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Yankees Sign Joely Rodriguez

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The Yankees have signed left-handed pitcher Joely Rodriguez to a one-year contract, per a team announcement. Just three days ago, the club paid him a $500K buyout and declined their $3MM club option for the southpaw, but have now quickly brought him back into the fold. Joel Sherman of the New York Post relays that the new deal is for $2MM, meaning the club saved themselves $500K by letting him reach free agency for a few days. Although Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that there’s also $250K of incentives in the deal.

When the Yankees first acquired Rodriguez as part of the Joey Gallo trade, he had an ERA of 5.93 through 27 1/3 innings with the Rangers. Despite that high ERA, there were reasons for optimism, as he had an excellent 63.9% groundball rate, to go along with average-ish strikeout and walk rates of 23.4% and 9.4%, respectively. After coming to the Bronx, he logged 19 more innings with an ERA of 2.84.

This year’s left-handed relief market doesn’t have a lot of standouts, with Aaron Loup, Brooks Raley, Andrew Chafin and Tony Watson representing the cream of the crop. The Yankees have acted quickly and scooped up one of the options that they saw up close and clearly liked enough to bring back, as long as the price was right.

This acts as a sort of early birthday present for Rodriguez, as he will be turning 30 in four days. He’ll slot into a Yankee bullpen alongside other lefty options such as Aroldis Chapman, Wandy Peralta and Lucas Luetge. The club’s 40-man roster is now full.

Yankees’ Cashman On Carlos Correa, Anthony Rizzo

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The GM Meetings are taking place in Carlsbad, California, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke to reporters yesterday.  Cashman said he has “some latitude” on the team’s budget, after talking to owner Hal Steinbrenner.  The club was able to stay below the base luxury tax threshold of $210MM this year, effectively resetting as a first-time payor for future penalties – if something resembling the current system remains in place in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Cashman acknowledged to reporters that he’s already had talks with the agents for two free agent shortstops.  Those players are Carlos Correa and Corey Seager, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.  ESPN’s Buster Olney is hearing that the Yankees’ pursuit of a shortstop will remain focused on elite players of this nature.  Chandler Rome from the Houston Chronicle has more from Cashman on the Yankees’ interest in Correa.  Cashman explained, “(Correa) is just a very talented player, obviously. Puts up numbers with the best of them. He’s obviously had an incredible career thus far. Certainly not afraid. He’s pushed forward, regardless of the circumstances. He’s clearly not afraid because (the sign-stealing fallout) has not affected his play.”

There’s been a sentiment that perhaps Yankees fans would not tolerate or accept Correa.  That doesn’t seem to be Cashman’s primary concern, as the fans’ reaction “is not going to enter my calculus right now.”

Correa, who seems unlikely to sign before a potential December lockout, is reported to have received a five-year, $160MM offer from the Astros that seems more for show than anything.  As the top player on the free agent market, Correa is in line for $300MM or more.

Cashman has also spoken to the agent for first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who appeared in 50 games for the Yankees after a July trade.  The GM noted, “He obviously was really good for us, we feel, both on the offensive side and on the defensive side and on the leadership side, so he brings a lot of good things to the table.  I know he liked it here, I know we liked having him, but nothing has gone past that.”  Rizzo, 32, put up a 113 wRC+ for the Yankees.  In projecting a three-year, $45MM contract, MLBTR took into account intangibles like Rizzo’s reputation around the game.

The Yankees still have an incumbent first baseman in Luke Voit, who was limited to 68 games on the season due to injuries.  MLBTR projects Voit to earn $5.4MM next year, and it’s possible the Yankees move on from him.  Voit’s troublesome left knee is “resolved,” according to Cashman.

Perhaps the most intriguing possibility for the Yankees at first base is a trade for Matt Olson of the Athletics.  Olson, 28 in March, posted a 146 wRC+ with 39 home runs this year and is projected to earn $12MM through arbitration.  According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, the Yankees have internally discussed trading for Olson.

The Yankees would also like to add some help in center field, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.  Aaron Hicks, who played in only 32 games this year, is still owed $41MM through 2025.  Hicks, whose season ended in May due to wrist surgery, hopes to play winter ball, noted Lindsey Adler of The Athletic back in October.  The Yankees filled the void this year with 38-year-old Brett Gardner, who recently declined his $2.3MM player option in favor of a $1.15MM buyout.  The free agent market for center fielders also includes Starling Marte, Juan Lagares, Chris Taylor, Kevin Pillar, and eventually Odubel Herrera.  The trade market could include Kevin Kiermaier, Ketel Marte, and Byron Buxton.

Verlander Showcase Draws Scouts From 15-20 Teams

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Two-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who has pitched just six innings since the conclusion of the 2019 season due to 2020 Tommy John surgery, held a free-agent showcase this week. Representatives from as many as 15 to 20 teams this week, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, adding that Verlander’s fastball was clocked from 94 to 97 mph. He’s presently about 13 and a half months out from the surgery and will be 17 months removed from the procedure by the time Spring Training is set to begin.

As one would expect, the list of known teams in attendance at the showcase includes a blend of big-market contenders and a few rebuilding clubs looking to turn the corner and get back into competitive ball. Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic tweets that the Yankees, Rangers and Tigers were in attendance. Sherman notes that the Mets had two scouts present for Verlander’s workout. TSN’s Scott Mitchell adds the Blue Jays to the pile, and the Post’s Ken Davidoff lists the Giants as another suitor. Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters that the Halos had someone present to watch Verlander as well (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Sam Blum).

Of course, given the stage of the offseason we’re at, it’s safe to assume that virtually any team with a modicum of 2022 postseason hope and/or any actual money to spent this offseason was at least present to gauge Verlander’s readiness. As Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom asked rhetorically when confirming his club’s presence at the showcase (link via Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe): “Age might affect the term you consider, but if the present ability is there, why wouldn’t you be interested?”

By all accounts, the showcase went quite well. Beyond the multiple reports pegging Verlander’s velocity in the mid- to upper-90s, Sherman indicates that Verlander was able to throw all of his pitches and looked sharp across the board. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets that one scout offered a simple, two-word assessment of Verlander after watching his open audition: “He’s ready.”

It’s certainly worth noting that the showcase was held at the Cressey Performance Center — a facility run by Yankees director of health and performance Eric Cressey. Corey Kluber held his own showcase there last year and ultimately signed with the Yankees, but the mere location of Verlander’s workout doesn’t make a deal with the Yankees a foregone conclusion.

The Astros made a one-year, $18.4MM qualifying offer to Verlander over the weekend, but the widespread expectation is that he’ll reject that in search of a multi-year offer. Astros owner Jim Crane said last month that Verlander would likely be looking for a “contract of some length” in free agency, heavily implying at least a two-year term. Furthermore, hosting a showcase for two-thirds of the league is an obvious indicator that Verlander is interested in seeing what the market has to bear.

Verlander, 39 in February, didn’t pitch in 2021 and threw just six innings in 2020. Of course, in his last healthy season, he won the 2019 American League Cy Young Award after posting a 2.58 ERA in an MLB-best 223 innings with a huge 35.4% strikeout rate against a 5.0% walk rate. Verlander has said on multiple occasions in the past that he hopes to pitch well into his 40s.

Quick Hits: Rojas, Kelly, Horowitz

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Luis Rojas has been unemployed for over a month now, after the Mets declined to pick up his option and retain him as manager for 2022. But he may have a chance to stay in the Big Apple, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that he was interviewed by the Yankees for one of their base coach jobs and “made a positive impression.”

Rojas had been in the Mets’ organization since 2007, working his way through the ranks of the minor leagues and eventually becoming quality control coach at the big league level in 2019. He was shoved into the manager’s chair after Carlos Beltran was fired in the wake of the Astros’ sign-stealing revelations and lasted two seasons. He hasn’t yet found a new position for 2022, but seems to have interest around the league, as he also interviewed for the Padres’ managerial opening before that was filled by Bob Melvin.

The Yankees are going to have a high degree of turnover in their coaching staff before next season, despite manager Aaron Boone being extended for three more years. First base coach Reggie Willits, third base coach Phil Nevin, hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere have all either stepped down or been let go in recent weeks. If the Yankees end up getting Rojas to put pen to paper, Boone can be supported by a coach with a couple seasons of managerial experience under his belt.

More tidbits from around the league…

  • Joe Kelly’s 2021 was arguably his best season since becoming a reliever, but it ended on an ominous note. In the regular season, Kelly logged 44 innings with an ERA of 2.86, strikeout rate of 27.5%, walk rate of 8.2% and groundball rate of 58.9%. But then he left game five of the NLCS with an arm injury that ended his season, and the Dodgers declined his $12MM option for 2022, reportedly because they didn’t expect him to recuperate before spring training. However, it now seems like his outlook isn’t quite so dour, at least according to one medical professional. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed shoulder surgery on Kelly a year ago, provided an update on the situation to Rob Bradford of WEEI. In regards to a team asking his opinion about the hurler, ElAttrache said, “I would tell the front office and their team doctors that I would be very optimistic that he would be ready for spring training.” If the 33-year-old is indeed healthy, he figures to be one of the most sought-after relievers this offseason, alongside guys like Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen and Kendall Graveman, though he’ll likely have to hold a showcase at some point in the new year to prove his effectiveness and assuage the concerns of interested teams.
  • Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reports that Angels’ director of pro scouting Nate Horowitz has left the team. In recent weeks, the club has been shuffling a lot of chairs around behind the scenes, as they also parted ways with scouting director Matt Swanson and replaced him by bringing in Tim McIlvaine from the Brewers. The persistent narrative around the Angels in recent years has been their inability to build a well-rounded team to support their marquee players such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon and Justin Upton. Despite the presence of Trout, arguably the best player of his generation, the Angels haven’t finished above .500 since 2015 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2009. There have been some positive signs recently, as younger players like Jared Walsh, Brandon Marsh, Jo Adell and Patrick Sandoval have started filling some holes around the veterans. But the shake up in the scouting department suggests the club is still trying to reshape their approach to team building in order to give their stars a chance to shine in the postseason.

2021 Gold Glove Winners Announced

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The 2021 Gold Glove winners were announced tonight, with plenty of Cardinal Red to be found amidst the gold.  The Cardinals became the first team to ever have five players capture Gold Gloves, underlining the tremendous all-around defensive effort that helped St. Louis reach the postseason.  Ironically, the only nominated Cardinals player who didn’t win was the most decorated name of the group — nine-time winner Yadier Molina.

The A’s, Royals, Astros, and the World Series champion Braves also had multiple winners, with each club boasting two Gold Glovers.  Ten of the 18 winners captured their first Gold Gloves, though some veteran winners continued to shine.  The most notable of the multiple-time winners is Nolan Arenado, who becomes the 23rd player to ever win nine or more Gold Gloves in his career.  Arenado still has plenty of time to continue his climb up the all-time list, yet catching 16-time winner Brooks Robinson for the all-time third base record may be a tall order even for Arenado.

Here is the full list of winners, as well as the other two nominated finalists at each position….

NL Catcher: Jacob Stallings, Pirates (1st career Gold Glove)
Yadier Molina/Cardinals, J.T. Realmuto/Phillies

NL First Base: Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (4th)
Freddie Freeman/Braves, Max Muncy/Dodgers

NL Second Base: Tommy Edman, Cardinals (1st)
Ozzie Albies/Braves, Kolten Wong/Brewers

NL Third Base: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals (9th)
Manny Machado/Padres, Ryan McMahon/Rockies

NL Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Giants (4th)
Francisco Lindor/Mets, Kevin Newman/Pirates

NL Left Field: Tyler O’Neill, Cardinals (2nd)
David Peralta/Diamondbacks, AJ Pollock/Dodgers

NL Center Field: Harrison Bader, Cardinals (1st)
Jackie Bradley Jr./Brewers, Bryan Reynolds/Pirates

NL Right Field: Adam Duvall, Braves/Marlins (1st)
Mookie Betts/Dodgers, Mike Yastrzemski/Giants

NL Pitcher: Max Fried/Braves (2nd)
Zach Davies/Cubs, Zack Wheeler/Phillies

AL Catcher: Sean Murphy, Athletics (1st)
Martin Maldonado/Astros, Salvador Perez/Royals

AL First Base: Yuli Gurriel, Astros (1st)
Matt Olson/Athletics, Jared Walsh/Angels

AL Second Base: Marcus Semien, Blue Jays (1st)
David Fletcher/Angels, Whit Merrifield/Royals

AL Third Base: Matt Chapman, Athletics (3rd)
Jose Ramirez/Guardians, Joey Wendle/Rays

AL Shortstop: Carlos Correa, Astros (1st)
J.P. Crawford/Mariners, Andrelton Simmons/Twins

AL Left Field: Andrew Benintendi, Royals (1st)
Randy Arozarena/Rays, Lourdes Gurriel Jr./Blue Jays

AL Center Field: Michael A. Taylor, Royals (1st)
Kevin Kiermaier/Rays, Myles Straw/Guardians

AL Right Field: Joey Gallo, Yankees/Rangers (2nd)
Hunter Renfroe/Red Sox, Kyle Tucker/Astros

AL Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel, White Sox (5th)
Jose Berrios/Blue Jays and Twins, Zack Greinke/Astros

Yankees Decline Club Option On Joely Rodriguez

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The Yankees announced that they have declined their $3MM club option on Joely Rodriguez for the 2022 season.  The left-hander will instead receive a $500K buyout and enter free agency.  In another move, New York added catcher Donny Sands to the team’s Major League roster.

Rodriguez pitched quite well for the Bronx Bombers after being acquired as pat of the Joey Gallo blockbuster at the trade deadline.  The left-handed had posted a 5.93 over 27 1/3 innings with the Rangers to begin the season, but then had a 2.84 ERA over 19 innings with New York.  An extreme groundball pitcher, Rodriguez had a high BABIP with both teams, but reduced his walk rate and some of his hard-contact numbers once he arrived in the Bronx, though he also had a lower strikeout rate.

At the net cost of $2.5MM, the Yankees might have felt there was too much variability in Rodriguez’s grounder-heavy arsenal to count on a repeat performance in 2022.  With Wandy Peralta and Lucas Luetge (not to mention closer Aroldis Chapman) all slated to be part of next year’s bullpen, the Yankees could have also felt they were set with enough left-handed relief depth.

Rodriguez’s numbers have been inconsistent over his four MLB seasons, though he has shown some flashes of quality, especially on the few occasions he has paired his big grounder rates with above-average number of strikeouts.  The lefty also pitched very well with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2018-19, which drew attention from the Rangers and led to Rodriguez’s return to North American ball.

Angels Claim Andrew Velazquez From Yankees

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The Angels have claimed infielder Andrew Velazquez off waivers from the Yankees, per announcements from both teams. New York added that catcher Rob Brantly has been outrighted to Triple-A. He’s no longer on the 40-man roster and will be able to elect minor league free agency.

Selected to the Yankees’ roster in early August, Velazquez became something of a fan favorite down the stretch thanks to his Bronx roots and solid glove at shortstop. Well-regarded as he was by the fanbase, Velazquez didn’t offer his hometown club much with the bat. He hit just .224/.235/.358 in 68 plate appearances, and that’s actually a bit better than the .156/.257/.219 line he posted for three teams from 2018-20.

To his credit, the 27-year-old Velazquez is coming off a much better .273/.362/.451 showing over 306 Triple-A plate appearances. He offers a capable glove throughout the infield and could factor into an uncertain middle infield mix in Anaheim if he sticks on the roster all winter.

Brantly played in six big league games this past season, his seventh year logging at least minimal MLB action. The 32-year-old backstop hit a strong .289/.379/.456 in Triple-A this year and should attract interest from other clubs on minor league arrangements if/when he elects free agency.

Red Sox Claim Tim Locastro From Yankees

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The Red Sox have claimed outfielder Tim Locastro off waivers from the Yankees, both teams announced. Locastro is eligible for arbitration this winter, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to receive a $700K salary if tendered a contract.

Locastro’s stint in New York proved brief. Acquired from the Diamondbacks last July, he unfortunately suffered an ACL tear in his ninth game in pinstripes. That ended his season and ultimately proved to conclude his tenure in the Bronx.

An ACL injury is particularly worrisome for Locastro, since his skillset is based around blazing speed. The 29-year-old is among the game’s fastest players, and he perennially rates as one of the better baserunners around. In 209 major league games, Locastro has swiped 31 bags on 34 attempts, a stellar 91.2% success rate. That athleticism also allows him to cover all three outfield positions.

Locastro doesn’t bring a ton of upside in the batter’s box, though. In 503 plate appearances over parts of five seasons, the right-handed hitter owns a .231/.333/.329 line with just five home runs. Locastro has very little power and rarely walks, but he’s shown a huge propensity for being hit by pitches. That willingness to absorb some body blows has enabled him to reach base at a decent clip in spite of a subpar batting average.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the move.

Pirates Claim Greg Allen Off Waivers From Yankees

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The Pirates announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed outfielder Greg Allen off waivers from the Yankees. Allen had been selected to the big league roster before New York’s AL Wild Card game but didn’t appear in the contest.

During the regular season, the 28-year-old Allen saw only fifteen games of action in pinstripes. He made the most of that time, putting up a huge .270/.417/.432 slash line and going a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. His Triple-A production was even better, as the switch-hitter mashed at a .326/.442/.465 clip over 263 plate appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The rebuilding Pirates will take a no-risk flier to see if Allen can build off his 2021 campaign. A fairly well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, he didn’t hit well enough to cement himself as an everyday player. From 2017-20, he posted a meager .239/.298/.343 mark, and advanced defensive metrics weren’t enamored with his work in center field.

Assuming he sticks on the 40-man roster all offseason, Allen will get a shot to compete for a job in Spring Training. He’s out of minor league option years, so the Bucs will either need to carry him on the major league roster out of camp or make him available to the rest of the league.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the move.

Brett Gardner, Darren O’Day Reach Free Agency

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The Yankees announced this evening that both outfielder Brett Gardner and reliever Darren O’Day have reached free agency. Both players had contracts with player options that they each declined. Their respective deals allowed the Yankees to bring back either player by then exercising a pricier club option, but the team decided not to do so in either case.

It’s the second consecutive offseason in which the Yankees have declined an option on Gardner. Last winter, the club opted to buy the veteran out rather than bring him back for $10MM. After a few months on the open market, the career-long Yankee returned to the Bronx on a complex deal that paid him a $2.85MM salary in 2021. The contract contained a $2.3MM player option for 2022. Were Gardner to decline, the Yankees were left to decide between exercising a $7.15MM club option or buying him out for $1.15MM.

Both sides have chosen to decline their end, meaning Gardner will collect the buyout figure and hit the open market. This again raises the possibility that Gardner could land elsewhere after spending the past fourteen seasons in a Yankee uniform. It’s certainly still possible New York and Gardner’s reps at Meister Sports Management look to hammer out a new agreement that lands somewhere in between the respective values of the player and club options, but he’ll now be free to explore opportunities with other teams as well.

The 2021 campaign was something of a mixed bag for Gardner, who likely wound up thrust into a bigger role than the team had envisioned. With Aaron Hicks suffering a season-ending injury in May, the 38-year-old Gardner stepped in as the Yankees’ primary center fielder. Both Statcast’s Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved tabbed him as a roughly average center fielder, no small feat for a player his age.

Gardner’s production on the other side of the ball dipped, though, as he posted his worst hitting numbers since 2018. Over 461 plate appearances, the left-handed batter put up a .222/.327/.362 line with 10 homers. Gardner still walked in a fantastic 13% of his trips and struck out less often than average, but he’s posted low batting averages on balls in play for the last few seasons and the 28 homers he popped in 2019 looks like an outlier after back-to-back down power years.

While Gardner has spent his entire career in pinstripes, O’Day’s time in the Bronx might last just one season. The veteran submariner signed a free agent deal with a similar structure as Gardner’s last winter, albeit at a lesser sum. His contract paid a $1.75MM salary in 2021 and came with a $1.4MM player option for 2022. Once O’Day declined his end, the Yankees were left to decide whether to bring him back for $3.15MM or buy him out for $700K.

O’Day’s time with the Yankees didn’t go according to plan, as he was limited to 10 2/3 innings by injuries, including a left hamstring strain that ended his season in early July. Now 39 years old and coming off an injury-wrecked season, O’Day is looking at another low-cost deal this winter. Still, he seems likely to top the $700K gap between his buyout figure and the player option salary, so he’ll hit the open market in search of other opportunities. When healthy, O’Day has consistently been productive, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in every year since 2011.

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