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Tigers Sign Ron Gardenhire To Three-Year Contract

By Jeff Todd | October 20, 2017 at 11:30am CDT

11:30am: The Tigers have formally announced the hiring of Gardenhire, noting that he has indeed signed a three-year contract with the club.

OCT. 20, 7:40am: The Tigers have scheduled a press conference for 1pm ET today to announce the hiring.

OCT. 19: Ron Gardenhire has agreed to a three-year deal to become the Tigers’ next manager, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link). The deal could be announced tomorrow; Detroit’s decision to tab the veteran skipper was first reported earlier today by Ken Rosenthal and Katie Strang of The Athletic (subscription required and recommended).

Detroit will install the widely respected 59-year-old in the dugout in place of Brad Ausmus, whom the club decided not to retain past the present season. Gardenhire previously managed the division-rival Twins and most recently served as the Diamondbacks’ bench coach. He also fought through a diagnosis of prostate cancer earlier this year, returning to help guide the Diamondbacks to a successful season.

At last check, Tigers GM Al Avila had cast a wide net in lining up options. While there was no prior indication that a decision was looming, Detroit obviously decided to go ahead with Gardenhire, perhaps due in some part to ongoing competition with other organizations. Gardenhire was also under consideration for the Red Sox job, though that is expected to go to Alex Cora.

After moving on from Ausmus, who was a rookie skipper when he signed on, the Tigers have indicated a clear preference for a candidate with prior time as a MLB manager. Gardenhire certainly checks that box. He spent thirteen years running things for the Twins, beginning in 2012. That tenure spanned quite a few good years, including a run of six postseason appearances in nine years, though the team’s performance fell off sharply in his final four campaigns.

Gardy ultimately delivered a 1,068-and-1,039 win/loss record during his time in Minnesota, which wrapped up after the 2014 campaign. He failed to guide the team into the World Series and only made it out of the divisional round once despite the run of regular season success.

In any event, postseason considerations likely won’t be much of a factor early in Gardenhire’s tenure with Detroit. The team is only just embarking upon a rebuilding effort that is likely to take several seasons to come to fruition, after all, placing it more in the situation that the Twins found themselves in back in 2011 — the first year of the four-season run of misery. Gardenhire, then, has his share of experience in bringing along younger players through a rebuilding stage. While he ultimately was cut loose in Minnesota, perhaps some of his efforts are beginning to bear fruit there.

It’ll be interesting to see how this relationship works out. Avila had suggested a need for a new approach from a new skipper, but evidently was not referring to a strong sabermetric predilection. Gardenhire brings a reputation as an old-school manager, after all. As Joe Posnanski wrote at the end of his tenure in Minnesota: “Gardy comes from the Tom Kelly school — he was the valedictorian of the Tom Kelly school — where managers grump and demand and instill and bunt too much and occasionally fall in love with limited but gritty players.” That said, Gardenhire is also said to carry a new “openness” to modern analytics after his year with the D-Backs, Morosi tweets. Avila and the Tigers are betting that approach will help foster the growth of a new core and ultimately guide the team back into contention.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Seeking Writers For ProHockeyRumors.com

By Steve Adams | October 19, 2017 at 9:30am CDT

In June of 2016, we launched Pro Hockey Rumors to cover each and every piece of NHL transaction-related news. Stationed alongside MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors and Pro Football Rumors, PHR has grown into a formidable force in the hockey news landscape, establishing relationships with players and media members alike. As the 2017-18 season gets underway, we’re looking to bring aboard multiple new writers with strong evening and weekend availability. The positions will pay hourly.

Requirements:

Ability to work at least ten hours per week covering NHL news, particularly with availability on weekends and between 5-9pm central time Monday through Friday.
Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams and their players, with no discernible bias. Knowledge of all transaction-related concepts.
A high school degree is required, and further education is preferred. Please include your highest completed level of education in your application.
Writing experience is necessary, and online writing experience is preferred.
Attention to detail and ability to follow the Trade Rumors style and tone.
Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news quickly and concisely.
Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs. Be sure to attach your resume to the email. We often receive several hundred applications, so unfortunately we will not be able to reply to each one.

Eduardo Rodriguez Undergoes Knee Surgery

By Jeff Todd | October 17, 2017 at 2:44pm CDT

Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez has undergone a significant knee surgery, per a team announcement. Specifically, he had a patellofemoral ligament reconstruction performed on his right knee. The joint has been a source of problems for Rodriguez for some time, though he was able to turn in a mostly complete 2017 season.

Per the announcement, it is expected that Rodriguez will not be able to resume pitching for around six months. That would put him on course to be ready by mid-April of next year, though of course he’ll need some time to build up into full game condition. Accordingly, it seems clear he won’t be available for the club for some time early in the 2018 campaign.

That will leave Boston looking for options to fill out the rotation at the start of the year, though perhaps the club will feel confident enough in Rodriguez’s return that it will be happy with a shorter-term fill-in. The Sox are also hoping that Steven Wright will be back at full strength, potentially providing another option to join a rotation that’ll feature Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Drew Pomeranz. But there’s now rather clearly some cause for the team to pursue added depth — if not even to go ahead and add a full-time starter if a reasonable opportunity arises.

Rodriguez, 24, has steadily provided Boston with good innings over the past three seasons — when he has been available. While he has yet to take more than 24 starts in a given campaign, and hasn’t yet taken a final step to producing dominant results, Rodriguez is quite a valuable asset and still seems capable of more.

In 2017, Rodriguez threw a personal high of 137 1/3 innings, working to a solid 4.19 ERA. While he recorded 9.8 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9, he also surrendered 1.25 home runs per nine. ERA estimators all landed in range of his actual results, but perhaps there’s still another gear for a pitcher who has steadily increased his swinging-strike rate (most recently, 11.6%) and managed to produce despite a series of lower-body issues. Surprisingly, he has maintained rather pronounced reverse platoon splits in the majors; beyond getting healthy, then, perhaps the biggest challenge Rodriguez faces is to find a way to tamp down on the .270/.338/.447 batting line that southpaw swingers have put up against him.

Hanley Ramirez Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

By Jeff Todd | October 17, 2017 at 2:43pm CDT

2:43pm: Ramirez underwent an arthrocopy and debridement. It is not expected to prevent him from being ready for a full 2018 campaign.

12:50pm: Details remain unknown, but Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston tweets that it’s believed to be a “relatively minor” surgery.

12:06pm: Red Sox first baseman/DH Hanley Ramirez underwent surgery today on his left shoulder, he announced. The details of the procedure, which comes as something of a surprise, are not yet known.

Shoulder issues plagued Ramirez throughout the season, but he had not previously given any indication that he was set to go under the knife, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com notes on Twitter. And president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said less than a week ago that he was not aware of any players who’d need surgery. (Of course, it was later announced that lefty Robby Scott underwent a procedure that very day.)

Ramirez, who’ll turn 34 in December, is owed $22MM next year. If he takes at least 497 plate appearances and passes a physical, he’d also trigger a $22MM vesting option for the 2019 campaign, though odds are the club won’t allow that to happen unless Ramirez is playing well enough that the extra year doesn’t seem like a burden.

Boston will hope that Ramirez can bounce back from another rough season. He was productive in 2016, but otherwise has given the organization below-average offensive work since joining the organization before the ’15 campaign.

This year, Ramirez managed only a .242/.320/.429 slash with 23 home runs over 553 trips to the plate. He did not show significant erosion in plate discipline, with a typical 9.2% walk rate and a slightly elevated 21.0% strikeout rate. And perhaps there’s some hope that a reversal in fortune on batted balls will help Ramirez make up lost ground. After all, he managed only a .272 BABIP, well below his career .322 measure, despite a batted-ball mix that mostly mirrors those of recent seasons.

Ramirez was signed for his bat, and perhaps it can still come alive with a healthy shoulder. If not, he won’t hold much function for the Red Sox. Though he once ran well, Ramirez racked up -5.3 runs on the bases in 2017 by Fangraphs’ BsR measure. And at this point, the former shortstop is only an option at DH or first base. He wasn’t able to play the field much at all this year due to the shoulder problem, but perhaps there’ll be greater availability in the future.

Regardless of Ramirez’s availability, the Red Sox will likely look for more pop over the offseason to come. But HanRam’s outlook matters, too. If he’s healthy and capable of lining up at first base, perhaps the team would have greater positional flexibility in adding a bat. At this point, though, it seems likely that the Boston organization will assume it needs to add a player capable of playing first in 2018. Indeed, it’s even possible to imagine pursuit of multiple hitters, depending upon the post-surgical prognosis.

Marlins Reportedly Aiming To Drop Payroll To $90MM

By Steve Adams | October 13, 2017 at 2:26pm CDT

Chief executive officer Derek Jeter suggested at last week’s introductory press conference that the Marlins’ new ownership group may have to make some “unpopular” decisions for the long-term well-being of the franchise, and it appears that a fairly dramatic cut of the payroll is in order. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that the Marlins are aiming to trim their payroll back to about $90MM — a decrease of $25MM from its 2017 Opening Day mark and nearly $50MM south of where Jason Martinez of MLBTR/Roster Resource projects their 2018 payroll to land at present (once league-minimum players are added to the bill).

A massive cutback in payroll will only further fuel the Giancarlo Stanton rumor mill, as he’s set to earn $25MM next year. However, the Marlins have a number of other well-compensated players that could be reasonable trade targets. Fleet-footed second baseman Dee Gordon has already seen his name floated in trade rumors and will earn $10.5MM next year. He’s owed $40MM in total over the next three seasons. Righty Brad Ziegler, who served as the team’s closer after AJ Ramos was traded, pitched brilliantly to finish the year. He’s owed $9MM next year in the second season of a two-year deal. Martin Prado will make $28.5MM over the next two seasons, including $13.5MM in 2018.

Perhaps chief among the Marlins’ trade candidates when combining desirability, affordability and proximity to free agency, however, is slugging outfielder Marcell Ozuna. While Stanton’s bat would hold widespread appeal throughout the league, taking the remaining $295MM that he’s owed would be a struggle for the majority of teams around the league. Ozuna, on the other hand, hit .312/.376/.548 with 37 homers in 2017 and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $10.9MM in 2017. He’s controllable via arbitration for another two seasons and could fetch a substantial prospect return from clubs in need of help in the outfield.

Right-hander Dan Straily’s salary won’t be anywhere near the team’s top paid players, but he’s projected to earn $4.6MM in 2018 and could return a decent crop of prospects himself. Over the past two seasons, Straily has made 64 starts and worked to a combined 4.01 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 373 innings. He’s by no means a front-of-the-rotation arm, but he can be controlled at a reasonably affordable rate for another three seasons via the arbitration process. As is the case with Ozuna, moving Straily wouldn’t require eating any salary, and dealing him alone could shave nearly 10 percent of the team’s reported goal.

Christian Yelich is arguably the crown jewel of the Marlins’ trade pieces, as he’s established himself as one of the National League’s best all-around players and is controllable through the 2022 season. Of course, the Marlins only owe him $7MM next year as part of his seven-year, $49.6MM contract, so the team can certainly afford to keep him around and hope that Yelich can be part of a contending club down the line.

Certainly, though, the subtraction of Stanton would be the fastest avenue to reaching that sum in savings. Stanton does have a full no-trade clause (in addition to the $295MM he’s owed), though he’s also plainly stated in no uncertain terms recently that he does not want the Marlins to rebuild. A move to a contending club could be fine with Stanton, though the Marlins and any trading partner would presumably also have to put in an extensive amount of work in order to find a middle ground. The Marlins may very well have to offset some of that $295MM sum, while the other club would likely balk at including multiple top prospects while taking on such an enormous financial commitment. Because that nexus will be difficult to find, a trade of Stanton may not be as logical as many casual observers would anticipate; the logistics of a deal would be extraordinarily complicated.

Speaking from a purely speculative standpoint, a rebuilding club with limited payroll commitments could also seek to “buy” young talent from the Marlins by taking undesirable contracts off their hands. While it’d be a massive ask for any team to pick up the remaining three years and $52MM on Wei-Yin Chen’s contract, a club like the White Sox, Phillies or Padres could theoretically take Junichi Tazawa and his $7MM contract if the Marlins agree to include some minor league talent. Alternatively, someone like Tazawa could be packaged with a more appealing trade asset such as Ozuna or Straily, though doing so would obviously lower the expected return on an otherwise-desirable trade chip.

It’s not clear exactly which path the Marlins will take under their new ownership group. But the offseason figures to be highly active, and it seems safe to assume that the 2018 Marlins will look substantially different than the group that took the field on Opening Day in 2017.

MLB Sets 2017-18 Qualifying Offer At $17.4MM

By Jeff Todd | October 12, 2017 at 5:15pm CDT

Major League Baseball has set the qualifying offer for the upcoming offseason at $17.4MM, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports (Twitter link).

With the news, teams can now make full assessments of whether to issue qualifying offers to pending free agents. Offers are due five days after the World Series wraps up; players will then have ten days to weigh them.

Prior indications were that the figure would land somewhat higher, with expectations sitting in the range of $18.1MM. Last year, the QO sat at $17.2MM, so this represents only a marginal tick upward. Though the variations here are relatively small relative to the total value, every bit of money adds up for teams that are looking to map out a payroll plan.

When the QO system went into effect in the fall of 2012, the offer price — which is set by averaging the top 125 salaries leaguewide — was set at $13.3MM. For the first five years of its operation, the draft compensation system was relatively simple, but also seemingly operated to create quite a burden for mid-tier free agents. Tim gave an early an excellent account of the impact early in 2013; one year later, I took a lengthy look at the way the offer functioned in practice and explored some concepts for improving it. To that point, no player had accepted a qualifying offer. The market evolved from that point onward, as several players ultimately took the big, one-year salaries. But it remained clear that only a few players each year were disproportionately burdened by the system, which also did not seem to be benefiting smaller-market organizations.

With a new collective bargaining agreement came a new and more complicated rules regime that sought to temper some of those problems. Rather than the one-size-fits-all approach that once governed, several variables are now utilized to determine the draft compensation that results when a player declines a QO and then signs with another organization. You’ll want to review this thorough breakdown of the new system, via MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk, for a full understanding of the procedures that apply for the coming offseason.

Red Sox Fire John Farrell

By Jeff Todd | October 11, 2017 at 8:29am CDT

The Red Sox have announced that John Farrell will not return as manager. The team had previously exercised its 2018 club option over the skipper, but will now change course and pursue another option.

A search is set to begin immediately, per the club announcement. The Mets, Phillies, and Tigers are also looking for new managers at this point, so there will be some competition.

Farrell took over in Boston after the team’s ill-fated 2012 season. The relationship got off to quite a start, as the Sox ran up 97 wins and streaked to a World Series win in 2013.

Two-straight last-place divisional finishes followed, however, leading to the departure of then-GM Ben Cherington. His replacement at the top of the baseball ops pyramid, Dave Dombrowski, decided to retain Farrell for each of the last two seasons.

Regular-season results have followed, as the organization added significant new pieces and paced the AL East with 93 wins in both 2016 and 2017. Unfortunately, though, the postseason results have also been the same: consecutive first-round wash-outs.

Of course, there’s only so much Farrell could have done differently to stave off elimination. The Sox were swept last year by the eventual American League champion Indians. And this year, the team ran into an Astros buzzsaw, rebounding to avoid another sweep and make the fourth game competitive but ultimately falling short.

Farrell’s tenure had its ups and downs off of the field as well. He battled through lymphoma during his tenure. And Farrell also kicked up some controversy when he and his wife divorced and rumors arose of a relationship with a local reporter.

Ultimately, it seems the Boston higher-ups felt that gains could be achieved by pursuing a new direction. Plenty of names have been tossed around in the immediate aftermath of the move, though as yet no clear connections have been made. Clearly, Boston will be looking for someone that can move the team into and through the postseason, though otherwise little is known. Dombrowski is expected to meet with the media later this morning.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2018

By Tim Dierkes | October 10, 2017 at 8:13am CDT

As explained here, Matt Swartz and MLB Trade Rumors have developed an accurate model to project arbitration salaries. This is the seventh year we’ve done these projections, and I’m proud to present the results for 2018. The number in parentheses next to each player is his estimated Major League service time (Years.Days) through 2017 (172 days constitutes a full year of Major League service, per the collective bargaining agreement). The Super Two cutoff is 2.123.

Angels (11)

Martin Maldonado (5.156) – $2.8MM
Garrett Richards (5.148) – $7.0MM
Blake Wood (5.131) – $2.2MM
Matt Shoemaker (3.166) – $4.4MM
Tyler Skaggs (3.135) – $1.9MM
Blake Parker (3.036) – $1.7MM
Jose Alvarez (3.035) – $1.1MM
C.J. Cron (3.097) – $2.8MM
Cam Bedrosian (2.153) – $1.2MM
Andrew Heaney (2.150) – $800K
J.C. Ramirez (2.139) – $2.6MM

Astros (9)

Dallas Keuchel (5.089) – $12.6MM
Evan Gattis (5.000) – $6.6MM
Mike Fiers (4.085) – $5.7MM
Collin McHugh (4.085) – $4.8MM
George Springer (3.166) – $8.9MM
Brad Peacock (3.165) – $2.9MM
Jake Marisnick (3.145) – $2.0MM
Ken Giles (3.113) – $5.0MM
Lance McCullers (2.140) – $2.6MM

Athletics (8)

Chris Hatcher (4.146) – $2.2MM
Khris Davis (4.104) – $11.1MM
Liam Hendriks (4.038) – $1.9MM
Marcus Semien (3.118) – $3.2MM
Josh Phegley (3.114) – $1.1MM
Blake Treinen (3.065) – $2.3MM
Jake Smolinski (3.016) – $700K
Kendall Graveman (3.014) – $2.6MM

Blue Jays (8)

Josh Donaldson (5.158) – $20.7MM
Aaron Loup (5.040) – $1.8MM
Ezequiel Carrera (4.039) – $1.9MM
Marcus Stroman (3.148) – $7.2MM
Kevin Pillar (3.113) – $4.0MM
Aaron Sanchez (3.069) – $1.9MM
Devon Travis (3.000) – $1.7MM
Roberto Osuna (3.000) – $5.6MM
Dominic Leone (2.123) – $1.2MM

Braves (5)

Arodys Vizcaino (4.168) – $3.7MM
Chase Whitley (3.099) – $1.0MM
Sam Freeman (3.066) – $1.2MM
Dan Winkler (3.000) – $800K
Mike Foltynewicz (2.163) – $2.7MM

Brewers (6)

Jeremy Jeffress (4.104) – $2.6MM
Stephen Vogt (4.084) – $3.9MM
Jonathan Villar (3.113) – $3.0MM
Jimmy Nelson (3.107) – $4.7MM
Hernan Perez (3.079) – $2.2MM
Corey Knebel (2.151) – $$4.1MM

Cardinals (4)

Marcell Ozuna (4.124) – $10.9MM
Michael Wacha (4.062) – $5.9MM
Tyler Lyons (3.070) – $1.3MM
Randal Grichuk (3.033) – $2.8MM

Cubs (6)

Justin Wilson (5.035) – $4.3MM
Justin Grimm (4.153) – $2.4MM
Kyle Hendricks (3.081) – $4.9MM
Tommy La Stella (3.057) – $1.0MM
Kris Bryant (2.171) – $8.9MM
Addison Russell (2.167) – $2.3MM

Diamondbacks (13)

Patrick Corbin (5.105) – $8.3MM
Randall Delgado (5.100) – $2.5MM
A.J. Pollock (5.052) – $8.5MM
Shelby Miller (4.166) – $4.9MM
Brad Boxberger (4.109) – $1.9MM
Chris Owings (4.027) – $3.8MM
Chris Herrmann (4.001) – $1.4MM
Taijuan Walker (3.142) – $5.0MM
David Peralta (3.120) – $3.8MM
Nick Ahmed (3.054) – $1.1MM
Jake Lamb (3.053) – $4.7MM
Andrew Chafin (3.020) – $1.2MM
Robbie Ray (3.007) – $4.2MM

Dodgers (8)

Yasmani Grandal (5.115) – $7.7MM
Alex Wood (4.123) – $6.4MM
Tony Cingrani (4.088) – $2.2MM
Josh Fields (4.083) – $2.2MM
Pedro Baez (3.059) – $1.5MM
Enrique Hernandez (3.054) – $1.3MM
Joc Pederson (3.028) – $2.0MM
Yimi Garcia (3.004) – $700K

Giants (5)

Will Smith (4.155) – $2.5MM
Cory Gearrin (4.136) – $1.6MM
Sam Dyson (3.142) – $4.6MM
Joe Panik (3.100) – $3.5MM
Hunter Strickland (2.163) – $1.7MM

Indians (7)

Lonnie Chisenhall (5.158) – $5.8MM
Zach McAllister (5.077) – $2.4MM
Cody Allen (5.076) – $10.8MM
Dan Otero (4.124) – $1.4MM
Danny Salazar (3.162) – $5.2MM
Trevor Bauer (3.158) – $7.7MM
Abraham Almonte (3.052) – $1.1MM

Mariners (7)

David Phelps (5.156) – $5.8MM
Andrew Romine (5.049) – $1.9MM
Erasmo Ramirez (4.158) – $4.7MM
Nick Vincent (4.067) – $2.7MM
Mike Zunino (3.165) – $3.2MM
James Paxton (3.151) – $5.6MM
Mike Morin (3.030) – $700K

Marlins (5)

Derek Dietrich (3.151) – $3.2MM
Dan Straily (3.126) – $4.6MM
Justin Bour (3.064) – $3.5MM
Miguel Rojas (3.043) – $1.1MM
J.T. Realmuto (3.038) – $4.2MM

Mets (9)

Matt Harvey (5.072) – $5.9MM
A.J. Ramos (5.030) – $9.2MM
Jeurys Familia (5.023) – $7.4MM
Zack Wheeler (4.098) – $1.9MM
Travis d’Arnaud (4.044) – $3.4MM
Wilmer Flores (4.003) – $3.7MM
Jacob deGrom (3.139) – $9.2MM
Noah Syndergaard (2.149) – $1.9MM
Hansel Robles (2.129) – $1.0MM

Nationals (3)

Anthony Rendon (4.130) – $11.5MM
Tanner Roark (4.055) – $7.5MM
Michael Taylor (3.010) – $2.3MM

Orioles (7)

Zach Britton (5.158) – $12.2MM
Brad Brach (5.063) – $5.2MM
Manny Machado (5.056) – $17.3MM
Jonathan Schoop (4.027) – $9.1MM
Kevin Gausman (3.151) – $6.8MM
Caleb Joseph (3.145) – $1.4MM
Tim Beckham (3.134) – $3.1MM

Padres (7)

Freddy Galvis (5.021) – $7.4MM
Brad Hand (4.092) – $3.8MM
Carter Capps (4.133) – $1.3MM
Robbie Erlin (3.078) – $700K
Kirby Yates (3.021) – $1.1MM
Cory Spangenberg (3.016) – $2.0MM
Matt Szczur (2.134) – $800K

Phillies (4)

Cesar Hernandez (3.154) – $4.7MM
Cameron Rupp (3.089) – $2.1MM
Luis Garcia (3.006) – $1.4MM
Maikel Franco (2.170) – $3.6MM

Pirates (4)

Jordy Mercer (5.095) – $6.5MM
George Kontos (4.171) – $2.7MM
Gerrit Cole (4.111) – $7.5MM
Felipe Rivero (2.162) – $3.1MM

Rangers (4)

Jake Diekman (5.050) – $2.8MM
Jurickson Profar (3.165) – $1.1MM
Keone Kela (3.000) – $1.2MM
Ryan Rua (2.129) – $900K

Rays (9)

Adeiny Hechavarria (5.060) – $5.0MM
Dan Jennings (4.171) – $2.5MM
Corey Dickerson (4.101) – $6.4MM
Brad Miller (4.094) – $4.4MM
Jake Odorizzi (4.042) – $6.5MM
Jesus Sucre (3.137) – $1.3MM
Alex Colome (3.118) – $5.5MM
Steven Souza (3.072) – $3.6MM
Matt Duffy (3.059) – $900K

Red Sox (13)

Joe Kelly (5.029) – $3.6MM
Drew Pomeranz (5.013) – $9.1MM
Tyler Thornburg (4.057) – $2.1MM
Brock Holt (4.052) – $2.0MM
Xander Bogaerts (4.042) – $7.6MM
Jackie Bradley (3.150) – $5.9MM
Sandy Leon (3.149) – $2.1MM
Steven Wright (3.089) – $1.2MM
Mookie Betts (3.070) – $8.2MM
Brandon Workman (3.115) – $900K
Christian Vazquez (3.031) – $1.5MM
Carson Smith (3.028) – $1.1MM
Eduardo Rodriguez (2.130) – $2.7MM

Reds (6)

Scooter Gennett (4.071) – $6.1MM
Billy Hamilton (4.028) – $5.0MM
Anthony DeSclafani (3.062) – $1.1MM
Eugenio Suarez (3.061) – $4.4MM
Michael Lorenzen (2.159) – $1.4MM

Rockies (5)

DJ LeMahieu (5.128) – $8.8MM
Charlie Blackmon (5.102) – $13.4MM
Chad Bettis (3.096) – $1.5MM
Chris Rusin (3.092) – $1.4MM
Zach Rosscup (2.164) – $600K

Royals (3)

Kelvin Herrera (5.157) – $8.3MM
Brandon Maurer (4.089) – $3.8MM
Nate Karns (3.033) – $1.4MM
Jorge Soler (2.143) – $1.1MM if he chooses to opt into arbitration. Otherwise, contract calls for $4MM each season from 2018-20.

Tigers (6)

Jose Iglesias (5.036) – $5.6MM
Alex Wilson (4.038) – $2.1MM
Nick Castellanos (4.029) – $7.6MM
Shane Greene (3.075) – $1.7MM
James McCann (3.028) – $2.3MM
Blaine Hardy (2.130) – $800K

Twins (7)

Eduardo Escobar (5.128) – $4.9MM
Kyle Gibson (4.039) – $5.3MM
Ryan Pressly (4.039) – $1.6MM
Ehire Adrianza (3.131) – $1.0MM
Robbie Grossman (3.060) – $2.4MM
Trevor May (3.051) – $600K

White Sox (7)

Avisail Garcia (4.167) – $6.7MM
Luis Avilan (4.146) – $2.3MM
Jose Abreu (4.000) – $17.9MM
Danny Farquhar (3.135) – $1.5MM
Leury Garcia (3.025) – $1.2MM
Carlos Rodon (2.168) – $2.0MM
Yolmer Sanchez (2.134) – $2.1MM

Yankees (8)

Adam Warren (5.036) – $3.1MM
Didi Gregorius (4.159) – $9.0MM
Dellin Betances (4.078) – $4.4MM
Sonny Gray (4.061) – $6.6MM
Austin Romine (4.045) – $1.2MM
Aaron Hicks (4.041) – $2.9MM
Tommy Kahnle (3.015) – $1.3MM
Chasen Shreve (2.167) – $900K

Twins Sign Paul Molitor To Three-Year Extension

By Steve Adams | October 9, 2017 at 3:09pm CDT

The Twins announced Monday that they have signed manager Paul Molitor to a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2020 season. Molitor’s new deal is worth approximately $4MM, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). He and the Twins are still discussing whether there will be changes to his coaching staff, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag (Twitter link).

While a new deal for Molitor was expected by many, it wasn’t quite a given. Molitor was initially hired as the successor to longtime manager Ron Gardenhire, but that hire was made by former general manager Terry Ryan, who was fired from his post last year. Some speculated that Falvey and general manager Thad Levine may want to bring in their own candidate to take over the dugout, but Molitor will stay in the fold.

While the 2016 season was an unmitigated disaster, the Twins have surprised in two of Molitor’s three seasons at the helm. The 2015 club won 83 games — a 13-game improvement over the preceding season — and was in contention for an AL Wild Card spot until the very last weekend of the regular season. Last year’s 103-loss campaign now looks to be largely an aberration, as Molitor’s Twins posted 85 wins and secured the second AL Wild Card spot this year before falling 8-4 against the Yankees. That surprising performance has positioned Molitor as one of the speculative front-runners for American League Manager of the Year honors.

Molitor, of course, enjoyed a 21-year playing career and is among the most decorated offensive players in Major League history. The seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner finished his career with a .306/.369/.448 batting line, and his 3,319 career hits rank 10th all-time in MLB history. Molitor is widely praised by his former teammates and current players for his baseball intelligence, and while he may not be as sabermetrically inclined as some other skippers around the game, his arrival in Minnesota did prompt a much more aggressive implementation of defensive shifting.

Overall, he’s managed the Twins to a 227-259 record in his three-year tenure, though the future looks considerably brighter in Minnesota following explosive second halves from young talents such as Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario. Those three will join a hopefully healthier Miguel Sano, outfielder Max Kepler and right-hander Jose Berrios in forming a long-term core that the Twins hope can lead to additional postseason appearances in the very near future.

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press first reported (via Twitter) that Molitor would return to manage the Twins under a new contract. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reported Sunday (Twitter link) that the two sides were closing in on a deal. La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune confirmed the agreement Monday. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Release Prince Fielder

By Jeff Todd | October 4, 2017 at 9:00pm CDT

9:00pm: Texas has indeed negotiated a deal with the insurance company, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Per Grant, the agreement is believed to defer the payment of policy benefits but otherwise leave them intact.

12:12pm: The Rangers announced that they have released first baseman Prince Fielder. With the move, the club will be able to utilize a 40-man roster spot that had previously been tied up owing to financial considerations.

Fielder had previously announced that he would no longer play after undergoing neck fusion surgery late in the 2016 season. But the veteran slugger did not formally retire at that time, as he is still entitled to earn $24MM per season through 2020 under the massive free-agent deal he signed back in 2012 with the Tigers.

Of course, a big chunk of that salary was being paid by the Tigers and, since the surgery, an insurer. Cutting Fielder loose would have opened a roster spot, but also would have meant sacrificing the right to collect an estimated $9MM annually.

Details on the move aren’t yet clear, but it’s hard to imagine the Rangers have simply decided not to worry about the $27MM they could still collect in insurance proceeds. It seems more reasonable to expect that the move was made after some sort of settlement was reached — though that’s still speculative at this point.

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