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AL East Notes: Rays, Franco, Red Sox, Benintendi, Cora, Pedroia

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Rays top prospect Wander Franco is on his way back to the United States for precautionary tests on the bicep injury that forced him out of the lineup in the Winter League, according to John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The Dominican League reported news of Franco’s discomfort last week, but it seemed like a minor injury at the time. Coming back stateside certainly adds a note of concern, but that’s still not much to go on. For the time being, it’s safe to presume the best. While we await further updates, let’s check in on the Rays division rival…

  • There’s some concern that Andrew Benintendi won’t be able to regain the form that made him a top prospect before his debut in 2016, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Boston’s left fielder slashed .290/.366/.465, good for 4.5 bWAR as a 23-year-old in 2018. He’s backslid since then, culminating in an injury-marred 2020. More than the .103/.314/.128 line he posted in just 14 games this season, the concern is that Benintendi no longer registers the sprint speed he booked early in his career. Speier provides some disquieting quotes from talent evaluators who don’t see Benintendi developing into the star many expected. There’s not much chance of Boston exploring a trade with his value at an all-time low. For now, the 26-year-old should have plenty of leash to build back his value in 2021.
  • Before he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora mentored Dustin Pedroia in the early stages of the second baseman’s career. Now, as that career appears to be nearing an end, Cora is again nearby to lend an ear, writes Chris Cotillo of Masslive.com. Cora won’t reveal anything about Pedroia’s plans for the future, but he did speak glowingly about the impact he has continued to have on the team, even if he hasn’t been healthy enough to contribute on the diamond. It’s largely expected that Pedroia will announce his retirement before the 2021 season, but nothing has been made official.

Red Sox Claim Joel Payamps, Designate Robert Stock

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The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Joel Payamps off waivers from the D-backs and designated fellow righty Robert Stock for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Boston also announced that right-hander Ryan Weber and southpaw Matt Hall, both of whom were designated for assignment last Friday, were assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket after clearing outright waivers.

Payamps, 26, has just seven Major League innings under his belt. He’s struggled in a hitter-friendly setting with Triple-A Reno in the Pacific Coast League but was solid in Double-A Jackson in both 2018 and 2019, working to a combined 2.95 ERA with a 135-to-19 K/BB ratio in 128 innings. Payamps has worked as both a starter and a reliever in the minors, and he has a minor league option remaining for the upcoming 2021 season, which surely appeals to the Sox.

Stock, 31, has a big fastball and punched out 14 hitters in 13 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this past season, but he’s battled control issues throughout his MLB career (31 walks, three hit batters, 10 wild pitches in 63 2/3 frames).

The Red Sox gave the journeyman Weber a rotation opportunity in 2020 and held out hopes that he could elevate his game to a new level with some tweaks to his repertoire. However, while Weber managed a respectable 4.40 ERA in 43 innings of work, he also posted a lackluster 27-to-14 K/BB ratio and a 5.54 FIP. Hall was acquired out of the Tigers organization and drew some intrigue for the huge spin on his breaking ball, but he also struggled in a more limited sample with the Red Sox. Both were designated for assignment last Friday as the Sox set their roster in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Yasiel Puig Looking To Return To Majors In 2021

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8:54pm: Puig is already generating MLB interest, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who writes that “the Astros, Orioles and Red Sox are among the teams that have Puig on their radar.”

3:53pm: After a season out of baseball, free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig has hired Rachel Luba as his new agent, Luba announced on Twitter. That suggests Puig is looking to return to the pro ranks in 2021.

The past year has not gone according to plan for Puig, who was a fairly hyped free agent last offseason. Puig was unable to reach a deal until he finally agreed to a contract with the Braves in the middle of July, but that pact fell apart almost immediately. The soon-to-be 30-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 just a couple of days after the Braves deal, which caused the team to call off the signing. For the most part, it has been radio silence on Puig since then.

Last time he took the field, in 2019, Puig batted .267/.327/.458 (101 wRC+) with 24 home runs and 19 stolen bases over 611 plate appearances between the Reds and Indians. While his counting stats were solid, it was still a relatively disappointing year for a player who has typically been a well-above-average hitter throughout his career. Also a former Dodger, Puig has slashed .277/.348/.475 (124 wRC+) during his major league tenure. The hope for Puig is that he’ll return to that form if he does get back to the bigs in 2021. For now, he’s one of the most established and recognizable outfielders on the open market.

Red Sox Interested In J.A. Happ

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The Red Sox are showing interest in free-agent left-hander J.A. Happ, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweets. They join the Angels, Rangers and Blue Jays as teams known to be eyeing Happ early this offseason.

Happ spent the previous two-plus years with Boston’s archrival, the Yankees, but New York declined his $17MM option for 2021 after last season. While that price tag proved prohibitive for the Yankees, Happ’s a long-effective starter who’s on the open market in the wake of a respectable campaign, and he should come at a more affordable cost this winter. The 38-year-old made nine starts in 2020 and posted a 3.47 ERA (with a much less inspiring 4.57 FIP) and 7.66 K/9 against 2.74 BB/9 over 49 1/3 innings.

The type of numbers Happ has typically offered would be welcome in Boston, whose rotation has its share of question marks at the moment. Ace Chris Sale missed all of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March, so it’s unknown when he will be able to debut next season. Eduardo Rodriguez also sat out the year on account of health issues, as he battled heart problems and COVID-19. The hope is that he’ll be ready to go next year, though. Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta are the other favorites for rotation spots (Eovaldi is a shoo-in).  Happ would provide some more certainty as someone who has eaten a good deal of innings and recorded above-average production for several years.

Red Sox, Cubs Discussed Kris Bryant Trade Over Summer

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Although the Red Sox didn’t contend in 2020, they at least considered a blockbuster acquisition over the summer. They and the Cubs discussed a trade centering on third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. Those talks fizzled, so it’s unclear whether the two sides will revisit them this offseason.

Bryant has spent most of his career at third base, but as Gonzales notes, he’d be an outfielder in Boston. After all, the Red Sox already have Rafael Devers at the hot corner. They also have Alex Verdugo and Andrew Benintendi as corner outfield options, but the latter could head to center field in 2021 with Jackie Bradley Jr. currently on the free-agent market. That could leave room for a Bryant acquisition.

For Boston or any other team, Bryant would not be a long-term pickup unless he signs a contract extension. The 28-year-old is entering his last season of arbitration control, in which he’s projected to rake in $18.6MM. Considering how well the former NL MVP has performed for most of his career, that doesn’t look like an unreasonable sum. But the Cubs may be looking to part with Bryant after a pandemic-shortened year in which he endured uncharacteristic struggles. Bryant went through by far his least productive season, batting .206/.293/.351 (76 wRC+) with four home runs in 147 plate appearances, and now his Cubs tenure may be nearing an end.

Red Sox Finalize Coaching Staff

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The Red Sox finalized their 2021 coaching staff on Friday (relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive). As expected, Will Venable comes over from the Cubs to be Alex Cora’s bench coach. Also joining the staff is former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who will step into the newly-created game planning coordinator role. Varitek has worked in various positions in the Boston organization since wrapping up his playing career in 2011. His new job will make him a full-time member of the coaching staff for the first time, Cotillo notes.

Otherwise, most of the 2020 staff is set to return. Hitting coach Tim Hyers, assistant hitting coach Peter Fatse, base coaches Tom Goodwin and Carlos Febles, and pitching coach Dave Bush are all back to reprise their previous roles. Kevin Walker has been promoted from assistant pitching coach to bullpen coach (replacing Craig Bjornson), while Ramón Vázquez has been moved up to quality control coach.

The most notable addition to the Boston staff is obviously Cora, who was again hired as manager after serving a one-year suspension for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The 45-year-old skipper is plenty familiar with most of the holdovers, having managed the Red Sox from 2018-19.

Red Sox Add 7 Players To 40-Man Roster; Weber, Hall Designated For Assignment

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The Red Sox designated lefty Matt Hall and righty Ryan Weber for assignment Friday afternoon, per a club announcement. Additionally, southpaw Kyle Hart cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Those three moves helped clear space for the team to select seven players to the MLB roster: catcher/infielder Connor Wong, right-hander Eduard Bazardo, third baseman Hudson Potts, righty Bryan Mata, righty Connor Seabold, outfielder Jeisson Rosario and lefty Jay Groome. All seven are now shielded from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

It’s something of an indictment on Boston’s 2020 pitching staff that Weber, who ranked third on the team in innings pitched, was immediately cut loose. Both Hart and Hall started games for the Sox in 2020 as well. The team’s leader in innings pitched, Martin Perez, had his option bought out at season’s end.

Ownership might not have wanted to publicly acknowledge that the team punted the 2020 season, but the nature of the moves involving the team’s 2020 pitching staff speak for themselves. This club was always a long shot to contend in a deep AL East, although certainly the injury to Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez’s unsettling bout with myocarditis after a Covid-19 battle didn’t help their cause. A lack of depth was always plain to see, however, and this club long looked ill-prepared to deal with inevitable injury troubles that virtually all teams encounter.

Mata, 21, has climbed as high as Double-A and has long been considered one of the organization’s better young arms. Groome probably needs some development time after injuries have slowed the former first-rounder’s career.

Several of today’s names have been added to the system via high-profile trades across the past 12 months. The 24-year-old Wong has also played in Double-A, and as one of the pieces received in the Mookie Betts/David Price blockbuster, is someone the team has high hopes for in the future. Potts is a 2016 first-rounder of the Padres who came over in the Mitch Moreland swap and has also reached the Double-A level. Rosario also landed in Boston via that swap, though he’s further from the Majors having not yet played beyond Class-A Advanced. Seabold could get a look in the rotation as soon as 2021 after coming over from the Phillies in the Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree trade.

Latest On Eduardo Rodriguez

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Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is entering his final year of team control, in which he’ll earn around $8.3MM in arbitration, but his hope is to remain in Boston beyond 2021.

“I want to stay in Boston as long as my career goes,” he told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I want to play in Boston forever. That’s where I got to the big leagues. That’s where I got an opportunity. That’s my family. That’s a ballpark where I really love to pitch — the history, everything.”

Rodriguez emphasized to Speier in their discussion, which is worth a full read, how well he is doing after a season cut off because of myocarditis and COVID-19. He expects to return to the mound next year after missing all of 2020 because of those health problems.

“I’m 100 percent and I can start doing everything,” he said. “I feel fine. I feel great.”

You can’t help but feel happy about the progress made by Rodriguez, who was a quality starter for the Red Sox from 2015-19 before his health issues cut him down. Rodriguez recorded a 3.81 ERA/3.88 FIP in 203 1/3 innings as a member of the Red Sox two seasons ago and looked like one of the top young starters in the game then. One of the main questions now is whether the 27-year-old will stay in Boston for the long haul.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom didn’t make it clear in an interview with WEEI (via Rob Bradford) how serious he is about an extension for Rodriguez, but he did say there’s “a mutual desire” to hammer out an agreement. However, if no extension comes together in the coming months and Rodriguez reestablishes himself as a formidable rotation option next year, he’ll be a very appealing free agent a year from now.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/18/20

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The latest minor moves from around the majors…

  • The Cardinals have selected catcher Ivan Herrera, bringing their 40-man roster to 38 players, per a team announcement. Herrera, who turned 20 in June, ranks among the Cardinals’ top prospects. MLB.com places Herrera fourth overall in the Cardinals’ farm system, writing that he has 15-home run, on-base potential as a hitter and is someone who possesses “the athleticism, aptitude and work ethic to make the necessary gains” as a defender. The Cardinals could be counting on Herrera as their eventual answer behind the plate, considering Yadier Molina’s an aging free agent and Andrew Knizner hasn’t shown much in the majors so far.
  • The Red Sox have signed outfielder Michael Gettys to a minor league contract, Chris Smith of MassLive.com relays. Gettys was a second-round pick of the Padres in 2014, though he didn’t get past the Triple-A level with the franchise through 2019. The 25-year-old owns a minor league line of .260/.316/.429 with 84 home runs and 120 stolen bases (168 attempts) across 2,860 plate appearances.

Red Sox To Name Will Venable Bench Coach

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The Red Sox will hire Cubs third base coach Will Venable as their bench coach, per Rob Bradford of WEEI. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com previously reported Venable was the front-runner, while Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports first suggested he was a candidate for the role.

The Red Sox already became familiar with Venable earlier this offseason when they interviewed him to become their next manager. That position ultimately went to Alex Cora, whom the Red Sox rehired after a year-long suspension stemming from a sign-stealing scandal. Previous Red Sox bench coach Jerry Narron lost his spot after last season, which helped pave the way for Venable to claim the role.

A former major league outfielder, the 38-year-old Venable has worked in various jobs for the Cubs since his playing career ended after 2016. He started as a special assistant in their front office before coaching first and third base. Venable has also interviewed for multiple teams’ managerial vacancies over the past couple years.

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