FA News & Rumors: Puig, Phils, Mets, Dee, Soria
Despite sitting out all of last season, outfielder Yasiel Puig looks as if he could be an interesting and inexpensive pickup for someone this winter. The problem is that no one seems to be aggressively pursuing Puig. The Royals, Marlins and Yankees have all been connected to Puig in recent weeks, but none of them are going after him, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Puig, who turned 30 in December, was a standout with the Dodgers earlier in his career, but he endured a mediocre 2019 between the Reds and Indians and sat on the open market for all of last year. While Puig did appear to have a deal with the Braves in the summer, that collapsed when he tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July.
- The Phillies have shown interest in a pair of utility players – Marwin Gonzalez (previously reported) and Brad Miller – as well as outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, according to Heyman. The division-rival Mets are also considering Gonzalez, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relays. Gonzalez and Miller are fits just about anywhere because of their histories of combining respectable offense with defensive versatility, whereas the Phillies and other NL teams look like an imperfect match for Choo. Not only is he 38 years old, but Choo has struggled as a defender for most of his career.
- Four to five teams are in the mix for middle infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon, and he could make a decision on his next club by week’s end, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. The Red Sox were interested in Strange-Gordon earlier this offseason, but they’re likely out of the running after signing fellow infielder/outfielder Enrique Hernandez, per Cotillo. The Reds are reportedly one of the teams in on the 32-year-old speedster, who’s a free agent at an inopportune time after three consecutive dismal seasons with the Mariners.
- Veteran reliever Joakim Soria agreed to join the Diamondbacks for a $3.5MM guarantee Wednesday, but he turned down bigger offers from elsewhere to do so, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The 36-year-old right-hander, a two-time All-Star who turned in his latest solid season with the Athletics in 2020, is in line to close for Arizona.
Three Teams Pursuing Rich Hill
There are at least three teams making serious pushes to land southpaw Rich Hill, according to a report from WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. The Rays, Brewers, and Mets are each in pursuit of the veteran hurler.
Hill is closing in on his 41st birthday, but still spun 38 2/3 innings of 3.03 ERA ball last year over eight starts with the Twins. There’s little question he’s deserving of an important role on a big league pitching staff, even if it’s unreasonable to expect he’ll turn in a full starter’s workload over the entirety of a 162-game season.
While the results were excellent, Hill did show some worrying signs in Minnesota (with the obligatory short-sample alert). He managed only a 31:17 K/BB ratio, far off of the sparkling strikeout and walk numbers he had routinely sported in prior years with the Dodgers. Hill also shed a few ticks off his fastball — not that he has ever been reliant upon overwhelming velocity.
It’s not surprising to see the Rays and Brewers in the hunt for Hill. Both teams have moved away from traditional pitcher usage patterns in recent seasons and would have little trouble scheming up ways to maximize Hill’s unique capabilities. The Mets do not fit in quite the same manner, but could plug the ageless southpaw into the back of their rotation mix and plan to get him regular respite from the typical five-day pitching schedule.
One team is notably absent from the set of reported pursuers: the Red Sox. Bradford notes that the Boston organization has seemingly backed away from its initial interest after making other additions. That’s likely a bit of a disappointment for Hill, who resides in Massachusetts and has made clear that geographical location is one of his chief concerns (along with the ability to compete for a title). For what it’s worth, the Mets are obviously nearby and the Rays play frequently in the northeast.
Red Sox Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment
The Red Sox have designated right-hander Joel Payamps for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Garrett Richards, whose previously reported one-year deal is now official after he passed his physical.
The 26-year-old Payamps was claimed off waivers out of the D-backs organization earlier in the winter and has not pitched in a game for the Red Sox. Payamps, who has just seven Major League innings under his belt, pitched just three innings in the Major Leagues with the D-backs in 2020 and otherwise spent the year at the team’s alternate training site.
In his last minor league action, Payamps 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. He’s 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 could lead to some interest from another club on the waiver wire. Boston will have a week to trade Payamps, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Red Sox Sign Garrett Richards
Feb. 3: The Red Sox have formally announced the signing. Richards will earn $8.5MM in 2021, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link), and he has a $1.5MM buyout on the 2022 club option. The value of that option increases by $250K for reaching 20 and 25 games started, and would increase by an additional $500K if Richards starts 30 games. Richards, it should be noted, has made 30 starts just once in his career and has only reached 20 starts in a season on two occasions. His 2022 base salary would also increase by $500K if he’s traded.
Jan. 23: The Red Sox and right-hander Garrett Richards have agreed to a one-year, $10MM deal, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). The contract also includes a club option for 2022 that is also worth $10MM, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (Twitter links), with escalators that could increase both the base value of the option beyond $10MM, and also increase the value of the buyout. The deal will become official once Richards passes a physical. Richards is represented by ISE Baseball.
Reports circulated yesterday that Richards and the Sox were making progress towards an agreement, and with Richards now in the fold, Boston has taken another big step towards strengthening its rotation. Martin Perez was also re-signed last week, and between Richards, Perez, and swingman Matt Andriese, the Red Sox have added some veteran arms to the rotation mix and pushed some less-experienced arms (i.e. Tanner Houck, Chris Mazza) further down the depth chart.
Of course, the 32-year-old Richards also cannot be called an entirely sure thing, as he is less than two years removed from a Tommy John surgery that wiped out much of his 2019 season. Richards did post some solid results in 2020, however, delivering a 4.03 ERA, 21.6K%, and 13.6K-BB% over 51 1/3 innings for the Padres, starting 10 games before being moved to the bullpen for his final four regular-season outings in anticipation for the playoffs.
Richards did have a 4.55 SIERA last year, and his Statcast numbers aren’t much to write home about apart from two key categories — a 99th percentile curveball spin rate, and a 97th percentile spin rate on his fastball. Those types of elite metrics could hint at Richards reaching another level of production under the guidance of a more analytical front office and coaching staff, like the one chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has assembled in Boston.
Perhaps moreso than unlocking spin-rate potential, the biggest issue facing Richards and the Red Sox is just how much durability can be expected from a pitcher who has thrown only 198 2/3 total innings since the start of the 2016 season. In this sense, Richards becomes another injury question mark on a team that already has Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez as its top two starters until Chris Sale makes his expected midseason return from his own Tommy John surgery. The presence of Houck, Andriese, Mazza, Nick Pivetta and company allows the Sox some flexibility in the event of an injury, and if everyone is healthy, the club can get creative in resting pitchers or moving spot starters into the rotation to keep everyone fresh.
With Richards and the newly-signed Enrique Hernandez now on the books, the Red Sox have a projected (as per Roster Resource) luxury tax number of just under $198.5MM, putting them within shouting distance of the $210MM tax threshold. If the Sox wish to stay under the threshold, some creativity may be required in carving out more payroll space, which could be part of the reason Andrew Benintendi‘s name has been floated in trade speculation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Phillies, Red Sox Interested In Marwin Gonzalez
Utilityman Marwin Gonzalez is garnering interest from at least six teams, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). The Red Sox have been linked to Gonzalez in recent weeks and continue to be involved in his market, Feinsand writes, while NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury (via Twitter) reports that the Phillies are also interested in Gonzalez’s services.
Gonzalez has been roughly a league-average hitter over the last seven seasons with the Astros and Twins, with two exceptions — his .907 OPS outburst over 515 plate appearances for Houston’s World Series team in 2017, and his dismal .211/.286/.320 slash line over 199 PA with Minnesota last season. Gonzalez’s hard-contact numbers weren’t impressive in 2020, but his .241 BABIP indicates that there was perhaps a bit of misfortune at play, not to mention the overall unusual nature of the 2020 season adding uncertainty to stats.
Should Gonzalez get back to his usual level of production, his switch-hitting and ability to play multiple positions could make him a fit on many teams, Boston and Philadelphia included. The Red Sox are known to be looking for a left-handed bat to augment their largely right-handed projected roster, while the Phillies are in need of bench depth and could also use a more proven bat that can hit from the left side of the plate.
The Tigers and Twins have also reportedly shown interest in Gonzalez at various points this offseason, though it isn’t known if either team is still considering the 31-year-old. Of the known suitors, Detroit can offer Gonzalez the most playing time and even an everyday role considering the lack of depth on the Tigers’ roster, though Gonzalez might prefer to play for a team closer to contending in 2021.
Red Sox Sign Enrique Hernandez
TODAY: The Red Sox officially announced the two-year contract. Hernandez has a $6MM salary in 2021 and an $8MM salary in 2022, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, although the contract carries some heavy deferrals despite its affordable nature. Heyman indicates that $1.5MM of that 2021 salary will be paid in $250K installments from 2027-32, while $1MM of the 2022 salary will be paid in $250K installments from 2033-36.
JANUARY 22, 9:43pm: The contract includes deferrals, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.
7:24pm: It’s a two-year, $14MM pact for Hernandez, Feinsand reports. As Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com points out, this is the biggest free-agent deal chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has given out since he took over Boston’s front office last offseason.
7:00pm: Boston has agreed to a multiyear deal with Hernandez, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Hernandez is a Wasserman client.
3:5opm: The Red Sox and free-agent utilityman Enrique Hernandez have made progress toward a contract and could have an agreement by the end of the weekend, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.
A Boston-Hernandez agreement wouldn’t come as any surprise, as the two sides have been linked in rumors for at least the past few weeks. Plus, as Morosi notes, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was Team Puerto Rico’s GM in the 2017 World Baseball Classic when Hernandez was part of the club.
The 29-year-old Hernandez was a sixth-round pick of the Astros in 2009, but he has since been part of trades that have sent him to the Marlins and Dodgers. He found a home in Los Angeles from 2014-20, where he proved to be a useful cog as someone capable of playing all over the diamond (primarily second baseman and the outfield). He also recorded roughly league-average offensive production as a member of the Dodgers, with whom he batted .240/.312/.425 (98 wRC+) with 68 home runs 1,874 plate appearances. However, Hernandez’s numbers tailed off from 2019-20, so he shouldn’t come at an especially high price this offseason.
If he does join the Red Sox, Hernandez would be an obvious candidate to get significant reps at second base, where the club finished 25th in fWAR (minus-0.2) last season. Michael Chavis and Christian Arroyo are the only healthy second basemen on Boston’s 40-man roster at the moment. Of course, they also some have questions with Jackie Bradley Jr. a free agent and Andrew Benintendi a trade candidate, so Hernandez could also be a factor in the grass.
Free Agent Rumors: Bradley, Tigers, Encarnacion, Wong
With the Red Sox now just a few million dollars shy of the luxury-tax threshold after their deals to bring in Garrett Richards, Enrique Hernandez, Martin Perez and Adam Ottavino, a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr. appears unlikely, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote Sunday. That’s not especially surprising on its own, of course, but Olney notes more interestingly that Bradley “could wind up with a three-year deal elsewhere.” That’d be a strong outcome for Bradley, who’ll turn 31 in April, given the difficulty mid-tier free agents have had in securing lucrative deals this winter.
Bradley has been connected most frequently to the Mets in recent weeks, although he’s also reportedly drawn interest from the Blue Jays, the Cubs, the Phillies and the Astros at various points this winter. The Red Sox’ likely departure from any bidding for his services won’t help Bradley’s market, but most indications still seem to suggest that he has a case for a multi-year pact wherever he ultimately lands.
A few more notes on the free-agent market…
- Olney also writes that the Tigers could look further at the third tier of free-agent outfielders, listing names like Adam Duvall, Jay Bruce, Kevin Pillar, Tyler Naquin and Matt Joyce as potential fits. Detroit already inked Robbie Grossman to a two-year pact and will likely hand him the keys to an everyday gig in left field, but their outfield mix still isn’t quite settled. JaCoby Jones has shown flashes of high-quality play in center field but lacked consistency while battling injuries. Victor Reyes has had a nice run at the plate over the past couple of seasons but has yet to ever tally 300 MLB plate appearances in a given campaign. The Tigers have plenty of younger options in the form of Travis Demeritte, Daz Cameron, Derek Hill, Christin Stewart and Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo, but the first four all have minor league options remaining and Baddoo is no lock to make the club.
- Agent Paul Kinzer tells MLB.com’s Jon Morosi that his client, Edwin Encarnacion, hopes to play another two seasons at the MLB level and still has aspirations of reaching 500 home runs in his career (Twitter link). It feels like a stretch that Encarnacion could get to that mark in two years, given that he’s still 76 long balls shy of that illustrious milestone, however. The 38-year-old slugger has four seasons of 38 or more homers under his belt, but he’d need to land somewhere with an opportunity for everyday at-bats (presumably as a designated hitter) to even have a chance. Coming off a .157/.250/.377 showing in 2020, such an arrangement could be tough to find. That said, if Encarnacion rebounds in 2021 and is open to playing beyond the 2022 season, it’s conceivable that he could yet reach that mark.
- There’s “little interest” in bringing second baseman Kolten Wong back for the Cardinals at this point, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote in his latest Q&A with readers. A new home for Wong has felt likeliest since the Cards bought out his $12.5MM option for the 2021 season, although some Cards fans have held out hope for a new deal as the two sides have reportedly stayed in touch throughout free agency. The infield market has picked up steam recently, but that hasn’t translated to a deal for Wong — arguably the game’s best defender at his position.
Latest On Twins’ Rotation Targets
Even after signing left-hander J.A. Happ to a one-year, $8MM contract late last month, the Twins may not be done addressing their rotation. They remain in touch with one of their own free agents, right-hander Jake Odorizzi, and were in attendance for righty Jake Arrieta‘s throwing session last Friday, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports. The Twins will stay in touch with Arrieta, according to Neal.
Odorizzi spent the previous three seasons with the Twins and combined for a 4.11 ERA/4.34 SIERA in 337 innings. In his best season, 2019, Odorizzi earned an All-Star nod and pitched to a 3.51 ERA/4.14 SIERA with a a career-best 27.1 percent strikeout rate and an 8.1 percent walk rate over 159 frames. The Twins then handed Odorizzi a $17.8MM qualifying offer, and he accepted it instead of trying his luck in free agency.
Minnesota was no doubt expecting another quality showing from Odorizzi when it gave him the QO, but it wasn’t to be in 2020. Injuries, including to his back, chest and right middle finger, limited him to 13 2/3 innings of 10-run ball. Odorizzi doesn’t seem to be a free agent at the ideal time, then, but considering his positive track record with the Royals, Rays and Twins, he could still land a solid multiyear payday this offseason. Other than the Twins, Jon Morosi of MLB.com lists the Angels, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Giants and perhaps the Mets as teams vying for the soon-to-be 31-year-old.
Either Odorizzi or Arrieta would fill out a Twins rotation that currently has Happ, Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda and Randy Dobnak comprising its top five. Of course, unlike Odorizzi, Arrieta probably isn’t in line for better than a one-year contract. While Arrieta is a former NL Cy Young winner (2015) with the Cubs, he’s now on the market after a pair of disappointing seasons with the Phillies. Arrieta, 35 in March, put up his worst ERA since 2012 last year (5.08) in 44 1/3 innings. He also logged a meager 16.8 percent strikeout percentage – one of the worst of his career – though he did record an above-average walk rate of 8.4 percent and a 51.8 percent groundball rate.
Dustin Pedroia Announces Retirement
Red Sox second baseman and former American League MVP Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement from baseball Monday. The 37-year-old was still under contract for the 2021 season but had managed to play in just nine games over the past three seasons due to a string of devastating knee injuries that required multiple surgeries. Notably, Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal tweets that Pedroia will still be paid his $12MM salary in the upcoming season, and his $13.3MM average annual value will count against the luxury tax for the Red Sox.
“Dustin is so much more than his American League Most Valuable Player award, his All-Star Game selections, and the Gold Gloves he amassed throughout his impressive 17-year career in our organization,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a press release announcing the move. “Dustin came to represent the kind of grit, passion, and competitive drive that resonates with baseball fans everywhere and especially with Red Sox fans. He played the game he loves in service to our club, its principles and in pursuit of championships. Most of all we are forever grateful to him for what he brought to our club and to our region as an important role model showing all of us how much one can accomplish with determination and hard work.”
Pedroia was a second-round pick out of Arizona State during the same 2004 season in which the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino with their first World Series win in 86 years. They couldn’t have known it at the time, but that ’04 draft would play an integral part in further distancing themselves from said “curse,” as Pedroia was a key cog in the engine of two more World Series-winning rosters.
Barely two years after being signed, Pedroia made his big league debut in August 2006. His initial 31-game cup of coffee produced middling results, but Pedroia quickly put a lackluster debut behind him when he batted .317/.380/.442 en route to a runaway win in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Pedroia had a slow start in the postseason that year, but he picked up steam in the ALCS and played key roles in the postseason’s final two rounds.
Pedroia one-upped that marvelous rookie season just a year later when he was named American League MVP. In just his second fill big league season, Pedroia posted an excellent .326/.376/.493 slash with 17 home runs, an MLB-leading 54 doubles and 20 stolen bases. Pedroia also led the Majors with 213 hits that season, and his 118 runs scored paced the American League. He also took home the first of four career Gold Gloves and made the first of four All-Star Games during that brilliant season.
From 2007-17, Pedroia was quite simply one of the best all-around players in Major League Baseball. During that time, he put together a composite .302/.368/.442 slash with 138 home runs and steals apiece, all while playing high-quality defense for a near-perennial contender. He hit .301/.372/.415 with the Red Sox in 2013, again playing a huge role as the club secured a third World Series win in a span of 10 years.
Unfortunately for Pedroia, the Red Sox and their fans, he was hampered by left knee troubles throughout his 2017 season, and after three trips to the injured list eventually underwent a cartilage restoration procedure. He returned in 2018 after missing the start of the season, but troubles in his surgically repaired knee shelved him again after just three games. Pedroia didn’t play again in 2018, and he was limited to six games the following year due to continued setbacks. He underwent a “joint preservation” operation on that knee and did not appear at all the following year in 2020.
Pedroia revealed in a Zoom conference call with reporters today that he underwent a partial knee replacement in December and isn’t currently able to run, though he is at least walking pain-free for the first time in awhile (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Chad Jennings and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). Pedroia said he did “everything possible” to try to get back to the field, but the latest procedure finally made it a physical impossibility.
“I’m glad none of you guys got a chance to see me (last year),” said Pedroia. “I wasn’t in a good place. I grinded every day just to be able to play with my kids and live a normal life.”
The series of knee injuries is a disheartening way to see one of the current generation’s best talents wrap up a career. At one point, Pedroia looked to be marching toward Cooperstown. Because of his incredible peak, the individual hardware and his World Series rings, he’ll still have some supporters when he finds himself on the ballot, though he’ll be a more borderline case than most would’ve expected even a few years ago. His case will likely be an oft-debated one, but for a solid decade there’s little arguing that Pedroia was among the game’s elite.
All told, his career will draw to a close with a .299/.365/.439 batting line, 140 home runs, 394 doubles, 15 triples, 138 stolen bases, 1805 hits, 922 runs scored and 725 runs batted in. In addition to his Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, Pedroia made four All-Star teams, won four Gold Gloves and took home a Silver Slugger Award. Baseball-Reference credits him with 51.6 wins above replacement, while FanGraphs values him at 46.6 WAR. Pedroia earned more than $127MM in career earnings and stands alongside David Ortiz as a defining player in this generation of the Red Sox. Though the two couldn’t be more different in physical stature, both will go down as veritable titans in Red Sox lore. Best wishes to Pedroia in retirement.
AL East Notes: Vazquez, Angels, Tanaka, Blue Jays, Taillon
The Angels signed Kurt Suzuki this offseason, and with a catching corps of Suzuki, Max Stassi, and Anthony Bemboom, adding an upper-tier backstop “would be a luxury and not a necessity” for the team, FanSided’s Robert Murray writes. However, the Halos have at least checked in on some prominent catchers, including Christian Vazquez of the Red Sox. No deal appears to be close, as the Sox naturally want quite a lot for Vazquez and “there are doubts whether the Red Sox will entertain trading him” whatsoever.
Vazquez is entering his final guaranteed year of the contract extension he signed in March 2018. He’ll earn $6.25MM in 2021, and the Red Sox hold a $7MM club option ($250K buyout) on his services for 2022. It’s a very affordable price for one of the game’s better defensive catchers, not to mention a catcher who has swung an increasingly dangerous bat — Vazquez has hit .278/.327/.472 with 30 homers in 710 plate appearances since the start of the 2019 season. He does turn 31 in August, so the Sox could think about moving him at a high point in his trade value, but the Angels or any suitor would have to step up with a very big offer to get Boston’s attention.
More from the AL East…
- In a press conference announcing his return to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Masahiro Tanaka implied that he could return to Major League Baseball even before his two-year deal with the Eagles is up. “I feel I have unfinished business in America, and I haven’t given up on that, so they agreed on terms that would keep those options open,” Tanaka said. This could seem to hint at an opt-out clause after the 2021 season, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post notes, and quite possibly a return to the Yankees in 2022. With the Yankees intent on resetting their luxury tax penalty limit this winter, the team opted to spend its resources elsewhere rather than re-sign Tanaka at his desired asking price. Come next offseason, however, the Yankees might well be willing to exceed the tax threshold (and pay only a first-timer penalty fee) in order to acquire Tanaka and other roster upgrades.
- Also from Robert Murray, Blue Jays outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk are drawing trade interest. The addition of George Springer has created a surplus in Toronto’s outfield, with Grichuk seemingly relegated to fourth outfielder duty as Gurriel and Teoscar Hernandez are slated for the corners. It’s safe to guess that Gurriel is the more sought-after player, since Gurriel is over two years younger than Grichuk and has a less-expensive contract — Gurriel is owed $13.4MM through the 2023 season, while Grichuk is owed $29MM. One of the outfielders could be dangled a way of obtaining pitching, since the Jays continue to look for both rotation and bullpen help.
- The Rays were one of the other suitors trying to obtain Jameson Taillon from the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Taillon ended up traded to the Yankees, and as Topkin points out, the Rays had interest in both Taillon and Corey Kluber, New York’s two main pitching acquisitions of the offseason.