Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2019

Mets To Hire Jeremy Hefner As Pitching Coach

By | at

NOVEMBER 27: Hefner and the Mets are in agreement on a deal, per Heyman (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 26: Twins assistant pitching coach Jeremy Hefner “is the Mets’ choice” to be their new pitching coach, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets. SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that the deal isn’t quite yet finalized but could be by next week. If and when a deal is complete, Hefner will replace interim pitching coach Phil Regan, who stepped up when the club parted ways with veteran coach Dave Eiland back in June.

Hefner, still just 33 years old, pitched for the Mets as recently as 2012-13 but called his playing career quits after a 2016 run with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate. He joined the Twins the following season as an advance scout. Hefner held that role for two seasons in Minnesota, helping to establish game plans for pitchers, devise defensive shifts and also use his experience as a recently retired player to best boil down data from the team’s analytics department for the players and coaching staff. Minnesota made Hefner its assistant pitching coach for the 2019 campaign, and that marks his lone season of experience on a Major League coaching staff to date.

Still, Hefner has been viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks since latching on with the Twins and will seemingly get his first look at a top coaching spot with the only team for which he ever pitched at the MLB level. Hefner’s embracing of newer data and his recent experience as a player has become an increasingly desirable skill set for clubs both in terms of managerial and coaching searches.

Assuming the agreement does indeed go through, Hefner will be the second member of the Twins coaching staff to be hired away by another club this winter. Hitting coach James Rowson has already been plucked away by Miami, and it’s still possible that bench coach Derek Shelton could be hired as the next manager of the Pirates. Minnesota elevated an internal replacement, Edgar Varela, for Rowson yesterday.

MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that the Mets plan to formally announce their new-look coaching staff all at once — perhaps sometime next week.

Taking Stock Of The Catching Market

By | at

The top two catching options on the open market are gone, with the White Sox landing Yasmani Grandal and the Braves securing the services of Travis d’Arnaud. Some others, including Stephen Vogt (Diamondbacks), Tyler Flowers (Braves), and Dustin Garneau (Astros) are also accounted for. But our top 50 free agent list still has a few backstops on it. There are quite a few other veterans out there as well, along with some notable trade candidates.

As we did recently for relievers, let’s canvas the market to see what’s left for those teams with a need behind the dish:

We’ll start at the top. What to make of the rumors that the Cubs are willing to discuss some of their top stars in trades? It’s hard to imagine how the team would improve by dealing away Willson Contreras, even if he hasn’t yet perfected pitch-framing, but it seems there’s a belief that Victor Caratini could be paired with a veteran and perform well in an expanded role. Contreras would presumably only be cashed in if the return is not only compelling from a talent/value perspective, but built around near-term contributors rather than far-away prospects. He’s projected to earn $4.5MM in his first season of arbitration eligibility.

It’ll be interesting to see how that situation plays out. Whether or not a deal is completed, there’ll surely be a good number of teams compiling trade packages to make a run at Contreras. Might those that miss turn their sights elsewhere? And might the Yankees actually consider moving on from Gary Sanchez after another frustrating defensive season? That’s a much more speculative possibility, but it probably can’t be ruled out entirely.

The next tier down includes some very solid options — several of whom have deservedly held down semi-regular playing time. Omar Narvaez has emerged as a trade candidate for the Mariners. He possesses rare hitting ability for a backstop but comes with some defensive questions. The left-handed hitter is a candidate to handle the large side of a platoon.

Another interesting possibility is Jorge Alfaro of the Marlins. The Miami club may prefer to keep him in hopes that he can tap into some upside, and undoubtedly won’t sell low, but he’d also represent a solid target for clubs looking for more offensive punch. He could be seen as a semi-regular piece right out of the chutes who might yet develop into an everyday type.

Teams looking for reliability on the open market have a few clear options remaining. Southpaw swinging free agent Jason Castro is a solid hitter and strong framer. Fellow open market target Robinson Chirinos has a quality stick and has been trusted to play in over a hundred games in each of the past two season. Both are probably best utilized in a 50/50 timeshare but could be tasked with more.

There are some other, somewhat more speculative trade candidates of note to consider. The White Sox obviously aren’t convinced that James McCann can repeat his strong offensive season, but he’d hold appeal elsewhere as a cost-efficient candidate who has now established a new ceiling at the plate. The Padres’ Austin Hedges and Reds’ Tucker Barnhart haven’t really come around fully with the bat but are considered high-quality defenders. Both could be available if their teams make desired upgrades.

Clubs looking for younger, affordable, controllable backstops have a few other players to consider as well. We’ve heard some chatter that the Blue Jays are willing to discuss Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire in trades; presumably, the Orioles would listen to interest in Pedro Severino or Chance Sisco. After falling out of favor in Los Angeles, Austin Barnes is probably available; he’s not especially youthful but is only estimated to command $1.3MM in arbitration and is still affordable, controllable, and versatile.

Turning back to the open market, there’s a strong remaining mix of targets — many of whom have seen quite a lot of MLB action in recent seasons. Francisco Cervelli and Yan Gomes are bounceback candidates. Martin Maldonado is a defensive specialist. Russell Martin or Jonathan Lucroy could supplement and mentor a younger backstop. Chris Iannetta, Alex Avila, and Welington Castillo have had ups and downs but possess more offensive capabilities than most receivers. And Austin Romine has quietly turned in a pair of strong seasons, slashing .262/.302/.428 over his past 505 plate appearances. As ever, there’s a long list of other depth candidates … with H-named backstops featuring prominently among them (Chris Herrmann, John Hicks, Bryan Holaday, Nick Hundley).

MLBTR Poll: Should Rockies Trade Trevor Story, Jon Gray?

By | at

The 2019 campaign did not go according to plan for the Rockies, who entered it with playoff aspirations after earning postseason bids in each of the previous two years. The team ended up as one of the most disappointing clubs of the season, though, as it stumbled to a dismal 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish in the National League West.

Perhaps the Rockies will return to the game’s upper echelon next year, but they remain stuck in a division that the mighty Dodgers are likely to own yet again in 2020. Furthermore, it seems the Rox will have to climb out of the basement without any major outside improvements this offseason. Owner Dick Monfort has indicated the Rockies, who are saddled by a few bad contracts (Ian Desmond, Wade Davis, Daniel Murphy and Bryan Shaw), don’t have the payroll flexibility to spend their way out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.

In light of Monfort’s comments, MLBTR’s TC Zencka noted while previewing the Rockies’ offseason that their outlook for 2020 doesn’t look particularly hopeful. With that in mind, one wouldn’t be out of line to suggest Colorado should consider trading a couple of its top contributors whose team control is running out. Specifically, there’s shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Jon Gray – two players who are only arbitration-eligible through the 2021 season. Story is projected to earn $11.5MM next season, while Gray should rake in around $5.6MM. Both salaries are bargains relative to what Story and Gray bring to the table, which is arguably all the more reason for the Rockies to listen to offers for the pair.

The 27-year-old Story is fresh off a two-season run in which he was unquestionably an elite shortstop, as he racked up 10.9 fWAR, slashed .293/.355/.561 with 72 home runs and 50 stolen bases across 1,312 plate appearances, and totaled 18 Defensive Runs Saved. Just about any team would sign up for that all-around production, and if you’re a club in need of a shortstop, there’s not much out there in free agency other than Didi Gregorius (who’s coming off a poor season). That’s yet another reason Story and his affordable two years of control would bring back a haul in a trade, one that could help the Rockies turn around a subpar farm system.

Although Story would generate widespread interest on the trade market, general manager Jeff Bridich and the Rockies don’t seem inclined to part with him, instead clinging to the hope that they’ll be able to extend him. Maybe a long-term pact for Story looks unlikely, though the Rox did manage to lock up third baseman Nolan Arenado last February – less than a year before he was slated to reach free agency – with a seven-year, $234MM extension. Keeping Story under wraps won’t cost that much, but the Arenado deal showed they’re willing to go all-out to keep premier talent on board.

As with Story, the Rockies appear as if they’ll retain Gray, even though the hard-throwing 28-year-old has garnered trade interest early this offseason. Gray wouldn’t fetch the return that Story would in a trade, but his aforementioned affordable salary and history of solid production are clearly appealing. Teams that may not necessarily want to splurge on the best free-agent starters (Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu, among others) could turn their focus to Gray if the Rockies are open to giving him up. But it doesn’t look as if that’s the case for Colorado, which, going forward, will apparently.hope for bounce-back seasons from its players who were letdowns in 2019 and attempt to return to relevance next year.

The question is: Should the Rockies essentially wave the white flag already on 2020 and trade Story, Gray or both standouts? With team control waning for each player, there’s a legitimate case that Colorado should go in another direction and opt for a rebuild.

(Poll link for app users)

A’s Could Trade Treinen, Profar, Phegley

By | at

The Athletics swung a notable trade this past weekend, sending right-hander Jharel Cotton to the Cubs. But that may not be the last near-term trade the A’s make, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link) reports the team’s “discussing” moves involving reliever Blake Treinen, infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar and catcher Josh Phegley. Barring trades, they could all be non-tender candidates for low-budget Oakland, which is projected to owe Treinen $7.8MM, Profar $5.8MM and Phegley $2.2MM in 2020.

Whether there’s an appealing piece here is up for debate, but Treinen’s just a year removed from enjoying one of the best seasons in the history of relievers. Treinen posted an eye-popping 0.78 ERA across 80 1/3 innings in 2018, but just about everything went backward for him in 2019. While the 31-year-old continued to throw in the 97 to 98 mph range, his strikeout rate fell from 11.2 per nine to 9.05, his walk rate skyrocketed from 2.35 to 5.68, his groundball percentage dropped from 51.9 to 42.8, and his home run-to-fly ball percentage shot from 4.4 to 16.4. All of that helped lead to a 4.91 ERA/5.14 FIP during an injury-shortened, 58 2/3-inning effort for Treinen, who lost his closer role to Liam Hendriks and whose days with the A’s are likely over as he approaches his final season of arbitration control.

The switch-hitting Profar, 26, was supposed to solidify second base in 2019 for Oakland, which acquired him from division-rival Texas in a high-profile trade last winter. Instead, though, Profar batted a mere .218/.301/.410 in 518 plate appearances. Even though Profar did slug 20 home runs, this past season still went down as yet another disappointing campaign for a player who was once an elite prospect.

Phegley, 31, recorded yet another underwhelming offensive season in 2019, as he hit just .239/.282/.411 with 12 homers in 342 trips to the plate. The right-handed Phegley did, however, slash a strong .284/.320/.526 in 103 PA versus lefties, continuing a career-long run of managing respectable production against southpaws. Defensively, Phegley was a mixed bag, as he threw out 32 percent of would-be base-stealers (league average was 27 percent) but finished dead last in the majors in Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric.

In the cases of Treinen and Phegley, the Athletics are well-equipped to move on even if it means non-tendering the two. The team has Hendriks, Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria and Ryan Buchter among its top late-game possibilities in the bullpen. It also boasts highly promising youngster Sean Murphy as its No. 1 choice behind the plate. But there’s less certainty at second, where Chad Pinder, Sheldon Neuse, Franklin Barreto and prospect Jorge Mateo comprise a largely unproven group of options. Of course, should the A’s part with Profar, they could sign one of the many veteran second basemen on the open market to take his place.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/26/19

By | at

The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Mariners have signed outfielder/first baseman Jose Marmolejos to a minor league contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training for the 26-year-old Marmolejos, who had been with the Nationals his entire professional career (which began in 2011). He divided last season between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .315/.366/.545 with 16 home runs in 382 plate appearances at the minors’ highest level.

Offseason Outlook: Chicago White Sox

By | at

MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams. Click here to read the other entries in this series.

Having completed a three-season rebuilding period, the White Sox must make significant additions and field a competitive team in 2020.  With the Yasmani Grandal signing, they’ve already got a strong early start.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Yasmani Grandal, C: $73MM through 2023
  • Jose Abreu, 1B: $50MM through 2022.
  • Kelvin Herrera, RP: $9.5MM through 2020.  Includes club option for 2021.
  • Eloy Jimenez, LF: $37MM through 2024.  Includes club options for 2025 and ’26.
  • Tim Anderson, SS: $21.75MM through 2022.  Includes club options for 2023 and ’24.

Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Free Agents

In the three weeks since the World Series ended, the White Sox have already made several notable offseason moves.  The first was to ship catcher Welington Castillo to the Rangers, giving up $250K in international bonus pool space as a way of saving $500K in real money in the form of Castillo’s buyout.  As James Fegan of The Athletic wrote, the question is “why a seemingly paltry amount of the major-league payroll is being prioritized over a significant portion of the international bonus pool,” as this is not the first time the White Sox have done so.  To hear White Sox Senior Vice President/General Manager Rick Hahn tell it, the team’s international staff did not have any further signings they wanted to make, so he then set out to exchange the club’s bonus pool space for some benefit.  The shedding of international bonus pool space invited skepticism in some corners, including from Jim Margalus of Sox Machine.

As this outlook was in progress, the White Sox signed the #7 free agent on the market, catcher Yasmani Grandal, to a four-year, $73MM deal.  The contract surpasses Abreu for the largest in franchise history, a major commitment to a player who fits the team like a glove.  The Sox have added perhaps the best hitter and pitch framer among all MLB catchers.  And unlike last year’s failed pursuit of Manny Machado, Hahn and company proved that they actually are willing and able to win the bidding on a top free agent.  While he’s not a $300MM player, Grandal offers a huge boost behind the plate over incumbent James McCann, perhaps on the order of four additional wins in 2020.  McCann could stay on as a somewhat overqualified backup for Grandal (he did make the All-Star team this year), but he becomes a pretty clear trade candidate, especially given Zack Collins’ bond with Grandal.

Earlier this month the White Sox made the fairly reasonable decision to give Jose Abreu a qualifying offer, which served the dual purpose of cementing their longstanding interest in retaining him, and of creating a drag on the idea of another team signing him.  The widely expected multiyear agreement didn’t happen by the November 14th deadline for Abreu, so the player chose to accept the strong $17.8MM salary on a one-year deal for 2020.  At that point first base was filled for 2020, and the White Sox didn’t have to commit beyond Abreu’s age-33 season.  Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf can be loyal to a fault, however, and the team chose to overwrite that one-year deal with a three-year, $50MM pact that surely had much to do with Abreu’s clubhouse presence as his production at the plate.  Chalk this one up as a win for Abreu, who was unlikely to find this level of a contract on the open market.  Should White Sox fans complain?  Only to the extent that Abreu’s unnecessary new deal prevents them from upgrading the rest of the roster, which doesn’t seem likely at least this offseason.

One other notable move happened this week, with the club removing second baseman Yolmer Sanchez from the 40-man roster.  Sanchez seemed unlikely to make it past Monday’s non-tender deadline anyway, but now the path is clear for prospect Nick Madrigal.

Due to the team committing over $123MM before Thanksgiving, this is beginning to read more like an offseason review than an outlook.  However, there’s plenty of speculation left to do.  One clear remaining area of upgrade for the White Sox is right field.  While there’s a slight preference for left-handed bats, perhaps the addition of a switch-hitter like Grandal reduces that.  Options in free agency include Nicholas Castellanos, Kole Calhoun, and Yasiel Puig.  Both Marcell Ozuna and Eloy Jimenez seem limited to left field, making Ozuna a difficult fit.  Nor have Corey Dickerson or Brett Gardner played much right field.  On the trade market, one consideration is Mookie Betts, a potentially huge one-year rental if Hahn could pry him loose from the Red Sox.  Perhaps of equal or greater acquisition cost would be the Mariners’ Mitch Haniger, who is under control for three more seasons.  The trade market could also offer Josh Reddick, Nomar Mazara, Stephen Piscotty, and Hunter Renfroe, none of whom would be considered a clear upgrade.

The Sox are also wide open at designated hitter, and a few interesting options abound if the team is willing to use the spot mostly for one player.  Chicago was considered the speculative favorite for J.D. Martinez if he’d chosen to opt out, with the thinking that the Red Sox wouldn’t necessarily have minded gaining relief from Martinez’s contract.  If the White Sox indeed like Martinez, I wonder if they’d attempt to take him and his three-year, $62.5MM commitment off Boston’s hands.  One issue could be Martinez’s ability to opt out after the 2020 season, which brings downside risk for the White Sox.  It’s also plausible that the White Sox could attempt to use their financial flexibility to acquire Khris Davis and most of his $33.5MM commitment from Oakland.  A simpler move would be to simply sign a free agent who could be plugged in as a regular DH, such as Edwin Encarnacion or Hunter Pence.

The White Sox will almost certainly add starting pitching this winter, with Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Reynaldo Lopez penciled in plus interesting options like Carlos Rodon and Michael Kopech.  Even with Jake Odorizzi off the board, the free agent market is flush with options.  Though they’ve never given out a $100MM contract, the White Sox have at least attempted to dole out a $200MM deal, and they could certainly compete on Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg if Reinsdorf so chooses.  They’re also viable suitors for Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dallas Keuchel, Cole Hamels, and just about any other free agent.  Signing Grandal early could have a benefit here: the White Sox have signaled they’re not messing around, and presumed “contenders only” names like Bumgarner, Ryu, and Hamels could get on board.  The trade market doesn’t appear overwhelming, but certainly a Matthew Boyd, Chris Archer, or Jon Gray would be attainable for the Sox.  If you want to get a little more fantastical with trade ideas, we can again speculate on financially bailing out the Red Sox, with David Price or even Chris Sale.  The White Sox re-acquiring Sale would be particularly entertaining, but with a $145MM commitment and an elbow injury ending his season in August, it’s the ultimate long shot.

Like most teams, the White Sox could also stand to improve their bullpen.  Colome, Herrera, and Aaron Bummer are guaranteed spots, while Evan Marshall and Jimmy Cordero will surely be in the mix.  It remains to be seen how aggressively the White Sox will address the bullpen given their other needs, though the Braves have already scooped up Will Smith and Chris Martin from the top end of the free agent market.  Plus, the Sox already can expect to pay Colome and Herrera around $19MM for their 2020 efforts.

Even after signing Grandal and Abreu, their projected commitments sit around $80MM.  With so many big-market teams crying poor this winter, the White Sox are in excellent position to add several more impact free agents and make a major push into contention for 2020 and beyond.

Astros Sign Dustin Garneau

By | at

3:42pm: The signing is now official. Furthermore, agent Marc Kligman tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 that the deal comes with a $650K base salary and $75K worth of incentives (Twitter link).

10:43am: The Astros have agreed to a one-year deal with backstop Dustin Garneau, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (via Twitter). It appears that he’ll rather unexpectedly receive a 40-man spot with the signing. The dollars aren’t yet known.

Garneau has settled into a journeyman existence in recent years. Though he has at times shown a promising bat in the upper minors — he has three .900+ OPS seasons in high-octane Triple-A offensive environments — the results haven’t been there in the majors. Over 381 lifetime plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Garneau has slashed just .207/.290/.343. If he’s able to cement himself as a viable option over a full season behind the dish in Houston, he’d be controllable all the way through the 2024 campaign — although he’d likely be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player next winter.

While he isn’t exactly legend for his framing or throwing, Garneau is regarded as a strong defender. His former skipper with the A’s, Bob Melvin, had kind words for Garneau’s overall game management ability — the sort of thing that’s essentially impossible to capture from objective measurement. It seems fair to presume that the ’Stros think they’ll get good work behind the dish and in the game prep arena out of Garneau, with any offense mostly an added bonus.

It also seems rather clear that this is one of multiple planned catching moves for the defending American League champs. Garneau joins Garrett Stubbs on the Houston 40-man. But odds are the team will allow those players to compete for the reserve job in camp. (Garneau will have a strong edge since he’s out of options and just signed this deal.) Another backstop — perhaps a returning Robinson Chirinos — is likely to be brought aboard as well.

 

Phillies Sign Josh Harrison

By | at

The Phillies have signed infielder Josh Harrison to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training, per a team announcement. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman had recently reported that the MSM Sports client was weighing minor league interest from as many as five clubs (Twitter link).

A two-time All-Star with the Pirates, Harrison spent the 2019 season with the Tigers after signing a one-year pact to serve as their primary second baseman. However, the deal didn’t pan out, as shoulder and hamstring injuries combined to limit the versatile Harrison to just 36 games, during which time he batted .175/.218/.263.

Last year’s lost season notwithstanding, the 32-year-old Harrison isn’t far removed from a productive four-year run as a key contributor with the Pirates. From 2014-17, he batted a combined .290/.331/.428 with 37 homers, 118 doubles, 17 triples and 59 stolen bases while playing second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners.

Matt Duffy Clears Release Waivers

By | at

Third baseman Matt Duffy has cleared release waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rays and is now a free agent, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter).

The Tampa Bay organization explored the trade market for Duffy before making the move to designate him and clearly didn’t find much in the way of interest. The 28-year-old (29 in January) was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $2.9MM in what would’ve been his final trip through the arbitration process, and after he was limited to just 46 unproductive games in 2019, other clubs apparently didn’t find him to be a particularly palatable option — even in a buy-low capacity.

Injuries have devastated what looked early on to be a promising career for Duffy. The 2012 18th-round pick debuted to minimal fanfare with the Giants in 2014, but his 2015 season earned him a runner-up showing in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Duffy slashed .295/.334/.428 with 12 homers, 28 doubles, six triples and 12 steals (in 12 tries) that year — all while playing brilliantly rated defense at third base. He got off to a slow start in 2016 but was still highly regarded enough that the Rays acquired him as a focal point in the trade that sent lefty Matt Moore to San Francisco.

Duffy was injured at the time of the trade but returned to make his Rays debut in mid August. However, he was only able to suit up for 21 games before that same Achilles injury ended his season and ultimately required surgical repair. While he was recovering from that surgery, Duffy underwent a second procedure to remove loose bodies from his heel. He ultimately missed the entire 2017 season.

Duffy dealt with a hamstring injury in 2018 but was healthy for most of the season and in many ways resembled the player the Rays initially hoped they’d acquired. His already modest power was notably absent, but Duffy hit for average and got on base (.294/.361/.368 in 560 plate appearances) while playing quality defense in the eyes of Ultimate Zone Rating. Hamstring issues once again sidelined Duffy for much of the 2019 season, however, and the Rays turned to other options in his absence — most notably Yandy Diaz and Mike Brosseau.

Now that he’s a free agent, Duffy should find other clubs with interest on minor league pacts or perhaps on incentive-laden deals with a lower base rate than his previously projected level of pay. Although he’s never consistently hit for power in the Majors, Duffy has generally shown the ability to hit for a high average (which helps to mitigate his pedestrian walk rate) and has shown good bat-to-ball skills (16.1 percent career strikeout rate). Paired with a well-regarded glove at third base and the ability to handle shortstop as well, that should pique the interest of a team with some needs on the left side of the infield.

Mariners Sign Kendall Graveman

By | at

2:14pm: The Mariners have announced the signing. Their 40-man roster is now up to 38 players.

9:35am: The Mariners have agreed to a one-year, MLB deal with righty Kendall Graveman, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). It’ll promise him $2MM, a sum that includes a $1.5MM salary for 2020 and a $500K buyout of a $3.5MM club option for 2021.

Kendall Graveman | Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

As we explored last month, Graveman worked hard to put himself back on the map after returning from Tommy John surgery. While the Cubs ultimately decided not to hang onto the hurler for a $3MM price tag, the M’s obviously saw enough to bring him in for a lesser guarantee — while also picking up an affordable option if things go well.

There’s also a provision to allow some extra earning power for Graveman, a client of Sports One Athlete Management. He’ll have the ability to earn up to $1.5MM in incentives for each year of the contract (assuming that he’s picked up for 2021). It’s not yet known how readily achievable those extra dollars are.

Seattle makes for a perfect landing spot for the 28-year-old hurler, who was able to return to the mound — but not the majors — during the 2019 season. He’ll likely have the inside track on a rotation spot, with the backstop of serving as a swingman out of the pen.

Graveman was a productive starter with the Athletics for a solid stretch earlier in his career. Up until the roadblock he hit in 2018, the Mississippi State product had dialed up 411 2/3 innings of 4.11 ERA ball. While he never was and surely never will punch out many hitters, Graveman boasts a strong 51.7% groundball rate for his career.

Though he was not able to make it back to the majors last year, Graveman made it into competitive action in the minors. That gave the Mariners a chance to get a look at his form. And it should leave full confidence that Graveman will be a full participant in Spring Training from the outset.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top