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Brian Snitker On Managerial Tenure, Freeman, Ozuna

By Anthony Franco | February 4, 2022 at 9:45pm CDT

Brian Snitker was at the helm of the Braves’ first World Series title in 26 years, leading the club to a championship in his fourth full season as skipper. A few months after securing the title, the 2018 National Manager of the Year chatted with Jeff Schultz of the Athletic.

The 66-year-old Snitker addressed his personal future, telling Schultz he’s still energized for another season in the wake of the World Series win. Asked how long he planned to continue managing, Snitker said he at least intends to work the remainder of his current contract. Though he was already under contract through 2023, the Braves exercised their 2024 option on his services shortly after the season.

As they prepare for what they hope to be a fifth consecutive division title, the Braves have plenty of roster maneuvering to figure out after the lockout. Hanging over the entire offseason has been the status of Freddie Freeman, who didn’t sign before the transactions freeze. Freeman and the Braves have reportedly haggled over whether his contract should include a sixth guaranteed year. With the possibility looming that he might depart, the Braves have been tied to Matt Olson and Anthony Rizzo as possible alternatives.

How ardently to pursue a Freeman reunion is a decision for ownership and the front office. Snitker, unsurprisingly, tells Schultz he’d prefer to keep the 2020 NL MVP around but pointed to the Braves’ ability to overcome losses of key players (most notably Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Soroka) last season. “Do I want Freddie back? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t I,” Snitker asked rhetorically. “But it may not happen. It’s the way business is. But I’m not freaking out about it right now. Last year, we lost Player A, and we kept going. We lost player B, C, D, E, F, and we just kept going. It’s what we do.”

Snitker also addressed the status of corner outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who was arrested in late May on domestic violence charges. Police at the time alleged they saw Ozuna strike his wife Genesis with a cast. A few months after his arrest, Ozuna agreed to partake in a domestic violence intervention program that could see his criminal charges eventually dropped. After spending a few months on the injured list, he was placed on paid administrative leave through the end of the 2021 season. Following the season, MLB announced a retroactive 20-game suspension for violation of the MLB – MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy, making him eligible to return to the field from the outset of 2022.

The Braves haven’t officially announced their plans for Ozuna, who is under contract through 2024. If Ozuna remains on the active roster, Snitker tells Schultz he’d have no qualms about putting him back into the lineup. “As far as I know right now, he’s going to be there,” Snitker said. “He went through the process, and he’s been cleared to play. That’s all I care about.“

Latest On Blue Jays’ Post-Lockout Plans

By Anthony Franco | February 4, 2022 at 7:23pm CDT

The Blue Jays made one of the biggest free agent signings before the start of the lockout, landing Kevin Gausman on a five-year deal. He stepped into the rotation spot vacated when reigning Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray signed with the Mariners. So while the Jays have already made a notable offseason strike, there’s certainly room for more whenever the transactions freeze comes to a close.

Adding an infielder has long been known to be a priority after Marcus Semien headed to the Rangers via free agency. That can take the form of a pickup at either third or second base, thus pushing Cavan Biggio and/or Santiago Espinal to the other position. Along with their desire for infield help, the Jays are likely to prioritize further rotation pickups and adding a high-leverage reliever, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

It’s arguable the Jays only need look for depth pickups in the starting staff. The top four of Gausman, José Berríos, Hyun-jin Ryu and Alek Manoah is among the stronger around the game. Veteran Ross Stripling looks to be the favorite for the #5 starter role at the moment. After beginning his MLB career with four consecutive sub-4.00 ERA seasons, Stripling has seen his production slip over the past two years. Going back to the start of 2020, he owns a 5.14 ERA/5.52 FIP over 150 2/3 innings with a 20.6% strikeout rate that checks in a couple points below the league average. As he has throughout his career, Stripling has continued to pound the strike zone (7.4% walk rate) but he’s been tagged for an untenable 2.2 home runs per nine innings over that stretch.

Stripling’s early-career run of success with the Dodgers probably reflects a loftier ceiling than that of most nominal #5 starters around the game, but another rotation pickup could push him into an overqualified sixth starter/swing role. The Jays also have top prospect Nate Pearson in the fold, although it remains to be seen how many innings they could reasonably expect from the righty in 2022. He was limited to just 45 2/3 frames between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo by injuries last year. Pearson is still a highly-regarded young arm — he checked in 2nd among Jays farmhands on Baseball America’s recent organizational ranking — but it remains to be seen if the club might prefer to keep tabs on his workload by having him pitch as a multi-inning reliever next season.

That’s particularly true given the middle-of-the-road relief group the Jays are hoping to augment after the lockout. Toronto relievers ranked 16th in MLB last season in ERA (4.08), 13th in strikeout/walk rate differential (14.9 percentage points) and 12th in SIERA (3.92). Jordan Romano broke out as an excellent late-game weapon, and Toronto has already added Yimi García on a two-year free agent deal. Yet there’s still some room for a high-leverage arm among a group that also includes Tim Mayza, Adam Cimber and the talented but oft-injured Julian Merryweather.

Romano took hold of the ninth inning last season, so Toronto needn’t land a proven closer. Still, that shouldn’t automatically take them out of the running for someone like Kenley Jansen, the top remaining free agent reliever. Acquiring a veteran closer — to be clear, Jansen’s just one speculative example — would allow skipper Charlie Montoyo more flexibility to deploy Romano in a situational high-leverage role. Other notable free agent relief arms include Collin McHugh, old friend Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Joe Kelly. Potential late-inning relievers who might be attainable via trade include Lou Trivino, Cole Sulser and David Bednar.

Davidi writes that a left-handed hitting outfielder might also be on the wish list, albeit perhaps not at the priority level of some of the club’s other areas of need. Toronto’s projected regular outfield of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer and Teoscar Hernández all hit right-handed. So too does fourth outfielder Randal Grichuk. The Jays would surely like to find a taker for the nearly $21MM in guaranteed money remaining on the latter’s deal through 2023. That’ll be easier said than done, but pulling off a Grichuk trade could make the search for additional outfield help more pressing.

The Jays aren’t going to spend on a top-of-the-market outfielder given the strength of their current group. Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario are likely to be affordable but may prefer to sign with a club offering a clearer path to everyday reps. Corey Dickerson, whom the Jays acquired alongside Cimber from the Marlins last summer, also hit the open market and is likely to be limited to one-year deals.

Dickerson hit .282/.329/.450 in 140 plate appearances with the Jays down the stretch. That’s in line with his general production over the past two seasons — high batting averages but a low walk rate and decent but unspectacular power production. His overall offensive output has checked in right around league average, by measure of wRC+, but he was a reliably productive bat for most of the early part of his career. Dickerson, who spoke glowingly of his time in Toronto as part of a wider-ranging interview with Davidi, indicated he’s heading into 2022 with a goal of rediscovering some of the extra-base impact he’d made during his time with the Rockies, Rays, Pirates and Phillies between 2013-19.

It’s not clear whether the Jays will reengage with Dickerson whenever club personnel is allowed to speak with free agents. Whatever course of action team president Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins and the rest of the front office choose, it seems they should have a fair amount of financial flexibility to address the various holes on the roster. Coming off a 91-win season that nevertheless was a touch short of the playoffs, there’s little reason not to be aggressive.

AL Central Notes: Buxton, Delmonico, Baddoo

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | February 4, 2022 at 4:44pm CDT

Chatting with SportsGrid’s Craig Mish earlier this week, Byron Buxton spoke about his decision to re-sign a seven-year extension with the Twins rather than play out the 2022 season and enter the free-agent market next winter. Reports dating back to July have indicated that the Twins and Buxton both hoped to work something out, and the 28-year-old tells Mish that “loyalty was a big thing for my family and me” when it came to contract talks. Buxton expressed appreciation for the Twins sticking with him and wanting to build around him despite a litany of injuries. He added that since being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, his goals have been to reach the Majors, play for a long time, and to spend his career with one team.

There’s no guarantee that last part will come to fruition, but in addition to a $100MM guarantee, Buxton’s contract came with a full no-trade clause. He can also boost his annual salary considerably with incentives tied to plate appearances and MVP voting. There’s a good bit of risk involved in the deal, given Buxton’s injury history, but as his .277/.321/.575 line and 42 home runs through his past 684 plate appearances show, Buxton is one of the game’s best in terms of raw talent. A hip flexor strain and then a broken hand sustained on a hit-by-pitch limited him to 254 plate appearances in 2021, but Buxton turned in a mammoth .306/.358/.647 slash with 19 home runs in that time.

MLBPA Rejects MLB’s Request For Federal Mediation

By Steve Adams | February 4, 2022 at 3:07pm CDT

4:07 pm: Next steps remain unclear. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that there’s no set date for negotiations, but it’s possible discussions resume next week. Key league personnel will be in Orlando from Tuesday through Thursday for a scheduled quarterly owners meeting. Union representatives are expected to be available if a date for the next set of sessions is finalized. Commissioner Rob Manfred has a press conference scheduled for Thursday, and Nightengale writes he’s likely to formally announce a delayed start to Spring Training at that point.

2:25pm: Major League Baseball has offered the following response to the MLBPA’s statement:

“Our goal is to have players on the field and fans in the ballparks for Spring Training and Opening Day. With camps scheduled to open in less than two weeks, it is time to get immediate assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help us work through our differences and break the deadlock. It is clear the most productive path forward would be the involvement of an impartial third party to help bridge gaps and facilitate an agreement. It is hard to understand why a party that wants to make an agreement would reject mediation from the federal agency specifically tasked with resolving these disputes, including many successes in professional sports. MLB remains committed to offering solutions at the table and reaching a fair agreement for both sides.”

While the league maintains it is committed to “offering solutions at the table,” it has yet to respond to the proposal issued by the MLBPA on Tuesday or provide a timeline as to when such an offer might be put forth.

12:45pm: One day after Major League Baseball declined to issue a counteroffer to the MLBPA’s latest proposal in collective bargaining talks and instead requested federal mediation, the MLBPA issued a statement rejecting that request. It reads as follows:

“Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, and instead requested mediation.

After consultation with our Executive Board, and taking into account a variety of factors, we have declined this request.

The clearest path to a fair and timely agreement is to get back to the table. Players stand ready to negotiate.”

It’s a wholly unsurprising outcome, given the manner in which meetings between the two sides have played out thus far. Major League Baseball’s suggestion for a federal mediator was always eyebrow-raising, given their lack of any kind of new proposal. There’s nothing to mediate, after all, when one side declines to even bring an offer to the table. As Sheryl Ring points out (Twitter thread), mediation of this nature is generally a measure taken when both sides have submitted a good-faith proposal to resolve a dispute, and a third party then helps foster progress toward a resolution.

The MLBPA submitted its most recent proposal on Feb. 1, wherein they offered only a marginal drop from a proposed $105MM pre-arbitration bonus pool to $100MM but also agreed to a league-proposed framework regarding changes to service time for young players. Specifically, MLB suggested awarding compensatory draft picks to teams that rostered young prospects who went on to finish well in Awards voting. That, in theory, would give teams some incentive to carry top prospects on their Opening Day roster rather than hold them in the minors for three weeks to secure an additional year of club control, as is so often the case. The union, in addition to its extremely modest drop in the pre-arbitration bonus pool, reportedly made some yet-unspecified tweaks to the league’s latest service-time proposal.

While details remain unclear, it’s evident that the league was nonplused by whatever ostensible were put forth by the players. A counter-offer was said to be in the works, but MLB instead shifted the onus back to players in a different and unexpected manner when it made its mediation request.

The end result is another several days with no progress, little to no actual negotiation, and a narrower window to conclude matters before the season begins. It’s already a foregone conclusion that Spring Training won’t be starting on time, and a best-case scenario now appears to be a truncated version of spring camps that still leaves enough time for players to ramp up for the regular season. There’s no guarantee that’ll happen, however, and the longer the interminable deadlock in negotiations lingers, the likelier it becomes that the regular season will be impacted.

As things stand, it’s not at all clear when talks will resume. Several players — James Paxton, Zack Britton and Whit Merrifield among them — have taken to social media to express some frustration with the lack of an MLB counterproposal (all Twitter links). They’ve joined up in offering a unified message that “a significant part of collective bargaining is… actually bargaining” — a message that other players are continuing to echo in greater number.

Now that the mediation request has been denied, one would assume a league counteroffer to be the next logical step, though MLB has yet to offer a rebuttal to the union’s latest statement.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | February 4, 2022 at 11:31am CDT

Click here to read a transcript of Friday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

Brewers Hire Rickie Weeks, Pedro Alvarez For Player Development Roles

By Steve Adams | February 4, 2022 at 10:14am CDT

The Brewers announced Friday that they’ve hired former big leaguers Rickie Weeks and Pedro Alvarez as new members of their player development staff. Both are being titled assistants to the player development staff, and Alvarez will also be an assistant to the baseball operations team.

Weeks, of course, was a longtime fan favorite with the Brewers, who selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He somewhat remarkably made his big league debut later that same season, though he appeared in just seven games. Weeks didn’t return to the Majors in 2004, but by 2005 he’d emerged as Milwaukee’s primary second baseman.

From 2005-14, Weeks was the go-to option at second base for the Brew Crew, hitting a combined .249/.347/.425 with 148 home runs and 126 stolen bases along the way. He made the 2011 All-Star team, enjoyed three seasons of 20-plus home runs and also swiped 15 or more bags in five different seasons. Following his days in Milwaukee, Weeks had brief stints in Seattle, Arizona and Tampa Bay, but he hasn’t played at the MLB level since 2017. In all, Weeks batted .246/.344/.420 with 161 home runs and 132 steals through 5112 plate appearances spread across parts of 14 MLB seasons.

Five years after Weeks was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Alvarez found his name called in that exact same spot — albeit by the division-rival Pirates. Like Weeks, he was quick to the Majors, spending less than two years in the minors before debuting with the Bucs as a 23-year-old in 2010.

Known for his light-tower power, Alvarez looked to be one of the NL’s burgeoning young sluggers early in his career. Though strikeouts continually worked to suppress his batting average, Alvarez swatted 30 home runs in 2012 and followed that up with an NL-best 36 home runs in 2013 — his lone All-Star season. The vast majority of Alvarez’s playing career was spent in Pittsburgh, but he did spend parts of the 2016-18 seasons — his final three in the Majors — as a member of the Orioles. In parts of nine big league seasons, Alvarez hit .236/.310/.447 with 162 home runs.

MLB Will Not Counter MLBPA’s Latest Offer, Requests Federal Mediator To Help Resolve Lockout

By Mark Polishuk | February 3, 2022 at 9:51pm CDT

9:51PM: The Players Association is likely to turn down the league’s request for a mediator, according to Drellich (via Twitter).

4:10PM: The league will not be making a counter to the MLBPA’s most recent offer, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reports (via Twitter). The union made their offer on Tuesday and MLB was expected to make a response, though this will now apparently not be the case. Between this lack of a counter-offer, no new meetings scheduled between the two sides, and now the league’s request for a federal mediator, it is unclear when the next set of negotiations may take place.

3:29PM: Major League Baseball has asked the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for assistance in ending the lockout, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). As per the league’s request, a federal mediator would step in to help resolve the many outstanding issues between the owners and players in negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement. The MLBPA would also have to sign off on a mediator’s involvement, and it isn’t yet clear whether the union has consented to this third-party consultation.

It isn’t uncommon for the FMCS to become involved in sports-related work stoppages, as federal mediators all played roles in the NFL’s 2011 lockout, the NBA’s 2011 lockout, and the 2012-13 NHL lockout. In addition, Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times noted that former FMCS director William Usery was appointed by President Bill Clinton to try and help baseball’s owners and players come to an agreement that would end the 1994-95 players’ strike.

Results were mixed, as FMCS involvement didn’t do much in the NFL’s case, nor did Usery’s involvement help bring the 1994-95 strike any closer to an end. It is worth underscoring that a federal mediator is there only to help facilitate talks between the two sides, and cannot force either party to accept a deal.

With this in mind, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the lockout is any closer to a resolution. In the absolute best-case scenario that a mediator’s involvement would suddenly jumpstart talks, it would likely be some time before a new CBA is finalized — Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat observes that the aforementioned NBA and NHL lockouts needed roughly five more weeks of talks to reach a resolution. If Spring Training didn’t begin until mid-March, some regular-season games would need to be canceled.

A quick end to the lockout seems quite remote, however, given the large divides that have already become apparent in earlier talks between MLBPA and the players’ union. If anything, requesting a mediator at this relatively early stage of negotiations is unusual, and it could be a tactic by the league to put some public pressure on the union. (Labor lawyer Eugene Freedman raised this point as part of a multi-Tweet thread about today’s news.) According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, a player with direct knowledge of the labor talks referred to the mediation request as “a publicity stunt” from the league.

While the lockout has only been going on for a little over two months, there is certainly a ticking-clock element to negotiations, given that Spring Training camps were scheduled to open within two weeks’ time, and Opening Day is scheduled for March 31. If the “publicity stunt” sentiment is shared by the union members at large and the MLBPA doesn’t agree to FMCS mediation, it would represent yet another setback in talks (or lack thereof) between the two sides.

Diamondbacks Sign Dan Straily To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | February 3, 2022 at 9:19pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Dan Straily to a minor league deal, as officially announced by the Triple-A Reno Aces. Straily’s deal includes an invitation to Arizona’s big league spring camp.

A veteran of eight MLB seasons, Straily last pitched in the Show in 2019, when he allowed 22 home runs over 47 2/3 innings with the Orioles en route to an ungainly 9.82 ERA. Straily opted for a notable change of scenery and joined the Korean Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, with an impressive 3.22 ERA and 24.75% strikeout rate over 360 1/3 innings.

Straily took part in a chat with MLBTR’s readers back on December 14, and noted that a return to the majors was on his mind: “I have said since day one that I want to finish my career in the MLB where my son can watch me pitch.” Since Straily is only 33 years old, there’s plenty of time left for a second act in his Major League history, provided that Straily can build on his success in the KBO League.

Beyond just the change in competition in South Korea, Straily also said that he and the Giants’ coaching staff used pitching technology to work on his pitches and upgrade both his changeup and fastball, in particular. These changes have apparently caught the eye of the D’Backs, and for the no-risk cost of a minors deal and camp invite, Arizona can get a closer look at Straily (whenever Spring Training actually opens) to see if he can contribute to the active roster.

While the rotation was one of many things that went south for the 110-loss Diamondbacks in 2021, the club can at least go into next season with a provisional starting four in place — Zac Gallen, Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Luke Weaver figure to be Arizona’s top choices at the moment. Pitchers like Tyler Gilbert, Taylor Widener, Humberto Mejia, Humberto Castellanos and Caleb Smith could all be competing for that fifth spot or for bullpen roles, with Straily now adding some veteran depth to what is overall a pretty young and inexperienced group (except for Smith). Injuries or trades could open up further opportunities in the rotation, as Kelly in particular could be a trade chip as he enters the final year of his contract.

Straily has a solid track record in his recent big league past, posting a 4.03 ERA over 495 1/3 innings with the Reds and Marlins from 2016-18. Prior to that nightmare of a season in Baltimore, Straily had seemingly established himself as at least a solid innings-eater, if a pitcher prone to allowing home runs. While Chase Field has a reputation for being a homer-friendly ballpark, that reputation may be a bit outdated, considering that fewer homers have been hit at the ballpark since the D’Backs began storing baseballs in a humidor prior to the 2018 season. Over the last three years, Chase Field has actually allowed a below-average number of home runs, as per Statcast.

NL Notes: Wainwright, Dodgers, Phillies

By Mark Polishuk | February 3, 2022 at 8:40pm CDT

A 2022 season shortened by the lockout would have a statistical impact on every player, particularly veteran names like Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals veteran is looking forward to one final season with retiring longtime teammate Yadier Molina, and if the duo joins forces for 20 more Wainwright starts, they’ll set a new record for most games started by a battery (breaking the Mickey Lolich/Bill Freehan mark of 324 starts). “Any time you can say you had the most all-time ‘anything’ in baseball is a real accomplishment,” Wainwright told Rick Hummel of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I just look so much forward to having an opportunity to break that record with my buddy, Yadi. I hope we get enough starts to make that happen. We just need the season to start.”

To this end, Wainwright is hopeful of a good result in labor talks between the league and players, but feels “these owners are going to have to come around, though. They’re kind of crazy with their asks. I guess when you own the company, you want to see how far you can stretch it. The game of baseball is a very lucrative thing for players and owners. The ones that get left out of that are always the fans, unfortunately. Baseball sometimes just needs to get out of its own way and realize we could be the only show going.”

Though a delay to the start of Spring Training seems inevitable, Wainwright is continuing to work out as usual as he prepares for his 17th big league campaign. This work was temporarily delayed by a recent bout of COVID-19, though Wainwright said his symptoms were relatively mild.

More from around the National League….

“The Dodgers seem to be positioning themselves to have a young wave of pitching ready in the second half of next season,” The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya writes, citing Dustin May’s return from Tommy John rehab and the impending big league debut of prospect Ryan Pepiot. Los Angeles hasn’t been shy about immediately putting its young arms into key roles in the rotation or bullpen, so Ardaya believes the Dodgers will look to acquire a veteran “stopgap” kind of starter to cover some innings before the youngsters arrive. Clayton Kershaw’s free agency also continues to loom over the L.A. offseason, yet Ardaya feels the Dodgers would “likely” still try to land that second-tier arm even if Kershaw also re-signs with the team. Such moves would give the Dodgers six starters on paper (with Kershaw and the stopgap joining Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Andrew Heaney, and Tony Gonsolin) before even considering the likes of May or Pepiot, though having a surplus would be a welcome problem for a Dodgers team that had its depth thinned by injuries in 2021.
The Phillies hired Chris Fonnesbeck as the top analyst in their research and development department earlier this offseason, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports. Fonnesbeck worked in the Yankees’ analytics department from 2019-21, and also spent the 2018 season working as a consulting analyst for the Brewers. The Phils have put a new focus on their analytics team this winter, hiring Arirudh Kilambi as the team’s new assistant GM and putting him in charge of R&D.

Nationals Hire Jon Weil For Special Assistant Role

By Mark Polishuk | February 3, 2022 at 6:13pm CDT

The Nationals have hired Jon Weil as a special assistant to president of baseball operations/GM Mike Rizzo, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports (Twitter link). Weil’s “primary responsibilities” will include professional scouting, according to Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington.

Weil joins the Nats after a long stint in Colorado, working in various capacities in the Rockies’ front office from 2005 until he departed the organization last summer. Weil had been working as the Rockies’ assistant GM since 2014, and was considered a possible candidate for the interim GM role that eventually went to Bill Schmidt (later formally hired as the full-time general manager) when Jeff Bridich resigned in April.

Weil began his baseball career with four seasons as an area scouting supervisor with the Royals and also spent seven years working in pro scouting with the Rockies, so he’ll bring plenty of experience to Washington’s front office. One of Rizzo’s chief goals this offseason has been a major overhaul of the Nationals’ player development and scouting departments, and Weil’s hiring represents yet another change in their organizational ranks.

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