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Cubs Place Adbert Alzolay On 60-Day Injured List

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MARCH 18: The Cubs announced that Alzolay is going on the 60-day injured list. The move clears 40-man roster for Seiya Suzuki.

MARCH 14: Cubs righty Adbert Alzolay, who had been penciled into a rotation spot for 2022, will start the season on the IL due to shoulder tightness, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters today.  Hoyer noted that it will not be a short stint on the IL.  Unsurprisingly, then, Hoyer said the club is interested in adding more pitching.  Overall, Hoyer said, “Certainly we’re going to add a lot more players.”

At present, the Cubs’ rotation projects as Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, Wade Miley, Alec Mills, and Justin Steele.  All of the top free agent starting pitchers are off the board already, but plenty of back of the rotation hurlers remain available.  Alzolay made 21 starts for the Cubs in 2021, posting a 5.16 ERA in that role.

Ian Happ, set to start the season as the Cubs’ regular left fielder, had a “clean out” elbow procedure in the offseason but is expected to be 100% soon, Hoyer told reporters.

The Cubs recently added shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and Hoyer commented, “We’re happy with our middle infield.”  Nick Madrigal and Nico Hoerner will also figure prominently into that mix.

Cubs Sign Seiya Suzuki

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The Cubs continue to show that their current retooling efforts won’t at all resemble the aggressive teardown of a decade ago, announcing on Friday that they’ve signed star NPB outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year contract. Suzuki, a Wasserman client, will reportedly be guaranteed a hearty $85MM on the contract.

Under the NPB/MLB posting system, that means the Cubs will also owe Suzuki’s former team, the Hiroshima Carp, a posting fee of $14.625MM. That brings the total investment in Suzuki to $99.625MM — although only Suzuki’s actual contract (more specifically, its $17MM annual value) will count against the luxury tax. Suzuki will reportedly receive a $5MM signing bonus and be paid annual salaries of $7MM, $17MM, $20MM, $18MM and $18MM on the deal, which contains a full no-trade clause.

Suzuki hit .317/.433/.639 with 38 home runs in 533 plate appearances for the Hiroshima Carp this year.  He’s been one of the best hitters in NPB dating back to 2016, with a career line of .309/.402/.541.  He’s hit at least 25 home runs in each of the last six seasons and is a five-time NPB All-Star.

According to MLBTR’s Steve Adams, “The most bullish opinions we’ve gotten peg Suzuki as an everyday Major League right fielder — a solid defensive player with a strong arm and enough power to hit in the middle of a big league lineup.”  In August, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times spoke to a Major League scout who compared Suzuki to AJ Pollock, back when Pollock was playing for the Diamondbacks.

Though Suzuki has nine seasons under his belt, he’s still just 27 years old, which is rare for a posted player out of Japan.  Suzuki explained to Hernandez, “I think everyone feels they want to play at the highest stage if they can get the chance.”  Suzuki was only one year short of international free agency, so the Carp were motivated to be compensated for his departure.

In late November, the Carp posted Suzuki for MLB teams, beginning a 30-day window that was interrupted by the sport’s 99-day lockout.  Suzuki was left with 20 days post-lockout to negotiate a deal with an MLB team.  On top of his contract, the Cubs will owe the Carp a posting fee equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter.  Only Suzuki’s $17MM average annual value will count toward the competitive balance tax, but the Cubs are a good $78MM short of the $230MM base tax threshold including Suzuki.

Suzuki is a strong-armed prototypical right fielder and a five-time NPB Gold Glove winner.  The Cubs still have Jason Heyward under contract for another two years and $44MM, but given Heyward’s struggles at the plate, there’s a good chance Suzuki is taking over his position.  Suzuki may spend most of his five-year tenure playing alongside center fielder Brennen Davis, Baseball America’s 16th-ranked prospect.

The news of the Suzuki signing comes on the heels of Anthony Rizzo’s two-year, $32MM deal with the Yankees.  It’s a fitting contrast and representation of the Cubs’ reboot, as Suzuki is five years younger than Rizzo and the Cubs reportedly once offered Rizzo the same contract before trading him and other stalwarts in July last year.  Cubs fans will be watching many former stars in different uniforms this year, with Javy Baez having signed in Detroit, the Phillies reaching an agreement with Kyle Schwarber, and Kris Bryant signing with the Rockies.  The Cubs’ other big splash came before the lockout, the signing of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71MM deal.

Interest was widespread in Suzuki.  The Padres, Red Sox, Rangers, Giants, Mariners, Yankees, Blue Jays, Marlins, and Dodgers are among the other teams that were linked to the slugging right fielder.

Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka holds the record for a Japanese player signing in MLB, having landed a seven-year, $155MM deal with the Yankees in January 2014.  On the position player side, Suzuki eclipses the four-year, $48MM deal outfielder Kosuke Fukudome signed with the Cubs in December 2007.  The only position players to have sustained success in MLB out of Japan have been Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and of course, pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

Sankei Sports first reported the agreement. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the terms and the no-trade clause, while MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand provided the annual breakdown.

MLB, MLBPA Discussing Reinstating Extra Innings Ghost Runner Rule

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MARCH 17: The extra inning ghost runner is “trending back toward reality for the 2022 season” reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman adds that MLB has yet to make a call on reinstating the rule, but is listening to team managers who want to “avoid testing arms”, and thus would be in favor of the rule’s reinstatement, after a truncated spring camp.

MARCH 14: The extra innings ghost runner might be sticking around in Major League Baseball, report Jayson Stark and Matt Gelb of The Athletic.  Players, who “heavily support” this new feature from the last two seasons, tell the reporters they expect it to be enacted this week with the announcement of health and safety protocols.

Though the automatic runner on second base in extra innings was originally put in place as a COVID response, ultimately the players like it because it has mostly killed the marathon extra innings game.

Stark and Gelb note that the apparition may not necessarily appear in the 10th inning, but instead could surface in the 11th or 12th.  With the National League adopting the designated hitter this year, baseball traditionalists are doing plenty of grumbling this week.

Read The Transcript Of Today’s Live Chat With Tim Dierkes

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The team has been putting in extra hours trying to keep up with all the hot stove news this week, so we haven’t been able to run our regularly scheduled chats.  So, I hosted one today!  Click here to read the transcript.  If you enjoy our chats and would like to increase your chances of getting a question answered tenfold, check out our subscription service for as little as $2.99.  Anthony Franco holds subscriber-only chats every Friday afternoon and answers between 60-90% of the questions asked.

Diamondbacks Sign Ian Kennedy

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TODAY: The D’Backs officially announced the signing, also including the detail that Kennedy’s contract includes a mutual option for the 2023 season.

MARCH 13: The Diamondbacks are in agreement on a one-year deal with reliever Ian Kennedy, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.  According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the deal is worth $4.75MM plus $2.35MM in incentives.  Kennedy, 37, returns to the place of his initial big league success, as he had a strong three-plus-year run as a member of Arizona’s rotation from 2010-13.  The righty is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Kennedy signed a five-year, $70MM free agent deal with the Royals back in January of 2016.  Kennedy scuffled in the second and third years of that deal, missing a large chunk of the second half of 2018 with an oblique injury.  By 2019, the Royals felt they’d get more value out of Kennedy in a relief role.  That proved correct, as he served as the team’s closer that year and saved 30 games with a 3.41 ERA.

Kennedy failed to get on track in the shortened 2020 season, suffering from a calf strain and generally working in the middle innings.  In February of last year, Kennedy wound up with the Rangers on a minor league deal.  He made the team and generally worked as the Rangers’ closer until he was traded to the Phillies along with Kyle Gibson.  On the season Kennedy worked to a 3.20 ERA, 27.2 K%, 7.5 BB%, and 23.3 groundball rate in 56 1/3 innings.  It was the lowest groundball rate of his 15-year career, so the resulting 12 home runs allowed were no surprise.  Statcast doesn’t speak highly of Kennedy’s work in 2021.

Kennedy will not likely be asked to close by D’Backs manager Torey Lovullo, as the team inked longtime stopper Mark Melancon to a two-year, $14MM deal prior to the lockout.  Though Arizona tied the Orioles for the worst record in baseball in 2021, GM Mike Hazen isn’t looking to launch a rebuild.  Third base remains an area of need, though Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that the Diamondbacks were “among the teams showing the most interest in [Michael] Conforto before the lockout.”

Kennedy was one of seven relievers to reach or near an agreement on a big league deal today, along with Jesse Chavez, Matt Strahm, Jake Diekman, Adam Ottavino, Nick Wittgren, and Brad Boxberger.  Click here to see which relievers are still available.

Tigers To Sign Andrew Chafin

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The Tigers have an agreement with lefty reliever Andrew Chafin, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.  Chafin’s contract will be a two-year deal in the $13MM range, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.  That is indeed the contract value, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network, who notes the inclusion of an opt-out after 2022.  Chafin is represented by Meister Sports Management.

Chafin, 31, posted a career-best 1.83 ERA in 68 2/3 innings for the Cubs and Athletics in 2021.  Though his 24.1 K% was down from previous years, he also managed a career-best 7.1 BB%.  Chafin was tough on both righties and lefties in ’21, and actually posted a significantly higher strikeout rate against righties.  Though Chafin is not known for his velocity or spin rate, his Statcast metrics regarding quality of contact are excellent.

Chafin was drafted 43rd overall by the Diamondbacks out of Kent State back in 2011.  He’s made 66+ appearances in a season five different times, leading all MLB relievers with 225 appearances from 2017-19.  In facing 263 lefty batters since 2019, Chafin has posted an 18.3 K-BB% against them while allowing a .225/.290/.317 batting line.

According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, the relative proximity to Chafin’s Ohio home was an advantage for Detroit.  The Chafin signing is another move toward respectability for the Tigers in an offseason full of them.  The club committed $217MM to Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez prior to the lockout, also trading for catcher Tucker Barnhart.  Chafin joins a Tigers bullpen that is slated to include holdovers Gregory Soto, Michael Fulmer, Jose Cisnero, Alex Lange, and Kyle Funkhouser.

In February of last year, the Cubs signed Chafin to a one-year, $2.75MM deal.  Near the July trade deadline, he was dealt to Oakland for minor leaguers Greg Deichmann and Daniel Palencia.

Three other lefty relievers have signed two-year deals this winter.  Aaron Loup received a $17MM deal from the Angels, while Brooks Raley got $10MM from the Rays and Jake Diekman got $8MM from the Red Sox.  Brad Hand, Matt Strahm, T.J. McFarland, and Joely Rodriguez inked one-year pacts.  Here’s a look at the lefty relievers still remaining in free agency.

Freddie Freeman Rumors: Monday

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Freddie Freeman’s 12-year run with Atlanta came to a close Monday afternoon, as the Braves acquired slugging first baseman Matt Olson from the Athletics.  With the Yankees pessimistic on their chances of signing Freeman, here’s the latest…

  • The Blue Jays have conveyed serious interest in Freeman, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  On Friday Morosi suggested Freeman’s signing was imminent and said the Dodgers were making a strong push.
  • The Rays and Jays “have remained aggressive” on Freeman, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter thread) notes that rival clubs perceive the Jays as a threat to utilize some of their available payroll space to make a splash on the offense. He also suggests the Yankees could make sense as a Freeman suitor, but notes that it’s unclear if ownership wants to take on a long-term deal when they’re hoping to work out a long-term extension with Aaron Judge at some point down the line.

Phillies To Re-Sign Odubel Herrera

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2:12pm: Herrera’s contract will be worth $1.75MM with another $750K in incentives, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

7:59am: The Phillies have reached an agreement to bring back center fielder Odubel Herrera on a Major League deal.  The story emerged through tweets from Jim Salisbury of NBCSPhilly, Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Matt Gelb of The Athletic, and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  A center field platoon with Matt Vierling appears to be in the cards.

Herrera, 30, took over the regular center field job for the Phillies back in 2015 after being selected from the Rangers in the Rule 5 draft.  He made the All-Star team the following year, and then inked a five-year, $30.5MM contract extension.  Matt Klentak was the Phillies’ GM at the time.  After a third straight solid year in 2017, Herrera powered up for a career-best 22 home runs in 2018 but didn’t finish particularly well and lost playing time.  He showed impressive maximum exit velocities in each season up through 2018.

Entering a competition for the Phillies’ center field job in 2019, Herrera hit the IL with a hamstring strain in April.  In May of 2019, Herrera was arrested in a domestic violence incident and charged with simple assault of his girlfriend.  His girlfriend later declined to press charges.  After reviewing the incident, MLB issued an 85-game suspension to Herrera that ran through the rest of the 2019 season.  It stands as the third-longest domestic violence suspension MLB has given out.

In January 2020, with his suspension served, the Phillies designated Herrera for assignment.  He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, but had $19.5MM remaining on his contract.  With no minor league season in 2020, Herrera sat out until joining a Dominican Winter League team in November of that year.  Last spring, Herrera emerged as the frontrunner for the Phillies’ center field job once again.  Though he failed to make the team out of camp, they selected his contract in late April and he was ultimately the club’s primary center fielder by a wide margin despite an IL stint for ankle tendinitis.  Upon re-adding Herrera to the team, manager Joe Girardi said, “We just felt it was time,” having not received objections from other Phillies players.

Faced with a $12.5MM club option or a $1MM buyout, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski chose the buyout back in November prior to the lockout.  Several alternatives came off the board since then, with Byron Buxton and Michael A. Taylor signing extensions, Starling Marte signing with the Mets, and Jackie Bradley Jr. getting traded to the Red Sox.

Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander recently told Kevin Kiermaier to find a place near spring training, and furthermore, Jayson Stark of The Athletic says the Phillies are officially out on him.  Other than Brett Gardner, who remains a free agent, options have become limited for the Phillies in center field.  Teams continue to try to pry Bryan Reynolds loose from the Pirates, but with the season less than a month away the Phillies seem to have settled for Herrera once again.

Vierling, 25, played 34 games for the Phillies in 2021 as a rookie.  Baseball America ranked Vierling eighth among Phillies prospects, noting big exit velocities and adding, “Vierling is an impressive athlete who can play both corner infield spots and anywhere in the outfield, with plus speed and above-average defense in center field to go with a plus arm.”  Though Herrera, a left-handed hitter, hasn’t shown an extreme platoon split, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler did deploy him in that way.

As a hitter, Herrera has a career wRC+ of exactly 100 and has sat in the 93-111 range in each season outside of 2019.  A left-handed hitter, the Phillies increasingly shielded Herrera against southpaws until his post-suspension return, at which point he was not deployed in a platoon.  Defensively, Herrera has generally graded well in Statcast’s Outs Above Average.  Stats like Defensive Runs Saved have generally shown him to be average or better, outside of a down year in 2018.  Herrera rated as one of the game’s slowest center fielders in 2021, with a sprint speed of 27.3 feet per second.

Brewers In Talks With Andrew McCutchen

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The Brewers are in talks with free agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.  The Brewers’ outfield is generally set with Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Hunter Renfroe, and Tyrone Taylor, but Cutch could certainly supplement that mix and spend time at designated hitter.

McCutchen, 35, posted a 107 wRC+ in 574 plate appearances with the Phillies last year.  A right-handed hitter, McCutchen has been particularly strong against southpaws, with a 154 wRC+ dating back to 2017.

Upon getting fourth place in the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year voting, McCutchen established himself as the face of the Pirates and once of the best players in baseball.  From 2011-15, McCutchen ranked second in baseball among position players in WAR, making five straight All-Star teams, winning the 2013 NL MVP, and garnering top-five MVP votes in three other seasons.

In January 2018, with free agency on the horizon, the Pirates traded McCutchen to the Giants for Bryan Reynolds, Kyle Crick, and international bonus pool money.  The Giants later shipped McCutchen to the Yankees at the August waiver trade deadline.  McCutchen signed a three-year, $50MM free agent deal with the Phillies in the offseason.  Off to a strong start in his young Phillies career, McCutchen tore his ACL in June of 2019 and missed the remainder of the season.

McCutchen hit .222/.334/.444 in 574 plate appearances for the Phillies in 2021, spending all of his time in left field.  After the season, the Phillies declined his $15MM club option in favor of a $3MM buyout.  An everyday center fielder in Pittsburgh, McCutchen has become a below-average defensive left fielder with age, according to Statcast.  Given the advent of the NL DH, McCutchen could complement Milwaukee’s offense if they close a deal.

Rangers To Sign Jake Marisnick

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The Rangers are signing outfielder Jake Marisnick to a non-roster deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Marisnick, 31 later this month, slumped to a 78 wRC+ last year in 198 plate appearances with the Cubs and Padres.  He’s known mainly for his glovework, and has predominantly played center field in his nine-year big league career.

Marisnick was drafted out of high school by the Blue Jays in the third round back in 2009.  In November 2012, he was on the other side of the blockbuster deal that sent Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Josh Johnson to Toronto.  He then joined the Astros at the 2014 deadline in a trade involving Jarred Cosart and Colin Moran.

From 2015-19, Marisnick got semi-regular playing time in Houston, averaging 116 games per season.  In 2015, ’18, and ’19, he led the Astros in defensive innings in center field.  Marisnick posted some stellar Statcast Outs Above Average marks in several of his seasons with the Astros.

The Astros traded Marisnick to the Mets in December 2019, but he played only 16 games in 2020 due to hamstring injuries.  Marisnick inked a $1.5MM free agent deal with the Cubs for 2021, but suffered another hamstring strain in May.  At the trade deadline, the Cubs shipped him to the Padres for Anderson Espinoza as part of their sell-off.  Marisnick struggled to find his hitting stroke in 54 plate appearances with the Padres, who declined their end of his $4MM mutual option after the season.

The Rangers committed $500MM to new infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien prior to the lockout, but haven’t yet moved to aggressively upgrade their outfield.  They added Kole Calhoun, and are projected to play Adolis Garcia and Nick Solak as well.

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