Mariners Expect To Add More Pitching Soon
The rebuilding Mariners have largely stayed away from making noteworthy acquisitions this offseason. To this point, starter Kendall Graveman and reliever Carl Edwards Jr. – two low-cost signings – have been their most recognizable pickups of the winter. It’s possible that will change soon, however, with general manager Jerry Dipoto planning to further address the team’s starting staff and bullpen imminently. Dipoto said Thursday afternoon that the Mariners could make signings within 48 to 72 hours or by sometime next week, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.
It’s unclear whom the Mariners are targeting, but with most high-quality arms off the free-agent market, any signing is likely to be of the buy-low variety. While Mariners rumors have been scarce since the offseason began, the team did show interest in Jimmy Nelson before he signed a cheap pact with the Dodgers. The M’s have also been in on Taijuan Walker, an ex-top prospect and former starter of theirs who remains available after two seasons ruined by arm problems. As inexpensive hurlers with some upside whose careers have been derailed by injuries over the past couple years, Graveman, Nelson and Walker are all cut from the same cloth.
In the Mariners’ non-contending position, it seems logical to vie for lottery tickets on the open market, perhaps in hopes the pitchers they land will rebuild their stock and wind up as in-season trade chips. Speculatively, Matt Harvey and Shelby Miller stand out as other free-agent starters who might interest the club. Regardless, the M’s rotation could use the help. Among their starters, only Marco Gonzales looks like a strong bet to put up above-average production in 2020.
Questions also abound in Seattle’s bullpen, a unit that had a hard time keeping runs off the board last season and hasn’t welcomed many new faces since then. The bullpen market – where someone like Collin McHugh may be a fit (again, just my speculation) – contains far more options than the starting class, so the Mariners could be deciding among a host of different relievers right now.
Giants Sign Darin Ruf
The Giants have inked first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf to a minor league contract, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports. The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.
The 33-year-old Ruf is returning stateside after spending three seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Samsung Lions, who purchased his contract from the Dodgers in February 2017. It proved to be a great move for the Lions, as Ruf slashed an excellent .313/.404/.564 line with 86 home runs over 1,756 plate appearances as a member of the team.
Long before heading to Korea, Ruf entered pro ball as a 20th-round pick of the Phillies in 2009. He picked up at-bats with the major league club in each season from 2012-16, hitting a decent .240/.314/.433 (105 wRC+) with 35 homers in 833 PA, but he logged dismal production in his most recent MLB campaign. Ruf spent the majority of that season at the Triple-A level, where he owns a lifetime .280/.345/.457 mark and 28 HRs in 859 trips to the plate.
Brian Cashman: J.A. Happ To Open 2020 In Yankees’ Rotation
There has been no shortage of offseason trade speculation centering on Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ, especially in the wake of the team’s blockbuster Gerrit Cole signing. If we’re to believe general manager Brian Cashman, though, Happ isn’t going anywhere. Cashman told Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network (video link) that Happ will open 2020 as the Yankees’ fifth starter behind Cole, Luis Severino, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka.
Whether you want to take Cashman’s statement at face value is up to you, but it does appear Happ would be a challenge to trade. The normally solid Happ is coming off a subpar season, set to enter his age-37 campaign, owed a significant salary, and has an unappealing vesting option baked into his contract.
Happ, who pitched to a 4.91 ERA/5.22 FIP with 7.81 K/9 (down from 9.78 the prior year) in 2019, will earn $17MM this season. Worsening matters, he’ll make another $17MM in 2021 if he racks up 165 innings or 27 starts this year – two figures he has typically approached or surpassed over the past several campaigns.
Getting Happ’s money (or at least some of it) off the books would help the Yankees from a luxury-tax standpoint, as they’re currently projected for a whopping $261MM-plus total. That said, there’s a case it would benefit them to keep Happ around and hope for a bounce-back showing.
Happ, despite an overall disappointing year, did end last season on a high note with a strong September. He’s also the most logical candidate to eat innings from the back of a Yankees rotation that will go awhile without righty Domingo German, whom MLB handed a suspension for domestic violence that will cost him the first 63 games of 2020. Meanwhile, southpaw Jordan Montgomery – the Yankees’ next most experienced starter – barely pitched over the previous two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Beyond German and Montgomery, New York’s looking at mostly unproven 40-man options, albeit some intriguing ones including Deivi Garcia, Jonathan Loaisiga, Albert Abreu and Mike King, as well as minor league signing Nick Tropeano. One or more of them could factor into the Yankees’ starting staff during the season, but for now, it appears they’ll take a backseat to Happ.
Orioles Interested In Tim Beckham
This has been a quiet winter for the rebuilding Orioles, but they’re now showing interest in a familiar free agent. They’ve discussed a minor league contract for infielder Tim Beckham, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
There’s history between Baltimore and Beckham, a former No. 1 overall pick of the Rays who played with the Orioles from 2017-18. Beckham was successful in the first of those seasons in Baltimore, stumbled during the latter and then signed a major league contract worth $1.75MM with the Mariners last winter. That deal didn’t work out great for either side, however.
Even though Beckham got off to a strong start in a Mariners uniform, his production and playing time dipped as the season progressed. The 29-year-old wound up posting a .237/.293/.461 line with 15 home runs in 328 plate appearances before MLB issued him an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in early August.
Beckham has already served a sizable portion of his ban, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Mariners from non-tendering him earlier this offseason. The suspension has also likely stopped him from landing a guaranteed deal this offseason. If he does head back to Baltimore, though, Beckham could eventually grab an infield role on a last-place team that’s projected to start Jose Iglesias at shortstop, Hanser Alberto at second base and Rio Ruiz at third.
Checking In On Last Season’s Worst Bullpens
We’ve gone over how the five worst offenses and rotations of last season now look with the offseason nearing completion. We’ll do the same here with the quintet of bullpens that had the most difficulty preventing runs in 2019. Judging a bullpen just by ERA is an admittedly crude method, though each of the relief units in question here also posted subpar fielding-independent metrics. The bottom line is that they struggled. Let’s see how they stack up now…
Baltimore Orioles (5.79 ERA/5.38 FIP; current depth chart)
- No surprise to see the Orioles at the bottom, considering the rebuilding outfit’s myriad difficulties last season. The Orioles didn’t get particularly impressive production from any of their relievers. Even their No. 1 option, Mychal Givens, had trouble at times, though he did strike out better than 12 batters per nine. Givens is on track to open the season with the Orioles, but he could certainly be an in-season trade candidate. If they move him, it would further weaken a bullpen that hasn’t added anyone of note this offseason.
Washington Nationals (5.68 ERA/4.94 FIP; current depth chart)
- The Nationals proved last season that you can have a bottom-of-the-barrel bullpen from a statistical standpoint and still win the World Series. However, general manager Mike Rizzo’s in-season tinkering with the group proved effective, especially the acquisition of flamethrowing closer Daniel Hudson at the trade deadline. Hudson remains in the fold, having re-signed in free agency for two years and $11MM. In an even bigger move, the Nationals signed Will Harris – a former Astro whom they upended in the Fall Classic – to a three-year, $24MM pact. With those two and the returning Sean Doolittle, Washington appears to be in nice shape late in games, but it’ll need more from Hunter Strickland, Roenis Elias, Wander Suero and Tanner Rainey.
Colorado Rockies (5.18 ERA/5.12 FIP; current depth chart)
- There were few oft-used bright spots last season in Colorado’s bullpen, which didn’t get much from anyone but Scott Oberg and Carlos Estevez. The good news is that it’s hard to imagine Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee pitching much worse in 2020 than they did last season. And even if they do, they’re all entering the final guaranteed season of their onerous contracts, so they shouldn’t be the Rockies’ problem for much longer. In the meantime, the Rockies are going to need bounce-back efforts from them because they haven’t meaningfully addressed their late-game setup this offseason.
Kansas City Royals (5.07 ERA/4.55 FIP; current depth chart)
- Kansas City’s another team that has been quiet in the past few months, despite its less-than-stellar output a year ago. There are a couple bullpen trade candidates on hand in Ian Kennedy and Tim Hill, arguably the Royals’ two best relievers, but nothing has materialized on those fronts thus far. Kennedy was terrific last season in his first year as a reliever, though the fact that he’s due $16.5MM in 2020 has likely scared off interested teams.
New York Mets (4.99 ERA/4.71 FIP; current depth chart)
- The Mets were extremely busy in trying to repair their bullpen last offseason, when they traded for ex-Mariners star Edwin Diaz and signed Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson. The latter pitched well during an injury-shortened campaign, but Diaz and Familia fell off a cliff, which is why the Mets are on this list a year later. At least in Diaz’s case, though, it would be reasonable to expect a much better performance in 2020. He struck out over 15 batters per nine and maintained his 97 mph velocity last year, after all, and isn’t going to surrender home runs on 27 percent of fly balls again this season. Regardless of how he does, the Mets have added some notable support to their relief unit in the past several weeks. They signed former Yankee Dellin Betances, one of the elite relievers in recent memory (albeit one coming off an injury-ruined year), as well as the accomplished Brad Brach. They also have the newly signed Michael Wacha as a potential long relief option, not to mention holdovers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/22/20
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Reds have added outfielder Boog Powell on a minor league pact, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports. Powell has bounced around several organizations since Oakland chose him in Round 20 of the 2012 draft, but he hasn’t hit poorly during his brief major league experience. The 27-year-old owns a .262/.333/.383 line in 160 career plate appearances. Most of Powell’s at-bats in recent years have come in Triple-A ball, where he has hit .279/.368/.390 in 1,356 PA.
- The Marlins have released outfielder Brayan Hernandez, per Hilburn-Trenkle. Hernandez, who joined the Miami organization in a 2017 trade with Seattle centering on David Phelps, was a touted prospect when he came out of Venezuela in 2014. The 22-year-old didn’t perform well in the minors from 2018-19, however, and managed a miserable .461 OPS in 166 trips to the plate between Single-A and low-A ball last season.
- The Mariners have signed catcher Joe Hudson to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Hudson entered the pro ranks as a sixth-round pick of Cincinnati in 2012, and he ended up appearing in the majors with the Angels in 2018 and the Cardinals last season. The 28-year-old collected just 13 plate appearances during that span, though. Hudson spent most of last year at the Triple-A level, where he hit .223/.293/.411 with 10 home runs in 222 PA.
Yankees Sign Tyler Lyons
The Yankees have brought back left-handed reliever Tyler Lyons on a minor league contract, according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America.
Lyons divided 2019 between the Pirates and Yankees, but New York outrighted him off its 40-man roster in November. Before that, Lyons – whom the Yankees signed in August – saw a bit of action at the major and minor league levels as a member of the organization. He finished the year with a combined 12 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh and New York. Although Lyons struck out 17 batters during that span, that was overshadowed by the nine earned runs he yielded on 13 hits and five walks. He was far superior in Triple-A ball, throwing 50 1/3 frames of 3.22 ERA ball with 10.7 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
At his best, the soft-tossing Lyons was outstanding for the Cardinals in 2017 – a 54-inning effort in which he registered a 2.83 ERA/2.86 FIP and struck out more than 11 hitters per nine. Lyons failed to revisit that form in the majors over the previous two years, but he’ll nonetheless try to work his way back to MLB as a member of a Yankees team whose bullpen includes two established southpaws in Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton. The Yankees subtracted some lefty depth when they traded Stephen Tarpley to the Marlins on Jan. 15, but they’ve signed Lyons and Luis Avilan as reinforcements since then.
Latest On Nolan Arenado
The future of Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been one of the dominant stories in baseball this week. Arenado has been the subject of trade speculation for weeks, but Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich shot down the possibility of a deal Monday, saying the Rox “have listened to teams regarding Nolan and really nothing has come of it.” Bridich added that he wants to put the Arenado rumors “to bed” and look ahead to 2020, though the five-time All-Star reignited the fire shortly after with some scathing comments regarding the Rockies.
Arenado stated that the Rockies have “disrespected” him this offseason, reportedly because he’s unhappy with the higher-ups’ lack of effort to improve a roster that suffered through a dismal 2019 season. Now, though, Arenado says he’s done talking about his relationship with Bridich or the ongoing trade rumors.
In a texted statement issued to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Arenado wrote: “There has been a lot of stuff going on that nobody knows about and I was reacting to what was said, and (that) was out of character for me because I’m very private with my life. The Rockies have been talking to my agent and me this offseason about a number of things that will remain between us. I will not speak on these things anymore. I’m getting ready for the upcoming season. I’m working hard to get better for my teammates and fans.”
Whether this means the two sides will move forward together heading into the season remains to be seen. Arenado’s the Rockies’ franchise player, so even though he’s on a seven-year, $234MM contract with an opt-out clause after 2021, they’re not just going to give him away. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported Tuesday that the Rockies have informed clubs they aren’t trading Arenado if a deal doesn’t improve their roster this year. The odds of that happening seem very slim, needless to say.
In the event the Rockies do get an offer to their liking, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Arenado – despite his full no-trade rights – might jump at the chance to play for a contender. Several playoff-caliber teams, including the Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers, Cubs, are among those that have shown interest in Arenado in recent weeks.
Who’s Left From MLBTR’s Top 50?
Free agency lost yet another marquee name when outfielder Marcell Ozuna signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Braves on Tuesday. Ozuna was, of course, a prominent part of the top 50 list of free agents MLBTR put together when the offseason began in November. Since then, just about every member of that class has come off the board during what has been a much quicker-moving winter than the previous couple. To be exact, 46 of MLBTR’s top 50 have already found teams. Here’s a look at the four still out there with spring training creeping ever closer…
8. Nicholas Castellanos, OF (original prediction: four years, $58MM)
- The Rangers have been mentioned more than anyone else in connection with Castellanos lately, but the deal Ozuna inked could be a negative portent for the former’s earning power. He and Ozuna, who aren’t that different in overall value when they take the field, were projected to rake in lucrative multiyear contracts as the top two outfielders on the market. The good news for Castellanos is that he’s younger (28 in March; Ozuna’s 29) and, unlike Ozuna, not saddled with a qualifying offer.
37. Yasiel Puig, OF (original prediction: one year, $8MM)
- Puig your friend? Tell that to the teams in search of an outfielder. Interest in the former star has been scarce since he completed an underwhelming season in Ohio in 2019, and clear fits are hard to find with teams like the Braves, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Marlins and Reds having addressed their outfields this winter.
41. Brock Holt, UTIL (original prediction: two years, $8MM)
- The Holt rumor mill was silent until recently. Since last week, both the Reds and Blue Jays have sprung up as reported suitors for the former Red Sox utilityman. Considering Holt’s defensive versatility and passable offense, and the fact that he won’t cost a ton to sign, it’s not hard to see the appeal.
49. Pedro Strop, RP (original prediction: one year, $5MM)
- For the most part, Strop has been eminently effective since his career began in 2009. That said, his numbers trended downward last year. In what could go down as his final season as a Cub, he pitched to a 4.97 ERA/4.53 FIP with 4.32 walks per nine and a 93.6 mph average fastball velocity. Those figures all rank among the worst of his career. On a better note, Strop once again struck out double-digit hitters per nine and recorded another groundball rate upward of 50 percent. Still, relative to the rest of his time in the majors, it looks as if the 34-year-old Strop is a free agent at the wrong time. That doesn’t mean teams aren’t interested, though, as Strop’s said to be weighing offers from the Cubs, Marlins, Brewers and Rangers.
KBO’s LG Twins Purchase Roberto Ramos’ Contract From Rockies
The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization have purchased first baseman Roberto Ramos‘ contract from the Rockies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Ramos can earn up to $500K in 2020, MLBTR has learned.
This ends a five-season tenure in the Colorado organization for Ramos, whom they chose in the 16th round of the 2014 draft. Ramos worked his way up to the Triple-A level for the first time last year and raked. Across 503 plate appearances, the 25-year-old slashed .309/.400/.580 with 30 home runs. Ramos did have the benefit of playing in the offense-happy Pacific Coast League, but his production was still 35 percent better than the PCL average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.
Thanks in part to his powerful showing in 2019, Ramos recently earned spots on a couple Rockies prospect lists. MLB.com placed him as the team’s 27th-best farmhand after the season. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kylie McDaniel had Ramos No. 31 in Colorado’s system in rankings released last month, crediting his “gigantic raw power.” However, they wrote that Ramos has “Quad-A hitter written all over him.”