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Latest On Mets’ GM Search

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TODAY: Porter and Scott seem to be the two favorites for the job, as per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link).  Also from Puma, J.P. Ricciardi is the other unknown finalist for the GM job.

DECEMBER 11, 8:13pm: The Mets are actually still considering other candidates in addition to Scott, Porter, Owens and Hill, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

7:52pm: Scott, Porter, Owens and Hill are indeed the Mets’ GM finalists, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. They have all interviewed for the position, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

5:20pm: Led by the newly minted duo of owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson, the Mets are off to an active start this offseason. They’ve already signed reliever Trevor May to a two-year, $15.5MM contract, and they seem to be the front-runners to add catcher James McCann. They’re also surely moving to acquire other players. The Mets have done all their work in recent weeks without a general manager, but that might not be the case for much longer. The club could hire someone as early as next week, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

It’s “likely” the Mets will choose Red Sox assistant general manager Zack Scott, Diamondbacks assistant GM Jared Porter, Athletics AGM Billy Owens or former Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill to become their new GM, according to Heyman. Hill interviewed for the position in the first half of November, but it’s unclear if the Mets have spoken with him again since then. It’s also unknown if (or how many times) they have talked to the other candidates.

Hill’s vast experience as the leader of a front office could give him the leg up in New York, as Cohen said when he took over the franchise last month, “I’m not crazy about people learning on my dime” (via Lou DiPietro of WFAN). That said, Scott, Porter and Owens have plenty of experience in their own right. Scott has been with the Red Sox in various roles since 2004; Porter also started in Boston in 2004, and he has since been a key part of two other front offices (Cubs, D-backs); and Owens has held multiple roles with the A’s since the late 1990s. Owens even worked with lderson for a couple of years when the latter was in Oakland’s front office.

Minor Transactions: 12/11/20

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The latest minor moves from around the game…

  • The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they have signed right-hander Josh A. Smith, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net relays. Smith will earn a $500K salary and could receive another $100K in incentives. The 33-year-old Smith spent last season in Miami, where he was teammates with fellow reliever Josh D. Smith, and struggled to a 6.84 ERA/4.67 FIP with 6.15 K/9 and 3.76 BB/9 in 26 1/3 innings. The Marlins outrighted him at the end of October. Smith has appeared in the majors with four different teams since his 2015 debut and logged a 5.60 ERA/5.27 FIP across 184 2/3 innings.
  • The Reds have signed lefty Jesse Biddle and righty R.J. Alaniz to minor league contracts with invitations to big league camp, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com tweets. The club previously outrighted Biddle and non-tendered Alaniz. Biddle garnered extensive MLB experience with the Braves, Mariners and Rangers from 2018-19, but after offering subpar production in the second of those seasons, he had to settle for a minors pact with the Reds last winter. The 29-year-old did make it back to the majors in 2020, though he only made one appearance. Alaniz, also 29, made his big league debut in 2019, throwing 15 2/3 innings of 16-earned run ball between Seattle and Cincinnati. He didn’t return to the bigs last season.

Mets Sign Jerry Blevins To Minors Deal

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The Mets have signed veteran left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins to a minor league contract, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Blevins will earn a $1.25MM salary if he makes it to the majors, according to Nightengale, who adds that the deal comes with $750K in incentives.

The 37-year-old Blevins has enjoyed some of the finest seasons of his career as a member of the Mets, with whom he previously pitched from 2015-18. Blevins combined for 138 2/3 innings of 3.38 ERA/3.61 FIP ball with 10.77 K/9 and 3.96 BB/9 then, though he struggled in his last season with the Mets and didn’t return to his best form with the Braves in 2019. Blevins didn’t pitch in the majors last season after signing a minors pact with the Giants, who released him in early April.

MLB’s three-batter-minimum rule doesn’t do lefty relievers like Blevins any favors. However, considering how righty-heavy the Mets’ bullpen is, returning to the organization could give Blevins a legitimate shot to get back to the bigs in 2021. Daniel Zamora is the lone southpaw reliever on the Mets’ 40-man roster.

Dodgers Agree To Minor League Deals With Morrow, Nelson, Stewart, Pazos

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6:37pm: The Dodgers also have minors deals with righties Jimmy Nelson and Brock Stewart and lefty James Pazos (along with the previously reported Carlos Asuaje), per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. They’re all invited to big league camp, according to Gurnick.

The oft-injured Nelson didn’t pitch at all last season after undergoing back surgery, and the Dodgers then declined his $2MM club option for 2021. Stewart was a 2014 Dodgers sixth-rounder who appeared in the majors with the team from 2016-19, but it lost him to the Blue Jays via waivers in the last of those seasons. He struggled in Toronto that year and hasn’t pitched in the majors since then. The 29-year-old Pazos was terrific with Seattle and Colorado from 2018-19, but the Rockies designated him for assignment after a disastrous 2020.

6:00pm: The Dodgers and right-handed reliever Brandon Morrow have agreed to a minor league contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets.

This will be the second Dodgers stint for Morrow, who resurrected his career during his previous run in Los Angeles. After dealing with a slew of injuries with a few different teams, Morrow joined the Dodgers on a minors pact heading into the 2017 season. It proved to be a brilliant decision by the Dodgers, as Morrow made his way to the majors and fired 43 2/3 innings of 2.06 ERA/1.55 FIP ball with 10.31 K/9 and 1.85 BB/9. His performance helped the team to a National League pennant.

After the Dodgers bowed out in the World Series to the Astros, Morrow left Los Angeles in favor of a two-year, $21MM contract with the Cubs during free agency. While Morrow did give the Cubs excellent production as their closer in the first season of the deal, back problems held him to 30 2/3 frames and prevented him from pitching beyond July 15, 2018.

The 36-year-old Morrow, unfortunately, still has not returned to a big league mound since then. He missed all of 2019 with elbow troubles and didn’t make it back to the Cubs last year after inking a minors deal.

Rangers Re-Sign Jimmy Herget, Designate Scott Heineman

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The Rangers announced that they have re-signed right-hander Jimmy Herget to a major league deal. It’s a $700K split contract, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. The team designated outfielder Scott Heineman for assignment in a corresponding move. Its 40-man roster remains at capacity.

The Rangers non-tendered Herget last week, but the 27-year-old wasn’t away from the organization for long. Herget, whom the Rangers claimed via waivers from the Reds last winter, threw 19 2/3 innings in Texas in 2020 and posted an impressive 3.20 ERA. There were some red flags, however, including a 5.23 FIP and a poor strikeout/walk ratio (7.78 K/9, 6.41 BB/9). But Herget does boast a very good minor league track record. He saw extensive action in Triple-A ball in three different seasons as a member of the Cincinnati organization and combined for a 3.17 ERA with 9.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 over 150 frames.

Heineman’s designation continues an eventful week-plus for the 28-year-old. The Rangers non-tendered Heineman, quickly brought him back on a major league pact, and now he’s off their roster again. Heineman, a Ranger since they used an 11th-round pick on him in 2015, has slumped to a .189/.259/.331 line with three home runs in 139 big league plate appearances. Like Herget, though, Heineman has performed respectably in Triple-A, where he has batted .307/.371/.463 and slugged 19 HRs across 651 PA.

Cubs Notes: Bryant, Lester, Adduci

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A few items centering on the Cubs…

  • Third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has frequently come up as a trade candidate this offseason, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday that there is “absolutely” a way he’ll return to the team next year, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. “I don’t think it should be treated as a fait accompli that [a trade is] going to happen,” added Hoyer, who expects Bryant to bounce back to his usual form after a 2020 season in which his production fell flat. The Cubs would be selling low on Bryant in a deal as a result of his adverse year, and his projected $18.6MM arbitration salary for 2021 (his final season of team control) doesn’t do his trade value any favors.
  • The Cubs have not had “substantive conversations” regarding a new deal with free-agent left-hander Jon Lester, but neither side has closed the door on staying together, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes. Lester established himself as a Cubs icon from 2015-20, but after he struggled last season, the Cubs predictably bought out the soon-to-be 37-year-old for $10MM instead of paying him $25MM. They’re now down to Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks as their only proven starters for next season, though that could change as the offseason progresses.
  • First baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci had two stints in the Cubs organization, but it appears his playing career is over, as he’s now moving on to another role in baseball. The Cubs have hired the 35-year-old as their run production coordinator, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Adduci, whom the Rangers selected in the 42nd round of the 2003 draft, played from 2013-19 in the bigs and also saw time in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman On LeMahieu, Torres, Sanchez

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman addressed some of the team’s important questions in an interview with Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network on Thursday (video link). Here are some of the highlights…

  • Cashman indicated the Yankees are intent on bringing back second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who’s among baseball’s elite free agents, but he isn’t sure if an agreement will come together. Although LeMahieu also has interest in returning to the team, Cashman doesn’t believe a deal is any closer to materializing than it was previously.
  • The Yankees aren’t yet focused on finding a contingency plan at second should they lose LeMahieu, who starred in their uniform from 2019-20 and is currently on the heels of an American League batting title-winning season in which he finished near the top of the AL MVP voting. Shortstop Gleyber Torres might be a fit for the keystone, though, as Cashman admitted, “I think he’s a better second baseman than shortstop.” While Cashman does believe Torres could continue at short, it’s unclear how the Yankees would handle the position should they place him back at second, where he played in the past. Ex-Yankee Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons, Marcus Semien and Ha-Seong Kim are the premier free-agent options at short, while the Indians’ Francisco Lindor and the Rockies’ Trevor Story are a couple of potential trade tarrgets.
  • Catcher Gary Sanchez was mentioned as a possible non-tender candidate before last week’s deadline, but the Yankees instead kept him for a projected $5.1MM to $6.4MM arbitration salary. Cashman told Marakovits that the Yankees still believe in the 28-year-old, saying, “There’s certainly an anticipation and an expectation of a bounce-back for Gary Sanchez.” The GM noted that Sanchez was an All-Star in 2019 who’s perennially a 30-home run type, adding that he paced all major league catchers in exit velocity. “No one hit the ball harder at that position than he did,” said Cashman, who’s not ready to give up on Sanchez despite a season in which he slashed .147/.253/.365 in 178 plate appearances. To Sanchez’s credit, the two-time 30-home run hitter did continue to show off above-average power (10 HRs, .218 ISO). The Yankees have, however, shown interest in free agents James McCann and Yadier Molina this offseason; so, despite Cashman’s comments, they might not be fully committed to Sanchez going into 2021.

Astros Notes: Correa, Springer, Brantley, Smith, Pettis

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Here’s the latest out of Houston:

  • Shortstop Carlos Correa’s name briefly surfaced in trade rumors last month, and general manager James Click said Thursday (via Mark Berman of Fox 26) that they are “open to all avenues” that could improve the franchise. However, Click added that Correa’s presence “makes it a lot easier to win,” so it doesn’t seem a deal is imminent if the Astros are aiming to earn a fifth straight playoff berth in 2021. The bigger question might be whether the Astros will retain Correa for the long haul, as he’s due to become one of the game’s most coveted free agents after next season.
  • In the here and now, the Astros are facing a couple of big losses in free agency in outfielders George Springer and Michael Brantley, who are currently on the open market. Springer looks as if he’ll earn a nine-figure contract this offseason. Brantley won’t cash in to that extent, but he should do well in his own right. It will be a challenge for the Astros to re-sign either of them, but Click indicated (via Berman) that they’re interested in doing so. “We are engaged on a number of fronts, those guys included,” said Click. “We will continue to put our best foot forward there and see if we can keep the team together.” If the Astros aren’t able to retain those two, though, they will “be ready to bring in some players that can help us out,” according to Click.
  • Veteran reliever Joe Smith missed all of last season after opting out over family health concerns, though the right-hander told Jake Kaplan of The Athletic that he wants to play in 2021 (Kaplan’s piece is worth a full read for those who want more information on Smith’s decision). The 36-year-old Smith has been an asset to a handful of teams’ bullpens throughout his career, so if he does come back next season, he should once again help Houston. Smith has one year and $4MM left on his contract.
  • Click revealed that the Astros expect third base coach Gary Pettis to return in 2021, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Pettis missed the end of the season after a multiple myeloma diagnosis in September. The former major league outfielder, 62, has been on the Astros’ staff since 2015.

MLBTR Poll: Grading The Lance Lynn Trade

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This has not been an especially active Winter Meetings week, but the Rangers and White Sox did swing a major trade on its first night. The deal saw Chicago acquire right-hander Lance Lynn from Texas in exchange for righty Dane Dunning and lefty Avery Weems.

It was an aggressive move by the White Sox, who just reached the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Lynn finished near the top of the American League in Cy Young voting in each of his two seasons with the Rangers, so he should help give the White Sox rotation one of the majors’ best top threes. They already had Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, who joined Lynn among the AL’s most effective starters in 2020. Lynn will now reunite with new manager Tony La Russa, who was the Cardinals’ skipper when the hurler debuted in 2011.

While Lynn has long been a quality arm, another plus is his highly affordable salary for 2021. With $8MM coming his way next season, the 33-year-old won’t make much of a dent in Chicago’s payroll. The problem is that the White Sox did have to surrender a couple of promising younger pitchers to acquire him.

Dunning, a former first-round pick, made his big league debut last season after a rather impressive minor league tenure. The 25-year-old held his own in Chicago, where he logged a 3.97 ERA/3.99 FIP with 9.26 K/9, 3.44 BB/9 and a 45.1 percent groundball rate in seven starts and 34 innings. That’s a small sample size, but Dunning’s track record makes it easy for the Rangers to dream that he will be a key cog on their roster. He’s under control for six more seasons, so it’s possible Dunning will be in the Lone Star State for the long haul.

Weems does not seem to have Dunning’s potential, nor has he appeared in the majors yet, but he also has a chance to be a useful piece. The 2019 sixth-round pick from the University of Arizona shut down rookie ball hitters that year, when he recorded an outstanding 2.09 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 60 1/3 frames. Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote after the Lynn trade that Weems’ future is probably as a reliever, but he “could move quickly to the upper levels.”

The White Sox are clearly banking on Lynn’s presence helping them contend for a World Series title in 2021, whereas the Rangers – who are in a rebuild – acquired two controllable players in letting him go. How do you think the two teams fared in the deal? (Poll links for app users: White Sox, Rangers)

Latest On Trade Availability Of Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story

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A potential trade of star third baseman Nolan Arenado remains a legitimate possibility for the Rockies this winter, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports, though Saunders downplays the possibility of Arenado landing with the Dodgers or any other division rival in the NL West. Owner Dick Monfort is “extremely hesitant” to trade Arenado within the National League West, according to Saunders.

The remaining money on his contract limits the number of potential suitors, however, making it easy to project Arenado into the Justin-Turner-sized hole currently at third base for the Dodgers. Trading a face-of-the-franchise superstar like Arenado, however, rarely fits as glove-in-hand as it may seem on the surface. Still, the Rockies only have so many ways to cut payroll, if that’s their goal.

They are warming to the idea of moving Trevor Story, per the latest report from the Athletic’s Nick Groke and Eno Sarris.  The Colorado front office has long put off the possibility of dealing their star shortstop. Beyond Arenado and Story, however, their two largest contracts on the 2020 payroll belong to Ian Desmond and Charlie Blackmon, both of whom would be difficult to move. Beyond that quartet, there simply aren’t many simple solutions to create more payroll flexibility while bringing back assets.

Story is facing his final season before free agency. For all his talent, however, it’s a complicated time to move a first-division All-Star shortstop like Story. The Indians were quick to put Francisco Lindor at the front of the line, while Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien, and Ha-Seong Kim from the KBO are attractive alternatives on the free agent market.

On the other hand, taking the risk on one year of Story might be an easier pill to swallow for inquiring teams given the surfeit of peers on the same free agency timeline. Corey Seager, Javier Báez, and Carlos Correa will join Story and Lindor as free agents after 2021 if none are extended.

Unfortunately, the Rockies have fewer and fewer researchers to help the front office make qualified, franchise-altering decisions, writes Groke and Sarris. They lost four of six researchers from their Research and Development team since the end of last season, though it’s important to note that these weren’t employees let go by the organization. And yet, Groke and Sarris provide a relatively grim picture of the Rockies’ current resources, but they are far from the only team in the league dealing with tightened belts and smaller staffs. The full article from the Athletic on the state of affairs in Colorado is well worth a read.

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