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Kevin Pillar

Mets Designate Guillermo Heredia For Assignment

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The Mets have designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment.  The move was made to create a 40-man roster spot for Kevin Pillar, whose contract with the team is now official.

Heredia appeared in seven games for the Mets after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates in August.  All told, the outfielder hit .212/278/.394 over 36 plate appearances for Pittsburgh and New York.  It isn’t far off the numbers (.240/.317/.342) Heredia posted in his four previous big league seasons, over 1101 PA with the Mariners (from 2016-18) and Rays (2019).

The 30-year-old can provide depth at all three outfield positions, so the Mets are surely hoping Heredia goes unclaimed and can remain in the farm system as a backup option in the event of injury.  The Mets are fairly crowded with outfield options on the active roster, but Heredia and non-roster invite Mallex Smith project as the first men up from Triple-A if a replacement is needed.

Mets Sign Kevin Pillar

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TODAY: Pillar’s deal was officially announced by the team.

FEB. 15, 10:18pm: Pillar will earn $3.6MM this year. There is a $2.9MM player option with no buyout or a $6.4MM club option with a $1.4MM buyout for 2022, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

9:40pm: It’s a $5MM guarantee that could go to $10MM over two years, Heyman tweets.

7:57pm: It’s a one-year contract, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

7:38pm: The two sides have a deal, pending a physical, Andy Martino of SNY tweets. It’s expected to be a major league pact, Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds.

7:24pm: The Mets and free-agent outfielder Kevin Pillar “are in serious talks,” according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Pillar would be the second notable outfield addition in the past week for the Mets, who previously signed ex-Cub Albert Almora Jr.

Like Almora, Pillar would provide depth in a Mets outfield that, at least for now, is slated to start Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith in 2021. Of course that, could be subject to change if the Mets make another major acquisition by signing, say, Jackie Bradley Jr. – the top-ranked center fielder left in free agency – or swinging a trade for Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. Mets fans would probably prefer a high-profile move like that, but it’s possible the team will simply go into the year with the cast it has and a lower-cost pickup such as Pillar.

Now 32 years old, Pillar is best known for his run in Toronto from 2013-19, during which he established himself as a world-class defender in center field. Pillar spent most of 2019 as a Giant after they acquired him from the Blue Jays, and he divided last season between the Red Sox and Rockies. Statistically, Pillar’s defense isn’t at peak form (he combined for minus-6 Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.0 Ultimate Zone Rating from 2019-20), but he does carry experience at all three outfield positions.

Pillar has never been a huge offensive threat, but a team could certainly do worse than him as a reserve option. He’s a lifetime .262/.299/.408 hitter with 82 home runs and 88 stolen bases over 3,486 plate appearances. Pillar recorded a personal-best 106 wRC+ last season, when he slashed .288/.336/.462, hit six homers and swiped five bags in 223 PA.

Free Agent Rumors: Bradley, Tigers, Encarnacion, Wong

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With the Red Sox now just a few million dollars shy of the luxury-tax threshold after their deals to bring in Garrett Richards, Enrique Hernandez, Martin Perez and Adam Ottavino, a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr. appears unlikely, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote Sunday. That’s not especially surprising on its own, of course, but Olney notes more interestingly that Bradley “could wind up with a three-year deal elsewhere.” That’d be a strong outcome for Bradley, who’ll turn 31 in April, given the difficulty mid-tier free agents have had in securing lucrative deals this winter.

Bradley has been connected most frequently to the Mets in recent weeks, although he’s also reportedly drawn interest from the Blue Jays, the Cubs, the Phillies and the Astros at various points this winter. The Red Sox’ likely departure from any bidding for his services won’t help Bradley’s market, but most indications still seem to suggest that he has a case for a multi-year pact wherever he ultimately lands.

A few more notes on the free-agent market…

  • Olney also writes that the Tigers could look further at the third tier of free-agent outfielders, listing names like Adam Duvall, Jay Bruce, Kevin Pillar, Tyler Naquin and Matt Joyce as potential fits. Detroit already inked Robbie Grossman to a two-year pact and will likely hand him the keys to an everyday gig in left field, but their outfield mix still isn’t quite settled. JaCoby Jones has shown flashes of high-quality play in center field but lacked consistency while battling injuries. Victor Reyes has had a nice run at the plate over the past couple of seasons but has yet to ever tally 300 MLB plate appearances in a given campaign. The Tigers have plenty of younger options in the form of Travis Demeritte, Daz Cameron, Derek Hill, Christin Stewart and Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo, but the first four all have minor league options remaining and Baddoo is no lock to make the club.
  • Agent Paul Kinzer tells MLB.com’s Jon Morosi that his client, Edwin Encarnacion, hopes to play another two seasons at the MLB level and still has aspirations of reaching 500 home runs in his career (Twitter link). It feels like a stretch that Encarnacion could get to that mark in two years, given that he’s still 76 long balls shy of that illustrious milestone, however. The 38-year-old slugger has four seasons of 38 or more homers under his belt, but he’d need to land somewhere with an opportunity for everyday at-bats (presumably as a designated hitter) to even have a chance. Coming off a .157/.250/.377 showing in 2020, such an arrangement could be tough to find. That said, if Encarnacion rebounds in 2021 and is open to playing beyond the 2022 season, it’s conceivable that he could yet reach that mark.
  • There’s “little interest” in bringing second baseman Kolten Wong back for the Cardinals at this point, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote in his latest Q&A with readers. A new home for Wong has felt likeliest since the Cards bought out his $12.5MM option for the 2021 season, although some Cards fans have held out hope for a new deal as the two sides have reportedly stayed in touch throughout free agency. The infield market has picked up steam recently, but that hasn’t translated to a deal for Wong — arguably the game’s best defender at his position.

Free Agent Notes: Realmuto, Cruz, Kim, Pillar, Avila, Stanek

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The Nationals and the representative for free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto “have had early discussions,” Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic writes. Despite that, Ghiroli casts doubt on the Nationals signing Realmuto because of general manager Mike Rizzo’s suggestion earlier this week that the club doesn’t have the catcher position atop its list of priorities. Rizzo indicated first base and the outfield are bigger needs for the Nationals, who have Yan Gomes coming off a bounce-back season (over just 30 games) as their starting backstop. Even if the Nats want to count on Gomes as their starter in 2021, they could at least re-sign Kurt Suzuki or add a backup to replace him. Tres Barrera, who has totaled two plate appearances in the majors, is the only catcher on their 40-man roster after Gomes.

Here’s more from the open market:

  • The Twins have not re-signed designated hitter Nelson Cruz yet, but president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told MLB Network Radio that the two sides are still “in contact.” Falvey went on to call Cruz “a special member of the Twins,” which was certainly true from 2019-20. The ageless Cruz, who will soon turn 41 next July, had arguably the two best seasons of his career in Minnesota. He slashed .308/.394/.626 during that time and ranked second in the majors in wRC+ (163) and fifth in home runs (57).
  • The Blue Jays and free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim “have been in touch,” Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The 25-year-old Kim hasn’t played in the majors yet, but he starred with the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization from 2014-20 and currently ranks as one of the top free agents on the market. It’s unclear where he would play in Toronto because the club has Bo Bichette occupying short, but Kim may be a fit at either second or third base.
  • The Rockies have “had discussions” about a reunion with outfielder Kevin Pillar, according to manager Bud Black (via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). Black isn’t sure how far those talks have gone, though. The 31-year-old Pillar, whom the Rockies acquired from the Red Sox over the summer, posted a career-high .288/.338/.462 line with six home runs and five stolen bases in 223 plate appearances last season.
  • Tigers general manager Al Avila told MLB Network that his son, catcher Alex Avila, is on their list of potential free-agent pickups, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets. However, Al Avila added that the Tigers aren’t prioritizing the catcher position at the moment. There is room for improvement at the spot, though, as the backstops on their 40-man roster – Grayson Greiner, Eric Haase and Jake Rogers – have all failed to record passable offensive numbers during their careers. That isn’t the case for the 33-year-old Alex Avila, owner of a .235/.348/.394 line in 3,527 plate appearances. He played with the Tigers from 2009-15 before moving on to a few other teams, most recently Minnesota.
  • The Dodgers are the latest team to show interest in reliever Ryne Stanek, who’s on the world champions’ radar, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times relays. Stanek had a woeful 2020 with the Marlins, but he’s a known entity to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. As the Rays’ GM in 2013, Friedman used the 29th overall pick on Stanek.

Rockies, Red Sox Complete Kevin Pillar Trade

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The Rockies announced that they have sent right-hander Jacob Wallace to the Red Sox to complete the trade the teams made on Aug. 31 involving outfielder Kevin Pillar.

The 22-year-old Wallace, a third-round pick of the Rockies in 2019, debuted in low-A ball last season and pitched to a stingy 1.29 ERA/2.94 FIP with 12.43 K/9 and 3.86 BB/9 in 21 innings. Since then, Baseball America (No. 19), MLB.com (No. 20) and FanGraphs (No. 21) have placed Wallace among Colorado’s top 25 prospects. BA writes that Wallace is “the prototypical power reliever with a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider” who could quickly make his way to the majors and turn into a back-end reliever.

Wallace seems like a good return for Pillar, a pending free agent who performed decently for a non-contending Boston team before the trade. Pillar has struggled as a member of the Rockies, though, as he has batted just .255/.296/.373 in 54 plate appearances. The Rockies had designs on a playoff berth when they acquired Pillar, but they have floundered since then and now find themselves with a 22-27 record.

Rockies To Acquire Kevin Pillar

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The Rockies will acquire outfielder Kevin Pillar and cash from the Red Sox for a player to be named later and 2019-20 international slot money, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

This season has been a major letdown for the Red Sox, but Pillar proved to be a good investment during his month-plus in their uniform. After signing a one-year, $4.25MM contract in the offseason, the former Blue Jay and Giant slashed a respectable .274/.325/.470 with four home runs over 126 plate appearances. Pillar also lined up at all three outfield positions as a member of the Red Sox, though he primarily played right field.

In Colorado, which will enter Monday 17-17 and as a surprising playoff contender, Pillar will hand the club another proven outfielder to join a group highlighted by Charlie Blackmon, Raimel Tapia and David Dahl.

Blackmon has been great this year, Tapia has provided solid production in his own right, and Sam Hilliard has given the club passable numbers. However, the oft-injured Dahl – who has been on the IL for about two weeks – has stumbled, as have the rest of the Rockies’ outfield options. Beyond this year, though, it remains to be seen whether Pillar will stay in Colorado, as he’s slated to reach free agency again over the winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL Notes: Yankees, Pillar, Choo

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Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ needs 10 starts and 62 innings this season in order for his $17MM option for 2021 to vest. Happ isn’t on pace to reach either milestone – he has three starts and 12 2/3 frames thus far – and he suggested the Yankees are trying to prevent him from reaching those marks. “It actually doesn’t take too much to figure out sort of what could be going on,” Happ said of his usage (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). “I think I can help our team. I’d like to be out there every five days.” Even if Happ’s right, it’s hard to blame the Yankees for not wanting him around at such a lofty salary in 2021. After struggling in 2019, the first guaranteed campaign of a two-year, $34MM guarantee, the 36-year-old Happ has yielded nine earned runs on 10 hits (including four homers) with six strikeouts against 10 walks this season.

  • Outfielder Kevin Pillar hopes to remain with the Red Sox, but the soon-to-be free agent understands he’s a trade candidate as the Aug. 31 deadline approaches (via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom informed Pillar that he’ll listen to offers for the 31-year-old in the coming days. It would be a surprise if Pillar’s still a member of the Red Sox on Sept. 1, considering their status as non-contenders, Pillar’s waning team control, and the fact that he’d be more useful to a playoff-caliber club. Since signing a one-year, $4.25MM contract with the Red Sox last winter, Pillar has lined up at all three outfield positions and batted a playable .257/.316/.419 in 114 plate appearances.
  • As a pending free agent, Rangers designated hitter/outfielder Shin-Soo Choo realizes he could pop up in trade talks with Monday looming, as Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram writes. “Every year, it’s been, ‘Trade Choo, trade Choo,’ but this year I have a very strong feeling,” Choo said. From the Rangers’ standpoint, though, finding a taker for Choo would likely be difficult. The 38-year-old, normally a quality offensive player, has slumped to a .216/.306/.365 line with three home runs in 85 plate appearances this season. That’s unappealing production at any price, let alone the prorated $21MM Choo is earning. Regardless, as someone who has procured 10-and-5 rights, Choo has the ability to veto any trade.
  • More on the pitching-needy Yankees, who seem likely to promote right-handed prospects Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia over the weekend for their major league debuts, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests. Either Schmidt or Garcia could be trade bait for the club before Aug. 31, observes Davidoff; if not, they may be able to help the Yankees’ staff. The 24-year-old Schmidt and Garcia, 21, are regarded as a pair of the Yankees’ top farmhands, with MLB.com ranking the former second in their system and placing the latter at No. 3.

Red Sox Notes: Sale, Pillar, Witte

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Red Sox lefty Chris Sale spoke with reporters this week, acknowledging and even agreeing with some of the frustration felt by fans who suggested he could’ve had the surgery months ago (link via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo). However, like most players, Sale viewed surgery as an absolute last resort. “Some people call it wasting time. And hey, it is,” Sale conceded. “We wasted time because the end result is Tommy John. We could have done this six months ago. Having said that, I appreciate the process and I wouldn’t have been 100% go as I was this past time. We turned over every stone. We did every possible thing we could have to prevent this. And I’m okay with that.”

With Sale shelved, the Red Sox’ rotation is going to be a patchwork unit at best, should the season eventually be played out. He’s in the first season of a five-year, $145MM contract he inked with the Red Sox last spring — a deal for which he opted in lieu of testing free agency this past offseason. The 31-year-old southpaw will miss at least the first season of that deal and some of the second, but he’s hopeful that the surgery could allow him to “get 10 more great years” out of his elbow.

More on the Sox…

  • Outfielder Kevin Pillar chatted with Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe about his revamped approach at the plate heading into the 2020 season. Long a pull-happy hitter, Pillar’s pull tendencies spiked to new heights in 2019, prompting him to refocus on taking the ball up the middle and hitting to all fields. The 31-year-old belted a career-high 21 homers last year — likely in part due to said spike in pull percentage and also due to the juiced ball — but he’s hopeful that more of all-fields approach will bring about a more well-rounded offensive game. Specifically, Pillar noted that going through the offseason and better “understanding how teams value players now” fueled his approach. Pillar, of course, was non-tendered by the Giants after racking up 21 homers, 37 doubles and four triples due in some part to his dismal .287 OBP. He eventually signed a one-year, $4.25MM deal with Boston late in the offseason.
  • Infielder Jantzen Witte, in camp as a non-roster invitee with the Sox, is in many ways a microcosm of the challenges that minor league players face as a whole, writes WEEI’s Rob Bradford. A career-long minor leaguer, Witte had never earned more than $12,000 in a single season. However, he reached minor league free agency this winter and was slated to see his earnings increase considerably, even if he simply spent the year in Triple-A. Witte, though, impressed in camp and caught the eye of manager Ron Roenicke, creating the outside possibility of securing a bench spot with the club and at least putting him on the radar for a midseason call-up. Now, he’s collecting a $400 weekly stipend through the end of May — a rate that checks in under his previous $12,000 salary even when prorated for a whole season — with no clue what’ll happen thereafter (financially speaking). Bradford spoke with Witte about his efforts to remain in shape, the financial uncertainty he’s facing and the woodcarving side business he’s started up while awaiting clarity. The 30-year-old Witte hit .277/.339/.394 in Triple-A last year while playing third base, second base, first base and left field.

Health Notes: Verdugo, Mikolas, Buxton, Buttrey

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As spring training gets rolling in earnest, news continues to trickle out about various players’ health situations. We’ll collect the latest here.

  • Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has a stress fracture in his lower back, the team told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). The organization is comfortable with Verdugo’s progression but unsurprisingly plans to take things slowly in the early going, Cotillo notes. Interim manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged to reporters (including Cotillo) that “if everything goes right, he still might not be ready for Opening Day.” That’ll surely raise some eyebrows among Sox fans, but the organization was fully aware of the issue at the time they made the Mookie Betts trade, reiterates Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Surgery won’t be necessary, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, but this is the firmest indication we’ve heard yet that Verdugo is likely to start the season on the shelf. Of course, Boston finalized a deal with Kevin Pillar yesterday. He figures to take on a significant role if Verdugo ends up sidelined.
  • The prognosis seems to be better for Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. Buxton hit off a tee today and hopes to progress to soft toss by next week, per various reports (including from Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com and Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic). Per Gleeman, manager Rocco Baldelli expressed optimism earlier this week that Buxton could return from the shoulder surgery that ended his 2019 season by Opening Day.
  • Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas is working back from a flexor injury and could be delayed in spring training, the team told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Mikolas had some recurring flexor soreness last season, Goold adds, although the hope was that a postseason PRP injection and rest would alleviate the issue. With the soreness having cropped back up, Mikolas is likely ticketed for an MRI, Goold reports. Notably, manager Mike Shildt stressed to Goold that the injury is likely not indicative of any damage to the UCL, which would obviously have been quite problematic. It doesn’t seem there’s overwhelming cause for concern just yet. Of course, it’s not ideal for a key member of the St. Louis rotation to be dealing with arm soreness this early in the season. (UPDATE: Mikolas underwent an MRI this morning, Goold tweets. The exam did not reveal any ligament damage, tweets Anne Rogers of MLB.com).
  • Angels reliever Ty Buttrey suffered an intercostal strain and will be out for one or two weeks, manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). The club still anticipates he’ll be a full-go by Opening Day. The 26-year-old posted a 3.98 ERA with a strong combination of strikeouts (27.2%) and walks (7.4%) in 2019. The former Red Sox prospect figures to be a key bullpen piece for Maddon in the latter’s first year at the helm in Anaheim.

Red Sox Sign Kevin Pillar

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7:37pm: This one’s in the books, with the Sox announcing the signing.

5:25am: The Red Sox are reportedly in agreement on a one-year, $4.25MM deal with free-agent outfielder Kevin Pillar. The All Bases Covered Sports Management client is said to be set for a physical this weekend, after which the deal will be officially announced by the club (assuming all goes well).

Kevin Pillar | Zach Gardner/MLBTR Photoshop

Pillar, 31, was non-tendered by the Giants earlier in the winter after hitting .259/.287/.432 with a career-high 21 home runs in 2019. He’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $9.7MM in arbitration. Pillar also swiped 14 bags — his fifth straight season with at least that many — and struck out in just 13.8 percent of his plate appearances. However, the longtime Blue Jays center fielder also only walked at a 2.8 percent clip — a career low — and the resulting .287 on-base percentage was one of the worst marks of any qualified MLB hitter.

Defensively, he played a roughly average center field by measure of metrics like Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. That’s a step back from the days when he graded out as one of MLB’s premier defensive players, but Pillar is still at least a serviceable option in center and likely an above-average glove in the corners.

Following the trade of Mookie Betts, the Red Sox had an all-left-handed-hitting outfield comprised of Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and newly acquired Alex Verdugo. Pillar will give them a right-handed hitting complement to that bunch as well as insurance against an injury (or perhaps an eventual trade of Bradley) at any of the three positions. He’s a career .281/.313/.453 hitter against southpaws, so while he’s not exactly a lefty masher, he’s still a bit above average in those situations.

Dumping the salaries of Betts and David Price (well, half of his deal) in the Dodgers trade dropped the Red Sox south of the $208MM luxury tax threshold by a bit less than $10MM. They should be able to bring Pillar aboard while maintaining ownership’s preference to remain south of that cutoff.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that the two sides were close to a deal. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal added that a Major League pact was in the works. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that a deal had been reached, and Heyman tweeted the final guarantee.

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