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Archives for September 2017

Ian Kinsler Reaches Plate Appearance Requirement In Vesting Option

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Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler just completed his second plate appearance of the night (an RBI single), meaning he’s now up to 600 on the season — the required threshold to trigger the 2018 vesting option in his contract.

As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month, Kinsler’s previously known $10MM club option contains a vesting clause that would guarantee the option upon reaching 600 PAs. MLBTR further reported that Kinsler’s option will actually vest at $11MM, although the option won’t formally trigger until the season ends, as his contract stipulates that he cannot be on the disabled list at season’s end. Kinsler’s contract also contains an escalator that’ll boost his 2018 salary by $1MM if he wins a Gold Glove Award this season — a distinct possibility.

In some respects, it’s a fairly moot point. The Tigers always seemed exceptionally likely to exercise Kinsler’s option, especially when considering the fact that he’d be paid $5MM of that sum regardless due to the large nature of the option’s buyout. Kinsler hasn’t had his best year at the plate — the contrary, he’s actually had his worst — but he’s been on fire over the season’s final month and entered play hitting .236/.313/.416 with 22 homers on the season. In addition to the power, Kinsler has swiped 14 bases and provided value both with his baserunning and his characteristically strong glovework at second base.

While the exact amount that Kinsler will earn in 2018 will become clear once Awards voting has concluded, what won’t be clear for quite some time is exactly what uniform the four-time All-Star will be wearing on Opening Day next season. Kinsler recently told MLB.com’s Jon Morosi that he planned to talk directly to GM Al Avila before season’s end to discuss his future with the team. Winning, understandably, is becoming a greater priority for the 35-year-old, and the Tigers look to be embarking on an aggressive rebuild after trading Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila and Cameron Maybin all within the past year.

As such, Kinsler stands out as one of the more obvious — if not the most obvious — trade candidates of the upcoming offseason. While he may or may not return to the star-caliber levels f output he delivered as recently as 2016, Kinsler remains a decidedly above-average regular at a premium infield position that offers above-average pop for his position in addition to high-quality defense. That skill set, paired with a reasonable price tag in 2018 — be it $11MM or $12MM — should generate plenty of trade interest in the offseason. Kinsler does have a partial no-trade clause in his contract, though the second baseman indicated to Morosi that his willingness to waive that provision will be determined by what Avila tells him about the team’s planned offseason trajectory.

Rays Notes: Ramos, Duffy, Offseason

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Rays backstop Wilson Ramos will reach an important milestone tonight, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times points out (on Twitter). Tonight’s start will be the 55th of the season for Ramos, which will bump his 2018 salary from $8.5MM to $10.5MM. That will push the total value of Ramos’ contract to a two years and $14.5MM, though he’ll have the opportunity to earn up to $750K worth of incentives next season. He could also technically boost next year’s salary by another $250K if he starts each of the final five games of the current season to reach 60 starts (though that, obviously, is quite unlikely.) Ramos looked poised for a massive payday in free agency late in the 2016 season, but a torn ACL suffered one year ago to the day significantly hampered his earning capacity. Thus far, he’s hit .263/.293/.444 with 10 homers through 211 plate appearances for Tampa Bay.

A bit more out of St. Petersburg…

  • Infielder Matt Duffy played three innings in an instructional league game on Tuesday, writes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays plan to build Duffy up to playing in a nine-inning game over the final seven games of instructional play, which the shortstop says will give him peace of mind heading into the offseason. Duffy tells Mooney that when he originally underwent surgery to repair his left heel last September, he was told to expect a recovery of three to six months. However, after three games of rehab work in May, he experienced recurring symptoms, and a calcium deposit that required surgical removal was discovered. Mooney writes that Duffy is still in the Rays’ plans for next season and spoke to senior VP Chaim Bloom about Duffy’s frustrating season.
  • Duffy’s role with the team will be somewhat contingent on the team’s plans for Adeiny Hechavarria, but MLB.com’s Bill Chastain writes in his latest mailbag column that he expects the team to retain Hechavarria in arbitration this winter. Hechavarria hasn’t hit much with Tampa Bay, just .249/.284/.398 in 265 plate appearances, and he’s due a raise on this year’s $4.35MM salary. Still, his defensive prowess is an asset for the Rays, as Hechavarria has posted a strong +7 mark in Defensive Runs Saved with the Rays and +4 in Ultimate Zone Rating (+12.7 UZR/150). Chastain also discusses the Rays’ potential group of free agents with the offseason looming and the limited chances of retaining the likes of Alex Cobb, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter.

Nationals Activate Bryce Harper From Disabled List

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The Nationals announced on Tuesday that they’ve activated outfielder Bryce Harper from the 10-day disabled list. Harper missed more than a month due to a hyperextended left knee, though all things considered, a nearly six-week absence represented far from a disastrous scenario.

The Nats already had the NL East well in hand at the time of Harper’s injury, and the fact that he sustained only a hyperextension of the injured knee came as a sigh of relief; the initial was gruesome to behold and certainly looked at first as if Harper may have sustained considerably more significant damage.

In Harper’s absence, the Nationals compiled a 26-15 record, more than weathering the storm in the absence of their best hitter. At the time of his injury, Harper was among the front-runners for National League Most Valuable Player honors, though his fairly lengthy absence all but eliminates him from that running. That said, the return of Harper and his .326/.419/.614 batting line before the onset of postseason play is significant for the Nats. Harper’s return was delayed by a day due to illness, but he’ll now have six games to get his legs back under him and work on his timing before the Nats begin play in the National League Division Series.

NL East Notes: Harvey, Collins, Wittgren

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The Mets are indeed preparing to tender righty Matt Harvey a contract, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined the matter just yesterday, explaining why the club likely sees the 28-year-old as a worthwhile investment despite his marked struggles. GM Sandy Alderson had already made that rather clear, but Heyman suggests it’s all but a done deal and adds some context. New York, he says, may mostly plan to rely on the team’s slate of internal rotation options while investing instead in the bullpen.

More from the NL East:

  • It seems likely the Mets will move on from Terry Collins, as we’ve also heard recently, but Mike Puma of the New York Post gives the clearest indication yet that the veteran skipper will probably depart. Per the report, ownership is not expected to override the baseball ops department, which seemingly intends to notify Collins of its decision shortly. The club’s precise plans for the potential managerial vacancy remain unknown, though Puma says it’s fairly likely that New York will look to bring in a new skipper that has previous “ties to the organization.” He lists Robin Ventura, Alex Cora, Kevin Long, Bob Geren, and Chip Hale as potential candidates.
  • Marlins righty Nick Wittgren underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow, as he himself tweeted. Notably, Wittgren fills us in on one underappreciated aspect of the work of Dr. James Andrews: the famed surgeon was thoughtful enough to send his patient home with the malevolent spur. Wittgren, 26, will have a full offseason to get healthy (as well as a new trophy). He had an interesting 2017 season, recording 9.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 over 42 1/3 innings, but managed only a 4.68 ERA. As the Miami organization looks for ways to make its roster leaner, Wittgren holds out some hope of providing useful relief innings at a budget rate of pay.

Dan Duquette On Orioles’ Rotation Needs

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As the Orioles wrap up a difficult campaign, there’s still some ongoing tension between executive VP of baseball ops Dan Duquette and skipper Buck Showalter, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription req’d). But there’s no indication that “strained” communications will lead to any major changes, and Duquette suggests that he’s heading into the winter preparing once again to build a winning roster — with a particular focus on starting pitching.

In conversations with Rosenthal and also with Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com, Duquette indicated that he’s optimistic about some young players that are reaching or nearing the majors. While filling out the rotation will be a “big challenge,” says Duquette, “it’s been done here before.”

We’ve heard previously that the O’s believe they need to add at least two new starters, and that certainly seems to be the case after a miserable 2017 performance. “There’s no major league team in the business that’s going to withstand three of their starters not pitching up to the level that they established for themselves,” said Duquette, referring to the struggles of Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Wade Miley.

Of course, those veterans all had some concerns entering the season, and it’s fair to wonder whether and how Baltimore will find more reliable arms this time around. As Connolly notes, while Duquette expressed optimism about some prospects, it doesn’t seem any are waiting in the wings to take a rotation spot out of camp.

With a big commitment to Chris Davis on the books and several core player slated to depart after the 2018 season, the O’s will need to be cautious of long-term commitments in free agency. Unless owner Peter Angelos really opens up the pocketbook, adding veteran pitching through the open market may be challenge. (MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently broke down the starting pitching market by certain indicators.)

The trade market doesn’t necessarily seem an easier route. With the Orioles likely relying on position-player prospects to cover for the possible losses of Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and eventually Jonathan Schoop, they’ll be hesitant to deal from that stock. While Connolly hints that the club might consider trying to swap out Mark Trumbo for an expensive hurler from another organization, that may be easier said than done.

Despite the obvious difficulties, Duquette insists he can build a quality staff around Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Those two make for a good starting point, to be sure, though Bundy will be looking to sustain his performance after a big innings jump and Gausman struggled badly over the first half of 2017. Even assuming that pair is healthy and effective, it’ll be a tall order to put together a productive five-man unit (not to mention ensuring adequate depth behind it).

West Notes: Maxwell, Rodney, Hundley

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Whatever one may think about athletes making social or political gestures during the National Anthem, this excellent piece from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports on Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell is well worth a read. The first-year big leaguer, who became the first and thus far only major-league player to join many in the NFL in taking a knee during the anthem, certainly has thought deeply about his actions and appears to be motivated by honestly-held beliefs.

Here’s more from out west:

  • While the Diamondbacks will end up paying closer Fernando Rodney more than he was guaranteed before the season, that’s a good thing. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains, Rodney has already tacked on $1.25MM on top of his $2.75MM base salary. With one more appearance he’ll take home another $250K check. The purpose, says GM Mike Hazen, was to “pay him more if we leaned on him in a good season” but leave the team “more protected” if things went south. With the D-Backs slated for a Wild Card play-in, the money has proven well spent. The 40-year-old Rodney carries a less-than-inspiring 4.33 ERA, but has racked up 39 saves and has perhaps thrown better than the ERA suggests. Rodney has stranded only 59.9% of baserunners to reach against him, which likely reflects some poor fortune. He carries 10.5 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 along with a 51.5% groundball rate on the year.
  • Veteran backstop Nick Hundley says he’d like to return to the Giants, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. Skipper Bruce Bochy says he’ll “sit down” with the catcher about the future, noting that he expects Hundley to “have some choices” in free agency. Hundley slashed .252/.281/.434 with nine home runs in 290 plate appearances, with the on-base struggles offsetting his pop. And he doesn’t rate well as a framer. Still, the Giants seem to feel they have received good value on their $2MM investment; Baggarly documents Hundley’s work with the pitching staff and positive clubhouse presence. “I love it here,” said Hundley, adding that he “can’t imagine how much better it’d be if we were winning more games.”

Shohei Otani Interviewing MLB Agents

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Japanese superstar Shohei Otani has not made anything official, but indications continue to gather that he will indeed seek a move to the majors over the offseason to come. After reports emerged recently that Otani was lining up to request that he be made available by his current team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, the 23-year-old pitcher/outfielder has now begun to interview MLB player agents, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag.

It seems that Otani and those close to him have already begun the process in earnest, with a variety of well-known agents making the trek to Japan (even as MLB executives do the same). Heyman’s report suggests that the search for a rep is moving at a healthy clip, with Otani said to be possibly preparing to “begin a second round of interviews within the next week or so” after narrowing the field of possibilities.

Otani is widely regarded as the best baseball player in the world that isn’t currently wearing a MLB uniform. Given his age and immense talent (as both a pitcher and a hitter), there’s little question that Otani would command a nine-figure commitment were he free of the international bonus pool caps.

Because he is less than 25 years of age, and evidently does not wish to wait to make the move, Otani can receive only a minor-league deal that almost certainly won’t top seven figures. The precise bonus that each team can offer varies widely, but in no event can a team accumulate and dispense more than $10.1MM under the current system. And even those teams that could reach that figure will have committed some funds to other players. Quite a few organizations — including some that seem to be looking into Otani — cannot even give more than $300K to a single player, owing to penalties imposed under the prior bonus system. (Whatever team signs Otani would also need to send $20MM to the Fighters, though that element of the player exchange rules is said to be up for potential discussion before the offseason transactions get underway in earnest.)

With that backdrop, Otani’s meetings with prospective agents are all the more interesting to ponder. Just what he’ll prioritize in deciding upon a MLB team — geography, the ability to play both ways, likelihood of contention, marketing opportunities, long-term extension possibilities — isn’t clear. And his precise approach will surely be influenced by what he believes to be possible after this series of sit-downs.

Many have speculated that Otani could seek — and teams could offer — a handshake agreement of some kind to enter into an early-career extension. While the league has indicated it will police any attempts to evade the bonus pool rules, there seems to be a broad gray area that could theoretically be encountered. Just how far will Otani’s agents and organizational suitors go in weighing a future contract during initial talks? How long might they wait to formalize any such agreement? What would happen if injury or performance issues intervene to change the future expectations? These are fascinating questions that we won’t know the answers to for some time — if the issues even fully form — but the groundwork for how things may play out is being laid right now.

Injury Notes: Altuve, Yadi, Olson, Red Sox

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Here are the latest health notes from around the game:

  • The Astros dodged a bullet tonight when star second baseman Jose Altuve left the game after being struck on the forearm by a pitch. Thankfully, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets, x-rays came back negative. The diminutive 27-year-old is leading the American League in hits for the fourth consecutive year and in batting average for the third time in four seasons. He’s also pacing qualified batters with a career-best 168 OPS+.
  • Also departing with an injury tonight was Cardinals veteran Yadier Molina. The team announced that he’s undergoing testing as part of the concussion protocol after taking two consecutive foul balls off of his mask. His status for the rest of the regular season remains uncertain, but it could become a bigger issue if St. Louis can claw into Wild Card position.
  • Athletics slugger Matt Olson has been diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. He’s very likely to miss the remainder of the season, but it won’t put a damper on an exciting campaign. Olson, 23, has streaked to 24 long balls in 216 trips to the plate, with a robust .259/.352/.651 batting line. He’ll fall shy of a full year of service, too, so the A’s will control Olson for six more campaigns.
  • Things didn’t go quite as hoped for the Red Sox tonight. Lefty Drew Pomeranz was sitting in the high-eighties with his fastball, though he says that was part of a plan to save some gas for the later innings, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports. Star outfielder Mookie Betts left with a wrist issue, though there’s no reason as yet to think it’s significant. Of the greatest concern, perhaps, infielder Eduardo Nunez tweaked his injured knee. He suggested that he’ll sit out a few more games and try again to return, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets.

Will The Royals Retain Any Of Their Free-Agent Stars?

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The question isn’t a new one. It has long been observed that three key Royals players — center fielder Lorenzo Cain, first baseman Eric Hosmer, and third baseman Mike Moustakas — would all reach the open market after the 2017 season. Indeed, it seemed at times that the club would get out ahead of the pending departure by dealing one or more of those players, as it did with closer Wade Davis over the winter, though that never came to pass.

With the Kansas City club all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason, we’re fast approaching the point where the question will no longer be hypothetical. It’s clear that all three players are worthy of receiving and declining qualifying offers, potentially setting the stage for the organization to pick up a nice haul of draft picks as compensation if they depart. Barring a stunning development — the QO decision period will at least provide a window — none will re-up with the Royals before reaching the open market.

While the expectation long has been that the Royals would require some transition period, it’s tough to guess from the outside just what that might look like. The organization ran a payroll of over $140MM this year and has made clear it can’t do so again. But it already has more than $100MM committed for 2018, with a variety of veteran players — many controlled for the short-term, but a few on longer-term deals — still on the books. Some of those contracts have some value; others don’t. But the mix will make it difficult for the Royals to embark upon a complete and immediate tear-down.

So, is there still some possibility that Cain, Hosmer, and/or Moustakas could find themselves back in a familiar place next year and beyond? It isn’t as if the club has obvious replacements lined up for the trio. And all have indicated they would like to return, if that proves possible.

Obviously, the biggest barrier is cost. While K.C. might conceivably welcome back veteran shortstop Alcides Escobar, he likely won’t cost all that much given his ongoing struggles at the plate. The three players under consideration here, though, will surely command over $10MM annually over lengthy terms.

Cain might be the best of this group and will likely require the lowest total guarantee, mostly because he’s already 31 years old — which will also add to the Royals’ trepidation in paying to keep him. Hosmer has yet to turn 28 and is coming off of his best season in the majors, though he’ll probably be the most expensive and is probably also the easiest of this group to replace (given the glut of older power hitters on the market). Moustakas, 29, might offer something of a middle ground between the others and did just set the organizational record with his 37th dinger, though he won’t be cheap and remains an iffy performer in the on-base department.

So, how do you see this playing out? (Link for app users.)

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