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Brewers Sign Aaron Ashby To Five-Year Extension

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The Brewers have announced a five-year contract extension with left-hander Aaron Ashby, running through the 2027 and including club options for 2028 and 2029.  Ashby will earn $20.5MM over the five guaranteed years of his extension, as per Joel Sherman of The New York Post (Twitter link).  He can more than double that total if the contract is maxed out, as Sherman notes that another $25.5MM is available if both options are exercised and Ashby hits all his escalators.  Ashby is represented by Turner-Gary Sports.

Robert Murray of FanSided reports the specific breakdown of terms (on Twitter). The young southpaw receives a $1MM signing bonus, and the year-by-year salary breakdown is as follows:

2023: $1MM
2024: $1.25MM
2025: $3.25MM
2026: $5.5MM
2027:$7.5MM

There’s a $1MM buyout on the 2028 option, which is valued at $9MM. The ’29 option is valued at $13MM.

The extension only cements Ashby’s place as an important piece of the Brewers’ future, and it also gives the 24-year-old some guaranteed money and security early in his career.  Ashby (the nephew of former big leaguer Andy Ashby) was a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, and he moved quickly through the minors, winning the Brewers’ minor league Pitcher Of The Year honors in 2019 and then making his MLB debut in 2021.

Pitching as both a starter and reliever over his two seasons in the Show, Ashby has a 4.56 ERA, 58% grounder rate, 27.5% strikeout rate, and 9.9% walk rate.  The unimpressive walk total is really the only blemish on Ashby’s resume, as other advanced metrics (including a career 3.40 SIERA and only a .291 xwOBA this season) indicate that his ERA is a bit misleading.  A .339 BABIP this year, for instance, weighs heavier on a groundball-heavy pitcher like Ashby.

Still, there is obviously a lot for the Brewers to like with his performance to date, and Ashby has moved from swingman to full-fledged starter in the wake of injuries in Milwaukee’s rotation.  Freddy Peralta and Adrian Houser are still on the injured list, though Peralta is set to begin a rehab assignment this weekend and Houser is expected back sometime in August.

With Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff both getting more expensive in their arbitration years and both scheduled for free agency after the 2024 season, it remains to be seen how the Brewers will address their rotation over the long term.  Eric Lauer will also be a free agent that same winter, and Lauer is raising his own price tag with a strong performance in 2022.  In locking up Ashby and Peralta to extensions, president of baseball operations David Stearns has already planted some cornerstones for a possible future without any of their other three starters, and the franchise’s proven ability to find and develop pitching continues to be a key factor in the Brewers’ ability to compete.

Peralta’s extension is an obvious comp for Ashby’s deal.  Signed back in February 2020, Peralta (with just over a year of MLB service time) inked a deal also consisting of five guaranteed years and two club option years, except worth $15.5MM in guaranteed money and $14.5MM more over the option seasons.  At the time, Peralta was also a swingman who had yet to fully establish himself as a rotation fixture, and Ashby’s larger guarantee could reflect his better big league results and perhaps simply two-plus years of salary inflation.

Astros’ Jose Siri Drawing Trade Interest

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The Astros are receiving trade interest in outfielder Jose Siri, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who adds that “a number of teams” have explored trading for the 27-year-old. Each of the Phillies, Marlins and Brewers have been seeking center field help, Rosenthal notes, though he doesn’t explicitly indicate that any of the three have had substantive talks with Houston.

Interest in Siri comes from other clubs at a time when the Astros are apparently seeking more proven options in center field, but it’s plenty understandable if other clubs would look at Siri’s strong MLB debut in 2021 and his outstanding Triple-A track record and hope he can emerge as a valuable long-term piece if they can land him in a deal with Houston. While he’s something of a late bloomer, having turned 27 just six days ago, Siri hit .304/.347/.609 with four homers and three steals in a tiny sample of 49 plate appearances during last year’s MLB debut. This season, he struggled to a .178/.238/.304 slash in a larger (but still relatively small) sample of 147 trips to the plate.

Houston has twice optioned Siri to Triple-A Sugar Land this season (most recently one week ago), and in the 13 games he’s played there, he’s ripped eight home runs and batted .293/.354/.828 in 65 plate appearances. That eye-popping production from the right-handed-hitting slugger is further backed up by a huge .318/.369/.553 slash through 394 plate appearances with Houston’s top affiliate last season. Overall, he’s played in 107 games and tallied 462 plate appearances with the Astros’ Triple-A club, crushing 24 homers and swiping 25 bags in that time. Siri also posted through-the-roof defensive numbers in 315 innings of center field work for Houston this season: 8 Defensive Runs Saved, a 6.6 Ultimate Zone Rating and 7 Outs Above Average.

While that combination of minor league production and exceptional defensive grades at the big league level is quite appealing, Siri’s strikeout woes are the proverbial elephant in the room. He’s had issues making contact since reaching the Double-A level with Cincinnati back in 2018. Siri punched out in 32.2% of his plate appearances that season and has continued to whiff in more than 30% of his plate appearances at nearly every stop since. He’s fanned “just” 16 times in Triple-A this year (24.6%), but Siri has fallen victim to a strikeout in one-third of his MLB plate appearances and in 30.9% of his total Triple-A plate appearances.

There’s extra reason for the Astros to consider offers on Siri, given that he’s in his final minor league option season. As a win-now club, Houston understandably seeks an immediate contributor in center, and while it’s tempting to say they should be patient with Siri given the power/speed/defense blend, he’ll have to be carried on the Major League roster next year or else be exposed to waivers. Considering his raw tools and Triple-A production (and the current trade interest), it’s quite likely he’d be claimed by another team if things were to reach that point, so extracting some value for Siri right now makes sense if the Astros can find a deal to their liking.

Siri has not yet accrued even one year of Major League service, though if he spends enough time on a big league roster down the stretch, he could still get there. Even if he does reach that point, he could still be controlled another five years beyond the current campaign (or six more if he spends another 17 days in the minors this year).

Brewers Among Teams Interested In Josh Bell

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The Brewers are among the growing list of teams with interest in Nationals first baseman Josh Bell, reports SNY’s Andy Martino. Both Martino and Jeff Passan of ESPN suggest that Bell could be among the first notable names to change hands, perhaps sooner than later. Getting a Bell deal completed in the near future would give Washington general manager Mike Rizzo additional time to focus on the deluge of trade interest he’s receiving in star outfielder Juan Soto.

Milwaukee joins the Mets and Astros as teams known to have interest in Bell, a 29-year-old switch-hitter who’s enjoying a .302/.388/.492 batting line in his final season before reaching free agency. Martino reported yesterday that there has not been substantial momentum in talks between the Mets and the Nationals regarding Bell. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, meanwhile, reports that Bell remains a “priority” for the Astros as they look to upgrade amid Yuli Gurriel’s struggles.

For the Brewers, Bell would serve as both an offensive and defensive upgrade at first base over Rowdy Tellez. Bell has significantly improved as a defensive option at first base in recent years, going from a bottom-five ranked defender to a player who now has slightly above-average ratings at the position. It’s possible that the Brewers’ internal evaluation still favors Tellez, but both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average peg Bell as the better option.

That’s not to say that a Bell acquisition would push Tellez out of a job, but Bell could very well result in Tellez spending more time at designated hitter. A Bell-to-Brewers scenario could prove more worrisome for veteran Andrew McCutchen, who hasn’t performed up to expectations since signing a one-year deal and has uncharacteristically been far worse against left-handed opponents than against righties. Were McCutchen handling lefties as he typically does, a Tellez/McCutchen platoon at DH would appear formidable. That’s not the case, though, as McCutchen’s .230/.281/.402 slash against lefties leaves plenty to be desired.

Bell would give Milwaukee (or any other club) a legitimate middle-of-the-order presence against both lefties and righties. While he’s been better as a left-handed batter (.311/.402/.493), the longtime Pirates slugger has still crushed lefties at a .287/.362/.488 clip this season. Bell had a rough first month of the 2021 season but has generally been outstanding since, hitting at a combined .289/.375/.497 with just a 15.1% strikeout rate and an 11.6% walk rate in his past 920 trips to the plate. Bell hits the ball on the ground more than he should (50.9% in that stretch of 920 PAs), but he’s also seen one in five fly-balls he’s hit during that time leave the yard.

The Nats also figure to have several relievers available, with each of Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards Jr. and Kyle Finnegan a candidate to change hands prior to next Tuesday’s deadline. It’s conceivable that the Brewers or any other team with interest in Bell might also try to pry a bullpen arm loose, though Bell should have sufficient value to net a notable prospect or two on his own.

Yesterday’s MLB/MLBPA failure to reach an agreement on an international draft means that the qualifying offer system will remain in place, meaning the Nats will need to be convinced that whichever prospect(s) they receive in exchange for Bell would outweigh the value of a value of a compensatory pick in the 2023 amateur draft. Bell has been a bargain on a $10MM salary this season, so it stands to reason that the Nats would have little hesitation in making a qualifying offer in the $19MM range in order to ensure that they receive draft compensation when he departs as a free agent. That’s an unlikely scenario, given trade interest in Bell, but it’s worth noting that yesterday’s outcome played into the favor of the Nats and a few other non-contenders who are peddling rental players that look like obvious QO candidates this offseason.

Red Sox Acquire Abraham Almonte From Brewers

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The Red Sox acquired outfielder Abraham Almonte from the Brewers in exchange for cash this afternoon, according to an announcement from Milwaukee. The switch-hitting outfielder had been on a minor league deal with the Brew Crew. He won’t occupy a spot on the Sox’s 40-man roster at this time, and his transactions tracker at MLB.com indicates he’s been assigned to their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.

Almonte is trying to earn a big league opportunity for what would be his tenth consecutive year. He broke into the majors in 2013 with the Mariners, and he’s bounced around the league as a depth outfielder for the past decade. Almonte has never played in more than 82 games in any major league season, but he’s suited up with each of the Mariners, Padres, Indians, Royals, Diamondbacks and Braves at the highest level.

In just over 1300 career plate appearances, Almonte owns a .234/.302/.374 line. He hit .216/.331/.399 across 175 plate appearances with Atlanta last year before the Braves outrighted him off their roster in August. The 33-year-old has had an excellent season with Milwaukee’s top affiliate, mashing at a .293/.380/.533 clip with 11 home runs and a robust 11.7% walk percentage through 48 games in Nashville.

Almonte has some center field experience early in his career, but he’s worked exclusively in the corner outfield and at designated hitter this year. Boston hasn’t gotten much production at either corner outfield spot. Alex Verdugo has underwhelmed in left, while Boston’s right fielders (primarily Jackie Bradley Jr., Rob Refsnyder and Christian Arroyo) have combined for a league-worst .196/.259/.319 showing. Almonte will add some experienced non-roster depth to the upper levels of the farm system.

Brewers Place Jace Peterson On 10-Day Injured List

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The Brewers placed utilityman Jace Peterson on the 10-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain.  The placement is retroactive to July 20.  Jake McGee (who signed a big league contract with Milwaukee yesterday) will take Peterson’s spot on the active roster.

It looks as though Peterson will be out until at least late August, as manager Craig Counsell told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links) and other reporters, that even that substantial timeline could be “optimistic.”  Peterson has been battling a UCL-related injury for the last few weeks, and recently received a PRP injection to help the treatment.  While the utilityman is hopeful he might be back by mid-August, he told Hogg and other reporters that he could very well miss more time.

Now in his third year in Milwaukee, Peterson hasn’t exactly been a roster fixture, as the Brewers non-tendered him after the 2020 campaign and outrighted him off their 40-man roster in May 2021.  However, Peterson did get tendered this past winter (agreeing to a $1.825MM deal just prior to the lockout) and he has responded with his best season yet with the Brew Crew.

Peterson was already pretty solid in 2020-21, hitting .240/.355/.365 with eight home runs over 120 games and 363 plate appearances.  This year, Peterson has gone a step further with a .252/.325/.439 slash line and eight homers over 241 PA in 80 games, which translate to solidly above-average (112 wRC+, 115 OPS+) offensive production.

The 32-year-old has been even more valuable due to both his quality baserunning (21/23 in stolen base chances as a Brewer) and his ability to play all over the diamond.  Aside from catcher and center fielder, Peterson has seen action at every other position during his two-plus seasons in Milwaukee, including two innings of mop-up pitching work.  Peterson’s usage has varied based on the team’s needs — in 2021, he saw most of his action at second base in place of the injured Kolten Wong, while this season has seen Peterson mostly play third base due to injuries to Luis Urias and Willy Adames (the latter of which saw Urias utilized at shortstop).

Peterson is also a left-handed hitter, and thus he has gotten into the lineup when opponents have had a tough righty on the mound.  The Brewers’ current bench alignment is full of right-handed bats apart from switch-hitting backup catcher Victor Caratini, so with Peterson facing an extended absence, Milwaukee could certainly target lefty bats at the deadline.  The club tends to favor multi-position players anyway, so it seems likely that the Brewers were already exploring how to add more versatile depth to their bench for the playoff race.

Draft Signings: Angels, Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates

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A pair of top ten picks, Gavin Cross and Elijah Green, agreed to terms with their teams today. A host of other high picks are set to enter pro ball, as well. We’ll round up other signings among the top 40 here:

  • The Angels are in agreement with #13 overall pick Zach Neto, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). He receives a $3.5MM signing bonus, below the $4.41MM slot value associated with the pick. A 21-year-old shortstop out of Campbell, Neto was ranked the #16 prospect in the draft class by Baseball America. A well-rounded infielder, the righty-hitting Neto is seen as a possible hit-first shortstop at the major league level. He dominated Big South pitching over his three years with the Camels, including a .407/.514/.769 showing in 256 plate appearances as a junior.
  • The Mets announced they’ve reached an agreement with #14 selection Jett Williams. The 18-year-old infielder signs for a $3.9MM bonus, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). That’s a bit below the $4.24MM slot value that accompanies the #14 pick. Williams, a switch-hitter from a Texas high school, had been committed to Mississippi State. The #15 prospect in the class according to BA, he’s credited with advanced bat-to-ball skills and surprising bat speed for a player who’s listed at 5’8″ and 185 pounds. The outlet raises some questions about whether he can stick at shortstop but suggests he’s athletic enough to play up-the-middle in some capacity.
  • The Braves have an agreement with #20 selection Owen Murphy, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.5569MM bonus, below the $3.4MM slot value.  A right-hander out of an Illinois high school, Murphy will forego his commitment to Notre Dame. BA rated the 18-year-old as the #45 prospect in the class, writing that he relies heavily on an upper 70s breaking ball that has the potential to be a plus offering.
  • The Cardinals announced they’ve signed #22 pick Cooper Hjerpe. Callis reports (on Twitter) that he’ll receive a $3.1822MM signing bonus that matches the pick’s slot value. Hjerpe was one of the top college pitchers in the country, tossing 103 1/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball with a 39.6% strikeout rate during his junior season at Oregon State. BA rated Hjerpe as the #33 prospect in the class, praising the life he gets on his fastball at the top of the strike zone and his strike-throwing ability.
  • The Brewers announced an agreement with #27 pick Eric Brown Jr., which Callis reports is worth $2.15MM (Twitter link). The slot value for the selection is $2.7MM. A shortstop from Coastal Carolina, Brown was the draft’s #55 prospect according to BA. The outlet coincidentally likens his unusual hitting setup to the one Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell utilized as a player, but notes that Brown consistently posts solid exit velocity numbers and has a chance to stick at shortstop. The 21-year-old hit .330/.460/.544 during his junior year in Conway.
  • The Braves agreed to terms with #35 selection J.R. Ritchie, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.4MM bonus, above the $2.0232MM slot value. A right-handed pitcher from a Washington state high school, Ritchie had been a UCLA commit. BA slotted the 19-year-old as the #52 prospect in the class, crediting him with a solid three-pitch mix (headlined by an above-average slider) and advanced control.
  • The Pirates announced a deal with #36 selection Thomas Harrington. The right-hander out of Campbell receives a $2.05MM signing bonus, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). That’s a hair south of the $2.15MM slot value. Harrington was the #45 prospect available, according to BA, which projects him for a pair of above-average secondary offerings (slider and changeup) and possible plus control. The 21-year-old worked 92 2/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball this season, fanning 30% of batters faced with a sparkling 4.9% walk percentage.

Brewers To Sign Jake McGee To Major League Deal

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The Brewers are signing free agent reliever Jake McGee to a major league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The southpaw was released by the Giants last week. McGee is a Wasserman client.

McGee will try to find his footing in Milwaukee after a rough first half in the Bay Area. The veteran worked 21 1/3 innings though 24 appearances, posting a grisly 7.17 ERA. He punched out only 11.5% of opponents on a meager 8.7% swinging strike rate, a bizarre downturn in performance. McGee is only a season removed from serving as one of the Giants most trusted relievers. He posted a 2.59 ERA across 59 2/3 frames last season, punching out a solid 24.3% of batters faced that year.

While the extent of his struggles became too much for the Giants to overlook, it’s easy enough to understand why he found another opportunity rather quickly. Aside from a rough four-year stretch in Colorado, the 35-year-old (36 next month) has been a reliable reliever for the bulk of his 13-year MLB career. In addition to last year’s strong work, he was flat-out dominant with the Dodgers in 2020. During the shortened season, he posted a 2.66 ERA while striking out north of 40% of batters faced.

While McGee’s strikeouts and whiffs have fallen off, he’s not seen a notable drop in fastball velocity. He’s averaging 94.7 MPH on the heater to which he turns more than 85% of the time. That’s virtually unchanged from last year’s 94.9 MPH mark, and he’s continued to pound the strike zone effectively.

There’s little cost for the Brewers in seeing if they can get him missing bats again. McGee is playing this season on a $2.5MM salary, and he’ll take home a $500K buyout on what would’ve been a 2023 club option. The Giants remain on the hook for that money, with the Brewers paying McGee just the prorated portion of the $700K league minimum for whatever time he spends on the active roster. Milwaukee already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 26-man move once McGee reports to the team.

Rays Claim Angel Perdomo From Brewers, Designate Cooper Criswell

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The Brewers have announced that left-hander Angel Perdomo has been claimed off waivers by the Rays. The Rays then announced the claim, with Perdomo being sent to Triple-A Durham, along with designating righty Cooper Criswell as the corresponding move.

Perdomo, 28, spent years in the Blue Jays system as a starter but maxed out at High-A in 2018. After reaching free agency, he latched on with the Brewers on a minor league deal, who have used him exclusively as a reliever since then, apart from a one-inning “opener” start in Triple-A last year. Perdomo had a decent first year in the Brewers organization in 2019, throwing 69 1/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A. In that time, he had a 4.28 ERA, along with an excellent 35% strikeout rate but concerning 15% walk rate.

Since then, he’s been slowed down by both by injuries and the pandemic. In 2020, the minor league seasons were wiped out, though Perdomo was able to make his MLB debut, throwing 2 2/3 innings for the Brew Crew. Last year, he was limited to 31 total innings between Triple-A and the big league club, while throwing only 4 1/3 minor league frames here in 2022. That means he has just 38 innings thrown since the end of the 2019 season.

When healthy, Perdomo cooks with a high-strikeout and high-walk recipe. Since joining the Brewers, the only stop wherein he had a strikeout rate lower than 35% was the 26.3% rate in his brief 2020 showing in the big leagues. (For reference, this year’s average for MLB relievers is 23.5%.) However, that comes with healthy doses of free passes, as evidenced by his 23.5% career rate in the bigs, more than double this year’s 9.2% rate for MLB relievers. Perdomo is in his last option year, meaning the Rays can give him the rest of the season to try and get healthy and iron out those control issues, though he will need occupy an active roster spot next year or else be designated for assignment.

As for Criswell, 25, this concludes a very short stint on the Rays roster, as he was claimed from the Angels just three days ago. He was assigned to Triple-A Durham but didn’t make an appearance before today’s transaction. The righty made a very brief MLB debut last year, logging 1 1/3 innings for the Angels. The rest of the year was spent in Triple-A, where he threw 47 innings with a 6.51 ERA, 20.4% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and 41.8% ground ball rate. He landed on the 60-day IL at the start of this year and recently began a rehab assignment, throwing 18 innings in the minors before the Rays nabbed him on waivers. They will now have a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times announced the Criswell DFA and Perdomo’s option to Durham before the official announcement from the Rays.

Chi Chi Gonzalez Elects Free Agency

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The Brewers announced over the weekend that right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez has chosen to become a free agent, rather than accept an outright assignment to the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate.  Gonzalez was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers, and he had the ability to test the open market again because he has already been outrighted during his career.

The 30-year-old Gonzalez is now en route to pitching for his third different organization of 2022, after already seeing action with the Brewers and Twins in 18 1/3 combined innings.  Minnesota signed Gonzalez to a minor league deal in March, and Gonzalez pitched in two games before being DFA’ed and then claimed off waivers by the Brewers a month ago.  This brief tenure in Milwaukee consisted of four games for Gonzalez, two of them starts.

All told, the righty has a 6.87 ERA over his 18 1/3 IP, continuing a string of disappointing results over four consecutive seasons.  Gonzalez didn’t pitch in 2017-18 due to Tommy John surgery, and since returning in 2019, the righty has a posted a 6.17 ERA over 202 2/3 innings.  Home runs have been a persistent issue for Gonzalez, and that trend has continued in 2022 with five homers allowed in his brief sample size of work.

Gonzalez did have a 3.44 ERA in 36 2/3 innings with the Twins’ Triple-A club this year, also delivering a 23.2% strikeout rate that (while modest) represented a step up for a pitcher who doesn’t miss many bats.  Gonzalez also had a 55.7% grounder rate at St. Paul, though while he has pretty consistently delivered excellent groundball numbers at the minor league level, the righty has only a career 42.4% grounder rate at the big league level — naturally, a setback for a homer-prone pitcher who doesn’t record many strikeouts.

It seems likely that Gonzalez will catch on somewhere, though his lack of minor league options makes him a candidate for further trips to the DFA wire down the road.  A turn to full-time relief pitching could eventually be required for Gonzalez to try and find a consistent niche for himself on a Major League roster, yet with clubs always on the lookout for rotation depth, Gonzalez will probably get another opportunity to make starts.

Latest On Royals’ Trade Candidates

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The Royals are one of the relatively few teams who look like clear-cut sellers heading into the trade deadline, and there has already been buzz about several of their veteran players.  Two new teams have joined the mix, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Dodgers have shown some interest in Whit Merrifield, while the Brewers are among the teams considering Andrew Benintendi.

Such clubs as the Padres and Mets have already been linked to Benintendi in trade rumors, though his non-vaccinated status has apparently removed such suitors as the Blue Jays and Yankees from his market — Benintendi wouldn’t be able to play in Canada altogether, while the Yankees wouldn’t want Benintendi unavailable for remaining regular-season games or potential postseason games in Toronto.

That is less of an obstacle for NL teams like the Brewers, since if Milwaukee eventually had to worry about Benintendi’s status for a potential World Series matchup against the Jays, that would count as a nice problem to have for a team battling for the NL Central lead.  The Brew Crew heads into the All-Star break with a narrow half-game lead over the Cardinals, but the Brewers are only 18-24 since the start of June.

An inconsistent offense has plagued Milwaukee, and Benintendi’s strong bat (127 wRC+) would certainly help in that regard.  A regular center fielder would probably be a better fit considering that Christian Yelich and Andrew McCutchen are already splitting left field duty, but Benintendi could get the bulk of time in left, while Yelich and McCutchen are rested, used at DH, or McCutchen could also play right field.

Merrifield has long been mentioned as a trade chip, yet while the Royals have resisted overtures in the past, they are reportedly now more open to considering a deal.  Of course, Merrfield’s trade value has also tumbled, as the 33-year-old is in the midst of the worst of his seven MLB seasons, hitting .240/.292/.343 over his first 373 plate appearances.

With Los Angeles, Merrifield likely wouldn’t be asked to adopt an everyday role, but rather be toggled around the diamond in a utility role.  Since Chris Taylor is on the injured list, Merrifield would more or less take Taylor’s role as an option at second base and all three outfield positions.  The Dodgers could also primarily use Merrifield against only left-handed pitching, though his splits against all pitchers have been underwhelming over the last two seasons.

Merrifield is also controlled through at least the 2023 season, as his contract (which was reworked back in April) calls for a $6.75MM salary next year, as he has already hit his health-based escalator clause.  He is also owed roughly $2.7MM in salary for 2022, and there is a $500K buyout of an $18MM mutual option for 2024.  Even though payroll or luxury-tax concerns aren’t a big obstacle for the Dodgers, it is possible that the Royals might be willing to kick in some money to cover Merrifield’s contract, as a reflection of his struggles this year.

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