The Royals have insurance on their five-year, $52MM contract with Salvador Perez, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (via Twitter). Specific terms of the policy aren’t clear, though the insurance policy is “believed” to kick in after 90 games. Kansas City will play its 90th game of the season on July 6 this year, after which point Perez will be owed approximately $4.57MM of his $10MM salary through season’s end. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll recoup that entire sum, as specific payments will be dependent on the terms of their policy. (The Mets’ insurance policy on David Wright, for instance, paid the team 75 percent of his salary based on days spent on the 60-day disabled list.) While the loss of Perez stings for the Royals on multiple levels, it seems they’ll at the very least be able to recover a few million dollars in salary, which could conceivably be used to pursue a replacement. Kansas City has been in talks with Martin Maldonado, who switched representation yesterday.
A couple more notes pertaining to the catching market…
- The Astros, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter), made Maldonado a two-year offer at the beginning of the offseason. Whether the annual salary that accompanied that offer was deemed insufficient or whether then-agent Scott Boras sought a lengthier pact, turning down the offer does not appear to have been a prudent decision. Of course, such proclamations are easy to make with the benefit of hindsight, and it was surely a far more difficult decision at the time. Many clubs — the Astros, White Sox, Rockies, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Braves and Dodgers among them — looked like viable on-paper fits for Maldonado and other catchers at the outset of free agency, so exploring the market for his services was only natural. Houston ultimately moved on, adding Robinson Chirinos on a one-year deal, while Maldonado remains unsigned having recently hired a new agent.
- Out-of-options Rockies catcher Tom Murphy is making a strong bid for a roster spot with his spring performance, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Murphy is 5-for-16 with a pair of homers and two walks (against six strikeouts), but beyond the raw, small sample of stats he’s posted to date, he’s impressed manager Bud Black with an improved all-around game. “I think ‘Murph’ does a nice job of game-calling,” said Black. “…the whole aspect of his game is much improved over what we saw two years ago and that’s a tribute to ‘Murph.’” Murphy, 28 next month, once sat on the back end of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list (2015-16 offseason) but has yet to establish himself. He’s now fighting for a roster spot against veteran Chris Iannetta and a strong defender but light hitter, Tony Wolters.
- In his latest Opening Day roster projection for the Red Sox, Ian Browne of MLB.com predicts that Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart will make the roster. That’d leave Sandy Leon as the odd man out, forcing either a trade or a DFA of the defensive-minded veteran. Leon, Browne notes, is arguably the best defender of the bunch and could be a logical fit for the Royals. Swihart, meanwhile, has greater trade value given his former prospect status, upside with the bat and remaining team control. Leon avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $2.475MM (a partially guaranteed sum that’d become fully guaranteed on Opening Day). He hit just .177/.232/.279 in 288 plate appearances last year but was vastly better in 2016-17. Swihart, meanwhile, is controlled through 2022 and is earning $910K as a first-time arbitration-eligible Super Two player. His .229/.285/.328 line in 207 PAs last year wasn’t much to look at, either, though his playing time was sparse and he’s long been touted for his offensive potential.
The Red Sox should just move on from Swihart, the days of him being a highly touted prospect are gone, he’s the Yankees version of Greg Bird. both players who will never live up to the hype caused by their prospective fan bases, yet they still love and hold out hope.
He’s not anything for the Yankees. Maybe you meant the Red Sox version of Bird.
you are 100% right, that is what I meant
I think swihart has the best bat of the bunch! If he works on his defensive skills, I think he could be a real asset!
Until then, he’s not an asset and has no value.
Bird still has so much upside with his power. Not really comparable in my view. Sox should carry three catchers again IF there are no Pedroia hiccups. With so many pitchers on the roster today, no team had more versatility than Boston last year.
Bird is the best hitter on the Yankees. Entire team says so. Swihart? Not so much.
Day drinking is bad Judge Judy there is help for that.
Omg! Lol. Kevin Maas anyone?
I’m drunk right now.
The Red Sox need to move on from Kimbrel too. Priced himself out of the market.
Personally I would rather have the upside of s regular catcher as opposed to a 1B but not a bad analogy. Both have shown flashes but struggled with injuries and inconsistencies in their limited opportunities
Sox should just run with a tandem of Vazquez and Swihart. Actually give Swihart a shot at regular playing time, which he’s essentially never had. If he’s no good then it’s really not much of a loss, but if regular playing time lets him find his swing (as he seemed to last summer, before going on the DL) then he could be a great surprise addition.
The problem is that if Swihart doesn’t work out, Leon is already lost to another team. Swihart is not a Catcher, but someone who pretends to be. Ship him to the Royals for a Prospect of KC’s choosing, so you can say you got something for him.
I’d rather the Sox gamble on Swihart. I feel like they’re going to need to get quality performances from unexpected sources in order to win the division again this year, and Swihart’s ceiling is higher than Leon’s (although his floor, as you note, is lower).
Keep three catchers. Each has spent time in the DL in the past and without Leon, the staff’s ERA will certainly go up. 25th man-Swihart’s versatility is a plus.
Swihart caught yesterday, and the Sox pitchers got clobbered. I’m betting the Red Sox starters make sure Leon stays. Both Porcello and Sale rave about him, and he’s a better hitter than he showed last season.
Agreed. He’s a baseball catcher. Defense first and he’s the team’s best hunter. He won’t winning a Silver Slugger but he has produced some clutch hits and sacrifices.
Sox pitchers yesterday were two middling MLBers and a bunch stiffs, so I think your reasoning is specious. But I do agree Swihart is not of MLB caliber behind the plate.
Trading Leon to the Royals for a lottery ticket A ball player makes sense.
Maybe a reliever
I thought the same thing, but why not just sign Maldonado for free? Just as good defensively, better offensively.
This. If the Royals aren’t interested in Maldonado — presumably because they want someone younger — they sure as heck aren’t into Sandy Leon. Catchers show up on waiver wires with some frequency late in ST, too. As noted in this very story, Rockies have a surplus similar to the Sox.
But you aren’t getting Maldonado for free. You still have to pay him and probably quite a bit more than Leon makes.
Makes sense? As much as going for a swim in a bubbling pothole in Yellowstone, I suppose..
Hoping Tom Murphy stays healthy to take the starting job. Catchers have been weak in Colorado for years
I agree completely. I’d love to see the Rox carry Ianetta and Murphy to start the year. As good of a defender as Wolters is I think he needs to focus on hitting, and I think he could do that down in AAA without the pressure of the Big Leagues.
It’s easy for Boras to play chicken when he’s not the one involved in the outcome.
If a player picks Boras as an agent, that player needs to remember, when it comes to Boras, it’s all about Boras.
What do you mean not involved? He gets a %.
So let’s just assume you somehow actually have knowledge of any of this. If it’s all about Boras, does that mean it’s not in his best interest to get the player a deal?
Or do you have some deep conspiracy theory that teams are paying him to screw over the bottom tier FA’s to drive prices down lol?
Boras is all about Boras. That’s not good or bad, it just is. If you pick him as an agent, beware.
He’s the one who plays chicken, the players are the one who get the rewards or face the consequences.
I have nothing against Boras, he is who he is. Maldonado got burned.. FACT. …
Boras is going to pay more attention to his higher profile clients. That’s where he makes his money. Back up Catchers are not his priority.
Here’s the usual uninformed, but yet trying to come across fully informed comment about Scott Boras of the day.
I think it’s you who doesn’t know anything about Boras.
He plays chicken. When he loses, which is not often, but is becoming more common, the players end up losing. He’s all about squeezing every dime.
It’s not remotely debatable.
Maldonado lost…. FACT.
I don’t think it’s a reach to say the tier below superstar has had a mixed record with Boras.
True, while the player might have the final say, he’s also paying a good deal of money for the advice of his agent. Is the agent going to compensate the player though, when the agent turns down the best deal and the player has to later settle for a lower offer?
And if it’s not all about Boras, what was this whole back and forth between him and Lozano? Seems like their goal was to beat the other guy, not get the best possible deal and situation for the client.
Boras is who he is. It’s not good or bad, it’s just is. He wants players to play out their option, goes nuts when they dont (Jarod Weaver) and plays hardball during the free agency process.
His track record was just about perfect, Lately, the GMs are catching up with him and his track record is no longer perfect.
As far as Harper, Thirteen years just to get a larger guaranteed contract than Machado? What’s that about? It’s about Boras.
Yeah I think it’s pretty undeniable at this point that Boras Corp has too many clients and their style of negotiation works much better in a more free spending environment, or for superstars (or both).
No, I feel like that was about Harper. Boras has to do what his players tell him to do, he can’t just do whatever he wants. If Harper wanted to be somewhere else, he would be.
Speaking of catchers, I feel bad for Francisco Pena, as his injury is likely going to cost him the backup job in St. Louis. He was having a pretty good Spring, too. Though I have to admit the potential upside of Wieters has me excited – if he can swing the stick at all just having a semi-legit switch hitter off the bench would be huge.
Wieters hasn’t been able to “swing a stick” for years. I wouldn’t expect much.
The smart play here is to move Vazquez (and his -0.8 WAR and that godawful contract) while he still has perceived value. I’ll take Sandy’s intangibles and a full season of Blake to see what he can do over being saddled with Vazquez and his sudden inability to throw out runners.
100% agree, but what team is going to trade for a negative WAR catcher that can’t hit and has a “godawful contract”?
My bet is a DFA for one of Leon or Swihart because there is no perceived value in a trade of any of the bunch. Why trade for that production when you can just sign any old MiLB catcher and get close to the same?
Swihart someone will claim on dfa. He’s cheap, and there is upside there to be found.
Leon has defense, but also 2.5mil reasons not to claim him attached
Oh for sure someone will claim Swihart. Question is if someone will trade for him. Highly doubtful. We have this weird situation right now where a lot of the truly awful teams actually have catchers (MIA, SF, SD — although they’re not awful anymore, BAL). Not a lot of call for a young catcher with upside but no performance so far.
Swihart has no options. Claiming him means waiving someone and then trying to send him thru waivers to send him down risks losing him, and giving up the player you waived to make room for him for nothing. I betting he clears so a team can sign him to a minors deal..
There is no way Swihart clears waivers no chance. Leon might clear waivers due to his contract.
My guess is that this is what’s going to happen.
I think Vazquez will look more like his 17 version than his 18 version. I dont think a contract that makes up less than 2% of their total salaries could be called godawful.
Ok come on, you can put a comma before either in that sentence
That’s disappointing to hear about Maldonado. I think most ppl would prefer him over chirinos
Who thought Maldonado was going to get 3 or more years? I certainly thought he would be subject to 1 year deals for the rest of his career. He should have accepted the multi year offer.
The Red Sox have so much talent it’s kind of hard to understand what their fascination with Swihart is and why they place such a premium value on him.
It’s the classic case of mismanaged player IMO.
Rather than developing him as he was, and more importantly, giving consistent playing time/at bats, they looked at the scouting reports and tools then tried to create somewhere to get in (somehow) into the lineup. Again, not giving consistent time in the process.
I think they see a guy in his second year of eigibility that still has those raw tools, and, they want to try to develop him as a year two player ignoring all that sporadic fluff from in between.
Royals should have traded him when they could have.
You’re probably right. But Moore trading Perez would have gotten the same reaction as Dombrowski trading Pedroia. Both players are icons (IMHO, it’s well deserved). Tough to do.
I wonder if we’ll see a rash of mid level players dump Boras in the coming months?
Comments about Boras are spot on. Unless you are a Top 50 player in the league, it should be buyer beware if you select Boras as your agent. While he was able to get Harper his deal (a generational prospect..at least from a marketing perspective), he has done much more harm than good for the majority of his mid-level clients.
The days of 8-10 year deals for the likes of Carl Crawford or Mike Hampton are long gone in MLB but Boras continues to live in the past. How did he do for Mike Moustakas last year? He had him turn down 4/60+ only to sign a 1 yr, $5M deal with the Royals. He didn’t do much better this year either. How’s he doing for Dallas Keuchel? Rumors are that Dallas received 3 or 4 year offers at a market rate early on this offseason, for which Boras told him to hold out for his $100M+ contract. Keuchel will be lucky to even sniff a 3 year deal now, and will most likely have to settle for a 1 year deal. After touting Marwin Gonzalez as a prime candidate for a 4-5 year deal, he was forced to settle for 2 years. The list goes on and on.
With all that said, Boras still does very well for the top players in this league; mid-level FA’s should be very wary of signing with him though!
We have zero reason to think Boras “told” his clients not to accept offers. For all we know, the clients said no.
I sincerely doubt any player would say no to a contract offer that Scott Boras says is a good contract offer.
Boras was the best of the best for an extended period of time. His net worth of $400M is a testament to what he has done. The $100M+ the Boras Corporation makes in commission each year is irritating, but also earned.
But to the points being made, a player does not give up 6% of their salary to Boras to not listen to his advice. His gamesmanship was crazy good for a long time. But he has all but embarrassed himself the last two offseasons. His clients have reportedly turned down crazy sums of money, often to receive a fraction of the original offer during free agency. Even though Harper got lottery type money, Boras got him 3 extra years with minimal additional pay (in the big scheme of things).
If there were one or two outliers, you could say a client wasn’t listening to Boras. However, when the outcome is consistent across the board, it’s hard to discount that Boras isn’t heavily influencing his clients. Some of the original asks he had were comical. He shot for the moon and now is having to settle for below market value. Still shocked that Moose hasn’t dropped him as an agent yet.
Really? So you sign with Boras to not listen to Boras. And of course Maldonado fired him.
We have EVERY reason to believe that Maldonado got bad advice. It is clearly the more rational position.
Boras needs an agent.
It seems Murphy’s catching game has improved, and this is a good time for him to step up. He still has lots of power and potential, and I hope he has learned the strike zone (as a hitter). Good opportunity for him to win the job.
Royals need to stick with what they have. Cam Gallagher should start. A rebuild starts with seeing what your guys can do at the big league level. If that doesn’t pan out then go get another catcher.
catchers with low batting avg’s baffles my brain. how can they call a game, but be completely useless with a bat?
because hitting is so easy, even a catcher can do it, right?
to be clear, I am mocking the above statement as I think it is idiotic
Catchers get banged up frequently, especially in their hands and fingers. It’s a tough position to play on the manual dexterity of the body.
Have your ever tried to hit with a sore finger or hand?
Especially against cream of the crop MLB pitchers?
That’s generally speaking why catchers tend to not hit as well as other batters.
prolly why hockey wasn’t a fit
I don’t get it. The Red Sox just won the World Series with Leon and Vasquez as their primary and secondary catchers. The offense was obviously not that important. I’d keep the guys that are throwing out baserunners
Catchers that can stop curve-balls in the dirt that get batters out.
Keeping base runners from advancing.
Leon is very good at both as well as his Caught Stealing %.
I need a replacement owner for a Rockies based team
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> At the start of each season your roster reverts to your chosen MLB team’s roster (in this case the Rockies)
> Trades OK Free agent adds (from other MLB teams OK within rules (Commish note)
> top 100 Free agents restricted the first two months for competitive balance
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