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Archives for November 2020

KBO’s Lotte Giants Re-Sign Dixon Machado

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The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization have re-signed infielder Dixon Machado, per a team announcement (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). It’s a one-year deal with a club option for 2022. Machado will make $650K in the first year of the deal, and he would pick up another $800K if the option were exercised, Kurtz reports. The option comes with a $50K buyout, bringing the total guarantee to $700K.

Machado hit .280/.356/.422 (105 wRC+) with twelve home runs over 551 plate appearances in 2020, his first season of KBO action. He was the Giants’ primary option at shortstop, starting 139 contests over a 144-game slate. That solid performance was evidently enough for the team to keep him in the fold for the time being.

The 28-year-old is more well-known to U.S. fans for his major league stint with the Tigers. Once a decently-regarded prospect in the Detroit system, Machado only managed a .227/.285/.295 line over parts of four MLB seasons.

Wilpons, Cohen Finalize Sale Of Mets

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1:07 pm: As part of the sale, Andrew Cohen (no relation to Steve) will become the Mets’ vice chairman, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (Twitter link). Steve Cohen’s wife Alexandra will also pick up a small ownership stake in the franchise, per various reporters (including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News).

12:39 pm: The sale of 95% of the Mets from Fred and Jeff Wilpon to Steve Cohen officially closed this afternoon, per various reporters (including Andy Martino of SNY). The Mets have confirmed the news. With that, Cohen officially becomes the club’s majority owner.

Today’s development is something of a formality, as it became apparent Cohen cleared the final major hurdle in the sales process when he got approval from the league’s owners last week. Nevertheless, Mets fans will surely be happy to put a bow on the year-long saga, which saw Cohen’s negotiations with the Wilpons last offseason fall through. Ultimately, the parties came back to the table this summer after Cohen beat out a few competitors for exclusive negotiating rights. This time, they agreed upon a sale for around $2.475 billion.

There’s plenty of hope among fans Cohen will greenlight a significant uptick in the team’s payroll. He and incoming team president Sandy Alderson can now officially turn to addressing the roster.

Tigers Hire Chris Fetter As Pitching Coach

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11:37 am: The Tigers have officially announced the hirings of Fetter and Nieves. Additionally, quality control coach Josh Paul and base coach Ramon Santiago will return to the staff, per the team.

9:06 am: Detroit is also set to hire Juan Nieves as assistant pitching coach, reports Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic (via Twitter). Previously a member of the White Sox, Red Sox and Marlins’ MLB staffs, Nieves had most recently been pitching coach for Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.

8:05 am: The Tigers are hiring Chris Fetter as their pitching coach, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link). The 34-year-old had been in the same position at the University of Michigan, one of the better Division I programs in the country. He’ll replace Rick Anderson, who had been on the Detroit staff since 2017 but was expected to depart after former manager Ron Gardenhire retired.

Fetter will become the first addition to new skipper A.J. Hinch’s staff in Detroit. He joins a growing rank of young, data-oriented pitching coaches making the jump from the top of the college ranks into pro ball. Reds’ pitching coach Derek Johnson was on the staff at Vanderbilt before taking a position in the Cubs’ system in 2012. He parlayed his stint as a Chicago minor-league pitching coordinator into eventual big league coaching jobs with the Brewers and Reds. Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson, meanwhile, made the jump directly from college to an MLB staff when he was hired away from the University of Arkansas in 2018.

Fetter himself interviewed for the Yankees’ pitching coach position last offseason. He also reportedly drew the attention of the Mets and Giants over the winter. He does have some experience coaching in pro ball, working in the Padres’ organization earlier this decade. As Morosi notes, that stint overlapped with Hinch’s time in the San Diego front office.

The hiring is also notable for one of the Tigers’ divisional rivals. Morosi points out that some in the White Sox’s front office thought he’d be the best fit for their pitching coach vacancy. Instead, he’ll take the same position in Detroit, where he’ll be tasked with guiding the development of top young arms like Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning.

Spencer Patton, Yudai Ohno Reportedly Drawing MLB Interest

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A pair of pitchers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball are drawing interest from MLB clubs. Yokohama DeNa Baystars reliever Spencer Patton has caught the attention of a few teams, reports Robert Murray of Fansided; so too has Chunichi Dragons starter Yudai Ohno, per a report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Patton seems the more likely of the two to make the jump to the United States this winter, as Morosi cautions it’s “unlikely” Ohno will go to MLB in 2021.

That might simply reflect the players’ respective contractual statuses. Patton is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of the NPB season this month. Ohno, on the other hand, would need to be posted by the Dragons to be eligible to join an MLB club. It’s unclear if Ohno’s unlikelihood of heading to the U.S. is an indication the Dragons wouldn’t be willing to make him available or if the 32-year-old is simply content in his current situation.

It would be hard to fault the Dragons for not wanting to post Ohno, if that is indeed the stumbling block. The left-hander is seen as the favorite to win the 2020 Sawamura Award, Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young, Morosi notes. It’s easy to understand why. Ohno has pitched to a league-best 1.82 ERA over 148.2 innings this season. He has backed that up with a stellar combination of 148 strikeouts (8.96 K/9) and 23 walks (1.39 BB/9).

That marks a career season for Ohno, but he’s put together a decade-long run as one of the better arms in NPB. Over 10 seasons, Ohno has compiled a 3.14 ERA at Japan’s highest level. Will Hoefer of Sports Info Solutions wrote a full report on Ohno last year, noting that he typically works in the low-90’s with a decent splitter and slider and might fit best in long relief. The southpaw will be eligible for free agency in 2021 if he isn’t posted this offseason.

Patton, also 32, logged 54.2 innings of 6.26 ERA ball in parts of three MLB seasons with the Rangers and Cubs before heading overseas. The right-hander has been much better in NPB, compiling a 3.49 ERA across 201 innings over the past four seasons. Patton has backed that up with a strong 10.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9. He’s issued a few more walks this year than he has in years past, contributing to a slightly-elevated 4.28 ERA. Nevertheless, Patton has been much better down the stretch after a difficult start to the season, Murray notes, and is now “eyeing a return” to the U.S.

MLBTR Poll: AL Rookie of the Year Finalists

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We have been polling MLBTR readers on this year’s Major League Baseball awards finalists throughout the week (minus the American League Cy Young, which will belong to the Indians’ Shane Bieber). We’ll conclude with the AL Rookie of the Year, an honor that will go to either Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis, White Sox center fielder Luis Robert or Astros right-hander Cristian Javier. Here’s a look at what they did in 2020…

  • The 25-year-old Lewis had a big season at the plate, hitting .262/.364/.434 (126 wRC+) with 11 home runs, five stolen bases and 1.7 fWAR/1.4 bWAR in 242 plate appearances.
  • Robert, 23, got off to hot offensive start before fading. He still ended up with a respectable line of .233/.302/.436 (101 wRC+) with 11 HRs and nine steals over 227 PA. Robert combined his league-average offense with tremendous defense (eight DRS, 2.6 UZR) en route to 1.5 fWAR/1.6 bWAR.
  • Javier, also 23, helped make up for the Astros’ loss of Justin Verlander to injury. He made 12 appearances (10 starts) in his first year and registered a 3.48 ERA/4.94 FIP with 8.94 K/9 and 2.98 BB/9 across 54 1/3 innings.

Which of these three should win AL Rookie of the Year? (Poll link for app users)

Latest On Marcus Stroman

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Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman opted out of pitching in 2020 because of concerns over COVID-19, but that shouldn’t stop the free agent from securing a big payday during the offseason. The Mets have already issued him a qualifying offer worth $18.9MM for next season, though Stroman could turn that down and test the open market. Indeed, he’s “more likely” than not to reject the QO, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

[RELATED: MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents With Predictions]

This isn’t necessarily a surprise for Stroman, who may be the top starter on the free-agent market after Trevor Bauer. The 29-year-old Stroman has been a quality No. 2/3 type throughout his career, which began in 2014 and has included 849 1/3 innings of 3.76 ERA/3.64 FIP pitching with 7.36 K/9, 2.59 BB/9 and a 58.6 percent groundball rate.

Stroman has posted 200-inning seasons on two occasions, and when he last pitched, he racked up 184 1/3 frames. That type of durability would  be welcome for the Mets or any other team looking for a starter capable of racking up a lot of frames and performing well. Just about every club is looking for a hurler like Stroman for its rotation, meaning he should rake in quite a bit of money in free agency.

Padres, Royals Complete Trevor Rosenthal Trade

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The Padres and Royals have completed their August trade that saw reliever Trevor Rosenthal head to San Diego for a player to be named later. The Royals have acquired right-hander Dylan Coleman in exchange, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

Now 21, Coleman was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Padres who has done well at the lower levels, minus a rough High-A debut a year ago. Coleman has pitched to a 3.18 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings during his minor league career.

The 30-year-old Rosenthal, a former lights-out Cardinals closer who has battled injuries of late, enjoyed a rebound campaign between the Padres and Royals in 2020. He didn’t allow a single earned run over 10 frames as a Padre and ended the year with a 1.90 ERA/2.22 FIP and 14.45 K/9 against 3.04 BB/9 in 23 2/3 frames. Rosenthal is now one of the most desirable relievers on the open market.

A’s, Padres Complete Jorge Mateo Trade

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The Athletics and Padres have completed their late-June trade that sent infielder Jorge Mateo to San Diego, Oakland announced. The A’s will receive outfielder Julio Perez in return.

The 19-year-old Perez debuted in the minors in 2018 and then blossomed in rookie ball the next season, when he batted .268/.349/.512 with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases across 238 plate appearances. FanGraphs then ranked Perez as the No. 22 prospect in a deep Padres system.

Mateo, 25, was a high-end prospect in his younger days, but he hasn’t been that productive in the minors or the majors over the past couple of seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2020 and batted .154/.185/,269 without a home run in 28 PA.

Diamondbacks Acquire Ronny Simon From Cubs

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The Diamondbacks and Cubs have completed the pre-trade deadline deal that sent left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin to Chicago for a player to be named later. The D-backs have acquired infielder Ronny Simon for Chafin, Arizona announced.

Still just 20 years old, the switch-hitting Simon tore the cover off the ball at the rookie level in 2019. Simon amassed 196 plate appearances then and batted .333/.411/.571 (164 wRC+) with three home runs, 14 stolen bases and almost as many walks (21) as strikeouts (25) over 196 plate appearances. Based on what he has done in the minors, Simon seems like a nice get for Arizona.

Chafin was a productive reliever for the Diamondbacks for several years, but with the team out of contention and with him nearing free agency, it made sense to part ways. The 30-year-old gave the Cubs 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball (including playoffs) but is now on the free-agent market.

Braves, Orioles Complete Tommy Milone Trade

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The Braves acquired left-hander Tommy Milone from the Orioles for two players to be named later prior to the Aug. 31 deadline. A little over two months after the fact, those players’ identities are now known. The Orioles are getting infielders AJ Graffanino and Greg Cullen, per an announcement from the Braves.

AJ Graffanino, the son of former major league infielder Tony Graffanino, joined the Braves as an eighth-round pick in 2018. He has since ascended to Single-A ball, where he slashed .301/.333/.378 in 153 plate appearances during his draft year. MLB.com ranked the 23-year-old as the Braves’ No. 23 prospect before the trade, writing that “he has very good hands and a strong arm suited for shortstop.” However, with just one professional home run so far, it’s unclear how much of an offensive impact Graffanino will make in the majors.

Cullen entered the pros in the same draft class as Graffanino as a 15th-round pick. He was not a high-ranked Braves prospect, but Cullen, also 23, did slash .270/.393/.401 (138 wRC+) with nine homers in 568 PA in Single-A ball in 2019.

However these prospects turn out, the Milone acquisition didn’t go as planned for the Braves. The soft-tossing veteran posted a disastrous 14.90 ERA in 9 2/3 innings with Atlanta. Between the two teams, the now-free agent logged a 6.69 ERA/4.76 FIP over 39 frames in 2020, though he did record excellent strikeout and walk numbers (9.23 K/9, 1.38 BB/9).

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