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Archives for December 2020

Latest On 2021 Season Structure

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Much about the 2021 season remains unsettled but some clarity might be on the horizon. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will ramp up discussions about the season next week, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Talks won’t be starting completely from scratch; Davidoff notes the two sides have had “cursory” conversations about next season since the conclusion of the World Series, but nothing has begun in earnest. Part of the delay, it seems, was the MLBPA’s desire to settle upon the composition of its eight-player executive subcommittee before beginning detailed negotiations. That group (Zack Britton, Jason Castro, Gerrit Cole, Francisco Lindor, Andrew Miller, James Paxton, Max Scherzer and Marcus Semien) was finalized last week, per Davidoff.

There’ll be plenty of issues for the parties to sort through, both on and off the field. Most obviously, there’s the question of whether to retain rules changes (seven-inning doubleheaders, universal designated hitter, runner on second base in extra innings among them) instituted for the 2020 season. The number of postseason teams and playoff structure also remains up in the air.

The MLBPA has already rejected a league proposal to institute the universal DH for 2021 in exchange for another one-year postseason expansion. It stands to reason the sides could revisit that general framework, albeit with additional concessions to the union. Certainly, both sides would be best served by a quick decision on the status of the National League DH.

Even more difficult to resolve than the on-field measures are the economic issues that’ll arise if/when the 2021 season is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems improbable teams can anticipate a full 162-game slate with capacity crowds from the beginning of the season. The two sides will have to decide, then, whether to attempt a full season and how to sort out player compensation if the season length is affected. Looming over all the uncertainty is the scheduled expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement in December 2021. The parties will have plenty to sort out, and that work will really get underway in the coming days.

Angels To Sign Jake Faria To Minor-League Contract

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The Angels are set to sign right-hander Jake Faria to a minor-league deal, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Presumably, he’ll receive an invitation to spring training.

Faria looked like a potential long-term rotation piece with the Rays back in 2017. He broke into the league with 86.2 innings of 3.43 ERA/4.12 FIP ball that season. He couldn’t build upon that success the following year, however. Faria’s strikeout and walk rates each went in the wrong direction and he struggled to a 5.40 ERA in 2018. He was bumped into a bullpen role in a 2019 season split between Tampa Bay and Milwaukee but continued to struggle. The Brewers didn’t bring him back to the majors in 2020, releasing him in September.

Recent struggles notwithstanding, there’s little risk for the Angels in giving the 27-year-old another opportunity. Throughout his MLB career, Faria has generated whiffs at nearly a league average rate. His fastball velocity ticked up from 92.2 MPH in 2018 to 93.7 MPH the following season thanks to his bullpen conversion. Faria could plausibly compete for a job as a starter or as a reliever for a Los Angeles club perennially on the hunt for pitching. There’s not a ton of certainty behind Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning in the rotation. The Angels also non-tendered five relievers earlier this week, so they’ll surely be on the hunt for bullpen help this winter.

In addition to the Angels, Faria drew the attention of one of his former clubs. The Rays had interest in bringing him back on a minor-league deal. It seems a tougher road to crack the major league pitching staff in Tampa Bay, though, likely factoring into Faria’s decision to instead sign with L.A. The right-hander is also a Southern California native, and he’ll now look to return to the majors with his hometown club.

Phillies Deny Any Interest In Trading Zack Wheeler

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6:20 pm: Middleton rather firmly reiterated his unwillingness to trade Wheeler. “If they offered me Babe Ruth, I wouldn’t trade him,” the managing general partner told Olney. “I have authorized no one to have a conversation about trading him.”

12:57 pm: Both owner John Middleton and team president Andy MacPhail have denied Olney’s report, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, with Middleton saying “there’s zero truth to this.”  MacPhail stated that Wheeler “is very much in our plans going forward,” and while “I’m not surprised that other clubs might inquire about him, [a trade is] not something on our radar.”

11:25 am: The Phillies have let other teams know that they are open to hearing trade offers for right-hander Zack Wheeler, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports.  Wheeler signed a five-year, $119MM free agent deal with Philadelphia almost exactly one year ago, yet the Phils “have communicated…that they are facing a financial crunch,” Olney writes.

As always, teams are routinely “open to” receiving trade offers on just about any player as a matter of due diligence, just in case an unexpectedly great offer is floated.  The Phils being willing to listen about Wheeler trades doesn’t necessarily mean that he is being openly shopped.  This being said, there were already indications that the Phillies were looking to limit spending or even cut payroll in the wake of their revenue losses from the shortened 2020 season, and moving some or all of Wheeler’s remaining $96.5MM would certainly accomplish those rumored financial goals.

In the bigger picture, of course, trading Wheeler could also be a sign that a larger shakeup is coming in Philadelphia.  Trading an established front-of-the-rotation arm isn’t the type of move made by a big-market team that is planning to contend, and if Wheeler is on the table in trade negotiations, it’s fair to assume the Phils are also willing to discuss anyone earning a big salary.  Olney reports that “there is no indication” Bryce Harper is a trade candidate at this point.  Harper has a full no-trade clause and is still owed $274MM over the next 11 seasons, so moving him might possibly be too complicated to manage.

Beyond Harper, however, Jean Segura (owed $30MM through 2022) has already been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, Andrew McCutchen is owed $20MM in salary for 2021 plus a $3MM buyout of a $15MM club option for 2022, and Aaron Nola is slated to earn $31MM through the 2022 season and is controllable through 2023 on a club option.  Nola would certainly be the most attractive trade chip to rival teams, though one would think he would be pretty untouchable unless the Phillies were embarking on another complete team rebuild.

It also remains to be seen if the Phils would entirely abandon the idea of competing in 2021, or whether they would try the even more difficult strategy of trying to add pieces to contend even while in the midst of this “financial crunch.”  Olney opines that it’s at least possible the Phillies would reallocate any money saved in a Wheeler trade towards trying to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, though it would seem likely that Realmuto would be wary about rejoining a team that just dealt another star free agent a year into a long-term contract.  Plus, as Olney notes, “no matter what happens, there will be gaping holes in the roster,” since the Phillies already have needs in the bullpen and around the diamond, and trading Wheeler would create even greater need in the rotation.

Despite some fingernail issues that led to surgery in October, Wheeler posted some strong numbers in his first year in Philadelphia.  The right-hander posted a 2.92 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.31 K/BB rate, and 55.9% groundball rate over 71 innings in 2020, reducing his strikeout rate at the benefit of generating more grounders and keeping the ball in the park.  Among qualified pitchers, only Dallas Keuchel had a lower HR/9 than Wheeler’s NL-leading 0.38 figure.

Trevor Bauer is the only free agent pitcher projected to earn more than $96.5MM on the open market this offseason, and that assumes Bauer takes a longer-term deal rather than a shorter-term contract with a higher average annual value.  With that in mind, Wheeler’s remaining contractual obligations will give some trade suitors pause, unless some other salary is moved back to Philadelphia in return.  If the Phillies do have some level of desperation to cut payroll, however, a club willing to take Wheeler’s contract in full might only have to surrender a minimal amount of prospect return.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Rangers, Young, Pirates

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The Marlins are adding a pair of new faces to their coaching staff in 2021, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Keith Johnson is joining Don Mattingly’s staff as first base/outfield coach, while Lee Tressel has been promoted to strength and conditioning coach. Johnson managed Miami’s Triple-A affiliate between 2018-19; he’ll replace Billy Hatcher on the MLB staff. The rest of Mattingly’s assistants are expected to return in their previous roles, Frisaro notes.

Some other notes from around baseball:

  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News profiles new Rangers GM Chris Young. The 41-year-old brings a blend of playing experience and a “strong unique analytical capability,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred tells Grant. Young has worked for Manfred in the league office the past three seasons and quickly rose to a position of overseeing on-field operations. The former pitcher will initially work as president of baseball operations Jon Daniels’ chief lieutenant. However, Grant notes the pair is expected to form “a more equal partnership” when Young gains more experience in the team’s front office.
  • Pirates general manager Ben Cherington discussed the club’s shortstop competition with reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) earlier this week. Each of Cole Tucker, Kevin Newman and Erik González will be given a shot to win the job in spring training, the GM says. All three struggled offensively in 2020 but each is still fairly young and comes with a decent prospect pedigree. Cherington noted that whichever players don’t win the shortstop job could find themselves in the mix for utility roles. Newman and Tucker can also be optioned to Triple-A. González seems a good bet to make the MLB roster in some fashion; the out-of-options infielder agreed to a one-year, $1.225MM deal to avoid arbitration earlier this week.

Marcus Semien Getting Interest At Other Infield Positions

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Marcus Semien’s market has extended beyond just shortstop-needy teams, as FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that “a few” clubs have inquired about Semien as a second baseman or third baseman.  Semien has played exclusively at shortstop over the last six seasons, but he did see some action at both second (29 games) and third (50 games) earlier in his career when he was a member of the White Sox.

It isn’t clear if this was something of an exploratory ask on the part of the interested teams, as there is a notable difference between having interest in Semien primarily as a shortstop but with the flexibility of moving him to other infield spots in a pinch (or in late-game scenarios), and specifically looking at Semien as an everyday option at another infield position.  There are lots of more experienced second and third basemen available in free agency, though exploring Semien at another spot might be a more creative way for a team to address either position.

A position switch for Semien seemed like much more of a reality a few seasons ago, when he was struggling with his defense after becoming the Athletics’ full-time shortstop.  However, some diligent work on Semien’s part led to a massive improvement, as he posted +26 Defensive Runs Saved and a +5.6 UZR/150 over 2858 2/3 innings at shortstop over the 2018-19 seasons.  The UZR/150 metric still liked his work (+4.8) over 451 1/3 innings at short in 2020, but his DRS numbers fell off dramatically, with a -5 mark last season.  (Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric has never been too impressed with Semien’s glovework, as he has alternated between a -3 and -4 OAA in each of the last four seasons.)

It could be that 2020 was the start of a defensive decline, though as with every statistic from the past season, it represents a small sample size.  The same could be said about Semien’s performance at the plate, as he hit .223/.305/.374 over 236 regular season plate appearances, but he started to heat up in mid-September and then mashed his way to a 1.151 OPS over 31 PA during the playoffs.

All these factors and Semien’s lack of true elite performance outside of the 2019 season make him somewhat of a hard free agent to properly evaluate going forward, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently explored.  It could be that these defensive inquiries are reflective of a fairly wide difference of opinion on Semien’s value, depending on which team you ask.  Whereas some clubs may see Semien as a second baseman or third baseman, others (according to Semien’s agent Joel Wolfe) think highly enough of Semien’s defensive ability that they’re willing to move their current shortstop to another position in order to make room for Semien at his customary place at short.

Murray writes that Semien “works out at [second and third base] during the season and could play either position should the right opportunity present itself.”  One would imagine Semien would want to remain at shortstop, all things being equal, though the complicated nature of the overall shortstop market could also impact his choices.  Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons, and Korean star Ha-Seong Kim are also free agents, while star names like Francisco Lindor, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, Jean Segura, and Carlos Correa are all varying degrees of available in trade talks.  Marketing himself as not only a shortstop, but a potential multi-position threat who can be moved around the infield could be quite beneficial to Semien in making him stand out from the crowd.

Beltway Notes: Spencer Kieboom, Ross, Alberto, Stallings, O’s, Nats

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Catcher Spencer Kieboom elected to become a free agent after the Nationals outrighted him off their roster in October 2019, and Kieboom tells Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post that he decided last winter to retire after eight seasons of pro ball.  Kieboom’s MLB resume consisted of a single game in 2016 and then 52 games with the Nats in 2018, though knowing that he was becoming an afterthought on the team’s organizational depth chart left him “beyond frustrated.”  After twice being called up in 2019 but not appearing in any games, Kieboom decided it was enough.  “From a self-evaluation standpoint, I knew I couldn’t reach my goal anymore.  I wouldn’t have stopped if I had more in the tank.  I just didn’t,” Kieboom said.

The next step in his newfound retirement was returning to Clemson to finish a marketing degree, and Kieboom is now working on starting his own business and also spending time with a growing family that includes a newborn.  We at MLBTR congratulate Kieboom on his career and wish him all the best in his post-playing endeavors.

More from the Nationals and Orioles…

  • Nationals righty Joe Ross is looking forward to returning to pitching after opting out of the 2020 season, a decision he recently discussed with the media (including MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman).  “With the medical professionals in my family – both my parents, my sister, some close family friends – it just kind of made sense to take this as serious as you could,” Ross said.  “There were a lot of unanswered questions going into it.  Not that we know everything now, but the initial shock value of what was happening added up with a few other things, and I decided to take time away, which is always hard to do.”  Now that MLB has had more time to implement and adjust COVID-19 protocols, Ross is “pretty confident going into this year that everyone will have a pre-solidified plan on how to” keep players and personnel safe.  Ross’ decision to opt out cost him a year of service time and the entire prorated share of his original $1.5MM salary, and he’ll now return to Washington’s roster competing for a starting rotation spot.
  • The Orioles non-tendered Hanser Alberto on Wednesday, though GM Mike Elias told reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com) that the move was made largely due to “the quirks of the arbitration system” and that the O’s will “continue to have interest in pursuing” on a new contract.  “I think that the interest is mutual, but it’s now his right to explore opportunities and we’re going to have to compete for him. But he’s somebody that’s meant a lot to this team and we hope we’re not closing the door on him,” Elias said.  Alberto was projected for a salary in the $2.6MM range in his first trip through the arbitration process, coming off of two decent seasons as a regular starter (mostly at second base) in Baltimore’s infield.
  • Without a 2020 minor league season, trading for prospects is an even riskier proposition than usual considering the lack of fresh scouting information about most young players.  However, the Orioles’ recent acquisition of right-hander Garrett Stallings from the Angels (as part of the return in the Jose Iglesias trade) was aided by the team’s past interest in Stallings as a potential 2019 draft pick, as Elias told The Baltimore Sun’s Nathan Ruiz and other reporters.  Since the O’s had already scouted Stallings during his time at the University of Tennessee, the team had that background as a comparison point when they saw Stallings finally get back onto a mound in the Angels’ instructional camp this fall.  “We knew what he was in 2019, and then to see those performances a month ago, see the stuff, the velocity, and all of it be a little bit better than what he showed in college, it’s pretty encouraging,” Elias said.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/5/20

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The latest minor transactions from around the sport:

  • The Orioles signed right-hander Conner Greene to a minor-league contract earlier this week, per MLB.com’s transactions page (and confirmed by Greene on Twitter). A 2013 draftee out of a California high school by the Blue Jays, Greene became a prospect of some note after his velocity spiked early in his pro career. He was traded to the Cardinals after the 2017 season and has spent the past two years in the Royals’ system. The 25-year-old struggled badly in the high minors in recent years but was still throwing in the mid-to-high 90’s in 2019, as FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen noted in April. Greene has extensive starting experience in the minors and could be an option for either the rotation or bullpen mix if he shows well in spring training.

Ryon Healy Signs With KBO’s Hanwha Eagles

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Corner infielder Ryon Healy is signing with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, the team announced (via Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap). It’s a one-year deal that guarantees him $800K and offers an additional $200K in incentives.

The 28-year-old Healy has logged big league time in each of the past five years. Most of his playing time came between 2017-18, when he was a regular with the Athletics and Mariners, respectively. Healy signed a one-year deal with the Brewers last offseason after being cut loose by Seattle, but he spent most of the year at their alternate training site. Healy only played in four regular season games for Milwaukee; he got one more start against the Dodgers in the Wild Card playoff round. The Brewers outrighted him off the 40-man roster after the season, and Healy again became a free agent.

All told, Healy has managed a .261/.298/.450 slash line (101 wRC+) with 69 home runs in 1606 MLB plate appearances. While he broke into the league as a third baseman, Healy has rated rather poorly defensively at both corner infield spots. Between his subpar defense and on-base deficiencies, he’s seen his big league playing time dwindle in recent years.

However, Healy has shown decent pop over his MLB time, with a career .190 isolated power (slugging minus batting average). Unlike many power-oriented bats, he’s not overly prone to punchouts, with generally average strikeout and whiff rates. Indeed, the Eagles pointed to Healy’s decent batted ball data and contact rates as reasons for pursuing him, Yoo notes in a follow-up tweet.

Quick Hits: Twins, Hernandez, Giants, Harrison

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The Twins have expressed interest in free agent utilityman Kiké Hernández, reports SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has spent the past six seasons with the Dodgers. Over the past two seasons, Hernández has managed just a .235/.296/.410 line over 608 plate appearances. However, the right-handed hitter has put up a strong .263/.345/.474 career mark against left-handed pitching. He’s also started games all throughout the infield and outfield. That defensive versatility and production when holding the platoon advantage makes Hernández a sensible fit for a Minnesota team that has seen Marwin González and Ehire Adrianza hit the open market.

More from around the sport:

  • The Giants have been in contact with representatives of a few players who were non-tendered earlier this week, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Right-handed relief pitching and another left-handed hitter are on the team’s wish list, Pavlovic notes. Plenty of players fitting those respective profiles were non-tendered before Wednesday’s deadline. Speculatively speaking, Archie Bradley and Matt Wisler could make sense as bullpen targets for San Francisco, while Kyle Schwarber and David Dahl were among the top left-handed bats let go by other clubs.
  • Nationals infielder Josh Harrison nearly signed with the Braves after being released by the Phillies in July, relays Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Ultimately, the veteran infielder hooked on with Washington just a few days after the regular season began. While the Braves had a significantly more successful 2020 than did their division rivals, Harrison enjoyed a decent season at the plate. Clearly, both player and team were satisfied with the way things worked out. Harrison went on to ink a one-year extension that will keep him in D.C. in 2021.

Rays Notes: Franco, Snell, Faria

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Tests on Wander Franco’s biceps and shoulder area didn’t reveal any structural damage, the Rays told reporters (including MLB.com’s Juan Toribio).  The star prospect was brought back to the United States from the Dominican Winter League due to soreness and inflammation, though all signs point to Franco being ready to roll for Spring Training.  As a precaution, Franco won’t play in any more DWL games.

Widely regarded as the sport’s top prospect, Franco doesn’t turn 20 years old until March and hasn’t played any organized minor league ball above the high-A level.  That said, Rays evaluators did get a first-hand look at Franco at the club’s alternate training site during the season, and it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Franco make his Major League debut before 2021 is through.

More from Tampa Bay….

  • Blake Snell considered his inclusion in recent trade rumors to be “a little surprising,” even though the southpaw told the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin that he figured he would eventually be dealt before his five-year, $50MM extension (that runs through the 2023 season) was up.  “I know we thought our time was going to be these next three years,” Snell said.  “But maybe they feel with what happened with COVID and how they have to spend money, they probably have to hold back a little bit for whatever reason.”  $39MM is still owed to Snell over the final three years of his deal, which may be too steep for a Rays organization that rarely spends even in the best of times, and was further hampered by revenue losses and a lack of revenue-sharing funds in 2020.  It remains to be seen if another team will come up what is sure to be a high asking price for Snell’s services, but he is preparing himself should a trade emerge relatively soon: “I’m aware it’s going to happen at some point, so I’m ready for whenever that point is.  I just hope it’s a couple years away from now, because I love it here.”
  • Also from Topkin’s piece, he writes that the Rays had interest in a reunion with right-hander Jake Faria, but Faria will be signing with another team.  Faria was released by the Brewers in September.  A 10th round pick for Tampa Bay in the 2011 draft, Faria posted some solid numbers throughout his minor league career and then had an impressive rookie season in 2017, with a 3.43 ERA, 2.71 K/BB rate, and 8.7 K/9 over 86 2/3 innings (starting 14 of 16 games).  He couldn’t continue that form beyond 2017, however, and Faria was traded to the Brewers in a straight-up swap for Jesus Aguilar in July 2019.  After being hit hard in 8 2/3 frames that season, Faria didn’t pitch for Milwaukee at the MLB level in 2020.

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