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Cubs Sign Ian Happ To Extension

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The Cubs have kept one of the top impending free agents off the market. Chicago announced a three-year extension with outfielder Ian Happ covering the 2024-26 seasons. It’s reportedly a $61MM guarantee and contains a full no-trade clause. Happ receives a $3MM signing bonus, successive $20MM salaries in 2024-25, and an $18MM salary in 2026.

It’s a frankly surprising deal for the player, given Happ’s proximity to the open market. He was set to reach free agency this offseason and would’ve done so at a relatively young age, as the 2024 campaign will be just his age-29 season. Recent open-market deals for free-agent corner outfielders suggest that Happ had a strong case for a lengthier and more lucrative deal than the one he inked to remain in Chicago. Kyle Schwarber (four years, $79MM), Nick Castellanos (five years, $100MM) and Andrew Benintendi (five years, $75MM) all topped that mark within the past two offseasons alone. Michael Conforto received a $36MM guarantee and a conditional opt-out clause last offseason after not playing a single game in the preceding season.

Happ is younger than Schwarber and Castellanos were in free agency, healthier and younger than Conforto was, and has a superior offensive track record to Benintendi. Granted, he strikes out more often and hits for a lower average, but Happ also reaches base more frequently and has a good bit more power than Benintendi. Dating back to the 2019 season, he’s a .254/.341/.461 hitter with 66 home runs, 84 doubles, five triples, 22 stolen bases, a 10.9% walk rate and a 26% strikeout rate in 1608 trips to the plate.

By measure of wRC+, Happ has been 18% better than league-average over that span and 20% better than average in three of those four individual seasons. He’s substantially pared back his strikeout tendencies throughout his career, going from a sky-high 36.1% clip back in 2018 to a far more palatable 23.2% in 2022 (and 24.4% so far in 2023). Happ also enjoyed a career year with the glove in ’22, turning in a whopping 13 Defensive Runs Saved in left field. That netted him his first Gold Glove, and the overall strength of his 2022 performance sent him to his first All-Star Game last summer as well.

Beyond the recent contracts for fellow corner outfielders and Happ’s generally strong performance, the extension is surprising given the context of next winter’s free-agent class, which is set to be a decidedly pitcher-heavy group of names. After Rafael Devers and Manny Machado signed massive nine-figure extensions, Happ represented one of the best bats slated to reach the market, joining names like Teoscar Hernandez and Matt Chapman.

Happ’s contract certainly affords him a market-commensurate annual value for a player of this skill set, but it’s nonetheless a surprise to see him sign a short-term deal that delays his first trip to free agency until the completion of his age-31 season. Happ surely placed value on remaining with the only team he’s ever known, in the city he’s come to call home, and with the teammates he’s embraced as family. Ultimately, all contract extension of this nature are life-changing money that will set a player for generations, and even if the market was quite likely to bear a greater sum next winter, it’s easy enough to understand the allure from a pure human-interest standpoint.

From a team vantage point, the Cubs are surely thrilled to be able to retain a popular, productive core player without committing to a the lengthier market norms. Happ is the second member of the team’s core to delay his path to free agency with an atypically short deal, joining Nico Hoerner, whose recent three-year, $35MM contract extension bought out only one free-agent season. The Cubs are buying purely prime-aged years in both instances.

The Cubs already had about $127MM on the 2024 books, so Happ’s extension will likely push them to around $147MM in total commitments — assuming even distribution of salary over the three would-be free-agent years. The bulk of those commitments will come off the books the following season. In 2025-26, the Cubs will now have roughly $100MM committed to a quintet of players: Happ, Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon and Seiya Suzuki. For a team that’s previously topped $200MM in player payroll and lays claim to one of the most lucrative revenue streams in the sport, that ought to leave plenty of room for additional supplementation of that core via the free-agent market, trade market or by extending additional homegrown players in the same manner as they’ve done with Hoerner and now Happ.

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first to report the Cubs and Happ were in agreement on a three-year, $61MM extension. Joel Sherman of the New York Post was first to report the no-trade clause and the specific salary structure.

Latest On Orioles’ Rotation

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The Orioles haven’t gotten much production from their rotation through the first couple weeks. Baltimore starters entered play Wednesday with a 6.23 ERA that ranked 26th in the majors, while their strikeout and walk rates are middle-of-the-pack.

Top prospect Grayson Rodriguez has been part of those struggles, allowing seven runs in 9 1/3 innings in his first two MLB starts. While the results haven’t been great, the highly-touted righty has shown the high-octane stuff that has intrigued evaluators and fans for years. He’s averaging 97 MPH on his heater and has gotten swinging strikes on an excellent 13.2% of his pitches.

After Rodriguez’s start against the A’s on Tuesday, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters the rookie would get another turn through the rotation (relayed by Roch Kuabtko of MASNsports.com). Assuming the club stays on schedule, Rodriguez is lined up to take the ball against Dylan Cease and the White Sox on Sunday.

The O’s didn’t break camp with Rodriguez in the rotation. Baltimore called him up last week after losing Kyle Bradish to the 15-day injured list because of a right foot contusion. Bradish’s injury was never expected to be serious and he’s already set for a rehab assignment. Hyde told reporters the righty will take the ball for Double-A Bowie on Friday (via Andy Kostka of Baltimore Banner). That’d seemingly put Bradish on track to be reinstated when first eligible on April 19.

Hyde downplayed the possibility of rolling with a six-man rotation. If the O’s want to stick with a five-man starting staff, they’d have to make a decision once Bradish is activated from the IL (barring an intervening injury). Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin are locks to hold jobs, which would seemingly squeeze one of Bradish, Rodriguez, Tyler Wells or Dean Kremer out of the group.

Kremer, in particular, is off to a rough start. The 27-year-old has been tagged for 13 runs in 12 1/3 innings across three appearances, surrendering five home runs in that limited stretch. Kremer had been one of Baltimore’s most effective starters last year, when he posted a 3.23 ERA in 125 1/3 frames. Dan Connolly of the Athletic wrote last night that Kremer’s hold on a rotation spot could be tenuous if he continues to scuffle. That came before the righty surrendered four runs and allowed homers to Brent Rooker and Carlos Pérez in 4 1/3 frames during tonight’s loss to Oakland.

Rockies Notes: Rotation, Senzatela, Rolison

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The Rockies were dealt a hit to their rotation this week. Germán Márquez left Monday’s start with a forearm strain that necessitated a 15-day injured list placement. While he and the club have downplayed their concern based on an MRI that didn’t reveal any significant structural issues, they’ll have to plug a short-term vacancy in the starting five.

Manager Bud Black addressed the situation with reporters this afternoon (relayed by Patrick Lyons of DNVR). Black pointed to righties Noah Davis, Peter Lambert and Karl Kauffmann as candidates to assume the vacant spot. All three are currently in Triple-A Albuquerque. Lambert and Davis were optioned there to start the season, while Kauffmann was assigned there as a player who is not currently on the 40-man roster.

Davis made his MLB debut last season with one relief outing. He spent the bulk of the year starting for Double-A Hartford, where he put up a 5.54 ERA over 26 starts. The 25-year-old struggled with walks and home runs but punched out more than a quarter of opponents at the level. He’s walked seven and struck out six over three starts in Albuquerque.

Lambert, also 25, logged 95 big league innings between 2019-21. The former second round pick was once a reasonably promising prospect. He struggled to a 7.48 ERA in his first 21 MLB starts, though, and injuries have robbed him of most of the last three seasons. Lambert has allowed three runs with three strikeouts and walks apiece in 4 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.

Kauffmann has yet to make his big league debut. He split last year between Hartford and Albuquerque, pitching to a solid 4.06 ERA over 15 starts at the former stop. He allowed more than six earned runs per nine innings over 13 outings upon being bumped up to the top minor league level. The 25-year-old has allowed eight runs in nine frames there this year.

Rotation depth has been a concern for the Rockies since the season opened. Beyond Márquez, only Kyle Freeland was an established member of the season-opening starting five. José Ureña and Austin Gomber posted middling numbers last year, while the Rockies turned to Ryan Feltner in the fifth spot. That’s in part because Antonio Senzatela is still rehabbing from the ACL tear he suffered last summer, though he’ll take a notable step forward this week.

Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette tweets that Senzatela will make his first rehab start on Friday. He’s scheduled to toss two innings in a complex league game. The Rockies have maintained they expect Senzatela back on the Coors Field mound sometime in May and it seems he’s still on track for that target.

Meanwhile, left-hander Ryan Rolison threw a side session yesterday without issue, as reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker. He’s progressing towards game action. Colorado’s first round draftee in 2018, the southpaw is on the 40-man roster but hasn’t yet reached the majors. Rolison underwent shoulder surgery last June. He could be in line for his MLB debut at some point this season after starting ten games in Triple-A last year.

White Sox Sign Daniel Ponce de Leon To Minor League Contract

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The White Sox have signed right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). He’ll head to Triple-A Charlotte as rotation depth.

Ponce de Leon has pitched in parts of four big league seasons. All of his MLB experience has come in St. Louis. A Cardinal draftee, the right-hander debuted in 2018. He remained with the Cardinals through 2021, working to a 4.33 ERA over 147 2/3 innings in a swing capacity. Ponce de Leon punched out a solid 23.2% of opposing hitters but had trouble throwing strikes consistently. He walked batters at a 12.7% clip overall and doled out free passes nearly 14% of the time in his final two seasons there.

Since being cut loose by St. Louis, the 31-year-old has bounced around the league. He signed minor league deals with four different teams last season. Ponce de Leon initially caught on with the Angels but was released in Spring Training. He bounced to the Mariners, Nationals and Tigers to close out the year. He had a tough season at the top minor league level, allowing a 6.52 ERA in 116 innings between those three affiliates. He struck out more than a quarter of opponents but walked 11.4% of batters faced and was quite homer-prone.

Rough 2022 season aside, Ponce de Leon brings a fair amount of upper level experience to the Chicago system. He misses a decent number of bats and can operate in a long relief or starting capacity if the Sox need to call upon him. They haven’t had to dip beyond their top five of Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger to this point in the offseason. The depth behind that group is questionable, though, with Davis Martin, A.J. Alexy and non-roster players like Ponce de Leon and the recently outrighted Jonathan Stiever among the potential considerations.

Bryce Harper Preparing For Work At First Base

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The Phillies are likely to be without Bryce Harper for most of the first half of this season. The two-time MVP continues to rehab from last November’s Tommy John surgery. His recovery timetable isn’t entirely clear, though it seems he’s likely to be on the injured list at least until well into May.

Because the surgery was on Harper’s throwing elbow, his hitting is further along than his defense. He’s already progressed to taking batting practice but hasn’t been cleared to throw. Harper is certain to return as a designated hitter before he can play defense but the Phils are considering one course of action that potentially could allow him to don a glove sooner than anticipated.

Matt Gelb of the Athletic reports that Harper is preparing to work at first base. The primary benefit is that it may expedite his ability to take the field by reducing the amount of stress he’ll put on his throwing arm. Corner outfield work involves more high-effort throws than Harper would have to make at first base. He wouldn’t be able to entirely avoid throwing at any position, of course, but there’d be a lower frequency and reduced intensity on most throws Harper would have to make compared to the outfield.

Some increased flexibility from Harper could also address a position that has surprisingly become a weak point in the Philadelphia lineup. The Phils lost Rhys Hoskins for what appears to be the entire season after a Spring Training ACL tear. Darick Hall, Hoskins’ replacement, tore a ligament in his right thumb last week. He underwent surgery this morning, with the Phils estimating a two-month recovery timetable. That pushed utility player Kody Clemens into the lion’s share of first base reps, with Alec Bohm expected to take some playing time against left-handed pitching.

Harper has logged one third of an inning at first base in his MLB career. He’s otherwise exclusively been an outfielder as a professional. There’s risk of growing pains with any player moving to a position with which he’s completely unfamiliar, though it’s hardly uncommon for outfielders to factor in at first base on occasion. Harper has been taking some ground balls — without making overhand throws — in recent days, Gelb notes.

Regardless of how well he takes to drills, he’ll return to the lineup as a DH before he’s cleared to defend. If he’s able to factor in at first base closer to the All-Star Break (before he’d theoretically be able to play the outfield), that’d afford the front office and coaching staff some flexibility. While Harper’s at DH, the Phils are set to pencil in Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos into the corner outfield positions regularly. Barring a breakout from Clemens, they’d perhaps have perhaps been looking to the trade market for first base help.

If Harper covers that position and vacates the DH spot for one of Schwarber or Castellanos, the Phils could broaden their search for outfield upgrades. Vacating DH would also allow manager Rob Thomson more freedom to rotate regulars through the position as quasi-rest days. It’s to be determined whether Harper will find success in that role, but the seven-time All-Star is going to try to expand his defensive flexibility over the coming weeks.

Marlins, Archie Bradley Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins have signed reliever Archie Bradley to a minor league contract, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Bradley had lingered in free agency all offseason. The former seventh overall pick has played parts of eight seasons at the big league level. He moved to the bullpen full-time with the Diamondbacks in 2017, posting a 1.73 ERA over 73 innings that year. While Bradley has never quite recaptured that level of success, he allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine every season between 2018-21.

Two winters ago, the Oklahoma native inked a $3.75MM free agent deal with the Angels. His stint in Orange County didn’t go according to plan. Bradley threw 18 2/3 innings over 21 outings, allowing 13 runs (10 earned). He punched out only 19.2% of opposing hitters while generating whiffs on a well below-average 8.1% of his offerings. Bradley induced ground balls at a huge 57.1% clip but the lackluster strikeout tallies contributed to a 4.82 ERA that was his worst since moving to relief.

His season came to an unceremonious end in late June. Bradley fractured his throwing elbow when he slipped while trying to hop the dugout railing during a bench-clearing brawl. He’d been set to return at the tail end of the season but was diagnosed with a forearm strain.

On the heels of that rough platform showing, it’s not surprising Bradley had to settle for a minor league pact. He’ll surely need some time to build into game shape but could factor into the Miami bullpen during the year. The Marlins’ relief corps has struggled in the early going, allowing a 6.02 ERA that’s fourth-highest in the majors. Miami’s 38.8% grounder rate is 25th in MLB, so Bradley’s high-grounder profile could complement the group once he’s ready to go.

Giants Select Darin Ruf

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The Giants announced that they have selected infielder/outfielder Darin Ruf to their roster. Right-hander Sean Hjelle was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. The club already had a vacancy on its 40-man roster due to designating catcher Austin Wynns for assignment earlier this week.

This move completes a strange boomerang trip to New York and back for Ruf over the past nine months. He had been with the Giants since the start of the 2020 season but was flipped to the Mets at last year’s deadline. Unfortunately, he struggled badly after the move and didn’t make the club’s Opening Day roster out of spring this year. He was released and returned to the Giants on a minor league deal, now retaking a spot on the roster.

Prior to that sojourn out east, Ruf played very well for the Giants, particularly as a lefty-mashing righty. Over 2020 and 2021, he hit 21 home runs in 412 plate appearances and walked at a 14.3% rate. That led to a batting line of .272/.381/.519 and 142 wRC+. Against lefties, his line was even stronger at .275/.390/.579. Based on that performance, the Giants signed him to a two-year, $6.25MM deal going into 2022.

Last year, he dipped a bit but was still hitting .216/.328/.373 for a wRC+ of 104 at the time of the trade. But that swooned all the way to .152/.216/.197 after the deal. The Mets fortified their right-handed offense by adding Tommy Pham over the winter and cut Ruf after his struggles continued into the spring.

Now Ruf will have a chance to get back on track in a familiar environment. If it works out, it will be nice icing on the cake for the Giants, adding an extra sweet layer to a deal that already looks like a huge win for them. They got J.D. Davis and left-hander Thomas Szapucki, as well as prospects Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour in that deal. Davis is still under club control through 2024 and the others much longer. The Mets took on the remainder of Ruf’s deal and are still on the hook for it since he cleared waivers. The Giants can pay him the prorated league minimum for any time Ruf spends on the roster, which will be subtracted from what the Mets pay.

Salt Lake City Group Interested In MLB Expansion Franchise

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Big League Utah, a group led by former Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller, is interested in bringing an expansion Major League Baseball franchise to Salt Lake City, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Major League Baseball has not expanded in 25 years now, when the 1998 season saw the league grow to 30 teams with the additions of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with the latter club later dropping the demonic portion of their name. Many have wondered when the league might consider expanding again, with commissioner Rob Manfred frequently stating that the Rays and Athletics need to resolve their respective stadium situations before expansion will be legitimately on the table. Passan’s report indicates that is indeed still the priority, though all signs point to expansion being just over the horizon.

Both of those stadium situations seem to be moving towards resolutions, one way or another. The Rays have put forth a plan to redevelop the St. Petersburg Gas Plant District, with mayor Ken Welch backing the proposal. The negotiations are still ongoing but it seems like progress is being made before the club’s lease on Tropicana Field expires after the 2027 season. The A’s, meanwhile, have been in talks with the city of Oakland for a while about developing their own stadium, threatening to move to Las Vegas if nothing gets done. Manfred recently suggested that January of 2024 is an unofficial deadline for them to get something done with Oakland.

As those situations near their conclusions, the talk of expansion should only increase. A couple of groups have already positioned themselves to be in the mix for new franchises. A group in Nashville has attached familiar names like Dave Dombrowski, Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart. They recently added Don Mattingly while branding themselves as the Nashville Stars. Dombrowski and Mattingly are currently employed by the Phillies and Blue Jays, respectively, but are still connected to the Stars/Music City Baseball. There’s also the Portland Diamond Project, which has been trying to position itself for a club for many years, submitting bids for parcels of land five years ago. Passan also lists Charlotte, Montreal and Las Vegas as potential expansion locations, the latter presumably only if they don’t end up hosting the Athletics.

Those two ventures will now seemingly have some competition from this Salt Lake City group. The 79-year-old Miller owned the Utah Jazz until recently. Her husband Larry H. Miller had purchased the team in the 1980s but she took over the club, and his other business ventures, upon his death in 2009. The Miller family sold the Jazz in October of 2020. Passan reports that Big League Utah involves the Larry H. Miller Company but also former big leaguers Dale Murphy and Jeremy Guthrie, both of whom live in Utah now. The group has its sights set on building a stadium in the Rocky Mountain Power District, an area outside the downtown core of Salt Lake City.

“Salt Lake City is a major league city,” said Steve Starks, CEO of the Miller Company. “We believe that as a top-30 media market in the fastest-growing state in the country with the youngest population, that’s where our attention should be — and that we could accomplish bringing a team to the Wasatch Front.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox also seems on board. “It would be, I think, a validation of everything that we’ve worked so hard to do,” Cox said. “We’ve proven ourselves in a sports capacity with Olympics in 2002 and coming back in 2030 or, more likely, 2034. We’ve hosted two NBA All-Star Games. We know we can do this. It would just be meaningful for people who love this sport, who care deeply about it. We’re a baseball state.”

Per Passan’s report, members of the group have already been in contact with Major League Baseball and have also toured the facilities of the Atlanta Braves. They are touting the viability of Salt Lake City as a destination based on its population, which makes it a larger media market than that of the Padres, Royals, Reds and Brewers. They also highlight a strong economy which includes an unemployment rate of just 2.4%. Starks also said local residents were surveyed about their preferences for expansion sports teams and MLB was the top choice in that polling, ahead of the NFL.

However the expansion competition ultimately plays out, it figures to be a boon to the league. For one thing, expansion tends to create millions of new dedicated fans, which is good for growing the sport. There also should be plenty of interest among current baseball fans, as expansion will need to be accompanied by a draft, with the new clubs filling their rosters by plucking players from the others. Beyond that, expansion franchises pay fees for the right to join the league, with that money divided amongst the existing clubs. The new franchises in Arizona and Tampa each paid $130MM in fees back in 1998 but Passan estimates the fee will be closer to $2 billion this time around.

Corey Seager Out At Least Four Weeks With Hamstring Strain

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The Rangers announced that shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. It’s a Grade 2 strain and comes with a minimum absence of four weeks, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. His roster spot goes to outfielder Leody Taveras, who has been activated from his own stint on the IL.

Seager, 29 this month, departed last night’s game in the fifth inning with some hamstring tightness. The news that he will now be out of action for a month or longer is certainly a blow to the Rangers, as Seager is one of the best players on the team. Signed to a 10-year, $325MM deal after the 2021 campaign, he played 151 games for the club last year and hit 33 home runs. His .245/.317/.455 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 117 and he provided solid shortstop defense, leading to a tally of 4.5 wins above replacement from FanGraphs. Seager was off to a scorching hot start here in 2023, hitting .359/.469/.538 through his first 11 games. He wasn’t going to be able to sustain that over a full season, but it’s nonetheless frustrating for him to be cut down in the middle of such a good stretch.

Seager will return later in the year, but the club will now have to try out some other options at shortstop in the meantime. Manager Bruce Bochy told Grant after last night’s game that the club isn’t thinking about moving Marcus Semien over, despite his lengthy experience at the position. He became a primary second baseman with the Blue Jays in 2021, in deference to Bo Bichette. He joined the Rangers in the same offseason as Seager and has stayed on the right side of the bag for the most part. It seems the Rangers would prefer he stay there.

That seems to leave Josh H. Smith and Ezequiel Durán as the top options for taking the job for the next little bit. Since Smith is a left-handed hitter and Durán a righty, it’s possible that they form a platoon. Smith is getting the start tonight as the Rangers face the Royals with right-hander Brad Keller on the mound. Smith has just 81 games of MLB experience thus far, walking in 11.6% of his trips to the plate but not finding many hits thus far. His .197/.318/.245 batting line amounts to a 72 wRC+. He’s fared much better in the minors, however, including hitting .290/.395/.466 in Triple-A last year. Durán has 65 games under his belt and a .233/.272/.354 batting line to show for it, leading to a wRC+ of 77. He hasn’t played shortstop in the big leagues yet but has plenty of experience there in the minors.

The one sliver of good news in this is that the club is getting Taveras back. He was slated to be the club’s everyday center fielder until he was shut down in Spring Training due to an oblique strain, but he’s now back after missing just two weeks of the regular season. He hit just .261/.309/.366 last year for a wRC+ of 93 but put up six Outs Above Average in center field. Adolis García has been getting most of the time in center so far this year with Bubba Thompson and Travis Jankowski also in the mix, while Durán and Smith helped out in left. With Taveras back in the middle, García and Robbie Grossman should be able to take the corners while Durán and Smith now move to the infield.

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