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International Signings: 9/27/17

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Here are the latest signings from the July 2 international class…

  • Martinez Jr.’s deal with the Tigers includes an $800K signing bonus as well as $300K worth of U.S. scholarship money, tweets Dionisio Soldevila of Grandes en los Deportes.

Earlier Updates

  • The Tigers have signed Dominican third baseman Pedro Martinez Jr., ESPN.com’s Enrique Rojas reports (via Twitter).  The son of the legendary Hall of Fame pitcher, the 16-year-old Martinez is a well-regarded hitting prospect, as detailed in a profile by Scott Miller of the Bleacher Report beck in June.  Detroit had a $4.75MM bonus pool for this international period and have made a number of signings, including a $1MM bonus for Venezuelan shortstop Alvaro Gonzalez.
  • The Diamondbacks have agreed to sign 16-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Wilderd Patino.  MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter link) was the first to report that the two sides were nearing a deal, with Baseball America’s Ben Badler reporting that the agreement had been reached.  Patino had been connected to the Rangers well in advance of the July 2 opening date for 2017-18 international prospects, though an elbow injury suffered in the spring seemed to impact his status.  (Badler speculates that the Rangers may be saving whatever bonus pool space they have to make a play for Shohei Otani.)  MLB.com and BA ranked Patino 25th and 27th in their respective lists of the best prospects within this year’s international class, with both scouting reports praising the youngster’s athletic ability and the likelihood that he becomes a strong defensive center fielder.  Arizona has been aggressive in this international signing period, as the club had a maximum bonus pool of $5.75MM and no longer faced the $300K max signing cap it was under for the previous two int’l periods.

Rangers Notes: Beltre, Gomez, Napoli, Barnette

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Here’s the latest out of Globe Life Park…

  • Adrian Beltre has been shut down for the remainder of the season, manager Jeff Banister told Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links) and other media.  The star third baseman will finish the year with a superb .311/.382/.533 slash line and 17 homers, though calf and hamstring injuries limited Beltre to just 387 plate appearances and 93 games, his least amount of action since his 1998 rookie season.  Beltre turns 39 in April and is owed $18MM next season, though he still seems as dangerous as ever, provided these injuries don’t hint at future problems as Beltre continues to deft Father Time.
  • With the Rangers officially out of contention, veteran stars Carlos Gomez and Mike Napoli are also unlikely to play again in 2017 as both are also nursing injuries.  Napoli’s $11MM club option for 2018 is very likely to be bought out (for $2.5MM) following a year that saw him hit 29 homers but deliver sub-replacement performance overall thanks to a .193/.285/.428 slash line.  Gomez was limited to 105 games due to injuries but still looks primed to land a multi-year contract in free agency on the strength of a solid campaign in Texas.
  • The Rangers hold a $4MM club option on Tony Barnette for 2018 and face a tough decision, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote yesterday.  Barnette struggled quite a bit early in the year before a DL stint and the correction of some mechanical flaws.  Entering play today, Barnette carried a 2.97 ERA and a 33-to-12 K/BB rate over his past 33 1/3 innings.  Of course, he also didn’t help his cause at all on Wednesday, serving up five earned runs, including a grand slam, in just one-third of an inning. Barnette’s contract contains a $250K buyout, so the Rangers have a one-year, $3.75MM choice on their hands when debating whether to retain him for the 2018 campaign.  Even after Wednesday’s meltdown, Barnette has a 4.01 FIP, though his season ERA ballooned from 4.74 to a dismal 5.49 following the five earned runs.

Matt Cain To Retire

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Matt Cain will retire at the end of the season, the longtime Giants right-hander told reporters (including CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic).  Cain will make one final start, the 331st of his 13-year career, on Saturday at AT&T Park against the Padres.

Matt Cain | Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesCain informed his teammates of his decision before addressing the media, saying “I think Saturday will be the last time I put on the Giants uniform, and I can’t see myself going to play somewhere else.”  (hat tip to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle)  The Giants held a $21MM club option on Cain’s services for the 2018 season, though it was a foregone conclusion that the option would instead be bought out (for $7.5MM) given Cain’s struggles and injury problems over the last three years.

“Matt is one of the most accomplished right-handed pitchers in Giants history and has made a tremendous impact both on and off the field within our organization,” Giants President/CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “His play on the field and community service exemplifies what a true big leaguer should be and he will definitely be missed. On behalf of the Giants, I congratulate Matt on an outstanding career and wish him and his family all the best. He’ll forever be a Giant.”

Originally taken by the Giants with the 25th overall pick of the 2002 draft, Cain developed into one of the key figures in the franchise’s return to championship prominence this decade.  From 2006-12, Cain posted a 3.30 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.47 K/9 and averaged 213 innings per season, racking up three All-Star appearances and three top-12 finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting.  Cain joined Tim Lincecum and then Madison Bumgarner as the aces of San Francisco’s staff that helped the Giants win three World Series titles from 2010-14.

Elbow and ankle problems kept Cain from contributing to that 2014 championship team, though he’d already proven his postseason bonafides in the Giants’ previous two title runs.  Cain owned a sterling 2.10 ERA over 51 1/3 playoff innings, including 21 1/3 shutout innings over the entirety of his work in the 2010 postseason.

Cain’s success led to a notable contract extension signed in April 2012 — a six-year/$127.5MM deal that was, at the time, the largest contract ever signed by a right-handed pitcher.  2012 was a thoroughly notable year for Cain given his extension, the Giants winning another World Series and the perfect game authored by Cain on June 13.  It was the 22nd perfect game in MLB history and the first in the history of the Giants franchise.

Injuries hampered the final few years of Cain’s career and forced him into an early exit from the game (he turns 33 on Sunday).  Still, Cain will long be remembered by Giants fans for his durability and clutch October performances, and Saturday’s start will no doubt be a special day at AT&T Park.  We at MLBTR wish Cain all the best in his post-playing career.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Three Needs: Baltimore Orioles

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This is the latest edition in MLBTR’s Three Needs series. Click to read entries on the Phillies, Braves, Tigers, Reds, Pirates, Giants, Mets, Blue Jays, Athletics, White Sox and Mariners.

For the first time since 2011 (Buck Showalter’s first full season managing the club), the Orioles will post a losing record.  While much of the offseason focus will be upgrading Baltimore’s lackluster rotation, the O’s also have some other holes to fill if they hope to return to contention in 2018.

1. Add some starting pitching.  You could argue that the need for rotation help could account for all three entries on this list, given how long starting pitching has been a weak spot for the Orioles.  The team already has plans to acquire at least two new arms to join Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman in next year’s rotation, though some creativity may be required in getting those new pitchers given that the Orioles are likely hesitant to deal any top youngsters from what is already a pretty thin farm system.

The O’s aren’t traditionally big spenders on free agent pitching, and Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com recently observed that the failure of the Ubaldo Jimenez signing may have entirely hardened ownership against making any more long-term commitments to free agent starters.  The Orioles’ notoriously stringent medical standards will also be an obstacle, given that several of the mid-tier names in this winter’s free agent pitching market (Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Jason Vargas, Tyler Chatwood, Jaime Garcia) have undergone Tommy John surgery.

Since trading prospects or making major signings could be difficult, the Orioles could instead add pitching by making a trade off the MLB roster.  Brad Brach and Zach Britton will each become more expensive in their final years of arbitration eligibility, though Brach has the much lower price tag and more immediate value given Britton’s injury problems in 2017.  Dealing a position player could be more difficult — Mark Trumbo is the only regular that seems expendable, though trade partners won’t be lining up for a player coming off a sub-replacement level season who is still owed $26MM through the end of 2019.  Chris Davis’ big contract makes him immovable, and it seems doubtful that the O’s would move franchise stalwart Adam Jones or second baseman Jonathan Schoop, especially in the wake of Schoop’s best season yet.

2. Upgrade the defense.  Baltimore was a below-average defensive unit in 2017 as per both the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics, so if obtaining top-ticket pitching help will be difficult, the Orioles could help their run prevention by improving the glovework.

Jones has graded out as one of the league’s worst defensive center fielders over the last two seasons, and it may be time for him to shift into a corner outfield role.  Right field will be open if Seth Smith isn’t re-signed, which leaves center open for a new face.  Lorenzo Cain stands out as the biggest name in free agency, with Carlos Gomez as an interesting Plan B-type of option if the Orioles didn’t want make a long-term commit to center field with top prospect Austin Hays on the cusp of regular duty.  You could argue that Hays might be the best choice now, though since he has yet to play at the Triple-A level, it’s more likely he’ll start 2018 in the minors.

3. Figure out a future with or without Manny Machado.  The star third baseman’s future is the biggest long-term question facing the Orioles, and it’s a given that the club will again discuss an extension with Machado as he enters his final season under contract.  If the O’s feel Machado can be kept in the fold, that will have a big impact on the rest of the team’s spending this winter, since suddenly the Orioles will have at least $300MM in future commitments coming for Machado’s new deal.

According to recent reports, the O’s aren’t planning to trade Machado before next season, so that scenario seems to be off the table.  That leaves the club in the rather precarious spot of risking seeing its best asset leave in free agency for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick after the first round in return, rather than the haul they could receive for even one year of Machado’s services in a trade.  A Machado deal could be explored at the trade deadline, of course, though the Orioles obviously don’t plan on being deadline sellers next year.  The worst-case scenario would be a repeat of 2017, as the O’s weren’t entirely out of the race and felt obligated to add at the deadline, only to see their chances fade in August and September.  If the same occurs next year, the Orioles will have missed their window for moving Machado and other key impending free agents like Jones, Britton and Brach.

AL Central Notes: Royals, Abreu, Park

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With Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar all hitting free agency, this offseason will mark the end of an era in Royals history.  Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star looks back at those players’ most memorable moments with the team, and as you might expect, those moments line up with the Royals’ postseason runs in 2014 and 2015.  It’s unclear how many of the free agents, if any, will be back in K.C. next season; over 39% of respondents in a recent poll of MLBTR readers felt that Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas will all be playing elsewhere in 2018.  Still, there’s no question that the Royals and their fans enjoyed some wonderful memories with this core group or stars, highlighted by the 2015 World Series title.

Some more from around the AL Central…

  • The rebuilding White Sox face several pros and cons about potentially dealing Jose Abreu, CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes writes.  Abreu’s trade value is high in the wake of an excellent season, and since he turns 31 in January and is only controlled through the 2019 season, it isn’t clear if he’ll be still around or still productive when the Sox are again contenders.  On the other hand, Abreu is a respected clubhouse mentor (an important role for such a young team) and he keeps in excellent shape, so he could ward off the usual decline that hits players as they get into their 30s.
  • 2017 has been a struggle for ByungHo Park, who spent the entire season in the minors.  While Park has yet to deliver on his four-year, $12MM contract, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that “we have every expectation he’ll remain at this point” rather than explore a return to South Korean baseball.  In fact, Park will be spending much of the offseason in North America, working out at the Twins’ facilities.  The first baseman posted a .684 OPS over 244 plate appearances for the Twins in 2016, then hit .253/.308/.415 with 14 homers over 455 PA for Triple-A Rochester this season.  Despite these struggles and some injuries, Park has dealt with his situation “incredibly professionally,” Falvey said.

Mets Notes: Warthen, Collins, Catching

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The latest from Citi Field…

  • The Mets are expected to part ways with long-time pitching coach Dan Warthen, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.  Warthen has been in his current role since June 2008 and had originally intended to retire after the season, though the Mets’ struggles caused Warthen to want one more year so as to go out on a higher note.  Two internal candidates (bullpen coach Ricky Bones and minor league pitching coordinator Ron Romanick) are the top picks to replace Warthen, while Triple-A pitching coach Frank Viola is not under consideration and may not remain with the organization.  Puma also listed former A’s pitching coach Curt Young and Red Sox director of pitching development Brian Bannister as external candidates who could receive consideration.
  • There has been wide speculation that Terry Collins won’t return as the Mets’ manager in 2018, though Collins tells The Record’s Matt Ehalt that he has no plans to retire.  “I said it a couple years ago, I didn’t know how long I wanted to manage, what could be my last year — I never said anything that I was going to retire.  I always wanted to work until I was 70.  That’s two more years,” Collins said.  While best known as a manager, Collins has worked in a wide variety of roles over his long career in baseball and said he is open to continuing in one of many jobs at the MLB or minor league level, though his preference is to remain with the Mets.
  • Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki have both been hitting well since the two catchers began to evenly split the playing time last month, leading MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo to speculate that the Mets could benefit by continuing this timeshare in 2018.  D’Arnaud has long been plagued by injuries, so reducing his workload would help keep him healthier and theoretically more productive.  The catch could be if Plawecki is able to keep up his respectable hitting numbers over the course of a full season, as the backstop has been unable to duplicate his good minor league numbers at the MLB level.

Quick Hits: Suarez, Castillo, Pearce, Morimando

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Eugenio Suarez is “open for everything” in terms of discussing an extension with the Reds, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports.  Suarez will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, though he’s still focused on the season and not on the numbers.  “I don’t think about how much I want.  I just want to sign with this team.  I don’t want hesitation or arbitration,” Suarez said.  The third baseman is in line for a very nice payday in the wake of a breakout season that saw him hit .265/.374/.476 with a career-best 26 home runs.  As Sheldon notes, the Reds just signed Tucker Barnhart (another player about to enter arbitration eligibility) to a long-term deal, and Suarez certainly makes sense as an extension candidate this winter.  MLBTR’s Jeff Todd recently opined that Suarez’s future with the team could be at shortstop, should Zack Cozart leave in free agency and third base prospect Nick Senzel forces his way into the big league lineup in 2018.

Here are some notes from around the big leagues…

  • Welington Castillo is concentrating on playing and tells Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun that he has yet to consider the player option decision facing him after the season.  The catcher did say, however, that he enjoys playing in Baltimore and wants to remain with the Orioles.  Castillo controls his own fate in the form of his $7MM option for 2018, though given his impressive numbers this year, he is likely to find a much richer long-term deal by testing the free agent market.  From the perspective of Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette, the team would be happy to have Castillo back but the O’s also have catching depth in the form of Caleb Joseph and top prospect Chance Sisco.  “Either way is helpful to the club,” Duquette said.
  • Steve Pearce has been shut down for the season due to a bad back, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.  Pearce will receive epidural injections next week in order to hopefully solve the back soreness that has bothered him for much of the season.  Pearce will conclude his first season with the Blue Jays with a .252/.319/.438 slash line and 13 homers in 348 PA, as he was limited to 92 games due to the back problem and a month-long DL stint due to a calf strain.
  • Left-hander Shawn Morimando has been sent home by the Indians due to a rather unusual reason — the team simply can’t find any innings for him, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Morimando was promoted on September 1 since the Tribe wanted extra pitching on hand for a double-header, but Morimando had yet to make an appearance over three weeks into his call-up.  Morimando will still receive service time and pay for the remainder of the year.  The 24-year-old does have some MLB experience on his resume, appearing in two games (4 2/3 IP) for Cleveland in 2016.

Tigers Notes: Managers, Avila, Ausmus, Verlander, Astros

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The latest from the Motor City…

  • The Tigers are planning “an extensive search” for their next manager, GM Al Avila told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other reporters.  Avila didn’t specify whether he was looking for a veteran skipper or a younger alternative to lead the Tigers through the “trying, grinding process” of a rebuild, though Avila did say that the new manager had to have some type of dugout experience, whether as a manager in the majors or minors, or as a Major League coach.  Previous manager Brad Ausmus, of course, lacked this experience, coming into the job after his playing career and a stint in the Padres’ baseball operations department.
  • From that same piece, Beck lists nine names he feels could be potential candidates to be Detroit’s next manager.  Beck’s options range from internal choices (hitting coach Lloyd McClendon and first base coach Omar Vizquel) to several other names with ties to Avila and/or the Tigers, including Fredi Gonzalez, Phil Nevin and Mike Redmond.
  • Ausmus’ lack of experience proved to be his undoing, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press opines, especially after the Tigers lost a key on-field leader in Torii Hunter after the 2014 season.  Ausmus was popular with his players but generally seemed like more of a teammate than a manager, creating a “country club” atmosphere within the clubhouse.  There were rumors that the Tigers were parting ways with Ausmus after both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and Fenech believes that Avila should’ve made a managerial change then instead of giving Ausmus more chances.  Fenech also notes, in partial defense of Ausmus, that he faced a particularly large challenge for a first-time manager in taking over a team expected to be World Series contenders.
  • The trade that sent Justin Verlander to the Astros was finalized literally just two seconds before the August 31 deadline, Sports Illustrated’s Ben Reiter reports in a behind-the-scenes look at how the blockbuster deal came together.  Unable to return to his Houston home due to Hurricane Harvey, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow ended up making the final negotiations on August 31 while trying to find a cellphone signal at his in-laws’ dining table (during a dinner party, to boot).

Braves Extend Kurt Suzuki Through 2018

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The Braves have signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a one-year deal.  MLB.com’s Mark Bowman initially reported (Twitter link) that the two sides were finalizing a new contract, with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reporting that the deal will pay Suzuki $3.5MM in 2018.  Suzuki is represented by the MVP Sports Group.

Suzuki, who turns 34 in October, came to Atlanta last winter on a one-year deal worth $1.5MM in guaranteed money.  He more than delivered on that agreement, producing a career-high 18 homers as well as a .271/.343/.525 slash line over 287 plate appearances.  Remarkably, Suzuki has an .868 OPS both at home and on the road, so his unexpected breakout at the plate can’t be entirely chalked up to the Braves’ move into hitter-friendly SunTrust Park.

Suzuki has markedly improved his hard-hit ball rate and his contact rate for pitches outside the strike zone, and his .255 Isolated Slugging mark is the third-best of any catcher with at least 275 PA this season (just one percentage point ahead of fourth-place Gary Sanchez).  Suzuki’s defense continues to garner below-average grades as per StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus, though that is a tradeoff the Braves are willing to make given Suzuki’s bat; it also doesn’t hurt that battery-mate Tyler Flowers is one of the league’s top defensive catchers.

Between Suzuki and Flowers, the Braves have generated 4.4 fWAR from the catcher position this season, more than any other team in baseball save the Buster Posey-powered Giants.  Atlanta has a $4MM club option on Flowers that seems like a no-brainer to be exercised, so the Braves head into next season looking very strong behind the plate.

Rosenthal notes that talks between Suzuki and the Braves had been ongoing “for weeks” about a new contract, so the catcher was seemingly pretty unlikely to ever hit the open market.  Still, teams looking for catching help this winter now have one less ’plan B’ type of option behind the three backstops (Jonathan Lucroy, Welington Castillo, Alex Avila) who are bound to attract the most attention amongst free agent catchers.

AL East Notes: Ubaldo, Shapiro, Blue Jays, Farrell

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With Ubaldo Jimenez making what was very likely his final home start in an Orioles uniform last night, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com wonders if the right-hander will influence how the O’s approach free agent pitching decisions in the future.  The Orioles have been notoriously hesitant about committing big money to (or even acquiring) pitchers, making their four-year, $50MM investment in Jimenez in the 2013-14 offseason a particular risk for Dan Duquette, who had to talk ownership into the signing.  In the wake of Jimenez’s struggles, Connolly wonders if the Orioles will now totally shy away from big-money deals for veteran arms.  This would, of course, complicate Duquette’s offseason work, as the O’s are known to be looking to add two starters to help their beleaguered rotation.

Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro took part in a wide-ranging interview with Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi (part one; part two) that included some mention of Josh Donaldson’s future in Toronto, though Shapiro said that the team wasn’t planning to publicly discuss such matters.  Shapiro wouldn’t confirm or deny if the team had already held any extension talks with the star third baseman, who is set to hit free agency after the 2018 season.
  • Shapiro said “Durability.  Athleticism. Flexibility” will be three of the Jays’ biggest lineup needs, noting that the team could address those needs via a corner outfielder or in a backup middle infield role behind Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis.  A large roster overhaul isn’t forthcoming, as Shapiro believes “it’s not a big leap for us” to return to postseason contention given the number of injuries and unexpected setbacks that plagued the Jays’ season.  The interview is well worth a full read, as Shapiro touches on such other subjects as player development philosophy, the team’s farm system, plans for a new Spring Training facility and renovations to Rogers Centre.
  • John Farrell’s contract as the Red Sox manager only runs through the 2018 season, and given Farrell’s relative lack of job security since Dave Dombrowski took over Boston’s baseball ops department, CSNNE.com’s Evan Drellich argues that the team should either give Farrell a long-term extension this winter or part ways with the manager.  Either decision would remove Farrell’s status as a distraction both inside or outside the clubhouse.  With the Sox closing in on their second straight AL East title, Farrell’s performance certainly seems worthy of a longer commitment, though there have been whispers that Dombrowski (like most executives) would prefer to hire his own manager, rather than stick with the manager inherited from the old regime.

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