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Teams & Players Adapting Opt-Out Plans Amid Coronavirus Uncertainty

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Typically, late March is a time in which we see a lot of roster movement as clubs sort out their Opening Day rosters. Veteran free agents on minor-league deals can often force the action by virtue of opt-out clauses in their contracts. But the situation looks quite a bit different under the unusual circumstances of the delayed 2020 season.

League rosters have not been frozen. And there’s no rule suspending the operation of those opt-out clauses. Accordingly, teams and player agents have been left to sort things out on a case-by-case basis.

MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter link) that there are a variety of approaches being taken around the game. In some cases, teams and players have effectively pushed back the decision by reaching new agreements pegged to some future date — from the start of a second Spring Training or eventual Opening Day. The Phillies, Blue Jays, and Pirates are in the latter camp.

In other situations, it seems, the sides have more or less tabled the details, leaving for another day a determination on the operation of the opt-out clause. And in still other cases, there’s still uncertainty. The Royals, for instance, are still trying to decide how best to handle the immediately pending (March 26th) opt-outs of veteran relievers Greg Holland and Trevor Rosenthal.

It’s certainly possible that those and other players will simply exercise their opt-out rights as originally negotiated. We’ve already seen some players — Joe Panik with the Blue Jays; Ryan Buchter with the Angels — earn 40-man roster spots in recent days, so some clubs have obviously been willing to make commitments.

Curious how this might impact your favorite team’s plans? Our 2019-20 Free Agent Tracker includes links to all of our posts on minor-league signings, with simple filters to help you isolate the signings of interest. At minimum, you’ll see many of the players who were brought into camp as non-roster invitees. And the linked posts on the signings include opt-out details, if they were reported.

Pitching Notes: Félix, Matzek, Abreu, Tigers’ Bullpen

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David O’Brien of The Athletic (subscription link) spoke to Félix Hernández, who appears poised to crack Atlanta’s rotation to start the year. With his 34th birthday coming up on April 8th, the Braves righty is aware that success on the hill will look much different than it did as a youngster. “Command all the corners. Command of my fastball and a good breaking ball, and with my changeup, I think I’m going to be fine,” said Hernandez, who acknowledges he has lost velocity from his younger days. The key now, according to Hernandez, is to “control all my pitches, mix my changeup, breaking ball, sliders and my two-seamer, I’ll be fine.”

Hernández is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Aníbal Sánchez, who signed a minor-league pact with Atlanta ahead of his age-34 season. Sanchez didn’t make the Opening Day squad that year (2018). However, he did have his contract selected a few days later and wind up throwing 136 2/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball for the Braves, before going on to sign a two-year, $19MM contract with the Nationals and helping them win the 2019 World Series. Hernández has a 1.98 ERA through 13 2/3 innings this spring, which the Braves hope is the beginning of a similar renaissance. King Felix is coming off a great overall run in Seattle, but his ERA climbed for five consecutive seasons, finally landing at 6.40 in 2019.

With just over two weeks until Opening Day, more roster decisions are just over the horizon. Here are some noteworthy details…

  • Mark Bowman of MLB.com spoke to Tyler Matzek, who is attempting a comeback after some time in the proverbial wilderness. The 29-year-old lefty is a former first-round pick of the Rockies, having been selected 11th overall in 2009. After climbing the ranks and making his MLB debut in 2014, things went downhill for him because of what Bowman calls “the yips.” (For those unfamiliar, “the yips” is a slang term for a pitcher’s sudden inability to throw strikes, usually chalked up to psychological causes.) Speaking about his struggles, Matzek said, “When you’re throwing it behind hitters and have no idea where the ball is going as a lefty, that’s usually a pretty good indicator something is wrong.” Matzek, who spent parts of the past two seasons pitching for the unaffiliated Texas AirHogs, is in Braves camp and opening some eyes with his spring appearances, including striking out Red Sox stars Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez. Bowman notes that it’s unlikely Matzek will end up on the Opening Day roster, but he could be a name to watch going forward. On a personal level, though, it seems like it’s already a triumphant comeback tale for Matzek. “The game was taken away from me for a little while,” he said. “I’m just happy to be back and have the chance to compete at any level.”
  • The Astros are looking for answers after the recent news that it will “take a miracle“ for Justin Verlander to be ready by Opening Day. One of those answers could come in the form of right-hander Bryan Abreu, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Abreu, who will turn 23 on April 22nd, made his MLB debut in 2019, coming out of the bullpen in seven games and compiling 13 Ks over 8 2/3 innings with an ERA of 1.04. Even with Verlander’s injury, Abreu seems to be a long shot to wind up in the rotation. Pitching coach Brent Strom lists Austin Pruitt, Framber Valdez and Josh James as candidates to fill in behind Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers Jr. and Jose Urquidy, but he also has a fondness for Abreu. Strom indicated that he expects Abreu to be “a big-time starter at the big league level for a number of years,” though he also acknowledges the hurler could be present on Opening Day as a member of the bullpen.
  • Chris McCosky of The Detroit News pegs right-hander Jose Cisnero and left-hander Gregory Soto as potential difference-makers in the Tigers’ bullpen. Manager Ron Gardenhire seems pleased that Cisnero’s fastball reached 97 mph on Tuesday. “That’s the first time we’ve seen him get up to mid-90s,” Gardenhire said. “He’d been 91-92 and we were getting a little concerned.” As for Soto, he hit 100 mph on the gun three times during the same game, impressing pitching coach Rick Anderson. “That was fun to watch,” he said. The Tigers have a lot of uncertainty in their bullpen, even after naming Joe Jimenez the closer Tuesday. Having a couple of fireballing relievers take a step forward would be a welcome addition to a squad that mustered only 47 victories in 2019.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: National League

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Entering the day, there were more than 150 players on the clock to exchange arbitration figures with their respective teams prior to a noon ET deadline. As one would expect, there’ll be an utter landslide of arbitration agreements in advance of that deadline. We already ran through some key facts and reminders on the arbitration process earlier this morning for those who are unfamiliar or simply need a refresher on one of MLB’s most complex idiosyncrasies, which will hopefully clear up many questions readers might have.

We’ll track the majority of the National League’s settlements in this post and are maintaining a separate one for American League settlements as well. Note that all projections referenced come courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz:

  • The Rockies have an agreement in place with righty Jon Gray, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (via Twitter). It’s a $5.6MM deal, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).
  • Outfielder Tommy Pham has struck a $7.9MM pact with the Padres, who acquired him at the outset of the offseason, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Other Friars striking deals, per an update from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, include Zach Davies ($5.25MM) and Matt Strahm ($1.4MM).
  • The Nationals announced that they’ve avoided arbitration with Trea Turner. It’s a $7.45MM agreement, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (via Twitter), right in range of the $7.5MM projection.
  • The Mets are in agreement with a laundry list of players. Right-handers Marcus Stroman ($12MM) and Noah Syndergaard ($9.7MM) were the top earners, per reports from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter) and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). Both come in close to their projected values of $11.8M and $9.9MM, respectively. The Mets also have a $5.1MM deal with reliever Edwin Diaz, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (Twitter links). He entered the offseason projected at the $7.0MM level but will fall well shy of that. Despite an outstanding overall track record, Diaz’s platform season was a dud and obviously created some risk in a hearing for his side. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo will play for $2.175MM in his first season of arb eligibility, landing well over the $1.7MM that the model projected. Southpaw Steven Matz, meanwhile, lands a $5MM deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). That’s $300K shy of his projected amount. Relievers Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo will earn $1.225MM and $2MM, respectively, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter links). Slugger Michael Conforto will earn $8.0MM, per SNY.tv’s Andy Martino (via Twitter), which is notably south of the $9.2MM that we projected. And fellow outfielder Jake Marisnick checks in a just over 10% north of his projection at $3,312,500, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
  • Star reliever Kirby Yates receiveds a $7,062,500 salary from the Padres, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He tops the $6.5MM that MLBTR projected by a solid margin, reflecting just how exceptional he was in 2019.
  • The Marlins will pay recently acquired infielder Jonathan Villar a $8.2MM salary, per MLB.com’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). That’s a far sight shy of the $10.4MM that the MLBTR system projected, perhaps reflecting a more difficult path to the bigger number through recent comparables. The club also had some added leverage here since Villar would likely not fare terribly well on the open market if cut loose at this stage or later. (Unless this is a guaranteed deal, Villar could still be jettisoned, with the club paying just a fraction of the settled amount.) The Fish also have also agreed to terms with lefty Adam Conley (for $1.525MM, per MLB Network Radio’s Craig Mish, via Twitter) and righty Jose Urena (for $3.75MM, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, on Twitter).
  • Righty Vince Velasquez will pitch for $3.6MM this year with the Phillies, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philly (via Twitter). Fellow hurler Jose Alvarez will earn $2.95MM, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • The Rockies have an agreement with lefty Kyle Freeland, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). He’ll earn $2.875MM. Outfielder David Dahl takes home $2.475MM, Heyman adds on Twitter. The former had projected at $2.4MM and the latter at $3.0MM.
  • Pirates hurler Joe Musgrove will receive $2.8MM, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links). Fellow righty Keone Kela will earn a reported $3.725MM. Both players had projected at $3.4MM, but land well to either side of that number. Infielder Adam Frazier also has a deal at $2.8MM, per Mackey (via Twitter).
  • Righty Anthony DeSclafani will earn $5.9MM from the Reds, according to Robert Murray (via Twitter). He had projected at $5.2MM. Backstop Curt Casali will earn $1.4625MM, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). And reliever Matt Bowman takes down $865K, Murray adds on Twitter.
  • The Dodgers have worked out a non-typical deal with righty Ross Stripling, Heyman tweets. He’ll get an up-front signing bonus of $1.5MM, which he’ll receive in the next week, and then earn $600K for the campaign to come. Stripling had projected to earn $2.3MM on the year.
  • Cardinals righty John Gant will earn $1.3MM after settling with the club. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first tweeted that a deal was in place, while Murray had the number on Twitter. That comes in just under his $1.4MM projection.

Earlier Settlements

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MLBTR Polls: Washington Nationals’ Recent Additions

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The defending champion Washington Nationals began their offseason in a holding pattern, awaiting the fates of two of their brightest stars: Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. What shook out couldn’t have been more on-brand for the pitching-focused Nats. Strasburg re-upped with the only professional organization he’s known, while Rendon joined Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Joe Maddon on an Angels’ team frontrunning for Best Smiles in the AL West, if not the division crown.

Following those twining, superstar sagas, the Nats embarked on a period of relative calm throughout much of December. While waiting in the hallway with the Twins and Braves for Josh Donaldson to make his final contract demands, Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo contented himself with bringing back as much of the championship gang as he could manage. Living legend Howie Kendrick will be back for three-to-five starts per week somewhere in the infield, Yan Gomes returns to block Patrick Corbin sliders and share in the catching duties with Kurt Suzuki, and even mid-season bullpen stabilizer Javy Guerra will get another crack to stick in the bullpen on a minor league deal. Ryan Zimmerman continues to wait in the shadows, certain to re-sign at some point, though how regularly Mr. National will see the field in 2020 is entirely unclear.

This week, however, the Nats grew tired of waiting for Donaldson and moved to add a trio of free agents. Asdrubal Cabrera is the most familiar new/old face. The man most-often charged with protecting Juan Soto in the lineup during 2019’s second half returns to Washington on a one-year, $2.5MM guarantee. Cabrera put up insane numbers in August and September for the Nats (.323/.404/.565). While he bonded nicely with the club in his second stint in the District, the Nats’ can hardly expect Cabrera to put up anything close to the Rendonian line he boasted over the season’s final two months. Somewhere between Kendrick, (presumably) Zimmerman, and top prospect Carter Kieboom, Cabrera represents a capable option to gather loose change at-bats between first, second, and third base.

But the Nationals added a rival to that infield mix as well, inking Starlin Castro to a somewhat surprising two-year, $12MM deal. Ten years into his big league career, Castro turns just 30-years-old in March while carrying an uninspiring .280/.319/.414 career line. The Nats plan to let Castro have second base until Kieboom or somebody else takes it from him, and while he fits an organization ethos that trusts veteran contributors more than the average big league team, it’s hard to get too excited about a guy whose only real elite skill has been volume. He doesn’t strike out a ton, but he won’t take walks, and neither his speed nor power elicit much awe.

Castro did absolutely rip left-handed pitching in 2019, and in the right light, Castro’s home/road, left/right and 1sthalf/2ndhalf splits can all point to a player who deserves more credit than I’m giving him. For instance, he hit .302/.334/.558 in the second half and .286/.332/.447 away from Marlins Park. Together, Cabrera and Castro give the Nats two relatively similar players whose contributions will have to be monitored, like your favorite sublet, on a month-to-month basis.

Perhaps the most unassailable move made in this past week, funny enough, is the addition of spin-rate-savant Will Harris. Nats’ fans no doubt already hold a fondness for Harris after he surrendered the World Series winning home run to Kendrick late in game seven. Years of playoff disappointment prior to 2019 should have those in the District well-prepared to look beyond the volatility of playoff results and appreciate Harris for what he is: one of the best relievers in the league. After all, Astros’ manager AJ Hinch is hardly a doofus, and quibble if you will about his decision to let $324MM man Gerrit Cole languish away in the bullpen while Harris and Kendrick put the foul pole to work – but his decision to pitch Harris in that moment was entirely defensible. That he wanted Harris on the hill should further brighten the hearts of Nats’ fans, even if the three-year, $24MM deal given him at age-35 might cause some seat-squirming. Still, this is a guy with a 2.36 ERA/2.99 FIP over the last five seasons, and he insures the Nats’ bullpen against further wear-and-tear on Sean Doolittle or stagnation from hard-throwing righty Tanner Rainey.

Donaldson could still find himself suiting up next to Trea Turner on the left side of the Nats’ infield, but Rizzo has historically stuck to his number with position players, and if Donaldson’s demands have stretched beyond his comfortability, don’t expect the disciplined Rizzo to panic. Cabrera, Castro and Harris may not be the cavalry Nats’ fans expected to ride in to defend their first ever championship, but they’re here to help all the same. The question is, do they?

(Poll link for app users)

(Poll link for app users)

(Poll link for app users)

Brandon Kintzler Drawing “Plenty Of Interest”

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Brandon Kintzler credits a bounce-back campaign in 2019 to working with Tommy Hottovy to simplify his mechanics during Spring Training, he said on MLB Network Radio (audio link). After a strong season with the Cubs, Kintzler is drawing “plenty of interest” on the free agent market.

Kintzler, 35, worked through one of the worst campaigns of his career in 2018, especially struggling after coming to Chicago from the Nationals in a mid-season trade. He was knocked around for a 7.00 ERA across those 25 appearances in a Cubs’ uniform, giving up 13.5 H/9 and walking an unusually high 4.5 batters per nine innings.

The sinkerballer turned in around in 2019, however, becoming one of the Cubs most reliable relievers across 62 appearances (57 innings). He put up a career-high 1.7 bWAR and career-low 2.84 ERA, though a 3.56 FIP puts his turnaround closer to career norms enjoyed throughout previous tenures with the Brewers, Twins and Nationals.

Kintzler was particularly tough on lefties in 2019, holding them to a .163/.247/.275 line. Career splits paint Kintzler as more of an equal opportunist, though he’s done a nice job of limiting left-handed power throughout his career. The changeup is key against opposite-hand hitters, a pitch he went away from during his struggles in 2018. With simpler, repeatable mechanics in 2019, his feel for the pitch returned, and with it returned his effectiveness.

Teams Announce Final Non-Tenders

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We’ve been tracking the day’s arbitration decisions in the run-up to tonight’s deadline, which has produced a bevy of last-minute calls. In addition to those already covered elsewhere (with all projected salary figures from MLBTR/Matt Swartz projections) …

  • The Padres announced they have non-tendered Miguel Diaz and Pedro Avila. Neither hurler had yet been eligible for arbitration, so this amounts to no more than a roster cleanup. Avila had already been designated for assignment. Diaz, meanwhile, saw extensive action as a Rule V pick in 2017 but has only sporadically logged MLB time since.
  • Relievers Javy Guerra and Koda Glover were non-tendered by the Nationals, per a club announcement. Guerra would have cost a projected $1.3MM. Glover announced earlier today that he would retire.
  • The Red Sox non-tendered infielder Marco Hernandez and reliever Josh Osich, per a team announcement. Neither projected at big dollars — $700K and $1.0MM, respectively — but obviously the club felt it could put the roster spots to better use on other players.
  • The Blue Jays have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Jason Adam, along with backstop Luke Maile. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) and Scott Mitchell of TSN (on Twitter) were on the news. Law projected at $1.3MM, while Maile was in line for a $800K payday. Adam is still pre-arb eligible.
  • The Giants announced today that they have non-tendered outfielder Joey Rickard ($1.1MM projection), southpaw Tyler Anderson ($2.625MM), and righty Rico Garcia (pre-arb). Both Anderson and Garcia were claimed from the division-rival Rockies after the end of the 2019 season.
  • In addition to other moves earlier today, the Braves have non-tendered catcher John Ryan Murphy and outfielder Rafael Ortega. Each provided depth down the stretch in 2019 for the Atlanta organization. Murphy would’ve been owed a projected $1.2MM, while Ortega remains shy of arbitration eligibility.
  • A host of players were non-tendered by the Royals, per a club announcement. Righty Jesse Hahn was cut loose along with infielders Humberto Arteaga, Cheslor Cuthbert and Erick Mejia. Among these players, Hahn (projected $900K) and Cuthbert ($1.8MM) have the most MLB experience. With these 40-man trimmings, the K.C. org should be able to place some claims and/or make Rule 5 selections in the coming weeks.
  • Righties Ian Gibaut and Wei-Chieh Huang are each heading to free agency after being non-tendered by the Rangers. Neither is anywhere near the service time needed for arbitration eligibility, so this was just an opportune time for the Texas org to drop them from the MLB roster.

Bloom Brings Creative Edge To Red Sox

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Despite holding the title of reigning World Series champs, the Red Sox fell behind in the analytics and creativity departments under Dave Dombrowski, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. With former Tampa Bay Rays executive Chaim Bloom wined and dined and his contract finalized, Boston appears to be back on track.

We know Bloom as one of the decision-makers credited with the innovation of the opener/piggyback strategy of pitcher deployment. The origins the the Rays innovative pitching solution, of course, trace not only to the forward-thinking group of executives in Tampa, but to a confluence of events/trends in baseball in recent seasons. Buck Showalter’s decision not to use Zack Britton in the 2015 Wild Card game shined a spotlight on the limitations of the “closer” role, and Tito Francona took the other side of the debate in showcasing Andrew Miller as a dominant fireman throughout the Indians’ 2016 World Series run. Craig Counsell and Josh Hader canonized the role in Milwaukee. Injuries (and injury-risk) also play a part, and the Rays’ limited financial resources are inextricably linked with their role as thought leaders in the MLB.

Without a clear-cut fifth starter under contract for next season (incumbent Rick Porcello is headed to free agency) the Red Sox are a fertile landscape for further use of the opener next season, per The Athletics Chad Jennings. Of course, need is only one part of the success of the opener in Tampa. It doesn’t take off without a top-ranked bullpen (by ERA) on-hand to carry the freight. The Rays relied on a core group of elite relievers like Emilio Pagan, Diego Castillo, and Nick Anderson, but they were also diligent roster curators who mixed-and-matched 30 different arms throughout the season. And as Jennings points out, the Rays were hardly starter-averse, with Charlie Morton, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow all holding traditional starter roles.

Boston’s bullpen ranked just 17th with a 4.40 ERA in 2019, but they ranked 8th with a 4.14 FIP and first overall with 10.50 K/9. They deployed the opener strategy in small doses this season out of necessity. Bobby Poyner, Josh Taylor and Travis Lakins got tastes as openers, while Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez are pen candidates to soak up chunks of innings in the follower/piggyback role. As with Andrew Friedman and the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, Bloom’s brand of roster innovation will take new shape in a much different financial landscape in Boston. Of course, the previous regime left Bloom and the Red Sox behind the eight ball with a 2020 payroll already around $224MM (per Roster Resource).

With David Price, Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez on hand in the rotation, Bloom inherits a rotation that, on the surface, is eighty percent set. Still, Eovaldi and Sale are coming off injury-riddled seasons, Price is 34-year-old with over 2,000 innings on his arm, and Rodriguez is coming off his first season of more than 140 big league innings. There’s plenty of uncertainty baked into this group. With Bloom on hand, the Red Sox are better equipped to find creative alternatives in the offseason to prepare for another marathon with their AL East rivals in New York and, of course, Tampa Bay.

Reds Offense, Not The Bullpen, Responsible For Struggles In Close Games

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The Reds bullpen crumbled down the stretch in 2019, but confidence remains high in their core group of high-impact relievers, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

They formed the league’s best unit over the first half of the season, but the pressure never let up as the Reds finished with more one-run margins than any other team in the game. 57 one-run games plus another 31 games with a two-run margin made the difference in an up-and-down season for Cincinnati. Interestingly, President of Baseball Ops pretty clearly assigned blame in these games to the offense, defending the bullpen in saying, “When they did let things get away, I think they were, at times, unfairly scrutinized because I really think when the offense had chances to provide separating runs, get big leads, jump out, we just didn’t get quite enough of that, taking pressure off the pitching at times.”

The bullpen finished middle-of-the-pack by ERA, FIP, and fWAR, though admittedly closer to the top than the bottom. Despite all the close games, the unit still finished 25th in innings pitched, a good indicator for the starting rotation. All things considered, the Reds enter the offseason feeling pretty good about Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, and Robert Stephenson making up the core of their relief unit.

[RELATED – Three Needs: Cincinnati Reds]

All signs point to another eventful winter for the Reds, but it’s the offense where Williams is focusing his attention. Despite some breakout power in the forms of Eugenio Suarez and Aristides Aquino, the Reds finished 25th in the majors in runs scored. Their offense as a whole finished with just an 87 wRC+, also ranking 25th in the MLB. They have a ways to go to join the league’s elite in this regard: 11 teams finished with 100+ weighted runs created plus, 8 of whom made the postseason. The Cardinals 95 wRC+ was the lowest of any team in the postseason.

Braves To Install Mark Melancon As Closer

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The Braves will install veteran righty Mark Melancon as their closer, manager Brian Snitker told reporters including Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He finished out tonight’s game, though it did not come in a save situation.

Melancon was one of three veteran relievers acquired by the Atlanta organization at the trade deadline. At the time, it did not seem terribly likely he’d receive a shot at ninth-inning work. Shane Greene took the inside track to the gig, with fellow newcomer Chris Martin and incumbent Luke Jackson also potentially in the mix.

Things have changed rather quickly. Greene and Martin have been shaky. The Braves don’t want to turn things back over to Jackson. And Melancon has been steady. It’s only a handful of outings, but the Atlanta org is obviously looking for a steadying presence. Perhaps it shouldn’t be seen as a surprise that the experienced late-inning hand has already grasped the reins.

Melancon hasn’t functioned as a steady closer since early in the 2017 season, but he has racked up 183 career saves. Though he has been more steady than dominant of late, carrying a 3.29 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 since the start of the 2018 season, the 34-year-old surely won’t be cowed by the prospect of handling the high-leverage spots.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Braves’ late-inning relief situation shakes out down the stretch. Snitker did not commit to permanently utilizing Melancon in the closer’s role, though he did indicate that the veteran will be trusted with the job for some time to come. The club is obviously willing to switch things up on the fly, but will presumably hope to settle into some kind of established approach before the postseason arrives.

Nationals Designate Tony Sipp

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The Nationals announced today that they have designated lefty Tony Sipp for assignment. His roster spot was needed to complete the team’s addition of three new relievers at the trade deadline, each of whom has been activated for tonight’s game.

Sipp was surprisingly unable to find work this spring after turning in excellent results with solid peripherals in 2018. He ultimately landed with the Nats on a modest deal in mid-March. Sipp is owed $1MM this year with a $250K buyout on a 2020 mutual option.

You can mostly ignore his 4.71 ERA, since Sipp has been used in such short bursts (21 innings in 36 appearances). Regardless, things haven’t really gone as hoped for the 36-year-old, who has maintained a solid 12.7% swinging-strike rate but lost almost 1.5 mph on his average fastball from last season.

Sipp has allowed hard contact on 34.4% of the balls put in play against him, way up from last year’s excellent 22.3% mark. And Statcast thinks he has been fortunate to hold opposing hitters to a .284 wOBA, translating the contact measurements into a .340 xwOBA.

We’ll have to wait to see how this situation turns out. Sipp can’t be traded. But he could conceivably be claimed by a rival that’s in need of lefty relief depth. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Sipp could elect free agency without risking his guaranteed salary, since he has well over five years of MLB service.

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