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Todd Frazier Diagnosed With Oblique Strain

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Mets third baseman Todd Frazier has been diagnosed with a strained left oblique muscle following an MRI and is headed back to New York to receive a cortisone shot, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. While DiComo cites a Mets official who doesn’t believe the issue is severe, there’s no timetable for a return at present.

Given that oblique strains often keep players on the shelf for a month or more, Frazier’s injury could put his readiness for Opening Day in jeopardy. Paired with a knee issue for offseason signee Jed Lowrie, the Frazier injury tests the Mets’ infield depth before the first week of spring games has even come to a close. New York also acquired J.D. Davis from the Astros this winter and is currently planning to deploy Jeff McNeil in the outfield, so the team has options if Frazier and/or Lowrie does indeed need to sit out long enough to miss some time early in the season.

It’s a tough start to the season for the 33-year-old Frazier, who’ll be looking to rebound at the plate after posting a meager .213/.303/.390 slash with 18 homers and 18 doubles in 472 plate appearances last season. Frazier still turned in solid defensive marks last season (+2 Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating alike), and his walk rate topped 10 percent for the second consecutive season after never having done so in his first six seasons. He’s owed $9MM in 2019 in the second season of a two-year, $17MM deal with the Mets.

Jed Lowrie Out With Knee Strain, Could Miss Opening Day

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Jed Lowrie returned to Mets camp on Friday but won’t see any action due to a sore left leg, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. The Mets plan on being cautious with Lowrie, whose results from an MRI came back with an official diagnosis of a “capsule strain” in his left knee, per Mike Puma of the NY Post (via Twitter).

Deesha Thosar of the NY Daily News adds (via Twitter) that there is no timetable for Lowrie’s return, and there’s at least a chance he won’t be ready for Opening Day. While the Mets prefer Lowrie in the infield at the start of the season, the bigger concern is that the injury does not linger long into the year. Lowrie, 35 in April, comes to New York on the heels of a career year in Oakland where he hit .267/.353/.448, good for a 120 OPS+. After struggling to say on the field early in his career, Lowrie appeared in over 150 games in each of the last two seasons. 

The Mets pray the injury is not a harbinger of things to come, but it’s certainly a reminder that this Mets squad is going to have to deal with durability concerns throughout the grinding 162-game schedule, per Puma. Todd Frazier missed time with hamstring and rib cage injuries last season, and health remains the biggest question mark around backstop Wilson Ramos. Robinson Cano has had a fairly remarkable run of health, but even he will be monitored closely as he enters his age-36 season. The good news for the Mets is they have more depth than in year’s past, with Jeff McNeil able to move around the diamond and Adeiny Hechavarria, J.D. Davis, Dilson Herrera and Gavin Cecchini in the infield mix as well.

Mets Notes: deGrom, Lowrie, Catchers

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Agents Jeff Berry and Matt Ricatto of CAA Baseball are in Port St. Lucie and will meet with the Mets regarding Jacob deGrom’s contract status, Newsday’s Tim Healey reports. As Healey notes, it’s routine for agents to pay quick visits to MLB camps to check in with their clients and with organizational decision-makers, though the very public nature of deGrom’s extension candidacy makes this particular visit more intriguing. Certainly, a long-term deal for a pitcher of deGrom’s caliber isn’t something that’d be hammered out in a matter of hours, but this week’s visit could potentially help to lay some groundwork for negotiations that would carry on throughout Spring Training. Last week, deGrom indicated that talks had not yet gotten off the ground, and a few days prior to that, it was reported that his camp has placed an Opening Day deadline on getting a deal finished.

Here’s more out of Queens…

  • The Mets received good news following Jed Lowrie’s recent MRI, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Lowrie underwent the test after experiencing some discomfort in the back of his knee earlier this week, but the MRI did not reveal any significant damage. The veteran will be brought along slowly early in camp, Puma notes, although at this point it seems there’s no longer much cause for concern. The 34-year-old (35 in April) inked a two-year, $20MM pact with the Mets this offseason on the heels of a terrific 2018 campaign in which he batted .267/.353/.448 with 23 home runs and 37 doubles in 680 plate appearances with the A’s.
  • The Mets aren’t ruling out the possibility of carrying three catchers to open the season, manager Mickey Callaway tells Kevin Armstrong of the New York Times. Offseason signee Wilson Ramos, of course, is a lock to make the Opening Day roster as the team’s new primary option behind the dish, and Travis d’Arnaud seems quite likely to be in the mix as well, so long as his rehab from 2018 Tommy John surgery has adequately progressed. The other two options are 24-year-old Tomas Nido and veteran Devin Mesoraco, who returned to the Mets on a minor league deal this winter. As Callaway explains, Mesoraco’s relationship with deGrom was a huge factor in the organization’s decision to re-sign him; Mesoraco caught 21 of 25 deGrom starts last year after being acquired from the Reds. Callaway spoke with high praise of Mesoraco’s preparation and leadership, which had a positive influence on other catchers and throughout the pitching staff. Given d’Arnaud’s ability to play some first base and left field, carrying a pair of backup catcher options wouldn’t be as limiting as it would for other clubs. Nido, meanwhile, has a minor league option remaining, so he seems likely to be headed for Triple-A to open the year.

No Extension Talks Between Mets, Noah Syndergaard

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Most Mets’ fans focus this spring, at least as pertains to the team’s starting pitching, has been on whether the club can agree to a long-term deal to prevent reigning Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom from reaching free agency after the 2020 season. Teammate Noah Syndergaard is a logical extension candidate in his own right, but as he explains to The Athletic’s Tim Britton (subscription link), there’s currently no discussion of a long-term pact.

“I trust my ability and the talent that I have,” says Syndergaard. “So I feel like I’m going to bet (on) myself in free agency and not do what [Aaron Nola and Luis Severino] did.”

Both Nola and Severino agreed to four-year contract extensions earlier this winter, though both did so at different points in their careers. While Nola and Syndergaard both have between three and four years of MLB service, Syndergaard already had one arbitration season and a $2.975MM salary under his belt given his Super Two status. Severino, meanwhile, was arb-eligible for the first time this winter as a Super Two player himself. As Britton explores at length, the $40-45MM guarantees on the Nola and Severino extensions would be too light for Syndergaard, who is already earning $6MM in 2019 and will be arb-eligible twice more before reaching free agency.

To be clear, Syndergaard hardly rules out the possibility of discussing a long-term deal, going on to explain that he is “always open” and would “of course” listen if the Mets approached him about a possible extension. That said, the 26-year-old’s confidence and willingness to go year-to-year are nevertheless notable. So, too, is the fact that the Mets’ current general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, represented Syndergaard at CAA before divesting himself from the agency upon being hired by the Mets. Certainly, Van Wagenen has an idea of what Syndergaard’s camp would seek in a deal (one of the many potential conflicts of interest that the league apparently deemed acceptable when approving his appointment to his current role).

NL East Notes: Herrera, Mets, Braves, Castro

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Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera left camp today with a wrap on his leg after aggravating a hamstring strain he’d suffered a few weeks ago in offseason workouts, writes Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Manager Gabe Kapler called the issue “mild,” and there doesn’t seem to be any immediate concern, though it’s obviously a situation worth monitoring. More broadly, though, Salisbury’s latest piece takes a look at Herrera’s future with the Phillies — particularly with the addition of Bryce Harper still very much on the table for the Phils. Herrera could potentially become a trade option in the event that the Phils land Harper, Salisbury notes, and even if it’s not Herrera, one of the Phillies’ incumbent outfielders would likely be forced out of the picture. Although Herrera only just turned 27, he’s been a fixture on the Phillies’ roster for the past four seasons. He’s guaranteed $24.5MM over the next three seasons as part of a $30.5MM contract extension that also contains a pair of club options.

Here’s more from the National League East…

  • Mets fans have become all too familiar with the injury bug in recent seasons, and unfortunately, the club is already dealing with at least one injury scare. As Tim Healey of Newsday writes, newly signed infielder Jed Lowrie is headed for an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his left knee. Lowrie describes the issue as soreness on the back side of his knee and says it first surfaced when getting up to full speed in running drills and when taking batting practice. Beyond Lowrie, outfielder Brandon Nimmo is experiencing some shoulder soreness but is confident that the issue is just a matter of early-spring soreness rather than an indication of anything serious.
  • The Braves will give top third base prospect Austin Riley some work in the outfield this spring, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That experiment isn’t indicative of a permanent position switch but instead would be a means of seeing if Riley can provide some value to this year’s MLB roster after the addition of Josh Donaldson firmly blocked Riley’s path to regular at-bats at the hot corner. As evidenced by his .294/.360/.522 slash line across three levels last year (including .282/.346/.464 in 374 Triple-A plate appearances), the soon-to-be 22-year-old Riley may not have much left to prove against minor league pitching. Donaldson’s addition already pushed versatile Johan Camargo from a starter back to a utility role, Cunningham notes, and the emergence of Riley as a viable MLB option would only further limit Camargo in 2019. Of course, that scenario wouldn’t necessarily play out early in the season, and if Riley does eventually prove ready, it’d only be a boon to the Braves’ roster to have that level of depth and talent in the dugout. The 25-year-old Camargo is sometimes overlooked by those who don’t follow the Braves closely, but he posted a very solid .272/.349/.457 slash with 19 home runs last season and is slated to get a few starts per week as a backup at third base, second base and shortstop.
  • The Marlins received limited trade interest in Starlin Castro at last summer’s trade deadline, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, but they’ll likely have more motivation to make a deal involving him this time around. Infield prospect Isan Diaz, acquired from the Brewers in last year’s Christian Yelich trade, reached Triple-A as a 22-year-old last season, and while he struggled there against older competition, he’ll have another several months to inch closer to MLB readiness. Diaz ranked 104th among MLB prospects on Fangraphs’ 2019 rankings and is slotted in seventh among Miami farmhands on MLB.com’s rankings (in addition to being their No. 10 overall second base prospect). Castro, meanwhile, is set to earn $12MM in his contract’s final guaranteed season ($11MM salary, $1MM buyout on next year’s $16MM team option). At that price, he’s not exactly a bargain but he isn’t grossly overpaid, either, considering last year’s .278/.329/.400 slash (101 wRC+, 107 OPS+). Fangraphs valued Castro at 2.3 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference was more bullish at 3.3 WAR.

Mets Sign Adeiny Hechavarria

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3:54pm: Hechavarria’s contract comes with a $3MM base salary if he makes the roster — a rather large base salary for a minor league pact — per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link). He could also earn a $1MM bonus for spending 100 days on the active roster and another $1MM for reaching 150 days on the active roster.

Feb. 18, 12:50pm: The Mets have now announced the signing.

Feb. 17: The Mets have signed infielder Adeiny Hechavarria to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Hechavarria will have a chance to continue in New York, where he spent the last month of the 2018 season after the Yankees acquired him from the Pirates. As a member of the Yanks, Bucs and Rays in 2018, Hechavarria hit a modest .249/.279/.336 in 321 plate appearances. The subpar offensive numbers the 29-year-old Hechavarria registered were in line with his career totals, as he has only managed a .635 OPS in 3,004 PAs since debuting with the Blue Jays in 2012.

While offense has never been Hechavarria’s calling card, he has established himself as a defensive whiz. Over nearly 7,000 innings, almost all of which have come at shortstop, Hechavarria has accounted for 22 runs saved and a plus-13.1 Ultimate Zone Rating in the majors. Hechavarria’s glovework could help him earn a backup role behind Mets starting shortstop Amed Rosario, as Healey notes he has a legitimate chance to win a bench spot with the club.

Phillies In Lead For Bryce Harper

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7:00PM: Harper’s market is still “evolving,” as Heyman puts it in his latest tweet.  The Phillies are still seen as the likeliest team to land Harper, though the outfielder has received several long-term deals with an average annual value of more than $30MM per season.

6:01PM: There is no deal yet, though according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link), Harper “will ultimately receive” a larger contract than the ten-year, $300MM offer he received from the Nationals before free agency began.

1:15PM: As was the case a month ago, the Phillies are the favorites to sign free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. But Harper’s market has “intensified,” according to Heyman, who unsurprisingly notes he’ll eventually sign a long-term contract.

Philadelphia met with Harper back on Jan. 10, though he and fellow free-agent superstar/Phillies target Manny Machado have shockingly remained on the market since then. Both the Giants and Padres have since joined the race for Harper, who, as of two weeks ago, had drawn interest from “at least” eight teams, Heyman reported. Only five suitors have been identified, though, with Harper’s career-long club – the Nationals – accompanying the Phillies, Giants, Padres and White Sox. The Yankees and Mets are two teams that can be ruled out, Andy Martino of SNY tweets.

Harper entered the offseason seeking a contract worth upward of $300MM – a figure that he could still match or exceed, despite his unexpectedly long stay on the market. And the Phillies are arguably in better position than anyone else to bid an extravagant amount for Harper, as they came into the winter expecting to spend “stupid” money, according to owner John Middleton. The big-market team has been aggressive in improving its roster to this point, having added J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, but it’s not spending an eyebrow-raising sum on any of those players. Plus, despite those upgrades, the Phillies still aren’t in great shape in the outfield, with Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and Aaron Altherr serving as their best options besides McCutchen. The 26-year-old Harper blows that group out of the water, needless to say, and his presence would significantly boost the Phillies’ chances of breaking their seven-season playoff drought in 2019.

Should Harper head to Philly, it would remove a prime suitor for Machado, as the club’s only willing to sign one of the two. Without the Phillies in the mix, Machado would seemingly be left to choose between the Padres and White Sox, who have courted him, though it’s possible a previous suitor such as the Yankees or a mystery team could involve themselves in the race to sign him.

East Notes: Stroman, Phils, Moustakas, BoSox, JDM, Mets, Alonso

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Right-hander Marcus Stroman expressed frustration toward the Blue Jays on Sunday for not offering him a contract extension during the offseason. However, Stroman’s claim was refuted by an industry source, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. Whether or not the team did submit an offer(s), no deal has come to fruition, leaving Stroman in his penultimate year of club control. While Stroman generally thrived in Toronto from 2014-17, last season was a different story as the 27-year-old battled injuries and a downturn in production. This offseason may not have been the ideal for Stroman to ink an extension, then, though he insisted Sunday he “embodies the city of Toronto” more than anyone and wants to be there “for a long time.”

Here’s more on the game’s East divisions:

  • Philadelphia has been chasing free agent Manny Machado for months, but if the team doesn’t sign him, it appears it’ll go forward with Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery at third base. The Phillies “seem cool” on the possibility of signing Mike Moustakas or another non-Machado free agent to man the position, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. The club’s of the belief that Franco and Kingery are “two really good options,” according to general manager Matt Klentak. The 26-year-old Franco wasn’t much different offensively than Moustakas in 2018, though the latter trumped the former as a defender. Kingery had a disastrous rookie season at the plate, but the Phillies remain high on the 24-year-old, whom they signed to a long-term deal last March before he ever accrued a major league at-bat.
  • Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez is only a year removed from a protracted trip to free agency – one that culminated in late February with a five-year, $110MM guarantee. While the open market has frustrated many players over the past 16 months, Martinez may head back to free agency as early as next winter if he opts out of his contract after the season. The 31-year-old said Sunday that the cases of still-unemployed superstars Machado and Bryce Harper won’t play much of a role in his forthcoming decision, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. “At the end of the day, I know my value and I know what I bring to the table,” said Martinez – who, like Harper, is a Scott Boras client. “I really don’t look at that. I really judge me on me.” Regardless of whether Martinez does vacate his current contract next offseason, the offensive dynamo noted he’d “love” to continue his career in Boston, which he helped lead to a World Series title in 2018.
  • First baseman Peter Alonso, MLB.com’s 51st-ranked prospect, may be able to help the Mets as early as Opening Day, though whether he’ll make the team’s roster is in question. The Mets would gain an extra year of control over Alonso, 24, by keeping him in the minors until at least mid-April, after all. However, New York – led by general manager Brodie Van Wagenen – insists having seven years of control over Alonso instead of six won’t factor into whether he cracks its season-opening roster in 2019, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relays. “Our management’s going to fight for [Alonso],” said manager Mickey Callaway. “I think Brodie’s made it clear that he’s a players’ guy. And if he deserves it, he’s going to be on the team.” The main player standing in Alonso’s way appears to be Todd Frazier – the Mets’ projected starter at first – but the 33-year-old is coming off a poor year. Alonso, on the other hand, was highly productive in Double-A and Triple-A stints last season.

NL Notes: Cespedes, deGrom, Arenado, Marlins, Barrett

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Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes provided an update on his efforts to return from surgeries to both heels. As Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News writes, Cespedes expressed confidence that he will be able to make it back to the MLB field, but says it’s unlikely to occur before the middle of the coming season. Cespedes does say that he’s now pain-free, which seems promising, though it remains to be seen how things will progress once his rehab is able to ramp up toward full speed.

  • In other recent Mets news, ace Jacob deGrom discussed his contract situation with reporters including Tim Healey of Newsday. Generally, deGrom reiterated what is already known to be the case: he expects to discuss an extension in the coming weeks but has yet to receive an offer and won’t negotiate past the start of the season. The star righty largely demurred when asked about the oft-floated concept that he might operate under self-imposed workload limitations if he doesn’t have a long-term deal, though he did not rule out such an approach.
  • Speaking of possible blockbuster extensions, Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado will not follow deGrom’s lead in placing timing restrictions on his talks with the club, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. Arenado said he does expect there to be a “silent deadline” once “serious games start,” though generally it sounds as if he’s open to chat just about any time. It certainly seems as if there are plenty of good vibes between player and team, though hammering out an appropriate contract will still come with challenges. Arenado, 27, already agreed to a record-setting $26MM salary for the 2019 campaign, after which he’ll hit the open market.
  • While the Marlins were said to have some interest in Carlos Gonzalez, it seems the organization doesn’t intend to make any further additions at the outset of camp. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports that the club presently intends to give a chance to Peter O’Brien to stake out a claim to time in right field. That means that Brian Anderson is shifting back to third base, leaving the club with a rather unexpected combination of Neil Walker and Martin Prado slated to share the action at first bse (and other areas in the infield). President of baseball operations Michael Hill says the team will still keep an eye on market opportunities, but is “extremely happy” with the “current group of players.”
  • Nationals reliever Aaron Barrett has been through a gauntlet of terrible arm injuries, but he’s still plugging away at a comeback effort. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, the 31-year-old righty is showing some signs of real potential while enjoying an opportunity to pitch in MLB camp, though he has a ways to go before he’ll truly be considered for a big league opportunity. Barrett once featured intriguing swing-and-miss stuff, but has made only twenty low-A appearances over the past three seasons.

NL East Notes: Realmuto, CarGo, Marlins, Braves, Vargas

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Newly acquired catcher J.T. Realmuto and the Phillies have yet to discuss a contract extension, agent Jeff Berry said at this week’s news conference to introduce Realmuto to his new team (link via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). That doesn’t mean that the two sides won’t eventually sit down and try to work out a long-term arrangement, but Realmuto said at his introduction that he’s scarcely even had time to think about contractual matters on the heels of such a hectic week. “I’ve heard nothing but amazing things,” Realmuto said of the Phillies organization, “so we’ll see about that in the future.” The Phillies control the All-Star for another two seasons.

Here’s more from the division…

  • The Marlins are open to signing another veteran position player, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, who calls longtime Rockies outfielder and South Florida resident Carlos Gonzalez a “possible pick-up” for the team. The 33-year-old Gonzalez has seen his offensive numbers drop in recent seasons; while his combined .269/.334/.445 slash and 30 homers over his past 1038 plate appearances are solid at first glance, park-adjusted metrics like OPS+ and wRC+ feel his bat has been a bit below the league average when factoring in the positive effect of Coors Field. CarGo was an NL All-Star as recently as 2016 and ripped 40 homers for the Rockies in 2015. Lewis Brinson, Brian Anderson, Magneuris Sierra and Austin Dean are among Miami’s current outfield options on the 40-man roster, and the Marlins also recently inked Curtis Granderson to a minor league contract.
  • Although the Braves have been quiet in terms of roster additions since signing Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann early in the offseason, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets that the team expects payroll to increase over its year-end mark of $126MM, be it via spring additions or in-season player acquisition. Atlanta currently has a projected payroll of about $118MM, which would suggest there’s room for at least another $8-9MM to be added, though O’Brien notes that the organization is (unsurprisingly) not divulging a target number for the 2019 payroll. At the time of Nick Markakis’ return to the organization last month, general manager Alex Anthopoulos spoke about how the relatively low guarantee on that contract could provide some additional flexibility down the line, though that has yet to manifest in the form of a roster move.
  • Mets fans hoping for their club to add another starting pitcher don’t appear likely to have that wish granted, as skipper Mickey Callaway declared lefty Jason Vargas the team’s fifth starter yesterday (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). Further, that proclamation indicates that there won’t be a competition for the final rotation spot, which could’ve otherwise included apparently bullpen-bound righties such as Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman or any of the team’s arms in the upper minors (e.g. Corey Oswalt). Certainly, a spring injury or two could change that reality, but for the time being, it appears the Mets are content not only with the arms they have on the 40-man roster but also with the expected roles for each of those pitchers.
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