Mets Re-Sign Jerry Blevins
FEB. 9: The Mets have announced the signing. FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Blevins will earn $5.5MM in 2017 and has a $7MM club option for the 2018 season that comes with a $1MM buyout.
FEB. 4: Blevins will make $6.5MM in 2017 and could earn $12.5MM over the next two seasons if the Mets exercise his 2018 club option, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. He’ll also get $100K in incentives in each year (Twitter links).
FEB. 3, 8:10pm: The deal includes an option, per James Wagner of the New York Times (via Twitter).
7:52pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal to bring back free-agent lefty Jerry Blevins, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll be guaranteed around $6MM in the deal, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter).
With the move, New York further adds to a relief corps that already saw new additions earlier today. The organization also brought back righty Fernando Salas and brought in southpaw Tom Gorzelanny on a minor-league pact for depth.
[RELATED: Updated Mets Depth Chart]
Blevins, though, was arguably a particular priority for New York. He’ll step in front of Josh Edgin and Sean Gilmartin in the pecking order among southpaws. Gorzelanny joins other depth options, including Josh Smoker and Adam Wilk.
Ultimately, it’s an appealing price tag for the Mets, who brought back Blevins last year for $4MM after an injury-shortened 2015 season. The results were excellent for both team and player, as Blevins turned in what was arguably his best full season as a big leaguer.
Over 42 innings last year — compiled across a personal-high 73 appearances — Blevins worked to a strong 2.79 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 to go with a 45.8% groundball rate. Long a weapon against opposing lefties, Blevins has increased his effectiveness against righties since coming to New York, perhaps aided by the increased deployment of his cut fastball. He also throws a sinker, a slider, and (much less frequently) a change.
With Blevins signed, the bulk of the left-handed relief market has now settled out. It’s interesting to see how things landed. Blevins, Boone Logan, and J.P. Howell all settled for single-season pacts, while Brett Cecil, Mike Dunn, and even Marc Rzepczynski landed bigger guarantees in multi-year arrangements.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Red Sox To Sign Carlos Quentin
SATURDAY 9:57am: Quentin can make $750K in the Majors, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweets.
WEDNESDAY 2:00pm: There’s no invite to Major League camp on Quentin’s deal with the Red Sox, reports WEEI’s Rob Bradford, so it seems he’ll head to minor league camp and open the season in Triple-A. Bradford cites a lack of depth in the team’s current minor league outfield options as well as the fact that Quentin has dropped 40 pounds behind the signing.
12:52pm: The Red Sox have agreed to a deal with veteran slugger Carlos Quentin, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It’s all but certain that the deal is of the minor-league variety, though it’s not clear whether Quentin will receive an invite to MLB camp.
Quentin last appeared in the pages here at MLBTR when he took his free agency from the Twins last spring. After failing to crack the Minnesota roster out of camp, he asked for his release rather than taking a spot at the Triple-A level.
That brought an end to Quentin’s most recent comeback attempt, but it seems he has at least one more try left in the tank. Now 34, the right-handed-hitting outfielder has not seen the majors since 2014, when he struggled in a fifty-game stint with the Padres.
Despite the recent layoff and long-running knee problems, Quentin does have a long track record of quality offensive production. Between 2008 and 2013, he posted a .260/.356/.503 batting line with 136 home runs over 2,638 plate appearances.
Daniel Mengden Undergoes Foot Surgery
The Athletics announced today that righty Daniel Mengden has undergone surgery on his righty foot after suffering a fracture during a home bullpen session. He’ll require a walking boot for at least six weeks, with further rehab presumably required beyond that point.
Clearly, Mengden won’t be able to participate in Spring Training, which is set to open for A’s pitchers and catchers in less than a week. Even if he’s able to get back on the hill not long after the boot comes off, he’ll need some time to build back his arm strength. Odds are, then, that Mengden won’t be an option for Oakland until at least a month or so into the 2017 season.
The expectation had been that Mengden, who’ll soon turn 24, would battle for a spot in the rotation. He cracked the majors for the first time in 2016 after a quick run through the minors, but scuffled to a 6.50 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in his 72 innings. Still, the strikeout rate was fairly promising and Mengden’s track record suggests that the control won’t continue to be an issue.
Given the injury, he’ll now need to reestablish his spot in the pecking order and hope that an opportunity arises at some point during the year. In the meantime, the organization now seems likely to turn to Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton, and Andrew Triggs to round out a staff fronted by Sonny Gray and Sean Manaea. The other 40-man members who could compete for a starting job are Jesse Hahn, Frankie Montas, and Paul Blackburn.
Giants To Re-Sign Gordon Beckham
The Giants have agreed to a minor-league deal to bring back infielder Gordon Beckham, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). He’ll earn at a $1.25MM annual rate if he cracks the MLB roster, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.
Beckham, 30, landed in San Francisco late last year — September 27th — as the team sought to bolster its depth down the stretch. Though he didn’t manage a hit in six plate appearances, and wasn’t eligible for the postseason, he left a good impression on the organization, per Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area (via Twitter).
Before that, Beckham turned in a .217/.300/.354 batting line in his 273 plate appearances with the Braves, who had signed him to a one-year deal last winter. The former first-round draft pick had spent the vast bulk of his career to that point with the White Sox, though he also had a brief stint with the Angels.
For the Giants, Beckham figures to enter a camp battle for roster spots and playing time in the infield. Though Joe Panik will likely command the bulk of the reps at second, he did struggle against left-handed pitching last year. And there’s plenty up for grabs at third, with Eduardo Nunez perhaps best suited to a utility role. Beckham could end up jockeying for position with fellow right-handed hitter Jae-gyun Hwang, with lefty swinging Conor Gillaspie also representing a factor.
Top 10 Remaining Free Agents
Last we looked, there were a fair number of players left from MLBTR’s pre-winter top 50 list. As might’ve been expected, though, the free-agent herd has thinned considerably. With about a week to go before the start of spring camp, these are the best remaining free agents (by order of MLBTR’s ranking, where applicable; “HM” refers to honorable mention, “NR” to players who weren’t mentioned in that list):
16. Matt Wieters. We’re mostly still hearing crickets on the market for Wieters, though some the chirping continues to hint ongoing interest from organizations like the Nationals, Rays, and perhaps the incumbent Orioles.
24. Travis Wood. There’s plenty of chatter surrounding the next name on the list. With several clubs reportedly interested in Wood as a starter, and others valuing his swingman capabilities out of the pen, it seems there’s still some bidding taking place.
31. Joe Blanton. Clubs interested in righty setup men won’t find any who outperformed the aging but resurgent Blanton last year. He made good on his one-year pact with the Dodgers by turning in eighty frames of 2.48 ERA pitching in 2016.
49. Chase Utley. Another steady veteran who most recently plied his trade in Los Angeles, Utley is said to be weighing multiple offers. It seems unlikely he’ll land an everyday second base job, but could provide plenty of value as a platoon player.
HM. Angel Pagan. Despite a solid bounceback season, the 35-year-old Pagan hasn’t generated much buzz this winter. As a switch hitter who has plenty of experience in center, though, he could add plenty of function to a variety of clubs.
HM. Pedro Alvarez. As the market for sluggers finally sorts itself out, there remain a few big lefty bats available. Alvarez remains a limited player — he’s best used as a DH against righty pitching — but only just turned thirty and hit a productive .249/.322/.504 last year.
HM. Adam Lind. Though he’s older (33) and wasn’t nearly as good as last year as Alvarez, Lind has a higher established ceiling as a hitter. From 2013 to 2015, he slashed an outstanding .291/.364/.478 in 1,411 plate appearances.
HM. Colby Lewis. At 37 years of age, Lewis doesn’t come with huge expectations. But he turned in a 3.71 ERA over 19 starts in 2016, showing he can still provide some sturdy innings even as he missed time with a lat injury.
NR. Michael Bourn. Something of a forgotten man entering the year, Bourn found a shot with the Diamondbacks and then thrived in a brief stint with the Orioles. Whether he can sustain the momentum from his 24-game run in Baltimore remains to be seen, but he might represent a useful speed-and-defense-oriented fourth outfielder for the right club.
NR. Doug Fister. A 2016 stint with the Astros didn’t represent the comeback that the 33-year-old Fister hoped for. But while he struggled to a 4.64 ERA, he did make all 32 starts while topping 180 innings for the first time since 2013. Teams in need of rotation depth will surely have interest.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Astros Agree To Two-Year Deal With Will Harris
FEB. 6: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Harris’ 2019 option will increase to $6.5MM with 15 games finished in 2018. It’ll increase to $7.5MM if Harris finishes 25 games and $8.5MM if he finishes 35 games.
FEB. 3: The Astros have avoided arbitration by striking a two-year deal with righty Will Harris, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle (links to Twitter). He’ll receive a $5MM guarantee ($2.2MM in 2017 and $2.8MM in 2018) in the pact, which also gives Houston a club option for the 2019 campaign. The value of the option will be determined by how many games Harris finishes in the 2018 season, with a range of between $5.5MM and $8.5MM.
The sides had been slated for an arbitration hearing, with Harris (via his agent, Gavin Kahn) filing at $2.3MM and the club countering at $1.95MM. MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $2.5MM payday for the 2017 season. Instead of settling, or accepting the decision of an arbitration panel, the sides decided upon a multi-year arrangement that provides some cost certainty to the club while offering some protection to a late-blooming player.
Harris, 32, has largely flown under the radar since breaking into the majors in 2012 — at least until his brief recent stint as the Houston closer last year. But he has produced rather compelling peripherals for quite some time, and that has shown up in the results column since he was claimed by the ‘Stros from the Diamondbacks just after the conclusion of the 2014 campaign.
Over the past two seasons, Harris owns a 2.07 ERA over 135 innings. He carries a sturdy 9.1 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9, and has induced grounders on more than half of the balls put in play against him. That makes him one of the game’s better setup men, even if he’s rarely recognized as such.
Though there’s no added control in the arrangement, Houston could certainly stand to save quite a bit of money. Anything close to a repeat of his 2016 season would otherwise have lined Harris up for a big raise. And though he’ll retain a bit of upside in the option year, that too could prove a bargain (both in the arbitration context and more generally). That being said, it’s also easy to see the merit in the arrangement for the righty, who has earned at (or just over) the league minimum to this stage of his career. Given his age and the injury risk inherent to his trade, securing an added season worth of guaranteed money obviously made for a compelling opportunity.
Market Notes: Trends, Wood, Rays, Rockies
Looking at this winter’s free-agent market broadly, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Insider link) that it produced generally poor results from the players’ side. The trend, he and the agents he spoke with suggest, is one of elite players continuing to earn while others are increasingly forced into one-year pacts. That could, in turn, continue to suppress the market for sub-elite players next year, since there’ll again be a larger pool of talent. This certainly seems to be an area that warrants a closer look once the market fully settles out. As of three years ago, the trend had been in favor of multi-year deals as teams competed to land talent on the open market.
Here are some more market notes:
- With southpaws flying off the board, things are “heating up” for Travis Wood, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). It’s possible he’ll choose his landing spot by the end of the weekend, per the report, though it’s still not clear whether he’ll be heading for a rotation or pen spot (let alone where that might be).
- Despite picking up Logan Morrison and Rickie Weeks, the Rays still intend to remain involved on some of the better hitters still available, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (links to Twitter). In particular, slugger Chris Carter and even catcher Matt Wieters seemingly remain of interest to Tampa Bay. Another righty bat, notes Topkin, might step into a platoon in the first base and DH spots. The club could take a look at Byung Ho Park, who was just designated by the Twins, and others under consideration include Mike Napoli and Franklin Gutierrez (who’d spend time in the outfield).
- The Rockies are unlikely to make further additions to their major league roster, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding suggests in response to a fan inquiry. Even if someone like starter Jason Hammel represents a screaming value, Harding hints, the organization may not have the roster or payroll flexibility to give out a MLB deal.
Nationals Sign Jeremy Guthrie
The Nationals have inked righty Jeremy Guthrie to a minor-league pact, the club announced. He’ll receive an invitation to the major league side of spring camp, and can opt out on March 27th if he’s not added to the MLB roster (per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, on Twitter).
Guthrie, who’ll turn 38 in April, didn’t appear in the majors last year after a dozen seasons in the bigs. He went to camp with the Rangers and spent time at Triple-A with the Padres and Marlins, but was hit hard at every stop in 2016. Over his 86 2/3 frames at the highest level of the minors, Guthrie worked to a 7.17 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
The last time that Guthrie threw in the majors, in 2015 with the Royals, he wasn’t much better. He ended that campaign with a 5.95 ERA in 148 1/3 innings. That being said, he was still averaging 92 mph with his fastball and cycling through what Pitch F/X classifies as a six-pitch mix. And it wasn’t long ago that Guthrie was racking up sturdy, 200+ inning seasons with regularity. From 2007 through 2014, the durable veteran averaged 197 frames annually while carrying a 4.18 ERA.
Presumably, the Nats intend for Guthrie to function as a depth piece, as the organization has its five-man rotation set. He’ll likely represent an option if there’s an injury in camp, or if the need for an arm comes up during the course of the season.
Braves To Sign Rex Brothers
The Braves have agreed to a minor-league deal with lefty Rex Brothers, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). Brothers will not receive an invitation to MLB camp.
Brothers, 29, was picked up by the Cubs last winter. But he didn’t even make it through Spring Training before he was cut loose. Brothers struggled badly with his control while with the Chicago club, culminating with four wild pitches in a single spring frame. The veteran southpaw never ended up joining another organization, which rated as a surprise given his rather lengthy MLB track record.
Now, Brothers will seek to earn his way back to the majors in Atlanta after a full season of rest. The big question is whether he can stay in the zone. He has declined in that regard in each successive season, landing at just 40.5% in 2015. Reflecting that difficulty, Brothers owns a 5.00 ERA in 66 2/3 innings since the start of the 2014 season, with 8.1 K/9 against 6.3 BB/9.
Before 2014, though, Brothers had been remarkably effective. Despite calling Coors Field home, he carried a 2.82 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in his 175 2/3 innings from 2011 through 2013. Beyond that history, there are some more recent markers that afford some degree of hope. Brothers sat at 93 mph with his average heater in his last MLB action, and still posted double-digit swinging-strike rates even in his two rough campaigns.
Indians To Sign Boone Logan
6:49pm: Logan will earn a $5.5MM base salary in 2017, tweets Hoynes. His 2018 club option is worth $7MM and comes with a $1MM buyout.
2:31pm: It’s a one-year deal with a club option, per Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
1:55pm: The Indians have agreed to a deal with free-agent lefty Boone Logan, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Terms remain unknown at this time; the deal is pending the results of a physical.
Logan, 32, has reportedly sought a two-year deal, with indications he’d be able to command that. Before the offseason, MLBTR predicted a two-year, $12MM contract for the veteran. He just wrapped up a three-year, $16.5MM pact with the Rockies that didn’t really pan out for the team, though Logan certainly ended his tenure in Colorado on a strong note.
In 2016, Logan worked to a 3.69 ERA — all the more impressive that he did so while pitching at Coors Field — with 11.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 over 46 1/3 innings. With a 93 mph fastball and a devastating slider, he racked up an outstanding 16.4% swinging-strike rate that rates among the game’s best. He typically produces solid groundball rates, too, with a lifetime 46.4% mark.
Of course, Logan wasn’t nearly as good over the two prior seasons, over which he carried a 5.37 ERA — due, at least in part, to elevate BABIP totals (.379 in 2014 and .374 in 2015). He has also dealt with elbow issues at times, which presents not-unfamiliar risk.
The bigger issue, though, may be in his usage limitations. While he’s dominant against opposing southpaws, Logan isn’t nearly as effective against righties. Over 847 total plate appearances during his career, righty hitters own a .288/.376/.478 slash.
[RELATED: Updated Indians Depth Chart]
For the Indians, though, Logan still offers plenty of functionality. The club already has the dominant Andrew Miller available as the southpaw piece of a high-leverage mix that includes righties Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. With those three arms already in place, skipper Terry Francona ought to have plenty of flexibility in deploying Logan to take full advantage of his skillset.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.