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Previewing Club Option Decisions: Designated Hitters, Outfielders

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This is the second in a series of pieces previewing offseason club option decisions. This edition will focus on designated hitters and outfielders…

Designated hitters

  • Nelson Cruz, Twins ($12MM option or $300K buyout): So let’s get this straight: Cruz has slashed .294/.385/.642 with 30 home runs in 362 plate appearances on a $14MM salary this year, and he’s actually in line for a pay decrease? This is looking like a brilliant signing by the Twins, who will no doubt exercise the 39-year-old Cruz’s option.
  • Edwin Encarnacion, Yankees ($20MM option or $5MM buyout): Like Cruz, the 36-year-old Encarnacion has been one of the most prolific sluggers in recent memory. That doesn’t mean the Yankees will keep Encarnacion around, though. While he was enjoying another high-end year (.240/.346/.518 with 30 HRs in 451 PA) before fracturing his right wrist last weekend, the Yankees might decide they could spend Encarnacion’s money better elsewhere. After all, they won’t be hard up for other DH options in 2020.

Outfielders

  • Alex Gordon, Royals ($23MM mutual option or $4MM buyout): The Royals certainly won’t bring Gordon back next year for $23MM, but he’s a franchise icon who hasn’t made it a secret he wants to spend his whole career in Kansas City. And Royals general manager Dayton Moore has great respect for Gordon, so expect the soon-to-be 36-year-old left fielder to return to KC next season at a more team-friendly price.
  • Billy Hamilton, Royals ($7.5MM option or $1MM buyout): The same probably won’t apply to Hamilton, who has posted the worst offensive season of his light-hitting career. Hamilton has batted a woeful .209/.276/.262 with no homers in 293 PA, and even his always strong defense and base running haven’t been able to make up for his punchless production at the plate. He’ll return to free agency over the winter.
  • Juan Lagares, Mets ($9.5MM option or $500K buyout): The 30-year-old Lagares joins Hamilton as another weak-hitting center fielder on his way to the open market. Lagares has long been known for his defense, but he has managed an unappealing minus-5 DRS/minus-4.0 UZR in center this season. Meanwhile, he has put up a horrid .186/.263/.267 line with a pair of HRs over 180 trips to the plate.
  • Starling Marte, Pirates ($11.5MM option or $2MM buyout): This should be a no-brainer for the Pirates to exercise, as the soon-to-be 31-year-old Marte has turned in another respectable season in 2019. Despite a career-low 3.9 percent walk rate, Marte has slashed .285/.326/.505 and notched 20 homers and 17 steals across 462 PA. The defense hasn’t exactly been stellar (minus-5 DRS,  minus-2.1 UZR), yet Marte has still been worth 2.5 fWAR.
  • Kole Calhoun, Angels ($14MM option or $1MM buyout): This will be a tough choice for the Angels, who have seen Calhoun rebound from a subpar 2018 to bat .233/.318/.481 with 25 HRs (one fewer than his personal-high total) in 448 PA. Calhoun’s also a capable defender, which has helped him record the fifth season of at least 2.0 fWAR in his career. He’s set to turn 32 in October, though, and the Angels have an elite outfield prospect in Jo Adell knocking at the door. Therefore, they may be tempted to jettison Calhoun – quality track record be damned – and save $13MM.
  • Adam Eaton, Nationals ($9.5MM option or $1.5MM buyout): The Eaton acquisition hasn’t worked out as hoped for the Nationals, who traded pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the White Sox for him prior to the 2017 season. Eaton hasn’t performed poorly by any means, but injuries limited him to just 118 games in his first two seasons in D.C. He has appeared in 108 this year, however, and batted a decent .276/.357/.396 with six HRs, 10 steals and 1.4 fWAR in 480 PA. As of now, the guess is they’ll keep the soon-to-be 31-year-old in the fold.
  • Nick Markakis, Braves ($6MM option or $2MM buyout): Markakis has been one of baseball’s most durable players since his career began in 2006, but he took a pitch off the left wrist in late July and won’t return until sometime in September. His streak of 150-plus appearances will end at six seasons as a result. Still, the 35-year-old was in the midst of another decent season at the time he went down, and with Austin Riley perhaps set to move from the corner outfield to third base in 2020 (starting 3B Josh Donaldson’s a pending free agent), the Braves just might bring the affordable Markakis back for a sixth season.

Giants, Justin Haley Reportedly Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants are set to sign right-hander Justin Haley to a minor league contract, according to Roster Roundup (Twitter link).

Haley, 28, appeared in 10 games with the 2017 Twins as a Rule 5 pick before he was returned to the Red Sox. He was selected to the Red Sox’ roster a year later in 2018 but pitched in only four games at the MLB level before being outrighted off the 40-man roster at season’s end. In the offseason, he opted to sign with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization rather than pursue a minor league contract with an MLB organization. Things didn’t go well for Haley in the hitter-friendly KBO. He made 19 starts there and was tagged for a 5.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 34 walks in 87 2/3 innings of work before being cut loose (somewhat ironically, in order to open roster space for former Giants outfielder Mac Williamson to sign with the Lions).

That may all be a relatively unappealing profile at first glance, but Haley has a strong track record in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 3.53 with 7.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 260 1/3 innings across parts of three seasons (47 starts, two relief outings). He’s typically posted average or better ground-ball tendencies and has limited home runs fairly well, surrendering an average of 0.97 long balls per nine innings pitched.

Previewing Club Option Decisions: Catchers, Infielders

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This is the first in a series of pieces previewing offseason club option decisions. We’ll start with catchers and infielders…

Catchers

  • Welington Castillo, White Sox ($8MM option or $500K buyout): This looks like a buyout waiting to happen for the White Sox, who have gotten awful offensive production from the typically competent Castillo. The 32-year-old has hit .184/.262/.340 with six home runs in 164 plate appearances. Castillo has also graded as one of the game’s worst defensive backstops.
  • Tyler Flowers, Braves ($6MM option or $2MM buyout): The 33-year-old Flowers’ offensive output has waned this season in comparison to the previous three campaigns, though his line – .229/.307/.432 with nine HRs in 215 PA – is closer to average than terrible relative to his position. And Flowers remains a strong defender, so it’ll be a surprise if the Braves buy him out – especially with Brian McCann’s future in question.
  • Yan Gomes, Nationals ($9MM option or $1MM buyout): This has been a miserable year for Gomes, a former Indian whom the Nationals acquired last offseason. Gomes, 32, owns a .207/.313/.327 line with six homers across 240 PA, and has been a mixed bag behind the plate. With fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki under control through next season, the Nationals may not feel compelled to bring Gomes back.
  • Yasmani Grandal, Brewers ($16MM mutual option or $2.25MM buyout): At this rate, the Brewers will exercise their half of Grandal’s mutual option, but he’s sure to decline his end of it. Grandal’s amid another strong all-around year and, unlike last offseason, will enter free agency without a qualifying offer weighing him down.
  • Chris Iannetta, Rockies ($4.25MM option or $750K buyout): It’s not a prohibitive price for Iannetta, but he hasn’t done himself any favors by hitting .212/.306/.409 with six dingers in 157 trips to the plate as Tony Wolters’ backup. Expect the Rockies to move on without Iannetta.

First basemen

  • Matt Adams, Nationals ($4MM option or $1MM buyout): This will amount to a $3MM decision for the Nationals, who are already paying Adams that much this year. The 30-year-old has been a useful piece for the club, with a powerful .245/.296/.532 line and 17 HRs in 233 PA. The guess is the Nats will exercise his option, especially with other first base choices Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick and Gerardo Parra possibly on the way out after this season.
  • Anthony Rizzo, Cubs ($16.5MM option or $2MM buyout): The Cubs will obviously pick up Rizzo’s option.
  • Eric Thames, Brewers ($7.5MM option or $1MM buyout): Thames has somewhat bounced back from an underwhelming 2018, his price for next year is reasonable, and the Brewers just sent fellow first baseman Jesus Aguilar packing. They’ll likely keep Thames around for 2020.
  • Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals ($18MM option or $2MM buyout): Zimmerman’s days as a star third baseman are long gone, and the now-first baseman’s time as a National is likely to end after the season.

Second basemen

  • Starlin Castro, Marlins ($16MM option or $1MM buyout): It’ll be easy for the low-budget Marlins to move on from Castro, who’s mired in the worst season of his career at the age of 29.
  • Wilmer Flores, Diamondbacks ($6MM option or $500K buyout): The 28-year-old Flores was a quality bench piece for the Mets prior to this season, but his first (and possibly only) D-backs campaign has been an injury-limited one. The production hasn’t been great, either, as Flores has hit just .277/.327/.387 with a pair of HRs in 168 attempts. As of now, he looks like a strong possibility for a buyout.
  • Jedd Gyorko, Dodgers ($13MM option or $1MM buyout): Speaking of injuries, Gyorko has taken just 62 PA this season, and he has slashed a meager .196/.274/.304 in that sample size. The Dodgers acquired the soon-to-be 31-year-old from the Cardinals at last week’s trade deadline, but despite LA’s deep pockets, he figures to hit free agency after the season.
  • Jason Kipnis, Indians ($16.5MM option or $2.5MM buyout): In terms of aggregate production, this is the third straight unspectacular season for the 32-year-old Kipnis, who has batted .255/.317/.405 with 11 homers through 383 PA. Kipnis has been a lot better since an ice-cold start to the season, but so good that the budget-conscious Indians will pick up his pricey option? Highly doubtful. While Kipnis has been an Indian since they chose him in the second round of the 2009 draft, his long run with the organization may be on the verge of ending.
  • Mike Moustakas, Brewers ($11MM mutual option or $3MM buyout): Like Grandal, the Brewers figure to exercise Moustakas’ option. But Moustakas is likely to join Grandal in taking another stab at free agency. Set to turn 31 next month, Moustakas has performed well this year at second (where he hadn’t played prior to 2019) and third, and is on track for his second 30-HR campaign.

Shortstops

  • Freddy Galvis, Blue Jays ($5.5MM option or $1MM buyout): It’s not a crazy price for the durable, switch-hitting Galvis, who has slashed a competent .272/.306/.455 and smacked 18 homers over 449 PA in his age-29 campaign. But it may not be palatable for the Blue Jays, who have seen touted middle infield prospects Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio emerge as major leaguers this year.

Third basemen

  • We already covered Flores, Gyorko and Moustakas, the only third base-capable players with options.

IL Placements: Verdugo, Kintzler, Duffy, Luplow

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The Dodgers announced Tuesday that outfielder Alex Verdugo has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Corner infielder Edwin Rios is up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to give the club another bat in his place. Los Angeles also optioned right-hander Tony Gonsolin to Triple-A Oklahoma City and recalled lefty Caleb Ferguson to add a fresh arm. The Dodgers have the NL West all but wrapped up in early August, so the Dodgers have every reason to proceed with caution regarding Verdugo’s recovery. The longtime prospect has turned in a very strong .294/.342/.475 batting line with a dozen home runs, 22 doubles, two triples and four steals through 377 plate appearances in his first full big league season. Oblique injuries can often take a month to heal, though manager Dave Roberts kept things vague regarding Verdugo, simply telling reporters he’ll need 10 days or more to recover (Twitter link via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com).

Some more notable injury list placements from around baseball…

  • The Cubs swapped out one right-hander for another Tuesday, placing Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day IL due to right pectoral inflammation and activating righty Pedro Strop in his place. The 35-year-old Kintzler has rebounded from an awful 2018 run with Chicago (7.00 ERA in 18 innings) to post a 2.33 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.78 HR/9 and a 53.3 percent ground-ball rate in 46 1/3 innings out of the ’pen in 2019. Right-handers must wonder whether to bother stepping into the box against Kintzler, as they’ve managed just a .133/.200/.233 batting line against him this season. Lefties have had more success but still own a lackluster .245/.297/.382 line against Kintzler.
  • Left-hander Danny Duffy was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Aug. 4) due to a strained hamstring, the Royals announced. Kansas City has recalled right-hander Jake Newberry from Triple-A Omaha in his place. The 30-year-old Duffy is in the midst of his second straight rough season, having logged a 4.93 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 1.70 HR/9 in 100 1/3 innings of work this season. The five-year, $65MM contract signed by Duffy prior to the 2017 season looked plenty affordable at the time, but he’s been hampered by elbow and shoulder impingements since signing that deal (in addition to this more recent, and minor, hamstring issue).
  • Indians outfielder Jordan Luplow is headed to the 10-day IL due to a hamstring strain, the team announced. Speedster Greg Allen is back up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Acquired in an offseason trade with the Pirates, Luplow has proven to be an outstanding platoon outfielder in Cleveland. While he’s only mustered a .230/.269/.322 line against right-handers, he’s laid waste to left-handed opponents with a .305/.407/.667 slash. Luplow has blasted 10 homers and eight doubles in just 105 plate appearances while holding the platoon advantage. The timing of the injury isn’t great for Cleveland, as the Indians are slated to face four lefty starters in the next eight days.

The Mets’ Unsung Offensive Star

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It was an action-packed offseason for rookie Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, who stole headlines with his transactions and his bold proclamations naming his club the favorite in the National League East. Van Wagenen’s roster hasn’t performed to expectations since then, but after a tumultuous few months, the team has climbed above .500 and put itself in the thick of the NL wild-card race. One of Van Wagenen’s less heralded offseason pickups has been among the Mets at the forefront of their midsummer hot streak.

There was little hype accompanying the Mets’ acquisition of infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis from the Astros on Jan. 6. The Mets surrendered three minor leaguers for Davis, who – despite being a 2014 third-round pick and a solid prospect in Houston – didn’t have an obvious path to playing time with the Astros. However, the 26-year-old quickly worked his way into New York’s plans, thanks in part to season-opening injuries to infielders Todd Frazier and the still-hurt Jed Lowrie, and hasn’t graced the minors at all in 2019 after spending almost all of his Astros tenure there.

While Davis did hold his own at the lower levels with the Astros, he collected just 181 major league plate appearances from 2017-18 – in which he batted an unimpressive .194/.260/.321. On the other hand, the Mets’ version has amassed 293 PA and slashed a terrific .300/.369/.498 (131 wRC+) with 12 home runs and respectable strikeout and walk percentages (20.1 K, 9.2 BB). Much of the damage has come in the summer months for Davis, who overcame an unproductive May to post an .881 OPS in June and a 1.017 mark in July. His recent output has helped New York to a second-half awakening – after going into the All-Star break at 40-50, the team has shockingly risen to 57-56.

Although his production has benefited from a .347 batting average on balls in play – which is sure to drop considering the slow-moving Davis’ groundball-heavy profile – that’s not to say he has lucked into his success. To the contrary, according to Statcast, which places Davis in the league’s 91st percentile or better in expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, expected weighted on-base average, hard-hit percentage and expected batting average.  As impressive as Davis’ .369 wOBA is, his .389 xwOBA is even better and ties for 17th among all qualified hitters, sandwiching him between Juan Soto and teammate/NL Rookie of the Year favorite Pete Alonso. It helps, of course, that Davis has chased far fewer pitches out of the zone than the average hitter.

Regardless of whether the Mets do the unthinkable and rally to a playoff berth this year, it looks as if they have a legitimate long-term piece in Davis. As someone who has handled both right- and left-handed pitchers, the righty-swinging Davis has the makings of an everyday player. And while he has accrued more appearances in left field (38) than at third (31), it’s possible he’ll take over for Frazier – a pending free agent – at the hot corner next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals Designate Kyle Barraclough For Assignment

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The Nationals have designated right-hander Kyle Barraclough for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, whose previously reported one-year contract has now been officially announced by the Nationals. Infielder Adrian Sanchez has been optioned to Double-A Harrisburg in an additional corresponding move.

Acquired in a rare October trade that sent international bonus allotments from Washington to Miami, Barraclough was viewed as a controllable, buy-low ’pen option at the time the Nationals picked him up. While he was fresh off a fairly disappointing 4.20 ERA in 55 2/3 innings, Barraclough joined the Nationals with a long track record of missing bats and posting quality bottom-line results to match his gaudy strikeout totals. From 2015-18, Barraclough pitched to a 3.21 earned run average with 11.5 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9 in 218 2/3 innings of work. Although his walk rate was too high, he offset some of those strike-throwing issues with a minimal 0.6 HR/9 mark.

The 2019 campaign, however, proved to be an unmitigated disaster for Barraclough. Gone was his penchant for limiting the long ball — a problem that has plagued many hurlers throughout the league, albeit not to this extent — as he served up eight dingers in just 25 2/3 innings. Barraclough’s time with the Nationals will likely come to a close with a dismal 6.66 ERA and a 30-to-12 K/BB ratio in those 25 2/3 frames.

The Nats won’t have the opportunity to trade him thanks to the newly implemented August trade restrictions, but they could potentially save a bit of cash if another organization claims Barraclough on outright waivers. While this year’s results are obviously troubling, the 29-year-old Barraclough is making $1.725MM in 2019 and is controllable through the 2021 season.

A team willing to take on his remaining $510K salary this season would only owe him a small raise in arbitration and then would have the opportunity to help the right-hander round back into form. Between that and the fact that Barraclough has two minor league option years remaining beyond the 2019 campaign, a claim seems fairly likely. Other clubs have limited access to acquiring depth, and an optionable bullpen piece with a solid pre-2019 track record will be difficult to come by between now and the Aug. 31 deadline for postseason eligibility.

Tigers Claim David McKay

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The Tigers announced that they’ve claimed right-hander David McKay off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. The move fills Detroit’s 40-man roster.

McKay, 24, made his big league debut with Seattle earlier this season, tossing seven innings out of the bullpen. He was tagged for four runs on five hits and eight walks with five strikeouts in that time, continuing to display the control problems that began to plague him upon reaching Triple-A this season.

McKay logged 43 2/3 innings with Seattle’s Tacoma affiliate but struggled to a 5.15 ERA with 31 walks and 10 hit batsmen in that time. While that’s obviously an ugly line, McKay also racked up an eye-popping 71 strikeouts in that time (14.63 K/9). Control wasn’t an alarming issue for him prior to this season, and he punched out 85 hitters in 59 1/3 innings a season ago when topping out in Double-A, so the Tigers will try their hand at sorting out his location issues. McKay averaged 93 mph on his fastball in his brief big league time this season and drew a plus grade on his slider in MLB.com’s scouting report on him. He lacks a third average pitch, though, making him a rather clear-cut bullpen prospect.

Reds, Brad Boxberger Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran righty Brad Boxberger, tweets C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. It’s a full-circle moment for Boxberger, who was drafted by Cincinnati with the No. 43 overall pick of the 2009 draft.

Boxberger, now 31, never pitched for the Reds in the Majors before being included alongside Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso and Edinson Volquez in the blockbuster deal that sent Mat Latos to Cincinnati. There’s no guarantee that Boxberger will get the opportunity to do so now, although one can easily envision him being added to the big league roster as a September call-up — if not at some point this month.

Boxberger began the season with the Royals and got out to a rocky start. The former AL saves leader — 41 with the 2015 Rays — was clobbered for a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 March/April innings, although he rebounded with just three runs allowed in 9 1/3 frames the following month. Even as Boxberger’s ERA dropped, however, he posted questionable K/BB numbers out of the Kansas City bullpen. He was ultimately designated for assignment on June 26 and released on July 1.

From there, Boxberger went on to sign a minor league deal with the Nats and toss 8 2/3 innings with just one run allowed for their Double-A club. However, Washington cut Boxberger loose over the weekend rather than giving him a look in the big leagues — the Nationals acquired three relievers at the trade deadline — leaving Boxberger to search for a new opportunity.

Boxberger will bring a career 3.59 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 1.24 HR/9 and 77 saves with him back to the Reds organization, although most of his success came with the Padres and Rays from 2012-15. Over his past 133 2/3 innings, Boxberger has a 4.44 ERA with a 160-to-79 K/BB ratio.

Rangers To Promote Kolby Allard

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Left-hander Kolby Allard’s time with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate will apparently only span one start. Texas announced on Tuesday that Allard will be promoted from Triple-A Nashville to start against the Brewers.

Allard, the No. 14 overall pick by the Braves in the 2015 draft, was traded from Atlanta to Texas in the deadline swap that saw reliever Chris Martin go to the Braves. It was a fairly steep price to pay for a two-month rental of Martin, as Allard is a big-league-ready arm who has pitched well in 21 Triple-A starts this season. Through 115 innings, he’s logged a 3.99 ERA with averages of 8.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 1.17 HR/9 to go along with a grounder rate a hair under 50 percent. Allard is one of only seven qualified starters in all of Triple-A — both the Pacific Coast League and International League — with an ERA under 4.00 this season.

Texas announced that right-hander Adrian Sampson is available out of the ’pen beginning tonight, so it seems that Allard will step into his starting spot for the time being. He’ll join Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Ariel Jurado in the Texas rotation, with young righty Pedro Payano perhaps getting a look as well.

The acquisition of Allard, who’ll turn 22 next week, gave the Rangers precisely the type of MLB-ready arm of which the upper levels of their farm were largely devoid. Scouting reports on Allard portray him as more of a fourth starter than a top-of-the-rotation arm, but if that is indeed the eventual outcome, the Texas organization will happily plug him into the rotation for years to come.

While further options to and from Triple-A will impact Allard’s service time, he’s currently controllable through at least the 2025 season. He entered the 2019 campaign with 43 days of big league service and won’t be able to cross the one-year threshold in 2019 even if he sticks in the MLB rotation from here on out. As such, the earliest Allard would be eligible for arbitration would be after the 2022 season, as he won’t accrue enough service to be under consideration as a Super Two player when the time comes.

Marlins Designate Yadiel Rivera, Select Hector Noesi

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The Marlins have selected the contract of veteran right-hander Hector Noesi to start tonight’s game and designated infielder Yadiel Rivera for assignment in order to clear roster space, per a club announcement.

Noesi, 32, will return to the big leagues for the first time since 2015 when he takes the mound tonight. He spent the interim seasons pitching for the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization and throwing rather well; in 582 1/3 KBO innings, Noesi notched a 3.79 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

The well-traveled righty has enjoyed a strong season thus far in a deadly Triple-A environment for pitchers, working to a 3.82 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 39.4 percent ground-ball rate. That 3.82 ERA might not sound like much, but Noesi, somewhat remarkably, is one of just seven qualified starters in all of Triple-A with an ERA south of 4.00. The adoption of the homer-happy big league ball in Triple-A has transformed an already hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League into a nightmare for pitchers, and the International League has become extremely hitter-friendly as well.

Noesi’s success has come, in part, due to some good fortune. He’s averaged a whopping 1.94 homers per nine innings pitched, but the majority of the round-trippers he’s yielded have been of the solo variety. He’s likely a short-term option for the Marlins anyhow, although the trades of Zac Gallen and Trevor Richards have thinned out the Miami staff somewhat.

The 27-year-old Rivera appeared in 34 games with Miami but made just 66 plate appearances. He managed only a meager .183/.258/.217 batting line in that time — a similar output to the .173/.269/.216 slash he logged last season in 160 plate appearances as a Marlin.

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