David Price Announces He Will Not Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract
Red Sox lefty David Price announced today that he will not opt out of the remainder of his contract with the Red Sox, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com was among those to report on Twitter. The 33-year-old starter, who is fresh off of a redemptive run through the postseason for the World Series victors, will earn $31MM for the 2019 season and $32MM annually for the three campaigns that follow.
It’s no surprise, certainly, that Price has elected to stay in the deal that he inked in advance of the 2016 season. Though he has certainly had plenty of success during his first three campaigns in Boston, there have also been plenty of low points along the way.
At 33 years of age, it’s tough to imagine Price doing better than the four years and $127MM he already has in hand. That said, he would still have been a major part of the postseason picture had he elected to return to the open market.
In the just-completed campaign, Price threw 176 innings of 3.58 ERA ball, registering just over a strikeout per nine while allowing 2.6 BB/9. That represented a bounceback from an injury-marred 2017 campaign and an improvement on his bottom-line results (3.99 ERA) from 2016.
Of course, Price had also logged 230 frames in his first season with the Sox, a number he won’t likely approach again. And his peripherals have eroded since that time as well. Estimators valued his 2018 output well below his actual ERA, with FIP (4.02), xFIP (3.95), and SIERA (3.82) suggesting Price is now more a solid rotation presence than frontline starter.
Price’s postseason performance — which featured four excellent starts in the ALCS and World Series after a rough divisional outing — certainly showed that he can still get the job done when needed … and that he can do it on the big stage. That reversed a long run of difficulties in the postseason though it won’t turn back father time. Over the course of the 2018 campaign, Price’s average fastball (of both the four and two-seam varieties) clocked in at a personal-low 93.1 mph, while his swinging-strike rate dipped to 9.6% after sitting over 11% for the prior three seasons.
In any event, Price’s decision to opt in to the remainder of his deal at one point seemed likely to be met by widespread complaints from the Boston faithful. Instead, he’ll be lauded along with his teammates today in the club’s World Series parade. And while the expectations for the remainder of the contract will necessarily be tempered, the Red Sox have good cause to anticipate that Price will continue to be a worthwhile member of their rotation for some time to come.
Marcell Ozuna Undergoes Shoulder Procedure
Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna underwent a “clean up” procedure on his right shoulder, per Craig Mish of Sirius XM (Twitter link). The work was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
It had not previously been anticipated that Ozuna would require any kind of procedure, though it also does not seem to be a particularly concerning outcome at this point. The rehab schedule is not expected to limit Ozuna’s ability to report for full participation in Spring Training.
Ozuna’s ailing shoulder was a significant problem for him over the course of the 2018 season. The issue seemed to place a drag on his productivity all year long, until a late-season cortisone shot that helped spur a strong run to finish out the campaign.
In the aggregate, the Cardinals did not get the kind of output they hoped for when they acquired Ozuna, who compiled a career-best .312/.376/.548 slash with 37 home runs for the Marlins in 2017. He completed his first of two seasons of club control for the St. Louis organization with a merely above-average .280/.325/.433 line and 23 long balls. Ozuna projects to earn $13.4MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility.
There are several questions going forward. For one, there’s still some reason to wonder whether Ozuna’s big ’17 campaign was truly representative. After all, he rode a career-high .355 batting average on balls in play. The Cards obviously felt the outburst was sustainable and now believe he can get back to that level in what will only be his age-28 season. But the team will first need to see whether Ozuna’s shoulder can recover.
That’ll depend in part upon Ozuna’s own efforts at rehab, of course, and that’s a subject that president of baseball operations John Mozeliak raised recently. As MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reminds, Mozeliak offered some notably public advice for Ozuna. “If he’s diligent and puts himself in a position to prepare and have himself in a place where his shoulder is not preventing him from playing at his full potential, then I think the sky’s the limit for him,” said the club’s top baseball ops executive.
Van Wagenen On Mets’ Offseason
Many in baseball are still raising an eyebrow at the Mets’ decision to name super-agent Brodie Van Wagenen their new general manager, but the move is officially in the books after Van Wagenen was formally introduced at a press conference today at Citi Field. The former co-founder of CAA’s baseball division is shifting to the other side of the negotiating table and made clear in his initial comments that the Mets will not be embarking on any kind of rebuild (links via Newsday’s David Lennon and the New York Post’s Mike Puma). To the contrary, Van Wagenen portrayed an aggressive, win-now mindset.
“We will win now,” said Van Wagenen. “We will win in the future. We’re going to develop a winning culture and a winning mindset. We are going to deliver this city and this fan base a team they can be proud of.”
While fans (and quite likely executives) from other clubs had hoped to see the Mets’ new general manager come in with a future-oriented approach and put aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard on the trading block, it seems that, too, is unlikely. Van Wagenen plainly stated that he hopes to keep deGrom with the Mets for “a long time” (per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). Rather than shopping current stars, it seems the Mets will instead turn to the free-agent market to supplement a promising rotation core but a lineup that is filled with question marks. The rookie GM somewhat nebulously said he “expect[s] to be in on every free agent” — a statement that seems like an over-promise but nonetheless underscores his win-now mentality.
Looking beyond the player element of the Mets’ new hire, there are myriad questions about the infrastructure of the team. First and foremost, it’s been made clear that Van Wagenen has severed all ties with CAA Baseball and is no longer affiliated with the agency. The future of his former clients — they could remain at CAA with another agent or conceivably look elsewhere — isn’t clear, but DiComo and others have noted that Van Wagenen has completely divested from CAA. That process, DiComo notes, was made a bit smoother by the fact that Van Wagenen had a salary as the head of CAA Baseball rather than working on commission from his clients.
As far as internal improvements go, COO Jeff Wilpon stated that there are resources set aside to beef up the club’s analytics and scouting departments. Van Wagenen suggested that his previous work as an agent can help in both regards (Twitter link, with video, via DiComo). There’s surely some validity to that sentiment, as he’s spent nearly two decades seeking to identify talent and represent the best players possible. More recently, agencies have had to become increasingly familiar with newer statistics, data and trends in an effort to best market their players to teams. There’s also little doubt that he’s a deft negotiator, which figures to serve him well in his new role.
Then again, managing an entire baseball operations department while simultaneously dealing with Mets ownership and the New York media will be an entirely different animal. And while Van Wagenen likely does have some scouting acumen and an understanding of the ever-increasing use of data in today’s game, neither has ever been a full-time focus for him. He’ll likely hand pick some new additions to add to both departments for the Mets, and he’ll also have some more experienced baseball ops veterans on whom to rely as he acclimates to a new life within the game.
To that end, though, it’s not yet certain which of the Mets’ former top lieutenants will be working alongside him. SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that special assistant (and former Mets GM) Omar Minaya will stay with the organization, but the futures of fellow special assistant (and former Blue Jays GM) J.P. Ricciardi and assistant GM John Ricco are not yet known.
Turning to the field staff, Van Wagenen proclaimed that Mickey Callaway will return in 2019 and offered his “full support” of the manager as he enters his second season with the club. Specifically, Van Wagenen praised Callway’s “enthusiasm,” his “energy” and his ability to inspire players.
Frankly, it’s not possible to glean the exact approach the Mets will take to putting a contender on the field in 2019 and beyond. There were no concrete numbers put on how much payroll capacity Van Wagenen will have. That’s not unexpected, but it also offers no insight into which types of free agents the Mets can realistically pursue. The Mets have topped $150MM in each of the past two seasons and have a projected $135MM on the books for 2019, per MLBTR’s Jason Martinez, before considering any possible non-tenders. That doesn’t leave much room to add, barring a willingness from the Wilpon family to substantially increase payroll. Perhaps the Mets could look to jettison some mid-range contracts like Juan Lagares or Anthony Swarzak if there isn’t room for payroll to push much further north. Alternatively, players like Travis d’Arnaud and Wilmer Flores don’t seem assured of being tendered contracts.
There are still plenty of unknowns following Van Wagenen’s first interaction with reporters as the Mets’ new GM, but the greatest takeaway from the entire event is that there’s little reason to expect the Mets will be putting any type of significant sell-off of major assets into motion. Van Wagenen set the stage for an active winter in terms of adding pieces to a hopeful contender, and fans will now wait to see whether ownership grants him the means to follow through.
Twins To Make Changes To Coaching Staff
Following the hiring of new manager Rocco Baldelli, it seems that the Twins will make further changes to the coaching staff. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that while hitting coaches James Rowson and Rudy Hernandez will return to the organization, pitching coach Garvin Alston won’t be retained for a second season (subscription link). Moreover, bench coach Derek Shelton, the runner-up to Baldelli in the team’s search, will be allowed to interview outside the organization, per Hayes.
Beyond the decision not to retain Alston, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that bullpen coach Eddie Guardado, third base coach Gene Glynn, first base coach Jeff Smith and Major League coach Jeff Pickler won’t return to the staff in 2019. Neal adds that Shelton is interviewing for the Rangers’ managerial vacancy — specifically, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Shelton interviewed today — but the organization is hopeful Shelton will stay if he is not named the manager in Texas. Both chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine were emphatic following the hiring of Baldelli that they hoped Shelton would remain on as the bench coach.
Alston had previously served as the Athletics’ bullpen coach and was hired to work as the pitching coach under former manager Paul Molitor last season. He brought a lengthy background as a minor league pitching rehab coordinator to the Twins, having previously served in that role with both Oakland and San Diego. He had a year remaining on his contract, according to Hayes.
It’s a substantial overhaul for the Twins organization, although this type of turnover isn’t uncommon when a new manager takes over a team. Guardado, remembered fondly by many Twins fans for his time as the team’s closer, had been Minnesota’s bullpen coach since being appointed in 2014. He enjoyed a successful career as a big league reliever and brought plenty of experience and a bilingual presence to the coaching staff.
However, it wasn’t the best look for the Twins’ bullpen coach or pitching coach when in an interview with the Washington Post’s Dave Sheinen, Ryan Pressly attributed his dominance with the Astros to the manner in which the Houston organization presented him with data and the manner in which it could improve what were already solid results. Pressly’s comments and improvements alone surely didn’t lead to the decision to make changes, but they do perhaps shed some light on areas in which the Twins hope to improve their coaching staff.
Glynn, 62, has been with the Twins organization since 2012 when he was hired as the team’s Triple-A manager. He moved up to the big league staff in 2015 and spent four years as the team’s third base coach. Prior to his time in Minnesota, he served as either a third base coach or first base coach with the Rockies, Expos, Cubs and Giants in addition to working as a pro scout with the Rays and spending another couple of seasons as a minor league manager and minor league field coordinator with the Rockies.
Pickler, 42, spent two years on the Twins’ staff as a coach and coordinator of Major League development after previously serving as a player development special assistant with the Dodgers in 2015-16 and, prior to that, a pro scout with the Padres organization. Neal adds that Glynn, Guardado and Pickler were all on expiring contracts.
Smith, meanwhile, had the longest tenure in the organization. A 20th-round pick by Minnesota all the way back in 1995, he joined the Twins’ minor league coaching ranks back in 2005 and managed at three different minor league levels before joining the big league staff as a first base coach in 2017. While he won’t be on the big league staff in 2019, Hayes does report that Smith could end up in a player development role with the organization.
Rockies To Decline Club Option On Gerardo Parra
The Rockies will decline their $12.5MM club option on outfielder Gerardo Parra in favor of a $1.5MM buyout, per the Associated Press. The 31-year-old will become a free agent when the move is formally completed.
[Related: Colorado Rockies depth chart]
Parra signed a three-year, $27.5MM with the Rox prior to the 2016 season but struggled throughout most of his time with Colorado. Despite playing in one of the game’s best offensive environments over the past three seasons, Parra posted a .727 OPS with just 23 home runs in 1249 plate appearances as a member of the Rockies. His walk rate deteriorated in the first two seasons of the deal before rebounding in 2018, and his once-elite defensive ratings slipped as well, though they still checked in above league average.
Parra and fellow veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez both seem likely to land elsewhere in 2019, leaving cornerstone Charlie Blackmon and young David Dahl as the two locks for the 2019 campaign. Other internal options for the outfield include fleet-footed Raimel Tapia and Noel Cuevas, while Mike Tauchman and Yonathan Daza represent additional depth pieces on the 40-man roster.
Mariners To Decline Denard Span’s Option
The Mariners have declined their $12MM option on outfielder Denard Span and will instead pay him a $4MM buyout, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Span will re-enter free agency and look for a new team with which to spend his 12th big league season.
[Related: Updated Seattle Mariners depth chart]
Span will turn 35 in February but demonstrated in 2018 that he can still produce at an above-average level with the bat. In a total of 501 plate appearances between the Mariners and the Rays, he slashed a combined .261/.341/.419 with 11 homers, 22 doubles and seven triples — good for a 112 OPS+ and wRC+ (essentially indicating that his bat was 12 percent better than a league-average hitter after adjusting for league and home park). He’s not the speedster that he used to be, but Span still swiped nine bags in 13 tries and received positive marks in baserunning, via Fangraphs (+2.4 BsR).
From a defensive standpoint, Span showed his age with a rough season in 2017, which contributed to the Giants’ decision to trade him to the Rays and to Tampa Bay’s decision to move him to left field. Span still didn’t rate as a strong defender in left, though metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (-1), Statcast’s Outs Above Average (-4) and Ultimate Zone Rating (-4.8) all pegged him as only a bit below average in 924 innings there.
With Span out of the picture in Seattle, Ben Gamel is the likeliest internal option to step up as the team’s primary left fielder, though ever-active general manager Jerry Dipoto will undoubtedly be open to making further outfield additions to pair with breakout star right fielder Mitch Haniger. The Mariners could yet elect to move Dee Gordon back to center field, though he’s a vastly better defensive option at second base, and the potential departure of Nelson Cruz could allow the M’s to rotate Robinson Cano and others through the DH spot, with Cano filling in at multiple positions around the infield.
Blue Jays To Exercise Club Option On Justin Smoak
The Blue Jays will exercise their $8MM club option on first baseman Justin Smoak, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link). The decision to do so over a $250K buyout seemed rather straightforward on the heels of a second consecutive strong season for the switch-hitting slugger.
[Related: Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]
Smoak, 32 in December, broke out with a massive .270/.355/.529 batting line and 38 homers in 2017, and while he didn’t quite replicate that production in 2018, he still enjoyed a strong performance at the plate. In 594 plate appearances, he hit .242/.350/.457 with 25 big flies and 34 doubles in the heart of the Toronto batting order.
Smoak’s initial two-year, $8.5MM extension with the Blue Jays back in the summer of 2016 drew some criticism but ultimately proved to be a feather in the cap of GM Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro. His option value jumped from $6MM to $8MM this season when he reached a combined total of 1100 PAs between the 2017-18 seasons, and he’ll now give the Jays either an affordable middle-of-the-order bat for the 2019 season or an interesting trade chip to market to other clubs this winter or next summer. While slugging first basemen generally haven’t been valued as much in recent seasons as they were even five years ago, Smoak still ranks among the game’s most productive hitters over the past two seasons and is a legitimate bargain at that modest one-year commitment.
Mike Moustakas, Joakim Soria Decline Mutual Options
The Brewers announced Tuesday that third baseman Mike Moustakas and right-hander Joakim Soria have both declined their half of their 2019 mutual options. Moustakas’ option came with a $15MM value, while Soria’s was worth $10MM. Both players received a $1MM buyout and are now free agents.
[Related: Updated Milwaukee Brewers depth chart and payroll outlook]
Moustakas, who turned 30 last month, was traded from Kansas City to Milwaukee prior to the non-waiver trade deadline (in exchange for Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez) and went on to hit .256/.326/.441 with eight homers in 218 plate appearances as Milwaukee’s primary third baseman. On the season as a whole, the longtime Royals slugger hit .251/.315/.459 with 28 long balls and 33 doubles.
It’s the second consecutive quality season at the plate for Moustakas since returning from a 2016 ACL tear, and it’s bold, to an extent, to see him turn down the guaranteed $15MM he could’ve secured (if the Brewers were similarly comfortable paying him at that rate, which isn’t a given). Moustakas and agent Scott Boras found extremely limited interest in free agency last winter on the heels of a superior offensive season to the one he just concluded.
It’s certainly possible that Moustakas turned down some multi-year offers early in free agency and was ultimately forced to settle for his eventual one-year, $6.5MM deal after those suitors pursued alternative options. But now that he’s a year older and coming off a worse season with a relatively characteristic platoon split, it’d be hard to say that Moustakas did anything to truly elevate his profile in 2018. It’s true that he can no longer be saddled with a qualifying offer, which unquestionably sapped his market last offseason, so at the very least he’ll have that burden lifted as he explores the free-agent market for a second time.
As for Soria, the final season of his three-year, $25MM pact (also signed with the Royals) was arguably the best of the three. In 60 2/3 innings, the 34-year-old pitched to a tidy 3.12 ERA while averaging 11.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 0.59 HR/9 with a 35.7 percent ground-ball rate. Despite the fact that he’s entering his mid-30s, Soria posted the best swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent) and opponents’ chase rate (34.1 percent) of his impressive career. With that type of swing-and-miss ability in his back pocket, he’ll likely have little trouble topping the $10MM guarantee he’d have been promised had he instead accepted the option.
Agent: Realmuto “Is Not Going To Sign An Extension In Miami”
While the Marlins have previously made it clear that they hoped to discuss a long-term contract with star catcher J.T. Realmuto this offseason, it sounds like Realmuto’s camp has other ideas. In an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today (Twitter link, with audio), agent Jeff Berry of CAA Baseball told host Scott Braun that Realmuto “has informed the Marlins’ ownership, he’s informed their front office he’s not going to sign an extension in Miami.” Berry also indicated that he thinks Realmuto “will definitely be wearing a different uniform” by Spring Training 2019.
That, it should be stressed, still doesn’t mean Realmuto will be traded this offseason. He was among the most coveted trade assets in baseball last winter and remained with the Marlins, even after Berry publicly requested that the Miami front office trade his client. Fresh off a terrific season in which he batted .277/.340/.484 with 21 homers and 30 doubles, Realmuto will once again be in high demand. He’s projected to earn $6.1MM via arbitration, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and he’s controlled through the 2020 season.
Adding Realmuto would be a transformative move for a number of hopeful contenders. The Dodgers and Phillies are set to lose Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos to free agency, while the Nationals have a clear vacancy behind the dish after a disappointing two-year deal with Matt Wieters has now reached its conclusion. The Astros, meanwhile, will bid adieu to Brian McCann, and the Rockies have had issues behind the plate for the past several seasons. Atlanta recently extended Tyler Flowers through 2019 but will see Kurt Suzuki reach free agency this weekend. The World Series champion Red Sox, meanwhile, received underwhelming production from the trio of Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez and seldom-used Blake Swihart. Milwaukee could surely look to upgrade over Manny Pina and already pulled off one blockbuster with the Marlins (Christian Yelich). The Angels and Athletics have little in the way of immediately ready catching options in the organizations, and the Twins could use an upgrade behind the dish as well.
Frankly, even hopeful contenders with established options behind the dish are likely to inquire on Realmuto, as he’d be an upgrade over the vast majority of backstops in the league. Only Grandal and Salvador Perez hit more home runs than Realmuto, while only Ramos turned in a wRC+ mark greater than Realmuto’s 127 (that is to say, Realmuto produced at a rate roughly 27 percent better than a league-average hitter after adjusting for his league and home ballpark). The average MLB catcher’s offense, conversely, was 16 percent worse than that of a league-average hitter by that same measure.
The Marlins could opt to hang onto Realmuto and enjoy another season of excellent production from one of the game’s best young backstops. But the concrete affirmation from his agent that there will be no extension talks does figure to once again stoke the flames, so to speak, when it comes to trade interest in Realmuto. Given the sheer volume of contending clubs who could use help behind the plate, it stands to reason that the Marlins could extract a significant haul of prospects and young, MLB-ready talent in return for their 27-year-old All-Star. And, with the clock ticking and just two years of club control remaining, odds are that his trade value will never be higher than it is this winter.
Royals Decline Jason Hammel’s Option
The Royals announced that they’ve declined their half of right-hander Jason Hammel‘s mutual option, thereby making him a free agent. Hammel will receive a $2MM buyout rather than a $12MM salary for the 2019 season and will hit the open market in search of a new club.
[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals depth chart and payroll outlook]
The 36-year-old Hammel’s two-year pact with Kansas City proved to be a sizable misstep for the organization, as the veteran righty limped to a 5.29 ERA in 180 1/3 innings in 2017 before turning in a 6.09 ERA in 127 frames in 2018. Hammel lost his rotation spot in Kansas City this season and finished the year in long relief for a Royals club that finished last in the American League Central.
Prior to his time in Kansas City, though, Hammel enjoyed a solid three-year run with the Athletics and Cubs. From 2014-16, he tallied 513 2/3 innings of 3.68 ERA ball, averaging 8.3 strikeouts and 2.4 walks per nine innings pitched. He saw his strikeout rate deteriorate with the Royals, though, and his ability to strand runners plummeted from roughly league-average territory to one of the worst in baseball with men on base. Those struggles seem likely to make it difficult for his camp to find a guaranteed role on a staff in 2019, but he’ll presumably still be viewed as a low-cost depth option by a number of teams.