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Archives for February 2018

Felix Hernandez Exits Game After Being Hit By Line Drive

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5:25pm: X-rays came back negative, the club announced (h/t Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, via Twitter), so it seems the worst-case scenario has been avoided.

3:27pm: Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez took a comebacker off his right arm during today’s Cactus League contest against the Cubs and exited the game without throwing another pitch. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times has a video of the play in his initial column on the injury. Hernandez immediately drops his glove, does not try to pick up the ball, and leaves the field with head trainer Rob Nodine holding his right arm. Divish further tweets that the Mariners are sending Hernandez back to their facility in Peoria for evaluation. For now, they’re only saying that he was struck on the “upper forearm.”

The Mariners struggled through a dismal 2017 season in terms of rotation health, relying largely on a revolving door of depth pieces and journeymen to get through the year while Hernandez, James Paxton, Yovani Gallardo and a host of others dealt with injury issues. Seattle picked up Mike Leake, Erasmo Ramirez and Marco Gonzales last summer with an eye toward bolstering the 2018 rotation, but the M’s haven’t added an established starter to their ranks all offseason with the exception of re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma. However, Iwakuma is still recovering from shoulder surgery and isn’t expected to be an immediate factor in the rotation. (Christian Bergman and Casey Lawrence re-signed with the Mariners on minor league deals this offseason.)

[Related: Seattle Mariners depth chart]

The free-agent market, of course, still has several notable names in the form of Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. A significant absence for King Felix could, speculatively, push the Mariners to add further depth — even if it’s not one of those top three names. Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Ricky Nolasco are among the other unsigned rotation options at this point, while the trade/waiver market continues to feature myriad possibilities.

Hernandez, 32 in April, was limited to 86 2/3 innings last season due to shoulder and biceps injuries. He pitched to a 4.36 ERA (second-highest of his career) with 8.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.77 HR/9 and a 46.9 percent ground-ball rate in that time.

J.D. Martinez Contract Includes Medical Protection For Red Sox, Third Opt-Out For Martinez

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After a week of medical reviews and some reported alterations to the language in his five-year, $110MM contract, J.D. Martinez was introduced by the Red Sox at a press conference this morning (video link via MLB.com). Seemingly, the Lisfranc foot injury that hampered Martinez early in the 2017 season served as enough of a red flag for the Sox that further work needed to be done to sort the matter out.

J.D. Martinez | Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Agent Scott Boras met with reporters following Martinez’s introduction today, revealing that the new contract language includes the addition of a third player opt-out (after the fourth season of the contract) in exchange for some medical protection for the Red Sox (Twitter links via Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com). Specifically, Drellich further reports, the Red Sox can convert both years four and five of the contract into mutual options, pursuant to the newly drawn-up language. In essence, then, the Sox have negotiated their own means of walking away from the final two years of the contract in the event that Martinez’s foot proves to be a chronic condition.

Per Drellich, should Martinez spend 60 consecutive days on the DL in year three of the contract (2020) with an injury related to his prior Lisfranc injury, the fourth year can be converted into a mutual option. Boston could also convert the fourth year to a mutual option should an injury pertaining to the prior Lisfranc issue prompt Martinez miss a combined 120 days between the second and third years of the deal (2019-20), with at least 10 of those days coming in year three. (The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo first tweeted that the team could render the fourth year a mutual option.)

Boston is similarly protected in the fifth season of the contract. If an injury pertaining to his previous Lisfranc issue causes Martinez to miss 60 consecutive days in the fourth year of the deal (2021) or a combined 120 days in 2020-21 (with at least 10 in year four), then the 2022 season can be converted to a mutual option. All determinations about whether a new Lisfranc injury for Martinez is related to the 2017 injury would be made by a panel of three doctors.

In the end, the week of back-and-forth does little to change the immediate bottom line for the Sox or Martinez. Red Sox evaluators were satisfied enough with Martinez’s health that they didn’t see fit to alter the length of the contract or the total guarantee. By all accounts, the involved parties all expect Martinez to be healthy in 2018 and serve as a potent weapon in the middle of the Boston lineup. Viewed through that lens, the medical hoops through which both sides have been jumping over the past week could all be rendered moot. If Martinez’s offense in his first two seasons with Boston mirrors his productivity over the past four seasons, he’s quite likely to exercise the first of three contractual opt-out clauses.

At that point, in order to come out ahead, Martinez would need only to top the three-year, $60MM contract which Edwin Encarnacion received last offseason when he was two years older than Martinez will be in that 2019-20 offseason. Boston would be able to make Martinez a qualifying offer, should he decide to opt out of the remaining three years of the deal. He did not receive one this offseason by virtue of being traded from the Tigers to the Diamondbacks in July.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Rays Negotiating New Television Contract

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The Rays are discussing a new long-term television contract with FOX Sports Net that would run through the 2033 season, John Ourand and Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal report. According to Ourand and Kaplan, the contract still has some “hurdles the two sides have to overcome” but could come with an annual payout “around” $82MM per year.

It’s important to note that that’s an average payout and wouldn’t kick in immediately; as is typically the case with newly structured television contracts, annual revenue increases are gradual in nature. Ourand and Kaplan note that the Rays are receiving “close to” $35MM from FOX Sports Sun in 2018, which is the final year of their current contract. The contract presently being negotiated would up that sum to somewhere in the neighborhood of $50MM in 2019, per the report. Yearly revenues would then escalate over the remaining 14 years of the contract.

Obviously, a substantial increase in television revenue for any team is of note. But it’s particularly worth monitoring with regard to the Rays, who were recently under an ownership directive to cut payroll and drew the ire of fans and their own player. Cost-cutting moves that sent Jake Odorizzi to the Twins and Corey Dickerson to the Pirates didn’t bring much in the way of long-term value to the organization.

The Rays also traded longtime face of the franchise Evan Longoria to the Giants in a move that saved them at least $60MM, though in doing so they added a largely MLB-ready infield replacement in the form of Christian Arroyo and also avoided losing leverage with Longoria, who is set to earn 10-and-5 rights (i.e. full no-trade protection) shortly after Opening Day 2018. Steven Souza, too, was traded to the D-backs last week, though that swap brought the Rays more prospect value, and the team quickly signed Carlos Gomez for a sum that was actually slightly greater than Souza’s salary to fill the void.

That the Rays mandated even a moderate level of payroll-slashing with a $50MM BAMTech payout (received by all 30 teams) coming their way this offseason as well as an expected increase of ~$15MM in television revenue next winter won’t do anything to cushion the blow for those who were disheartened by the team’s slate of offseason moves. But television rights, at present, are a decidedly lesser source of revenue for the Rays than much of the league. Paired with some recent promising, albeit preliminary developments in the team’s quest to build a new stadium in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Rays fans have some reason for cautious optimism when it comes to the team’s long-term payroll outlook. (Or, at least, they have more cause for optimism than they have in quite some time.)

A 15-year deal covering the 2019-33 seasons at an average annual value of roughly $82MM would place the total value of the new television contract at more than $1.2 billion. Certainly, given that the two sides haven’t yet pushed negotiations across the finish line and reportedly still face some “hurdles,” it’s worth keeping in mind that those numbers are not set in stone. Negotiations should continue in March, Ourand and Kaplan report, adding that one complicating factor is 21st Century Fox’s sale of its regional sports network group to Disney — a transaction believed to be valued at a whopping $52.4 billion.

Red Sox Sign J.D. Martinez

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After months of negotiations, and another weak of final tweaking, the Red Sox have officially signed slugger J.D. Martinez. ESPN.com’s Pedro Gomez first tweeted that a deal was in place; Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports had tweeted that the sides were close. Martinez is represented by the Boras Corporation.

J.D. Martinez

The contract is for five years and $110MM, per reports. Notably, it includes three opt-out opportunities — after the second, third, and fourth seasons of the deal. As Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston tweets, Martinez will receive $23.75MM annual salaries for the first two years and is promised a $2.5MM buyout if he opts out of the remainder of the deal. He’ll also earn $23.75MM for the third season of the contract. At that point, he’ll choose between a return to the open market (with no buyout) and $19.35MM salaries for 2021 and 2022.

But that’s not all. The original deal only included two opt-outs and did not protect the Red Sox in the event of injury. After a physical and ensuing additional negotiations, the pact now contains not only a third opt-out but also some language allowing Boston to avoid certain obligations if Martinez’s prior Lisfranc injury recurs, as we detailed here. There’ll also be some limited no-trade protection, as Heyman tweeted originally. Martnez can designate a “small” number of teams to which he cannot be moved without his consent.

Boston has been the primary suitor connected to Martinez for virtually all of the offseason — especially since their decision to re-sign Mitch Moreland effectively took them out of the Eric Hosmer sweepstakes. Martinez figures to slot in as the primary DH for the Sox but should see some occasional time in the outfield when any of Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley or Mookie Betts needs a breather. His addition calls the role of Hanley Ramirez with the Red Sox into question, as Ramirez now appears to be, at best, a backup DH and a part-time first baseman that is on the short side of the platoon.

[RELATED: Updated Red Sox Depth Chart]

Though the Sox have a substantial commitment to Ramirez already in place, that didn’t stop them from making a sizable offer to bring Martinez into the fold, and it’s not difficult to see why they felt he was a key piece to pushing into World Series contention. Martinez slashed a Herculean .303/.376/.690 with 45 home runs and 26 doubles in just 489 plate appearances last offseason. In all, an out-of-the-blue breakout with the 2014 Tigers, Martinez has been one of the game’s most feared hitters — as evidenced by the .300/.362/.574 batting line he’s logged in that four-year period.

Context-neutral metrics like OPS+ (149) and wRC+ (148) feel that the 30-year-old Martinez has been nearly 50 percent better than the league-average hitter in that time, when adjusting for park and league. That 148 wRC+ ties him with Bryce Harper and now-former teammate Paul Goldschmidt for fourth in all of baseball over the past four years; only Mike Trout, Joey Votto and Giancarlo Stanton have posted better wRC+ marks in that time.

The Red Sox ranked 10th in the Majors in runs scored last season as it was, though their combined .258/.329/.407 batting line was below-average on a rate basis, and they ranked 27th in the Majors with 168 homers. Martinez will serve as a particularly potent upgrade in the DH department, as Boston designated hitters combined to hit just .244/.327/.419 last year.

Clearly, the contract isn’t quite as massive as many had anticipated coming into the season. Martinez’s camp was said to be seeking over $200MM at the outset of free agency; MLBTR predicted that Martinez could reach $150MM in guaranteed money. As things developed, there just wasn’t sufficient demand around the game to drive a real bidding war. The Diamondbacks reportedly made a real run to keep Martinez, but never figured to have a war chest large enough to really push Boston’s offer up.

Martinez’s new deal also reflects a broad devaluation of one-dimensional sluggers. For instance, Edwin Encarnacion — an equally gifted hitter who became a free agent last year at a more advanced age — did not earn as large or long a deal as had been expected.

To be fair, Martinez offers more function on defense than does Encarnacion, as he’s still capable of lining up in the corner outfield. But metrics have soured on his glovework. Though both UZR and DRS viewed Martinez as an above-average presence in 2015, they graded him as one of the game’s worst fielders in the ensuing campaign. He bounced back last year, but still drew below-average marks in right field. Fangraphs’ BsR measure also values Martinez as an exceedingly poor baserunner.

Those aspects of Martinez’s game created some drag on his market value. But the Sox surely aren’t that concerned with how good Martinez will be in the outfield. Presumably, he’ll stay fresh by limiting his exposure to the grass, which may boost his output when he is asked to take the field. Regardless, the contract values Martinez for his anticipated contributions with the bat.

Contract details were reported by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (contract length; Twitter link), ESPN.com’s Pedro Gomez (opt-out clause, on Twitter), Jon Morosi of MLB Network (total guarantee, via Twitter), Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (salary in first two years & second opt-out, via Twitter), Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald (second opt-out details), and Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston (second opt-out details; Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Deadline Day At Pro Hockey Rumors

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The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is today at 2pm CT, and our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors will be busy bringing you breaking news and analysis. Make sure to jump into the conversation during their special live chat, or just follow along with all the trade talk throughout the day. Will Erik Karlsson actually be traded today? Do the New York Rangers continue their fire sale and send Ryan McDonagh to a contender? Is Evander Kane going to land a big package for the Buffalo Sabres?

Visit Pro Hockey Rumors and be sure to follow on Twitter @prohockeyrumors.

Orioles Sign Pedro Alvarez To Minor League Deal

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Feb. 26: Baltimore has announced the signing.

Feb. 25, 10:30am: Alvarez will earn a $1MM salary and have a chance at $2MM in performance bonuses if he makes the Orioles, according to Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com (Twitter link).

Opt-out opportunities are available on May 15th and July 15th, per Bob Nightengale USA Today (via Twitter).

8:26am: The Orioles have signed first baseman Pedro Alvarez to a minor league contract, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The deal includes an invitation to big league camp.

This is the third straight year in which the Orioles have signed Alvarez, who performed well in 2016 (.249/.322/.504 with 22 home runs in 376 plate appearances) but was a non-factor at the big league level last season. The left-handed Alvarez totaled just 34 PAs with the Orioles and spent nearly all of the year at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit an underwhelming .239/.294/.442 with 26 HRs in 595 PAs.

Alvarez tried to help his cause in 2017 by working in the outfield, but he’ll return to a first base/designated hitter role this year, per Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Orioles are already set at those spots with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo, respectively, leaving little hope that Alvarez will crack their roster, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun notes on Twitter. As such, if the 31-year-old Alvarez remains with the organization into the season, he’s likely to function as minor league depth for the second straight campaign.

Earlier in his career, it would’ve been unimaginable for Alvarez to end up in a minor league role. The 2008 second overall pick was one of the top prospects in baseball with the Pirates, though he never developed into the offensive force he was supposed to become and has struggled in the field at both third and first base. Overall, Alvarez has slashed .238/.311/.449 (107 wRC+) with 154 home runs and 7.4 fWAR across 3,194 major league PAs.

Dodgers To Sign Rocky Gale To Minors Contract

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The Dodgers have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Rocky Gale, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link).  The contract includes an invitation to the Dodgers’ big league Spring Training camp.  Gale was released by the Padres earlier this week after being designated for assignment to create roster space for the newly-signed Eric Hosmer.

A 24th-round pick for San Diego in the 2010 draft, Gale spent his entire pro career in the Padres organization, hitting .259/.306/.324 over 2198 minor league plate appearances.  He made brief appearances at the MLB level in both 2015 and 2017, appearing in a total of 14 Major League games.

Los Angeles already has Austin Barnes and Yasmani Grandal handling duties behind the plate on the 25-man roster, so Gale will join Shawn Zarraga and Kyle Farmer as the Dodgers’ top depth options at the minor league level.  There was some trade speculation surrounding Grandal since the veteran catcher is just a year away from free agency and Barnes emerged as a legitimate starter in 2017, though nothing seemed to develop in the way of legitimate buzz about a possible move.  It seems much more plausible that L.A. will deploy both Grandal and Barnes this season and any other catching signings are pure depth moves.

5 Key Stories: 2/18/18 – 2/25/18

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Recapping the five biggest items from the past week on MLB Trade Rumors…

J.D. MartinezRed Sox (finally) land J.D. Martinez: Boston was cited as a natural landing spot for the free agent slugger well before Martinez even hit the open market, though it took quite a while for the two sides to finally reach an agreement.  (And then the official announcement was delayed for a week due to some last-minute details, though it appears as though Martinez will finally be officially introduced in a press conference on Monday.)  The Sox land one of the game’s best bats for their power-starved lineup, while Martinez will earn $110MM over the five-year pact, plus some additional flexibility in the form of player opt-out clauses after both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

LoMo heads to the Twin Cities: Another power hitter who had a longer-than-expected stint in free agency, Logan Morrison landed with a new team just today, with the news that he and the Twins had agreed to a contract.  Morrison is only guaranteed one year (worth $5.5MM in salary), though he can unlock a vesting option for 2019 that would pay him $8MM in that second.  Additional incentives could make the deal worth as much as $16.5MM over two years.  It isn’t the type of deal Morrison expected in the wake of a career year that saw him hit .246/.353/.516 with 38 homers in 601 PA for the Rays, though Morrison was hampered by both the overall slow free agent market and the recent trend of teams being unwilling to pay too much for first base power.  Still, Morrison will now get a chance to join a contender and the Twins have landed a very notable lineup upgrade at a price that more than fits their mid-market payroll.

Rays, Yankees, Diamondbacks swing a trade: A rare three-team deal saw New York land infielder Brandon Drury, Arizona acquire outfielder Steven Souza and pitching prospect Taylor Widener, and Tampa Bay add more young talent (southpaw Anthony Banda, second baseman Nick Solak and two players to be named later) into their organization.  With Martinez gone to the Red Sox, the D’Backs pivoted by acquiring Souza as their new everyday right fielder while trading from an infield surplus.  The Yankees fulfilled their goal of adding second base and third base depth with the versatile Drury, giving them a stable big leaguer at either position until Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar are expected to step into the two spots at some point during the season.  As for the Rays, they got Souza’s $3.55MM salary off their books while also obtaining some solid prospects — Banda, in particular, could be an option for the Tampa rotation as soon as this season.

D’Backs sign Jarrod Dyson: Souza wasn’t the only outfielder joining the Snakes this week, as Arizona also signed Jarrod Dyson to a two-year, $7.5MM contract.  Dyson brings a needed boost of speed and defense to the Diamondbacks’ roster, and the two-year commitment means he could step into center field in 2019 should A.J. Pollock leave in free agency next winter.

Rays trade Dickerson, add Hudson and Gomez: Beyond just the three-team swap, it was a very busy week for a Rays organization that continues to both manage its payroll while not closing the door on contending in 2018.  Tampa designated All-Star outfielder Corey Dickerson for assignment in the wake of their trade for C.J. Cron last week, and found a taker for Dickerson in Pittsburgh, who sent right-hander Daniel Hudson, prospect Tristan Gray, and $1MM to the Rays.  Dickerson becomes the Pirates’ new everyday left fielder, filling a void in the Bucs’ outfield left in the wake of the Andrew McCutchen trade.  Hudson brings some veteran depth to the back of the Rays’ bullpen, and they added another experienced name in Carlos Gomez, who signed a one-year, $4MM pact.  It will be very interesting to see how the Rays’ roster-shuffling develops on the field this season, though they were dealt a blow with the news that top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell suffered a torn UCL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NL West Notes: Towers, Kershaw, Tribe, Shaw, Young, Mitchell

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The late Kevin Towers was memorialized at a “Celebration Of Life” ceremony today at Petco Park, with scores of Towers’ friends and colleagues from around baseball in attendance.  The Associated Press’ Jay Paris and the Padres’ Bill Center each have details on some of the memorials from the 22 speakers who shared their experiences and fond memories of Towers, whose 35 years in baseball included stints as the general manager of the Padres and the Diamondbacks.  “He was one of the guys that always brought all the GMs together,” said former Reds and Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty.  “Kevin loved life and lived it to the fullest.  He suffered a lot in the last two years but he always stayed positive and fought a brave fight.  There will never be another KT.”

Some more items from around the NL West…

  • Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi stated earlier this week that the team is keeping an “open dialogue” with Clayton Kershaw about a potential contract extension.  The ace southpaw seemingly agreed with that statement today, telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick) that Zaidi’s description of the relationship is “a good way to put it.”  Kershaw also said that he is “on the same page” with Dodgers management.  Kershaw is signed through the 2020 season, though he can walk away from the final two seasons (and $55MM) on his contract if he exercises an opt-out clause after the coming season.  He turns 30 in March and injuries have limited Kershaw to only 324 innings over the last two seasons, though he has still performed to his usual elite level when healthy.  An extension would remove Kershaw from the 2018-19 free agent class, a group that is heavy on big names overall but potentially rather slim on the pitching side should Kershaw remain in Los Angeles.
  • Bryan Shaw’s decision to join the Rockies was helped by an endorsement from his former Indians manager Terry Francona, Shaw tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila.  “I talked to Tito a little bit about the teams that had interest in me.  I got his opinion of the organizations — the managers and others with roles within those organizations.  He had nothing but good things to say about Bud Black and the guys who are here,” Shaw said.  Cleveland’s front office also offered help with any questions Shaw might’ve had about other teams, a further sign of the good relationship between the right-hander and his former team.  Shaw said that he and the Tribe had talks about a possible contract extension midway through last season, “but from a numbers standpoint it never got there.”  In December, Shaw signed a three-year deal with Colorado worth $27MM in guaranteed money, plus a potential vesting option for the 2021 season that would pay him $7MM in additional salary.
  • Also from Laurila’s piece, he hears from right-hander Chris Young that multiple teams contacted the veteran about potential front office positions this winter.  The 38-year-old isn’t quite ready to retire, and in fact hopes to play two more seasons, though he is realistic that his on-field future could be decided within the next few weeks.  “This spring is going to determine that.  I’m either going to show that I’m back to being myself, or that my stuff isn’t playing.  If my stuff isn’t there and I can’t get outs, the time will have come to move on from the playing side,” Young said.  The Padres signed Young to a minor league deal this winter to see if he can rebound from a very rough pair of seasons; Young posted a 6.52 ERA over 118 2/3 innings with the Royals in 2016-17, allowing a whopping 35 home runs in that stretch.
  • After three years of shuttling between Triple-A and the Yankees’ big league roster, Bryan Mitchell is relieved to finally have a stable place in the Padres’ rotation, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  “It’s awesome….To know that now, I can set all my focus on Opening Day and working toward that.  I don’t have to put pressure on myself or worry about that,” Mitchell said.  “It’s just less stress, to be honest — to know that’s how they [the Padres] feel and I have that waiting on me.  I can just set my goals on that first start and have everything ready versus have everything ready and not knowing.  It eliminates the unknown factor.”  The Padres felt strongly enough about Mitchell’s potential that they were willing to take on the $13MM remaining on Chase Headley’s contract in order to acquire the right-hander from New York.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/25/18

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Rounding up the latest minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Orioles have outrighted Jaycob Brugman to Triple-A after the outfielder cleared waivers, as per a team announcement.  Baltimore designated Brugman for assignment earlier this week to create roster space for the newly re-signed Chris Tillman.  Brugman, acquired in a trade with the A’s back in November, will continue to compete for a big league job with the Orioles, though the O’s have further addressed their need for left-handed bats with the recent signings of Colby Rasmus and Pedro Alvarez.  The 26-year-old Brugman made his MLB debut last season, batting .266/.346/.343 over 162 plate appearances for Oakland.

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