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Latest On Greg Holland

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Former Royals closer and current free agent Greg Holland held a showcase for interested teams that was attended by roughly 18 clubs on Monday. Since that time, he’s been an oft-discussed name and has been connected to numerous clubs around the league. There’s yet to be an indication as to when or where the two-time All-Star will sign, but here’s the latest on his market…

  • Agent Scott Boras told reporters today that Holland won’t be holding another showcase (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan). While Holland’s velocity wasn’t anywhere near its previous levels, Boras noted that the workout demonstrated that his client is healthy, which is what teams were more interested in. Certainly, given the fact that Holland is just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, it’s not a surprise that his fastball was topping out in the low 90s as opposed to his previous 96 mph average. It’s reasonable to expect his velocity to continue ramping up as he regains strength and further distances himself from his operation.
  • Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star writes that Boras said Holland will be open to pitching in non-closing roles next season, so his market needn’t be limited to teams that have a potential vacancy in the ninth inning. Boras tabbed Holland as a potential “HeLP” pitcher — a “High-Leverage Premium” arm that could be used in a similar capacity to the way in which Kenley Jansen, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman were used during the postseason. The Royals are believed to have interest in a Holland reunion, Dodd adds, although Boras told reporters that more than half of the teams in the league have reached out to him this week.
  • The Red Sox are showing “strong” interest in Holland, tweets WEEI’s Rob Bradford, who adds that the right-hander will take about six weeks off following his showcase before he resumes his offseason throwing program. Boston already has a big-name closer in Craig Kimbrel, but they’re losing three setup arms in Brad Ziegler, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa, so their interest in relief help is plenty logical.
  • The Nationals watched Holland on Monday, writes Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. General manager Mike Rizzo spoke a bit about Holland’s market, implying that an incentivized deal would be his preference in negotiations with Boras. “Those are usually deals that are heavily incentivized because if he pitches like Holland, he should be compensated for it,” said Rizzo. “But you also have to balance it off with the risk that the guy’s coming off Tommy John, didn’t pitch at all last year, and we’ve never seen him throw a pitch in anger since he’s come back. So you’re really going on track record, medical reports and what the doctor said. It’s a risky proposition.” Boras sounded open to a two-year deal that includes incentives when addressing the media following Monday’s showcase. Holland rated 23rd on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agent list, with our staff pegging him at two years and $18MM despite the lengthy layoff.

Latest On Red Sox’ Offseason Plans

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The Red Sox are plotting a more patient and adaptable offseason than they undertook last year, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. But that’s not to say that the club won’t ultimately push to add veteran pieces at areas of need — particularly, the DH slot and the back of the bullpen.

Boston “badly” wants to sign outfielder/DH Carlos Beltran, a source tells ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber. That certainly seems to elevate the team’s previously reported interested in the veteran switch-hitter. Lauber does note that whether Beltran ends up at Fenway could depend upon whether he’s looking for multiple years, so it seems that the club isn’t quite in at all costs, but it’s clear at this point that he’s a real target.

Notably, because he wasn’t eligible to receive a qualifying offer, the Red Sox would not be required to part with a draft pick to sign Beltran. He ran up a .295/.337/.513 batting line in his age-39 season, so it seems there’s still gas left in the tank, and Boston is evidently interested in pursuing an option that won’t require a significant, multi-year commitment.

Edwin Encarnacion has previously been tied to the Red Sox, but it has never quite been apparent just how interested the club is in pursuing a player who is arguably the best hitter available this winter in free agency. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that a four or five-year deal for him “seems unlikely.”

Though there’s plainly a match on paper, the team’s own assessment of Encarnacion’s long-term outlook and its own future balance sheets certainly could suggest a different approach. Indeed, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported recently, Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombroski spoke of factoring in “affordability,” the desire not to tie up the DH slot for too long, and the presence of internal options (now and in the future) that could fill the role.

There are other names to consider, too. Abraham suggests that Kendrys Morales could be a fit, and indeed we’ve heard that connection recently as well. Like Beltran, Morales is a switch hitter, though at 33 years of age he figures to command multiple years. Matt Holliday might also represent a match, Abraham notes. Like Beltran, he’s still capable of spending some time in the outfield, which aids with lineup flexibility. But Holliday’s offensive output dipped last year — his age-36 campaign — and he missed a major chunk of the second half with a broken thumb after already experiencing an injury-limited 2015.

Turning to the bullpen, Dombrowski labeled a set-up man a priority for his organization. “We have some guys that we really like in our pen. None of them have really pitched the eighth inning,” Dombrowski said. “They probably have the skills and abilities to do it, but that would probably be first and foremost a thing of focus for us.”

While the team is optimistic that Carson Smith will return to be a factor in 2017, Dombrowski says that he won’t count on him being available for the first few months, as Britton reports. That keeps a focus on finding a primary set-up option, which Dombrowski saying the club is likely “looking for one guy at this point,” as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. It seems unlikely that veteran Red Sox free agents Koji Uehara or Brad Ziegler will be that guy, Bradford notes, with Dombrowski suggesting tepid interest in both players.

Meanwhile, the veteran executive strongly suggested that southpaw Fernando Abad will be tendered a contract, which suggests that the club won’t have need for another lefty. Though the veteran struggled at times after his mid-season trade to Boston, he represents a solid value at MLBTR’s projected $2MM arbitration salary point.

It doesn’t seem that there’s likely to be much change in the rotation, either, with the team expending to retain its half-dozen starting options rather than seeking to add or deal from that depth. “You’re always open to anything, but we’re really looking at bringing all six to spring training at this time,” said Dombrowski.

Finally, while the catching situation appears to have some uncertainty, it doesn’t seem that the Red Sox are targeting any modifications there at the moment. The market doesn’t admit of many solutions anyway, and Boston does have options. As Lauber reports, Dombrowski says that Sandy Leon will enter the spring as the presumptive regular behind the dish. Presumably, Christian Vazquez is in line for reserve duties, though Dombrowski added that the organization still sees Blake Swihart as a catcher — despite the fact that he played in the outfield for a large chunk of 2016.

Royals, Yankees, Jays, Red Sox Interested In Kendrys Morales

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1:45pm: Royals general manager Dayton Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan that he has “definite interest” in re-signing Morales this winter as well (Twitter link). The Royals, of course, are facing some potential payroll constraints, so it’s not clear that they’d be able to fit Morales into the budget.

9:41am: The Yankees have reached out to the representatives of free agent DH Kendrys Morales, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The 33-year-old would be seen as an option for New York in the event that the club deals catcher and DH candidate Brian McCann this winter.

There’s more interest from the AL East, too, according to the report. Both the Blue Jays and Red Sox have also put out early feelers on Morales, who was not issued a qualifying offer by the Royals and can therefore be signed without sacrificing a draft pick. Those organizations have also been tied to Edwin Encarnacion, who’ll certainly require a much larger contract, so Morales looks to represent something of an alternative.

The lack of a qualifying offer certainly enhances the appeal of Morales, who is more or less a pure DH but does deliver some flexibility as a switch-hitter. Despite a lull early in 2016, he ended his two years in Kansas City with a robust .277/.344/.476 batting line and 52 home runs over 1,257 plate appearances.

While there are plenty of alternative sluggers available in free agency — some of a more premium variety, others on par, and still others with less appeal than Morales — it seems that he is a popular early target. That’s certainly a good sign for the veteran, who is expected to command a multi-year contract once again. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts that Morales will land at $26MM over a two-year commitment. That would represent a solid raise over his most recent contract, which was signed on the heels of a much-less-encouraging platform.

Notes On Greg Holland’s Showcase

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Free agent righty Greg Holland took the hill for scouts yesterday as he sets the stage for his return to action. The former Royals closer missed all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he’ll play an interesting role in the market with multiple big-payroll clubs among those seeking power arms at the back of their respective bullpens. Despite the long injury layoff, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes rates Holland 23rd in earning power among free agents, noting that a wide variety of organizations could pursue him. Joel Sherman of the New York Post covered the showcase, and we’ve also heard additional reports about which teams were represented.

Here’s the latest:

  • The most important aspect of the appearance was Holland’s health, and Sherman writes that scouts came away feeling optimistic in that regard after seeing 35 pitches. Though the typically fireballing righty sat in the 89 to 90 mph range with his fastball, he’s obviously still building up arm strength. One scout explained that Holland worked with “good extension” in showing off his heater and ballyhooed slider, suggesting he’s ready to continue working back to his prior form.
  • Agent Scott Boras argued that his client, who’ll soon turn 31, represents a great value for teams unwilling or unable to sign top closers Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Mark Melancon. He predicted a multi-year deal, with a two-year arrangement laden with incentives possibly making sense for all involved. It remains to be seen just how much cash teams will be willing to promise Holland, who had faltered in 2015 while pitching through the elbow problems that ultimately resulted in surgery. But the upside is undeniable: from 2011 through 2014, he compiled 256 1/3 innings of 1.86 ERA pitching with 12.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.
  • All told, about sixty scouts were on hand to watch, says Sherman, with about 18 clubs putting eyes on the righty. We had previously heard that the Giants, Red Sox, Rangers, and Yankees would be joined by the Twins in attendance. Sherman notes that GM Bobby Evans and a top scouting exec were on hand for the closing-needy Giants, with the Yankees also sending top talent evaluators. He also lists the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Phillies as organizations that sent reps. The Royals, too, were watching their former hurler, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets, as were the division-rival Tigers, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter link). And the two top NL East clubs — the Nationals and Mets — were also intrigued enough to send scouts, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter) and ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin.

Edwin Encarnacion Drawing Strong Early Interest

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Free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion will hit the market in search of as many as five guaranteed years at as much as $25MM annually, his agent Paul Kinzer tells TSN. Clubs have already been in touch about the first baseman and DH, who ranks second on MLBTR’s list of the top fifty free agents.

As Kinzer notes, the market will dictate Encarnacion’s ultimate price. One major factor could be whether National League teams will join their American League competitors in pursuing him. “He proved this year that he is a solid first baseman and I think that will make him attractive to National League teams as well,” said Kinzer. Of course, it’s fair to wonder whether those organizations will believe he can man the position over the life of such a lengthy contract.

The agent opined that there could be 11 teams in pursuit of Encarnacion. We’ve already heard that the Blue Jays are making a play to retain him, and Kinzer tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that he also sees the division-rival Red Sox as a great fit. Encarnacion loves hitting in Boston, says Kinzer, and also likes the idea of stepping into the sizable shoes of fellow Dominican David Ortiz. The Astros and Rangers are at least two other hypothetical landing spots, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes on Twitter.

It’s possible that things could move quickly, Kinzer also tells Bradford, with some teams having already shown a willingness to make an early splash. “Last year moved pretty quick on a lot of higher guys, so we’ll see,” he said. “The only thing this time is the collective bargaining agreement [defining the luxury tax threshold], how that works out.” Encarnacion, too, is ready to make a decision if the terms are to his liking. “If he feels comfortable and he feels like he’s treated fairly, he can pull the trigger fairly rapidly,” said Kinzer.

Since he’s obviously set to reject the Jays’ qualifying offer, any team signing Encarnacion will need to sacrifice a draft pick to add him — even Toronto, which would otherwise add a selection — but it’s certainly arguable that he’s a big enough piece that it won’t impact his earning power too significantly. Kinzer trumpets Encarnacion’s quiet but positive clubhouse presence, hard-working approach, conditioning and health. Teams will weigh all of these factors, along with his outstanding track record at the plate (.272/.367/.544 over his last five seasons), against his age and defensive limitations in deciding just how hard to push.

Red Sox Interested In Carlos Beltran

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In the wake of David Ortiz’s retirement, the Red Sox have some level of interest in free-agent slugger Carlos Beltran, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

While Edwin Encarnacion has been an oft-speculated fit for the Sox, Beltran can be had on a shorter deal and won’t cost Boston a draft pick like Encarnacion would. He could also potentially see some time in the outfield corners on the rare instance that Mookie Betts needs a day off or should presumptive 2017 left fielder Andrew Benintendi require a day off. While Beltran’s glove certainly no longer rates as the plus asset it once did, the very fact that he can be inserted into the outfield a handful of times over the course of the season gives him an attribute that fellow DH candidates like Encarnacion and Kendrys Morales don’t possess (although the Royals did somewhat stunningly use Morales in right field for 37 innings during interleague play this past season).

The switch-hitting Beltran will play next season at the age of 40 but showed little sign of slowing down this past season. He didn’t perform as well with the Rangers as he did with the Yankees upon being traded to Texas midseason, but his aggregate offensive output was nonetheless terrific. In 593 plate appearances, Beltran slashed .295/.337/.513 with 29 home runs and 33 doubles. His walk rate did dip to 5.9 percent this season, but it was at 8.3 percent over the two previous seasons, and Beltran’s contact rate remains decidedly above average.

As Heyman notes in his column, Beltran is likely to be attainable on a one- or two-year deal. We predicted a one-year pact in our free agent predictions earlier on Monday evening, but if Beltran is already certain that he wishes to play beyond the 2017 season, then it stands to reason that he could find interest on a two-year deal with a slightly reduced annual rate.

Giants, Red Sox, Rangers, Yankees Among Teams Set To Watch Greg Holland Showcase

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SATURDAY: The Yankees will also send representatives to watch Holland on Monday, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.

FRIDAY: The Red Sox are also showing some interest and will attend the showcase, which is scheduled for Monday, per WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Likewise, the Rangers will be on hand, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets.

THURSDAY: The Giants are “legitimately intrigued” by former Royals closer Greg Holland and will scout his upcoming showcase, Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Holland’s agent, Scott Boras, recently said Holland was throwing in the low 90s and would hold a showcase within the next week.

Holland missed the 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2015 season. He understandably struggled somewhat that year while pitching through a UCL tear, posting a 3.83 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and a too-high 5.2 BB/9 while throwing his fastball an average of about two MPH slower than the mid-90s heater he’d thrown previously. Before that, though, he was dominant, posting a combined 1.86 ERA, 12.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 from 2011 through 2014.

If Holland is now mostly or fully healthy, it’s for the first time in awhile. But it’s easy to see why the Giants (and, surely, many other teams) would have significant interest. He has an extremely impressive track record, and he’ll be far enough removed from surgery by next March that it’s easy to imagine he could reemerge as an effective, or even terrific, reliever if everything goes well. The Royals have also been connected to Holland, and it seems likely other teams besides San Francisco and Kansas City will enter the fray too.

Red Sox To Look For Setup Man, Designated Hitter

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Last offseason, the Red Sox made big moves to acquire Craig Kimbrel and David Price. This year, Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says the team doesn’t necessarily expect those sorts of blockbusters, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. Dombrowski does, however, have some positions in mind that the team will target.

“Last year, I thought all along that we really needed two big moves, which was a No. 1 starting pitcher and a closer,” says Dombrowski. “Those are two, I guess, what you’d consider headline moves. This winter I wouldn’t say that you put the same thought process on it. But again, you start talking to clubs, you never could tell what happens. But I would say philosophically, that’s probably the case.”

The Red Sox will have a big hole to fill at DH, given David Ortiz’s retirement, and they’ve been widely connected to Edwin Encarnacion. But Dombrowski says he remains open to the possibility that the Sox could fill the position with talent already in the organization.

“[W]e’ll just kind of wait to see what happens in David’s situation as far as filling that is concerned. Can deal with that internally, externally (too) I think,” Dombrowski says.

Signing someone like Encarnacion would be costly, of course. Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, meanwhile, says he doesn’t know what the team’s 2017 payroll will be, Drellich reports. Kennedy adds that the Red Sox will have to be “prepared” to adjust after Ortiz’s departure.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with payroll, truthfully,” says Kennedy. “I think the consistent theme of the John Henry, Tom Werner ownership group, going all the way back to 2002, has been to not sort of set a hard and fast payroll each and every year.”

Dombrowski does say the Red Sox will look for a setup man. WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes that the team is planning to attend former Royals closer Greg Holland’s upcoming showcase. He would potentially fit the bill, although it appears there will be considerable interest from other teams as well. Bradford also suggests re-signing 41-year-old free agent Koji Uehara could be a possibility.

Diamondbacks Name Torey Lovullo Manager

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4:55pm: Arizona has announced the hiring. Lovullo will receive a three-year deal, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).

12:03pm: The Diamondbacks will hire Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their new manager, reports John Gambodoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in Phoenix (via Twitter). Lovullo, who obviously has a strong connection with former Red Sox GM and newly minted Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, has long been rumored to be the favorite for the managerial vacancy that opened when the D-backs fired Chip Hale at season’s end. The D-backs were said as of yesterday to be choosing between Lovullo and their own Triple-A manager, Phil Nevin.

Lovullo has been Boston’s bench coach for the past four seasons and comes with quite a bit of managerial experience, albeit most coming in the minor leagues. Lovullo spent 10 seasons as a minor league skipper between the Indians and Red Sox organizations and also acted as interim manager for the Red Sox while John Farrell underwent treatment for lymphoma late in the 2015 season. Lovullo has long been touted as a managerial prospect and was reportedly one of two finalists for the Twins’ vacancy before the team hired Paul Molitor prior to the 2015 season.

With Lovullo joining the Diamondbacks, the Red Sox have now lost three highly influential organizational figures to Arizona in a span of mere weeks. Hazen left his post as the Red Sox GM to take the same title with the D-backs, and while the move isn’t a promotion in the sense of title, it certainly is in terms of responsibility; Hazen was the clear No. 2 to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in Boston but is the top decision-maker in his new role with the Snakes. Additionally, now-former Red Sox vice president of international/amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye followed Hazen to Arizona, where he’ll serve as a senior vice president and assistant general manager.

Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox

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MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams.  Click here for the other entries in this series.

The Red Sox jumped from the AL East basement in 2015 to first place in 2016, and they own one of the game’s most enviable collections of young talent.  Despite all this progress, however, the season ended on the sour note of an ALDS sweep at the hands of the Indians.  The Sox have to address some pitching questions, as well as try to replace the irreplaceable in franchise icon David Ortiz.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via MLB Trade Rumors)

Free Agents

Boston Red Sox Depth Chart; Boston Red Sox Payroll Overview

Front office retooling has been the early story of Boston’s offseason.  General manager Mike Hazen left the club to become the Diamondbacks’ new GM and executive vice-president, while Sox VP of amateur/international scouting Amiel Sawdaye also departed for Arizona to serve as Hazen’s assistant GM.  Hazen isn’t being directly replaced, as assistant GMs Brian O’Halloran and (newly-promoted) Eddie Romero will essentially fill his role as the top lieutenants to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Hazen and Sawdaye are very notable losses for the Sox, as the two executives played big roles in the team’s recent successes in scouting and player development.  Ultimately, Dombrowski is still the one calling the shots in Boston, and the coming winter will indicate whether he feels the need to significantly alter or merely fine-tune what is already a strong roster.

The biggest absence, of course, is Ortiz, who will head into retirement after an incredible farewell season.  At age 40 and playing despite severe lower-leg and foot injuries, Ortiz delivered one of his best seasons, hitting .315/.401/.620 with 38 homers and a league-best 48 doubles.  Filling Ortiz’s role as a clubhouse and franchise leader was already an impossible task, yet replacing his production on the field will be almost as tall an order.

Early speculation has linked the Red Sox to free agent Edwin Encarnacion, one of the few bats on the open market capable of matching Ortiz’s slugging numbers.  (Ortiz himself, somewhat controversially, has also suggested that the fellow Dominican is a good fit to replace him in Boston.)  Encarnacion is also capable of playing first base, so he and Hanley Ramirez could share first and DH between them, locking down both positions with big power bats.

If the Sox aren’t willing to make such a big investment in years or dollars, then they could look beyond Encarnacion to the likes of Jose Bautista, Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales, Brandon Moss, Mike Napoli, Carlos Beltran or Matt Holliday.  The latter two names on that list may not command more than a one-year deal, which Boston may prefer for flexibility’s sake given how the team is overflowing with position player options.  Beltran and Morales are switch-hitters while Moss hits from the left side, in case Boston wants to prioritize replacing Ortiz with another left-handed bat.

The Red Sox have Ramirez playing every day at either first or DH and are further set in right field (Mookie Betts), center field (Jackie Bradley Jr.), second base (Dustin Pedroia) and shortstop (Xander Bogaerts).  Rookie Andrew Benintendi has the inside track on the regular left field job after his impressive debut season.  Veteran outfielder Chris Young is on hand to potentially platoon with Benintendi or at least spell him against some tough southpaws, though the Sox are hopeful that Benintendi can become yet another homegrown lineup staple.

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