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Javier Lopez

Javier Lopez Retires

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Veteran left-hander Javier Lopez has decided to retire, he tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

“More than anything, it’s just time,” the 39-year-old Lopez tells Rosenthal. “It’s a young man’s game. Although I think I can compete, it’s getting harder and harder to get ready for spring.”

A former fourth-round pick back in 1998, Lopez was a key member of four World Series teams: the Red Sox in 2007 and the Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. While he struggled with the Rockies early in his career, Lopez eventually solidified himself as a durable, dependable weapon against left-handed opponents and enjoyed a very nice 14-year career in that role.

He’ll finish his career with a 3.48 earned run average, 30 wins, 14 saves, 178 holds and a 358-to-230 K/BB ratio in 533 1/3 regular-season innings. Beyond that, Lopez tossed another 18 postseason innings, recording a 3.50 ERA in addition to his four World Series rings.

Lopez earned more than $28MM in his Major League career, per Baseball-Reference.com. He tells Rosenthal that he’s not certain what’ll come next for him beyond his playing days, but we at MLBTR wish him the very best in whatever lies ahead.

Quick Hits: Lagares, Giants, Lopez, Romo, Holland, Cole

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No-trade protection (whether in the form of contract clauses or 10-and-5 rights) have long been a factor in deal-making.  MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince chronicles some famous instances throughout baseball history of players blocking trades, and some current players mentioned on the rumor mill whose ability to be moved is complicated by their own full or partial no-trade clauses.  Here’s more from around baseball…

  • Mets center fielder Juan Lagares suffered an injury while making a diving catch for his Dominican winter league team, ESPN’s Adam Rubin reports.  X-rays were negative, though Lagares will return to New York to be examined by team doctors.  Lagares has himself received some trade attention this offseason but New York wants to keep the slick-fielding but light-hitting outfielder in a backup role.
  • It doesn’t look like the Giants will be re-signing free agents Gregor Blanco, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan, Jake Peavy or Sergio Romo, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes.  Romo has received “at least a couple of offers” from other clubs, according to Giants sources.  Lopez is likely to retire unless he gets “a great offer” from an East Coast team so he can stay close to his home in Georgia.
  • GM David Stearns declined to say whether or not the Brewers were one of the teams Greg Holland personally met with at the Winter Meetings, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports.  The Brewers did scout Holland’s showcase last month, however, so the Crew can be added to the long list of teams that have some degree of interest in Holland after his return from Tommy John surgery.  The Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Indians, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Mets, Phillies, Tigers, Blue Jays and Royals are all known to have sent scouts to the showcase or have other been linked to Holland this winter.
  • Gerrit Cole tells MLB.com’s Adam Berry that he has yet to talk to the Pirates about his 2017 contract.  MLB Trade Rumors projects Cole to earn $4.2MM in his first time through the arbitration process following a season that saw him post a 3.88 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 116 innings.  While the numbers are solid, they were also Cole’s worst in his four big league seasons, as he suffered through an injury-plagued year.  This performance dip and rather checkered health history could be reasons why the Pirates aren’t planning to discuss an extension with Cole and agent Scott Boras over the winter, though Cole said he is healthy and will begin his offseason throwing program on Monday.

Blue Jays Rumors: Encarnacion, Catchers, Bullpen

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The latest on Toronto:

  • The Blue Jays continue to monitor and stay in touch with free agent first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Encarnacion’s preference is to re-sign with the Jays, but he’s talking less with them than he is with other teams, per Heyman. Notably, Toronto general manager Ross Atkins expressed pessimism Wednesday about re-upping Encarnacion. While the 33-year-old’s market has seemingly shrunk in the past week, agent Paul Kinzer isn’t worried that Encarnacion will have difficulty securing a sizable contract – whether with the Jays or another team. “Not only is he the best player in this class, he’s one of the best in baseball,” Kinzer told Heyman. “We’re going to be fine. He and I are patient. He’s good” (Twitter links here).
  • Having lost left-handed setup man Brett Cecil to the Cardinals, the Blue Jays are on the hunt for a southpaw reliever, leading to interest in Jerry Blevins, Mike Dunn and Javier Lopez, report Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi. However, the contracts given to Cecil (four years, $30.5MM) and fellow lefty Marc Rzepczynski (two years, $11MM) have perhaps driven up the prices for Blevins, Dunn and Lopez, meaning the Jays could scour the trade market for a cheaper option than free agency offers, Nicholson-Smith and Davidi observe.
  • Along with Chris Iannetta, fellow free agent catchers Bobby Wilson and Geovany Soto are on Toronto’s radar, write Nicholson-Smith and Davidi. The Blue Jays are looking for someone to back up Russell Martin, whose 2016 reserves – Josh Thole and Dioner Navarro – are also on the open market.

NL West Notes: Chatwood, Utley, Dozier, Lopez, Romo, Casilla

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Though Tyler Chatwood is entering his last year under contract, there hasn’t been any sign that the Rockies are considering trading the righty, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Chatwood missed all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery and posted solid numbers in his comeback year, managing a 3.87 ERA, 6.66 K/9 and a 57.2% grounder rate over 158 innings.  It’s unclear whether the Rockies can extend Chatwood given his issues pitching at Coors Field, and he’d make a very interesting trade chip in this offseason’s thin free agent pitching market.  That said, given how Colorado has traditionally struggled to find any viable rotation help, the team might prefer to hang onto Chatwood for as long as possible.  Saunders’ entire mailbag piece is well worth a read, as he also addresses such topics as the Rockies’ first base search and new manager Bud Black.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

  • The Dodgers are telling teams they are “very open” to re-signing Chase Utley even as L.A. is still exploring other trades for second base help, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter links).  At this point, it would seem that Utley could be a backup plan for the Dodgers if they couldn’t land a bigger name like Logan Forsythe, Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier.
  • Speaking of Dozier, Berardino also tweets that there isn’t much cooking between the Dodgers and Twins in trade discussions.  “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” one team official tells Berardino about the chances of a deal.
  • The Giants haven’t had serious talks with relievers Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo or Santiago Casilla, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic reports.  Casilla is the least likely to return, as he and the team ended the season on bad terms.  Romo could potentially be an option for San Francisco in January or February if he fails to catch on with another club beforehand.
  • As for Lopez, Pavlovic writes that the veteran southpaw is “said to have a very short list of teams that could keep him out of retirement.”  Lopez has previously hinted at continuing his career, though it appears it could be only under particular circumstances, such as staying with the Giants.  Pavlovic isn’t sure that will happen, as the Giants already have Will Smith, Josh Osich and Steven Okert on hand as left-handed bullpen options.

NL West Notes: Preller, Giants, Rockies, D’Backs

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Padres GM A.J. Preller is back on the job now that his 30-day suspension has ended, though both Preller and the organization may need more time to repair their reputations around baseball.  ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required) reports that several teams will adjust how they negotiate with San Diego from now on, while one team has simply refused to consider any trades with Preller and the Padres.  There is also still “a river of industry speculation” that the Padres could face lawsuits about their handling of player medical information.  Here’s some more from around the NL West…

  • In a reader mailbag piece about several Giants-related topics, MLB.com’s Chris Haft doesn’t see San Francisco re-signing free agents Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan or Jake Peavy, though there’s a chance Gregor Blanco could return.  The probable departures of Romo and Lopez could be part of a wider bullpen shakeup for the Giants, as GM Bobby Evans has said that finding a closer is a top offseason priority.
  • The Rockies’ managerial search is discussed by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post as part of his own reader maibag.  Saunders feels the team’s new skipper should come from outside the organization in order to bring a fresh perspective.  It seems like Colorado is more apt to hire a manager who leans more towards the front office’s analytical mindset.  Former manager Walt Weiss “embraced the statistics and analytics to a large degree,” though ultimately preferred to rely on gut-level calls and felt he was being interfered with by the front office.  The well-documented discord between Weiss and GM Jeff Bridich also  didn’t help things, as you might expect.
  • The Diamondbacks lost three members of the scouting department in part due to the front office uncertainty prior to hiring of new GM Mike Hazen, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes.  Assistant director of scouting Brendan Domaracki and longtime scout Howard McCullough (who had been with the D’Backs since the franchise began operations) both left for positions with the Mariners, while amateur scout Frankie Thon Jr. will join the Angels as their new international crosschecker and assistant director of international scouting.

Javier Lopez Suggests He’ll Likely Pitch In 2017

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Giants lefty Javier Lopez is interested in pitching again in 2017, as Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com reports. The 39-year-old had seemed to be a candidate to retire after the year, when his three-year, $13MM contract expires.

“I don’t know what’s next for me,” Lopez said after the Giants were bumped from the postseaon. “I’m a free agent and we’ll see what happens. If I have the opportunity to come back, I’ll welcome that.”

There are several ways to interpret those comments, including that he may only be interested in pitching if he can do so in San Francisco, where he has played since 2010. But it seems fair to expect that Lopez will be open to opportunities with other organizations this winter.

The level of open-market interest in the fourteen-year veteran remains to be seen. He threw only 26 2/3 innings this year despite making 68 appearances, with Giants skipper Bruce Bochy deploying him as perhaps the truest LOOGY in baseball.

Lopez ended the year with a 4.05 ERA, which is his worst mark in San Francisco but really isn’t all that relevant given the unique nature of his usage. More notably, he exhibited some erosion in the strikeout-to-walk department, managing only 15 strikeouts against 15 walks on the year. Though Lopez has succeeded for most of his career with an uninspiring K/BB ratio, he also ended 2016 with a 6.3% swinging strike rate that represented a clear personal low.

Lopez did manage to limit the ninety opposing lefties that he faced to a .208/.315/.312 batting line, and the ability to dominate in that area is the key skill for which he’d be pursued. The 28 righties who stepped into the box against him posted a .348/.464/.522 slash, but Lopez has long carried extreme platoon splits.

Giants Sign Javier Lopez

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NOVEMBER 26: The Giants confirmed the deal via press release.

NOVEMBER 21: Giants GM Brian Sabean has shown an affinity for retaining his own guys, even if it comes at top-of-the-market value, and he's done so again by agreeing to terms with left-hander Javier Lopez on a three-year deal. Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area tweets that contract that has been in the works is a done deal, pending a physical. Lopez-JavierIt's reported to guarantee Lopez, a client of Meister Sports Management, $13MM for his age 36-38 seasons. An official announcement is expected today.

Lopez, 36, pitched to a 1.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings in 2013, primarily working as a lefty specialist for the Giants. Lopez was incredibly good in that role, limiting opposing left-handers to a minuscule .156/.208/.222 slash line.

Lopez's previous contract paid him $8.5MM over a two-year term, so in terms of average annual value, his new contract gives him a yearly raise from $4.25MM to $4.33MM. That's not an exorbitant raise, but it's probably fair to question the decision to guarantee three years to a reliever who will turn 37 next July.

Lopez was clearly one of the top lefty relievers on the market, if not the top lefty on the market. Now that he has a new contract in hand — and a lucrative one at that — southpaws Boone Logan, J.P. Howell and Scott Downs stand to benefit from what they hope will be a market-setting deal.

The Giants' relief corps figures to be solid in 2014, with Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt and Santiago Casilla forming a bridge to photo-bombing bullpen anchor Sergio Romo. Sabean has already been highly active in the past few months, agreeing to extensions with Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum in addition to inking Tim Hudson to bolster the team's rotation.

Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area first tweeted that the Giants were fully engaged in contract talks with Lopez. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added that it would be a multiyear deal (Twitter link), Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that it'd be a three-year deal (on Twitter), and Steve Berman reported the $13MM value. Rosenthal also tweeted earlier today that the guarantee language was the last remaining aspect needing to be ironed out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Closers, Twins, Narveson, Kinsler, Lopez

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The Red Sox' recent experience shows the need for teams to be flexible at the closer position, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Sox traded four players last offseason to get Joel Hanrahan (and infielder Brock Holt), but Hanrahan quickly went down with an elbow injury. They then replaced him with Andrew Bailey, and then Koji Uehara, who pitched brilliantly. The Red Sox weren't the only playoff team that changed closers for one reason or another, Crasnick notes — so did the Cardinals, Pirates, Tigers, Dodgers and Indians. That's worth keeping in mind this offseason, where the market for closers includes Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Brian Wilson, Fernando Rodney and Edward Mujica. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Twins are interested in starting pitchers Gavin Floyd and Chris Capuano, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Floyd's agent, Mike Moye, says his client is progressing well in his return from Tommy John surgery, and Berardino suggests Floyd will be ready to go by the time spring training games begin. The Twins' top target is still Bronson Arroyo, Berardino notes.
  • One under-the-radar starting pitcher on the free agent market is Chris Narveson, who pitched this winter for Licey, in the Dominican. A number of scouts have their eyes on Narveson, Crasnick tweets. Narveson missed much of the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to injury, but was a reliable member of the Brewers' rotation in 2010 and 2011.
  • Ian Kinsler could block trades to all but ten teams, but he didn't put the Tigers on the list because he liked their chances of winning a championship, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. That's what allowed the Rangers to deal Kinsler to Detroit. "I’m really excited," he says. "Our chance to win the World Series is better than anyone's."
  • Reliever Javier Lopez, who recently signed for three years and $13MM, figures he might have been able to get similar money elsewhere, but he chose to stay with the Giants because he's happy in San Francisco, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. "In my case, I felt I wanted to be in a comfortable setting first and in a place that I feel has a chance to win. That’s why I chose San Francisco," he says. "I knew the offers would be around the same dollars, so it was just a matter of happiness." 

NL West Notes: Lopez, Kemp, Rockies, Padres

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The Giants and Javier Lopez have finalized a three-year, $13MM contract, pending a physical, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the exam may not take place until next week. Here's more out of the NL West…

  • Matt Kemp doesn't want to be traded, but he's accepted the fact that it's a possibility and rumors of potential deals aren't going away, agent Dave Stewart tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Mariners have been linked to Kemp, and Rosenthal adds that the Rangers spoke with the Dodgers at the GM Meetings as well, though they consider Kemp's contract too prohibitive. Kemp's preference, should he be traded, is too end up with a winning team, but Stewart made it clear that Kemp's desire is to spend his career in Dodger blue. 
  • Even though they have a deal in place for veteran right-hander LaTroy Hawkins to be their closer, the Rockies say the job of rebuilding their bullpen is not complete, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  "We don't look at it like our bullpen is closed," assistant GM Bill Geivett said. "It's only Nov. 19, and we've just made one move, so we are still looking for ways to improve our club."  Joe Smith and Edward Mujica are among the options available, but they'll likely be seeking three-year comittments.
  • A left-handed hitter remains the Padres' priority, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.  A starting pitching upgrade wasn't at the top of the Pads' list this offseason, but Josh Johnson was a clear upgrade at the top of the rotation.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Giants Nearing Three-Year Deal With Javier Lopez

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12:40pm: Lopez's deal will be worth $13MM over three years, according to Steve Berman, who also reported San Francisco's Tim Hudson signing this week.

WEDNESDAY, 10:42am: Lopez will receive a three-year deal, but the agreement is not yet finalized, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 3:07pm: Giants vice president Bobby Evans tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that the two sides have agreed on base salary and years but are still working out the other elements of the contract. There's nothing in writing yet, according to Evans (Twitter links).

2:33pm: The Giants close on multi-year deal with Lopez, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). 

1:53pm: The Giants are "fully engaged" with Javier Lopez and hope to re-sign him in the near future, general manager Brian Sabean tells Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link).

Lopez, 36, pitched to a 1.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings in 2013, primarily working as a lefty specialist for the Giants. Lopez was incredibly good in that role, limiting opposing left-handers to a minuscule .156/.208/.222 slash line.

Lopez just wrapped up a two-year, $8.5MM contract with the Giants and is said to be looking for another multiyear deal on the free agent market. The Giants acquired Lopez from the Pirates in exchange for John Bowker and Joe Martinez after the Buccos had signed him to a minor league deal in the 2009-10 offseason. He's spent the past three-and-a-half years with the Giants, earning a pair of World Series rings and posting a 2.26 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 147 1/3 innings of relief.

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