Giants’ Farhan Zaidi On Gausman, Offseason, Belt, Injuries
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi discussed several topics with reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea and NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic) earlier this week. Some notable highlights…
- Kevin Gausman returned to San Francisco after accepting the one-year, $18.9MM qualifying offer, though the two sides also had some negotiations about a multi-year contract. However, Zaidi said those talks are “on the back burner right now” while the Giants explore other offseason business. “We’ve obviously got other things that we’re looking to accomplish….I could see that being something we revisit, but I don’t think anything there is imminent,” Zaidi said.
- In terms of what else the Giants are working on, pitching continues to be a focus. According to Zaidi, “we’re in a better position to role the dice on additional pitching moves now that we have Gausman in the fold, bringing us veteran certainty to the front of our rotation.” Position player additions aren’t as much of a priority given how well the Giants lineup performed in 2020, though in the wake of that success and the more hitter-friendly renovations made to Oracle Park, Zaidi said that free agent batters and their representatives have shown more interest in coming to San Francisco.
- While Zaidi’s first two years running the Giants’ front office have been defined by his many acquisitions of rather unheralded or under-the-radar players, the team is looking to expand that scope this winter. As Zaidi said with some humor, “it’s not a prerequisite to be injured or come off a down year for us to sign somebody….I wouldn’t limit our opportunities to just bounce-back guys.”
- There isn’t any new information on Brandon Belt‘s recovery from heel surgery, as Zaidi “it’s a little too early to tell right now” if Belt will be ready by the time Spring Training camp opens. “Everything we’re hearing is positive, but I don’t think that we have a firm timetable or target date yet,” Zaidi said. As Pavlovic noted, Belt’s heel problems caused him to miss most of Summer Camp but it didn’t hurt him during the season, as Belt hit an outstanding .309/.425/.591 over 179 plate appearances.
- In other injury updates, Zaidi said star prospect Heliot Ramos (oblique) and outfielder Austin Slater (right flexor strain) are both expected to be healthy for the start of Spring Training. Outfield prospect Alexander Canario, however, will miss the start of the minor league season as he recovers from recent shoulder surgery.
Angels Notes: Happ, Ohtani
The latest from Anaheim…
- J.A. Happ is receiving consideration from the Angels and other teams, MLB Networks’ Jon Paul Morosi tweets. It stands to reason that the Angels are looking at just about every starting pitcher available as they try to upgrade their rotation, and given the team’s injury history with pitchers, a durable veteran arm like Happ would seem to be of particular interest. Happ posted a 3.47 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 2.80 K/BB rate over 49 1/3 innings with the Yankees last season, and though advanced metrics weren’t as enamored with his work, Happ would still appear to have something to offer a team as he enters his age-38 season. Morosi notes that new Angels GM Perry Minasian was working in the Blue Jays front office when Toronto traded for Happ during the 2012 season and when the Jays signed Happ as a free agent in the 2015-16 offseason.
- “Pathetic” was how Shohei Ohtani bluntly described his 2020 season, during a revealing interview with Yuichi Matsushita of the Kyodo News. Ohtani struggled in both facets of his game, hitting just .190/.291/.366 over 175 PA and allowing seven runs over 1 2/3 innings pitched (37.80 ERA) before being shut down from mound duty due to a flexor strain. “More than thinking how (the team) couldn’t use me or how frustrating it was, the hardest part was thinking I couldn’t produce,” Ohtani said. “If I could, I would compile better numbers, get more playing time and wouldn’t feel useless. I was frustrated I couldn’t get it done, and that was the hardest….I’d pretty much never experienced the feeling of wanting to do something but being completely unable to do it.” Ohtani was returning to pitching after Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound in 2019, and he admitted to feeling “different” while pitching post-procedure, saying “I’ll think I want to do something a certain way, but sometimes I can’t.” The Angels are surely hoping Ohtani can get back to form with a more normal offseason that doesn’t include rehab or the stop-and-start nature of last year’s preseason training, as both his bat and his arm are sorely needed.
- In other recent Angels news, the team added top prospects Brandon Marsh and Chris Rodriguez to the 40-man roster — details on that decision here.
Pitching Notes: Smyly, Giants, C. Anderson, M. Perez
The latest news and notes from the mound:
- Left-hander Drew Smyly came off the open market Monday when he and the Braves reached a one-year, $11MM agreement. That represents a nice raise for someone who signed a one-year, $4MM guarantee with San Francisco last winter, but the 31-year-old Smyly had his sights set even higher than the salary he’ll earn with the Braves. Smyly was requesting a contract in the three-year, $30MM neighborhood before inking his Braves pact, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. That’s an ambitious asking price for a hurler who has dealt with serious injuries throughout his career, and it’s worth noting Smyly struggled mightily as recently as 2019. To Smyly’s credit, though, he had a big-time bounce-back campaign this past season with a 3.42 ERA/2.01 FIP, 14.35 K/9 against 3.08 BB/9, and a 2.6 mph increase in average fastball velocity over 26 1/3 innings.
- With Smyly out of the picture for the Giants, Grant Brisbee of The Athletic takes a look at a few low-cost starters they could explore to replace him this winter. In Brisbee’s estimation, Chris Archer, Alex Wood, Matt Shoemaker and Anthony DeSclafani could make for intriguing reclamation projects for the Giants’ rotation. Nobody from that group looks especially exciting right now, but neither did Smyly at this time a year ago, and he proved to be a shrewd pickup for San Francisco.
- There are “several teams” that have shown interest in free-agent right-hander Chase Anderson, Robert Murray of Fansided writes. While Anderson has typically been a useful mid- to back-end starter since he debuted in 2014, the 32-year-old had a brutal 2020 in his lone season with the Blue Jays. Anderson concluded with 33 2/3 innings of 7.22 ERA/6.16 FIP ball, owing largely to a horrific 28.9 percent home run-to-fly ball ratio, though he did post impressive strikeout and walk numbers (10.16 K/9, 2.67 BB/9). Toronto had a $9.5MM option over Anderson for 2021, but it bought him out for $500K.
- As is the case with Anderson, there is more than one team interested in free-agent southpaw Martin Perez, according to Murray. Perez spent 2020 with the Red Sox and recorded a 4.50 ERA/4.88 FIP with 6.88 K/9 and 4.06 BB/9 across 62 frames. The Red Sox then bought out the 29-year-old for $500K in lieu of paying him a $6.85MM option for next season.
Quick Hits: Non-Tender Increase, Changes In Catching, Positive COVID-19 Tests
Given the financial impact of coronavirus and the increasing trend of non-tenders, expect a record number of non-tenders this offseason, writes Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs. Last year’s 53 total non-tenders was already a record, and it’s safe to assume MLB will surpass that number this year. There are success stories from this field, of course. Take Kevin Gausman, who was non-tendered last winter before being extended and accepting the $18.9MM qualifying offer just a year later.
Increasing DFAs is an issue that compounds on itself, however, as those non-tendered players enter the available player pool, giving teams more and more options to consider opposite their own arbitration-eligible players. Specifically, Longehagen points to catchers, power first basemen or designated hitters, and infielders without power as three pools of players likely to hit the open market.
- Longenhagen also provides interesting analysis about the changing dynamics of the catcher position. The eventual implementation of electronic strikes zones diminishes the important of pitch framing, which has long been on the league radar. But Longenhagen also notes that the universal DH makes the catcher spot the most likely place for a pinch-hitter. The universal DH does seem to be on its way, even if it doesn’t happen in 2021, and the two-back system, so to speak, is already in use for much of the league. Still, the specialization of the catcher position is shifting ever so slightly. Whether we see arm strength and blocking ability more valued in free agency this season remains to be seen. Electronic strike zones could alter the pitching market too, of course, but any shifts in that regard are more likely to be in the development and drafting stages than free agency.
- The Mariners cancelled their last two instructional league games due to a pair of positive COVID-19 tests, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). One of the two also had a pair of negative tests, while the other is isolating and following protocols. There were no other positive tests and contact tracing was performed, but the Peoria facility is still being shut down – as has become the standard – out of an “abundance of caution.”
Free Agent Notes: Kendrick, Ozuna, ChiSox, Braves, Kahnle
Infielder Howie Kendrick has been noncommittal about his long-term playing status, suggesting in September he could step away from the game after 15 MLB seasons. However, Kendrick seemed to hint in an Instagram post this afternoon (h/t to Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic) that he is planning to continue his career, along with firmly indicating that he will continue his charitable endeavors off the field. “What a season! Proud to partner with Bank of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help fuel rallies all season long and make a difference for kids in our communities. See you all next year,” Kendrick wrote.
The Nationals declined their 2021 club option on Kendrick’s services, making the former World Series hero a free agent. Kendrick only hit .275/.320/.385 with two home runs across 100 plate appearances in 2020, but he’s just a year removed from an elite season at the plate. A return to Washington wouldn’t seem to be out of the question, and surely other teams would have some interest in signing a veteran with Kendrick’s track record.
More on some other available players…
- Marcell Ozuna‘s free agent market is explored by an MLB.com panel of Mark Bowman, Alyson Footer, Scott Merkin, and Jesse Sanchez, with a particular focus on the White Sox (Merkin’s team on the beat) and Braves (Ozuna’s most recent team, and Bowman’s beat). The White Sox had some interest in Ozuna last winter but now might be looking for more of a full-time outfielder, Merkin says, since star prospect Andrew Vaughn is expected to step into the first base/DH mix alongside Jose Abreu at some point in 2021. Since Ozuna profiles more as a DH over the long term, the Braves might have some hesitation over bringing Ozuna back since it isn’t yet known if the National League will adopt the designated hitter for 2021. However, Bowman also notes that Ozuna quickly became a valued figure in Atlanta due to both his production and clubhouse presence. Early reports have already suggested that the Braves are interested in re-signing Ozuna, but at least nine other clubs have also inquired about his services.
- Tommy Kahnle is weighing multiple two-year offers, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Kahnle underwent Tommy John surgery in early August, though it isn’t uncommon for recent TJ patients to still land multi-year deals on the open market. In most of these cases, the player receives the bulk of the salary in the second year of the contract and a minimum salary in the first year, with the understanding that most or all of year one will be spent recovering from the surgery. Kahnle, Heyman says, is hoping to return by the end of the 2021 season, which would be on the short end of the usual 12-15 month recovery timeline for Tommy John patients.
AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rodriguez
Some notes from the American League East:
- Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins has spoken previously about making a high-impact addition to the roster. He reiterated that desire when speaking with Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). Toronto indeed plans to make a run at elite talent this offseason, Atkins stated. That’s easier said than done, of course. Atkins also spoke of a desire to improve the team’s overall run prevention numbers. Trevor Bauer is handily the top free agent pitcher on the market, but the Jays could also look for a high-end defender to keep runs off the board.
- Atkins also addressed the Blue Jays’ 2021 stadium situation during his MLB Network Radio interview (Twitter link). The current hope is the team returns to the Rogers Centre after playing their 2020 home games at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field. Atkins also left open the possibility of starting the 2021 season outside Toronto and returning to their home city at a later date. No one knows what the COVID-19 rate will look like next April, of course, so the organization is preparing “contingency plans” in case international travel continues to be restricted next year.
- Last offseason, Eduardo Rodríguez expressed some openness to working out an extension with the Red Sox. There’s no indication the sides ever seriously discussed a potential long-term agreement, but Rodríguez is now just one season away from free agency. The Sox should approach the southpaw about an extension this offseason, opines Rob Bradford of WEEI. Rodríguez missed the entire 2020 season due to a scary bout with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19; fortunately, he’s expected to return at full strength in 2021.
NL Notes: Nationals, Wood, Hoffman, Padres, Cubs
Alex Wood was a target for the Nationals at the 2019 trade deadline, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports that the Nats “nearly acquired” the southpaw, who was then a member of the Reds. The timing is interesting, as back injuries prevented Wood from making his 2019 debut until July 28, just three days prior to the deadline. While Wood ended up making seven starts for Cincinnati that season, it’s fair to assume that the Nationals may been considering him as a reliever (or a swingman) given the dire state of Washington’s bullpen at the time.
Needless to say, the Nats don’t regret how things turned out for them at the 2019 deadline, as July 31 acquisition Daniel Hudson played a critical role in Washington capturing the World Series. But with Wood now a free agent and the Nationals looking for some veteran pitching depth, GM Mike Rizzo could very well revisit the idea of adding the left-hander to the D.C. roster. Wood was again hampered by injuries in 2020, tossing only 12 2/3 innings for the Dodgers during the regular season and posting a 6.39 ERA. However, his campaign ended on the high note of a World Series ring and a 1.35 ERA (one run in 6 2/3 relief innings) in four postseason outings.
More from around the senior circuit…
- The Padres announced that longtime third base coach Glenn Hoffman is retiring from coaching for a new position as a senior advisor in San Diego’s baseball operations department. Hoffman has been a mainstay in the Padres’ third base box for the last 15 seasons, coming on the heels of seven seasons as the Dodgers’ third base coach (and a stint as the Dodgers’ interim manager in 1998, as Hoffman led the team to a 47-41 record). As per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, bench coach Bobby Dickerson seems to be the favorite to take over third base coaching duties.
- The Cubs will be looking for more pitching depth this winter, though Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that four rotation spots may be settled, to some extent. Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks are obviously entrenched atop the starting five, and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein sounds comfortable on Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay taking up the next pair of rotation spots. There have been questions about Alzolay’s ability to stick in the rotation, but the Cubs were apparently impressed enough with the improvement of his slider to regard him as a starter. Youngsters Tyson Miller, Brailyn Marquez, and Justin Steele will get a shot at the fifth starter’s role, but Chicago is also looking outside the organization at the middle-to-bottom tier of free agent pitchers, depending on what the Cubs decide to do with the rest of their roster. Epstein has left open the possibility of bringing Jon Lester back on a short-term deal, but the Cubs are comfortable letting him test the market.
AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Catchers, Rays, McKay, Red Sox, Cora
The Blue Jays are prepared to make impact moves this offseason, but they’re also preaching patience, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. If they do make a move early – beyond what they’ve done so far – GM Ross Atkins thinks it will be a significant one. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, Atkins said, “If we were to move earlier, the impact would be significant. And that doesn’t take us out of significant impact later.” If you’re sensing a theme, you’re not imagining it: The Jays are dreaming big this winter. One of the biggest names available is catcher J.T. Realmuto. The former Phillie would fit the mold described above, but Atkins also says they are “extremely satisfied” with Toronto’s catching situation. And why shouldn’t they be? With Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire and Alejandro Kirk all contributing at the big-league level, they have affordable depth and upside in the form of Kirk, who hit .375/.400/.583 in a 24-at-bat cup-of-coffee in 2020. Still, that depth can be repurposed to make room for a star like Realmuto, especially in the American League where the DH provides opportunity for diversified playing time.
- Southpaw Brendan McKay remains in Baseball America’s list of top-10 Rays prospects, but J.J. Cooper sounds concerned about McKay’s ability to recover from shoulder surgery on Kyle Glaser’s Baseball America podcast. Cooper notes that Hyun Jin Ryu took about three years to really return to form after a similar surgery. All that said, it’s telling that McKay remains at number six on the list. Until he begins his return and something new emerges, the only confirmed change for McKay is his timeline and his risk profile. The upside that made McKay a top prospect in the first place remains.
- Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom was given full discretion to make the final hiring decision for the Red Sox managerial opening this offseason. Bringing back Alex Cora wasn’t money in the bank, as it might seem, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The assumption would be that Bloom had the final say-so, but given the unique nature of Cora’s return, and the fact that Bloom didn’t hire Cora the first time around, it would be fair to wonder how much ownership weighed in on the decision. The idea to interview Cora at all, however, was Bloom’s, per Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. Bloom and general manager Brian O’Halloran met with Cora in an “empty hangar on the airport tarmac.” It was an exhausting but thorough interview by the accounts of those involved, and it didn’t seal the deal. That interview simply entered Cora into the field. Bloom and O’Halloran kept ownership and their assistant general managers involved in the process throughout, but ultimately the decision was left to Bloom, who went with Cora over the Phillies’ integrative baseball performance director Sam Fuld. Definitely read Speier’s piece for the full account.
AL East Notes: Rays, Red Sox, Rich Hill
Participation in the postseason usually garners a significant revenue bump for qualifying teams, which made it particularly painful for the small-market Rays to miss out on the revenue from 10 home games in 2020. Not only did the Rays lose that potential revenue because of coronavirus, but this year’s playoffs actually cost them money, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. They’re also missing out on their usual revenue-sharing check, as well as, obviously, attendance revenues, notes Topkin. It’s going to have an affect on Rays’ roster decisions this winter. That could mean smaller cost-saving moves like non-tendering Hunter Renfroe, or it could mean more impactful moves like dealing core players Kevin Kiermaier or Blake Snell. Rays GM Erik Neander is likely to be active exploring the trade market, but that’s nothing new for Tampa.
- Rich Hill finished a successful one-year stint in Minnesota with a 3.03 ERA/3.88 FIP across 8 starts totaling 38 2/3 innings with 7.2 K/9 to 4.0 BB/9. It’s those last two numbers that might trouble the 40-year-old Hill. From 2017 to 2019, Hill posted 10.68 K/9 to 2.97 BB/9 with the Dodgers. Still, Hill was largely effective in 2020 by keeping the ball in the ballpark. But he didn’t accomplish his primary goal: winning a World Series. Hill has only appeared in five postseasons throughout his 16-year career, and he’s never won a World Series. In choosing his next team, writes WEEI’s Rob Bradford, Hill’s primary calculus is playing the odds and trying to find a place to contribute that gives him the best chance of winning a World Series.
- That said, Hill hasn’t ruled out joining his hometown Red Sox, per Bradford. Hill does offer an assessment of Boston’s needs this offseason, saying, “Bullpen. Work on the bullpen. I think the lineup is good. Get everybody back. Obviously getting Sale back is huge. Eddie [Rodriguez], having him come back, being healthy. And Nathan [Eovaldi]. Those are three really, really, really good guys.” It’ll be tough sledding for the Red Sox in the AL East, though returning Sale and Rodriguez to the rotation would be a healthy start.
Mets Notes: Tebow, Syndergaard, Heck, Rays
Between a hand injury in 2019 and then the cancelled 2020 minor league season, Tim Tebow hasn’t played in an official game since July 21, 2019. However, the 33-year-old former NFL quarterback hasn’t given up on his dream of playing in the majors, and he tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo that he is preparing for Spring Training and another season in 2021. “[Baseball is] not something that I want to do forever…because there’s a lot of other things that are in my heart that I want to pursue,” Tebow said. “But it is something that is still in my heart today.”
Over 287 games and 1048 plate appearances in the Mets’ farm system, Tebow has hit .223/.299/.338 with 18 home runs. This isn’t an unimpressive achievement given that Tebow hadn’t played baseball since he was a high schooler in 2005, and as Tebow’s baseball endeavor enters its sixth year, it can hardly be written off as a publicity stunt given Tebow’s obvious commitment. That said, Tebow’s promotions up to the Triple-A level haven’t been due to his actual potential as a prospect, and now that the Wilpon family and Brodie Van Wagenen (who represented Tebow as a baseball agent at CAA) no longer have a voice in Mets business, it is fair to wonder how much longer Tebow will remain in the organization. Sandy Alderson, however, is on record as being a Tebow supporter, and the front office may still feel the bigger-picture appeal of Tebow as a Met is worth giving him another crack at Triple-A.
More from Citi Field…
- Noah Syndergaard has begun throwing off a mound, as the right-hander revealed in a video on his personal Twitter account. It’s a positive step in the rehab process for Syndergaard, who underwent Tommy John surgery back in March and will likely miss at least the first couple of months of the 2021 season while fully recovering. While pitchers aren’t always immediately in top form after returning from a Tommy John-induced layoff, the Mets will surely welcome whatever Syndergaard can bring as an in-season boost to the rotation.
- Rays special assistant Bobby Heck is still on the Mets‘ radar as a front office hire, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (via Twitter), possibly as the team’s new general manager. Earlier this week, Puma reported that Heck wasn’t likely to be the Mets’ choice for the president of baseball operations job. It seems likely that the Mets would find the baseball ops leader first before hiring a GM, in order to give their new front office leader input on their chief lieutenant.
- For more Mets news, an edition of NL East Notes from earlier today on MLBTR included a surprising pre-Carlos Beltran managerial candidate.