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Rangers Sign Mike Foltynewicz

By Steve Adams and Connor Byrne | February 10, 2021 at 12:45pm CDT

Feb. 10: The Rangers have announced the signing.

Feb. 5, 5:22pm: Foltynewicz will earn $2MM with incentives, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who tweets that the deal is done pending a physical. The incentives could reach $500K, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays.

2:54pm: The Rangers are closing in on a one-year, Major League contract with free-agent right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (via Twitter). Foltynewicz is a client of Excel Sports Management.

Foltynewicz was a quality starter earlier in his career with the Braves, especially in 2018. That year, he threw 183 innings of 2.85 ERA/3.77 SIERA ball while averaging a career-high 96.4 mph on his fastball and posting a well-above-average strikeout percentage of 27.4. But Foltynewicz’s production dropped off in 2019, in which the Braves demoted him to the minors. And though he did enjoy a late-season rebound in 2019, he wasn’t able to carry that into last year.

Foltynewicz made one appearance with the Braves in 2020 (on July 27) and allowed six earned runs on four hits and and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old’s fastball averaged a startlingly low 90.5 mph in that contest, and the Braves then booted him from their 40-man roster. He went unclaimed on waivers, as no club was willing to pick up the remainder of his salary, and he spent the rest of the year at their alternate site before electing free agency earlier in the offseason.

The right-hander could have elected free agency at the time he was outrighted, but doing so would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of his salary, as he was just a couple weeks shy of the five years of service time required to reject an outright assignment while still retaining salary. Because he’s shy of that five-year service mark, he’s now controllable for the Rangers through the 2022 season via arbitration.

Foltynewicz will get a chance to bounce back from his horrid 2020 as a member of the Rangers, whose rotation was among the worst in the game last year. Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles and Kolby Allard had terrible years a season ago, though Foltynewicz and new acquisitions Dane Dunning and Kohei Arihara could provide reasons for hope.

Twins Re-Sign Nelson Cruz

By Connor Byrne | February 10, 2021 at 12:30pm CDT

Feb. 10: Cruz has passed his physical, and the Twins have formally announced his one-year deal for the 2021 season.

Feb. 2: The Twins have agreed to re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz to a one-year contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. He’ll earn $13MM on the deal, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Cruz, long one of the majors’ top hitters, has been a member of the Brewers, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners and Twins since he started his big league career in 2005. Amazingly, despite the fact that he’s now 40 years old, Cruz’s first two seasons with the Twins from 2019-20 rank among his best. He slashed a tremendous .308/.394/.626 (163 wRC+) and amassed 57 home runs in 735 plate appearances during that span.

It’s no surprise the Twins are bringing back Cruz, though questions centering on whether a universal DH would stick around in 2021 surely delayed the re-signing. The MLBPA rejected the league’s 154-game proposal for 2021 on Monday, which could limit the DH to the American League this year, and that may have impacted Cruz’s decision.

Cruz reportedly wanted a two-year deal earlier in the offseason, but despite his excellence, that never seemed all that likely for someone his age and need for a dedicated DH spot in the lineup. MLBTR predicted he would receive a one-year, $16MM guarantee at the start of the winter, and while that proved a bit bullish, Cruz’s $13MM salary for 2021 will fall right back in line with the annual rate of his previous two seasons in Minnesota.

Cruz is the latest addition for a Twins club that was quiet for much of the offseason but has recently become more active. The Twins inked Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $10.5MM contract and have also added lefty J.A. Happ on a one-year deal worth $8MM. The club has gravitated toward one-year arrangements this winter, which should help to preserve financial flexibility next winter when a much deeper free-agent class will present the Twins with various trajectories to retain their status as one of the top teams in their division.

Phillies Re-Sign Didi Gregorius

By Anthony Franco | February 10, 2021 at 12:15pm CDT

Feb. 10: The Phillies have formally announced their new two-year deal with Gregorius.

Jan. 30: The Phillies are in agreement on a two-year deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius, reports Jayson Stark of the Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a $28MM guarantee, adds the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal contains deferrals, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

Gregorius returns to Philadelphia after originally joining the Phils on a one-year contract last winter. That marked a prove-it deal of sorts after Gregorius struggled in 2019, and the veteran shortstop made good on the opportunity. He started 56 of the team’s 60 games at shortstop and hit a strong .284/.339/.488 with ten home runs over 237 plate appearances.

Given how well he performed in 2020, it makes sense the Phillies were happy to keep Gregorius in the fold. His return allows the club to leave Jean Segura at second base, where he played last season. That also keeps the Phils from having to pencil Scott Kingery into an everyday role after he struggled through a brutal 2020. Corner infielders Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm can now flank the Gregorius-Segura pairing on the dirt on most days.

Gregorius was often grouped with Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons at the top of this winter’s free agent market for established big league shortstops. All three agreed to terms this week, with Gregorius finding the most lucrative guarantee. Semien and Simmons each signed one-year deals (although Semien’s $18MM beats Gregorius’ $14MM average annual value), while Gregorius received a multi-year arrangement. However, his $28MM total figure comes in south of the MLBTR staff’s projection of $39MM over three years entering the offseason.

That could reflect teams’ trepidation over Gregorius’ batted ball metrics. His 83.8MPH average exit velocity last season ranked in the second percentile league-wide. He was near the bottom of the league in hard contact rate and barrel rate as well. Gregorius has never been one to hit the ball particularly hard, although his average exit velocity was closer to league average over his final two seasons with the Yankees.

Of course, Gregorius has found plenty of success despite those underwhelming contact quality metrics. He has been an above-average hitter in three of the past four seasons, with 2019, in which he made a midseason return from Tommy John surgery, standing as his lone down year. Gregorius puts the ball in play at an elite rate, leading to decent batting averages. He’s also established a knack for hitting the ball in the air to right field, enabling him to hit for a solid amount of power in games despite lacking huge raw strength and physicality.

On the other side of the ball, Gregorius has gotten mixed reviews from defensive metrics. Ultimate Zone Rating has long rated him as a roughly average shortstop, while Defensive Runs Saved has soured a bit on him recently. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric, meanwhile, has pegged Gregorius as a below-average defender every year since being introduced in 2017. Over a two-year term, the 30-year-old (31 in February) shouldn’t have any problem sticking at the position, even if he’s no longer the defender he was earlier in his career.

The Phillies have managed to keep both of their top potential free agent departures, signing Gregorius a week after bringing back catcher J.T. Realmuto on a five-year deal. The Phils’ payroll now sits at an estimated $187MM, per Roster Resource, right in line with last season’s $185MM mark prior to proration (although the yet-undisclosed deferrals on Gregorius’ deal could drive that present figure down somewhat). The organization’s estimated $195.3MM in luxury obligations leaves a little less than $15MM for further additions if ownership is willing to spend up to the first tax threshold. Even after signing Matt Moore, Philadelphia could stand to add to the pitching staff if they hope to keep pace in a talented NL East.

From a broader market perspective, the Gregorius signing removes the last obvious everyday caliber shortstop from free agency. Teams without a clear option there, the Reds and Athletics among them, may now be left turning to the trade market to solidify the position.

Tigers Sign Renato Nunez

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 11:45am CDT

The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve signed infielder/designated hitter Renato Nunez to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training. They also confirmed their previously reported minors pact with infielder Greg Garcia. The Atheltic’s Cody Stavenhagen first reported talks between the Tigers and Nunez, who is represented by Octagon.

Nunez, 26, was designated for assignment by the Orioles back in late November and run through outright waivers. Baltimore would’ve owed him a raise in arbitration and clearly wasn’t keen on paying that out to a player with a rather one-dimensional skill set, and the league largely agreed based both on Nunez clearing waivers and on him settling for a non-guaranteed deal in mid-February.

It’s true that Nunez has been a generally above-average hitter over the past couple seasons, batting at a .247/.314/.469 batting line that translates to a 106 wRC+ and OPS+. Put more simply: he’s been about six percent better than a league-average hitter when adjusting for his league and his home park.

Nunez has some clear pop in his bat, with 43 home runs from 2019-20, but he rarely walks and also has a penchant for both strikeouts (25.4 percent) and infield flies (42). Since Opening Day 2019, 30.6 percent of Nunez’s plate appearances have resulted in a punchout or a pop-up. Add in a below-average 7.5 percent walk rate and questionable defense at both infield corners, and it becomes less surprising that clubs were wary about offering him a guaranteed pact.

All that said, it’s hard to fault Detroit for bringing in an above-average bat to compete for a roster spot this spring. With the Tigers, Nunez will vie for playing time at first base with Jeimer Candelario. He could also make the club as a bench bat, but with Miguel Cabrera still on the books all the way through the 2023 season at $30MM+ per year, there won’t be any DH at-bats available for Nunez anytime soon, barring another lengthy injury absence for Cabrera. And if Nunez does take a step forward, either in terms of his on-base skills or with the glove, Detroit could control him through the 2024 campaign via arbitration.

Phillies To Sign Brandon Kintzler

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 11:18am CDT

The Phillies have agreed to a minor league pact with free-agent righty Brandon Kintzler, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports (Twitter links). The veteran reliever had a big league offer to return to the Marlins, Rogers adds, but he opted for a non-guaranteed deal with the Phillies that offers more earning potential if he makes the club: a $3MM base salary plus additional incentives. Kintzler is represented by agent Kevin Kohler.

Based on his track record and the general state of disrepair in which the Phillies’ bullpen resided over the past couple seasons, Kintzler would seem to have a good chance at cracking the roster and securing that $3MM base. The 36-year-old sinker specialist has pitched to a 2.55 ERA over the past two seasons between the Cubs and Marlins, and he’s notched a 3.15 mark or lower in four of the past five years. In that half-decade span, Kintzler has a 3.26 ERA and 3.67 SIERA with a sub-par 16.2 percent strikeout rate but an excellent 6.3 percent walk rate and similarly strong 55.4 percent grounder rate.

Kintzler will add to a late-inning relief mix that has been quickly overhauled since Dave Dombrowski was named president of baseball operations in Philadelphia. Righty Hector Neris, the team’s most frequent closer in recent years, is back for the 2021 season, but Dombrowski has added hard-throwing lefty Jose Alvarado from the Rays, signed Archie Bradley and now inked Kintzler.

If Kintzler does indeed make the club, he’ll push the Phillies north of $201MM in luxury-tax obligations. That doesn’t leave too much room for additional spending — assuming owner John Middleton aims to keep his club south of that mark — but it could leave the door open for some additional low-cost signings and/or non-roster invitees between now and Opening Day. Dombrowski has mentioned multiple times that he hopes to stockpile as much pitching depth as possible after last year’s truncated 2020 season shortened every MLB pitcher’s workload.

Phillies Trade Johan Quezada To Cardinals

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 11:01am CDT

The Phillies announced Wednesday that they’ve traded right-hander Johan Quezada to the Cardinals in exchange for cash. The move opens up a 40-man spot for a Phillies club that still needs to make Didi Gregorius’ new two-year deal official. The Cardinals’ 40-man roster is now up to 38 players.

Quezada, 26, is a longtime Twins farmhand who inked a minor league deal with the Marlins last winter and went on to make his MLB debut late in the 2020 season. The righty tossed just three big league innings last year, showing a fastball that sat at 97 mph and has long been considered his best offering. He spent the bulk of the 2020 season at Miami’s alternate training site and landed with the Phillies on a waiver claim in late October.

Due to the lack of a minor league season in 2020, there’s little point of reference for Quezada’s work in 2020. He spent the 2019 campaign with the Twins’ Class-A Advanced affiliate, pitching to a 3.44 ERA and 3.59 FIP in 52 1/3 innings of relief with a below-average 21 percent strikeout rate and a 12 percent walk rate he’ll need to pare down to be effective at more advanced levels. Quezada did register a hearty 53.3 percent ground-ball rate in that 2019 season, however. If he can improve the location of his power repertoire while maintaining those ground-ball tendencies, there’s some clear upside — but he’s something of a project for the time being.

Reds Sign Braden Shipley To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 10:04am CDT

The Reds have signed right-hander Braden Shipley to a minor league contract that contains an invitation to Major League Spring Training, per a team announcement.

Shipley, 29 later this month, was the No. 15 overall pick by the Diamondbacks in 2013 and was considered to be among the game’s more promising pitching prospects in the years after that draft. Things obviously haven’t panned out that way, however.

Shipley had some success in the low minors, but his strikeout rates plummeted in Double-A and have yet to really recover. His fastball velocity upon reaching the Majors in 2016 was south of its peak levels from his top prospect days, and Shipley wasn’t able to fool opponents over parts of three seasons on the D-backs’ staff. From 2016-18, he totaled an even 100 innings of work but was clobbered for a 5.49 ERA and a 5.31 SIERA to match. Shipley was punching out nearly a quarter of the hitters he faced in the low minors, but in the Majors he’s managed a dismal 14.3 percent strikeout rate against a 10 percent walk rate — the latter of which is considerably higher than his minor league rates.

Shipley hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2018, and in addition to his struggles at the game’s top level, he’s been hammered for a 5.17 ERA in Triple-A — albeit in a very hitter-friendly setting (and with a juiced ball in 2019). He’s whiffed just 16.7 percent of opponents in Reno and hasn’t offset that lack of strikeouts with plus control or a heavy ground-ball rate.

Still, Shipley is a former high-end prospect who’ll pitch all of next season at 29. There’s little risk in bringing him in to see if the Reds’ pitching factory can unlock something, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that the Reds haven’t really brought in any outside pitching help aside from their recent agreement with Sean Doolittle.

Cardinals Likely Done Spending

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 8:12am CDT

The Cardinals have condensed an entire offseason’s worth of drama into the span of about two weeks, re-signing icons Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, trading Dexter Fowler and striking a blockbuster deal to acquire Nolan Arenado. It’s been a frenzied period for president of baseball ops John Mozeliak, GM Mike Girsch and the rest of the staff, but it seems the bulk of the team’s heavy lifting is complete. Mozeliak suggested at yesterday’s Molina press conference that the team is “pretty confident with the team we have going into camp” (links via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat).

While the Cardinals may yet seek out some depth up the middle and in the rotation, any remaining additions are likely to be of the non-roster variety, it seems. That suggests that the Cardinals will head into the season with a young and/or unproven outfield mix consisting of Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson, Lane Thomas, Justin Williams and Austin Dean. It also looks to rule out the possible addition of veteran starters Jake Odorizzi, James Paxton or Taijuan Walker — all three of whom (Odorizzi in particular) were rumored to be under consideration as of late last week.

There are still plenty of notable free-agent names that could settle for non-guaranteed deals with Spring Training just around the corner. Potential middle-infield targets for teams in need include Eric Sogard and Joe Panik, while veteran starters like Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, Matt Shoemaker and Anibal Sanchez are among the many free agents lingering on the open market. If the Cards do look to add some competition in the outfield, there are even more recognizable names available on that front. The Cardinals currently project to have a payroll in the $145MM range, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, although that could still tick upward a bit depending on the outcome of ace Jack Flaherty’s arbitration hearing.

Barring a change of heart from Mozeliak and/or a sudden ownership green-lighting of one more big free-agent strike, the Cards seem likely to lean on Flaherty, Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Kwang Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez as their primary starters. Depth options include Daniel Ponce de Leon, Genesis Cabrera, Jake Woodford and Johan Oviedo — plus whichever arms the front office can reel in on non-roster invitations in the coming days or weeks.

Latest On Ryan Braun’s Future

By Connor Byrne | February 9, 2021 at 10:59pm CDT

Longtime Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun’s future has been in question since the club declined his 2021 option at the start of the offseason. While the Brewers and Braun have been in contact since then, no deal appears imminent, and retirement seems like a legitimate possibility for the 37-year-old.

“I’m continuing to work out and stay in shape, but I’m not currently interested in playing,” Braun told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com in a text message. “I am enjoying my family and focused on other business interests for now but appreciate the interest I’ve received and will continue to regularly stay in touch with the Brewers.”

Braun has been a Brewer for his entire career, which started in 2007, but the six-time All-Star doesn’t look like an ideal fit for their roster at this point. That’s, of course, assuming the Brewers won’t line him up in the corner outfield on a regular basis. Braun split last year between right and designated hitter, but the Brewers have Avisail Garcia as an RF, while it doesn’t look as if the DH will return to the National League in 2021. Braun could perhaps get time at first base, though the Brewers will primarily turn to Keston Hiura there after signing second baseman Kolten Wong in free agency.

Even if the Brewers had an obvious opening for Braun, it’s debatable whether he’s effective enough anymore to occupy one. While Braun is among the most decorated sluggers in recent memory, he struggled to a career-worst .233/.281/.488 line with eight home runs in 141 plate appearances during an injury-limited 2020. The Brewers then decided to turn down a $15MM mutual option in favor of a $4MM buyout.

NL Notes: Turner, Mets, Cubs, Reds, Pirates

By Connor Byrne | February 9, 2021 at 9:49pm CDT

The Mets are interested in free-agent third baseman Justin Turner, though the two sides aren’t seeing eye to eye on either contract length or value, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It’s quite unlikely the two will bridge the gap, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Turner has at least four teams after him, but as Rosenthal notes, the Dodgers – his longtime club – remain the favorites to sign him. A Mets deal would be interesting, though, as they let Turner go after he spent 2011-13 with them. The 36-year-old has since blossomed into a star with the Dodgers.

Now for a few items from around the National League Central…

The Cubs are planning on discussing contract extensions with some of their important veterans during spring training, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer revealed (via Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago). It’s “almost” certain they’ll talk new deals with first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Javier Baez, Wittenmyer reports, though it’s unclear whether the Cubs will make a spirited effort to retain third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant for the long haul. All three players are only under team for one more season. Bryant has been part of plenty rumors in recent weeks, so he seems the most likely of the trio to be part of a trade.
Reds general manager Nick Krall said right-hander Lucas Sims would be “delayed” heading into 2021 because of elbow tightness, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. However, Sims tweeted Monday that he’ll be ready for opening day. That’s welcome news for the Reds, as the 26-year-old Sims turned in a quality season out of their bullpen in 2020. He threw 25 2/3 innings of 2.45 ERA/3.34 SIERA ball with a well-above-average strikeout rate of 33 percent. Sims also averaged a career-best 94 mph on his fastball.
Although he was involved in a car crash that took three lives in his native Dominican Republic in September, Pirates infield prospect Oneil Cruz should be with the club for the start of spring training, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. “We are not aware of anything that should prevent him from being on time at this point,” a team spokesperson said.

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