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Tender Deadline Signings: 11/30/21

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With the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players looming tonight at 8pm ET — the MLBPA and MLB jointly agreed to move the deadline up a couple days due to the looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement — we’ll likely see a slew of arbitration-eligible players signing one-year deals.

It’s commonplace for a large batch of players to sign deals in the hours leading up to the tender deadline. “Pre-tender” deals of this nature often fall shy of projections due to the fact that teams use the looming threat of a non-tender to enhance their leverage. Arbitration contracts at this juncture are often take-it-or-leave-it propositions, with the “leave it” end of that arrangement resulting in the player being cut loose. Given the widely expected lockout, there could be more incentive than usual for borderline non-tender candidates to take those offers rather than being cast out into free agency just hours before a transaction freeze is implemented.

As a reminder, arbitration contracts are not fully guaranteed. In a typical year, a team can cut a player on an arb contract at any point before the halfway point in Spring Training and only be responsible for 30 days’ termination pay (about one-sixth of the contract). Releasing a player in the second half of Spring Training bumps the termination pay to 45 days of his prorated salary.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for each team’s arbitration-eligible players last month, although for many of the players listed below, this isn’t so much avoiding arbitration as it is avoiding a non-tender. Here’s a look at today’s agreements…

  • The Yankees have agreed to deals with infielder Gio Urshela and right-hander Domingo German, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter links). Urshela will make $6.55MM, while German has agreed to a $1.75MM deal. Urshela has two seasons of control remaining; German is controllable for three years. Urshela is coming off a .267/.301/.419 showing while playing third base and shortstop. German tossed 98 1/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball.
  • The Twins have signed three arbitration-eligible pitchers, per reports from Feinsand and Darren Wolfson of SKOR North (on Twitter). Right-hander Jharel Cotton signed for $700K, reliever Caleb Thielbar lands $1.3MM and reliever Tyler Duffey signs for $3.8MM. Thielbar and Duffey were both productive members of the Minnesota relief corps in 2021. Cotton was recently claimed off waivers from the Rangers.
  • The Giants have agreed to terms with outfielder Austin Slater on a $1.85MM deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old (29 next month) appeared at all three spots on the grass while hitting .241/.320/.423 over 306 plate appearances in 2021.
  • Reliever Emilio Pagan and the Padres have agreed on a $2.3MM deal, reports Rosenthal (on Twitter). The 30-year-old worked 63 1/3 innings of 4.83 ERA/3.93 SIERA ball this past season.
  • The Diamondbacks agreed to a $2MM deal with left-hander Caleb Smith, reports Zach Buchanan of the Athletic (via Twitter). The 30-year-old posted a 4.83 ERA/4.68 SIERA across 113 2/3 innings in a swing capacity in 2021.

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Rockies Reportedly Have “No Plans” To Trade Jon Gray, Daniel Bard

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7:15am: The Rockies “have no plans” to trade either Gray or closer Daniel Bard today, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

As a 36-year-old closer on a fourth-place team, Bard looked like nearly as much of a slam-dunk trade candidate as Gray and Story. He’s controlled through the 2022 season via arbitration, but relievers are inherently volatile, and the Rockies can’t be reasonably expected to contend for a division title next year.

Bard has allowed three runs in his past two outings, which has bumped his ERA up a bit, but he’s still sitting at a respectable 4.32 mark with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate and 10.9 percent walk rate. Given his 97.8 mph average fastball, his ability to miss bats and his affordable $2.925MM salary, one would imagine there’d be some decent interest in Bard.

6:37am: Despite standing out as one of the most logical trade candidates on the market, Jon Gray remains in Colorado with nine hours until this afternoon’s trade deadline. There are, of course, many likely trade candidates who’ve yet to change hands, but it seems that as is the case with Trevor Story, the Rockies are at least considering hanging onto Gray.

The right-hander himself tells Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette that he and the team have had preliminary talks about an extension, adding that he hopes to stay with the Rockies. Meanwhile, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Rockies have also considered hanging onto Gray and making him a qualifying offer at season’s end.

Gray, 29, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft and stands out as one of the best homegrown arms the Rockies have developed. He’s in the midst of a the third sub-4.00 ERA of his season, pitching to a 3.67 ERA with a 22 percent strikeout rate, a 9.7 percent walk rate and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate. Those strikeout and walk rates are a ways off from his career-best marks, and Gray’s 94.8 mph average heater is down a tick from his career-high 96.1 mph in 2017. But Gray is also limiting hard contact at the best rates of his career and has been a generally durable starter for the Rox this season. He’s playing on a $6MM salary in his final season of club control before free agency.

Given all that and the Rockies’ obvious lack of playoff chances, there ought to be many teams trying to acquire Gray — and it sounds as though the interest is there. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that the Blue Jays, Padres, Mariners, White Sox and Mets are among the clubs that have scouted and shown varying levels of interest in Gray.

With Max Scherzer likely L.A.-bound and Jose Berrios now looking increasingly likely to be dealt, the floodgates on the remaining available starting pitchers could open in the hours leading up to the deadline. Gray, Michael Pineda, Zach Davies, Kyle Gibson and Merrill Kelly all seem like strong candidates to be dealt, and the removal of the market’s top two names — if Berrios is moved early in the day — should give the teams that miss out ample time to pivot to secondary targets.

Of course, that again assumes that Gray will be moved at all. The Rockies march to the beat of their own drum, to say the least. Perhaps the notion of keeping Gray and/or Story is mere posturing in an effort to extract a larger return, but the Rockies have resisted rebuilding moves for years despite rarely contending. Manager Bud Black said earlier this month they’ve already informed top starter German Marquez that he won’t be traded, which seems to suggest they believe a rapid turnaround is possible within the next couple years. So far, the Rockies’ lone move has been to trade Mychal Givens to the Reds.

Rockies, Daniel Bard Avoid Arbitration

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The Rockies and right-handed reliever Daniel Bard have avoided arbitration with a $2.925MM agreement for 2021, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Bard had been projected to earn anywhere from $1.2MM to $2.2MM in arbitration.

This is a nice payday for the 35-year-old Bard and one few would have expected he’d end up receiving when he signed a minor league contract with the Rox in February. At the time, Bard was coming off a long layoff from Major League Baseball, owing to struggles with injuries and performance. Bard began his career with a flourish in Boston from 2009-11, during which he looked as if he would be a long-term answer at the back of its bullpen. However, Bard severely tailed off after that three-year run, and he was out of the league within a couple of years.

Although he hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2013, Bard earned a spot on the Rockies’ roster and proceeded to enjoy a career renaissance last season. Across 24 2/3 innings, Bard recorded a 3.65 ERA/3.64 FIP with 9.85 K/9, 3.65 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent groundball rate, even recovering the 97 mph fastball velocity that abandoned him during his final two seasons with Boston. Thanks to his perseverance and solid production, Bard earned National League Comeback Player of the Year honors.

MLBPA Announces 2020 Players Choice Award Winners

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The MLBPA announced their Players Choice Awards today, which were voted on by the players prior to the postseason. Freddie Freeman was the biggest winner, taking home both the NL Player of the Year honor, as well as the NL Outstanding Player Award, which correlates to the MVP. Jose Abreu of the White Sox took home the AL MVP equivalent award. Nelson Cruz was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award in the American League, while Andrew Dawson won the inaugural Curt Flood Award, given to “a former player, living or deceased, who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the Players Association and advancement of Players’ rights.”

Feel free to read their official press release here, and check out the other award winners as voted on by the players below:

AL Outstanding Pitcher: Shane Bieber

NL Outstanding Pitcher: Trevor Bauer

The Outstanding Pitcher award in each league – or the Cy Young equivalent – went to Trevor Bauer of the Reds and Shane Bieber of the Indians. Bieber was a shoo-in as the best pitcher in the American League, but Bauer faced some tough competition in the NL from Jacob deGrom and Yu Darvish.

AL Outstanding Rookie: Kyle Lewis

NL Outstanding Rookie: Jake Cronenworth

Lewis broke out as a star for the Mariners, an important development for him, of course, but also for the Mariners and their rebuild. Lewis hit .262/.364/.437 with 11 home runs and highlight-reel defensive work in centerfield. The 26-year-old Cronenworth came to San Diego as an unheralded pickup from the Rays, but the two-way player focused on his offense in 2020, got regular reps at second base, and emerged as a star. Cronenworth hit .285/.354/.477 in 192 plate appearances while completing the Padres infield picture.

AL Comeback Player: Carlos Carrasco

NL Comeback Player: Daniel Bard

These are both tremendous stories. Carrasco was treated for leukemia last season before returning at the end of the year. This season he returned to his prior form, going 3-4 with a 2.91 ERA/3.59 FIP across 68 innings. Bard, meanwhile, hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2013, retiring in 2017. He discovered renewed velocity while coaching, then came back to become the Rockies’ closer by the end of 2020. He made 23 appearances with a 3.65 ERA/3.64 FIP with 6 saves. Many have tried and failed to provide steady relief in Colorado, so for Bard to come back where he did is particularly impressive.

The traditional awards that we tend to reference throughout the years are released by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America. They announced their reveal dates today as well: November 11th for the Cy Young and November 12th for MVP.

Rockies To Select Contracts Of Daniel Bard, Matt Kemp, Chris Owings

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The Rockies will carry long-lost MLB reliever Daniel Bard on their Opening Day roster, GM Jeff Bridich tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (Twitter links). He’ll have to be selected to the 40-man roster in order to be activated.

Also making the Rox were outfielder Matt Kemp and utilityman Chris Owings. They’ve had much more recent MLB activity than Bard, but are also looking for redemption after crashing out with other organizations.

Once an exciting young reliever, Bard ended up with irredeemable control problems after an attempted rotation conversion. His path back to the majors has been anything but straightforward. Remarkably, Bard’s last MLB pitch came more than seven years ago, in late April of 2013.

Daniel Bard Has Chance To Make Rockies

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Talk about a comeback. Long-lost MLB reliever Daniel Bard may finally be turning the corner in his latest attempt to return to the highest level of the game. Per Nick Groke of The Athletic, via Twitter, Bard “seems to be pitching his way to opening day” after a nice appearance in the club’s Summer Camp.

By now, Bard’s tale is well-known. The former first-round pick was a high-grade reliever for the Red Sox. When the Boston organization elected to try him out as a starter, Bard developed a case of the yips that persisted throughout several prior comeback efforts. (MLBTR’s Steve Adams documented this all a bit more thoroughly in his post on Bard’s signing in Colorado.)

Bard last appeared in a big league game in April of 2013. He’s now 35 years of age. If he can pull off even a lone MLB appearance, this would rate as one of the least-likely career revivals we’ve ever seen.

To make that happen, Bard will have to show the Rox that he’s in good enough form to merit clearing a 40-man roster spot and a 30-man (initial) active roster place. Bard has left the club “very pleased” with his performance thus far, says Groke, though his three Spring Training appearances weren’t as successful. In 2 1/3 innings before the game went on ice, Bard had coughed up seven earned runs on five hits and three walks.

Rockies Sign Daniel Bard

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Daniel Bard’s latest comeback attempt is officially underway. The former Red Sox reliever has agreed to a minor league deal with the Rockies and will had to Major League camp, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham reported last week that Bard was working toward a comeback.

Now 34 years old, Bard once looked like a potential closer in waiting for the Red Sox. The No. 28 overall pick in the 2006 draft debuted in 2009 and made an immediate impact with a 2.88 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 in his first 197 innings. Control issues arose soon after, though, and spiraled into a full-blown case of the Yips. Bard averaged 6.5 walks per nine innings pitched and posted a 6.22 ERA in 2012, and his career went completely off the rails following that effort.

Bard missed time with an abdominal injury in 2013 and pitched only a combined 16 1/3 innings between the Majors and Triple-A — walking a staggering 27 batters in that span. Winter ball in the 2013-14 offseason and a brief stint with the Rangers in 2014 only confirmed that Bard’s control had vanished; Bard walked 18 of the 31 hitters he faced between the Puerto Rican Winter League and his quick run with the Rangers’ Class-A club. He embarked on comeback attempts with the Cardinals and Mets in 2016-17 but encountered similar results.

With the Rockies, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the righty can tap into the talent that once made him such a well-regarded young pitcher. Colorado’s bullpen has more than its share of highly compensated, underperforming veterans — Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee — but the Rox coaxed varying levels of success out of Scott Oberg, Carlos Estevez and Jairo Diaz. There should still be a spot or two up for grabs, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rockies brought Bard along slowly and eased him back into pro ball with some minor league work before considering him for the big league bullpen.

Daniel Bard Reportedly Making Comeback Attempt

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Six seasons have elapsed since Daniel Bard threw his last pitch in a Major League game, but the 34-year-old righty threw in front of scouts recently and is hoping to make a comeback, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (via Twitter).

Bard, for those who don’t recall or have only begun following baseball in recent seasons, at one point looked to be a high-end closer in the making. Selected with the 28th overall pick in 2006, Bard debuted for the Red Sox in 2009 and went on to post a 2.88 ERA with 9.7 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 in his first 197 innings at the MLB level. Were it not for Jonathan Papelbon’s presence in the Boston bullpen, he’d surely have been afforded more save opportunities in the early stages of his career.

The 2012 season was an ugly one for Bard, however, as he was blown up for a 6.22 ERA through 59 1/3 innings. A sudden deterioration of his ability to locate the ball was the chief culprit, as Bard averaged 6.5 BB/9 and hit eight batters in 59 1/3 frames that season. Bard missed more than two months of the 2013 season with an abdominal strain and only tossed one inning in the Majors plus another 15 1/3 frames in the minors; he walked 27 batters in that time.

Winter ball in the 2013-14 offseason and a brief stint with the Rangers in 2014 only confirmed that Bard’s control had completely evaporated. Call it the Yips, Steve Blass disease or whatever moniker you prefer — Bard walked 18 of the 31 hitters he faced between the Puerto Rican Winter League and his quick run with the Rangers’ Class-A club. He embarked on comeback attempts with the Cardinals and Mets in 2016-17 but was met with similarly disheartening results.

Since calling it quits before the 2018 season, Bard has been working in as a “minor league player mentor” with the D-backs organization, where GM Mike Hazen and assistant GMs Amiel Sawdaye and Jared Porter know him well from their time in the Red Sox’ front office. Expectations on another comeback attempt should be measured, of course, given the long layoff and Bard’s prior, unsuccessful attempts. Still, it’s hard not to root for the 34-year-old. A successful renaissance after this much time off the radar would make for a wonderful story to follow and surefire Comeback Player of the Year favorite.

Diamondbacks Hire Jonny Gomes As Rookie League Hitting Coach

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The Diamondbacks announced a number of hirings, title changes, and promotions throughout their organization today, including the news that Jonny Gomes will be the new hitting coach for the team’s rookie ball affiliate in the Arizona League.  The move would seem to indicate that the 37-year-old Gomes has decided to call it a career after 13 seasons in the big leagues.

Gomes played for seven MLB teams from 2003-15, with his first six seasons spent in Tampa Bay.  His first extended taste of Major League action resulted in a third-place finish in AL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2005, after he hit .282/.372/.534 with 21 homers over 407 plate appearances.  While Gomes was rarely an everyday player during his career, he found plenty of regular playing time as a noted masher of left-handed pitching, posting a lifetime slash line of .273/.376/.479 against southpaws.

Beyond just his performance on the field, Gomes was well-known for his fiery personality and reputation as a clubhouse leader.  During his final four seasons, he was sought out as a mentor for young A’s and Royals teams making postseason runs, and Gomes was one of the originators of the beard craze that defined the World Series-winning 2013 Red Sox.

Several notable names were included in the Diamondbacks’ list of baseball operations moves, including the promotion of Burke Badenhop to special assistant to the general manager.  Badenhop, an eight-year MLB veteran, worked as an analyst in the D’Backs front office in 2017.  The recently-retired Daniel Bard is also joining the organization in the newly-created Player Mentor role.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/4/18

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After attempting numerous comebacks over the past half decade, former Red Sox setup man Daniel Bard has opted to officially retire, he tells SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Bard chronicles the ups and downs of a once-promising career that was derailed by his inexplicable development of the yips and an an inability to throw strikes at any level. Bard reminds that he overcame a similar issue early in his career after being drafted, but injuries and recurring difficulties in locating the strike zone ultimately led him to retire after signing five unsuccessful minor league deals since his last big league appearance.

Here are some of the day’s other minor moves from around the league…

  • The Indians announced on Thursday that they’ve signed left-hander Robert Zarate to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Zarate, 31 next month, didn’t pitch in 2016 or 2017 due to a spring elbow injury in ’16 that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Zarate has had a unique career, spending more time pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League than he has with MLB affiliates in his big league career. His 2015 campaign produced a 2.90 ERA with a 49-to-15 K/BB ratio and a 52.1 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, however. Zarate has never reached the big league level in his career.
  • The Rangers announced minor league deals for right-hander Steve Delabar and outfielder Destin Hood (via Twitter). Both players will be invited to Spring Training, per the announcement. Delabar didn’t pitch in 2017 after being popped for an 80-game suspension following a failed PED test. Delabar, 34, was an All-Star with the Blue Jays back in 2013 and served as a very effective member of Toronto’s relief corps from 2012-13 before declining in 2014-15. He has a career 4.07 ERA and has averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings in 194 2/3 MLB frames. Hood, meanwhile, long rated as one of the Nationals’ more promising farmhands, but the former second-rounder’s career stalled in Triple-A. He spent the 2016-17 seasons in the Marlins organization and posted solid, albeit unspectacular numbers in Triple-A.
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