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D-backs Decline Option On Tyler Clippard

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 5:25pm CDT

6:19 pm: Arizona confirmed (Twitter link) that they declined their end of Clippard’s mutual option for the 2022 season.

11:34 am: Diamondbacks right-hander Tyler Clippard has been formally declared a free agent, per an announcement from the MLBPA. Clippard’s contract with Arizona had a $3.5MM mutual option for the 2022 season that came with a $500K buyout.

D-backs general manager Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro yesterday that he could not yet say whether Clippard’s option would be picked up or bought out. It’s not immediately clear which side declined the option — Clippard had the right to decline before the D-backs made their intent known — but the result is the same: Clippard will receive that $500K buyout and return to the free-agent market in search of a new opportunity.

Clippard, 37 in February, is a perennially effective and perennially underrated reliever who’ll now likely look to sign what would be a fifth consecutive one-year deal. The veteran changeup specialist signed a one-year pact in Arizona last year, suffered a shoulder strain during Spring Training, and spent nearly four months on the injured list. However, when healthy, Clippard had another generally productive run. In 25 1/3 innings, he yielded a solid 3.20 ERA with just three home runs allowed.

That said, Clippard’s 2021 season wasn’t without its red flags — even beyond the injury. This year’s 18.9% strikeout rate was his lowest since 2008, while his 9.9% walk rate was his highest since 2017. Clippard has never been a flamethrower, but his 89.1 mph average fastball this season was also a career-low and ranked as the 16th-lowest mark among 344 relievers with at least 20 innings pitched.

It should also be pointed out that while Clippard and that signature changeup have historically dominated opposing left-handed batters, that was far from the case in 2021. Rather, Clippard was clubbed for a .279/.354/.581 line by opposing lefties. Clippard’s dominance over lefties and similarly (and more expected) sharp results against right-handers has long been one of his most desirable assets, so this year’s struggles in that regard could further dampen his market.

Athletics Sign Dany Jimenez

By Anthony Franco | November 4, 2021 at 3:52pm CDT

The A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Dany Jiménez, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether he’ll receive an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Jiménez was a part of the Oakland organization last offseason as well. The A’s selected him out of the Blue Jays’ system in the Rule 5 draft. He didn’t stick on the roster, though, as Oakland returned him to the Jays in mid-March. Jiménez spent the entire 2021 season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, tossing 44 2/3 innings of 2.22 ERA ball there but never getting a major league look despite the Jays’ persistent bullpen troubles.

The 27-year-old punched out an incredible 39% of batters faced in the minors, the highest strikeout percentage among the 207 Triple-A East pitchers with 40+ frames. But Jiménez also struggled to throw strikes, issuing free passes at a huge 13.4% clip. Those control issues no doubt played into the Jays’ decision to keep him in the minors all season.

At the conclusion of the season, Jiménez elected minor league free agency. That set the stage for him to land back with the A’s, where he’ll try to get back to the big league level for the first time in two years. His major league experience to date consists of two relief appearances with the 2020 Giants, who’d selected him in the Rule 5 draft over the 2019-20 offseason but also returned him to Toronto rather than keep him in the majors all year.

Mets, Kevin Pillar Decline 2022 Option

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 2:36pm CDT

Veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar is headed back to the open market after both he and the Mets declined the dual options on his contract, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).

Pillar held a $2.9MM player option for the 2022 season, which did not carry a buyout, while the Mets held a $6.4MM club option with a $1.4MM buyout. Pillar’s decision was due first, and he opted to decline his end knowing that he had least the $1.4MM buyout of the Mets’ club option waiting for him. It’s a bit of a bet on himself, but so long as he tops $1.5MM in 2022 earnings, he’ll come out ahead in the gambit.

It was a rather unconventional contract that essentially boiled down to one of three outcomes: two years and $6.5MM (if Pillar exercised his end); two years and $10MM (if the Mets exercised their end); or one year and $5MM (both parties declining).

It was a convoluted way to get there, but the Mets effectively were able to sign Pillar for a year and $5MM while utilizing a player option (which counts as “guaranteed” money for luxury-tax purposes) to reduce the luxury hit to $3.25MM. The Mets wound up a good bit shy of the luxury threshold anyhow, but Pillar’s unique contract structure would’ve provided some additional in-season flexibility had they sought to add some payroll at the deadline.

Pillar’s 2021 season was disrupted by a grisly injury that saw him sustain multiple nasal fractures when an errant Jacob Webb fastball hit him in the face. Down on the field for several minutes following that frightening hit-by-pitch, Pillar was eventually able to walk off the field under his own power. Remarkably, Pillar missed only two weeks of action — a welcome outcome after what carried the potential for a far more severe injury.

With the Mets, Pillar tallied 327 plate appearances and turned in a .231/.277/.415 batting line with 15 home runs, 11 doubles, a pair of triples and four stolen bases. His 3.2% walk rate was the lowest in baseball for any player with at least 300 trips to the plate — an ongoing theme throughout Pillar’s career that has continually curbed his on-base percentage. Defensively, Pillar clocked in below average by most measures. Although he was once an otherworldly defender in center, he hasn’t turned in a positive mark in Defensive Runs Saved since 2017.

It’s a thin market for free-agent center fielders, though, and Pillar’s extensive experience there (and ability to play both corners) ought to generate some interest. He’s also a career .280/.312/.459 hitter against left-handed pitching (104 wRC+), so he could land a spot as a part-time outfielder on a contender’s bench next year or perhaps a larger role on a rebuilding team in search of an affordable veteran option.

Andrew Chafin Declines Mutual Option

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 12:58pm CDT

Athletics left-hander Andrew Chafin is declining his half of a $5.25MM mutual option and will become a free agent, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. He’ll be paid a $500K buyout and return to the open market as one of the more appealing left-handed relievers available in free agency. Oakland has since announced that Chafin declined his portion of the option and that the team exercised its own half (although Chafin’s decision was due first).

The 31-year-old Chafin was nothing short of excellent for both the A’s and the Cubs in 2021, pitching to a combined 1.83 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk rate through 68 2/3 innings. Chafin held left-handed hitters to a laughable .170/.250/.233 batting line and was only marginally more vulnerable against right-handed opponents, who mustered just a .196/.247/.304 slash against the southpaw.

Chafin yielded an average exit velocity of just 87.7 mph in 2021, ranking in the 78th percentile of big league hurlers, and Statcast placed him in the 85th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, opponents’ chase rate, expected ERA, expected opponents’ average and expected opponents’ slugging — all based on the quality of the contact he allowed and his K-BB tendencies.

That terrific season marked not only a rebound from a poor showing in 9 2/3 frames during the shortened 2020 season but also a career year on the mound. Chafin was a strong lefty option with the D-backs from 2015-19, pitching to a combined 3.55 ERA in 251 innings of relief, but the 2021 campaign is far and away the best work of his career to date.

Given the relatively thin market for left-handed relievers and the outstanding work he delivered this season, Chafin should command interest on multi-year deals from contending clubs looking to add some southpaw firepower to the back of their relief corps.

Adam Duvall Declines Mutual Option, Will Be Arbitration-Eligible

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 12:16pm CDT

Braves outfielder Adam Duvall has declined his half of his $7MM mutual option, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald (via Twitter). He’ll receive a $3MM buyout. However, because Duvall has fewer than six years of Major League service time, he’ll remain with the Braves as an arbitration-eligible player — should they wish to tender him a contract. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $9.1MM salary for the veteran slugger.

Duvall signed that one-year deal with the Marlins last winter, after being non-tendered by a Braves team that ultimately reacquired him prior to the trade deadline. The 33-year-old Duvall has long been a strong defender with a perilously low OBP and plenty of power, but he dialed that skill set up to new heights in 2021. Duvall slugged a career-best 38 home runs and posted a whopping 19 Defensive Runs Saved (in addition to a 9.9 UZR and 5 Outs Above Average), but he also turned in a .281 OBP that tied him for the second-worst mark among all qualified hitters in Major League Baseball. The bottom-of-the-barrel OBP was enough for weighted metrics like wRC+ and OPS+ to peg his overall offense at just two to three percent better than the league average.

Still, a 30-homer bat with plus defense in the outfield corners is a plenty useful player, even if Duvall perennially ranks near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage. The projected $9.1MM price point is plenty reasonable for a player who posted 3.1 bWAR and 2.4 fWAR on the season, but it bears repeating that the Braves non-tendered Duvall not even one year ago, when he carried a smaller arbitration projection and was coming off a similar season. In 209 plate appearances with Atlanta in 2020, Duvall hit .237/.301/.532 with 16 home runs — a pace that falls pretty closely in line with this year’s .228/.281/.491 output.

Of course, the Braves have less certainty in their outfield than they did last year — and their World Series win likely gives them some additional resources. A good chunk of that extra cash has to be earmarked for a hopeful Freddie Freeman extension, but the Braves can clearly afford to keep Duvall in the fold if they so choose. And with each of Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler and Joc Pederson set to hit free agency, plus Ronald Acuna Jr. on the mend from an ACL tear and Marcell Ozuna’s status up in the air following an alleged domestic assault, Atlanta could well decide place a premium on the certainty that’d come from tendering a contract to Duvall.

They’ll have until Dec. 2 to make that call, although with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire one day earlier, on Dec. 1, it’s best not to assume anything transaction-wise from that point forth.

Avisail Garcia Declines Mutual Option, Becomes Free Agent

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 12:10pm CDT

Brewers outfielder Avisail Garcia has declined his half of a $12MM mutual option for the 2022 season, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). He’ll instead receive a $2MM buyout and head out into the free agent market in search of another multi-year deal.

Garcia, 31 next June, struggled through the 2020 season in Milwaukee but enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in a rebound 2021 showing. The former Tigers, White Sox and Rays slugger swatted a career-best 29 home runs this season while posting a strong .262/.330/.490 batting line — about 15 percent better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. His original two-year, $20MM deal with the Brewers came with a $12MM club option that the team could very well have exercised. However, the contract also contained a provision that converted that option into a mutual option with enough plate appearances, and Garcia reached that threshold back in September, earning the right to return to the free-agent market.

This will be the second foray into the free-agent market for Garcia, who posted a similar 113 wRC+ mark in his last platform year (2019). However, Garcia hit for more power in ’21 than he did in ’19 and also drew better defensive grades for his outfield work this year (in part because the 2019 Rays occasionally deployed him in center, to sub-par results).

Another multi-year deal for Garcia seems quite likely, as he’s wrapped up a strong season and further solidified the notion that he’s capable of being a team’s everyday right fielder. Garcia crushed lefties in 2021 (.279/.406/.529), as he is wont to do, and delivered league-average output against right-handed opponents. The question for him in free agency will be the extent by which he can eclipse his prior contract.

The improved power output and defensive ratings are obvious points in Garcia’s favor, but he’s now also two years older than last time around. His 2021 Statcast profile is quite appealing, as Garcia ranked in the 73rd percentile of MLB hitters in average exit velocity and had strong percentile showings in hard-hit rate (78th), expected batting average (83rd), expected slugging (87th), expected wOBA (85th) and sprint speed (88th). Then again, much of that was true in 2019 (albeit not quite to this extent).

Garcia has long shown a knack for hard contact and far more speed than one would expect from a player listed at 6’4″ and 250 pounds. The 2021 season, however, is the first that he’s delivered truly high-end power output with the type of plus defensive ratings that align with his tantalizing tool set. The Brewers technically have the right to make him an $18.4MM qualifying offer, but that’d register as something of a surprise given the typically tight payroll in Milwaukee.

Athletics Decline Jake Diekman’s Option

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 11:23am CDT

The Athletics have declined their 2022 option on left-hander Jake Diekman, per an announcement from the MLBPA that lists Diekman as an official free agent. The A’s held a $4MM team option on Diekman but will instead pay him a $750K buyout. Opting against a net $3.25MM price on Diekman only further adds to the expectation that the A’s will pare back their payroll this winter.

Set to turn 35 in January, Diekman wasn’t as sharp in 2021 as he was in 2020, when he notched a sub-1.00 ERA through 20 innings in the shortened season. However, he still pitched to a respectable 3.86 ERA with a huge 31.9% strikeout rate and a heater that averaged 95.6 mph (up from last year’s 95.3 mph). Diekman walked an ugly 13% of his opponents in 2021, but that level of shaky command is nothing new for the lefty. He’s walked 12.7% of his career opponents, and the A’s (like every other team that acquires Diekman) knew what they were getting when they signed Diekman to a two-year, $7MM deal in the 2019-20 offseason.

It’d have been more surprising to see Diekman bought out had the Athletics not already stunningly allowed longtime manager Bob Melvin depart to manage the Padres — a move largely believed to be financially motivated. Spending $3.25MM on a 36-year-old reliever, even a pretty good one, wasn’t in the cards for a club looking to scale back its expenditures.

That said, Diekman is a hard-throwing lefty who has posted a combined 2.96 ERA and a 32.9% strikeout rate across the past two seasons out of the Oakland bullpen. He averaged 1.48 home runs per nine innings this year, a rather alarming uptick from the career 0.55 mark he carried into 2021, but Diekman still throws hard and racks up strikeouts in droves. He was also harder on righties than on lefties this season — a trend throughout his career — which should reduce any potential platoon concerns.

Another multi-year deal can’t be ruled out in free agency, although given Diekman’s age and this year’s home run surge, a one-year pact still could be more likely. Still, it’s a thin crop of left-handed relievers this winter, so he ought to find another club willing to guarantee him a few million dollars on a one-year pact, at the least. It’s possible that he comes out ahead in the ordeal, topping a $3.25MM guarantee, although one would imagine that the A’s looked around for potential trade matches before simply declining the option.

Cardinals Decline Options On Matt Carpenter, Carlos Martinez

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 11:14am CDT

The Cardinals have declined their 2022 options on infielder Matt Carpenter and right-hander Carlos Martinez, the MLBPA announced. Carpenter had an $18.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout, whereas Martinez’s contract included a $17MM option with a $500K buyout. It was a foregone conclusion that the pair of options would be bought out after poor 2021 showings for both longtime Cardinals, who are now free agents for the first time in their careers.

Carpenter, 36 in three weeks, still draws plenty of walks (11.4%) and makes a lot of hard contact — but much of that hard contact is pulled on the ground into an eagerly awaiting shift. Just shy of 75% of Carpenter’s ground-balls were pulled this season, so it’s hardly a surprise that he batted .143 on ground-balls despite a leaguewide average of .236 on grounders. It’s a similar story on line-drives; Carpenter pulled exactly two-thirds of his liners this season and hit .536 — whereas the league average on line drives was a much larger .689.

Prior to his recent decline, Carpenter was a fixture in the St. Louis batting order who made a trio of All-Star teams and thrice drew MVP votes in the National League — including a fourth-place finish in 2013. Since Opening Day 2020, however, he’s managed just a .176/.313/.291 batting line with a 29.9% strikeout rate. Carpenter has made clear he wants to play in 2022, but it’ll almost certainly require him signing on with a new team, as the Cardinals’ infield is quite crowded. Even if the DH comes to the National League, Carpenter’s 2020-21 swoon probably wouldn’t make him a top consideration for the Cards.

Martinez’s decline was even swifter and was far less expected. Still just 30 years old, the righty was limited to 48 2/3 innings by a shoulder strain in 2019 but remained highly effective when he did take the mound that year. From 2015-19, he looked like a rotation building block — hence his $51MM contract extension — as he logged 747 innings of 3.22 ERA ball with a strong 23.7% strikeout rate and a 9.0% walk rate.

However, in 2020, Martinez was blown up for a 9.90 ERA in 20 innings, and after a strong run in mid-April and May this season, his season took a catastrophic nose dive. Martinez served up 10 runs against the Dodgers on June 2 and was tagged for five runs in three of his next four starts. His season ultimately ended with a 6.23 ERA through 82 1/3 innings and a torn ligament on his thumb that landed him on the 60-day IL. Dating back to Opening Day 2020, Martinez owns a 6.95 ERA and a woeful 6.0 K-BB% that would’ve seemed unfathomable just a few years ago.

Rockies Decline Option On Ian Desmond

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 9:07am CDT

The Rockies have declined their 2022 club option on infielder/outfielder Ian Desmond, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. It’d have paid him $15MM, but he’ll instead receive a $2MM buyout.

It’s wholly unsurprising news after Desmond forwent his salary and opted out of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The former Nationals star signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Rockies during the 2016 Winter Meetings. It was an unexpected fit, and the Rockies’ attempts to install Desmond as their primary first baseman proved to be a sizable misstep, as Desmond never really found his footing despite the hitter-friendly nature of his home park.

Desmond posted just a .274/.326/.375 batting line (70 wRC+) in his first season with the Rockies and never seemed to gain comfort playing at first base. By 2019, he was back in the outfield full-time and was a bit more productive at the plate, although still nowhere near his previous standard. Ultimately, Desmond suited up for three years with the Rockies and turned in a combined .252/.313/.429 batting line (81 wRC+).

It’s not clear at this time whether Desmond will return to baseball. In announcing his decision to opt out of the season back in February, Desmond used the phrase “for now” and indicated a strong desire to be with his family following a trying year in 2020. As Anna Katherine Clemmons of the New York Times wrote in an April profile of Desmond, he and his wife had recently welcomed their fifth child and he’d recently established the Newtown Connection nonprofit in Sarasota, Fla. — a program that “allows youth to participate in modified, inclusive, and fast-paced baseball activities, drills, and games to develop their skills” and “uses competitive baseball and softball experiences to promote character development and an active lifestyle, instilling the values of leadership, accountability, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence,” per the program’s web site.

Now 36 years old, Desmond is a two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner who carries a career .263/.315/.427 batting line with matching totals of 181 home runs and 181 stolen bases.

NL East Notes: Anthopoulos, Mets, Afterman, Nationals, Bones

By Mark Polishuk | November 3, 2021 at 10:55pm CDT

Alex Anthopoulos couldn’t celebrate the Braves’ World Series triumph with the rest of the organization last night, as the president of baseball operations had to watch from home after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. The diagnosis left Anthopoulos “surprised,” as he told Scott Miller of The New York Times, but fortunately, “I’m fully vaxxed, I don’t have any symptoms, I feel great….My family is fine.” To avoid any distractions for the team, Anthopoulos told only manager Brian Snitker and team chairman Terry McGuirk about his diagnosis.

As unusual as the situation was, Anthopoulos got to celebrate with his wife and children, adding to the special moment. The Braves have reached the postseason in each of Anthopoulos’ four seasons at the helm of the front office, and the 44-year-old has now captured his first championship after 10 total years as a general manager (counting his six years with the Blue Jays from 2010-15).

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