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Brandon Phillips Intends To Play In 2019

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Veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips is still hoping to continue his playing career, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports on Twitter. He has not signed with an organization since wrapping up a brief stint with the Red Sox last year.

Now 37 years of age, Phillips is well removed from his days as a stalwart performer with the Reds. He topped 120 games for the 12th straight season — and topped 140 for the 11th time in a dozen years — in a 2017 campaign split between the Braves and Angels. But Phillips didn’t sign on with the Boston organization until late last June and ultimately appeared in only nine contests at the game’s highest level.

Phillips didn’t exactly thrive in his brief MLB time last year, though a 27-plate-appearance sample isn’t much to go on. He was strong at Triple-A, turning in a .302/.348/.477 slash with four home runs over 161 plate appearances. And Phillips was still capable of near-average offense in the majors in 2017, posting a .285/.319/.416 slash in 604 trips to the plate.

That ’17 effort wasn’t far off of Phillips’s career mean. Trouble is, he’s no longer an elite defender at second base. Though UZR graded him as approximately average at the position in his most recent full MLB campaign, DRS assigned a well-below-average -7 score for the second consecutive season. Phillips has also posted some notable negatives in the baserunning arena, though he’s still capable of stealing a bag.

Phillips’s low-walk, high-contact skillset could still hold appeal, particularly to a team that still believes in his glovework. The grading systems were neutral to bullish on his 218 innings at third base in 2017, the first time he had ever played there in the majors. Phillips is no shrinking violet; his occasionally brash presence might not be for every team but could be seen as a bonus in the right circumstances.

It isn’t apparent what kind of opportunity Phillips is looking for. He says he’s staying in shape, but there’s no indication of his preferred timeline. Phillips showed last year that he’s willing to undertake an extended run in the minors, though he surely did so knowing there was a chance at an important role for a championship contender. Whether he’ll be able to secure such an opportunity this time around remains to be seen.

MLB Announces Archer, Puig Suspensions

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APRIL 14: Archer will begin serving his five-game suspension today, Adam Berry of MLB.com tweets.

APRIL 9: Major League Baseball announced several suspensions today arising out of a review of Sunday’s bench-clearing brawl between the Pirates and Reds. You can take your own look at the incident in question right here.

Pittsburgh right-hander Chris Archer was hit with a five-game ban, with the league determining that he intentionally threw at an opposing player (Derek Dietrich). Cincinnati outfielder Yasiel Puig received a two-game suspension while skipper David Bell will sit out one contest.

All of the punishments also came with undisclosed fines. It is not yet clear whether Archer will appeal, but Puig and Bell are planning to begin serving their bans beginning with this evening’s contest.

Latest On Craig Kimbrel

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6:11pm: Kimbrel is seeking a contract in the range of the deals the Rockies’ Wade Davis (three years, $52MM) and the Yankees’ Zack Britton (three years, $39MM) received over the previous couple offseasons, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports on Twitter. Those look like reasonable asking prices for Kimbrel, yet there’s no indication he’s close to signing anywhere.

12:32am: With the excitement of a new season, it’s easy to forget that one of the game’s most accomplished relief pitchers is still sitting on the sideline after failing to find a contract over the offseason. Star closer Craig Kimbrel remains available — and that fact that is due largely to his own unrealistic asking prices, Jim Bowden argues at The Athletic (subscription link).

According to Bowden, agent Dave Meter not only set out in search of a six-year, $120MM for Kimbrel, but has continued to demand a record-seeking deal this spring. Bowden claims that, “even as late as March,” the Kimbrel camp “was still seeking a five-year pact in the $100 million range.”

If indeed that’s the case, it would be hard to escape the conclusion that Kimbrel and/or Meter have simply failed to recognize the reality of Kimbrel’s market standing. Despite his historic excellence, there were some well-documented issues with his free-agent case. That’s why MLBTR predicted a four-year, $70MM contract rather than a record-setting, nine-figure pact.

While a nine-figure bonanza was never likely achievable, it’s certainly possible that mistaken market posturing cost Kimbrel a chance at a deal of the sort we expected. It’s also all but impossible to say that with any real confidence without knowing quite a bit more than is publicly available.

Even if Bowden is correct regarding the Kimbrel side’s expressed beliefs regarding his value, it’s not clear at all that Kimbrel ever fielded and rejected any truly significant contract offers. (Bowden does say that “specific, and significant, offers, or at least ranges of potential contract proposals” were made, though details aren’t available.) Perhaps the player-side negotiating position prevented that from happening, but that’s not something that can be assessed with certitude.

Whatever the case, it’s a tough spot now for Kimbrel and his rep. (Somewhat ironically, Meter is also under fire for rather different reasons after another client inked an eyebrow-raising recent extension.) Their present bargaining position isn’t really known, but it’s certainly becoming harder and harder to imagine a multi-year arrangement coming together — let alone one that compensates Kimbrel commensurate with his still-lofty present ability levels.

While some teams have evidently been interested in discussing longer-term proposals, their own willingness may not be the same at this point of the year. Bowden says that  most of those clubs now simply want to score a “bargain basement deal” with Kimbrel, though perhaps it’s still possible that one or more will do more if they truly believe it’s necessary to convince Kimbrel to get back in action and see enough of a team need. (Certainly, there’s no shortage of teams with bullpen needs.)

It’s not an altogether different situation for veteran starter Dallas Keuchel. Bowden also chides him and agent Scott Boras for taking an unreasonable starting position and failing to adapt, though in that case it’s said that specific demands weren’t made in early talks.

Where and when these two hurlers might sign remains anyone’s guess. In a recent poll, MLBTR readers predicted that deals wouldn’t come until after the June draft, at which time draft compensation will no longer be required to add either player. If you’re interested in reading more about possible landing spots, the situation isn’t all that different than it was when MLBTR recently analyzed Kimbrel’s and Keuchels’s market standing team by team.

Dellin Betances Diagnosed With Bone Spur In Shoulder

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Yankees reliever Dellin Betances is dealing with a bone spur in his right shoulder, GM Brian Cashman announced tonight to reporters including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). He’ll need further treatment and rest, pushing back his anticipated timeline to return to the active roster.

The best guess at present is that Betances will need at least three weeks of rest. If things go well from that point, he could be ready for the big leagues in approximately six or seven weeks. While the news isn’t as bad as it could’ve been, the Yanks were surely hoping that Betances would be nearing a return at this point rather than re-starting the process.

While the Yanks can’t hope for Betances to re-join the pen until June, they’ll still have ample time to evaluate their roster needs in advance of the trade deadline. In the meantime, they’ll simply have to go without a pitcher who has been among the game’s most consistently dominant relievers for some time now. Fortunately, this ballclub carries a stacked relief unit with or without Betances.

Thus far, the Yankees’ season has been marred completely by a barrage of injuries. It’s not particularly surprising to see a few hurlers dealing with issues, and nobody is shocked to find Troy Tulowitzki and Jacoby Ellsbury on the shelf. But the Yankees’ injured list now borders on the absurd, with a run of incredibly talented players on the shelf — many with uncertain timelines for a return.

It’s never good to see players out of action, but the situation creates an undeniably fascinating dynamic. With the Red Sox limping out of the gates and the Rays starting hot, it now seems to be a true three-way race — with all the competitors also readying to jockey for position against other possible Wild Card clubs. We’re barely two weeks into the season, but the American League already looks quite a bit less top heavy than it appeared on paper.

Health Notes: Trout, Jeffress, Murphy, Tuivailala, Volquez

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It doesn’t seem as if the Angels will end up needing to place superstar Mike Trout on the injured list. The club indicated in an announcement today that he’s recovering well after tweaking his groin muscle recently, with an MRI showing that the swelling is subsiding and Trout “report[ing] daily improvement.” Another medical review is scheduled for Sunday. It’s not known whether Trout could be activated thereafter, but a decision will need to be made sooner than later. While the club obviously prefers not to go without him any longer than necessary, the worst outcome would be for Trout to make things worse by rushing back.

More on the injury front from around the game:

  • Late-inning man Jeremy Jeffress is expected to return to the Brewers after one more rehab outing, skipper Craig Counsell tells reporters including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). Jeffress has been moving at about the pace that was hoped when it was announced he’d open the year on the injured list with a somewhat balky shoulder. He has been knocked around a bit on his rehab assignment, though that’s hardly the focus. Jeffress says he’s gaining velocity and feeling stronger as he goes. He’ll soon get the chance to try to replicate his magnificent 2018 season.
  • Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy will not require surgery to repair his fractured left index finger, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. That seems generally promising, if only because it’s always preferable to avoid the risks of a procedure. It’s not clear exactly how long he’ll be sidelined; at last look, the club expected he’d be out of commission through at least the end of the month, but that seems like the bare minimum. Whatever the duration, it’ll be more than desirable for a team that currently sports the league’s worst offense.
  • While there’s still no precise timeline, a return to action is now in sight for Mariners reliever Sam Tuivailala. He’s still at least a month away from the majors but is nearing live BP sessions, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports via Twitter. The 26-year-old hurler, who is working back from a torn Achilles, appears to be a bit ahead of schedule as compared to expectations last fall. He still has a fair number of additional hurdles yet to clear, of course, but it’s generally promising for the increasingly interesting M’s.
  • The Rangers still lack clarity regarding the severity of the elbow injury to veteran starter Edinson Volquez. For now, the plan is to put him on the shelf for the next four to six weeks before bringing him in for imaging and a medical review, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was among those to cover (Twitter link). It’s a bit of an unusual situation, but it seems the hurler preferred to wait; the team agreed since he’d be sidelined regardless and the results would be more reliable after swelling has gone down. Volquez has suggested he’ll retire if he has again blown out his ulnar collateral ligament. If that’s not necessary, he could presumably return to pitch this year in Texas. It seems we’ll all wait a while longer to learn the outcome.

Details On Tony Watson’s Contract

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Giants reliever Tony Watson triggered many of the available escalators in his contract last year, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter link), allowing him to add $3MM in earnings to what had been a $3.5MM guaranteed salary for the 2019 season. In addition to his now-$6.5MM salary this year, the southpaw can also trigger quite a few incentives by continuing to rack up appearances.

Watson and his reps were forced to get creative when his market didn’t quite develop as hoped last winter. He ended up joining the San Francisco organization in late February. The contract softened the luxury-tax hit for the club with a lower-than-anticipated annual guarantee, but also came with upside for the player.

The deal promised Watson $9MM, a figure that covered two full seasons as well as a $2.5MM player option for the 2020 campaign. That option still protects his downside in the event of an injury or performance slide. Watson will surely hope his market value well outstrips it come this fall; in that case, he’ll instead take a $500K buyout.

On the incentive side, the contract was known to have included $2.5MM in games-finished bonuses. That was never particularly likely to come into play and indeed has not. As Adams explains, though, it also included provisions allowing for substantial earnings for being called upon to pitch.

Watson’s 66-frame 2018 showing allowed him to boost his 2019 salary to $6.5MM. He can add to that with incentive pay this year: $500K apiece upon reaching his 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, and 50th games pitched. He’ll earn another $1MM if he can reach 55 games. There are similar numbers available for 2020, though it seems unlikely they’ll be brought into play.

Add it all up, and Watson’s 2019 incentive package maxes out at $4MM — meaning he could end the present season with $10.5MM in total compensation. And it’s all quite achievable so long as he stays healthy.

These contract details are obviously relevant for player and team, but they’re also notable from the perspective of potential trade suitors. There’ll be a fair bit of salary to account for if Watson is dealt this summer. It’s certainly not hard to imagine a scenario where Watson does indeed end up on the block this July. He’s a 2.66 ERA hurler through 523 2/3 MLB innings and hasn’t finished a complete season with an ERA north of 3.38 with the exception of his debut campaign.

Last year, Watson rung up more than a batter per inning via strikeout while walking less than two per nine. That enabled him to carry a shiny 2.59 ERA over 66 frames and represented a reversal of some worrying peripheral trends from the prior two seasons. In the early going in 2019, the 33-year-old has shown a velocity decline (over two ticks below his career average) and managed only a single strikeout in 4 2/3 outings. But he’s also generating swinging strikes at a whopping 19.3% rate. He also hasn’t handed out a walk and has permitted just one earned run.

Dellin Betances Slated To Receive MRI

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Rehabbing Yankees reliever Dellin Betances is not progressing on quite the timeline that might have been hoped. Manager Aaron Boone said today that a recent simulated game “didn’t go great,” as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch was among those to tweet. Betances is now heading back to New York to undergo an MRI on his shoulder.

Previously diagnosed with an impingement after experiencing a worrying spring velocity drop, Betances had been hoping to rest a bit and then ramp right back up. It seems now that the down time did not fully resolve the issues in the joint, which makes for no shortage of uncertainty for both player and team.

The Yankees have plenty of options to fill in for Betances and the resources to add more relievers if need be. But the club is already dealing with multiple injuries in other areas of the roster. At this stage of the season, at least, it can’t hope to find a reliever of Betances’s quality for anything approaching a reasonable price.

Things are even more concerning for Betances himself, as the big righty is playing out his final season of arbitration eligibility. High velocity and durability have been among his two biggest calling cards over a thus-far stellar career. Now, the 31-year-old will need to get healthy and regain the arm speed that has allowed him to post a 2.36 ERA with 14.6 K/9 over 381 total MLB innings.. If and when he manages that, there’ll still be some newfound uncertainty surrounding his health outlook.

Victor Caratini Out 4-6 Weeks With Hamate Fracture

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April 12: The Cubs have placed Caratini on the 10-day injured list due to what has indeed been revealed to be a fractured left hamate bone. Catcher Taylor Davis has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa in his place. Caratini will undergo surgery Monday and miss four to six weeks of action with the injury, per Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago / 670 The Score (Twitter link).

April 11: Cubs catcher Victor Caratini will undergo a CT scan tomorrow on his left hand, the club told reports including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links) after tonight’s game. With x-rays revealing a possible hamate fracture, the fear is that Caratini could hit the shelf for a stretch.

Caratini evidently suffered the injury tin the midst of what turned out to be a productive plate appearance. But it may turn out to be his last until the month of June. Hamate breaks typically come with an absence of about a month or two.

Fortunately, it’s also quite a common injury for hitters that doesn’t generally result in any kind of long-term problems. But some believe that there’s a power depletion for some time upon a player’s return. And the Cubs will hardly be thrilled to go without Caratini for a reasonably lengthy stretch, even if there is good reason to think he’ll still return to full speed by mid-season.

Though he hasn’t received much action as the reserve to Willson Contreras, Caratini has been off to a strong start. Through 17 plate appearances on the year, he has 8 hits (four for extra bases) and 3 walks against just four strikeouts.

While the Cubs pursued at least one veteran backstop over the offseason, they ended up deciding to rely upon Contreras and Caratini. There’s not much in the way of established depth behind them, with Taylor Davis the only other option on the 40-man. Beyond Davis, Francisco Arcia is the only other backstop in the organization with MLB experience.

2019 Amateur Draft Pool Allocations

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With less than two months until the 2019 amateur draft, analysis of this year’s class is hitting full stride. Baseball America just produced its ranking of 300 prospects; Fangraphs has updated its prospect board; ESPN.com’s Keith Law released rankings not long ago (Insider link).

[RELATED: 2019-20 International Bonus Pools]

As always, spending power is key. Jim Callis of MLB.com recently broke down all the key financial info for this year’s festivities. While the outcome of the still-pending free agencies of Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel could still shift things around, the situation is mostly set at this point. (Click to find out what selections teams would lose by signing one of those players before the draft and what picks their former teams could stand to gain.)

More than any team in the league, the Diamondbacks are in a power position in the draft. Though they won’t pick until the 16th slot, the club has accumulated a variety of lofty selections via compensation picks for A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin as well as the acquisition of a Competitive Balance pick in the Paul Goldschmidt trade. Arizona has over $2MM more to work with than any other club in the Majors.

You can find the slot bonus allocation and pick basis (compensation, competitive balance, etc) for every single selection in the draft at the above BA link. We’ll just run through the total bonus pools for every team here:

  • Diamondbacks: $16,093,700
  • Orioles: $13,821,300
  • Royals: $13,108,000
  • Marlins: $13,045,000
  • White Sox: $11,565,500
  • Braves: $11,532,200
  • Rangers: $11,023,100
  • Padres: $10,758,900
  • Tigers: $10,402,500
  • Rays: $10,333,800
  • Pirates: $9,944,000
  • Twins: $9,905,800
  • Reds: $9,528,600
  • Giants: $8,714,500
  • Blue Jays: $8,463,300
  • Mets: $8,224,600
  • Dodgers: $8,069,100
  • Angels: $7,608,700
  • Mariners: $7,559,000
  • Yankees: $7,455,300
  • Rockies: $7,092,300
  • Cardinals: $6,903,500
  • Phillies: $6,475,800
  • Indians: $6,148,100
  • Nationals: $5,979,600
  • Cubs: $5,826,900
  • Athletics: $5,605,900
  • Astros: $5,355,100
  • Brewers: $5,148,200
  • Red Sox: $4,788,100

Diamondbacks Reportedly Agree To Sign Ben Taylor

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The Diamondbacks have reportedly agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with right-hander Ben Taylor, according to the Roster Roundup Twitter account (link). Taylor was released recently by the Indians.

Claimed by the Indians last February, Taylor was cut loose after he was knocked around in two innings this spring. The club evidently did not desire to keep him in their system after bumping him from the 40-man roster. Taylor had undergone hip surgery late last season, according to his own Twitter account.

While the results haven’t been there for Taylor in his limited MLB opportunities, he has run up 26 strikeouts against ten walks in 23 1/3 big-league frames. That has come despite an uninspiring 8.4% swinging-strike rate, though Taylor has shown an ability to get Ks in the upper minors. In 70 2/3 total Triple-A frames, he owns a 2.55 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9.

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