AL West Notes: Maldonado, deGrom, Bleday
Martin Maldonado played through a sports hernia and a broken hand for the latter part of the 2022 season, toughing it out to remain on the field and help the Astros win a championship. As a result, Maldonado admitted that he “felt a little sad” that the Astros looked at Willson Contreras and other available catchers this offseason. “We just won the World Series and I felt like I sacrificed my whole body playing through injuries for the team….But I understand the business,” Maldonado told The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome and other reporters. “I know as an owner, as a front office, they’re going to try to always get the best position players available and help the team get better. Willson was the best free-agent catcher out there.”
Maldonado has rarely hit much over his 12 MLB seasons, but he is beloved within the Astros clubhouse for his defense and ability to work with pitchers. A new addition doesn’t appear to be coming for now, leaving Maldonado atop Houston’s depth chart and youngsters Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz competing for the backup catching job. Maldonado’s health situation certainly spurred the Astros’ acquisition of Christian Vazquez at the trade deadline, but if Houston has any lingering feelings that an upgrade is necessary behind the plate, they’re certainly still a team to watch on the trade market throughout the season.
More from around the AL West…
- Given Jacob deGrom‘s injury history, a seemingly minor four-day shutdown due to side pain was cause for concern amongst Rangers fans, but the newly-signed ace is now “feeling really good,” as Texas GM Chris Young told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and other reporters. “He’s made a lot of improvement….And he was throwing before he got here, so I think he will catch back up quickly. He was sort of ahead of schedule to where he’s been in the past.” DeGrom is expected to throw off a mound on Monday or Tuesday, and is slated to play catch and take part in fielding drills in the interim.
- Last weekend’s trade that sent JJ Bleday from the Marlins to the Athletics was “a blindside” to the outfielder, Bleday told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle). But, Bleday is now ready for his “exciting opportunity” in Oakland, and how he is planning to establish himself as a big leaguer after an underwhelming rookie season. Bleday hit only .167/.277/.309 over his first 238 plate appearances in the Show, and said “the jump from Triple-A to the big leagues was definitely bigger than I anticipated. There were some things in the big leagues I was doing mechanically that I probably shouldn’t have been. You’re really unaware of it but you have no time to work on that stuff because you’re playing every single day….It’s a relentless league.” After an offseason of prep, Bleday is now looking to keep his hands high at the plate and put an emphasis on hitting fastballs. It wasn’t long ago that Bleday was a consensus top-50 prospect, so a breakout might come in his new environment if Bleday can adjust to MLB fastballs and continue his ability to draw walks.
NL East Notes: Mets, Britton, Rizzo, Nationals, Fried
The Mets are “unlikely” to sign Zack Britton, a source tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, though New York was one of six teams in attendance at Britton’s showcase earlier this week. Brooks Raley is the only left-hander slated for a role in the Mets’ bullpen, so Britton would’ve added some southpaw depth that seems necessary on paper. However, DiComo writes that the Mets like the flexibility offered by having relievers available with minor league options, since it allows the club to shuttle fresh arms back and forth from the minors when necessary.
Britton and the Mets were seen as a logical match for much of the offseason, both due to the Mets’ needs for left-handed relief help and the past history between Britton and manager Buck Showalter from their time with the Orioles. With multiple teams (even beyond the teams who had scouts at his showcase) still showing interest in Britton, the two-time All-Star seems bound to land somewhere in what will essentially be a comeback year after two injury-marred seasons.
More from the NL East…
- Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo is only under contract through the 2023 season, and there hasn’t been any indication that the two sides have discussed an extension. (Understandably so, given how the organization is mourning the recent passing of owner Ted Lerner.) Even if an extension doesn’t come, Rizzo isn’t worried, as he told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post that “it’s not the first time, won’t be the last time, I’m on a lame-duck contract. It doesn’t affect me….I was an area scout. I worked on 20 one-year contracts in a row, so I’m no stranger to limited security. My work will be my résumé, and we’ll see how it goes on from there.” Rizzo is one of the longer-serving executives in baseball, having led the Nationals’ front office since 2009. Between Lerner’s passing, the seemingly stalled efforts to sell the team, and the Nationals’ ongoing rebuild, Rizzo’s status is only one of many major issues facing the organization.
- “There’s no anger, animosity or anything” for Max Fried in the aftermath of losing his arbitration hearing with the Braves, the ace told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). Fried will now earn $13.5MM in 2023, and he’ll have one more year of arb eligibility remaining before he can become a free agent in the 2024-25 offseason. An extension would naturally change that timeline, and while Fried seemed to imply that a longer-term deal hadn’t yet been broached, “we’ve been able to have some good communication. I really love my time here and I love the team. So if [an extension] is something that comes to the table, it’s something we’ll talk about.” Atlanta’s flurry of recent extension has put a lot of longer-term commitments on the team’s books, though a lot of money might be coming off the books next winter depending on how many (or any) club options the Braves choose to exercise. As Bowman notes, however, Fried’s closer proximity and the high cost of free agent pitching would seemingly require the Braves to offer a contract with a club-record average annual value in order to keep Fried off the market.
Cubs Notes: Thompson, Alzolay, Hendricks, Hoerner
Keegan Thompson and Adbert Alzolay aren’t part of the competition to be the Cubs’ fifth starter, as manager David Ross told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) that the two right-handers will be working out of the bullpen. Thompson has pitched as a reliever for 38 of his 61 career games in the majors, with significantly more success out of the pen — the righty has a 1.95 ERA over 73 2/3 bullpen innings, as opposed to a 4.94 ERA over 94 2/3 frames as a starter. Alzolay has started 27 of his 45 career games, but worked exclusively as a reliever in his limited action last year, as Alzolay missed most of 2022 recovering from a shoulder strain.
Thompson also missed close to a month last season due to lower back tightness, so health concerns might have also been some factor in the Cubs’ decision. However, the team might simply be more excited by the idea of what Thompson or Alzolay could deliver as relief pitchers, particularly since the rotation has been bolstered by the addition of Jameson Taillon and the re-signing of Drew Smyly. Chicago hasn’t spent much on the bullpen in recent years, preferring to add veterans on one-year deals (i.e. this winter’s signings of Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger) and seeing what is available in terms of in-house options. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Thompson or Alzolay couldn’t still get at least some usage as a starter in 2023, or that the door is closed on either righty as a potential starting candidate down the road.
More from Wrigleyville….
- Speaking of the starting rotation, Kyle Hendricks will return to his usual spot in the starting five when he is healthy, as the veteran continues to manage a capsular tear in his throwing shoulder. Hendricks told Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times that he is roughly a month behind in his usual offseason training routine, though he will throw off a mound in a loose bullpen session on Friday. This puts Hendricks slightly ahead of his projected rehab schedule, as Hendricks was initially thinking he wouldn’t have any mound work until March 1.
- Contract extensions haven’t been a big part of the Cubs’ business over the last three seasons, as the team tried to squeeze another title out of its 2016 championship core before pivoting into a rebuild. Now that the Cubs are aiming to contend again in 2023, talks have taken place with Nico Hoerner about a possibly long-term deal, though the second baseman didn’t give reporters (such as The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma or MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian) or other reporters any updates about the status of the negotiations. Hoerner doesn’t have any “hard deadline” on getting a deal complete, and that “we’ll just continue to work things through” while he is primarily focusing on his Spring Training prep. As to his future in Chicago, Hoerner said “I love coming to work here every day. There are so many boxes that are checked being a part of this organization. They’ve done nothing but right by me.” Hoerner has two remaining arbitration-eligible years remaining, and he is eligible for free agency in the 2025-26 offseason.
Dodgers Hire Tyson Ross For Special Assistant Role
The Dodgers have hired Tyson Ross for a special assistant position, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports (Twitter link). Ross will be involved in the team’s player development and player performance departments. The hiring seemingly indicates that Ross has ended his playing career after 10 Major League seasons.
A second-round pick for the Athletics in 2008, Ross began his career with three seasons for his hometown team before he was traded to the Padres during the 2012-13 offseason. The right-hander reached another level with his new club, posting strong numbers as a member of San Diego’s rotation and receiving an All-Star nod in 2014.
Unfortunately for Ross, injuries limited his effectiveness after this promising run. He pitched in only a single game in 2016 due to shoulder problems and eventually a surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. After two injury-marred seasons, it seemed like Ross was regaining some of his old effectiveness during a solid 2018 year with the Padres and Cardinals, but after signing with the Tigers in December 2018, his time in Detroit was limited to only seven starts due to elbow problems.
Ross’ five innings of work in the Tigers’ 6-0 loss to the Twins on May 10, 2019 ended up being his final Major League appearance. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants prior to the 2020 season but he chose to opt out of the pandemic-shortened season, and another minors deal with the Rangers in the 2020-21 offseason didn’t lead to any game time even in the minors before he was released that May.
Ross turns 36 in April, and he is hanging up his cleats after 203 MLB games (142 of them starts) and 904 2/3 innings. During his time with the A’s, Padres, Rangers, Cardinals, and Tigers, Ross had a 4.04 ERA, relying on a grounder-heavy arsenal rather than blow-away strikeout numbers. Ross had a 53.5% grounder rate to go along with a 21.2% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate.
As he embarks on this new role with the Dodgers, Ross now finds himself opposite his younger brother Joe on both sides of the heated Los Angeles/San Francisco rivalry. Joe (who is recovering from Tommy John surgery) signed a minors deal with the Giants last month.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Tyson on a fine career, and we wish him the best as he moves into his post-playing endeavors in the game.
Red Sox Sign Marcus Wilson To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox have signed outfielder Marcus Wilson to a minor league contract, as per MILB.com’s official transactions page. Wilson has been assigned to Double-A Portland.
There is plenty of familiarity between the two sides, as Wilson was a member of Boston’s organization for most of the 2019-21 seasons. The Sox initially acquired the outfielder from the Diamondbacks in an April 2019 trade, and then designated him for assignment to open up some roster space for moves at the 2021 trade deadline. The Mariners claimed Wilson on waivers, and his time in Seattle resulted in his first taste of Major League action. Wilson appeared in three games with the M’s this season, and though he struck out in four of six plate appearances, he at least banked his first official hit, walk, and run as a big leaguer.
After opting for minor league free agency following the season, the 26-year-old Wilson is now back with the Red Sox. A second-round pick for the D’Backs in the 2014 draft, Wilson has experience at all three outfield positions, though he has spent much more time as a corner outfielder than as a center fielder in the last two seasons. He has posted respectable numbers at the plate in the minors (including a .230/.355/.441 slash line and 30 homers over 792 PA at the Triple-A level), but Wilson’s offensive productivity has been limited by his propensity for strikeouts.
Wilson gives the Sox a known quantity as minor league depth as the team sorts its outfield mix. Alex Verdugo and newcomers Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall look to earn most of the everyday at-bats on the grass, while utilityman Rob Refsnyder, top propects Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, minor league signings Greg Allen and Raimel Tapia or (when they’re not in the infield) Christian Arroyo or Enrique Hernandez could all be in the picture for outfield work.
Brewers Sign Justin Wilson
The Brewers announced that left-hander Justin Wilson was signed to a one-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season. Since Wilson underwent Tommy John surgery last June, it isn’t known whether or not he’ll be able to pitch this season, but Milwaukee will retain control over his services when he is healthy.
The ACES client will make $850K in 2023 and the option is valued at $2.5MM with a $150K buyout; it’s a $1MM guarantee overall. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Milwaukee placed righty Jason Alexander on the 60-day injured list after he suffered a shoulder strain. He’ll be out until the end of May at the earliest.
Wilson will remain in the NL Central, as he had been a member of the Reds organization since he was dealt from the Yankees as part of a deal prior to the 2021 trade deadline. Wilson ended up posting a 2.75 ERA over his 19 2/3 total innings with Cincinnati, but his elbow problems limited him to only 3 2/3 innings of work in 2022. Wilson averaged 67 games and 61 innings per season from 2013-18, though he missed significant time in 2019 due to elbow soreness and then in 2021 due to a hamstring.
Through 11 MLB seasons, Wilson has a 3.41 career ERA, a solidly above-average 25.9% strikeout rate, and a subpar 10.7% walk rate. The free passes are the only real weak link on Wilson’s resume, as the southpaw has done well to induce grounders and limit hard contact over his career. The 35-year-old also has roughly identical career splits against both left-handed and right-handed batters.
This solid performance hasn’t prevented Wilson from bouncing around the league, as he has seen big league action with six different teams over the course of his career. The Brewers are certainly hopeful of being the seventh, perhaps as early as this summer if Wilson is on the short end of the usual 14-16 month recovery period for Tommy John patients. On the plus side, Wilson won’t require as much arm build-up since he’ll be working out of the bullpen, so it would seem like there’s a decent chance that he’ll be able to get on the mound before the 2023 campaign is over.
Hoby Milner is the only left-hander projected for Milwaukee’s Opening Day bullpen, and Alex Claudio, Thomas Pannone, and Robert Gasser are the southpaws in camp as non-roster invitees. Aaron Ashby might have also factored into the Brew Crew’s relief plans if he wasn’t kept stretched out as rotation depth, but Ashby is now going to be out of action for several months due to shoulder inflammation. While Wilson doesn’t provide any immediate help to the bullpen, he at least represents some left-handed relief depth down the road, while the Brewers figure out their plans for the start of the season.
Mariners Win Arbitration Case Against Teoscar Hernandez
The Mariners were the winners of their arbitration hearing with Teoscar Hernandez, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). The arbitration panel ruled that Hernandez will earn $14MM in 2023, rather than the outfielder’s sought-after salary of $16MM.
This was Hernandez’s final year of arb eligibility, as he is slated to enter the free agent market next offseason. 2023 will also be the slugger’s first season in Seattle, after the M’s acquired Hernandez from the Blue Jays in one of the winter’s most notable trades. The Mariners dealt a quality set-up man in Erik Swanson and an interesting pitching prospect in Adam Macko to Toronto in the hopes that the 30-year-old Hernandez can add some pop to the lineup.
Hernandez hit .267/.316/.491 with 25 home runs over 535 plate appearances with the Jays in 2022, continuing his string of somewhat quietly productive seasons. Since the start of the 2018 season, Hernandez has hit 121 homers and slashed .263/.321/.499, which works out to a solidly above-average 120 wrRC+. Hernandez won Silver Slugger honors in both 2020 and 2021, and was also named to his first All-Star team in 2021.
Despite all these pluses, the Jays felt Hernandez was expendable as part of their effort to add more defense, quickness, and left-handed hitting balance to the lineup. While Hernandez’s speed is perhaps underrated, his glovework as a corner outfielder drew mixed reviews at best, and such major public defensive metrics as Outs Above Average (-5), UZR/150 (-5.3) and Defensive Runs Saved (-3) all gave him subpar marks as a right fielder in 2022. Hernandez’s offensive production is also somewhat one-dimensional — he brings plenty of power and hard contact, but also a lot of swing-and-miss without many walks.
Since arbiters generally tend to look more at traditional counting stats than advanced metrics, the drop from Hernandez’s 2021 numbers (32 homers, 116 RBI, .296 average) to his 2022 number could explain why the panel ruled in favor of the Mariners. Hernandez will still receive a nice raise from his $10.65MM salary in 2022, and barring an extension with the M’s at some point, he’ll look to deliver a good platform season to set him up for a hefty multi-year contract next offseason.
With Hernandez’s case now decided, Seattle’s arbitration business has concluded for the winter. The club didn’t reach an agreement with three players prior to the figure-exchange deadline, but the Mariners ended up winning their hearings with Hernandez and Diego Castillo, and reaching a three-year extension with Dylan Moore.
Angels Win Arbitration Case Against Gio Urshela, Lose Against Hunter Renfroe
The Angels have won their arbitration case against infielder Gio Urshela, and lost their case with Hunter Renfroe reports Jeff Fletcher of SoCal News Group. Urshela will now take home an $8.4MM salary in 2023, rather than the $10MM salary he’d filed for. Renfroe will get $11.9MM from the Angels, who’d countered with an $11.25MM offer. Both players are entering their first season with the Angels this year.
Urshela was acquired from the Twins earlier in the winter, after enjoying something of a bounceback year in 2022. The 31-year-old posted a .285/.338/.429 line with 13 home runs for the Twins last year, his most productive season since 2019 with the Yankees. The key there was a seven percentage point drop in his strikeout rate from a year prior, as well as an uptick in his walk rate.
Renfroe was picked up in an early off-season trade with the Brewers. The corner outfielder slugged 29 home runs last year on his way to a .255/.315/.492 line over 522 plate appearances. That came with some solid outfield defense, as Renfroe logged 2 Defensive Runs Saved in right field.
He figures to be the team’s everyday right fielder, but the playing time allocation for Urshela is a little less clear. Urshela’s generally graded out well at third base, but Anthony Rendon looks set to get the majority of the reps there. Rendon has missed 219 games in the past two years, but if he’s fit you’d have to think he’d be in the lineup at third most days. That could leave Urshela to spend time at the middle infield spots. He played a handful of games at short for the Yankees in 2021, but apart from that has been used only sparingly outside of third, so it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in the Angels lineup.
Both Urshela and Renfroe are entering their last season of club control, and will become free agents at the end of the season.
Manny Machado Set Feb 16 Deadline For Padres Extension Talks; Team Offered Further Five-Years, $105MM
Manny Machado set the Padres a deadline of February 16 to offer him an extension that would’ve meant he avoided free agency at the end of the 2023 season, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. According to Acee, the Padres made just one offer to Machado two days prior to his deadline, offering to tack on an extra five-years and $105MM to his current deal. That would’ve taken their total commitment to Machado to 15-years, $405MM. Machado is planning to opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and combining the remaining value of Machado’s contract (five-years, $150MM from 2024-28) with this new offer would’ve equated to a ten-year, $255MM deal.
According to Acee’s report, Machado confirmed in a brief interview that in early December he set the Padres a deadline of February 16 because “I just wanted to focus on baseball. So once the season started, I didn’t want to really continue talking about contracts or the business side of things. I just want to focus on my team and the guys in here and what our goal is — to win a championship. So (Thursday) was our deadline, and after that it was just focus on baseball, going out there and winning.” Machado’s interview also confirmed that he received just the one offer from San Diego, but did not confirm the terms reported.
Machado’s current ten-year, $300MM deal runs through the 2028 season, but contains a player opt out at the end of 2023. Machado confirmed just yesterday his intentions to exercise that clause and opt out of the remaining five-years, $150MM on his deal. That should come as no surprise, as Machado has been one of the game’s best players in recent seasons and at 30 is both young enough and good enough to earn a long term deal far surpassing what was remaining on his current contract.
While his 2023 season will naturally play a significant part in Machado’s market next winter, there certainly seems a strong case for him to pick up a bigger deal than the ten-year, $255MM deal the Padres have effectively offered him here. Machado’s been worth 11.7 fWAR over the past two seasons and has four career 6+ fWAR seasons. Compare that to his new team mate Xander Bogaerts, who inked an 11-year, $280MM deal with San Diego this winter. Bogaerts is a fine player, but he’s been worth 10.5 fWAR over the past two seasons and 2022 was his lone 6+ fWAR season. Of course, fWAR is not the determining factor in contract negotiations, but it serves as a relevant data point to consider why Machado might see himself as worth more on the open market than ten-years, $255MM.
Machado’s resume to date is nothing short of stellar. An MVP runner up in 2022, Machado has six All Star appearances, five top-five MVP finishes, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger to his name thus far. He’s a threat on both sides of the ball, as evidenced by his career 124 wRC+ and 97 Defensive Runs Saved at third base.
With Machado’s deadline now passed, it appears likelier than ever that he’ll hit the open market at the end of the season. As the likely top free agent not named Shohei Ohtani next winter, Machado seems a good chance to become the first ever player to sign multiple $300MM contracts in his career.
Rangers Sign Dominic Leone To Minor League Deal
The Rangers have added right-hander Dominic Leone on a minor league deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Leone will receive an invite to spring training. Leone is represented by Frye McCann Sports.
The 31-year-old is coming off a season in which he pitched 49 1/3 innings for the Giants, working to a 4.01 ERA. That mark came with a 23.4% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate.
Originally taken in the 16th round of the 2012 draft by the Mariners, Leone, like a lot of relievers, has had an up-and-down career, scattering in some quality seasons with a few poor ones as well. He burst onto the scene with Seattle in 2014, working to a 2.17 ERA over 66 1/3 frames, but followed that up with a combined 8.40 ERA for Seattle and Arizona in 2015. 2016 saw his ERA at 6.33 for the Diamondbacks, before he put in an elite 2.56 ERA over 70 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays.
That season with the Blue Jays was enough for the Cardinals to part with Randal Grichuk to acquire Leone and Connor Greene. Yet Leone’s struggles would return in St Louis, and he’d own a 5.15 ERA over three seasons there. He’d struggle in a subsequent season with the Guardians, before bouncing back with an excellent debut campaign with the Giants in 2021. That year, Leone would work to a 1.51 ERA over 53 2/3 innings.
All told, Leone owns a career 3.69 ERA over 356 innings across parts of nine big league seasons. There’s not a lot to be taken from his career average given the volatility of his performance, but it’s clear there’s also still a bit of upside there. In Texas, Leone will reunite with some familiar faces, having worked with pitching coach Mike Maddux in St Louis, as well as Chris Young in Seattle.