Brandon Kintzler

Free Agent Notes: Braun, Shreve, Kintzler, Marlins, Rondon

By Mark Polishuk | February 2, 2021 at 3:00pm CDT

The Brewers continue to remain in touch with Ryan Braun, but GM David Stearns told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter links) that there isn’t much new to report about the possibility of a reunion between the two sides. Braun hit free agency for the first time in his career after the Brew Crew declined their half of a $14MM option on his services for 2021, on the heels of an injury-hampered season that saw Braun hit .233/.281/.488 over 141 plate appearances.

After starting 15 games as a designated hitter last season, it’s quite possible Braun’s chances of a return to Milwaukee could hinge on whether or not the universal DH is a part of the 2021 season. Stearns gave no specifics on this front, other than to say that his team is making preparations to play either with or without a DH in the lineup. While Braun is entering his age-37 season and doesn’t exactly fit the Brewers’ preferred model of multi-positional players, his 14-year tenure as the face of the franchise could create some room for a return — perhaps for just a final season, as Braun has weighed the idea of retirement but also said he wants to play another year.

Free Agent Rumblings: JBJ, Hamels, King Felix, Marlins, Anderson

By Steve Adams and Connor Byrne | December 8, 2020 at 9:05pm CDT

The Red Sox aren’t ruling out a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr., as general manager Brian O’Halloran told reporters yesterday that the longtime Sox center fielder is “definitely on our radar” (link via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). Bradley has been linked to Toronto (who hasn’t?) and Houston thus far in the offseason, and the center fielder himself told former teammate Will Middlebrooks in a recent podcast appearance that he’s heard from multiple clubs in free agency. Bradley, 30, is a perennial defensive standout who posted a quality .283/.364/.450 slash this past season, although as is often the case when looking at a small sample of 2020 data, that output was fueled by a frenetic hot streak to close out the year. Bradley hit .248/.316/.352 through his first 117 plate appearances before exploding with a .326/.420/.570 slash in his final 100 plate appearances. Bradley hasn’t been the most consistent hitter, but over the past six years he hasn’t seen his wRC+ or OPS+ dip lower than 89 in a full season. From 2015-20, Bradley has been a roughly league-average hitter by those same measures (.247/.331/.438 in 2751 plate appearances).

Some more free-agent chatter as the virtual Winter Meetings continue…

There are “several teams” that have shown interest in southpaw Cole Hamels, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is coming off a season almost fully lost to arm injuries, so he was unable to live up to the $18MM contract the Braves handed him last winter. However, as someone who has been a terrific starter for most of his career, Hamels could be an interesting buy-low pickup for someone if he’s healthy. Hamels would consider throwing a showcase for teams if it’s possible, according to Heyman.
More from Heyman, who writes (on Twitter) that there is interest in righty Felix Hernandez. Although King Felix, then with Atlanta, opted out of last season, it’s “likely” he’ll return to the mound next year. While the 34-year-old Hernandez had to settle for a minor league contract last winter, the longtime Mariner and former AL Cy Young winner had a legitimate shot at earning a Braves rotation spot before he decided not to play.
Right-hander Brandon Kintzler and the Marlins have mutual interest in a reunion, SportsGrid’s Craig Mish reports (Twitter links), but the Fish might not be eyeing him as a closing option this time around. While Kintzler notched a dozen saved for Miami last year, Mish notes that Miami is hoping to add a hard-throwing option to take up ninth-inning duties in 2021. The 36-year-old Kintzler posted a 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings this past season but managed just 14 strikeouts against 11 walks. Kintzler’s hefty 57.3 percent grounder rate helps to offset his lack of missed bats, but his 91.3 mph average velocity on his sinker doesn’t really align with the Marlins’ apparent desire to add a power arm for the ninth inning.
There is plenty of interest in lefty Tyler Anderson, per Heyman (Twitter link). Anderson became a free agent last week when the Giants non-tendered him. The 30-year-old had been projected to earn anywhere from $2.4MM to $4.3MM in arbitration, but the Giants decided that was too rich for someone who has historically been a back-end starter. Also an ex-Rockie, Anderson has posted a 4.65 ERA/4.46 FIP with 8.04 K/9 and 2.94 BB/9 in 456 2/3 innings.

NL East Notes: Kingston, Phillies, Marlins, Kintzler, deGrom

By Mark Polishuk | November 21, 2020 at 2:20pm CDT

The Phillies are considering Dodgers assistant GM Jeff Kingston for their general manager position, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (Twitter link). Kingston joins a rather short list of names linked to the Phils’ front office search thus far, as former Marlins GM Michael Hill is also expected to interview for the president of baseball operations position and the Phillies will also make something of a longer-shot appeal to gauge Theo Epstein’s interest in the PoBO role.

Kingston has been the Dodgers’ AGM for the last two seasons and worked in the same role with the Mariners from 2016-18, also briefly serving as Seattle’s interim general manager before Jerry Dipoto was hired. Most recently, Kingston was a finalist for the Angels’ GM opening before Perry Minasian was hired. It would be somewhat unusual if the Phillies hired Kingston or anyone else as general manager before hiring a president of baseball ops, though it remains to be seen if Philadelphia is necessarily embarking on a full-fledged search, since it remains possible that current PoBO Andy MacPhail and interim GM Ned Rice could remain in their current roles through the 2021 season.

Marlins Decline Brandon Kintzler’s Option

By Connor Byrne | October 30, 2020 at 4:33pm CDT

The Marlins have declined their $4MM option over right-handed reliever Brandon Kintzler, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Kintzler will receive a $225K buyout, but the Marlins remain interested in bringing him back at a lesser rate than he would have gotten had they exercised his option.

After a solid season with the Cubs in 2019, Kintzler joined the Marlins on a $3.25MM guarantee last winter. Although their bullpen ended up as one of the worst in the league in 2020, Kintzler was a good contributor. Across 24 2/3 innings, the 36-year-old managed a stingy 2.22 ERA, a 57.3 percent groundball rate and 12 saves in 14 chances, thus helping the Marlins to their first playoff berth since 2003.

On the downside, Kintzler recorded one of the game’s worst K/BB ratios (1.27), posting 5.18 K/9 against 4.07 BB/9. In fairness to Kintzler, though, he hasn’t been a high-strikeout pitcher throughout his career, and his ability to keep the ball on the ground has led to a quality 3.31 ERA with several different teams over 448 2/3 major league innings.

Marlins Hope To Keep Brandon Kintzler

By Connor Byrne | October 26, 2020 at 7:37pm CDT

The Marlins are interested in retaining right-handed reliever Brandon Kintzler heading into next season, Craig Mish of Sportsgrid tweets. The team has a $4MM option for next year, or it could buy Kintzler out for $250K and see him return to the open market.

The 36-year-old Kintzler isn’t far from his latest trip to free agency, where he signed a $3.25MM with the Marlins last offseason. Kintzler then pitched to a sterling 2.22 ERA, converted 12 of 14 save opportunities and posted 5.18 K/9 against 4.07 BB/9, albeit with a 5.00 FIP, over 24 1/3 innings.

In fairness to Kintzler, fielding-independent pitching metrics have leaned against him throughout his career, though his results have been good, as his sterling 56.2 percent groundball rate has helped him to a 3.31 ERA since he debuted in 2010. Kintzler has teamed that with a 3.80 FIP and 6.28 K/9 and 2.43 BB/9 over 448 2/3 frames during his time in the majors.

Brandon Kintzler Drawing Trade Interest

By Steve Adams | August 31, 2020 at 8:27am CDT

Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler is drawing trade interest, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, but with Miami still vying for a surprise postseason bid, it’s unlikely that he’ll be moved at this point. More likely candidates to be dealt by the Marlins are lefty Caleb Smith and righty Jose Urena, per Heyman. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro also lists Urena and Smith as players who “possibly could” be moved, adding outfielder Harold Ramirez to that tier.

The 36-year-old Kintzler is having a fairly typical season: tons of grounders, few strikeouts and very few walks. In 12 1/3 frames with Miami, he’s posted a 2.92 ERA with seven punchouts (5.1 K/9), three walks (2.2 BB/9) and a huge 59.5 percent ground-ball rate. Since establishing himself as a big leaguer back in 2013, Kintzler has only turned in a grounder rate south of 54 percent in one season, when he put up a 49.7 percent mark in 2018. His career 56.3 percent rate is tied for 37th among 499 qualified relievers since his MLB debut.

Kintzler is playing out the 2020 season on a one-year, $3.25MM contract, but that pact contains a reasonable $4MM option for the 2021 season, so he’s not a strict rental. This year’s $3MM base salary — the option has a $250K buyout — is prorated to about $1.08MM, and he’s still owed roughly $452K of that sum over the remaining four weeks.

Urena, meanwhile, has been a rumored trade candidate for a year or so now. He’s yet to pitch in 2020 after being among the team’s 18 players to test positive for the coronavirus, and he didn’t throw especially well in 2019, when he turned in a 5.21 ERA and 4.74 FIP in 84 2/3 frames. Urena, though, has had success as a starter — 3.90 ERA in 343 2/3 innings from 2017-18 — and is controllable through the 2021 season. He’s a non-tender candidate with the Marlins this winter, so perhaps another club could get a month-long look at him for a relatively negligible return.

The 29-year-old Smith is controlled all the way through 2023 and is a more interesting target for pitching-hungry clubs. He’s missed bats in droves since being acquired from the Yankees prior to the 2018 season, fanning 259 hitters in 233 2/3 innings as a Marlin. He’s also been plagued by injuries in that time, though, including a brutal Grade 3 lat strain in 2018 and a hip injury that cost him just shy of a month last year. Smith was placed on the injured list earlier this month after the Marlins’ Covid-19 outbreak and has pitched just three innings so far. He looked rusty, issuing six free passes in that time. Overall, he has a 4.39 ERA and 10.0 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in his time with Miami.

Ramirez, 25, has yet to return since the team’s outbreak but posted a solid .276/.312/.416 batting line with 11 homers, 20 doubles and three triples in 446 plate appearances with the Fish a year ago. He’s controlled all the way through the 2025 season, leaving no urgency to move him, but Miami has quite a few corner-outfield alternatives. Corey Dickerson is signed through 2021, while Brian Anderson has proven capable of oscillating between right field and third base. The Marlins have gotten initial looks at Monte Harrison and Jesus Sanchez this year, and they still have Garrett Cooper, Lewis Brinson and Magneuris Sierra in the outfield picture as well.

Mild Calf Tear Sidelines Brandon Morrow For 10-14 Days

By TC Zencka | February 29, 2020 at 12:22pm CDT

The whack-a-mole game that is Brandon Morrow’s body continues to keep him from his comeback. He threw earlier this week and appeared to be on track, until a twinge of pain in his calf during a run revealed a mild tear, per The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma (via Twitter). The injury is minor, with Morrow projected to be sidelined for a mere 10-14 days.

Still, given the absolute deluge of elbow, bicep, and back injuries Morrow has undergone over the last couple of seasons, it’s fair to sound the alarms here. This latest setback is innocuous enough in a vacuum, and yet it certainly takes on greater significance given Morrow’s recent history. Even a short-term injury such as this one has to put Morrow’s availability for opening day in question.

The Cubs bullpen is primed for a re-characterization after moving on from veterans like Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, and Mike Montgomery, who was dealt to Kansas City at last year’s deadline. Morrow, 35, re-joined the Cubs on a minor league deal after being physically unable to contribute for the entire second season of his original two-year deal with Chicago. At this point, he has to be considered a long shot to make the team, fun as his reemergence would be.

Closer Role Notes: Red Sox, Pirates, Marlins

By Jeff Todd | February 13, 2020 at 8:03am CDT

The notion of a closer’s role has evolved over the years, but there’s never been any doubt of the importance of a reliable late-inning relief strategy. While some organizations prefer more flexible arrangements, quite a few still utilize dedicated ninth-inning men. Settling on a closer isn’t just important to a team and to fantasy baseball gurus. It’s also a factor in a player’s trade and free agent status and — especially — to his potential arbitration earnings.

Here are some early notes on spring closer situations from around the game …

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke made rather clear that he views Brandon Workman as the top closing option entering camp, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. The club isn’t making anything official just yet, but the comments from the just-minted skipper give him a strong presumption. That’s not too surprising: the 31-year-old Workman emerged as a premium pen arm last year, when he racked up 71 2/3 innings of 1.88 ERA ball with 13.1 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9. He does have some experience closing out games, having finished 16 Boston wins as part of a committee approach last year.
For the Pirates, there’ll be no waiting: new skipper Derek Shelton says Keone Kela will handle the ninth, as Adam Berry of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Kela’s time in Pittsburgh hasn’t exactly been smooth, but he’s undeniably talented enough to do the job and will now be challenged with added responsibility as the organization seeks to turn the page on a brutal 2019 season. There were numerous problems on and off the field for the Bucs. By far the most important was the arrest of closer Felipe Vazquez on charges so awful that it’s hard even to think of the matter from a baseball perspective. But the organization has obviously had to make decisions to account for that departure. There is plenty of incentive for Kela, who will be a free agent at season’s end. If things go better for the 26-year-old than for the remainder of the Pirates team, he could also feature as a significant mid-season trade piece.
The Marlins have set about compiling a new-look bullpen this winter. It seems it’ll be anchored by one of the club’s recent veteran additions. Manager Don Mattingly strongly suggested that Brandon Kintzler is the top choice to function as closer, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio tweets. The 35-year-old isn’t exactly a prototypical swing-and-miss, capital-C closer type. But he did turn in 57 frames of 2.68 ERA ball last year with a typically strong 54.7% groundball rate. And Kintzler has saved 49 games in his career.

Marlins Designate Jarlin Garcia, Jose Quijada

By Jeff Todd | February 3, 2020 at 4:34pm CDT

The Marlins announced today that they have designated southpaws Jarlin Garcia and Jose Quijada for assignment. Their roster spots will go to Brandon Kintzler and Matt Joyce, whose signings are now official (see here and here).

Young hurlers continue to fly off the Miami 40-man roster. The club vowed to compile a strike-throwing relief corps entering the 2020 season, but it remains surprising to see so many pitchers flowing out — most of them to this point landing on other MLB rosters via claim or trade.

Garcia, 27, is entering his final pre-arbitration season after working to a 3.02 ERA over 50 2/3 innings in 2019. He managed only 6.9 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9, but did post a 46.9% groundball rate and had success at preventing home runs (0.71 per nine, 7.8% HR/FB). Garcia was exceptionally difficult for MLB hitters to square up; he held them to a 31.8% hard-hit rate that sat in the 84th percentile among pitchers leaguewide.

The 24-year-old Quijada had struggled quite a bit last year in his first taste of the majors. He was bombed for a 5.76 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, allowing 10 long balls on a whopping 34.5% HR/FB rate. But Quijada also showed he could get MLB hitters to swing and miss, as he has in the upper minors, by producing a 14.0% swinging-strike rate.

Marlins To Sign Brandon Kintzler

By Mark Polishuk | January 25, 2020 at 9:28pm CDT

The Marlins have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Brandon Kintzler, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports. The deal will pay Kintzler $3.25MM in guaranteed money — $3MM in 2020 salary, and a $250K buyout of a $4MM club option for the 2021 season. In the event of a trade before the 2020 season is out, the 2021 club option increases to $5MM with a $500K buyout. Kintzler is represented by Kevin Kohler.

Miami has been linked to the 35-year-old Kintzler for the last few weeks, with MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reporting earlier today that the two sides were “working on a deal.” With Kintzler now in the fold, it would seemingly put an end to the Marlins’ pursuit of Pedro Strop, another former Cubs reliever Miami was also considering as a ninth-inning option.

Now, Kintzler will step back into a closer’s role for the first time since the 2017 season. Kintzler has spent the bulk of his career outside of save situations, though he did total 46 saves with the Twins and Nationals over the 2016-17 seasons. 2018, however, was a rougher ride for Kintzler, who struggled to a 7.00 ERA over 18 innings with the Cubs after the Nationals dealt him at the trade deadline.

After working to “simplify my mechanics” last Spring Training, Kintzler bounced back in impressive fashion, posting a 2.68 ERA, 3.69 K/BB rate, 7.6 K/9, and 54.7% grounder rate over 57 innings out of the Chicago bullpen in 2019. Despite being in the bottom eighth percentile of hard-hit ball rate, opposing batters couldn’t do much with that hard contact, as Kintzler also posted a low exit velocity (19th percentile) and limited batters to a .265 wOBA that was only slightly lower than his .286 xwOBA.

Kintzler brings some closing experience and, with 10 MLB seasons to his name, simply some experience overall to a mostly-young Marlins bullpen. With Kintzler looking like the favorite to handle the ninth inning, Miami can deploy Jose Urena, Ryne Stanek, Drew Steckenrider, or any other potential closer candidates in other high-leverage roles to gauge their readiness for any save situations. Since the Marlins are still rebuilding, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kintzler shopped at the trade deadline if the right-hander is pitching well, and the extra control offered by the 2021 club option could increase his trade value over pure rental pitchers.

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