Angels Notes: Trout, Velazquez, Maddon, Coaches
Mike Trout took over as the Angels’ primary center fielder in 2012 and was a stalwart there until last year, when a calf injury limited him to just 36 games. It seems the time has come where the team is thinking about when to move the 30-year-old into a corner outfield role. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that the team has talked about the possibility of slotting Brandon Marsh in center field instead.
Center field is generally considered a more physically demanding position to play, relative to the corners, making the move a worthwhile consideration. If the toll of playing defense were reduced for Trout, it would increase his odds of staying healthy and in the lineup. Trout has already been considered one of the best hitters in baseball for a decade now, if not the very best. There’s no sign of that slowing down on a rate basis. Before his season was cut short last year, he was hitting .333/.466/.624, producing an incredible wRC+ of 190, a couple ticks above his career high of 188.
In terms of his work in center, there are possible signs of decline. DRS and UZR both gave him negative marks in each of the past three seasons. Statcast’s OAA is a bit more favorable, giving him -2 in 2019 but +1 in 2020 and 2021. Marsh just made his MLB debut last year and has only played 70 games, so small sample caveats apply here, but his numbers were -3 DRS, +0.9 UZR and +2 OAA. Perhaps the switch would give the club the double advantage of keeping Trout healthy and finding out if Marsh can provide quality center field defense over a larger sample.
Elsewhere on the diamond, Maddon says that the shortstop position is going to be an open battle between Andrew Velazquez, Tyler Wade, Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher, but that Velazquez is the favorite right now. (Twitter link from Sam Blum of The Athletic.) The 27-year-old Velazquez only has 96 games of MLB experience thus far in his career, producing a tepid batting line of .184/.249/.276. He fared much better in Triple-A last year, but a team with designs on competing would surely want a more proven option. However, even though Spring Training is gearing up, there’s much offseason business still ongoing due to the lockout, meaning there’s still time for the club to make an addition to their middle infield group.
As for Maddon himself, he’s entering the final guaranteed year of his contract. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times relays that Maddon says he has not been approached about an extension, though he would love to sign one. Although this is the last guaranteed year on the deal, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the club actually has a $4MM option for Maddon’s services in 2023, which comes with a $1MM buyout. That means the urgency to get an extension done might not actually be so high for the club.
Moving on to Maddon’s staff, it was reported in January that former bench coach Mike Gallego would be sticking around in some capacity, though his role was undefined. Now Blum relays that Gallego’s title will be Major League field coordinator. The club still hasn’t announced a first base coach, though it’s unclear if that’s related to the Adam Eaton situation. It was reported in January that Eaton was considering retiring and taking a coaching position with the Angels, though he was still a member of the MLBPA and unable to discuss the opportunity during the lockout.
Pirates Claim Aaron Fletcher
The Pirates claimed left-hander Aaron Fletcher off waivers from the Mariners, as announced by both teams. Seattle’s 40-man roster now has two open spots, after both the Fletcher claim and the Giants’ claim of Jose Godoy earlier today.
Fletcher has eight total innings (with a 12.38 ERA) pitched in the big leagues, getting brief cups of coffee with the M’s in each of the last two seasons. Originally a 14th-round pick for the Nationals in 2018, Fletcher has some solid numbers over his three minor league seasons — a 2.69 ERA, 25.83% strikeout rate, and 5.7% walk rate in 153 2/3 innings. The southpaw has worked exclusively as a reliever for the last three seasons.
While Fletcher’s small sample size of MLB work isn’t impressive, those minor league statistics were enough to catch the Pirates’ attention, and Pittsburgh will now get another big league-ready arm into the mix in Spring Training. There isn’t much settled in terms of the Bucs’ bullpen alignment, so the opportunity is there for Fletcher to win himself a job with a good performance in camp.
Mets Notes: Luxury Tax, deGrom, Hand, Kikuchi, Nimmo
The new collective bargaining agreement included a new penalty tier for teams that exceed the luxury tax ($230MM this season) by more than $60MM. This tier was almost immediately nicknamed “the Steve Cohen tax,” in regards to how the Mets owner has been willing to spend to the utmost on upgrades for his team’s roster. Cohen himself isn’t too worried about either the new tax threshold or being personally attached to it by name, telling The New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar and other reporters that “the way I describe it is, it’s better than a bridge being named after you or something like that.”
While $290MM+ is “still a lot of money to spend on a payroll, I don’t feel like it’s so confining that I can’t live with it,” Cohen said, noting that the Mets will indeed “probably” exceed the top tax threshold. Roster Resource projects that the Mets are already around the $285.5MM mark for this season’s tax number, and with some needs still left to address on the roster, it isn’t any surprise that Cohen isn’t suddenly putting the brakes on spending. Since the Mets didn’t exceed the tax threshold last season, they would be penalized at the “first-timer” rate of 80 percent on the overage of any dollar spent beyond $290MM, plus their top pick in the 2022 draft would be moved back 10 places.
More from Queens…
- Mets GM Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter spoke with reporters (including Deesha Thosar and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) today, and the nature of those future roster reinforcements was one of the many topics discussed. “I’d be fairly surprised if we went after another bat at this juncture,” Eppler said, as New York already added the likes of Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Canha prior the lockout. Recent reports have suggested that, if anything, the Mets are trying to trade from their surplus of position players, with such names as J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, and Jeff McNeil rumored to be available.
- Jacob deGrom‘s health was a major question mark last season, though Eppler said that he doesn’t have any concerns about the ace after consulting with the Mets training and coaching staff. Showalter added that deGrom has also already thrown off a mound. Minor nagging injuries and then a forearm strain limited deGrom to only 92 innings in 2021, and he didn’t pitch after July 7. There were some conflicting messages from team president Sandy Alderson, former manager Luis Rojas, former acting GM Zack Scott, and deGrom himself about the exact nature of the injury, which naturally led to speculation over the offseason about deGrom’s status heading into 2022, given the ominous nature of forearm-related injuries.
- With left-handed bullpen help a need, “Brad Hand is on the Mets’ radar,” MLB Network’s Jon Heyman writes. Hand was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in September and he posted a 2.70 ERA over his 13 1/3 innings in New York, righting the ship to some extent after a rough and brief stint in Toronto. It was still a difficult season overall for Hand, who had a 3.90 ERA over 64 2/3 combined frames with the Nationals, Jays, and Mets, and posted his worst strikeout rate (21.9%) since 2015.
- The Mets had some interest in Yusei Kikuchi but “didn’t get far down the road” with the left-hander before he signed with the Blue Jays, SNY’s Andy Martino tweets.
- Brandon Nimmo reiterated his interest in an extension with the Mets, and told Anthony DiComo and other reporters that he would happy to negotiate with the club during Spring Training. Nimmo scheduled to hit free agency after the 2022 season, and while the Mets haven’t yet approached him about a new deal, it could be that the front office is simply busy with the early flurry of transaction possibilities now that the lockout is over.
Guardians Acquire David Fry To Complete J.C. Mejia Trade
The Guardians have acquired catcher/infielder David Fry from the Brewers as the player to be named later to complete the November trade that sent right-hander J.C. Mejia to the Brewers. The Brewers announced the move on Twitter.
Fry was a seventh-round selection of the Brewers in the 2018 draft and immediately saw some action that year in rookie ball and A-ball. In 2019, his first full season in the professional ranks, he played 134 games in A-ball, hitting 17 home runs and stealing seven bases, finishing with a line of .258/.329/.444, wRC+ of 123. After the pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020, Fry spent last year primarily in Double-A, playing 75 games there, along with 19 in Triple-A. His line on the year was .255/.348/.449, wRC+ of 122.
Defensively, Fry is quite versatile, often found behind the plate but also seeing significant time at the infield corners, and even rare appearances at second base, shortstop and in the outfield.
Back in December, FanGraphs ranked the 26-year-old as the 33rd-best prospect in the Milwaukee system, noting that his power and positional versatility gave him the chance to be an interesting bench piece.
Giants Claim Jose Godoy From Mariners
The Giants have claimed catcher Jose Godoy off waivers from the Mariners, as announced by both clubs. Godoy made his MLB debut last season, appearing in 16 games with Seattle and receiving 40 plate appearances.
With Buster Posey now enjoying retirement, the Giants are heading into the 2022 season with star prospect Joey Bart set to take a larger share of duties behind the plate, and veteran Curt Casali is still on hand to either work in a timeshare with Bart or in a backup capacity. San Francisco was lacking, however, in any other catchers with Major League experience, so while Godoy doesn’t have a lengthy big league resume, he can still provide the Giants with some depth at the Triple-A level.
An international signing for the Cardinals back in 2011, Godoy had spent his entire career in the St. Louis farm system before inking a minor league deal with the Mariners last winter. Godoy has hit .276/.357/.366 over his 2063 career PA in the minors, with his offensive production slightly ticking upward over the last couple of seasons, though that could also be a function of Godoy being a slightly older player (he turned 27 in October) playing against generally younger competition.
Athletics Claim Sam Selman Off Waivers From Angels
The Athletics have announced that they’ve claimed left-handed pitcher Sam Selman off waivers from the Angels. Selman was one of several players left in “DFA limbo” during the lockout, having been designated for assignment just before the transactions freeze took place.
The southpaw made his debut for the Giants in 2019 and then was one of three players that came over to the Angels as part of the Tony Watson trade with the Giants at the deadline last year. At that point in his career, he had thrown 37 2/3 innings with an ERA of 4.06. Unfortunately, he didn’t fare so well after moving to the Halos, as he logged 17 innings with a 6.35 ERA, striking out just 14.3% of batters faced in that time and walking 10.4% of them.
When the Angels signed Raisel Iglesias just before the lockout began, Selman was designated for assignment to create roster space, only coming out of DFA limbo today when the Athletics claimed him. The 31-year-old will now join an A’s bullpen that is likely to feature A.J. Puk, Adam Kolarek and Sam Moll as the top lefty options. Selman still has one option year remaining, meaning the club could potentially shuffle him between the big league club and the minors as needed.
Nationals Sign Gerardo Parra To Minors Deal
The Nationals have signed outfielder Gerardo Parra to a minor league deal, reports Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. Parra is in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.
Parra, who turns 35 in May, is a veteran of 12 MLB seasons and 1519 games played. His best stretch of play was from 2010 to 2015. He was never elite at the plate, but had enough speed and defense to still be valuable in that time. Over those six seasons, he hit .274/.326/.404 for a wRC+ of 94 and 10.8 fWAR.
In 2019, he started the season with the Giants but was designated for assignment in early May. After clearing waivers, he signed on with the Nats and became a fan favorite when he chose “Baby Shark” as his walk-up music. This eventually became an unofficial team anthem as the club went on their incredible run to become that year’s World Series champions. Parra played in Japan in 2020 but came back to the Nats last year on a minor league deal. He ultimately had his contract selected and got into 53 games, hitting .237/.292/.351.
For the Nationals, there’s no harm in adding some veteran depth, especially in the wake of a deadline selloff last year that has left plenty of question marks going forward. Juan Soto obviously has one outfield spot spoken for. Lane Thomas had a nice showing after coming over in the Jon Lester trade and will probably be pencilled in. Victor Robles is still around, though he’s now had two consecutive rough seasons at the plate. Then there’s a handful of other guys who could see some time on the grass but aren’t necessarily guaranteed a long stretch, such as Ehire Adrianza, Andrew Stevenson, Lucius Fox and Yadiel Hernandez. Bringing on a veteran like Parra is a no-risk way of improving the depth behind this group.
Cardinals Sign Nick Wittgren
The Cardinals have announced that they’ve signed right-handed pitcher Nick Wittgren to a one-year contract. Wittgren will make $1.2MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided.
A veteran of six seasons, Wittgren will turn 31 in May. He spent his first three seasons in Miami before being traded to Cleveland, where he spent the past three years. In his career, he’s played in 258 games and thrown 271 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.75. His 23.5% strikeout rate is right around average, though his walk rate of 6.7% is quite good.
Last year was a bit of a setback for the righty, as his ERA jumped up to 5.05, a career high. His strikeout rate also fell to 23.6% after being at 26% in 2019 and 28.6% in 2020. The walk rate was still good, coming in at 6.6%. He was set to go through arbitration for a final time this winter, projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary of $2.8MM. However, the club decided to put him on waivers at the end of the year, effectively non-tendering him. Wittgren cleared and elected free agency.
For the Cardinals, this is their second bullpen upgrade since the lockout ended, as they also added Drew VerHagen recently. Both Wittgren and VerHagen are righties and will likely join Giovanny Gallegos, Alex Reyes, Ryan Helsley and Jordan Hicks as right-handed options in the Cardinals bullpen to start the year.
Nationals Sign Anibal Sanchez To Minors Deal
The Nationals have signed veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s a minor league deal, reports Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. If selected, he’ll be paid $2MM, with $1.5MM in performance bonuses available, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
A veteran who made his MLB debut back in 2006, Sanchez had his best years from 2010 to 2014, making 145 starts in that time, covering 895 innings with an ERA of 3.43. Unfortunately, things went south from there, with his ERA growing to 4.99, 5.87 and 6.41 over the next three seasons.
At that point, it was fair to wonder if his career was over, but he made an incredible comeback in 2018. After signing a minor league deal with the Braves, Sanchez threw 136 2/3 innings for Atlanta with a 2.83 ERA, parlaying that into a two-year, $19MM contract with the Nats. In 2019, he kept the comeback going with 166 innings of 3.85 ERA ball, and then 18 more innings in the postseason with an ERA of 2.50, helping the team on their remarkable World Series run.
The comeback ran out of steam in 2020, however, as Sanchez logged 53 innings in the shortened campaign with an ERA of 6.62. In 2021, he continually held showcases for interested clubs but ultimately never found a deal to his liking and missed the entire season. Yesterday, he held yet another showcase that was apparently impressive enough for him to land an offer just ten minutes later, per Heyman. Now Sanchez is back where he was four years ago, signed to a minor league deal and hoping to show he’s still got something left in the tank.
The Nationals would surely love for him to succeed, as they have lots of uncertainty in their rotation. Stephen Strasburg will be at the front of it if healthy, but that’s a big “if” after only throwing 26 2/3 innings over the past two years. Patrick Corbin will have another slot, but he had an ERA of 5.82 last year. Erick Fedde‘s ERA was 5.47 in 2021. Joe Ross just had a bone spur removed from his throwing elbow and will be set back six to eight weeks, per Dougherty. Beyond that, the rotation options are unproven youngsters like Josiah Gray, Paolo Espino, Joan Adon, Seth Romero, Josh Rogers and Gerardo Carrillo. As the club endures a rebuild after last year’s selloff, they will surely want to have opportunities for those youngsters to show what they’re capable of. But they will likely also have the need for a veteran like Sanchez to take some starts and log some innings as well.
Yankees Sign Tim Locastro
The Yankees have announced that they signed Tim Locastro to a major league deal. The official terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s unlikely that Locastro will make much more than the veteran minimum. The Yankees 40-man roster is now full.
The Yankees acquired Locastro from the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor leaguer Keegan Curtis on July 1 of last season. The deal marked the fourth time in his career that Locastro had been traded. In fact, the Yankees themselves had traded Locastro to the Diamondbacks prior to the 2019 season. Locastro had been in the Yankees’ organization for just a couple of months during that offseason, never having appeared actively on the diamond for the Yankees.
This time around, the speedster injured his right ACL on July 17th, undergoing season-ending surgery just four days later. In the little more than two weeks that Locastro wore pinstripes, Locastro slashed .190/.217/.429 over 23 plate appearances. As has been the pattern for Locastro, he was mostly viewed as a speed option off the bench. Coming off a knee injury, there must at least be some concern that Locastro will lose a step.
Defensively, Locastro can play anywhere in the outfield. He’s not going to take a lot of playing time from Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, and Aaron Hicks, but if he makes the roster, he could be the body that the Yankees use to keep those other three fresh. As a 29-year-old with a career 82 wRC+, there may not be tremendous upside to his game, but he’s not without skills. Locastro’s speed is unique, but he’s also very capable of putting the ball in play (19.1 percent career strikeout rate), which should help him put that speed to use. Power, on the other hand, has not traditionally been a part of Locastro’s game (.097 ISO). The Yankees may view Locastro as a complementary skillset to the power-first approach of the outfield starters.