Molina: Contract Extension With Cardinals Would Be “Awesome”
Franchise icon Yadier Molina is hoping to work out a contract extension with the Cardinals that keeps him in St. Louis for 2022, he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Molina’s representatives at MDR Sports Management are expected to be in contact with the team relatively soon, Goold reports.
Molina, who is scheduled to reach free agency at the end of the season, tells Goold he’s hoping to play one more year with the Cardinals. The 39-year-old didn’t explicitly say he’d only play for St. Louis, although he did note he considered retirement last offseason amidst some uncertainty about his future with the organization. Molina remained on the open market until early February, fielding some offers from other clubs before returning to the Cardinals on a one-year, $9MM deal. He’s clearly hoping to avoid duplicating that scenario, calling his free agent stay “a tough time” and saying it would be “awesome … to get something done early” this time around.
It seems likely the Cardinals would have interest in brining Molina back. He’s the longest-tenured active MLB player with his current team, having debuted with the Cardinals in June 2004. Molina’s one of the greatest players in franchise history and looks likely to wind up in the Hall of Fame. As with starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who re-signed for a sixteenth season with St. Louis last offseason, Molina has earned himself a sort of legendary status in the organization. That no doubt plays into the front office’s willingness to keep bringing Molina back, but that’s not to diminish his continued on-field contributions.
Obviously, the ten-time All-Star is no longer the caliber of player he was at his peak. Molina has remained reasonably productive, though, even at his advanced age. The right-handed hitter has put up a .254/.295/.381 line with eight home runs in 319 plate appearances this season, not far off the league average .227/.307/.390 mark for catchers around the league. Despite some nagging health concerns, he’s started 80 of the club’s 107 games behind the plate and ranks sixth leaguewide in plate appearances as a catcher.
It’s a similar story behind the plate. Molina has long been regarded as the sport’s preeminent defensive catcher. Pitch framing metrics suggest he’s now closer to average in that regard, but Molina has cut down a whopping 42.1% of attempted base stealers. By measure of Defensive Runs Saved, he’s been estimated as three runs above average — before accounting for his long-lauded but unquantifiable game calling and leadership acumen.
Should Molina ultimately re-sign, he’d figure to again assume the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate. The Cardinals have Andrew Knizner and Ali Sánchez on the 40-man roster as potential backup options. Top prospect Iván Herrera is also on the 40-man and has picked up his first extended playing time at Double-A this season. Herrera could be a factor at some point in 2022 but he’s been more decent than great in the minors this year (.221/.351/.361 over 302 plate appearances). The organization could prefer to give Herrera, who turned 21 in June, extended playing time at Triple-A Memphis next season before breaking him into the majors later in the year in hopes of his assuming the #1 job by 2023.
Regardless of the long-term succession plan, it seems there’ll be mutual interest between the Cardinals and Molina in moving relatively quickly on an extension to avoid a repeat of last winter’s stalemate. Getting a deal done this summer would solidify the Cards’ catching situation for 2022 while guaranteeing a beloved player returns for his nineteenth — and likely final — season in St. Louis.
Indians Agree To Extend Lease At Progressive Field Through 2036
The Indians announced Thursday that they’ve reached an agreement with the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio on a “collaboration for the future preservation and enhancement of Progressive Field.” The agreement will include facility upgrades for the stadium itself and, most notably, extend the team’s lease at the ballpark for “at least 15 years to 2036.” The agreement also comes with “the potential for 10 additional years to 2046.” The city and county councils still need to approve the project within the coming months, but it doesn’t seem there’s much doubt they’ll both do so.
“Our organization is proud to continue our long-term commitment to Cleveland by ensuring we keep our ballpark competitive,” owner Paul Dolan said in this morning’s press release. “We want to give our fans, our community, and our players the best ballpark experience possible. We are excited and appreciate the collaborative effort displayed by leadership from the county, city, and state to help make this first step possible and look forward to the next stages in the legislative process to finalize the agreement.”
Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports that the collaboration calls for $435MM worth of renovations, funded by an undisclosed division of expenses among the city, county, state and team. The press release stresses that the government funding involves no new or increased taxes to residents.
Today’s announcement confirms the longstanding expectation the organization will stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. While the current lease is set to expire after the 2023 season, Zack Meisel, Jason Lloyd and Bill Shea of the Athletic wrote last month that a lease extension looked likely. The Indians have played at Progressive Field since 1994, making it the tenth-longest tenured active team-ballpark pairing in MLB.
The franchise has been in Cleveland since 1901. Only the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Pirates and Phillies have been in their current city for a longer time. Beginning in 2022, the organization is adopting the “Guardians” moniker in homage to the “Guardians of Traffic” statues on Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge.
Gary Sanchez Tests Positive For COVID-19
Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). He woke up this morning not feeling well and a rapid test came back positive. Rob Brantly is being re-selected to the roster as his replacement.
Sánchez is yet another notable Yankees player to land on the COVID IL. Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery hit the injured list earlier this week, and a few players (including star outfielder Aaron Judge) tested positive immediately after the All-Star Break. One of those players — reliever Wandy Peralta — just made his return from the IL this afternoon. Assuming follow-up testing confirms the positive result, Sánchez will miss at least ten days recuperating, leaving New York to rely upon Kyle Higashioka and Brantly behind the plate.
Brantly was selected as a COVID replacement, so he can be returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at a later date without being subjected to waivers. He’s already been up as a COVID replacement once this season, appearing in four games.
Orioles Claim Jorge Mateo Off Waivers From Padres
The Orioles announced they’ve claimed utilityman Jorge Mateo off waivers from the Padres. To create active and 40-man roster space, infielder Pat Valaika was designated for assignment.
Mateo has spent the past season-plus in San Diego, tallying his first 121 MLB plate appearances in the process. He’s only managed a .195/.235/.310 line with two home runs in that time, but Mateo’s also never had the benefit of regular playing time on a win-now Padres club. However, because Mateo is out of minor league options, San Diego had to keep him on the active roster or else risk losing his long-term rights. That left the 26-year-old as a sort of designated bench piece, with most of his time coming as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or late-game defensive replacement (primarily in the outfield).
As with the Padres, the O’s have to keep Mateo on the big league roster or risk losing him on waivers themselves. Mateo ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects at Baseball America for three consecutive seasons (2016-18) thanks to his blistering speed and decent raw power. There’s plenty more opportunity for the rebuilding Orioles to give him a regular look against big league pitching if they’re so inclined. If Mateo earns a permanent spot on the roster, he can be controlled through 2025.
Valaika has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore. He broke into the majors with the Rockies, briefly landed with the Diamondbacks, but wound up with the Orioles on waivers. Valaika performed well in a brief look in 2020 (.277/.315/.475 over 150 plate appearances) but he hasn’t followed up on that this season. The 28-year-old has tallied 212 trips to the dish this year and managed just a .192/.251/.280 line with four homers.
Baltimore will place Valaika on waivers in the coming days. Should he pass through unclaimed, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment by virtue of the fact that he’s previously been outrighted in his career.
J.R. Richard Passes Away
In saddening news, the Astros announced this afternoon that former major league pitcher J.R. Richard passed away at the age of 71. The team will hold a moment of silence in his honor before this evening’s game against the Twins.
“Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard,” the team wrote in a statement. “J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest players in club history. … We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.’s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers.”
Richard appeared in the majors from 1971-80, spending his entire career with the Astros. Regarded as one of the most electric pitchers of his era, Richard twice led MLB in strikeouts (1978-79), exceeding 300 punch outs in both seasons. The right-hander led the National League in K/9 and FIP both years, and his 2.71 ERA over 292 1/3 innings in 1979 was the league’s best. He appeared among the top ten in NL Cy Young Award balloting in each of 1976, 1978 and 1979 and picked up some down-ballot MVP support in 1976 and 1979.
1980 was shaping up to be perhaps Richard’s best season ever. He tossed 113 2/3 frames with career-low marks in ERA (1.90) and FIP (1.94), earning his first All-Star nod in the process. Tragically, he suffered a stroke that July that prevented him from ever again appearing in the major leagues.
While Richard’s playing career was cut short, his peak was among the better ones in major league history. He’ll be remembered for his on-field accomplishments as one of the greatest pitchers in Astros’ history, as well as his community work in the Houston area later in life. We at MLBTR send our condolences to Richard’s family, friends and loved ones.
Giants Activate Brandon Belt From Injured List
The Giants announced they’ve reinstated first baseman Brandon Belt from the 10-day injured list. He’s starting at first base, hitting seventh in the order this afternoon against the Diamondbacks. To create active roster space, starter Kevin Gausman was placed on the paternity list.
Belt returns after missing around six weeks with right knee inflammation, his second IL stint of the season. In between the injuries, the 33-year-old had been having a quietly excellent year at the plate, hitting .253/.363/.512 with eleven home runs across 201 plate appearances. A career-high 32.3% strikeout rate has knocked a bit of a blow to Belt’s batting average, but he’s again demonstrated a very good combination of plate discipline and power.
Going back to the start of the 2020 season, Belt has a .279/.392/.549 line. By measure of wRC+ (minimum 300 plate appearances), only Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Bryce Harper have been more productive on a rate basis. However, Belt’s injuries have kept him to a little more than half the playing time of some of those star players.
In other positive news for the Giants, third baseman Evan Longoria is beginning a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento this evening, the team told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Longoria has been down since June 6 with a left shoulder sprain, but he’s apparently nearing a return. The 35-year-old was enjoying a resurgent season before the injury, hitting .280/.376/.516 through his first 186 plate appearances. The stellar production from Belt and Longoria has been a significant part of the Giants’ league-best 68-40 record, good for a 3.5 game lead in the National League West.
Diamondbacks Designate Josh Reddick For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, most notably the designation of veteran outfielder Josh Reddick for assignment. Right-handers Taylor Clarke and Riley Smith and first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith have all been reinstated from the injured list. Riley Smith and righty J.B. Bukauskas were optioned to Triple-A Reno. Meanwhile, reliever Ty Tice has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Reno.
Arizona signed Reddick to a minor league deal in April and selected him to the big league roster the following month. He’s seen a good bit of action in right field in Phoenix since then but struggled to a .258/.285/.371 line over 158 plate appearances. That was trending as the worst offensive output of Reddick’s typically strong career, as well as a downturn from the roughly league average hitting he managed with the Astros between 2018-20.
Reddick has more than enough service time to reject a minor league assignment while retaining what remains of his $750K salary. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll almost certainly hit free agency — either via release or rejection of an outright assignment. The move clears an outfield spot for the league-worst Diamondbacks to continue to look at younger players — Pavin Smith among them — while freeing Reddick to explore opportunities elsewhere. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the 34-year-old hook on with a new organization via minor league pact over the coming days to serve as lefty-hitting outfield depth.
Clarke has been out since mid-June with a teres major strain. Before the injury, the 28-year-old was one of the more reliable relievers in a shaky Arizona bullpen. Clarke has worked 33 2/3 innings across 30 appearances this season, pitching to a 3.74 ERA with a slightly below-average 22.5% strikeout rate but a strong 6.3% walk percentage. Pavin and Riley Smith missed a few days as close contacts after Noé Ramirez and Stuart Fairchild tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday.
The D-Backs added Tice off waivers from the Braves a little more than two weeks ago. After succeeding in passing him through waivers themselves, they’ll keep him in the organization as non-roster bullpen depth. The 25-year-old hasn’t appeared in the majors for the D-Backs, instead making four appearances with Reno, but he did see brief MLB time with the Blue Jays and Braves earlier in the year. Tice has tossed eight innings of four-run ball in the big leagues but has a 10.67 ERA with thirteen walks and eleven strikeouts across 14 1/3 Triple-A frames.
Rockies Activate Antonio Senzatela, Yency Almonte
The Rockies announced they’ve reinstated right-handers Antonio Senzatela and Yency Almonte from the COVID-19 injured list. Senzatela will get the ball for this afternoon’s game against the Cubs. In corresponding moves, infielder Rio Ruiz has been optioned while left-hander Zac Rosscup was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Senzatela and Almonte landed on the IL on July 16, with the Rockies dealing with coronavirus spread upon their return from the All-Star Break. Both players wound up missing a little less than three weeks. Senzatela now returns to Colorado’s starting rotation, where he’s been a fixture for most of the past five seasons. This year, he’s tossed 94 1/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball despite a 15.7% strikeout rate that’s one of the league’s lowest. He’s continued to be particularly stingy in terms of handing out free passes, with a tiny 5.1% walk rate, and he’s racked up groundballs at a huge 54% clip.
Rosscup was selected to help shoulder the pitching workload due to the virus spread. Players selected as COVID replacements can be removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being exposed to waivers, so the veteran lefty will now head back to Triple-A. He made four appearances during his big league stint, allowing one run over three innings of relief with four strikeouts and a walk.
Rangers Select Yonny Hernandez
The Rangers announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Yonny Hernandez from Triple-A Round Rock. He’ll take the active roster spot of outfielder Eli White, who is headed to the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain. The Rangers transferred outfielder/designated hitter Willie Calhoun from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Hernandez, 23, will get his first big league opportunity after hitting .250/.424/.323 in 261 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Hernandez has swiped 21 bases in 31 tries and seen action at each of shortstop (285 innings), third base (183) and second base (85) so far in 2021. That gaudy OBP is the result of a 20.3 percent walk rate, which exemplifies the plate discipline Hernandez has shown throughout his pro career to date. Since debuting as a 17-year-old back in 2015, Hernandez has drawn more walks (15.2 percent) than strikeouts (13.7 percent) in 1904 professional plate appearances.
Hernandez ranks 27th among Texas farmhands over at FanGraphs, where Eric Longenhagen tabs him as a versatile role player with a good glove and a keen eye but a fairly weak contact profile. He’s never ranked among the team’s top 30 farmhands at Baseball America, although BA credited him with the best strike zone discipline of any prospect in the Rangers system in each of the past two offseasons.
Red Sox Acquire Delino DeShields Jr.
The Red Sox have acquired outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. from the Rangers in exchange for cash, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports (via Twitter). While the July 30 trade deadline has passed, DeShields is eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that he’s on a minor league contract and has not been on a Major League roster so far in 2021. It’s the second post-deadline trade of a notable name who’d been on a minor league deal all season; the Brewers picked up righty John Axford from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash earlier in the week.
DeShields, who’ll turn 29 in less than two weeks, will bring the Sox plenty of speed and provide some outfield depth. He’s had a solid season in Triple-A, batting .263/.392/.368 with five homers, nine doubles, a triple and 16 stolen bases (in 18 attempts). The former No. 8 overall draft pick has walked at a gaudy 16.4 percent clip and fanned in 20.3 percent of his 368 trips to the plate so far in Triple-A this year.
Of course, DeShields has quite a bit of big league experience under his belt as well. He was the most frequently used option in center field for the Rangers from 2015-19 and spent the 2020 season in Cleveland after being shipped to the Indians as part of the Rangers’ ill-fated Corey Kluber acquisition. DeShields had a promising debut campaign as a 22-year-old back in 2015, but his bat never came around as hoped. He’s played in 576 big league games and tallied more than 2000 plate appearances, but the resulting .246/.326/.340 output has been 21 to 24 percent worse than league-average in that time, by measure of wRC+ and OPS+, respectively.
Boston has been giving the bulk of the at-bats in center field to top prospect Jarren Duran, but he’s struggled through his first 53 big league plate appearances, hitting at a .180/.208/.360 clip with a 37.7 percent strikeout rate. Even if the Sox decide they want to give Duran some more time in Triple-A, however, that doesn’t mean DeShields will immediately be called upon. Enrique Hernandez could certainly shift back to center field, and the Sox could also play Alex Verdugo there. With Kyle Schwarber nearing a return from the injured list, he’d be an option in left field should the Red Sox want to temporarily slide Verdugo over; he’s played 225 innings in center already in 2021.
Still, DeShields gives Boston some experienced depth. Perhaps more importantly, he’ll be an interesting option to come up when rosters expand to 28 players in September. It’s commonplace for contending clubs to acquire fleet-footed depth options who can serve as pinch-runners and defensive replacements for the final stretch of the season, although that tactic’s prevalence could drop now that September roster expansion has been considerably reduced. We’ve also seen teams employ dedicated pinch-runners and defensive replacements into the postseason, however, and DeShields will give the Sox an option to consider in that role.