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Wilson Ramos

Rays Sign Wilson Ramos

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Catching help has been a priority for the Rays all offseason, and on Monday they announced the signing of veteran Wilson Ramos to a two-year deal contract that will reportedly guarantee the Octagon client $12.5MM (with a $4MM salary in 2017 and $8.5MM payday in 2018). Ramos will also have the opportunity to earn another $5.75MM worth of incentives, making for a total possibility of $18.25MM.

Perhaps the most notable incentive is an escalator provision that could allow Ramos to boost his 2018 salary by $2MM, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He’d need to make 55 starts at catcher and not end up on the DL due to another knee injury to earn that boost. Additionally, for the 2017 season, Ramos can earn $250K apiece upon his 60th, 65th, 70th, and 75th games started behind the plate. He’ll get $125K at 300 and 325 plate appearances, and $250K a pop at 350, and every 25 plate appearances thereafter up to 500. Ramos can also bump up his 2018 earnings by $250K each upon his 450th, 475th, and 500th trip to the plate.

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[Related: Updated Tampa Bay Rays Depth Chart]

The 29-year-old Ramos appeared set to land a massive free agent payday before suffering horrendously timed ACL and meniscus tears with less than a week to go in the regular season. The recovery from the surgery to repair those injuries will almost certainly carry on into the 2017 season. Ramos is now reportedly hopeful he can return to action in April or May, although it’s certainly possible that his absence could linger into the summer. (The Rays expect him to arrive in June or July, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.)

Before all that, Ramos hit .307/.354/.496 in 523 plate appearances in a breakout 2016 season with the Nationals. That performance won him his first Silver Slugger and All-Star berths, and catapulted him to a 3.5 fWAR season. He also has a reputation for solid, if unspectacular, defense behind the plate. StatCorner rates him as a slightly below-average pitch framer.

Whether he can produce anywhere near that well in 2017 or 2018 remains to be seen. As long as he can be healthy, though, he should be a significant upgrade for the Rays, who had Luke Maile and Curt Casali atop their depth chart at catcher. Given his injury, though, the Rays could also use Ramos at DH, particularly in 2017. The Nationals did not extend Ramos a qualifying offer, so the Rays will not have to sacrifice a draft pick as a result of the signing.

The relatively short duration of the deal will allow Ramos to hit the free agent market again at age 31, still a reasonable age for a catcher to land a significant contract. He will be able to rehab his knee injury without stress, while having enough time to reemerge as an elite catcher at some point during the course of the deal. Ramos declined a three-year, $30MM-plus extension offer from the Nationals in August, before his injury. (After the offseason began, the Nats quickly changed directions, dealing for Derek Norris to start for them at catcher.) Ramos’ current health issues and new contract are riskier for him, but if all goes well and he earns most or all of his incentives, he could conceivably make more than $30MM in the next three seasons anyway. Still, his $12.5MM guarantee seems modest for a player who would have been by far the best catcher available this offseason, had he been healthy.

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post first reported that the two sides were meeting and that there was serious interest on Tampa Bay’s behalf (Twitter link). Joel Sherman of the New York Post first tweeted word of the agreement between the two sides. FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweeted the financial details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Post-Winter Meetings Notes: Sale, Sox, Blackmon, Rays, Mets, Phils, Giants, Ross

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Baseball’s Winter Meetings always provides fascinating theater, and this year was no different. There’s quite a lot of information to digest with the meetings wrapped up — and also some interesting reading for those who are curious about how it all goes down. Writing for ESPN.com, Eno Sarris provides a fascinating look at some underappreciated elements of baseball decisionmaking, ranging from the mandates of owners to the frequent lack of understanding that the general public has as to what alternatives organizations realistically have when they decide upon their moves. The increasing complexities of baseball dealing are also covered by ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield, who discusses the impact of the largely ubiquitous utilization of advanced analysis in the game. With virtually all of the thirty MLB organizations employing fleets of sophisticated staffers, he argues, it’s harder to extract value from trades — which may help to explain the risks taken in some of the Winter Meetings’ biggest deals.

With the Winter Meetings in the books, here are some notes on the work that was completed and that remains to be done:

  • On Wednesday, the White Sox shipped ace lefty Chris Sale to the Red Sox in exchange for a heralded foursome of prospects. That swap, and its build-up, dominated the headlines at the Winter Meetings. Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed the process that led to the move in an excellent interview with Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. He not only provided an interesting account of the information gathering and processing that goes on at the Winter Meetings, as teams jockey for position and look to arrange fits on trades and signings, but went into the details on the pursuit of Sale. The sides built off of their prior “preliminary conversations,” and honed in on an agreement late Tuesday night as the sides began to line up on the complementary pieces that would go to Chicago along with the two headlining prospects (Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech). Momentum seemingly began to build as early as Friday, before the meetings kicked off, as Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com explains. It was at that point that White Sox GM Rick Hahn notified Dombrowski that he’d be willing to consider a different sort of return — presumably, top minor leaguers rather than young MLB assets — than had been discussed over the summer. The Nationals and Astros also dangled significant pieces; Hahn notes that “there were similar-type players being offered from other clubs,” leading to “a level of excitement in that room as we debated which was the best path for us.”
  • In the aftermath of the Sale trade, as well as the ensuing swap that sent Adam Eaton to D.C., the White Sox are prepared to part with other notable veterans if they can generate sufficient interest, as Hayes further reports. That could potentially include first baseman Jose Abreu — a former teammate of Moncada’s in Cuba — though it’s fair to wonder whether his market will develop with so much power still available in free agency. It’s also reasonable to expect that the South Siders are willing to listen on Jose Quintana, though there’s no real pressure to move his lengthy and affordable contract. It does stand to reason, though, that shorter-term assets (including Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, and David Robertson) will be shopped more heavily.
  • Before pulling the trigger on Eaton, the Nationals at least checked in with the Rockies on center fielder Charlie Blackmon, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). While that obviously won’t be a match at this point, and the Cardinals no longer appear to be a possible suitor after signing Dexter Fowler, it remains to be seen whether Colorado will look hard at a deal involving one of its best players. The team made a notable free-agent splash by adding Ian Desmond, with reports suggesting that he’ll spend time at first base, but it still seems to make sense for the organization to consider addressing other needs — most notably, in the pitching staff — by exploring deals for Blackmon or one of its other left-handed-hitting outfielders. (Last we heard, a trade remains a real possibility; while the team is said to be holding some extension talks with Carlos Gonzalez, those reportedly haven’t progressed, so he too remains a plausible candidate.)
  • For the Rays, there are still a lot of interesting opportunities remaining even after the team took an interesting gamble on injured catcher Wilson Ramos, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The team’s still-loaded rotation remains an area to watch.  “It’s hard to anticipate timing, it’s hard to really know where all this is going to end up,” said senior VP Chaim Bloom, “but we obviously have a number of talented pitchers in our rotation, and I think we had a lot of conversation on pretty much all of them.” Whatever a trade of a starter might yield remains unknown, but Topkin says that Tampa Bay is looking to add some pop at some point. That could involve waiting to see what “leftovers” remain with plenty of sluggers still available; Topkin even mentions, at least hypothetically, the possibility of a move on a player such as Jose Bautista. Ultimately, said Bloom, there’s a better sense internally as to where things could be headed. “There’s still a lot of dominoes to fall, potentially, with us and certainly around the industry, but the conversation this week was really helpful,” he said. “We got, I think, a much better idea of what may be available to us.”
  • The Mets are still working to tweak their roster after Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker decided to return, as Marc Carig of Newsday reports. It seems that the focus remains on finding a taker for outfielder Jay Bruce to clean up the team’s rotation and shed some salary, but Carig suggests that progress has been slower than hoped on that front and GM Sandy Alderson notes that many free-agent outfielders remain unaccounted for. The Mets “laid some groundwork” at the meetings, says Alderson, though it seems that the organization will take its time in making further moves. Carig further reports on possible trade assets that could conceivably be used to find relief pitching. That includes outfielder Brandon Nimmo as well as catchers Kevin Plawecki and Tomas Nido, all of whom were discussed to some extent in recent days.
  • The Winter Meetings weren’t quite as busy for the Phillies, but as Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice notes, there’s still plenty time for some moves. GM Matt Klentak noted both that the flurry of moves creates “a ripple effect” and also that there’s plenty of information gathering which can “help you make decisions down the road.” In Philadelphia’s case, there’s “not a lot cooking” at the moment, per Klentak, but with “a lot of dialogue on a lot of different fronts” there’s always the potential for something to come together. Klentak notes that he expects at least one or two of the team’s 40-man spots to turn over between now and the start of Spring Training.
  • Meanwhile, the Giants may largely be done with their winter work, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. That being said, San Francisco is interested in adding some pop to its bench mix. The club has inquired on free-agent slugger Mark Reynolds and other “similar players,” per the report.
  • The Cubs took care of their bullpen during the Winter Meetings, but are still eyeing free-agent starter Tyson Ross, according to Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. At this point, it’s not even clear precisely when Ross will sign, but it’s interesting to note that the defending World Series champs seem to have more than a passing interest in the veteran righty, who is working back from thoracic outlet surgery. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein spoke generally of the idea of signing injured starters, noting that there’s demand for “really talented pitchers” even if they have recently been hurt. “We’ll stay engaged on some of those guys,” he said, “but they’ll have to be just the right talent.”

NL East Notes: Sale, Ramos, Marlins, Mets

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The Nationals are in a strong position to make a move for White Sox ace Chris Sale, opines ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider subscription required), and GM Mike Rizzo’s track record only strengthens the case. Olney spoke to a peer of Rizzo who plainly stated that Rizzo “doesn’t make bad trades,” and Olney runs down a list of Rizzo’s best moves to demonstrate that he does come out ahead far more often than he comes up short. Rizzo’s acquisitions of Trea Turner, Joe Ross, Gio Gonzalez, Denard Span, Wilson Ramos, Doug Fister and Yunel Escobar all look anywhere from fair to lopsided in the Nationals’ favor and outweigh the occasional misstep (e.g. picking up Jonathan Papelbon), Olney argues. He also notes that with prospects like Lucas Giolito, Victor Robles, Reynaldo Lopez and Erick Fedde, among others, the Nats have the minor league pieces to make a compelling offer for Sale.

Here’s a bit more from the NL East…

  • Speaking of Ramos, the free-agent catcher is now six weeks removed from his reconstructive knee surgery and, as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman points out, recently tweeted a series of video clips to show where he’s at in his rehab program. The Nationals still remain reluctant to make any kind of long-term offer to Ramos in the wake of his torn ACL and meniscus, Zuckerman notes, but Ramos still has time to be patient and further his rehab before seeking to land the lucrative multi-year deal he covets.
  • MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that the Marlins, like many teams, are electing not to make any significant moves until they see how the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations play out. While Miami and its modest payroll needn’t worry about luxury tax considerations, topics such as draft-pick compensation could certainly impact the team’s decision-making process and the offers that the Marlins would feel comfortable extending. Similarly, the possibility of roster expansion could play a role in determining how the organization wishes to structure its pitching staff moving forward. In a full column, Frisaro lists Doug Fister, Ivan Nova, Travis Wood and Edinson Volquez as speculative fits as well as rebound candidates like Justin Masterson, C.J. Wilson and Jon Niese.
  • While Yoenis Cespedes is well-known to be the Mets’ top priority, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that they’ll also be looking for at least one veteran reliever at next week’s Winter Meetings. The Mets may also kick the tires on some potential Jay Bruce trade partners, as he doesn’t fit on the same roster as Cespedes all that well. Similarly, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News wrote last week that the Mets don’t want both Cespedes and Bruce on the same roster but exercised Bruce’s option as a safety net and could look to trade him if they can manage to retain Cespedes.

Nationals Notes: Encarnacion, Drew, Ramos

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Some news out of D.C. from Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post…

  • The Nationals could use a right-handed power bat and/or first base help given Ryan Zimmerman’s injury history, though the biggest option in both categories (Edwin Encarnacion) isn’t likely to be a possibility.  Janes notes that the Nats haven’t made much contact with Encarnacion’s agents, and he is an imperfect fit since Washington is still counting on Zimmerman (who is too expensive to bench) as a regular.  Janes cites Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss as potential Nationals targets who would bring an ability to help out in the outfield, though she notes that most of this group would be better suited to an AL team that can provide DH at-bats.
  • Stephen Drew is getting some attention from teams as an everyday player, which could make a return to the Nationals unlikely given the team’s infield depth.  Drew hit .266/.339/.524 over 165 PA for D.C. last season, splitting time between second, third and shortstop.  If Drew goes leave, Wilmer Difo is the top choice as the new utility infielder and Clint Robinson would become Washington’s top left-handed bench bat.
  • In another piece, Janes reports that the Nationals haven’t had many talks with Wilson Ramos’ camp in the last couple of weeks.  The two sides were scheduled to touch base at the GM Meetings, though apparently little has taken place since, leaving the Nats still looking for a catcher in a thinning market (as Brian McCann and Jason Castro have been removed from the board).  Since there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty about how much of the 2017 season Ramos will miss due to his ACL surgery, he could get more attention from Washington and other teams once his recovery timeline is more clearly established.

Wilson Ramos To Consider Shorter-Term Deals; Reps Will Meet With Nationals

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Wilson Ramos is as difficult a free agent to peg as any. The still-youthful backstop will miss time early after suffering a late-season ACL tear, but he is also coming off of an outstanding all-around season and entering a market that’s thin on catching talent. We heard previously that his camp still hopes for a four or even five-year offer, and he’ll be aided by the fact that the Nationals did not make him a qualifying offer. Here’s the latest:

  • Ramos’s doctors believe he actually could be ready a bit earlier than had previously been indicated, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. The 29-year-old could even be capable of a return to duty behind the dish by May of 2017. Even if that’s optimistic, it seemingly suggests that he is progressing well from his second ACL replacement.
  • Despite the hopes for a larger deal, Heyman writes that Ramos is willing to consider shorter-term arrangements — one or two years — that would give him a chance to build his value back up before hitting the open market again. Ramos had originally hoped to approach or even exceed $100MM in a contract this winter, Heyman notes, and certainly that level of spending seems unlikely. Given that he only just turned 29, it’s certainly plausible that he could hope to be a top-of-the-market asset again in a year or two. Being open to shorter pacts would unquestionably broaden the slate of possible suitors.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo discussed the organization’s decision to pass on the QO, as Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. “It’s just difficult to budget for the uncertainty,” said Rizzo. “We don’t know how long we’d have him. All the medical reports say he could miss a couple months. So if he does accept the qualifying offer, you’re paying a lot of money for a little bit of performance. That’s what went into it.”
  • Despite being unwilling to risk $17.2MM on a one-year deal, the Nationals remain open to what Rizzo calls a “creative” contract of some kind, Castillo further reports. “I think there would have to be shared risk if we were to come up with a creative way to sign Wilson,” Rizzo explained. “But it’s not to say we can’t come to some kind of agreement.” The veteran exec went on to say that he believes Ramos can return to regular duty behind the plate, but noted that he may be expected to see time elsewhere — in the National League, at first base — “to keep his bat in the lineup.” But that would be “more of a strategic move than a move made out of injury concern,” Rizzo added.
  • All told, it seems there’s still some hope of a reunion with the Nationals, where Ramos has spent the vast majority of his major league career. Indeed, the team is set to meet with his representatives at the GM Meetings to discuss just that possibility. Still, though, it seems reasonably likely that another team will put a higher price tag on the free agent, particularly since Ramos wasn’t enamored of the three-year, $33MM offer that the club made him earlier this year (before his injury).

Free Agent Rumors: Hill, Dodgers, Napoli, Logan, Braves, Hwang

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There’s a flurry of offseason rumors flying about Twitter in the early stages of free agency and with the General Managers Meetings taking place in Arizona at the moment. Much of the talk is preliminary at this juncture, and many of the names connected to teams in the early-going won’t ultimately be targets in the long run. That said, the GM Meetings can certainly provide a forum to lay the groundwork for future free-agent deals and trades, and we even see the occasional big-name signing there (as was the case with Victor Martinez re-signing with the Tigers prior to the 2015 season). Here’s a rundown of all the latest free-agent chatter…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters that he plans to reach out to the representatives for free agent left-hander Rich Hill (Twitter link via NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty). Cashman stressed that he’s planning to meet with the reps for a large number of free agents, but the Yankees have been an oft-speculated landing spot for Hill, who seems likely to cash in on a significant free agent deal this winter less than 18 months removed from a stint pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. MLBTR ranked Hill 14th among free agents and pegged him for a three-year, $50MM deal.
  • The Dodgers will also be in the mix for Hill, tweets Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, and they’re having dialogue with his representatives as well as those for free agents Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner. The Dodgers already made qualifying offers to both Jansen and Turner, though it’s a no-brainer for each to reject in search of a more lucrative deal. It’d be somewhat of a surprise if the Dodgers let all three of their big-name free agents sign elsewhere this winter, although re-signing all three doesn’t seem to be an especially likely outcome, either.
  • Mike Napoli is drawing early interest from the Mariners, tweets Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. As Morosi points out, Napoli has a good history with Seattle manager Scott Servais dating back to his Rangers days. Napoli would be a logical fit for the M’s, who project to have the unproven Dan Vogelbach as their starting first baseman next year. However, the possibility of an eventual timeshare situation developing between the two may not be palatable from Napoli’s vantage point, I wouldn’t think. And it would seem strange for the Mariners to part with a controllable lefty like Mike Montgomery to acquire Vogelbach only to block him a few months later by giving Napoli the everyday first base gig.
  • Morosi also tweets that left-hander Boone Logan is generating some early interest, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman hears the same. Morosi notes that the Blue Jays and Giants both had interest in Logan at the non-waiver trade deadline this summer, though the Rockies elected not to trade him. Toronto, in particular, could probably use some left-handed relief help, as it was an area of weakness for them for much of the 2016 and they now stand to lose Brett Cecil to the open market. The 32-year-old Logan is probably best deployed as a lefty specialist, which may limit his market a bit, but he excels in that area. Logan held lefties to a putrid .142/.222/.255 slash in 2016 and a .225/.349/.254 slash in 2015.
  • MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes that if the Braves are to sign a new catcher this winter, the likeliest targets are Jason Castro and Nick Hundley. Bowman tabs Wilson Ramos as a long shot and says he’d only land in Atlanta if his asking price declined significantly. Also per Bowman, Atlanta has never seemed all that interested in pursuing former Georgia Tech star Matt Wieters. Castro would give the Braves another strong defender and a left-handed bat to complement the right-handed bat of Tyler Flowers. Hundley, meanwhile, would be more of an offensive-minded backstop for the Braves.
  • Korean third-baseman Jae-gyun Hwang will host a showcase for interested teams in Florida on Nov. 21, tweets Morosi. The 29-year-old didn’t draw a bid when posted last offseason but delivered another very strong season in the KBO this year. Hwang hit a career-best 27 homers and posted a .335/.394/.570 line with dramatically improved K/BB numbers in 2016 and could be a relatively low-cost option at the hot corner this winter.

Nationals Will Not Make Qualifying Offer To Wilson Ramos

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The Nationals will not make a qualifying offer to catcher Wilson Ramos, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). That means that he’ll be able to enter the open market free of any requirement that a signing team part with a draft pick to add him.

Ramos certainly performed well enough to make the one-year, $17.2MM offer an easy decision for the Nats, but his late-year ACL tear drastically changed the calculus. The 29-year-old will likely not be available until the middle of the 2017 season, and may not be ready immediately for catching duties. For a National League team, especially, offering that amount for a half-season (or less) of Ramos was too great a risk to take. He’d have had a chance to lock in a big guarantee before re-entering the market next winter.

That Ramos may have been inclined to take such a sizable sum from the Nats does not mean he’ll be limited to one-year scenarios this winter. To the contrary, his representatives have given signals that they’ll be looking for a four or even five-year deal on the open market. While it’s still possible that some sort of pillow contract arrangement will ultimately make the most sense, there appears to be hope that some organization will take a shot at the upside in a lengthier pact.

After all, the catching market is quite shallow. And Ramos hit enough in 2016 to suggest he could provide value to an American League team as a DH even as he gets fully up to speed behind the dish. On the heels of a shaky 2015, Ramos underwent Lasik surgery and broke out with a .307/.354/.496 batting line and career-best 22 home runs over 523 plate appearances. The still-youthful receiver also showed well as a framer and displayed a big arm.

Clubs weighing a calculated gamble on Ramos will need to consider his checkered injury history and large frame in setting their price. This is the second time he has required ACL surgery, and he has previously dealt with hamstring issues. Ramos also missed a stretch in 2014 with a hamate break, though that was an acute injury and he obviously rebounded in the power department.

Heyman On Ramos, Duda, Colon, Lovullo, Fowler, Cubs

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Jon Heyman covers World Series news, a profile of Andrew Miller’s career and development into a relief ace and some hot stove items in his latest two columns for FanRag Sports…

  • Prior to tearing his ACL, Wilson Ramos was aiming at a $100MM contract in free agency.  It’s an eye-popping number, as Joe Mauer ($184MM from the Twins) and Buster Posey ($167MM) are the only catchers to crack the nine-figure threshold.  Both of those deals were extensions rather than free agent contracts, and both Mauer and Posey had more consistent track records than Ramos.  It’s quite common for a player and his representatives to aim high with an initial asking price, of course, especially when that player is the top free agent at his position.  Injury notwithstanding, Ramos is still expected to receive significant interest, to the point that he is still looking for four or five years on the open market.
  • The Mets will indeed tender a contract to first baseman Lucas Duda.  MLBTR projects Duda to earn $6.7MM in arbitration this winter, following a rough year that saw Duda spend much of the season on the DL due to a stress fracture in his lower back.  He hit just .229/.302/.412 with seven homers over 172 PA in 2016, though given the first baseman’s strong production in previous seasons, the Mets are surely counting on a bounce-back next year when Duda is healthy.
  • “Nothing’s close” on a reunion between the Mets and Bartolo Colon, though the team has interest in bringing the veteran back and “no one would be surprised” if the two sides work out another contract.
  • “It would be an upset” if the Diamondbacks hire anyone other than Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their new manager, Heyman writes.  Lovullo has been widely connected to the Arizona job from virtually the moment former Boston GM Mike Hazen took over as the D’Backs’ new general manager.  Hazen does plan to interview between 5-7 candidates as part of a managerial search, and as of last Tuesday, the D’Backs hadn’t yet asked the Sox for permission to speak with Lovullo.
  • One executive suggests Dexter Fowler should accept the Cubs’ qualifying offer, though Heyman believes the center fielder can top the one-year, $17.2MM offer in free agency.  I agree with Heyman; while the QO limited Fowler’s market last winter, his outstanding season for the NL champions should easily net him a nice multi-year deal this offseason.
  • Assuming Fowler leaves, Heyman notes that the Cubs face an “interesting” outfield situation with Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward all best suited to playing the corners.  It should be noted that Chicago faced a similar scenario last winter prior to Fowler’s unexpected return, as the Cubs had Schwarber and Jorge Soler lined up for the corner outfield spots and Heyward was going to play center.  Heyward has posted excellent defensive metrics over his brief (404 innings) time as a center fielder during his career, though since Heyward is arguably the best defensive right fielder in the game, any lessening of his value could be a problem given how badly Heyward fell off at the plate this year.  The versatile Zobrist is now locked into outfield duty with Javier Baez’s emergence at second while Soler and Albert Almora are also in the outfield mix, so the Cubs are fully stocked with outfield options.
  • The Blue Jays have parted ways with scout Ed Lynch.  Best known as the Cubs’ GM from 1994 to 2000, Lynch had been working as a scout for the Jays since 2010.

Nationals Notes: Turner, Zimmerman, Ramos, Melancon, Hernandez, Revere

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Nats GM Mike Rizzo spoke with the press today about the offseason to come, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. He expressed satisfaction with the “good, steady brand of baseball” that the club displayed, while acknowledging the disappointment of failing to advance in the playoffs. Rizzo wasn’t keen to offer up much in the way of details on the team’s planning, but did provide some insight. Here are the highlights from his press conference and a few more notes on the team:

  • Rizzo praised his roster’s versatility, suggesting that it allows “a lot of different directions to improve our ballclub.” Trea Turner, in particular, could occupy a middle infield role or play in center — leaving the Nats free to pursue a center fielder, shortstop, or perhaps even a corner outfielder (while moving Bryce Harper to center). As Rizzo put it, Turner’s presence “allows us to build around that, meaning that it gives us more options in the marketplace to improve the ballclub.”
  • One thing that won’t occur is a permanent move of Turner to second base, with Daniel Murphy taking over for Ryan Zimmerman at first. “No, Zim’s our first baseman going into this offseason and spring training,” Rizzo said. The veteran struggled to a .218/.272/.370 batting line this year, by far his worst as a big leaguer, but he made plenty of hard contact (34.7%) and may have been unfortunate to carry a .248 BABIP.
  • The Nats have some notable free agents, of course, including catcher Wilson Ramos and closer Mark Melancon. Rizzo wouldn’t commit to a strategy on the burly backstop, whose season ended with ACL surgery. The plan is to “do all the due diligence on the medicals” before making a call on issuing Ramos a qualifying offer and deciding whether to pursue him.
  • As for Melancon, Rizzo offered effusive praise for his work on the mound and presence in the clubhouse. Looking ahead, though, Rizzo suggested that he isn’t locked into Melancon or the other top relief options on the market. “It’s a broad, deep reliever market this year, and Mark is one of the elite relievers in the marketplace,” he said. “In a perfect world, you’d always like to have a guy that’s done it in the most competitive situations, but that’s not always possible. We’ve got a lot of options as far as guys with plus stuff and plus makeup, and it’s a deep relief market this year. So there’s different avenues to go and different routes that are attractive to us.” One possible internal candidate for ninth-inning duties, righty Shawn Kelley, is expected to be fully healthy after leaving the team’s final game with what looked to be a concerning injury, though it seems fair to expect the organization to pursue a closer regardless.
  • The Nationals’ decision to ink Cuban outfielder Yadiel Hernandez was somewhat uncharacteristic, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post explores. Washington has largely sat out the market for Cuban players, but chose to take a limited risk ($200K bonus without promising a MLB roster spot) on the 29-year-old. Hernandez was worth the risk, per VP of international ops Johnny DiPuglia, because “he’s a legit left-handed hitter who grinds at-bats” and is capable of playing center field. Depending upon how the offseason progresses, Hernandez could conceivably position himself as a depth or even a bench piece, though the team hasn’t staked much on that possibility. “We thought we’d take a chance on him,” said DiPuglia. “He’s got a profile for us. We’ll find out.”
  • One reason to add Hernandez? The fact that the team has an expensive decision to make on left-handed-hitting center fielder Ben Revere, who projects to earn $6.3MM in arbitration even after a dreadful campaign. Zuckerman looks at Revere’s 2016 season and the options for the Nats. From my perspective, there’s no real chance that the team will trust Revere with the regular job in center, making it hard to imagine that it will stake over $6MM on him. That’s especially true given the presence of Brian Goodwin, a former top prospect who made strides at Triple-A and showed well in his first taste of the majors.

 

Wilson Ramos Will Seek Four To Five Year Contract

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Wilson Ramos’ free agent stock took a sizable hit the moment he suffered a torn ACL on Sept. 26, but the catcher’s agent, Wil Polidor, tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post that Ramos still plans to seek a four- or five-year contract in free agency.

As Castillo writes, the Nationals aren’t likely to extend a qualifying offer to Ramos on the heels of his injury, and if that’s the case, his chances at securing a multi-year pact would certainly be enhanced. While some may consider the notion of a multi-year deal following Ramos’ ACL tear unrealistic, it’s also possible that there are teams that will consider this an opportunity to acquire a premium catcher at a bargain rate. Most clubs won’t want to make any type of sizable one-year commitment with Ramos potentially sidelined for a notable portion of the 2017 campaign, but the idea of offering a backloaded multi-year deal certainly has some merit. After all, prior to his knee injury, Ramos had positioned himself to target something in the vicinity of the five-year, $80-85MM deals recently signed by Brian McCann and Russell Martin. To teams interested in adding a catcher on a long-term deal, the notion of securing Ramos on a four-year deal at a lower annual rate probably holds some appeal, even if the return on investment is minimal in year one of the pact.

Of course, any long-term deal with Ramos does come with considerable risk. This is the second time that he’s torn the ACL in his right knee, and for a catcher that is listed at 6’1″ and 255 pounds, a pair of significant knee injuries to go along with his massive frame is a genuine cause for concern. Indeed, Ramos himself has already hinted at the fact that it may be beneficial for him to sign with an American League club, implying that the availability of a DH slot could be critical for him.

Polidor also tells Castillo that Ramos is set to undergo a four-week evaluation of his knee that will conclude in the second week of November, which lines up with the General Managers’ Meetings in Phoenix, Ariz. (not to be confused with December’s Winter Meetings in Washington D.C.). Upon completion of that evaluation, he’ll have a clearer timetable from his doctors. At last check, Ramos was slated for a seven-month rehab process, which would put him on target to wrap up around mid-May. Of course, that timeline also likely represents a best-case scenario, and even if Ramos achieves that ambitious goal, he’ll still need to be eased back into catching on a regular basis.

When healthy this season, Ramos was outstanding. In 523 plate appearances, the 28-year-old batted .307/.354/.496 with a career-high 22 home runs. He also caught 37 percent of opposing base-stealers — 10 percent better than the league average — and drew strong pitch-framing marks from Baseball Prospectus. Ramos ranked fifth on the final edition of MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings, although that list was published prior to his knee injury.

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