Twins Acquire Manuel Margot
The Twins announced the acquisition of veteran outfielder Manuel Margot, infield prospect Rayne Doncon and cash from the Dodgers in exchange for minor league shortstop Noah Miller. Los Angeles is reportedly covering $6MM of Margot’s $10MM salary for the upcoming season. The Dodgers originally received $4MM from the Rays when acquiring Margot alongside Tyler Glasnow earlier this winter; Tampa Bay also remains on the hook for a $2MM buyout on a $12MM club option for 2025.
The Twins placed right-hander Josh Winder on the 60-day injured list to open a roster spot for Margot, announcing that Winder has a scapular stress fracture. His exact timeline in unclear but he’ll be ineligible to rejoin the club until late May at the earliest.
Minnesota has been on the lookout for a right-handed-hitting outfielder who could cover all three spots for much of the offseason. They’d previously been tied to free agents like Adam Duvall and Enrique Hernandez, and they’d also maintained an interest in re-signing Michael A. Taylor, who belted 21 home runs as a Twin in 2023. However, it seems they’ve found a deal to their liking on the trade front, presumably ending those free agent pursuits.
In Margot, the Twins are acquiring that righty bat they’ve been seeking but are also buying low on a player who’s been hampered by knee troubles dating back to the 2022 season. Margot missed roughly half of the ’22 campaign with a significant strain of the patellar tendon in his right knee. He was limited to just 363 plate appearances and turned in a solid, if unspectacular .274/.325/.375 slash (101 wRC+). He followed that up with a .264/.310/.376 line in 336 plate appearances this past season.
Had Margot enjoyed a season of his typical defensive excellence in ’23, that offensive output would’ve made him an above-average all-around contributor. But in the wake of that knee injury, his once-elite defensive grades slipped closer to average. Statcast noted that Margot’s range and sprint speed both declined in 2023. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at -3 on the season, while Statcast’s Outs Above Average credited him at +3. Either way, it’s a notable drop for a player who posted 13 DRS and 16 OAA as recently as 2021. The Twins, presumably, are confident that as Margot distances himself from that knee injury, he can rebound in the field — if not back to peak form than at least to a clearly above-average defender at all three spots.
In Minnesota, Margot will provide the Twins with some insurance in the event of another injury to rarely-healthy center fielder Byron Buxton. Beyond that, he’ll give the Twins a righty bat that can spell lefty-swingers Matt Wallner and Max Kepler in the corners. Margot is a career .281/.341/.420 hitter (109 wRC+) against left-handed pitching, so he’ll likely see his fair share of pinch-hitting opportunities for a Twins club that tends to play matchups throughout the game. Margot can also serve as a late-game defensive upgrade in left over Wallner or a late-game pinch runner. Even with a downturn in his sprint speed, he still ranked in the 75th percentile of MLB players last year, per Statcast.
The Twins will also pick up Doncon, a 20-year-old infielder who signed with the Dodgers for just under $500K as an international amateur during the 2021-22 signing period. FanGraphs ranked him 12th among Los Angeles prospects as recently as last season, touting potentially plus raw power and an above-average hit tool as his best tools. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him 19th among L.A. farmhands just last week.
Doncon has played shortstop, second base and third base in the Dodgers’ system and climbed as high as A-ball during 2023 — his age-19 season. He spent the entire year at that level and posted underwhelming numbers (.216/.283/.368) — but did so against much older competition. Scouting reports suggest he’ll have to move to either third base, second base or the outfield as he fills out his projectable 6’2″, 176-pound frame. Doncon possesses significant power potential but questions about his pitch recognition and eventual defensive home. He’s a couple years off from being a potential big league factor, but at this point he’s a more highly regarded prospect than Miller.
Doncon’s inclusion in the deal aligns with the Twins’ general M.O. in deals of this nature; Minnesota tends to push trade partners to include prospects of varying quality even when they’re the team acquiring the established player (e.g. Jose Salas in the Pablo Lopez trade, Gabriel Gonzalez in the Jorge Polanco deal, Ronny Henriquez in the Isiah Kiner-Falefa swap, Brayan Medina in the Chris Paddack trade, Francis Peguero in the Sonny Gray trade, etc.).
As for the Dodgers’ end of things, they’ll add a former supplemental first-rounder in the deal. Miller, 21, was the No. 36 overall pick by the Twins in 2021 but hasn’t lived up to that billing at the plate thus far. He’s regarded as a solid defender at shortstop but has posted only a .220/.326/.318 batting line in the minor leagues, including a .223/.309/.340 slash in High-A last year. Miller gives the Dodgers a glove-first shortstop option who can begin the 2024 season either with a second run at High-A or in Double-A. Even if his bat never comes around, there’s utility upside for Miller within the next few years based on the quality of his defense.
Like Doncon, it should be noted Miller’s pedestrian production in 2023 came against much older and more advanced competition. Both players were more than two years younger than the average player at their respective minor league levels. Neither needs to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft until after the 2025 season.
As with the Twins getting Doncon included in this deal, the Dodgers’ acquisition of Miller fits a recent pattern. Los Angeles has bought low on recent high-profile draftees that needn’t be added to their 40-man roster this winter while performing maintenance to make room for new acquisitions. In addition to Miller, the Dodgers picked up former Yankees first-rounder Trey Sweeney in their Victor Gonzalez swap and former Cubs second-rounder Jackson Ferris in trading away Michael Busch.
Perhaps most importantly for the Dodgers, the trade of Margot frees up a roster space. In that sense, this trade has largely facilitated the team’s re-signing of utilityman Enrique Hernandez to a one-year contract. The Twins had been in the mix to sign Hernandez and were reportedly one of four finalists. Instead they’ll go with a hitter who’s been more productive over the past few seasons and can capably fill the same role in the outfield, but lacks the infield versatility. Taking on $4MM of Margot’s deal makes the transactions cash-neutral for the Dodgers, who subsequently guaranteed Hernandez the same amount in free agency.
Juan Toribio of MLB.com first reported that Margot had been traded to Minnesota. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Miller was going back to Los Angeles. Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reported Doncon’s inclusion in the deal. Jeff Passan of ESPN added that the Dodgers were sending cash to the Twins as well. Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic first reported the Twins were taking on $4MM.
Dodgers Sign Enrique Hernández To One-Year Deal
The Dodgers announced that they have signed utility player Enrique Hernández to a one-year deal. No corresponding move will be necessary as they opened a roster spot by trading outfielder Manuel Margot to the Twins. Hernández, a Wasserman client, will reportedly make $4MM this year.
As news started to leak out about about Margot being traded to Minnesota, speculation turned to Hernández almost immediately. There was reporting over the weekend that the Giants, Angels, Twins and Padres were interested in him but he will instead head back to the club that he’s played for throughout most of his career.
Now 32, Hernández spent 2015 to 2020 with the Dodgers, largely deployed as a serviceable multi-positional guy. He hit .240/.312/.425 over those six years, production that led to a wRC+ of 98. Though that offense was slightly below average, he still helped the club by being able to slot in all over the place. He played all four infield positions and all three outfield spots during that time, and even made an appearance on the mound.
Going into 2021, he reached free agency and signed with the Red Sox on a two-year, $14MM deal. He was excellent in the first year of that pact, hitting 2o home runs and slashing .250/.337/.449 for a wRC+ of 109. He spent most of his time in center field, getting strong grades there, while also lining up at the middle infield spots.
In 2022, his offense took a step back. He went on the injured list due to a right hip flexor strain and missed over two months. Nonetheless, the Sox still had faith in a bounceback. In September of that year, they gave him a $10MM salary to stick around for 2023. He finished 2022 with a line of .222/.291/.338 for a wRC+ of 74.
With Trevor Story set to miss significant time in 2023 recovering from elbow surgery, the Sox tried to make Hernández their everyday shortstop, though the experiment didn’t work out. The defensive metrics didn’t like his work there, as he was saddled with a grade of -6 from Defensive Runs Saved and -12 Outs Above Average. He also hit just .222/.279/.320 before getting flipped back to the Dodgers at the deadline. Returning to his old stomping grounds seemed to suit him, as he hit .262/.308/.423 while bouncing all over the diamond for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers may never have been fully committed to Margot, as they took him on as part of the Tyler Glasnow trade. The Rays were looking to move some payroll in the Glasnow deal but also saved some more by including Margot, who is owed $12MM this year in the form of a $10MM salary and then a $2MM buyout on a club option for 2025.
The Dodgers are set to have a regular outfield of James Outman, Teoscar Hernández and Jason Heyward this year. Margot and his right-handed bat could have platooned with Heyward, who had a bounceback year in 2023 while being mostly shielded from southpaws, but the Dodgers also have other options for that role. Right-hander Chris Taylor is also on the roster and now Hernández will join him, giving the club two guys who could platoon with Heyward while also adding some infield depth as well. Hernández has hit .257/.343/.458 in his career against lefties for a 115 wRC+, compared to .228/.290/.377 and a wRC+ of 80 versus righties.
The Dodgers are going to have a middle infield combo of Gavin Lux at shortstop and Mookie Betts at second base. The former missed all of 2023 after tearing his ACL and damaging the LCL in his right knee, while Betts only recently moved to the infield after spending most of his career in right field. Miguel Rojas is on the roster as a glove-first depth option and Taylor is in the mix there as well, but Hernández can help out while also taking Margot’s role as the fourth outfielder.
The Dodgers are over the fourth and final line of the competitive balance tax and are a third-time payor. That means any money added to the payroll now comes with a 110% tax rate. However, they will end up being cash neutral today as they are saving $4MM in the Margot deal and giving $4MM to Hernández.
Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that it would be a one-year pact. Hernández himself first relayed that the deal was done. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. had the $4MM salary.
Red Sox, Montgomery Had Zoom Meeting Before Start Of Spring Training
The Red Sox have been tied to Jordan Montgomery for the bulk of the offseason. Reporting last week indicated the Sox remained interested in the left-hander but continued to wait for his asking price to drop.
ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted this morning that the Red Sox had “recently” conducted a Zoom meeting with Montgomery. Manager Alex Cora confirmed to the Boston beat the meeting took place but indicated it happened before the beginning of Spring Training.
“Buster is right,” Cora said (link via Christopher Smith and Sean McAdam of MassLive). “We zoomed with him. But we’ve been zooming with a lot of people throughout the offseason. I’m not going to get into specifics but yeah, it’s part of the process. It was a while ago, too. I was in South Beach for that one. I was in Miami.” Smith and McAdam point out that Cora was in Miami on the weekend of February 9-11 to watch the end of the Caribbean series and take part in a University of Miami alumni event.
Clearly, that conversation didn’t result in an immediate agreement. With Montgomery still on the market two and a half weeks later, the Sox remain a logical fit. They haven’t markedly upgraded their rotation throughout the winter. Boston took a flier on Lucas Giolito before shipping out Chris Sale for second baseman Vaughn Grissom.
They’re currently set to enter the season with a front four of Giolito, Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford. Righties Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski would battle for the final spot. Installing Montgomery atop the group would allow Boston to keep the latter three arms in multi-inning relief roles to begin the year.
[Related: Where Does The Market Stand For Jordan Montgomery?]
The question is whether his asking price will fall to a level with which the Red Sox are comfortable. CEO Sam Kennedy sam last month the Sox anticipated opening the season with a lower payroll than they had in 2023. Roster Resource calculates their 2024 CBT number around $202MM. That’s nowhere near the $237MM base threshold and around $23MM shy of last year’s estimated mark. Signing Montgomery wouldn’t push the Sox into CBT territory, but it would likely push them close to their 2023 spending range.
One of the “Boras Four,” Cody Bellinger, came off the market over the weekend on a three-year deal. The $80MM guarantee was nowhere near what his camp had sought early in the offseason. A reported ask above $200MM never materialized, leaving Bellinger to settle for a modified pillow contract that could allow him to retest free agency via opt-outs in either of the next two offseasons.
That kind of contract might not be as appealing to Montgomery. He recently turned 31 and was ineligible for the qualifying offer this offseason thanks to the midseason trade sending him from St. Louis to Texas. If he took an opt-out laden deal, he could have to wrestle with draft compensation in a future offseason. Montgomery is coming off a third straight year in which he reached 30 starts. He tossed a personal-high 188 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA that was the best mark of his career. He added 31 innings of 2.90 ERA ball over six postseason outings to help the Rangers to the first title in franchise history.
Court Approves Portion Of Diamond Restructuring Agreement
Bankruptcy judge Christopher Lopez has approved two parts of the restructuring deal for Diamond Sports Group, reports Anthony Crupi of Sportico. The judge signed off on the January agreement that raises $450MM in debtor financing and reaches a $495MM settlement with Sinclair Broadcasting Group to resolve litigation which Diamond had filed against its former parent company. ESPN’s Alden González tweets that resolution of the overall bankruptcy likely remains weeks or months away, but this marks an important seal of approval for the company.
The agreements provide a potential path for DSG to continue operating its regional sports networks beyond this year. As part of the restructuring, Diamond agreed to sell the streaming rights to the MLB, NHL and NBA teams that it possesses to Amazon. The latter figures to create some kind of package on its Prime Video service for an additional fee.
Attorneys for Diamond have expressed hope that the cash influx will be able to keep the corporation afloat. Before the Amazon deal, the expectation had been that Diamond would wind down its involvement in the RSN business and shutter its Bally Sports networks after the 2024 MLB season. Diamond believes that will no longer be necessary, although the company’s long-term viability is still the subject of skepticism among league officials.
Diamond has in-market broadcasting for 12 teams but only possesses streaming rights for five of them: the Royals, Tigers, Marlins, Brewers and Rays. It has reached agreements with all 12 teams that it carried through the end of last year — DSG dropped the Padres and Diamondbacks midseason — to remain on the Bally networks for 2024. The Guardians and Rangers took slightly reduced rights fees to prevent Diamond from dropping their deals; it is believed that the Twins had to do the same after their TV contract expired at the end of 2023.
Twins Notes: Margot, Farmer, Lewis
The Twins made a Spring Training acquisition this afternoon, bringing in Manuel Margot from the Dodgers. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters that adding a right-handed hitting outfielder has been the team’s primary focus for the last couple weeks (link via Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic).
While Falvey didn’t rule out the possibility of further acquisitions, he implied the bulk of the offseason team-building is complete. “Realistically, with where our team is, with how the roster now is built out, with the way it looks, obviously we’ll keep monitoring where our roster is, the health of it. But this was the primary focus for us over the last little bit. I would say that’s by and large the big-picture items, but we’ll keep an open mind about different opportunities that present along the way,” the baseball operations leader said (via Gleeman).
Roster Resource calculates their payroll in the $127MM range, which aligns with early-offseason reporting that they were targeting a payroll between $125MM and $140MM. Margot adds insurance behind Byron Buxton, who is returning to center field after knee injuries limited him to designated hitter a year ago. He also adds a righty complement to left-handed hitting corner outfielders Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. The Twins recently brought in Carlos Santana — a switch-hitter who typically fares better from the right side — to balance a lineup that was quite a bit better against righty pitching than left-handed arms a year ago.
They’re also retaining righty-hitting utilityman Kyle Farmer for a second season. Minnesota acquired Farmer from the Reds last winter. He had a decent year, appearing in 120 games and hitting .256/.317/.408 with 11 home runs. Between league average offense and the ability to handle anywhere on the infield, Farmer is a good depth player. Still, his rising arbitration price led to speculation he’d be traded or non-tendered, particularly with the Twins announcing early in the winter they were scaling back spending relative to last year.
Farmer acknowledged this weekend that he doubted whether he’d be back in Minnesota (link via Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune). “I always saw myself here, but all the trade rumors and non-tender stuff, I figured I wasn’t going to be here. It worked out good,” Farmer said. He admitted that it wasn’t until the late-January deal sending Jorge Polanco to Seattle that he was confident he’d remain with the Twins.
Minnesota and Farmer agreed to a $6.05MM salary for his final season of arbitration. He’ll likely collect a $250K buyout in lieu of a $6.25MM mutual option and become a free agent for the first time next winter. Farmer should occupy a similar multi-positional role as he played a year ago. Edouard Julien is stepping in at second base alongside Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and the Santana/Alex Kirilloff tandem throughout the infield.
Lewis showed the kind of talent that made him the first overall pick seven years ago. He raked at a .309/.372/.548 clip in 58 regular season contests and blasted four homers in six playoff games. He’s locked in as the starter at third base and looks like a franchise building block so long as he can stay healthy after twice tearing the ACL in his right knee.
The Twins have Lewis under club control for another five seasons. He’ll play this year on a near-minimum salary and qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player next winter. There’s no particular urgency for Minnesota to try to lock him up on a long-term deal, which Lewis acknowledged (via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes).
“I would love to hear anything, but I don’t think right now they’re in a position to do that,” Lewis said about an extension. “Especially with the payroll and the TV stuff going down, they have some stuff financially they have to figure out first. I’m last on the totem pole.” The 24-year-old indicated he’d be receptive if the organization did make extension overtures but downplayed any urgency to lock in short-term earnings. Lewis acknowledged he’s “definitely financially secure” after signing for a $6.73MM bonus out of high school.
His asking price on an extension would only escalate so long as he remains healthy into his arbitration seasons. Yet it’s understandable if the Twins want to see a full year against MLB pitching (to say nothing of gaining clarity on their local TV deal) before seriously engaging in talks. Falvey spoke broadly of a willingness to consider extension possibilities with the team’s young players but told Hayes and other reporters the focus with Lewis is “(making) sure he’s on the field the full year and (continuing) to build into what he’s already scratched the surface on in his career.“
Dodgers To Hire Matt Kemp In Advisory Role
The Dodgers are hiring former big leaguer Matt Kemp in an advisory role, per reports from Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Kemp, 39, had a 15-year career in the big leagues, spending much of that time with the Dodgers. He was drafted by them in 2003 and made it to the majors as a Dodger in 2006. He was with them through 2014 before suiting up for the Padres and Braves, returning to the Dodgers and then going to the Reds and Rockies, making his last appearance with Colorado in 2020.
Over those years, he got into 1,750 major league games, logging 1,808 hits, including 338 doubles, 37 triples and 287 home runs. He scored 950 runs, drove in 1,031 and stole 184 bases. He slashed .284/.337/.484 in that time for a wRC+ of 120.
It’s unclear exactly what role the Dodgers have in mind for Kemp, but they seem to have decided on having more former players in the organization. This offseason, they have added Nelson Cruz, Chris Archer and Tyson Ross as advisors or special assistants.
Jose DeLeon, MLB Pitcher From 1983-95, Passes Away At 63
Former major league pitcher José DeLeón has passed away at age 63, according to a report from The Associated Press. His death was announced last night by the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League. DeLeón, not to be confused with the free agent pitcher who played for the Twins last season, pitched in the major leagues between 1983-95.
A native of the Dominican Republic, DeLeón entered the professional ranks in 1979 as a third-round pick by the Pirates. The 6’3″ right-hander pitched in four minor league seasons before reaching Pittsburgh. He had an impressive debut season, working to a 2.83 ERA and striking out 118 hitters in 108 innings covering 15 starts. He earned a seventh-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.
DeLeón would hold a spot in the Pirates rotation for a few seasons. He worked to a 3.74 ERA over 192 1/3 innings during his second big league campaign. He struggled to a 4.70 ERA with an MLB-leading 19 losses the next season. Midway through the ’86 campaign, Pittsburgh dealt him to the White Sox in a lopsided swap that landed future MVP finalist Bobby Bonilla.
Chicago plugged DeLeón into their rotation for the next year and a half. While he wasn’t anywhere close to as impactful as Bonilla became in Pittsburgh, he enjoyed a solid showing on the South Side. DeLeón turned in a 2.96 ERA in 13 starts after the trade in ’86 and logged 206 frames of 4.02 ball in 1987.
Over the 1987-88 offseason, Chicago flipped DeLeón to the Cardinals for reliever Ricky Horton and young outfielder Lance Johnson. He was a rotation fixture in St. Louis over parts of five seasons. DeLeón topped 225 innings in each of his first two years with the Redbirds. He had the best year of his career in 1989, pitching to a 3.05 ERA with a National League-leading 201 strikeouts across 36 starts. DeLeón again lost an MLB-worst 19 games in 1990 but rebounded with a personal-low 2.71 ERA over 28 appearances in ’91.
The Cardinals released him in August of the following season. DeLeón signed with the Phillies and remained in Philadelphia into the next year. He converted to the bullpen by 1993. The White Sox reacquired him for reliever Bobby Thigpen the next August. DeLeón reached the postseason for the only time in his career with Chicago, making two relief appearances in an eventual ALCS loss to the Blue Jays. He’d pitch in two more seasons, working with the Sox and Expos through 1995. DeLeón didn’t return to the majors thereafter, although he pitched in Taiwan until his age-37 campaign in 1998.
Over parts of 13 seasons, DeLeón tallied nearly 1900 innings while allowing 3.76 earned runs per nine. He struck out almost 1600 hitters with an 86-119 record. He surpassed 150 frames on seven occasions and donned five major league uniforms. MLBTR sends our condolences to DeLeón’s family, loved ones, friends and former teammates.
Rays Notes: Uwasawa, Devenski, Alexander, Ramirez
Longtime NPB right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa will be one of the more interesting non-roster players in Rays camp but also throughout the league in general. The 30-year-old righty reportedly turned down guaranteed offers to ink a minor league deal with Tampa Bay that’d pay him a $2.5MM base in the big leagues with another $1MM available via incentives. The former Nippon-Ham Fighters righty brings a sharp 3.19 career ERA from NPB to the Rays organization, but his lack of velocity (90.8 mph average fastball in ’23) and sub-par strikeout rate (17.8% in ’23, 19.7% career) limited his appeal on the market.
The Rays’ knack for maximizing pitching talent played a role in Uwasawa’s decision to sign there. If they’re able to help him successfully make the jump from NPB to MLB, it’ll serve as a launching pad back to free agency. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Uwasawa’s deal follows the industry standard for players coming over from NPB, the KBO and the CPBL in that it allows him to become a free agent after its conclusion. Uwasawa obviously won’t have the requisite six years of MLB service that’s typically required for free agency, but this provision is included in most (though not all) contracts for players signing out of foreign professional leagues.
Uwasawa’s ability to handle big league opponents (or his lack thereof) will be important for a Rays club that is rife with uncertainty in the rotation. Tampa Bay is no stranger to patchwork starting staffs, but this year’s group tests the limits of even their piecemeal approach to rotation construction. Top starters Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale both have lengthy injury histories. The former tossed a career-high 177 2/3 innings in 2023 but has averaged only 22.8 starts per 162-game season since 2017, due largely to chronic knee troubles that have led to a trio of surgeries. Civale has never reached 125 innings in a big league season.
Beyond that group, there’s reliever-turned-starter Zack Littell, who pitched just 104 innings last year and hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2018 minor league season. Young arms like Ryan Pepiot and Taj Bradley have high ceilings but are unproven. Pepiot pitched just 46 innings between the majors and minors last year, thanks to injuries, while Bradley was one of the game’s most homer-prone starters (1.98 HR/9) as he posted a 5.59 ERA during last year’s debut effort. The Rays will get Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs back later in the season, but likely not until the second half. Both are rehabbing from major arm surgeries. Righty Shane Baz will be back in the fold after completing his own rehab from 2022 Tommy John surgery, but he’ll surely be on an innings limit.
The wobbly nature of the Tampa Bay starting staff will lead to some interesting pitcher usage. Adam Berry of MLB.com writes that relievers Chris Devenski and Tyler Alexander will both be stretched out to pitching three innings in camp. Neither is expected to take a full starting gig early on, but both are being viewed as potential bulk relievers who can be deployed behind openers or as swingmen who can work long relief as game script dictates. Alexander is no stranger to that role, having been a multi-inning reliever in Detroit.
For Devenski, it’s not a role he’s filled in the big leagues, but the right-hander tells Berry he’s excited for it. “My whole Minor League career, I was a starter, so I have experience there doing that,” says the 33-year-old righty. “It’s something that’s in me that I’ve always taken a liking to. Let’s go with it.”
Devenski was a powerhouse reliever with the Astros early in his career, pitching to a 2.38 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate in his first 189 innings from 2016-17. His production dipped in the two years thereafter, and injuries eventually derailed his career even further. From 2020-22, Devenski pitched just 25 2/3 big league innings, thanks largely to a Tommy John procedure. He tossed 42 1/3 frames between the Halos and Rays last season, logging a 4.46 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate.
Turning to the team’s position player mix, it’s fair to wonder whether an ever-active Rays club is done shuffling the roster just yet. Last week’s signing of Amed Rosario on a one-year deal worth just $1.5MM came as a surprise on multiple levels, for instance, and Topkin notes in the same piece linked above that the addition of Rosario could make it easier for the Rays to move first baseman/designated hitter Harold Ramirez.
The two players don’t necessarily overlap in terms of positional fit, but both will see the bulk of their playing time against left-handed pitching. Rosario is a career .298/.339/.467 hitter against southpaws (121 wRC+), while Ramirez hits for a higher average but with lesser power at .323/.364/.453 (129 wRC+). Against lefties anyhow, Rosario is a comparable hitter with more speed and certainly more defensive utility. For a Rays team that’s concerned about payroll, signing Rosario at $1.5MM and trading Ramirez and his $3.8MM makes some sense. Becoming more versatile, saving a net $2.3MM and perhaps netting some talent in return for Ramirez could be a nice gambit all around.
Then again, Ramirez has been on the trade block for much of the offseason, and no deal has come to fruition. His limited defensive skill set and lack of power don’t help his trade value, but the 29-year-old is an affordable righty bat who’s posted a combined .306/.342/.438 slash in 869 plate appearances over the past two seasons.
Cardinals Interested In Brandon Crawford
The Cardinals and shortstop Brandon Crawford reportedly have mutual interest. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle mentioned earlier today that the Cards were believed to have interest in Crawford, though she also reports that there’s an A.L. West club in the mix. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed that the Cards are interested in Crawford and relayed that the interest is mutual.
Last week, it was reported that the Cards were looking for some extra shortstop depth, with Crawford, Nick Ahmed and Elvis Andrus mentioned as speculative fits. Ahmed signed a minor league deal with the Giants earlier today, removing one option the Cardinals could have considered.
Crawford, 37, has spent his entire career with the Giants thus far. The Bay Area native was drafted by them in 2008 and made it to the majors by 2011, winning the World Series with them in 2012 and 2014.
Over the past decade-plus, he’s had many good years but is coming off a couple of frustrating campaigns. In 2021, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and slashed .298/.373/.522 for a wRC+ of 140. Along the way, the club signed him to a two-year, $32MM extension so that he wouldn’t reach the open market. Though that deal kept a franchise icon on the roster, it didn’t work out especially well for them.
Crawford spent time on the injured list in 2022 due to knee issues and hit just nine home runs in 118 games. Hit batting line dipped to .231/.308/.344, leading to a wRC+ of 88. His defense also may have slipped, depending on your favored metric. Outs Above Average still had him at +7 but Defensive Runs Saved put a -6 on him.
Last year, things got even worse. There were IL trips due to a right calf strain, left knee inflammation, a left forearm strain and a right hamstring strain. He got into only 94 contests and mustered a tepid batting line of .194/.273/.314. The defensive metrics were split again, with Crawford posting +6 OAA but -14 DRS.
Up until today, a return to the Giants would have been somewhat plausible. That club is slated to have rookie Marco Luciano as its regular shortstop, making it sensible that Crawford could have been brought back as a backup/insurance policy/veteran mentor. But the signing of Ahmed seems to make that less likely and may push Crawford out of San Francisco for the first time in his career.
St. Louis is also set to turn over the shortstop job to a rookie, with Masyn Winn slated for the lion’s share of playing time for the Cards. He has just 37 games of big league experience so far and hit just .172/.230/.238 in that time. The primary fallback option would be Tommy Edman, though he’s penciled in as the club’s everyday center fielder and is also working back from undergoing arthroscopic wrist surgery in October. Utility player Brendan Donovan underwent flexor tendon surgery in August of last year. José Fermín is also on the roster but doesn’t have much of a track record in the majors or even at Triple-A.
Given the state of the depth chart at shortstop, bringing in another option would make sense. Perhaps playing in a part-time role would allow Crawford more opportunity to stay healthy and productive. Or even if he doesn’t play much, he could serve as a mentor and share his accumulated wisdom with Winn, who hasn’t even turned 22 years old yet. Given his struggles over the past two years, he likely wouldn’t cost much, if he’s even able to secure a guaranteed roster spot.
Giants Sign Nick Ahmed To Minor League Deal
The Giants announced Monday that they’ve signed veteran infielder Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. Ahmed, a client of Excel Sports Management, has long been a division rival of the Giants, spending his entire big league career with the D-backs until now.
San Francisco has reportedly been mulling a variety of veteran options at shortstop. Ahmed will add a glove-first option to their spring group. He’ll compete with prospect Marco Luciano, 25-year-old Casey Schmitt and 26-year-old Tyler Fitzgerald for playing time at that position. Ahmed was recently linked to the Cardinals as well, where he’d also have been competing with a young prospect (Masyn Winn) for playing time, and the Marlins before that. It’s not clear whether St. Louis or Miami ever made an offer, but that’s largely moot now that Ahmed has signed on with the Giants.
The past two seasons have been a struggle for Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop. Shoulder surgery in 2022 limited him to just 17 games, and his already modest offensive production cratered upon returning in 2023. Ahmed hit just .212/.257/.303 last year, losing playing time to Geraldo Perdomo. In September, the Diamondbacks designated Ahmed for assignment and released him. It was an unceremonious end to a 10-season tenure as Arizona’s primary shortstop, but the veteran’s dwindling role and production prompted the organization to move on.
In the five seasons prior to his shoulder surgery, Ahmed had still been below-average at the plate, but not nearly to the extent he was in ’23. From 2017-21, Ahmed tallied 2057 plate appearances and batted .242/.300/.402 (83 wRC+). As is to be expected from a right-handed hitter, he’s been far better against lefties in his career, slashing .257/.309/.430 (93 wRC+).
Ahmed offsets his lackluster offensive output by playing defense as well as virtually any player in the sport. From ’17-’21, Ahmed’s 58 Defensive Runs Saved ranked fifth among all big leaguers, regardless of position. His 87 Outs Above Average, per Statcast, tied him with Francisco Lindor for the most of any player — shortstop or otherwise — in the big leagues.
Whether Ahmed can return to those heights in the field remains to be seen, though last year’s showing in a small sample was promising. He only logged 488 innings in the field but still tallied 1 DRS, 6 OAA and a 1.6 Ultimate Zone Rating. The typically surehanded Ahmed did make an uncharacteristic eight errors in that small sample, but his range remained excellent.
Ahmed will have some youthful competition as he looks to grab a roster spot. The 22-year-old Luciano currently ranks 56th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list. He didn’t hit much in a tiny sample of 45 plate appearances during last summer’s MLB debut, however, and also struggled in Triple-A following a promotion from Double-A (where he’d struck out in 29.8% of his plate appearances). Questions about his glovework and contact profile could lead Luciano to Triple-A to begin the season.
Both Schmitt and Fitzgerald made their MLB debuts last season as well. Schmitt is a plus defender at multiple infield positions but hit just .206/.255/.324 in 277 trips to the plate during last year’s debut effort. His .300/.346/.435 slash in Triple-A was a far sight better, but he’s not yet proven himself against MLB pitching. Fitzgerald didn’t play shortstop at all in the majors last season, but that’s been his primary spot in the minors. He went just 7-for-32 in 34 MLB plate appearances but connected on a pair of homers and doubles alike. Fitzgerald popped 20 homers and swiped 29 bags in Triple-A, but scouts see him as more of a utilityman than an everyday option at shortstop, in part for defensive reasons.