Central Notes: Bieber, Buxton, Franklin
Guardians ace Shane Bieber tweeted this week that his right shoulder, which caused him to miss nearly half the 2021 season, is back to 100 percent and “has been for awhile now.” He’s been quietly going through his offseason routine as he awaits the resolution of the ongoing lockout.
The 26-year-old Bieber returned to the mound in late September and made a pair of three-inning appearances, which perhaps gave Cleveland fans some relief, but it’s nevertheless encouraging for Guardians fans to hear that he’s been working through the offseason pain-free and with no setbacks. Bieber’s 2021 season was limited to 96 2/3 innings due to a strain in his right shoulder’s subscapularis muscle, but he was quite effective when on the field, pitching to a 3.17 ERA with a huge 33.1% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner will head a Cleveland rotation that’s projected to also include Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $4.8MM salary for Bieber this year, and the Guardians control him through the 2024 season.
More out of the Midwest…
- As part of the ongoing lockout, players are unable to communicate with team staff. But that isn’t slowing Byron Buxton at all. In fact, he may even be getting faster, as a profile from Dan Hayes of The Athletic reveals the Twins outfielder has been working with Appling County High track and field coach Sheldon Pearce. The workouts have multiple goals, as Buxton spent the early part of the offseason adding muscle and doesn’t want that to subtract from the speed part of his game. Furthermore, health has been an issue for Buxton to this point in his career, as he’s only been able to play more than 100 games once in his seven-year MLB career thus far. However, when healthy, he has shown the potential to be one of the best players in the game, as evidenced by his 2021 season, where he hit .306/.358/.647 for an incredible wRC+ of 169, along with nine steals and incredible defense. Although he was only able to play 61 games, he still managed an excellent 4.2 fWAR in that limited showing. Just before the lockout, he and the Twins agreed to a seven-year contract extension that reflected both his tremendous talent but also his unpredictable health outcomes, as it comes with a $100MM guarantee but also a number of incentives that could greatly increase his earning power if he stays healthy and productive over the life of the deal. Twins fans will be delighted to read that Buxton is determined to change the narrative by staying as healthy as he possibly can. “I’ve got a chance (to be in the Olympics) at about 38 if I ain’t playing baseball,” Buxton said. “Seriously, the way that some people run now. You see how old they are. If they can sustain that, I can sustain my speed playing baseball for that long, possibly, as long as you keep your body in the right shape. That’s exciting to me. Everybody said when you get older, you’re going to get slower. For me, I feel like I’ve gotten faster because I’m just now starting to understand how to use my speed correctly.”
- Cubs righty Kohl Franklin threw to hitters for the first time in over a year, per a tweet from Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lee adds that Franklin hit 99 mph twice, which makes this doubly good news for Cubs fans, as that’s a notch above where he’d been before. Back in December, Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin of FanGraphs placed Franklin 34th on their list of Cubs’ prospects, noting that he “now sits in the low-90s and was up to 95 in 2019.” Unfortunately, the pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020 and a combination of injuries wiped out his entire 2021. Despite that, the report from FanGraphs opines that the 22-year-old is “among the likelier rotation pieces in this system when healthy.” As the Cubs have recently transitioned from competing to rebuilding, the ability to develop pitching prospects will likely be a key component of their future, as it was largely absent from the club’s previous decade. The big league rotation, as currently constructed, is anchored by three veterans in Kyle Hendricks, Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley. However, Miley is a free agent after 2022 and Hendricks and Stroman could both be gone a year later. (Stroman’s deal goes through 2024 but he can opt out after 2023, while the Cubs have a club option on Hendricks for 2024.) That will leave plenty of room for Franklin or any other prospect in the system to find a new gear and take over a rotation spot.
NL Central Notes: Hinds, Crow-Armstrong, Mathias
The Reds are moving power-hitting prospect Rece Hinds from third base to the outfield, The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith writes. The club first considered a position change for Hinds earlier this spring — as detailed by MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon — and a more official decision has now been made, in an effort to help keep the 21-year-old healthy. Between the canceled 2020 minor league season and a pair of serious leg injuries in both 2019 and 2021, Hinds has barely played (57 games, 236 plate appearances) since the Reds selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. Changing positions will theoretically help Hinds “concentrate on his legs, his agility and his leg health,” Reds VP of player development Shawn Pender said. “As big as he is, third base is not easy for a big man to play, no matter how athletic he is. Let’s put him someplace where that bursting stop and start isn’t impacting him.”
The 6’4, 215-pound Hinds is ranked amongst the Reds’ top ten prospects by both MLB Pipeline (7th) and Baseball America (8th). Both outlets’ scouting reports cited the possibility of Hinds eventually moving to the outfield, and between Hinds’ athleticism and a very strong throwing arm, the transition could be relatively smooth. Beyond his glovework, Hinds’ power and bat speed are his true calling cards, and he has hit a respectable .249/.326/.522 with 12 homers over those 236 PA, amidst all his injuries. Hinds played in A-ball last season, and it isn’t yet known if Cincinnati will start Hinds at Double-A, or perhaps at least start him back at A-ball just to get a few more games under his belt and some more seasoning at this new position.
More from around the NL Central…
- Injuries have also limited the brief career of Pete Crow-Armstrong, as shoulder surgery ended the outfielder’s first pro season after only six games. That health concern didn’t stop the Cubs from making Crow-Armstrong the key piece in the trade package they received from the Mets in the Javier Baez blockbuster last July, and MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes that Crow-Armstrong was cleared for regular activity in the Cubs’ minicamp. During his recovery time, Crow-Armstrong and Chicago minor league hitting coach Rachel Folden made some adjustments to his swing and approach, and the early results are promising. Crow-Armstrong “might have the biggest exit velocity jump of anyone we have in camp. He’s just way more physical,” Cubs director of hitting Justin Stone said.
- Mark Mathias is unfortunately no stranger to shoulder injuries, having twice undergone procedures for torn labrums. The latest surgery cost Mathias the entire 2021 season, but he is back at fully participating in the Brewers‘ minicamp with no apparent limitations. “It’s a miracle, man. I was thinking I wasn’t going to be able to recover from this one fully,” Mathias told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “This is my second surgery on the throwing shoulder, and most of the time when guys have that, it’s career ending….I’m able to throw and it looks right, and I’m thankful.” Mathias has been able to work out at camp and consult with the Brewers training staff because Milwaukee outrighted him off its 40-man roster in November, and thus Mathias isn’t subject to the lockout. Mathias spent much of his career in Cleveland’s farm system before being acquired by the Brew Crew in November 2019, and he made his MLB debut by playing 16 games for the Brewers in 2020. With Milwaukee constantly on the lookout for versatile roster pieces, Mathias will have a chance to win himself a bench job whenever big league camps finally open.
Rangers Notes: Patton, Hernandez, Engler
Spencer Patton‘s successful return to the Majors in 2021 flew somewhat under the radar, but the 34-year-old righty emerged as a key reliever for the Rangers, pitching to a 3.83 ERA with a 27.9% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate and a 41.3% ground-ball rate in 42 1/3 innings of work. That came on the heels of a strong four-year run with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan and marked Patton’s first big league action since a 2016 run with the Cubs. Prior to this past season, Patton carried a 6.26 ERA in 54 2/3 big league frames.
He’s not yet arbitration eligible, but the contract Patton signed upon returning from Japan calls for him to earn a $1.5MM salary in the Majors this year, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. It’s a split contract, so he’d earn at a different rate in the minors in the event Texas options him out. (Patton does have one minor league option remaining.) The Rangers may yet add to the bullpen after the lockout lifts, but Patton has likely solidified on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, barring injury or something unforeseen in whatever iteration of Spring Training is pieced together. Patton, Joe Barlow, Brett Martin and Josh Sborz all look like they have the inside track on Opening Day bullpen jobs, and the Rangers will hope to get hard-throwing righties Jose Leclerc and Jonathan Hernandez back from Tommy John surgery before too long, as well.
Some more notes on the Rangers…
- Speaking of Hernandez, the right-hander tweeted last week that he’s begun throwing off a mound for the first time since undergoing that Tommy John procedure. Hernandez sustained what was described as a “low-grade” tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow early in 2021 Spring Training and was shut down for a four-week period of rest. Doctors seemingly didn’t see enough improvement following that shutdown, as he underwent surgery on April 12 of last year. The 25-year-old Hernandez had a big showing with Texas during the shortened 2020 season, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with a 24.8% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 45.7% grounder rate in 31 innings. Hernandez averaged 96.7 mph on his heater that summer and posted a strong 13.9% swinging-strike rate as well. He’s had trouble with command in the past, particularly in 2019 when he walked one of every six hitters he faced in his big league debut (16 2/3 innings). He pairs that power fastball with a plus slider, however, and if he can sustain the improved command he showed in 2020, he’d quickly emerge as a high-end bullpen piece for manager Chris Woodward.
- One name who might’ve emerged in the bullpen mix, Scott Engler, won’t be pitching at all in 2022, tweets Jeff Wilson. The 25-year-old righty underwent Tommy John surgery on Monday this week, ruling him out of the team’s immediate plans. A 16th-round pick in 2016, Engler split the 2021 season between Double-A and Triple-A, pitching to a combined 3.71 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate, a 10.6% walk rate and a 48.5% ground-ball rate. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote last May that Engler has a plus splitter with so much drop that it can at times be mistaken for a curveball. The surgery figures to sideline Engler into the early stages of the 2023 season, but based on his upper-level experience and relative success, he could find himself in the bullpen mix next year.
Tigers Notes: Turnbull, Torkelson, Greene, Barnhart
Spencer Turnbull was off to a strong start to the 2021 season, working 50 innings of 2.88 ERA ball with a massive 57.2% ground-ball rate over his first nine starts — one of which was a no-hitter against the Mariners. After those productive first two months, the right-hander landed on the injured list with what was originally termed a forearm strain. Early reports indicated that Turnbull may be able to avoid a long-term absence, but it emerged in mid-July that he’d torn his UCL and required Tommy John surgery. That procedure obviously ended his season and its timing cast his 2022 campaign in similar doubt. TJS procedures often require around 14 months of rehab time, raising a question of whether the University of Alabama product will be available at all this year.
Speaking with Chris McCosky of the Detroit News this afternoon, Turnbull expressed optimism about his chances of making it back to the majors late in the season. He tells McCosky he’s been throwing on flat ground for the past few weeks and generally feels his arm is progressing well. Like other players rehabbing from injury, he’s been unable to communicate with team personnel during the lockout. Turnbull described the situation as “weird” and “not ideal” but maintained he’s confident in the non-Tigers medical staff currently leading his recovery. The 29-year-old is controllable through 2024 via arbitration and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a modest $1.8MM salary this season.
More out of Detroit:
- The delay to Opening Day puts the Tigers in an odd position with top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, writes Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. Both were expected to be in the mix for Opening Day roster spots, but the season’s delay will now likely push Major League Spring Training back to the point where it overlaps with the Triple-A season. The Tigers could be faced with pulling the pair from a more competitive setting in Triple-A to fly them back down to Florida for exhibition play — and then perhaps disrupting their season by sending them back to Toledo (where the team’s Triple-A affiliate plays) if either player is ultimately reassigned. It’s not a situation that’s unique to the Tigers, and one could even argue that Detroit is in an advantageous position, given that their two best prospects — both considered Top 10 throughout all of MLB — are both off the 40-man roster. The fact that neither is on the 40-man yet means that both are at least able to work out with team staff at their spring facility in Lakeland. Still, the organization faced a potentially difficult decision in the first place, and the delay to Opening Day adds another layer. Stavenhagen also has quotes from both players on the matter and some general observations from minicamp.
- The Tigers kicked off their offseason by acquiring backstop Tucker Barnhart from the Reds. The seven-year veteran has taken on an active role in the MLB Players Association for the bulk of his career, and he’s been involved in the union’s efforts during this stage of collective bargaining talks. Barnhart spoke with Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press in the wake of the league’s announcement Tuesday that it was canceling the first two series of the regular season. The two-time Gold Glove winner, who wasn’t attending this week’s negotiations in-person, admitted he woke up Tuesday morning believing the parties would finalize a new CBA in time to avoid that outcome based on the optimistic reports that had trickled out the night before. However, Barnhart says he learned Tuesday morning that while the previous night’s discussions had made some progress, the gaps hadn’t been closed as much as had seemed — a common refrain echoed by many on the players’ side. He and Petzold discuss the various issues that remain to be sorted out.
NL Notes: Benn, Mets, De La Cruz, Reds, Mitchell, Pirates
The Mets have hired Elizabeth Benn as the team’s new director of baseball operations, according to multiple reports (including from SNY’s Andy Martino). Benn has been a member of the MLB central office since 2017, beginning as an intern and then working in the labor relations and baseball operations departments. The hiring makes Benn the highest-ranking female baseball ops official in the history of the Mets franchise, as Benn joins the increasingly long list of women hired for prominent front office and on-field jobs with Major League organizations.
More from the National League…
- Elly De La Cruz was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, joining the Reds for only a $65K bonus in part because the Reds were basically the only team to give him any serious scouting attention. “He was tall and rangy and athletic, and we liked that he had some bat speed. But he wasn’t really on the radar,” Reds VP of player development Shawn Pender told The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith. Even after a decent Dominican Summer League performance in 2019, De La Cruz told Goldsmith that he was still worried that he might be cut when the Reds and other teams released several minor leaguers as part of the reduction in the number of minor league teams. However, the organization hung onto him, and De La Cruz might now be Cincinnati’s shortstop of the future after a huge 2021 season. The 20-year-old hit .296/.336/.539 with eight home runs over 265 combined plate appearances in rookie ball and A-ball, with his five-tool potential drawing trade attention from other teams and plaudits from prospect evaluators. De La Cruz went from being a fairly obscure prospect to a staple in top-100 lists from Fangraphs (who ranks De La Cruz 59th), Keith Law (69th), Baseball Prospectus (70th) and Baseball America (77th).
- Assuming the Rule 5 Draft happens whatsoever, the Pirates have some quality talent available for selection, which is a by-product of the team’s glut of intriguing minor leaguers and lack of space on the 40-man roster. Cal Mitchell was one of those players left off the 40-man in November, and Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette figures Mitchell’s bat, ability to play the outfield, “athleticism and professional approach” could attract teams looking for a player who can actually stick on an active 26-man roster for the entire season. Mitchell (who turns 23 on March 8) was a second-round pick in the 2017 draft, and has hit .267/.328/.411 over 1613 PA in the minors. He made his Triple-A debut last season in brief fashion, appearing in seven games with the Pirates’ top affiliate.
AL Notes: Glasnow, Astros, Kreidler, Canterino
In the latest step of Tyler Glasnow‘s recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Rays right-hander has started throwing, agent Joel Wolfe told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. Glasnow underwent his surgery in early August, so while it’s very up in the air as to whether or not he’ll be able to make it back to action before the 2022 season is out, he is setting an in-season return as his goal. Beyond just his health, the other question concerning Glasnow is whether or not he’d be returning to the mound in a Rays uniform — projected for a $5.8MM salary this year, Glasnow has been widely speculated as a trade candidate for a Tampa club that is forever looking to manage its payroll.
Some other tidbits from around the American League…
- “Position addition” is the name for the Astros‘ process of experimenting with its most athletic prospects at various other positions, The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes. Naturally, the more versatile a player is, the better his chances at reaching the majors in some kind of role. “It always depends on what the major league roster is going to look like in the future, but I think it just raises a lot of those guys’ floors,” Astros field coordinator Jason Bell said. “I think our guys have been fairly open to it…and I think a lot of times they think it’s fun.” Of the 23 position players in Houston’s minicamp, 12 are designated as part of an “infielder/outfielder” defensive grouping, working at positions both in the grass and on the dirt.
- Tigers prospect Ryan Kreidler may know a few things about position changes, as the longtime shortstop saw Javier Baez suddenly emerge as a roadblock after Baez landed in the Motor City on a six-year, $140MM deal. While Baez can opt out of that contract after the 2023 season, Kreidler will likely be focusing on other positions in the interim — he has played a handful of games at third base and second base during his two minor league seasons. “I will do whatever the Tigers want me to do, whether it’s shortstop, shortstop and third base, or utility,” Kreidler told Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. “Whatever they deem me capable of doing I will do it to the best of my ability and just keep trucking…I think shortstops have the ability to play all over the field, that’s why continuing to take reps at shortstop is good for me.” After a strong performance at the plate in 2021, Kreidler drew the attention of prospect evaluators and other teams, and now looks like yet another promising young Detroit player on the cusp of the big leagues. Jonathan Schoop and Jeimer Candelario have second and third base spoken for, and are both also controlled through 2023, so a utility role might indeed be Kreidler’s best path to the Tigers’ active roster.
- Elbow problems limited Matt Canterino to 23 innings in 2021, and between that abbreviated season and the canceled 2020 minor league campaign, the Twins prospect has tossed only 48 professional innings since being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft. Canterino came to Minnesota’s minicamp on a clean bill of health, he told Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and he is now focused on staying on the field. “I can’t really worry too much about a shutdown period, like how my workload’s going to be managed, but I can do the things that I think are going to help me stay healthy in the long run,” Canterino said. The righty has looked tremendous when he has been able to pitch, posting a 1.13 ERA and a whopping 42.94% strikeout rate over his 48 innings (topping out at the high-A level).
Mariners Notes: Festa, Cruz, Cameron
Mariners reliever Matt Festa underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020, just a few weeks after Seattle outrighted him off their 40-man roster. As is typically the case for TJS patients, he lost around a year and a half rehabbing and didn’t return to minor league games action until last July. The righty had an excellent second half with Triple-A affiliate Tacoma, working to a 2.95 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. He punched out a whopping 36% of batters faced while walking a minuscule 3.5% of opponents, but that wasn’t enough to earn another look in a Seattle bullpen that was among the league’s best.
Because he’s no longer on the 40-man roster, Festa is not subject to the ongoing lockout. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times writes that he’s been participating in Seattle’s minor league camp and flashed mid-90s fastball velocity in workouts this week. If he maintains that form throughout camp, he could be an option for Seattle in the event of injuries or underperformance among the big league relievers. Festa, 29 next month, posted a 4.70 ERA/4.97 SIERA over 30 2/3 big league innings between 2018-19. He’ll need to recapture a spot on the 40-man roster to get back to the MLB level.
More from Seattle:
- Former Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz hit free agency at the end of the year. Some Seattle fans have pined for a reunion, no surprise given Cruz’s success in the Pacific Northwest. He hit .284/.362/.546 over four seasons with the Mariners. Cruz wasn’t quite that productive last year in his age-40 campaign, but he still combined for an above-average .265/.334/.497 showing in 584 plate appearances with the Twins and Rays. That kind of production would be a notable upgrade to a Seattle lineup that ranked just 21st in wRC+ (pitchers excluded) last season. Nevertheless, Corey Brock of the Athletic opines as part of a reader mailbag that the Mariners seem unlikely to pursue a full-time designated hitter like Cruz. Seattle has an abundance of outfield options, in particular, and 2020 Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis will be coming off a season cut short by injuries to a right knee that has proven problematic for the bulk of his professional career. Signing a full-time DH would necessitate playing Lewis more or less every day in the outfield, where Mitch Haniger, Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell and Jake Fraley could also compete for reps. Brock feels the front office and manager Scott Servais are likelier to use the DH spot as an opportunity to rotate regulars through quasi-rest days, a fairly common practice around the league at this point.
- The Mariners have hired former Padres analyst Dave Cameron in a consulting role, as Divish first reported (on Twitter). Cameron, a Washington state native, began his career as a Mariners’ blogger before being hired as a writer and editor at FanGraphs. He joined the San Diego front office over the 2017-18 offseason but departed the organization after four seasons last fall. He will now have the chance to apply his analytical skills for the team that first ignited his baseball fandom and set him on his journey.
Quick Hits: Carpenter, Managers, Thome
Longtime Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter hit free agency at the end of the season when the team made the easy decision to decline their $18.5MM option on his services for 2022. The three-time All-Star and former Silver Slugger Award winner had fallen on hard times over the past few seasons. After a .257/.374/.523 showing that earned him down-ballot MVP support in 2018, Carpenter has hit only .203/.325/.346 over 910 plate appearances in the last three years.
Having recently turned 36 years old and reached the end of his contract, Carpenter could’ve thought about stepping away from the game. But he’s maintained that he has no plans to retire, and he recently detailed a series of changes he’s made to his offseason routine in a chat with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Carpenter connected with Reds star first baseman Joey Votto, who enjoyed an excellent 2021 season at age-37 after a pair of relatively down years. The lefty-hitting Carpenter praised Votto’s straightforwardness and candidly told Rosenthal “If he would have told me, ‘I think you’ve peaked. I think this is it,’ honestly, I probably would have retired. But he said, ‘I think you do have a lot left. I think you’ve kind of lost your way a little bit.’”
Carpenter suggested he’s embraced some different methods of training, increasing the intensity of his batting practice sessions and pairing with bat manufacturer Marucci to take a data-driven approach to his choice of bat. Carpenter also worked with private hitting instructor Craig Wallenbrock and former teammate Matt Holliday — now an assistant coach at Oklahoma State University — in an effort to rediscover his hitting mechanics. Given his age and recent struggles, Carpenter will have to settle for a minor league or low-base MLB deal whenever transactions again begin, but he tells Rosenthal he’s “more confident about where I’m at and where my swing is than I have been in years, maybe ever.” The piece is worth a read in full for those interested in Carpenter’s process and the mentality both he and Votto have taken in their pursuit of remaining productive as they get into their mid-late 30’s.
Some more odds and ends from around the game:
- As the amount of data available to and used by teams has exploded in recent years, managers have found themselves with different complexities than they’d faced in the past. Fabian Ardaya, Cody Stavenhagen and Will Sammon of the Athletic recently examined the job description facing modern skippers, who are often tasked with weighing countervailing opinions among front office analysts, players and assistant coaches. Giants manager Gabe Kapler — who has had plenty of success in San Francisco but had been fired after two seasons (2018-19) leading the Phillies — tells the Athletic scribes he feels he wasn’t always perceptive enough of the flow of the game early in his career. “In 2018, I came in with a game plan and tried to fit the game into that game plan at times,” Kapler said. “And I think more and more I’m just sort of watching and experiencing the game in real-time, being present in real-time and noting more things about what’s happening in the dugout, what’s happening with our coaching staff, things like facial expressions with our players and body language on the field.” Ardaya, Stavenhagen and Sammon also chat with Angels skipper Joe Maddon, new Mets manager Buck Showalter, and various front office personnel about the challenges inherent to managing as part of a broader look at the position.
- The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association announced yesterday that Jim Thome has been hired as their next president. He takes over for fellow Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, who had worked in that role since 1989. The MLBPAA, a nonprofit organization of over 8,600 current and former big leaguers, has a stated goal of “(promoting) the game of baseball, (raising) money for charity, (inspiring) and (educating) youth through positive sport images and (protecting) the dignity of the game.” “With what Brooks has done with his honesty, integrity, and leadership skills for the MLBPAA, I am very fortunate that I will be able to lean on him as well and ask him questions,” Thome said as part of the press release announcing the news. “To be the president is a great honor and it’s very humbling.“
AL Notes: Rangers, Hosmer, Royals, Wells
The Padres and Rangers discussed first baseman Eric Hosmer in trade talks last summer, as part of broader pre-deadline negotiations that also reportedly involved Padres prospect Robert Hassell and then-Rangers slugger Joey Gallo. It isn’t any secret that San Diego has been trying to get Hosmer’s contract off the books, though The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports that Texas still wanted the Padres to cover the majority of the salary owed to Hosmer ($59MM from 2022-25). The exact numbers involved in the proposed trade isn’t known, and obviously the inclusion of Gallo (paid $6.2MM last season and projected to earn $10.2MM in 2022) was a major factor in the financial elements of any deal.
Since Gallo ended up being traded to the Yankees at the deadline, it remains to be seen if the Padres could revisit a more streamlined version of a Hosmer trade with the Rangers once the lockout is over, with Hassell perhaps included as a sweetener to convince Texas to absorb a larger chunk of Hosmer’s salary. Of course, the equation has now changed quite a bit for a Rangers team that has already added Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Jon Gray in a pre-lockout spending spree. While the Rangers still have payroll space, they might prefer to spend on a player who can more readily help them contend in 2022. Hosmer has been roughly a league-average hitter over his last four seasons, and Texas already has a left-handed hitting first baseman in Nathanial Lowe who might be a better candidate to out-perform Hosmer at the plate (and at a fraction of Hosmer’s price tag).
More from the American League…
- The Royals used a bumper crop of homegrown talent to capture the 2015 World Series, and are now trying to reload with a new wave of minor leaguers. General manager J.J. Picollo tells The Kansas City Star’s Lynn Worthy that “I feel like this group is just a tad more deep” than the core of the 2014-15 pennant-winning rosters, and in particular more depth when it comes to starting pitching. Former first-round picks Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Jackson Kowar, and Daniel Lynch have already cracked the majors, and Picollo cited even two more waves of younger arms that could be coming next. All of this depth could manifest itself as cornerstone pieces of the next K.C. rotation, or perhaps as trade chips — as Worthy notes, the Royals dealt several notable pitching prospects while building their last championship team.
- With Gary Sanchez‘s future a constant topic of discussion in the Bronx, many Yankees fans see Austin Wells as a potential Sanchez replacement behind the plate as early as the 2023 season. However, the proverbial “catcher of the future” might not necessarily remain as a catcher, according to Yankees VP of player development Kevin Reese. “Depending on where some of our other guys are, there might be an opportunity to get him some reps (at other positions)….Then we might have to get a little bit creative to keep his bat in the lineup. But none of that is a concern about his catching,” Reese told The New York Daily News’ Kristie Ackert. Wells has been seen as a potential candidate to move to first base or a corner outfield spot even before the Yankees drafted him 28th overall in 2020, and while one AL scout feels a position change will still happen, he credited Wells for improving his throwing arm and his framing. Wherever he ends up on the diamond, Wells has shown signs that his bat will play at any position — Wells batted .264/.390/.476 with 16 homers over 469 plate appearances in his first pro season (at the A-ball and high-A levels), and then turned heads with a big performance in Arizona Fall League action.
D-backs Notes: Straily, Carroll, Lawlar, Barfield
Newly signed Diamondbacks righty Dan Straily chatted with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan at length about his decision to sign with Arizona and his goals of reestablishing himself as a quality big league starter after a strong two-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization. Straily indicated that he had multiple offers but chose to sign with the D-backs for several reasons, including a good opportunity to earn a roster spot out of the gate and relative proximity (a two-hour flight) to his family’s home in Oregon. He candidly acknowledged that he went to South Korea in need of major improvement — “I didn’t end up in Korea because I was ready to be in the major leagues at the time” — and discussed changes he’s made to his repertoire, including pitch grips, pitch shapes, and an entirely new pitch.
More broadly, fans will want to check out the whole Q&A to get a sense of Straily’s experiences pitching in a foreign league (and of being in the midst of KBO Spring Training when the pandemic broke out), his relationship with incoming pitching coach Brent Strom and the finer details of the work he’s put in to rebuild his career. Notably, Straily added that he considered waiting until the lockout ended to pursue a Major League contract but ultimately chose a minor league opportunity that allowed him to get rolling as quickly as possible. “We felt like it was time for me to get to work,” said Straily.
For those who missed it, Straily also chatted with MLBTR readers back in December. Within, Straily discussed the difference between pitching in the KBO and in MLB, recalled come key early-career advice from notable teammates, and shared plenty of memories from his time in the Majors and in South Korea.
A few more notes on the D-backs…
- Buchanan also passes along a pair of updates on some of the system’s top prospects (Twitter link). Outfielder Corbin Carroll is back to 100 percent after last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery. The 21-year-old was the No. 16 overall pick in 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top 50 overall prospects, even after his 2021 injury. Carroll sustained the injury on a swing that resulted in a home run in one of the just seven games he played with the Snakes’ High-A affiliate last season. He hasn’t had much of a look in the pros thanks to that surgery and the wiped-out 2020 minor league season, but Carroll owns a .316/.428/.542 batting line with four home runs, ten doubles, nine triples and 21 stolen bases (in 23 tries) through his first 215 professional plate appearances, dating back to 2019. He’s viewed as a possible long-term option in center field for the D-backs, though he has a good bit of development left after effectively missing two full years’ worth of reps in 2020-21.
- Also on the mend from shoulder surgery is 2021 top draft selection Jordan Lawlar. The touted young shortstop and No. 6 overall pick sustained a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder not long after signing, limiting his professional debut to just two games with the D-backs’ Rookie-level affiliate. Lawlar, 19, is about a month behind Carroll in his rehab process, per Buchanan, and has not yet been cleared for batting practice. Like Carroll, Lawlar is a consensus top prospect, albeit one who has a bit more variance in terms of scouting reports on his future (which is perhaps to be expected given his lack of pro experience). Keith Law ranked Lawlar No. 31 among MLB prospects, noting that he had the “best package of tools” in the 2021 draft and adding that with Lawlar’s athleticism, speed, arm strength and power potential, he could be in the mix for the sport’s top overall prospect next year.
- Josh Barfield spoke with Bill Ladson of MLB.com to discuss his journey from big league infielder, to scout, to his current role as Diamondbacks director of player development. Barfield “never saw [himself] getting into this side of the game” but now relishes his player development role and the challenges it presents. Citing mentors like former D-backs GM Dave Stewart, current GM Mike Hazen and his own predecessor Mike Bell, who tragically passed away last spring after a battle with kidney cancer, Barfield discussed how his love for player development and baseball operations has grown. His ultimate goal has now shifted from his early days as a scout, as he told Ladson he has his sights set on eventually becoming a general manager. While Barfield acknowledged that “there’s not too many of those jobs,” his interactions with Hazen and Stewart, as well as his “ultra-competitive” nature are now driving that ambition.