Javier Baez Opts In To Final Four Years On Tigers’ Deal
Tigers shortstop Javier Baez declined to opt out of his contract with the Tigers, writes Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press. He’ll be due $98MM over the next four seasons.
There was no suspense with the decision. Baez has struggled mightily since landing in Detroit. He owns a .230/.273/.361 line through the first two seasons of a six-year, $140MM free agent pact. That includes a .222/.267/.325 slash through 547 trips to the dish in 2023.
Baez is due $25MM annually over the next two seasons, followed by $24MM yearly salaries in 2026 and ’27. That contract would make it very difficult for the Tigers to trade him unless they pay the money down almost in entirety. Detroit could look to supplant Baez as the starting shortstop this offseason, although the weak free agent class at the position makes that more challenging than would be the case in a typical winter.
Mets Claim Zack Short From Tigers
Former Tigers infielder Zack Short has been claimed on waivers by the Mets, the Tigers announced. This comes amidst a flurry of roster moves for the Tigers, who needed to open up several spots on the 40-man ahead of the deadline to move players off of the 60-day injured list, as well as the deadline to add players to the 40-man before they can elect minor league free agency.
Drafted by the Cubs in 2016, Short was traded to the Tigers in 2020 in exchange for veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin. He made his big league debut the following season, appearing in 61 games for Detroit and struggling his way to a .141/.239/.282 batting line. The utility infielder spent almost all of the 2022 season at Triple-A, but he made his way back to the majors in April 2023 and never looked back. While no one could argue his bat was an asset, he posted a much-improved .204/.292/.339 slash line while showing off his defensive versatility all over the diamond. By the end of the year, he had appeared in 112 games, occasionally as a starter but just as often as a pinch runner or mid-game defensive replacement.
While his offense may never be a strength, Short draws walks well, and he can put his plus speed to work when he reaches base. Moreover, his defense might not stand out at any one position, but he is capable of covering second, third, and short, and even the outfield in a pinch. As long as he doesn’t regress at the plate, his flexibility could earn him another shot at MLB playing time next season, especially since he is out of minor league options.
In further Mets news, all six players the team placed on outright waivers last week have cleared, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Bryce Montes de Oca and Peyton Battenfield have been sent outright to Triple-A and will remain with the organization, while Tim Locastro, John Curtiss, Elieser Hernandez, and Denyi Reyes have elected free agency.
Rays Trade Michael Mercado To Phillies
The Phillies have acquired right-handed pitcher Michael Mercado in a trade with the Rays, the team announced. In exchange, Tampa Bay received right-hander Adam Leverett as well as cash considerations. The Phillies have selected Mercado to the roster, leaving the team with two open spots on the 40-man.
Mercado, 24, was a second-round selection in the 2017 draft. A California high school product, he was regarded by Baseball America as a top 50 player in that year’s class. His climb up the ladder was stalled by an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in 2019. Between that and the COVID year, he didn’t pitch for two full seasons. Mercado has posted middling results in the three years since that point.
Moved to the bullpen in 2023, the 6’4″ hurler allowed 4.79 earned runs per nine between Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out an excellent 35.4% of batters faced but walked 13% of opponents while struggling with home runs. Mercado clearly isn’t a finished product, but he intrigued Philadelphia’s scouts enough to secure a roster spot. He would have been eligible for minor league free agency today if not added to a 40-man roster.
Leverett was a 15th-round pick in 2019. He worked mostly out of the bullpen at Double-A Reading this year, posting a 3.94 ERA across 64 frames. The 25-year-old will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter but remains two years away from potential minor league free agency.
Dodgers Do Not Extend Qualifying Offer To J.D. Martinez
The Dodgers are not extending $20.325MM qualifying offers to J.D. Martinez or Clayton Kershaw, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
Martinez, now 36, signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Dodgers for 2023. He then had his best season in years, hitting 33 home runs and producing a line of .271/.321/.572. His 135 wRC+ indicated he was 35% better than the league average hitter.
A strong argument could have been made for Martinez to receive the QO in a vacuum, but what likely worked against him is the fact that he’s essentially a designated hitter only. The Dodgers are considered to be one of the top landing spots for Shohei Ohtani, who will be a designated hitter only in 2024 and will need significant time in that slot even if he returns to pitching in 2025. If the Dodgers extended the QO to Martinez, he may have accepted since it’s more than twice the salary he just made in 2023. Having both him and Ohtani on the same roster would be a particularly awkward fit since he has only played 12 innings in the field over the past two seasons combined.
As for Kershaw, the Dodgers have courteously decided not to give him a QO in each of the past two offseasons. Since he was reportedly deciding between returning to the Dodgers, joining his hometown Rangers or retiring, the club neglected to give him the QO so that he could take his time to make such a decision. This winter, there’s even more uncertainty since the southpaw underwent shoulder surgery and has an uncertain timeline for a return to action.
In both cases, the lack of QO helps the player in free agency since receiving a QO has a negative effect on a player’s earning power. Being saddled with draft pick forfeiture will cause some clubs to lower how much they are willing to spend on a given player while some other will steer clear of such players completely. By avoiding the QO, they can each can avoid any such worries.
Rangers Do Not Extend Qualifying Offer To Mitch Garver
Rangers catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver did not receive a qualifying offer, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (X link). He hits free agency without draft compensation attached as the clear #1 catching option in the class.
Garver played his way to borderline QO candidacy with a huge second half. He finished the season with a .270/.370/.500 line with 19 home runs through 344 plate appearances. He hit at a league average level during the World Series run, finishing postseason play with a .226/.317/.434 slash with a trio of homers in 14 games.
Turning 33 in January, Garver will be capped by his age and injury history in terms of contract length. He’s a lock for a multi-year deal, likely a three-year pact in his first trip to the open market. Gary Sánchez, Tom Murphy and Víctor Caratini are the best catchers beyond him in the class. If Texas lets Garver walk, they’ll likely bring in a veteran backup behind Jonah Heim who pushes Sam Huff to third on the depth chart.
Blue Jays Acquire Brendon Little, Select Mitch White
The Cubs have traded left-handed pitcher Brendon Little to the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, the Blue Jays announced. The 27-year-old has been selected to the 40-man. Right-hander Mitch White has also been added back to Toronto’s 40-man roster.
Little is a former first-round pick. The southpaw has the briefest of MLB résumés, consisting of a single relief appearance for the Cubs in 2022 (at Rogers Centre as a COVID substitute). He averaged 94.5 MPH on his sinker in that game but allowed three runs while recording two outs.
The Pennsylvania native spent this past season in Triple-A, working to a 4.05 ERA through 73 1/3 innings as a long reliever. Little struck out a league average 23.1% of batters faced but issued walks at a lofty 12% clip. The stuff was nevertheless intriguing enough for the Jays to give him a 40-man spot, which keeps him from becoming a minor league free agent. He has a full slate of option years and can bounce between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo so long as he holds that place on the roster.
White is a more familiar name for the Toronto fanbase. Acquired from the Dodgers at the 2022 deadline, he has had a few stints on the MLB roster. He hasn’t found much big league success as a Jay, working to a 7.60 ERA across 55 2/3 innings. After being outrighted from the 40-man roster in August, however, he finished the year strong in Buffalo. The 28-year-old posted a 1.69 ERA in four September starts for the Bisons, holding opponents to a .160/.259/.253 line in the process.
That was enough for the Jays to prevent White from leaving in minor league free agency. If he keeps his place on the 40-man throughout the offseason, they’ll need to carry him on next year’s MLB roster or make him available to other clubs because he has exhausted his minor league options.
Mariners Do Not Extend Qualifying Offer To Teoscar Hernández
The Mariners have decided not to extend a $20.325MM qualifying offer to outfielder Teoscar Hernández, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
This is arguably the most surprising news to come out of the qualifying offer deadline, which just passed at 4:00 pm Central. All seven players to receive the QO were obvious locks, but it seemed possible that some other pitchers and position players could be on that list. Hernández seemed like one of the more likely QO candidates but will now head to the open market unencumbered.
An impending free agent is eligible for a qualifying offer if they just spent the entire season with only one club and have not received one previously in their career. If the player rejects a QO and signs elsewhere, the signing club is subject to draft pick forfeiture and possibly other penalties while the player’s previous club gets draft pick compensation.
Hernández had a bit of a down year in 2023, relative to his own standards, but had been one of the better sluggers in baseball over the previous three seasons. He hit 73 home runs for the Blue Jays from 2020 to 2022, slashing .283/.333/.519 in the process. That amounted to a wRC+ of 133, indicating he was 33% better than the league average hitter in that stretch, putting him in the top 20 of all qualified hitters in that time.
The Jays traded him to the Mariners going into 2023 and then his production slipped. He still hit 26 home runs but his strikeout rate jumped to 31.1%, after being at a combined 27.2% over the previous three years. His .258/.305/.435 line translated to a wRC+ of just 105. That was obviously not what the M’s envisioned when they traded for him, but it’s possible their pitching-friendly home park played a role, as he had a wRC+ of just 81 at home for the year but 126 on the road.
The upcoming free agent market is generally weak in terms of impact bats, despite being headlined by Shohei Ohtani. Despite his down year, Hernández was going to be one of the most attractive bats available. It was generally expected that the Mariners would extend the qualifying offer to him and he probably still could have found decent offers in free agency. But they evidently believed there was risk of him accepting the QO in the event they offered it. Since they chose not to do so suggests that having him back in Seattle next year at a salary of $20.325MM was an undesirable outcome for them.
That perhaps doesn’t bode well for next year’s budget for the club, but it’s also possible they are trying to keep powder dry at this early stage of the offseason. The Mariners, along with many other clubs, are expected to pursue Ohtani as a Plan A this winter with all other options Plan B. As the Mariners assess their odds in that pursuit, perhaps they didn’t want to risk having a sizable chunk of their budget already spoken for by Hernández.
This only helps him out as a free agent, since receiving a QO has a negative effect on a player’s earning power. Being saddled with draft pick forfeiture will cause some clubs to lower how much they are willing to spend on a given player while some other will steer clear of such players completely. By avoiding the QO, Hernández can avoid any such worries.
Braves Claim Angel Perdomo, Outright Jackson Stephens
The Braves have claimed lefty reliever Angel Perdomo off waivers from the Pirates, according to an announcement from Pittsburgh. Atlanta reliever Jackson Stephens was outrighted from the 40-man roster and elected free agency in a corresponding move. Pittsburgh also announced that Yerry De Los Santos — previously reported as on waivers — went unclaimed and was outrighted from the roster.
Perdomo, 29, has pitched in parts of three big league seasons. He logged a personal-high 29 innings with the Pirates in 2023 after signing an offseason minor league deal. The 6’8″ southpaw showed promise, working to a 3.72 ERA while striking out an elite 37.6% of batters faced. He generated swinging strikes at a solid 13% clip and held opposing lefties to a .125/.205/.225 line in a small sample.
Were he healthy, that likely would have been enough to hold a spot in the Pittsburgh relief corps. Unfortunately, Perdomo landed on the injured list with a season-ending elbow problem in August. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported over the weekend that Perdomo underwent a Tommy John procedure a month ago. He’s likely to miss all of 2024. With no injured list during the offseason, the Bucs felt it best to let him go.
Atlanta will carry him on the 40-man roster, at least for the moment. Should he stick on the roster all winter, they could place him on the 60-day IL during Spring Training. He’ll step into the spot vacated by Stephens, who made five appearances late in the season. The 29-year-old righty posted a 3.28 ERA over 24 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s likely to find another minor league deal this offseason.
Athletics Claim Miguel Andujar From Pirates
The Athletics announced that they have claimed infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar off waivers from the Pirates and selected outfielder Lazaro Armenteros. The A’s also outrighted left-handers Anthony Kay and Easton Lucas, as well as right-handers Tayler Scott and Chad Smith to Triple-A Las Vegas. The move on Armenteros was reported last week.
Andujar, 29 in March, had a tremendous season with the Yankees in 2018, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting to Shohei Ohtani. But since then, he hasn’t been given an extended stretch of playing time in the big leagues. Shoulder surgery put him out of action for much of 2019 and Gio Urshela stole the third base job in the Bronx while he was gone. Since then, he has generally crushed in the minors but struggled when given brief looks in the majors.
2023 continued that pattern, with Andujar in the Pirates organization. He was up in the majors for a couple of weeks from late April to mid-May but hit just .161/.212/.387. But his Triple-A season was far stronger, as he hit .338/.404/.536 at that level. He got back to the big leagues as a September call-up and was able to post an excellent line .302/.351/.528 in the final month of the season.
Given that encouraging finish, the Bucs could have held onto Andujar but he was projected for an arbitration salary of $2.2MM and is out of options. He was also limited to playing first base and the outfield corners in 2023, both in the majors and in the minors. The Pirates decided to move on but the A’s have come in to claim him.
The latter club has traded away their most established big leaguers in recent years, which perhaps makes Oakland the ideal landing spot for Andujar. He will be competing for playing time in the first base/corner outfield/designated hitter mix with Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday and others. If he is finally able to click in the majors again, he can be retained for another season via arbitration, though the A’s would likely trade him in that scenario.
Kay, 28, was just claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. He has a 5.59 ERA in 85 1/3 career innings at the major league level. He tossed 40 2/3 innings in the minors this year, between the Mets and Cubs, with a 3.76 ERA in that time.
Lucas, 26, just came of the A’s in the deadline deal that sent Shintaro Fujinami to the O’s. He was added to the roster in early September and made his major league debut, allowing six earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He tossed 46 2/3 frames in the minors for the year across different levels and organizations, with a 3.86 ERA across those clubs.
Scott, 31, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in July. He had a 5.60 ERA in the majors in 2023, splitting time between three different clubs. Between three different Triple-A clubs, he logged 38 1/3 innings with a 1.64 ERA.
Smith, 28, was acquired from the Rockies in the last offseason. He went on to throw 13 2/3 innings for the A’s in 2023 with a 6.59 ERA. His 34 2/3 innings in Triple-A didn’t go any better, with a 7.53 ERA in that time.
Phillies Do Not Extend Qualifying Offer To Rhys Hoskins
The Phillies will extend a $20.325MM qualifying offer to right-hander Aaron Nola but not to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Hoskins, 30, was an interesting borderline case for a QO. On the one hand, he had slugged 148 home runs in his career and slashed .242/.353/.492 for a wRC+ of 126. But he then missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his left ACL in Spring Training.
That could have been a tricky decision for the Phils but it seems they have opted against giving Hoskins the QO, seemingly expecting that he would have accepted it. That would have been logical from his point of view, returning to a familiar environment while hoping for a bounceback campaign. A salary of $20.325MM for Hoskins would have been reasonable if he were healthy, but it’s also a lot of money to tie up right at the beginning of the offseason, in addition to the risk of him having some rust after the lost season.
The Phils also have some flexibility now that Bryce Harper got playing time at first base in 2023 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and couldn’t play the outfield. The outfielder picture has Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rojas, Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache and Jake Cave, so perhaps they didn’t want to lock up a first baseman like Hoskins and push Harper back into the outfield on an everyday basis.
This only helps Hoskins out as a free agent, since receiving a QO has a negative effect on a player’s earning power. Being saddled with draft pick forfeiture will cause some clubs to lower how much they are willing to spend on a given player while some other will steer clear of such players completely. By avoiding the QO, Hoskins can avoid any such worries.