The Mets were connected to free-agent center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. earlier in the offseason, but the two sides did not come close to an agreement, Andy Martino of SNY.tv writes. The club has agreed to sign fellow center fielders Kevin Pillar and Albert Almora Jr. in recent days, and now the chances of it adding Bradley are “practically nonexistent,” according to Martino. If true, that eliminates one logical suitor for Bradley, a longtime member of the Red Sox and one of the top free agents remaining on the market.
- Angels right-hander/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani threw a 27-pitch bullpen session Thursday, and his velocity topped out at 90 mph, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Ohtani, who’s coming off a season limited by a right flexor strain, averaged a little over 93 mph on his heater from 2018-20, but he’s not concerned about his early camp velocity drop. “It was my first bullpen, so I’m not too worried about the velo,” Ohtani said (via Fletcher). Ohtani’s arm problems (including September 2019 Tommy John surgery) limited him to just 1 2/3 innings of pitching over the previous two seasons, but the hope is that he’ll re-emerge this year as an important member of the Angels’ rotation.
- Yankees righty Luis Severino is throwing from 120 feet and could return to the mound in the next few weeks, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Severino was one of the elite pitchers in the game from 2017-18, but injuries have cut him down since then. He threw only 12 innings in 2019 because of shoulder issues and then didn’t pitch at all last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But if he bounces back this year, Severino and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole could comprise one of the best one-two punches of any rotation in baseball.
- More on the Yankees, who do have interest in re-signing free-agent outfielder Brett Gardner, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s “likely” the Yankees would keep him in the vicinity of $3MM, Heyman relays. As of last week, though, the career-long Yankee, 37, and the club reportedly hadn’t engaged in any contract negotiations.
Ohtani at 90 is troubling.
I mean it’s spring training , he’s coming off an serious injury, he has to build up and see where he’s at. You don’t want to throw maxed gas when you haven’t pitch for a while.
@halo11fan gets easily discouraged by almost any news regarding angels rightly so imo. They still can’t seem to get anything right in terms of building a team around the best player in baseball!
You don’t know me at all. Ten MPH off a fastball is troubling. You don’t think it is? Have I said a single thing about Ohtani that has concerned me until now?
Where are you getting the 10 MPH drop off from? His max velo the bullet point and a quick google search as well shows that Ohtani has averaged about 93 MPH on his fastball.
He was hitting 100 as a rookie.
I hit 91 once, but I averaged 84-86. There’s a difference.
VT. Right. Topping out at 90 means he’s throwing in the 80s
Sure is.
I topped out ~ 85. Was enough for H.S. & even JuCo. I could only dream about breaking 90. Awesome that you have.
I covet that experience lol.
You think he averages 100 mph?
I topped out at 78. The other team used to rag on me. The best I heard was rooting for their hitters to pick the right color of the rainbow. It busted me up.
It’s only his first bullpen on the spring. None of the SPs are throwing at full velocity right now. It’s just not being reported because it’s so normal and no one pays attention to the fact that ML SPs take a couple weeks to ramp up to their full velocity. He’ll be fine… its just the normal course of building up arm strength. For example take Kluber… during his workout a month or two ago he was only throwing 90 or so but all the scouts on hand expect him to ramp it up to the mid 90s by the time the season comes around. That’s just how it works.
I think he topped out just above 1oo. Topping out at 90 means he’s throwing in the 80s. Not “too” worried, means he’s concerned.
That one made me laugh.
Also “topped out” should not be substituted for “the norm”. Just to be clear.
This feels like I’m sitting in a pub talking some baseball. I better grab a Summit ale.
Bullpen has been trash for a while now for angels seems like they never go for relievers
Whew !!!! He will be fine cuz Jeff said so
Constant problem I see with angels is no pitching and they give out huuuuuge contracts for areas that aren’t there weakest
Says who?
Hitting it and averaging it are two very different things….most evidence (depending on which site you read) tells a story where he averaged somewhere around 96-97 in 2018 and then dropped off. Still some pretty good gas but velocity isn’t everything when pitching right?
It was 27 throws.
Yes. 27 throws. So? I don’t follow early spring velocity, but everything I wrote supports that this is troubling. Troubling IS NOT catastrophic. Next week it might not be, but next week it could turn into something more than troubling. I’m getting more heat for saying troubling than the idiots who say he should scrap being a two way player.
It was 27 throws. His FIRST 27 throws.
It’s not “troubling.” It’s you not understanding the point of rehab or sample sizes.
I averaged 92 through most of high school but I had a flawed delivery. My arm fell off late in my senior year. Mechanics were not a big deal at the high school level back then. After surgery I had trouble breaking 85. My dream of participating in the draft and turning pro went out the window. Baseball is the only thing I truly miss from my youth.
You dont think it’s troubling that a player who has topped 100 is throwing in the 80s? You don’t think it’s troubling when his response is I’m no “too” worried? So does that me he’s a little worried? It’s likely nothing, but it’s not the news anyone was hoping for, especially when his velocity plummeted last year. Fine, I think it’s troubling.
It’s not just spring training. He’s been throwing for months. If he was topping out at 90, it would have been very troubling. However a quick google search shows he’s hitting 95. After throwing for four months if he could only get to 90 would have been troubling.
The blurb on Ohtani was incomplete. It’s amazing how many people thought that only getting up to 90 after 4 months wasn’t an issue.
It’s the first day of spring training.
Yep. If we received first-day velo reports on every pitcher in baseball, fans of all teams would be troubled.
You might be right. But I think when your fastball is down 1o MPH after a season when it was down 8 MPH, I’m concerned.
That actually is a notable drop.
He was hitting 100 before, wasn’t he? I thought even up to 102?
I recall Betances oftentimes starting out in the low 90’s before eventually hitting triple digits by late May/early June. So there’s that.
But a couple years ago his velocity didn’t come back. I’m not sure in his case if it ever will, either. Sure hope so. Dellin’s on my Forever-Cool-With-Me list.
So there’s also that.
First bullpen of the year, though. So tons of time left, uh.
Incidentally, I like what the Angels did with their off-season. They’re better. Still some pretty interesting relievers out there yet.
Even Ohtani said he’s not “too” worried. I’m not too worried either but topping out at 90 is troubling.
Having seen very similar things from Dellin Betances numerous springs I’m thinking this is probably not going to be about much of anything.
This is also the first chance I’ve had to use my mail order medical degree. So.
I’m curious if that were to be true or not…
As in, if we were to report all pitchers velocities, compare them to their norms from their most recent healthy stints, and then see if it correlates at all to having a poor season for those who are starting out with larger discrepancies…
Also, I mean, you’d have to chart their mph and movement starting out first at spring, and then chart them again at the end of spring just to notated and look at those differences…
I’m just wondering if those that start out ramping up with larger differences has any effect..As opposed to those that may have been working more in the offseason that start out with a much smaller discrepancy…
Just a random thought
I realize that would be next to nearly impossible to find out and chart, but it would be interesting just to find out…
Since when does a pitcher say he’s not “too” worried? If a pitcher can’t comb his hair the standard response is “I’m fine”.
“Just having some trouble getting loose.”
“Not bad…just little sore.”
“Just gonna put some ice on it.”
“Doesn’t hurt anymore than usual.”
“Just felt a little out of synch today.”
Pitcher speak.
In one way – or another – they all basically mean, “man, my arm is killing me. Pitching hurts, bro.”
@bravesfan88-
Yeah, that is kind of a random thought.
Turned into a fairly nuanced take though.
Teams have to be tracking this stuff.
It would be interesting to see. My sense is that it would show a wild fluctuation from pitcher to pitcher. I think it’d be useful to track individual pitchers, however. Which – again – I’m betting teams do.
Man.
What a great thread.
Got to use my mail order medical degree twice. That thing’s a game changer.
I think any pitcher coming back from a major injury has to realize there is always a chance he doesn’t fully regain his old form. Does this mean he is toast if he doesn’t regain his velocity? Absolutely not. But the reality there will always be chance of complications which means his answer of “not too worried” reflects his realistic approach in the recovery process.
Ya cuz he hasn’t had injuries or anything and is a 2 way player
And Maddon has said he will not have any limitations in spring training. I wonder what the over/under five starts on the mound for Ohtani is?
If his careerFB average is 93mph, then him throwing 90mph in his first BP session is not a concern at all. Given that he had TJS in Sept-2019, he did not have a standard off-season throwing program this winter. So the fact that he hit 90mph in his first session is quite encouraging if you ask me. Often times, former TJS patients start out 5-6 mph lower than their average and build back up to their normal speed in a couple of months. Ohtani will be back throwing 93 mph+ before we know it.
He was hitting 1oo as a rookie.
Was he hitting 100 the very first day of camp as a rookie? I seem to remember he looked quite bad his rookie camp causing great concern, that is until the starting bell rang.
Fangraphs has his average four-seam fastball at 97.4 in 2018. That means he probably did hit 100 at peak, and generally lived in the 96-98 range. I agree, a significant difference. That said, he barely pitched last year and not at all in 2019, so I would my be concerned (yet) since we know he normally starts slowly in camp.
Ya but he’s had a couple years of issues that prevented him from pitching it can def start taking its toll. To say this about someone that’s already had a history is a lil alarming
several days ago it was reported that he pitched st 93 mph. both espn and nbc sports reported.
93 is not troubling. It means he is already exceeding last years velocity.
Cmon Halo its literally nothing more than shakin off some cobwebs –
Id be more concerned if he was pumping 95 saying he needs to calm it down
What is troubling tho is that Angels medical staff calling the shots moving forward(I hope he has some of his own people around monitoring) …Wish the best for Ohtani…. if he does have to become a finesse pitcher maybe Claudio can help him with the transition tho; adding even more value to that bargain deal they got him on earlier this year
A post not about hating Claudio and the bullpen? Wow.
I don’t hate Claudio. I hate our 6th 7th and 8th inning options. You don’t?When mediocre would be a career year, how could you like them?
In season – yes. First day of ST – ummm.
Don’t be concerned Halo11. Trust me, coming back from injury and throwing your FIRST bullpen in months isn’t the time to aim for a high velo. He’s fine. Chill.
U don’t know that!!!!
A drop in velocity doesn’t mean a whole lat at this point. After missing a majority of 2 seasons, the point is to throw today and see how you feel tomorrow. He was not trying to hit max velocity. Nothing to worry about.
Angel, you are probably right.
But it could very well mean a half lat…
What a dumb argument this whole thread is LOL
Yeah was gonna say not worrried about a 7-8 velo drop ooookay
To all the experts to say he’s fine like u guys know anyways. I guess we will find out if he makes a whole season pitching
@Halos11fan
‘Of course it is’, people do their personal bests on their first outing or training run. Have you ever played the game, or any sport for that matter?
I really don’t pay any attention to how pitcher’s velocity in spring. But he threw 27 pitches. He was in the 80’s and instead of saying I was not opening up he said I’m not “too” worried? Which means he’s a little worried. I find that troubling.
People are acting like I said he better give up being a two way player…which people say all the time.
I think people are crazy. Troubling is such a soft word compared to worried or concerned. He’s throwing in the 80s. How about that gives me pause? How soft do you want me to make it? I’m worried but not “too” worried?
Worst fanbase in all of the MLB.
Halos11fan is either very young or ‘Ze’ is extremely clueless about pitching.
Winter storms, sunspots, climate change, riots up and down both coast, commies running rough/shot over our leaders, torn labrum, TOS… could all be considered troubling on different levels, but…..90 MPH on February 18th, (after effectively missing two seasons with arm problems/surgery), when you normally sit at 93 isn’t troubling. It’s the opposite
He sat at 93 last year. He sat at 99 before the injury.
Ironically you don’t know anything about Ohtani if you think he sits at 93.
I must be the only one who see’s that he topped 90 during his FIRST BULLPEN session of the year, which was only 27 pitches mind you, and be encouraged by it.
Not at all, he is just throwing (going through the motions). to use muscles that haven’t been used.
NYY42. Ohtani didn’t just pick up a baseball, he’s been throwing for four months. Four months ago he said he was throwing 80%.
So here we have a pitcher who consistently 100+ MPH in his rookie year. Had surgery. Came back and leveled out about 93, comes to spring training, and AFTER four months of throwing and is throwing in the in the 80s, and you are not the least bit concerned he’s going to consistently hit 100 again?
Wow, and people think I’m optimistic about the Angels starting pitching.
How is this not troublesome? Hopefully it’s nothing. But to know it’s not nothing is insane.
90 is not good enough
He needs to focus on hitting from now on
Mike Trout can throw 90
Again, it’s the first day of spring training.
Jeez, would you rather him try to throw 95 too soon and have his arm actualy fall off this time?
I’d rather him be throwing in the low 90s than the 80s. I’d rather him saying I was just getting the rust off rather than I’m not “too” worried.
I’m not too worried about COVID. But I still don’t go out to crowds. Why? Because if I’m not too worried means I’m a little worried.
Halo, your point is valid. It might be nothing, and a week from now things might be much different. But given the past couple of years there are reasons to be concerned.
Guess, Exactly. It’s not the end all be all. But throwing in the 80s is not exactly the news I wanted to read. I’m not “too” worried are not the words I wanted him to say. Could it have been worse? Yes!! But this isn’t the news I was hoping to read.
Love the contributions that Brett Gardner has made to the Yankees, but it’s time to move on. Bruce and or Dietrich can handle the left handed at bats off the bench. Save the 3 million or so for help on the mound.
As a Giants fan I would way rather have Brett Gardner as a centerfield platoon with Maricio Dubon than JBJ as a full time centerfielder. JBJ’s batting average and OPS+ were well below average from 2017-19 before a solid 55 game showing in 2020 after which he thought he was worth a 4 to 5 year deal. Dream on JBJ. Go Gardy!
What does Gardner really do for the Giants? It’s not like he would be a part of the next competitive team if he’s there on a one year deal.
They already have a lot of older players on expiring contracts. They need younger players that they can control longer term. Not saying that I love the JBJ fit, but at least with JBJ on multiple years he potentially gives them value in years they can be competitive in.
Gardy is a left hand platoon bat, he’s still an above average centerfielder, he hits for power, gets on base and is a great role model for the youngsters. I’d rather have Heliot Ramos in center long term than JBJ.
Yaaaa cuz jbjs defense ain’t worth it
I’m starting to think that JBJ doesn’t understand he’s not that good he’s been a 4th OF most of his career
Gardy and D Rob 2 Million each. 2021 World Series or Bust.
That would be splendid.
You know I want D-Rob. I think one more RH middle reliever & the pen will be back to the depth of those 17-19 clubs.
& I love GGBG.
I’m intrigued by Allen a little though. I looked him up on Fangraphs. Not much power. 20 grade in-game. But his hit, speed, throw, & glove were all in the 55’s & 60’s. He’s toolsy, or whatever.
If Cashman hits on Kluber or Taillon we should have just enough starting pitching, per usual. If he hits on both then we’ll have a pretty good staff.
The problem would be if he whiffs on both. But no use worrying about it.
Agreed.
Gets off the plane, throws 90, and people lose their minds. Relaxxx
Yankees are probably hoping they can get Gardner for less than the $3 million projection. Eventually he will sign.
JBJ to the Astros makes too much sense not to happen once he gets off his four year contract demand.
Gardner come to the Atl .. could use a strong 4th OF
You can have him, just know no refunds or exchanges, ARE SALES ARE FINAL!
Really hoping Ohtani can bounce back. Mets out of the running means this leaves the Astros and Giants fighting for JBJ.
Boras did great for a lot his clients during this challenging offseason, but there are always 1 or 2 who end up buying into his ‘pie in the sky’ projections for a player who isn’t nearly as good as the Boras asking price. JBJ is the latest Boras victim. I’m sure Toronto, NY and perhaps other teams offered JBJ a reasonable, 2-3 year deal but Boras convinced him to play hardball. Now he’s likely going to have to settle for a 1-2 year deal at a lower AAV than he has already been offered. It’s too bad because Jackie is such a soft-spoken nice guy. A true professional: a very hard worker and a great teammate too. Looks like he drank the Boras Kool Aid and he got the Jim Jones version. Hopefully he plays well in 2021 and gets one more shot at a multi-year deal next offseason.
Nice guys don’t kneel for the anthem. Especially those who make millions of dollars. Not quite sure what Jackie knows about ‘oppression’.
@dpsmith22 Just because he’s a millionaire doesn’t change the fact he felt his people were having injustices inflicted on them. In a town like Boston which is notorious for race issues, I respect him “standing up” for what he believes in regardless of his bank account or how people like you would react.
I adore JBJ and yes he is a sweetheart who bought into Boras’s moneyball. I want him to return to Boston, i am hoping they, in Boston, are waiting too.
I would lMAO if Boras ends up causing JBJ’s market to dry up to the point where he takes a 1 year $7 million to play in Boston.
The Red Sox could still use JBJ in CF, Verdugo in RF, and platoon Renfro and Cordero in LF.
Gardner has a career WAR of 43. For some reason that’s higher than I though it would be.
And plays consistent above average defense and doesn’t miss games.
It’s crazy how much value he was able to provide by doing the little things right. If you just look at his offensive counting stats, 1384 hits, 129 HR, 539 RBI, and 896 runs over 13 seasons you would never guess that’s a player with 43bWAR.
And then consider that Lou Brock, who has over 3,000 hits and is in the hall of fame, has only 45.4bWAR. I’m not trying to say Gardner is HOF worthy, I’m just saying it’s impressive how much value he provided over his career.
Counting stats aren’t really a part of WAR. Plus, Brock wasn’t nearly the same defender as Gardner.
Thats my whole point. If you just look at his offensive counting stats then you would think he’s a fairly mediocre player who has somehow hung around the league for 13 years.
But if you start looking at the sabermetrics, like wOBA, wRAA, DRS, plus positional adjustments, which comprise WAR, then you see that Gardner has been a great player who was able to accumulate a ton of value over his career, so much so that its on par with some hall of famers on the low end of the spectrum.
And yes, I agree that the stats tell us that Brock wasn’t nearly the same defender. I admittedly never saw him play, but he’s got a career negative 16.8dWAR and Gardner has a career positive 12.8dWAR, so thats a huge part of explaining how they have similar career WAR totals.
It all goes to the overall point that Gardner has been an incredibly valuable asset even with his pedestrian counting stats.
Wonder if someone can steal JBJ on a shorter deal now. Probably not.
Gardner needs to find another suitor instead of getting lowballed. Phillies perhaps? Mets? Doesn’t have to go far.
Don’t see him as a fit for either team. Both have crowded outfields. Both lack a true CF, but Gardy isn’t the answer.
I don’t think Gardner wants to play for anyone else unless Yankees flat out tell him they are not interested in him any longer.
Is it just me or is Yankees depth chart not that intimidating !? For sure took a big step backwards with this rotation and running the same ol homer heavy lineup out there for like their 4th year in a row.
No way I rank this team above Tampa.
And shame jays couldn’t put together a bit better of an offseason. AL East is ripe
It’s just you.
You are correct. They are overrated. The Rays are much better.
Doubt it, @rsk-
Both Las Vegas & Fangraphs see the Yanks as not just the AL East favorite, but as the best team in the entire American League.
They (the real experts, uh?) strongly disagree with your take.
Guess we’ll see.
But I’ll be shocked if the Yanks don’t win the East. As would most baseball fans & professional analysts. So.
Actually, this seems more like wishful thinking by someone who probably doesn’t care much for the Yanks, @bot.
Cashman chose to run the lineup back.
That’s good!
These guys have a proven track record of being a top 2 or 3 offense in MLB. & Cash tinkered on the margins.
He also went back to a pen stacked with 6 (or more) good relievers.
This was part of the formula that resulted in 100+ win seasons & deep playoff runs: an overengineered pen and lineup coupled with a mediocre rotation.
Yanks also have the 13th ranked farm system as general organizational depth.
The starting pitching can certainly be questioned. But depth?
Now that the dust is setting on the off-season that’s one area where I struggle to see anything negative.
I think Ohtani will come back strong this season both at the plate and more importantly on the mound. I just think he has too much talent not to turn things around and he’s still pretty young… so I expect him to, if healthy — which I think he is now — put together a VERY strong season offensively and pitching wise.
Yanks need to stop spending and have some cushion for a trade line acquisition to the rotation of Sevy’s return is delayed.
There’s still room to add another small deal yet. Maybe even a couple.
Yanks are not much past $200MM in ’21 payroll.
When they reset in ’17 Cashman left himself about 4 mil to get through the season. Remember, contracts are prorated. Plus, prospects can be included in order to defray salary.
Unfortunately there are not enough dabloons for someone like Odorizzi or Walker. A player that would have a pretty big impact. But another small deal or two shouldn’t be much of a problem.
I agree, and they have plenty of OF. Frazier is the future, and they have Tauchman and Bruce already signed. Gardner should sign elsewhere, or go play for the St. Paul Saints and get signed by the Yankees mid season a la 2016 Darryl Strawberry…
Idc what you say, Ohtani topping out 90 is a tad concerning because of his already abundant bad health history. I know how pros work, yes they can dial it back a couple miles per hour but eventually they put a little English on a few and hit their avg or high for a couple pitches. I doubt he just was bp fastball consistently an entire bullpen session.
Hey Jackie, Stephen Drew is calling. Still loving the Boras Corporation?
Gardy , Bradley Jr. & Puig
could be a good outfield.
Not the best but decent.
I wonder how this current FA lineup (as of Feb 18th) would do against a team like Baltimore or Pittsburg:
1B – Jedd Gyorko
2B – Daniel Descalso
SS – Addison Russell
3B – Maikel Franco
LF – Brett Gardner
CF – Jackie Bradley Jr.
RF – Yasiel Puig
C – Tyler Flowers
DH – Ryan Braun
SP – Jake Odorizzi
SP – Taijuan Walker
SP – Cole Hamels
SP – Anibal Sanchez
SP – Rick Porcello
RP – Shane Greene
RP – Tyler Clippard
RP – Dave Robertson
RP – Brad Peacock
RP – Jeremy Jeffress
I feel like they could be competitive against a few teams in the league; maybe even win 60 games? Still have 7 more spots to fill too. Lots of good options left in free agency for sure.
I would DH Encarnacion instead of Braun. Also I don’t see Russel on the SS list on MLB.com.
Solid FA team, but lacks depth
I was hoping someone would do this, @mantooth.
Definitely a number of helpful players left. We’re down to less than ten of the top 50 free agents & honorable mentions.
All MLB teams can still improve.
Heyman must be on the Gardner payroll. Gardner stinks and he keep pushing the bring him back narrative. Yankees don’t need a team pet. Gardner should have been cut years ago. Good riddance.
The Ohtani experiment was interesting for a minute, but it’s probably time for the guy to just focus on hitting. The Angels’ inability to add quality starting pitching should not contribute to Shohei getting hurt again trying to be both a slugger and a quality SP.
Severrago throwing from 120 feet to Yankee fan means he wins the Cy Young this year and first ballot HOF.