Mets Notes: Robertson, Conforto, Bruce, Hamilton
The latest out of Citi Field…
- The Mets “haven’t made a serious inquiry” about a trade for White Sox closer David Robertson this winter or at the last trade deadline, though New York hasn’t ruled out the possibility, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. Chicago would ask for Michael Conforto in any Robertson deal, however, so it could be hard for the two sides to settle on a deal. The White Sox weren’t looking for a big prospect return when they explored moving Robertson at the deadline, Ackert writes, though their current ask of Conforto reflects this offseason’s huge market for relief pitching.
- Also in regards to a possible Robertson trade, since the Mets are unlikely to deal Conforto or another young talent for the closer, Metsblog.com’s Matthew Cerrone proposes that the White Sox should swap Robertson for Jay Bruce if they’re unable to find a team willing to surrender a good prospect for Robertson’s services. The Sox would, if nothing else, save some money in the deal, as Bruce is owed $13MM in 2017 while Robertson is owed $25MM through 2018. Bruce could also become a good trade chip at the deadline, which would allow the White Sox to eventually get the prospect they want. The Mets would be taking on extra salary in this proposed deal, though allocating that money towards a strong relief arm is a better fit for the club than paying for a superfluous corner outfielder.
- In another item from Cerrone, he reports that the Mets “had zero interest” in Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton last summer. While Hamilton is an elite baserunner and defender, those skills were thought to be “unsustainable,” while the Mets also had issues with Hamilton’s strikeouts, low OBP and the fact that he’ll become more expensive over the next three years as he enters his arbitration years. Hamilton has been speculatively linked to the Mets as a possible solution to their outfield conundrum, though if the Mets still have those concerns, there seems to be little chance they would meet Cincinnati’s reportedly high price tag for the center fielder.
East Notes: Harvey, Nationals, Mets, McCutchen
Former big-leaguer Bryan Harvey says his son, Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey, could return to throwing next week after having Tommy John surgery in July, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. (Hunter Harvey himself told MASN’s Steve Melewski last week that he would begin throwing the day after Christmas.) Harvey’s progression will be slow, in keeping with the very long timeline associated with TJ recoveries — he won’t pitch off a mound for quite awhile. Still, he appears to be on schedule, and there’s a chance he could pitch near the end of the 2017 minor league season. Harvey, the 22nd pick in the 2013 draft, is currently the Orioles’ third-best prospect, according to MLB.com. He was off to a very promising start to his pro career in 2014 when he suffered an elbow injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. He briefly returned in 2016 before it became clear Tommy John surgery was necessary. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- The Nationals‘ search for a solution to their closer issues goes back nearly a decade, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Janes identifies Chad Cordero — who had three good seasons in Washington from 2004 through 2006 — as the team’s last good long-term option at the position. Now, the departure of Mark Melancon and the team’s failure to sign Kenley Jansen fit in with a long-term pattern of the Nats missing out on long-term closer help. The team could now turn to an internal option like Blake Treinen or Shawn Kelley to take the ball in the ninth.
- The Mets do not need to trade for Andrew McCutchen, who provides “a very convoluted answer to their outfield logjam,” Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets have been fleetingly connected to McCutchen, but he’s coming off a season in which he was poorly rated defensively and didn’t fare much better on offense. The McCutchen rumors indicated the Pirates would want pitching in return, but Ackert notes that the Mets themselves can use their young pitcher stockpile, and that their young arms are likely to be healthier in 2017 than they were last year.
Latest On Mets Outfield Situation
10:03pm: Though there have been some discussions involving McCutchen, “there’s no traction there,” per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). New York is “not actively looking to upgrade” at the center-field position at this time, he adds.
9:18pm: On the selling side of the equation for the Mets, the Blue Jays “remain in talks” regarding both Bruce and Granderson, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter).
8:45pm: The Mets are at least looking into the possibility of a trade for a center fielder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. He describes the organization as being “semi-engaged” in talks for a variety of possibilities.
Among the options, it seems, are a few high-profile veterans. There has been some “preliminary” talk with the Pirates on Andrew McCutchen, but there’s no present momentum towards a deal. Likewise, New York has spoken with the Royals, but doesn’t want to add a one-year rental in Lorenzo Cain and evidently is not excited about adding another speed/glove player in Jarrod Dyson, who Rosenthal says is viewed as being “too similar” to in-house option Juan Lagares.
There are other theoretical options that could be pursued, but Rosenthal notes that Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies and Billy Hamilton of the Reds don’t necessarily appear to represent matches. (Colorado doesn’t seem interested in dealing Blackmon, at least at a palatable price; Hamilton doesn’t deliver the kind of on-base threat that the Mets prefer, and he too is said to come with a high asking price.) The report does not indicate that the Mets have specifically considered or inquired about either player.
Of course, even if there was a clear target, matters are complicated by the fact that the Mets would need to pull off at least one other move to clear roster space. In addition to the center-field-capable Lagares, and newly re-inked left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, New York employs three left-handed-hitting options for right field: Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, and Michael Conforto.
While it has long been assumed that one of the two veterans (Granderson and Bruce) will end up being traded, adding a regular in center might entail finding takers for both. And the open market still has a few players that interested teams could view as alternatives. There’s certainly value in the fact that both of those options have only one year left on their contracts, but they aren’t exactly cheap seasons; Bruce is owed $13MM after the Mets picked up his option, while Granderson will earn $15MM in the final year of his free-agent deal. While one of the three in-house players could conceivably end up at first base, that’s already manned by southpaw-swinging Lucas Duda, and there’s no indication that the Mets have looked to find a taker for him in a market still flooded with lefty first base/DH bats.
As Rosenthal goes on to note, the Mets’ remaining needs in the bullpen also complicate matters. Trade partners will likely be interested in young talent at or near the majors, and if New York continues to hold off on dealing Conforto or top prospect Amed Rosario, it may well need to part with arms (such as Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo) to get a deal done. That would mean further paring back the depth in the relief corps, which already could stand to add one or two arms.
While there are obvious complications here for the Mets, it’s not hard to see the reasoning behind exploring the market for a center fielder. Lagares is still just 27 and still brings value with the glove, but hasn’t produced at the plate since signing his five-year extension before the 2015 season. While a platoon would make sense — his career OPS is about 100 points higher against lefties — the lefty bats mentioned above would be stretched defensively up the middle.
Purely hypothetically, if the Mets end up dealing one or more of their slugging corner bats, and can’t find a suitable trade for a regular center fielder, the alternative might be to add a lefty platoon piece that is capable of playing center. Potential options could include free agents Ben Revere and Michael Bourn, though neither impressed at the plate over the full course of the 2016 season.
NL East Notes: Klentak, Marlins, Swanson, Mets
Some news from around the NL East…
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak said his team is looking at adding another hitter or reliever, though neither move is a necessity, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. The hitter is likely to be a reserve outfielder, as the Phillies want to see what they have in their young outfielders as they continue their rebuilding process. “We continue to prioritize roster flexibility and payroll flexibility so players that are in position to sign shorter term contracts are going to be more appealing to us,” Klentak said.
- The Marlins have assembled their bullpen based on talent, fit and availability, without any specific regard to balance between left-handers and right-handers. As a result, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro notes, Miami could head into 2017 with an entirely right-handed relief corps. Hunter Cervenka and Elvis Araujo are the only southpaw relievers on the Marlins’ 40-man roster and either could potentially win a job in Spring Training, though both pitchers are way down depth chart at this point.
- Dansby Swanson is “as close to untouchable as any Brave right now,” David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, as John Hart and John Coppolella are both very impressed by the young shortstop’s on-field talents and off-the-field intangibles. “I don’t think you can put any playables or comparisons on him, I just know we’re better with him, and the whole is greater than the parts. This is a special guy that makes people around him better,” Coppolella said. The White Sox reportedly wanted Swanson as part of a Chris Sale trade package earlier this offseason but the Braves refused to part with the former first overall draft pick.
- The Mets are known to be shopping outfielders, though MLB.com’s Mike Petriello notes that even if New York deals one of Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson or Michael Conforto, it still creates an issue since neither Granderson or Conforto project as a good defensive center fielder. Petriello instead proposes that the Mets could move two outfielders (either the two veterans, or Conforto with one of Granderson or Bruce to garner a bigger trade return) and then acquire an actual center fielder to properly fill the job.
Trade/FA Rumblings: Wieters, Nats, Mets, Rays, Braun, EE, Tribe
There’s “rampant” speculation across the industry that free agent catcher Matt Wieters will sign with the Nationals, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider required and recommended). The Nationals traded for ex-Padres starting catcher Derek Norris earlier this month, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com then noted that they could sign Wieters and flip Norris elsewhere. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that Wieters’ agent, Scott Boras, is close with Nats owner Ted Lerner and president/general manager Mike Rizzo. The 30-year-old Wieters has spent his entire career in nearby Baltimore, but it may have replaced him Friday with the signing of Welington Castillo.
More offseason rumblings:
- The Mets checked in with the Rays on closer Alex Colome, though talks didn’t go far because Tampa Bay asked for either outfielder Michael Conforto or elite shortstop prospect Amed Rosario as a starting point, per Peter Gammons (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). While the effective and cheap Colome would have helped shore up a Mets bullpen that will likely be without soon-to-be suspended closer Jeurys Familia for at least 30 games next season, it’s no surprise that they balked at the Rays’ asking price. Although Conforto took steps backward in 2016 after a great rookie campaign, the Mets regard the 23-year-old as nearly untouchable. The club feels similarly about Rosario, whom MLB.com ranks as the sport’s 11th-best prospect.
- After the Brewers nearly dealt outfielder Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in August, there was a report that the two teams would revisit talks during the winter. There hasn’t been much offseason chatter regarding Braun, though, and one team executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that clubs are wary of his past performance-enhancing drug use. “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun,” the exec said. “Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.” Braun served a 65-game suspension for PEDs in 2013 and later admitted to using them during his NL MVP-winning season in 2011. He returned from the suspension in 2014 to post so-so numbers (by his standards), but the 33-year-old has gone back to being a high-end offensive performer since. Braun is owed $76MM over the next half-decade, including a $4MM buyout in 2021.
- Free agent designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion‘s agent, Paul Kinzer, is discussing a long-term deal with “several teams,” relays Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. That probably doesn’t bode well for the Indians, observes Hoynes, who writes that the Tribe would rather ink the soon-to-be 34-year-old to a short-term contract. Encarnacion rejected the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer, which means signing him would cost a first-round draft choice. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal suggested earlier this week that the Indians would be hesitant to sacrifice a top pick for a stopgap. Between that and Hoynes’ report, it seems Cleveland is a long shot to land Encarnacion.
East Notes & Rumors: Trumbo, O’s, Familia, Nats, Yanks
Contract talks between the Orioles and free agent outfielder/first baseman Mark Trumbo have stalled, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The two sides previously agreed to a four-year framework, but Baltimore’s offer is now off the table, per Kubatko, who notes that a deal could still come together (Twitter link). In 2016, his first (and perhaps only) season as an Oriole, Trumbo hit .256/.316/.533 with a major league-high 47 home runs. Along with the O’s, the Rockies, Indians, Mariners and Rangers are among the clubs that have shown interest in the soon-to-be 31-year-old this offseason.
More from the majors’ two East divisions:
- Domestic violence charges against Mets closer Jeurys Familia were dropped Thursday, but he’ll still face at least a 30-game suspension next season, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. A 30-game ban would be identical to the punishment Major League Baseball levied on Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman last year. Like Familia, Chapman didn’t face any legal ramifications for his domestic violence incident. Rob Manfred regarded Chapman’s case as serious enough to warrant an unpaid month off, though, and the commissioner is currently investigating Familia. Bianca Rivas, Familia’s wife, said he didn’t hurt her Oct. 31, but the police who responded to her 911 call noticed a bruise on her cheek and scratches on her chest. The scratches came from the couple’s 1-year-old son, according to Rivas.
- After trading away infielder Danny Espinosa last week, the Nationals are searching for outside bench help, writes Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. The Nats have expressed interest in re-signing free agent infielder Stephen Drew, who joined the team last year on a one-year, $3MM deal and hit .266/.339/.524 in 165 plate appearances. However, Drew might end up finding a more prominent role elsewhere. “He’s been offered some,” Drew’s agent, Scott Boras, said at the winter meetings. “So he’s just kind of evaluating the options of carrying out a multiple-position role and probably playing more than he did last year, or pursuing something more along the lines (of what he was for the Nationals this year).” If Washington doesn’t acquire an Espinosa replacement from elsewhere, the club does have 24-year-old Wilmer Difo on hand as a potential solution. He has just 77 big league PAs to his name, though.
- Given that they haven’t added anyone to their rotation this winter, the Yankees are positioning themselves to rely heavily on unproven starters in 2017, observes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia and Michael Pineda are locks for the starting five; behind them, Luis Severino, Chad Green Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren will vie for roles. The most intriguing member of the group is Severino, who endured a miserable 2016 with an 8.50 ERA in 47 2/3 major league innings as a starter. That was only Severino’s age-22 season, though, and the former big-time prospect isn’t far removed from a highly promising 2015 debut in which he recorded a 2.89 ERA, 8.09 K/9 and 50.3 percent ground-ball rate in 62 1/3 frames. “My emphasis at the end of the year with him was locate your fastball better, repeat your delivery and make sure your breaking ball morphs back into a harder breaking ball,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Sherman. “I certainly look at him as a starter. But to be a starter, improvements need to be made. If the improvements are made, he will be really good.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/16/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league….
- The Mets signed sidearm right-hander Ben Rowen to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Rowen, 28, made his second Major League appearance last year but surrendered five runs in three innings at the big league level. He was outstanding in Triple-A, though (2.33 ERA in 58 innings), which has become par for the course for Rowen. In parts of four seasons there, Rowen owns a 2.22 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against just 1.5 BB/9. His delivery also leads to exceptionally high ground-ball rates, as was the case in Triple-A last season, when he induced grounders at a 60.2 percent clip. Rowen has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, during which time he’s amassed a 1.85 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 to complement those strong ground-ball tendencies.
Domestic Violence Charges Against Jeurys Familia Dismissed
DEC. 15: Assault charges against Familia were formally dropped today, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. According to Rubin, Fort Lee prosecutor Arthur Balsamo met with Familia’s wife prior to Thursday’s hearing and confirmed that she no longer wanted the case to be pursued.
As noted last month at the time of the report that charges could be dropped, however, this doesn’t preclude Familia from receiving some form of league-mandated suspension. Both Chapman received a 30-game suspension in the absence of either an arrest or charges being brought against him, while Reyes was suspended 52 games even though charges against him were dropped just before trial.
NOV. 18: The victim in the domestic violence case against Mets closer Jeurys Familia has asked that charges be dropped, reports Jim Baumbach of Newsday (Twitter link). Back on Nov. 1, news broke that Familia had been arrested and charged with simple assault in an alleged domestic violence incident.
Even in the event that the charges against Familia are dropped, which now seems a plausible outcome, the right-hander could still face punishment from the Commissioner’s office in the form of a suspension. Aroldis Chapman received a 30-game suspension earlier this season despite the fact that he was neither arrested nor charged in connection with domestic abuse allegations against him, and Familia’s own teammate, Jose Reyes (then with the Rockies), received a 52-game suspension even though the charges that had been brought against him were dropped shortly before the case went to trial.
If and when the criminal investigation into his actions is concluded, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will undoubtedly look into the matter to determine the extent to which Familia will potentially be punished by the league. That determination, however, could take weeks or months depending on the level of information available. Notably, unlike suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, domestic violence suspensions do not automatically preclude a player from participating in the offseason in a year during which they receive a ban.
Familia, who turned 27 last month, is arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason and was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $8.7MM on the heels of a season in which he posted a 2.55 ERA with an NL-leading 51 saves, 9.7 K.9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 77 2/3 innings. He is obviously expected to play a significant role on the team again in 2017, though with Addison Reed on hand, it seems reasonable to think that the Mets will not necessarily prioritize the addition of another late-inning arm.
New York Notes: Figueredo, Payrolls, Headley, Harvey
George A. King III of the New York Post relays the tragic news that Yankees prospect Alexander Figueredo, a 20-year-old left-handed pitcher, was shot to death in his native Venezuela. Figueredo missed the 2016 season on the suspended/restricted list for unknown reasons, though the circumstances that led to his suspension seem wholly unimportant in the wake of King’s report. We at MLBTR would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, loved ones and teammates of Figueredo as well as the entire Yankees organization in light of the talented youngster’s untimely passing.
As we all keep Figueredo’s family and friends in our thoughts, a few items pertaining to New York’s two teams…
- Both the Yankees and Mets are telling agents that they need to move some veteran pieces in trades before they can sign additional talent this winter, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees have been fielding calls on both Chase Headley and Brett Gardner, while the Mets have been listening on Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson (with a strong preference to deal the former rather than the latter). The Mets and Yankees both have interest in relievers Boone Logan and Brad Ziegler, but neither is likely to head to the Big Apple barring a preceding trade of a notable veteran.
- Trading Headley is likely more difficult for the Yankees than many realize, and not solely due to the remaining $26MM on his contract, writes Sherman in a second piece. While it’s true that Headley is a roughly average player earning $13MM annually, the Yankees are also short on MLB-ready replacements, Sherman notes. Ronald Torreyes is more of a utility option than a candidate to replace Headley as an everyday option. Trading for someone like Todd Frazier would fill the void, but only for one year, and Frazier comes with a similar salary plus the loss of minor league talent that would need to be sent to the White Sox. The free-agent market presents options like Luis Valbuena and Trevor Plouffe, which could leave the Yankees enough money to add a setup man in free agency, but each of those scenarios is contingent on multiple moves coming together, making it difficult to bank on them.
- Mets right-hander Matt Harvey started up a throwing program last month and is progressing well in his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, he tells Newsday’s Marc Carig. “That’s all gone,” Harvey said of the tingling and numbness he was experiencing in his fingertips due to the nerve issue near his shoulder that necessitated the operation. “My hand was really cold all the time. So, I’ve got some warmth back. No more tingling. And the ball’s really coming out really good right now, especially for December.” Harvey was brilliant in his 2015 return from Tommy John surgery, but TOS limited him to 92 2/3 innings in 2016. In that time, he logged a highly uncharacteristic 4.86 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate and increased walk rate. A healthy Harvey would go a long way toward helping the Mets back to the postseason for the third straight year, though he’s one of many arms that will enter 2017 with some injury question marks. Steven Matz had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow and also battled shoulder problems this year, while Jacob deGrom underwent ulnar nerve surgery a few months back and Zack Wheeler never pitched in the Majors due to lingering problems in his recovery from 2015 Tommy John surgery.
Quick Hits: Lagares, Giants, Lopez, Romo, Holland, Cole
No-trade protection (whether in the form of contract clauses or 10-and-5 rights) have long been a factor in deal-making. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince chronicles some famous instances throughout baseball history of players blocking trades, and some current players mentioned on the rumor mill whose ability to be moved is complicated by their own full or partial no-trade clauses. Here’s more from around baseball…
- Mets center fielder Juan Lagares suffered an injury while making a diving catch for his Dominican winter league team, ESPN’s Adam Rubin reports. X-rays were negative, though Lagares will return to New York to be examined by team doctors. Lagares has himself received some trade attention this offseason but New York wants to keep the slick-fielding but light-hitting outfielder in a backup role.
- It doesn’t look like the Giants will be re-signing free agents Gregor Blanco, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan, Jake Peavy or Sergio Romo, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes. Romo has received “at least a couple of offers” from other clubs, according to Giants sources. Lopez is likely to retire unless he gets “a great offer” from an East Coast team so he can stay close to his home in Georgia.
- GM David Stearns declined to say whether or not the Brewers were one of the teams Greg Holland personally met with at the Winter Meetings, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. The Brewers did scout Holland’s showcase last month, however, so the Crew can be added to the long list of teams that have some degree of interest in Holland after his return from Tommy John surgery. The Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Indians, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Mets, Phillies, Tigers, Blue Jays and Royals are all known to have sent scouts to the showcase or have other been linked to Holland this winter.
- Gerrit Cole tells MLB.com’s Adam Berry that he has yet to talk to the Pirates about his 2017 contract. MLB Trade Rumors projects Cole to earn $4.2MM in his first time through the arbitration process following a season that saw him post a 3.88 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 116 innings. While the numbers are solid, they were also Cole’s worst in his four big league seasons, as he suffered through an injury-plagued year. This performance dip and rather checkered health history could be reasons why the Pirates aren’t planning to discuss an extension with Cole and agent Scott Boras over the winter, though Cole said he is healthy and will begin his offseason throwing program on Monday.