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Yoenis Cespedes Intends To Play In 2021

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After opting out of the 2020 season, Yoenis Cespedes is planning to play this year, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).  The former Mets outfielder will hold a showcase for Major League scouts on March 2.

Cespedes played in eight games in 2020, which marked his first big league action since the 2018 season.  Cespedes’ final year in New York played out in thoroughly unusual fashion, beginning with the December 2019 news that his contract had been amended due to a Mets grievance in relation to his ankle injury earlier that year.  This reduced Cespedes’ 2020 salary to the prorated portion of $11MM, though Cespedes then forfeited almost all of that money due to his decision to opt out as a non high-risk individual.  Even his opt-out came in controversial fashion, as the Mets first announced that Cespedes hadn’t arrived at the ballpark prior to an August 2 game, which sparked concern about Cespedes’ whereabouts and well-being before his agent confirmed his client’s decision.

It remains to be seen what sort of free interest the 35-year-old Cespedes will generate after almost two full seasons away from baseball and a long injury history that includes multiple surgeries on his ankles and heels.  2016 was Cespedes’ last year as a true regular, as he appeared in 132 games for the Mets before playing in just 119 games total over the 2017-18 seasons.

When Cespedes has been able to play, it should be noted that he still swung a powerful bat — a .282/.343/.525 slash line and 26 homers over 478 plate appearances in 2017-18.  New York used him exclusively as a DH last season due to his leg injuries, however, and it isn’t known if Cespedes will be again limited to DH duty (and thus to only American League teams) going forward.  Cespedes did bat just .161/.235/.387 in 2020, though over the small sample size of 34 PA.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/22/21

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The latest minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Red Sox announced that Jett Bandy has been re-signed to a minor league deal and invited to big league Spring Training camp.  (Alex Speier of the Boston Globe was among those to report the news.)  Bandy is back for his second season with the Sox, after inking a minors pact last winter and spending the 2020 season at Boston’s alternate training site.  Bandy has hit .218/.282/.365 over 492 career plate appearances in the majors, all with the Angels and Brewers from 2015-18.  His last official game action came with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2019.

Brewers Interested In Jackie Bradley Jr.

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An intriguing new team has emerged in the Jackie Bradley Jr. race, as FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link) reports that the Brewers are “in the mix” for the outfielder’s services.  Milwaukee made a push to sign Justin Turner before the third baseman re-signed with the Dodgers, indicating that the Brewers have some money to spend if they feel a substantial upgrade can be found.

While the Brewers technically have a regular center fielder in Lorenzo Cain and a full outfield altogether with Christian Yelich and Avisail Garcia in the corners, an argument can certainly be made for Bradley’s inclusion.  Cain played five games before opting out of the 2020 season, and he also struggled at the plate while dealing with a number of injuries in 2019.

Those injury problems didn’t hamper Cain’s glovework, however, as Cain was his usual excellent self in center field.  The idea of having both Cain and Bradley in the same outfield would be a dream from a defensive standpoint, and the Brewers could also deploy Bradley in center to give Cain some off-days, while occasionally sitting Bradley when a tough left-handed pitcher is on the mound.  Garcia would likely see the biggest reduction in playing time, coming off a season that saw him hit only .238/.333/.326 over 207 plate appearances.

Bradley’s bat has been inconsistent over the years, though he hit .283/.364/.450 with seven home runs over 217 PA with the Red Sox in 2020.  His hard-contact numbers weren’t impressive, marking a bit of a strange reversal from the 2017-19 seasons that saw Bradley made much more solid contact but it didn’t translate to above-average offensive production.

Several clubs have been linked to Bradley over the course of the offseason, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that “about a half dozen teams” still considering signing the 30-year-old (who turns 31 in April).  Such teams as the Giants and Astros have shown interest in Bradley and still have obvious room in their outfields, though The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal noted today that signing Bradley would put Houston over the luxury tax threshold, which would hamper the team from a draft-compensation standpoint this winter for both its own free agents (i.e. Carlos Correa) and any free agents it might pursue.

Other possible Bradley suitors like the Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, and Phillies could be only on the periphery based on other additions made this offseason.  With Bradley still on the market as Spring Training begins, however, it could open the door for more non-obvious teams like the Brewers to check in to see if a deal could possibly be had.

Athletics Designate Dustin Fowler For Assignment

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The A’s have designated outfielder Dustin Fowler for assignment.  This was the corresponding move to create roster space for Trevor Rosenthal, whose deal with Oakland has now been officially announced.

Perhaps best known for his inclusion as part of the trade package sent by the Yankees to the A’s in the July 2017 Sonny Gray trade, Fowler hit .224/256/.354 with six home runs over 203 plate appearances with Oakland in 2018.  His only other MLB experience was a single game with the Yankees in 2017, as Fowler’s big league debut was ruined after he ruptured his right patellar tendon after running into an electrical box while chasing a fly ball at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field.

It was a particularly damaging injury for a player known for his speed while coming up through the minor leagues, though Fowler still managed some respectable (25-for-31) stolen base totals with the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in 2018 and 2019.  Ramon Laureano’s emergence turned Fowler into a somewhat expendable part of Oakland’s future plans, though Fowler is still 26, and he has posted some strong post-injury hitting numbers at the Triple-A level.

Nationals To Sign Jeremy Jeffress To Minors Deal

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The Nationals have reached an agreement with right-hander Jeremy Jeffress on a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter links).  Jeffress will earn $1.25MM if he reaches the Nats’ big league roster, plus he can earn up to $1.25MM more in bonuses.

Jeffress has been an effective reliever for most of his 11 seasons in the majors, and was an All-Star as recently as the 2018 season when pitching for the Brewers.  He struggled in 2019, however, posting a 5.02 ERA with a 48.4% grounder rate that marked the only time the groundball specialist had fallen under the 50% threshold over a full season.

Jeffress had a rebound with the Cubs last season, delivering a 1.54 ERA and 54.4% grounder rate over 23 1/3 innings and allowing only a single home run.  However, Jeffress benefited from a tiny .161 BABIP against some otherwise unimpressive Statcast numbers, and his .496 SIERA painted a much uglier picture of Jeffress’ performance.  His 19.3K% and 13.6BB% were also well below average.

At the cost of just a Spring Training invitation, there isn’t any risk to the Nationals in taking a look to see if Jeffress can still contribute as he enters his age-33 season.  Jeffress joins Luis Avilan, Javy Guerra, Aaron Barrett, and T.J. McFarland as veteran relievers on minor league deals in Washington’s camp.

Quick Hits: Braves, Rosenthal, Ohtani, Ray, Cherington

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The Braves had interest in Trevor Rosenthal before the reliever signed with the A’s, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman writes (Twitter link).  With Rosenthal now off the market, Atlanta is still looking for right-handed relief help, and Heyman wonders if the Braves could turn to a familiar face in Shane Greene.  Apart from some consideration from the Twins earlier this month, there hasn’t been much buzz about Greene this offseason, despite his 2.39 ERA over 90 1/3 innings since the start of the 2019 season.  Greene doesn’t have a big fastball and his peripherals haven’t been overly impressive, however, which could explain why he still available heading into his age-32 season.  Atlanta did recently add veteran righty Nate Jones to their bullpen mix on a minor league deal.

Some more notes from around baseball…

  • Most players make changes in the wake of a rough season, but Shohei Ohtani faced the increased challenge of overhauling himself as both a hitter and a pitcher after a 2020 campaign the Angels star called “pathetic.”  Ohtani’s offseason endeavors included a trip to Driveline Baseball, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports, and Ohtani and his agent Nez Balelo told reporters that the pitcher/DH has adopted a new training regiment, a new diet, and made changes to his swing.  Ohtani’s training has been helped by the fact that he is now recovered from a flexor strain that limited him to 1 2/3 innings as a pitcher in 2020, which came after not pitching at all in 2019 due to Tommy John surgery.
  • Robbie Ray’s foray into the open market didn’t last long, as the southpaw re-signed with the Blue Jays shortly after the free agent period opened in early November.  This gave Ray more time to spend with Jays coaches on trying to correct his form following a mediocre 2020 season, Ray told reporters (including The Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm).  Ray made changes to his arm slot prior to the 2020 season, which may have led to such disastrous results as a 6.62 ERA and 45 walks over just 51 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays.
  • The Pirates are still in the early stages of a rebuild, and GM Ben Cherington gave an outline of the team’s basic plan to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other reporters.  Modeled after how other clubs have undergone rebuilds, Cherington broke it down into three steps: talent accumulation, developing that talent, and then adding to that talent base through trades and free agency.  The general manager also made it clear that the Bucs are still in the first step, as “whatever improvement we’ve seen in our overall organizational talent — and I think we have seen some improvements in the last year — it’s not enough.  We’ve got to keep going.  We’ve got to be one of the stronger organizations just in terms of overall talent to give ourselves the best chance to win.”

Mets Designate Guillermo Heredia For Assignment

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The Mets have designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment.  The move was made to create a 40-man roster spot for Kevin Pillar, whose contract with the team is now official.

Heredia appeared in seven games for the Mets after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates in August.  All told, the outfielder hit .212/278/.394 over 36 plate appearances for Pittsburgh and New York.  It isn’t far off the numbers (.240/.317/.342) Heredia posted in his four previous big league seasons, over 1101 PA with the Mariners (from 2016-18) and Rays (2019).

The 30-year-old can provide depth at all three outfield positions, so the Mets are surely hoping Heredia goes unclaimed and can remain in the farm system as a backup option in the event of injury.  The Mets are fairly crowded with outfield options on the active roster, but Heredia and non-roster invite Mallex Smith project as the first men up from Triple-A if a replacement is needed.

Clayton Kershaw: “No Intention” Of Retiring Soon

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FEBRUARY 21: In what’s sure to be welcome news to Dodger fans, Kershaw said this afternoon he has “no intention” of retiring any time soon (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). The star left-hander believes he has “a few years left in the tank.”

FEBRUARY 15: Clayton Kershaw is about to enter his 14th season in the Major Leagues, and the final season of his current three-year, $93MM deal with the Dodgers.  Could it also be the final season of what will surely be a Hall Of Fame career?

“I’ll just say, I don’t know,” Kershaw told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times.  “I have no idea. I do know that I still love it and I have a blast.”

The Dodgers have yet to discuss a potential contract extension with their longtime ace, and Kershaw was again non-committal when asked if he wanted a new deal: “I don’t know.  Honestly, I wish I had an answer.”  The left-hander said his goals are simply to earn “my teammates’ respect and I just want to pitch well as long as I can.  So all that other stuff will take care of itself.”

Kershaw is still relatively young, as he doesn’t turn 33 until next month.  However, he has already dealt with a number of injury problems during his career, while pitching a combined 2522 innings in the regular season and postseason.  There’s also the fact that Kershaw’s baseball bucket list could hardly be more complete now that he has finally won a World Series and erased some past struggles in the playoffs.  Kershaw’s championship ring is the latest addition to a resume that includes three NL Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star appearances, the 2014 NL MVP Award, and a reputation as one of the best pitchers of all time.

Kershaw admitted that he “wasn’t as enthused to get back going again” for his winter training regiment in the wake of the Dodgers’ title, though he sees it as more of a change in motivation rather than a lack thereof.  “It’s a great problem to have,” he explained.  “I think every offseason in the past it’s been, ’I just want to get this done. I just want to do it, do it, do it.’  And there’s this passion and it just constantly builds and builds and builds.  And now the pressure is just because we have a great team and we’re supposed to win.  That’s awesome.”

As Castillo noted, the fact that the interview at Kershaw’s home even took place represented a shift in the left-hander’s perspective, given how Kershaw has been very private over the years.  Kershaw and his wife Ellen have three children, and while the family often traveled together in pre-COVID times, Ellen Kershaw said that “it’s not as easy to pull [the kids] out of school and get us to L.A. during the season” as the children get older.

One possible bridge between family and baseball endeavors would be a free agent deal with the Rangers next offseason — Kershaw’s family lives in his hometown of Dallas throughout the offseason.  It isn’t clear, however, whether Kershaw would consider the Rangers or any other team besides the Dodgers if he does continue his career, as he stressed how much he has enjoyed playing in Los Angeles.

NL West Notes: Casali, Vogt, D’Backs, Tatis

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Curt Casali’s offseason negotiations with the Giants were interrupted by a surgery, as Casali underwent a hamate bone procedure on his left hand in December.  The catcher told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters that he suffered the injury while playing for the Reds in the postseason and initially planned to just rehab the issue before opting for surgery.  There was already a verbal agreement in place between Casali and the Giants prior to his surgery, and once the Giants were satisfied about Casali’s health, the two sides officially finalized a one-year, $1.5MM deal in early January.

In a nod to Casali’s recovery, he said the contract contains a $500K bonus if he makes the Opening Day roster.  He fully expects to be ready, as he has been playing catch and taking swings already in camp, though Casali has yet to get behind the plate for a bullpen session.  The seven-year MLB veteran is slated to work as Buster Posey’s chief backup this season, and San Francisco also has Chadwick Tromp and top prospect Joey Bart waiting in the minors as further catching depth.

More from the NL West…

  • Stephen Vogt tested positive for COVID-19 and has yet to arrive at Diamondbacks camp, manager Torey Lovullo told The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter link) and other reporters.  It isn’t known if Vogt might be available or if he is suffering any symptoms, though Lovullo did bring some lightness to the situation by mentioning that Vogt was practicing his putting stroke in his kitchen while having a FaceTime conversation with Lovullo.  Vogt made 20 starts at catcher and 26 appearances overall in 2020, which was enough (in prorated fashion) for his $3MM vesting option for 2021 to become guaranteed, and unlock a further $500K in salary.  Carson Kelly will serve as Arizona’s starting catcher with Vogt slated for backup duty, and star prospect Daulton Varsho and veteran Bryan Holaday are also in camp as possible options if Vogt has miss any time.
  • The Diamondbacks have continued pay cuts for employees throughout the organization, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports.  The cuts have impacted both the baseball operations and business departments, and while the D’Backs are reportedly waiting on their 2021 revenue situation before restoring full salaries, they “are believed to be one of the only teams in baseball still implementing pay cuts to employees.”  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that most of the salary cuts are in the range of 10 percent or less, after the organization cut remaining salaries by an average of 15 percent last year after furloughing or laying off over a quarter of its staff.  The cuts operate on a sliding scale, so higher-paid employees like team president/CEO Derrick Hall and general manager Mike Hazen are thought to have taken the largest salary reductions.
  • Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340MM extension with the Padres represents not just a huge payday for the star shortstop, but also for Big League Advance firm, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Tatis is the most prominent of the 344 players who have signed with BLA since the company was founded by former Phillies right-hander Michael Schwimer in 2016, with BLA offering these players a $50K advance — up to a $500K maximum — in exchange for one percent of any future earnings derived from baseball contracts (not non-baseball income like endorsement deals).  It isn’t known how many advances Tatis received, but even a single $50K advance would result in a $3.4MM return on investment for Schwimer’s firm, and BLA would earn $34MM if Tatis took the full $500K advance.  While striking big on a future star like Tatis is obviously good news for Big League Advance, Schwimer is pleased at how his company has helped many players through the low-paying struggle faced by many minor leaguers, including Schwimer himself during his six pro seasons.  “Fernando’s deal is what everyone wants to talk about, but nobody wants to think of the literal dozens of players that we’ve invested in that are no longer in baseball,” Schwimer said.  “Players that without us, who knows what situation they’d be in….And now with us, in some cases, they have hundreds of thousands of dollars. They can go back to school, start their second chapter.”

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