Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Tigers, Joc, Yanks, Sonny, Brewers, Yelich
This week in baseball blogs…
- Good Fundies implores the Mets to upgrade the back end of their rotation.
- Know Hitter wants the Tigers to trade for Joc Pederson.
- Pinstripe Alley isn’t pleased with the Yankees’ Sonny Gray trade.
- The Dugout Online regards two-way players as the next evolution of baseball.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed tries to fix the CBA and make things better for the players.
- Fish Stripes reflects on last winter’s Marlins-Brewers trade centering on Christian Yelich.
- Chin Music Baseball names the best and worst players of the decade thus far.
- Jays From the Couch talks with Blue Jays prospect Cavan Biggio.
- The 3rd Man In profiles and interviews young catcher Shea Langeliers, who could be the top pick in this summer’s draft.
- Foul Territory lists five teams that should sign Manny Machado.
- District On Deck lists four players who could be X-factors for the 2019 Nationals.
- Chipalatta looks at the Astros’ potential lineup for 2019.
- Statsswipe asks whether Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff will have the better 2019 season.
- Cubbies Crib examines Carl Edwards’ 2018.
- Hardball Via Hardcore shares a pre-spring state of the Mariners address.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2, 3) praises the Rangers’ signing of Asdrubal Cabrera, wonders if any of the Phillies’ relievers will become trade bait, and ranks the top 10 fantasy baseball catchers for 2019.
- Wander Rays ranks Tampa Bay’s 10 best right-handed pitching prospects.
- Notes from the Sally previews the 2019 Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Pirates South Atlantic League team..
- A’s Farm offers updates on some of the team’s top pitching prospects including Jesus Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Grant Holmes and James Kaprielian.
- East Village Times delves into Padres pitching prospect Chris Paddack‘s 2018 statistics.
- Mets Critic disputes the notion that Jeff McNeil is now an outfielder.
- Rising Apple sees McNeil as one of a few Mets who could break out this year.
- Rotisserie Duck reviews the 2018 leaders of several important stats.
- The Giants Cove attempts to shoot down some familiar baseball cliches.
- Everything Bluebirds expects a big year out of Randal Grichuk.
- The Point of Pittsburgh examines Barry Bonds‘ chances at getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) reacts to the Hall of Fame elections of Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina, and the two newest members of the Twins’ HOF, and profiles Astros prospect Ryan Hartman
- Mets Daddy writes that “Hall of Fame standards have been driven down.”
- Phillies Nation searches for the club’s next Hall of Famer.
- Pinstriped Prospects (links: 1, 2) ranks the Yankees’ top five prospects at both shortstop and third base.
- Jays Journal has a piece on the worst trades in the history of the Blue Jays.
- Reviewing the Brew (links: 1, 2) presents arguments for and against the Brewers’ new stadium naming rights deal with American Family Insurance.
- The K Zone explains how each NL Central team got its name.
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AL Notes: Orioles, Jones, Indians, Tigers, Cowart
Here’s a quick look around the American League:
- In terms of name value, Adam Jones ranks among the majors’ most prominent free agents, thanks to a successful 11-year run with the Orioles. Jones is coming off a below-average season, though, and as a 33-year-old corner outfielder whose best days as a hitter and defender are gone, he hasn’t drawn much reported interest in free agency. But there’s at least a glimmer of a chance the longtime Baltimore fan favorite will end up back with the Orioles, Joe Trezza of MLB.com relays. Asked Saturday about the possibility of re-signing Jones, rookie general manager Mike Elias said, “I don’t think anything is a dead issue,” and added the Orioles are “monitoring everything.” At the same time, however, Elias suggested the rebuilding club may continue to avoid major league free agency, as it has done so far this winter. Should that prove to be the case, it seems likely to rule out a return for Jones, who figures to command a big league deal.
- The Indians ran a franchise-high payroll in every season from 2016-18, each of which included an AL Central title, but that degree of spending “was unsustainable,” president Chris Antonetti said Saturday (per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com). “So we did need to reposition ourselves financially, which we were able to do with a series of moves earlier in the offseason and provide ourselves that necessary financial flexibility that we needed (for 2019 and beyond).” After opening last year with a payroll in the $135MM range, the Indians are projected to begin 2019 near $119MM, according to Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Obviously, then, Cleveland hasn’t been aggressive in upgrading its roster this winter, though it’s still the favorite in its division. If the Indians find themselves in contention during the summer trade season, they should be in position to bolster their roster from outside, Antonetti noted. For now, though, any further offseason additions will be modestly priced, Hoynes writes.
- The Tigers claimed infielder Kaleb Cowart from the Mariners on Thursday with the idea of using him as a two-way player, general manager Al Avila confirmed Saturday (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). “We felt there was a possibility of a two-way guy here,” Avila said. “We’re going to put him on the mound and see if he can recapture what our guys saw when he was drafted.” Cowart was a first-round pick of the Angels in 2010 as a position player, but he impressed Tigers scouts back then as a high school pitcher. “I always followed his career because of what I saw him do on the mound,” said assistant GM David Chadd, who was the Tigers’ director of scouting during Cowart’s draft year. At the time, Cowart offered a 92 to 95 mph fastball “with heavy life and a slider he threw for strikes,” in addition to a splitter, Chadd recounted. Now, given that Cowart has been a woeful hitter in the majors, has no minor league options remaining and is set to face plenty of competition for an infield spot, the 26-year-old’s best hope to make the Tigers may be to show he can be a viable MLB pitcher, as McCosky points out.
NL Notes: Mets, Harper, Machado, Rockies, Dodgers, Kenley, Reds
The Mets haven’t been connected to outfielder Bryce Harper or infielder Manny Machado – the best free agents available this offseason – in part because, “I don’t know how many teams have two $30-million players,” COO Jeff Wilpon said this week (via Tim Healey of Newsday). Wilpon was alluding to the Mets’ highest-paid player, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who will make just shy of $30MM per year over the next two seasons. But Cespedes is not under contract thereafter, may not even play in 2019 because of heel problems, and will have insurance cover some portion of his money while he’s on the shelf. Still, whether the outfield’s a pressing need for the Mets is debatable, as they have Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton headlining that group. Wilpon noted the Mets “have some pretty good lefty outfielders” in Nimmo and Conforto, lessening the need for Harper. Entering the offseason, they weren’t as fortunate on the left side of their infield, where Machado could have made a huge difference. The team has since signed Jed Lowrie, though, and it’s seemingly content to go forward with him as its primary third baseman and Amed Rosario at shortstop. However, even after reeling in Lowrie (and acquiring other pricey veterans in Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson), the Mets are still roughly $40MM under the luxury tax, Healey points out. Nevertheless, the big-market club is apparently content to stay out of the sweepstakes for both Harper and Machado.
More from around the National League…
- Although the Rockies’ Bud Black is entering a contract year, the manager’s not fazed by his uncertain status beyond 2019. “Those thing work themselves out,” said Black (via Nick Groke of The Athletic). If Black wants to stay with the Rockies, it’ll be a surprise if they don’t extend him this offseason or sometime prior to next winter, as he’s easily their most successful manager ever in terms of winning percentage (.548). The Rockies have made the playoffs in each of the well-regarded Black’s two seasons on the job and gone 178-147.
- Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who underwent surgery in November to address an irregular heartbeat, told J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group and other reporters Saturday that he’s back at full strength. Pitching in the thin air of Colorado has been particularly problematic in recent years for Jansen, who was hospitalized after a game there last August, but trips to Coors Field won’t be an issue for him going forward. “If I’m hydrated I should be fine,” Jansen said.
- Earlier this offseason, John Farrell interviewed for the Reds’ managerial position – a job that ultimately went to David Bell. While Farrell was among many runners-up in that derby, he’ll still work with the Reds in 2019, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. After serving as a scout and advisor last year, his first in Cincinnati, he’ll function as a pitching consultant during the upcoming season. Farrell, 56, is best known for his run as Boston’s manager from 2013-17, during which the team went 432-378, took home three division titles and won a World Series championship (’13).
Pirates Notes: Galvis, Gonzalez, Payroll, Free Agency, Taillon
The latest out of Pittsburgh…
- The Pirates have been connected to free-agent shortstop Freddy Galvis this winter, though general manager Neal Huntington suggested Saturday that a deal between the two sides won’t come together. “We feel like we got a young Freddy Galvis. His name is Erik Gonzalez,” said Huntington, who added the Pirates are optimistic Gonzalez and fellow middle infielder Kevin Newman will “be as good if not better than what Freddy Galvis or any of the others who are out there right now or any of the players we can get in a trade right now” (via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). The 27-year-old Gonzalez didn’t provide much at the plate in Cleveland from 2016-18, but Pittsburgh was excited to acquire him in November, and he’s now the favorite to serve as its Opening Day shortstop. Pirates scouts were “beating the table” to get Gonzalez, who they believe will be “‘above average. Dynamic. Very good. More range than anybody you’ve had at short maybe some you have managed,'” manager Clint Hurdle said.
- Gonzalez is one of a slew of cheap players for the budget-conscious Bucs, who are poised to enter the season with an outlay under $75MM, Jason Martinez of Roster Resource estimates. Huntington defended the Pirates’ low-payroll ways Saturday, telling Adamski, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and others that they’ve succeeded in the past in spite of their financial disadvantages and adding: “Spending gives you a larger margin for error and what GM wouldn’t want a larger margin for error?” It does not guarantee you anything other than you spent money. The upgrade is not guaranteed.” And though the Pirates haven’t closed the door on making further additions on the open market, where they’ve picked up Lonnie Chisenhall, Jordan Lyles and Jung Ho Kang this winter, Huntington seemingly isn’t a big fan of taking that route. Free agency’s a “losing game,” according to Huntington. “When you sign a free agent, you have automatically outbid everybody else to get him 95, 99 percent of the time. You have theoretically overpaid to get that free agent.”
- Pittsburgh is far from the only team eschewing sizable free-agent contracts this offseason, which Pirates right-hander and union representative Jameson Taillon spoke about Saturday. Taillon’s fellow players are “pretty riled up and pretty upset” about the current state of affairs, revealed Taillon, who was present for the union’s recent board meetings, Brink reports. While Taillon conceded that players are hard to sympathize with because many are earning millions of dollars, he pointed out that “the owners are making money too, and they’re making way more than we are.” The players, mindful of that fact, may be more inclined to go to arbitration rather than accept what often end up as team-friendly extensions during their arb-eligible years, Taillon contended. Taillon’s words are the latest indication that the players and owners could be in for an ugly labor war when the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2021.
Nationals Sign Luis Sardinas
The Nationals have signed infielder Luis Sardinas to a minor league contract, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.
The 25-year-old Sardinas had been available since he elected free agency in October, which came after a nearly two-season run with the Orioles. Sardinas was barely a factor in the majors as an Oriole, with whom he collected 20 plate appearances (all last year), but did total 578 PAs with their Triple-A affiliate from 2017-18. He previously saw Triple-A action with the Rangers, with whom he was a top-1oo prospect on multiple occasions, as well as the Brewers, Mariners and Padres.
In all, the switch-hitting Sardinas is a .285/.318/.369 batter in 1,466 attempts at the minors’ highest level, which is hardly impressive but still far outshines the .224/.272/.292 line he has posted in 500 major league PAs. Sardinas last racked up extensive big league experience in 2016, when he amassed 197 PAs between Seattle and San Diego and hit .244/.295/.356.
AL West Notes: Astros, Rangers, Athletics
Astros owner Jim Crane said Friday that the team’s still interested in re-signing free agents Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez, and president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow addressed that Saturday. The Astros “would, of course, love” to have those two back, Luhnow admitted, though he declined further comment on their futures. Luhnow did, however, reveal “there is a decent likelihood” the Astros will make another move, perhaps to pick up starting pitching, relief or position player help, and that he wouldn’t hesitate to trade top prospects to improve the Astros’ rotation. “I did it twice already. And I’m prepared to do it again,” said Luhnow, who swung blockbuster trades for right-handers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole from 2017-18 and whose club has lost fellow starters Keuchel, Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. since last season ended. The Astros haven’t made any significant trades yet this offseason, though it hasn’t been for lack of effort. They’ve finished second or third in multiple deals, according to Luhnow, who noted, “We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try” (Twitter links via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle).
The latest on a couple of Houston’s division rivals…
- The Rangers have spent big in the past, and 26-year-old superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain free agents as February approaches, potentially making either a fit for the club. However, Texas is not in position to make a splash on the open market this winter, general manager Jon Daniels told TR Sullivan of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday. “We are probably a year away from adding cornerstone-type pieces,” Daniels said. “Our plan all along has been to get the staff in place, get this young group in place, develop them, put in our new systems and as we move into the new ballpark, kind of change the focus.” The “young group” Daniels referenced includes Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor and Jose Leclerc, among others, Sullivan reports. While any of those players could be trade chips, it seems the current plan is to keep them around as the Rangers gear up for their move to Globe Life Field in 2020.
- Even after signing Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada in free agency, the Athletics may land another starter before spring training, according to general manager David Forst (via Melissa Lockard of The Athletic; subscription required). The A’s were quite reliant on utilizing the opener strategy in 2018, though Forst suggested both Fiers and Estrada will continue as traditional starters. As of now, those two are projected to join any of Daniel Mengden, Paul Blackburn, Chris Bassitt, Aaron Brooks, Frankie Montas or even high-end prospect Jesus Luzardo in the A’s season-opening rotation, per Forst. Oakland also has several rehabbing hurlers – including the trio of Sean Manaea, Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk – and they’re all making progress, as Lockard details. When healthy, some of those pitchers might factor into the A’s bullpen, a group that could pick up another left-hander, Forst revealed. The only southpaw reliever on their 40-man roster is Ryan Buchter, who excelled in 2018. Securing further catching depth is on the team’s radar, too, executive vice president Billy Beane stated (via Chris Haft of MLB.com). While the A’s do have a quality catcher prospect in Sean Murphy, who could debut in 2019, their behind-the-plate situation at the major league level is uninspiring. Their only 40-man catchers are Josh Phegley and free-agent signing Chris Herrmann, and those two haven’t done much in the majors.
- Meanwhile, although Athletics outfield prospect and ex-Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray declared for the 2019 NFL Draft earlier this month, the A’s expect him to report to camp. “There’s been nothing from their side that suggests otherwise,” Beane said Saturday (via Haft). Murray, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, may end up as a first-round pick in the NFL, which would seem to make it a long shot that he’d ever suit up for the A’s.
Dodgers Have Discussed Joc Pederson With Multiple Clubs
Jan. 21: The Braves have also “checked on” a trade involving Pederson, tweets Jon Heyman of Fancred. It’s still not clear how many teams have been in contact with L.A., nor is it clear whether there’s any momentum surrounding a potential Pederson deal. However, the connection with Atlanta is only logical. The Braves have an obvious corner-outfield vacancy at the moment, and Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent the 2016-17 seasons as the Dodgers’ vice president of baseball operations before accepting his current position.
Jan. 20: The Dodgers are discussing outfielder Joc Pederson in potential deals, and the White Sox are among the teams they’re talking to, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. It’s unclear, though, whether the two sides are making progress in those conversations.
Speculatively, trading Pederson could further open up room in LA for free-agent center fielder A.J. Pollock, whom the team is pursuing. And essentially swapping the lefty-swinging Pederson for the right-handed Pollock would enable the Dodgers’ lineup to become more balanced, which is reportedly among their offseason objectives. At the same time, though, waving goodbye to Pederson would mean losing a productive, affordable player who’s under arbitration control through the 2020 season. He’ll earn a reasonable $5MM this year after avoiding arbitration earlier this month.
While the 26-year-old Pederson has never been effective versus left-handed pitchers, who have held him to a woeful .181/.266/.317 line since he debuted in 2014, it has been a different story against righties. Most recently, Pederson posted an overall .248/.321/.522 line (126 wRC+) in 2018 with 25 home runs and 2.7 fWAR over 443 plate appearances. Despite his limitations against same-handed hurlers, Pederson has approached or exceeded 3.0 fWAR in three of the past four seasons. That type of production would be welcome in Chicago, whose outfield ranked dead last in fWAR (minus-1.2) in 2018. The unit has since lost one of its regulars, now-Ray Avisail Garcia, who was merely a replacement-level player last season, though it did add Jon Jay in free agency. Jay had a subpar 2018 in his own right, however, and hasn’t offered particularly strong production over the past few years.
Jay’s now part of a group which also includes Daniel Palka, Adam Engel and Leury Garcia, though all three of those outfielders registered underwhelming results last year. Fortunately for the White Sox, they do have a premier outfield prospect in Eloy Jimenez, whom they figure to promote early in the season and who could make a significant impact from the get-go. But Jimenez’s presence isn’t going to prevent the White Sox from trying to upgrade elsewhere in the grass, evidenced by their interest in Pederson and their pursuit of free-agent standout Bryce Harper.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Realmuto, Manny, Bucs, Zaidi, Angels, Keuchel
This week in baseball blogs…
- Chin Music Baseball ranks potential landing spots for J.T. Realmuto.
- The Point of Pittsburgh ponders whether signing Manny Machado would make economic sense for the Pirates.
- Sox On 35th reacts to the potential seven- and eight-year offers on the table for Machado.
- Around the Foghorn looks back at Farhan Zaidi’s transaction history with the Dodgers and what the Giants can expect from their new president moving forward.
- Angels Avenue breaks down Hansel Robles‘ 2018 turnaround.
- Sports Betting Dime takes a look at the most likely suitors for Dallas Keuchel.
- STL Hat Trick doesn’t see Keuchel and the Cardinals as a logical match.
- Know Hitter proposes a Tigers-Marlins-Brewers trade featuring several familiar names.
- District On Deck focuses on the Nationals’ 2019-20 crop of free agents.
- East Village Times highlights starters the Padres could acquire via trade.
- CheckSwings introduces a prospect comparison system.
- Foul Territory asks if a strike is on the way.
- The Giants Cove observes that “Major League Baseball’s fiscal hammer is in firmly the hands of team owners and their representative, the Commissioner of Baseball.”
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2) rejects the notion that the Yankees are being cheap and profiles Astros pitching prospect Tanner Duncan.
- Mets Daddy believes the NL East is in the Phillies’ hands.
- Prospect Universe has some concerns regarding Boston’s farm system.
- Chipalatta examines the new challenges the Astros’ front office has faced this offseason.
- Jays Journal names Toronto’s all-time position player WAR leaders.
- Reviewing The Brew regards the Brewers and the Phillies as potential trade partners.
- Rox Pile sees similarities between the 2019 Rockies and the 2018 Red Sox.
- Tomahawk Take lists 10 ways the Braves can improve in 2019.
- Crawfish Boxes looks at the similarities between new Astros second base prospect Luis Santana and Jose Altuve.
- Mets Critic analyzes the additions to the projected Mets.
- The First Out At Third is bullish on the Brewers’ Yasmani Grandal addition.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed revisits some memorable trades.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2) writes about the potential of the Phillies making a big splash in free agency, and ranks the Giants’ 10 best prospects
- Rising Apple offers an early look at the 2019 NL Cy Young race.
- Statsswipe has a piece on Jesus Aguilar‘s 2018 season.
- Jays From the Couch notes that Kendrys Morales presents a roadblock to Toronto’s 2019 plans.
- Pinstriped Prospects (links: 1, 2) ranks the Yankees’ top five prospects at both first and second base.
- A’s Farm previews the possible opening day roster for the Athletics’ new Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.
- Wander Rays ranks the top 10 left-handed pitching prospects in Tampa Bay’s system.
- Rotisserie Duck names some interesting 2018 stat leaders.
- The Dugout Online shares some favorite no-hitter facts.
- Birds Watcher lists five Orioles prospects facing key seasons in 2019.
- SportsRadio 94 WIP (podcast) discusses the Phillies’ all-time dream team with Tom Stone, author of Now Taking the Field.
- Extra Innings UK covers recent Dodgers signee Markus Solbach, a native of Germany who just set a record in the Australian Baseball League.
- Everything Bluebirds makes a case for the Blue Jays to bring back John Axford.
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Cubs Have Considered Trading Ben Zobrist
With the bullpen-needy Cubs facing a budget crunch, acquiring even a mid-tier reliever would require removing payroll from elsewhere on their roster, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (subscription required). Thus, as the Cubs look for ways to improve this offseason with little to no spending space, the club has “bandied about the idea of trading” second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist, Sharma writes. In jettisoning some or all of Zobrist’s $12.5MM salary, the Cubs would give themselves some room to upgrade their bullpen – a unit that has lost Jesse Chavez and Justin Wilson to free agency while gaining no one this offseason – and hopefully not experience much an offensive drop-off, Sharma notes.
“I don’t have a no-trade clause at this point, so I could be traded,” Zobrist acknowledged Saturday.
Although Zobrist realizes he’s vulnerable to a deal, it may be unrealistic for the Cubs to better their roster while subtracting him. Set to turn 38 in May, Zobrist is the Cubs’ oldest player, but he’s also one of their best. Aside from a poor 2017, Zobrist has more than delivered on the four-year, $56MM investment Chicago made in him entering 2016 – a season in which he helped lead them to a World Series title. Zobrist is now coming off a year that saw him finish second among Cubs position players in fWAR (3.6), trailing only NL MVP candidate Javier Baez, and bat an outstanding .305/.378/.440 (123 wRC+) with nearly as many unintentional walks (55) as strikeouts (60). He also posted an 86.6 percent contact rate, the game’s 15th best, making him something of an outlier for a team that ended up just 22nd in the majors in that category.
Between Zobrist’s offensive adeptness and defensive versatility (he was a plus player at second and in the corner outfield over fairly large sample sizes last year), it’s clear losing him would be a major blow for the Cubs. That’s especially true given that the Cubs’ middle infield is already down a regular, as Addison Russell will sit out the first month of 2019 because of a domestic violence suspension. To its credit, Chicago does have multiple other second base/outfield possibilities in Ian Happ and the recently signed Daniel Descalso, and those two could help fill Zobrist’s void.
If the Cubs are confident in a Zobrist-less middle infield/outfield mix which would include Baez, Russell, Happ, Descalso, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Albert Almora for most of the season, perhaps we’ve seen the last of him in their uniform. But for a team whose offense “broke” in 2018, when the switch-hitting Zobrist put up above-average production from both sides of the plate and logged quality numbers in each of the season’s two halves, replacing his output would be no easy task.
Latest On Josh Harrison’s Market
The Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Phillies and Rays are all in on free agent Josh Harrison at the moment, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred.
Reported interest from the Giants and Angels isn’t anything new for Harrison, but this is the first time the Dodgers, Phillies and Rays have been connected to him in any major way this offseason. The 31-year-old Harrison is available on the heels of a below-average season with the Pirates, who declined his $10.5MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout afterward, but has typically been a decent offensive player and a solid, versatile defender during his career. Consequently, Harrison has drawn widespread interest on the open market.
A .277/.317/.408 hitter in 3,012 plate appearances, Harrison has posted a 98 wRC+ and a 97 OPS+, falling just shy of the league-average mark of 100. He has also accrued significant reps at second, third and in the corner outfield, though the vast majority of his 2018 playing time came at the keystone.
Harrison would provide the Dodgers yet another multi-position defender, and as a right-handed hitter, he’d give the lefty-heavy team some variety in its lineup. For Philly, Harrison may be a fallback option at third base in the event the club doesn’t sign free agent Manny Machado, though it’s debatable at best whether the former is superior to current starter Maikel Franco. The Phillies already have a quality starter at second in Cesar Hernandez, so it’s doubtful Harrison would see much action there. Unlike both the big-spending Dodgers and Phillies, the Rays operate with a bottom-of-the-barrel payroll. Still, they should be able to afford Harrison, who’d offer them further protection behind second baseman Joey Wendle, third baseman Matt Duffy and corner outfielders Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows.