Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Archives for January 2019
Dodgers Acquire Jaime Schultz
The Dodgers have struck a deal to acquire right-hander Jaime Schultz from the Rays, per Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Fellow righty Caleb Sampen is headed to Tampa Bay in return.
Schultz was bumped from the Tampa Bay 40-man roster recently when the club added fellow righty reliever Oliver Drake. Now 27 years of age, Schultz has in the past been seen as a quality prospect, though he posted rough results at Triple-A and in the majors during the 2018 campaign.
It’s not hard to see why the Dodgers front office — which is, of course, led by former Tampa Bay GM Andrew Friedman — decided to take a shot on Schultz’s right arm. Though his MLB debut last year did not go as hoped, he did show a mid-nineties fastball. Schultz has struck out 11.7 batters per nine over the course of his minor-league career, though that has also come with more than five free passes per nine.
Sampen, meanwhile, debuted last year after being taken in the twentieth round of the 2018 draft. He pitched to a 5.04 ERA in 30 1/3 Rookie ball innings, but did record a promising blend of 43 strikeouts against just nine walks.
White Sox Designate Ian Clarkin, Announce Kelvin Herrera Signing
The White Sox announced today that they have designated lefty Ian Clarkin for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Kelvin Herrera, whose previously reported signing is now official.
Clarkin has already been bounced from the White Sox’ 40-man roster once this offseason, though he found his way back in short order. He was claimed in late November by the cross-town Cubs, only to be re-claimed by the South Siders less than a week later.
We’ll have to see how things play out this time around. The White Sox obviously like the 23-year-old, who was originally acquired in the 2017 deal that sent David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees. At the same time, the club’s numerous winter additions have created some roster pressures. The White Sox’ hope, no doubt, is that Clarkin will clear waivers so that he can be outrighted.
There have been some ups and downs to this point for the 2013 first-rounder, who has yet to crack the big leagues. Clarkin had generally produced promising results in the lower minors, but last year, he struggled to a 4.98 ERA with just 4.6 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 through 68 frames at the Double-A level.
Looking At The Best Remaining Landing Spots For A.J. Pollock
It was far from clear last winter when and where Lorenzo Cain would sign. Still, his status as the lone standout center fielder on the market gave confidence that he’d ultimately find a solid deal. That’s ultimately just what happened, as Cain landed just above MLBTR’s prediction (4/$70MM) with a five-year, $80MM pact.
This time around, A.J. Pollock entered the market without a terribly clear outlook. As with Cain, it was possible to imagine quite a few teams signing him, but hard to point to any particularly obvious fits. Likewise, he’s also obviously the best-available, up-the-middle outfield option. Pollock’s checkered health background led MLBTR to predict a contract of four years and $60MM, even though he has the edge on Cain in age.
So, how do things look now that the calendar has flipped to 2019? Though Pollock remains unsigned, the market has changed shape around him.
Several teams that seemed to be suitors may no longer be. Having signed Michael Brantley, the Astros don’t appear to be much of a fit. While the Mets would surely still like to upgrade, they seem to be limited financially from doing so, with the team evidently choosing to rely on bounceback candidates Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton up the middle. The Reds have added two veteran outfielders; if they were ever a likely suitor, they probably aren’t now.
It’s questionable, perhaps, whether the White Sox are still a plausible landing spot. On the one hand, the club just reached agreement with veteran Jon Jay, who has spent most of his career patrolling center. Of course, he’d also be a plausible corner piece. And it’s fair to wonder what the Chicago front office will do if it fails to land either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. There still seem to be some scenarios where Pollock fits, depending upon how aggressive the organization ends up being.
Of course, the South Siders’ decisionmaking will surely also include reference to their division rivals in Cleveland. While the Indians have focused to this point on clearing salary, and may not be interested in adding any back, it’s also possible that they’ll find a way to squeeze in a significant contract. Pollock remains a strong roster fit, though the club does not need to focus up the middle specifically with Leonys Martin on hand.
The National League East also has a few possible landing spots. While the Phillies are weighing more significant additions, the team could still check back in after the Harper/Machado situations have further evolved. Innumerable possibilities — and lots of dollars — remain available to the Phils. It is less clear that the Braves will have the need and the willingness to chase down Pollock at this point, though they have been connected in the past. The club has other options up the middle, but could like the idea of utilizing Pollock at times in the corners while forming a ball-hawing, still offensively-capable outfield unit. Given the Atlanta organization’s recent history, though, it seems unlikely that it’ll chase the market.
Out west, the fit is yet more speculative. The Giants have long made some sense but aren’t exactly playing an active role in the offseason to this point. It’s possible to imagine a deal, but new president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi is no doubt realistic about the organization’s immediate outlook and will surely prefer not to tie up future payroll. There’s certainly a way to imagine the division-favorite Dodgers as a landing spot, particularly after the club dealt away a pair of right-handed-hitting outfielders, but signing a sizable deal with Pollock doesn’t really match the front office’s recent approach. Plus, Chris Taylor remains available as a right-handed-hitting center fielder.
Beyond those clubs, there are a few others that could be matches — but only if you squint. Pollock would be a luxury for the Rockies or Angels, but with other priorities and limitations those hopeful contenders likely won’t consider him at full price. The D-Backs would surely like to have Pollock back, but only at a discount. The Tigers or Rangers could still surprise, perhaps, as both have ample spending capacity against their historical levels, but there’s no reason at this point to believe that either club will hand out a long-term deal with little in the way of 2019 hopes and dreams. While the Athletics may or may not believe Ramon Laureano is ready to hold down near-everyday duties in center, they’re unlikely to allocate significant resources to the outfield with so many right-handed-hitting outfield options already available and ongoing rotation needs.
Given those considerations, where do you think Pollock is likeliest to land at this point? (Poll link for app users.)
AL Notes: Machado, Yankees, Tigers, White Sox
The market for Manny Machado is by most accounts down to three teams, though perhaps it’s not too late for others to get involved. Interestingly, the Yankees are still the least aggressive of that group, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links), who suggests that the New York powerhouse has not yet and may not ever put more than $200MM on the table for one of the game’s best players. Meanwhile, the White Sox have now made two intriguing acquisitions of players with close personal ties to Machado, with Jon Jay joining Yonder Alonso on the South Side. And the Phillies are reportedly lining up a second offer to present to Machado.
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post looks further at the Yanks’ thus-far tepid pursuit of Machado, noting that the club hasn’t yet even made him a formal offer. Clearly, there’s a point at which the Bronx Bombers would be thrilled to land Machado, but there isn’t much indication at this point that the team is going to bid up a massive, long-term guarantee. Meanwhile, the club’s recent signing of veteran Troy Tulowitzki may have been an interesting development, but it likely won’t have any kind of impact on the possible pursuit of Machado. As Davidoff notes, Tulo is hardly a clear difference-maker at this stage of his career. And the veteran himself tells MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter) that he’d be thrilled to have Machado join him in New York.
- In years past, we might have been wondering whether the Tigers might be a surprise entrant to the Machado market. But the Detroit org is now deep in a rebuild, the timing of which is unclear. As Evan Woodbery of MLive.com writes, that’s by design. While the club has intentionally not put any dates on its anticipated return to competition, though, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some in mind. As GM Al Avila has acknowledged, the club’s ledger will be clear of some hefty obligations after the 2020 season. In the meantime, there’s still quite a lot to be done to build a new competitive core.
- In other Tigers news, the club has added former MLB infielder Josh Wilson, albeit in a non-playing capacity. The 37-year-old is an eight-year big-league veteran who played his final season with the Detroit organization back in 2015. Wilson will begin his new career in the game in a scouting capacity. As Lynn Henning of the Detroit News covers, the club also announced a series of other staffing moves.
- The White Sox are hoping their own rebound will occur much more quickly than that of their division rivals. Accordingly, the team is not only pursuing Machado but continues to hunt for quality veteran pieces to plug into its roster. Before agreeing to sign Kelvin Herrera yesterday, the Sox “were among the finalists” to ink fellow hard-throwing, right-handed reliever Joe Kelly, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Kelly, of course, landed with the Dodgers for three years and $25MM. Clearly, the White Sox have knocked down quite a few doors this winter. It’ll be fascinating to see what other players they end up adding to the MLB roster.
Orioles To Sign Gregory Infante
The Orioles have agreed to a deal with right-hander Gregory Infante, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has learned (Twitter link). It’s a minor-league arrangement for the Venezuelan hurler, who is repped by Godoy Sports.
Infante, 31, has seen action in each of the past two seasons with the White Sox — his first time in the big leagues since a brief showing way back in 2010. He provided 54 2/3 useful innings in the 2017 campaign, working to a 3.13 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
Things didn’t go as well in 2018 for Infante, who struggled through nine frames in the majors. He did rack up a strong 51:10 K/BB ratio over fifty innings at Triple-A, though he was also touched for ten long balls and ended with a 4.50 ERA at Charlotte.
There’s opportunity aplenty in the Baltimore bullpen, so this looks to be a nice landing spot for Infante. As things stand, only a few O’s relief jobs seem to be sewn up, with most of the spots likely to be competed in camp this spring.
White Sox To Sign Jon Jay
The White Sox and free agent outfielder Jon Jay have reportedly agreed to a deal. If he passes his physical, the CAA client will receive $4MM on a one-year term.
Jay, 33, would seem to represent a solid veteran addition to an outfield unit that is quite light on experience. The South Siders have already made multiple short-term additions even while pursuing bigger fish.
A contact-oriented, left-handed hitter, Jay has posted an exactly league-average 100 OPS+ output at the plate over the course of nine MLB seasons. Of course, that overall mark has suffered over the past four seasons, over which Jay has mustered only a .272/.340/.351 slash (86 OPS+) — a significant dip in comparison to his prior levels of productivity.
It certainly does not hurt that Jay has ample experience in center field — an area of need for the Sox. He only lined up there for 223 innings last year, but has spent the bulk of his career up the middle.
All things considered, the veteran ballplayer profiles more as a second-division regular or as a platoon asset for a contending team. That’s no knock on Jay, who is a steady performer. But there’s virtually no pop in his bat, with a lifetime .093 isolated power mark. And his typically strong on-base abilities haven’t been quite as reliable of late, with sub-.340 OBP figures in three of the past four seasons.
Jay has also typically been more productive against right-handed pitching, though not dramatically so. He could conceivably pair with the right-handed-hitting Adam Engel up the middle in Chicago. It’s also possible Jay could spend some or most of his time in a corner spot. The club’s remaining offseason moves will no doubt dictate the ultimate alignment.
As Rosenthal notes, the potential addition of Jay represents another eyebrow-raising move from the Chicago organization. Jay and the recently acquired Yonder Alonso train in the offseason with superstar free agent Manny Machado, who is a prime target of the White Sox.
Ken Rosenthal and Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) reported that the sides were in serious talks. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported (Twitter links) that the deal was done and included the terms.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL Notes: Harper, Machado, Rendon, Cubs, Mets
As outfielder Bryce Harper prepares to sit down with the Phillies, still-early intrigue seems to be brewing in his market. Notably, the Philadelphia organization has yet to make any formal offers to Harper, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, who notes it’s still not certain whether the team will do so. As has long been rumored, Manny Machado is still the apparent top choice of the Phils brass. Notably, per Salisbury, the club is “expected to make another offer” to Machado this week as his own market continues to develop.
- Of course, Harper’s long-time club in D.C. still has interest in a reunion, with some intriguing recent information emerging of late. But that drama may be overshadowing an equally important aspect of the Nationals’ offseason: the possibility of a deal with pending free agent Anthony Rendon. As Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post writes, this Friday’s deadline to swap arbitration salary submissions may push the sides to think hard about the broader contractual situation. If talks on a long-term deal are progressing, perhaps the sides won’t bother trying to nail down a 2019 salary at this point. If not, they could well focus more energy on settling on an arb number before the exchange deadline. Beyond that, of course, there’s the question of Harper’s status and how it’ll tie into that of Rendon — who’s also a client of agent Scott Boras.
- If all that’s not intriguing enough, the conflicting signals surrounding the Cubs’ interest in Harper remain an oddity of the winter. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic weighs in on the matter in a subscription post, suggesting there’s no reason to believe there’s a match. Indeed, per Rosenthal, the Chicago front office is so strapped for 2019 payroll space that it more or less can’t make any further acquisitions without clearing the cash to do so. The example he gives is reliever Adam Warren, the former Cubs hurler who performed better after his departure from the club. While Warren is certainly deserving of a MLB job and guaranteed money, there’s no reason to think he’ll be a particularly expensive player. As Rosenthal notes, there are still some available ways for the Cubs to clear salary space, though most would seem to involve weakening the MLB roster. Affording Harper, then, would seemingly require a change of heart from ownership or some true creativity.
- As Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen continues to tinker with the club’s 40-man roster, Rosenthal adds, it’s possible there’ll be a few more departures. Backstops Travis d’Arnaud and Tomas Nido have drawn interest and could follow Kevin Plawecki out the door. In such a scenario, it seems, the Mets would go onto the open market for another catcher. Dumping d’Arnaud would have the added benefit of clearing some real payroll space, though obviously a replacement would cost something as well.
- Notably, as he continues to seek ways to upgrade the Mets bullpen, Van Wagenen seems largely to have run through his available funds, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). It seems the organization will mostly be bargain-hunting the rest of the way. That also explains the fact that the Mets have seemingly bowed out of the market for expensive outfielders. Per Andy Martino of SNY.tv, via Twitter, the club isn’t shopping Juan Lagares in trades — though a deal still hasn’t been ruled out entirely — and expects him to line up in center field, where he’ll be supplemented by the just-acquired Keon Broxton. Presumably, Broxton will also spell the team’s left-handed-hitting corner outfielders as well.
Phillies Planning Face-To-Face Meeting With Bryce Harper
JANUARY 7: The meeting will occur this coming Saturday, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Phillies owner John Middleton will head up a contingent that will visit Harper and Boras in Las Vegas.
JANUARY 2: The Phillies are planning to meet with Bryce Harper in Las Vegas within “the next week or so,” a source tells NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury. This comes on the heels of a Winter Meetings chat between the team and Scott Boras, Harper’s agent, that wasn’t attended by the free agent outfielder.
While Philadelphia has long been linked to Harper, it seems the team has directed much of its attention towards Manny Machado in recent weeks. Reports from the aftermath of Machado’s visit with the team indicated that the Phillies preferred Machado to Harper if they had to pick between the two superstars, and Salisbury writes that “Machado remains the Phillies’ primary focus.” That said, the Phillies know they have at least two other major suitors for Machado in the form of the Yankees and White Sox, so obviously it makes for the Phils to explore all options with Harper should Machado sign elsewhere.
The more nebulous nature of Harper’s market also presents some opportunity for the Phillies to strike, while there is some sense of a “final three” for Machado, there has yet to be such a level of concrete public interest exhibited by Harper’s suitors. The Dodgers, Nationals, White Sox, and Cubs (if they can free up some payroll) all have at least some level of interest in Harper, though other potential suitors like the Yankees, Cardinals, Giants, or Braves all seem to be on the periphery of talks, if involved whatsoever. Some teams already held face-to-face meetings with Harper during the Winter Meetings or at Harper’s home in Las Vegas, though the exact identities of the teams involved is still somewhat vague.
The Phillies have a clear positional need for Harper and seemingly little in the way of payroll constraints that other teams are facing to fit Harper within the luxury tax threshold. Therefore, there’s certainly room for the Phils to push their way to the front of the pack if they so desire. If the Phillies would indeed “probably have to significantly outbid the Yankees to land” Machado, as Salisbury writes, Philadelphia might prefer to simply direct its resources to a superstar that the Yankees (seemingly) aren’t pursuing.
Mets, David Wright Mutually Agree To Release; Wright Joins Front Office
3:28pm: Per a club announcement, the Mets and Wright have “mutually agreed” upon his release from the active roster. He’ll take on a new role as a special advisor to COO Jeff Wilpon and Van Wagenen. Though the specifics of his new position were not divulged, SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that Wright will spend less time in uniform as a coach/mentor than other retired players-turned-front office advisors and will spend more time actually in the front office.
“David attended the recent Winter Meetings at the suggestion of myself and Brodie Van Wagenen where he contributed throughout with our baseball operations group and wanted to pursue this route,” said Wilpon in a statement accompanying the press release. “We are thrilled he will remain close to the Mets family and will be a great asset in this new role.”
There’s no mention of the remaining money on his contract, though presumably the Mets reached a buyout agreement with the insurance company. The new role for Wright opens up a spot for Wright on the 40-man roster, which had previously been full.
12:30pm: David Wright’s playing days are done, but the Mets icon will transition into a front office role with the team and serve as a special assistant to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen moving forward, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.
Wright, of course, is still under contract with the Mets for another two seasons but made clear upon his emotional return to the field in late September that the lone game he started would be the final one of his career. After more than two years of grueling rehab from neck, shoulder and spinal injuries, medical professionals informed Wright that his condition simply would not improve to the point where he could safely resume the rigors of playing baseball professionally. Wright is owed $27MM through the 2020 season, though that sum is heavily insured, and the Mets are working toward a buyout arrangement that would not require Wright to be on the 40-man roster throughout the remainder of this offseason and next offseason. (Simply releasing him would mean paying the whole $27MM sum.)
Ackert notes that Wright’s role will be a part-time position that allows him to stay involved in the game and with an organization to which he remains extremely loyal, while still affording him ample time to spend with his family. Such roles are hardly uncommon for retired players — particularly those who had a long history with a specific organization. Ichiro Suzuki moved into that type of role with the Mariners early last season, and the Twins gave Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and LaTroy Hawkins comparable positions a couple years ago. Michael Young holds a similar position in the Rangers organization, and a look through the front-office directories throughout the game would reveal dozens more familiar names.
Responsibilities involved with special assistant roles vary case by case, though it’s common for former players turned special assistants to be on-hand as a coach/mentor in Spring Training. They also frequently visit minor league affiliates throughout the season to work with younger players as they rise through organizational ranks. Some also have a hand in evaluations leading up the amateur draft each June and also in various player development and in internal player evaluation.
