Matt den Dekker Joins Charleston Southern Coaching Staff
Former Mets and Nationals outfielder Matt den Dekker has been named to the coaching staff at Charleston Southern University, the school announced today. He’ll work with the Buccaneers’ hitters and outfielders.
The 32-year-old den Dekker announced his retirement as a player last summer and, per CSU’s press release, returned to the University of Florida to serve as a student-assistant coach this past season. He’ll now take up a full-time coaching position at a Division-I program as he embarks on the next step in his baseball journey. At Charleston Southern, den Dekker will join a program that has produced a handful of draft picks over the past couple decades, including eventual big leaguers Tyler Thornburg, Bobby Parnell and R.J. Swindle.
“His time at Florida as a player and assistant yielded excellent results,” head coach Marc MacMillan said of den Dekker in today’s announcement, “and his Major League Baseball career earned him great respect from all that he came in contact with on a daily basis. The strong recommendations he received, his understanding of the importance of building relationships with our players; and both his knowledge and verbiage for hitting and outfield play made a lasting impression on me.”
We haven’t seen den Dekker in the big leagues since he briefly resurfaced with his original organization, the Mets, back in 2018. But he appeared in 166 games from 2013-18, batting a combined .223/.303/.337 while drawing plus marks for his defense at all three outfield positions.
MLBPA Pushes Back Against Boras’ Offer To Cover Salaries Of Released Minor League Clients
Agent Scott Boras last week pledged to pay the salaries of his released minor league clients, as first reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). At the time, Boras called the releases “completely unanticipated” and expressed a desire to make sure those clients received the income they’d anticipated. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic now reports (subscription link) that the MLBPA nixed the gesture because it violates the union’s agent regulations, which stipulate:
Any gifts or promise of gifts, of money or of any other thing with an aggregate value exceeding $500 U.S. in any calendar year, by an Expert Agent Advisor to any single player, or any persons related to or associated with such player, are prohibited.
Other agents were understandably opposed, feeling it could set a precedent of paying to retain clients in other scenarios. It’s not hard to see the manner in which they could fear such a gesture snowballing — be it in the form of increased pressure to follow suit or in the form of released clients jumping ship to the Boras Corporation (or any other agency willing to cover unexpected salary losses in 2020). Boras won’t be disciplined by the MLBPA, Rosenthal adds.
The massive wave of minor league releases in late May and early June came as the agreed-upon window to pay minor leaguers a $400 weekly stipend expired. Many of those players might’ve been cut near the end of Spring Training — spring cuts didn’t happen due to the pandemic shutdown — or prior to the amateur draft in a normal season anyhow. But there were countless others who found themselves cut largely because of the likely cancellation of the minor league season. Between that likelihood and the looming specter of minor league contraction, which feels increasingly inevitable, most expect that there simply won’t be as many minor league jobs to go around once play resumes. A few clubs (e.g. Royals, Tigers, Twins) opted not to cut any minor leaguers, but we saw many other teams cut 30, 40 or even 50-plus minor leaguers apiece.
That Boras even attempted to step in underscores the manner in which minor league players are underrepresented. And on the surface, it’s a rather backwards sentiment to think that the MLB Players Association spoke out to prohibit a gesture that would’ve helped to protect the livelihood of several players. However, minor league players don’t pay union dues and aren’t protected by the MLBPA as a result. The union’s objection is sensible, but that shouldn’t overshadow the reality that we’re past due for a change to the overall minor league compensation structure. Notably, tonight’s MLBPA counter-proposal to MLB is reported to include the establishment of a joint $5MM fund which would, in part, support minor league players.
Tigers Notes: Torkelson, Draft, Pitching Prospects
The Tigers will be on the clock with the top pick in the shortened, five-round MLB draft tomorrow night, and although general manager Al Avila unsurprisingly declined to tip his hand in speaking with reporters today, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News writes that Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson is expected to be the pick “unless something bizarre occurs.” Torkelson has long been regarded as a potential, if not likely No. 1 overall pick, having put together an outrageous NCAA career at the plate (.337/.463/.729) while wowing scouts with elite power, a keen eye at the plate and a potentially strong hit tool. Detroit has the second-largest bonus pool in this year’s draft, due largely to the No. 1 overall selection’s $8.415MM slot value.
Even beyond the selections the Tigers will make over the next two days, though, Avila feels the club will be well-positioned to lure in undrafted amateurs, Henning’s colleague Chris McCosky writes. Bonuses for undrafted players are capped at just $20K, so the Tigers won’t be able outbid other teams, but Avila touts the manner in which his organization has embraced “modern technology” as both an advantage for luring undrafted players and preparing for the draft in general. The club’s bolstered analytics department proved vital for draft preparation in the absence of conventional scouting opportunities, Avila says. He adds that the team’s recruiting message and the clear opportunities at the MLB level both work in their favor as well.
This marks the second time in three years that the Tigers have landed the No. 1 overall selection. In 2018, the top pick led Detroit to former Auburn ace Casey Mize, who now joins fellow Tigers farmhands Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal among baseball’s premier pitching prospects. Each had been ticketed for Triple-A, but Avila acknowledges that the likely lack of a minor league season has at least led to discussion about some of the organization’s top pitching prospects beginning to log innings at the MLB level in 2020.
Avila cautions that “no final decision” has been made and call the debate a “work in progress.” The Tigers, of course, still view their rebuild as an ongoing process and likely won’t be inclined to rush any of their prized arms to the Majors. The determination surely depends on what other developmental opportunities present themselves, too. While virtually everyone expects the minor league season to be canceled, there’s been talk of a potentially expanded Arizona Fall League format and the advent of a Florida Fall League, which could give high-end prospects like Mize, Manning and Skubal some much-needed developmental reps against similarly touted minor league hitters.
MLBPA To Propose 89-Game Schedule In Latest Offer To MLB
The Major League Baseball Players Association is preparing to send a counter-proposal to the league which will call for 89 games at prorated salaries and expanded playoffs, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter thread). It’s 25 fewer games than the 114-game proposal the union last sent and 13 games more than MLB’s 76-game proposal on Monday. Of course, the league’s proposal only guaranteed players 50 percent of their prorated salaries — plus another 25 percent should a 16-team postseason be played to completion. As such, it’s hard to envision this deal being accepted — or even considered — by the league.
The new number of games does bring the midpoint between the two proposals to 82 games — the originally proposed number by the league. And ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the union proposal contains expanded 16-team playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, which would surely hold appeal to ownership. The Athletic’s Evan Drellich adds that the players’ share of the playoff pool would be set at $50MM in the event that attendance is either limited or prohibited. Should fans be able to attend — unlikely in 2020 but plausible in 2021 — the players’ share would be dependent on gate revenue, as usual.
The players are also willing to commit to “broadcast enhancements” in the regular season and the playoffs, per Rogers, which would presumably lead to players regularly being mic’ed up to interact with the broadcast team during play. They’d also concede that non-high-risk players opting not to play during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. players who have family members at higher risk) would not receive salary or service time. High-risk players could opt not to play and still receive both.
Tonight’s proposal also contains several new elements. Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller tweets that an All-Star Game and Home Run Derby could be held after the World Series concludes — which could create further revenue for teams. The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond, meanwhile, tweets that the union proposal seeks to establish a joint, $5MM fund with the league to support minor league players and drive social justice initiatives.
Still, the biggest issue hasn’t been the potential for expanded postseason play or even the overall number of games, but rather the disagreement on player salary. The union has steadfastly insisted upon prorated salaries, while ownership has continued to push the notion that additional pay cuts are necessary (while making brash claims about team profitability). Ownership has also staunchly refused to consider playing beyond the end of October, and that’s sure to be another roadblock in this latest proposal; Rogers reports that the proposal calls for the regular season to begin on July 10 and run through Oct. 11. As Diamond observes, that would ensure that MLB playoffs don’t go up against the NBA playoffs, which are set to conclude on Oct. 12.
If the sides cannot come to an agreement on salary terms, it seems increasingly likely that commissioner Rob Manfred will implement a roughly 50-game season with prorated salaries. All of the reported components of tonight’s proposal may create optimism that an actual negotiation could finally commence, but MLB Network’s Jon Heyman gives plenty of reason for caution (Twitter link). One ownership source reacted to Heyman: “We’re nowhere.”
Matt Harvey Has Received KBO, NPB Interest
June 9: Harvey has also drawn interest from teams in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
June 5: Former Mets ace Matt Harvey recently made known that he’s throwing regular bullpen sessions and hoping for another shot in the Majors, but the right-hander has also received interest from at least one club in the Korea Baseball Organization, MLBTR has confirmed. SBS in South Korea reported yesterday that Harvey had received interest and is at least open to the idea.
That said, there are some notable caveats to consider. Harvey does not appear to have received an offer, and the team in question is not focused solely on Harvey, a source tells MLBTR. It’s possible that the club could ultimately extend an offer to another pitcher of interest. KBO teams are capped at the number of foreign players they’re allowed to roster at the same time, so it’s not likely that the interested team would pursue multiple arms.
Furthermore, there are still some real obstacles with regard to actually getting a foreign pitcher up to speed with a KBO club. Daniel Kim of South Korea’s MBC recently tweeted that teams believe it could take four to six weeks to get a new player into game action. Beyond the actual negotiation and paperwork, the incoming player would need to go into a mandatory two-week quarantine upon arriving in South Korea. Pitchers, in particular, would then need some time to build up to game readiness. Just as many signed pitchers throughout MLB feel they’ll need a minimum three-week ramp-up period before returning to play, Harvey or any other pitcher would need a few weeks to build up his pitch counts.
It’s hard not to wonder what it’d be like to see a player who was at one time such a high-profile star make his way over to the KBO. There’d be some risks for Harvey, as a poor showing in the KBO would only further limit his appeal to MLB teams. Still, given the likely absence of a minor league season in 2020, it’s not as though he can hope for the opportunity to go prove himself in a Triple-A setting. Harvey’s most direct path back to the Majors right now is to hope that a team would be willing to carry him on an expanded roster/taxi squad, but his ugly 2019 numbers might make that a difficult path to achieve. A strong showing in the KBO could serve as a half-season audition for Major League clubs in 2021 and/or lead to 2021 offers in the KBO or Japan’s NPB.
Harvey, 31, struggled with the Angels in 2019 when he totaled 59 2/3 innings with a 7.09 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. He had a solid run in Cincinnati following a trade in 2018, though, pitching to a 4.50 ERA and 4.33 FIP in 24 starts. By all accounts, he fit in well in the Reds’ clubhouse, and Harvey himself spoke to the New York Post’s Dan Martin last month about the manner in which he feels he’s grown since his early years with the Mets. “I’ve grown up and matured on and off the field,” Harvey told Martin. “There are a lot of things I’d do differently, but I don’t like to live with regret.”
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams or, if you prefer, follow along in the embedded frame below:
Denard Span Discusses His Decision To Walk Away
Denard Span has played 11 seasons at the big league level, totaling 1359 games and 5956 plate appearances, but the former Twins, Nationals, Giants, Rays and Mariners outfielder confirmed to MLBTR this week that he’s suited up for the final time.
“I would say, in my heart, once I didn’t sign a contract going into the 2020 season, that was it for me,” said Span. Retirement, however, is a bittersweet step for the 36-year-old, who’d have preferred to walk away from the game on his own terms. Instead, changes to the free-agent landscape and the manner in which teams evaluate players left Span feeling conflicted as he sought a new team in the 2018-19 offseason.
“I’m a man of principles, and when those principles aren’t met, I can’t go along with it,” Span explained. “…I honestly recognize that I’m not the player that I was when I was in D.C. or when I was in Minnesota. But, I still know that I have value. I’m not a center fielder or premier player anymore, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help a ballclub win a championship or win games. I’m not the $12MM player anymore, but from what I did [in 2018], that doesn’t tell me I’m worth $1MM or worth $1.5MM or worth league minimum. I got an offer for league minimum. It was just unreal.”
Span indeed put together a solid campaign in 2018, tallying 501 plate appearances between the Rays and Mariners with a combined .261/.341/.419 batting line. He connected on 11 home runs, 22 doubles and seven triples while swiping nine bases in 13 tries. Both OPS+ and wRC+ agreed that his bat was 12 percent better than that of a league-average hitter. Through 137 games, Baseball-Reference pegged him at 2.1 wins above replacement — FanGraphs at 1.5.
“For me, how do you go from 500 at-bats, being a productive player — you look over the course of my career, I’ve never been a problem in the clubhouse, either — how do you equate that to $1.5MM or all the way down to league minimum?” Span asked rhetorically.
The timing of the offers was difficult on Span and his young family as well, ranging from late January through the first week of the regular season. Any offers received were of the “take it or leave it” variety, Span added, as opposed to a few years ago when there was more negotiation. Once Spring Training was underway, he finally received offers from multiple clubs at once — on minor league deals.
“It just was like, ‘How did I get to this point where now I have to prove that I can play when I just had 500 at-bats last year?'” Span continued.
Span’s comments strike a similar tone to those recently expressed by former Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett. The 30-year-old Gennett, who didn’t sign a contract this winter, spoke to Doug Fernandes of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune last month about “not conforming” to what he “[doesn’t] think is right.” Gennett set a value on his skills and on the trade-off of being “220 days away from family,” ultimately opting not to compromise. Span viewed the decision similarly.
“I just couldn’t see myself at this point in my career giving in or compromising myself — especially where I’m at in my life, being a husband and a father,” said Span, who is married and has two children under three years old. “It’s already hard enough to be away from my family, and now they want me to play for less than what I humbly feel I deserve. I’m not saying I’m worth $10MM. I’m saying I’m worth more than what they offered me.”
Span and Gennett are hardly the only big leaguers frustrated by the changes to the free-agent landscape in recent years. We’re not far removed from a 2017-18 offseason that proved to be one of the most frigid in recent memory for free agents. The lack of activity on the middle and lower tiers of the free-agent market that winter helped to set the stage for much of the league/union tension that has negatively impacted the currently ongoing return-to-play talks and will certainly impact the next wave of collective bargaining in 2021.
While it’s true that the game’s top stars — particularly those still shy of 30 — have generally been able to secure considerable free-agent contracts, the 2017-18 and 2018-19 offseasons also featured an erosion of the “middle class” of free agents. (There’s a reason Adam Jones is preparing to play in Japan, after all.) Span himself noted that not long ago, veterans at the same point in their careers as he was following the 2018 season could even reasonably expect to find two-year deals. Rajai Davis, David DeJesus and Chris Young are among the numerous outfielders who signed two-year deals in the $10MM range from 2013-16.
In today’s game, comparable veterans like Kevin Pillar, Brock Holt and Asdrubal Cabrera have begun to settle for one-year pacts, and those who do find multi-year guarantees typically take a smaller salary. Wilmer Flores (two years, $6.25MM this offseason), Austin Jackson (two years, $6MM in 2018) and Howie Kendrick (two years, $7MM in 2018) are a few examples. With teams now suddenly experiencing unprecedented revenue losses, and with a likely aggressive wave of non-tenders on the horizon, it seems unlikely that the trend will change anytime soon. It’s eminently possible that other veterans will feel obligated to follow the same path as Span.
All told, Span will officially walk away from baseball with a lifetime .281/.347/.398 batting line, 71 home runs, 265 doubles, 72 triples, 185 stolen bases, 773 runs scored, 490 runs batted in and 28 wins above replacement. The 2002 first-round pick walked in 8.6 percent of his plate appearances, struck out at just a 12 percent clip and was a positive contributor on the bases and with the glove for the vast majority of his time in the big leagues. Between his draft bonus, his first extension with the Twins and his three-year deal with the Giants, Span earned more than $58MM as a player. His 2018 production suggests that he could likely have added to those totals, but Span will instead turn his full focus to his family, taking solace in the fact that he stuck to his convictions:
“At the end of the day, I want people to get that I didn’t play because of principles. Point blank.”
Latest On Health & Safety Negotiations Between MLB, MLBPA
Major League Baseball’s latest proposal for the 2020 campaign hasn’t been met with open arms by the players. As the two sides continue to butt heads over the financial aspects of the 2020 season, there are also considerable health and safety guidelines that need to be negotiated.
This morning’s proposal, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), would require players to sign an “acknowledgement of risk” waiver, which gives many in the union pause. Players are wary that upon signing such a waiver, they’d be unable to take any action should they feel the league provided an unsafe work environment.
Another potential hurdle to clear is that the league does not appear inclined to compensate players who opt out over concerns regarding the health of family members in either salary or service time. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that immunocompromised players — e.g. Carlos Carrasco, who missed much of 2019 while battling leukemia — could opt not to play but still receive both service time and salary. (Per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, via Twitter, the league would define high-risk individuals as those who “may be more likely to suffer severe illness as a result of COVID-19 than others. … Individuals who, by virtue of their age or medical history, are at a materially higher risk … of complications.”
Players who aren’t willing to play due to similar concerns regarding a spouse, child, parent, etc., however, are viewed differently. Heyman indicates that the union is at least seeking service time for those players that opt not to play for reasons other than their own added susceptibility to coronavirus complications.
Perhaps most concerning, though, is the lack of communication between the league, the 30 clubs themselves and the local governing bodies that are overseeing broader efforts to deal with the public health threat posed by the coronavirus. Bradford William Davis of the New York Daily News reports that few of the relevant local authorities have been meaningfully engaged on plans.
It’s a bit surprising that some of these boxes have evidently not been checked at this point, several months into the COVID-19 crisis. Perhaps the league and its member teams feel they won’t have trouble smoothing over any issues on the public health front once they’ve got an agreement with the players. And while there could still be stumbling blocks in the collective bargaining negotiations over health and wellness, there’s also reason to think the sides can come together. Indeed, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets that the general issue still isn’t expected to pose any significant roadblock.
Latest MLB Proposal Includes Further Expansion Of Playoff Field
4:24pm: A variety of other notable details of the new proposal have now emerged. Initial reactions from the players’ side to the latest draft agreement seem less than favorable. The league has communicated its view that the sides “need to reach an agreement by Wednesday” in order to prepare for a 76-game campaign.
Players would be guaranteed half of their prorated salaries, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. If the postseason goes off without a hitch, the players would collectively stand to earn 75% of the prorated portion of their original salary guarantees.
The league has also suggested some major tweaks to the 2020-21 offseason, as Jeff Passan of ESPN.com covers on Twitter. The qualifying offer would go on hiatus. Instead, a team would get draft compensation for losing a player who signed a multi-year deal for over $35MM or a one-year deal for over $17.8MM. Signing such a player wouldn’t require any sacrifice of draft picks.
1:17pm: The new proposal sent this morning by Major League Baseball to the Players Association in many ways boils down to a repackaging of previous, similar offers, but it does come with at least one particularly notable change, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The league asked for 2020 postseason fields to expand even beyond the previously discussed 14 teams, adding another team per league and bringing the total to 16 playoff clubs.
The idea behind the league’s latest expansion would see a traditional bracket format play out, with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 8 seed, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc. until each league has played down to one winner to square off in the World Series. The first round of play, Sherman adds, would be just a three-game set.
That’s a particularly strong deviation from the norm, where the top teams in each league have long been assured at least a five-game series against the weakest playoff entrant. The prospect of a sub-.500 No. 8 seed upsetting a dominant N0. 1 seed would create some excitement, to be sure, but the watered down playoff field and short early-round formats would undoubtedly be a turnoff for a very vocal set of MLB fans as well.
The league’s motivation here is clear. Postseason television contracts represent ownership’s best stream of revenue without fans in attendance at MLB games, and further broadening the playoff field would ensure that more games are played and that fans from more markets tune in to see the early rounds of play. The latest proposal from MLB to the MLBPA calls for owners to share some of those television rights with the players — typically, player postseason shares are derived from gate alone — so it’s only logical that owners are keyed in on making those games as lucrative as possible.
Today’s proposal will surely be rejected by the union, but it’s interesting that the league has now requested even more playoff expansion. On the surface, that’s something the MLBPA could incorporate into a counter-proposal, although it remains eminently possible that we simply see commissioner Rob Manfred implement a heavily truncated season with fully prorated pay. As few as 48 to 54 games have been speculated upon in the past week.
Shortened 2020 Season Could Impact 2021 Draft
As the league and MLBPA continue to squabble over the length of the 2020 season, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports that whatever length is determined could well impact the state of the 2021 draft (Twitter link). Per McDaniel, the standing March agreement between MLB and the MLBPA indicates the following language:
In the event that each Club plays less than 81 regular season games in 2020, the Office of the Commissioner shall have the right, after conferring in good faith with the MLBPA, to modify the Draft order.
Certainly, the notion of “good faith” negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association seems far-fetched at this point, but the possibility of changes to the determination of the ’21 draft order are nevertheless important to note. Many have suggested that a particularly brief season — MLB has been exploring 48- and 54-game scenarios — won’t offer an accurate barometer for determining the best teams. With a short enough season, even a poor couple of weeks could be enough to make a club set its sights on the 2021 season, which could impact the 2020 season in a variety of ways.
Baseball’s current proposal is for a 76-game season with cuts beyond the players’ prorated salaries. It became clear almost immediately upon word of that deal leaking that it would be yet another nonstarter for the Players Association, however, as the new proposal guarantees only half of the players’ prorated salaries for 46.9 percent of a standard 162-game season (plus another 25 percent of their prorated pay if the postseason is completed).
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported back in March that the agreement between MLB and the MLBPA also allows the league to shorten the 2021 draft from 40 rounds to 20 rounds.