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Red Sox, Zack Godley Reportedly Nearing Agreement

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JULY 15: Godley’s in Boston, likely to get a physical, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. A deal looks “imminent,” Bradford adds.

JULY 14: The Red Sox are nearing a deal with free-agent right-hander Zack Godley, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. It’s unclear whether it will be a major league contract for Godley, whom the Tigers released from a minors pact Monday.

Godley will get an opportunity to win a starting spot in Boston, whose rotation looks shaky after taking multiple hits in recent months. They’ll go the whole season without ace and recent Tommy John recipient Chris Sale. Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez has been down since last week because of a positive COVID-19 test. It seems unlikely he’ll be good to go for Opening Day, while Collin McHugh definitely won’t be ready as he continues his recovery from elbow troubles.

As things stand, the Red Sox are down to Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez as their most experienced starters who are actually healthy. Matt Hall, Brian Johnson, Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza are among in-house options competing for roles after Eovaldi and Perez.

The 30-year-old Godley, like Eovaldi and Perez, brings a somewhat lengthy but inconsistent track record to the table. Godley seemed to break out in 2017 as a Diamondback with 155 innings of 3.37 ERA/3.41 FIP pitching. While he was less effective at preventing runs the next season (4.74 ERA/3.82 FIP), he still amassed 178 1/3 frames and struck out more than a batter per inning for the second straight campaign.

Unfortunately, Godley continued to fall off last season. He performed so badly in Arizona that the team designated him for assignment in August, and while Toronto did end up adding him on waivers, he didn’t last long there. All told, Godley made 33 appearances (only nine starts) and registered a 5.97 ERA/5.20 FIP over 92 innings. His K/9 took a major turn for the worse along the way, plummeting to 6.85.

Despite his 2019 downturn, Godley would seem to represent a worthwhile buy-low arm who may have some multiyear upside. If he actually sticks with his next team, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2022 season.

Red Sox Sign Fourth-Rounder Jeremy Wu-Yelland

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  • The Red Sox have inked fourth-round left-hander Jeremy Wu-Yelland, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. Wu-Yelland’s pick, No. 118, came with a recommended value of $487,900, but the Red Sox landed him on a below-slot deal worth $200K. Previously a reliever with the University of Hawaii, Wu-Yelland entered the draft as Baseball America’s 261st-ranked prospect. BA writes that he has “considerable arm strength” but may not have the strike-throwing ability to start in the majors.

Happ, Hill, McHugh Among Players Excluded From Vesting Clause Agreement

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6:39pm: Red Sox righty Collin McHugh is also excluded from the agreement, Martino tweets. McHugh, who’s still working back from the nonsurgical procedure he underwent on his pitching elbow over the winter, signed an incentive-laden deal with Boston in March. Back when McHugh inked the contract, it included $3.625MM in available incentives based on between 30 and 115 innings pitched; it also featured roster bonuses for 15 to 90 days on the team’s active roster.

1:02pm: It emerged yesterday that the league and union had agreed upon how to handle vesting clauses and certain bonuses in a highly modified 2020 season. But it seems the general agreement includes carve-outs for certain players.

Among those known to be excluded are Yankees lefty J.A. Happ and Twins southpaw Rich Hill, according to reports from Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Andy Martino of SNY.tv. In those cases — and, it seems, a few unidentified others — the team and player will have to reach modified agreements or submit cases to an arbitrator to decide how their contracts should be treated.

In Happ’s case, his original contract included a $17MM vesting/club option for the 2021 season. It would become guaranteed if he made 27 starts and/or threw 165 innings this year. As for Hill, there aren’t any options. But his deal included generous incentive pay for accumulating relatively small numbers of games started and/or innings pitched (maxing out at $9.5MM with 15 starts and/or 75 innings).

It’s still not fully clear just why certain players were excluded from the broader deal. A source tells Martino it relates to health situations at the start of the season, though as he notes that doesn’t quite align with Happ’s case.

Red Sox Add 5 Prospects To 60-Man Pool

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The Red Sox have added five of their top prospects to the organization’s 60-man player pool, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter) and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (Twitter links). That leaves the organization with five remaining openings.

Infielder Jeter Downs, the club’s consensus top prospect, leads the way. He’ll report for Summer Camp along with outfielder Jarren Duran, southpaw Jay Groome, and righties Tanner Houck and Bryan Mata.

Every one of those players has a top-ten spot on the latest MLB.com Red Sox farm ranking, so it’s a significant infusion of organizational talent. The club obviously doesn’t expect any of these youngsters to crack the Opening Day roster, or they’d have been in camp already, but they’ll now have a chance to train at full throttle with the team’s other best players.

Though Downs is the most-awaited of the group — expectations are high after he came over in the Mookie Betts swap — it seems the two righties have the clearest near-term path to the majors. Houck reached Triple-A last year and Mata topped out at Double-A, so both are among the more advanced arms that could be called upon if a need arises.

Red Sox Interested In Zack Godley

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The Red Sox are one of multiple teams showing interest in free-agent right-hander Zack Godley, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Godley hit the market when the Tigers released him Monday.

It’s no surprise that the Red Sox are seeking pitching help, considering the issues facing their staff. The team’s rotation won’t have ace Chris Sale, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, while de facto No. 1 starter Eduardo Rodriguez is questionable for Opening Day as a result of a positive COVID-19 test. At the moment, then, the club is perilously low on proven starters after Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez, who each come with plenty of question marks in their own right.

Of course, Godley’s also no sure bet to produce these days. The 30-year-old was a good source of innings with the Diamondbacks from 2017-18, during which he made 57 starts and tossed 333 1/3 frames of 4.10 ERA/3.63 FIP ball with 9.45 K/9, 3.62 BB/9 and a 51.6 percent groundball rate. However, Godley’s career went off the rails enough last year for the Diamondbacks to designate him for assignment in August.

Godley caught on with Toronto after the D-backs cut the cord, but the Blue Jays outrighted him after just six appearances in their uniform, leading him to elect free agency. Between the two teams, he ended 2019 with a grisly 5.97 ERA/5.20 FIP over 92 frames – most of which came in relief. Godley also saw his strikeout rate plummet to a personal-worst 6.85 per nine, while he posted a below-average 4.11 BB/9 at the same time.

Quick Hits: A’s, Nashville, Astros Pitching Staff, Dalbec

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Athletics Manager Bob Melvin discussed his plans for the team’s second base position, as reported by Shayna Rubin of the Mercury News. The longtime Oakland skipper expects to deploy the tandem of Franklin Barreto and Tony Kemp in a platoon, with Barreto getting at-bats against lefties and Kemp playing versus right-handers. That’s promising news regarding the 24-year-old Barreto, who has long been regarded as a talented prospect but has gotten limited exposure since the A’s acquired him from the Blue Jays. But after a strong showing in summer camp, he may finally get consistent at-bats. Thus far, he’s appeared in parts of three seasons but has played just 80 games in total, making 209 plate appearances. As talented as Barreto may be, one has to think that it’d be hard to find a rhythm at the plate when opportunities against MLB pitching come so sparingly. We’ll keep our eyes on Barreto this season, hoping he can tap into the power that made him a key prospect in the Josh Donaldson trade.

  • Music City Baseball, an organization working to bring a Major League Baseball team to Nashville, is expected to pitch a proposal to MLB at the 2021 Winter Meetings, writes the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham as part of a piece that also details former Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski’s involvement with the group. Dombrowski hopped on board as an advisor to the group, along with the likes of Tony La Russa, Dave Stewart, and Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin. Of course, if such a proposal is to come to fruition, they’ll need the approval of MLB, which is not actively planning for expansion in the near future. Certainly, there are plenty of obstacles to the venture, making a 2024 or 2025 arrival seem like the best-case scenario for the Nashville Stars.
  • After a possible exposure to COVID-19 led the Astros to shut down workouts yesterday, pitching coach Brent Strom and the Major League pitching staff were all absent from camp today, as reported by Mark Berman of Fox Houston. Manager Dusty Baker said that Strom was “part of” the exposure that caused yesterday’s cancellation. That group is undergoing COVID-19 testing and is currently awaiting results. Of course, Baker said that the hope is that is Strom and the Astros’ pitchers will be able to rejoin the team in short order, though for the time being the team will wait with bated breath for the results of those tests.
  • Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec has been cleared to play after a positive test for COVID-19 prevented him from participating until now, reports Christopher Smith of MassLive. He rejoined the Sox at Fenway Park today after spending Saturday working out at Boston College. The 25-year-old infielder is regarded as one of Boston’s best prospects, and could contribute to the big league team this year. Rising through the minors as a third baseman, Dalbec may be best suited for first base in the Majors, but there’s little doubt about his raw power and on-base skills. Dalbec is one of four Red Sox who tested positive for the virus, with pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Josh Taylor, and Darwinzon Hernandez still recovering.

Red Sox Add Mike Kickham To Player Pool

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The Red Sox announced that left-hander Mike Kickham has been added to the team’s player pool.  Boston now has 50 players in their pool, ten shy of the 60-man maximum.

Kickham joined the Sox on a minors contract last December, and is looking to make it back to the big leagues for the first time since the 2014 season.  The southpaw posted a 10.98 ERA over 30 1/3 innings for the Giants in 2013-14 and then bounced around the minors and the independent leagues.  Kickham’s journeyman sojourn brought him to the Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, a return stint with the Giants, and (for the past three seasons) the Marlins’ farm system.  A return call to the majors hasn’t come despite some decent numbers, as Kickham has a 4.06 ERA, 2.19 K/BB rate, and 7.8 K/9 over 835 1/3 career minor league frames.

Given the uncertain nature of Boston’s pitching, Kickham might have a decent shot at cracking the Sox roster.  Staff ace Eduardo Rodriguez and left-handers Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor are are sidelined after positive COVID-19 tests, plus Collin McHugh won’t be fully ready to pitch by Opening Day.  This creates plenty of opportunity for a pitcher like Kickham to earn a roster spot as the Red Sox try to figure out how they’ll approach this dearth of arms.

Quick Hits: Round Numbers, Red Sox Rotation, Astros

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If there’s something fans and baseball players can agree on, it’s a love of round numbers. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic-shortened seasons, many of baseball’s legendary Latino contemporaries may have to put away their obsession with certain benchmarks, writes ESPN’s Enrique Rojas. Albert Pujols needs 44 home runs to reach 700. Miguel Cabrera is 185 hits from 3,000 and 23 home runs from 500. Robinson Cano is just under 500 hits away from 3,000. Their ability to reach these markers is taking a hit with a shortened 2020. Given the changes in the game, there’s certainly a question about how long milestones of the past will continue to be held in such particular esteem. Rate statistics like wRC+ have already taken hold in some parts of the baseballsphere, and it’s certainly worth wondering if similar metrics will start to be used more in conjunction with traditional statistical benchmarks (300 wins, 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, etc.). Now let’s see what’s happening on the field…

  • It’s looking less and less likely that Eduardo Rodriguez will be back in time to start the Red Sox Opening Day contest, per Chris Cotillo of masslive.com. That puts Nathan Eovaldi in line to get the Opening Day nod. The rest of the Red Sox rotation remains a bit of a mess, certainly a far cry from the squad the took the team to the World Series just two seasons ago. But with Chris Sale on the shelf, David Price and Rick Porcello both gone, Boston is turning to the likes of Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, Chris Mazza, Jeffrey Springs, Colten Brewer and Matt Hall for rotation consideration. Collin McHugh, signed at the tail end of free agency, will not be ready by Opening Day. The Red Sox are counting on less-heralded performers than in year’s past, but there’s room for someone (or a few someone’s) to step up and stake their claim to a locker in Boston.
  • The Astros canceled their workout today after someone on staff became exposed to COVID-19, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (via Twitter). GM James Click released a statement: “As part of MLB’s testing and reporting plan, we were alerted that a staff member was potentially exposed to a COVID-positive individual outside the organization. Out of an abundance of caution, we have cancelled today’s workout.” These sorts of snow days may become commonplace, at least in these early days. Still, it’s an important measure. Credit the Astros for taking the necessary amount of caution here. [UPDATE: the Astros announced that workouts at Minute Maid Park will resume on Sunday.]

Eduardo Rodriguez, Bobby Dalbec Test Positive For COVID-19

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Two additional Red Sox players are being isolated with coronavirus infections, the club informed reporters including Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and infield prospect Bobby Dalbec each tested positive for COVID-19 (and consented to the public disclosure of that information).

Fortunately, there is no indication that either player is dealing with significant complications. It even sounds as if there’s still some hope for Rodriguez to be ready for the start of the season — or, at least, the southpaw is holding out the possibility in hopes of taking the honor of an Opening Day nod.

As with all the other such cases around the league, the two keys here are to ensure the health of the infected players and prevent any further transmission. Before they are able to join the Boston Summer Camp, Rodriguez and Dalbec will need to get past the disease and twice test negative.

It’s a disappointing situation for both players. Rodriguez had an impressive spring after a quality, 200-inning 2019 showing. He’s looking to lay the groundwork for his final trip through arbitration and perhaps take another step forward as a front-line starter. Dalbec reached Triple-A last year and earned a top-100 leaguewide prospect grade from Baseball America. He’s surely hoping to debut in the majors in 2020.

Red Sox Sign First-Rounder Nick Yorke

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The Red Sox have inked first-round pick Nick Yorke, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He’ll receive a $2.7MM bonus.

That’s well shy of the $3,609,700 slot value allocated to the 17th overall selection with which York was taken. That was the expectation when the Sox surprisingly nabbed the high-school second baseman, who wasn’t widely seen as a first-round talent entering the draft.

The Boston organization obviously had a lot of faith in Yorke. Signing him to an under-slot deal also allowed the team to make more noise in the later rounds.

[RELATED: American League Draft Signings Picks & Bonus Info]

Yorke did draw one top-100 pre-draft ranking, from Baseball America. The calling card here is his hitting ability, which the Sox obviously feel bullish about. It’s not clear how much pop Yorke will develop, and there are varying views on where he’ll end up defensively, but the bat is compelling enough — in the Boston org’s view, anyway — to warrant the lofty selction.

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