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Felix Hernandez Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Felix Hernandez is the latest player who has opted against participating in the 2020 season, as his agent Wilfredo Polidor tweeted this evening.  The longtime Mariners ace and former AL Cy Young Award winner signed a minor league deal with the Braves in January, and was named on Atlanta’s initial 60-man player pool.

Concerns over the COVID-19 crisis prompted Hernandez’s decision, as has been the common theme among other players (David Price, Ian Desmond, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman, and Welington Castillo) who have also declined to play in the abbreviated 2020 season.  That list will surely grow in the coming days and weeks as more players consider their personal situations and health situations around the United States.

In Hernandez’s case, he will be foregoing what was shaping up as an interesting semi-comeback attempt back in Spring Training.  The right-hander has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness over the last three seasons, including a 6.40 ERA over 71 2/3 innings in 2019.  Departing Seattle after 15 years, Hernandez caught on with the Braves and posted a 1.98 ERA over 13 2/3 frames of Spring Training work, creating some excitement that “King Felix” had a bounce-back performance left in the tank.

Hernandez was one of the favorites for the rotation spot left open by Cole Hamels’ injury, though the delayed start to the 2020 season has meant that Hamels will likely be available by the new Opening Day (projected for July 23).  This left only the fifth starter job open, with Kyle Wright and Sean Newcomb in competition with Hernandez.  It’s possible the Braves could join other teams in deploying a six-man rotation or more creative methods like openers or piggybacked starters in order to keep everyone fresh, though they will have one less option on hand with Hernandez now unavailable.

Retirement was rather definitively not on Hernandez’s mind last September, and while sitting out the season doesn’t mean Hernandez is any closer to calling it a career, he’ll face a tougher path in finding another minors deal this coming winter.  Despite his past track record, the righty will be hampered by his lack of recent results, his age (35 next April), and the fact that Hernandez will have gone over 18 months without a big league appearance.  The 2020-21 free agent market is also likely to be the most unusual and competitive in history, as team financial restraints could result in a lot of veterans having to settle for lower-than-expected deals, squeezing the market even further for reclamation projects like Hernandez.  That said, there’s no risk to a team in taking a flier on Hernandez on a minor league contract and seeing what he has next spring.

4 Marlins Players Test Positive For Coronavirus

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Four Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19, president of baseball operations Michael Hill told reporters (including the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson) today.  The players’ identities aren’t known since they didn’t consent to having their names publicly released, as per league COVID-19 protocols, though all four are members of the Marlins’ 60-man player pool.

Three of the players are already “nearing the end of their quarantine,” Hill said, as the trio tested positive within the last two weeks and prior to their arrival in Miami for the start of the Marlins’ training camp.  The fourth player produced a positive test on Wednesday during the intake screening that all players must pass before taking part in Summer Camp, and that player is now in quarantine himself.  Any positive test requires a mandatory two-week isolation period, and if a player is then symptom-free, he must deliver negative results on two different COVID-19 tests before being allowed back into team activities.

“We’ve very pleased that a majority of our players made it through intake without it, but this is a daily battle, the disease is still out there,” Hill said.  “The pandemic is still out there.  Florida’s recording record highs and daily reports of the virus.  We have to continue to be mindful.  We have to continue to be smart.”

Ryan Braun: “It’s More Likely That I Play” In 2021

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2020 is the final guaranteed year of Ryan Braun’s contract, and the longtime Brewers slugger hinted last January that he could potentially retire at season’s end.  However, in comments today to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters Braun said “I feel like it’s more likely that I play another year than I anticipated a few months back.”

Both the shorter 60-game schedule and the ability to serve as a designated hitter are contributing to Braun’s mindset.  “For me personally, playing a smaller number of games is something that’s beneficial,” Braun said, and “where I’m at in my career, it’s very appealing to me to have the option to DH for a decent percentage of my at-bats.”  Though no decision has been made about whether or not the DH will remain in the National League beyond the 2020 season, it has been widely speculated that MLB could adopt the DH across both leagues in 2021 pending another single-year deal between the owners and players, and then from 2022 and beyond depending on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

A universal DH would obviously be a boon to older players like Braun, who turns 37 in November.  An outfielder for much of his career, Braun has missed his share of time to the injured list due to back and leg injuries, and was originally slated for part-time first base duty (as well as some time in the outfield) for the Brew Crew back when the 2020 season was expected to proceed as scheduled.

Now, Braun projects to get the bulk of Milwaukee’s DH at-bats, which could perhaps lead to a late-career surge.  While Braun’s injuries have somewhat limited his production over the last three seasons, he has still been an above-average bat (111 wRC+, 112 OPS+) over 1380 PA from 2017-19, hitting .270/.331/.488 with 59 home runs.

If Braun does want to play next year, of course, the next hurdle could be in finding a team.  Braun and the Brewers share a $15MM mutual option on his services for 2021 and, like most mutual options, it is a near-certainty to be declined.  While the Brewers wouldn’t want Braun at a $15MM price tag, however, Rosiak notes that the two sides could work out a less expensive one-year contract for Braun to return for his 15th Major League season.  The x-factor is the complete unknown that is the 2020-21 free agent class, as it remains to be seen how teams will operate in the wake of a season that saw such a massive decline in revenues, and whether non-superstar free agents will see a real squeeze on contracts.

Phillies Keep Nola, Haseley, Bethancourt Out Of Camp Due To COVID-19 Protocols

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7:55PM: Updating his initial story, Breen reports that Nola, Haseley, and Bethancourt haven’t been placed on the COVID-19 injured list.  The three players have been kept out of camp due to coronavirus protocols, however, and could end up on the IL at some point.

5:41PM: Right-hander Aaron Nola, outfielder Adam Haseley, and utilityman Christian Bethancourt have been placed on the Phillies’ coronavirus injured list, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The team has yet to publicly announce the placements, and aren’t required to specify the reason for each player’s IL stint unless given permission by the players.

Placement on the COVID-19 IL doesn’t necessarily mean a player has the virus, as it could be that any or all of the trio only have symptoms, or came into contact with someone who was positive for coronavirus.  None of the three players have reported to the Phillies’ Summer Camp, as manager Joe Girardi said that Haseley was away “due to a medical condition,” and that in Nola’s case, “we’re trying to work our way through that.”

Nola, Haseley, and Bethancourt join Scott Kingery, Hector Neris, Tommy Hunter, and Ranger Suarez on Philadelphia’s already troublingly-large COVID-19 injured list.  It isn’t known if any of the players were among the dozen positive tests of players and staffers stemming from an outbreak at the Phillies’ Spring Training facility in Clearwater, though the Phils have certainly been the team hardest-hit by the virus to date.  A positive test results in a two-week quarantine, and the player must be symptom-free and have two negatives tests before returning to the field, so it’s possible the Phillies could be missing a significant chunk of their regular roster if even a few of these seven indeed have the virus.

Nola is Philadelphia’s projected Opening Day starter, while Haseley was penciled in for at least a share of center field duties.  Since Kingery was expected to cover the rest of the center field playing time, the Phils could be very short-handed up the middle if both Haseley and Kingery are out of action.

DJ LeMahieu, Luis Cessa Test Positive For COVID-19

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Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and right-hander Luis Cessa have both tested positive for the coronavirus, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including ESPN’s Marly Rivera).  Cessa has mild symptoms, while LeMahieu is asymptomatic.  Neither player has arrived at the Yankees’ Summer Camp, as both were tested before making the trip to New York.

As per the league’s COVID-19 policy, LeMahieu and Cessa are under quarantine for a two-week period, and will then have to exhibit no symptoms and test negative twice for the virus before being cleared to play.  With Opening Day tentatively scheduled for July 23, that leaves some time for either player to make the initial 30-man roster, though Cessa might need a bit more time to get his arm in proper shape.

LeMahieu is coming off a superb debut season with the Yankees, as the veteran finished fourth in AL MVP voting and collected Silver Slugger honors after hitting .327/.375/.518 with 26 home runs in 655 plate appearances.  After getting a lot of playing time at first, second, and third base last season, LeMahieu is expected to be New York’s regular second baseman now that Gleyber Torres is taking over at shortstop, though LeMahieu’s versatility will give Boone some valuable flexibility in juggling his lineup.

Cessa has worked as a reliever and occasional starter for the Yankees over his four MLB seasons, and posted a 4.11 ERA, 2.42 K/BB rate, and 8.3 K/9 over 81 innings (all as a reliever) in 2019.  This workhorse-like ability to eat innings is particularly valuable in a short season, where New York’s entire staff will be called upon while the starters get ramped up.

Mariners Release Carlos Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen

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The Mariners released a pair of veterans on minor league contracts, as Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com reports that Carlos Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen were both let go from the organization within the last few days.  Chen hinted as much in a tweet on his personal account on Saturday, while Gonzalez’s name was initially reported as being one of over 50 Seattle minor league releases in May, before later reports confirmed that CarGo was still with the team.

Gonzalez signed his minors deal in February, and didn’t seem likely to make Seattle’s Opening Day roster prior to the league shutdown.  The 34-year-old hit only .200/.289/.283 over 166 PA with the Indians and Cubs in 2019, marking new career lows in both batting performance and playing time.  While Gonzalez has posted some excellent numbers over his 12 big league seasons, he hasn’t delivered an above-average season (by wRC+ or OPS+) since 2016, and it could be difficult for the veteran to catch on with another team even with the 2020 season’s expanded rosters.

Chen joined the Mariners in January on a minor league deal, while still collecting the $22MM owed by the Marlins in the final year of his five-year, $80MM free agent deal from the 2015-16 offseason.  Injuries and inconsistency resulted in a 5.10 ERA for Chen during his 358 innings with Miami, and the Fish finally parted ways with the southpaw last November.

Between this lack of performance and his age (35 in July), Chen may also have trouble catching on with another Major League organization.  Indeed, there have already been reports out of Chen’s native Taiwan suggesting that the left-hander could catch on with a team in Japan.  Chen began his career with the Chunichi Dragons back in 2005, and posted an impressive 2.59 ERA over 650 2/3 frames in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Red Sox Place Chris Sale On 60-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox placed left-hander Chris Sale on the 60-day injured list, as per a team press release.  Sale underwent Tommy John surgery in March and will miss the entire 2020 season.

Sale’s IL placement was inevitable given the nature of his injury, though as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe puts it, the “odd timing suggests [the Sox] may have a need for the 40-man spot” that now becomes available with Sale on the injured list.  Boston’s 40-man was full prior to the Sale transaction, so the club now has some flexibility with an open spot.

Jonathan Lucroy could be a possibility for that spot, as MLB.com’s Ian Browne reported earlier today that the Red Sox were working on a restructured version of the veteran catcher’s minor league deal, which is why Lucroy wasn’t on Boston’s initial 60-man player pool for training camp.  With teams expected to carry three catchers on their expanded MLB rosters, the Sox could choose to keep Lucroy and Kevin Plawecki as Christian Vazquez’s backups, which would require a purchase of Lucroy’s minors deal.

Marco Hernandez, Yairo Munoz, and Brian Johnson are some of the other notable non-roster players in the player pool, so Boston could be considering selecting one of their contracts as well.  Or, the Red Sox could be keeping a 40-man spot available should another player come available over the next few weeks.

Yankees Sign Matt Duffy, Re-Sign Dan Otero, Place Luis Severino On 60-Day IL

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The Yankees announced their 60-player Spring Training player pool earlier today, a list that included a couple of new faces to the organization.  New York announced that infielder Matt Duffy and catcher Max McDowell were signed to minor league contracts, while righty Dan Otero was released from his previous minors deal with the club and re-signed to a new pact.  In addition, right-hander Luis Severino was officially placed on the 60-day injured list in the wake of his Tommy John surgery last February.

Duffy was most recently a member of the Rangers organization, though Texas announced earlier today that Duffy had been released.  It didn’t take him long to catch on with another team, as Duffy will now return to the AL East in the pinstripes after spending the last four seasons with the Rays.

Acquired in the 2016 trade that saw Matt Moore go from Tampa to San Francisco, the Rays had hopes that Duffy would become an everyday infielder, though Duffy was plagued by injuries.  Duffy did manage a solid .294/.361/.366 slash line over 560 PA and 132 games for Tampa Bay in 2018, though that performance was sandwiched between missing the entire 2017 season and only 46 games played in 2019.  Duffy has worked mostly as a third baseman, though he has enough experience at second base and shortstop that could provide utility depth for the Yankees if he cracks the MLB roster.

McDowell joins the Yankees after spending his five pro seasons with the Brewers, who selected him in the 13th round of the 2015 draft.  McDowell has hit .232/.335/.323 over 1417 career plate appearances in the minors.

It’s safe to assume that Otero’s new deal overwrites some type of opt-out clause in his previous minor league pact, signed back in early February.  The 35-year-old groundball specialist is looking to bounce back from a pair of shaky seasons in Cleveland’s bullpen, as Otero had a lot of trouble with home runs (1.8 HR/9) when batters did manage to get the ball in the air against him.  Otero’s 5.09 ERA in 88 1/3 innings over the last two seasons stands in sharp contrast to his 2016-17 numbers — a 2.14 ERA, 5.00 K/BB rate, and 6.5 K/9 over 130 2/3 frames for the Tribe.

Pirates’ Edgar Santana Issued 80-Game PED Suspension

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Pirates right-hander Edgar Santana has been suspended for 80 games for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, as per a league press release.  Santana tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone, and will now miss the entire 2020 season as well as the first 20 games of the 2021 campaign.

Santana posted a 3.31 ERA, 3.08 K/BB rate, and 7.9 K/9 over 84 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh in 2017-18, all as a relief pitcher.  This promising beginning to his big league career was cut short by Tommy John surgery in September 2018, which sidelined him for the entire 2019 campaign.

During Spring Training, Santana appeared to be in good form returning from that long layoff, tossing five scoreless innings in Grapefruit League action prior to the league shutdown.  There was plenty of opportunity for a healthy Santana to re-establish himself in the Pirates’ bullpen and set himself up for his first arbitration-eligible year in 2021, though he’ll now his service clock stalled while also forfeiting his salary for the 2020 season.

Angels Sign First-Rounder Reid Detmers

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The Angels have reached an agreement with tenth overall pick Reid Detmers, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link).  The left-hander signed for $4.67MM, which is slightly below the $4,739,900 slot price attached to the tenth pick.  Callis adds that Detmers will be added to Los Angeles’ 60-man player pool.

After Asa Lacy, Detmers was the consensus choice as the best southpaw in this year’s draft class, with Baseball America, Keith Law, and MLB Pipeline all ranking Detmers as eighth-best player overall in their pre-draft rankings.  (Fangraphs wasn’t far behind in putting Detmers tenth, in his eventual landing spot.)  “Polished” is the common word in many of these scouting reports, as Detmers has displayed both excellent command and a knack for pounding the strike zone during his time at Louisville.  The lefty has been able to rack up the strikeouts thanks to both a fastball in the 90-94 mph range and a curveball that Fangraphs describes as “arguably the best pitch in the entire draft.”

With Detmers now in the fold, the Angels have signed all four players from their 2020 draft class while remaining under their $6,397,100 spending pool limit.  The Halos only had four picks in the five-round draft since they had to give up a pick as compensation for signing Anthony Rendon (a qualifying offer-rejecting free agent) this offseason.

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