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Nationals To Sign Alex Avila

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The Nationals and free-agent catcher Alex Avila have reached a one-year agreement, pending a physical, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Avila is a client of Excel Sports Management.

Washington will be the sixth major league team for Avila, who will turn 34 on Friday. Most of Avila’s career has been spent in Detroit, which Jon Heyman of MLB Network notes vied for a reunion this offseason, but he was a member of the Twins last season. Avila has typically been known for logging low batting averages and high on-base percentages, and he did just that in Minnesota, with which he batted .184/.355/.286 with one home run in 62 plate appearances. The total lack of power was out of the norm for Avila, who has posted a .394 slugging percentage and swatted 104 homers across 3,527 trips to the plate in the majors.

Most of the damage the left-handed Avila has done on offense has come off righty pitchers, and he should get the majority of his playing time against them in 2021. Avila will complement the Nationals’ starting backstop, Yan Gomes, who bats from the right side. Notably, Gomes has fared much better at the plate versus lefties than righties throughout his career. He and Avila could make up a formidable offensive tandem if they perform the way they usually do offensively.

On the defensive side, Avila had difficulty as a pitch framer last season, ranking in Statcast’s 31st percentile in that category. However, Avila has never had much trouble throwing out would-be base stealers. His lifetime 30 percent caught-stealing rate checks in a few points above the league average. As Jessica Camerato of MLB.com points out, Avila will catch past teammates in Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Jon Lester in D.C.

Latest On Phillies’ Middle Infield

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The Phillies addressed their greatest need of the offseason earlier this week when they agreed to re-sign star catcher J.T. Realmuto to a five-year, $115.5MM contract. The focus now turns to the middle infield, where the Phillies haven’t found a replacement since shortstop Didi Gregorius became a free agent after last season. Gregorius is still on the open market – clearly the best shortstop option left in the wake of the deals Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons agreed to this week – but that doesn’t mean the Phillies will re-sign him.

In the event the Phillies don’t keep Gregorius, who was effective during what could be his lone season as a Phillie in 2020, they could choose to shift second baseman Jean Segura to short, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Should that happen, two league sources informed Lauber that the Phillies may pursue a second baseman in free agency. Lauber lists Kolten Wong, Jonathan Schoop and Jonathan Villar as possibilities for the club.

Among the Wong, Schoop and Villar trio, Wong stands out as the most valuable. The longtime Cardinal has typically blended excellent defense with passable offense. Schoop and Villar have been capable offensive cogs, meanwhile, though the latter is coming off a brutal season divided between the Marlins and Blue Jays.

In an ideal world, the Phillies will simply retain Gregorius, as Lauber reported Tuesday they want to keep Segura at the keystone. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Segura has extensive shortstop experience, including as recently as 2019, but he spent almost all of last season at second in the wake of the Gregorius acquisition.

Cubs, Kohl Stewart Agree To Major League Deal

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The Cubs have agreed to a major league contract for 2021 with free-agent right-hander Kohl Stewart, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago was among those to report. The deal is worth $700K, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic tweets. Stewart is a Frontline client.

Now 26 years old, Stewart entered the pros as the No. 4 overall pick of the Twins in 2013. Although he did eventually reach the majors with the team, he could only put up a 4.79 ERA/5.21 SIERA with a subpar 12.7 strikeout rate against a 9.7 walk percentage in 62 innings from 2018-19. Stewart owns a similar 4.87 ERA over 136 2/3 innings in Triple-A ball.

Stewart signed with the Orioles before last season, but the type 1 diabetic ultimately opted out of the campaign because of concerns related to COVID-19. He’ll now try to get back on the mound in Chicago, which has questions in its rotation and its bullpen.

Giants, Braves Have Shown Some Interest In Joc Pederson

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Jan. 28: The Braves have also “discussed” Pederson, tweets David O’Brien of The Athletic. He’s clear to add that there’s no indication any talks between the two sides have gotten particularly far at this point.

Pederson would give the Braves a potential replacement for fellow free agent Marcell Ozuna, who is likely seeking a lengthier and more lucrative deal than Pederson after performing brilliantly in 2020 on a one-year, $18MM deal. There’s likely room in the payroll for either player — particularly if an Ozuna deal were to be backloaded a bit — but the current Braves regime has generally leaned toward shorter-term deals.

Pederson would likely require a platoon partner with the Braves (for reasons noted below). Speculatively speaking, Austin Riley could fill that role by moving to left field against southpaw starters, with Johan Camargo filling in at the hot corner on those days. The switch-hitting Camargo is a career .286/.337/.506 hitter when he bats from the right side of the plate.

Jan. 27: Former Dodgers outfielder and current free agent Joc Pederson’s time in the National League West might not be over yet, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants are “talking to” the 28-year-old. He joins the previously reported Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eddie Rosario as left-handed-hitting outfielders on the Giants’ wish list.

In signing with San Francisco, Pederson would reunite with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was the Dodgers’ general manager from Pederson’s major league debut in 2014 through 2018. Pederson was largely productive during that time and in the season after Zaidi’s departure, and though he struggled in the Dodgers’ World Series-winning campaign last year, there is no doubt he has been a solid offensive presence throughout his career. Across 2,517 plate appearances, Pederson has batted .230/.336/.470 (118 wRC+) with 130 home runs, including at least 25 in four seasons. Granted, Pederson has done the extreme majority of his damage versus right-handed pitchers, against whom he owns a 128 wRC+. For comparison, he has put up a paltry 59 wRC+ against southpaws.

San Francisco performed better than average off righties last year with the majors’ ninth-best wRC+ (107), and their outfield already has two lefty corner options in Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson – who each had huge seasons in 2020. On paper, there may not be a clean fit for Pederson unless he emerges as a regular in center, where he hasn’t played extensively since 2017, but that isn’t stopping the Giants from at least kicking the tires.

Brewers Sign Blaine Hardy To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers announced Thursday that they’ve signed lefty Blaine Hardy to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. He’s represented by Only Baseball Players.

Hardy, 33, was with the Tigers from 2014-19 before inking a minor league deal with the Twins last winter. However, he sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament early in camp with Minnesota and underwent Tommy John surgery in March. As such, he’s unlikely to be ready to pitch in camp with the Brewers, though he’ll report to their spring facility and continue his rehab there.

In 289 2/3 innings at the MLB level — most of it spent as a reliever — Hardy carries a solid 3.73 ERA with a less-optimistic 4.31 SIERA. The Tigers gave him the opportunity to stretch out as a starter in 2018, and while he had some success in that role in both the big leagues and Triple-A, he was eventually moved back to a bullpen setting after 13 starts.

Hardy has punched out 18.6 percent of the hitters he’s faced in the big leagues against an 8.3 percent walk rate. Lefties have hit him at a .232/.298/.412 clip, while righties carry a .271/.328/.407 clip against him. Hardy could give the Brewers some experienced depth in either the rotation or bullpen — possibly as a multi-inning option if the club is encouraged by his limited work in lengthier stints. If he makes it back to the big league roster, Hardy can be controlled through the 2022 season via arbitration.

Marlins Designate Jordan Yamamoto For Assignment

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The Marlins announced on Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Jordan Yamamoto for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Anthony Bass, whose previously reported two-year deal is now official.

Yamamoto, 24, was one of four players the Fish received from the Brewers in their ill-fated Christian Yelich swap. He debuted with Miami in 2019 and found some success, starting 15 games and working to a 4.46 ERA in 78 2/3 innings. Yamamoto punched out a quarter of the batters he faced but also struggled with control, issuing free passes at an 11 percent clip. The 2020 season, however, was a different story entirely. The right-hander was absolutely tattooed in 11 1/3 frames, yielding 23 earned runs on 27 hits and seven walks. Even more alarming was that eight of those hits cleared the fences for home runs.

Notably, Yamamoto’s 2019 season ended with an IL placement due to a forearm strain. In 2020, his already modest 91.5 mph average fastball dropped to just 89.8 mph. He didn’t spend any time on the injured list in 2020, but it’s certainly plausible that there were physical reasons for his drop in velocity and his abrupt downturn in production.

Yamamoto has never been considered a high-end prospect, but he’s had success in the upper minors and in the big leagues despite being more than three months from turning 25 years of age. He also has above-average spin on his four-seamer and curveball in addition to still possessing a minor league option. All of that could make him appealing to another club via waivers or a minor trade. Miami will have a week to trade Yamamoto, place him on outright waivers or release him.

Marlins Sign Anthony Bass

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The Marlins have added another arm to their bullpen, announcing on Thursday that they’ve signed free-agent right-hander Anthony Bass to a two-year contract with a club option for a third season. Bass, a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, will reportedly be guaranteed $5MM over that two-year term.

Anthony Bass | Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Miami has been known to be in the market for affordable bullpen upgrades for some time now, and the 33-year-old Bass fits the bill. The righty had an unspectacular five-year run with the Padres, Astros and Rangers from 2011-15 before heading to Japan for two seasons, where he took his game to new heights.

The Marlins will be the fourth team in four seasons for Bass, but over the past three years he’s emerged as a solid late-inning arm. In that time, he’s pitched to a combined 3.44 ERA with a 3.89 SIERA, a slightly below-league-average strikeout rate (22.2 percent) and a slightly better-than-average walk rate (8.2 percent). He tallied five saves and six holds with the Mariners in 2019 before saving seven games and notching three holds in Toronto last year. He hasn’t had a full season as a set-in-stone closer or go-to setup man, but he could be afforded just that type of opportunity with the Marlins in 2021.

Like the Marlins’ 2020 closer, Brandon Kintzler, Bass is a ground-ball specialist whose primary offering is a power sinker in the 95 mph range. He induced grounders at a career-best 62.3 percent in 2020 — a mark that ranked fourth-highest among the 323 pitchers to throw at least 20 big league innings.

Bass also matched a career-high with an 11.5 percent swinging-strike rate, and he graded out quite well in most key Statcast metrics; the right-hander ranked in the 95th percentile or better in terms of opponents’ barrel rate, expected batting average against, expected slugging percentage, expected ERA and expected wOBA. His sinker sat in just the eighth percentile in terms of spin rate, which is actually a good trait for sinkers, where low spin is preferable (as opposed to high spin on a four-seamer).

The Marlins’ bullpen, as it stands, is a relatively inexperienced group, though Bass and fellow offseason signing Ross Detwiler add a pair of veteran arms to the mix. They, along with right-hander Yimi Garcia and lefty Richard Bleier, are the only Miami relievers with at least 150 big league innings under their belts.

Roles in the Miami ’pen will surely be defined this spring, but given the multi-year deal promised to Bass, he should join Garcia as one of the favorites to hold down ninth-inning duties. Further additions could yet lend some clarity to the ninth-inning picture in Miami, and Mish tweets that he expects Miami to continue adding to the ’pen.

SportsGrid’s Craig Mish first reported the agreement (via Twitter), and MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported the length of the deal. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported the financials.

Reds Have Considered Amed Rosario

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The Reds have considered a run at Indians shortstop Amed Rosario as an alternative to spending on the free-agent market, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). MLB Network’s Jon Heyman hears the same, tweeting that while Cincinnati has maintained interest in Didi Gregorius, he might prove too expensive an option.

Cincinnati has rampantly slashed payroll this winter, non-tendering Archie Bradley and Curt Casali despite modest arbitration projections and dumping Raisel Iglesias’ $9.125MM salary in a deal with the Angels. General manager Nick Krall has spoken of reallocating those resources, but to this point the club has yet to put that money back into the roster. Acquiring Rosario, who is owed just $2.4MM after avoiding arbitration earlier in the winter, would represent the team’s only addition to the payroll this offseason.

Puma reported last night that the Indians were receiving trade interest in Rosario, which likely caught some fans off guard given that Rosario was one of the pieces Cleveland received from the Mets in their Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco blockbuster. However, Cleveland has also been slashing payroll this winter — and doing so on an even more extreme level. The Indians also acquired another MLB-ready option at shortstop in Andres Gimenez, who at this point is more highly regarded than Rosario.

It stands to reason that Cleveland could simply have acquired Rosario with an open mind — exploring the trade market for him but also content to carry him into the season. If he were to be flipped to another club, whatever players come back to Cleveland in return could in many ways be considered an extension of the franchise’s return for Lindor and Carrasco.

Still just 25 years old, Rosario was once regarded as one of MLB’s best overall prospects, but he’s yet to display much of that potential in the big leagues. He had a roughly league-average year at the plate in 2019 when he hit .287/.323/.432 with 15 homers and 19 steals, but his offense cratered in 2020. Overall, he’s a .268/.302/.403 hitter (89 wRC+) in more than 1500 big league plate appearances. Rosario was at one point considered an eventual plus defender, but to this point in his career he’s been 21 outs below average, per Statcast’s OAA mark, and has turned in a Defensive Runs Saved mark of -35 in 3306 innings.

Rosario is still young and controlled all the way through the 2023 season, so perhaps the Reds or another interested party believe they can help him tap into the ability that at one point led to Rosario ranking as a consensus top 10 prospect in all of baseball.

Pirates Discussing Adam Frazier In Trade Talks

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The Pirates are discussing second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier in trades, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who adds that Frazier could be the next piece subtracted as the Bucs continue their aggressive teardown. The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel speculated this morning that another deal could be in the works as well (Twitter link).

Frazier, 29, is coming off a rough showing in 2020 that saw him bat .230/.297/.364 in 58 games. However, prior to that down season he was steadily an average or better performer both at the plate and with the glove. It’s worth noting, too, that Frazier shook off a disastrous start to the season and was trending upward in his production over the season’s second half. It’s an arbitrary endpoint, but over his final 30 games Frazier slashed .273/.368/.414 through 115 plate appearances with as many walks (13) as strikeouts (13).

Those numbers fall right in line with the career .279/.342/.420 batting line that Frazier carried into the 2020 season, and they serve as a rough approximation of what interested clubs could expect in trading for Frazier, who is still controlled for two more years. He’s set to earn $4.3MM in 2021 after avoiding arbitration earlier this winter, and the Pirates have been on a mission both to acquire as much young talent as they can in trades and, seemingly, to slash payroll to whatever extent possible. The Bucs have already traded Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon this winter. Remarkably, that leaves Frazier and his $4.3MM salary as the team’s second-most expensive player.

While there’s good reason for clubs in need of help at second base and/or in left field to show some interest in Frazier, the Bucs are also peddling a left-handed-hitting second baseman/outfielder at a time when the free-agent market offers comparable alternatives. Granted, it’s been a bullish market for some players (e.g. Jurickson Profar, Tommy La Stella), but we’ve also seen players with very comparable production to Frazier, such as Cleveland’s Cesar Hernandez, settle for lackluster deals (one year, $5MM in Hernandez’s case).

Among the unsigned second base options still on the market are Kolten Wong, Jonathan Schoop and Marwin Gonzalez. The left field market includes Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, Nick Markakis and Brett Gardner, among others. Frazier’s $4.3MM salary is quite likely less than some of those players will command, but interested parties have open-market alternatives, which doesn’t help the Pirates’ cause in extracting maximum value.

At the end of the day, Frazier is still a somewhat versatile defender and solid hitter who rarely strikes out (career 13.6 percent). With two years of affordable club control remaining, he could certainly help a number of contending clubs, even if it’s more of a utility capacity than as a team’s everyday option at second base or in left field. Given the way the Pirates have operated to this point in the winter, it’d come as little surprise to see Frazier in a different uniform come Opening Day.

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