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Carlos Gomez

Mets Designate Keon Broxton

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The Mets have designated outfielder Keon Broxton for assignment, Tim Healey of Newsday reports on Twitter. That opens the door for Carlos Gomez to join the club’s MLB roster for the first time since his debut season with the club way back in 2007.

Gomez’s ascension was reported previously, so it comes as no surprise. Of course, something came up the last time we thought it was inevitable we’d again see him in a Mets uniform. (He instead landed with the Astros; it’s fascinating to consider the alternate universe.)

In other moves, also largely anticipated in advance, the Mets recalled righty Paul Sewald and placed outfielder Michael Conforto on the 7-day concussion injured list. Conforto’s injury is a concerning one for the team; it’s still not clear what kind of absence is anticipated.

Broxton came over from the Brewers in the offseason after failing to fill the center field opening created by Gomez’s departure. The defensively proficient 29-year-old seemed to be somewhat redundant with Juan Lagares already on hand, but the Mets evidently thought his upside was worth a chance.

Things just haven’t worked out at all for Broxton. He saw limited action in New York and struggled badly when he did get in the lineup. In 53 plate appearances this season, he carries a .143/.208/.163 batting line with 22 strikeouts. Though it’s still possible he’ll be snagged on the waiver wire, his appeal is limited by the fact that he is out of options.

Mets To Select Carlos Gomez

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The Mets have informed veteran outfielder Carlos Gomez that they will select his contract from Triple-A Syracuse, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). He’ll join the club as Michael Conforto lands on the injured list due to a concussion.

The 33-year-old Gomez was a top prospect with Mets back in 2006-07, was traded as one of the focal points of the Johan Santana blockbuster, and nearly returned to the Mets prior to the 2015 non-waiver trade deadline. He’ll now suit back up for his original organization more than a decade after his MLB debut.

Gomez is a career .253/.313/.412 hitter who slashed .284/.347/.491 with the Brewers during his 2013-14 All-Star peak, but he’s coming off a season in which he managed a mere .634 OPS with the Rays. He’s gotten out to a strong .270/.329/.500 start through 140 plate appearances in Syracuse, where he’s hit six homers, nine doubles and a triple in addition to collecting five stolen bases (albeit in 10 attempts). He’ll join an outfield mix that currently includes Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton, although the Mets will need to make a 40-man move to accommodate Gomez, and Broxton has struggled mightily so far in 2019.

Mets Assign Six NRI Veterans To Minor League Camp

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The Mets have cut several veterans at Spring Training on minor league contracts from their Major League camp.  Carlos Gomez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Rajai Davis, Hector Santiago, Ryan O’Rourke, and Devin Mesoraco are the non-roster invitees who have all been told they aren’t making the Opening Day roster.  (Tim Healey of Newsday was one of several reporters who passed on the news.)  Of note, Mesoraco didn’t have an opt-out clause in his contract, though the Mets said that the catcher is “reassessing his situation” with the organization.

Mesoraco, Hechavarria, and Davis each had upward mobility clauses in their contracts that went into effect last Wednesday, though there hasn’t been any word on whether any other teams had interest in any of the trio.  This doesn’t appear to have been the case for Mesoraco, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that Mesoraco has informed the Mets that he won’t go to Triple-A, and wants to be released.  Mesoraco is even prepared to retire if he isn’t granted his release, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter).

Mesoraco’s situation is perhaps the most surprising, as indications were that he would serve as the backup catcher, since Travis d’Arnaud is likely to begin the season on the injured list.  This could mean that a change in d’Arnaud’s status, or that the Mets would simply instead prefer to use another internal candidate in Tomas Nido as Wilson Ramos’ backup.

The Mets’ outfield situation was already pretty crowded, so Gomez and Davis faced something of an uphill battle in winning jobs.  Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto have everyday jobs spoken for, while Jeff McNeil will get at least a share of the left field playing time, with Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares serving as backup outfielders.

O’Rourke pitched quite well in camp while Santiago struggled, though in the end, the Mets chose to take neither left-hander on their Opening Day roster.  This will leave Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan (another minor league signing who is likely to make the team) as the southpaw options out of New York’s bullpen.

The Hechavarria news bodes well for Luis Guillorme’s chances of winning the utility infield job.  McNeil will also see some time in the infield mix when he isn’t playing left field, and J.D. Davis looks to be the team’s top option at third base for the time being.  Of course, the Mets’ infield situation will be in flux once Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie are healthy.

Mets Sign Carlos Gomez

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Saturday, 1:25 PM: The deal is now official, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Friday, 11:48 AM:The Mets have reportedly struck a deal with free agent outfielder Carlos Gomez. The @BigDaveRants account first tweeted the news, which has been confirmed since by several reports. It’s said to be a minor-league pact, pending a physical.

Memorably, Gomez nearly became a member of the Mets in the summer of 2015. At the time, he was a star center fielder and the New York club was readying for a stretch run at the postseason. The deal was all but done before things fell apart.

The undoing of that swap created huge ripples still being felt. Gomez ended up being swapped instead to the Astros in a deal that worked out terribly for Houston but didn’t prevent the club from finding its own successes. That trade helped spur the Brewers’ recent resurgence.

Meanwhile, the Mets hung on to Zack Wheeler, who’ll now be a key member of the rotation after his own 2018 renaissance. The other piece of that trade-that-wasn’t,  Wilmer Flores, provided one of the trade deadline’s indelible moments when he shed some tears on the field following the reporting of the deal. (He was non-tendered this fall and landed with the Diamondbacks.)

Looking to the present, the deal makes for a somewhat interesting match. Gomez will obviously need to earn his way onto the roster after a forgettable 2018 season for the Rays, but he had a productive stop with the Rangers before that and only just turned 33 years old.

The Mets already have a host of left-handed-hitting outfielders, but are less certain from the right side. Gomez could push Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton in camp. While those younger options have much better gloves, Gomez is the most accomplished hitter of the bunch — though Broxton has been a similarly productive offensive performer (despite worrying strikeout numbers) over the past three seasons. It could be that Gomez will end up serving mostly as a depth piece while auditioning for other teams, but there’s about a month left in camp and circumstances can always change.

AL East Rumors: Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles

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On the heels of a surprisingly strong season, Rays general manager Erik Neander tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that the team’s “arrow [is] pointing up” as it looks to the future. Neander plainly suggests that the expectation for the club moving forward with this core will be consistent playoff berths, beginning next season. Tampa Bay, stunningly, has just over $9MM on the books in guaranteed contracts next season, though both Matt Duffy and Tommy Pham will be in line for arbitration raises. Both C.J. Cron and Jesus Sucre will also be arbitration-eligible, but Topkin suggests that Cron, Sucre, Carlos Gomez and Sergio Romo may all have played their last game with the organization. Cron is owed a raise on this year’s $2.3MM salary, while Sucre will see a raise on his own $925K salary. Both Gomez and Romo are free agents.

More from the division…

  • The Blue Jays will have plenty of roster decisions on their hands this offseason, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com explores thoroughly. Chisholm reports that “early indications” are that the Blue Jays are seeking a “fresh face” rather than a veteran manager to replace John Gibbons, mentioning former Jays infielder John McDonald, Double-A skipper John Schneider and Cardinals Triple-A skipper Stubby Clapp as possible candidates. Chisholm also calls it “likely” that the Jays will add a veteran starter to the rotation this winter, looks at the future of both Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez with the organization and previews a likely roster crunch in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
  • There’s still no official word on the status of longtime Orioles manager Buck Showlter, but it’s been reported for weeks that he’s unlikely to return. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes that official word on Showalter could come as soon as today, and expectations of his departure have not changed. Kubatko also chatted with Adam Jones following what is quite likely his final game as an Oriole (barring a return late in his career). Jones acknowledged the strangeness he felt in hearing the word “rebuild” in Baltimore, as the only time he’d previously heard it was when he was breaking onto the scene with fellow upstarts Nick Markakis and Chris Tillman. Not that it’s been in doubt, but Jones certainly didn’t speak like someone who anticipated a return to Baltimore. “It’s been a great run here, great tenure here, so hopefully go somewhere and see what the next chapter in my career has for me,” said Jones, who received quite the tribute in his final game at Camden Yards yesterday. Showalter allowed Jones to take the field — center field, at that — alone in the first inning of the game before being removed in the top of the ninth to a roaring ovation from O’s fans (video link via MLB.com).

Injury Notes: Gomez, Sanchez, Marte, Bird, Prado

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Rays outfielder Carlos Gomez has been activated from the 10-day disabled list; he’d been sidelined since May 16th with a strained groin. The injury was thought to be minor at the time, and the fact that Gomez missed only the ten-day minimum leaves little room to doubt his health at this time. That doesn’t mean his performance comes without questions, though, as the veteran is slashing just .200/.252/.345 on the season. No corresponding move was required for Tampa Bay, as their roster was two men short following yesterday’s surprising trade with Seattle.

And now a flurry of other injury-related items from around the league…

  • David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that Anibal Sanchez could be the Braves’ starter on Tuesday following a successful rehab start on Friday. Mark Bowman of MLB.com takes it a step further by quoting manager Brian Snitker, who reportedly said that Sanchez is indeed penciled in to start Tuesday’s game. Sanchez has a 1.29 ERA in three appearances (two starts) on the season.
  • Adam Berry of MLB.com writes that Starling Marte will be activated from the DL by the Pirates today if he reports to the ballpark feeling ready to play. It’d be a remarkably quick return for the 29-year-old outfielder, who has been sidelined with an oblique injury. Injuries of that type have a reputation for lingering and causing players to miss extended time. One has to wonder what Marte’s potential activation would mean for the red-hot Austin Meadows, who’s managed more homers in the big leagues thus far (3) than strikeouts (2).
  • The Yankees have reinstated first baseman Greg Bird from the disabled list, optioning infielder Ronald Torreyes to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Marc Carig of The Athletic notes that the move makes plenty of sense considering the versatility of Gleyber Torres and the fact that a removal of Neil Walker from the roster isn’t reversible. Bird entered the season with plenty of hype surrounding him, but has yet to make his 2018 debut thanks to right foot surgery.
  • In a move that was widely expected, the Marlins placed Martin Prado (hamstring) on the 10-day DL today, recalling J.T. Riddle from Triple-A to take his place on the roster. It’s the latest in an unfortunate series of injuries for the formerly-durable Prado, who made only 147 trips to the plate last year following eight straight seasons with at least 500 PA.

AL East Notes: Smith, Gomez, Arroyo, Orioles, Tulo

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Shortly after landing on the disabled list due to a subluxation in his shoulder that occurred upon throwing his glove out of frustration in the dugout, Red Sox reliever Carson Smith suggested that arm fatigue may have contributed to his injury (link via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald). “I’ve thrown a lot lately and I think my arm was just tired,” said Smith, though his comments didn’t sit well with manager Alex Cora. Cora flatly told reporters that he “[doesn’t] agree” with Smith’s assessment, adding that Boston’s coaching staff checks in with its pitchers each day when determining who is or isn’t available in relief. Smith gave the team no indication that he was feeling overworked. “It caught me by surprise,” Cora said of Smith’s comment. “If he felt that way he should’ve told it to us or he should’ve mentioned it.” Smith, of course, has placed much of the blame for his injury on himself as well and expressed regret over the manner in which the injury occurred.

More from the division…

  • The Rays put Carlos Gomez on the 10-day DL with a groin strain and recalled infielder Christian Arroyo from Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Gomez’s injury doesn’t appear to be too severe, as Topkin notes that the organization is “playing it safe” and being careful in placing the struggling Gomez on the disabled list. The 32-year-old Gomez is hitting just .200/.252/.354 on the season, though his .264 BABIP is considerably south of his career .315 mark. Arroyo, the centerpiece in the offseason Evan Longoria swap, has had a similarly rough go of it in Durham, opening the year in a .200/.235/.308 slump. He’ll get some opportunities in the coming days against left-handed pitching, manager Kevin Cash said, though it appears that part of the thinking in bringing him to the big leagues was to give Cash an alternative to Matt Duffy, who is dealing with a sore hamstring but as of now won’t be placed on the DL.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America profiles the Orioles’ baffling philosophy on the international prospect market. As Badler notes, Baltimore spent just $535K on prospects in the 2018-19 period and just $260K in the prior period, instead utilizing their pool to acquire fringe minor leaguers (one of whom was even lost in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft just months after being acquired). As Badler explains, the behavior can’t be pinned on the front office, as the neglect of the international market is an ownership-level decision from Peter Angelos that spans multiple iterations of baseball operations personnel. But, by not giving international scouts the resources they need, the O’s annually put themselves at a massive disadvantage in terms of building a farm system. That, as Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com examines, forces GM Dan Duquette to rely more heavily on tactics like the Rule 5 Draft, which can have its own detrimental effects on a roster when utilized too heavily — especially for a club with aspirations of contending. Connolly contends that Baltimore’s lack of international signings makes even role players hard to come by within the organization, pushing Duquette to seek options in the Rule 5 and thus creating roster flexibility issues each year.
  • Shi Davidi of Sportsnet provides some updates on a few injured Blue Jays, reporting that Troy Tulowitzki has begun fielding grounders and is doing some running on an antigravity treadmill. Tulowitzki is on the 60-day DL, though his absence seems likely to extend beyond that 60-day minimum window. The injury plagued former All-Star had surgery to remove bone spurs from both of his heels last month and has yet to play in 2018. Davidi also adds that Steve Pearce isn’t yet cleared for baseball activities as his oblique strain mends, while Aledmys Diaz is doing some light running after suffering an ankle injury earlier this month. With both Tulowitzki and Diaz on the shelf, the Jays have been using a combo of Lourdes Gurriel, Richard Urena and Gio Urshela at shortstop recently.

Rays Designate Ryan Schimpf

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The Rays have designated infielder Ryan Schimpf for assignment (h/t Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). The team needed his spot on the 40-man roster to make room for the recently-signed Carlos Gomez.

The 29-year-old Schimpf made his major league debut with the Padres in 2016, posting a .217/.336/.533 batting line across 330 plate appearances en route to 2.5 fWAR. However, he followed it up with an unfortunate .158/.284/.424 line with a 35.5% strikeout rate in 2017, which led him to a replacement-level campaign. Fangraphs.com described him as “the poster child for the fly ball revolution going too far”, noting that his first two MLB seasons rank second and third in fly ball rate among all player seasons dating back to 2002.

The Rays had only recently acquired the left-handed hitter back in December, shipping out minor leaguer Deion Tansel. While he could clear waivers, there are probably a number of other clubs who might be willing to take a chance on his power and walk rate. The Rockies, for example, are in need of a utility infielder after learning that Pat Valaika and Shawn O’Malley are expected to miss time.

The move seems even more curious considering Schimpf was projected to make the Rays’ opening day roster as a bench player. Instead, the team will likely rely on a mix of Joey Wendle and Daniel Robertson behind a starting infield mix that includes Brad Miller, C.J. Cron, Adeiny Hechavarria and Matt Duffy until Christian Arroyo and Willy Adames force their way onto the MLB scene.

Rays Sign Carlos Gomez

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March 3rd: The Rays have made the signing official. Gomez’s incentives are based on games played, per the Associated Press. He’d rake in $100K each for 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 games.

February 21st: The Rays have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran outfielder Carlos Gomez, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Gomez, a Boras Corporation client, receive a $4MM if he passes a physical, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The deal also includes $500K in potential incentives and a $500K assignment bonus, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter).

Sep 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Carlos Gomez (14) points to the sky as he runs home on his solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

If finalized, this pact would represent an interesting narrative shift after weeks of salary-paring moves from Tampa Bay. The organization just shipped away outfielder Steven Souza and starter Jake Odorizzi while designating left-handed-hitting slugger Corey Dickerson for assignment. Of course, Tampa Bay also picked up righty power hitter C.J. Cron and reliever Sergio Romo.

All things considered, then, it seems the Rays are engaged in a broad re-shaping of their 2018 roster and near-term balance sheet, more than a pure tear-down. That would square with the team’s insistence last night — via top baseball execs Erik Neander and Chaim Bloom — that further moves to part with veterans were not anticipated.

It is still a bit difficult to know just what to make of the overall slate of moves. Perhaps the addition of Gomez was in some part simply a reaction to the team’s decision to deal Souza, which came about as a result of what that front office duo suggested was an overwhelming offer from the Diamondbacks. Similarly, earlier moves — especially, the addition of Denard Span as a salary offset in the Evan Longoria deal — had left the Rays with a lefty-heavy outfield mix.

There’s no doubt some opportunism in the Gomez contract itself. MLBTR predicted he’d command a $22MM guarantee over two seasons, ranking him 23rd on the list of the top 50 free agents at the start of the offseason. Landing such a productive player at the reported rate — just $4MM on a single-season commitment — represents a notable bargain.

Though Gomez has earned his share of detractors with a vibrant and assertive (some might call it brash) personality on the field, and is not far removed from a miserable run with the Astros, he is coming off of a big season with the Rangers. Notably, Gomez received an $11.5MM guarantee in advance of the 2017 campaign. He went on to post a .255/.340/.462 batting line with 17 home runs and 13 steals over 426 plate appearances.

To be fair, there were a few clear signs of an ongoing decline. Gomez’s strikeout rate stayed in the thirty percent range, as it did in his rough prior campaign, and he was reliant upon a .336 BABIP that sits above his career mean. And Gomez is no longer a premium performer on the bases or in the field. Still, he rated as a plus on the basepaths and drew near-average grades for his glovework in center, so he still offers value as an all-around player. While it seems unlikely Gomez will return to his superstar peak, he seems likely to be at least an average regular or high-end platoon option.

Whatever the reason things shook out this way, the Rays will — barring further action — enter the 2018 season with an outfield unit that nobody could have predicted when the offseason got underway. Gomez, Span, and Mallex Smith now appear to represent the top three options to flank center fielder Kevin Kiermaier.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL East Notes: Swisher, Gomez, Orioles

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Although the always-energetic Nick Swisher never made it back to the majors after signing a minors pact with the Yankees in 2016, he’ll end up contributing to the team in a different way. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com writes in the second half of a piece for MLB.com. “Swish” will now serve as a special advisor to GM Brian Cashman. Though the terms of that job are typically pretty broad, Cashman envisions Swisher spending a lot of his time with minor leaguers in the organization. “He had a huge impact on that crew in Scranton when he was playing with [Aaron] Judge, [Greg] Bird, [Gary] Sanchez and all those guys,” said Cashman. “He brought the joy of playing the game on a daily basis, and it was infectious throughout that locker room. The opportunity to bring him into the fold and sprinkle him throughout our farm system was attractive.” On the field, Swisher was a .249/.351/.447 lifetime hitter; his playing career came to an abrupt end after a pair of rough seasons spent with the Indians and Braves from 2014-2015.

Other items out of the AL East…

  • Rays outfielder Carlos Gomez is being met with a lot of excitement from his new teammates, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In particular, Denard Span says that, “you’d rather have him on your team than playing against him. Because he’s a headache when you’re playing against him.” There are a lot of reasons for that, Topkin writes. Gomez likes to “mix it up” with bat flips and sometimes even instigates brawls. He’s also the type to play hard in every moment of every game, according to new teammate Kevin Kiermaier. “He’s a guy who just loves baseball,” says Kiermaier. “Every time he takes the field, it doesn’t matter if you’re up eight runs or down eight, he’s going to go and play with that intensity.” One of the most interesting points Topkin makes about Gomez is that he can be a little bit misunderstood. Although he appears animated and aggressive, Rays reliever Sergio Romo describes him as someone who “always means well” and that some of the things he’s done have simply taken the wrong way on occasion. Gomez is set to replace the recently-traded Steven Souza Jr. in the Rays’ outfield this season.
  • Looking for a bit of insight into how players are cut from major league spring training camp? Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun helps shed some light on the subject by way of some words from Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Notably, Showalter is committed to spending time meeting with players prior to cuts. “I’m not going to rush through anything,” he said. “I want to hear from them as much as I want to tell them [some things], because I don’t want a month or two or three months to pass, and all of a sudden our success depends on them being able to come up and do something and we didn’t have those proper conversations.” Showalter also believes player feedback is an equally important part of those conversations.

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