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Dellin Betances Exercises $6MM Player Option To Remain With Mets

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TODAY: Betances has indeed exercised his option, the Mets announced (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 31: Dellin Betances is likely to accept a $6MM player option to stay with the New York Mets rather than take a $3MM buyout, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

It’s telling that Betances would take the guaranteed money here. If Betances thinks he can get more than $3MM on the open market, it would make sense to take the buyout. Given the expectations for a depressed free agent market, it’s not shocking that Betances would take the $6MM to stay in his hometown – the only baseball town he’s ever known.

Betances was once one of the top setup men in baseball with the Yankees, but a partial tear of his Achilles in September of 2019 ended his tenure with the Yankees and sent him to the free agent market. He posted a 2.36 ERA over 358 appearances with the Yankees in his 8 seasons there.

In his first action since the injury, Betances made 15 appearances for the Mets in 2020 but struggled to a 7.71 ERA/4.91 FIP in 11 2/3 innings with a troubling 0.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Betances has been missing a key weapon from his arsenal since his return: his 93.6 mph heater not particularly close to the 97.7 mph four-seamer he sported in his heyday with the Yankees.

Report: Five Likely Finalists In Red Sox Managerial Search

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Of the many names interviewed for the Red Sox managerial vacancy, the field seems to have been narrowed to five.  MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reports that the likely list of finalists includes Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Marlins bench coach James Rowson, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, and a new candidate to the race — former big league outfielder Sam Fuld, currently the Phillies’ director of integrative baseball performance.

Fuld has spent the last three years in Philadelphia’s front office, and he has often been mentioned as a future manager.  Heyman’s report would suggest that Fuld has interviewed for the Boston job, which seems like an obvious step except for the fact that Fuld has declined multiple opportunities to interview for managerial positions in the past.  Just last winter, for instance, Fuld passed on talking with the Pirates, Cubs, and Mets.

With baseball’s trend towards hiring younger managers who are only recently retired from their playing days, Fuld checks both boxes — he turns 39 later this month and officially retired in 2017.  He doesn’t have any official coaching or managing experience, but Fuld does have something of a unique skillset in his role as a bridge between the Phils’ analytics department.  Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also has a past relationship with Fuld, as Bloom was working in the Rays’ front office when Fuld played with Tampa Bay from 2011-13.

Reports from Saturday indicated that the Red Sox had interviewed both Kelly and Mendoza a second time, and of course there has been speculation over Cora’s potential return basically since the moment he was fired in January.  Cora’s one-year suspension for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal was officially up after the World Series, and the Sox wasted little time in getting in touch with their former skipper.

Dodgers Outright Terrance Gore

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The Dodgers have outrighted outfielder Terrance Gore to Triple-A, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  This is the second time Gore has been removed from the 40-man roster this season, having previously been outrighted back in August.

Gore signed a minor league deal with L.A. back in February and made the team’s Opening Day roster, but appeared in only two games before being designated for assignment.  There was some speculation that the Dodgers could use Gore as a pinch-running specialist during the playoffs (as the Royals did with Gore in both 2014 and 2015), but he was never included on a postseason roster.

Gore has now appeared in parts of seven Major League seasons, primarily as a pinch-runner and late-game defensive substitute.  Through 102 career games with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Royals, Gore has only 77 plate appearances, 58 of them coming with Kansas City in 2019.

Diamondbacks Exercise Merrill Kelly’s Club Option

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The Diamondbacks have exercised their $4.25MM club option on right-hander Merrill Kelly for the 2021 season, as per a team press release.  Kelly and fellow right-handers Corbin Martin and Jeremy Beasley were all reinstated from the injured list and placed on Arizona’s 40-man roster, bringing the team’s total to 38 of 40 players.

Kelly’s original two-year, $5.5MM contract with the D’Backs contained club options for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with this year’s option containing a $500K buyout and the $5.25MM option for 2022 containing no buyout.  The Snakes therefore had a $3.75MM choice to make on Kelly, which wasn’t necessarily a sure thing given how we’ve already seen several notable players cut loose on option decisions in this young offseason, and Kelly is a health question mark going into 2021.

After posting a 2.59 ERA, 5.80 K/BB rate, and 8.3 K/9 over 31 1/3 innings this season, Kelly’s strong start was cut short after he required surgery to address a blood clot in his shoulder.  A couple of weeks after that procedure, Kelly then underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.  While Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen was optimistic that Kelly would be ready to go for Spring Training, past cases of TOS procedures have had varying timelines.  And, of even more concern to Kelly and the D’Backs, several pitchers who have undergone thoracic outlet syndrome surgeries were unable to regain their past form on the mound.

Still, there was obviously enough comfort on the front office’s part to take the $3.75MM risk that Kelly will be recovered enough to contribute.  The D’Backs are facing a likely reduction in payroll as a response to lower revenues, but in a vacuum, $3.75MM is a very reasonable price for a pitcher who has shown that he can be a solid member of a rotation.

Originally an eighth-round pick for the Rays in the 2010 draft, Kelly spent five years in the minors before heading to South Korea to pitch with SK Wyverns of the KBO League.  He posted impressive numbers and established himself as a workhorse starter, doing well enough to land that multi-year contract from Arizona upon his return to North American baseball.  Kelly acquitted himself well in his first taste of the big leagues, with a 4.42 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate, and 7.8 K/9 over 183 1/3 innings for the D’Backs in 2019.

4 More Candidates Interview For Angels’ GM Job

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After several weeks of little news about the Angels’ search for a new general manager, several names have emerged as candidate for the position.  Four new names join that already lengthy list, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken with the team, and longtime Royals executives Gene Watson, Scott Sharp, and J.J. Picollo were also part of the Halos’ first round of interviews, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter).

Amaro is the only one of this quartet who has previously run a front office, as his stint as the Phillies’ GM from 2009-15 was highlighted by the National League pennant in 2009 and three NL East titles.  All of that success came in Amaro’s first three seasons, however, largely due to the core of talent built by Amaro’s predecessor Pat Gillick (though as assistant GM, Amaro also had a hand in that roster’s creation).  2011 was still the last time Philadelphia posted a winning record, as their 2008 championship core aged and Amaro wasn’t able to reinforce the team well enough to keep it in contention.

Since leaving the Phils, Amaro moved not to another front office job but rather coaching positions with the Red Sox and Mets.  After the 2018 season, he worked as an advisor to Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, and spent 2020 as a broadcaster for Phillies games.  Amaro does have some memorable ties to the Angels, as he was drafted by the team back in 1987 and he spent the first of his eight MLB seasons in a Halos uniform.

Watson, Sharp, and Picollo have all been linked to other general manager openings in the past.  Watson interviewed with the Astros last winter, Sharp was a candidate with the Giants and Mets after the 2018 season, and Picollo has been considered for front office jobs with the Twins, Diamondbacks, and Phillies.  In fact, Picollo was one of the favorites to replace Amaro as the Phillies’ GM back in 2015 before Matt Klentak was hired, and Picollo’s name has again surfaced as a possibility in Philadelphia now that Klentak is no longer in the position.

According to Rosenthal, Sharp could be the Angels’ preferred choice among the three Kansas City choices.  Sharp, Picollo and Watson have all been with the Royals since 2006, working in various positions while moving up the ladder to their current positions as assistant GM (Sharp and Picollo) and senior director of pro scouting/special assistant (Watson).

Orioles Exercise Jose Iglesias’ Club Option

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The Orioles announced that they have exercised their $3.5MM club option on Jose Iglesias’ services for the 2021 season.  (MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko broke the news via Twitter earlier this morning.)  It was a $3MM decision for Baltimore, as the shortstop would have otherwise received a $500K buyout had the option been declined.

Iglesias signed a one-year contract last winter that paid him $3MM in guaranteed money (which became just shy of $926K due to the reduced schedule) for 2020, and included the option for 2021.  Traditionally a glove-first player and a strong defensive shortstop, Iglesias ended up contributing in a much different manner than the O’s probably expected, as Iglesias exploded to hit .373/.400/.556 over 150 plate appearances.  A whopping .407 BABIP was a big contributor to this performance, as Iglesias was only a .273/.315/.371 hitter in 2915 career PA prior to 2020.

While Iglesias still provided solid glovework, he played less shortstop than expected, as quad problems led to a short injured list stint and quite a bit of DH time.  Needless to say, the Orioles would love a continuation of Iglesias’ breakout at the plate, but even if a “normal” Iglesias season in 2021 is more probable, the $3MM decision still seemed like a pretty straight-forward call.

With Iglesias now officially back in the fold, the Orioles can turn their attention to other potential infield moves, as possibly upgrading second and third base beyond Hanser Alberto and Rio Ruiz.  Former Gold Glover Yolmer Sanchez was claimed off waivers from the White Sox on Friday, leading to speculation that Alberto could be a non-tender candidate.

J.D. Martinez Will Not Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract

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As expected, J.D. Martinez will not enact the opt-out clause in his contract with the Red Sox, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Martinez’s five-year, $110MM deal signed in February 2018 contained opt-outs after both last season and this season, and with Martinez staying put, he is slated to earn $19.375MM in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Martinez already suggested near the end of the season that he wouldn’t be leaving his deal, so today’s news is no surprise.  After six years as one of the sport’s better batters, Martinez struggled badly in 2020, hitting only .213/.291/.389 with seven home runs over 237 plate appearances.  In an offseason with limited dollars to be spent anywhere around baseball, teams would have been far more focused on Martinez’s 2020 performance, his age (33), and his mostly DH-only status than his past track record, so it’s hard to imagine Martinez would have topped two years and $38.75MM in free agency.

For now, the question might be what the Red Sox can expect from Martinez going forward.  The slugger has been vocal about how his regular routine (everything from offseason work to in-game preparations such as watching video) was altered by the pandemic and COVID-19 protocols.  Since the 2021 season certainly looks like normal operations won’t revert back to a pre-2020 state, it will be up to Martinez to figure out new adjustments to get himself back on track at the plate.

Angels Among Teams Interested In Kolten Wong

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Kolten Wong officially became a free agent earlier this week when the Cardinals declined their $12.5MM club option on the second baseman, and it hasn’t taken long for the former Gold Glover to draw attention.  Multiple teams have already been in contact with Wong, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, with the Angels named as one of the interested parties.

With Andrelton Simmons hitting free agency, the Angels are known to be looking at middle infield help, with David Fletcher’s ability to play either second base or shortstop allowing Los Angeles to explore options at either position.  (For example, Didi Gregorius is another reported target.)  Looking at the list of available free agent middle infielders, second base is the deeper of the two positions, and since the 2021-22 shortstop class is loaded with stars, the Angels could prefer to let Fletcher handle shortstop for a year and then explore signing a longer-term answer.

Or, if it will take a multi-year deal to sign Wong, the Halos could be content with Wong and Fletcher as their middle infield combo for the next couple of seasons.  Wong would essentially be the second base version of Simmons — a roughly league-average hitter who provides elite defense, with the bonuses of Wong being a year younger than Simmons, a better baserunner and with less of a recent injury history.  Since the Halos have mostly a right-handed hitting lineup, Wong’s left-handed bat would also add a bit of balance.

The Angels are one of many teams looking for second base help this winter, so it isn’t surprising that Wong’s market is already active.  The Phillies, Indians, Rockies, Yankees, Athletics, Tigers, and Cubs are just a few teams that could fit as potential suitors, plus teams like the Nationals or Blue Jays could be fits based on how other in-house options are shuffled around the infield.

Pirates To Explore Josh Bell Extension

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Last winter, the Pirates and Josh Bell discussed an extension to keep the hulking first baseman in Pittsburgh long-term, but nothing actionable materialized. Management plans to try again this winter, per the Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel. Bell is represented by Scott Boras, and he is currently set to enter free agency following the 2022 season.

Bell is coming off a relatively disastrous campaign in 2020, and the Pirates would likely look to secure him for a reasonable extension. Biertempfel suggests the two sides could settle on a 3-year deal, allowing the Pirates a little more long-term security, while Bell would still enter free agency in his early thirties.

Bell looked like a surefire franchise player with a .277/367/.569 breakout campaign with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs in 2019. But as much as he impressed with 2019, the inverse happened in 2020 as he stumbled with a triple slash of .226/.305/.364. His year-over-year wRC+ tumbled from 135 in 2019 to 78 in 2020.

The Pirates don’t appear particularly close to contention, and as a small market club, the argument can certainly be made that they should explore trading Bell for prospects. But the Pirates can’t likely get the kind of return they need to move him, so they have to either play out the string until free agency two seasons from now, or try to get an extra year or two or three of control before that moment.

If he bounces back, after all, an extension may only make him more appealing as a trade candidate. Scott Boras seems to prefer to take his clients to their natural free agency, and that remains the likeliest option for Bell. Still, Boras clients have signed arbitration extensions in the past, and given the current uncertainty facing free agents, now might be the right time for the Pirates to strike.

Pirates Decline Option On Chris Archer

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The Pittsburgh Pirates declined their $11M option on Chris Archer, making the right-hander a free agent, per Jason Mackey of PGSportsNow (via Twitter).

The 32-year-old’s last big-league action came in 2019 when he went 3-9 with a 5.19 ERA/5.02 FIP in 119 2/3 innings over 23 starts with 10.8 K/9 to 4.1 BB/9. The Pirates hoped Archer could anchor their rotation, but a 0.8 rWAR season wasn’t enough to make an substantive impact for the Buccos.

Declining Archer’s option likely means the end of a disappointing era in Pittsburgh. Much was heaped onto Archer’s shoulders after being acquired from the Rays for soon-to-be stars Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and prospect Shane Baz. The 2018 deadline deal was doomed from the start, as Glasnow by himself arguably outperformed Archer down the stretch in that season alone with 0.6 rWAR to Archer’s 0.5 rWAR. Add in the years of control the Rays have for Glasnow, Meadows, and Baz (who has yet to debut) – not to mention Glasnow and Meadows critical role in helping the Rays to win the 2020 AL pennant – and the Pirates overpay for Archer couldn’t be more clear.

Even without the added expectations of the trade, it’s difficult to view Archer’s time with the Pirates as anything but a disappointment. He’ll finish with a 6-12 record with a 4.62 ERA in 172 innings across 33 starts.

All that said, there’s hope for Archer’s future. In all likelihood, he’s looking at a short-term contract to prove himself, but he will definitley be an arm to watch as a potential rebound candidate, as MLBTR’s own Steve Adams wrote about in March. Over his 8-year career with the Rays and Pirates, the former Indians and Cubs farmhand owns a 68-80 record with a 3.86 ERA over 1,235 innings.

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