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Blue Jays Notes: Kim, Ryu, Schwarber, Fiers

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Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim appears to be one of many possible Blue Jays targets this offseason, and another Jays star might have done a bit of recruiting, as Daniel Kim of South Korea’s KBS reports (Twitter links) that Kim and Toronto ace Hyun Jin Ryu recently had dinner.  Ryu didn’t get into details of the meeting but said in an interview with KBS that he would be “happy to play on a same team with Kim.”  Kim requested the meeting himself, and while it’s probably safe to assume playing for the Jays came up at some point, it’s only natural that Kim would want to speak with a veteran player who has already made the move from the KBO to the majors.

Asked about the meeting, Jays assistant GM Joe Sheehan declined to discuss specifics but told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (Twitter link) that Ryu “being a big player in the KBO’s history is really good.”  The Jays are known to be exploring the infield market and Sheehan gave a favorable review of Kim’s KBO track record when asked by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link).

More from north of the border…

  • The Jays, Angels, and Yankees all have interest in former Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports.  Schwarber was non-tendered by the Cubs last week following a season that saw him hit only .188/.308/.393 with 11 home runs over 224 PA.  Since Schwarber is a defensively-shaky left fielder, he would seem like a curious fit for all three teams, who already have the left field and DH positions accounted for, barring a trade to open up space.  Looking at Toronto specifically, there could be room for Schwarber if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ends up spending more time at third base, though it still seems like something of an imperfect match.
  • The Blue Jays also have interest in right-hander Mike Fiers, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).  Fiers posted a 4.58 ERA, 2.31 K/BB rate, and 5.64 K/9 over 59 innings with the Athletics last season.  The 35-year-old has been a durable back-of-the-rotation type for much of his career, and would perhaps bring more stability (if not necessarily upside) to a Jays rotation mix that has Ryu in front of Robbie Ray, Ross Stripling, Tanner Roark, and a wealth of younger arms headlined by Nate Pearson.

Royals Sign Carlos Santana

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3:03PM: The Royals have officially announced the signing.

1:06PM: The Royals have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent first baseman Carlos Santana, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  The contract is worth $17.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link), with another $1MM available in incentives.  The majority of the money will come in 2022, as the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that Santana will earn $7MM in 2021 and then $10.5MM in the second year of the deal.  Santana is represented by Octagon’s Ulises Cabrera and Brian Mejia.

The $17.5MM matches what Santana would have earned in 2021 had the Indians exercised their club option on his services.  Instead, Cleveland declined the option and bought Santana out for $500K, sending him into free agency.

This is the Royals’ second notable two-year free agent contract in as many weeks, following their two-year pact with Mike Minor worth $19MM in guaranteed money.  Kansas City had over $23.5MM coming off their books in the form of expired contracts for Ian Kennedy and Alex Gordon and Maikel Franco being non-tendered, and now just about all of that money has been reinvested in the form of Santana, Minor, and Michael A. Taylor.

As a smaller-market team facing a bigger financial hit than most clubs in 2020 given the lack of revenue-sharing funds, this type of aggressive spending from the Royals is a little surprising, yet it signals that owner John Sherman (who bought the team last offseason) is willing to green-light some significant roster upgrades.  GM Dayton Moore openly said that he plans to field a competitive team in 2021, and while the Twins, White Sox and (even likely without Francisco Lindor) Indians still loom as powers in the AL Central, the organization clearly feels it is possible to contend.

Kansas City is very familiar with Santana over his years in Cleveland, and Santana has more career home runs (31) and RBI (93) against the Royals than any other opponent over his 11 Major League seasons.  2020, however, was a down year for veteran, as he hit .199/.349/.350 over 255 plate appearances for the Tribe — the lowest numbers Santana has ever posted in all three slash-line categories.  While he still led the American League with 47 walks, Santana’s power numbers dropped significantly, and he posted his lowest hard-hit ball and barrel percentage (as per Statcast) of the last six seasons.

It isn’t what you want to see out of a player entering his age-35 season, making it somewhat surprising that Santana was able to land such a healthy two-year guarantee in free agency.  (MLBTR projected Santana for a one-year, $6MM deal.)  Still, Santana had only a .212 BABIP last season and his .360 xwOBA far outpaced his .311 wOBA, so some misfortune was baked into his lackluster results.  Combine this lack of batted-ball luck with the small sample size of the shortened 2020 season, and there’s certainly reason to imagine Santana could look like his old self next year.  It was just in 2019 that Santana hit .281/.397/.515 with 34 homers for Cleveland, earning the first All-Star and Silver Slugger nods of his long career.

Santana played all 60 games at first base last season, with somewhat mixed reviews (+5 Defensive Runs Saved, but -2.0 UZR./150 and -2 Outs Above Average) depending on the metric.  Still, Santana has long been at least an average defender at first base, so he is likely to get the bulk of playing time at the position in 2021, with likely a fair number of DH days included to keep him fresh.

With Santana at first base and Franco gone, it now looks at if Hunter Dozier will slide back across the diamond to play third base.  Dozier didn’t exactly shine defensively in his previous stints at third base, so there is some possible room for flexibility within the Royals’ lineups.  Speculatively, Dozier could see some time in the outfield and Whit Merrifield could get some time at the hot corner, though Merrifield hasn’t played third base since 2017.  If Bobby Witt Jr. is called up at some point in 2021, K.C. could also deploy the star prospect at third base.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

White Sox Interested In Liam Hendriks, Michael Brantley

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It’s been a busy couple of days for the White Sox, who acquired Lance Lynn in a trade with the Rangers and then signed Adam Eaton to a one-year, $7MM deal.  However, the Pale Hose aren’t done yet, as The Athletic’s Jayson Stark (Twitter link) reports that the team might still add to both the rotation and outfield even with Lynn and Eaton already in the fold, with Michael Brantley still a potential target.  Turning to the bullpen, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the White Sox “have their sight set on” free agent closer Liam Hendriks.

Since Alex Colome is a free agent, Hendriks would be a natural replacement and even an upgrade for save situations.  Hendriks has been nothing short of dominant over the last two seasons with the A’s, posting a 1.79 ERA, 13.1 K/9, and 6.71 K/BB rate over 110 1/3 innings, racking up 39 saves in the process.  MLBTR projected Hendriks as the top free agent relief pitcher available, though with so many relievers flooding the market, it remains to be seen how sizable a contract Hendriks can land.

There hasn’t been much buzz about the Australian right-hander to date, quite possibly because teams are still weighing all the available bullpen candidates before making a move for likely the most expensive option.  Still, Hendriks also has fewer red flags than just about any of the other free agent relievers, so an aggressive team like the White Sox might just want to address their ninth-inning vacancy as quickly and simply as possible.  Aaron Bummer or Evan Marshall are in-house candidates for save situations, but the Chicago bullpen would certainly be strengthened overall with the addition of another established stopper.

In contrast to Stark, Nightengale suggests that the White Sox have moved on from Brantley for budgetary reasons, though “they would have preferred” Brantley to Eaton.  That said, in a year when the White Sox clearly seem to be in win-now mode, maybe they’re willing to splurge on both Eaton and Brantley to make the lineup as strong as possible.  Brantley and Eloy Jimenez could split time between left field and DH, and while it had been widely speculated that the Sox could turn to star prospect Andrew Vaughn as a DH candidate in 2021, the team might prefer an established veteran bat in the lineup rather than a promising but unproven rookie like Vaughn.

Adding another starting pitcher would similarly put more veteran stability in the rotation, with this hypothetical new starter slotting into the fourth spot behind Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and Lynn.  The White Sox might prefer having Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, and Reynaldo Lopez competing for just the fifth starter’s job rather than counting on two rotation spots to be covered by those three young hurlers.

White Sox Acquire Lance Lynn

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TODAY: The White Sox and Rangers have officially announced the trade.

DECMEBER 7, 11:57pm: The Rangers will also acquire lefty Avery Weems, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic relays.

10:59pm: The White Sox are acquiring right-hander Lance Lynn from the Rangers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Righty Dane Dunning is heading to Texas in the return, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. The Rangers will also receive a second player, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It’ll be another young pitcher, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

This is a major pickup for the White Sox, who are landing one of the most coveted arms on the trade market. Lynn was an innings-eating stalwart with the Cardinals for a large portion of 2011-17. Lynn then signed a one-year, $12MM contract with the Twins, and though he didn’t fare especially well with the club, he rebounded after a second-half trade to the Yankees and has continued to hold his own since then.

Lynn signed a three-year, $30MM guarantee with the Rangers before 2019, and that deal worked out brilliantly for the club. He posted a terrific 3.57 ERA/3.43 FIP with 10.31 K/9 and 2.59 BB/9 in 292 1/3 innings as a member of the team. The 33-year-old could have continued to serve as an asset for the Rangers’ rotation next season, but with the Rangers in a rebuild, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels and new general manager Chris Young elected to go in a different direction.

At one year and $8MM, Lynn will give Chicago – which is coming off its first playoff berth since 2008 – an affordable and effective No. 3 to plug into its rotation behind Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. The White Sox also have Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez in line to compete for starting spots next year.

Considering the Rangers appear unlikely to vie for a playoff spot next year, their return looks good for one season of Lynn’s services.

Dunning, who will turn 26 later this month, is a former first-round pick and an an ex-top 100 prospect who is coming off an encouraging debut with the White Sox. Chicago originally acquired Dunning (not to mention Giolito and Lopez) from the Nationals for outfielder Adam Eaton in December 2016.

Dunning underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, but he garnered his first experience in the majors a year ago and posted a 3.97 ERA/3.99 FIP with 9.28 K/9 and 3.44 BB/9 in 34 innings. Texas is certainly hoping Dunning will build on that effort and become a long-term member of its rotation. He’ll have ample time to reach that goal, as he’s controllable through at least the 2026 season. Given Lynn’s status as a one-year rental, adding an immediate rotation replacement with some early big league success and a good bit of upside is a nice outcome for Texas.

The Rangers also have high hopes for the 23-year-old Weems, a 2019 sixth-rounder who threw 60 1/3 innings in rookie ball that year. While Weems posted stellar numbers then (2.09 ERA, 11.0 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9), albeit against much younger competition, he is not regarded as a premium prospect at this time. He’ll give the Rangers another fairly polished college arm to add to their ranks, however, which is important for a farm system that is thin on pitching.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brewers Sign Luke Maile

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TODAY: The deal has been officially announced.

DECEMBER 1: The Brewers have agreed to sign catcher Luke Maile to a major league contract, pending a physical, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. Details are unknown. Maile is a client of Meister Sports Management.

The 29-year-old Maile saw major league action with the Rays and Blue Jays from 2015-19. Maile then signed a major league deal with the Pirates last winter, but he didn’t play at all in 2020 after suffering a fractured right index finger that required surgery in July. He’ll bring a .198/.252/.304 line and 10 home runs in 657 plate appearances to Milwaukee.

The Brewers relied on Omar Narvaez, Manny Pina and Jacob Nottingham at catcher in 2020, but they might not bring all three back next year. Narvaez and/or Pina could be non-tendered before Wednesday’s deadline, which makes the timing of the Maile addition especially interesting.

Reds Sign Cheslor Cuthbert To Minors Deal

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The Reds announced that infielder Cheslor Cuthbert has been signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to the team’s big league Spring Training camp.  The Reds also officially announced that Dwight Smith Jr. was signed to a minors deal, as was reported yesterday.

Cuthbert signed a minor league deal with the White Sox last winter that resulted in a single MLB game and plate appearance in 2020, and he was also outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster.  Best known for his days with the Royals from 2015-19, Cuthbert was a starting third baseman for K.C. in 2016 but worked mostly as a reserve, hitting .250/.300/.378 over 1160 plate appearances in a Royals uniform.

With experience at both corner infield positions, Cuthbert will provide some veteran depth for Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez at the Triple-A level, or from Cincinnati’s bench if he wins a job on the Opening Day roster.

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Rays Re-Sign Andrew Kittredge To Minor League Deal

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The Rays and righty Andrew Kittredge have agreed to a minor league contract, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Kittredge hit the injured list with a season-ending UCL issue in August, but agent Brian Grieper tells Topkin that Kittredge has had three bullpen sessions at full intensity without further issue. He’ll be ready for the start of Spring Training with the Rays.

Kittredge, 30, has spent parts of the past four seasons with Tampa Bay, pitching to a combined 4.93 ERA and 4.25 FIP in 111 1/3 innings. Those numbers are skewed a bit by a nightmarish 2018 campaign, but since 2019 Kittredge has tossed 57 1/3 frames with a 3.90 ERA/3.51 FIP, a strong 61-to-14 K/BB ratio and a grounder rate north of 50 percent. Due to the uncertainty surrounding his injury, Kittredge was passed through outright waivers unclaimed at season’s end and opted to become a free agent.

If Kittredge is indeed back up to full strength, he’ll give the Rays an optionable righty with big league experience to complement a group of late-inning relievers that is headlined by righties Pete Fairbanks, Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson, as well as lefty Jose Alvarado.

Marlins Among Teams With Interest In Mel Rojas Jr.

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Outfielder Mel Rojas Jr., the MVP of the 2020 KBO season, has drawn interest from both Asian and MLB clubs as he mulls his future. Despite a recent report that he was leaning toward a deal with Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, Rojas himself tweeted that he’s made no decision yet on where he’ll play in 2021. Not long after that, Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish reported that the Marlins are among the clubs to have shown interest in Rojas.

Rojas, 30, has gone from a relatively unheralded Pirates and Braves farmhand to a legitimate superstar in South Korea, hitting a combined .321/.388/.594 with 132 home runs in 511 games for the KT Wiz across the past four seasons. The 2020 campaign was the best of his outstanding KBO career: in 628 trips to the plate he slashed .349/.417/.680 with 47 home runs.

The KBO has long been considered a notoriously hitter-friendly setting, but league-wide offense has gone down over the past couple of seasons since the league made some changes to the composition of the ball prior to the 2019 season. Rojas’ 2020 numbers checked in at a 179 wRC+, per FanGraphs, indicating that he was 79 percent better than a league-average hitter.

Miami has a pair of outfield spots spoken for, with veterans Corey Dickerson in left field and Starling Marte in center field. They have options in right field in the form of Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez, Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison, but Rojas would add an intriguing name to the mix. If the NL ultimately adds a DH — teams are operating with the assumption that will not happen, for now — then Miami could potentially work both Rojas and someone like Cooper into the mix on a regular basis.

While the Fish have plenty of in-house options to consider, the appeal of adding a player like Rojas is readily apparent for a typically low-payroll club. Even if Rojas puts together only average numbers, they could stomach that for what should be a relatively low salary. And if he’s able to produce anything more than that, obtaining above-average or even star-level output from a bargain pickup would be vital for a team with such limited payroll capacity.

At this point it’s not clear which route Rojas will take. He earned every bit of last year’s $1.5MM salary in the KBO, and with the Wiz and apparently some NPB teams vying for his services, he should be able to top that salary if he chooses to remain in Asia. Rojas, however, has openly expressed that his dream is to play in the Major Leagues, and this winter could represent his best opportunity to find a big league deal.

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