AL East Notes: Fairbanks, Jays, Arroyo, Duran, Donaldson
2022/03/al-east-notes-fairbanks-jays-arroyo-duran-donaldson.htmlWhile he might not fit the classic model of leadoff hitter, Donaldson would certainly fit the recent trend of opting for on-base ability over speed. … Rays' right-hander Pete Fairbanks was removed from today's game due to right lat tightness, per Rays broadcaster Neil Solondz.
Rays To Sign Ryon Healy To Minors Deal
2022/03/rays-to-sign-ryon-healy-to-minors-deal.htmlBoth 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 signed Ryon Healy to a minor league contract, according to FanSided's Robert Murray (Twitter link).
March 22 Set As New Date For Teams, Players To Exchange Arbitration Figures
2022/03/march-22-set-as-new-date-for-teams-players-to-exchange-arbitration-figures.htmlMLB Trade Rumors has used Matt Swartz's model for projecting arbitration salaries for the last 11 years, and here are…… Dozens of arbitration-eligible players still have to get their salaries figured out for the 2022 season, and now that the lockout is over, March 22 is the new deadline for teams and players to submit numbers, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).
Apple, NBC Agree To Streaming Deals With Major League Baseball
2022/03/mlb-apple-friday-night-baseball-streaming-deal.htmlOther such deals will surely follow, particularly given how prominent this model is becoming throughout all of professional sports. … NBC will purchase the rights to the Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball packages that ESPN did not include in its new deal with MLB.
Establishing A Nationals Way
2022/02/establishing-a-nationals-way.htmlIt's not a bad model to follow. … Their on-field talent has shifted the team into a new strata of contention (which is to say, non-contention), the front office has had to retool itself under GM Mike Rizzo after numerous departures, and most of the stars that represented the Nationals for the last half decade have departed.
The Value Of The MLBPA’s Super Two Proposal
2022/02/the-value-of-the-mlbpas-super-two-proposal.htmlNote that our arbitration projection model sometimes spits out a number below the league minimum, in which case we set the projection equal to the minimum. … In its most recent proposal, the Major League Baseball Players Association asked that 80% of players with at least two years of MLB service be considered arbitration eligible.
Trevor Story Reportedly Not Interested In Position Change
2022/02/trevor-story-reportedly-not-interested-in-position-change.htmlStory's market is complicated by several factors --- the draft pick compensation attached to him via his rejection of the Rockies' qualifying offer, Carlos Correa's presence as another major available shortstop, possible changes to baseball's business model in the new CBA, the overall uncertainty of the lockout, and how wild the transactions frenzy will be when teams are finally allowed to make moves again. … With Trevor Story still on the open market, there has been plenty of speculation about where (and how much, contract-wise) the All-Star will eventually land when the lockout is over.
Collective Bargaining Issues: Service Time, Arbitration
2022/02/collective-bargaining-issues-service-time-arbitration.htmlIt would do particular damage to teams operating on the model associated with the Rays and A's of the last several decades, whereby teams generally either lock up players early in their careers for below-market rates (a la the deal Evan Longoria signed with the Rays in 2008, which gave the team nine years of control) or trade them for a maximal return before they reach free agency (as the A's are likely to do with Matt Olson this offseason). … As covered at length by MLBTR's Anthony Franco, Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic published a relatively bleak account of the state of negotiations between players and owners yesterday.
Why Haven’t The Braves Paid Freddie Freeman?
2022/01/why-havent-the-braves-paid-freddie-freeman.htmlStill, Freeman has been a model of consistency, posting an OPS+ of 132 or higher in every season since 2013, and recent years have shown no signs of regression; the first baseman followed an astonishing run to an NL MVP behind a .341/.462/.640 line in the small sample of 2020 by essentially replicating his career numbers (.295/.384/.509) in 2021 (.300/.393/.503) despite an uncharacteristically slow start. … Though the consensus across the industry remains that Braves franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman will ultimately end up back in Atlanta, few expected Freeman to reach 2021 Opening Day -- let alone the long-inevitable lockout -- without a deal to keep the face of the franchise with the only club he's ever known well into the backside of his career.
Mets To Hire Glenn Sherlock As Bench Coach
2022/01/mets-to-hire-glenn-sherlock-as-bench-coach.htmlInterestingly, Sherlock doesn't fit the model of the "younger, analytics-driven individual" that the Mets were reportedly looking to hire for the position, though the club did seek out several names that did fit that description. … The Mets have chosen Glenn Sherlock as their new bench coach, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).
New York Times To Purchase The Athletic
2022/01/new-york-times-to-purchase-the-athletic.htmlHow (if at all) the deal will affect The Athletic's coverage or subscription model remains to be seen, but Toonkel suggests that the deal may have been motivated by the site's hefty subscriber base. … 4:05pm: As previously expected, the deal has been announced following the close of the stock market.
Dodgers To Sign Eddy Alvarez
2022/01/dodgers-to-sign-eddy-alvarez.htmlHe fits the Dodgers' preferred model of versatile players, as Alvarez has quite a bit of experience as a second…… The Dodgers have signed infielder Eddy Alvarez, as announced by Alvarez himself on his Instagram page.
Quick Hits: Santana, Nimmo, Bedell
2021/12/quick-hits-santana-nimmo-bedell.htmlHypothetically, the incentive-heavy extension between the Twins and another oft-injured outfielder in Byron Buxton could serve as something of a model for a Nimmo extension, if likely at a lower price point than the $100MM in guaranteed money that Buxton will receive. … After receiving a PRP injection in October, Carlos Santana said that "Now, I feel 100 percent" in the wake of an injury-plagued season, the Royals first baseman told The Kansas City Star's Lynn Worthy.
Kyle Seager Announces Retirement
2021/12/kyle-seager-announces-retirement.htmlA model of consistency, Seager produced at least 1.5 fWAR for ten straight seasons, from 2012 to 2021, hitting at least 20 home runs in each of those seasons, except for the shortened 2020 campaign. … Kyle Seager has announced his retirement, according to a statement relayed by his wife on Twitter.
MLB Used Two Different Types Of Baseballs During 2021 Season
2021/12/mlb-used-two-different-types-of-baseballs-during-2021-season.htmlWhile these balls were indeed deployed in 2021, a study from Meredith Willis (an astrophysicist associated with SABR) revealed that other baseballs used during the season had slightly-heavier centers of around 127 grams, as opposed to the newer model of ball with centers in the 124-145 gram range. … Major League Baseball used two different types of baseballs during the 2021 season, Business Insider's Bradford William Davis reports.
2021-22 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
2021/11/top-50-mlb-free-agent-rankings.htmlYasmani Grandal and Marcell Ozuna followed this model successfully. … MLB Trade Rumors is proud to present our 16th annual Top 50 Free Agents list! For the entire list of free agents, plus the ability to filter by signing status, position, signing team, and qualifying offer status, check out our mobile-friendly free agent tracker here.
Cubs Name Carter Hawkins General Manager
2021/10/cubs-planning-to-hire-carter-hawkins-as-general-manager.htmlMeasured offseason spending is nothing new for Hawkins, as the Indians have a longstanding model of building through trades and homegrown prospects rather than major free agent signings. … Eleven months after Jed Hoyer was promoted from general manager to Cubs president of baseball operations in the wake of Theo Epstein's decision to step down, the team has settled on a new general manager.
Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
2022/02/projected-arbitration-salaries-for-2022.htmlMatt Swartz has created a model to project salaries for arbitration eligible players, which we’ve been publishing at MLB Trade Rumors for 11 years. … At some point, the MLB lockout will end and teams will be scrambling to address their arbitration eligible players.
A’s Loaded Arbitration Class Will Lead To Some Tough Decisions
2021/09/athletics-trade-rumors-payroll-arbitration-olson-chapman-manaea-bassitt.htmlMatt created MLBTR's Arbitration Projection model, and I asked if he'd be able to put together some projections for the Athletics' class based on the seasons they've had to date. … The Athletics are squarely in the mix for the second American League Wild Card and, with six remaining games against the first-place Astros still on the schedule, are still alive in the division chase in the American League West as well.
AL Injury Notes: Robert, Grandal, Rogers, Archer
2021/08/al-injury-notes-robert-grandal-rogers-archer.htmlBut he took that model to new extremes in 2021 before tearing a tendon in his knee in July, as evidenced by his incredible slash line of .188/.388/.426, producing a wRC+ of 135. … Luis Robert is expected to rejoin the White Sox this week, per Jared Wyllys of The Chicago Sun-Times.
MLBTR Poll: Can The A’s Replace Ramon Laureano?
2021/08/mlbtr-poll-can-the-as-replace-ramon-laureano.htmlOf course, the details of the "Moneyball" model that made the A's front office famous has changed over the years, but one thing that hasn't is their non-linear approach to roster creation. … The presumption of the A's decline was fueled by the departures of impact players in free agency: namely, Marcus Semien to Toronto, Tommy La Stella to San Francisco, Liam Hendriks to Chicago, and Robbie Grossman to Detroit.
Padres Acquire Adam Frazier
2021/07/padres-acquire-adam-frazier-from-pirates.htmlHowever, even that xwOBA is still above average, and Frazier somewhat makes up for that lack of hard contact by making a lot of contact in general --- fitting the Padres' model as a player who rarely strikes out. … The Padres have acquired one of the most sought-after players on the trade market, picking up second baseman Adam Frazier in a four-player swap with the Pirates.
Cole Hamels Holds Showcase For Interested Teams
2021/07/cole-hamels-to-hold-showcase-for-interested-teams-next-week.htmlHe was also a model of consistency, never posting an ERA higher than 4.32 and allowing fewer than four earned runs per nine innings in eleven of those fourteen campaigns. … JULY 16: Twenty teams had representatives in attendance at today's showcase, Heyman reports (Twitter link).
Brewers Acquire Kevin Kramer From Pirates
2021/07/brewers-acquire-kevin-kramer-from-pirates.htmlThe 27-year-old Kramer will provide the Brew Crew with some farm system depth, and he also fits Milwaukee's preferred model of a multi-positional player. … The Brewers and Pirates have swung an inter-division trade, with utilityman Kevin Kramer going to Milwaukee.
Dodgers Acquire Yoshi Tsutsugo From Rays
2021/05/dodgers-acquire-yoshi-tsutsugo-from-rays.htmlTsutsugo has played third base, first base, and left field for Tampa Bay, so he fits the Dodgers' preferred model as a multi-position player (the team's signing of Albert Pujols notwithstanding). … The Dodgers have acquired infielder Yoshi Tsutsugo from the Rays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.