Schafer
Age: 30
Throws: L
Contract Status: Minor league contract (terms unreported)
Options Remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Considering he’s on the mend from a right knee injury suffered last summer, Lyons technically isn’t battling for a role right now. He could be ready in time for Opening Day, though, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lyons came up as a starter, but he worked solely from the bullpen last season and recorded a 3.38 ERA, 8.63 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 40 innings. He was especially tough on left-handed hitters, who batted a paltry .152/.214/.250 against him.

Socolovich, like Lyons, is out of options on the heels of a productive 2016. His 2.00 ERA and 53.5 percent grounder rate came over a mere 18 innings, though it was the latest encouraging performance from a reliever who has held his own through 64 career frames (2.95 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 7.73 K/9, 3.38 BB/9).

Gant spent the previous two seasons with the Braves, who sent him to the Cardinals in the teams’ Jaime Garcia trade in December. The former Mets farmhand debuted in the majors last year in Atlanta, where he made 20 appearances and seven starts. Along the way, he registered fairly even numbers as a starter compared to a reliever (4.80 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 in 30 innings from the rotation; 4.95 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 3.15 BB/9 in 20 frames out of the bullpen).

The bat-missing Tuivailala brings a fastball which averages 96 mph to the table, but he has had difficulty controlling it. Tuivailala, whose first action with the Cards came in 2014, has handed out 16 free passes in 24 2/3 major league innings and recorded a 4.6 BB/9 in 93 Triple-A frames. He seems like a strong bet to get further seasoning in Memphis to begin 2017.

Schafer, too, could have trouble cracking the 25-man. The longtime outfielder and non-roster invitee’s versatility intrigues the Cardinals, however, and his best chance to make their roster is if he shows the ability to work as a competent hybrid player.

Prediction: Either of the two out-of-options relievers will land the last spot in the Cardinals’ bullpen. If it’s a healthy Lyons, he’ll take it. Otherwise it’ll go to Solovich. Regardless, the Cardinals are loaded in the bullpen, where they figure to prominently feature Oh, Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist, Brett Cecil, Jonathan Broxton and Matthew Bowman. They also have depth with some of the names above, not to mention on-the-mend pitchers in Zach Duke and Marco Gonzales.

Fourth Outfielder

Tommy Pham
Age: 29
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: 1

Jose Martinez
Age: 28
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 2

Todd Cunningham
Age: 27
Bats: S
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

Chad Huffman
Age: 31
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; annot become a free agent until the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

The odds-on favorite to end up as the Cardinals’ top outfielder behind Dexter Fowler, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk is likely Pham, who has seen action at all three positions in the grass and slashed a respectable .245/.333/.455 with 14 homers in 358 PAs since debuting in 2014. But now-Diamondback Jeremy Hazelbaker improbably turned a strong spring into a spot with the Cards a year ago, and Martinez, Cunningham and Huffman are surely hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Martinez is the only one of the three who has played with the Cardinals, having picked up 18 PAs with them in 2016, and owns a .324/.392/.483 slash in 885 Triple-A PAs. The switch-hitting Cunningham hasn’t been anywhere near that effective as a Triple-A hitter (.274/.349/.368 in 1,810 PAs), and has been in over his head in 130 plate trips with the Angels and Braves (.207/.256/.264), but he’s a stolen base threat who has accounted for eight Defensive Runs Saved and a 19.7 UZR/150 in a small defensive sample size in the bigs.

Then there’s the eldest of the bunch, Huffman, whose only 21 major league PAs came back in 2010 with the Yankees. Like Martinez, Huffman offers a quality track record of Triple-A production (.272/.364/.455 in 2,604 PAs). Of course, the fact that he’s over 30 and has barely garnered any major league action doesn’t bode well for his chances of bursting on the scene this season or any other year.

Prediction: Pham will defeat a relatively unimpressive group of combatants to remain St. Louis’ fourth outfielder to begin 2017. But it seems he’ll soon have the newly signed Jose Adolis Garcia breathing down his neck. Garcia, whom general manager John Mozeliak views as a five-tool talent, could be major league ready by the summer.

Pitcher Notes: Hellickson, Urias, Straily, May

By Connor Byrne | February 26, 2017 at 5:00pm CDT

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson’s November decision to accept the Phillies’ qualifying offer in lieu of testing free agency came as a surprise, but he believes it was the correct choice. “I feel like I made the right decision,” Hellickson told Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com earlier this month. “And seeing how it all went down, I definitely feel like I made the right decision.” Only three free agent starters – Rich Hill ($48MM), Ivan Nova ($26MM) and Edinson Volquez ($22MM) – ended up scoring deals worth more than Hellickson’s $17.2MM qualifying offer during the winter, and each did so via two- or three-year deals. Hellickson was actually eager to join them in a weak market before receiving advice from his agent, Scott Boras “The first few days I was set on declining it,” Hellickson said of the QO. “There really wasn’t too much stress involved. But then after hearing from Scott after the (GM Meetings), I didn’t know what I was going to do.” Ultimately, the market developed as Boras expected it to, per Hellickson, who added that he’s content in Philly and “glad” the Marlins’ attempt to acquire him last summer failed.

The latest on a few other pitchers:

While the possibility of the Dodgers stashing Julio Urias in extended spring training to begin the year has come up, they’re now “leaning toward” having the left-hander open the season in their rotation, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. In that scenario, the 20-year-old wunderkind would make shorter starts to tamp down his workload, per Gurnick. Including postseason play, Urias tossed a career-high 127 2/3 innings between the majors and minors last year.
Marlins righty Dan Straily enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career last year, when the then-Red totaled 191 1/3 frames of 3.76 ERA ball with 7.62 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9, and he attributes much of his 2016 success to analytics, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. One of Straily’s friends, a banking analytics specialist who “loves baseball,” helped the 28-year-old determine “which are the best pitches to throw against certain hitters.” Straily also studied one pitcher per division with similar velocity, spin rate and spin angles. “Now going into the game, there’s not a lot of guesswork,” Straily told Jackson. “I have a plan. I had a big change in terms of pitch selection more than anything else. I threw way more changeups last year. Just mixing speeds a lot more; not being predictable.”
After working mostly as a reliever from 2015-16, including all of last season, Twins righty Trevor May is ready to leave the bullpen behind and win a starting job this spring. “I think I have a little bit of a chip, being unclear about knowing what I was going to be doing the last two years,” May, 27, told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “It wasn’t ideal for me or the vision I had for myself of my career. I’m going at it at 100 percent. There’s no, ’Oh, I could fall back to the bullpen.'” May, who has logged a 5.61 ERA (3.85 FIP), 8.17 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 126 2/3 career innings as a starter, is competing against several other candidates for a rotation spot, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed Friday.

Central Notes: Royals, Cardinals, Indians

By Connor Byrne and Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 3:59pm CDT

Despite some early talks with Eric Hosmer, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale believes the Royals could wait until the season ends before “seriously” entering negotiations with free agents Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas or Alcides Escobar. The Royals could be “curious to see what teams are willing to pay after a suppressed free-agent market last winter, as a similarly down market in the 2017-18 offseason might allow K.C. to re-evaluate their plans to bring any of these players back (though re-signing all four isn’t feasible). As Nightengale notes, the Royals let Alex Gordon test the market last winter before eventually re-signing the long-time outfielder.

AL West Notes: Hamilton, Bailey, Mariners, Devenski

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 2:28pm CDT

Some news and notes from around the AL West…

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday, the club told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Hamilton underwent two surgical procedures on that same knee last year and has been bothered by soreness in the same joint this spring. According to assistant GM Mike Daly, the Rangers still “feel good that Josh is going to play,” and haven’t had any talks with the veteran about his future with the organization. Texas re-signed Hamilton to a minor league deal over the winter as the former AL MVP is attempting to revive his career after several injury-plagued down years, plus a lost 2016 that saw him play in just one minor league game.
Andrew Bailey “never seriously considered leaving” the Angels in free agency this winter, the veteran reliever tells Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times. “I feel like, with where I’m at in my career and what I’ve been through, signing early and getting something done and focusing on getting ready for this year was more important to me than chasing something else,” Bailey said. Amusing, he didn’t actually realize he was headed for free agency until last September, as Bailey believed he was still arbitration-eligible; he just barely passed the required six years of service time to hit the open market. The righty pitched well after signing a minor league deal with the Angels last August, and showed signs of recovery from several injury-plagued years by tossing 43 2/3 innings in 2016.
The Mariners were counting on their “big three” of James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen to anchor their rotation for years to come, though as Larry Stone of the Seattle Times observes, only Paxton is still on the M’s roster. Walker was dealt to the Diamondbacks in November as part of the multi-player deal that brought Jean Segura to the M’s while Hultzen is simply trying to resume his career in the wake of multiple arm injuries.
Chris Devenski’s surprising rise from unheralded prospect to a major weapon out of the Astros bullpen gives Houston some pitching flexibility, ESPN’s Mark Simon writes. The ’Stros could utilize Devenski as one of their many setup options, a multi-inning fireman like Andrew Miller or potentially even as starting depth in the back end of the rotation. Over 108 1/3 innings as a rookie last season, Devenski posted a very impressive 2.16 ERA, 8.6 K/9 and 5.2 K/BB rate.

AL East Notes: Bourn, Biagini, Shelton, Swihart

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 12:48pm CDT

It was on this day 82 years ago that the Yankees released franchise icon Babe Ruth, who immediately signed a $20K contract to join the Boston Braves for the 1935 season. Over 2084 games and 9199 plate appearances in a Yankee uniform, Ruth hit an astounding .349/.484/.711 with 659 home runs, literally transforming the sport of baseball along the way. Even in 1934, battling a number of injuries in his age-39 season, Ruth still posted a .985 OPS and 22 homers over 472 PA. Ruth played just 28 games for the Braves in 1935 before ending his incomparable career. Here’s some more from around the AL East…

Michael Bourn is expected to miss four weeks recovering from a broken finger, which MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko notes could actually help the Orioles’ chances of keeping Bourn in the organization. Bourn’s minor league deal with the O’s contained an opt-out date for March 27, so given his current injury timeline, he won’t have much chance to play before making his decision.
The early word out of the Blue Jays spring camp was that Joe Biagini was going to be stretched out as a starting pitcher, though manager John Gibbons told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) today that the team still intends to use Biagini as a reliever. With Mat Latos in the fold on a minor league deal, the Jays don’t have quite the same need for rotation depth as earlier in the offseason, so Biagini may only be stretched as far as three-inning stints for his spring outings. “It’s something we’re playing with because everyone’s intrigued by what he can do as a starter, but right now he’s so valuable to us in the bullpen,” Gibbons said. After Toronto picked him away from the Giants organization in last year’s Rule 5 draft, Biagini surprisingly emerged as a very good bullpen option for the Jays last season, posting a 3.06 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.26 K/BB rate over 67 2/3 innings.
In another piece from Nicholson-Smith, he looks at Derek Shelton’s new role as the Blue Jays’ quality control coach. The wide-ranging (and still-evolving) position will see Shelton work with players, coaches and the front office on everything from incorporating analytics to improving information-sharing between the various team departments. Shelton spent the last 12 seasons as hitting coach for the Rays and Indians before being hired by Toronto this winter, and he is one of only five quality control coaches currently employed by MLB teams.
With Blake Swihart facing a tough path to playing time as a catcher, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald wonders why the Red Sox didn’t experiment with Swihart at third base. Swihart has long been cited for his athletic ability and his potential to play all over the diamond, and the Sox are facing uncertainty at the hot corner as Pablo Sandoval attempts to revive his career. As president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski explained, however, the Red Sox have Rafael Devers as the top future prospect at third, and Swihart is more valuable as a long-term piece for Boston if he can stick behind the plate. “I think Blake has a chance to be, with the type of offensive capabilities and athletic capabilities he has, if he can make that transition on a permanent basis to catching, that’s a real plus for the organization….Then as we go into the future, if he can be our catcher for us, he can be our catcher for a lengthy time period,” Dombrowski said.

Orioles Release T.J. McFarland

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 12:33pm CDT

TODAY: The Orioles have officially released McFarland, as per a team announcement. The southpaw cleared release waivers and can now be signed by any club.

FEBRUARY 19: The Orioles have designated left-hander T.J. McFarland for assignment, as per a club press release. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for the newly-acquired Vidal Nuno.

McFarland, 27, posted a 6.93 ERA over 24 2/3 relief innings for the Orioles last season, despite recording a 60.2% grounder rate. Always an extreme groundball pitcher who didn’t miss many bats (a 60.7% career GBR, 5.67 career K/9), McFarland recorded just seven strikeouts in 2016, and issued more walks (10) than strikeouts.

McFarland avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $685K deal with the O’s for the coming season, and he still has two remaining years of arb-eligibility. The lefty is also out of options, and CSNBaltimore.com’s Rich Dubroff speculates that McFarland is likely to pass through waivers and potentially stay with the Orioles, if no longer on the 40-man roster. Though any number of teams are looking to add left-handed relief options, McFarland has only solid numbers (.280/.326/.395) against left-handed hitters over his career, so clubs may look for southpaws with more extreme splits.

NL Central Notes: Villar, LeMahieu, Cubs, Pirates

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 11:11am CDT

Here’s the latest from around the NL Central…

As recent extension talks would seem to indicate, the Brewers have earmarked Jonathan Villar as a long-term part of their future, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. In turning down the extension (reportedly a three-year deal over his arbitration seasons worth in the range of $20MM), Villar is showing confidence that he can match his 2016 breakout year and put himself in line for a bigger payday down the road. Haudricourt notes that Villar and the Brewers have yet to agree on a dollar figure for his 2017 contract. While this has no bearing on Villar’s status since the Brewers control him through 2020, it can be seen as a sign of good negotiating faith if a club rewards a pre-arbitration player with a salary well above the league minimum in the wake of a good season. (For more on pre-arb salaries, check out this piece from MLBTR’s Jeff Todd from March 2015.)
The December 2011 trade that sent DJ LeMahieu and Tyler Colvin from the Cubs to the Rockies in exchange for Ian Stewart and Casey Weathers is revisited by Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. It was the first deal made by Theo Epstein’s front office in Chicago and, in hindsight, one of the rare misses for the Cubs in the Epstein era. “Sometimes, you show up somewhere and you can make a mistake in your first off-season by not being as familiar as you should be with a player, because you haven’t seen him yourself in person,” Epstein said. “We felt like there were good bat-to-ball skills there [with LeMahieu], and sound defense. From the reports, we weren’t sold on his bat speed, didn’t think there’d be a lot of power. But he’s certainly proving us wrong. The bat-to-ball is really elite, and he’s made himself into one of the better defensive second basemen in the league.” LeMahieu, of course, developed into a regular for the Rockies at second and enjoyed a breakout year in 2016, hitting .348/.416/.495 and winning the NL batting title.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington hopes to continues in his job for years to come, and tells Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that still enjoys working within a medium-payroll framework. “I’ve only lived in small markets. I thrive on that. I love the challenge of working with a group that has to be creative and innovative and more efficient,” Huntington said. “And while the margin for error is a challenge at times, I don’t wake up and think about (a big-market job) because that’s not energy spent on my family and spent on finding the best way to do the job here.” Huntington is entering the last guaranteed year of his contract, with the Bucs holding a club option on his services for 2018.
In other NL Central news from earlier today on MLBTR, the Cardinals are interested in top Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert.

MLBTR Originals

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 9:40am CDT

The past week’s original content from the MLBTR staff…

The recent controversy over Dellin Betances’ arbitration hearing with the Yankees led MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to explore how baseball’s arbitration system values saves over every other metric when it comes to evaluating reliever performance.
The Nationals’ signing of Matt Wieters gives Washington a surplus behind the plate, and the team is now reportedly trying to deal Derek Norris. Steve Adams looks at some of the potential trade partners who could match up with the Nats in a Norris swap.
Speaking of the Wieters signing, Jeff Todd polled MLBTR readers about the Nationals’ somewhat surprising move. Over 39.3% of readers felt the Nats made a necessary upgrade at catcher, though significant portions of voters felt the signing only made sense if Washington can trade another catcher for a closer (27.78% of voters) or that the team should’ve just stuck with the Norris/Jose Lobaton tandem (25.98%).
In another reader poll, Jeff surveyed the readership about several major names (including Yadier Molina, Jake Arrieta, Masahiro Tanaka, Yu Darvish and Jonathan Lucroy), who could potentially be extension candidates with their respective clubs during Spring Training.
MLBTR’s Camp Battles series continued, as we explore what positions are up for grabs at spring camps around baseball. Jeff looked at the Giants, Mariners and Royals, Steve covered the Tigers and Twins, Connor Byrne broke down the Yankees, Charlie Wilmoth wrote about the Pirates and Jason Martinez examined the Brewers.

Cardinals Interested In Cuban Prospect Luis Robert

By Mark Polishuk | February 26, 2017 at 8:49am CDT

The Cardinals have been scouting Cuban outfielder Luis Robert, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, as the team had evaluators at Robert’s recent workout in the Dominican Republic. It was reported last month that Robert left Cuba in November to pursue a career in Major League Baseball and he has since established residency in Haiti, as per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.

As one scout tells Goold, the “floodgates have opened” on the Cardinals’ international signing processes. The Cards have already far exceeded their spending pool limit for the 2016-17 July 2 international signing period, and also added such non-pool players as the recently-signed Jose Adolis Garcia. It’s no surprise, therefore, that St. Louis is exploring yet another highly-touted star in Robert while they still can.

Robert has yet to be declared a free agent by MLB, and if that designation comes before June 15, the Cards still have a chance at landing the 19-year-old outfielder, who is subject to pool limits due to his age. If Robert isn’t a free agent by June 15, however, then he will become part of the next international signing class that opens on July 2. That would take the Cardinals (as well as the Astros, Athletics, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Nationals, Padres, Reds and Royals) out of the running for Robert’s services, as they would be limited to spending no more than $300K on any international prospect as punishment for exceeding their pool number.

Needless to say, Robert will command far beyond that $300K figure given the eye-popping early reports on his talent. One NL international scouting director tells Sanchez that Robert is second only to Shohei Otani on the list of best international talents in baseball, describing the 19-year-old as “a five-tool guy that can be in the big leagues soon.” An international scouting director for an AL team goes even further, calling Robert “the best player on the planet, and that’s no exaggeration.”

Eight teams (the Cubs, Dodgers and Royals, as well as the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees) are currently under the $300K limit for past excesses of the spending cap, with the latter five teams regaining their full spending eligibility on July 2. So Robert would have a larger market for his services if he is named a free agent sooner rather than later, not to mention the fact that he is likely to score a bigger contract while the old international signing rules are still in place. The new rules, as negotiated in the new collective bargaining agreement, place a stricter signing cap on international players and go into effect for the coming July 2 class.

Camp Battles: Detroit Tigers

By Steve Adams | February 25, 2017 at 10:54pm CDT

After a surprisingly quiet offseason, the Tigers enter the 2017 season with a veteran roster that leaves little doubt when it comes to roles around the roster. There are still a few unsettled spots that will be determined over the next five to six weeks, however. Here’s a look at the roster battles set to take place in Tigers’ camp this spring…

Center Field

Mikie Mahtook
Age: 27
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: 1

Tyler Collins
Age: 26
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

JaCoby Jones
Age: 24
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 3

Anthony Gose
Age: 26
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason
Options Remaining: Out of options

For much of the offseason, center field was billed as a likely competition between Gose, Collins and Jones. The fact that the former two are out of minor league options and Jones’ relative lack of experience in center gave Collins and Gose an apparent edge, but the narrative shifted on Jan. 18. That’s the date on which Detroit acquired Mahtook from Tampa Bay and designated Gose for assignment. The speedy Gose would clear waivers and remain in the organization, but he’s now a long shot to make the team as he’s not on the 40-man roster.

A platoon scenario seems like a perfectly plausible option for the Tigers, who could deploy the left-handed-hitting Collins against right-handed starters (career .265/.331/.424 against righties) and the righty-swinging Mahtook against opposing southpaws (.276/.322/.537 career against lefties). Jones has scarcely played above the Double-A level, but GM Al Avila has mentioned him on multiple occasions this winter, so a huge spring could get him a look. And while Gose never hit with the Tigers (or the Blue Jays prior to being traded to Detroit), the 26-year-old could potentially force his way back into the mix with a big performance.

Prediction: A platoon of Collins and Mahtook wins the job and patrols center for the bulk of the regular season.

Starting Rotation (One spot)

Anibal Sanchez
Age: 32
Throws: R
Contract Status: One year, $16MM; club option worth $16MM in 2018 ($5MM buyout)
Options Remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Mike Pelfrey
Age: 33
Throws: R
Contract Status: One year, $8MM
Options Remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Matt Boyd
Age: 26
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 1

Other potential candidates: Buck Farmer, Shane Greene, Drew VerHagen

There’s little doubt about the top four in the Tigers’ rotation. A resurgent Justin Verlander will lead the way and be followed by 2016 Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer. Jordan Zimmermann will hope for better health in the second season of a five-year, $110MM contract. Daniel Norris’ 3.38 ERA in 13 starts (plus one relief appearance) and 69 1/3 innings last season should land him in the starting five as well.

The Tigers would probably have loved to jettison either Sanchez or Pelfrey this winter, as neither veteran lived up to his salary in 2016. Sanchez is owed $16MM this season plus a $5MM buyout on a 2018 option, while Pelfrey is owed $8MM in the second season of a two-year deal that to this day is still surprising. Neither pitcher’s struggles are confined to the 2016 campaign, though, as Sanchez is toting a 5.42 ERA over his past 310 1/3 innings (two seasons), while Pelfrey carries a 4.97 ERA in 460 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2013.

Boyd is the younger option here and a hopeful long-term piece for the Tigers. Acquired alongside Norris in the 2015 David Price blockbuster with the Blue Jays, the 26-year-old Boyd has excelled in Triple-A but struggled in the Majors to date. In 105 innings at the minor leagues’ top level, Boyd boasts an exceptional 2.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. His big league ERA is well north of the 5.00 mark, but he did improve in 2016, tossing 97 1/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 38.1 percent ground-ball rate. That he has an option remaining and is not playing on a significant multi-year deal like Sanchez and Pelfrey works against him.

Prediction: Sanchez wins the rotation spot, with Pelfrey headed to the bullpen to work in a long relief role. (That assumes health among the Tigers’ top four starters, of course.)

Bullpen (One spot)

Daniel Stumpf
Age: 26
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 3

Blaine Hardy
Age: 30
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: 2

Kyle Ryan
Age: 25
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: 2

Joe Jimenez
Age: 22
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 3

Shane Greene
Age: 28
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options Remaining: 1

Other potential candidates: Edward Mujica, A.J. Achter, Logan Kensing

Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Wilson, Alex Wilson, Bruce Rondon, Mark Lowe and whichever of Pelfrey/Sanchez loses a rotation spot this spring figure to be locks for the bullpen, assuming the Tigers don’t simply cut bait on a well-compensated veteran like Lowe or Pelfrey. That leaves one vacant spot in manager Brad Ausmus’ relief corps — assuming the Tigers go with a traditional 12-man pitching staff to open the season.

Hardy has been quite good in the Majors when healthy, but he battled shoulder troubles early last year and spent much of the 2016 campaign shuttling between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit. Ryan could give Detroit a second lefty option behind Justin Wilson. He’s logged 112 frames in the Tigers’ bullpen across the past two years and performed reasonably well in that stretch, but he doesn’t suppress left-handed hitters as well as Hardy (career .703 OPS against for Ryan compared to a .609 mark for Hardy).

Stumpf represents another southpaw option and, as a Rule 5 pick, must remain on the roster in order to stay in the organization (barring a minor trade to fully acquire his rights). He’s been rocked in his only five innings of MLB experience and comes with a previous 80-game PED suspension, but Stumpf was impressive last season in the Phillies’ minor league ranks.

As for right-handed options, Jimenez entered 2016 as one of the better-regarded relief prospects in baseball and furthered that reputation with a sensational 1.51 ERA, 13.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 across three minor league levels. He tossed just 15 2/3 innings in Triple-A, though, so the Tigers may be wary of rushing him to the bigs too quickly — especially with limited bullpen space and others options from which to choose.

Greene’s 5.82 ERA from last season looks disastrous, but he posted solid strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates in 60 1/3 innings with the Tigers. ERA alternatives FIP, xFIP and SIERA all liked him for a sub-4.00 mark, with FIP the most bullish at 3.13.

Mujica, Achter and Kensing are among Detroit’s non-roster invites to Spring Training. Each would give Ausmus an experienced arm, with Mujica offering the lengthiest track record of Major League success. Given the number of internal options on the 40-man roster, any of the bunch strikes me as a long shot, barring numerous injuries and/or underperformances.

Prediction: Had the Tigers moved Justin Wilson this offseason — and they were rumored to have many talks involving him — it’d be easier to envision Stumpf sticking on the roster. But Hardy has achieved repeated success in the Majors in recent years and has had the most success against left-handed hitters out of any of the team’s options for a second southpaw. He’s my pick for their remaining bullpen spot.

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