Joey Lucchesi Hires CAA Sports
Padres lefty Joey Lucchesi has hired CAA Sports to represent him, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic (Twitter link). His new representation is reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
The 25-year-old Lucchesi is coming off of a rather promising first campaign in the majors. He turned in 26 starts in 2018, working to a 4.08 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
Lucchesi was a bit homer-prone, allowing 1.59 per nine, but otherwise did nothing but impress. He carried a 10.6% swinging-strike rate and 18.6% K%-BB% (placing him among the top thirty starters that threw at least 100 frames).
A former fourth-round pick, Lucchesi should be in line for another full season in the San Diego rotation. Indeed, as Lin notes, he’s even a candidate to toe the rubber on Opening Day. Lucchesi is still two seasons away from arbitration eligibility, though it’s certainly possible that the Friars will consider dangling an extension offer in the meantime.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/6/19
We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves:
- The Tigers made at least one signing after a recent open tryout, though it wasn’t of some heretofore unknown player. (Interestingly, the team has posted anonymous scouting grades on those that showed up to participate.) Per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, via Twitter, the club has a deal in place with utilityman Taylor Motter. The 29-year-old has seen action in each of the past three seasons, turning in a total of 411 plate appearances of .191/.263/.312 hitting with the Rays, Mariners, and Twins. Motter has shown solid plate discipline and a fair bit more power potential in the upper minors than he has at the game’s highest level. He’s also regarded as a good and versatile defender who’s capable of functioning in a reserve role at shortstop. The ZiPS projection system, in fact, likes him as a 1.1 fWAR contributor over 425 hypothetical plate appearances — fifth-highest on the Tigers depth chart.
Rangers Extend Jose Leclerc
The Rangers have struck an extension with reliever Jose Leclerc, as first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Leclerc, who is represented by Munger English Sports Management, receives a $14.75MM guarantee over a four-year term. The Rangers will have a pair of options valued at $6MM (2023) and $6.25MM (2024).
Leclerc, 25, was still one season away from reaching arbitration eligibility, so this contract will provide him with no shortage of additional financial security. The organization, in turn, will lock in cost savings and certainty for a pitcher whose prospective earnings could have risen substantially with an ongoing accumulation of saves.
The new contract covers the 2019 season along with Leclerc’s three prospective arbitration-eligible campaigns. He’ll receive a $2MM signing bonus, followed by $1MM, $2.25MM, $4MM and $4.75MM salaries. There’s a $750K buyout on the club option years, which cover Leclerc’s first two potential free-agent seasons (the hurler’s age-29 and 30 seasons).
This deal comes on the heels of a breakout 2018 campaign in which Leclerc took over the Rangers closer’s role and established himself as one of the game’s most exciting young relievers. He ultimately worked to a 1.56 ERA in 57 2/3 innings with 13.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
Leclerc’s offerings — a mid-nineties heater and splitter, primarily — have always been tough to square up. In his first two looks at the big leagues, though, Leclerc did not command them. He dished out a whopping 53 free passes in his first 60 2/3 MLB innings.
Last year, Leclerc nearly halved his walk rate (from nearly twenty percent to 11.2%) while retaining his elusiveness. MLB hitters struggled badly in all respects. Leclerc maintained an excellent 17.1% swinging-strike rate, surrendered only 3.7 hits per nine, and allowed only a single long ball on the year. He was a Statcast darling, placing among the league leaders in wOBA-against (.205), xwOBA-against (.210), exit velocity (83.7 mph), and hard-hit percentage (20.0%).
There aren’t many comparable extensions for early-career relief pitchers — in large part because teams rarely feel compelled to commit future money to such players. In fact, among contracts documented in MLBTR’s Extension Tracker, this is actually only the second-ever deal that expanded a team’s control rights over a relief pitcher with more than two years of MLB service but not enough to qualify for Super Two status. Way back in 2011, the White Sox inked a three-year deal with Sergio Santos that promised him $8.25MM and came with three option years. His option seasons were valued at $6MM, $8MM, and $8.75MM, so there was a bit more overall earning power in that pact.
A pair of deal with two exceptional southpaw hurlers are also worth noting as comps. As a Super Two reliever, Felipe Vazquez secured $22MM in promised money while giving the Pirates control over two additional campaigns at $10MM each. That contract covered a similar arb/free agent span as Leclerc’s, but Vazquez had already reached arbitration eligibility — meaning his downside was protected because he was set to receive a significant salary and had established a high starting point for his arb years.
Before that, back in 2014, Sean Doolittle and the Athletics agreed to a deal that looks like the closest comp to Leclerc’s. At the time, Doolittle was one season away from highly likely Super Two qualification. He was promised $10.5MM, which boosted up to $13.5MM when he ultimately did have enough service time to join the Super Two class. That agreement came with $6MM and $6.5MM options. Doolittle was much older than Leclerc, presented a notable health risk, and was a season further away from free agency, though he was also arguably a higher-floor pitcher from a performance standpoint. As with Leclerc’s contract, the Doolittle deal bought out all of the seasons that were already under the club’s control (five in the A’s case) and did so at a point when the player was still a full season removed from arbitration eligibility. In each case, the team’s willingness to pay up was surely due to a combination of two overriding factors: first, a fear of run-away arb salaries; second, the rights to a pair of highly affordable option years.
While Leclerc’s contract doesn’t seem to break new ground, then, it’s still a nice deal for a player who did not originally sign for big money and has only earned at the league minimum to this stage of his career. Few relievers achieve this kind of contract precisely because the earning outlook is so uncertain — especially before reaching arbitration. Leclerc could well turn into a 40-save monster who would substantially out-earn his new deal. But he’s just one injury or a creeping command problem away from missing out on save opportunities and entering arbitration with fairly meager statistical record to work with.
Grant (Twitter links), MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (in a tweet), Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link), and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter) reported the contract terms.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Angels Notify MLB Of Harper Comments On Trout Recruitment
Bryce Harper just launched his tenure as the Phillies’ biggest star, but he’s already considering how to use his gravitational pull to the team’s advantage. In an interview yesterday with Philadelphia SportsRadio 94WIP, Harper made clear he intends to help the Phils land another big fish in free agency:
“If you don’t think I’m gonna call Mike Trout to come to Philly in 2020, you’re crazy.”
That comment was sufficient to spur the Angels to raise the matter with Major League Baseball, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports. The league has been in touch with both teams and is looking into the matter, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Unsurprisingly, “significant discipline” is not anticipated.
Tampering is prohibited by operation of MLB Rule 3(k), which prohibits “negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any Major or Minor League Club other than the Club with which the player is under contract.”
While Harper’s comments seem innocuous enough on the surface, they are of the same ilk as others that have drawn some rebuke in the past. David Ortiz received a warning letter from the from the commissioner’s office after advocating for Edwin Encarnacion to replace him as the Red Sox’ DH. The Yankees admonished Aaron Judge for telling Manny Machado he’d “look good in pinstripes.”
Those situations didn’t warrant a fine, though that avenue is available to commissioner Rob Manfred. The National Basketball Association has doled out penalties and issued stern words on the subject, a reflection of the fact that the league’s fundamental player market structure — more star-driven with shorter, more heavily regulated contracts — is more susceptible to actual interference.
What action will be taken in Harper’s case, if any, remains to be seen and resides largely in Manfred’s discretion. It’s hard to imagine that Harper’s words are of much real-world import, though perhaps there’s cause to nip things in the bud. For the Halos, the last thing they want to see is a two-year-long public recruiting pitch from Harper and others as they try to figure out a way to keep Trout in town for the rest of his career. And for the league, there’s an interest in preventing even this sort of mild tampering from becoming a more frequent issue.
Structuring a penalty that actually disincentivizes these kinds of public comments would be tricky. Any symbolic punishment of Harper would serve only to further publicize his comments. It might also ingratiate him to his new fans in Philly, who are already themselves pining for Trout. A warning letter may seem toothless, but it’s perhaps the most sensible formal action for Manfred to take in this case.
Luis Severino Shut Down For Two Weeks Due To Shoulder Inflammation
2:53pm: The MRI showed inflammation to Severino’s rotator cuff, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. He’ll rest for at least two weeks while undergoing treatment, including injections and anti-inflammatories, before picking up a ball. That’ll likely knock Severino out for Opening Day, though it seems the broader prognosis is still generally optimistic.
1:26pm: Severino is going to go in for an MRI, skipper Aaron Boone says (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, on Twitter).
12:39pm: The Yankees announced today that prized righty Luis Severino would miss his scheduled spring outing. He had begun to warm up but experienced “discomfort” in his pitching shoulder, per the team.
The level of concern is not yet apparent, but the 25-year-old is due for a closer look from medical personnel. Per the team’s announcement, Severino “will undergo further evaluation this afternoon.”
Severino is a key piece for the Yanks, who’ll need all their best players at full strength to do battle with the other American League super-teams. The club’s starting five is set, presuming they all make it through camp unscathed, with the next layer of depth consisting of 40-man members Luis Cessa, Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Chance Adams along with non-roster invitees Drew Hutchison and David Hale.
No matter the outlook, Severino is earning a guaranteed $40MM under the contract he and the team struck last month. He has been one of the game’s most productive starters over the past two campaigns, working to a 3.18 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 384 2/3 frames.
MLB, MLBPA Nearing Rule Change Agreement
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have spent the winter negotiating over rules changes while publicly bickering over the operation of the player market. The sides now appear to be nearing agreement on a package of new rules, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link), though it’s not likely to address the broader concerns.
According to Rosenthal, a new deal may only be a day or two away from completion. It’s not clear just what’ll be covered by the pact, though we’ve known of the areas under consideration for the past week or so. From a hot stove perspective, the application of a single trade deadline and roster size modifications (26-man roster with two extra openings in September) appear to be the most important possible tweaks under contemplation.
There are some much more consequential possibilities that the union would also like to discuss, given its frustrations with the transactional landscape. Those conversations would occur during the season to come, per Rosenthal’s prior reporting, with at least some possibility of a CBA renegotiation and extension.
Meanwhile, the league has announced a new deal with the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. The MLBPA has ratified the pact, which will govern the movement of players from Mexico’s top league to MLB organizations.
Players who have deals with LMB clubs will be free to go to the majors without compensation once they reach 25 years of age and have accumulated six seasons of professional ball. To acquire a LMB player who hasn’t yet reached that status, MLB teams will need to work out a contract with the player and convince his former team to accept a release fee — 15% of guaranteed MLB money or 35% of a signing bonus on a minors deal — to cede its control over the player’s services.
Miguel Sano To Miss Start Of Season
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano will not be prepared for Opening Day and could miss the first month of the season, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told reporters including Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) and Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link).
A cut on Sano’s foot has kept him out of action throughout camp. That injury, sustained during a celebration of a Dominican Winter League title, required a second debridement procedure to clean up the wound.
Clearly, this is not how the organization expected things to proceed when Sano showed up to camp in noticeably excellent shape. The hope then was that the cut would heal up quickly, allowing him to get back to work in search of redemption following a miserable 2018 season.
Sano, who’s earning $2.65MM in the first of three seasons of arbitration eligibility, has at times seemed primed to be one of the game’s best sluggers and is still a month shy of his 26th birthday. Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued his career, though, and he has yet to reach five hundred plate appearances in a single MLB season.
The Twins recently inked Marwin Gonzalez to function as a heavily-used utility player. He’ll presumably be the top option at the hot corner to begin his tenure in Minnesota. The fascinating Willians Astudillo could also see an expanded role to open the year.
Zack Cozart Diagnosed With Calf Strain
The Angels will go without third baseman Zack Cozart for at least “a few weeks,” skipper Brad Ausmus tells reporters including J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (via Twitter). He has been diagnosed with a grade 1 calf strain.
Given the timing, it’s fair to wonder whether Cozart is at risk of missing the start of the season. It emerged over the weekend that he was dealing with a minor calf problem, though it now seems it’s significant enough to earn a place on the scale. A grade 1 diagnosis is at the mild end of the spectrum, though the Halos will need to take a careful approach to avoid a lengthier absence.
Cozart, 33, is due $12.67MM this year and next. He earned the same in 2018, which turned out to be a forgettable debut season with the Angels. Cozart limped to a .219/.296/.362 batting line in 253 plate appearances before undergoing a significant shoulder procedure.
The focus this spring was on the health of Cozart’s left arm and his ability to regain the form he showed in an outstanding 2017 season. Now, he’ll also need to work through this lower-leg ailment.
At his best, Cozart is an elite defender and quality hitter. His ability to get back on track is a key aspect of the Angels’ hopes for the coming campaign. Earning a postseason spot promises to be a tall order in a top-heavy American League. Tommy La Stella, Taylor Ward, and Kaleb Cowart are among the options to fill in at third if Cozart misses time early.
Travis Jankowski Diagnosed With Broken Wrist
TODAY: Jankowski is expected to require surgery and miss approximately three months of action, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell tweets.
YESTERDAY: Padres outfielder Travis Jankowski has been diagnosed with a broken wrist, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. It’s not yet known how long he’ll be sidelined, but it is anticipated that he “will miss significant time.”
The 27-year-old Jankowski suffered the injury laying out for a catch. Particulars aren’t yet known this time around, but he has once previously suffered a generally similar injury. Back in 2014, Jankowski fractured his wrist in a collision with an outfield wall.
Jankowski is earning $1.165MM this year as a Super Two player. While he has not yet shown much with the bat at the MLB level, he is coming off of a personal-best offensive season. Over 387 plate appearances in 2018, Jankowski slashed .259/.332/.346 with 24 stolen bases. He’s a quality outfield defender who can play up the middle, significantly boosting his utility.
The Friars have the depth to deal with an absence from Jankowski, with Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero representing a potential righty/lefty mix up the middle. But they’ll lose a roster element they had hoped to carry entering the season. The Pads have a few lefty-hitting outfielders on the depth chart in Boog Powell and Alex Dickerson, though both were recently sent to minors camp.
With Jankowski down to open the year, then, the San Diego organization could consider a wide variety of alternative means of utilizing the 25-man roster opening. It could open the door to intriguing outfielder Franmil Reyes. Utilitymen Jose Pirela and Javy Guerra are also candidates who already have 40-man roster spots. The same goes for corner infielder Ty France, though it’s less clear how he’d function on a roster that now features high-priced regulars at his accustomed positions.
Blue Jays Designate Dwight Smith Jr., Announce Buchholz Signing
The Blue Jays have announced a pair of corresponding transactions. Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was designated for assignment in order to clear roster space for righty Clay Buchholz, whose previously reported deal is now official.
Smith, 26, has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A, where he carries a .271/.354/.401 slash with 14 home runs over 810 plate appearances. Notably, the left-handed-hitter has shown good plate discipline, with a combination of 91 walks and 124 strikeouts at the highest level of the minors.
It’s hardly a world-beating profile for a player who has mostly lined up in left field. But Smith has performed well in his limited opportunities at the game’s highest level, even if it’s hard to glean much from 104 plate appearances. And he has logged significant innings at the other two outfield spots, increasing his viability as a big-league bench option. With an option season still remaining, perhaps another organization will see cause to work out a trade or put in a claim.