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Matt Cain To Retire

By Mark Polishuk | September 27, 2017 at 1:55pm CDT

Matt Cain will retire at the end of the season, the longtime Giants right-hander told reporters (including CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic). Cain will make one final start, the 331st of his 13-year career, on Saturday at AT&T Park against the Padres.

Cain informed his teammates of his decision before addressing the media, saying “I think Saturday will be the last time I put on the Giants uniform, and I can’t see myself going to play somewhere else.” (hat tip to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) The Giants held a $21MM club option on Cain’s services for the 2018 season, though it was a foregone conclusion that the option would instead be bought out (for $7.5MM) given Cain’s struggles and injury problems over the last three years.

“Matt is one of the most accomplished right-handed pitchers in Giants history and has made a tremendous impact both on and off the field within our organization,” Giants President/CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “His play on the field and community service exemplifies what a true big leaguer should be and he will definitely be missed. On behalf of the Giants, I congratulate Matt on an outstanding career and wish him and his family all the best. He’ll forever be a Giant.”

Originally taken by the Giants with the 25th overall pick of the 2002 draft, Cain developed into one of the key figures in the franchise’s return to championship prominence this decade. From 2006-12, Cain posted a 3.30 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.47 K/9 and averaged 213 innings per season, racking up three All-Star appearances and three top-12 finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting. Cain joined Tim Lincecum and then Madison Bumgarner as the aces of San Francisco’s staff that helped the Giants win three World Series titles from 2010-14.

Elbow and ankle problems kept Cain from contributing to that 2014 championship team, though he’d already proven his postseason bonafides in the Giants’ previous two title runs. Cain owned a sterling 2.10 ERA over 51 1/3 playoff innings, including 21 1/3 shutout innings over the entirety of his work in the 2010 postseason.

Cain’s success led to a notable contract extension signed in April 2012 — a six-year/$127.5MM deal that was, at the time, the largest contract ever signed by a right-handed pitcher. 2012 was a thoroughly notable year for Cain given his extension, the Giants winning another World Series and the perfect game authored by Cain on June 13. It was the 22nd perfect game in MLB history and the first in the history of the Giants franchise.

Injuries hampered the final few years of Cain’s career and forced him into an early exit from the game (he turns 33 on Sunday). Still, Cain will long be remembered by Giants fans for his durability and clutch October performances, and Saturday’s start will no doubt be a special day at AT&T Park. We at MLBTR wish Cain all the best in his post-playing career.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Three Needs: Baltimore Orioles

By Mark Polishuk | September 27, 2017 at 11:26am CDT

This is the latest edition in MLBTR’s Three Needs series. Click to read entries on the Phillies, Braves, Tigers, Reds, Pirates, Giants, Mets, Blue Jays, Athletics, White Sox and Mariners.

For the first time since 2011 (Buck Showalter’s first full season managing the club), the Orioles will post a losing record. While much of the offseason focus will be upgrading Baltimore’s lackluster rotation, the O’s also have some other holes to fill if they hope to return to contention in 2018.

1. Add some starting pitching. You could argue that the need for rotation help could account for all three entries on this list, given how long starting pitching has been a weak spot for the Orioles. The team already has plans to acquire at least two new arms to join Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman in next year’s rotation, though some creativity may be required in getting those new pitchers given that the Orioles are likely hesitant to deal any top youngsters from what is already a pretty thin farm system.

The O’s aren’t traditionally big spenders on free agent pitching, and Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com recently observed that the failure of the Ubaldo Jimenez signing may have entirely hardened ownership against making any more long-term commitments to free agent starters. The Orioles’ notoriously stringent medical standards will also be an obstacle, given that several of the mid-tier names in this winter’s free agent pitching market (Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Jason Vargas, Tyler Chatwood, Jaime Garcia) have undergone Tommy John surgery.

Since trading prospects or making major signings could be difficult, the Orioles could instead add pitching by making a trade off the MLB roster. Brad Brach and Zach Britton will each become more expensive in their final years of arbitration eligibility, though Brach has the much lower price tag and more immediate value given Britton’s injury problems in 2017. Dealing a position player could be more difficult — Mark Trumbo is the only regular that seems expendable, though trade partners won’t be lining up for a player coming off a sub-replacement level season who is still owed $26MM through the end of 2019. Chris Davis’ big contract makes him immovable, and it seems doubtful that the O’s would move franchise stalwart Adam Jones or second baseman Jonathan Schoop, especially in the wake of Schoop’s best season yet.

2. Upgrade the defense. Baltimore was a below-average defensive unit in 2017 as per both the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics, so if obtaining top-ticket pitching help will be difficult, the Orioles could help their run prevention by improving the glovework.

Jones has graded out as one of the league’s worst defensive center fielders over the last two seasons, and it may be time for him to shift into a corner outfield role. Right field will be open if Seth Smith isn’t re-signed, which leaves center open for a new face. Lorenzo Cain stands out as the biggest name in free agency, with Carlos Gomez as an interesting Plan B-type of option if the Orioles didn’t want make a long-term commit to center field with top prospect Austin Hays on the cusp of regular duty. You could argue that Hays might be the best choice now, though since he has yet to play at the Triple-A level, it’s more likely he’ll start 2018 in the minors.

3. Figure out a future with or without Manny Machado. The star third baseman’s future is the biggest long-term question facing the Orioles, and it’s a given that the club will again discuss an extension with Machado as he enters his final season under contract. If the O’s feel Machado can be kept in the fold, that will have a big impact on the rest of the team’s spending this winter, since suddenly the Orioles will have at least $300MM in future commitments coming for Machado’s new deal.

According to recent reports, the O’s aren’t planning to trade Machado before next season, so that scenario seems to be off the table. That leaves the club in the rather precarious spot of risking seeing its best asset leave in free agency for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick after the first round in return, rather than the haul they could receive for even one year of Machado’s services in a trade. A Machado deal could be explored at the trade deadline, of course, though the Orioles obviously don’t plan on being deadline sellers next year. The worst-case scenario would be a repeat of 2017, as the O’s weren’t entirely out of the race and felt obligated to add at the deadline, only to see their chances fade in August and September. If the same occurs next year, the Orioles will have missed their window for moving Machado and other key impending free agents like Jones, Britton and Brach.

AL Central Notes: Royals, Abreu, Park

By Mark Polishuk | September 27, 2017 at 9:17am CDT

With Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar all hitting free agency, this offseason will mark the end of an era in Royals history. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star looks back at those players’ most memorable moments with the team, and as you might expect, those moments line up with the Royals’ postseason runs in 2014 and 2015. It’s unclear how many of the free agents, if any, will be back in K.C. next season; over 39% of respondents in a recent poll of MLBTR readers felt that Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas will all be playing elsewhere in 2018. Still, there’s no question that the Royals and their fans enjoyed some wonderful memories with this core group or stars, highlighted by the 2015 World Series title.

Some more from around the AL Central…

The rebuilding White Sox face several pros and cons about potentially dealing Jose Abreu, CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes writes. Abreu’s trade value is high in the wake of an excellent season, and since he turns 31 in January and is only controlled through the 2019 season, it isn’t clear if he’ll be still around or still productive when the Sox are again contenders. On the other hand, Abreu is a respected clubhouse mentor (an important role for such a young team) and he keeps in excellent shape, so he could ward off the usual decline that hits players as they get into their 30s.
2017 has been a struggle for ByungHo Park, who spent the entire season in the minors. While Park has yet to deliver on his four-year, $12MM contract, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that “we have every expectation he’ll remain at this point” rather than explore a return to South Korean baseball. In fact, Park will be spending much of the offseason in North America, working out at the Twins’ facilities. The first baseman posted a .684 OPS over 244 plate appearances for the Twins in 2016, then hit .253/.308/.415 with 14 homers over 455 PA for Triple-A Rochester this season. Despite these struggles and some injuries, Park has dealt with his situation “incredibly professionally,” Falvey said.

Mets Notes: Warthen, Collins, Catching

By Mark Polishuk | September 27, 2017 at 7:56am CDT

The latest from Citi Field…

The Mets are expected to part ways with long-time pitching coach Dan Warthen, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Warthen has been in his current role since June 2008 and had originally intended to retire after the season, though the Mets’ struggles caused Warthen to want one more year so as to go out on a higher note. Two internal candidates (bullpen coach Ricky Bones and minor league pitching coordinator Ron Romanick) are the top picks to replace Warthen, while Triple-A pitching coach Frank Viola is not under consideration and may not remain with the organization. Puma also listed former A’s pitching coach Curt Young and Red Sox director of pitching development Brian Bannister as external candidates who could receive consideration.
There has been wide speculation that Terry Collins won’t return as the Mets’ manager in 2018, though Collins tells The Record’s Matt Ehalt that he has no plans to retire. “I said it a couple years ago, I didn’t know how long I wanted to manage, what could be my last year — I never said anything that I was going to retire. I always wanted to work until I was 70. That’s two more years,” Collins said. While best known as a manager, Collins has worked in a wide variety of roles over his long career in baseball and said he is open to continuing in one of many jobs at the MLB or minor league level, though his preference is to remain with the Mets.
Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki have both been hitting well since the two catchers began to evenly split the playing time last month, leading MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo to speculate that the Mets could benefit by continuing this timeshare in 2018. D’Arnaud has long been plagued by injuries, so reducing his workload would help keep him healthier and theoretically more productive. The catch could be if Plawecki is able to keep up his respectable hitting numbers over the course of a full season, as the backstop has been unable to duplicate his good minor league numbers at the MLB level.

NL East Notes: Marlins Sale, Morgan, Peterson

By Steve Adams | September 26, 2017 at 10:05pm CDT

The Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter group that has submitted the winning bid to purchase the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria now has its finances “in better shape” and could secure the league approval that it requires in a matter of weeks, if not days, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports. The Sherman-Jeter group has raised $800MM of the $1.2 billion sale price and will take on $400MM of debt as things presently stand. Sherman will be the control person and own 46 percent of the team, while Jeter’s title will be CEO, and he’ll own about four percent of the team. While the sale of the franchise has been a seemingly interminable process, it appears that the new ownership group could formally be in place before the conclusion of the postseason. Sherman and Jeter will need approval from 23 of the 29 other owners throughout the league

Ian Kinsler Reaches Plate Appearance Requirement In Vesting Option

By Steve Adams | September 26, 2017 at 7:55pm CDT

Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler just completed his second plate appearance of the night (an RBI single), meaning he’s now up to 600 on the season — the required threshold to trigger the 2018 vesting option in his contract.

As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month, Kinsler’s previously known $10MM club option contains a vesting clause that would guarantee the option upon reaching 600 PAs. MLBTR further reported that Kinsler’s option will actually vest at $11MM, although the option won’t formally trigger until the season ends, as his contract stipulates that he cannot be on the disabled list at season’s end. Kinsler’s contract also contains an escalator that’ll boost his 2018 salary by $1MM if he wins a Gold Glove Award this season — a distinct possibility.

In some respects, it’s a fairly moot point. The Tigers always seemed exceptionally likely to exercise Kinsler’s option, especially when considering the fact that he’d be paid $5MM of that sum regardless due to the large nature of the option’s buyout. Kinsler hasn’t had his best year at the plate — the contrary, he’s actually had his worst — but he’s been on fire over the season’s final month and entered play hitting .236/.313/.416 with 22 homers on the season. In addition to the power, Kinsler has swiped 14 bases and provided value both with his baserunning and his characteristically strong glovework at second base.

While the exact amount that Kinsler will earn in 2018 will become clear once Awards voting has concluded, what won’t be clear for quite some time is exactly what uniform the four-time All-Star will be wearing on Opening Day next season. Kinsler recently told MLB.com’s Jon Morosi that he planned to talk directly to GM Al Avila before season’s end to discuss his future with the team. Winning, understandably, is becoming a greater priority for the 35-year-old, and the Tigers look to be embarking on an aggressive rebuild after trading Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila and Cameron Maybin all within the past year.

As such, Kinsler stands out as one of the more obvious — if not the most obvious — trade candidates of the upcoming offseason. While he may or may not return to the star-caliber levels f output he delivered as recently as 2016, Kinsler remains a decidedly above-average regular at a premium infield position that offers above-average pop for his position in addition to high-quality defense. That skill set, paired with a reasonable price tag in 2018 — be it $11MM or $12MM — should generate plenty of trade interest in the offseason. Kinsler does have a partial no-trade clause in his contract, though the second baseman indicated to Morosi that his willingness to waive that provision will be determined by what Avila tells him about the team’s planned offseason trajectory.

Rays Notes: Ramos, Duffy, Offseason

By Steve Adams | September 26, 2017 at 4:48pm CDT

Rays backstop Wilson Ramos will reach an important milestone tonight, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times points out (on Twitter). Tonight’s start will be the 55th of the season for Ramos, which will bump his 2018 salary from $8.5MM to $10.5MM. That will push the total value of Ramos’ contract to a two years and $14.5MM, though he’ll have the opportunity to earn up to $750K worth of incentives next season. He could also technically boost next year’s salary by another $250K if he starts each of the final five games of the current season to reach 60 starts (though that, obviously, is quite unlikely.) Ramos looked poised for a massive payday in free agency late in the 2016 season, but a torn ACL suffered one year ago to the day significantly hampered his earning capacity. Thus far, he’s hit .263/.293/.444 with 10 homers through 211 plate appearances for Tampa Bay.

A bit more out of St. Petersburg…

Infielder Matt Duffy played three innings in an instructional league game on Tuesday, writes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays plan to build Duffy up to playing in a nine-inning game over the final seven games of instructional play, which the shortstop says will give him peace of mind heading into the offseason. Duffy tells Mooney that when he originally underwent surgery to repair his left heel last September, he was told to expect a recovery of three to six months. However, after three games of rehab work in May, he experienced recurring symptoms, and a calcium deposit that required surgical removal was discovered. Mooney writes that Duffy is still in the Rays’ plans for next season and spoke to senior VP Chaim Bloom about Duffy’s frustrating season.
Duffy’s role with the team will be somewhat contingent on the team’s plans for Adeiny Hechavarria, but MLB.com’s Bill Chastain writes in his latest mailbag column that he expects the team to retain Hechavarria in arbitration this winter. Hechavarria hasn’t hit much with Tampa Bay, just .249/.284/.398 in 265 plate appearances, and he’s due a raise on this year’s $4.35MM salary. Still, his defensive prowess is an asset for the Rays, as Hechavarria has posted a strong +7 mark in Defensive Runs Saved with the Rays and +4 in Ultimate Zone Rating (+12.7 UZR/150). Chastain also discusses the Rays’ potential group of free agents with the offseason looming and the limited chances of retaining the likes of Alex Cobb, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter.

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Otani, Giants, Awards, QOs, Cozart

By Steve Adams | September 26, 2017 at 2:16pm CDT

Click to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

Nationals Activate Bryce Harper From Disabled List

By Steve Adams | September 26, 2017 at 2:13pm CDT

The Nationals announced on Tuesday that they’ve activated outfielder Bryce Harper from the 10-day disabled list. Harper missed more than a month due to a hyperextended left knee, though all things considered, a nearly six-week absence represented far from a disastrous scenario.

The Nats already had the NL East well in hand at the time of Harper’s injury, and the fact that he sustained only a hyperextension of the injured knee came as a sigh of relief; the initial was gruesome to behold and certainly looked at first as if Harper may have sustained considerably more significant damage.

In Harper’s absence, the Nationals compiled a 26-15 record, more than weathering the storm in the absence of their best hitter. At the time of his injury, Harper was among the front-runners for National League Most Valuable Player honors, though his fairly lengthy absence all but eliminates him from that running. That said, the return of Harper and his .326/.419/.614 batting line before the onset of postseason play is significant for the Nats. Harper’s return was delayed by a day due to illness, but he’ll now have six games to get his legs back under him and work on his timing before the Nats begin play in the National League Division Series.

NL East Notes: Harvey, Collins, Wittgren

By Jeff Todd | September 26, 2017 at 1:40pm CDT

The Mets are indeed preparing to tender righty Matt Harvey a contract, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined the matter just yesterday, explaining why the club likely sees the 28-year-old as a worthwhile investment despite his marked struggles. GM Sandy Alderson had already made that rather clear, but Heyman suggests it’s all but a done deal and adds some context. New York, he says, may mostly plan to rely on the team’s slate of internal rotation options while investing instead in the bullpen.

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