Pirates Sign Domingo Leyba To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have signed infielder Domingo Leyba to a minor league contract, tweets John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com. Leyba is already with the club at their spring training facility.
Leyba, 27, has appeared in parts of two big league seasons but tallied only 126 plate appearances, during which time he’s posted an unsightly .152/.238/.223 batting line. While that’s certainly not the most appealing line (to put it mildly), it’s a relatively small sample of plate appearances that has built up over sporadic playing time between the D-backs and Orioles. The switch-hitter has spent parts of three seasons in Triple-A, where he’s a career .296/.342/.525 hitter in 755 trips to the plate.
Defensively, Leyba has logged substantial time at both shortstop (3615 innings) and second base (3247 innings) in his professional career. He’s also spent more than 700 innings at the hot corner and made brief appearances at first base and in left field. He’s not a burner on the basepaths by any means, but he did swipe a dozen bags in the minors with the Padres last season while only being thrown out one time.
Leyba was once a fairly well-regarded prospect, ranking as the No. 3 prospect in the Diamondbacks’ system back in 2017, per Baseball America. He’s obviously yet to pan out as hoped, but he’s still just 27 years of age and has a solid track record in the upper minors. It’s little more than a depth signing for the Pirates, who have Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, Oneil Cruz at shortstop and will hope for one of Rodolfo Castro, Ji Hwan Bae or prospect Nick Gonzales to eventually seize second base this season. Leyba can provide some insurance at all three spots, and given his Triple-A track record and defensive versatility, he could eventually pop up on the Pirates’ bench later this season.
Offseason Review Chat Transcript: Texas Rangers
As part of our annual Offseason in Review series, MLBTR is hosting team-specific chats in conjunction with each entry as it’s released. Earlier this morning, I published the Rangers installment of the series. After you check that out, click here to read the transcript of our Rangers-centric chat.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Conforto, Padres
As the Rockies brace for potentially unwelcome news on both second baseman Brendan Rodgers and lefty Lucas Gilbreath, they’re perhaps already giving fans a preview of one contingency plan. With Rodgers out indefinitely and possibly facing season-ending surgery, Colorado is deploying third baseman Ryan McMahon at second base today and giving former top prospect Elehuris Montero the start at third base. This is obviously just one permutation that the lineup could take if Rodgers is indeed lost for the season, as there are alternate options at both third base (Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones) and at second base (Alan Trejo). Non-roster invitee Harold Castro can play both spots (though defensive metrics view his glovework at both positions in a negative light). Rodgers was going for a second opinion on his shoulder yesterday after reportedly receiving an initial recommendation of surgery. The Rox should have further updates on his status before long.
More from the division…
- Turning to the Rockies‘ pitching staff, they’re facing a somewhat uncertain rotation picture to begin the season with righty Antonio Senzatela still rehabbing from last year’s torn ACL. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes in his latest mailbag that the target for Senzatela’s return is still sometime in May — as was reported last month — but Saunders provides a less-optimistic outlook on southpaw Ryan Rolison, who had shoulder surgery last June. Rolison is still “weeks away” from pitching in a game setting, which likely takes him out of the running to make starts for the club early in the 2023 season. Righty Peter Lambert, however, is healthy and has already made one Cactus League appearance after a generally lost pair of seasons in 2021-22. Lambert underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, pitched just 18 innings in 2021 after recovering, and was limited to only 8 2/3 innings in 2022 due to a forearm injury and renewed elbow troubles. If he’s healthy, the former No. 44 overall draft pick (2015) could factor into the Colorado rotation early, alongside German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Jose Urena and (likely) Austin Gomber.
- New Giants outfielder Michael Conforto has been limited to DH work so far, but he expects him to be full-go by Opening Day, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Conforto tells Heyman that his surgically repaired shoulder is back to full strength, but he’s still working to regain the accuracy on his throws from the outfield. More notably, perhaps, Heyman reports that the official diagnosis of the previously nebulous injury that prompted Conforto to undergo surgery and miss the 2022 campaign was a “capsule fracture” in his right shoulder. Conforto notably suffered a dislocation and capsule tear in his left shoulder back in 2017 as well. He returned from that injury and went on to hit .261/.365/.478 over a three-year span (2018-20) before stumbling to a .232/.344/.384 output in 2021, his last healthy season.
- Veteran lefty Cole Hamels, angling for an age-39 comeback with his hometown Padres, is slated to throw his third bullpen session of spring training today, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The goal is for roughly 35 pitches. Hamels and the Padres are aiming for the lefty to be built up to around 45 pitches before he begins facing live hitters, so there’ll likely be one more ‘pen session in the coming days before he takes that step. Meanwhile, veteran outfielder Adam Engel has been slowed by a calf strain and has yet to get into spring games. Engel, 31, figures to be San Diego’s fourth outfielder if he’s healthy enough to take the field come Opening Day. Manager Bob Melvin indicated last week that Engel wouldn’t play in the first week of spring games, but the team hasn’t provided a formal update on his status since.
Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers
In conjunction with this entry in our annual Offseason in Review series, MLBTR will be conducting a Rangers-centric chat today at 11am. You can submit a question in advance, and be sure to check back to participate live.
The Rangers didn’t replicate last year’s half-billion dollar spending bonanza, but they sure didn’t let up in terms of aggression during Chris Young’s first offseason as the lead decision-maker for baseball operations.
Major League Signings
- Jacob deGrom, RHP: Five years, $185MM (includes conditional club/player options for 2028 season)
- Nathan Eovaldi, RHP: Two years, $34MM (includes conditional 2025 player option)
- Andrew Heaney, LHP: Two years, $25MM (Heaney can opt out after 2023)
- Martin Perez, LHP: One year, $19.65MM (accepted qualifying offer)
- Robbie Grossman, OF: One year, $2MM
2023 spend: $82.15MM
Total spend: $265.65MM
Option Decisions
- Exercised $6MM club option on RHP Jose Leclerc
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RHP Jake Odorizzi and $10MM from the Braves in exchange for LHP Kolby Allard
- Traded INF/OF Nick Solak to the Reds in exchange for cash
- Traded RHP Dennis Santana to the Braves in exchange for cash
- Claimed RHP Nick Mears off waivers from the Pirates (later lost to Rockies via waivers)
Extensions
- None (yet)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Clint Frazier, Dominic Leone, Sandy Leon, Zack Littell, Reyes Moronta, Travis Jankowski, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Jacob Barnes, Joe McCarthy, Elier Hernandez, Joe Palumbo, Kyle Funkhouser, Bernardo Flores Jr.
Notable Losses
- Kole Calhoun, Matt Moore, Charlie Culberson, Nick Solak, Kolby Allard, Dennis Santana, A.J. Alexy, Kohei Arihara
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Rangers’ offseason was overseen by a baseball operations leader other than Jon Daniels. Ownership dismissed Daniels, who’d been one of MLB’s longest-tenured general managers/presidents of baseball operations, after 17 years on the job. The reins were handed to former big league pitcher Chris Young, who’s spent the past few seasons under Daniels and now has autonomy for the first time in his still-fledgling executive career.
One of Young’s first tasks was to replace manager Chris Woodward, whom Daniels had fired just days prior to his own dismissal, and it proved to be one of the highest-profile acquisitions of the winter for the Rangers. After trending toward less-experienced managers with their last two hires — both Woodward and Jeff Banister were first-time big league skippers in Texas — the Rangers instead hired one of the most experienced and well-respected managers in the game.
Bruce Bochy announced prior to the 2019 season that he planned to retire the following winter, although a year later he’d describe the situation differently, suggesting he was just “pressing the pause button” on his career and taking some time with his family. Indeed, Bochy’s managerial days appear far from over; he’s now the manager in Texas after inking a three-year deal to guide the Rangers out of what looks to be a short-lived rebuilding effort.
With a new dugout leader and revamped coaching staff in place, Young, a veteran of 13 big league seasons on the mound, set to work in building out the roster. While the 2021-22 offseason was focused largely on acquiring bats in the form of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the 2022-23 offseason looked more like one engineered by a former big league hurler. Recent top picks like Owen White, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Cole Winn are looming, but the Rangers needed instant augmentation for a rotation that ranked 25th in the Majors in ERA during the 2022 season.
And, immediate augmentation they got. Young and his staff effectively acquired an entire rotation’s worth of veteran arms on deals ranging from one to five years in length, which should provide present-day stability while also creating organic opportunities for that burgeoning crop of minor league pitching talent to force its way onto the roster. First and foremost, the Rangers made a straightforward call to offer Martin Perez a $19.65MM qualifying offer after he posted a breakout 2.89 ERA in a team-high 196 1/3 frames. A year ago, a QO for Perez would’ve seemed unthinkable, but Perez earned it with his performance last season, and it’s a sensible short-term bet on a durable lefty who made clear he hoped to stay in Texas following last winter’s reunion.
That, however, only maintained the status quo. Further help was needed, and the Rangers wasted little time in securing it. A five-year, $185MM deal for two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom shattered even the most bullish expectations; there was thought that deGrom could top Max Scherzer‘s record $43.33MM annual value on a three-year deal or perhaps even on a four-year deal, but few observers could’ve foreseen a five-year term. The length of the deal perhaps tamped down the AAV a bit, but deGrom’s $37MM AAV was the second-largest for any pitcher in history at the time of the deal and still ranks third, trailing only Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who ostensibly replaced deGrom in Queens when he signed a two-year, $86.6MM pact.
The Rangers are taking pronounced risk with deGrom, who’s pitched just 156 1/3 innings and made 26 total starts over the past two seasons. That’s understandably dropped an injury-prone label on the longtime Mets ace, but it’s worth noting that prior to 2021, deGrom embodied the workhorse mentality. He made all 12 possible starts during the shortened 2020 season and, from 2015-19, averaged 30 starts and 192 1/3 innings per season (not including postseason workload).
When healthy, deGrom is the best pitcher on the planet. He has a 2.05 ERA, 35.5% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate over his past 645 1/3 MLB frames, and although his 2021-22 seasons were shortened he’s been even better in that time: 1.90 ERA with a ludicrous 44% strikeout rate against a 3.4% walk rate. The Rangers are placing a massive bet on deGrom’s ability to return to a full season’s workload, and the risk and contract are particularly shocking when considering that he’ll turn 35 in June. That said, deGrom is so talented that he might not even need to pitch a full slate of starts for the Rangers to feel good about the return on their investment.
The other rotation bets made by Texas were similar ceiling plays with substantial injury risk. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi looked primed for another four-year deal last June, when he was sporting a 3.16 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and deGrom-esque 3.6% walk rate through 12 starts and 68 1/3 frames. Back troubles landed him on the injured list, however, and while he returned a month later, Eovaldi worked with diminished velocity before going back on the injured list with a shoulder issue. He returned to toss 9 2/3 innings of one-run ball late in the season, but again, the velocity was down considerably; Eovaldi averaged 96.7 mph on his heater through June 8 but 94.5 mph thereafter.
Nonetheless, Eovaldi’s appeal is clear. He’s the rare hard-thrower who pairs that velocity with elite command; since Opening Day 2020, Clayton Kershaw is the only starting pitcher (min. 150 total innings) with a lower walk rate than Eovaldi. From Opening Day 2020 through June 8 of this past season, Eovaldi boasted a 3.61 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate in 299 innings. He’s twice had Tommy John surgery in his career, however, and the aforementioned loss of more than two miles per hour off his heater following back and shoulder injuries is an obvious red flag. Can he regain that lost velo while maintaining his elite command and holding up for a full starter’s workload? Eovaldi has just three seasons of 150-plus innings in his MLB career, but the Rangers were bullish enough on his outlook to surrender a draft pick in order to sign him, as he’d rejected a qualifying offer from Boston. (Texas also surrendered a pick for deGrom; they parted with their second- and third-highest selections in 2023 by making those signings.)
Even higher on the risk-reward spectrum is left-hander Andrew Heaney, who was limited to 72 2/3 innings by shoulder troubles last year but transformed from a tantalizing but homer-prone blend of strikeout-walk intrigue into a legitimate buzzsaw when he was healthy with the Dodgers in 2022. The Dodgers scrapped Heaney’s curveball in favor of a new slider, and opponents were utterly bewildered by the offering.
Heaney fanned a massive 35.5% of opponents against a 6.1% walk rate en route to a 3.10 ERA. He remained homer-prone, but among the 188 pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown in 2022 (relievers and starters alike), no one induced a higher swinging-strike rate than Heaney’s 16.8%. His 39.5% opponents’ chase rate on pitches off the plate trailed only Kevin Gausman (42.7%) and Emmanuel Clase (a superhuman 49.8%).
The Rangers’ new-look rotation is teeming both with upside and with injury risk. However, the risk factor with all these rotation investments wasn’t lost on Texas. The Rangers could surely have found a team interested in acquiring pre-arbitration righties Dane Dunning or Glenn Otto after each posted back-of-the-rotation results in 2022 (4.46 ERA in 153 1/3 innings for Dunning; 4.64 ERA in 135 2/3 innings for Otto). However, Young and his crew held onto both righties — and they also swung a trade to acquire veteran Jake Odorizzi from the Braves. Odorizzi exercised a hearty $12.5MM player option, but the Braves kicked in $10MM to facilitate the swap, leaving the Rangers on the hook for just $2.5MM. For a veteran who’ll likely open in a long relief/sixth starter role, it’s an eminently affordable price to pay (especially considering how solid Odorizzi was in 2022 prior to his trade to Atlanta).
It’s feasible that over the remaining month of spring training or the first few months of the season, other clubs will inquire on the availability of anyone from the Dunning/Otto/Odorizzi trio — especially as other injuries arise on teams with less depth than the Rangers possess. There’s no urgency for Texas to move any member of that trio, though, and the mere fact that an organization that was so pitching-starved in 2022 now has that type of depth is a testament both to the work of the front office and to the commitment of ownership to field a club capable of returning to postseason contention. The Rangers even went so far as to reportedly meet with Carlos Rodon after they’d already signed deGrom, but that match obviously never came to fruition.
Of course, the rotation is just one element of the roster, and it’d be fair to wonder whether the Texas front office put enough emphasis on the rest of the team. The Rangers allowed Matt Moore to depart for a division rival (Angels) after he turned in one of the most effective seasons of any reliever in MLB last year, and they’ve done nothing to concretely replace him. Recognizable names like Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Dominic Leone, Reyes Moronta and Zack Littell were signed to minor league deals, but none are guaranteed roster spots. Meanwhile, the Rangers are also expected to be without southpaw Brett Martin for most or all of the 2023 season, after he underwent shoulder surgery.
In their defense, the Rangers are hoping to get full seasons out of both Jose Leclerc and Jonathan Hernandez in 2023. Both righties missed substantial time in 2022 while mending from Tommy John surgery performed a year prior. That’s a huge boost to the relief corps, and last year’s quiet breakout from Brock Burke and strong showing from Joe Barlow give Bochy a quality group of arms in the late innings. Still, there was room for at least one more bullpen addition. Perhaps Young & Co. have one more strike up their sleeve and will swoop on a lefty like Zack Britton, Will Smith or Brad Hand — each of whom remains unsigned — but the lack of attention to the bullpen could come back to bite them.
Similar questions abound with regard to the lineup. Semien and Seager form a quality middle infield combo. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe had a breakout showing at the plate. Jonah Heim is an underrated option behind the dish. In the outfield, Adolis Garcia has a questionable approach at the plate but a tooled-up blend of power, speed and defense that’s tough to match. Leody Taveras didn’t hit much in 2022 but can play center field better than most.
Still, that only accounts for two-thirds of the lineup. Top prospect Josh Jung will get an opportunity at third base after shoulder surgery wiped out most of his 2022 season, but he’s yet to prove himself as a big league regular. There was clear room to add a regular in left field, but the Rangers added Robbie Grossman after spring training had opened and will rely on him combining with Brad Miller, Josh Smith, Bubba Thompson, Mark Mathias and perhaps some non-roster invitees (e.g. Clint Frazier, Travis Jankowski, Elier Hernandez) to round out the outfield. At designated hitter, the Rangers seem likely to rotate several members of that left field hodgepodge.
That said, Lowe’s glovework at first makes him a DH candidate, so Texas could’ve added at least one more first base/corner outfield type of bat to deepen the lineup. Given all the money spent on the rotation and all the risk they took on in that regard, it’s a bit puzzling that Texas essentially pulled some punches when addressing the lineup. A platoon with Grossman bashing lefties and one of the Rangers’ many lefty-swinging left field candidates could prove productive, but it’s an underwhelming conclusion to an offseason that featured so many fireworks on the starting pitching front. And, if Jung gets hurt again or looks overmatched at the hot corner, there’s little in the way of veteran depth to help offset the struggles. Miller is an option, but he’s a 33-year-old seeking a rebound on the heels of a poor 2022 showing.
Jung is a big-time prospect, and there are so many bodies in the left field/designated hitter mix that it’s possible this is all much ado about nothing a few months down the line. It’s equally plausible, however, that the Rangers find themselves in the market for some corner help to bolster the lineup this summer, and at that point, the lack of attention to the the lineup would only prove more glaring. This feels like an area where they should’ve placed some greater focus, but it’s admittedly tough to be all that critical of ownership’s spending after they invested $821MM over a period of just two offseasons.
Everyone in the AL West is looking up at the Astros. The Rangers, while improved, aren’t clearly better than the Mariners after Seattle ended a 20-year postseason drought in 2022. The Angels are an improved squad as well. Even after all their spending dating back to last winter, a playoff berth is not a given for these Rangers.
It’s overwhelmingly clear, though, that this is the most formidable Rangers club we’ve seen in some time, and if they can improbably find themselves in a spot where deGrom, Eovaldi, Heaney and Jon Gray hold up for the bulk of the season alongside the more durable Perez, the Rangers could find themselves in the thick of the postseason race. You can question the risks they took, but this a team that’s clearly aiming to contend right now, and the pieces to do just that are in place — if they can avoid the injured list.
How would you grade the Rangers’ offseason?
How would you grade the Rangers' offseason?
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B 47% (1,279)
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A 35% (952)
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C 13% (343)
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D 3% (74)
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F 3% (69)
Total votes: 2,717
MLB Adds Three Former RSN Executives To Local Media Department
Major League Baseball announced this week that it has hired a trio of executives with experience at Bally Sports and AT&T SportsNet to its newly created Local Media department. Doug Johnson has been named senior vice president and executive producer of the department. Greg Pennell joins MLB as their new senior vice president of local media. Kendall Burgess has been named the department’s vice president of technical operations.
“These new hires are an important step in our preparation to address the changing landscape of MLB game distribution in light of the increasing challenges and pressure facing regional sports networks,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said in a statement within the league’s press release. “The decades of experience and expertise in game production and operations that Doug, Greg, and Kendall bring to Major League Baseball reinforces our commitment to deliver the highest quality game telecasts to our fans.”
Previously, Johnson has spent 16 years at AT&T SportsNet, managing remote and studio productions in addition to overseeing day-to-day and long-term planning of 250-plus annual events. He’ll oversee all games locally produced by MLB. Pennell comes to MLB from Bally, where he oversaw day-to-day financial operations. He’ll handle production operations of all local MLB telecasts, per the league’s release. Burgess, too, was previously with Bally, where she held the same title and provided direction for Bally’s 19 RSNs as they produced more than 4,500 annual sporting events.
All three of the new hires will report to department head Billy Chambers, a former FOX Sports exec whom MLB hired one month ago to lead the fledgling department. The very creation of MLB’s new local media department is reflective of the turmoil currently being felt throughout the RSN industry — a model that appears to be rapidly dying in a content market dominated by streaming services.
Whether things escalate to that point is dependent on the increasingly grim outlook of the two major corporations behind the RSN model. Diamond Sports Group — the corporation that owns the Bally Sports RSNs which broadcast the Angels, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, Rays, Reds, Royals, Tigers and Twins — has fewer than 30 days to pay off debts or default on those commitments after recently forgoing more than $140MM of payment to creditors.
There’s similar uncertainty regarding AT&T SportsNet, which is owned by Warner Bros Discovery. Last week, WBD announced its intent to withdraw from the RSN model, leaving the broadcast situation uncertain for the Astros, Rockies and Pirates. Per Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, WBD gave those teams a March 31 deadline to reacquire broadcasting rights before those RSNs file for chapter 7 liquidation. MLB’s Opening Day, of course, is set for March 30.
The Mariners also broadcast games via an AT&T SportsNet affiliate, but as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times wrote last week, they’re not affected by WBD’s withdrawal from the RSN business due to the fact that the team owns the majority stake in the ROOT Sports Northwest network. Network president Patrick Crumb told Baker that as far as the Mariners are concerned, it’s a “steady state” and “business as usual” for them.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has already gone on the record to state that MLB has the capacity to and is prepared to take over in-market broadcasting, should it ultimately be deemed necessary. The creation of a local media department and the hiring of three seasoned, high-ranking RSN executives meshes with Manfred’s comments about the league’s preparedness to overtake broadcasting responsibilities, if (or when) necessary. Exact permutations of how that might look are surely still being discussed. Rangers owner Ray Davis chatted with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News about that very topic yesterday, expressing obvious concern in the short-term while simultaneously voicing optimism that the looming paradigm shift could lead to a larger number of providers broadcasting games and the eventual elimination of a lot of the blackout issues that have been chief among fans’ complaints for years.
Cubs Still Open To Signing Left-Handed Reliever
Spring training is well underway, but the Cubs’ offseason work might not yet be complete. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic tweets that Chicago is still talking to some of the available left-handed relievers remaining in free agency, and president of baseball ops Jed Hoyer tells Mooney that he “wouldn’t be shocked” if he ended up bringing another arm aboard. Whether that’s on a big league or minor league deal remains to be seen.
At the moment, the only left-handed reliever on the Cubs’ roster is 27-year-old Brandon Hughes — a former 16th-round pick who wound up closing for the Cubs down the stretch on the heels of a strong debut campaign. The southpaw tossed 57 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball, fanning a strong 28.5% of his opponents against an 8.8% walk rate. Hughes logged eight saves and four holds, seeing time in higher-leverage situations as the season wore on. With no set closer in place for the Cubs, he’s one of several arms who could again be in the mix for saves during the upcoming 2023 season.
As we’ve written on multiple occasions, the lone segment of the free-agent market that still has some remaining depth is left-handed relievers. Each of Zack Britton, Will Smith and Brad Hand remain unsigned, as does veteran swingman Ross Detwiler. (Lefty Jose Alvarez is also a free agent, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery performed last September and thus won’t pitch in 2023.) Britton recently worked out for six clubs, and the Cubs were among those in attendance.
The field for Britton might be even narrower than that sextet would suggest; since the former Orioles closer held that showcase, the Angels (who were also in attendance) have signed Matt Moore. Meanwhile, the Mets (another attendee) reportedly prefer relievers who can yet be optioned to Triple-A. The Yankees, also in attendance, are loath to add further payroll commitments and step into the fourth tier of luxury penalization. The Dodgers and Rangers were the other two clubs present for Britton’s workout.
It’s been a quiet offseason with regard to Hand, though his hometown Twins have reportedly shown some degree of interest. Hand, 33 in a couple weeks, posted a 2.80 ERA in 45 innings with the Phillies last year, although as MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently explored, a lot of the secondary metrics underneath that ERA stand out as red flags. Hand’s velocity, strikeout rate, walk rate, swinging-strike rate and opponents’ chase rate all clocked in at their worst levels since he became a full-time reliever, for instance. The broader track record is plenty appealing, but it’s been a couple seasons since he was a dominant late-inning force.
It’s a similar tale with Smith — another 33-year-old southpaw whose performance has dropped off in recent years. Smith’s three-year deal with the Braves didn’t go as Atlanta hoped — though he was a key figure in their ’21 World Series run — as he posted a solid but unspectacular 3.87 ERA in 121 innings after putting pen to paper on a contract that guaranteed him $40MM. His 2022 season in Atlanta was particularly shaky, as Smith walked 12.3% of his opponents en route to a 4.38 ERA, losing his grip on the closer’s role along the way.
Smith, however, enjoyed a strong rebound effort following a trade to the Astros, who made slight alterations to his release point and pitch selection (as we outlined here a couple months ago). The Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold reported last month that the Tigers had some interest in Smith but added that other clubs with greater postseason aspirations had also inquired on the lefty. The Cubs aren’t necessarily a clear-cut contender, though they stand a better chance of reaching the playoffs than a still-rebuilding Tigers club that’s recently undergone a front office overhaul.
At this juncture of the offseason, any of the remaining relievers would fall into what’s become the Cubs’ sweet spot for bullpen acquisitions. Since their ill-fated signing of Craig Kimbrel to a lucrative three-year pact, the Cubs have shied away from multi-year deals and hefty salaries for bullpen arms. Dating back to the 2019-20 offseason, they’ve signed veterans like Mychal Givens, David Robertson, Ryan Tepera, Brad Boxberger, Chris Martin, Daniel Norris, Brandon Workman and Trevor Williams in free agency — but all have been on one-year deals with guarantees randing from $1.75MM to $5MM. With limited demand for free agents on MLB deals, it seems feasible that any of Britton, Smith or Hand could be had for something in that general price range.
The Athletics’ Outfield Dilemma
In late January, I took a look at some of the Athletics’ options in what’s a generally crowded mix of rotation possibilities. Calling it a true logjam or crunch might overstate things a bit, as those monikers are typically more appropriate when there are more established players than there are spots to go around. For the A’s, it was more a matter how they can divide up the innings among a wide variety of unproven names.
Similar questions persist in the outfield, where Oakland has one lock for playing time and otherwise a carousel of names who could rotate through the remaining spots. Ramon Laureano is a fixture in the outfield and will continue to be through much of the season’s first half, at least (health-permitting). Laureano can play all three spots but has been better in right field than in center recently. He’s coming off a disappointing .211/.287/.376 batting line in 2022, but from 2018-21 he slashed .263/.335/.465 while playing quality defense.
Were it not for injuries and an 80-game PED suspension derailing Laureano’s trajectory, he might already have been traded by now. The A’s have gutted the rest of the roster while embarking on their latest rebuild, but Laureano is one of the few remaining veterans. Trading him this offseason would’ve been selling low, but it’d only take a couple months of productive ball to restore some of the 2018-21 shine. With a good showing in April, May and June, expect Laureano to be among the more talked-about trade candidates on the summer market.
Because of that, he should be penciled in for full-time at-bats in the outfield. It seems likely that’ll come more in the corners than in center, but whatever form it takes, Laureano’s going to be out there every day.
As far as the rest of the outfield is concerned, things are far murkier. Let’s take a look at who’ll be vying for playing time…
On the 40-man roster
Cristian Pache, 24, RHH, no minor league options remaining
Pache’s lack of minor league options and lack of production in either Triple-A or the Majors make him the most confounding player of this group. He’s still just 24 years old, is considered to be an elite defender, and as recently as the 2020-21 offseason was considered to be among the 20 best prospects in all of baseball. Pache’s bat simply hasn’t developed, however, evidenced by a disastrous .156/.205/.254 batting line in 332 MLB plate appearances and an ugly .248/.298/.389 showing in Triple-A last season. Pache posted five Defensive Runs Saved and eight Outs Above Average in only 646 innings last year. He’s one of the best defensive players in the game but currently one of its worst hitters. The A’s can’t send him down without exposing him to waivers, and the glove alone would probably get Pache claimed. At the same time, it’s hard to keep trotting him out there with such an anemic batting line. Giving up on Pache as an everyday player and relegating him to a bench role is also unpalatable, though, given his youth and the fact that he was one of the key pieces in the trade that sent Matt Olson to the Braves. The A’s have to hope Pache can somehow develop his offensive approach at the big league level, and if he can’t, he could eventually force them into a tough decision. A big spring could also position him as a trade candidate; manager Mark Kotsay candidly admitted last month that Pache could be “showcasing himself for 29 other teams.”
Esteury Ruiz, 24, RHH, two minor league options remaining
The Pache dilemma is exacerbated by the fact that the A’s acquired another potential center fielder in this offseason’s Sean Murphy trade. The 24-year-old Ruiz stole a whopping 86 bases in 2022 and is considered among the fastest players in the sport. Like Pache, he has the potential for plus range in center, though scouting reports are far more bullish on Pache’s instincts and overall defensive prowess. There are some similar red flags with Ruiz’s game, though his minor league numbers are a sight to behold. He hit .332/.447/.526 in 541 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but Ruiz also posted bottom-of-the-scale exit velocity and hard contact numbers. His lack of hard contact can be somewhat erased by what’ll surely be plenty of infield hits, but there are questions about how impactful his bat and glove can be at the game’s top level. He’s ready for a look right now, but playing time will depend on how the A’s view Pache and, quite likely, their other offseason outfield acquisition. Speaking of which…
JJ Bleday, 25, LHH, three minor league options remaining
Acquired in a straight-up swap for reliever A.J. Puk, Bleday is a former No. 4 overall draft pick whose prospect star has dimmed in recent years as he’s struggled throughout the minors. The Marlins have spent several years in search of an everyday center fielder and still don’t have one, yet they were content to trade Bleday for a controllable bullpen piece. Scouting reports on Bleday peg him as more of a left fielder, and clearly the Marlins agree, or else they wouldn’t have moved on. Bleday has above-average raw power, but he strikes out and pops up too often in trying to get to it in a game setting. He’s a career .225/.337/.409 hitter in the minors, and his strikeout rate has risen at every level, topping out at 27% in Triple-A last year and 28.2% in his 238-plate appearance MLB debut. Bleday took 605 PAs between Triple-A and the Majors last season and, in addition to 166 strikeouts, he popped up a staggering 33 times. That’s an automatic out in nearly one-third of his plate appearances. The A’s can offer some new coaching perspective, so perhaps they can unlock something in Bleday that the Marlins couldn’t, but so far the results on Bleday haven’t come close to aligning with his draft status.
Seth Brown, 30, LHH, two minor league options remaining
Because Brown has spent so much time at first base and in right field (688 innings apiece), it may be a surprise to many that he’s also logged 141 innings in center. He’s not a great option there, but Brown can handle the spot in a pinch and can cycle through all three outfield spots, first base and designated hitter. He’ll have free-agent signee Jesus Aguilar and Oakland’s Rule 5 pick Ryan Noda (more on him in a bit) competing for time at those positions, however, so Brown could see a fair bit of outfield work. The 30-year-old Brown smashed 25 home runs last year and stands as one of the team’s primary power threats. Virtually all of his MLB production has come against righties, which leads to some easy platoon maneuverings. Brown will be arbitration-eligible next winter, and if he continues bashing righties in the first half, he’ll join Laureano on the trade market.
Tony Kemp, 31, LHH, cannot be optioned without his consent (five-plus years of service time)
One of the team’s elder statesmen at just 31 years of age, Kemp is another likely summer trade candidate. He’s spent more time at second base than in left field over the past few seasons, but he’s played both with a fair degree of regularity. Oakland’s signing of Aledmys Diaz could cut into his time at second base, though. Kemp, like Brown, is a better hitter against righties, though the split isn’t as glaring in his case. He should be out there regularly to begin the season, but the presence of Diaz and looming prospect Zack Gelof feels like it’ll eventually lead to a trade, so long as Kemp is playing reasonably well.
Aledmys Diaz, 32, RHH, cannot be optioned
The A’s needed to spend some money this offseason, and luring free-agent bats to a last-place club in a cavernous home park can’t be easy. They paid up on a pair of multi-year deals for versatile infield/outfield veterans Diaz and Jace Peterson (the former of whom seems ticketed for regular work at third base). Diaz can act as a left-handed complement to Kemp at second base, mix in at all four infield slots and will probably also see occasional time in left field and at designated hitter. He’s making more than $7MM this season, which is a sizable sum by Oakland’s standards, so expect him to play fairly regularly.
Ryan Noda, 26, LHH, cannot be optioned (Rule 5 Draft pick)
Noda will need to earn his way onto the roster, but he’s a first base/corner outfield slugger who was blocked in Los Angeles by names like Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. With the A’s, there are no such roadblocks to playing time, and he’ll get the chance to prove his career .894 OPS in the minors, including a .259/.396/.474 showing in Triple-A Oklahoma City last year can carry over to the big league level, to some extent. Noda, 27 later this month, has nearly twice as much first base time as he does corner outfield time in his pro career, but the A’s grabbed him for his bat, and he’ll get chances against righties so long as he earns a spot this spring.
Conner Capel, 25, LHH, two minor league options remaining
Capel posted a respectable .264/.364/.422 slash in Triple-A between the Cardinals and the A’s (who claimed him off waivers from St. Louis) in 2022. A 40-plate appearance cup of coffee in Oakland resulted in an eye-popping .371/.425/.600 slash late in the season, though a .423 average on balls in play in that tiny sample had plenty to do with it. Capel’s minor league track record is more solid than standout, but he’s on the 40-man roster and will try to hit his way into an Opening Day roster spot, even if he doesn’t share the recent production and/or prospect pedigree of some of his competitors.
Cal Stevenson, 26, LHH, two minor league options remaining
A thrice-traded former 10th-round pick, Stevenson turned heads with a .322/.413/.529 output in Triple-A last year — his first season in the A’s organization. That came on the heels of his inclusion in the trade sending Christian Bethancourt from Oakland to Tampa Bay, and Stevenson’s overall Triple-A output clocked in at .284/.389/.413 in 307 plate appearances. Stevenson walks at a high clip and has strong bat-to-ball skills, but he’s not a premium defender and has never topped nine home runs in a full season.
Brent Rooker, 28, RHH, one minor league option remaining
The former No. 35 overall pick (Minnesota, 2017), Rooker came to the A’s by way of a waiver claim. Oakland is his fourth team in the past calendar year, as clubs continue to be intrigued by his raw power and minor league production even as injuries and MLB struggles have undercut his appeal. Rooker is a first baseman/left fielder who has a career .274/.387/.590 slash and 62 dingers in 906 Triple-A plate appearances, but he’s mustered tepid .200/.289/.379 line in 270 big league plate appearances. It’s big-time right-handed pop, but Rooker needs to cut back on the 31.9% strikeout rate he’s shown in the Majors.
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Given the slate of options already on the 40-man roster, it’s not a huge surprise that the A’s didn’t add a ton of minor league outfield depth over the winter. Cody Thomas was retained after they passed him through waivers following a DFA, and he’s in camp as a non-roster invitee. Thomas carved up Triple-A pitching in 2021 but missed nearly all of 2022 on the injured list. If he can get back to that ’21 form (.289/.363/.665), he could get another look in 2023. Meanwhile, old friend Greg Deichmann is back in the organization on his own minor league deal after scuffling in his lone full season with the Cubs (who acquired him in the 2021 trade that sent Andrew Chafin from Chicago to Oakland).
Looking just at the names on the 40-man roster, there are clearly far more bodies than at-bats to go around. The A’s are somewhat handcuffed by Pache’s lack of options, so he seems likely to make the roster and occupy at least a part-time role. Both Ruiz and Bleday are clearly viewed as potential outfield regulars by the Athletics’ front office, though neither is a necessary lock to break camp on the active roster (even if they’ll surely be given every opportunity to do so). The A’s are the perfect club to carry someone like Noda — a polished upper-minors hitter who can’t be optioned given his Rule 5 status — but they’ll need to also get Kemp and Brown sufficient at-bats (particularly if the goal is ultimately to trade one or both this summer).
Each of Capel, Stevenson and Rooker could factor into plans as well, though that trio ostensibly feels more like upper-minors depth or perhaps part-time options off the bench. On many clubs, playing time with this type of saturated outfield mix would boil down to a meritocracy, but the rebuilding A’s can and likely will be more patient with out-of-options players, Rule 5 selections and hopeful summer trade chips.
It’s a fluid situation, one without clear answers. An ideal situation would see Laureano, Brown and Kemp play well enough to be traded for decent returns, while Pache takes enough of a step forward to hold down center field as Ruiz and Bleday emerge as viable options on either side of him (all while Noda hits enough to seize the first base job). Things rarely work out so smoothly for any club, however. The A’s badly need some of their newly acquired outfield talent to pan out, though, as last offseason’s slate of trades did little to improve the long-term outlook. How they allot playing time on the path to reaching that end goal will be one of the key stories to monitor for A’s fans this year.
Padres To Sign Rougned Odor
The Padres have agreed to a deal with free-agent second baseman Rougned Odor, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Odor, a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, has already arrived at Padres camp this morning, tweets AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
Odor and the Padres agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, tweets Cassavell. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune adds that Odor still needs to pass a physical before the deal becomes official. That process will get underway shortly.
Odor, still just 29, reached the big leagues as a 20-year-old with the Rangers back in 2014 and, by 2016, looked like one of baseball’s best young second basemen. To that point in his career, he’d slashed .265/.302/.464 while steadily increasing his power output. Odor belted 33 home runs in 2016, offsetting a woeful 3.0% walk rate and .296 OBP with huge power, solid bat-to-ball skills and quality defense at second base.
That ability to make contact has waned over the years, however, and Odor’s production at the plate has been dismal of late. Dating back to 2019, he’s a .201/.274/.398 hitter (78 wRC+). He’s begun to take more walks, but his 7.6% rate over the past four seasons is still below average. Meanwhile, his once better-than-average strikeout rate has ballooned to 27.8% since ’19. He did improve on that front with the Orioles last year (23.1%), but the 2022 season also included Odor’s lowest power output since his rookie season (13 home runs in 472 plate appearances, .150 ISO).
San Diego currently projects to have right-handed bats at third base (Manny Machado), shortstop (Xander Bogaerts) and second base (Ha-Seong Kim), as well as an all-right-handed bench (Luis Campusano, Jose Azocar, Adam Engel, Brandon Dixon). Odor will compete for a spot as a lefty option off the bench, joining non-roster veterans like David Dahl, Preston Tucker, Alfonso Rivas and Max Schrock in that regard. He’ll also give the Padres some depth during the World Baseball Classic, with both Kim and Bogaerts away from the club representing their respective countries.
The agreement between the Padres and Odor marks yet another reunion between a former Ranger farmhand and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, who previously was an assistant GM in Texas. Over the past several years under Preller, the Padres have also taken looks at veterans such as Jurickson Profar, Ian Kinsler, Nomar Mazara, Keone Kela, Mitch Moreland, Carl Edwards Jr. and Luis Sardinas — among many others. The current roster features former Rangers Yu Darvish, Nelson Cruz and Nick Martinez.
Guardians’ Sam Hentges Shut Down Due To Shoulder Issue
Guardians reliever Sam Hentges has been shut down due to a shoulder issue and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis moving forward, manager Terry Francona announced this morning (link via Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). Hentges felt discomfort after his most recent spring outing, and a subsequent MRI revealed inflammation.
“Week-to-week” is an ominous designation for Hentges, who quietly broke out as one of the best lefty relievers in the league last season. The 26-year-old logged 62 innings of 2.32 ERA ball for Cleveland in 2022, fanning a hefty 29.4% of his opponents against a better-than-average 7.8% walk rate and a mammoth 61.5% ground-ball rate. He allowed just three home runs on the season and, in addition to dominating left-handed batters (.143/.194/.176), held right-handers in check as well (.215/.301/.315).
It was a remarkable transition for Hentges, a former fourth-round pick (2014) who’d made his MLB debut in 2021 but struggled as both a starter and a reliever during that rookie campaign. Hentges pitched nearly the same number of innings in ’21 (68 1/3) but was rocked for a 6.68 ERA with vastly inferior strikeout (21.4%), walk (10.1%) and ground-ball rates (45.8%) to the ones he recorded in ’22. Hentges scaled back the usage of his four-seamer, slider and curveball during his sophomore season in Cleveland, instead leaning heavily into his sinker. He also saw his average velocity jump considerably — from 94.8 mph to 96.1 mph on the four-seamer and from 93.3 mph to 95.7 mph on the sinker — when working exclusively in shorter stints.
Hentges wasn’t limited to one-inning stints during that breakout showing, either. He worked more than one inning in 26% of his appearances in 2022 and on six occasions completed two or more frames. That prevented him from ever working on three consecutive days, but he was still a vital cog in what was one of MLB’s best bullpens in 2022; Guardians relievers worked to a collective 3.05 ERA — the fifth-best mark in the Majors. The Cleveland bullpen also ranked sixth in strikeout rate, seventh in home-run rate and ninth in walk rate.
As it stands, Hentges is the only lefty projected for a spot in Francona’s bullpen to begin the season. Tim Herrin is the lone southpaw reliever elsewhere on the 40-man, though lefty starters Joey Cantillo or Konnor Pilkington could potentially be called upon as bullpen options if needed. Lefties Phillip Diehl and Caleb Baragar signed minor league contracts with non-roster invites over the winter, and homegrown southpaw Andrew Misiaszek also got an invite to camp.
There’s no indication at this time that Hentges is in jeopardy of missing a substantial chunk of the regular season, but if the Guards want to add some insurance, the free-agent market still has a few notable names. Zack Britton, Will Smith and old friend Brad Hand are all currently unsigned.
Brewers’ Tyrone Taylor Out For First Month Of Season
Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor will miss at least the first month of the season, manager Craig Counsell announced to reporters this morning (Twitter link via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). Taylor underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sprained right elbow and will be shut down from all baseball activity for at least the next three weeks. That’ll wipe out the majority, if not all of the remainder of spring training for the 29-year-old, and he’ll need to build back up to game readiness whenever he’s cleared.
Heading into camp, Taylor looked assured of a roster spot on the heels of last season’s .233/.286/.442 batting line. While the batting average and OBP marks left plenty to be desired, Taylor connected on 17 home runs in just 405 plate appearances, adding in 21 doubles, three triples and three steals as well. Defensively, he was excellent, logging time at all three slots and turning in collectively positive grades in Defensive Runs Saved (6), Ultimate Zone Rating (2.0) and Outs Above Average (6).
Taylor was also slated to be perhaps the lone right-handed bat in the Brewers’ outfield mix. Left fielder Christian Yelich, center fielder Garrett Mitchell and corner outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker all bat from the left side of the dish, as does top prospect Sal Frelick, who tore through three minor league levels in 2022 and now sits on the cusp of the big leagues.
With Taylor sidelined, the Brewers have several options they can explore. Third baseman Brian Anderson could wind up logging more time in right field than initially planned, with Luis Urias manning third base on a regular basis as prospect Brice Turang steps up as the primary option at second base. Milwaukee could also run Winker and Yelich in the corners more regularly, freeing up some extra DH at-bats that would perhaps allow non-roster invitee Luke Voit to make the club. Switch-hitting Blake Perkins, who signed a Major League deal over the winter despite never having appeared in the big leagues, could get a longer look as a possible outfield option, too, given that he’s on the 40-man roster.
Others in camp who stand an increased chance of making the club with Taylor sidelined for at least a month include Tyler Naquin, prospect Joey Wiemer and minor league veterans Skye Bolt and Monte Harrison. All four of Naquin, Wiemer, Bolt and Harrison are non-roster invitees this spring, and all but the lefty-swinging Naquin would give the Brewers another right-handed bat to balance the outfield. (Bolt is a switch-hitter.)
If the Brewers want to look outside the organization, the eventual trade and waiver markets will surely offer some options. It seems unlikely that a month-plus without Taylor would prompt the Brewers to make a relatively large splash for Jurickson Profar, the top remaining free agent. Albert Almora also remains unsigned, and he could be an alternative to add to camp on a potential non-roster deal. Like Taylor, he’s a 29-year-old righty bat capable of playing all three outfield spots.
It’s been a tough start to camp for the Brewers from a health vantage point. Milwaukee will be without left-hander Aaron Ashby until at least mid-May as he works his way through shoulder fatigue, and right-hander Jason Alexander — one of their depth options in the rotation — will also be out for at least a month with shoulder troubles.