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Cubs, Eric Sogard Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Eric Sogard, reports ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link). The Octagon client figures to join their Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.

The 34-year-old Sogard has spent three of the past four years with the division-rival Brewers and been quite productive in two of those four seasons. Poor showings in 2018 and 2020 have weighed down Sogard’s production overall, but dating back to 2017 he’s a .257/.343/.377 hitter (93 wRC+) in just shy of 1000 plate appearances.

Sogard has never offered any pop at the plate outside of 2019’s juiced-ball season, but he’s posted a strong 10.8 percent walk rate over the past four years while striking out at just a 14.6 percent clip. He’s regarded as a strong defender at second base but also has experience playing shortstop and third base, making him at least a potential bench piece for the Cubs.

Former first-round pick Nico Hoerner and utilityman David Bote give the Cubs a pair of second base options on the 40-man roster, but Hoerner struggled quite a bit in 2020, hitting just .222/.312/.259 in 126 plate appearances. A strong showing in camp could still put him in position to seize the Opening Day role, but Sogard’s left-handed bat would make for a natural pairing with the right-handed-hitting Bote if Hoerner continues to look overmatched this spring.

Marlins, Gio Gonzalez Agree To Minor League Deal

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8:00am: Gonzalez will earn $1MM if he makes the big league club, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter).

7:25am: The Marlins have agreed  to a minor league pact with veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The CAA client will head to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.

It’s a homecoming for Gonzalez, a Miami area native who has spent more than a decade in the Majors since being drafted by the White Sox with the No. 38 overall pick back in 2004. Gonzalez was traded three times before making his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2008 but returned to the White Sox last offseason on a Major League deal and spent the shortened 2020 with his original organization.

The results were mixed, at best. Gonzalez was signed with the expectation that he could hold down the fifth spot in the rotation, but he made just four starts and eight relief appearances while posting a 4.83 ERA with his highest walk rate (12.4 percent) since 2009.

That was also the only truly sub-par season for Gonzalez since 2009, however. After breaking out with the 2010 A’s and making his first All-Star team in 2011, Gonzalez was traded to the Nationals and spent the next seven years as a rock-solid member of their rotation. He continued that steady production in a year-and-a-half stint with the Brewers from 2018-19 before signing in Milwaukee.

In that decade-long peak, the now-35-year-old Gonzalez racked up 1786 2/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball (3.99 SIERA) with an above-average 47.3 percent grounder rate, a quality 22.5 percent strikeout rate and a 9.6 percent walk rate. Even though he was limited to 17 starts in 2019 due to some arm troubles, Gonzalez still averaged 30 starts and 179 innings per season during that time. And from 2010-18, his only injuries were a two-week IL stint for shoulder soreness in 2014 and a postseason high ankle sprain in 2018.

The Marlins have plenty of young pitching talent, but much of it is unproven, which gives Gonzalez a chance to win a rotation spot out of the gates. Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez are clearly locked into places. Over the offseason, manager Don Mattingly suggested that to be true of righty Elieser Hernandez back in October as well. However, he was less committal when asked if top prospect Sixto Sanchez, who impressed in seven starts during his 2020 debut, would also be guaranteed a spot.

Even if that is indeed the top four the Marlins carry early in the year, the fifth spot is largely up for grabs. Lefties Trevor Rogers and Braxton Garrett both made their debuts in 2020, as did right-handers Nick Neidert, Jorge Guzman and Jordan Holloway (though the latter two only pitched a combined 1 1/3 Major League innings). Righty Edward Cabrera has been slowed in camp by nerve issue in his right biceps thus far (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola), so he’s probably not in the Opening Day mix.

Out Of Options 2021

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The following 40-man roster players have less than five years service time and are out of minor league options. That means they must clear waivers before being sent to the minors. I’ve included players on multiyear deals. This list was compiled through MLBTR’s helpful and much-appreciated sources.

This year, option status for several players remains unresolved at present due to the nature of the 2020 season, as reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  We’ll keep this list updated as new information comes in.

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Indians

Mariners

Marlins

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

Padres Notes: Castillo, Lamet

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Padres left-handed reliever Jose Castillo departed his sim game after six pitches Tuesday because of forearm tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

This is the latest setback for Castillo, who missed all of last season because of a teres major strain and threw just two-thirds of an inning in 2019 while dealing with a flexor strain and a torn ligament in his hand. The severity of Castillo’s current issue isn’t yet known, but considering forearm problems often serve as a precursor to Tommy John surgery, he and the Padres are surely holding their breath leading up to Wednesday’s re-evaluation.

Still just 25 years old, Castillo debuted in 2018 with a very productive rookie season, during which he fired 38 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA/2.53 SIERA ball, managed a tremendous 34.7 percent strikeout rate, and complemented that with a solid 8.0 percent walk rate. Castillo also averaged about 95 mph on his fastball then and held his own against both left- and right-handed hitters. With the Padres expected to contend in 2021, Castillo could re-emerge as an important part of their bullpen if he’s healthy, but it’s once again up in the air whether he’ll be able to contribute.

The news is better in regards to right-hander Dinelson Lamet, who was among the majors’ best starters in 2020 before elbow trouble ended his season in late September. Lamet threw 15 pitches and reached 96 mph on his fastball Tuesday, according to Cassavell, but he may not necessarily be ready for Opening Day. Understandably, the Padres are erring on the side of caution with Lamet, but he has “been right on track” in his recovery so far, general manager A.J. Preller said.

Latest On Yoenis Cespedes

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Free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes held a showcase in Florida that 11 teams attended on Tuesday, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Yankees, White Sox, Brewers, Blue Jays, Tigers (one of Cespedes’ ex-teams), Padres, Rays, Reds, Marlins, Cubs and Braves were all on hand to watch Cespedes, per Davidoff.

As Davidoff notes, it’s interesting that the majority of clubs that scouted Cespedes are in the National League, which doesn’t appear likely to feature the designated hitter position in 2021. DH seems like the logical spot for Cespedes if he’s going to continue his career, as he hasn’t played the field since 2018, he’s aging (35), and he’s coming off four straight abbreviated seasons because of health issues. The two-time All-Star, most recently with the Mets, played in just 127 of a possible 546 regular-season contests from 2017-20.

Cespedes opted out of last season in August over COVID-19 concerns, but heel and ankle problems dogged him before then and helped make the four-year, $110MM guarantee he received from the Mets in November 2016 a disaster for the club. The two sides agreed to an amended contract in December 2019 that reduced Cespedes’ base salary from $29.5MM to $6MM, but New York didn’t get any bang for its buck out of that.

While Cespedes comes with question marks, he won’t land an expensive deal, which is one of the reasons so many clubs are considering him. When healthy, Cespedes has been a force at the plate, where he has batted .273/.327/.497 (124 wRC+) with 165 home runs in 3,490 trips. That track record could make him a worthwhile buy-low pickup for someone.

Start Of Triple-A Season Delayed

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It was reported back in January that the Single-A and Double-A seasons would not start on time. The same goes for the minors’ highest level, as the 2021 Triple-A campaign will be delayed “by at least a month,” Jeff Passan of ESPN.com writes. It had been scheduled to begin April 6.

There was no minors season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the hope for this year is that they’ll be able to resume play sometime in May. As a result of the delay, alternate training sites will return this season and could last longer than expected, in part because of concerns over travel for minor leaguers, according to Passan. The alternate sites would feature about two dozen players, Passan adds.

Despite this setback, Passan writes that there’s hope the delay to the Triple-A slate will allow for the vaccination of players and a full season. The campaign will last into September if it opens in May.

Kole Calhoun To Undergo Knee Surgery

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5:20pm: Calhoun has a torn meniscus, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets.

5:07pm: Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun will undergo right knee surgery Wednesday, manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and other reporters. Lovullo was unable to offer any details on the procedure.

While it’s unknown how much time he will miss, it at least seems likely that Calhoun will sit out the start of the regular season, which is less than. a month away. That’s unwelcome news for Arizona, as Calhoun was one of its few bright spots during a disappointing 2020. After signing a two-year, $16MM guarantee in free agency, the longtime Angel slashed .226/.338/.526 (125 wRC+) with 16 home runs and a career-high .300 isolated power number in 228 plate appearances. Calhoun also continued his good work in right field, where he recorded a 5.3 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Considering he isn’t signed beyond this season, Calhoun’s entering a pivotal year. If he’s able to rebound quickly and perform even close to as well as he did last year, Calhoun could convince the Diamondbacks to exercise his $9MM option for 2022 instead of buying him out for $2MM. Regardless, it appears the Diamondbacks are going to have to at least temporarily pencil in someone else in right, where Josh VanMeter, Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith, Josh Rojas and Stuart Fairchild could be in-house possibilities who are on the team’s 40-man roster. Otherwise, Arizona may consider free agency, waivers or a trade.

Several Players Awaiting Clarity On Minor League Option Status

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In the minutes after we posted our annual list of out-of-options players earlier today, several readers pointed out players they believed to have been omitted. In following up with various team and agency sources around the league, it became clear that there’s some uncertainty as to how the 2020 season will impact some players’ number of minor league options.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explores the situation at greater length, reporting that Cardinals outfielder Justin Williams isn’t even sure whether he has a minor league option remaining. Neither, according to Goold, are the Cardinals themselves. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes that the Angels are in a similar spot with right-hander Jaime Barria. Goold lists the Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay as another player currently in this state of limbo.

The reason? The commissioner’s office, the MLB Players Association and Major League teams still need to determine whether last year’s shortened slate of games counts as a full season under the league’s option structure. An arbiter is expected to make a final decision sometime this month, per Fletcher. Goold writes that a decision is expected “any time now,” adding that the Cardinals have been awaiting clarity for weeks.

By rule, players are given three option years after being selected to a team’s 40-man roster. Being optioned to the minor leagues, even if it’s out of Spring Training, counts as an option year — so long as the player spends 20 days down on the farm. Players are granted three option years, but there’s no limit to the number of times they can be optioned back and forth throughout the course of one of those individual option seasons.

It is possible for some players to be granted a fourth option year. This is most typical among players who have missed considerable time due to injury. Players who are on the 40-man roster and have exhausted those three minor league options before accruing five full seasons of play can be granted this exemption. A “full” season by that definition entails 90 or more days on an active Major League or Minor League roster (but not the injured list).

As Goold explains with regard to Williams, he fell shy of 90 days on an active roster in 2013, 2014 and 2019. His fifth “full” season would’ve been 2020 — you can see where this is going — but the season itself was not 90 days in length. Beyond the fact that the season itself was only 67 days long, players who were “optioned” weren’t sent to the minor leagues to compete in games but rather to alternate training sites to participate in simulated game settings against others in the organization.

Generally speaking, Major League clubs are keenly aware of the out-of-options players on other rosters, but it was clear in asking around today that there’s presently a disconnect because of last year’s shortened season. Even if you were to downplay the significance of one team not being clear on another team’s player, the reports from Goold and Fletcher underscore the confusion surrounding the issue.

It seems something of this nature should have been planned for during last year’s return-to-play negotiations, but as we saw with the months-long back-and-forth between MLB and the MLBPA, the March agreement under which the season was renewed had many issues that were not fully addressed. It’s not necessarily a surprise that 2021 option status wasn’t a major talking point up front, but it’s nonetheless a bit perplexing that an entire offseason has elapsed without a resolution. Minor league options — or a lack thereof — will be a considerably driving factor in spring roster moves around the game over the next four weeks.

Additional Details On Allegations Against Mickey Callaway Emerge

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3:47pm: The Indians issued a statement in response to the report, saying (via Zack Meisel of The Athletic, on Twitter): “Our organization continues to actively cooperate with MLB on their investigation into Mickey Callaway. It is important we honor the confidentiality and integrity of that investigation. While we don’t believe the reporting to date reflects who we are as an organization, we will not comment further on the specifics of the matter. We remain committed to creating an inclusive work environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can feel safe and comfortable at all times. We will let our actions – not just our words – reflect our commitment.”

9:25am: As Major League Baseball’s investigation into harassment allegations against Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway continues, new and even more troubling details about his behavior have surfaced in an additional report from Brittany Ghiroli, Katie Strang and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Not only have additional women come forward to reveal that Callaway made unwanted advances toward them, but The Athletic report details that the husband of a woman with whom Callaway was having a consensual, extramarital affair repeatedly contacted the Indians organization and Major League Baseball in 2017 about “pornographic material” sent to his wife.

The report contains quotes from a recorded conversation between the wife and a Cleveland-based attorney indicating that the issue had been presented to manager Terry Francona. The Athletic report also indicates that Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff were both aware of the man’s complaint against Callaway. A league security official involved in the exchange is quoted, too. The husband also managed to contact the Mets in Aug. 2018 to make the same complaint with Callaway’s new organization. (That timing, notably, would mean his complaint was filed after Mets president Sandy Alderson had left the team to undergo treatment following a cancer diagnosis.)

Ghiroli, Strang and Rosenthal conducted 22 interviews over the past month in gathering information for the latest report, which strongly support the idea that Callaway’s behavior dates back to his days as a minor league pitching coach in the Indians’ system.

Also concerning are the suggestions that higher-ups in multiple organizations were willing to look the other way due to Callaway’s reputation as a strong pitching coach. A former Indians employee said Antonetti’s claim that there were no complaints regarding Callaway filed to him, human resources or other organizational leaders “hit me the wrong way” due to the widespread knowledge within the organization of Callaway’s behavior. Another called Callaway’s behavior the “worst-kept secret in the organization,” and both a current and former Mets employee made clear to The Athletic that several in the organization were aware of Callaway’s behavior.

Callaway himself was contacted for a quote on the story, wherein he acknowledged multiple “infidelities” but called much of the reporting around his actions “inaccurate” and pushed back against the idea that he has ever “[used] his position to harass or pressure a woman.”

The Athletic report should be read in its entirety in order to fully grasp not only the alarming and inappropriate nature of Callaway’s alleged behavior but also the mounting number of troubling indications that many around him were, to varying degrees, aware of the issue.

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