A few weeks before the lockout, the Brewers acquired right-hander J.C. Mejía from the Guardians in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. The 25-year-old had a tough rookie season in Cleveland, working to an 8.25 ERA/4.75 SIERA over 52 1/3 innings. He started 11 of his 17 appearances, holding down a rotation role for around two months while Cleveland dealt with concurrent injuries to Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale. Those lackluster results led to Mejía being designated for assignment after the season.
As part of a broader preview of the Brewers bullpen options, Will Sammon of the Athletic writes that the team would prefer to keep Mejía in a relief role moving forward. As Sammon points out, the righty did fare much better in his six relief appearances with Cleveland than he did as a starter last year. That’s an incredibly small sample on which to draw, but the Brewers’ strong rotation depth could afford them the opportunity to deploy Mejía in shorter stints. In 2021, he was rocked by left-handed batters (.328/.397/.656 in 137 plate appearances) but held his own against righties (.227/.327/.375 over 101 plate appearances). A bullpen role would give manager Craig Counsell some flexibility to shield Mejía from opposing clubs’ top lefty hitters.
More out of the division:
- The ongoing lockout prevents players on a 40-man roster from having any sort of contact with club personnel. That’s not an ideal situation for anyone involved, but it could prove particularly challenging for players recuperating from major injuries but barred from speaking with team medical staffs. One such player, Cubs infielder Nick Madrigal, speaks with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic about his ongoing recovery from the season-ending right hamstring tear he suffered in June. The 24-year-old says he’s progressed to sprinting of late but hasn’t been able to directly correspond with the team over the past five-plus weeks. Instead, he’s rehabbed at an independent facility (Scottsdale-based Helix Human Performance), where his trainers have been tasked with updating the Cubs on his status and relaying back recommendations from the team’s medical and conditioning departments. Injured players having to rely on independent “middlemen” to keep teams abreast of their progress is one of the quieter ways in which the lockout is impacting typical offseason business.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Athletic opines that the Pirates are likely to make shortstop Kevin Newman available on the trade market coming out of the transactions freeze. That’s little surprise, given that the rebuilding Bucs are probably open to offers for everyone on the roster, save perhaps Bryan Reynolds or Ke’Bryan Hayes. Yet it remains to be seen if Newman would draw enough interest to make a trade worthwhile for a Pittsburgh club with very little certainty in the middle infield. The right-handed hitter is coming off a poor offensive showing, with his .226/.265/.309 mark checking in 46 percentage points below the league average by measure of wRC+. No other player who tallied 500+ plate appearances did less damage at the plate, although the mere fact that Newman commanded that level of playing time speaks to his contributions on the other side of the ball. Public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average were fond of his glovework, and he was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop. Coupled with a modest $1.95MM salary, perhaps Newman could attract interest from teams like the Yankees or Twins seeking a stopgap pickup at the position, but his lack of productivity at the plate suggests he’s probably better suited for a utility role with a hopeful contender.
The problem with trying to trade Newman not only has he been baseball’s worst hitter over the past two years, but he is he far from the only shortstop on the market between the FA market and trade market. Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are still two of the biggest FA’s on the market. Jose Iglesias, Jonathan Villar, Ehire Adrianza, and Andrelton Simmons are all still solid low-cost/low-risk options. On the trade market, the Rangers are going to field offers for Kiner-Falefa. The Rays might glance at offers for Taylor Walls if the demand is there now with Franco locked down, Brandon Lowe looking like one of MLB’s most underrated sluggers, and Vidal Brujan still on hand. That is unless they want him to take Wendel’s utility infield role. Still, the point remains why should a team give up prospects for Newman when they can give up money for someone like Simmons, or if they do have to give up prospects, why would it be for Newman?
I don’t really see who would give up anything at all for Newman at this point. He’s not good enough to start for anyone.
Newman to the Yankees for a bag off balls and a half chewed wad of Big League Chew…
You are spot on. My only thought as a wishful Pirate fan is that when the SS version of musical chairs is close to ending there is a team that wants a defensive insurance SS and whether it be a 2M and low level prospect vs 4M (Simmons?) decision or some other reason Newman is their choice. I certainly don’t think there is any great return coming but given the Pirates state I don’t have any great desire to keep him, Newman had his shot and stepped up a lot defensively but not enough to choose him over other players (Tucker, et al) who are just as likely to not succeed. What is somewhat ironic, if the Pirates were actually contenders and planning on using Cruz as the starter at SS, Newman could be the ideal bench backup.
Niko Goodrum was a recent finalist for GG at SS, and provides power, speed, and the ability to strike out in 30+% of his ABs. Perfect fit for the Yankees.
Goodrum is terrible. His hitting is well below average and whoever had him as a finalist for a gold glove at SS was nuts.
I know in my soul that Nutting won’t employ the strategy of buying prospects by taking back an underwater contract with the prospect but Kevin Newman is the perfect type of player to pull off such a trade. He’s useful enough to be on a 26 man roster but not good enough (offernsively) to generate a return of prospects to make dealing him worthwhile by himself. But if you call and say you’re trading Kevin Newman and taking back Justin Upton’s, Eric Hosmer’s or Aaron Hicks’ contract too then you can ask for one of the other team’s top 5 prospects and end up settling for a guy in the 7-12 range and a lower level lottery ticket.
I’ve played with the idea of Pirates taking on the Gregorius contract and sending the Phillies Newman using the type of logic you just proposed. Phillies want to free up $ to sign another big hitter and want to improve their defense on the left side. Of course the Phils would need to send a prospect to make this happen.
Not saying Kevin Newman will ever hit 10 HR again but PNC is a terrible HR park for RHHs.
Newman had a ground ball issue going into 2020. Now, he has a flyball issue. He’s not a guy built to have a FB% above 35%. He’s a guy who needs a 25%+ line drive rate to be successful. Newman only hit a dozen home runs in 2019 because of the juiced ball. He’s consistently had an exit velocity around 85 MPH and hard hit rate around 25%.
The 2nd coming of Brendan Ryan…
I’m pleasantly surprised that injured MLB players can use an independent medical middlemen to communicate with their teams. That goes beyond the economics of baseball, and is about making sure players get the treatment and rehab they need.
Since when does Nick madrigal play for the Cubs?
He was one of 2 guys traded when Kimbrel came over – hasn’t played a game yet because he was hurt.
Wow I don’t know if I ever saw that he was traded. ♂️
Xfloyd, I can understand how you might have missed the news. White Sox news, is pretty irrelevant even in Chicago.
Are you serious?!
Sox got a Hall of Famer for “slappy” Nick in July 2021 trade.
Kimbrel 5.09 e.r.a. With the sux . Trying to dump him on some other team. If not on the hook for 16 million.
Madrigals communication using “middlemen” either needs to be wrong and stopped or teams need to be able to communicate with players for health related issues only. Why play around with someone’s rehab or health issues.
Cubs trainer: Have him work on stretching and rebuilding strength. Middleman trainer (and White Sox Fan): We’re going to have to take the leg!
In the case of players rehabbing from injuries there should be a clause in the CBA that allows them to continue to communicate and work with team trainers/medical personnel. There is no reason to jeopardize a setback or another injury because the player had to rehab on his own
I agree that it’s dumb that they can’t talk directly to the trainers, but disallowing the middleman would only make things worse.
Pirates have some certainty in the middle infield… maybe not 2022 though.
Newman won’t bring anything. taking him off the 40man and putting Martin on it would’ve been a better idea.
It is pretty clear newman has some ability.. but why it isn’t showing up on the field is the problem. someone can help him find that again. I’d probably keep him into spring see what happens. or just let him walk. sending him to AAA will take time away from those who where going to replace him the next year any way.
Of course baring any other moves.
Martin was not taken. 1B only types are rarely selected in the Rule 5 draft. With Martin’s contact issues no team was going to use up a roster spot on him. Not saying I don’t like Mason Martin, I actually do, freakish power, until last year very good walk rates and by all accounts high character and good worker so the idea he can develop into that Matt Olson type basher is something Pirates fans can still dream on, but at this time he’s not close to being ready for the show and every team in the majors knows it.
Slight clarification, the MLB Rule 5 draft has not occurred so assuming it occurs post lockout, Martin could still be lost. However, your observations on whiff prone 1B having low likelihood of selection is spot on.
You can bury a middle Infielder with some versatility that may not hit right away as the 26th man on the roster, or if you are the Orioles as the starting SS (Richie Martin) but 1B and OF’s are harder to hide and is why First Baseman are rarely taken and why Outfielders rarely stick.
After the success the Tigers had with Baddoo and Reyes more teams may be willing to take more Outfielders
Yep, Tigers are pure genius. They took Victor Reyes Rule 5 and let him sit on the bench the whole season while Jacoby Jones and Mikie Mahtook wasted their time, hindering his development.
Mason has more potential at a position of need (1b) Newman still has potential but at a less needed position (in 2023) and with the sample Newman has, less time to realize that potential (though we saw it earlier in his career)
as what @southernBuc said the rule 5 hasn’t happened yet, and may not be the same format if the CBA changes
His power, someone will likely pick him up. I would depending on if i liked someone else more and had roster space to stash him.
He is a pure power guy, little work might be able to improve that SO rate, but even if he doesn’t he will still have a good OPS by being a lefty power hitter in PNC.
Probably like Pedro, but seems to have a better glove (though still not great). say what you will about pedro but he hammered the ball pretty well for a few years.
Also to be fair… picking up a first basemen with a bit of power .. usually a couple in FA to grab.. but none of them would probably sign with the pirates unless we are winning. When someone says free agent and the pirates.. we’re probably talking about bottom barrel pieces…. out side of being overly optimistic ( i usually am)
Joe- The Pirates still to this day miss Pedro’s power.The problem as we know is he lacked a position.He did not go to the Instructional League in 2014 to learn how to play first base and it showed.
He also did not last with the Orioles as DH but his career was shortened because he did not hit for a high enough average and the shifts probably really hurt him.
As for signing free agents,at this point they may have to overpay for anybody decent and you know how that goes.
In addition to looking good in relief for Cleveland last year, Mejia has looked good this winter out of the bullpen in the Dominican Winter League. If he makes the Brewers bullpen, he could be a sneaky good option for them.
Cleveland knows pitchers. They also have one of the lowest payrolls in MLB. Usually when signing or trading for a Cleveland pitcher the new team has little luck with the player. When the cheap worker gets cut by the Guardians expect him to either need TJS or not be capable on the mound.
The Dominican winter league is a tough one to draw any conclusions from. I’m not sure why the little country with man for man, pound for pound the best hitters on earth always manages to deliver anemic hitting results in its winter league. It’s usually a league wide OPS of around .630 or so, about 100 points lower than MLB. Mejia got rocked really hard last year so I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything tip top this year.
The Bucs should certainly keep Newman until someone is ready to take over at SS. His defense alone is worth keeping him around. As @SouthernBuc pointed out, Newman would be ideal, almost necessary, as a defensive sub for Cruz, if he were to make the 26-man out of Spring training. Newman is likely to rebound a bit after his horrendous luck in 2021 (Babip of .236 was in bottom 5 of Mlb). Every projection I’ve seen anticipates some rebound. Good defense will be necessary on the 2022 club. Not expecting much offense. He has a chance to be more valuable at trade deadline.
He was worth 0.5 WAR last year. You could throw a stone and find a more valuable shortstop. Everyone keeps on about how his defense makes him worthwhile but we have stats to measure this. Those stats rate him as replacement level so obviously the defense isn’t making up for the terrible hitting.
Newman made three errors in 450 chances in 2021. His fielding % of .993 is unheard of for a shortstop.Omar Visquel is tops all time at .985.Jordy Mercer was knocked in a similar manner and his % of .980 is 15 th all time.We’re not talking a first baseman or right fielder here.To have such a consistent shortstop along with Hayes at third gives the pitchers a lot of confidence in their fielders.You can harp on his hitting all you want but as long as he can field like this at a primary position he is fine for any non contending club,and not just the Pirates.
Good post. Also, Newman’s xwOBA (Quality of Contact + K + BB) was better than DiDi Gregorious, Andrelton Simmons, Ha-Seong Kim, and Nick Ahmed in 2021. I guess they should be cut ASAP.
Thank you.I compared him to Simmons who had 4 times the amount of errors and the same batting statistics and had three times the WAR.He was also making ten times the money.I think that one has to use these “statistics” with care as many seem to be subjective.Ask Matt Klentak about that.Some are based on facts,and many are very useful,but they are not the be all,end all,but just a tool,and sometimes not a real accurate one.Dombrowski knows that and has brought a much more professional approach to the Phillies.
You and I are not saying Newman is an all star,and he is not going to start for the Dodgers,but he is useful if he can field at an historic accurate level like he did in 2021..My guess is no.Then he will have to show that he is a much better hitter.I am hopeful but not betting on it.At this point in time though he would be useful for 1/3 of the teams in ML baseball,and that makes him a major league player.
The only reason Kevin Newman is in the majors, is because he plays for the Pirates. Any other organization would have released him or have him at AAA.
msg-Newman was a finalist for the NLGG.That alone for the most important fielding position would keep such a player in the ML.
I’m not so sure about that. First of all- finalist for a gold glove isn’t that impressive. What does that even mean? That your in the top 33% of starters? Not impressive. That aside, Newman is great on D, but the bat it sooooo bad. There are plenty of great fielding short stops who can’t hit and, as a result, aren’t in the majors. So, I completely disagree with your assertion here.
Last year it means that he is in the top 20% of starters in the NL as far as fielding goes.He was comparable as far as consistency as anyone in baseball at the toughest position in the field.He has hit well before albeit in the juiced up ball year.He can play second base well too.He is not going to start on the best teams nor maybe even the middle tier.but on one of the lesser teams he is a starter,not only on the Pirates.That makes him a ML player.
We will have to agree to disagree.
Agreed, Sir. Interestingly, he hit .308 in 2019 regular season after hitting .238 in spring training, then hit hit .226 in 2021 regular season after hitting .606 in spring training. Point being, I’m not sure we know enough about this guy just yet. As you said, fielding alone makes this guy a big leaguer. I’m hoping for him to bounce back a bit with the bat, which is extremely likely, statistically speaking, based on his bad luck last year (Babip).
Thank you BB.I know that he is not an all star,but a fine fielding shortstop who is a great team player and who had I think 4 or 5 walk offs in 2019 is still a ML player.I thought that he may have been on his way after 2019 but he just hasn’t hit for two years.I think that he can be better than that,but the third year will be the charm.I am also not convinced that a 6’7” guy can play shortstop in the ML.
He can fit for a team that needs a backup infielder and can afford a guy on the bench who can’t hit. This idea that defense alone makes him worthwhile is just wrong. Who needs a guy like him on the bench? His defense makes him replacement level if he starts but as a bench guy he’s less than that cuz he can’t pinch hit. Backup shortstop defense just isn’t a valuable thing, not if the player can’t hit a lick. Believe me, if he’s on your team you’ll be shouting from the rooftops for him to be cut after a he’s called on to pinch hit. His bat isn’t weak, it’s unplayable.
The no contact rule should not apply to medical issues. That makes no sense for either side. I was surprised (only sort of) when I read that it was a provision in their dealings.
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As Cleveland fan, Tribe is interested in trading for Reynolds. We recognize he is established and controlled, perfect for our effort to finish 2nd to CHX in AL Central.
How about a package for Reynolds and Omar Cruz, LHP in pipeline at #27 (45 rating)?
Just looking to return a lefty to Tribe farm, and get starting OF.
Cleveland packages RHP Eli Morgan (age 26) from 40 man roster, LHP Logan Allen (25) from 40 man roster, Tanner Burns (23) pipeline #11(Rating 50) , U Owen Miller (40 man) and 2B/OF Richie Palacios (24) pipeline #14 (40 man roster also)
That would be 5 guys for 2. Cleveland gets best player of bunch but Pirates get immediate pitching help (potentially) with couple guys to help non-pitching roster (potentially). All are up and coming . Allen made Tribe team out of spring training but busted during regular season. A lefty worth a gamble no doubt. Morgan had MLB starts and often did well. Burns is included due to his rating(50). Miller is thought to be decent hitter and somewhat versatile. Palacios is hot commodity showing speed, versatility also.
I think the offer is great for Pittsburgh but again, I am Cleveland fan so probably tainted.
Trade Rumors is all about making hypothetical transactions for well known players.
The Pirates wanted three blue chippers to start the conversation with Miami.Do you really think that they would trade Reynolds for a bunch of guys who may or may not even make it to the MLs?
Quantity does not equal quality.And prospects are just that,prospects,and relatively few have any length of productive major league careers.
I guess that it is a good thing to hope.
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I wonder if the Yankees would do a swap of Newman for Voit?
Pirates trade Chris Stratton or KevinNewman to Toronto for ReeceMcGuire or DannyJansen.
Newman can be Toronto’s Utility infielder; cheap and controllable. Can play SS/2B/3B. ChrisStratton back end bullpen arm, that misses bats and can also pitch multiple innings: also cheap and controllable
(**Stratton last 2 seasons with the Pirates: 9-2, 110 innings pitched(all in relief), 3.75ERA, 1.30WHIP, 8Saves, 13Holds and 126Ks).
I would prefer Kevin Newman and ChrisStratton to CWS for ZachColllins(back-up catcher and 1B).
CWS already have Y.Grandal and S.Zalala at Catcher/1B/DH. Along with Y.Mercedes(C/DH), GavinSheets(1B/DH) and AndrewVaughn (1B/DH) too.
Newman would be an upgrade for CWS over LeuryGarcia at 2B. And again, ChrisStratton is an asset to any team; especially a contender. Back-end RP that misses bats, can pitch multiple innings; cheap and controllable.
ZachCollins would be a good back-up catcher for the Pirates. Still just 27 years old and could figure things out with a change of scenery.
Maybe KevinNewman and ChrisStratton for ZachCollins and an OF lottery ticket(like BlakeRutherdord or JamesBeard or BenjaminBaliey).