Red Sox Exercise Clay Buchholz’s Option, Decline Option On Ryan Hanigan
8:09pm: The Red Sox have also announced that they’ve picked up their 2017 option on David Ortiz. The move is a formality, since Ortiz is expected to retire.
2:30pm: Drellich also writes that the Red Sox plan to pick up Clay Buchholz‘s $13.5MM club option, and Heyman tweeted that the team will indeed do so. Buchholz had a $500K buyout on the option, so the decision boiled down to a $13MM call for Boston. (The team has announced both option decisions.)
Buchholz, who turned 32 in August, struggled with the Red Sox for much of the season and at one point lost his spot in the starting rotation. However, despite a brief demotion to the bullpen, Buchholz finished the year quite strongly, logging a 3.14 ERA in 28 2/3 innings in September and a 2.86 ERA over his final 44 innings. He’s also a season removed from 113 1/3 innings of 3.26 ERA ball that came with outstanding peripherals. Given the lack of quality options on the free-agent market and the fact that Buchholz generated summer trade interest even before his strong finish to the year, there was an argument to exercise Buchholz’s option even if he’s traded elsewhere this offseason, as MLBTR detailed a couple of weeks ago.
1:56pm: The Red Sox have declined catcher Ryan Hanigan‘s $3.75MM option for 2017 in favor of an $800K buyout, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reported earlier Thursday that the Red Sox were likely to let Hanigan go.
Hanigan joined the Red Sox in December 2014 in a trade that sent third baseman Will Middlebrooks to the Padres, with whom Hanigan never actually played a game. The Red Sox didn’t lose much in dealing Middlebrooks, but Hanigan was still a disappointment in Boston. After establishing himself as a defensively capable backstop with solid offensive skills in Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, Hanigan batted just .219/.298/.294 in two years and 319 plate appearances with the Red Sox. He finished third among Boston’s catchers this year in PAs (113), trailing Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez, and posted an unusable .171/.230/.238 line. That was poor enough for Boston to wave goodbye to Hanigan, who will try to hook on elsewhere in free agency.
In addition to Leon and Vazquez, the Red Sox also have Blake Swihart as a potential catcher option for next season. The outfield/backstop missed most of this year with an ankle injury. Alternatively, Boston could look to free agency for help, especially if it doesn’t trust Leon’s unexpected breakout.
Royals To Pick up 2017 Options For Wade Davis, Alcides Escobar
The Royals will exercise their 2017 club options for right-handed closer Wade Davis and shortstop Alcides Escobar, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Davis will earn $10MM next season and Escobar will rake in $6.5MM.
Davis helped pitch the Royals to back-to-back World Series appearances from 2014-15 and a championship last season, but he was a tad less dominant this year. He still thrived, though, recording a 1.87 ERA, 9.76 K/9, 3.32 BB/9 and 48.6 percent ground-ball rate in 43 1/3 innings. Davis threw 65-plus innings in each of the previous two years, but he missed significant time this season with a forearm strain. Landing on the disabled list in late July – right before the trade deadline – helped put the kibosh on a potential deal involving Davis, who had drawn interest across the league. Calls have continued to come in since for Davis, who would surely net a quality return as an affordable and elite reliever, but Kansas City reportedly won’t move him unless it receives young pitching in return.
Along with Davis, first baseman Eric Hosmer, left-hander Danny Duffy, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and third baseman Mike Moustakas are set to become free agents after next season, meaning general manager Dayton Moore might elect to give the club’s championship-winning core one more shot after injuries helped limit the Royals to 81 wins this year.
Escobar is also entering his final season under Kansas City’s control, and although he’s defensively gifted and speedy, the 29-year-old’s limitations at the plate weigh down his value. Dating back to last season, Escobar leads the Royals in plate appearances (1,344), but that’s not a positive for a player who has hit a meek .259/.293/.335. Nevertheless, with no clear upgrades available in free agency and the 21-year-old Raul Mondesi fresh off a less-than-stellar rookie season, retaining Escobar likely wasn’t a difficult choice for the Royals.
Rangers To Exercise Jonathan Lucroy’s Option
In the ultimate no-brainer decision, the Rangers will exercise star catcher Jonathan Lucroy‘s $5.25MM club option for 2017.
Lucroy, whom the Rangers acquired from the Brewers prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, will continue as one of the game’s most reasonably priced standouts for another season. Between Texas and Milwaukee, he batted a stellar .292/.355/.500 with 24 home runs in 544 plate appearances. That came after Lucroy battled injuries in 2015 and hit a disappointing .264/.326/.391 with seven homers in 415 PAs. Aside from that season, the 30-year-old has been among the game’s premier all-around catchers since 2012. As has typically been the case, Lucroy graded out quite well as a pitch framer this year, per both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner.
The 2017 campaign will be Lucroy’s last under the five-year, $11MM extension he inked with the Brewers in 2012. Whether via an extension with the Rangers or a deal with another team in free agency a year from now, Lucroy should become one of the sport’s highest-paid catchers sometime within the next 12-plus months.
Mets To Exercise Options For Jay Bruce, Jose Reyes; Decline Jon Niese’s
The Mets will exercise their 2017 club options for outfielder Jay Bruce and infielder Jose Reyes, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, who adds that the team will decline left-hander Jon Niese‘s option (link via Adam Rubin of ESPN.com). Bruce will make $13MM next season, Reyes will earn the league minimum and Niese will collect a $500K buyout in lieu of the $10MM he’d have gotten had the Mets picked up his option.
With a .219/.294/.391 line in 187 plate appearances, Bruce performed poorly after the Mets acquired him from the Reds at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Nevertheless, it’s unsurprising that the team is willing to retain him for next season, especially with fellow corner outfield option Yoenis Cespedes headed for free agency. If the Mets re-sign Cespedes or add other high-profile outfield help to go with Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto, it’s possible they’d shop Bruce, whose .265/.316/.559 line in 402 PAs with the Reds this season was enough for New York to send well-regarded infield prospect Dilson Herrera to Cincinnati for him. All told, Bruce slashed an above-average .250/.309/.506 with 33 home runs, thereby bouncing back from two straight miserable offensive seasons, though that’s not great production from a corner outfielder whose defense is questionable at best.
The controversial Reyes, meanwhile, rejoined the Mets on a minor league contract in July after serving a 51-game domestic violence suspension and receiving his release from the Rockies. From a baseball standpoint, the signing benefited the Mets this year, as he hit .267/.326/.443 with eight homers and nine steals across 445 PAs. Reyes, who previously thrived as a shortstop with the Mets from 2003-11, primarily played third base while filling in for the injured David Wright. He could continue to factor in at the hot corner in 2017, and it’s possible he’ll also see time as a second baseman and outfielder.
This year was also Niese’s second go-around with the Mets, whom they traded to the Pirates last offseason for second baseman Neil Walker. Niese was a steady option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled mightily in Pittsburgh. That led the Pirates to trade Niese back to the Mets for reliever Antonio Bastardo at the deadline. In six appearances down the stretch, including four from the bullpen, Niese yielded 14 earned runs on 13 hits and nine walks in 11 innings. Between Pittsburgh and New York, he pitched to a 5.50 ERA in 121 frames and posted the worst home run-to-fly ball ratio of his career (22.1 percent). Otherwise, Niese’s strikeout and walk rates (6.55 and 3.5) were fairly normal, as was his ground-ball percentage (51.1). He’ll now join a free agent market overflowing with fellow back-end starters.
Nationals Pick Up Gio Gonzalez’s 2017 Option, Decline Yusmeiro Petit’s
The Nationals have exercised left-hander Gio Gonzalez‘s club option for 2017 and declined right-hander Yusmeiro Petit‘s, the team announced. Gonzalez will earn $12MM next season, while Petit will hit the open market after receiving a $500K buyout from the Nats.
After logging ERAs ranging from 2.89 ERA to 3.79 in each season from 2010-15, Gonzalez allowed runs at a 4.57 clip per nine innings this year. Picking up Gonzalez’s option was a no-brainer in spite of that, though, especially given that the Nats could take advantage of a weak free agent market and use the 31-year-old as trade bait. Despite his bloated ERA, he still posted solid strikeout and walk rates of 8.68 and 2.99, and generated ground balls at a 47.6 percent clip. Gonzalez threw 177 1/3 innings, his highest total since 2013, and his $12MM club option for 2018 will vest if he manages to rack up 180 frames next season.
Like Gonzalez, Petit took a step back this year, but his was damaging enough for Washington to pass on him at an inexpensive cost for 2017. Petit’s 7.11 K/9 and 2.18 BB/9 aren’t far from his career averages, and he set a career high with a 41.5 percent grounder rate, but his 4.50 ERA across 62 innings is the worst figure he has put up since 2009. Left-handed hitters caused most of the damage this year, teeing off on Petit with a .269/.336/.588 line. He was far more effective against right-handers (.267/.295/.403) and will now try to catch on elsewhere as a bullpen option.
Phillies Decline 2017 Options For Ryan Howard, Charlie Morton
The Phillies have declined their 2017 club options for first baseman Ryan Howard and right-hander Charlie Morton, per a team announcement. Philadelphia will now pay Howard a $10MM buyout in lieu of the $23MM that it would have owed the slugger had it picked up the option. Morton would have made $9.5MM next season, but he will receive a far more modest $1MM buyout instead.
The club’s decision to move on from Howard comes as no surprise, but it’s the end of a long era that was quite fruitful at times. A fifth-round pick in 2001, Howard debuted in earnest in 2005 and served as one of the majors’ preeminent home run threats from then until 2011. Howard clubbed at least 45 home runs in four seasons during that span, including a majors-best 58 in 2006 en route to National League MVP honors. Two years later, Howard once again paced the league with 48 long balls in a season that ended with the Phillies’ first World Series championship since 1980.
On the strength of his early success, the three-time All-Star signed a five-year, $125MM extension with the Phillies in April 2010, but the deal was mostly disastrous for the team. From that point forward, Howard batted an underwhelming .240/.314/.452 in 3,386 plate appearances, though he did add 160 more homers to give him 382 as a Phillie – second in club history to Mike Schmidt’s 548. Between his declining offense and inability to contribute as a baserunner or defender, Howard combined for a microscopic 0.4 fWAR during his final seven years with the franchise. The soon-to-be 37-year-old indicated in September that he wants to continue his career, but it’s likely his only hope will be to catch on as a designated hitter with an American League team. Even that might be a stretch, though, as Howard slashed just .196/.257/.453 in 362 PAs this year while ceding at-bats to Tommy Joseph.
Morton should fare better than Howard on the open market, but injuries have beset the 32-year-old throughout his career and that continued in 2016. After making just four starts, Morton underwent season-ending surgery on a torn left hamstring. The Phillies hoped Morton would serve as a veteran anchor to their young pitching staff upon acquiring him from the Pirates last December, but the injury prevented that from happening. When healthy, Morton has been a usable back-end option, having pitched to a 4.54 ERA while inducing grounders at a 55.4 percent clip in 893 career innings. From 2013-14, his best two-year stretch, Morton logged a 3.52 ERA and 58.9 percent ground-ball rate in 273 1/3 frames.
Cardinals Extend Mike Matheny Through 2020
The Cardinals and manager Mike Matheny have agreed to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2020 season, the team announced.
Matheny was previously in danger of entering the 2017 campaign as a lame duck, though owner Bill DeWitt Jr. gave the 46-year-old a vote of confidence in late September.
“Mike’s done a really good job for us,” said DeWitt. “There’s no thought that we’re going to go in any different direction.”
In terms of wins and losses, the five-year Matheny era has been a productive one for the Cardinals, who have finished with no fewer than 86 victories in any individual season and have made the playoffs four times. Overall, the club has gone 461-349 in the regular season under Matheny, whose crowning playoff achievement is a National League pennant in 2013. St. Louis missed the postseason this year, but general manager John Mozeliak doesn’t blame Matheny for that.
“Mike takes a lot of heat, and I’ve defended him and I will continue to,” Mozeliak said late in the regular season. “I really feel like some of the things that we’re dealing with aren’t fair to put on the manager.”
While Matheny has indeed taken heat from outside the Cardinals organization, it’s clear the team’s front office values the job he has done as the manager. If Matheny sees his extension through, it’ll give him 14 combined years with the franchise as a player and manager. The longtime major league catcher was the Cardinals’ primary backstop from 2000-2004.
Diamondbacks, Rockies Close To Hiring Managers
9:08am: The D-backs are choosing between Lovullo and their Triple-A manager, Phil Nevin, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). They and the Rockies are likely to hire managers within the next 24 to 48 hours, per Nightengale. Wakamatsu, Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach, Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez and Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. are among several candidates who have come up as possible successors to Walt Weiss in Colorado.
7:52am: The Diamondbacks have already taken executives Mike Hazen (general manager) and Amiel Sawdaye (senior vice president/assistant GM) from the Red Sox in recent weeks. Next to emigrate from Boston to Arizona could be Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, who interviewed for the Diamondbacks’ vacant managerial position Sunday, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald.
The 51-year-old Lovullo has been regarded as the favorite for the Arizona job since Hazen took over the club’s baseball operations Oct. 16. Lovullo’s experience as a manager includes several minor league stints and interim work with the Red Sox in 2015, when skipper John Farrell was undergoing treatment for lymphoma. If Lovullo does join the Diamondbacks, he won’t be able to pilfer anyone from Farrell’s coaching staff to join him in Arizona, according to Drellich.
Lovullo is the third known managerial candidate who either has interviewed or will meet with the D-backs, joining Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu and broadcaster/former major league player Alex Cora. There could be more names, too, as Hazen has expressed a desire to interview five to seven candidates.
Cubs Claim Conor Mullee From Yankees
The Cubs were busy winning their first World Series since 1908 on Wednesday, but that didn’t stop them from adding to their 40-man roster. The club claimed right-hander Conor Mullee off waivers from the Yankees.
Mullee, 28, had been a member of the Yankees organization since going in the 24th round of the 2010 draft. Injuries have been highly problematic during his professional career, unfortunately, as he missed nearly all of the 2011-13 campaigns because of various surgeries – including a Tommy John procedure. Remarkably, Mullee persevered through those issues to make his major league debut in 2016, tossing three innings of one-run ball with the Yankees. However, he once again underwent surgery – this time to repair a nerve issue in his elbow – thus ending his season in August.
Over 162 career minor league frames, including 40 at the Triple-A level, Mullee has pitched to a stingy 2.00 ERA with impressive strikeout and walk rates of 9.1 and 2.6 per nine innings. That terrific body of work has helped earn Mullee a place on the World Series champions’ 40-man roster, at least for now.
Indians “Desire” To Re-Sign Mike Napoli
If the Indians have it their way, there will be more parties at Napoli’s in Cleveland next season. General manager Mike Chernoff indicated before the team’s Game 7 World Series loss to the Cubs on Wednesday that the Indians would like to retain impending free agent first baseman/designated hitter Mike Napoli.
“We have a desire to have him here, and my sense is that he has a desire to be here,” Chernoff told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.“That’s something we’ll have to address once the World Series is over.”
With the season now in the books, the Indians have a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with Napoli, who will become eligible to sign someplace else Nov. 8 if he and the Indians don’t reach a deal by then. Reeling in Napoli won’t be as easy as it was for Cleveland last offseason, when it inked him to a one-year, $7MM contract in January. Napoli was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career then, having hit a below-average .224/.324/.410 with 18 home runs in 469 plate appearances divided between Boston and Texas. The 35-year-old slugger rebounded during the regular season for the American League Central-winning Indians, with whom he slashed .239/.335/.465 with 34 homers in 645 PAs and became a fan favorite and important clubhouse presence. Napoli then collected just nine hits and a single HR in 51 postseason trips to the plate for the AL pennant winners, but that small sample of poor production shouldn’t have much of an effect on his stock.
In the event Cleveland and Napoli aren’t able to reach a new agreement in the coming days, the team will have the right to issue him a qualifying offer by the Nov. 7 deadline, though that could be an agonizing decision. If Napoli accepts, it would force the Indians to allocate a lofty chunk of payroll ($17.2MM) to him in 2017. Although Napoli was a key member of the Indians’ lineup and clubhouse this year, his limitations as a defender and baserunner significantly weaken his value. Not receiving a QO could work out better for Napoli, who would hit the open market without draft pick compensation scaring away potential suitors.