Marlins Select Contract Of Deven Marrero
The Marlins announced today that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Deven Marrero. He’ll take the roster spot of fellow infielder Miguel Rojas, who is heading to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain.
Marrero, 29, is a former first-round pick who has yet to show he has the stick to hang in the big leagues. The shortstop owns a .197/.250/.283 slash line through 343 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.
There has been a notable change for Marrero this year at Triple-A, where he has cracked 14 long balls in 380 plate appearances after never previously finishing a season with even a double-digit tally. Of course, that’s the sort of thing we’ve seen from quite a few other players in the homer-friendly International League, so it’s hard to put too much stock in this particular development.
Have The Yankees Found A Keeper In Mike Tauchman?
The story of this Yankees season hasn’t been one of larger-than-life stars (though some of those have played significant roles as well). It’s one of savvy organizational decisionmaking and depth, of unheralded players stepping up when called to the big stage. A future team biographer might well frame them The 2019 Yankees: Humble Savages. It’s all enough to make even the staunchest fan of an Evil Empire rival start rooting for the New York leviathan. (No? Okay, okay, just checking.)
But what does it all mean? We can and should tip our caps to GM Brian Cashman and his front office, for starters. There are a whole lot of well-conceived individual decisions snowballing here, involving smart roster management, wise player acquisition and development, and deft deployment of talent. Overcoming the injuries — the roster is still riddled with them — has been an impressive feat.
Still, at some point the club is going to pick a 25-man postseason roster. And then there’ll be the eventual wave of 40-man roster culling at the end of the campaign. Fringe roster members — even those that factored prominently this year — can and will be traded or decommissioned to suit the needs of the Yankees machine.
Which leads us to wonder about those heart-and-soul types, those scrappy unknowns who have given so much to this year’s Yanks. Which of them has earned a place in the future plans of the vaunted franchise — or at least a ticket out of town to a greater opportunity elsewhere? And which may ultimately look back on this time not as the start of a long and prosperous Yankees career, but as a blissful-but-fleeting moment when it all came together?
Put otherwise, in the words of the fans of rival clubs (I can only presume): are you serious with this Mike Tauchman guy?
Tauchman landed with the Yanks late in camp when it became clear he wasn’t needed in Colorado. He was already 28 years of age and had only just tasted the majors. All it cost the Yankees was a decent but hardly overwhelming reliever prospect who wouldn’t tie up a 40-man spot for the Rockies.
You know what happened next. It didn’t occur right away, as Tauchman didn’t thrive in his first fill-in work in New York earlier this year. But he has been ablaze since being recalled just after the All-Star break and is currently enjoying something like near-regular playing time in the absence of Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, and Edwin Encarnacion.
Tauchman’s numbers of late have indeed been ridiculous. He has strode to the dish with bat in hand seventy times over a twenty-game span, driving in twenty runs along the way. Five of those plate appearances have ended in home runs. There are 28 base knocks and six walks. Tauchman has thrown in a pair of steals for good measure.
When you add up all of Tauchman’s contributions this year, he sits at a .299/.371/.563 slash line with ten long balls over 194 MLB plate appearances. That’s a 143 wRC+ — quite good! It’s only fair to note that defensive metrics are also fans of his glovework in left field, boosting him to an eye-popping 2.0 fWAR over just sixty games of action.
There was a reason the Yanks targeted Tauchman in the first place. He had struggled in two brief runs with the Rox, but that’s easy to dismiss. Heck, now that we can put it all in context … was this the inevitable rise of an excellent hitter? Tauchman devastated Triple-A pitching at Albuquerque for two-straight seasons, posting consecutive .331/.386/.555 and .323/.408/.571 batting lines. Even with league context, those were strong numbers. Tauchman’s numbers this year with the top New York affiliate are also strong: .274/.386/.505 with as many walks as strikeouts (16 apiece).
All good so far. But what does a look under the hood show us? There’s not much of particular interest in the K/BB department. Tauchman is walking at a 10.3% clip, which is slightly above-average these days. He’s also going down on strikes at a 27.3% rate. That’s rather elevated, though not to the point of being a major concern in and of itself. Tauchman’s 9.8% swinging-strike rate isn’t alarming and he has a high-contact history in the minors, having typically sat in the fifteen-percent K-rate range. He’s also carrying a meager 22.8% chase rate, so he’s obviously seeing the ball well at the moment.
It’s somewhat intriguing to wonder about a version of Tauchman that maintains the power — he owns a hefty .264 ISO — while drawing down the strikeouts closer to his upper-minors levels. But that probably isn’t realistic. True, he has done it before, but never to this extent … and only in high-powered offensive environments against sub-MLB pitching.
The biggest red flags come when you look at the contact outputs. Tauchman is carrying a .378 batting average on balls in play — an obviously unsustainable number, but one that can reflect the fact that a player is absolutely stinging the baseball.
That’s not really the case here. Tauchman does have a strong 9.2% barrel rate, but he’s carrying an unremarkable 88.5 mph exit velocity. Statcast credits him only with a .316 xwOBA, vastly lagging his .384 wOBA and suggesting that there has been no shortage of good fortune in outcomes. Indeed, Tauchman’s ten long balls have flown an average distance of only 384 feet — a Sogardian level that doesn’t exactly portend an ability to sustain a whopping 27.0% HR/FB rate.
Odds are, Tauchman’s hot streak will subside. This probably isn’t a true breakout; it’s not the result of some major change to mechanics or approach that might support a sustainable power boost. But that doesn’t mean Tauchman is destined to be dumped at season’s end. It’s possible he’ll feel the roster crunch and end up elsewhere — notably, he’ll be out of options next year — but it isn’t too hard to imagine the Yanks giving him an ongoing role. Tauchman has an excellent hit tool and at-least-decent pop. He comes with loads of minor-league experience in center field and (as noted) has graded quite well this year with the glove. There’s a potential path to a left-handed-hitting fourth outfielder role that’d fit the roster quite nicely… depending upon how things turn out with long-time Yankees stalwart and pending free agent Brett Gardner, who has enjoyed a renaissance year at the plate thus far.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Previewing Club Option Decisions: Relievers
This is the fourth and final piece in a series previewing offseason club option decisions. This edition will focus on relievers…
Right-handers
- Tony Barnette, Cubs ($3MM option): Barnette hasn’t been a factor this year in Chicago, where he has thrown just 1 1/3 innings. The former Ranger sat out until late June because of shoulder issues and then landed on the restricted list July 1 for personal reasons. He won’t be a Cub again in 2020, at least not for $3MM.
- Jared Hughes, Reds ($3MM option or $250K buyout): The grounder-heavy Hughes overcame a lack of strikeouts to post ERAs ranging from 1.96 to 3.03 as a Pirate and Red from 2013-18. While Hughes has continued to induce grounders at a world-class clip this year (62.1 percent), the run prevention hasn’t been there. He owns a 4.36 ERA/4.94 FIP with 6.23 K/9, 3.53 BB/9 and a 22.2 percent home run-to-fly ball rate over 43 1/3 innings. Hughes has also seen his swinging-strike rate dip by almost 3 percent since last season. The Reds could try to upgrade over the 34-year-old, though his track record of keeping opposing teams at bay – not to mention an affordable price tag for 2020 – may save him if they decide his HR troubles are a fluke. Opponents have mustered a meager .668 OPS off Hughes this season, so clubs aren’t exactly lighting him up.
- Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers ($4.3MM option): Jeffress, 32 next month, hasn’t come close to replicating the dream season he put together in 2018. His average fastball velocity has dipped about 2 mph (from 95.3 to 93.7), which has helped lead to a 4 percent drop in swinging-strike rate, an 8 percent fall in his strikeout rate and a 10.5 percent decline in his grounder rate. His 5.00 ERA and 3.99 FIP through 45 innings aren’t great, either. However, despite a litany of red flags, Jeffress still looks cheap enough for the Brewers to bring back.
- Nate Jones, Rangers ($3.75MM option or $1.25MM buyout): Once among the game’s top relievers, injuries have derailed the 33-year-old Jones’ career in recent seasons. He has thrown just 10 1/3 innings in 2019 and is out for the season after undergoing right forearm surgery in May. The Rangers nonetheless took on Jones in a deadline trade with the White Sox, and they seem likely to give him a shot to make an impact next year.
- Shawn Kelley, Rangers ($2.5MM option or $250K buyout): Meanwhile, it’ll be a bigger surprise if the Rangers don’t retain Kelley, who – despite some health issues this year – has worked to a 3.00 ERA/4.09 FIP with 8.73 K/9 and 1.36 BB/9 in 33 innings.
- Brandon Morrow, Cubs ($12MM option or $3MM buyout): Morrow was brilliant when healthy from 2017-18, but he hasn’t pitched since last July because of elbow problems. Although Morrow expects to return sometime this season, it’s hard to believe the oft-injured 35-year-old will have enough time to show the Cubs they should invest another large sum of money in him for 2020.
- Pat Neshek, Phillies ($7MM option or $750K buyout): Neshek has been ineffective when healthy this year and may be done for the season on account of a hamstring injury. It’ll be a shock if the Phillies pick up his option over the winter.
- Dan Otero, Indians ($1.5MM option or $100K buyout): While he’ll be extremely affordable next season, Otero hasn’t done much this year to justify even a small investment. Out since the end of May with shoulder inflammation, the 34-year-old has recorded a 4.56 ERA/5.62 FIP with 3.8 strikeouts per nine. He also had a hard time keeping the opposition off the scoreboard in 2018.
- Yusmeiro Petit, Athletics ($5.5MM option or $1MM buyout): Petit, 34, has been a valuable workhorse out of the A’s bullpen since he joined the team prior to 2018. Through 153 innings with the franchise, Petit has pitched to a 2.82 ERA/3.89 FIP with 7.35 K/9 and 1.41 BB/9. He’ll stick around in 2020.
- David Phelps, Cubs ($1MM option that can increase based on appearances): Phelps, whom the Cubs acquired from the Blue Jays at the deadline, has an option that will climb to $3MM if he makes 30 appearances, $5MM at 40 and $7MM at 50. He’s currently at 20, over which he has put up a 3.86 ERA/4.61 FIP with 9.64 K/9 against 3.86 BB/9. Considering Phelps’ floating option value, it’s too soon to forecast whether he’ll return to the Cubs next year. It’ll depend how well the soon-to-be 33-year-old performs through season’s end and the amount of appearances he winds up making.
- Adam Warren, Padres ($2.5MM option or $500K buyout): The value of Warren’s 2020 option looked more than reasonable entering the season, but the ex-Yankee, Cub and Mariner has since endured a rocky few months in San Diego. Not only has Warren been on ice for two months with a right forearm strain, but he managed an unappealing 5.34 ERA/6.91 FIP in 28 2/3 innings before hitting the shelf. It’s likely he’ll end up back on the open market over the winter.
Left-handers
- Jake Diekman, Athletics ($5.75MM mutual option or $500K buyout): Diekman’s year, which he has divided between Kansas City and Oakland, has been a mixed bag. His 4.91 ERA and 5.32 BB/9 across 44 innings are ugly, yet he has notched a 3.49 FIP and 13.5 strikeouts per nine. The low-budget A’s may not want to invest in Diekman again next season, however, even if he exercises his half of a mutual option.
- Sean Doolittle, Nationals ($6.5MM option or $500K buyout): The Nationals will absolutely keep Doolittle – by far their brightest light in what has been a shaky bullpen.
- Aaron Loup, Padres ($2MM option): An elbow sprain has kept Loup out of action since April 7. If he does return this season, the 31-year-old will need a strong finish to give himself any chance to collect $2MM from the Padres in 2020.
- Oliver Perez, Indians ($2.75MM option): Perez’s option will automatically vest at 55 appearances. He’s 10 away right now, having registered a 2.79 ERA/3.18 FIP with 10.86 K/9 and 2.48 BB/9 in 45 games and 29 innings. Barring a serious injury or a trade, he’ll be an Indian again in 2020.
Previewing Club Option Decisions: Starting Pitchers
This is the third in a series of pieces previewing offseason club option decisions. This edition will focus on starting pitchers…
- Chris Archer, RHP, Pirates ($9MM option or $1.75MM buyout): The Archer era hasn’t gone as planned for Pittsburgh since it acquired him from Tampa Bay in a July 2018 blockbuster. This year, his first full season as a Pirate, Archer has notched an awful 5.35 ERA/5.55 FIP across 107 2/3 innings. His $9MM salary for next year no longer looks like a bargain, but it’s not pricey enough for the Pirates to cut the cord.
- Andrew Cashner, RHP, Red Sox ($10MM option): Cashner was the reigning world champion Red Sox’s headlining July acquisition, but he hasn’t helped matters during a skid that could knock the team out of contention. After pitching decently for the Orioles prior to the deal, the soon-to-be 33-year-old Cashner has yielded 18 earned runs on 31 hits and 10 walks (with 16 strikeouts) in four starts and 23 1/3 innings as a member of the Red Sox. He won’t be on their roster in 2020.
- Derek Holland, LHP, Cubs ($6.5MM option or $500K buyout): We could technically group Holland in with the relievers, as he has spent most of the season in that capacity for the Giants and Cubs after an abysmal start to the season out of San Francisco’s rotation. Holland has been good for the Cubs since they acquired the then-designated 32-year-old, having logged 5 2/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball. As of now, though, he’s a strong bet to return to free agency over the winter.
- Corey Kluber, RHP, Indians ($17.5MM option or $1MM buyout): The two-time Cy Young winner got off to a surprisingly rough start before suffering a forearm fracture May 1, and he hasn’t returned since. But the 33-year-old Kluber’s option should still be an easy one for the Indians to exercise.
- Wade LeBlanc, LHP, Mariners ($5MM option or $450K buyout): While LeBlanc was a respectable source of innings for the Mariners in 2018, he’s likely pitching his way back to the free-agent market this season. The 35-year-old owns a 5.38 ERA/5.30 FIP over 92 innings divided between the M’s rotation and bullpen.
- Martin Perez, LHP, Twins ($7MM option or $500K buyout): It was just last offseason that the Rangers declined a $7.5MM option for Perez, who has since emerged as a decent buy-low pickup for the Twins. Perez, 28, is averaging a career-high 94.1 mph on his fastball and has pitched to a 4.58 ERA/4.44 FIP with 7.76 K/9, 3.57 BB/9 and a 49.3 percent groundball rate across 116 innings. That’s acceptable production for a back-end starter, though it’s worth noting Perez’s numbers have tailed off over the past couple months. Minnesota may opt to move on as a result, which would save the team $7MM. Then again, the club could be leery of having to replace yet another starter behind ace Jose Berrios with Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda all headed for free agency.
- Jose Quintana, LHP, Cubs ($11.5MM option or $1MM buyout): The Cubs traded two potential long-term building blocks, outfielder Eloy Jimenez and righty Dylan Cease, to the crosstown rival White Sox for Quintana back in 2017. Quintana was amid an excellent multiyear stretch then, though his effectiveness has waned since changing Chicago homes. Still, the soon-to-be 31-year-old absolutely hasn’t struggled enough for the Cubs to reject his option two seasons after giving up Jimenez and Cease. Quintana has recorded a 4.40 ERA/4.09 FIP in 122 2/3 innings this year.
- Julio Teheran, RHP, Braves ($12MM option or $1MM buyout): This is a pretty debatable case. On one hand, Teheran’s 3.46 ERA and team-leading 130 innings are impressive. On the other, his 4.47 FIP, 5.11 SIERA, 5.25 xFIP, 4.29 BB/9 and 39.7 percent grounder rate combine to paint a much drearier picture. That said, the 28-year-old Teheran has become known for regularly outperforming underwhelming peripherals. Whether the Braves trust his ability to do it again in 2020 will determine his fate with the organization.
- Jason Vargas, LHP, Phillies ($8MM option or $2MM buyout): Vargas was among the game’s worst starters in 2018, but he has rebounded this season to post passable back-end numbers with the Mets and Phillies. The soft-tossing 36-year-old has amassed 100 2/3 innings of 3.93 ERA/4.66 FIP pitching with 7.69 K/9, 3.58 BB/9 and a 40.7 percent grounder mark. He’s still far from a slam dunk to have his option picked up – cutting Vargas would save the Phillies $6MM – but they’ll need competent innings from somewhere in 2020. They haven’t consistently gotten enough of those this year from anyone but Aaron Nola. He and the declining Jake Arrieta will be back in Philly’s rotation next season, but questions abound otherwise.
Twins’ Brusdar Graterol Could Earn Promotion Soon
The AL Central-leading Twins could promote well-regarded pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the majors as early as this month, assistant general manager Rob Antony told SKOR North. The right-hander will likely work as a reliever this year if he does come up to the bigs, Antony suggested.
The 20-year-old Graterol has missed time this season with shoulder issues, but he’s back now and has turned in encouraging results when healthy. In his first Double-A action this year, Graterol has logged a 1.89 ERA/3.26 FIP with 8.69 K/9, 3.59 BB/9 and a 52.1 percent groundball rate across 47 2/3 innings. Moreover, Baseball America (No. 34), FanGraphs (52) and MLB.com (58) all rank Graterol among the best prospects in the game.
Capable of hitting triple digits on the radar gun, Graterol could be a serious late-season weapon (perhaps a multi-inning one, per Antony) for a Twins bullpen that hasn’t been great at preventing runs this year. The unit sits a middle-of-the-pack 14th in ERA (4.45), and it has undergone major changes of late. The Twins recently rid themselves of Blake Parker, Matt Magill, Mike Morin and Adalberto Mejia – who combined for upward of 100 innings from their bullpen – and then tried to upgrade their relief corps by adding Sergio Romo and Sam Dyson prior to the trade deadline.
Romo has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball since Minnesota acquired him from Miami, but the Dyson pickup has surprisingly blown up in the Twins’ faces so far. After an impressive start to the season with the Giants, Dyson surrendered a total of six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning in his first two appearances as a Twin. Dyson then hit the injured list with right biceps tendinitis, which he alarmingly revealed has been bothering him since mid-July.
Blue Jays To Sign Neil Ramirez
TODAY: The deal is done, per Scott Mitchell of TSN (via Twitter). It’s a minors pact.
YESTERDAY: The Blue Jays are closing in on a contract with free-agent reliever Neil Ramirez, according to Roster Roundup. It’s unclear whether it’ll be a major league pact for Ramirez, whom the Indians released Aug. 2.
A veteran of several organizations, the 30-year-old Ramirez cracked Cleveland’s bullpen earlier this season and struggled to a 5.40 ERA/6.57 FIP in 16 2/3 innings. Ramirez logged a solid number of strikeouts (9.72 K/9), which he has done throughout his career, though he also issued 4.86 walks per nine and posted a paltry 25.0 percent groundball rate. The right-hander wasn’t that much more successful this season as a member of the Tribe’s Triple-A team, with which he recorded a 4.91 ERA/5.11 FIP. Ramirez did, however, manage 13.81 K/9 against 3.38 BB/9 during that 29 1/3-inning span.
A deal with the Blue Jays could present a quick path back to the majors for Ramirez, as the team dealt relievers Daniel Hudson, Joe Biagini and David Phelps prior to last week’s trade deadline. Out-of-contention Toronto’s now stuck with a fairly uninspiring group of options in front of closer Ken Giles.
AL Notes: Yankees, O’s, R. Nunez, Mariners, Felix
Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres left the team’s game Tuesday with a potential injury, per George A. King III of the New York Post. It’s the second time since Sunday that Torres had to exit with a possible ailment, as he departed the club’s game that night with what manager Aaron Boone called “a core issue.” Torres was subsequently cleared of a sports hernia – which teammate Luke Voit is dealing with – and was in the Yankees’ starting lineup Monday and Tuesday. The team’s now once again left to hold its breath that Torres will be fine. The Yankees, to their credit, have withstood one significant injury after another this year en route to an AL-best 73-39 record. Their success has come thanks in no small part to the 22-year-old Torres, who has slashed .281/.347/.505 with 23 home runs in 439 plate appearances. [UPDATE: Torres left with “core pain,” Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record was among those to report. He’ll return to New York to undergo more tests, Erik Boland of Newsday tweets.]
As for Voit, it’s still unknown whether he’ll undergo surgery, though an answer could come in the next week, Boone suggested Tuesday (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). With time running out in the season, it’s possible Voit won’t be able to return until the playoffs – and perhaps not at all – if he does go under the knife, as Ackert points out.
Here’s the latest on two other American League teams:
- Orioles designated hitter/corner infielder Renato Nunez drew some interest prior to the trade deadline, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. The Orioles wound up keeping Nunez, a May 2018 waiver claim who has taken advantage of regular playing time this year to hit .246/.313/.486 with 25 home runs in 434 plate appearances. Nunez, 25, won’t be eligible for arbitration until after next season.
- Mariners infielder Tim Beckham received an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs Tuesday, but his time on their roster might have been on the verge of ending even before then. Although he still has a year of arbitration eligibility remaining, Beckham was a candidate for a designation for assignment, according to the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish. The Mariners could have cut Beckham to make room for outfield prospect Jake Fraley sometime soon, Divish reports. However, Fraley is dealing with a quad injury at the moment. The Mariners will need to add Fraley to their 40-man roster if they do promote him, but they have four openings right now. The club acquired Fraley from the Rays in last offseason’s Mallex Smith/Mike Zunino trade.
- Sticking with the Mariners, injured outfielder Mitch Haniger and starter Felix Hernandez are progressing in their recoveries, Greg Johns of MLB.com explains. Haniger, out since June 7 with a ruptured testicle, is closing in on a rehab assignment, manager Scott Servais said Tuesday. And Hernandez, whom right shoulder problems have kept from the majors since May 11, will make a second rehab start Thursday. The 33-year-old King Felix may be able to return in late August, Johns notes, which could give the pending free agent and Mariners legend a chance to say goodbye to the franchise and its fans.
Previewing Club Option Decisions: Designated Hitters, Outfielders
This is the second in a series of pieces previewing offseason club option decisions. This edition will focus on designated hitters and outfielders…
Designated hitters
- Nelson Cruz, Twins ($12MM option or $300K buyout): So let’s get this straight: Cruz has slashed .294/.385/.642 with 30 home runs in 362 plate appearances on a $14MM salary this year, and he’s actually in line for a pay decrease? This is looking like a brilliant signing by the Twins, who will no doubt exercise the 39-year-old Cruz’s option.
- Edwin Encarnacion, Yankees ($20MM option or $5MM buyout): Like Cruz, the 36-year-old Encarnacion has been one of the most prolific sluggers in recent memory. That doesn’t mean the Yankees will keep Encarnacion around, though. While he was enjoying another high-end year (.240/.346/.518 with 30 HRs in 451 PA) before fracturing his right wrist last weekend, the Yankees might decide they could spend Encarnacion’s money better elsewhere. After all, they won’t be hard up for other DH options in 2020.
Outfielders
- Alex Gordon, Royals ($23MM mutual option or $4MM buyout): The Royals certainly won’t bring Gordon back next year for $23MM, but he’s a franchise icon who hasn’t made it a secret he wants to spend his whole career in Kansas City. And Royals general manager Dayton Moore has great respect for Gordon, so expect the soon-to-be 36-year-old left fielder to return to KC next season at a more team-friendly price.
- Billy Hamilton, Royals ($7.5MM option or $1MM buyout): The same probably won’t apply to Hamilton, who has posted the worst offensive season of his light-hitting career. Hamilton has batted a woeful .209/.276/.262 with no homers in 293 PA, and even his always strong defense and base running haven’t been able to make up for his punchless production at the plate. He’ll return to free agency over the winter.
- Juan Lagares, Mets ($9.5MM option or $500K buyout): The 30-year-old Lagares joins Hamilton as another weak-hitting center fielder on his way to the open market. Lagares has long been known for his defense, but he has managed an unappealing minus-5 DRS/minus-4.0 UZR in center this season. Meanwhile, he has put up a horrid .186/.263/.267 line with a pair of HRs over 180 trips to the plate.
- Starling Marte, Pirates ($11.5MM option or $2MM buyout): This should be a no-brainer for the Pirates to exercise, as the soon-to-be 31-year-old Marte has turned in another respectable season in 2019. Despite a career-low 3.9 percent walk rate, Marte has slashed .285/.326/.505 and notched 20 homers and 17 steals across 462 PA. The defense hasn’t exactly been stellar (minus-5 DRS, minus-2.1 UZR), yet Marte has still been worth 2.5 fWAR.
- Kole Calhoun, Angels ($14MM option or $1MM buyout): This will be a tough choice for the Angels, who have seen Calhoun rebound from a subpar 2018 to bat .233/.318/.481 with 25 HRs (one fewer than his personal-high total) in 448 PA. Calhoun’s also a capable defender, which has helped him record the fifth season of at least 2.0 fWAR in his career. He’s set to turn 32 in October, though, and the Angels have an elite outfield prospect in Jo Adell knocking at the door. Therefore, they may be tempted to jettison Calhoun – quality track record be damned – and save $13MM.
- Adam Eaton, Nationals ($9.5MM option or $1.5MM buyout): The Eaton acquisition hasn’t worked out as hoped for the Nationals, who traded pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the White Sox for him prior to the 2017 season. Eaton hasn’t performed poorly by any means, but injuries limited him to just 118 games in his first two seasons in D.C. He has appeared in 108 this year, however, and batted a decent .276/.357/.396 with six HRs, 10 steals and 1.4 fWAR in 480 PA. As of now, the guess is they’ll keep the soon-to-be 31-year-old in the fold.
- Nick Markakis, Braves ($6MM option or $2MM buyout): Markakis has been one of baseball’s most durable players since his career began in 2006, but he took a pitch off the left wrist in late July and won’t return until sometime in September. His streak of 150-plus appearances will end at six seasons as a result. Still, the 35-year-old was in the midst of another decent season at the time he went down, and with Austin Riley perhaps set to move from the corner outfield to third base in 2020 (starting 3B Josh Donaldson‘s a pending free agent), the Braves just might bring the affordable Markakis back for a sixth season.
Giants, Justin Haley Reportedly Agree To Minor League Deal
The Giants are set to sign right-hander Justin Haley to a minor league contract, according to Roster Roundup (Twitter link).
Haley, 28, appeared in 10 games with the 2017 Twins as a Rule 5 pick before he was returned to the Red Sox. He was selected to the Red Sox’ roster a year later in 2018 but pitched in only four games at the MLB level before being outrighted off the 40-man roster at season’s end. In the offseason, he opted to sign with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization rather than pursue a minor league contract with an MLB organization. Things didn’t go well for Haley in the hitter-friendly KBO. He made 19 starts there and was tagged for a 5.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 34 walks in 87 2/3 innings of work before being cut loose (somewhat ironically, in order to open roster space for former Giants outfielder Mac Williamson to sign with the Lions).
That may all be a relatively unappealing profile at first glance, but Haley has a strong track record in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 3.53 with 7.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 260 1/3 innings across parts of three seasons (47 starts, two relief outings). He’s typically posted average or better ground-ball tendencies and has limited home runs fairly well, surrendering an average of 0.97 long balls per nine innings pitched.
Previewing Club Option Decisions: Catchers, Infielders
This is the first in a series of pieces previewing offseason club option decisions. We’ll start with catchers and infielders…
Catchers
- Welington Castillo, White Sox ($8MM option or $500K buyout): This looks like a buyout waiting to happen for the White Sox, who have gotten awful offensive production from the typically competent Castillo. The 32-year-old has hit .184/.262/.340 with six home runs in 164 plate appearances. Castillo has also graded as one of the game’s worst defensive backstops.
- Tyler Flowers, Braves ($6MM option or $2MM buyout): The 33-year-old Flowers’ offensive output has waned this season in comparison to the previous three campaigns, though his line – .229/.307/.432 with nine HRs in 215 PA – is closer to average than terrible relative to his position. And Flowers remains a strong defender, so it’ll be a surprise if the Braves buy him out – especially with Brian McCann‘s future in question.
- Yan Gomes, Nationals ($9MM option or $1MM buyout): This has been a miserable year for Gomes, a former Indian whom the Nationals acquired last offseason. Gomes, 32, owns a .207/.313/.327 line with six homers across 240 PA, and has been a mixed bag behind the plate. With fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki under control through next season, the Nationals may not feel compelled to bring Gomes back.
- Yasmani Grandal, Brewers ($16MM mutual option or $2.25MM buyout): At this rate, the Brewers will exercise their half of Grandal’s mutual option, but he’s sure to decline his end of it. Grandal’s amid another strong all-around year and, unlike last offseason, will enter free agency without a qualifying offer weighing him down.
- Chris Iannetta, Rockies ($4.25MM option or $750K buyout): It’s not a prohibitive price for Iannetta, but he hasn’t done himself any favors by hitting .212/.306/.409 with six dingers in 157 trips to the plate as Tony Wolters‘ backup. Expect the Rockies to move on without Iannetta.
First basemen
- Matt Adams, Nationals ($4MM option or $1MM buyout): This will amount to a $3MM decision for the Nationals, who are already paying Adams that much this year. The 30-year-old has been a useful piece for the club, with a powerful .245/.296/.532 line and 17 HRs in 233 PA. The guess is the Nats will exercise his option, especially with other first base choices Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick and Gerardo Parra possibly on the way out after this season.
- Anthony Rizzo, Cubs ($16.5MM option or $2MM buyout): The Cubs will obviously pick up Rizzo’s option.
- Eric Thames, Brewers ($7.5MM option or $1MM buyout): Thames has somewhat bounced back from an underwhelming 2018, his price for next year is reasonable, and the Brewers just sent fellow first baseman Jesus Aguilar packing. They’ll likely keep Thames around for 2020.
- Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals ($18MM option or $2MM buyout): Zimmerman’s days as a star third baseman are long gone, and the now-first baseman’s time as a National is likely to end after the season.
Second basemen
- Starlin Castro, Marlins ($16MM option or $1MM buyout): It’ll be easy for the low-budget Marlins to move on from Castro, who’s mired in the worst season of his career at the age of 29.
- Wilmer Flores, Diamondbacks ($6MM option or $500K buyout): The 28-year-old Flores was a quality bench piece for the Mets prior to this season, but his first (and possibly only) D-backs campaign has been an injury-limited one. The production hasn’t been great, either, as Flores has hit just .277/.327/.387 with a pair of HRs in 168 attempts. As of now, he looks like a strong possibility for a buyout.
- Jedd Gyorko, Dodgers ($13MM option or $1MM buyout): Speaking of injuries, Gyorko has taken just 62 PA this season, and he has slashed a meager .196/.274/.304 in that sample size. The Dodgers acquired the soon-to-be 31-year-old from the Cardinals at last week’s trade deadline, but despite LA’s deep pockets, he figures to hit free agency after the season.
- Jason Kipnis, Indians ($16.5MM option or $2.5MM buyout): In terms of aggregate production, this is the third straight unspectacular season for the 32-year-old Kipnis, who has batted .255/.317/.405 with 11 homers through 383 PA. Kipnis has been a lot better since an ice-cold start to the season, but so good that the budget-conscious Indians will pick up his pricey option? Highly doubtful. While Kipnis has been an Indian since they chose him in the second round of the 2009 draft, his long run with the organization may be on the verge of ending.
- Mike Moustakas, Brewers ($11MM mutual option or $3MM buyout): Like Grandal, the Brewers figure to exercise Moustakas’ option. But Moustakas is likely to join Grandal in taking another stab at free agency. Set to turn 31 next month, Moustakas has performed well this year at second (where he hadn’t played prior to 2019) and third, and is on track for his second 30-HR campaign.
Shortstops
- Freddy Galvis, Blue Jays ($5.5MM option or $1MM buyout): It’s not a crazy price for the durable, switch-hitting Galvis, who has slashed a competent .272/.306/.455 and smacked 18 homers over 449 PA in his age-29 campaign. But it may not be palatable for the Blue Jays, who have seen touted middle infield prospects Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio emerge as major leaguers this year.
Third basemen
- We already covered Flores, Gyorko and Moustakas, the only third base-capable players with options.