Latest On Yoenis Cespedes
Free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes held a showcase in Florida that 11 teams attended on Tuesday, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Yankees, White Sox, Brewers, Blue Jays, Tigers (one of Cespedes’ ex-teams), Padres, Rays, Reds, Marlins, Cubs and Braves were all on hand to watch Cespedes, per Davidoff.
As Davidoff notes, it’s interesting that the majority of clubs that scouted Cespedes are in the National League, which doesn’t appear likely to feature the designated hitter position in 2021. DH seems like the logical spot for Cespedes if he’s going to continue his career, as he hasn’t played the field since 2018, he’s aging (35), and he’s coming off four straight abbreviated seasons because of health issues. The two-time All-Star, most recently with the Mets, played in just 127 of a possible 546 regular-season contests from 2017-20.
Cespedes opted out of last season in August over COVID-19 concerns, but heel and ankle problems dogged him before then and helped make the four-year, $110MM guarantee he received from the Mets in November 2016 a disaster for the club. The two sides agreed to an amended contract in December 2019 that reduced Cespedes’ base salary from $29.5MM to $6MM, but New York didn’t get any bang for its buck out of that.
While Cespedes comes with question marks, he won’t land an expensive deal, which is one of the reasons so many clubs are considering him. When healthy, Cespedes has been a force at the plate, where he has batted .273/.327/.497 (124 wRC+) with 165 home runs in 3,490 trips. That track record could make him a worthwhile buy-low pickup for someone.
Start Of Triple-A Season Delayed
It was reported back in January that the Single-A and Double-A seasons would not start on time. The same goes for the minors’ highest level, as the 2021 Triple-A campaign will be delayed “by at least a month,” Jeff Passan of ESPN.com writes. It had been scheduled to begin April 6.
There was no minors season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the hope for this year is that they’ll be able to resume play sometime in May. As a result of the delay, alternate training sites will return this season and could last longer than expected, in part because of concerns over travel for minor leaguers, according to Passan. The alternate sites would feature about two dozen players, Passan adds.
Despite this setback, Passan writes that there’s hope the delay to the Triple-A slate will allow for the vaccination of players and a full season. The campaign will last into September if it opens in May.
Kole Calhoun To Undergo Knee Surgery
5:20pm: Calhoun has a torn meniscus, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets.
5:07pm: Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun will undergo right knee surgery Wednesday, manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and other reporters. Lovullo was unable to offer any details on the procedure.
While it’s unknown how much time he will miss, it at least seems likely that Calhoun will sit out the start of the regular season, which is less than. a month away. That’s unwelcome news for Arizona, as Calhoun was one of its few bright spots during a disappointing 2020. After signing a two-year, $16MM guarantee in free agency, the longtime Angel slashed .226/.338/.526 (125 wRC+) with 16 home runs and a career-high .300 isolated power number in 228 plate appearances. Calhoun also continued his good work in right field, where he recorded a 5.3 Ultimate Zone Rating.
Considering he isn’t signed beyond this season, Calhoun’s entering a pivotal year. If he’s able to rebound quickly and perform even close to as well as he did last year, Calhoun could convince the Diamondbacks to exercise his $9MM option for 2022 instead of buying him out for $2MM. Regardless, it appears the Diamondbacks are going to have to at least temporarily pencil in someone else in right, where Josh VanMeter, Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith, Josh Rojas and Stuart Fairchild could be in-house possibilities who are on the team’s 40-man roster. Otherwise, Arizona may consider free agency, waivers or a trade.
Several Players Awaiting Clarity On Minor League Option Status
In the minutes after we posted our annual list of out-of-options players earlier today, several readers pointed out players they believed to have been omitted. In following up with various team and agency sources around the league, it became clear that there’s some uncertainty as to how the 2020 season will impact some players’ number of minor league options.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explores the situation at greater length, reporting that Cardinals outfielder Justin Williams isn’t even sure whether he has a minor league option remaining. Neither, according to Goold, are the Cardinals themselves. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes that the Angels are in a similar spot with right-hander Jaime Barria. Goold lists the Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay as another player currently in this state of limbo.
The reason? The commissioner’s office, the MLB Players Association and Major League teams still need to determine whether last year’s shortened slate of games counts as a full season under the league’s option structure. An arbiter is expected to make a final decision sometime this month, per Fletcher. Goold writes that a decision is expected “any time now,” adding that the Cardinals have been awaiting clarity for weeks.
By rule, players are given three option years after being selected to a team’s 40-man roster. Being optioned to the minor leagues, even if it’s out of Spring Training, counts as an option year — so long as the player spends 20 days down on the farm. Players are granted three option years, but there’s no limit to the number of times they can be optioned back and forth throughout the course of one of those individual option seasons.
It is possible for some players to be granted a fourth option year. This is most typical among players who have missed considerable time due to injury. Players who are on the 40-man roster and have exhausted those three minor league options before accruing five full seasons of play can be granted this exemption. A “full” season by that definition entails 90 or more days on an active Major League or Minor League roster (but not the injured list).
As Goold explains with regard to Williams, he fell shy of 90 days on an active roster in 2013, 2014 and 2019. His fifth “full” season would’ve been 2020 — you can see where this is going — but the season itself was not 90 days in length. Beyond the fact that the season itself was only 67 days long, players who were “optioned” weren’t sent to the minor leagues to compete in games but rather to alternate training sites to participate in simulated game settings against others in the organization.
Generally speaking, Major League clubs are keenly aware of the out-of-options players on other rosters, but it was clear in asking around today that there’s presently a disconnect because of last year’s shortened season. Even if you were to downplay the significance of one team not being clear on another team’s player, the reports from Goold and Fletcher underscore the confusion surrounding the issue.
It seems something of this nature should have been planned for during last year’s return-to-play negotiations, but as we saw with the months-long back-and-forth between MLB and the MLBPA, the March agreement under which the season was renewed had many issues that were not fully addressed. It’s not necessarily a surprise that 2021 option status wasn’t a major talking point up front, but it’s nonetheless a bit perplexing that an entire offseason has elapsed without a resolution. Minor league options — or a lack thereof — will be a considerably driving factor in spring roster moves around the game over the next four weeks.
Additional Details On Allegations Against Mickey Callaway Emerge
3:47pm: The Indians issued a statement in response to the report, saying (via Zack Meisel of The Athletic, on Twitter): “Our organization continues to actively cooperate with MLB on their investigation into Mickey Callaway. It is important we honor the confidentiality and integrity of that investigation. While we don’t believe the reporting to date reflects who we are as an organization, we will not comment further on the specifics of the matter. We remain committed to creating an inclusive work environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can feel safe and comfortable at all times. We will let our actions – not just our words – reflect our commitment.”
9:25am: As Major League Baseball’s investigation into harassment allegations against Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway continues, new and even more troubling details about his behavior have surfaced in an additional report from Brittany Ghiroli, Katie Strang and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Not only have additional women come forward to reveal that Callaway made unwanted advances toward them, but The Athletic report details that the husband of a woman with whom Callaway was having a consensual, extramarital affair repeatedly contacted the Indians organization and Major League Baseball in 2017 about “pornographic material” sent to his wife.
The report contains quotes from a recorded conversation between the wife and a Cleveland-based attorney indicating that the issue had been presented to manager Terry Francona. The Athletic report also indicates that Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff were both aware of the man’s complaint against Callaway. A league security official involved in the exchange is quoted, too. The husband also managed to contact the Mets in Aug. 2018 to make the same complaint with Callaway’s new organization. (That timing, notably, would mean his complaint was filed after Mets president Sandy Alderson had left the team to undergo treatment following a cancer diagnosis.)
Ghiroli, Strang and Rosenthal conducted 22 interviews over the past month in gathering information for the latest report, which strongly support the idea that Callaway’s behavior dates back to his days as a minor league pitching coach in the Indians’ system.
Also concerning are the suggestions that higher-ups in multiple organizations were willing to look the other way due to Callaway’s reputation as a strong pitching coach. A former Indians employee said Antonetti’s claim that there were no complaints regarding Callaway filed to him, human resources or other organizational leaders “hit me the wrong way” due to the widespread knowledge within the organization of Callaway’s behavior. Another called Callaway’s behavior the “worst-kept secret in the organization,” and both a current and former Mets employee made clear to The Athletic that several in the organization were aware of Callaway’s behavior.
Callaway himself was contacted for a quote on the story, wherein he acknowledged multiple “infidelities” but called much of the reporting around his actions “inaccurate” and pushed back against the idea that he has ever “[used] his position to harass or pressure a woman.”
The Athletic report should be read in its entirety in order to fully grasp not only the alarming and inappropriate nature of Callaway’s alleged behavior but also the mounting number of troubling indications that many around him were, to varying degrees, aware of the issue.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Cubs Designate Duane Underwood Jr. For Assignment
The Cubs announced Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Ryan Tepera, whose previously reported one-year deal is now official.
Underwood, 26, was a second-round pick back in 2012 and has spent parts of the past three seasons in the Majors with Chicago. On the one hand, Underwood’s 5.20 ERA in that time is obviously an eyesore. On the other, Underwood has punched out 27.7 percent of his opponents against a strong 7.7 percent walk rate while averaging better than 94 mph on his heater. He whiffed a career-high 30.7 percent of opponents in 20 2/3 innings last year and also recorded a career-best 15 percent swinging-strike rate.
Home runs have been Underwood’s undoing, as he’s been tagged for eight round-trippers in just 36 1/3 big league innings (2.0 HR/9). That’s likely due in large part to a four-seamer that doesn’t miss bats at a prolific rate and has well below-average spin. Underwood decreased the usage of that four-seamer in 2020 and instead leaned into his curveball and particularly his changeup at career-high rates. The latter pitch was particularly encouraging, as evidenced by a huge 53.2 percent whiff rate from opponents.
At the end of the day, however, the results simply weren’t there for Underwood. He yielded four homers on that four-seamer, and opponents batted .342/.395/.712 on plate appearances ending in his heater. Still, the spike in changeup usage and the success he had with that pitch could pique the interest of another team. Underwood did give up one big fly on the changeup, but overall opponents batted just .190/.227/.381 on plate appearances ending in that pitch.
Underwood doesn’t have minor league options remaining, so he’d need to break camp with another club or else once again be designated for assignment. The Cubs have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he could return to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.
Latest On Jake Odorizzi
While the 2021 season is slated to begin just a month from now, free-agent righty Jake Odorizzi is “thought” to be willing to wait further into Spring Training for the right offer rather than drop his asking price now, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Odorizzi has reportedly been seeking a three-year deal that will pay him in the $13-15MM range annually.
As Heyman notes, there’s some precedent for this type of approach working out for the pitcher. Kyle Lohse netted a three-year, $33MM deal with the Brewers late in Spring Training 2013, and Alex Cobb landed a four-year deal worth $57MM with the Orioles late in Spring Training 2018. Jake Arrieta also agreed to a three-year deal midway through Spring Training back in 2018, landing a $75MM guarantee with the Phillies.
Of course, that Lohse deal is now eight years old, and Cobb’s contract was broadly considered to be a surprise. It’s tough to base expectations on that trio of solid deals, as we’ve seen at least as many pitchers have to alter their expectations and take a one-year pact in recent years: Ervin Santana with the Braves, Lance Lynn with the Twins and Dallas Keuchel‘s midseason deal with the Braves are among the examples.
None of that is to say that Odorizzi’s quest for a multi-year deal is unreasonable. His reported asking price falls roughly in line with what we expected him to sign back at the beginning of the offseason, and he’s a more desirable free agent than either Lohse or Cobb was at the time of those late multi-year deals referenced by Heyman. Odorizzi stood out as one of the best free-agent starters on the 2020-21 market — arguably the second-best behind Trevor Bauer (particularly once Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman accepted qualifying offers).
It’s been a very tough winter for the non-Bauer tier of free-agent starters, however. Only three have landed multi-year pacts: a two-year, $18MM deal for Mike Minor with the Royals; a three-year, $23MM deal for Taijuan Walker with the Mets (announced as a two-year deal with a player option); and a two-year, $4.75MM deal for KBO returnee Chris Flexen with the Mariners. Bauer, Charlie Morton, Corey Kluber and Drew Smyly are the only four starters to receive annual values exceeding $10MM, and of that group, only Bauer did so on a multi-year deal.
Major League teams have been reluctant to spend for much of the winter. Some clubs that have spent money (Twins, Red Sox, Nationals) have been primarily willing to do so on one-year deals.
Circumstances could certainly change, and that could be what Odorizzi and his representatives are hoping for at this point. An untimely injury on a contending club’s pitching staff could create a need and jumpstart his market, and it’s possible that as teams get better ideas about the number of fans they’ll be able to welcome to the park in 2021, owners could green-light some late expenditures that weren’t previously expected.
Odorizzi was limited to just 13 2/3 innings last season, which has surely hindered his market, although his camp can rightly point to the fact that none of those health issues were arm-related. He missed the first few weeks of the season with an intercostal (ribcage) strain and quickly went back on the IL when he was struck in the chest by a comeback liner upon his return. He later dealt with a blister that forced him back on the shelf.
Odorizzi is by no means an ace, but prior to last year’s slate of rather fluky injuries, he was a durable mid-rotation cog. He averaged better than 30 starts per season from 2014-19 and worked to a combined 3.88 ERA (4.08 FIP, 4.19 SIERA) with above-average strikeout and walk rates (23 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively) through more than 1000 innings. In a vacuum, he’d be an improvement for nearly any starting staff in the game, but the disconnect between his asking price and the market’s offerings apparently continues to linger.
Phillies Likely Done Spending For Now
The Phillies payroll is roughly where it was last year – at least as long as they entertain rostering Brandon Kintzler and Tony Watson on opening day. A lot remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a possibility that the pair of veteran relievers makes the team. In that case, they would both make $3MM, pushing their luxury tax payroll close to $208MM, writes the Athletic’s Matt Gelb. Wanting to leave a touch of breathing room under the tax for an in-season acquisition, the Phillies are likely done adding Major League players. Whether the Phillies should trifle over surpassing the luxury tax by a million or two is certainly worth the question, but it’s not a level of spending they’ve breached in the past.
If they are using that line as a soft cap, there won’t be much flexibility even for a mid-season acquisition. Clearing close to $6MM by not putting Kintzler and Watson on the roster might be appealing for that cause, but considering the disaster that was their 2020 bullpen, they may prefer having those veteran hands at the ready. Kintzler was the Marlins closer last year with a 2.24 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. Watson logged a 2.50 ERA across 18 innings for the Giants. Both have been steady Eddies for the past decade out of the bullpen.
Watson, for his part, fits a particular need for the Phillies. Southpaw Ranger Suárez is behind in his preparation by a couple of weeks because of visa issues, notes Gelb. Suárez would be one of the lefties competing for a spot in the bullpen. If Suárez isn’t ready for opening day, Watson would be in competition with JoJo Romero for deputy southpaw behind nominal sheriff José Alvarado. The 24-year-old Romero had a 7.59 ERA in 12 appearances last year. There are plenty of reason to be bullish on Romero, however. He had a 3.66 FIP and minuscule 4.3 percent walk rate, suggesting better times may be ahead for the crowd-pleasing southpaw. Still, Watson is by far the most experienced arm with a 2.80 ERA/3.61 FIP in 591 career innings.
Damon Jones, Kyle Dohy, Cristopher Sánchez, and Bailey Falter are the other left-handers on the Phillies 40-man. None of the four have experience at the Major League level, however.
Quick Hits: Springer, Conforto, Straw, Greinke
The Mets were a popular pick for outfielder George Springer before he signed a six-year, $150MM contract with the Blue Jays in January. Team president Sandy Alderson “suggested” on Monday that the Mets were willing to sign Springer for five years, not six, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Alderson added that New York likely wouldn’t have been able to extend outfielder Michael Conforto had it signed Springer. “At some point, even Steve Cohen runs out of money,” Alderson said of the team’s owner. Conforto, who turned 28 today, is three years younger than Springer and coming off an even better season at the plate. He’s due to become a free agent next winter, but the Mets expect to begin talks on an extension sometime soon.
- With Springer no longer in Houston, the Astros appear likely to turn to Myles Straw at center field to open the season. If the Straw experiment doesn’t work out, though, it’s probable that Chas McCormick will be their fallback plan at the position, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic writes. The 25-year-old has a better chance to make the team than veteran outfielder Steven Souza Jr., whom the Astros signed to a minor league deal, as he’s already on their 40-man roster and capable of playing center, Kaplan notes. McCormick impressed during his most recent minors action in 2019, when he slashed .269/.386/.432 with 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 448 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
- Sticking with the Astros, ace Zack Greinke is entering the last season of his contract – his age-37 campaign – but is not thinking retirement, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relays. Based on his performance in 2020, Greinke has plenty left in the tank. Although he posted a 4.03 ERA – one of the highest figures of his potential Hall of Fame career – Greinke registered a better 3.72 SIERA with a 24.5 percent strikeout rate and an elite 3.3 percent walk rate. Greinke also induced a fair amount of weak contact, evidenced in part by the 86.8 mph exit velocity hitters mustered against him.