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NL Central Notes: Lackey Contract, Suarez, Nelson

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The final inning thrown by John Lackey in his last outing brought him to 200 on the season, and that number has more meaning than just serving as a nice, round milestone, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As Goold reports, the Cardinals and Lackey reworked his 2015 contract so that he would earn a $400K bonus upon reaching 200 innings. Of course, Lackey’s 2015 salary will still be peanuts compared to his career earnings and the previous, $16.5MM annual salary on his five-year deal. That contract contained a clause that added a club option at the league minimum in the event that Lackey suffered a serious elbow injury, which he did midway through the deal when he required Tommy John surgery. Goold previously reported that Lackey would’ve earned $1.2MM in bonuses at 150 innings, so this next bonus figures to push him slightly over $400K when factoring in his $507K base. Even at ~$2.1MM, Lackey would be among the game’s best bargains. The 36-year-old has turned in a 2.79 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in his 200 innings this season.

Elsewhere in the NL Central…

  • Eugenio Suarez has done a brilliant job filling in for injured Reds shortstop Zack Cozart since being recalled midway through the year, but there won’t be many at-bats for him at shortstop in 2016 when Cozart is back up to speed. The 24-year-old Suarez, though, is more than willing to switch positions to remain in the lineup, he tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “If they need me at another position, I would try to play there,” said Suarez. “For me, the important thing is to play in the big leagues.” Manager Bryan Price said that he thinks both Cozart and Suarez can be regulars for the Reds in the future. Suarez, who was acquired in the lopsided trade that sent Alfredo Simon to Detroit, has batted .284/.321/.458 with 11 homers in 81 games with the Reds this season. In my recent Three Needs piece on the Reds, I suggested that Cincinnati look to move Brandon Phillips to open playing time for Suarez at second base. Failing that, the Reds could try him in left field.
  • The Brewers and right-hander Jimmy Nelson received excellent news on Thursday after Nelson was struck in the head by a 108-mph line drive, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. A CT scan somewhat incredibly revealed only a bruise, leaving the 26-year-old otherwise unscathed. Manager Craig Counsell wouldn’t commit to a plan of action for Nelson following the scare. Nelson has been one of Milwaukee’s most consistent starters in 2015, working to a 4.11 ERA (4.12 FIP, 4.07 xFIP) across 177 1/3 innings.

Injury Notes: Nelson, Travis, Tulo, Banuelos

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A serious knee injury to Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang will have immediate impact as the post-season nears, and that’s not the only injury to watch today. Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson exited his outing tonight after being struck in the head by a line drive. It was a scary situation, and he’s obviously being handled with extreme care, but the 26-year-old righty was able to walk off and is reportedly coherent as he heads to a hospital for treatment.

As we send our best wishes to Milwaukee, here’s the latest on some other medical situations around the league:

  • Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis will undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm was among those to report on Twitter. That will end whatever hope had remained for him to return this year. It’s unfortunate for both Travis and the Jays that he won’t have a chance to rejoin the club late in the year. Travis, 24, was a revelation for Toronto after coming over in an offseason swap for Anthony Gose. He owns a .304/.361/.498 slash over 239 plate appearances. With good baserunning and fielding added in, he was certainly one of the league’s most impressive rookies, though he’s been out since late July. His progress over the fall and winter will certainly be important as the Jays plan for next season.
  • Of course, the Blue Jays are also waiting to learn when shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will return from his own shoulder issues. As Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter, the club is still looking for a full understanding of the situation and does not yet have a timeline. Tulo saw a specialist today in hopes of learning more. There is no indication at present that the collision which led to the injury will post any long-term difficulties for the star infielder.
  • Young Braves left-hander Manny Banuelos underwent a procedure today to remove a bone spur from his elbow, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter links). It went as well as could be hoped, says O’Brien, as there was no ligament damage found. The former top prospect, now 24, made his big league debut after generating solid results at Triple-A in his first season with the Atlanta organization.

Brewers To Interview Rays’ VP Chaim Bloom On Thursday

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With Doug Melvin transitioning from general manager to an advisory role, the Brewers are on the hunt for a new GM. To this point, it’s known that Pirates director of player development Tyrone Brooks was in line for an interview. Additionally, reports have indicated that the Brewers have received permission from the A’s to interview assistant GM Dan Kantrovitz. Scouting director Ray Montgomery stands out as an internal candidate. Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio is said to be eyeing a younger GM with a base in analytics. That brief recap aside, here’s the latest on Milwaukee’s GM search…

  • The Brewers will interview Rays vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom on Thursday, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Rosenthal had reported last week that it was expected that the Brewers would ask permission. Bloom, formerly Tampa Bay’s director of baseball ops, was bumped to VP last offseason after Andrew Friedman made the jump to the Dodgers. The 32-year-old Yale grad would seem to fit the team’s preference for a rising young executive that can bring a familiarity with analytics to their revamped front office.

NL Central Notes: Martinez, Byrd, Heyward, Lucroy

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The Reds did indeed scout top Cuban outfield prospect Eddy Julio Martinez, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, but they’re not likely to sign the 20-year-old, he adds. The Reds aren’t interested in incurring maximum penalties for exceeding their international bonus pool, which they’d almost certainly need to do in order to sign Martinez. The team that signs Martinez will likely have to pay a 100 percent luxury tax for every dollar spent over their allotted pool, and they’ll also be restricted from signing future international prospects for more than $300K in each of the next two signing periods. That, of course, hasn’t deterred some clubs from spending big, but it perhaps makes it more likely that we’ll see Martinez land with a team that has already exceeded its bonus pool by a substantial margin. Interestingly, though, Fay hears that the price tag may have dropped below the previous $10MM+ expectations (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the NL Central…

  • Prior to being traded to the Giants, Marlon Byrd had somewhat of a “spat” with Reds bench coach Jay Bell, writes Fay in a separate column. Per Fay, Byrd became upset after Bell asked him to pinch-hit in the bottom of the eighth inning the day before he was traded, but he then sent Brayan Pena into the on-deck circle instead. Byrd ultimately wound up pinch-hitting, but only after a discussion with manager Bryan Price. “I didn’t get in a spat with Jay Bell,” said Byrd. “I had a conversation with the manager about Jay Bell. We had conversations all year about him. If you want to know more about that, you’d have to talk to him.” Byrd was traded to the Giants the next day, though he said he left on good terms with the his teammates and had generally positive things to say about the Reds in the conversation with Fay and other reporters.
  • Bernie Miklasz of 101 ESPN breaks down Jason Heyward’s free agent stock, adding that he expects the Cardinals to make a push to retain their right fielder. Though the outfield looks crowded in the short-term, Matt Holliday’s contract is up after 2016, as is Jon Jay’s. As such, the team could boast a future outfield of Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk and Heyward. While traditional numbers — homers, RBIs, batting average — don’t tell the full tale of Heyward’s value, Miklasz notes that more analytically inclined teams will be willing to make a big play for the 26-year-old. The Cardinals, Miklasz writes, prefer a higher annual value on a shorter-term deal than the risk of a nine- or 10-year pact, and they may even be open to including an opt-out clause, though that final point appears to be speculative in nature.
  • Though they’re division rivals, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had no issues giving Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy some advice on how to handle the concussion symptoms with which he is currently dealing, writes the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak. Matheny, whose playing career ended due to a long history of concussions, recommended a specialist for Lucroy to see and urged him to take his time, noting points in his career where he believes he may have suffered a concussion then returned to the field the very next day, only to take another foul ball to the mask.  “[Matheny] said it was not worth a repeat hit when you’re not healed up, because that’s when things get really, really bad in terms of not being able to drive, not being able to look at lights, throwing up and nausea and stuff like that,” said Lucroy. “He really stressed, ’Take your time.'” Dr. Micky Collins has told Lucroy that he can make a full recovery from what has been diagnosed as a vestibular concussion — or one that impacts his coordination and movement.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Strasburg, Cespedes, Phils, Brewers, DePodesta

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Here are the latest notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

  • The Rangers and Nationals had trade talks involving Stephen Strasburg over the winter, per Rosenthal. Nothing ever came close to getting done in those “wide-ranging” talks, in which Steven Souza (later dealt to the Rays) and Jurickson Profar (later scratched for the season) also came up. It’s not clear from the report what kind of scenarios were considered. Looking forward, it remains to be seen whether there will be any consideration given this winter to a deal involving the 27-year-old righty. Strasburg’s value is down, due both to an inconsistent 2015 season and to the fact that he now has only one season left before hitting free agency, but it’s still hard to imagine the Nats letting him go unless the return was rather significant.
  • The Braves could line up a pursuit of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in free agency, a source tells Rosenthal. While it’s not hard to see the appeal — he’s a power bat at a position of need, and could line up with the team’s timetable for contention — such a move would still rate as a surprise. Atlanta only just got out from under the ill-fated Melvin Upton contract, which showed the risk of such a free agent signing given the team’s recent payroll restrictions, and Cespedes could well cost twice or more what Upton did ($75MM).
  • Early returns on the summer trade hauls of the Phillies and Brewers have been positive. There is some nice buzz around Philadelphia’s system, especially with all the depth its added in recent months and the intriguing players that came over for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s return for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers has looked rather compelling, with Domingo Santana raking in his early MLB action and the trio of other players finishing strong at Double-A. (Remember: the key player in that deal, Brett Phillips, joined the MLBTR Podcast just after being swapped, as did righty Zach Davies, who is now in the big leagues after being acquired for Gerardo Parra.)
  • Mets VP of player development and scouting Paul DePodesta has been plugging away at that post for five years, and the fruits of his labors are now showing at the big league level. Rosenthal reports that the former Dodgers general manager “would consider returning to a GM’s role” with another organization, if the circumstances were right, though many still believe he’ll ultimately take over in New York for Sandy Alderson at some point.

NL East Notes: Papelbon, Braves, Harvey

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Jonathan Papelbon made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded from the Phillies to the Nationals in July, and the outspoken closer didn’t pull any punches in criticizing his old team.  “I don’t know if I got a bad rep here or whatever, but I can promise you I was by far (not) the bad guy on this team.  I was one of the few that wanted to win.  I was one of the few who competed and posted up every day,” Papelbon told reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News.  The closer’s issues extended well beyond the clubhouse, as “I think the blame goes all the way from the front office down to the bat boy.  When you don’t have an organization that wants to win, it’s pretty evident.  They go out and publicly say we’re not going to win.  What more – do you know what I mean?”

Here’s some more from around the NL East…

  • Fredi Gonzalez isn’t to blame for the Braves’ collapse, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes as part of a reader mailbag.  The fact that Atlanta extended Gonzalez and his coaching staff’s contracts in July just before the team started trading veteran players was a sign that the manager wasn’t going to be held responsible for how the purposely-weakened roster performed down the stretch.
  • Also from Bowman’s piece, he notes that the Braves will have roughly $25-$30MM in payroll space this winter and they’ll focus on upgrading the bullpen and perhaps adding a veteran arm to the rotation.  Such a starter would be of the mid-tier variety rather than an expensive ace, however.
  • The Braves would like to bring back A.J. Pierzynski as a backup catcher next year and Christian Bethancourt may be trade bait, though Bowman wonders if Atlanta would move Bethancourt when his value is at an all-time low.  Bowman suggests that free agent catching target like Chris Iannetta might be more realistic than a pricier option such as Matt Wieters.  The Braves would also have an interest in Jonathan Lucroy but there’s no sign the Brewers are making their catcher available in trade talks.
  • The Mets will be making a mistake if they trade Matt Harvey this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines.  Harvey is too valuable and too talented to move for anything less than an elite young talent, and since the odds are slim-to-none that the likes of Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts could be obtained in return, Sherman feels Harvey is still needed in New York since there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth.

NL Central Links: Brewers, Happ, Cervelli

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Here’s the latest from around the NL Central…

  • The Brewers may not add any free agent arms this winter, let alone big-name pitchers, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.  Recent signings Randy Wolf, Jeff Suppan, Kyle Lohse were all unable to pitch effectively throughout the entirety of their multi-year deals with the Crew, and Matt Garza may be the latest signing to not make a full return on his contract given his rough 2015 numbers.  The Brewers could rely on internal pitching options for next year’s rotation and since contending in 2016 will be a tall order, signing a top free agent starter (such as Wisconsin native Jordan Zimmermann) isn’t happening.
  • Also from Haudricourt’s piece, he notes that next year’s Brewers payroll will be “down significantly” from its $102MM figure this season.  “Principal owner Mark Attanasio has shown he is willing to go the extra mile financially when his team is in contending mode but otherwise has said many times he won’t spend just to spend,” Haudricourt writes, and thus a payroll cut seems imminent with the club entering a rebuild phase.
  • J.A. Happ was a fairly unheralded trade deadline pickup but he’s pitched like an ace since joining the Pirates, to the point of outshining almost all the big-name pitchers who changed teams in July.  Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan looks at why Happ has blossomed since coming to Pittsburgh to the tune of a 1.79 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 6.00 K/BB rate over 40 1/3 innings.
  • Speaking of unheralded Pirates acquisitions, Francisco Cervelli has been more than just a suitable replacement for Russell Martin, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes.  Cervelli’s 3.5 fWAR is the second-highest of any catcher in baseball, behind only Buster Posey (5.6) and well ahead of Martin (3.0).  Cervelli has stayed healthy and contributed at the plate, while Sawchik also looks at how Cervelli has developed and adjusted his elite pitch-framing skills.
  • Cody Stanley’s 80-game PED suspension could threaten his future with the Cardinals, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  GM John Mozeliak said he and the organization will “look at our options” before deciding whether or not to keep the young catcher.  “He clearly was having a nice year and we thought enough of him to bring him up. To everybody involved, it’s disappointing,” Mozeliak said.  Stanley, a fourth-rounder from the 2010 draft, was ranked by Baseball America as the 22nd-best prospect in the Cards’ organization prior to the season, though given the depth of St. Louis’ system and the two PED suspensions now on Stanley’s record, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the club cut ties with him.

Jonathan Lucroy Diagnosed With Concussion

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Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been diagnosed with a concussion, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lucroy sustained the injury while catching last Tuesday but did not experience all of the classic symptoms of a concussion. However, a concussion was still suspected after Lucroy reported dealing with “fogginess.” Today, Pittsburgh-based specialist Micky Collins confirmed the diagnosis of a concussion.

The injury puts the remainder of Lucroy’s season in jeopardy. He missed large swaths of the season on the disabled list, and has disappointed both offensively and defensively. Known as a top pitch framer, he’s fallen from elite to merely above average per StatCorner. With the bat, his .259/.322/.390 line is a big step down from his 2014 performance. His recent numbers suggest he had finally shaken off the rust. Since the middle of August, he’s hit .355/.407/.632 with 13 extra base hits in 86 plate appearances.

Lucroy hopes to return prior to the end of the season, but he acknowledges that concussions can be unpredictable. He takes a pragmatic view of the injury saying, “I plan on [playing]. But…there’s nothing for me to prove. And it’s not like we’re in a pennant race right now.“

Heyman’s Latest: Harvey, Cespedes, GM Openings, Offseason Decisions

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The Mets expect that they’ll receive calls on righty Matt Harvey, but have no intentions of discounting his trade value based on the recent shutdown controversy, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Harvey is reportedly displeased with some statements from the front office, per Heyman, though it’s far from clear whether there will be any long-term ramifications from the flare-up.

That’s just one of many interesting notes in a column that is chock full of information. Here are some more notable items:

  • Also in the news recently, of course, is outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who has thrived with the Mets and just tweaked his contract to make a re-signing possible. Heyman says that the movement on that front was generated by Cespedes’s side, with the team readily agreeing to the proposal. Steve Adams and I discussed this on Thursday’s edition of the MLBTR Podcast, generally agreeing that he’s unlikely to return despite that agreement given other needs and the presence of Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares, and Michael Cuddyer. But Heyman hears that New York is “expected to make a serious play” for the soon-to-be free agent. Certainly, that’s an important open market storyline to watch this fall and winter. Despite the presence of several other highly-regarded players on the coming market, Heyman says a deal of $175MM (or even more) for the Cuban star would not be surprising.
  • The Red Sox’ GM hiring appears to be wide open, with Heyman writing that Diamondbacks senior VP of baseball operations De Jon Watson presents one possibility from another organization and AGM Mike Hazen could be an internal option. Other names that have come up include the frequently-mentioned Frank Wren and Brewers VP of amateur scouting Ray Montgomery.
  • There is a “prevailing belief” that Reds GM Walt Jocketty will keep his position, says Heyman, though manager Bryan Price seems somewhat more likely to lose his job after a rough season. On the other hand, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale did suggest today on Twitter that Jocketty could be shifted into an advisory role, with Cincinnati hiring a new general manager.
  • Yankees GM Billy Eppler is seen as the favorite to take the GM position with the Angels, says Heyman. Rangers GM Thad Levine could also get a long look, per the report.
  • The Phillies’ GM position just opened, of course, and Heyman says it will be in high demand among young executives — not only because of Philadelphia’s resources, but because the new general manager could be handed fairly broad authority. Possible names have been filtering out since even before Ruben Amaro Jr. was let go, and Heyman lists Angels AGM Matt Klentak, Giants scouting director John Barr, Royals AGM J.J. Piccolo, and the aforementioned Levine as some of the possibilities.
  • Fans calling for the Braves to replace manager Fredi Gonzalez may not get their wish, says Heyman. Gonzalez is “said to be in no jeopardy,” per the report.
  • The Tigers have a lot of work to do under new GM Al Avila, and Heyman says their “winter wish list” includes an outfielder — possibly Cespedes, though he may be too expensive, along with two starters and several bullpen arms. Detroit expects to plunk down some cash in the offseason, he adds.
  • It’s always seemed likely that the Blue Jays would pick up their $12MM option over veteran righty R.A. Dickey, and Heyman says that is highly likely as things stand. Toronto will also at least attempt to retain lefty David Price, who has obviously been outstanding (even by his lofty standards) since being acquired at the deadline.
  • The Dodgers will likely extend lefty Brett Anderson a qualifying offer. The 27-year-old has been well worth the $10MM that Los Angeles paid him this year, putting up a 3.36 ERA over 158 innings — his highest tally since his rookie campaign way back in 2009. Given his age and the fact that he has a nice platform to work from, it would seem likely that Anderson will decline a QO (if extended), though he’ll face a crowded market.
  • Padres president Mike Dee tells Heyman that the organization is frustrated, but has good relationships in its upper front office and is looking forward rather than looking back at last winter. San Diego will need to make a permanent decision with its field staff, and is said to be undecided on whether to retain interim skipper Pat Murphy.
  • Meanwhile, the Padres are assessing “whether to tweak or completely retool” its roster. Interestingly, Melvin Upton has played well enough that he could end up with a regular role as a platoon partner in center alongside Travis Jankowski. San Diego will face a somewhat difficult decision on whether to make starter Ian Kennedy a qualifying offer, but it appears the organization is leaning towards doing so.

Three Needs: Milwaukee Brewers

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The Brewers are the next team up in MLBTR’s series of high-level looks at the needs of non-contenders heading into the offseason. (We’ve already covered the Reds, Phillies, D-Backs and Rockies.) A quick reminder that we’ll be looking more in-depth at each club in our yearly Offseason Outlook series, but for now, let’s dive into some of Milwaukee’s needs as the winter approaches…

1. Find a GM committed to/capable of developing pitching. A quick (and admittedly rudimentary) look at the Brewers’ pitching over the past 15 seasons shows that they’ve received just 12 single season performances valued at three or more wins above replacement (per Fangraphs) from a starting pitcher. Of those 12 seasons, four came from Ben Sheets — far and away the best pitcher the team has drafted and developed in recent history — and one came from Yovani Gallardo. The others came from players who were signed as free agents or who were acquired via trade. For those who don’t like FIP-based WAR, even RA9-WAR shows only 11 such seasons with just four coming from Brewer-developed pitchers (two from Sheets, two from Gallardo).

In his time as GM, Doug Melvin acquired the bulk of his effective pitching from outside the organization. Recent seasons have seen Wily Peralta and Jimmy Nelson develop into serviceable options, and Taylor Jungmann has had a nice debut to this point, but the majority of pitchers to rank among the Brewers’ Top 5-10 prospects in the past decade have failed to pan out. That includes names like Mark Rogers, Tyler Thornburg and Jed Bradley. Others, such as Manny Parra and Jeremy Jeffress, have emerged as quality big league relievers at least, while others yet, namely Jake Odorizzi, have gone on to flourish with other organizations via trade.

Milwaukee has developed its share of offensive stars, with Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Jonathan Lucroy, Corey Hart (pre-knee troubles), Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy all standing out as recent examples of quality hitters the team has produced out of the draft. A list of pitchers that have solidified themselves as Major Leaguers with the Brewers would, clearly, be far less impressive.

2. Trade the remaining veterans with appealing contracts. Lucroy, Adam Lind and, to a lesser extent, Francisco Rodriguez all have appeal to other clubs. Lind has his flaws — questionable defense at first and an inability to hit lefties — but is affordable and has continued to crush right-handed pitching. He’ll earn a reasonable enough $8MM salary in 2016. K-Rod has had a very strong season, and while he’s guaranteed a considerable $9.5MM through the end of 2016, $2MM of that comes in the form of a buyout on an affordable $6MM option for 2017. Another $2MM of it is deferred, interest-free, to 2018. The Brewers can include some cash in the deal to sweeten the return as well.

Lucroy’s the big draw here — a strong defender who has a history of well-above-average offense from behind the plate and is owed just $9.5MM through 2017. His numbers are down in 2015, to be sure, but he’s had some injuries, namely a broken toe and now a possible concussion. The latter of the two is far scarier, particularly given the position he plays, but if Lucroy is cleared and can finish the season symptom-free, he’ll be one of the most desirable trade chips in all of baseball — the type of player for whom the Brewers can ask a substantial return. Top 100 prospects, Major League ready starting pitching, young infield help — any of that should be on the table for Lucroy. Second-half splits are admittedly somewhat arbitrary in nature, but the .280/.339/.464 triple-slash posted by Lucroy since the All-Star break certainly can’t hurt his trade value.

3. Identify permanent corner infield solutions. My initial thought was to highlight the need to sort out the outfield, but the notion of playing Domingo Santana out of position in center field for a year while seeing what they have with him and Khris Davis (and allowing top prospect/recent MLBTR Podcast guest Brett Phillips to further develop) isn’t as concerning as the complete dearth of infield talent on this roster.

Scooter Gennett handles right-handed pitching just fine, but he’s a .120/.144/.148 hitter in his career off fellow lefties. It’s only 114 plate appearances, but the fact that the Brewers have only seen fit to grant him that much time is telling. His double-play partner, Jean Segura, was made out to be a trade chip earlier this season, but it’s hard to believe he has much real trade value. Segura’s a spotty defender at shortstop that hasn’t hit since the first half of 2013. It wouldn’t be a great outcome for him, but the notion of a Segura/Gennett platoon at second base makes some sense. Segura, after all, is a placeholder for Orlando Arcia, whose elite glove at shortstop and promising bat have him ranked among the best minor leaguers in all of baseball.

That leaves the corners as areas of need (assuming a Lind trade). Hunter Morris never developed into the slugging first baseman they’d hoped for, and Matt Dominguez didn’t hit enough at Triple-A to be considered an option, as he’s been claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays.

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