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Evan Gattis Confirms He Is “Done Playing”

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Burly backstop-turned-DH Evan Gattis confirmed that his playing career is now finished in an appearance on the 755 Is Real Podcast with The Athletic’s David O’Brien and Eric O’Flaherty (audio link; profanity warning). The 33-year-old says he’s “done playing” professionally.

This news was obviously expected. Gattis did not play in 2019 after wrapping up his tenure with the Astros. Last we heard, he was not seeking playing opportunities. His productivity waned in 2018, though surely Gattis would’ve caught on somewhere had he pursued a deal.

It’s sad to see Gattis depart the scene. His mythical emergence with the Braves as something of an everyman Paul Bunyan is one of the most interesting tales of contemporary baseball. After battling mental health issues and taking a prolonged detour, Gattis improbably returned to the game and carved out a six-year MLB career, slashing .248/.300/.476 with 139 career long balls.

While the main plot points of his personal story were already known, it’s quite another thing to hear Gattis humbly and thoughtfully narrate his epic tale. The above-linked podcast is highly recommended listening.

MLB Announces Minor-League Financial Support

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Major League Baseball has announced a plan to continue financial support and medical benefits to all minor-league baseball players. Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reported that a deal was pending (Twitter links), while Baseball America’s JJ Cooper first reported one was in the works (Twitter links).

The plan is for teams to issue $400 weekly payments to all minor-league players — less than higher-level players would typically receive but more than is the norm for players on the lower rungs. The agreement runs through the end of May, unless the minor-league season begins prior to that point in time.

There are a few exceptions. Players that are still being housed and fed at Spring Training sites will not receive funds on top of that existing support. And each team is responsible to handle Dominican Summer League players on its own accord.

MLB also covered a few “procedural” matters in its announcement. The league has officially informed Minor League Baseball — a separate entity that represents the many minor-league teams around the country — that “Major League Clubs are unable to supply their Minor League affiliates with players as a result of the national health emergency.” And MLB indicates that teams are “in the process of informing Minor League players of the suspension of their Uniform Player Contracts.”

AJ Reed Announces Retirement

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In news that slipped under the radar when it was announced, former top Astros prospect AJ Reed has announced his retirement. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle highlights the decision and analyzes it from the perspective of his former organization.

Reed, a former second-round pick, was once considered one of the game’s premium hitting prospects. He showed an intriguing blend of power and patience on his way up the farm. Reed generally made loud contact and plenty of it, with hefty batting averages on balls in play and unconcerning strikeout rates.

When he debuted with the ’Stros in 2016, Reed seemed quite likely to hit in the majors. After all, he mashed at every level on his way there. The real question was whether he’d do so enough to be a highly valuable player, given his limitations on the field (first base only) and on the bases.

As it turns out, there was a bigger problem lurking. Reed’s strikeout rate had ticked up a bit at Triple-A in 2016. It exploded in the majors. As it turned out, he’d end up taking 199 total plate appearances at the game’s highest level, carrying a 14.2% swinging-strike rate and 35.7% strikeout rate. Reed’s power stroke never played, either. All told, his career batting line sits at an awful .149/.241/.234.

The Astros gave Reed lengthy stints at Triple-A in hopes he’d find his groove. While he was still an above-average hitter there in 2017 and 2018, the trajectory didn’t trend back up. Per Rome, “his weight and conditioning were often problems.” The Houston ultimately gave up hope last year after watching Reed struggle at the highest level of the minors.

Reed landed with the White Sox on a waiver claim, with the rebuilding organization hoping a change of scenery might help. Instead, he struck out in more than four of every ten plate appearances he took at the MLB and Triple-A levels. Reed was outrighted from the 40-man roster in August.

Despite the obvious difficulties, it remains a bit surprising to see Reed hang up his spikes at just 26 years of age. No doubt some organization would’ve been willing to invest resources in hopes of spurring a turnaround. Then again, it’s understandable that Reed would prefer to move on after experiencing such a frustrating turn of fortunes. MLBTR wishes him the best in his future pursuits.

MLBTR Poll: The Luis Robert Extension

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Super-talented, MLB-ready 22-year-olds don’t grow on trees. If you do happen upon one, what are the odds they perfectly fit your roster need and contention window? Viewed from that perspective, and accounting for the context of MLB player valuation, the $50MM risk the White Sox took on Luis Robert is a slam dunk.

Of course, all of that guaranteed cash is payable over a six-year term — the precise amount of time the club could’ve enjoyed him in the majors even without promising another dime. And it could’ve been nearly seven full seasons with a bit of service-time trickery. So, the South Siders are only gaining control over one or two seasons of would-be free agency. (Which is it? Depends upon one’s cynicism levels. And the as-yet-unknown question whether Robert will need to spend further time in the minors once he reaches the big leagues.)

Presuming the options are exercised, the deal maxes out at $88MM over eight campaigns. And that’s on top of the $26MM that the team spent just to lure Robert into the organization in the first place! Compare that to Mookie Betts, one of the game’s most productive younger players, who just secured a record-setting $27MM salary for his final trip through arbitration. The Red Sox and Dodgers got 6+ seasons of Betts for a total cost of about $60MM in salary.

Now, there’s inflation to consider. Betts’s earnings wouldn’t have been nearly that robust had he debuted six seasons earlier. If Robert can produce something like Betts, he’ll surely out-earn Mookie. And the White Sox are picking up one or two added seasons of control, which could be quite valuable. We know how much the Dodgers valued the chance to control Betts for just one season, even while paying him a big salary. Again: if Robert has a career path of that kind, then those option years will be an enormous boon to the White Sox.

The thing is, it’s not really reasonable to compare Robert to a guy like Betts. Can he perform to that level? Sure, he’s considered one of the very best prospects in all of baseball for a reason. But that’s hardly the likeliest outcome. Even putting aside the question of talent and production, there are numerous hiccups that can stall a player’s arbitration earning power. Carlos Correa is only earning $7.4MM in his second-to-last arb-eligible campaign — less than half of what contemporary Francisco Lindor will earn ($16.7MM). Rewind two years and these guys looked like a coin flip on value. As it turns out, Correa dealt with ill-timed injuries that significantly dented his ability to earn via arbitration.

Running the numbers, it’s hard to imagine you could really go much higher with an up-front guarantee for a pre-MLB player — at least, perhaps, unless the team was able to pick up yet more future control. The Robert contract, which tops the White Sox’ deal last year with Eloy Jimenez, included a pretty hefty premium to achieve cost certainty and some added control (along with, perhaps, the ability to promote him on Opening Day 2020 without concern for service time). That said, the White Sox have an excellent track record with extensions, having achieved big value in the past with players such as Chris Sale and Adam Eaton.

How do you view the deal? (Poll link for app users.)

Seranthony Dominguez Considering Tommy John Recommendation

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Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez has battled elbow problems for some time now, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, it’s disappointing to learn that doctors have recommended he undergo Tommy John surgery, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dominguez is still weighing his options at the moment. There’s some uncertainty in the underlying test results, it seems, so Dominguez is holding out hope that rest and rehabilitation will offer an alternative path back. Per Lauber, the right-hander plans to pursue further testing once a second Spring Training begins.

Even if Dominguez had a change of heart, it may be tough for him to get the work done at this point. He’s back home in the Dominican Republic and travel isn’t exactly straightforward. And scheduling a non-essential procedure such as TJS during the coronavirus pandemic may or may not be possible. (Several pitchers have managed, though circumstances are changing daily.)

The ulnar collateral ligament has long proved problematic for the 25-year-old. He tried a PRP treatment and rehabilitation course last year but ultimately made only 27 appearances and didn’t return to action after hitting the injured list in early June. While he showed some promise this spring, Dominguez ultimately suffered a setback. The postponement of the 2020 season leaves additional time for further rehab efforts, though it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll finally be able to get over the hump without an invasive treatment.

College Baseball Players Granted Additional Year Of NCAA Eligibility

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association has decided to grant a universal extra year of eligibility to all spring sports athletics, Nicole Auerback of The Athletic reports on Twitter. Designed to deal with the cancellation of baseball and other spring seasons, the decision has major implications for the MLB amateur draft this year and beyond.

You may recall that the recent MLB-MLBPA agreement to deal with the coronavirus included provisions involving the draft. Commissioner Rob Manfred now has authority to limit the 2020 draft to as few as five rounds, with $20K bonus caps on undrafted players. That’s far less in cash and opportunity than is typically handed out in a given year for amateur intake.

The NCAA decision provides an important counterweight to the huge loss of player leverage that comes with MLB’s crisis-driven modification of the typical draft. Having the ability to return to school and reenter the ensuing year’s draft may not be the preferred option for all players, but at least there’s now a realistic choice. Were it not for the grant of additional eligibility, college juniors would’ve faced an unenviable, binary choice: take what a MLB team offers now or enter the 2021 draft as a senior without any leverage to speak of. The best senior players now have newfound leverage they never would’ve had otherwise.

This decision was anticipated in advance of the MLB-MLBPA agreement; no doubt those negotiations took it into account. At the time the spring sports eligibility expansion was first floated, though, it wasn’t clear whether it would apply automatically to all players.

With far less money being spent in the 2020 draft, and the cash that is promised deferred, we’re likely to see quite a different outcome than would’ve taken place otherwise. Many collegians that would’ve ended up in the professional ranks will now stick with their universities — potentially taking spots on the depth charts from incoming freshmen. Perhaps some graduating high schoolers will be more apt to turn pro, though they’ll also be presented with the same limited earning opportunities.

Luxury Tax Status Will Not Reset If 2020 Season Is Cancelled

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While Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have officially reached a deal on a temporary re-working of the collective bargaining agreement, the details are still filtering out. One key element of the coronavirus alteration is the role of the competitive balance (“luxury”) tax.

The CBT has played a notable role in structuring roster decisionmaking in recent years. Even those organizations willing to pay it from time to time have sought to avoid doing so in consecutive seasons. Repeat offenders pay heavier rates on their overages. Big-spending teams have come to recognize that dipping back under the bar to reset the luxury tax rate can make for massive savings.

We have learned some details of the modified system (see here and here), including the fact that there’s no CBT obligation if a season isn’t played. (Otherwise, it’ll be handled on a pro-rated basis.) But that doesn’t mean that, in the unfortunate event of a cancelled season, every team would start with a clean slate in the 2020-21 offseason. Instead, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), the pre-2020 CBT status would carry forward.

This news is directly pertinent to the three teams that incurred a luxury tax penalty in 2019: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Cubs. In the event of a season cancellation, they’d all head into the 2021 season without a reset. That could have major implications for the Boston and Chicago organizations, in particular.

While the Yankees were planning to blow past the $208MM luxury tax line regardless, the Red Sox and Cubs were not. The Boston club — a two-time repeat payer of the luxury tax — had already moved below the 2020 mark and was clearly planning on a reset. The Cubs were sitting just above the threshold when Spring Training was suspended. Calculation depends upon the contracts added or removed during the course of the season, so the Cubs expected to have a chance to reevaluate as the campaign progressed.

This bit of news may not end up mattering. If the 2020 season is played, the Red Sox will get their reset and the Cubs will still have a chance to adjust their payroll to dip under the luxury threshold — so long as there’s an opportunity to make trades, at least. Then again, the calculus would be quite a bit different than originally anticipated in a short-season format without a typical trade deadline period.

Chris Sale Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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4:42pm: The surgery was performed today in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Red Sox announced.

4:23pm: We’ve known for some time that Red Sox lefty Chris Sale was destined for Tommy John surgery. But the timing of the procedure was in some doubt given the urgent need for medical resources to deal with the still-growing coronavirus crisis.

Sale has indeed received a replacement ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Details on the procedure — timing, location, whether other work was also done — remain unavailable.

Several other pitchers have had TJ surgeries in recent weeks. But even if it’s legal (that depends upon location) and there’s a willing medical provider, it remains a legitimate question whether it’s ethical to perform such elective work given the dire need for medical resources around the world. Emma Baccilieri of SI.com just published a careful examination of the topic.

Now that we know Sale has had his elbow work done, it’s possible to set an estimated timeline for his return. There’s no question he’ll miss all of a truncated 2020 season, no matter how late it goes. But his status for 2021 will depend upon the course of his rehab. If all goes well, he’ll be moving toward competitive moundwork this time next year.

Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers face major competition in the AL West. Have they done enough to field a competitive roster in 2020?

Major League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Rangers entered the winter seeking to end a three-season malaise. Having scored another new ballpark after just 26 seasons in their old one, the Texas organization was looking to ramp up the level of play at an opportune moment for business.

It’s tough to look at the unit compiled by longtime baseball ops chief Jon Daniels and see a division winner. The Astros are far the better team on paper; the Athletics and Angels look significantly stronger as well. But putting together a certain contender was never really a plausible goal, barring a wild spending spree. The Rangers’ hope was to ensure a competitive product and to get the arrow pointed back north, all while setting the stage for yet more strides in 2021 and beyond.

The Rangers’ preferred outcome was to land a blue-chip free agent in Texas native Anthony Rendon. But the price tag flew through the roof in the course of wild, Scott Boras-led Winter Meetings bidding. Trade possibilities — Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant — were at least explored, but nothing came to fruition. The Rangers weren’t as excited to chase the older Josh Donaldson as many expected; ultimately, the club wasn’t involved much at all in his bidding.

Plan B, we now know, was to add a bunch of starting pitching and a much more affordable veteran at the hot corner. Todd Frazier is no longer an All-Star-level performer, but the 34-year-old was something like a 2 WAR performer last year in semi-regular duty. The Rangers can deploy him at either corner infield spot and hope for much the same — solid glovework and slightly above-average hitting. Frazier looks like a pretty strong value for just five million bucks. That’s particularly true after looking at the big money secured by Mike Moustakas. Frazier’s salary is close to what the club would’ve spent on Nomar Mazara had they not shipped him along to the White Sox.

So how about that rotation? The Rangers have had awful luck with homegrown starters in recent years. But they’ve had much more success with a certain sort of free agent signing. The standard thinking goes that you don’t want to give any more guaranteed years than necessary to get a free agent pitcher that comes with questions regarding health and/or consistency. The Rangers have flipped that on its head, using longer but relatively affordable deals to lure a series of veterans. Mike Minor and Lance Lynn have amply rewarded the club for its faith and helped to remind that there can be upside to the team in expanding a contract’s length.

Sure enough, the Texas org did it again, inking righty Kyle Gibson to a three-year deal just like those awarded to Minor and Lynn. And much the same reasoning went into the surprising two-year deal the Rangers gave Jordan Lyles. If Gibson can return to peak form after battling stomach issues last year, and Lyles can carry forward some of the spark he showed in the second half of 2019, the Rangers could have another set of pretty nice contracts on their hands. The risks here are equally obvious, and the Rangers still need to figure out a way to raise their own starters, but even if one or both turn out to be duds the cost won’t be exorbitant.

It seemed for a moment as if this might be the extent of the pitching adds. But the Rangers doubled down on the veterans with a rather significant swap that has flown under the radar to some degree. The club swung a deal for Corey Kluber, who was one of the game’s preeminent hurlers for a five-year stretch before a comebacker fractured his forearm last year. While it cost fireballing young reliever Emmanuel Clase, which could sting in its own right, the swap is loaded with upside for Texas. Kluber is only slated to earn $17.5MM for 2020 and can be kept for a second season at $18MM (or dropped with a $1MM buyout if things don’t work out).

Put it all together, and the rotation actually looks to be quite the high-risk/high-reward outfit. It’s unusual to see such a collection of accomplished veterans all earning sizeable but hardly monumental salaries. The Rangers will have to hope the five-man unit stays healthy, because the top depth options — Kolby Allard, Ariel Jurado, Joe Palumbo — are far from sure things.

It’s arguably a hit-or-miss bullpen as well, but with a different makeup. As usual, the Rangers found someone to bring back from Japan. This time, it’s lefty Joely Rodriguez, who’ll pair with youngster Brett Martin to form what could be a nice 1-2 southpaw punch … but which could also fall flat. Top late-inning arms Jose Leclerc and Rafael Montero (yes, the former Mets prospect) had dominant stretches last year but have been anything but consistent. Youngster Demarcus Evans brings some upside of his own and there are a number of experienced hurlers on the 40-man (Jesse Chavez, Nick Goody, Luke Farrell) or in camp (Cody Allen, Derek Law, Juan Nicasio, Luis Garcia, Edinson Volquez, Brian Flynn). But there are plenty of questions in the relief unit.

To get the most out of the staff and to bring some thump from behind the dish, the Rangers righted a previous wrong by bringing back catcher Robinson Chirinos. He’s a nice get on a one-year commitment. While he’s closing in on his 36th birthday, Chirinos has been a steadily above-average hitter and was entrusted with the bulk of the work behind the plate last year for the powerhouse Astros.

2020 Season Outlook

It’s hard to escape the cross-state rivals in Houston when it comes to assessing the Rangers’ offseason work. There’s just so much talent on that roster. The position-player unit in Arlington isn’t nearly as imposing. The Rangers can hope that Joey Gallo builds upon his big 2019 showing. Perhaps Willie Calhoun will ensconce himself as a quality big leaguer. Maybe the Elvis Andrus–Rougned Odor middle-infield pairing will finally play to the level the team hoped when it extended both players. It’s possible Danny Santana will not stop hitting and/or that Nick Solak will fully establish himself in the majors. But … for all of those things to happen? It’d be a big surprise. This lineup would look a lot more fierce with another star or two plugged in.

All things considered, the Rangers look to have compiled a fairly middle-of-the-road unit for the 2020 season. There are scenarios where the roster plays up — particularly in a short-season format in which depth questions aren’t as likely to be presented.

How would you grade the Rangers’ offseason? (Poll link for app users.)

Latest On MLB Plans For Team Employees

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We’ve been learning quite a bit about Major League Baseball’s coronavirus plans involving players, whose relationships with the league are conditioned upon a collective bargaining agreement. But teams also employ quite a few other personnel under rather different terms.

It has not been clear to this point just how the league would handle non-uniformed employees. But the MLB commissioner’s office has acted to secure coordinated action on this front, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com and Evan Drellich of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Every team has agreed to continue employing all non-player personnel in the regular fashion through the end of April. That will ensure steady paychecks for a large number of employees, though it’s worth remembering that not all workers associated with a ballclub and ballpark — say, vendors — are necessarily employed by the team. (The league has previously promised at least $30MM to ballpark workers — $1MM per team.. The Red Sox have boosted that amount, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets.)

The question remains: what’ll happen when the calendar flips to May? That isn’t known at present and will surely depend upon how the global coronavirus pandemic plays out. If baseball is ramping back up for play come that time, perhaps a broad loss of jobs can be forestalled altogether. Further coordination could take place at the league level, but it’s also possible teams will at some point be left to set their own courses.

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