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Royals Non-Tender Maikel Franco, Bubba Starling

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6:52pm: The Royals have non-tendered Franco, infielder Jeison Guzman, infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia and outfielder Bubba Starling, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star tweets. This could end Starling’s tenure in KC. He was the fifth overall pick in 2011 but hasn’t come close to living up to his draft status.

3:22pm: The Royals are expected to non-tender third baseman Maikel Franco, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Franco to earn between $4.5MM and $8MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility, but those figures were too rich for the Royals’ blood.

Although he was a star prospect with the Phillies, Franco didn’t pan out in their uniform after an excellent rookie showing in 2015. The Phillies non-tendered him after last season as a result, and Franco then caught on with the Royals on a $2.95MM guarantee. It ended up as a decent investment for Kansas City, with which Franco slashed .278/.321/.457 (106 wRC+) and totaled eight home runs in 243 plate appearances. He also chipped in playable work at third base with zero Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-1.3 Ultimate Zone Rating in 51 games.

While Franco took a step forward this past season, the Royals obviously don’t think that production merited a sizable raise in arbitration. That means the 28-year-old Franco will head back to the open market, where he’ll join the likes of Marwin Gonzalez and Todd Frazier after top option Justin Turner.

Braves Non-Tender Adam Duvall

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The Braves have non-tendered outfielder Adam Duvall, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. Duvall was in line to make at least $4MM in arbitration, but he’ll instead head to the free-agent market.

Duvall just wrapped up a two-plus-season stint with the Braves, who acquired him from the Reds before the 2018 trade deadline. Duvall was a two-time 30-home run hitter at that point, but he struggled enough during his final Reds season for the team to cut the cord on him. To Duvall’s credit, he rebounded from 2019-20 as a member of the Braves, hitting .248/.307/.545 (118 wRC+) with 26 home runs in 339 plate appearances. The 32-year-old was among the NL’s HR leaders with 16 in 2020, but that wasn’t enough to convince the Braves to tender him a contract.

While Duvall is no longer a Brave, it doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t bring him back for a cheaper salary, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that they’ll consider re-signing him. For now, though, a team that has already seen Marcell Ozuna and Nick Markakis hit free agency is down another outfielder.

White Sox Non-Tender Nomar Mazara, Carlos Rodon

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The White Sox announced that they won’t tender contracts to outfielder Nomar Mazara and left-hander Carlos Rodon. This isn’t surprising news in either case, though it does continue a fall from grace for two players who were regarded as standout prospects during their younger days.

Mazara, formerly with Texas, joined the White Sox in a trade last December. While Mazara didn’t live up to the hype as a Ranger, the White Sox were surely hoping a change of scenery would help him reach his potential. Instead, the 25-year-old hit a miserable .228/.295/.294 with one home run in 149 plate appearances during his lone year in Chicago. The White Sox decided to cut Mazara in lieu of paying him $5MM-plus in arbitration.

Rodon was the No. 3 overall pick of the White Sox in 2014, though he never turned into the ace the team thought it was drafting. He was a pretty successful starter earlier in his career, but serious arm injuries (including issues that required shoulder surgery and a Tommy John procedure) slowed him over the previous couple of years. Rodon threw just 34 2/3 innings in 2019 and 7 2/3 this past season, combining for 5.74 ERA (and a much better 3.85 FIP) alongside 11.06 K/9 against 4.25 BB/9 in the process. The White Sox would have owed the 27-year-old more than $4MM in arbitration had they tendered him.

Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Jean Segura

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Phillies middle infielder Jean Segura has come up in trade talks, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The Blue Jays are among the teams that have discussed Segura with the Phillies, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.

The Phillies are already facing the loss of shortstop Didi Gregorius in free agency, so trading Segura could leave them looking to replace their two middle infield starters from 2020. Acquired from the Mariners before 2019, Segura has given the Phillies decent offensive production over 835 plate appearances, having batted .276/.329/.421 (96 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Of course, those numbers pale in comparison to the production he posted as a Diamondback and Mariner from 2016-18, during which he slashed .308/.353/.449 (116 wRC+) in 1,892 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Segura has garnered extensive experience at short and plenty of recent time at second. Because of Philly’s addition of Gregorious, this past season was the first time he played at the keystone since 2016. If he were to join the Blue Jays, Segura would likely remain at second because of the presence of shortstop Bo Bichette. Toronto has a potential second base solution in the versatile Cavan Biggio, but general manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday the club could use him as its primary third baseman, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets.

Unless the Phillies eat money, any team taking on Segura would be making a two-year, $29.5MM investment. That includes a $1MM buyout in lieu of a $17MM club option for 2023.

AL Notes: Twins, Cruz, Astros, Reddick, Rays, Indians

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The Twins and free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz are in “a staring contest where neither side is blinking,” Dan Hayes of The Athletic writes. As a 40-year-old coming off yet another great season, Cruz is looking to secure the best possible payday, though he’s in a difficult position because there is still no word on whether the National League will have a DH in 2021. As such, it’s no surprise that Cruz is taking his time on the open market, even though he did say in the past that he would like to remain a Twin. Cruz put up a phenomenal .308/.394/.626 line with 57 home runs in 735 plate appearances in Minnesota from 2019-20.

  • Free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick seemingly said goodbye to the Astros on Instagram on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays. “Thank you to the Astros, my teammates, coaches, staff and of course the FANS,” Reddick posted. “Houson will always be special to me. From winning a World Series, to getting engaged and starting a family here and everything in between, I loved playing here and look forward to doing it again.” The Astros could still re-sign Reddick, but that has “never seemed likely,” Rome writes. Reddick joined the Astros on a four-year, $52MM contract before 2017 and proceeded to record a respectable .275/.331/.425 slash with 48 home runs in 1,787 plate appearances as a member of the club.
  • Rays righty Nick Bitsko underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum issue, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Bitsko will miss time in 2021 as a result, though it’s unclear how long he’ll sit out, per Topkin. The 18-year-old was the 24th overall pick in last June’s draft.
  • Indians right-handed reliever Cam Hill announced that he was involved in a car crash Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic relays. Hill suffered a wrist injury that required surgery, but the 26-year-old indicated that he and everyone else involved in the crash came out OK. He suggested that he’ll be ready for next season. Hill made his major league debut in 2020 and posted a 4.91 ERA/5.43 FIP with 7.85 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 across 18 1/3 innings.

Red Sox Interested In Corey Kluber

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The starter-needy Red Sox are showing interest in free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Kluber, who’s coming off an injury-wrecked season, could start throwing bullpen sessions this month after suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain, Morosi adds.

As a two-time Cy Young winner who fell on difficult times during the previous two seasons, the soon-to-be 35-year-old Kluber looks like an intriguing buy-low candidate. The former Indian missed almost all of 2019 after suffering a fractured forearm, and this past season’s shoulder problems with the Rangers limited him to one appearance and one inning. The Rangers then declined Kluber’s $18MM option for 2021 in favor of a $1MM buyout.

Despite Kluber’s recent hardships, it isn’t hard to see the appeal. The last time he was healthy, in 2018, Kluber fired 215 innings of 2.89 ERA/3.12 FIP ball with 9.29 K/9 and 1.42 BB/9. His 92 mph-plus fastball velocity hasn’t abandoned him since then, so it would be easy for any team to dream on Kluber returning to form on an affordable, short-term contract.

The Red Sox need all the help they can get in their rotation, as ace Chris Sale is still working back from Tommy John surgery and No. 2 Eduardo Rodriguez missed all of 2020 because of issues stemming from COVID-19 and myocarditis. Without those two around, Boston’s rotation sputtered to a 5.34 ERA/5.50 FIP. The team’s top healthy candidates slated to return include Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta, but no member of that trio has a track record that’s nearly as impressive as Kluber’s.

Latest On Rangers’ Infield

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Elvis Andrus has been the Rangers’ everyday shortstop since he debuted in 2009, but those days are coming to an end. He’ll take on a utility role in 2021, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa will have an opportunity to become the Rangers’ starting shortstop, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The 32-year-old Andrus has thrived at times, which led the Rangers to give him an eight-year, $120MM extension that kicked in during 2015, but his production has tumbled in recent seasons. Dating back to 2018, Andrus has batted a dismal .260/.306/.378 (73 wRC+) with 21 home runs and 39 stolen bases across 1,187 plate appearances. He’ll now play multiple positions in the rebuilding Rangers’ infield, where they have questions everywhere, including at second base. Rougned Odor has been Andrus’ longtime double-play partner, but his starting job also isn’t set in stone, Grant tweets.

The Rangers may want to jettison Andrus and Odor in trades, but it would be difficult to find takers for either. Andrus has another two years and $28MM left on his contract, while Odor’s deal includes two more seasons at $27MM (including a $3MM buyout for 2023). Those are steep commitments for players who have offered poor production for multiple seasons in a row. In Andrus’ case, Grant notes he has 10-and-5 rights, and his $15MM club option for 2023 would turn into a player option in the event of a trade. With those facts in mind, it will be that much more of a challenge for the Rangers to trade him.

Kiner-Falefa, like Andrus and Odor, has not hit much in the past few seasons. He came into the league in 2018 and has since batted .260/.319/.351 (75 wRC+) with eight homers and 18 steals in 846 PA. Kiner-Falefa has seen action at a handful of positions, though, and he even earned an American League Gold Glove Award for the work he did at third base in 2020. The Rangers are hopeful the 25-year-old’s value will increase at short, though it’s unclear who will start for the team at third. It’s “likely” they’ll pick up a third baseman on a one-year deal in free agency to help bridge the gap to prospect Josh Jung, according to Grant.

Royals Designate Carlos Sanabria

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The Royals have designated right-hander Carlos Sanabria for assignment, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. His roster spot will go to newly signed left-hander Mike Minor.

It wasn’t a long run on the Royals’ 40-man roster for Sanabria, whom they claimed via waivers from the Astros at the end of October. The hard-throwing Sanabria was once a prospect of some note with the Astros, and he threw 66 2/3 innings of 2.84 ERA ball with 11.6 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 between the High-A and Double-A levels in 2019.

Sanabria’s performance was enough to earn him a chance in the majors in 2020, but the 23-year-old didn’t get a significant opportunity to establish himself. He threw two innings of two-run ball before the Astros cut him loose, and now the Royals could see him head elsewhere after just a few weeks in the organization.

Reds Prioritizing Shortstop

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With 2020 starter Freddy Galvis now on the open market, the Reds are prioritize adding a starting shortstop this offseason, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets.

This isn’t surprising news regarding the Reds, whose incumbent shortstop, Jose Garcia, didn’t play above the High-A level before the team promoted him in late August. The 22-year-old Garcia then batted a weak .194/.206/.194 (3 wRC+) in 68 plate appearances. Garcia could still be the Reds’ long-term answer at the position, but he doesn’t seem worthy of landing the job in the near term. General manager Nick Krall even admitted earlier this month that short is a position the Reds are aiming to address.

Fortunately for Cincinnati, which is coming off its first playoff berth since 2013, it should be able to find a replacement for Garcia before next season. Aside from Galvis, free agency features ex-Red Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien, Ha-Seong Kim and Andrelton Simmons. None of those players should come at exorbitant prices, but if the Reds are in the mood for a blockbuster trade, the Indians’ Francisco Lindor or the Rockies’ Trevor Story could be on their radar.

Mets Rumors: Springer, McCann

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Free-agent outfielder George Springer could be the No. 1 offseason target for the Mets, according to SNY’s Andy Martino, who writes that the longtime Astro “remains heavily in the mix.” Meanwhile, Martino hears that the Mets are more aggressively going after catcher James McCann than fellow backstop J.T. Realmuto.

Springer would join an already loaded Mets outfield that includes Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith as potential options for 2021. Nimmo was the only member of that group to line up in center field last season, though he struggled to minus-five Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-4.1 Ultimate Zone Rating over 308 1/3 innings there. Conversely, Springer posted six DRS with a minus-0.4 UZR across 338 innings, and he has typically performed well at the position since he first debuted there in 2014.

Of course, anyone who signs Springer wouldn’t be doing so primarily because of his defense. Rather, that team would be adding him on account of the immense impact Springer has made with his bat. This past season was the latest tremendous offensive effort for the 31-year-old Springer, who slashed .265/.359/.540 (146 wRC+) with 14 home runs in 222 plate appearances.

The Mets seem to have a bigger need behind the plate than in their outfield, as Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos are free agents. The most established catcher on their roster is Tomas Nido, who owns a woeful line of .197/.234/.319 (46 wRC+) in 270 MLB plate appearances. That suggests the team will upgrade from outside the organization in the coming months. McCann, who’s coming off an impressive season, should cost far less than Realmuto, but he won’t be easy to acquire for the Mets and deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. At least six teams have shown interest in McCann early this offseason, so there will be plenty of competition to sign him.

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