By Jeff Todd | at
The Tigers announced today that the Giants have claimed outfielder Mike Gerber off waivers. He’ll head onto the San Francisco 40-man roster — representing the first such addition of new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Gerber, 26, only briefly touched the bigs last year and struggled for much of the year at Triple-A. Previously, though, he had been a steady producer on the Tigers farm. Indeed, he produced .800+ OPS figures over each of his first four seasons as a professional.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Reds have acquired lefty Robby Scott from the Red Sox, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). It seems to be a straight waiver claim, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets.
Scott, 29, was a useful contributor in Boston in 2017, when he worked to a 3.79 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. He carried 7.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in that stretch, managing a healthy 11.0% swinging-strike rate despite only possessing an upper-eighties fastball.
Clearly, though, the Boston organization didn’t have much of a need for Scott last year and desired to make better use of his 40-man spot this winter. Scott struggled through nine MLB appearances in 2018 but did turn in a nice season at Triple-A, where he spun 48 1/3 innings of 1.86 ERA ball with 11.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
By Jeff Todd | at
So, are the Nationals really out of the picture for Bryce Harper, as owner Mark Lerner strongly suggested recently? Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes that he’s not yet sold that the incumbent Nats have completely bid adieu to their franchise-defining star. It’s an interesting read for fans to contemplate as Harper’s still-uncertain market continues to evolve … particularly now that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo nudged the door back open to a return in an interview today on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link).
Here are the latest free agent notes emanating from the Winter Meetings:
By Jeff Todd | at
11:06am: MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon hears that, to the contrary, the Reds are “not actively looking to trade” Gennett. (Twitter link).
9:54am: The Reds are interested in dealing second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Though the hometown hero had previously seemed to profile as an extension candidate, Cincinnati president of baseball operations Dick Williams recently threw cold water on that concept.
Gennett is entering his final season of arbitration control at a projected $10.7MM price point. On the heels of consecutive standout seasons at the plate, the 28-year-old would be among the best second basemen available on the market. But he’s also limited to playing at the keystone defensively and has historically struggled against left-handed pitching, limiting his appeal.
Beyond that, as Rosenthal notes and as we have emphasized repeatedly of late here at MLBTR, it’s hardly an opportune time to be shopping a player at that position with so many others available. It’s not immediately clear what the Reds would be looking for in a trade scenario.
Presumably, the organization would be interested in improving its rotation if at all possible, though doing so directly in a Gennett trade would be challenging. After all, any hypothetical suitor would need to be in a win-now stance. That said, teams such as the Dodgers (Alex Wood), Nationals (Tanner Roark), Pirates (Ivan Nova), and Yankees (Sonny Gray) do have similarly priced rental starters who could theoretically be swapped in some kind of arrangement — though there’s no indication at present that those or any other particular clubs would be interested in trying to work something out.
Moving Gennett for some kind of prospect return would surely also be a consideration, particularly if it’d mean freeing assets (trade chips and salary) for pursuit of other players — with a center fielder and rotation upgrade likely at the top of the wish list. Rosenthal says that the organization is motivated by the desire to open the door to top infield prospect Nick Senzel, who could step right in at second, perhaps in partnership with a veteran utility infielder. Such a reallocation of resources could make sense for a team that is clearly interested in improving its near-term product without sacrificing its vision for the future.
By Jeff Todd | at
Entering the Winter Meetings with a wide variety of potential moves under consideration, the Dodgers will “in all likelihood” move an existing starter via trade, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Just what the might look like isn’t yet clear, but the club’s numerous options will surely hold appeal to rivals. To be sure, the Dodgers have found ways on numerous occasions in the recent past to juggle seeming roster overloads, but Gonzalez says that the ability to utilize a player such as Kenta Maeda as a trade piece (while improving in other areas) will likely prod a deal of some kind.
By Jeff Todd | at
MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams. Click here to read the other entries in this series.
The Rangers remain in an uncomfortable position, buried in the AL West and attempting to transition to a new contending core without undergoing a drastic rebuild. It’s an interesting contrast to the division-rival Mariners.
Guaranteed Contracts
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; salary projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
Free Agents
[Rangers depth chart | Rangers current payroll outlook]
We’re a bit late to the party here, as the Rangers have already begun their winter roster tinkering. It’s hard to label it as much more than that, however, as the organization has mostly worked on some smaller-scale moves. We’ll use this opportunity to assess the state of the organization and try to suss out the possibility of more notable transactions in the near future.
The Rangers have largely eschewed dramatic moves of late, with the organization adopting a cautious approach as two consecutive division titles (2015 and 2016) gave way to a pair of losing seasons. The team appears to be attempting to time a return to competitiveness with the anticipated opening of a new ballpark in 2020. While a salary draw-down is underway, though, a total roster teardown has not been attempted.
This offseason has again placed recently extended president of baseball Jon Daniels in a somewhat awkward position, as he has worked to fill out the roster without any real hope or intention of putting a contending product on the field. The focus, unsurprisingly, has been on compiling a palatable unit of pitchers.
In addition to the commitments made last winter to Mike Minor, Edinson Volquez, and Chris Martin, the Rangers have now added Jesse Chavez and Drew Smyly — the latter in a unique arrangement with the Cubs that also resolved the teams’ open business regarding Cole Hamels. Additionally, veteran receiver Jeff Mathis was brought on board to help guide the pitching staff. These are perhaps best characterized as gap-filling measures. Only Minor, Chavez, and Mathis will be on hand into the 2020 campaign, after all. And though all of those players could certainly be of use to a winning club, they’re hardly the types of asset that will drive the bus.
It’s incumbent upon Daniels, if the organization wants its first season in its new facility to bring some excitement for its fans, to find a way to move toward the compilation of a new core of high-level players. There is some talent to work with, though there’s also ample uncertainty. Not a single Rangers player cracked 3 fWAR last year.
Shortstop Elvis Andrus is back after deciding not to opt out on the heels of an injury-plagued 2018 effort. He’s still young enough to be a part of the future, but a big rebound campaign could also prompt him to opt out of the remainder of his contract. Likewise, Jurickson Profar is still only 25 years of age and showed signs of life last year, but he only comes with one more season of arbitration control after the upcoming campaign. The former could emerge as a mid-2019 trade candidate if he’s playing well enough to draw interest. The latter could as well, though perhaps it’s not too late to imagine him changing hands this winter (a seemingly annual possibility).
There’s at least as much uncertainty surrounding the aging Shin-Soo Choo, who is coming off of a nice season with the bat but remains quite pricey and is increasingly limited to DH duties. Shedding some of the $42MM he’s still owed would figure to be of interest, though we’ve certainly seen no indication that the Rangers will prioritize that to the point that they’d package Choo with higher-value assets, as the Mariners have. Still, shopping him could yield some interesting possibilities this winter. After all, there are a good number of other contract swap candidates out there. It’s possible the Rangers could work something out to acquire a younger, higher-upside player or to rid themselves of some of Choo’s cost.
Taking advantage of the fact that Choo is a useful, albeit overpriced player could do more than open the door to adding a somewhat more interesting piece for a club in the Rangers’ position. Any newfound payroll space could then be applied to free agent or trade/claim candidates who could potentially turn into trade chips or even future assets for the Texas ballclub. And the organization would free a roster spot and playing time, possibly affording additional opportunities to find value.
The Rangers have continued to spend even in this down period, so perhaps hanging onto Choo won’t hamstring the organization from doing what it otherwise wishes. Still, with a budget that’s expected to land at $120MM or so, there likely isn’t much more space to work with once arb money and league-minimum salaries are added to the contractual commitments. Even a few extra million might open the door to some intriguing opportunities that may not even yet be evident. (To take but one example of the potential upside, the Reds’ late-March claim of Scooter Gennett in 2017 has paid enormous dividends for the club.) Perhaps it’s possible the Rangers could acquire some young talent by taking on an undesirable contract from another club.
Regardless of the path, it seems the organization should be looking for ways to put its hefty payroll (for a rebuilding team) to use, not just in keeping the club afloat at the MLB level but in trying to unearth future value. Because, frankly, there’s a desperate need for it. Daniels stated the obvious recently: “This is not the year where we are going to go all out. We are probably a year away from starting to look at some different options for expanding the payroll.” That’s plenty sensible, but it’s also a clear acknowledgement of the fact that this is firmly a rebuilding club … albeit one that has decided still to outspend quite a few other organizations. The estimated $120MM payroll is being flushed so far as 2019 competitiveness goes, so perhaps more of it ought to be diverted to future-oriented undertakings.
After all, it’s hard to say that any particular player currently on the roster is highly likely to be a part of the next competitive Rangers ballclub. Second baseman Rougned Odor is locked in on a long-term contract, made some improvements over the course of the 2019 season, and is just 24 years of age. But he’s far from a sure thing given his inconsistencies and remaining rough spots. Joey Gallo just reached his 25th birthday and has posted consecutive 40-homer seasons. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until next fall. But he’s also a three-true-outcomes extremist. Gallo’s surprising defensive versatility is a boon, and he’s certainly a valuable asset, but he surely hasn’t yet proven he’s a reliable star-level player and could get expensive rather quickly as a power-heavy arbitration player. Meanwhile, Nomar Mazara is younger than both of those just-mentioned teammates and has hit precisely twenty home runs in each of his first three years in the majors. But he has yet to take the next step in his development, having fallen shy of the league-average bar on offense in each of those seasons.
At times, that trio has seemed a budding core unit, but it hasn’t happened yet. The other pieces on hand come with even greater questions. On the position-player side, Ronald Guzman and Willie Calhoun have shown their share of promise at times with the bat, but are far from established big league hitters. Drew Robinson has torn up the minors in recent years and should have an opportunity to show he can do it in the big leagues, though his 125 MLB plate appearances last year were a dud. Isiah Kiner-Falefa offers versatility and Delino DeShields Jr. can contribute speed and defense, but neither has sustained productivity in the majors at the plate.
Even including the veteran hurlers mentioned above, all of whom come with significant health risks, the pitching staff remains a unit with about as many holes as any around the game. The rotation still likely needs some added depth options, at a minimum. Southpaw Yohander Mendez will likely get a crack at earning a rotation job, though he has struggled in the majors and wasn’t successful last year at Triple-A, either. Righty Ariel Jurado has not missed many bats in the upper minors or in his initial showing in the bigs, but could get another look if he impresses in camp. Deadline acquisition Taylor Hearn could break into the majors in 2019, but likely still has some refinement left before he gets the call.
On the relief side, there are at least a few players to watch. Connor Sadzeck was effective at Triple-A in 2018 and got results in a brief MLB debut, but did so while issuing 11 free passes in 9 1/3 innings. Nick Gardewine has put up interesting numbers at times while climbing the ladder and reached the bigs last year, but missed much of the year with forearm troubles. Alex Claudio has been effective in the past and could be again. Fellow southpaw Jeffrey Springs racked up 15.6 K/9 last year in the upper minors in a multi-inning role and was effective in his first 32 MLB frames. The as-yet-unestablished C.D. Pelham is another lefty option in the pen. Still, this is another area where depth and/or upside plays would be most welcome.
Of course, I’ve left one name out of the discussion to date, and it’s a notable one. Young righty Jose Leclerc showed quite a bit of promise last year while sliding into the closer’s role. The 24-year-old made strides with his control while recording more than 13 strikeouts per nine and working to a 1.56 ERA in 57 2/3 innings. That output was driven in no small part by the fact that he held opposing hitters to only a single long ball. Any reversal in his walk rates (he went from 7.9 per nine in 2017 to a much more palatable 3.9 last year), combined with a dinger increase, could change his outlook. But it’s hard not to admire his mid-to-upper nineties heat and whopping 17.1% swinging-strike rate. There are quite a few quality relievers available in free agency, to be sure, but contending clubs that don’t like the price tags and obvious risks that come with the open-market options could eye him as a trade target. If the Rangers market Leclerc, who’s controlled through 2022, there could be an opportunity to add some players who hold out the promise of turning into core pieces.
There’ll surely be more roster plugging efforts to come over the course of the offseason. But the primary focus of Daniels and his staff probably ought to be on exploring creative ways to infuse talent to the upper portions of a farm that features many high-risk and/or far-off assets among its best-regarded players. If there’s enough funding left to work with, perhaps some targeted free agent moves could still make sense, with Japanese hurler Yusei Kikuchi representing a particularly interesting target given his young age. Taking a crack at some bounceback pitching — relievers Cody Allen or Justin Wilson, say, or starters such as Lance Lynn, Drew Pomeranz, or even Ervin Santana — would make sense and fit the mold of recent Rangers moves. Ultimately, new skipper Chris Woodward will do what he can to set the tone and drive some improvement in the team’s young MLB players, but the near and long-term outlook remains foggy at best.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Dodgers have decided to take their time in filling the position left open recently by former GM Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters including Pedro Moura of The Athletic (Twitter link). A hiring search will not take place during the current offseason.
Friedman, of course, remains the top baseball operations decisionmaker in Los Angeles, so it’s hardly as if this is a rudderless ship. And the organization continues to employ former GM Josh Byrnes in a senior capacity. Another former GM, Gerry Hunsicker, remains on hand in addition to the remainder of the club’s baseball ops staff.
Still, it’s notable that the Dodgers have seen the departures of several well-known figures of late. Zaidi left to become the president of baseball operations of the Giants. Alex Anthopoulos departed to run the baseball side of the Atlanta Braves as their general manager. And Friedman’s predecessor, Ned Colletti, is no longer with the organization.
The news will allow other organizations to breathe easier, as their top non-GM execs won’t be lured by the L.A. behemoth — at least, not just yet. It seems likely that the Dodgers will, before too long, seek to bring in another voice to assist Friedman in assessing opportunities and engaging with agents and rival ballclubs.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Braves have agreed to a minor-league pact with infielder Andres Blanco, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link). He stands to earn at a $850K rate in the majors, if he can earn a roster spot.
Blanco will get a chance to impress the Atlanta brass with a big league camp invite. It’s certainly interesting that the organization has now added both Blanco and Pedro Florimon, each of whom fits the same general profile (switch-hitting, light-hitting utilitymen) and surely had other opportunities around the game.
Whether the Braves are considering keeping a player of this kind isn’t clear. At present, the club already has two presumptive reserve infielders on hand in Johan Camargo and Charlie Culberson, but it’s theoretically possible one of the two could be dealt. Of course, it could also simply be that the Braves are hoping to build out their minor-league infield depth.
Blanco, 34, had a few quality seasons with the Phillies but faltered in 2017. The ten-year MLB veteran failed to crack the big leagues last year, but did turn in a strong .271/.362/.435 slash over 357 plate appearances at Triple-A.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Giants have agreed to a minor-league deal with backstop Cameron Rupp, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). It comes with a MLB Spring Training invite and a potential $750K salary if Rupp can crack the roster.
Of course, Rupp failed to see any action in the bigs last year, breaking a five-year streak in which he had. That came as something of a surprise, as the 30-year-old had seen rather extensive action previously with the Phillies and provided some real thump for a backstop.
Over his 1,127 total plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Rupp owns a .234/.298/.407 batting line with 39 home runs. Despite his on-base issues, that’s a solid amount of offense given the position. Splitting his time last year between the top affiliates of the Rangers, Mariners, and Twins, Rupp slashed .223/.320/.425.
Of course, teams generally prioritize defensive capabilities in their backup catchers, and Rupp’s reputation is not exactly stellar in that regard. He graded as one of the game’s worst framers in 2017, though he had scored in range of average previously. It seems likely Rupp will come to camp bidding for a chance to back up Buster Posey behind the plate in San Francisco.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Padres announced this evening that they have designated infielder Carlos Asuaje for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Garrett Richards, whose previously reported two-year deal is now official.
Asuaje, 27, originally came to the organization as part of the multi-player package received in exchange for closer Craig Kimbrel. The left-handed hitter has appeared in each of the past three seasons with the Padres but will now make way for a more-hyped crop of middle-infield talent.
Though he showed promise at the plate in 2017, Asuaje struggled quite a bit last year. He finished with a .196/.286/.280 slash through 218 plate appearances, though he did have a much better showing during his time at Triple-A (.314/.386/.463).
Teams considering Asuaje may find some comfort in the underlying numbers. Asuaje boosted his walk rate to 11.0%, which could bode well for the future. And he carried only a .243 batting average on balls in play in the bigs. That was an unlucky figure, Statcast suggests, crediting him with a .288 xwOBA that dwarfs his .255 wOBA.
Of course, even Asuaje’s hypothetically deserved offensive output wasn’t all that exciting. If he’s to carve out a role, it’ll likely be as a utility player. Asuaje has hit much better against right-handed pitching, which limits him but also suggests he could be useful in a platoon role. Defensive metrics have not loved him in a limited sample, though he’s generally considered a solid defender.
There’s some value in the fact that Asuaje is still optionable for another season. On the other hand, it doesn’t help his cause that he has never been considered capable of playing shortstop, though he does have plenty of lower-level experience at third base and has also spent some time in left field. All told, it’s possible he’ll be claimed, but by no means a given.
As for Richards, he’s still a long ways away from contributing on the field in San Diego, as his first priority will be to rehabilitate from Tommy John surgery. He’ll reportedly receive a hefty $15.5MM guarantee in hopes that he’ll be able to get back to full strength and provide the Friars with a high-quality rotation piece in 2020.
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