Quick Hits: Extensions, Boras, Acuna, Dodgers, Pujols, Cards, Giants
Agent Scott Boras, who brought you the term “swellopt,” has now concocted a phrase to describe team-friendly extensions young major leaguers sign, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. “Great young players are getting what I call ‘snuff contracts,’” Boras told McCullough. “And a snuff contract is that they’re trying to snuff out the market. They know the player is a great player, and he’s exhibited very little performance. So they’re coming to him at 20 and 21, and I’m going to snuff out your ability to move, to go anywhere, to do anything, and your value. And I’m going to pay you maybe 40 cents on the dollar to do it. What’s my risk?” In Boras’ estimation, the eight-year, $100MM guarantee Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., 21, signed this week is “the king of the snuff contracts,” as it hampers the outfielder’s career earning power while giving Atlanta what looks like a sweetheart deal for a franchise player in the making.
Acuna’s accord is one of a whopping 27 multiyear extensions doled out across the majors since Jan. 21, though the Dodgers haven’t joined the party, McCullough observes. Extensions have been almost nonexistent in Los Angeles under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who has only given out one (Clayton Kershaw‘s three-year, $93MM deal after last season) since taking the reins in 2014. But Friedman told McCullough he “wouldn’t be surprised if within the next 12 months we do some.” McCullough points to Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Corey Seager, Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor as potential extension candidates for Friedman & Co.
- Speaking of Kershaw, the ace left-hander appears to be nearing his 2019 debut. Kershaw will make a minor league rehab start Tuesday, which could set him up for a Dodgers return Sunday, Jorge Castillo of the LA Times tweets. The three-time NL Cy Young winner, 31, has been shelved on account of shoulder troubles since late February. Consequently, this will be the fourth straight injury-shortened campaign for Kershaw, whose 162 innings-per-season average from 2016-18 fell well shy of the 215-frame mean he put up over the previous seven years.
- First baseman Albert Pujols dominated headlines in 2011 when he elected to leave St. Louis, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his Hall of Fame career, for the Angels’ 10-year, $254MM offer. Pujols’ decision came after the Cardinals and Marlins also proposed decade-long contracts worth upward of $200MM. Now 39 years old and with $87MM remaining on his deal, Pujols recently reflected on his choice to leave the Cardinals, telling Graham Bensinger (via ESPN.com): “I felt that the approach that they took wasn’t showing me that they wanted me to be a longtime Cardinal. I believe I made the right decision.” If his rapid deterioration in Anaheim is any indication, St. Louis dodged a bullet in losing Pujols, even though he won three NL MVPs and two World Series as a Cardinal. Pujols slashed an incredible .328/.420/.617, averaged more than seven fWAR per year and never appeared in fewer than 143 games in a season while with the Redbirds. On the other hand, the Anaheim version’s a .260/.315/.452 hitter who has been worth one win above replacement a year and has twice missed at least 45 games in a season.
- As is often the case with minor league contracts, catcher Stephen Vogt‘s agreement with the Giants includes a June 1 opt-out chance, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Giants already have three backstops – Buster Posey, Erik Kratz and Aramis Garcia – occupying 40-man roster spots, which seems to decrease the 34-year-old Vogt’s odds of earning a promotion from Triple-A Sacramento. However, San Francisco’s a fan of the two-time All-Star’s bat and could summon him at some point, Schulman suggests. The former Ray, Athletic and Brewer hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2017, having missed all of last season because of shoulder surgery.
Rehab Notes: Polanco, Kershaw, Taylor
A grueling seven-month rehab process is finally nearing its end for Gregory Polanco, reports MLB.com’s Adam Berry, as the Pirates outfielder is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow for High-A Bradenton. The initial rehab outlook for the torn labrum on Polanco’s left shoulder was seven to nine months, so even a full 20-day rehab stay will have him set to return on the short end of the timeframe. The 27-year-old’s imminent return will be manna from the proverbial heaven for the run-starved Pirates, who’ve already lost outfielders Corey Dickerson and Lonnie Chisenhall to injuries at the season’s outset. Polanco’s status as a perennial breakout candidate finally came to fruition last year, as the big lefty slashed a career-best .254/.340/.499 (123 wRC+) in 130 games before suffering the injury in early September. His hard-hit rate, which had dipped to a shockingly pedestrian 25.9% in 2017, jumped nearly nine percentage points, and the newfound plate discipline he exhibited reaped huge benefits.
In further rehab news from around the game…
- Clayton Kershaw‘s dominant rehab performance on minor-league Opening Night doesn’t mean he’s ready for the show, writes Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. The three-time Cy Young award winner will need at least another rehab outing – this one in the 75-80 pitch range – before rejoining the big club in the coming weeks. Dampening the much-needed flames throughout the outing were the stadium’s radar gun readouts, which reportedly had the seven-time all-star sitting at a frightening 88-91 MPH with the fastball. A career-low 90.9 MPH average fastball velocity in ’18 led to the lefty’s lowest strikeout rate since his rookie season of 2008, and the once-untouchable ace was again vulnerable to the longball. The club may not need a halcyon Kershaw to contend for the pennant, and may not need him at all to run through a sloppy NL West. Still, even a compromised version of the lefty should be quite effective, and the Dodgers, who doubled down on their substantial investment this offseason, will continue to hold out out hope for the ace of seasons past.
- Per Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor will play seven innings in a rehab game today. It’s good news for the Nationals, who expected the extra OF to miss “significant time” after he sprained his knee and hip mid-March. There seems to be precious little playing time in the Nats outfield for Taylor, who followed up a solid 2017 season with a .227/.287/.357 stinker last year. Strikeouts have long been an issue for the speedy centerfielder, who’s posted a K rate of 30% or higher in each of his four major-league seasons.
Brewers Claim Donnie Hart
The Brewers have claimed southpaw Donnie Hart off waivers from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. Milwaukee moved righty Bobby Wahl to the 60-day injured list to create roster space.
Hart was optioned to Triple-A to begin his tenure with the Brewers organization. He’ll wait there for an opportunity to arise. Hart had been claimed in the middle of camp by the Los Angeles organization but obviously wasn’t a key part of their plans.
Since breaking into the majors with an eye-opening 2016 debut — one earned run in 18 1/3 innings — Hart has seen his results decline. He managed a 3.71 ERA in 43 2/3 frames in the following season, but the peripherals weren’t terribly promising. Last year, he was knocked around in twenty appearances — a dozen earned runs on 31 hits with an ugly 13:12 K/BB ratio — and ended up spending most of the year at Triple-A.
Hart did continue dominate at the highest level of the minors. He has been tough on pre-MLB batters at all levels, but has been especially excellent at Triple-A, where he owns a 2.40 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 over 56 1/3 innings. If he can find a way to translate those K/BB numbers to the majors, and continue to generate groundballs as he has (52.6% in the big leagues), the soft-tossing 28-year-old could be an interesting pen piece.
Dodgers To Sign Zach McAllister
The Dodgers have agreed to a minor-league deal to bring right-hander Zach McAllister back to the organization, according to reports. The right-hander, who spent a short amount of time with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate late last season, was somewhat surprisingly cut loose by the Rangers at the end of Spring Training despite having signed a big league deal with Texas.
McAllister, 31, was a mainstay in the Indians’ bullpen from 2015-17 but struggled through a career-worst season in 2018. He signed with the Rangers over the winter on a $1MM Major League contract and seemingly pitched well in Spring Training — 3.00 ERA, 10-to-2 K/BB ratio in 12 innings — making his release all the more unexpected. Last year, McAllister was torched for a 6.20 ERA in 45 innings between Cleveland and Detroit. His velocity remained consistent, however (95.3 mph average fastball), and he posted a solid 39-to-10 K/BB ratio. Prior to that dismal season, McAllister gave Cleveland 183 1/3 innings of 2.99 ERA relief with 10.0 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over a three-year span.
The Dodgers don’t have an immediate opening in their ‘pen, so McAllister will quite likely head to Triple-A Oklahoma City for now. Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Pedro Baez and Dylan Floro are the top right-handed relief options for skipper Dave Roberts, whose bullpen also contains out-of-options righty Yimi Garcia. The Dodgers do have an open spot on the 40-man roster, so if they decide in the near future that McAllister warrants a closer look against MLB opposition, they’ll only need to make a 25-man roster move to accommodate him.
Health Notes: Kershaw, Perez, Johnson
Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw may not be all that far from returning to the MLB mound, but he has a few more steps to take. As Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter, the star hurler could soon be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment — if he’s able to complete a live BP session tomorrow without incident. Supposing things go well and Kershaw is ready to resume competitive action next week, he’ll still need to build up his pitch count before returning to the Dodgers roster. It’s not yet clear how many rehab starts he’d need before being activated.
More health notes from around the game …
- The Tigers announced Friday that pitching prospect Franklin Perez will miss the first four to six weeks of the season due to tendinitis in his right shoulder. He’ll rehab at the team’s spring facility in Lakeland, Fla. for the time being. The shoulder tendinitis is the latest health-related setback for 21-year-old, who also missed most of the 2018 campaign with lat and shoulder issues. Perez, who threw just 19 1/3 innings last seasons, was one of the key pieces Detroit received from the Astros in the 2017 blockbuster that sent Justin Verlander to Houston. Considered at the time of that deal to be one of baseball’s premier minor league arms, Perez has seen his prospect star dim as injuries have prevented him from taking the hill. Fortunately for the Tigers, he’s still quite young and has ample time to develop, but the ongoing arm issues are a troubling trend.
- There’s an even tougher diagnosis for Marlins prospect Osiris Johnson, as Wells Dusenbery of the Sun Sentinel reports on Twitter. The youngster appears to be sidelined for all of the 2019 season after undergoing surgery for a right tibial stress fracture. Taken in the second round of last year’s draft, the shortstop is considered a high-risk, high-upside talent. He turned in good results at the Rookie level but stumbled in a late promotion to the Class A level. This was to be an important year of development for Johnson, who only turned 18 last October.
Dodgers Sign Justin Grimm To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have signed right-hander Justin Grimm to a minor league contract, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The signing comes after Grimm decided to opt out of his previous deal with the Indians.
Grimm, 30, will join the Dodgers hoping to return to his Cubs form after a dreadful 2018 season. Between the Royals and Mariners, Grimm pitched to the tune of a 10.38 ERA last season, after which he was only able to land a minor league contract with the Indians this winter. After having failed to break camp with Cleveland, though, Grimm opted out of that deal.
For the Dodgers, Grimm represents a buy-low option that could provide valuable payoff if the veteran is able to return to the 2015 version of himself. His best season, Grimm contributed a 1.99 ERA to a contending team, posting a robust 12.1 K/9 in 49 2/3 innings of work with the Cubs. The Dodgers will look for the right-hander to bounce back with a change of scenery.
It remains unclear whether Grimm will crack the Dodgers Opening Day roster. The team boasts a deep bullpen that is lush with arguably more reliable options, though the presence of Grimm can’t hurt the team, should it find a need for him during the season. Curiously, Hoornstra adds in a tweet that Grimm will be in the mix to open the season as the club’s long reliever. Since joining the Cubs, though, Grimm has not been known as a multi-inning reliever, and he has not started a game since 2013.
NL Notes: Rendon, Freeman, Dodgers, Padres
Even though it’s extension season in Major League Baseball, a new deal between the Nationals and contract-year third baseman Anthony Rendon doesn’t appear imminent. General manager Mike Rizzo said Saturday there isn’t anything new to report vis-a-vis Rendon, nor does the recent flood of extensions across the majors have any effect on the two sides’ talks, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post tweets. Rendon spoke about his future earlier in the week and didn’t sound particularly optimistic about an extension coming together. As things stand, Rendon’s on track to be one of the rare high-end players available in next winter’s free-agent class, which has rapidly lost its shine because of the extension trend.
More from the NL…
- The Braves don’t yet have to worry about extending first baseman Freddie Freeman, who’s under control through 2021. But when it’s time for Freeman to sign another deal, he hopes Atlanta’s the team that gives it to him. Freeman said this week that he loves Atlanta and would like to spend his entire career there, Mark Bowman of MLB.com relays. Regarding a potential extension, Freeman stated: “If [the extension is] four or five more years following [my current deal] and I’m declining, I’ll be out. I really will. I don’t want to put on another uniform for another year.” The 29-year-old added that he doesn’t plan to approach the Braves about a new contract, but “if they want to engage in that, I’m obviously here to engage because I want to be here for the rest of my career.” The club may take Freeman up on that in a year or two, Bowman suggests. At this point, Freeman still has $65MM left on the eight-year, $135MM extension he signed heading into the 2014 campaign.
- The Dodgers plan to deploy Austin Barnes, not offseason acquisition Russell Martin, as their primary catcher, according to manager Dave Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). “If you look at it from a five-man rotation situation I would say Austin three out of five,” Roberts said of Barnes, who nosedived last season after a stellar first-year showing in 2017. The Dodgers hope he’ll bounce back and team with the 36-year-old Martin, who’s in his second stint with the franchise, to effectively replace now-Brewer Yasmani Grandal. It won’t be an easy task – despite Grandal’s playoff miscues in LA, he was one of the game’s most valuable catchers during his four-year tenure with the Dodgers.
- The Padres’ rotation picture is becoming clearer, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. It appears highly touted prospect Chris Paddack and Matt Strahm will slot in behind Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer, while the battle for the fifth spot is seemingly down to Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill. Robbie Erlin had been in the competition, but manager Andy Green said Saturday the left-hander will open the year as a reliever. Allen and Quantrill, who rank among the Padres’ top 15 prospects in a stacked system, will each get one last chance to make a case for a rotation job Sunday.
Rich Hill To Begin Season On Injured List
Dodgers lefty Rich Hill will open the season on the injured list with what the team has described to the media as a medial collateral ligament strain in his left knee (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). The team also revealed that lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Opening Day, with right-hander Ross Stripling is lined up to start the second game of the season.
Hill will join fellow southpaw Clayton Kershaw on the IL to open the season. Kershaw estimated Wedmesday that he’ll need 20 days to build up to game readiness after his latest throwing session (via Gurnick), while Hill will be out for at least a “couple weeks,” though the team hasn’t put forth a more specific timeline than that.
With Kershaw and Hill both out for the start of the season, the Dodgers will look to Ryu, Stripling, Walker Buehler and Kenta Maeda to start games in the early-going. It doesn’t appear as though the Dodgers have definitively determined who’ll open the year as the fifth starter, although Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Julio Urias might have to open the year as a starter rather than a reliever.
Brad Miller Opts Out Of Contract With Dodgers
Infielder/outfielder Brad Miller has opted out of his minor-league deal with the Dodgers, per a club announcement. He’s heading back onto the open market.
Miller, 29, had joined the organization in hopes of being the latest infielder to resurrect his career in Los Angeles. While he showed well in spring action, he obviously wasn’t ticketed for a roster spot and decided to test his luck in free agency.
At times in the not-so-distant past, Miller has shown big power (30 home runs in 2016) and big patience (15.5% walk rate in 2017). Unfortunately, those two characteristics have yet to show up fully in the same season. In 254 plate appearances last year, Miller slashed .248/.311/.413 — a near match for his career-average line of .239/.313/.409, which itself equates to league-average productivity at the plate.
Teams that like what they saw out of Miller this spring, when he knocked eight base hits (two of them home runs) in 25 plate appearances, will have plenty of ways to make him fit on a major-league roster. Miller has plenty of experience in the middle infield and has spent some time at both corner infield and all three outfield spots. He hasn’t been trusted much recently at shortstop and hasn’t graded as a plus defender at any position, but still rates as a rather versatile player.
Giants Acquire Connor Joe, Designate Drew Ferguson
The Giants have acquired utilityman Connor Joe from the Reds, per a club announcement. Righty Jordan Johnson and cash considerations are headed to Cincinnati in return. To open a 40-man roster spot, the Giants designated outfielder Drew Ferguson for assignment.
Both Joe and Ferguson were selected in last December’s Rule 5 draft. The former went to the Reds from the Dodgers, while the latter came from the Astros organization. Ferguson would be offered back to Houston if he clears waivers, but every other team in baseball will have a chance to step into his Rule 5 rights.
With a deal coming together at this late stage of camp, it seems likely that Joe has the inside track on a job in San Francisco — perhaps bumping out veteran Pablo Sandoval. New president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is amply familiar with the former Dodger farmhand, having just come over from the L.A. organization. If Joe can make and stay on the MLB roster all year, his rights would move permanently.
Joe, 26, is a former first-round pick who had largely struggled until a breakout 2018 season. In 435 plate appearances in the upper minors, he turned in a robust .299/.408/.527 slash with a career-high 17 home runs and sixty walks to go with 88 strikeouts.
Ferguson is also 26 years of age. The former 19th-rounder put himself on the map with some strong offensive showings, including a .305/.436/.429 run in 292 Triple-A plate appearances last year. But he has struggled since in short stints in the Arizona Fall League, Puerto Rican Winter League, and Cactus League.
On the Cincinnati end of this swap, Johnson will give the organization another upper-minors arm to work with. He earned a call-up to the highest level of the minors after 15 solid starts at Double-A last year, but struggled thereafter. In 58 frames over 11 outings at Triple-A, Johnson managed only a 4.66 ERA with 37 strikeouts against 33 walks.