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Archives for January 2020

Cubs Reportedly Interested In Scooter Gennett

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The Cubs are showing interest in veteran second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). The status of talks isn’t fully evident.

Gennett is looking for a rebound opportunity after a brutal 2019 campaign. He was shelved early with a significant groin strain and never got going with the bat. The 29-year-old ended the season with a .226/.245/.323 batting line in 139 plate appearances.

There’s reason to hope that Gennett can get back on track after a full offseason of rest. He was a surprise force in the prior two seasons, turning in a robust .303/.351/.508 slash with fifty long balls.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the former Brewers and Reds infielder can line up with his third NL Central team. For the Cubs, adding Gennett would bring in yet another mix-and-match option to deepen a still-unsettled position-player mix. Gennett could battle in camp with fellow left-handed-hitting veteran infielder Daniel Descalso, who is under contract for 2020 but turned in equally rough results last year.

Latest On Padres-Red Sox Talks On Mookie Betts

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The chatter on Red Sox star Mookie Betts continues even as the opening of camp draws near. Three NL West organizations are reportedly engaged with the Boston organization on the exceptional right fielder, adding to the intrigue.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune updates the situation from the Padres’ perspective, covering quite a few notable details on the discussions. The Friars are said to be trying to structure a deal around a pair of young MLB-level players: one outfielder (Manuel Margot or Josh Naylor) and one pitcher (Cal Quantrill or Joey Lucchesi).

Supposing that aspect of the prospective arrangement meets with the desires of the Boston front office, there’s still the matter of sorting out the money. As has been reported previously, the Friars wish to offload as much as possible of the Wil Myers contract, in no small part due to the fact that Betts is set to play for $27MM in 2020. But the sides are currently deadlocked on the dollars, with the Sox “offering to assume about half” of the $61MM still owed Myers and the Pads wishing “to eat only about a quarter.”

While a ~$15MM difference is no small matter, that’s not necessarily an unbridgeable gap. (At least, assuming the teams are seeing eye to eye on the other pieces.) But the Red Sox surely don’t want to sell low on a franchise stalwart. And the Padres are understandably wary of over-extending for a rental player.

Among the clubs pursuing Betts, the Padres are in the most speculative competitive position. They’re trying to move out of the NL West cellar and chase down the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. That won’t be an easy feat, even with Betts. While there’d always be a mid-season ripcord if things fall flat, and Betts is all but assured of receiving and declining a qualifying offer at season’s end, it’s questionable whether now is the time to push a bunch of chips in on a purely win-now move.

Reds “Considering” Nick Senzel Trade Scenarios

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After adding another significant free agent to their lineup, the Reds may not be finished. The club is “considering” finding a deal involving top young talent Nick Senzel, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

It doesn’t appear that there’s a specific deal already lined up, but the signing of Nicholas Castellanos to a four-year contract further crowds the outfield mix, representing the latest move that seems to limit the opportunities for Senzel.

While Senzel was heralded as a potential franchise centerpiece, he hasn’t quite found a fit yet in Cincinnati. At various points since he was selected second overall in the 2016 draft, the versatile 24-year-old has been tasked with lining up at second base, third base, shortstop, and center field.

As presently constituted, the Reds would seem likely to deploy Senzel in some kind of outfield timeshare while perhaps also giving him some innings in the infield. But there’s an obvious alternative, laden with both risk and upside: cashing him in via trade.

Just what might be contemplated isn’t yet clear. The roster’s one glaring area for improvement is shortstop, though perhaps there’s still room to add pitching and the team has long been said to have interest in finding a more offensively capable catcher. Senzel has exhausted his prospect eligibility, but he’s still the type of controllable, MLB-ready asset who could conceivably be a headliner in a package to acquire any of the myriad high-profile trade targets who’ve been discussed over the course of the winter.

There’ll surely be wide interest in Senzel, who could be plugged right into a lineup and remains controllable through the 2025 season. His debut effort wasn’t a grand slam; he slashed .256/.315/.427 (90 wRC+) with a dozen home runs in 414 plate appearances last year. But that’s hardly a miserable showing for a rookie and he’s still seen as possessing ample talent with the bat. The positional versatility makes him a potential fit just about anywhere and the contract situation is a huge positive.

Athletics Optimistic About Stadium Project

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The Athletics are expressing quite a lot of optimism regarding the team’s longstanding efforts to secure a new ballpark. President Dave Kaval says that he anticipates final approval to proceed with construction this summer, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.

Over the years, the twists and turns in the stadium-building process have been many. So much so that it’s tough to presume that new obstacles won’t arise. Kaval is obviously well aware of the past history, which makes his seemingly unfettered anticipation all the more noteworthy.

The Athletics president says that it’s time to “get the shovels ready.” But the precise timeline isn’t yet clear. It seems that the hope is for a final go-ahead to be secured within the next six months. Where things go from there remain to be seen.

For reference, the Rangers are set to open their new facility this year after announcing (already largely finalized) plans in May of 2016. The Braves’ clandestine stadium deal was announced in November of 2013, with ground breaking less than a year later and the park coming online for the 2017 campaign.

The Athletics’ new ballpark will be situated on the waterfront in Oakland’s Howard Terminal. But the complex arrangement also involves a redevelopment of the existing Coliseum site. Major roadblocks involving the land deal had arisen, but were sorted out late last year.

NL Notes: Marlins, Brewers, Knebel, Taylor

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We’ll round up a few notes from the Senior Circuit to finish the weekend.

  • The Marlins are in ongoing negotiations with Sinclair Broadcast Group about a new TV rights contract, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The parties’ current deal, which will pay the club a league-low $20MM for broadcast rights on Fox Sports’ regional networks in 2020, expires at the end of the season. The figures the parties are discussing for 2021 and beyond are unclear. However, Jackson notes that the Marlins turned down an offer which would’ve paid north of $50MM annually in 2017; that offer was put on the table after the current Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter group agreed to buy the franchise, but before the franchise sale was completed, and new ownership preferred to negotiate the TV deal on their own. Whether that particular offer (or something higher) is still on the table isn’t known. What is apparent, however, is the new TV contract will be far more lucrative than the old deal, which could spur ownership to significantly increase spending on player payroll (Jackson estimates an extra potential $20MM annually) in future seasons.
  • Brewers’ reliever Corey Knebel is progressing well from March 2019 Tommy John surgery, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). Knebel won’t be ready for the start of the season, but he’ll begin throwing from a mound next week as he ramps up his rehab, McCalvy reports. Knebel signed a one-year, $5.125MM contract to avoid arbitration in December, suggesting the club believes he’ll make an impact in 2020.
  • Brewers’ outfielder Tyrone Taylor underwent minor surgery this offseason to repair a wrist injury, he told reporters (including McCalvy). Nevertheless, Taylor should be at full strength for the start of spring training. The 26-year-old has only 12 MLB plate appearances to his name. Coming off a passable two-year run in Triple-A and with Milwaukee having traded Trent Grisham to San Diego this offseason, though, Taylor has a shot to earn a reserve outfield spot in spring training.

Latest On Mookie Betts

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Mookie Betts trade drama has been one of the prevailing stories of the offseason. In addition to the Red Sox’s recent discussions with the Padres, Boston is also in touch with the Dodgers on a potential Betts deal, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While there’s still no certainty that Boston will eventually pull the trigger, Speier characterizes the club’s willingness to move the 2018 AL MVP as “serious.”

While a Padres’ deal would seemingly require Boston to take on Wil Myers’ contract as a means of acquiring prospects and reducing their luxury tax hit, Dodgers’ talks would seem to be more straightforward. As Speier notes, L.A. could part with one of their many MLB outfielders to facilitate a trade for Betts, whom they justifiably view as “a rare talent.” Such a scenario could be appealing to Boston, who no doubt hopes to compete in 2020.

Interestingly, Speier adds that the Dodgers could look to explore a package deal involving Betts and a high-priced starting pitcher like David Price. That would help Boston get under the $208MM luxury tax threshold, although Sox owner John Henry recently downplayed the importance of doing so. At the moment, the Sox project for a $236.8MM luxury number, per Roster Resource. Removing Betts’ $27MM and Price’s $31MM respective CBT hits from the books would ameliorate that. That, of course, would certainly make Boston’s roster worse in the short-term, even if they received MLB-ready pieces in any return.

A third NL West team is also at least lurking on the periphery of the Betts’ market. The Diamondbacks, where former Red Sox executives Mike Hazen and Amiel Sawdaye are leading the front office, have interest in the superstar outfielder, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Arizona doesn’t have the resources or farm system of the Dodgers or Padres, perhaps making them a longshot. Still, any team figures to have a strong enough system to reel in Betts, who will hit free agency next offseason. Meanwhile, the Snakes should have a bit of financial flexibility, with a projected season-opening payroll of $114MM that trails their season-ending outlay of $125MM. That alone wouldn’t be enough to make room for Betts’ $27MM salary, although perhaps ownership could bump payroll beyond typical spending levels if it meant landing a unique talent.

If anything is clear from the varying reports, it’s that the situation remains fluid. 70% of MLBTR readers forecasted this week that Betts would open the season in Boston. That’s obviously still a strong possibility. Nothing prevents the Red Sox from holding Betts and reevaluating their situation at the trade deadline; future suitors wouldn’t get the benefit of being able to tag Betts with a qualifying offer if they acquire him in-season (as they would if a deal is swung preseason), but there’d no doubt still be demand for one of the sport’s best players in July.

Astros Interview Mark Kotsay For Manager

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The Astros interviewed A’s quality control coach Mark Kotsay last week as part of their ongoing search for A.J. Hinch’s replacement, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter). Kotsay becomes the ninth known candidate in Houston’s wide-ranging managerial search.

Kotsay also drew consideration from the Giants and Pirates for their vacancies earlier in the offseason, but he ultimately lost out to Gabe Kapler and Derek Shelton, respectively. He has no MLB managerial expereience, but he’s worked in the Padres’ front office and on the Pads’ and A’s coaching staffs since retiring as a player in 2013.

Kotsay joins Joe Espada, Eduardo Pérez and Will Venable as potential first-time managers to sit down with Houston. The Astros have also interviewed former MLB skippers Brad Ausmus, Dusty Baker, Jeff Banister, John Gibbons and Buck Showalter.

Ryan Braun Discusses Future

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Franchise icon Ryan Braun is entering the final guaranteed season of the contract extension he signed with the Brewers nearly a decade ago. Now 36, the former MVP is nearing the end of a storied career. In fact, it’s not out of the question that 2020 could prove to be his final season, he acknowledged to reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) today at Fan Fest.

“I don’t take for granted this could be my last year playing baseball,” Braun told reporters. “It’s definitely a possibility,” he elaborated when asked if he would contemplate retirement after the 2020 season. “We’ll see how the year goes, see where I’m at physically. Obviously, my family’s always my top priority, so we’ll see how everything’s going then.”

Needless to say, that’s hardly a declaration that he’ll certainly hang up the spikes. He added that he doesn’t anticipate making a final decision until after this season, when he can reevaluate his health and family situation as well as the team’s outlook. Braun’s contract does come with a $15MM mutual option for 2021, but mutual options are rarely exercised. Typically, the price point is either high enough that the team would prefer to buy the player out or low enough that the player would rather explore free agency. In Braun’s case, it seems likely the Brewers would buy Braun out for $4MM rather than exercise their end.

That’s not to say, however, that Braun won’t be a key factor on Milwaukee’s 2020 outlook. He’s coming off a strong 2019 effort, in which he hit .285/.343/.505 (117 wRC+) in 508 plate appearances. The club anticipates him taking a similar number of plate appearances this season, he told reporters today. The longtime corner outfielder confirmed that some of that work figures to come at first base, where he’s played just 18 career games (all in 2018). Milwaukee’s corner outfield mix is crowded, with offseason signee Avisaíl García joining MVP candidate Christian Yelich and Ben Gamel. Yelich, notably, is at full strength for spring training after a knee injury ended his 2019 season in September, he told reporters today (including Haudricourt).

Today’s comments from Braun are perhaps unsurprising; that a 36-year-old player may at least entertain thoughts of retirement after the season won’t raise many eyebrows. Nevertheless, it’s notable to hear Braun verbalize the possibility. He is, as mentioned, still a productive hitter. In all fourteen of his MLB seasons, he’s been above-average at the dish by measure of wRC+. He’s certainly unlikely to return to the vaunted offensive force he was in his prime, but Braun still figures to be a valuable player in 2020. Should he again produce at the plate, he’d no doubt draw interest from teams next offseason, if he chooses to keep playing.

Report: Reds “Clear Frontrunners” To Sign Nicholas Castellanos

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According to a report from Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network, the Reds are now seen as the “clear frontrunner” to sign free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, with Morosi adding that the two sides have made progress in their negotiations over the past few days.

The Giants have also been in contact with Castellanos in recent weeks, per Morosi. The Rangers have also been strongly linked to the 27-year-old. And while Castellanos is decidedly the best slugger left on the market, it could very well be a three-team race for his services; when we explored the best fits for Castellanos last week, we also named the Indians, Cardinals, and Cubs as potential landing spots, but all of those teams have displayed a certain reluctance to splurge on free agents and seem unlikely to do so in this case.

Cincinnati is already looking at a pretty busy outfield mix—especially at the corners, where Castellanos would play—but none of the Reds’ existing pieces can quite match the offensive firepower that Castellanos would add to the lineup. Aristedes Aquino, Jesse Winker, and Phil Ervin are all likely to be deployed frequently in the outfield corners, with Shogo Akiyama and Nick Senzel representing options for the centerfield job.

If indeed the Reds wind up inking Castellanos, two of the aforementioned teams would be doubly hurt by missing out: the Cubs and Cardinals, of course, would have to turn around and deal with the division rival Reds several times every year.

MLBTR originally predicted that Castellanos would earn a four-year, $58MM deal in free agency. There’s still a chance he could reach those numbers, but the one-year, $18MM contract signed by Marcell Ozuna last week might reflect how the industry values Castellanos, whose profile and on-field value resembles that of Ozuna. Castellanos, though, is more than a year younger and doesn’t come with a qualifying offer attached, so signing teams won’t have to worry about surrendering draft pick compensation.

Mets Sign Erasmo Ramirez To Minor League Deal

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The Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. He’ll get a non-roster invite to big league camp.

Ramirez, 29, spent last year in the Red Sox organization, pitching mostly in Triple-A and making one appearance with the big league team. In 125 1/3 innings with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, Ramirez notched a 4.74 ERA and struck out 95 batters. In his last stint of sustained big league action, he made 10 starts with the 2018 Mariners, working to a 6.50 ERA.

With the Mets’ rotation mix looking full with the signings of Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello, Ramirez looks mostly like a depth signing who can start in the minor leagues and offer emergency innings in the Majors if necessary.

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