Archives for March 2022

Marlins To Sign Jorge Soler

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 11:33pm CDT

The Marlins and outfielder Jorge Soler have agreed to a three-year, $36MM contract, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter links). Soler has opt-out clauses after each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Soler is represented by MVP Sports.

Soler will earn $12MM in the first year of the contract, as per FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). Provided he doesn’t opt out of the deal, Soler is slated to earn $15MM in 2023 and $9MM in 2024. Various incentives based on playing time could significantly boost that 2024 salary, as Soler gets an extra $500K for reaching the 350-plate appearance and 400-PA thresholds, and then a $1MM bonus for hitting 450 PA, 500 PA, and 550 PA.

The deal represents the second big free agent splurge of the winter for the Marlins, who also signed Avisail Garcia to a four-year, $53MM pact prior to the lockout. Miami went into the offseason with a stated need for outfield help and more lineup pop, and the result is two players who have combined for 154 homers since the start of the 2019 season.

Soler led the AL with 48 home runs during that 2019 campaign, one of the high points of what has been an inconsistent eight-year run in the majors for the 30-year-old. Both sides of the Soler experience was on display in 2021, when he began the season hitting only .192/.288/.370 with 13 homers over 360 plate appearances with the Royals.

After the Braves picked Soler up at the trade deadline, however, the switch seemed to be flipped. Soler proceeded to hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs over 242 PA for his new team, and then topped that strong performance in the World Series, batting .300/.391/.800 with three more long balls during 23 PA in the Fall Classic. With Atlanta capturing the championship, Soler earned World Series MVP honors.

There was plenty of interest in Soler on the open market this winter, as the Braves were interested in a reunion, and clubs like the Rockies, Padres joined the Marlins as known suitors for the slugger. MLBTR ranked Soler 25th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and correctly predicted Soler’s actual three-year, $36MM contract. (Our Anthony Franco took the prognostication a step further and even picked Soler to sign with the Marlins.)

The challenge for any interested club, of course, was determining how much to bid for a player whose production has ebbed and flowed over the years. By that same logic, Soler and his representatives obviously wanted a solid deal that wouldn’t sell the outfielder short for future years if he did return to that 48-homer pace. The two opt-outs allow some flexibility in both cases, as if Soler does enjoy a big 2022 season, he can test the market again next winter.

If Soler did end up only being a Marlin for one season, the team might prefer the flexibility, given the continued uncertainty of Miami’s center field situation. General manager Kim Ng said earlier today that the team was on the lookout for center field help, though Garcia was cited as a possible center field candidate at the time of his signing.

With Soler now added to the mix, it would seem as though Garcia will be tapped for at least semi-regular center field duty, barring another move for the Fish. Jesus Sanchez can also get some work in center and will play regularly as a corner outfielder, while Soler will play every day in either the other corner slot or as the designated hitter. Garrett Cooper will likely get the other right field/DH spot that Soler doesn’t occupy, with Cooper and Jesus Aguilar also sharing time at first base.

Bryan De La Cruz will get one outfield bench spot, while minor league signings Delino DeShields and Roman Quinn could be battling for another bench role. Since DeShields has a stronger defensive track record, that might give him the edge in winning a job, especially if the Marlins seem to be prioritizing hitting over glovework with their other outfield choices.

The likes of Brian Anderson, Joey Wendle, or Jon Berti could also factor into the outfield picture, and future acquisitions can’t be ruled out during what has been a very aggressive offseason for the Marlins. Between the Soler/Garcia signings and the trades for Wendle and Jacob Stallings, the Fish are making a concerted effort to improve, and the free agent deals represent some notable expenditures for a traditionally lower-payroll team. Due to some reports that Derek Jeter’s surprising departure as CEO was because of a change in ownership’s willingness to spend, the Soler contract will quiet some criticism directed at the franchise in the aftermath of Jeter’s decision.

If Soler doesn’t opt out and he hits his 2024 incentive clauses, the total value of the deal will top out at $40MM over three years, which isn’t a huge spend in comparison to other free agent contracts. That said, Miami native Nick Castellanos was another rumored Marlins target, and the Fish might’ve simply felt that spending $36MM (or as little as $12MM) on Soler was a better investment than topping the five-year, $100MM contract Castellanos received from the Phillies. Castellanos also would’ve cost the Marlins a draft pick via the qualifying offer, whereas Soler wasn’t attached to any draft compensation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

AL Notes: Correa, Tucker, Meadows, Winker, Upton

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 10:47pm CDT

Before Carlos Correa signed with the Twins, there was some increased buzz that Correa could be staying with the Astros, as Houston was reportedly working on a new contract offer and owner Jim Crane was getting involved in talks. However, in the aftermath of Correa’s departure, The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome hears from two sources that “the Astros were not close to reuniting with their shortstop.”

In fact, the Astros didn’t even make a new offer. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Astros “did not budge from” the five-year, $160MM deal the club offered Correa just prior to the opening of the free agent market in November. The exact level of these latest talks between Correa and the Astros aren’t known, but Rome wonders why the team didn’t explore a contract similar to the three-year, $105.3MM pact (with two player opt-outs) that Correa landed from Minnesota, or if such a deal simply wasn’t of interest to the Astros.

Diamondbacks Sign Wilmer Difo To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 10:15pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have inked utilityman Wilmer Difo to a minor league deal, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (via Twitter). Difo receives an invitation to Arizona’s big league spring camp as part of the contract.

Difo hit .269/.329/.384 over 240 plate appearances with the Pirates last season, appearing in 116 games after signing another minors contract last winter. It marked the first time Difo had ever played outside the Nationals organization, as Difo had spent his entire 11-year pro career with Washington since D.C. signed him to an amateur contract out of the Dominican Republic in 2010.

That stint in the District resulted in 373 big league games spread over the 2015-20 seasons, with Difo seeing a lot of time as a starting shortstop when Trea Turner was injured in 2017 and 2019, and as part of a second base platoon in 2018. Known more for his versatility than his switch-hitting production at the plate, Difo hit .247/.309/.348 over 1060 PA in a Nationals uniform. While he didn’t appear on the postseason roster in 2019, Difo’s 43 games played for the Nats that season earned him a World Series ring for his contribution to the championship year.

Difo has spent much of his career at the two middle infield positions, but has also played a good deal of third base and at least a couple of games at all three outfield positions. The D’Backs don’t have much in the way of veteran utility players competing for jobs on the MLB roster, so Difo’s experience could give him an edge in competing for a roster spot.

Blue Jays Continue To Pursue Left-Handed Hitting

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 9:30pm CDT

The Blue Jays have one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups, though their projected starting nine tilts heavily to the right side. Cavan Biggio is the only left-handed hitter set to receive everyday action in Toronto’s lineup, and even Santiago Espinal is expected to spell Biggio when southpaws are on the mound. With this in mind, the Jays continue to look into left-handed hitters, with Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writing that the club has shown interest in Michael Conforto, Joc Pederson, Brad Miller, and former Jay Corey Dickerson.

While Davidi reports that the Jays “had offers in” on the latter three names, Dickerson joined the Cardinals on a one-year/$5MM deal, Pederson went with the Giants’ one-year/$6MM offer, and Miller received $10MM over a two-year deal with the Rangers. These players all projected for platoon or part-time duty, whereas Conforto would seemingly both be in line for more of an everyday role, and at a significantly higher cost.

Such clubs as the Rockies, Marlins, Yankees, and Padres have also been linked to Conforto’s market this winter, though Colorado could be off the board after signing Kris Bryant, while the Marlins have addressed their outfield needs with Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia. Signing Conforto would cost a draft pick since he turned down the Mets’ qualifying offer, and it does remain to be seen exactly what kind of deal Conforto will land as Opening Day nears. His market could improve as other outfielders get signed, though in the wake of Conforto’s average 2021 season, teams may still balk at committing significant money.

A multi-year contract with opt-out clauses could be an option, similar to the deal just signed by another Scott Boras client — new Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. Or, the Jays could offer Conforto a straight one-year contract worth $18.4MM (the cost of the qualifying offer), in a move similar to how Toronto landed Marcus Semien last winter. Like Semien, Conforto could see the one-year deal as a bridge to a bigger contract the following offseason, assuming that Conforto returns to his past form.

Signing Conforto would cost the Blue Jays $500K of international spending money and their second-highest pick in the 2022 draft, which would be their second-round selection. However, since the Blue Jays will be getting two extra compensatory picks just prior to the third round (since Semien and Robbie Ray rejected QOs and signed elsewhere this winter), the Jays could feel they have the draft depth to rationalize signing Conforto.

The amount of interest Toronto has in Conforto isn’t known, as Davidi acknowledges that the Jays could just be making a routine check-in on a notable unsigned free agent. Since the Jays don’t have a set DH, Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Conforto could all see regular work in the DH spot and the starting outfield spots, with Randal Grichuk getting fill-in duty as the situation warrants.

Of course, switch-hitting Guardians star Jose Ramirez continues to be a Blue Jays target, and would represent another left-handed option to balance out the lineup in a major fashion. It remains to be seen if the Jays and Guardians can finally agree on a trade package or if Cleveland will even end up moving Ramirez whatsoever, though Davidi reports that a Guardians scout was recently seen taking video of Alejandro Kirk. Since the Guards are thin at catcher now and don’t have a true catcher of the future lined up (depending on Bo Naylor’s future position), Kirk would be a logical candidate to be included as part of a potential Ramirez trade package.

Injury Notes: Urias, Rortvedt, Funkhouser

By Darragh McDonald | March 19, 2022 at 8:01pm CDT

Luis Urias was removed from today’s Spring Training game after suffering a quad injury while running the bases. Brewers manager Craig Counsell told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters that the extent of the injury won’t be known until tomorrow. If Urias needs to miss any amount of time, it would certainly be a blow to the Brewers, as Urias’ excellent breakout campaign (.249/.345/.445 with an 111 wRC+) put him in line to be the club’s everyday third baseman this year.

The Brewers succeeded last year despite a mediocre offense, getting tremendous results from their pitching staff. They’ve made efforts to bolster the lineup this offseason, adding Hunter Renfroe, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Brosseau. If Urias has to miss any time, Brosseau and Jace Peterson are the most likely to step up and man the hot corner.

Some other injury notes from around the league as Spring Training games get underway…

The Yankees’ newly-acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt has been sidelined by an oblique injury, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. Rortvedt was just acquired as part of the big trade with the Twins, coming over with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. As a left-handed bat, Rortvedt was expected to play in a platoon capacity alongside right-handed batter Kyle Higashioka. The club doesn’t have another catcher on their 40-man roster. If Rortvedt’s injury proves significant, they may have to look for outside additions, or else rely on depth options like Rob Brantly or David Freitas.
Tigers reliever Kyle Funkhouser has lat soreness in his right side and may not be ready for Opening Day, reports Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Funkhouser emerged as a valuable member of Detroit’s relief corps last year, throwing 68 1/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA. His 21.1% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate were both subpar, but he did log a strong 53.2% ground ball rate. “It just hasn’t resolved itself,” Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch said of the injury. “He hasn’t been throwing any bullpens or live batting practice. That’s a concern with the shorter spring. I don’t anticipate that he’ll be ready for the season. Three weeks from yesterday we open up. That’s not much time on a regular schedule, let along when you have a bump in the road like this.”

Diamondbacks’ J.B. Bukauskas To Miss “Months” With Teres Major Injury

By Mark Polishuk and TC Zencka | March 19, 2022 at 6:36pm CDT

Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has suffered a grade two tear of his teres major muscle, manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other reporters. A specific timetable is not yet known for Bukauskas’ return, but Lovullo said the righty will miss “months, not weeks.”

Former D’Backs righty Taylor Clarke was cited as possible comp, as Lovullo noted that Clarke suffered a similar injury last season. In that situation, Clarke missed just over a month and a half of action, hitting the injured list on June 15 and being activated on August 5. However, it is probably safe to guess that Bukauskas will be sidelined for a longer amount of time, given that he’ll have to both recover from the injury and then do some extra prep work to make up for missing so much of Spring Training.

The teres major tear is another in a series of injury setbacks for Bukauskas, who missed about six weeks of the 2021 himself himself due to a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. Wrist and other elbow problems have been issues in the past, and Bukauskas also hurt his back during a car accident during Spring Training 2018 when he was a member of the Astros organization.

With all these injuries in mind, it isn’t surprising that Bukauskas has yet to produce much at the big league level. Making his debut last season, he had a 7.79 ERA over 17 1/3 relief innings for the Diamondbacks, though advanced metrics (4.49 SIERA, 4.50 xFIP) were a bit more favorable, accounting for Bukauskas’ .357 BABIP and an absurdly low 47.2% strand rate. That said, Bukauskas didn’t help himself with only a 17.3% strikeout rate, and four homers allowed during his brief time in the Show.

Concerns over Bukauskas’ durability have lingered for a while, though it also wasn’t long ago that he drew some attention on top-100 prospect lists. Houston selected Bukauskas with the 15th overall pick of the 2017 draft, and the righty was one of the key pieces of the four-player package the Astros sent to Arizona for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. Bukauskas hasn’t actually started a game at the major or minor league level since 2019 when he was with the Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate, and with his injury history only lengthening, it remains to be seen if his future will be as a starter or as a reliever.

Brewers Renew Devin Williams’ Contract

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 5:59pm CDT

The Brewers will be renewing the contract of right-hander Devin Williams for 2022 season, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports. Club president of baseball operations David Stearns commented on the move, saying “We understand players have a right to take a renewal and look forward to watching Devin continue to make significant contributions to our team this season.”

As standard practice, teams agree to terms on contracts with all of their pre-arbitration players, even though there usually isn’t much real negotiating that takes place since pre-arb players don’t have leverage in demanding big raises beyond the minimum salary. Most teams have formulas in place that do award raises to pre-arb players based on seniority or on particular achievements, though this can usually amount to a relatively small amount of extra money (maybe a bonus of $10K or $20K).

If a player doesn’t accept the team’s proposed salary, then the team can still give that same salary to the player, yet via a renewal rather than an “agreement.” It is essentially something of a symbolic gesture reflecting that the player doesn’t agree with the number being offered by the team, and it doesn’t impact Williams’ status with the Brewers. Quite a few prominent players over the years have opted for renewals rather than regular agreements, and Williams now joins this list of notable names.

Williams earned $681.1K last season, coming off an outstanding 2020 campaign that saw him capture NL Rookie Of The Year honors and finish seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting. If that season has been played under the terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Williams would have received a significantly higher 2021 salary, as per the new $50MM bonus pool for pre-arbitration players and the extra money allotted for awards — the top two finishers in ROY balloting, top-five finishes for MVP or Cy Young balloting, and a spot on the All-MLB first or second team.

2022 is Williams’ final pre-arbitration season, as the reliever is slated for three arb years before becoming eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. While Williams will get a raise as he enters the arbitration process, he is also the type of player whose true value isn’t accurately reflected by the traditional counting stats preferred by arbiters in deciding cases. Williams’ whopping 42.9% strikeout rate or his 1.78 ERA in 2020-21 could be somewhat belied by his lack of saves, as Josh Hader (himself a dominant reliever) remains Milwaukee’s closer.

With Hader always rumored to be on the trade market, however, Williams would seem like the natural heir apparent to the closer’s job if the Brewers did indeed opt to send Hader elsewhere. Williams would also seem like a logical candidate for a contract extension, if the Brew Crew wanted to get some cost-certainty over Williams’ arb years (such as if a new closer role did lead to a big increase in saves) and into at least one or two of his free agent years.

Marlins Looking For Center Fielder

By TC Zencka | March 19, 2022 at 5:35pm CDT

5:40pm: Joe Frisaro of Man On Second Baseball tweets that Jorge Soler is the “most realistic free agent still possible” for the Marlins, though he also adds that trade talks with several teams are ongoing.

8:04am: The Marlins have been quiet on the free agent front since the lockout lifted. General Manager Kim Ng has expressed a desire to add another bat, particularly one who can play center field, but she’s not prepared to rush to make an addition that might not be the right fit, per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola.

While the rest of the division has been busy making re-shaping their rosters, the Marlins have settled for backup plans in the form of minor league deals to fill their biggest need. Delino DeShields and Roman Quinn both have extensive experience in center, and if the Marlins aren’t able to find a more permanent solution, either speedster could factor into the Major League roster with a strong spring.

Otherwise, their big pre-lockout free agent signing, Avisail Garcia, will be one of the internal candidates to captain the outfield, along with Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez, and utilityman Jon Berti. None are natural options for a full-time gig in center, however.

Monte Harrison, who might otherwise have been an option, was designated for assignment this week. The 26-year-old could still return, but he has yet to establish himself as a viable regular option anyhow. Lewis Brinson and Magneuris Sierra, two of the part-time players at the position in recent years, were released this offseason and now play for the Astros and Angels, respectively.

In the minors, 24-year-old JJ Bleday and 25-year-old Victor Victor Mesa are the most well-known prospect names that could potential play themselves into the mix at some point this season. Neither have appeared higher than Double-A, however.

But the fact is, center field is perhaps the toughest position to field these days. Free agency doesn’t offer much by way of regular options, with veterans like Kevin Pillar, Brett Gardner, Billy Hamilton, Brian Goodwin, Jarrod Dyson, and Juan Lagares making up the bulk of the remaining free agent pool with center field experience.

Thus, if the Marlins are going to find themselves a new center fielder, they’ll probably have to do so through trade routes. Ng can dangle third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson as a potential trade chip, per Barry Jackson and Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald. The offseason acquisition of Joey Wendle makes Anderson somewhat expendable, though likely only at the cost of filling their need in center.

Anderson should be an intriguing option for a team in need of some offensive pop. Anderson owns a career 111 wRC+ heading into his age-29 season, and he brings experience at third base and right field. Given his position on the defensive hierarchy, however, it’d likely take more than just Anderson to net the Marlins a comparable center fielder.

If the Marlins can’t find that player in the trade market, they could turn to adding another corner outfielder like Jorge Soler or Michael Conforto, notes De Nicola. Either one would fit comfortably into the corner outfield mix while pushing De La Cruz and Garcia into more regular playing time in center. The designated hitter role is also available to the Marlins, though they seem content with letting Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper split time there, as well as at first base.

Nationals Sign Jace Fry To Minors Deal

By Darragh McDonald | March 19, 2022 at 5:26pm CDT

The Nationals have signed lefty Jace Fry to a minor league deal, according to Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. He has been invited to big league camp.

This will be just the second organization for Fry, as he has been with the White Sox for the entirety of his career thus far. After a cup of coffee in 2017, he settled in as a mainstay of the team’s bullpen over the next three years. From 2018 to 2020, he appeared in 145 games for the Pale Hose, with a 4.43 ERA. Although the 13.7% walk rate was concerning, he could certainly rack up the strikeouts, with a rate of 29.6%.

In 2021, a microdiscectomy kept him on the IL until June and he struggled in his return. In a small sample of just 6 2/3 MLB innings, he put up a 10.80 ERA. However, in 40 Triple-A innings on the year, his ERA was just 2.93, along with a 36.1% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. Despite that strong showing in the minors, he was outrighted by the White Sox at the end of the year.

For the Nationals, they leaned into a rebuild last year, trading away various players, including relievers Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand. That left them with a bullpen primarily consisting of inexperienced younger pitchers and Will Harris, who was limited by injury to just six innings last year. Since then, the club has added Sean Doolittle to be the primary lefty, alongside younger options like Sam Clay and Francisco Perez. Fry is still just 28 years old and has an option year remaining. If selected to the roster, he could give the Nationals an optionable veteran southpaw in the ’pen. He also has less than four years of MLB service time, meaning he could be retained into the future via arbitration if he succeeds with the Nats.

Rays To Sign Ryon Healy To Minors Deal

By Mark Polishuk | March 19, 2022 at 5:21pm CDT

The Rays have signed Ryon Healy to a minor league contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). Healy will be making his return to North American baseball after playing with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Hanwha Eagles in 2021.

A veteran of five MLB seasons, Healy’s last appearance in The Show came on a big stage, as he served as the Brewers’ DH and cleanup hitter in Game Two of their wild card series game with the Dodgers in 2020. Injuries had thinned Milwaukee’s roster to the point that Healy (who had played only four regular-season games with the Brew Crew) got the nod for the elimination game, as the Dodgers knocked the Brewers out of the best-of-three series.

Healy has a .261/.298/.450 slash line over 1606 career plate appearances in the majors, almost all with the A’s in 2016-17 and then the Mariners in 2018-19. A noted prospect on his way up in Oakland’s farm system, the Athletics dealt Healy to Seattle in November 2017 since Matt Olson and Matt Chapman were blocking the way at Healy’s two corner infield positions. While Healy followed up a 25-homer campaign in 2017 by hitting 24 long balls in his debut season with the M’s, his hitting numbers declined overall, and injuries limited him to 47 games in 2019.

From there, Healy bounced to the Brewers, and then to the KBO League. The Eagles released Healy in July after he hit .257/.306/.394 over 268 PA for the Daejeon-based team. Both in South Korea and in the majors, Healy has struggled to consistently get on base, and his power dropoff with the Eagles is also a bit of a step backwards for a player who at least used to fit the three-true-outcomes model.

The Rays have been known to be looking for a right-handed hitter with first base ability, and while Healy fits that description, he might be viewed as more of a backup plan than as a true answer to Tampa Bay’s needs. Still, the Rays have been known to find hidden gems in the past, and if Healy is able to get on track, he could be an interesting complement to Ji-Man Choi or Austin Meadows (both left-handed hitters) as the Rays’ top choices at first base or DH.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Archives for March 2022

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect