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Adeiny Hechavarria

Mets Select Adeiny Hechavarria, Option Dominic Smith

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4:35pm: Hechavarria recently triggered an opt-out clause in his deal, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter), thus forcing the Mets to decide between bringing him onto the MLB roster and allowing him to become a free agent.

Notably, he has agreed to an advance consent clause with the Mets, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweets. If the club outrights Hechavarria, and he clears waivers, he will not be able to elect free agency while still receiving his full remaining MLB salary (as players with 5+ years of service are allowed to do by rule).

Righty Drew Smith was shifted to the 60-day IL to create 40-man roster space.

4:13pm: The Mets have selected the contract of veteran infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, the club tells reporters including Tim Britton of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll take the active roster spot of first baseman Dominic Smith, who was optioned back to Triple-A.

The 30-year-old Hechavarria is a slick-fielding shortstop who settled for a minor-league pact this winter. He’ll boost the club’s defensive flexibility, though he isn’t historically much with the bat. Hechavarria is off to a strong start at Triple-A (.348/.382/.446 in 102 plate appearances).

Smith, 23, has hit quite well in limited chances this year in the big leagues. Through 37 plate appearances, the former top prospect owns a .333/.459/.400 slash with six walks against just seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, he’s a bit buried on the depth chart. Carrying a lefty bench bat of this sort is something of a luxury for a National League team. It’s certainly possible to imagine Smith reemerging to play an important role if a need arises; he might also become interesting trade bait.

Mets Assign Six NRI Veterans To Minor League Camp

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The Mets have cut several veterans at Spring Training on minor league contracts from their Major League camp.  Carlos Gomez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Rajai Davis, Hector Santiago, Ryan O’Rourke, and Devin Mesoraco are the non-roster invitees who have all been told they aren’t making the Opening Day roster.  (Tim Healey of Newsday was one of several reporters who passed on the news.)  Of note, Mesoraco didn’t have an opt-out clause in his contract, though the Mets said that the catcher is “reassessing his situation” with the organization.

Mesoraco, Hechavarria, and Davis each had upward mobility clauses in their contracts that went into effect last Wednesday, though there hasn’t been any word on whether any other teams had interest in any of the trio.  This doesn’t appear to have been the case for Mesoraco, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that Mesoraco has informed the Mets that he won’t go to Triple-A, and wants to be released.  Mesoraco is even prepared to retire if he isn’t granted his release, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter).

Mesoraco’s situation is perhaps the most surprising, as indications were that he would serve as the backup catcher, since Travis d’Arnaud is likely to begin the season on the injured list.  This could mean that a change in d’Arnaud’s status, or that the Mets would simply instead prefer to use another internal candidate in Tomas Nido as Wilson Ramos’ backup.

The Mets’ outfield situation was already pretty crowded, so Gomez and Davis faced something of an uphill battle in winning jobs.  Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto have everyday jobs spoken for, while Jeff McNeil will get at least a share of the left field playing time, with Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares serving as backup outfielders.

O’Rourke pitched quite well in camp while Santiago struggled, though in the end, the Mets chose to take neither left-hander on their Opening Day roster.  This will leave Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan (another minor league signing who is likely to make the team) as the southpaw options out of New York’s bullpen.

The Hechavarria news bodes well for Luis Guillorme’s chances of winning the utility infield job.  McNeil will also see some time in the infield mix when he isn’t playing left field, and J.D. Davis looks to be the team’s top option at third base for the time being.  Of course, the Mets’ infield situation will be in flux once Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie are healthy.

Mets Notes: Alonso, Smith, Non-Roster Vets, Bunting

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The Mets could potentially carry Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith on the active roster to open the regular season, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Skipper Mickey Callaway says the two first baseman won’t function in a platoon if that does indeed come to pass, but he didn’t divulge how playing time between the two would be divided. Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News weighs in further on the matter, suggesting that it’s possible that one first baseman could start a game, go five or six innings, and then be lifted in the event that a more favorable matchup for the other comes along later in the game. It’s perhaps worth noting that Smith has some limited experience in the outfield, although the Mets’ outfield already is already crowded with Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares on board. Both Alonso and Smith have tattooed opposing pitchers this spring, with Alonso raking at a .360/.396/.680 clip and Smith impressing as well at .349/.404/.465.

More on the Mets…

  • Several non-roster veterans who are trying to win a job with the Mets have upward mobility clauses in their contracts that have gone into effect, Newsday’s Tim Healey writes. Each of Devin Mesoraco, Adeiny Hechavarria and Rajai Davis had that clause kick into effect Wednesday. In essence, the Mets had until today to either add that trio to the 40-man roster or inform other clubs that each is available. Should another club express a willingness to put any of those players on the big league roster between now and Friday, the Mets would have the opportunity to add him to their own 40-man roster or or allow him to leave for the big league opportunity. Per Healey, left-hander Luis Avilan has the same clause in his contract, but it won’t go into effect for another few days.
  • In an effort to counteract increasingly popular defensive shifts, the Mets are placing an organization-wide emphasis on improving bunting skills and hitting to the opposite field, writes DiComo. Offseason acquisitions Robinson Cano and Jed Lowrie are adept at hitting to the opposite field, DiComo notes, and new hitting coach Chili Davis has been working with frequently shifted lefties like Conforto and Smith to improve their ability to take the ball the other way. “I have a philosophy that the way to beat analytics is to go against analytics,” said manager Mickey Callaway. Of course, some opponents may consider it a victory if they can wipe out the possibility of an extra-base hit from one of the Mets’ more dangerous hitters (e.g. Conforto) by coaxing a bunt attempt. The Mets, as DiComo outlines, have worked extensively on bunting drills throughout camp in preparation to challenge some shifts during the upcoming season.

Mets Sign Adeiny Hechavarria

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3:54pm: Hechavarria’s contract comes with a $3MM base salary if he makes the roster — a rather large base salary for a minor league pact — per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link). He could also earn a $1MM bonus for spending 100 days on the active roster and another $1MM for reaching 150 days on the active roster.

Feb. 18, 12:50pm: The Mets have now announced the signing.

Feb. 17: The Mets have signed infielder Adeiny Hechavarria to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Hechavarria will have a chance to continue in New York, where he spent the last month of the 2018 season after the Yankees acquired him from the Pirates. As a member of the Yanks, Bucs and Rays in 2018, Hechavarria hit a modest .249/.279/.336 in 321 plate appearances. The subpar offensive numbers the 29-year-old Hechavarria registered were in line with his career totals, as he has only managed a .635 OPS in 3,004 PAs since debuting with the Blue Jays in 2012.

While offense has never been Hechavarria’s calling card, he has established himself as a defensive whiz. Over nearly 7,000 innings, almost all of which have come at shortstop, Hechavarria has accounted for 22 runs saved and a plus-13.1 Ultimate Zone Rating in the majors. Hechavarria’s glovework could help him earn a backup role behind Mets starting shortstop Amed Rosario, as Healey notes he has a legitimate chance to win a bench spot with the club.

Yankees Designate Shane Robinson

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The Yankees have designated outfielder Shane Robinson for assignment, per a report from YES Network’s Jack Curry. Presumably, the move was made to clear room on the roster for the recently-acquired Adeiny Hechavarria.

Somewhat of an unspectacular journeyman, Robinson has played a part-time outfielder role for the Cardinals, Twins, Angels and Yankees throughout the course of his ten-year MLB career. Overall, he’s been worth about half a win above replacement across 849 plate appearances at the game’s highest level; that performance includes a .221/.288/.292 batting line with seven home runs and 19 stolen bases.

The 33-year-old has managed a pathetic wRC+ of just 16 across the 2018 season, but his decent performance on the basepaths and good fielding measures have kept his fWAR rating at about replacement level. He’s also been tough to strike out, whiffing at just an 11.1% clip on the year. Robinson was drafted by the Cardinals back in 2006 and is currently playing on an MLB minimum contract.

August 31st Trade Deadline Recap

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A flurry of activity came yesterday in advance of the deadline to acquire postseason-eligible players via trade. In case you weren’t able to keep track of it all, here’s a roundup of the swaps made by MLB organizations on August 31st, 2018, sorted by the team on the acquiring end of the major-leaguer involved.

AL West

AL Central

  • The Indians acquired Josh Donaldson from the Blue Jays. Toronto will send $2.7MM to Cleveland as well, and they’ll get back a player to be named later, the quality of which will be dependent upon how Donaldson’s health situation progresses.

AL East

  • The Yankees took Adeiny Hechavarria off the Pirates’ hands in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. It’s not yet known how much cash the Bucs will chip in to help pay the ~$1MM still owed to Hechavarria.
  • The Yankees also pried Andrew McCutchen from the Giants. San Francisco gets infield prospect Abiatal Avelino and right-handed pitching prospect Juan De Paula.

NL West

NL Central

NL East

  • (No trades)

Yankees Acquire Adeiny Hechavarria

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The Yankees have announced that they have acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from the Pirates. Cash will also go to New York in the deal, with a player to be named later or cash considerations heading back to Pittsburgh. New York designated southpaw Ryan Bollinger to open a 40-man spot.

Hechavarria is not much of a hitter, but is widely regarded as a high-quality defender at shortstop. He’ll presumably be viewed as a late-inning defensive asset for the Yanks, who have a variety of options around the infield as situations warrant. And with Didi Gregorius still working back from injury, Hechavarria also represents something of an insurance policy.

Thus far in 2018, Hechavarria has slashed .254/.287/.342 in 284 plate appearances. That’s nearly an exact match for his lifetime batting line of .255/.291/.345, compiled over nearly three thousand trips to the plate, so there isn’t much mystery about his offensive capabilities.

With the glove, Hech continues to draw well-above-average grades, so the situation is clear there as well. He has played almost exclusively at short in his career, but did see time as a rookie at second and third base as well.

This is now the second time Hechavarria has changed hands in August. Earlier in the month, he went from the Rays to the Bucs. Now, he’ll move again, with both of those organizations still responsible for a portion of the remainder of his $5.9MM salary. Hechavarria will be a free agent at the end of the year.

While it’s still possible the Pirates will pick up a minor prospect in this swap, it seems rather clear that the move was designed to clear a bit of salary and keep the roster clear for younger players. As with the late-breaking trade of David Freese, the move came at the very tail end of tonight’s deadline for teams to acquire players with postseason eligibility.

It’s another unfortunate break for Bollinger in a season that has otherwise surely been out of a dream. He has twice made it onto the MLB roster after an unlikely journey, but has yet to throw a ball in a big-league contest. The 27-year-old carries a 3.87 ERA in 111 2/3 innings in the upper minors most of them at Double-A, with 7.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pirates Acquire Adeiny Hechavarria

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7:04pm: Pittsburgh will only pay Hechavarria a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary, per Ron Blum of the Associated Press (via the AP’s Will Graves, on Twitter).

3:15pm: The Pirates have acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from the Rays in exchange for right-hander Matt Seelinger, as per press releases from both teams.  Tampa Bay will also send the Bucs some money in the trade.

Hechavarria was designated for assignment last Wednesday, after the Rays couldn’t find a taker for him (and the approximately $1.9MM still owed to him in salary this season) before the trade deadline.  One would think the cash considerations headed from Tampa to Pittsburgh in the deal will cover most, if not all, of that remaining salary.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reported over the weekend that Hechavarria was thought to have cleared trade waivers, which appears to be the case.

Over 2920 career plate appearances with the Rays, Marlins, and Blue Jays, Hechavarria has only hit .255/.291/.344, only coming closest to being a league-average hitter when he posted a modest 92 OPS+ and 89 wRC+ during the 2015 season.  He has still provided value, however, thanks to consistently strong glovework at shortstop.  Hechavarria has declined a bit in this area in 2018 (+4 Defensive Runs Saved, 1.0 UZR/150), though he still boasts +23 DRS and a 2.7 UZR/150 over his career at short.

This represents an upgrade from longtime Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who has below-average defensive numbers over his career and is only a marginally better hitter with a career .257/.318/.384 slash line.  Mercer is also a free agent after the season, so this is the clearest sign yet that his long tenure in Pittsburgh is likely coming to an end.

The Pirates continue to be surprising buyers down the stretch, as the team has now acquired Hechavarria and Chris Archer in separate trades with the Rays, and also picked up reliever Keone Kela from the Rangers.  At 57-55, the Bucs are still on the outskirts of the playoff race, entering today 7.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and five games out of a wild card position.  Archer and Kela are at least controlled beyond 2018, whereas Hechavarria is a free agent this winter and thus a pure rental for the Pirates.  The team does rank near the bottom of the league in both DRS (-47) and UZR/150 (-3.1) this season, so the Bucs could see this deal as a low-cost way of patching up a hole on defense.

Seelinger was a 28th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, and he has posted a 2.44 ERA, 12.8 K/9, and 4.45 K/BB rate over 62 2/3 minor league innings.  Seelinger has pitched exclusively as a reliever in his pro career, and he’ll continue at the A-ball level with Tampa Bay’s affiliate in Bowling Green.

East Notes: Mets, Bautista, Rays, Hechavarria

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The latest on a pair of East Coast franchises…

  • Even if the Mets trade Jose Bautista this month, it’s “likely” they’ll attempt to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent prior to next season, Mike Puma of the New York Post hears (Twitter link). Signing Bautista, whom New York added May 22 shortly after the division-rival Braves released him, is one of the few moves that have paid off in a disastrous season for the Mets. The Blue Jays legend has slashed a useful .215/.364/.390 with six home runs in 214 plate appearances during his two-plus-month run with the Amazins. If he does continue his career in 2019, Bautista – who has primarily lined up in the outfield with the Mets after a short-lived third base experiment with the Braves – will play his age-38 campaign.
  • The belief is Rays shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria has cleared waivers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. If true, the Rays could trade Hechavarria to any team. Tampa Bay designated Hechavarria this week after watching the 29-year-old offer his usual blend of weak offense and strong defense in 2018. Hechavarria hit just .258/.289/.332 in 237 PAs, but he did total four Defensive Runs Saved in the field. He’s due around $1.9MM for the rest of the season, Topkin notes.
  • Back to the Mets, who are in the midst of increasing catcher Kevin Plawecki’s playing time as they look toward 2019, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes. Plawecki started for the fourth time in five games Saturday and, per DiComo, is a lock to return to the Mets next season. The only question is whether the 27-year-old will start or serve as a backup. Current starter Devin Mesoraco is set to hit free agency in the offseason, meaning he’ll cede playing time to Plawecki down the stretch. The Mets can still control catcher Travis d’Arnaud for another season via arbitration, but injuries have long haunted the 29-year-old – including in 2018, which ended for him in early April on account of a UCL tear in his right elbow. Shortly after, the Mets lost Plawecki to a hairline fracture in his left hand, but he was able to return in late May. Injury aside, this has been a decent offensive season for Plawecki, who has slashed .231/.345/.372 in 142 PAs. Plawecki is scheduled to go through his first of four potential trips through arbitration over the winter.

Rays Designate Adeiny Hechavarria

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The Rays have designated shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria for assignment, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). That opens a roster spot for newly-acquired outfielder Tommy Pham.

Hechavarria, 29, has long been viewed as a talented defender at shortstop but has never hit all that much. While he has at times produced palatable numbers at the plate, he has stumbled to a .258/.289/.332 slash in 237 plate appearances this year in Tampa Bay.

While the Rays shopped Hechavarria around at the deadline, they obviously weren’t able to find a taker. It surely did not help that several other glove-first infielders were also available (and, likely, still are). He’s also earning a relatively robust $5.9MM this year in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

The Rays will owe the remainder of that sum unless he’s traded or claimed. Alternatively, if the veteran ends up reaching the open market and later returns to the bigs with another team, the Rays could save a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary.

Whether or not he moves straight onto another MLB roster, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Hechavarria return to the majors in the near-term as a utility infielder. While UZR hasn’t been as enthused as usual with the veteran’s glovework, DRS still grades him as a clear positive and he has a track record of excellent defending.

The expectation in Tampa Bay is that the team will now give an opportunity to top shortstop prospect Willy Adames. The 22-year-old has struggled with the bat in his first 125 MLB plate appearances, slashing just .200/.256/.296, but is widely considered a dynamic talent and entered the season ranked among the game’s twenty or so best prospects.

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