NL East Notes: Freeman, Strasburg, Harper, Turner, Mejia
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman left today’s spring action with a right wrist issue, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Such a potentially minor occurrence might not warrant mention for most players, but Freeman missed significant time last year owing to issues in the same area, and he was proceeding cautiously as he ramps up for the 2016 season. (Indeed, as O’Brien has previously written, Freeman has long dealt with difficulties in his right wrist and hand.) For now, it’s only a situation to monitor, but there’s obviously added concern in his case.
Here’s more on Freeman and some other interesting players in the NL East:
- Of course, Freeman was the topic of plenty of trade speculation this winter as the Braves continued to tweak their player assets — at least until GM John Coppolella made as clear as possible that Freeman wouldn’t be going anywhere. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explores the big lefty’s interesting offseason, reporting that Atlanta may have been closer to moving Freeman at one point than the organization has been willing to acknowledge. Coppolella denies that anything ever seriously progressed, while acknowledging that there was outside interest (which, of course, is no surprise). Freeman himself said he heard a lot of the chatter, but was eventually put to ease by the front office. And Coppolella explains that the first bagger is the organization’s “rock.” You’ll want to read the whole piece for the full story, as it is full of interesting content.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo had some interesting comments today in an interview with MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). He said that righty Stephen Strasburg “could be a long-term fit” in DC and suggested that the organization would seek to explore a new deal with the pending free agent. While “health is obviously a big factor with him,” said Rizzo, it seems clear that the Nats at least have interest in seeing what an extension (or, potentially, a free agent deal) would look like. The club GM and president also talked about star Bryce Harper‘s long-term status, saying that the “money part of it … is going to be extreme and complicated” while noting that he feels the Nationals have done a good job of selling Harper on the organization as a fit down the line.
- Rizzo also talked more Nationals matters on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. In addition to providing some more thoughts about Strasburg and Harper, more from an on-field than a contractual perspective, Rizzo spoke at length about top shortstop prospect Trea Turner. The Nats’ head baseball decisionmaker wouldn’t commit to an Opening Day roster job for the youngster, but also didn’t rule it out, and emphasized that Turner is “not far away from the big leagues” while crediting him not only with 80-grade speed, but also outstanding maturity. As for the deal that brought him to DC, Rizzo tipped his cap to the scouts who helped to identify Turner and Joe Ross as targets within the Padres organization. He explained further: “[W]hen they showed interest in Steven Souza … we made it clear that, you know, we had to have these two players in the trade or we wouldn’t be interested in moving Souza.” The Nats were able to “get[] involved in a three-team trade later in the process” — the Rays, of course, being the organization that ultimately ended up with Souza — to land a return that has looked quite promising ever since the deal was struck.
- Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia spoke again with the media today, emphasizing — as he said recently — that he was not using any banned substances when he was tagged with his second and third positive tests, as Laura Albanese of Newsday reports (Twitter links). While he acknowledged his initial suspension was valid, he “framed it as an accident,” by Albanese’s characterization. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com notes on Twitter that it appears Mejia’s lifetime ban was never formally appealed, so there may be some possibility that he could still have a chance at contesting the decision. As Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News reports, it appears Mejia will attempt to do just that, though it should be noted there could well be procedural hurdles. For its part, the league issued a strong statement rejecting Mejia’s claims of a conspiracy against him, calling the righty a “repeated user of banned performance-enhancing substances” who is doing nothing more than “hiring aggressive lawyers and making wild, unsupported allegations about the conduct of others in an effort to clear their names.” Newsday’s David Lennon was among those to tweet the full statement.
Asdrubal Cabrera Shut Down For Two Weeks With Knee Injury
12:10pm: The Cardinals are indeed interested in Tejada, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, but the injury to Cabrera decreases the likelihood that the Mets will trade Tejada, he adds.
10:43am: The Mets announced that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been shut down from all baseball activity for the next two weeks with a strained patellar tendon in his left knee. Cabrera is traveling to New York City today to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in the injured knee. Per the Mets’ release, Cabrera will ease back into baseball activity “as tolerated” by his knee even when he returns to action. Cabrera initially suffered the injury while tagging up from first base in yesterday’s Spring Training contest, as he explained to reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo).
Suffice it to say, that puts Opening Day in doubt for the 30-year-old Cabrera, who signed a two-year, $18.5MM contract to serve as the Mets’ everyday shortstop this offseason. While it does appear that Cabrera has avoided a serious injury that would cost him a significant chunk of the regular season, the injury nevertheless comes with some potential roster ramifications. Ruben Tejada, for instance, has been rumored to be on the bubble of the 25-man roster this spring, but in the event that Cabrera will require a stint on the disabled list to open the season, his odds to make the Opening Day roster would seem to increase, as the Mets would likely deploy Wilmer Flores at shortstop and rely upon Tejada as their primary backup around the infield. The Mets had previously seemed like a logical trade partner for the Cardinals, should they seek an external replacement option at shortstop in the absence of Jhonny Peralta, but this injury would seem to diminish the chance of such a match.
NL Notes: Cabrera, Herrera, Cardinals, Joyce
Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera suffered a knee injury while tagging up from first to second base in yesterday’s Grapefruit League game, and while he initially told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that the injury was not serious, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that Cabrera is traveling to New York City to undergo a second MRI. While the extent of his injury is unknown (the Mets have yet to disclose the results of yesterday’s MRI), it seems that there was at least some cause for concern on his initial test. Cabrera did note yesterday that he was walking without pain, so it seems unlikely that there’s any sort of ligament tear. The Mets are well covered in the event that Cabrera would need to miss some time, as both Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada represent viable backups. Cabrera is gearing up for the first season of a two-year, $18.5MM deal with the Mets.
A few more notes from the division…
- Puma also spoke with prospect Dilson Herrera and assistant GM John Ricco about the Mets’ decision to acquire Neil Walker this offseason despite the fact that some view Herrera as MLB-ready after hitting .327/.382/.511 in 81 Triple-A games last season. Herrera didn’t express any frustration, stating that he’s simply waiting for an opportunity. Ricco noted that Herrera might not be quite as big-league ready as his numbers indicate. “He’s not a guy we said, ‘He’s finished with Triple-A. He’s wasting his time down there,'” said Ricco of Herrera. “I don’t think you see that yet. With each of our top prospects the last few years, whether it be [Zack] Wheeler or [Matt] Harvey or [Noah] Syndergaard or [Steven] Matz, the deal was we want them to come up here and succeed, not just come up and here and have trial by fire.” Infield coach Tim Teufel explained to Puma that Herrera still doesn’t excel at turning double plays and “tends to throw without using his legs.”
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’s not necessarily in a rush to add a shortstop in the wake of Jhonny Peralta‘s injury. “Everybody is sort of pounding on this — what are we going to do?” says Mozeliak. “I think I’d like to see what we have first and then determine what’s next. Our goal is to be competitive this year and if we feel we need to go outside the organization to improve on those odds then we will.” The top internal candidates to fill in for Peralta are Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz and Greg Garcia, though each comes with some questions. Should the Cardinals ultimately decide to look for outside help, the Cabrera injury mentioned above could potentially impact the trade market, as any notable absence for the Mets’ starter would likely make the club less willing to part with a shortstop (e.g. Ruben Tejada).
- Matt Joyce is in camp with the Pirates trying to win a bench spot on the club, but he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times yesterday that he believed at one point this offseason that he was going to sign with the Padres (Twitter link). That match never came to fruition, for whatever reason, so Joyce will now look to reestablish himself in Pittsburgh instead. After batting a solid .251/.344/.434 from 2011-14 with the Rays, Joyce slumped to a dismal .174/.272/.291 batting line with the Angels last season.
NL East Notes: Harvey, Fernandez, Hernandez, Braves, Rivero
While the Mets have made clear they don’t have any ongoing extension talks with their starters, and there isn’t a ton of pressure given their extended existing control, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests that it may be worth at least exploring some chatter with Matt Harvey. Both the prized righty and his agent, Scott Boras, have suggested they’d be willing to engage in dialogue. Harvey, 26, is earning $4.33MM in his first of three seasons of arbitration eligibility. Sherman suggests that buying the remaining two arb years at about $29MM and adding three free agent seasons at $30MM a pop might be a fair valuation. While that seems to be a pretty fair suggestion for an outstanding 3+ starter, even in spite of his recent Tommy John surgery, from my perspective it’s somewhat difficult to imagine Harvey and Boras jumping at $119MM over five years. Such a deal would take Harvey though his age-32 season, meaning he’d hit the market at about the same stage as James Shields did last winter. It’s also far from clear that New York would be interested in such a scenario, of course, and Sherman makes very clear that any such concept is something of a longshot.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, who is currently on track to hit the market with Harvey and a host of other premium players, is working on decreasing his reliance on his big fastball, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. The hope is that Fernandez will not only be able to improve — a scary proposition for opponents — but will reduce the load on his recently-repaired elbow. “We want to see him continue to pitch and continue to develop his weapons, where he’s not having to have the mentality that I’ve got to strike everybody out,” explained new manager Don Mattingly. “There’s nothing wrong with having guy hit a ground ball early in the count. … We think pitching that way keeps him healthy for a long time. It’s good for him. It’s good for us. It’s good for everybody.”
- Interestingly, the recent Tommy John research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum showed that the volume of what he classifies as “hard pitches” can have significant predictive power of future UCL replacements. Fernandez is the biggest name to land among the ten pitchers with the highest statistical TJ risk this year, per Woodrum’s research, which certainly suggests that thoughtful handling is warranted.
- Presumed Phillies closer David Hernandez is dealing with some “issues” with his right elbow, manager Pete Mackanin told reporters including Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The skipper himself didn’t seem entirely sure of what difficulties Hernandez was having. Meanwhile, the righty says he isn’t injured and is simply trying not to overburden himself having missed a lot of camp time in recent springs, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets.
- In Braves camp, Cuban veteran Hector Olivera is still working to refine his hitting mechanics, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, with the team seeing signs of improvement. The first impressions of youngster Ozzie Albies have been universally positive, O’Brien adds, who may be pushing up his big league timeline (although not all the way to Opening Day this year) with his performance. Meanwhile, Atlanta may seek to utilize Jace Peterson in more of a utility role this season, O’Brien adds.
- James Wagner of the Washington Post has an interesting feature on Nationals lefty Felipe Rivero, who came over as one of two minor leaguers to accompany Jose Lobaton in the deal that sent Nate Karns to the Rays. The fireballing southpaw has focused on strengthening his arm, and hopes that touching 100 mph last year will become a more common occurrence. While he says he “was thinking too much before” in a starter’s role, Rivero now feels settled in as a pen man. “Last season,” he said, “I’d imagine that, even if I was facing Barry Bonds, I’d get him out. Or when I threw against the league’s best batters, I didn’t think about the Mets or whoever. It’s me versus you. If I strike you out, I strike you out. If you make contact, you make contact. That’s it.” Wagner notes that Rivero could factor into the team’s future closer considerations, and the 24-year-old says he’d welcome such an opportunity.
NL Notes: Cole, Braves, Altherr, Klentak
Last weekend, it was discovered that Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was displeased to have his contract renewed for the same pay as he earned last season. While Cole may be peeved by the lack of raise, it doesn’t mean he and the club don’t have common ground for an extension, writes Travis Sawchik of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels made similar public comments back in 2008 before inking a three-year, $20MM deal for his arbitration seasons. Sawchik also relates a number of details about Cole’s specific situation as well as the players’ share of revenue league wide – it’s well worth a read.
- The Braves rotation is a shadow of the unit that dominated the National League for over a decade, writes the associated press for the New York Times. The entire unit has issues. “Ace” Julio Teheran is coming off his worst major league season, and he’s the only lock for a job. As manager Fredi Gonzalez joked, there’s a wave of high profile arms, but they’re “out by the Marshall Islands.” Pitching prospects are notoriously fickle. Before the high ceiling talents get a chance to work in the majors, Atlanta fans will have to hope players like Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz, and Bud Norris can show some sign of life.
- Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr suffered a left-wrist injury on a diving play yesterday, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. Altherr had the wrist in a splint today and has not received X-Rays yet. The former prospect is familiar with wrist injuries which sapped his development in late 2013 and early 2014. He doesn’t believe this round is anywhere as serious as his previous injury which required surgery. Altherr is widely expected to start for the Phillies after a breakout 2015 season. In my view, the club could option him if they preferred for him to ease into action in the minors.
- For those curious about Phillies GM Matt Klentak’s playing background, Mike Sielski of Philly.com has the details. Klentak, 35, attended Dartmouth College where he played shortstop for head coach Bob Whalen – himself a friend of now-Mets GM Sandy Alderson. From there, it’s not a far jump to Moneyball. Klentak also offered a couple interesting quotes, including “Players will reach their ceilings when they’re playing confidently, when they’re in an environment that’s loose and that allows them to be the player that they want to be.“
Quick Hits: Cubs, Cahill, Davis, Judge
Yesterday, we heard about several Cubs free agent signees who took less money to play in Chicago. Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter) illuminates a few of the teams that missed out. We know the Orioles were in on Dexter Fowler as well as the Nationals and Cardinals interest in Jason Heyward. Ben Zobrist turned down better offers from the Nationals and Mets while Trevor Cahill declined to join the Pirates on a stronger offer. Of course, the details of those hypothetical deals are unknown. For example, the Nationals probably made heavy use of deferred money in their offers, reducing the present day value of their proposals. Heyman also has some contract details for reserve clause signees (on Twitter).
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Pirates offer to Cahill was to pitch as a starter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times. However, rumors of a two-year offer may have been exaggerated. Cahill himself claims to be unaware of any two-year proposals. In my opinion, Cahill was smart to remain in Chicago as a reliever. His skill set plays particularly well out of the bullpen and could set up a strong multi-year offer in free agency next winter.
- New Athletics outfielder Khris Davis is happy with his new ball club, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The former Brewer saw the writing on the wall when Milwaukee dealt away several veterans in the last calendar year. Davis, originally picked in the 2009 draft, was the second-to-last player from that draft class with the club. The Brewers still have Scooter Gennett penciled in to play second base.
- When Yankees prospects Aaron Judge and Jorge Mateo homered earlier today, they offered a glimpse of the future, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPN. The pair rank first and second in the Yankees farm system. Judge, 23, has a shot to contribute to the club in 2016 while Mateo, 20, is a little way off. Judge is a power hitting outfielder who hit 20 home runs in 540 plate appearances last season. Mateo is a speedy shortstop with 82 stolen bases in 2015 (500 plate appearances).
NL East Notes: Mets, deGrom, Mejia, De Aza, Nola, Capps
Longtime Mets media relations executive Shannon Forde passed away this evening after an extended battle with breast cancer. She was only 44 years of age, and leaves behind a husband and two young children. Her loss has sparked a remarkable outpouring of grief, and it is evident that she had a huge impact on many people who worked for or around the team. We recommend this piece from Joel Sherman of the New York Post as we join so many others in expressing our sympathies to her family and friends.
Here are some notes from New York and the NL East:
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today that there are no current extension talks with the team’s slate of young starters, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports. Emphasizing that he doesn’t see much “urgency” given the length of control over most of the club’s key pitchers, Alderson said that it’s also rather early in camp for such discussions to be held. “There hasn’t been any discussion with any of our starting pitchers,” he said, “not because we’re unwilling or because there isn’t any interest on the part of the players necessarily — just we are where we are in the spring-training schedule. It’s a little early. Agents don’t typically come in until later. I don’t think you can draw anything from that.”
- Meanwhile, the Mets renewed the contract of surprise ace Jacob deGrom at a rate of $607K, which is well above the minimum salary but also hardly reflects his outstanding contributions over the last two seasons. While deGrom declined to agree to that deal — a symbolic formality — it doesn’t appear that there’s any cause for hard feelings going forward, as DiComo further reports. “We haven’t talked about anything yet, and I don’t think this will affect that in any way,” said deGrom. “I think we’re still open to discussions for long-term things, but nothing’s in the works now.” For what it’s worth, as I’ve suggested before, I see deGrom as the likeliest of the New York hurlers to sign on to a long-term contract given his high rate of play, relatively advanced age, and approaching arbitration eligibility.
- Another Mets pitcher, banned reliever Jenrry Mejia, claims that he was only guilty of one of his three PED-related suspensions, as he tells Ben Berkon of the New York Times. He also accused the league of participating in some kind of “conspiracy” against him and suggested that the union had failed to adequately defend him. An MLB spokesman denied that any league official had ever even met with Mejia relating to his trio of failed drug tests. As Berkon notes, his comments don’t seem likely to help him if he chooses to seek reinstatement, though he has some time to think about how to approach that matter.
- The Mets haven’t received any interest in outfielder Alejandro De Aza and aren’t shopping him, Mike Puma of the New York Post recently tweeted. Though the veteran outfielder’s utility was greatly lessened when the club made a late strike for Yoenis Cespedes, it seems that it will take a change in circumstances for him to be moved to another organization.
- Aaron Nola impressed in his first 77 2/3 innings last year for the Phillies, and he tells MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter) that he’s not interested in easing his way into things this year. “I want to go 200+ innings. I want to throw as many innings as I can,” Nola said recently. Actually, that seems like rather an attainable goal, as he ran up 109 1/3 innings in the minors last year.
- The Marlins are waiting to see what Dr. James Andrews recommends on Monday with regard to key reliever Carter Capps, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami won’t seek to strike a deal for another pen arm before that time, per the report, but it seems that an addition may well be contemplated if an extended absence results. At this point, even in the best of circumstances it seems likely that Capps will be required to spend some time resting and rehabbing.
NL East Notes: Cuddyer, Arroyo, Badenhop, Hernandez
While some believed that Michael Cuddyer‘s retirement saved the Mets the full $12.5MM he was owed for the 2016 season, that’s not the case, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post. Cuddyer was paid a buyout in the range of $2-3MM, according to Puma. GM Sandy Alderson told reporters today that he’d still have been able to pursue Yoenis Cespedes this offseason even if Cuddyer had remained with the club, though he did acknowledge that some of the Mets’ other moves might not have been realistic. The Mets made small to mid-range signings of Jerry Blevins ($4MM), Alejandro De Aza ($5.75MM), Bartolo Colon ($7.25MM), Antonio Bastardo ($12MM) and Asdrubal Cabrera ($18.5MM) on the free-agent market this offseason.
A few more items pertaining to the NL East…
- Nationals right-hander Bronson Arroyo hopes to crack the rotation and return to the Majors this season, but he’ll receive some notice if that’s not likely to be the case, he told reporters yesterday (Twitter link via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). Arroyo’s deal stipulates that the Nationals inform him whether he’s made the team five days before Spring Training ends, presumably in order to allow him to latch on elsewhere if he doesn’t make the club in D.C. It’s been more than 18 months since Arroyo last pitched in a big league game after undergoing Tommy John surgery with the D-backs.
- Right-hander Burke Badenhop spoke with Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post about the feeling of being a veteran player in camp hoping to win a roster spot. Badenhop explained that he landed with the Nationals in part because they showed a greater sense of urgency when pursuing him than other clubs, and also because playing for a contender with a number of experienced players held appeal to him. Interestingly, Badenhop tells Janes that he’s learned manager Dusty Baker is quite familiar with him; Baker revealed to Badenhop that the Reds tried to trade for him when Baker was managing the club. Assistant GM Doug Harris told Janes that Badenhop gives hitters a different look than the rest of their current ‘pen candidates, which could be a point in his favor this spring.
- David Hernandez looks to be the favorite to serve as the Phillies‘ closer this season, writes MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Hernandez’s very presence in Phillies camp might’ve seemed improbable to him several months ago, as he kicked off the winter by telling his agent he hoped to sign with a West Coast club that played its spring games in Arizona. However, Hernandez inked a one-year deal with an East Coast club that plays Spring Training in Florida, in part because the Phillies told him he could end up with an opportunity to close. Hernandez signed shortly before the trade of Ken Giles to the Astros, and as Zolecki notes, the club likely knew full well that a trade of Giles could come together in the near future, helping to stock the farm with young talent and create an opportunity for a free-agent to inherit the ninth inning role.
Reactions To The Ian Desmond Signing
Ian Desmond‘s winter did not progress as expected, as he landed with the Rangers on a one-year, $8MM deal after turning down a $15.8MM qualifying offer from the Nationals. Even more surprising than the magnitude of the contract was the fact that he’ll be shifting off of the shortstop position in Texas. As Desmond begins preparing to move to left field, at least for the time being, here are some reactions to the signing:
- Desmond seems determined to make the best of the situation, as Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports. He expressed frustration in the impact of the qualifying offer system on his market, but even as he said “it’s clear that something needs to change,” he made equally clear that he won’t let that get in the way of his new opportunity. “I’m extremely excited,” Desmond said. “I’m extremely grateful, also. … As for swallowing my pride and learning a new position, that’s not going to be a problem.”
- From the Rangers’ perspective, too, the move represents — at least in some part — an effort to make the best of a trying situation, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The injury issues surrounding Josh Hamilton left the team without a clear solution in left field, and now Desmond will be tasked with that job. GM Jon Daniels made clear that Elvis Andrus will be the team’s shortstop, and also that Desmond is slated for regular duty in left — meaning that Hamilton’s own role will be determined when he’s back in action. “This move is about 2016, about adding a winning piece and a winning man,” said Daniels. Meanwhile, Desmond added that he’s long thought about playing in the grass, and is most committed to the same ideals that Daniels described. “I made the decision when the offseason began I wanted to be part of something more than just our names on the back of our jerseys; I wanted to win,” he said. “I felt that if to do that, I needed to move positions, I would consider it.”
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law rates the signing as a rare miss for the Texas front office, arguing that Desmond’s bat isn’t good enough to justify the sacrifice of the 19th overall pick in the upcoming draft. There are a variety of options on hand who might be expected to provide similar overall production, he reasons, citing several traditional outfielders as well as conceivable converts such as Jurickson Profar, Ike Davis, and Joey Gallo. Law does note that there’s some potential value in Desmond’s versatility, including that he could present a theoretical alternative to Andrus at short, as well as the clubhouse presence he brings.
- Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs, meanwhile, sees the sense in the signing for Texas. By his reckoning, Desmond has a reasonable amount of upside, has shown the kind of athleticism and work ethic to believe he’ll turn into a solid outfielder, and could conceivably step in on the left side of the infield or move around the field if a need arises. For Desmond, argues Sullivan, the deal obviously represents a disappointment in light of the reported extension offer he rejected from the Nationals, but that was a justifiable decision at the time.
- The Mets never strongly pursued Desmond, even before they added Asdrubal Cabrera, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). New York “didn’t see the value early,” Heyman writes. The Rays and other clubs were in on Desmond at the end, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Orioles checked in on the free agent, but they never made a formal offer, he adds.
- Other organizations did, however, show earlier interest, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The issue, per the report, may have been that Desmond and his representatives simply held out too long. It’s not entirely clear whether that approach was driven by hopes of getting a significant contract or disinterest in signing in a “super-utility” role, but Olney seems to suggest that some possible avenues to a bigger deal were not taken when they were available.
- It’s not hard to understand why Desmond would have sought a contract and playing situation commensurate with his high overall level of performance, of course, but Olney notes that his new role in Texas may close the door on the possibility of a major future signing as a premium up-the-middle player. It will certainly be interesting to see whether he gets a chance to show his form elsewhere on the diamond. Scouts tell Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post (on Twitter) that Desmond has the athleticism to be an outfielder, but they also feel that he could have stayed at shortstop without issue.
NL East Notes: Andruw, Tejada, Wheeler, Arroyo
The Braves announced today that they’ve hired Andruw Jones as a special assistant to the baseball operations staff. The addition of the recently retired Jones will reunite him with the other most famous Jones in Braves history — former teammate Chipper Jones, who also signed on as a special assistant in the Atlanta front office this winter. “We are very excited to add Andruw to our staff as a special assistant,” said general manager John Coppolella in a press release. ““He is perhaps the most accomplished defensive outfielder in our organization’s history and one of the best in baseball history. He signed at the age of 16 and was developed in this organization. He can offer a lot of experience and knowledge to our young players and we look forward to his contributions.” Per the release, Jones will serve as a spring instructor, specialize in the development of the organization’s young outfielders during the regular season and also assist the front office with its international initiatives.
More from the NL East…
- Ruben Tejada is on the fringe of the Mets‘ roster as the regular season approaches, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News wrote over the weekend. Ackert cites two club sources in reporting that nothing is guaranteed to Tejada in terms of a roster spot, despite the fact that he’s slated to make $3MM after avoiding arbitration this offseason. (It’s worth noting that arb salaries are not fully guaranteed, so the Mets could cut Tejada and owe him just 30 days of termination pay (roughly one sixth of his salary) so long as he’s let go more than 15 days before Opening Day. Alternatively, they could cut him within 15 days of the season and owe him 45 days’ pay, so long as he’s not on the Opening Day roster. As Ackert notes, the fact that the Mets awarded Tejada an extra day of service last week, essentially permitting him to reach free agency a year sooner than expected, indicates that they don’t consider him much of a future piece. Beyond that, Wilmer Flores can capably serve as the team’s utility infielder, potentially making Tejada redundant.
- Zack Wheeler threw 10 pitches off a mound this weekend, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post, and while that may seem like a small step in his recovery, it was the first time the right-hander has pitched off a mound since undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. The original plan for Wheeler was to have him throw off a mound in January, but the medical staff pushed that date back a bit, and Wheeler is on board with the decision.Wheeler is looking at about a 15-month window from surgery to his return, Puma writes, and the Mets will hope that the re-signed Bartolo Colon can handle his rotation spot in the interim.
- Bronson Arroyo hopes not only to make the Nationals‘ roster out of Spring Training, but also to pitch beyond the 2016 season, he tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “I’ve been saying for a long time, I’m going to outlast Papi,” Arroyo playfully told Kepner in reference to his former Red Sox teammate, David Ortiz. “…He might outlast me if I don’t make this club, or if my arm can’t handle the torque of pitching multiple innings. But I’m proud of what I’ve done in this game, man. If I don’t make it out of this camp and this arm just won’t go, I’m completely satisfied with what I’ve done in the game.” Kepner’s piece is a great look at Arroyo and includes his retelling of surprising trades from the D-backs to the Braves and then the Dodgers last season despite knowing he wasn’t able to pitch. Arroyo also discusses his decision to sign with the Nats over the a reunion with the Reds, including what a significant role new manager Dusty Baker (his former Cincinnati skipper) had in that decision.