Quick Hits: Indians, Payroll, Patton, Nationals, Catchers
The Indians did not budget enough money in 2021 to both re-sign Cesar Hernandez and add free agent Eddie Rosario. With those two completing the lineup, the Indians’ roster is more-or-less set with a payroll around $50MM, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. Take this for what it is, but the Indians exceeded payroll just to get there. Owner Paul Dolan made an extra concession to allow the addition of Rosario. To their credit, he represents a somewhat major addition given their inability to field above-average offensive outfielders. Over the last two seasons, Rosario slashed .271/.305/.494 with 45 home runs over 821 plate appearances, good for a modest 105 wRC+. That Nolan was willing to stretch the payroll speaks volumes about how the Indians value Rosario’s fit in the lineup.
- Spencer Patton is throwing an improved change-up with the hopes of bringing three viable pitches out of the bullpen, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The 32-year-old right-hander led Nippon Professional Baseball with 57 appearances last season, which is no small feat to MLB teams aware of the perils in ramping up pitcher workloads in 2021. Patton’s numbers from Japan won’t blow you away, however, with a 4.92 ERA, respectable 28.1 percent strikeout rate, and slightly-concerning 11.7 percent walk rate. Patton will throw for teams again on February 2nd, with the Braves, Rays, Angels, Royals, Rangers, and Giants being among the teams to have shown some interest thus far.
- Pitching has long been the focus for the Nationals organization, but at the same time, they’ve lagged behind in the catching department, writes MASNSports.com’s Mark Zuckerman. Pedro Severino is the most prolific homegrown catcher with 105 games played for the organization – though he didn’t break out until joining the Orioles. Raudy Read or Tres Barrera are next in line to have an opportunity, but the recent signing of Alex Avila suggests GM Mike Rizzo isn’t ready to give either one too long of a look out of the blocks. Both Barrera and Read have served PED suspensions in the past, however, and Welington Castillo will also be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Free Agency Notes: Braves, Turner, Folty, Jays, Red Sox
The Braves are one of the teams that have checked in on free-agent third baseman Justin Turner, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s unclear whether the Braves are among the reported four finalists for Turner, whom the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Brewers have also courted. Turner, 36, spent 2014-20 as a Dodger and was one of the majors’ most valuable third basemen in that span. There’s a clear need at the position for the Braves, who received awful production there from Austin Riley, Adeiny Hechavarría and Johan Camargo in 2020. They’ve done nothing to upgrade the spot this winter.
- Free agent right-hander Mike Foltynewicz held a showcase for interested teams Friday, Heyman reports. Foltynewicz threw between 90 and 92 mph, which checks in well below the 95.5 mph average he posted in Atlanta from 2014-20. The Braves cut Foltynewicz from their 40-man roster last July after he put up terrible results in his lone outing and averaged less than 91 mph on his fastball. But he does own a 4.33 ERA/4.26 SIERA in 686 big league innings, so there’s reason to expect a bounce-back effort in the future. The Cubs were one of the teams at his showcase, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweets.
- The Blue Jays are looking to continue their active offseason by adding another pitcher, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. That could take the form of a high-leverage reliever or an additional starter. Among the players under consideration, per Murray, is right-handed reliever Trevor Rosenthal. The hard-throwing Rosenthal had a fantastic rebound campaign in 2020, tossing 23.2 innings of 1.90 ERA/2.31 SIERA ball with the Royals and Padres.
- The Red Sox have interest in reuniting with corner infielder Travis Shaw and right-handed reliever Brandon Workman, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com and Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com report. Shaw was last with the Red Sox in 2016, after which they traded him to the Brewers. He was a member of the Blue Jays in 2020, and though Shaw was a solid hitter earlier in his career, he has been less productive of late. The 30-year-old slashed .239/.306/.411 in 180 plate appearances with the Blue Jays last season. As for Workman, he has spent most of his career with the Red Sox, but they dealt him to the Phillies prior to last year’s trade deadline. Workman was excellent at times in Boston bullpen in parts of 2013-19, but he could only muster a 5.95 ERA in 19 2/3 innings between the two clubs a year ago.
Rockies, Cardinals Discussing Nolan Arenado Trade
7:56pm: St. Louis is “pushing hard” for Arenado and “very determined” to get him, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
10:20am: While Arenado has been oft-connected to the deep-pocketed Mets on a speculative basis, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the two sides are not in talks at this time.
9:15am: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post also reports that while there have been talks, there’s no trade close at this time. He adds that Arenado’s shoulder “has fully healed” after bothering him throughout much of the 2020 season. Those in need of a refresher on last year’s public tension between Arenado will want to check out Saunders’ piece for various quotes given by Arenado at the time, all of which add context to this new chapter in the saga.
8:10am: The Cardinals have been linked to Nolan Arenado for years now, but they’re once again in talks with the Rockies about a trade that would send the star third baseman from Colorado to St. Louis, Ken Rosenthal and Nick Groke of The Athletic report. The Braves also spoke to the Rockies about Arenado, it seems, but those talks haven’t gone anywhere.
Acquiring Arenado would be a considerable about-face for a Cardinals club that, up until yesterday, hadn’t shown any signs of spending this winter. The Cards declined a $12.5MM club option on Kolten Wong and have been in a months-long staredown with franchise icons Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright despite both having a clear preference to return to St. Louis. The first hint of a change came last night though, when the Cards agreed to bring Wainwright back on a one-year deal worth $8MM. Prior to that, reports had indicated that the Cardinals were offering Wainwright less than the $5MM guarantee he received in 2020.
An Arenado acquisition would represent a considerably more seismic shift in their otherwise reserved approach. Arenado is owed $199MM over the next six seasons and, next winter, would be able to opt out of the remaining five years and $164MM on that contract if he desires.
Among the most sensible contracts for the Cardinals to try to send back to the Rockies to help offset some of that financial hit would be infielder Matt Carpenter ($20.5MM in 2021, including $2MM buyout of next year’s option), Dexter Fowler ($16.5MM in 2021, including deferred signing bonus) or Carlos Martinez ($12MM in 2021, including $500K buyout of 2022 option). St. Louis would clearly need to send prospect value to Colorado as well, and it should be emphasized that trading either Carpenter or Fowler could prove difficult. Both have full no-trade protection.
Arenado has a full no-trade clause of his own, though Rosenthal and Groke suggest he’d “likely” waive it for a move to the Cardinals and might even be willing to push back the opt-out provision in order to facilitate a deal. Arenado has been vocal in the past about the desire to play for a contender and has publicly expressed frustration with Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, whom he has called “very disrespectful.” Were the Rockies winning, perhaps the rift between player and GM could be overlooked, but the Rox have been one of the least-competitive clubs in the NL West for the past two seasons and have done nothing to add to the club this winter.
Lining up on an Arenado trade is complicated for a number of reasons. Beyond the no-trade clause and the huge amount of money still owed to the eight-time Gold Glover, he’s also coming off the worst showing of his career at the plate. The downturn could potentially be attributable to a shoulder injury he battled in 2020, but the results were still somewhat troubling.
Arenado hit .253/.303/.434 (76 wRC+) this past season — a mark that is miles away from the .295/.351/.546 (120 wRC+) batting line that he carried into the 2020 campaign. If the Cardinals or another club believe that Arenado’s struggles were indeed due to that balky shoulder, perhaps the dip in production can be overlooked. Then again, there has to be some level of concern about the injury troubles persisting. Arenado turns 30 in April.
From a payroll vantage point, the Cardinals owe Paul Goldschmidt $26MM in each of the next four seasons, and they’ll pay Miles Mikolas $17MM in each of the next three. Those are the two main salaries on the books, however, and the rest of the long-term slate is relatively clean. Taking on the full freight of Arenado’s current salary would vault the Cardinals’ 2021 payroll up into the $165MM range, although if they can unload a pricey veteran of their own onto Colorado as part of the deal, that sum could fall more in the $145-155MM range. The Cards were willing to spend at that level each year from 2016-19, so there’s precedent, although owner Bill DeWitt Jr. has also been vocal in dubiously claiming baseball to be a less-profitable industry than most realize. The extent to which he’ll spend on the heels of a season with zero gate revenue is still up for debate.
Adding Arenado to the fray would give the Cards about $85MM in commitments in both 2022 and 2023. It’d also bump their 2024 commitments to about $61MM, all going to a pair of what will then be mid-30s corner infielders (Arenado and Goldschmidt). Whether investing that type of coin in a pair of sluggers’ mid-30s is the best use of resources is debatable, but in the short-term, the club would be better off for the move (assuming a healthy Arenado).
That’s particularly true in 2021, where the entire NL Central has been more focused on making their current rosters worse, in order to reduce payroll, than on actually making an effort to win in the upcoming season. The Cubs reportedly agreed to a deal with Joc Pederson this morning, but they’ve also traded away Yu Darvish, non-tendered Kyle Schwarber and explored trades of other key veterans. The Reds dumped Raisel Iglesias‘ salary and non-tendered Archie Bradley. The Brewers have yet to add anyone of particular note, and the Pirates are of course in the midst of an aggressive tear-down as their latest rebuild kicks into full gear.
As written here before, the NL Central appears open for the taking to whichever of the Cardinals, Cubs, Reds or Brewers decide they want to be aggressive enough to seize it. An Arenado trade for the Cardinals would certainly fall into that category.
Braves, Carl Edwards Jr. Agree To Minor League Deal
The Braves have reached a minor league agreement with right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr., Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
Edwards is best known as a member of the Cubs, with whom he spent 2015-19 and won a World Series in 2016. He was a highly effective reliever for most of that period, though Edwards’ production fell off in his last season as a Cub and they traded him to the Padres that summer. Edwards didn’t last long as a Padre, throwing 1 2/3 innings of six-run ball before they let him go.
Edwards became a Mariner before last season when he signed a major league deal with the team, though forearm problems limited him to just 4 2/3 innings. However, the 29-year-old did yield a meager one run during that time and post better strikeout and walk percentages than usual (35.3 and 5.9).
In all, Edwards has recorded a 3.54 ERA/3.52 SIERA, averaged about 95 mph on his fastball, and registered a 32.9 percent strikeout rate against a 13.7 walk rate in 180 2/3 major league innings. Based on his track record, it’s easy to see why a team would take a chance on him in free agency. The Braves are an especially logical fit with Mark Melancon and Shane Greene on the free-agent market.
Giants, Braves Have Shown Some Interest In Joc Pederson
Jan. 28: The Braves have also “discussed” Pederson, tweets David O’Brien of The Athletic. He’s clear to add that there’s no indication any talks between the two sides have gotten particularly far at this point.
Pederson would give the Braves a potential replacement for fellow free agent Marcell Ozuna, who is likely seeking a lengthier and more lucrative deal than Pederson after performing brilliantly in 2020 on a one-year, $18MM deal. There’s likely room in the payroll for either player — particularly if an Ozuna deal were to be backloaded a bit — but the current Braves regime has generally leaned toward shorter-term deals.
Pederson would likely require a platoon partner with the Braves (for reasons noted below). Speculatively speaking, Austin Riley could fill that role by moving to left field against southpaw starters, with Johan Camargo filling in at the hot corner on those days. The switch-hitting Camargo is a career .286/.337/.506 hitter when he bats from the right side of the plate.
Jan. 27: Former Dodgers outfielder and current free agent Joc Pederson‘s time in the National League West might not be over yet, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants are “talking to” the 28-year-old. He joins the previously reported Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eddie Rosario as left-handed-hitting outfielders on the Giants’ wish list.
In signing with San Francisco, Pederson would reunite with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was the Dodgers’ general manager from Pederson’s major league debut in 2014 through 2018. Pederson was largely productive during that time and in the season after Zaidi’s departure, and though he struggled in the Dodgers’ World Series-winning campaign last year, there is no doubt he has been a solid offensive presence throughout his career. Across 2,517 plate appearances, Pederson has batted .230/.336/.470 (118 wRC+) with 130 home runs, including at least 25 in four seasons. Granted, Pederson has done the extreme majority of his damage versus right-handed pitchers, against whom he owns a 128 wRC+. For comparison, he has put up a paltry 59 wRC+ against southpaws.
San Francisco performed better than average off righties last year with the majors’ ninth-best wRC+ (107), and their outfield already has two lefty corner options in Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson – who each had huge seasons in 2020. On paper, there may not be a clean fit for Pederson unless he emerges as a regular in center, where he hasn’t played extensively since 2017, but that isn’t stopping the Giants from at least kicking the tires.
Orioles News & Rumors: Mancini, Martin, Infield, Pitching
As the Braves look at potential options in left field, they’ve inquired with the Orioles about Trey Mancini‘s availability, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who adds that there’s been “nothing serious” discussed between the two parties to this point. Interest in Mancini is rather logical for a Braves club that is still seeking a middle-of-the-order bat but may not want to pay the prices necessary to re-sign Marcell Ozuna to a multi-year deal.
Mancini, 28, broke out with a career-best .291/.364/.535 showing with the Orioles in 2019 but missed the 2020 season after a frightening colon cancer diagnosis. The slugger underwent surgery and ultimately emerged victorious in his battle with cancer, announcing back in November that he was cancer-free after months of chemotherapy. No one can blame the Braves for coveting Mancini’s final two years of team control, but given that context and Mancini’s status as a clubhouse leader in Baltimore, it’d likely be tough for the O’s to part with him in a trade prior to the season. Even if the two sides were to engage in serious talks, one can imagine the asking price would be quite high.
There’s also the fact that while Mancini has played extensively in the outfield corners, he’s still a first baseman playing out of position there. That’s not a great fit with the Braves, given Freddie Freeman‘s presence at first base. Notably, Baltimore general manager Mike Elias told reporters today that he expects Mancini to spend a lot more time at first base in 2021 (Twitter link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko).
While a Mancini trade appears unlikely for several reasons, that probably won’t stop teams from calling. Elias acknowledged today every win-now club throughout the league is aware that the Orioles are willing to listen to offers for most of their roster as their rebuild trudges onward (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Joe Trezza). That, however, “doesn’t mean we’re going to do anything,” Elias added.
The O’s, in fact, could make a few more small-scale additions after signing shortstop Freddy Galvis to a one-year, $1.5MM deal yesterday. Galvis, to no one’s surprise, was tabbed as the primary shortstop by Elias, but the club could still be on the lookout for some versatile infield depth to back him up (via Kubatko). That’s likely due in no small part to the fact that infielder Richie Martin sustained a broken hamate bone in his left hand while working out this past weekend and will require surgery to repair the injury.
Based on prior timelines for that same injury, Martin could return midway through Spring Training — assuming it starts on time — but he’ll very likely be behind schedule. Baltimore’s agreement with Galvis was already wrapped up by the time Martin suffered the injury, Dan Connolly of The Athletic points out; the timing is merely coincidental.
On the pitching front, the Orioles are still looking to add to a thin mix. Kubatko notes that Elias mentioned Major League offers to starting pitchers are on the table for the Orioles, although the GM (as one would expect) provided no further specifics. Based on the team’s extremely limited spending and Connolly’s recent report that the O’s actually tried to defer the arbitration salaries of Mancini and outfielder Anthony Santander, it seems unlikely that they’ll spend any significant cash to upgrade the starting staff or bullpen. That said, even a split contract that comes with a 40-man roster spot and a big league salary around the $1MM mark would technically fit the criteria listed by Elias.
Last year, the Orioles added lefties Tommy Milone and Wade LeBlanc on low-cost minor league deals to round out the rotation early in the year. It’s not likely that they’ll shop in a much more expensive bin this time around, but there are still some affordable names left standing on the free-agent market.
Braves Sign Ehire Adrianza To Minors Contract
The Braves have signed utilityman Ehire Adrianza to a minor league deal, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). The contract will pay Adrianza $1.5MM if he makes Atlanta’s Major League roster, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link). Adrianza recently posted a goodbye to Twins fans on his Instagram page, seemingly indicating that a deal with a non-Minnesota team was in the works.
The 31-year-old has split his eight MLB seasons between the Giants (2013-16) and the Twins (2017-20), appearing in 465 big league games and hitting .244/.310/.360 over 1220 plate appearances. While Adrianza doesn’t have much of an offensive profile, he has been a useful bench piece due to his switch-hitting and his ability to play pretty much anywhere on the diamond. The bulk of Adrianza’s MLB time has come as a shortstop, third baseman, or second baseman, though he has seen action at first base and both corner outfield slots, plus even a couple of mop-up relief innings as a pitcher.
Atlanta also added Pablo Sandoval and Jack Mayfield this offseason, so between those two and incumbent Johan Camargo, there will be plenty of competition for Adrianza as he vies for a bench job. Third base could be the best opportunity for playing time for Adrianza and company, should youngster Austin Riley struggle or if the Braves opt to again use Riley in left field rather than at the hot corner.
Braves Re-Sign Pablo Sandoval To Minors Deal
The Braves have signed infielder Pablo Sandoval to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Sandoval will earn $1MM if he makes Atlanta’s active roster.
Sandoval is back in Atlanta after first joining the Braves on a minors deal in September. The team brought the Panda aboard to add depth given the Braves’ lack of third base production, and Sandoval ended up appearing in one regular-season game and then three NLCS games (as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement) in an Atlanta uniform. Since the Braves are still hoping for a breakout from Austin Riley and a rebound from Johan Camargo, it makes sense that Sandoval would again be brought back as a depth option.
If he breaks camp, the 34-year-old Sandoval will appear in his 14th Major League season and continue a career that has already delivered plenty of memorable moments. Best known for his long tenure in San Francisco, Sandoval was part of three World Series championship teams, and won Series MVP honors in 2012. He hasn’t been a true everyday player since 2014 (the final year of his initial tenure with the Giants), but Sandoval has at times been a productive part-timer and bench bat. As recently as 2019, Sandoval hit .268/.313/.507 with 14 home runs over 296 plate appearances for the Giants.
Braves Notes: Aaron, Hendriks, Springer
The idea of Henry Aaron and Willie Mays in the same outfield is the stuff of “all-time team” discussions, yet the two legends came close to beginning their careers as teammates. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince looks back at an Aaron quote given to author Donald Honig for an essay published close to 20 years ago, as Aaron stated that the Boston Braves and Mays’ New York Giants were among the teams looking to sign Aaron away from the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues.
“I had the Giants’ contract in my hand, but the Braves offered $50 a month more. That’s the only thing that kept Willie Mays and me from being teammates — $50,” Aaron said.
If it’s any consolation to old-school Giants fans, Castrovince notes that this story could be somewhat apocryphal. Plus, Aaron might not have gotten as immediate a chance to regularly play if he had signed with the Giants, considering New York had a stacked team that won the 1954 World Series. However, one can only imagine the alternate version of baseball history that would have grown from a Mays/Aaron tandem in the Giants’ outfield, whether it results in more championships for the Giants, how it would have impacted Aaron’s home run totals, or perhaps whether the Giants would have remained in New York rather than moved to San Francisco.
More on the Braves…
- The Braves had interest in Liam Hendriks before Hendriks signed with the White Sox earlier this month, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). This could indicate that Atlanta is looking to bolster its closing options, and perhaps make a significant investment in the process. The Braves have shown willing to spend on their bullpen in recent years, with moves like last winter’s free agent deal with Will Smith and absorbing Mark Melancon‘s contract at the 2019 trade deadline. Melancon handled closer duties for Atlanta in 2020 and is still unsigned, so a reunion seems theoretically possible.
- George Springer was also reportedly on the Braves’ radar until the very late stages of the outfielder’s free agent tenure, though ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (subscription required) writes that the team was looking to act “as a potential safety net” if Springer didn’t find a long-term offer to his satisfaction. Essentially, it would have been this offseason’s version of the Braves’ past one-year deals with Marcell Ozuna and Josh Donaldson, as Atlanta took advantage of thin markets for those two players and were rewarded with outstanding seasons. Springer did find the big deal he was looking for, however, landing a six-year, $150MM contract from the Blue Jays.
Braves Claim Victor Arano, Kyle Garlick
The Braves have claimed right-hander Victor Arano and outfielder Kyle Garlick off waivers, the Phillies announced. Philadelphia recently designated both players for assignment. The claims fill the final two open spots on Atlanta’s 40-man roster.
A member of the Phillies organization since August 2014, Arano has a 2.65 ERA, 26.3 K%, and 18.8 K-BB% over 74 2/3 career innings in the big leagues, all from 2017-19 (and mostly in 2018, when Arano tossed 59 1/3 frames). Unfortunately, elbow surgery sidelined Arano for much of 2019 and kept him from making any MLB appearances in 2020. If healthy, Arano could certainly be an interesting weapon for the Atlanta bullpen, as he has shown an ability to miss a lot of bats both in the majors and in the minors.
The right-handed hitting Garlick also gives the Braves another option as they figure out their outfield situation. With no sign that a reunion with Marcell Ozuna is forthcoming, the Braves have Ronald Acuna as a lock for one starting position in either center field or right field, and then a combination of Ender Inciarte, top prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, and bench candidates Abraham Almonte and Johan Camargo all in the mix for outfield duty. Garlick could conceivably share platoon duty with Inciarte (a left-handed hitter) or switch-hitters Almonte and Camargo, or Atlanta could just stash him in the minors as depth.
Garlick (who turns 29 later this week) has appeared in each of the last two MLB seasons, amassing a .214/.276/.414 slash line over 76 total plate appearances with the Dodgers and Phillies. Originally a 28th-round pick for the Dodgers in the 2015 draft, Garlick hit a very impressive .288/.345/.536 over 1846 PA in the Los Angeles farm system, though with the caveat that he was mostly playing against younger competition and that the Pacific Coast League is very hitter-friendly.