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Mets Have Looked At Albert Almora

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Free agent Albert Almora Jr. is among the available center fielders on the Mets’ radar. The club has “looked at” him, Andy Martino of SNY reports.

The extent of the Mets’ interest in Almora isn’t clear, but it may not be thrilling news for fans of a team who are still holding out hope for a George Springer signing. Unlike Springer, one of the best hitters in baseball, Almora hasn’t shown much on offense since debuting with the Cubs in 2016. While Almora has posted six Defensive Runs Saved in center, he owns a much less appealing lifetime .271/.309/.398 mark and wRC+ of 85 in 1,316 plate appearances, and was especially subpar during the previous two seasons.

After Almora hit .167/.265/.200 over 34 PA in 2020, the Cubs non-tendered the 26-year-old in lieu of giving him a $1.575MM projected arbitration salary for 2021. In doing so, the Cubs gave up potential control over Almora through 2022, meaning any team that signs him could keep him for at least two years. He’s now part of a free-agent class that doesn’t feature many solutions in center beyond Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr.

As a Met, Almora could vie for the role of fourth outfielder behind Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith, but it seems too early to speculate on how the group will look with Springer still on the open market. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that Almora has a connection to the Mets in new general manager Jared Porter, who was part of the Cubs’ front office for the first two seasons of the outfielder’s tenure in Chicago.

Mariners Hire Hisashi Iwakuma As Special Assignment Coach

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Former Mariners right-hander Hisahi Iwakuma is rejoining the franchise in a new position. The Mariners announced Tuesday that they have hired Iwakuma as a special assignment coach. He’ll report to general manager Jerry Dipoto.

“In his new role, Iwakuma will work with Mariners pitchers and pitching instructors at all levels,” the team explained. “He will periodically visit the team’s minor league affiliates during the season, as well as spending time with the Major League team.” Additionally, Iwakuma will assist Mariners scout Manabu Noto in his homeland of Japan.

Based on his decorated playing career in Japan and in Seattle, the well-respected Iwakuma should have plenty to offer as a coach. Now 39 years old, Iwakuma excelled in Japan for over a decade before joining the Mariners in 2012. The union worked out beautifully for both sides, as Iwakuma wound up pitching his entire major league run with the M’s (through 2017). He recorded a 3.42 ERA in 883 2/3 innings, earned an All-Star nod and threw a no-hitter along the way.

While Iwakuma did continue trying to pitch after 2017, injuries hampered his efforts. He threw just two innings in a return to Japan in 2019 and didn’t take the mound at all last year. Iwakuma then decided to retire.

Rockies, Antonio Senzatela Avoid Arbitration

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The Rockies and right-hander Antonio Senzatela have avoided arbitration with a $3MM agreement, Robert Murray of FanSided tweets. MLBTR projected Senzatela would make anywhere from $2.2MM to $4.9MM in arbitration.

The 25-year-old Senzatela was an oft-utilized member of the Rockies’ pitching staff for the fourth straight season in 2020, which has been his best campaign to date. Senzatela finished second on the Rockies in starts (12) and innings (73 1/3), paced their starters in ERA (3.44), and notched impressive walk and groundball percentages of 5.9 and 50.8, respectively. However, despite averaging upward of 94 mph on his fastball, Senzatela posted a meager 13.5 percent strikeout rate and did not perform especially well by Statcast’s standards.

The Rockies will be able to control Senzatela through 2023, as he’ll also be eligible for arbitration in each of the next two offseasons.

Tigers, Michael Fulmer Avoid Arbitration

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The Tigers have avoided arbitration with right-hander Michael Fulmer, per a team announcement. He’ll earn $3.1MM in 2021, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. That sum falls in line with MLBTR’s projection of $2.8MM to $3.2MM.

This agreement comes in the wake of a nightmarish season for Fulmer, who managed an 8.78 ERA/5.58 SIERA over 27 2/3 innings in his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019. The 27-year-old also posted personal worsts in average fastball velocity (93.1 mph, down from 95-plus in prior seasons), strikeout percentage (14.7), walk percentage (8.8), groundball rate (8.8) and home runs per nine (2.6).

Last season was the second straight rocky campaign for Fulmer, who logged subpar production by his previous standards during an injury-limited campaign in 2018. Before that, he was one of the game’s most coveted young starters from 2016-17, as he took home AL Rookie of the Year honors in his debut and continued recording quality numbers as a sophomore.

Fulmer frequently came up in trade talks with teams seeking a controllable and high-end starter during his first couple years, but the Tigers never found an offer to their liking. Now, with Fulmer’s trade value at an all-time low, the Tigers are left to hope that he will bounce back to respectability in 2021 – his second-last year of arbitration eligibility.

Angels Notes: Remaining Needs, Coaching Staff

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The Angels were busy earlier this offseason in acquiring a pair of relievers – Raisel Iglesias and Alex Claudio – as well as shortstop Jose Iglesias, but things have slowed to a crawl for the team in recent weeks. It’s not for lack of effort by new general manager Perry Minasian, who hopes Major League Baseball’s glacial offseason picks up the pace. “It’s been a different offseason,” Minasian said on Monday, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “It seems like there’s been less activity. We’ve been one of the more active teams and it seems like we haven’t done anything in a year.”

“I have been as active as I can be,” added Minasian, who still intends to address the team’s starting rotation, according to Fletcher. So far, the Angels haven’t been able to strengthen that group, though Minasian has been working on it. Ideally, the Angels will land the top free agent available – Southern California native and reigning NL Cy Young-winning right-hander Trevor Bauer – and Fletcher writes the two sides figure to have “mutual interest.” It’s unclear how serious that interest is on either side, however, Fletcher notes.

Here’s more on the Angels…

  • Beyond upgrading his team’s rotation, Minasian said (via Fletcher) he’s on the hunt for depth at catcher and in the outfield. That isn’t surprising in either case, particularly behind the plate. The Angels’ only 40-man catchers are Max Stassi and Anthony Bemboom (Stassi’s on the mend from September hip surgery), and the team has shown interest this month in acquiring the Cubs’ Willson Contreras. Meanwhile, aside from center fielder Mike Trout, the outfield is something of a question mark. Justin Upton and Jo Adell had difficult years in 2020, while Taylor Ward failed to hit a home run in 102 plate appearances (though his overall numbers were still respectable). Jared Walsh had a brilliant year with the bat, but he saw little time in the outfield.
  • The Angels announced Monday that Bruce Hines will serve as their first base coach and outfield instructor in 2021. He’s replacing Jesus Feliciano, who left the team for personal reasons. There is already a great deal of familiarity between the franchise and Hines, as he previously combined for 23 years with the Angels in various scouting and coaching roles. That included a stint as their first base coach in 1991.

Rob Manfred Tells Teams To Plan For 162-Game Season

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Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told teams Monday to expect spring training to begin on time in February and for a 162-game regular season to occur, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

While plans could change based on the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s nonetheless a major development right now that the league has informed its clubs that it intends to return to a full schedule this year. MLB could only play 60 regular-season games per team in 2020, and there has since been talk about another shortened campaign in 2021.

Less than a month ago, the league seemed as if it was preparing for a delayed spring training and a second consecutive shortened season, though that idea did not go over well with the MLBPA. The union, led by senior director of collective bargaining and legal Bruce Meyer, quickly fired back, saying that “players are planning on showing up for spring training on time for a full 162-game season as set forth in the collective bargaining agreement and the league’s previously issued schedule.”

While the players accepted a truncated season with prorated pay last year, they don’t seem willing to go that route yet again. Plus, as Nightengale notes, the league does not have the right to unilaterally push back the start of the upcoming season. That could help set the stage to a return to a full campaign, though it’s unknown whether fans will be allowed back in the stands this year.

Of course, if MLB does revert to 162 games with full salaries for players, it could lessen tensions between the league and the union as they try to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires in December. The two sides have been at loggerheads over multiple issues in the past couple of years, and if MLB would have fought for another season of fewer than 162 games, it likely would have made their relationship worse. Still, the league and its players do have other matters to hash out soon, Nightengale writes, with health and safety protocols, the universal DH and expanded playoffs among them.

Top 10 Remaining Free Agents

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The Major League Baseball offseason opened over two months ago, though free agency has moved at a snail’s pace to this point. MLBTR ranked the top 50 free agents in the game heading into the winter, and at least some of those names have come off the board. Based on our contract predictions, here’s a look at the top 10 players still sitting on the open market…

1.) Trevor Bauer, RHP (original prediction: four years, $128MM)

  • As was the case when the offseason opened, it’s unclear what kind of deal Bauer is seeking. Yes, he’d probably love to break Gerrit Cole’s annual average value of $36MM, but will it be for one year or over the long haul? Bauer, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, has continued to leave all options on the table. While Bauer recently met with the Blue Jays, there haven’t been many strong rumors connecting him to specific teams. Regardless, it seems likely Bauer will price himself out of Cincinnati, where he thrived in 2020.

2.) J.T. Realmuto, C (original prediction: five years, $125MM)

  • Again, there doesn’t seem to be much happening with Realmuto. The Phillies, with whom he spent the previous two years and served as the game’s best catcher, certainly want him back. But are they willing to meet Realmuto’s demands? No dice so far. Otherwise, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote a couple weeks back, the Jays, Angels and Astros are just a few teams that could conceivably sign Realmuto.

3.) George Springer, OF (original prediction: five years, $125MM)

  • Springer was among the sport’s best outfielders in Houston from 2014-19, but it doesn’t seem as if he’ll remain with the club. Springer reportedly has multiple offers worth upward of $100MM, though the Astros haven’t really been connected to him in the rumor mill this winter. The Jays and Mets have come off as Springer’s most ardent suitors to this point, though New York’s interest may have cooled off after it acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-hander Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland last week. The Mets might rather duck the $210MM luxury tax in 2020, and adding Springer would make that a difficult goal to achieve.

4.) Marcell Ozuna, OF/DH (original prediction: four years, $72MM)

  • Wouldn’t it be nice if MLB announced whether there will be a universal DH in 2021? The decision will be quite meaningful to someone like Ozuna, who was a DH more than an outfielder with Atlanta last season. Thanks in part to the lack of clarity on the DH position, Ozuna’s market has been quiet so far. However, anyone acquiring him will land a player who was an all-world hitter in 2020. The 30-year-old dominated in both bottom-line statistics and Statcast figures.

5.) DJ LeMahieu, INF (original prediction: four years, $68MM)

  • Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Toronto looks like a realistic possibility for another top free agent in LeMahieu. That said, the Yankees – with whom the second baseman was outstanding from 2019-20 – as well as the Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals and Mets may be in the mix. It’s a bit befuddling that the Yankees haven’t yet used their financial might to bring back LeMahieu, who apparently wants to re-sign after a batting title-winning, near-AL MVP season, but the two sides have been unable to close the gap in negotiations. In an ideal world for LeMahieu, he could collect around $100MM on his next deal. That’s a far cry from the two-year, $24MM contract he previously signed with the Yankees.

8.) Didi Gregorius, SS (original prediction: three years, $39MM)

  • The Gregorius rumor mill has been surprisingly quiet to this point. Aside from 2019, when Sir Didi was coming back from Tommy John surgery, he has been consistently productive over the past few years. He rebounded last season in Philadelphia, perhaps his lone season with the team, though it may not be willing to re-sign him if it isn’t going to spend a large amount. Barring a re-signing in Philly, two of Gregorius’ other ex-teams – the Reds and Yankees – might be among those to make pushes for him.

10.) Masahiro Tanaka, RHP (original prediction: three years, $39MM)

  • Beyond Bauer, the starting pitching market has dwindled rapidly in terms of both free agency and trades. A few examples: Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman, whom MLBTR initially ranked as top 10 free agents, accepted qualifying offers. Meanwhile, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell joined new teams in blockbuster deals, and Nippon Professional Baseball’s Tomoyuki Sugano decided to stay in Japan. Tanaka – who, like Darvish and Sugano, hails from Japan – is still available, and he might be the second-best starter left in free agency. Even though the 32-year-old generally got the job done as a Yankee from 2014-20, the team hasn’t made a big effort to sign him to this point. Neither has anyone else, it seems, and Tanaka hasn’t closed the door on a return to Japan.

11.) Jake Odorizzi, RHP (original prediction: three years, $39MM)

  • Odorizzi went through an injury-limited 2020 in Minnesota, recording a mere 13 2/3 innings, but teams know what he’s capable of doing. As recently as 2019, Odorizzi was an All-Star with a 3.51 ERA in 159 frames. The Twins then gave Odorizzi a qualifying offer, which he accepted, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reel in a multiyear deal before next season. At least a few teams have shown interest in the soon-to-be 31-year-old this winter.

12.) Liam Hendriks, RHP (original prediction: three years, $30MM)

  • Hendriks may have been the top reliever in baseball in the previous two years in Oakland, but he doesn’t seem to be in free agency at the preferred time. Also soon to turn 32, the Blue Jays (if you can believe it), Dodgers, Astros and White Sox have been connected to Hendriks over the past couple of months.

13.) Michael Brantley, OF/DH (original prediction: two years, $28MM)

  • Considering the defensive questions surrounding him, Brantley is in a similar position to Ozuna at the moment. It would be beneficial to Brantley if MLB kept the universal DH around next season, as he’s a 33-year-old (34 in May) with an injury history who didn’t see much time in the field as an Astro in 2020. A few teams have shown interest in Brantley since then, though it doesn’t appear he’s all that close to signing anywhere.

East Notes: Mets, Jays, Lindor, Red Sox, Devers

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The Mets won the Francisco Lindor sweepstakes when they acquired the star shortstop from Cleveland in a blockbuster trade earlier this week. It turns out that the Blue Jays finished second in the derby, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports. While Castrovince isn’t sure which other players were involved in the teams’ trade talks, the Blue Jays offered “what is probably a higher ceiling,” he writes. The problem for Toronto is that the prospects it put on the table weren’t that close to being ready for the majors, so Cleveland accepted an offer that it expects to be beneficial in both the short and long term.

  • The Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers have not discussed a multiyear contract to this point, agent Nelson Montes de Oca told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. For now, the focus is on agreeing to a salary for 2021 by next Friday’s deadline to file figures. The Red Sox renewed Devers for a near-minimum $692,500 heading into last year, even though he was coming off a tremendous campaign. The 24-year-old is now eligible for arbitration, where he’s projected to collect anywhere from $3.4MM to $6.3MM. Unfortunately for Devers, he’s going into the process off a down season in which he slashed .263/.310/.483 with 11 home runs in 248 plate appearances. Barring an extension, Devers won’t be eligible for free agency until after 2023.
  • Back to the Mets, who seem primed to move right-hander Seth Lugo back to the bullpen in 2021, Jon Heyman of MLB Network relays. Lugo has been highly successful as a reliever in the past, but he had a tough time last year after the Mets moved him into their rotation. They’re now largely set there with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and David Peterson in line to comprise their top four when next season opens. They’ll also get righty Noah Syndergaard back from his Tommy John surgery sometime during the summer.
  • The Blue Jays have signed hitting coach Guillermo Martinez to a two-year contract extension, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet relays. Martinez has been on the job since 2018. The Blue Jays’ offense finished seventh in the majors in runs and 11th in wRC+ under his tutelage last season.

Blue Jays Re-Sign A.J. Cole To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays have re-signed right-hander A.J. Cole to a minor league contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Cole will earn a $1MM salary if he makes their roster and could rake in another $200K in incentives. His deal includes a May 15 opt-out date, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Cole spent last season as a member of the Blue Jays, with whom he turned in a 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 innings, but the team non-tendered him in lieu of bringing him back on a projected $800K to $1.1MM salary. Shiny ERA aside, Cole didn’t post especially impressive strikeout/walk stats, as the 29-year-old finished with a 21.1 percent K rate against a 9.5 percent BB rate. Cole did, however, have a terrific season by Statcast’s standards. For instance, the .239 expected weighted on-base average he yielded ranked in the league’s 95th percentile.

If Cole does reach the majors again in 2021, it’ll be his seventh straight year appearing in the bigs. The former National, Yankee and Indian owns a 4.65 ERA with a 23 percent strikeout rate and a 9.3 percent walk rate in 197 1/3 innings.

Offseason Outlook: Arizona Diamondbacks

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The 2020 season was bitterly disappointing for the Diamondbacks, who entered the year with playoff aspirations before floundering to the National League’s second-worst record (25-35). Despite that, the Diamondbacks haven’t been active this winter, and that may not change to any significant extent.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration-Eligible Players

This year’s arbitration projections are more volatile than ever, given the unprecedented revenue losses felt by clubs and the shortened 2020 schedule. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, who developed our arbitration projection model, used three different methods to calculate different projection numbers. You can see the full projections and an explanation of each if you click here, but for the purposes of our Outlook series, we’ll be using Matt’s 37-percent method — extrapolating what degree of raise a player’s 2020 rate of play would have earned him in a full 162-game slate and then awarding him 37 percent of that raise.

Free Agents

As last season was winding down for the Diamondbacks, CEO Derrick Hall expressed optimism about the team’s future but cautioned that it would be “far-fetched” for the Snakes to match their $124MM projected payroll from 2020. Hall hasn’t wavered from that since, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported earlier this week.

Considering Hall’s stance, it’s no shock that the club has been relatively silent since the offseason commenced a couple of months ago. Arizona’s biggest move so far has been exercising right-hander Merrill Kelly’s $4.25MM option, which came as a bit of a surprise after he underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in September. To Kelly’s credit, though, he performed quite well last year, leaving the D-backs content to roll the dice that he’ll return healthy and effective in 2021.

If Kelly is ready to go next year, the team’s rotation should be pretty much set (save for potential depth pickups, that is). Former Giants ace Madison Bumgarner had a stunningly poor year in 2020, his first season as a Diamondback. Nevertheless, with a contract that looks like an albatross, he isn’t going anywhere. Likewise, No. 1 starter Zac Gallen, Luke Weaver and Caleb Smith will stay in the fold. That group isn’t without promise. Bumgarner does have an enviable track record, so the hope is he’ll come close to revisiting his past form; Gallen has been outstanding during his first two seasons; Weaver was terrific two years ago, though he fell off a cliff in 2020 during his return from shoulder troubles; and Smith has at least shown the ability to miss bats.

The larger issue in the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff may be a bullpen that finished last year 18th in ERA and 25th in K-BB percentage. Stefan Crichton, Taylor Clarke and Alex Young are the only sure bets for next season’s bullpen, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic wrote earlier this winter. Among those three, only Crichton fared particularly well. All of the uncertainty leaves the D-backs in need of outside upgrades, but because of their financial situation, it’s up in the air whether they will actually make them. If they do, there are some free agents still available who could make sense as seemingly affordable targets. Kirby Yates, Alex Colome, Jake McGee, Sean Doolittle and ex-Diamondback Archie Bradley are just a handful of the familiar names looking for jobs on the relief market.

On the offensive side, Arizona stumbled to the majors’ 26th-ranked wRC+ and ended up 19th in runs scored. The Kole Calhoun signing worked out very well in Year 1, but the Diamondbacks lost one of their other top hitters – Starling Marte – in a trade with the Marlins at the August deadline. Their offense would look a lot stronger with Marte still around, but now it’s unclear who will start in center field on a regular basis next season. Ketel Marte, who went from 2019 MVP candidate to so-so in 2020, is a candidate, though the D-backs might rather have him at second base. Otherwise, there aren’t necessarily any other obvious choices on the roster, but Tim Locastro and Daulton Varsho could be possibilities. Jackie Bradley Jr. would seem to make sense as a free-agent pickup, especially considering the longtime Red Sox’s ties to former Boston executive and current Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. However, Hazen is hamstrung by the Diamondbacks’ budget, so a Bradley signing might be out of the question.

Aside from second and center (depending on where they mainly deploy Ketel Marte), most of the Diamondbacks’ position player group looks to be set. Calhoun’s coming back, while catchers Carson Kelly and Stephen Vogt should continue handling that spot (and Varsho could get some time there). The same can be said for first baseman Christian Walker, third baseman Eduardo Escobar and shortstop Nick Ahmed. Left fielder David Peralta is also scheduled to return, though he has come up in plenty of trade rumors in the past (including this week). He’s due a guaranteed $15MM over the next two seasons, and though that isn’t an exorbitant amount, maybe the D-backs will be tempted to deal him if they want to save money.

While the offseason is still somewhat young, signs are pointing to the Diamondbacks bringing back mostly the same roster they put on the field in 2020. As part of his season-ending comments, Hall stated that there was “no indication that anyone wants to make changes as a result of this year. I also think it’s so difficult to judge the performance of either leadership or the majority of the players in such a short and strange season.” 

Although those words probably weren’t music to Diamondbacks’ fans ears, perhaps they can take solace in knowing this was a team that won a respectable 85 games just two years ago. However, they’re undoubtedly facing an uphill climb if they want to break their three-year playoff drought in 2021.

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