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Archives for December 2020

Twins Rumors: Cruz, Rotation, Shortstop, Arbitration, Payroll

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The Twins made a one-year offer to Nelson Cruz back in October, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, but at least for the moment, that offer is no longer on the table. The two sides both still hope to work out a reunion, but because Cruz is still seeking a two-year deal, he intends to wait further clarity on the status of the universal designated hitter before agreeing to terms. It’s a sensible approach for Cruz, whose market in the American League is somewhat limited by the number of clubs with aging veterans, dedicated DHs and/or budgetary constraints. A universal DH would open several new pathways for the slugger to land that two-year pact he apparently seeks.

Some more notes out of the Twin Cities…

  • In the latest edition of his podcast, SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson reports that the Twins have some interest in former Indians ace Corey Kluber (audio link, Twins chatter beginning at 8:07). That’s not a huge surprise given that president of baseball operations Derek Falvey was in Cleveland’s front office when Kluber was acquired from the Padres and broke out as a star. Elsewhere on the rotation front, Wolfson notes that the Twins are not among the most aggressive suitors for Jake Odorizzi to this point. Odorizzi would prefer to return to Minnesota, all things being equal, but is receiving stronger interest from other teams. Wolfson adds that the Twins had interest in Mike Minor before he landed with the Royals but weren’t willing to go near the surprising two-year, $18MM deal he landed in Kansas City.
  • Dan Hayes and Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic break down the Twins’ options at shortstop this winter, ranging from adding a veteran backup in the Freddy Galvis mold to a more aggressive pursuit of a starting shortstop, which would push Jorge Polanco into a super-utility role (an approach outlined in our Twins Offseason Outlook a couple weeks back). With Marcus Semien, Didi Gregorius and Andrelton Simmons on the market, one could craft an argument that any fit the Twins. Polanco has had two ankle surgeries over the past two years and was never a premium defender at short, but as a shortstop/second baseman/third baseman, he could provide value at a number of spots. I’d point out that Simmons has had major ankle injuries in both of the past two seasons, however, so signing him comes with some of the same risks associated with Polanco. The Angels have filled their shortstop vacancy with Jose Iglesias, while each of the Reds, Phillies and A’s have (to varying extents) signified that they’re reducing payroll. That could create an opportunity for the Twins to enter the market if they choose.
  • Also at The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal spoke with a number of agents who praised the Twins for their approach to arbitration this winter. The arbitration system is generally archaic, but it is particularly ill-equipped to contextualize the results of a 60-game season. Minnesota is the only club that has entirely wrapped up its arbitration class already, and several player reps tell Rosenthal that the Twins deserve credit for being willing to find a middle ground rather early rather than drawing a hard line to maximize savings. “It took both parties acknowledging the difficulties of a COVID-19 season and the reality that the traditional arbitration matrix was not entirely relevant this offseason,” agent Mark Rodgers, who represents Taylor Rogers, told Rosenthal. Falvey told Rosenthal the Twins “wanted to be creative” prior to the tender deadline. “[Agents] feel no different than we do about the uniqueness of this year, so we decided this was the best course of action,” said Falvey.
  • Certainly, the Twins’ approach to arbitration will create some good will with agents moving forward, but the team also stands to benefit. Few other clubs in baseball right now can project their 2021 payroll more accurately than the Twins, which gives Falvey, GM Thad Levine, the rest of the front office and owner Jim Pohlad more clarity as to their spending capacity in the coming months. Minnesota has plenty of work to do this winter, with several relievers departing, a need in the rotation and Cruz on the market. However, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark noted in analyzing this year’s slate of non-tenders that every executive from another club with whom he spoke for the piece expects the Twins to spend this winter. Minnesota’s payroll checks in just shy of $92MM right now — well short of last year’s full-season Opening Day mark of $133MM. They probably won’t spend back up to that level, but it does appear there’s some room for additions.

NPB’s Nippon Ham Fighters Post Haruki Nishikawa For MLB Teams

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The Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have made center fielder Haruki Nishikawa available to Major League clubs through the NPB/MLB posting system, the Japan Times reports. Major League teams will now have a 30-day window to negotiate with the 28-year-old Nishikawa.

The left-handed-hitting Nishikawa batted .296/.419/.388 with just five homers, 15 doubles and three triples this year, although he also swiped 37 bags in 42 tries. He’s posted an OBP of .378 or better in each of the past four seasons while striking out in 16.5 percent of his plate appearances against a 14.3 percent walk rate.

Overall, dating back to 2017, Nishikawa is a .291/.397/.401 hitter through 2433 plate appearances. He’s stolen 144 bases with an 87.8 success rate in that time. Nishikawa has three stolen base titles, three Gold Gloves in the outfield and a pair of All-Star nods in NPB. He made it known last offseason that he hoped the Fighters would post him for big league clubs this winter.

There’s an obvious lack of power that will curb Nishikawa’s earning capacity with big league clubs, but his speed, plate discipline, bat-to-ball skills and ability to play multiple spots in the outfield all will hold appeal. Sports Info Solutions’ Ted Baarda profiled him recently, likening Nishikawa’s skill set to that of Ben Revere: a fleet-footed, contact-oriented hitter with the range to play anywhere in the outfield but arm strength (or a slight lack thereof) more suited for left field or center field. (It should be noted, though, that Nishikawa’s walk rate in NPB is about three times greater than Revere’s career mark in MLB.)

While this is expected to be a rather unforgiving offseason to baseball’s middle tiers of free agents, Nishikawa’s attempt to move to the Majors could be well-timed given relatively thin group of free-agent center fielders. George Springer, of course, is one of the top overall free agents but is also likely to come with an asking price that is a nonstarter for the majority of clubs around the league as they try to scale back payroll. Jackie Bradley Jr. presents a glove-first everyday alternative. Kevin Pillar is again available, but defensive metrics are down on his work in center.

That’s not to say Nishikawa is a clear starter at the big league level, of course. It’s possible that a low-payroll club could give him the opportunity to earn that role, but any team giving him that chance would figure to have alternatives on hand in the event that Nishikawa’s bat is overmatched by big league pitching. Still, his presence adds another option to the free-agent mix in center or for any team seeking a left-hitting fourth outfielder with speed to burn.

Any team that eventually signs Nishikawa will owe a release fee to the Fighters under the aforementioned posting system. That fee, which comes on top of the contract paid to the player himself, is equal to 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. Nishikawa’s track record in NPB is lesser than that of countryman Shogo Akiyama, who inked a three-year, $21MM deal with the Reds last winter. It’d be a surprise to see Nishikawa top that mark, so in all likelihood his posting fee will fall squarely into that first tier, 20-percent bracket.

Nishikawa becomes the second Fighters player to be posted for MLB clubs this winter, following the previously announced posting of the team’s top starting pitcher, righty Kohei Arihara.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/3/20

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rays have signed righty David Hess to a minors deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Orioles, who chose Hess in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, outrighted him in October. He debuted in the majors in 2018 and has since recorded a 5.86 ERA/6.41 FIP with 6.76 K/9 and 3.26 BB/9 in 190 1/3 innings.

Earlier transactions:

  • The Rockies announced that they have acquired left-hander Yoan Aybar from the Red Sox for infielder Christian Koss. Aybar, now 23, didn’t produce much as an outfielder through 2017, which led the Red Sox to move him to the mound. With a fastball that can reach triple digits, Aybar pitched to a 4.61 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings between the Single-A and High-A levels in 2019. Koss, who will turn 23 in January, was a 12th-round pick of the Rockies in 2019 who hasn’t gotten past rookie ball. He did perform very well there during his first pro season, though, as he slashed .332/.447/.605 with 11 home runs in 238 plate appearances.
  • The Brewers tweeted that they’ve signed third baseman Zach Green to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick of the Phillies in 2012 who spent the previous two seasons in the Giants organization. Green made his MLB debut in 2020 and totaled 16 plate appearances, though he picked up just two hits. However, Green isn’t far removed from an excellent 2019 showing in Triple-A, where he slashed .282/.380/.659 with 25 home runs in 297 plate appearances.
  • Right-hander Zach Thompson announced on Twitter that he has signed with the Marlins. It’s presumably a minors deal for Thompson, who had been with the White Sox since they selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. The 27-year-old topped out in Triple-A ball in 2019 with 70 1/3 innings of 5.50 ERA ball. While Thompson had difficulty preventing runs then, he did post impressive strikeout and walk numbers (10.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9).
  • The Pirates outrighted first baseman/outfielder Will Craig to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com tweets. Craig joined the Pirates as a first-rounder in 2016, but his major league impact has been minimal to this point. He collected four plate appearances in his Pittsburgh debut last season, but he went hitless in that short span and the Pirates designated him for assignment last week. In his most recent minor league action, in 2019, the 26-year-old batted .249/.326/.435 with 23 homers across 556 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Quick Hits: Ozuna, Giants, Jays, Mets, BoSox, Rosario, Ottavino

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The Giants and Blue Jays are among the teams that are interested in free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter links: 1, 2). Ozuna spent a good portion of 2020 as a designated hitter for the Braves, so he seems an imperfect fit for the Giants. After all, there’s no word on whether the NL will retain the DH position next year. Ozuna would be a cleaner fit for the Blue Jays, though. The Jays don’t seem to need help in the corner outfield, where they have Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, but Ozuna could be a DH solution for the club.

  • The Mets interviewed Michael Hill for a front office job early last month, but they don’t appear likely to hire the former Miami executive. The team hasn’t spoken to Hill since president Sandy Alderson said Nov. 23 that it won’t hire a president of baseball ops, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports. The Mets are still on the lookout for a general manager, however.
  • The Red Sox have shown interest in free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario, Morosi tweets. The Twins non-tendered Rosario on Wednesday as opposed to paying him in the $8.6MM to $12.9MM range in arbitration. The power-hitting Rosario would join Alex Verdugo to form Boston’s tandem of corner outfielders.
  • Yankees right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino has come up in trade speculation, though the 35-year-old unsurprisingly said this week he’d like to remain with the club (via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post). “I want to stay on the team. I want to prove my worth. I want to pitch well,” he told Davidoff. “I want to finish what we tried to start these last few years and win that title and all that.” Ottavino had a great first season with the Yankees in 2019 after signing a three-year, $27MM contract, but the former Rockie’s run prevention numbers took steps backward during the previous campaign. He wound up with a horrid 5.89 ERA in 18 1/3 innings, though Ottavino logged a 3.52 FIP (not far from the 3.44 mark he posted the prior year) and 12.27 K/9 against 4.42 BB/9.

Yankees Have Shown Interest In Michael Brantley

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The Yankees have been in contact with free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets.

The 33-year-old Brantley, a four-time All-Star, has been a well-above-average hitter with the Indians and Astros since his career began in 2009. Most recently, Brantley slashed .300/.364/.476 (134 wRC+) with five home runs in 187 plate appearances in 2020. The Astros did not issue him a qualifying offer after the season, so any team that signs him would not give up draft-pick compensation.

While Brantley is an appealing free agent and a left-hander who would add more balance to a righty-heavy Yankees lineup, it’s fair to wonder where he would fit on their roster. Brantley has spent most of his career in left field, where the Yankees have 2020 breakout player Clint Frazier. Similarly, right field is spoken for because of Aaron Judge’s presence. Although Brantley saw more time than ever at designated hitter last season, Giancarlo Stanton has that spot locked down in New York. So, despite the interest the club has shown, it’s difficult to envision a Yankees-Brantley union happening without a significant corresponding move taking place.

Cardinals, John Gant Avoid Arbitration

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The Cardinals and right-handed reliever John Gant have reached a one-year, $2.1MM agreement to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. His salary is fully guaranteed.

Gant had been projected to earn $1.5MM to $1.9MM in arbitration, so the actual salary he’ll make in 2021 isn’t too far off from that. The 28-year-old seems well worth the money he’ll make next season, as he has been a highly productive member of the Cardinals’ bullpen over the past few seasons.

Gant debuted in 2016 with the Braves, with whom he didn’t post great numbers that season. The Braves then traded Gant to the Cardinals in a deal involving Jaime Garcia, but he was hardly lights-out during his initial action in St. Louis. However, Gant has been an integral part of the Cardinals’ bullpen dating back to 2018. The 28-year-old owns a 3.46 ERA/3.81 FIP with 7.97 K/9, 4.52 BB/9 and a 46.6 percent groundball rate in 195 1/3 innings in the past three seasons. Next year will be Gant’s penultimate season of team control.

Mariners, Sam Travis Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners announced that they and first baseman/outfielder Sam Travis have agreed to a minor league contract. Travis was previously with the Rangers, who acquired him from the Red Sox in January.

Travis was a second-round pick in 2014 who was once regarded as a high-end prospect. He was quite productive in Boston’s minor league system through 2017, but success in the majors has been hard to come by so far. The 27-year-old hit a subpar .230/.288/.371 with seven home runs in 278 plate appearances as a member of the Red Sox from 2017-19. He didn’t appear in the majors last season.

Travis will now join a team that has a set first baseman in Evan White. While White didn’t hit much in 2020, the Mariners signed him to a six-year, $24MM contract before then, and he went on to win a Gold Glove Award as a rookie. Travis has also seen some action in the corner outfield, though, so he could factor in there for the Mariners if he earns a roster spot.

Staten Island Yankees Cease Operations; Team Files Lawsuit Against Yankees, MLB

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In the latest negative minor league baseball news, the longtime Single-A Yankees affiliate in Staten Island announced Thursday on Twitter that it has ceased operations and will sue both the Yankees and Major League Baseball.

In part of its statement (all of which is available at the link), the Staten Island club said, “The New York Yankees announced on November 7, 2020 that the Staten Island Yankees were no longer part of the Yankees minor league affiliation structure, even though the Yankees had made repeated assurances we would always be a minor league partner.”

Staten Island is under the impression the Yankees want them to become an “unaffiliated” team, which the minors club doesn’t believe would make for “a sustainable business entity.” As such, Staten Island is stopping operations, and the team has “filed a lawsuit against the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball to hold those entities accountable for false promises.”

This continues a brutal year for minor league baseball, which didn’t even have a 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is facing a “radical restructuring” that could eliminate a slew of teams. Staten Island, which has been a Yankees affiliate since 1999, appears as if it will fall victim to these unfortunate circumstances.

Rangers Sign Joe Gatto, Scott Heineman To Major League Deals

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Joe Gatto to a major league contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. They also re-signed outfielder Scott Heineman to a majors pact, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. The team non-tendered Heineman on Wednesday. He has a split contract that would pay him $595K in the majors, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

It’s somewhat surprising that Gatto, who hasn’t pitched above Double-A ball to this point, received a big league deal. The 25-year-old spent a large portion of 2018 in Double-A and all of 2019 there with the Angels organization. He combined for a 5.36 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 in 131 innings during those two seasons.

While Gatto hasn’t had great success in Double-A, he was a prospect of note during his younger days. A second-round pick of the Angels in 2014, Gatto ranked as one of their top 10 prospects at Baseball America during his first couple years with the franchise. Back when the team drafted him, Gatto was seen as one of the most talented righties to come out of New Jersey in recent memory.

Heineman, 27, has been with the Rangers since they used an 11th-rounder on him in 2015. He has often mashed in the minors, including when he hit .340/.412/.553 in 182 Triple-A plate appearances in 2019, but his success there hasn’t translated to the bigs. Heineman owns a .189/.259/.331 line with three home runs in 139 plate appearances as a Ranger.

Athletics Name Mark Kotsay Third Base Coach

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The Athletics announced that Mark Kotsay will take over as their third base coach in 2021. He’ll succeed Al Pedrique, whom the team parted with in October. The rest of the A’s coaching staff from last season will remain intact.

Kotsay is a former major league outfielder who spent part of his career (2004-07) as a member of the A’s. Since his playing days ended in 2013, Kotsay has garnered coaching and front office experience with a pair of teams. The Padres, with whom he also played, hired him as a special assistant and then a hitting coach in 2014. He spent a year there before heading back to Oakland.

The third base coach role will be the third different assignment Kotsay has had during his time on the A’s staff. He started as their bench coach but later became their quality control coach. Kotsay has since generated managerial interest around the majors, including from the Tigers this offseason. The 44-year-old figures to remain on other teams’ radars going forward.

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