Archives for March 2017

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/4/17

By Jeff Todd | March 4, 2017 at 1:47pm CDT

We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

The Mariners have outrighted infielder Mike Freeman after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. He’ll head back to MLB camp as a non-roster player. GM Jerry Dipoto suggested yesterday that Freeman lost his place on the roster in large part because the club felt he was the likeliest of the reserve infield candidates to clear waivers. Now that he has, presumably, there’s still a chance he could crack the Opening Day roster, though he’ll also be at a disadvantage since he lost his 40-man spot.
Righty Steve Johnson will join the Orioles on a minor-league deal, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on Twitter. The 29-year-old has spent five prior years in the O’s organization, cracking the majors in three seasons. Last year, he worked to a 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 MLB frames with the Mariners, striking out 9.2 but walking 5.9 batters per nine. Johnson did produce better numbers at Triple-A, though, posting a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings with 10.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. That continued a noticeable pattern in which Johnson struggles with free passes at the MLB level (5.6 BB/9 lifetime) despite carrying palatable (or better) rates in the upper minors.

Make Or Break Year: Billy Hamilton

By Jeff Todd | March 4, 2017 at 12:38pm CDT

MLBTR is rebooting its “make or break year” series, in which we analyze players who enter the season with up-and-down track records but also an opportunity to stake a claim to significant future earnings.

Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton remains one of the game’s most fascinating players, due in large part to his eye-popping ability to create runs through his unmatched daring on the bases. Hamilton’s top-of-the-charts speed — which he ably deploys to circle the bags and track down fly balls with the best of them — gives him a sturdy floor and makes him an easy bet to contribute in the big leagues for a full career.

The question remains, though, whether Hamilton ought to be trotted out on an everyday basis given his weaknesses with the bat in hand. There’s an argument to be made that he’s good enough on the bases and in the field that he really doesn’t need to hit much at all to warrant a steady job. Over the past three seasons, Hamilton has paced baseball by a laughable margin in total baserunning value and ranks third in the game in UZR-based defensive contributions. And this isn’t just some sabermetric argument; teams have long valued outstanding up-the-middle defenders who couldn’t hit a lick. (To take but one largely random example, Phil Rizzuto came in second in the AL MVP voting in 1949 despite a .275/.352/.358 batting line … nearly a perfect match for the .273/.351/.355 slash he carried during a Hall-of-Fame career.)

Still, there’s a point at which it’s hard to stomach the lack of production at the dish. Remarkably, Hamilton managed 2.0 fWAR and 1.0 rWAR in 2015 even while hitting an anemic .226/.274/.289. But that level of offense makes him more of a fourth outfielder than a regular worthy of a major commitment from an organization, so the Reds will no doubt demand more before committing to Hamilton for the long run. Obviously he’s shown more in other seasons, but how much bat is enough? And can Hamilton boost his production to the point where that’s a moot question, perhaps earning an extension in the process? Much of the information needed to answer those questions will be provided by Hamilton’s 2017 season.

Is it too early to label this a “make or break year” for Hamilton? Perhaps, to some extent. After all, he’s only 26 and just reached arbitration eligibility for the first time. (He’ll earn a palatable, but still reasonably significant, $2.625MM salary.) But that leaves only two further years of control, at increasing rates of pay, and the Reds are hoping to push toward contention sooner than later. If there’s uncertainty regarding Hamilton’s future — and the organization’s interest in retaining him beyond his arb years — then surely Cincinnati will look to explore alternatives, while perhaps dangling the unique burner in trade talks. (If late-inning relievers are uniquely appealing at the trade deadline, then how about a baserunning specialist who’d become a rare weapon down the stretch and in the postseason?)

Let’s take a closer look at Hamilton’s hitting profile. Surrounding his putrid 2015 campaign, the switch-hitter compiled two seasons in which his overall output was similar but the way he got there was different. In 2014, his rookie campaign, Hamilton slashed .250/.292/.355; last year, he ran out a .260/.321/.343 batting line. With context factored in, both represented productivity that falls about 20% below league average. But for several reasons, the more recent season was arguably more promising.

First and foremost, Hamilton boosted his walk rate in 2016 to a career-best 7.8%. Relatedly, while his overall contact numbers have held steady, Hamilton continued a trend of laying off of more pitches out of the zone. He also put the ball on the ground quite a bit more than ever before (47.7%), helping him to generate a career-best .329 BABIP even as he recorded a typical (for him) 12.5% infield-hit rate and continued to produce very little had contact.

Those background improvements are reason for some optimism, but it’s Hamilton’s late-season charge that has created the most excitement. As C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer recently examined, Hamilton produced a .369 on-base percentage over his final 45 games, allowing him to steal a remarkable 36 bases in that span. With some professional maturation and improvements to his approach supporting that improvement, perhaps there’s cause to believe that could carry over.

If Hamilton can reach base even at an approximately average clip, he looks like a solid 2.5 to 3.0 WAR player. If he can get on board at a greater rate, perhaps he’ll be a star. But his career OBP of .297 has left his legs in the dugout too frequently. There’s still some time for Hamilton to chart his true course, but the Reds may base their own plans based largely upon his 2017 campaign. The Cincinnati organization has opened up the pocketbook to extend control rights over core players rather frequently, and the Marlins’ extension of Dee Gordon shows the upside for a player of Hamilton’s ilk, but he’ll need to convince the club that he’s capable of sustained productivity to get there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Huston Street Diagnosed With Lat Strain

By Jeff Todd | March 4, 2017 at 11:08am CDT

TODAY: Street has been diagnosed with a lat strain after the MRI, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He won’t be able to throw for three or four weeks, which appears to make it quite unlikely that he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

[RELATED: Updated Angels Depth Chart]

YESTERDAY: Angels righty Huston Street left his spring outing today with what the team is calling triceps irritation, per a club announcement. He’s set to undergo an MRI later today to further assess his arm.

Street, 33, enters camp in an unfamiliar situation. After a dozen years as a late-inning fixture in the majors, he’s battling this spring for his spot in the Halos’ bullpen pecking order following an injury-plagued and ineffective 2016 season.

While Street arguably still deserves the benefit of the doubt, given the eleven high-quality campaigns he turned in before last year, he could easily be bypassed as the closer with any stumbles this spring. It’s too soon to know whether this particular injury will represent a major obstacle, but if it does, it could open the door for Cam Bedrosian or Andrew Bailey to step into the 9th-inning job.

Of broader importance to the team is Street’s ability to get back on track and contribute over the course of the coming season. He battled through oblique and knee injuries last year, ultimately contributing only 22 1/3 innings of 6.45 ERA ball. Los Angeles will be looking for more in 2017, as Street is due $9MM before the team decides between a $10MM club option and a $1MM buyout for the following year.

NL Notes: Strasburg, Albies, Peterson, Dahl

By Jeff Todd | March 4, 2017 at 10:53am CDT

Stephen Strasburg threw well in his spring debut for the Nationals yesterday, representing a promising step for the key righty, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Notably, Strasburg also showed some tweaks to his approach that he evidently intends to carry into the 2017 season. Most interestingly, the veteran hurler worked exclusively from the stretch, explaining that he has toyed with that idea after finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his mechanics from a full windup. Likewise, he’s planning to pare back the usage of his slider, an offering that he relied on far more in 2016 than ever before. The hope is that by utilizing that pitch less, and backing off on his work between starts, Strasburg can better maintain his health throughout a full season.

Here’s more from the National League:

Braves prospect Ozzie Albies is set to be examined on Monday, with hopes he’ll be cleared for full baseball activities, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Albies, who is working back from an olecranon fracture in his right elbow, may be ready for game action as soon as the middle of next week. That still doesn’t leave much time or opportunity for him to earn an Opening Day job, though that possibility likely evaporated when the injury took place. The 20-year-old will likely end up spending a bit more time refining his game in the upper minors, though it seems reasonable to anticipate he’ll get the call up to the majors at some point in the season to come.
Meanwhile, fellow Braves prospect Dustin Peterson will be delayed to start the season after undergoing hamate surgery, per a club announcement. Removal of the hook of the hamate bone is a fairly common procedure, and doesn’t appear to pose a significant problem in the long run, but it tends to sap power for some time upon a player’s return. The 22-year-old outfielder is seen as an increasingly important part of Atlanta’s future. Last year, he slashed .282/.343/.431 and hit a dozen home runs in 578 plate appearances at Double-A, representing a big step forward from his prior output. Peterson came to the Braves from the Padres as part of the pre-2015 Justin Upton trade.
The Rockies are exercising caution with prized young outfielder David Dahl, with manager Bud Black suggesting that his upper back injury is a bit more concerning than had initially been hoped, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Dahl will likely be out for a “few weeks” as the organization takes a closer look at the issue and treats it, which seemingly makes him unlikely to join the active roster at the start of the season. Just what that means for the organization remains unclear, but it likely clears the way for Gerardo Parra to handle regular duties in left field to begin the year. While a big showing from top prospect Raimel Tapia could present him with a chance to return to the majors, perhaps the injury opens the door most clearly for the right-handed-hitting Stephen Cardullo to head north with the club.

5 Key Stories: 2/25/17 – 3/3/17

By Jeff Todd | March 4, 2017 at 9:35am CDT

Here are the top stories from our week of coverage at MLBTR.

David Wright diagnosed with shoulder impingement. While health limitations can hardly be seen as a surprise for the veteran, who has missed the better part of the past two seasons with significant back and neck problems, it was disappointing to learn that he’d need to overcome yet another malady to make it back to the majors. As things stand, Wright has no timetable to return; he’ll need to rehab his shoulder before he’s even able to try throwing again, and then build from there to return to the field. If there’s a silver lining, perhaps it lies in the fact that Wright can continue to swing the bat in the meantime.

Nationals sign Joe Blanton. Speculation has long centered on the back of the Nats’ pen, which features some quality arms but lacks an established closer. Rather than striking a significant trade to address the need, however, the Nats added the veteran Blanton at a nice value of $4MM (a large chunk of which is slightly deferred). While he’s not expected to compete for the 9th-inning job, Blanton deepens the unit and adds flexibility. Best known as a starter who stumbled later in his career, Blanton has turned into quite a high-quality late-inning reliever over the past two years. There are some questions of the sustainability of his results, but he did post a stellar 14.3% swinging-strike rate last year. With the move, the Nats seem less likely than ever to deal for a closer.

Jung Ho Kang sentenced for DUI. The Pirates infielder has yet to report for camp, but the path was cleared — partially — when he received a suspended sentence for his third DUI arrest in his native South Korea. That seems a favorable outcome from Kang’s perspective, and also the team’s, though surely both will need to put in a significant effort to prevent a repeat of such misdeeds in the future. The team says it’ll do just that, but first Kang needs to secure a work visa to make his way back into the United States.

League, union announce rule changes. While the new rules won’t go as far as the league hoped, we will see a bit of disruption of tradition landing at the major league level. Managers will now be able to order intentional walks from the dugout, freeing pitchers from the requirement of throwing four balls. There are also provisions tightening up the replay timelines. Broader pace-of-play initiatives may need to wait, but commissioner Rob Manfred says he’s open to considering measures that go beyond the on-field product, potentially including the shortening of commercial breaks.

White Sox to release Brett Lawrie. It’s not a terribly impactful move, standing alone, but Chicago’s decision to cut ties with Lawrie has some interesting dimensions. The talented infielder, who has never quite performed to expectations, was a key piece of the confusing trade that sent superstar Josh Donaldson from the A’s to the Blue Jays; though Oakland still has some pieces from that deal, as well as the one that sent Lawrie to Chicago, it doesn’t fare well in retrospect. Then, there’s the relation of the move to the Chicago rebuilding effort. As GM Rich Hahn seemingly suggests, the move on Lawrie — after agreeing to arb terms with him previously — reflects a confluence of the team’s interest in seeing younger players and its inability to find a fair deal for third baseman Todd Frazier. Finally, it’ll be interesting to see where Lawrie lands; he only just turned 27 and is clearly capable of playing at least a reserve role in the majors.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Hammel, Soler, Adams, Masterson, Brewers

By Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 11:18pm CDT

Righty Jason Hammel discussed his transition from the Cubs to the Royals with reporters including Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. The veteran starter says he wasn’t ready to give up starting at this stage, which may have been in the plans had he remained in Chicago. “I felt like I had proven myself over and over and over again for three years there,” he said. “It is what it is. It’s the business side of baseball. And I’m very happy that I’m over here with these guys.” Whether there’s any sense of bitterness, Hammel says he won’t “hold grudges” or “burn a bridge;” he still owns a home in the city and suggests he could even end up returning at some point later in his career.

That’s not the only storyline connecting the 2016 champs and their predecessors; there was also a rather notable deal that sent outfielder Jorge Soler to the Royals while delivering star closer Wade Davis to the Cubs. Naturally, the man tasked with harnessing Soler’s evident talent is Dale Sveum — the hitting coach who just happened to have managed the Cubbies before landing in Kansas City. “I still think he’s developing into what he possibly could be,” Sveum said of his new protege. “He’s been very good in camp so far, trying to make adjustments in his legs and things like that, knowing the issues that come with some of the mechanics he’s been using. But like I said, it’s still a development thing. As much as we’d all like to think (otherwise), it’s not a polished product, by no means.”
Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams is looking to unify several offseason changes this spring, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. He lost weight, worked on building core strength, and re-worked his swing. Bringing these modifications together, and making it all work against MLB-caliber pitching, has been a challenge. But the organization is remaining patient with the lefty slugger, who’s entering a critical year for charting his future with the club.
It doesn’t appear as if the Reds will pursue a deal with free-agent righty Justin Masterson, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer suggests on Twitter. While the organization took a look at the former workhorse recently, it evidently did not see enough promise to add another arm to the spring mix.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell discussed the status of his team’s bench competition, as Tom Haudricourt and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel report. Hernan Perez appears to have a very strong shot at making the club as a reserve outfield and infield options. Michael Reed, on the other hand, still “has things to prove at the Triple-A level,” according to Counsell.

AL Notes: Mariners, Tigers, Lawrie, Rodon, Morton

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 9:14pm CDT

The competition for the Mariners’ utility infield job is down to Shawn O’Malley and Taylor Motter for the time being now that Mike Freeman has been designated for assignment, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Seattle hopes that Freeman will clear waivers and remain in the organization, but the 29-year-old does have a strong track record of hitting for average and getting on base in Triple-A, to say nothing of some defensive versatility, so that outcome isn’t a guarantee. GM Jerry Dipoto said the ultimate decision came down to which utility candidate he considered to have the best chance of passing through waivers. That proved to be Freeman, due largely to the fact that he’s the oldest of the three competitors and has the least MLB time. Johns notes that those in competition for the utility infield role will see plenty of opportunity to prove themselves this spring, as starting shortstop Jean Segura will be playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

A few more notes on some competitions for the final roster spots around the league…

The Tigers are facing a tough decision with powerful outfielder Steven Moya and versatile infielder Dixon Machado, writes MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery. Both players are out of minor league options, but there’s likely only one open spot on the Tigers’ bench. Alex Avila is on hand to back up James McCann behind the dish, while Andrew Romine has one utility infield job locked down. One of Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook is likely to be on the bench each day as well, as they’re poised to form a center field platoon. Manager Brad Ausmus noted that it’s a particularly difficult situation, as it’d be tough to get either player any sort of consistent at-bats during the regular season. But, as Woodbery notes, both could have clearer paths to playing time in 2018. Ausmus specifically noted that he can’t see Moya passing through waivers, so perhaps the team has a slight inclination to keep the 25-year-old slugger. Moya slugged 25 homers in 526 plate appearances between Triple-A and the Majors last season.
Parting with Brett Lawrie surely reflects a variety of factors for the White Sox, including his uninspiring performance, injury uncertainty, and rate of pay. But GM Rick Hahn (video via the Chicago Tribune) emphasized the importance the organization places on freeing playing opportunities for players who could have a longer future with the club. Hahn specifically mentioned Tyler Saladino, Carlos Sanchez, Leury Garcia, and Matt Davidson as players who he’d like to see have a chance at the majors. Of course, that was all known to the team when it agreed to terms with Lawrie to avoid arbitration; what wasn’t then clear, perhaps, was what would become of third baseman Todd Frazier, who remains with Chicago. Hahn notes, interestingly, that the team “can’t really control the pace or timing of these transactions,” saying that it had “envisioned various transactions” taking place that would have opened playing time both for Lawrie and the other names mentioned.
While the White Sox have suggested that nothing is amiss with lefty Carlos Rodon, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago explains on Twitter, his handling this spring is raising some eyebrows. Rodon threw his first pen session today, which means he’s on track to be ready to start the year, and the team has said that it’s merely keeping some restraints on an important young pitcher who’ll be expected to throw more innings than he did last year (165). But there are also some vague, slightly ominous hints emanating from the organization, as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter links). Manager Rick Renteria says that the hope is Rodon will be ready to join the Opening Day roster “without any concern,” which at least obliquely suggests there’s at least some health-related concern. And pitching coach Don Cooper referenced “arm stuff” that bothered Rodon in 2016, leading Hahn to clarify it was simply a fatigue-related matter that had been dealt with by modifications to Rodon’s preparation regimen.
The Astros are bullish on righty Charlie Morton, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports. Houston placed a fairly substantial bet (two years, $14MM) on the 33-year-old, a groundball-heavy hurler who has dealt with his fair share of injuries. That was based not just on the team’s assessment of Morton’s abilities, but also its belief that it could help him get more out of them through improvements to his mechanics and pitch selection. Morton showed well today, McTaggart notes; he worked in the mid-nineties, a fair bit higher than his typical average fastball of 91 or 92 mph.

Pre-Arb Contracts Of Note: Correa, Syndergaard, Turner

By Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 6:44pm CDT

Every team takes a different approach to the negotiation of contracts with players who have yet to qualify for arbitration. Technically, there’s no obligation to pay them any more than the league minimum salary, which currently sits at $535K. But all teams make some allowance for increases above that amount. Some use formulas with varying inputs; others appear largely ad hoc. Some range well over the minimum; others allow for only de minimis bumps. Read here for more on the process; better still, check out Zach Links’s reporting on the subject from early 2014.

We already learned recently of one notable 2017 pre-arb contract situation, as the Red Sox elected to renew Mookie Betts. A renewal occurs when the club can’t get the player to agree to the salary. The result is the same — the player gets what the team is willing to give — but the player gets to make clear his disapproval. In that case, Betts still received a relatively massive payday, with his $950K salary trailing only Mike Trout (in 2014) among pre-arb players.

Here are a few more notable salaries that have been reported since:

The Astros ended up renewing their own pre-arb star, Carlos Correa, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. But he’ll get quite a bit less than Betts; in fact, for the second straight year, Correa will earn only the league-minimum rate of pay. (To be fair, he’s also one service class behind Betts.) As MLBTR previously reported, Houston has in prior years utilized a formula-based system that allows players to earn relatively meager boosts over the minimum, though it’s not known whether that specific approach is still followed. Clearly, though, Correa — one of the game’s most exciting young talents — would have been offered at least something more than the minimum. Presumably, then, he was docked back down owing to his refusal to sign, which is another element the Astros have reportedly employed. It obviously remains to be seen whether there’ll be any long-term strain on the relationship between player and team, but it’s not hard to see the possibility.
There’s perhaps less cause for angst between the Mets and young ace Noah Syndergaard, who’ll earn $605,500 in 2016 with his renewal, as Heyman tweets. That’s certainly a reasonably significant increase over the minimum, and it falls in line with the team’s prior approach to setting arb salaries, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Syndergaard was hoping to earn a bit more, and declined to sign on to the team’s offer, but New York did not apply any penalty in setting the renewal price. It seems that the relationship between player and team remains harmonious, per Sherman. Syndergaard, unlike Correa, can also look forward to much higher earnings in the near future, as he’s nearly certain to achieve Super Two status.
Finally, the Nationals have agreed to a $554,900 salary with emergent star Trea Turner, according to Heyman (via Twitter). That’s rather a healthy rate of pay for a player who’ll enter the year with just 135 days of service, though Turner’s outstanding half-season of work in 2016 — .342/.370/.567 with 13 home runs and 33 steals over 324 plate appearances — more than justifies such an increase. With Turner’s deal in the books, the Nats were able to line up with all 22 of their arb-eligible players. Looking ahead for the youngster, who’ll be moving back to his accustomed shortstop position this year, the biggest impact on his earnings (beyond his play) won’t be the team’s decision on how much to pay him before he reaches arbitration. Instead, it’ll be whether he can qualify for Super Two status. Without a 2015 cameo in the books, he wouldn’t have much of a shot; as things stand, he’ll be touch-and-go to reach arb eligibility a year ahead of the pack.

David Price Not Expected To Need Elbow Surgery

By Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 3:26pm CDT

The Red Sox announced some very welcome news on lefty David Price, who was being evaluated for a worrying elbow injury. As Rob Bradford of WEEI.com was among those to report on Twitter, manager John Farrell says that Price is not expected to require surgery or other invasive treatments. Instead, he will be shut down for seven to ten days of treatment before being reevaluated.

It’s not immediately clear how soon Price can be expected back on the mound. The injury has been diagnosed as a strain, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), which presumably could have a wide variance in recovery process and timing. Clearly, though, the news comes as a relief to a Boston organization that has much at stake in Price’s left arm — this season and beyond.

Alarm bells rang yesterday when the Sox told reporters they were sending Price to be examined by elbow experts Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache. That decision showed that the team had real concern, and raised the specter of a season-ending surgery. Those two physicians, after all, are among the foremost practitioners of the Tommy John procedure. While a visit to their offices often precedes a TJ procedure, though, that’s not always the case.

In Price’s situation, it seems, other treatment outcomes were also seen as being on the table. Ferrell noted that the veteran southpaw won’t need an injection, which perhaps would have represented an alternative. As it turns out, the news represents a best-case scenario.

Unfortunately, even with that good news, it seems as if Price may fall behind a bit. Unless, perhaps, he’s cleared for a full resumption of this throwing program at the earliest opportunity, Price may need to spend at least a bit of time on the DL to start the season. That wouldn’t be particularly problematic were it not for the fact that Boston is facing similar timing questions already with pitchers such as Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz, though perhaps a fill-in or even an outside addition could help bridge the gap if the need arises.

Carlos Santana Changes Agents

By Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 1:50pm CDT

With free agency on the horizon, veteran DH Carlos Santana has decided to change agents, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported (via Twitter). Santana, 30, will now be represented by Octagon.

The Indians could conceivably engage Santana’s new representatives about another extension, though that has never seemed particularly likely. A return to Cleveland could still come to pass, especially if the club hangs a qualifying offer on him, but it would rate as a surprise if the sides were to strike a new deal this spring.

Santana’s current deal, signed when he hadn’t even reached his second year of MLB service, wraps up this year. The club picked up a $12MM option for 2017, meaning that the contract ended up paying out $31.8MM over its six-year span, which covered a pair of pre-arbitration years, all three arb campaigns, and one would-be free agent season.

Things have changed quite a bit in the meantime for the switch-hitting Santana. He has been steadily productive offensively, compiling a lifetime .247/.365/.444 slash, but no longer spends any time as a catcher. While he has logged plenty of innings at first and ever some at third base, Santana spent 92 games as the Indians’ DH in 2016.

Landing big bucks has never been harder for defensively limited sluggers, as this last winter’s free agent market showed. But there’s some reason to believe that Santana will find broader demand than some otherwise similar players. He remains relatively youthful, offers the versatility of hitting from both sides of the plate, and still delivers the kind of impeccable plate discipline (99 strikeouts against 99 walks in 2016) that many organizations covet. Notably, Santana was able to maintain that outstanding zone control while hitting a career-best 34 home runs last year.

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