Olney’s Latest: Thor, Mets, Dodgers, Astros, Bucs, Indians
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has suggested he’s inclined to keep right-hander Noah Syndergaard, but some teams believe they’d “absolutely” deal him “for the right offer,” Buster Olney of ESPN writes (subscription required). The Syndergaard situation has been among the most interesting storylines of the young offseason, and it appears it’ll remain that way with the aggressive Van Wagenen set for his first Winter Meetings atop the Mets. With three arbitration-eligible seasons remaining, Syndergaard is one of the most valuable players in the game, which has led to heavy interest in the 26-year-old this winter but could also influence New York to go forward with him.
Here’s more from Olney:
- The Dodgers look to be a driving force in the outfield market, Olney observes on Twitter. Not only could the Dodgers trade any of Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp or Joc Pederson and pursue Bryce Harper, Olney notes, but he also connects them to free-agent center fielder A.J. Pollock. Needless to say, of Puig, Kemp and Pederson, the latter would warrant the highest return in a trade. The soon-to-be 27-year-old Pederson’s coming off the most effective season of the trio and is the only one controllable beyond 2019. Further, he’s projected to earn an eminently reasonable $4.7MM next year, his penultimate season of arbitration eligibility.
- The Dodgers are also “all in” on the catcher market, as are the Astros and Mets, Olney reports. Any of those teams could find its answer with Pittsburgh’s Francisco Cervelli, for whom the Pirates are willing to consider offers, according to Olney. Cervelli is coming off an impressive 2018, but as a soon-to-be 33-year-old who’s expensive ($11.5MM), down to his last season of team control and has a startling history of concussions, the low-budget Pirates may be willing to go in another direction.
- Back to the Astros, who didn’t earnestly pursue righty Nathan Eovaldi in free agency, Olney relays. The two sides were a match on paper, Olney points out, as Eovaldi’s a Houston native and the Astros are seeking starting help. Eovaldi re-signed with the Red Sox this week on a four-year, $68MM deal, though, and the Astros continue to need a starter. There’s “one industry theory” that the Astros are more focused on upgrading via trade, which could point them to Syndergaard, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer or Zack Greinke, Olney notes.
- After the season, when Olney reported the Indians planned to consider offers for their front-line starters (Kluber, Bauer and Carlos Carrasco), the Tribe didn’t expect to extend any of those three, Olney writes. However, the Indians re-upped Carrasco this week, in part because the 31-year-old made it clear he didn’t want to leave. Carrasco’s agents got to work on an extension with Cleveland shortly after questions about the futures of the team’s premier starters began swirling, and the two sides ultimately hammered out an agreement. Now, the Indians have “no interest” in trading Carrasco, Olney reports.
Central Rumors: Tribe, Kluber, Bauer, Reds, Scooter, Bucs, Brewers
The Indians extended right-hander Carlos Carrasco this week, but his days of sharing a rotation with fellow righties Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer appear to be over. Cleveland is going to trade either Kluber or Bauer this offseason, though it’s not clear who’s more likely to go, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says (video link). Either of those aces would likely command an impressive return in a trade, with the 32-year-old Kluber controllable for three more seasons and Bauer (28 in January) eligible for arbitration for another two. The Indians’ goal in trading either Kluber ($17.5MM salary in 2019) or Bauer (a projected $11.6MM) would be to reduce payroll and increase their young talent base, notes Rosenthal. As a result, Rosenthal casts doubt on the possibility of the Indians attaching second baseman Jason Kipnis to Kluber or Bauer in a trade. Jettisoning the remaining $17MM on the underperforming Kipnis’ contract would better the Indians’ payroll outlook, but forcing a Kluber or Bauer suitor to take him would greatly damage the return they’d get for either pitcher.
More from the majors’ Central divisions…
- Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett carried his surprising 2017 breakout into last season, when he finished fifth at his position in fWAR (4.5). The Cincinnati native is now a year away from free agency, but with the Winter Meetings approaching, a potential extension isn’t one of the Reds’ main priorities right now, president Dick Williams explained Friday (via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). “I wouldn’t expect it before the calendar turns [to 2019],” Williams said. “There’s too much up in the air in terms of roster construction going forward. I don’t think you’ll see us working on any extensions for anybody — that’s not just Scooter-specific. But I don’t see any other extensions happening in the next 30 days while we’re working out the roster.” Williams added that the Reds “will be careful about a lot of extensions,” so it’s unclear how serious they are about re-upping Gennett. Barring a new deal, Gennett’s projected to earn $10.7MM in 2019 – a healthy raise over the $5.7MM he pulled in during the career year he enjoyed in 2018.
- Unsurprisingly, the low-payroll Pirates aren’t in position to make any splashes at the Winter Meetings, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Still, general manager Neal Huntington has interest in shortstops and left-handed relievers, per Biertempfel. Notably, though, it doesn’t appear the Pirates’ longstanding union with shortstop Jordy Mercer will continue, according to Biertempfel. Mercer has been with the Pittsburgh organization since it selected him in the third round of the 2008 draft, but the two sides have had almost no contact since the end of last season, Biertempfel reports.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at potential trade pieces at the major league level for the Brewers, naming Domingo Santana, Keon Broxton and Eric Thames as possible candidates. It’s “unlikely” the Brewers will retain both Santana and Broxton, as each outfielder is out of minor league options, notes Haudricourt, who adds that Thames “could be had in the right deal.” A first baseman/outfielder, Thames experienced a dip in production in 2018 and saw Jesus Aguilar take hold of the first base position in Milwaukee. The 32-year-old Thames is due $6MM in 2019, and with the Brewers having a limited amount of payroll room, getting his money off the books may help them upgrade elsewhere. Second base is one area Milwaukee could try to bolster, though considering high-end prospect Keston Hiura is looming, the team’s not going to make a long-term commitment there this offseason, Haudricourt relays.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/8/18
The game is afoot on the eve of the winter meetings, but more than just headline deals will play a role in shaping the coming season of major league baseball. We’ll use this post to track those minor moves from around the league today…
- The Brewers have signed righty Deolis Guerra to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. The 29-year-old Guerra didn’t appear in the majors at all in 2018 after inking a minors pact with the Rangers last offseason. He did perform well as a member of the Rangers’ Triple-A club, however, as he notched a 3.75 ERA, 10.77 K/9, 2.43 BB/9 and a 48.3 percent groundball rate in 59 1/3 innings. Prior to 2018, Guerra saw major league action in each season from 2015-17 and combined for 95 innings of 4.17 ERA pitching, with 7.11 K/9, 2.08 BB/9 and a 40.1 percent grounder mark, with the Pirates and Angels.
Earlier moves:
- Veteran lefty starter Tommy Milone signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners, per Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The former National, Athletic, Met, Brewer and Twin has pitched parts of every season in the majors since 2011, working to a career 46-37 record, 4.42 ERA across 130 starts. Milone, 32 by Opening Day, saw limited big league time last year, pitching to a 5.81 ERA in 26 1/3 innings in his second stint with the Washington Nationals. He projects as dependable veteran depth for a Mariners team that has undergone major reconstructive changes this offseason, including the trade of another lefty James Paxton. Obviously, Milone is not a replacement for Paxton, though the latter’s absence may play a part in creating the right environment for a veteran lefty like Milone to see some innings in the majors. He hasn’t been used much in relief throughout his career, though that would be another possible path to major league playing time for Milone. He has actually performed with admirable consistency (3.52 xFIP) for a fringy big-leaguer who relies so heavily on a fastball that dipped to 86.9 mph last season. With his best secondary offering being a changeup, control (2.23 BB/9) and a sound ability to generate soft contact (86% career exit velocity) has helped Milone hang around the major leagues. Check in on all of the Mariners minor league signings from the offseason thus far (via Twitter).
- The Cleveland Indians announced (via Twitter) the signing of lefty reliever Anthony Gose to a minor league contract. The converted outfielder has been transitioning to the mound over the last couple of seasons after spending parts of five with the Blue Jays and Tigers. Gose, 28, went 1-0 with a 1.37 ERA in a small-sample 7 games for the Down East Wood Ducks in High-A before moving up to the Rangers Double A affiliate in Frisco. Gose came out of the pen 21 times for the Rough Riders, working to a 6.52 ERA while struggling with his command (23 walks in 19 1/3 innings), though he also struck out almost a batter an inning while opposing hitters managed a .243 average against him. He has shown enough promise on the mound to keep the conversion effort going in Cleveland. There does not appear to be an invite to major league camp included in this deal.
- Right-hander Pierce Johnson has announced (via Twitter) a new deal to pitch for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. The exact terms of the deal are not yet known. Johnson became a minor league free agent in early November after pitching for the San Francisco Giants and their Triple A affiliate last year. The former first round pick of the Cubs has yet to see much of an opportunity in the majors, though he pitched well in the upper minors: 17 games, 3.57 ERA, 11.91 K/9, 3.97 BB/9 in Triple A last season. Pierce, 27, will be interesting to look for in coming offseasons, should he seek another opportunity to play in the majors. Recent expat Miles Mikolas enjoyed a productive return to the states in his age-29 season, while Merrill Kelly, 30, just received a nice payday after four years in Korea. A year or two in Japan would put Johnson on a similar timetable for a stateside return if he can put together a productive run with the Tigers.
Indians Extend Carlos Carrasco
The Indians have struck an extension with veteran righty Carlos Carrasco, announcing the deal just after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported it (Twitter link). The ACES client will now be under contract in Cleveland through at least the 2022 campaign.
In addition to his already-exercised 2019 option, Carrasco’s 2020 option will be picked up in advance. He’ll also receive an additional $27MM in guarantees, per Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). That comes in the form of consecutive $12MM salaries for 2021 and 2022 along with a $3MM buyout on a 2023 vesting/club option that is valued at $14MM.
In total, then, the Indians owe Carrasco $44MM in salary for his next four seasons. That’s an incredible bargain for a pitcher who has unquestionably been one of the game’s best, even if he’ll likely move past his prime years during the duration of the agreement.
Of course, the Indians have already achieved enormous value through their original long-term deal with Carrasco, who has been a steady top-of-the-rotation pitcher since signing it. In 722 innings over the past four seasons, he has worked to a 3.40 ERA with a shiny combination of 10.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.
Doubling down on Carrasco represents a notable decision for a club that is reputedly dangling some of its top starters in trade talks. He’ll now presumably stick around for the time being, leaving less certainty surrounding Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. Both figure to continue to draw plenty of attention on the trade market.
There’s obviously some risk for the Indians in today’s move, as Carrasco will turn 32 before the 2019 season. It would not have been surprising had the team preferred instead to allow him to finish out his remaining two seasons of club control before deciding whether to commit further. Of course, the contract could well deliver ample cost savings as against the veteran hurler’s on-field value. Carrasco’s velocity is down from his peak, but he also just finished a campaign in which he posted a career-best 15.3% swinging-strike rate.
On the player’s side, Carrasco has clearly continued to prioritize financial security over chasing open-market upside, as he did in his first deal. He was not operating from a position of strength in these talks given the preexisting contract structure, which he agreed to at a much less-certain stage of his career.
Extensions have represented a critical component of the Indians’ roster management strategy in recent years. The team has achieved incredible value in deals with Kluber and Jose Ramirez, though the contract with Jason Kipnis has not aged as well. Cleveland has also reportedly tried to entice star shortstop Francisco Lindor, to no avail.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Chatter: Seager, Mariners, Gray, Indians, Rays
As the Mariners continue to explore further ways to get younger and shed payroll, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the team won’t be attaching Kyle Seager‘s contract to Mitch Haniger in an effort to escape the remaining three years and $56MM on Seager’s seven-year deal (subscription required). First and foremost, the Seattle organization considers Haniger to be among the five best corner outfielders in baseball, Rosenthal notes. Beyond that, however, Seager’s contract contains a clause converting a $15MM club option for the 2022 season into a player option, should he be traded. Because that clause makes the remainder of the contract so unappealing to trade partners, he may very well need to rebuild some value in 2019 before he can be flipped. Rosenthal’s column also sheds some light on the Mariners’ other discussions on Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, in addition to highlighting the organization’s affinity for newly acquired prospect Jarred Kelenic.
Some more trade rumblings from around the league…
- The Padres and Brewers are among the teams still in contact with the Yankees about a potential Sonny Gray swap, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter links). Both organizations have been tied to various starting pitching options, though the Padres are a particularly curious fit, given their focus on the 2020 season and Gray’s status as a one-year rental. However, as Morosi’s colleague, AJ Cassavell, explains in greater detail, San Diego’s interest has some logic to it. Gray’s stock is down, and a resurgence in San Diego (like many arms before him) could allow him to either be traded for a greater price next July or position him to receive a qualifying offer next offseason. Even if the acquisition doesn’t pan out, he wouldn’t put a huge dent into a deep San Diego farm system. As for the Brewers, they’ve already got a deep collection of right-handed starters, but perhaps they view Gray as a premium rebound candidate and/or feel that acquiring him could allow them to deal from the back end of their current collection of rotation candidates.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the market for Indians starters Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer could come more into focus now that Patrick Corbin is off the board. Notably, Olney suggests that Cleveland “might” ask that a trade partner take Jason Kipnis and the remaining money on his contract ($17MM), though obviously doing so would rather notably diminish the return that the Indians would receive for any of their top three starters. Still, that scenario would certainly hold appeal to deeper-pocketed suitors of the Indians’ starters — particularly those with a good deal of long-term payroll flexibility (e.g. the Phillies).
- The Rays were among the teams with interest in Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link), although Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen strongly downplayed the possibility of trading Syndergaard earlier today. That said, Tampa’s interest in “Thor” is nonetheless notable, as it points to an interest in adding a controllable arm if one can be found at a reasonable financial price point. Then again, as a high-end starter with a projected salary under $6MM and three years of team control remaining, Syndergaard is (or was) something of a rarity on the trade market. Speculatively speaking, perhaps either Michael Fulmer or Jon Gray could be viewed in that same light, but both right-handers are coming off poor seasons, making it tough for their respective organizations to sell low.
Pitching Notes: Eovaldi, Corbin, Kluber/Bauer, Soria, Holland
If there was any doubt as to the Red Sox‘ desire to bring back Nathan Eovaldi after his strong run with the club late in 2018, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski put it to rest in comments today. As Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com was among those to report, Dombrowski confirmed that the organization has been engaged with Eovaldi’s camp this winter — though he also cautioned that “there’s a lot of interest” in the righty leaguewide. How far the Sox will go in the bidding remains to be seen, but Dombrowski said that Eovaldi is “a guy that we love.” With only a few major needs to be accounted for, the defending World Series champs seem a prime potential landing spot — as we predicted at the outset of the offseason.
- The Padres also have interest in Eovaldi, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic (via Twitter). It has long been rumored that the San Diego club would hunt for starting pitching this winter, but the injury-prone, high-octane 28-year-old would make for a particularly interesting target. After all, numerous big spenders (see above) are in the fray. For the budget-conscious Friars, beating the market for Eovaldi would surely mean taking on a rather significant risk. Perhaps that’s part of a more general strategy for a team that has plenty of interesting arms filtering through the system and is looking to move toward contention now while adding players who’ll contribute for some time to come. The San Diego franchise has also kicked around trade concepts with the Mets on Noah Syndergaard and, as Lin notes, already agreed to a hefty two-year pact with Garrett Richards in hopes he’ll recover and turn in a strong 2020 campaign.
- Even as Eovaldi draws plenty of interest it seems the early market will be driven by Patrick Corbin, the excellent lefty who just completed a tour of several big-spending east-coast clubs. The Nationals, Yankees, and Phillies still profile as the likeliest landing spots, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets, though he notes that other teams are still in the mix. A decision, in any event, still seems to come sooner than later. Yankees GM Brian Cashman made clear that his organization is a serious pursuer of a hurler with deep ties to the region in an interview this evening with Jack Curry of the YES Network (write-up via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch). “We’re doing everything in our power to put ourselves in position to be a legitimate consideration,” says Cashman, who calls Corbin “a special talent.” This sort of public endorsement obviously won’t decide the matter, but it surely indicates that the Yankees are engaged in a full press.
- The trade side of the starting pitching market remains somewhat more difficult to assess at this stage, but the Indians still seem to be driving the bus (at least unless and until we learn more about the seriousness of the Mets’ intentions regarding Syndergaard). MLB.com’s Jon Morosi suggests on Twitter that the Cleveland org will likely wait until there has been some movement at the upper levels of free agency before moving Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer, though it’s not entirely clear why that’d necessarily be the case. At the moment, Morosi adds in a subsequent tweet, the Braves are not actively engaged on either hurler. Of course, it’d likely be unwise to rule out the Atlanta club at this stage, given its assortment of intriguing young talent and desire to add a frontline rotation piece.
- Veteran reliever Joakim Soria is drawing interest from at least a handful of clubs at this early stage of the free agent market, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets. The Diamondbacks, Angels, Yankees, Braves, and Reds are all involved to some extent, per the report, representing an interesting slate of organizations. While the New York and Atlanta clubs are clearly in position to add veteran talent in a bid to repeat their postseason appearances from 2018, the other teams listed by Chavez are in somewhat less-certain positions in respect to the open market. The Los Angeles and Cincinnati ballclubs are surely interested in spending to contend, but will need to choose their targets wisely. Meanwhile, Arizona is exploring sell-side deals while also trying to achieve value with new investments. That Soria appeals to all of these teams seems to suggest that the league believes the 34-year-old has plenty left in the tank. And for good reason: he just wrapped up a campaign in which he spun 60 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball, with a healthy 11.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 along with a personal-best 14.4% swinging-strike rate.
- Free agent southpaw Derek Holland is drawing multi-year interest, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). It’s all but impossible to gauge his true market at this stage, with some bigger dominoes still to fall, but it stands to reason that he’d make some degree of sense for a fairly broad group of clubs. At the outset of this year’s hot stove market, we guessed Holland could warrant a two-year, $15MM commitment. Though there are obvious limits to his value at 32 years of age, Holland did finally break out of a multi-year malaise with a strong 2018 campaign in which he contributed 171 1/3 frames and worked to a 3.57 ERA — his first full season of sub-4.00 ball since way back in 2013.
AL Notes: M’s, Seager, Yanks, Sanchez, Tribe, Bauer
The latest from the American League…
- If the trade-happy Mariners have their way, third baseman Kyle Seager will be the next veteran to depart. The club’s willing to do “whatever it takes” to deal Seager, Buster Olney of ESPN writes (subscription required). Long one of the majors’ most underrated players, the 31-year-old Seager is coming off an uncharacteristically rough season and still has a guaranteed $57MM left on his contract. Seager’s presence is no longer needed in Seattle, which is rebuilding and trying to cut payroll, though it could be difficult to deal him on the heels of such a disappointing campaign. With that in mind, Olney suggests the Mariners could either swap Seager for another team’s unwanted contract or package him with one of their best remaining assets (Mitch Haniger or Jean Segura) to get his money off the books.
- Like Seager, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez endured a surprisingly poor season in 2018. However, Sanchez is “not for sale,” general manager Brian Cashman tells Jack Curry of the YES Network (video link). The Yankees expect to be “proven correct” that Sanchez is a franchise catcher, per Cashman, who has consistently defended the 26-year-old in recent months. So, although Sanchez has come up in trade rumors as recently as this week, it appears he’ll stay put.
- Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer is another offseason trade candidate, but he explained to MLB Network this week that it wouldn’t make sense for the Tribe to deal him now. “There’s a lot of reasons I think that [the Indians should not trade me],” Bauer said (via Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com). “Ultimately, I think the surplus value on me this year is just way too high. Even with an arbitration raise, you’re probably talking about $15 to $20 million of surplus value.” Bauer added that it would be more logical for the Indians to move him a year from now, when his price will rise and he’ll be just one year from reaching free agency. The 27-year-old provided oodles of surplus value to the Indians in 2018, when he logged an amazing 2.21 ERA/2.44 FIP over 175 1/3 innings for a little more than $6.5MM. He’s projected to earn another reasonable salary – $11.6MM – in 2019.
NL East Notes: Nats, Rendon, Suzuki, Mets, Ramos
Nationals superstar Anthony Rendon is slated to enter a contract year in 2019, but he told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post and other reporters Sunday that he’s “up for” signing an extension. The third baseman revealed that he and the Nats have been discussing an extension for a year, adding that while he hopes to remain in Washington, he’d be content to enter next season without a new contract. The 28-year-old Rendon continued to make a case for a mega-deal in 2018, as he finished top 10 in both position player fWAR (eighth) and wRC+ (10th).
Here’s more from Washington and one of its division rivals:
- The Mets are hesitant to go after ex-Nat Wilson Ramos, one of the top two free-agent catchers available, because of concerns over his defense and injury issues, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. New York’s “prioritizing” behind-the-plate defense and putting an extra emphasis on pitch framing, Puma adds. Baseball Prospectus has typically awarded Ramos positive pitch-framing and defense marks, though going by its Fielding Runs Above Average metric, he has been a scratch or minus defender for three straight seasons. Ramos has also torn his right ACL twice, including in 2016, which limited him to 64 games in 2017 as he worked his way back. However, Ramos did catch 96 games last season – 92 more than oft-injured Mets backstop Travis d’Arnaud, whom they tendered a contract Friday. Of course, Ramos is sure to require a pricey multiyear commitment, whereas d’Arnaud’s essentially set to play under a one-year deal worth a projected $3.7M.
- Keith Law of ESPN (subscription link) applauds Washington’s acquisition of catcher Yan Gomes from Cleveland, writing that the Nationals made a sizable improvement behind the plate without surrendering much. Having Gomes instead of 2018 starter Matt Wieters as their primary catcher could mean at least a four-win upgrade next year, Law posits. Law goes on to assess outfielder Daniel Johnson and right-hander Jefry Rodriguez – whom the Indians received for Gomes – in detail, noting that the former just endured a disappointing, injury-shortened season and the latter may only max out as a righty specialist in the majors. But Law explains that there’s hope for Indians catcher Eric Haase, who may succeed Gomes as their main backstop.
- Between Gomes and free-agent signing Kurt Suzuki, the Nationals have made a pair of noteworthy additions at catcher in the past couple weeks. Although, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post notes, it’s not yet clear how the Nats will divvy up playing time between the two next season. GM Mike Rizzo suggested Saturday that he’d leave it up to manager Dave Martinez, who declared that “they’re both going to split time.” Rizzo added that Suzuki could see action at first base, where he has never appeared in a major league game. Regardless, Suzuki’s “totally on board” with the Gomes pickup, per Rizzo.
Mets, Indians Have Discussed Corey Kluber
Having already swung one blockbuster trade this offseason, the Mets may have further headline-grabbing deals in mind. It appears they have interest in Indians ace Corey Kluber, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who reports that the two teams have discussed the right-hander.
The Mets are one of several teams reportedly eyeing Kluber, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner whose name has been prominent in rumors for a month. The fact that Kluber’s on the Mets’ radar is especially fascinating given that the future of one of their aces, righty Noah Syndergaard, is up in the air.
While New York may be attempting to build a dominant rotation led by Jacob deGrom, Kluber and Syndergaard, Feinsand notes it’s possible they could end up dealing Syndergaard and then acquiring Kluber in a separate trade. Swapping out Syndergaard for Kluber would seemingly be a near-term upgrade, though the latter is far older and pricier than the former. The 26-year-old Syndergaard has three arbitration-eligible campaigns remaining and will only make a projected $5.9MM next season, while the soon-to-be 33-year-old Kluber will earn $17MM in 2019 – also his third-last year of control.
For Cleveland, trading Kluber would be an obvious blow to its pitching staff, though a deal could come to fruition if it enables the team to pick up immediate help and cut payroll. If the Indians would indeed want controllable, young major leaguers for Kluber, then Syndergaard, outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, and second baseman Jeff McNeil look like the most logical fits from the Mets’ roster. All four are under control through at least 2021 and would seemingly help keep a Kluber-less Indians team strong in 2019.
Aside from that quartet, it doesn’t appear the rest of the Mets’ roster or their prospect pool is teeming with ideal pieces to pry Kluber out of Cleveland. Baseball America ranked the Mets’ farm an uninspiring 19th in the game even before they agreed to trade a pair of their best prospects, outfielder Jarred Kelenic and righty Justin Dunn, to Seattle in a package for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. The Mets do still have two of the outlet’s top-1oo prospects, however, in shortstop Andres Gimenez (No. 53) and first baseman Peter Alonso (No. 72).
While it’s unknown how serious the Mets are about Kluber, it’s fair to say they’re positioning themselves as one of this offseason’s most interesting teams to watch. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen has been a polarizing presence in his first few weeks as an executive, but it’s clear he’s willing to make bold moves in an effort to improve a New York club coming off back-to-back sub-.500 seasons.
Indians Sign Trayce Thompson, James Hoyt To Minors Contracts
The Indians have signed outfielder Trayce Thompson and right-hander James Hoyt to minor league deals, the team announced (Twitter link). Both players received invitations to the Tribe’s big league Spring Training camp. Hoyt, it should be noted, was re-signed after being non-tendered yesterday.
Hoyt did not appear in the majors for Cleveland after being acquired in a July trade with the Astros. He did, however, see significant time pitching out of the Astros’ bullpen in 2016 and 2017. He made 66 appearances in total, earning a 2-1 record with a 4.40 ERA. The 31-year-old right-hander definitely has a better chance of making the big league team in Cleveland, where a complete overhaul of the bullpen is taking shape.
Thompson, 27, struggled mightily with the White Sox last season. Over 130 plate appearances in Chicago, Thompson hit an ugly .116/.163/.215 with three home runs. He also appeared in three games with Oakland. A decent defensive outfielder, Thompson can handle all three outfield positions, but he’ll need to show vast improvement at the plate to have a chance at seeing big league time in Cleveland next year.