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A.J. Pollock

NL Notes: Syndergaard, Pollock, Cards, Brewers

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Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard will begin an injury rehab assignment Tuesday at the Single A-level, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Syndergaard could return to the majors within five days of that outing, DiComo reports. The Mets placed Syndergaard on the injured list June 16 with a hamstring strain, adding to what has been a surprisingly pedestrian season for the 26-year-old. A front-line starter when he was healthy enough to take the mound from 2015-18, Syndergaard has managed a mediocre-at-best 4.55 ERA in 95 innings this season. However, the flamethrowing Syndergaard’s 2019 peripherals have been more encouraging – albeit not as dominant as they had been in prior years – as he has logged a 3.61 FIP with 8.81 K/9, 2.27 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent groundball rate.

More from the National League…

  • Dodgers center fielder A.J. Pollock is hoping to return when the second half of the season kicks off July 12, Pedro Moura of The Athletic tweets. Pollock’s continuing to work back from the right elbow surgery he underwent at the start of May. Before going under the knife, Pollock got off a tough start in 2019 after emigrating from the Diamondbacks to the rival Dodgers over the winter on a four-year, $60MM contract. The 31-year-old has hit just .233/.287/.330 (64 wRC+) in 115 plate appearances this season, but considering his productive track record and the Dodgers’ goal of having capable depth everywhere, they’ll be glad to get Pollock back.
  • With Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks in danger of missing the rest of the season because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament, it’s “expected” they’ll use Carlos Martinez as their main game-ending option, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. That would be a new role for the 27-year-old Martinez, who’s working out of the Cardinals’ bullpen this season largely because spring shoulder issues prevented him from ramping up as a starter entering the campaign. Martinez has totaled nine saves during his career, which began in 2013, and has been one of the Cardinals’ most effective relievers this year. He owns a 3.00 ERA/3.38 FIP with 8.4 K/9, 3.00 BB/9 and a Hicks-like 61.5 percent groundball rate in 15 innings.
  • Righty Jimmy Nelson, now out of the Brewers’ starting rotation, will “likely” function as a long reliever, Robert Murray of The Athletic writes (subscription link). For now, Nelson’s rotation spot will go to righty reliever Adrian Houser.  Nelson’s hopeful he’ll eventually return to Milwaukee’s starting staff, per Murray, who delves into the 30-year-old’s 2019 struggles in his piece. While Nelson was the Brewers’ best starter in 2017, late-season shoulder surgery that year kept him out of major league action until three weeks ago. Nelson then made three subpar starts before the Brewers moved him into a lesser role. Houser, 26, has logged an impressive 2.27 ERA/3.37 FIP with 10.23 K/9 and 3.41 BB/9 this season, but as Murray notes, he won’t work deep into games as a starter. He has averaged just under two innings per appearance across 16 tries this season, having totaled 31 2/3 frames.

Injury Notes: Hendricks, Dodgers, Nats, Tribe, German

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Injured Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks played catch in the outfield Friday, though the righty “could miss another couple of turns” through the team’s rotation, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “We’re happy that the initial shutdown has been good, but we’re not ready to talk through a plan yet, or a progression,” general manager Jed Hoyer said of Hendricks, who has been out since June 15 with a right shoulder impingement. The Cubs started Tyler Chatwood in Hendricks’ place Thursday, but the next opportunity may go to prospect Adbert Alzolay, per Greenberg. Alzolay, 24, followed Chatwood in Thursday’s game and enjoyed a triumphant debut in a win over the Mets.

  • Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and center fielder A.J. Pollock could start rehab stints during next month’s All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts said Friday (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Meanwhile, reliever Scott Alexander still hasn’t returned to throwing since left forearm inflammation forced him to the injured list June 8. Seager went to the IL on June 13 with a left hamstring strain, which should cost him four to six weeks. Pollock underwent early May surgery on his troublesome right elbow. The expectation then was that he’d be back in July.
  • Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman began a rehab assignment Friday at the Double-A level, Jamal Collier of MLB.com tweets. Zimmerman has been out since April 28 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the latest in a long line of injuries for the 34-year-old. While Zimmerman posted a couple resurgent offensive seasons from 2017-18, he came out of the gates slowly this year before hitting the IL. Zimmerman’s a .213/.302/.373 batter thus far in 86 plate appearances. Matt Adams, Howie Kendrick and Gerardo Parra have been the Nationals’ most common first base choices in Zimmerman’s absence. Kendrick has been brilliant at the plate, while Adams and Parra have only put together replacement-level numbers.
  • A few reinforcements are trying to work back for the Indians, as Mandy Bell of MLB.com details. Ace Corey Kluber, shelved since May 1 with a fractured right forearm, has an upcoming eight-week checkup that will determine whether he’ll be able to start throwing. Fellow righty Danny Salazar just threw a second two-inning simulated game, but he’s “waiting to advance to a real game in Arizona before he gets a rehab assignment,” Bell explains. Shoulder issues have kept Salazar out of action since 2017. Unlike Kluber and Salazar, reliever Dan Otero’s not making progress. Already out almost three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, Otero is now dealing with a setback of unknown severity.
  • Yankees righty Domingo German could rejoin their rotation before the All-Star break, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). German has been out since June 9 with a left hip flexor strain. The 26-year-old struggled over a handful of starts leading up to his IL placement, though he still carries a respectable 3.86 ERA/4.05 FIP in 70 innings on the season.

NL Injury Notes: Cano, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals

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While a decision won’t come until Sunday, the Mets are “seriously considering” placing second baseman Robinson Cano back on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Cano went to the IL on May 23 with a left quad strain, only to re-aggravate the injury when he returned this past Wednesday. While the 36-year-old suggested at the time he wouldn’t require another IL stint, he hasn’t played since then. Even now, Cano insists he “feels good,” per DiComo.

More from the NL…

  • Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo has been playing through “nagging” lower back tightness over the past couple weeks, but it’s “not serious,” according to manager Dave Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That may at least partially explain why the rookie’s numbers have nosedived of late, though he’s still slashing a solid .291/.344/.457 (113 wRC+) in 195 plate appearances this season. Verdugo has been the Dodgers’ primary center fielder since A.J. Pollock underwent elbow surgery at the outset of May. Pollock will have the PICC line removed from his elbow Wednesday and could begin baseball activities soon after that, Plunkett relays. Pollock will reclaim center upon his return, according to Roberts, but Verdugo’s still “going to play.”
  • The Phillies placed outfielder Adam Haseley on the IL on Saturday because of a strained left groin, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The club’s not sure how much time Haseley will miss; in the meantime, it recalled outfielder Nick Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as his replacement. Haseley, a 2017 first-round pick whom the Phillies promoted when outfielder Andrew McCutchen suffered a torn ACL on Monday, racked up a mere eight plate appearances before going on the shelf.
  • Nationals reliever Justin Miller started a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on Saturday, when he threw a perfect inning and fired nine strikes on 10 pitches, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. Miller has been on the IL twice this season, including since May 18 with a right rotator cuff strain. The injuries have contributed to a tough year for Miller, who has notched a 4.02 ERA (with an unsightly 7.04 FIP), 6.32 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, and a microscopic 19.1 percent groundball rate in 15 2/3 innings. He’s one of a multitude of Nationals relievers who have disappointed in 2019.

Injury Notes: Zimmermann, Eovaldi, Pollock

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Let’s check in on the rehab status of a few players around the league…

  • Jordan Zimmermann threw a simulated game on Friday as he works his way back from a UCL sprain. He has another bullpen session on Sunday, followed by a rehab start with High-A Lakeland on Wednesday, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The Tigers are likely disillusioned of any notions for contention in 2019, but getting Zimmermann back in action could still provide dividends, either as a veteran influence in a young locker room, as an innings eater in the rotation, or the best case scenario, as trade bait. Zimmermann is owed $25MM next season, but that’s likely a sunk cost even if they could drum up some interest in the veteran righty. Given the 5.29 ERA that marks Zimmermann’s Detroit tenure, there may not be a “return to form” for the 33-year-old, but if there’s anything to spark hope in a Zimmermann revival, it would be good health.
  • The Red Sox Nathan Eovaldi is on a similar timetable after pitching a simulated game this Friday, per The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. He could be back in the Red Sox rotation by mid-June. The Red Sox are not considering a move to the bullpen at this stage for Eovaldi, whom they view as a starter, despite a 6.00 ERA in his first four starts to start the year. Of course, much of the Red Sox roster started slowly, and there’s no reason to think Eovaldi won’t be able to return to form. For his part, Eovaldi wants and expects to be a starter.
  • A.J. Pollock continues to work his way back from an infection in his elbow. Pollock eventually needed surgery on his right elbow to remove a plate and screws from a previous surgery. With injury troubles hounding Pollock at nearly every turn, there’s not much positivity to glean here. The stitches are out of his right elbow, however, allowing him to increase the range of exercises, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. A catheter remains in his left arm, completing a six-week course of antibiotics on June 12th. These are positive signs for Pollock, but there’s still no timetable for his return. The Dodgers have a firm hold on the NL West, so there’s no rush to return Pollock to action until he is 100% ready – depth was one of the things that pointed to a match between Pollock and the Dodgers in the first place. If Pollock can get healthy and up to speed by the playoffs, both sides should be pleased with the union, despite the rough start for their free agent prize, owner of a .223/.287/.330 slash line in 2019.

A.J. Pollock Likely Out Until July

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Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock is slated for a minimum six-week shut-down after undergoing elbow surgery, he told reporters including Pedro Moura of The Athletic (via Twitter). He’ll likely need a ramp-up period thereafter, almost certainly pushing his return to the majors into the month of July.

Fortunately, it does not sound as if there’s much reason to fear ongoing physical problems. The procedure addressed a staph infection in his right elbow, but that’s healing nicely so far. The present timeline is based upon the catheter that was set in his biceps muscle in the other arm in order to treat the infection.

The Dodgers don’t seem inclined at this point to go searching for another right-handed-hitting outfielder to fill in for Pollock. Instead, Travis d’Arnaud was signed to function as a third catcher and bench bat. There are certainly enough pieces on hand to fill the void in the outfield, even if the club is now down a key cog. Chris Taylor seems sure to receive ample action, while the lefty-swinging Alex Verdugo and Joc Pederson will likely also get more chances.

West Injury Notes: Pollock, Tatis, Olson, Holland, Smyly

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With center fielder A.J. Pollock having undergone right elbow surgery Thursday, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters that adding another righty-hitting outfielder “would be ideal.” However, Friedman noted the Dodgers “have a fairly high bar with our mindset being to giving our current guys more of a runway.” Even without Pollock, the Dodgers have no shortage of quality outfield options at the big league level, though nearly all of them hit from the left side. Pollock could come back later in the season to balance out the group, but there’s still no timetable for his return. For now, Pollock’s “resting and recovering” in the wake of surgery, per manager Dave Roberts.

  • Padres manager Andy Green expressed optimism Saturday that shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will come off the injured list in relatively short order, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. Tatis went down with a hamstring strain Tuesday, meaning he’s eligible to return as early as May 10. When he does come back, the 20-year-old rookie will try to pick up where he left off before the injury sidelined him. Tatis has burst on the scene by slashing .300/.360/.550 with six home runs and six steals in 111 plate appearances.
  • Injured first baseman Matt Olson could rejoin the Athletics as early as Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. The 25-year-old slugger has only totaled six plate appearances this season as a result of late-March surgery on his right hand, an injury that spurred the A’s to acquire Kendrys Morales from the Blue Jays. Morales has since amassed more appearances at first than any other Athletic, but the 35-year-old switch hitter has batted an uninspiring .200/.310/.271 with just one home run in 100 trips to the plate.
  • Giants left-hander Derek Holland will come off the injured list Wednesday for a start in Colorado, according to manager Bruce Bochy (via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group). It’ll amount to a short stay on the IL for Holland, who landed on the shelf April 29 because of a bruised left index finger. Holland, 32, revived his career with the Giants last season, which convinced the team to re-sign him to a one-year, 7MM guarantee over the winter. The investment hasn’t paid off in the early going for San Francisco, as Holland has only managed a 5.34 ERA/5.15 FIP in 32 frames.
  • Texas will activate southpaw Drew Smyly from the IL to start Sunday against Toronto, Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake announced. The oft-injured Smyly, who missed 2017-18 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has been on the IL since April 20 because of mid-arm nerve tightness in his left arm. While the 29-year-old seems to have dodged a serious ailment this time, his return from TJ surgery has been a struggle thus far. Smyly has averaged fewer than four innings a start across four tries and posted a 7.80 ERA with six walks per nine and a meager 26.7 percent groundball rate.

A.J. Pollock To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock will undergo surgery to remove the metal hardware that was inserted in his the growth plate of his right elbow back in a 2016 procedure, manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and Pedro Moura of The Athletic).

Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers feel the fact that the metal can be removed entirely, rather than replaced is “relatively” good news, as it means Pollock’s growth plate has healed sufficiently, though obviously the loss is a blow to the club. There’s no timeline on a return, though Roberts noted that Pollock is expected back this season.

The Dodgers were well aware of the injury risks associated with Pollock when signing him to a four-year contract this offseason. The 31-year-old is an undeniably talented all-around player, but he’s topped 500 plate appearances just once in his big league career. Pollock averaged just 101 games played and 402 plate appearances per season dating back to 2014.

Most notably, Pollock was limited to only a dozen games back in 2016 after suffering a fractured elbow while sliding headfirst on a play at the plate — the injury that necessitated the surgery that ultimately led to this new procedure. It’s been a slow start to the season for Pollock, likely in part due to this infection, as he’s hit just .223/.287/.330 through 115 PAs — including just three hits in his past 29 trips to the plate.

With Pollock sidelined indefinitely, it stands to reason that Alex Verdugo will see an increased role in the outfield. Chris Taylor, too, could see an increase in playing time. Beyond that pair of center-field options, the Dodgers have Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson as options, and versatile Enrique Hernandez is plenty experienced there. The team could get another option to add back into the mix eventually as well; Roberts also indicated that Andrew Toles has reported to the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona and is beginning to work toward a return to the club (Twitter link via DiGiovanna).

Note: An earlier version of this post inaccurately indicated that the hardware in Pollock’s elbow had been dislodged. That is not the case. My apologies on the error.

Dodgers Place A.J. Pollock On Injured List

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TODAY: Pollock has indeed gone on the IL. He underwent an “exploratory” procedure last night, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. Depending upon what was found, further work was considered a possibility; the outcome is not yet known as of this morning.

YESTERDAY: The Dodgers are likely to place center fielder A.J. Pollock on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other assembled reporters last night. Pollock dealing with an infection in his oft-injured right elbow.

Details remain scant, but Roberts indicated that the issue is related to the prior surgical procedures that Pollock has undergone on the problematic joint. The most recent occurred just before the start of the 2016 season.

Since that time, Pollock returned to action and played two mostly full seasons. He landed with the Dodgers this past winter on a four-year pact that guarantees him at least $60MM (if he triggers a fifth-year player option).

Pollock’s tenure in Los Angeles hasn’t been off to the smoothest start, with the 31-year-old carrying a .223/.287/.330 slash and drawing negative defensive metrics through 115 plate appearances. But he has been healthy and has likely been unfortunate in the batted-ball arena. Statcast credits him with career-best exit velocity and hard-hit percentage while identifying a large spread between output and expectations based upon contact quality (.268 wOBA and .318 xwOBA).

Until we learn more, speculating on Pollock’s outlook would be just that. It’s obviously suboptimal for a potentially thorny issue to arise in that particular area of his body, though the club hasn’t exactly rushed him off to the IL. In Pollock’s absence, whatever that ends up being, Alex Verdugo could see an expanded role (if his usage over the past several days is any indication). The right-handed-hitting Chris Taylor may also stand to receive added opportunities.

NL West Notes: Tatis Jr., D-backs, Pollock, Rockies

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Padres veterans Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer received some credit for the team’s decision to include shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. on its season-opening roster, but it was more of a front office-driven call, Dennis Lin of The Athletic writes (subscription required). While a report suggested Machado and Hosmer lobbied for Tatis’ promotion over dinner with Padres owner Ron Fowler, that meeting never took place, according to Fowler. “There was no dinner,” Fowler told Lin. “There was no request for a dinner.” Rather, Fowler revealed he and general manager A.J. Preller had been discussing elevating the 20-year-old Tatis “for quite some time.” The move may cost the Padres a year of control over the standout prospect, though Preller was nevertheless insistent upon placing him in their season-opening lineup. “We talked about it, and frankly it was his decision,” Fowler said. “There are ramifications in terms of control and all those things, but based upon his input, based upon his feeling that that would be our strongest team, he made the recommendation to do it, and we agreed with it. So, it was totally coming from A.J., coming from baseball ops.” To this point, the Padres have not discussed a contract extension with Tatis, per Lin, who adds that could change if he acquits himself well early in his major league career. Tatis has done exactly that so far, having collected three hits and a walk in his first seven plate appearances.

The latest on a couple of San Diego’s division rivals…

  • At the beginning of the offseason, the Diamondbacks issued center fielder A.J. Pollock a one-year, $17.9MM qualifying offer as he geared up for a trip to free agency. Although Pollock went on to reject the offer and sign with the NL West rival Dodgers for a four-year, $60MM guarantee, he told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic this week that he nearly accepted the D-backs’ QO. “That was a really tough decision on my part,” Pollock said. “It seemed like a great option. I was 100 percent thinking about it.” Pollock added that he and the Diamondbacks didn’t engage in any substantive talks once he turned down the offer, paving the way for him to leave the franchise he had been a part of since it used a first-round pick on him in 2009. So far in his Dodgers tenure, Pollock has torched the Diamondbacks in a pair of head-to-head matchups, having gone 4-for-9 with a home run and two walks.
  • Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy, the team’s big-ticket offseason acquisition, suffered a left index finger injury Friday that required X-rays, Thomas Harding of MLB.com was among those to report. There’s no word yet on the severity of the issue, though it did keep Murphy out of the Rockies’ lineup for their game against the Marlins on Saturday. Ryan McMahon took the reins at first in his stead. Murphy, 33, climbed aboard the Rockies on a two-year, $24MM contract in free agency after a few strong seasons divided among the Mets, Nationals and Cubs.
  • Back to the Diamondbacks, who don’t expect to return Jake Lamb to third base in the near future, Piecoro relays. The 28-year-old Lamb played third almost exclusively from 2014-18, but the departure of Paul Goldschmidt and the free-agent signing of Eduardo Escobar spurred the club to shift him to first. Regardless of where he lines up, this is a pivotal season for the 28-year-old Lamb, a valuable Diamondback from 2016-17 who fell to earth last season. The lefty-hitting Lamb’s now in his penultimate season of arbitration control.

Dodgers Sign A.J. Pollock

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JANUARY 29: Bob Nightengale of USA Today has further details on the contract (Twitter links).

Pollock receives a $12MM signing bonus followed by salaries of $1MM, $12MM, $15MM, and $10MM. That sums up to $50MM over four years.

The 2023 player option can escalate up to $15MM if he takes 600 plate appearances in the season prior and can move all the way to $20MM based upon the 2022 MVP voting.

Pollock could alternatively opt out after the third campaign — and keep his $5MM buyout — if he reaches one thousand total plate appearances in 2020 and 2021 or if he tallies 1,450 from 2019 through 2021.

The deal also includes a $1.5MM assignment bonus, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter).

JANUARY 26: The Dodgers added a big piece to their new-look outfield by officially signing free agent outfielder A.J. Pollock, to a four-year contract.  The Excel Sports Management client receives a $60MM guarantee.

Pollock stands to pick up an opt-out opportunity after the 2021 season if he reaches plate-appearance thresholds. If he stays past that point, the deal will pay him $50MM over its four promised campaigns. There’s also a player option for a fifth season. Pollock will choose between a $10MM salary (which can also escalate further) and a $5MM buyout for the 2023 campaign.

Pollock hit .257/.316/.484 with 21 homers and 61 runs scored over 460 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks last season.  Between these numbers at the plate and a solid defensive showing (+6 Defensive Runs Saved, though a -1.6 UZR/150 for his first negative UZR/150 total in six years), it was a decent platform year for Pollock as he entered the free agent market, despite downward trends in his swinging strike and contract rates.

The biggest issue, however, was that Pollock had another lengthy stint on the disabled list, missing roughly six weeks due to a fractured thumb.  This makes it four out of five seasons that Pollock has missed significant time, with a laundry list of injuries (fractured thumb, broken hand, groin strain, and a fractured elbow that sidelined him for much of 2016).  It was during his one healthy season, 2015, that Pollock exhibited his high ceiling, hitting .315/.367/.498 over 673 PA, while also racking up 20 homers, 39 steals, a Gold Glove, and his lone All-Star appearance.

With this injury history in mind, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Pollock wasn’t able to land the $80MM contract he reportedly sought at the start of the offseason, despite a solid amount of interest from the Reds, Mets, Braves, and Astros at various points this winter.  MLB Trade Rumors projected Pollock to land a four-year, $60MM contract in our Top 50 Free Agents rankings, with Pollock ranked eighth in the Top 50 list.

Pollock was linked to the Dodgers earlier this week, and his signing helps solidify a Dodgers outfield that already underwent one shakeup when Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp were traded to the Reds.  While Pollock could end up seeing time as a corner outfielder depending on how the Dodgers shuffle their versatile lineup, the expectation is that Pollock will spend the large majority of his time in his usual center field position, flanked by some combination of Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Enrique Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, and/or top prospect Alex Verdugo in left and right field.  Perhaps more importantly than just his position, Pollock also gives the Dodgers an everyday right-handed bat to help balance out their lefty-heavy lineup.

Perhaps just as notably, adding Pollock would seem to put to rest any chance of Bryce Harper landing in the Los Angeles outfield.  The Dodgers were long seen as potential suitors for Harper, particularly after they cleared some extra payroll space in the Puig/Kemp trade.  Adding approximately $12MM in average annual value on Pollock’s reported contract terms, however, would keep L.A. slightly under the $206MM Competitive Balance Tax threshold, as per Roster Resource’s calculations of the Dodgers’ salary commitments.

This doesn’t mean the Dodgers ultimately won’t end up crossing the luxury tax line this winter, depending on what other moves could still be in the offing.  (For instance, Nightengale reports that the team is in “intensive ongoing talks” with the Marlins about J.T. Realmuto.)  Given the Dodgers’ reported reluctance to again cross the CBT line, however, they could only surpass the $206MM threshold by a minimal amount.  Spending between $206MM and $226MM would subject the Dodgers to only a first-timer penalty of a 20% tax on every dollar spent in overage, so it could be that $226MM is the real barrier for the team this offseason, and they could then duck back under the $206MM line next offseason once some big contracts come off the books.

Since Pollock rejected the Diamondbacks’ qualifying offer and signed a deal for more than $50MM, Arizona will receive a compensatory draft pick that will fall after the first round of next summer’s draft.  The D’Backs have already received such a compensation pick when Patrick Corbin signed with the Nationals, giving Arizona a whopping six picks in the first 79 (or so, depending on what other compensatory picks are awarded) selections in the draft.

For signing a qualifying offer free agent, the Dodgers give up $500K from their international draft bonus pool, as well as their second-highest selection in the 2019 draft.  That pick will be the 31st overall selection, which the Dodgers received as compensation for failing to sign 2018 draft pick J.T. Ginn.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report (via Twitter) on an agreement between the two sides, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting the four-year contract length and Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman (Twitter link) noting the deal was worth at least $55MM.  ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) had the specifics on Pollock’s contract breakdown and the player option details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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