Latest On Justin Turner
Justin Turner‘s market had already reportedly narrowed to four teams, and the field could now be even thinner for the former All-Star. The Dodgers and Brewers have each made multi-year contract offers to Turner, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link), and while the third baseman could potentially have other longer-term offers on the table, Turner seems “less likely” to sign with other rumored suitors like the Braves, Mets, or Blue Jays.
If Turner’s final four is now down to a final two, the Dodgers are still in the lead, according to both Heyman and FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter). There has been a widespread expectation for much of the winter that Turner would eventually re-sign with Los Angeles, though some wrinkles were added by Turner’s initial ask of a four-year contract, and the Dodgers already projected to spend far beyond the $215MM luxury tax threshold. As per Roster Resource, the Dodgers’ tax number for 2021 is over $240MM (thanks in large part to the Trevor Bauer signing), and spending beyond $250MM would trigger the maximum tax penalty — a 42.5% surtax on overages, and the Dodgers’ first 2021 draft pick would be dropped back in the draft order by 10 spots.
Of course, the Dodgers could have no issue taking the extra one-year tax hit in order to bolster their chances at another World Series title, or to retain a star player who has spent the last seven seasons in Dodger blue. Still, the lack of common ground to date between Turner and the Dodgers has opened the door for a team like Milwaukee, as Murray writes that the Brewers made a “competitive” offer. It seems unlikely that any team would be willing to give four guaranteed years to the 36-year-old Turner, but speculatively, the Brewers might gain an edge over L.A. by offering three years depending on the nature of the Dodgers’ offer.
As for the other teams linked to Turner, earlier reports suggested that the Mets weren’t getting far in contract talks. The chances of Turner going to Atlanta or Toronto seemed to dim after those teams made other high-priced signings — the Braves and Marcell Ozuna, and the Blue Jays with George Springer and Marcus Semien.
Seth Lugo To Undergo Bone Spur Surgery
Mets right-hander Seth Lugo will undergo elbow surgery to fix a broken bone spur on Tuesday, the team announced. The issue was discovered after Lugo had been suffering from elbow inflammation during his offseason workouts. Lugo won’t begin throwing for at least six weeks following his procedure, so he will surely begin the season on the injured list as he continues to build up arm strength.
Lugo posted a 5.15 ERA over 36 2/3 innings for New York in 2020, beginning the season in the bullpen but then starting his final seven outings. Advanced metrics indicate that he pitched better than that 5.15 ERA would indicate, as Lugo’s numbers were skewed by two very poor starts against the Phillies and Nationals (Lugo was touched for 12 runs over three total innings) and a big home run rate. The righty had a 3.29 SIERA and very strong strikeout (29.4%) and walk (6.3%) percentages, while also posting a 48.5 grounder rate and some elite curveball spin.
A 34th-round pick for the Mets back in 2011, Lugo rose through the organizational ranks and broke into the Show as a starter in 2016-17, and also made five starts during the 2018 season. For much of 2018-19, however, Lugo was a very effective reliever out of the Amazins’ bullpen, and he was slated to return to that role (perhaps with the odd spot start) in 2021. While it doesn’t seem like Lugo’s surgery is overtly major, it obviously isn’t a good sign for him to miss such a big chunk of Spring Training, and he’ll need at least a month to properly prepare and ramp back up.
With Lugo gone for at least some time at the start of the season, Robert Gsellman and the newly-acquired Jordan Yamamoto look like the Mets’ top options for rotation depth should one of their projected starting five also suffer an injury prior to Opening Day. The Mets are still reportedly looking into starting pitching options, and if a new arm is added, Joey Lucchesi will likely be the odd man out who is moved into the bullpen.
Rangers Announce Several Roster Moves
The Rangers have signed veteran catcher John Hicks to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, per a club announcement. Outfielder Adolis Garcia, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, will also be invited to Major League camp after going unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the Rangers. Texas also confirmed its previously reported minor league deals with Korean lefty Hyeon-jong Yang and with infielder Brock Holt.
Hicks, 31, didn’t play in the big leagues last year, instead spending the 2020 season at the Diamondbacks’ alternate training site. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons between the Mariners and Tigers, logging a combined .235/.280/.391 batting line with 28 homers and 15 doubles in 871 plate appearances.
He’s never graded out as a particularly strong framer, but Hicks has an above-average 31 percent caught-stealing rate at the MLB level and will add some depth to a Rangers club that is presently lacking in that department. Jose Trevino currently projects as the starter, with Jonah Heim and non-roster veteran Drew Butera serving as backup candidates. Top prospect Sam Huff got his feet wet in the big leagues last year, but he skipped both Double-A and Triple-A, so he’s likely in line for additional minor league seasoning.
Yang, as noted in the linked post above, is a former KBO MVP who has long had his sights set on pitching in the Majors. His decision to do so this winter wasn’t particularly well-timed, given not only the economic climate in MLB but also the fact that he’s coming off one of the rougher seasons of a generally strong career in South Korea. Still, he’s made 29 starts or more in each of the past eight seasons and prior to 2020 carried a 3.35 ERA over a seven-year stretch. If nothing else, the fact that he threw 172 1/3 innings last year — nearly 100 more than any MLB pitcher — ought to be of benefit while the Rangers look to monitor the workloads of the rest of their staff.
Rays To Sign Collin McHugh
FEB. 12: The Rays have finalized a $1.8MM deal with McHugh, pending a physical, Topkin reports.
FEB. 11, 9:55pm: If finalized, it will be a one-year major league pact, Topkin writes.
9:15pm: The Rays and right-hander Collin McHugh are closing in on an agreement, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. There’s “work to be done” on both sides prior to the deal becoming official, though, Topkin adds.
McHugh was largely successful with the Astros as a starter and reliever from 2014-19, but elbow issues negatively affected him in the last of those years and continued to do so in 2020. McHugh signed with the Red Sox before last season, but he was ultimately not healthy enough to pitch for the club. The 33-year-old has recovered since then, though, according to Topkin, and his history indicates he could be a useful pickup for the Rays if he is indeed back from his arm problems.
McHugh, also a former Met and Rockie, would bring a lifetime 3.95 ERA with almost a strikeout per inning and fewer than three walks per nine across a lifetime 800 2/3 frames to the Rays. Considering McHugh established himself in Houston as someone capable of filling long- and short-inning roles, it seems he would fit in well on a Tampa Bay team known for its flexibility with its pitching staff.
Rays Agree To Deal With Rich Hill
9:22pm: Hill will earn $2.5MM on a one-year deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
8:32pm: The two sides have a deal, pending a physical, Robert Murray of Fansided tweets.
8:22pm: The Rays are progressing toward a deal with free-agent left-hander Rich Hill, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Hill will turn 41 in March, and though he was hardly outstanding during the first decade of his career, he has only gotten better with age. Dating back to his stunning renaissance in 2015, Hill – despite possessing 90 mph velocity – has logged a 2.93 ERA/3.57 SIERA with a quality strikeout percentage of 28.6 and and a better-than-average walk rate of 7.9 percent in 503 innings as a member of the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers and Twins. The only concern has been Hill’s durability, as various injuries have limited him and he hasn’t hit the 136-inning mark in a season since he revived his career. He threw 38 2/3 frames as a Twin during the truncated 2020 campaign, averaging fewer than five innings out of his eight starts.
Of course, if there’s any team unconcerned about a hurler going deep into games, it’s the Rays. They’re known to rely heavily on their bullpen, evidenced in part by their opener strategy, so Hill could be an ideal fit for the club. The Rays lost 2020 starters Blake Snell (trade) and Charlie Morton (free agency) earlier in the offseason after an AL-winning year, but the small-budget team is trying to put together a low-priced rotation with Hill, fellow offseason additions Chris Archer and Michael Wacha (and potentially Collin McHugh), as well as holdovers Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarbrough.
Indians Sign Billy Hamilton
FEB. 12: Hamilton will make a $1MM salary and up to $950K in incentives if he gets to the majors, per Heyman.
FEB. 11: The Indians are nearing a contract with free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Daniel Alvarez Montes of El ExtraBase first reported the news, noting it’s a minor league contract.
It’s back to the state of Ohio for Hamilton, who played with the Reds from 2013-18. Although he has never been any kind of offensive threat, Hamilton had his best seasons in Cincinnati on the strength of a superlative combination of defense and base running. Hamilton hit a meager .245/.293/.333 in 2,736 plate appearances as a Red, but he succeeded on 277 of 340 stolen base tries (81 percent) and ranked in the top 10 of big league outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved (65) and Ultimate Zone Rating (45.5).
The 30-year-old played the previous two seasons with four different teams (Royals, Braves, Cubs and Mets), but his offensive numbers got even worse. Hamilton batted an ugly .210/.278/.270 with 28 steals over 389 PA, though he’ll nevertheless get an opportunity to earn a spot in a Cleveland outfield that finished last in the AL in fWAR (minus-0.9) in 2020. Hamilton joins Ben Gamel as the second minor league outfield addition of Thursday for the Indians.
Diamondbacks Sign Asdrubal Cabrera
The Diamondbacks have signed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $1.75MM contract with $1.05MM in incentives, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
Cabrera has played for six teams since his career began with Cleveland in 2007, and he spent parts of the previous two years with the Nationals. While he performed quite well with the Nats during their World Series-winning campaign in 2019, hitting .323/.404/.565 in 146 plate appearances, Cabrera put together a less imposing line of .242/.305/.447 over 213 PA last season. That isn’t far from the switch-hitting 35-year-old’s lifetime offensive output, though, as he has batted .268/.330/.426 across 7,046 trips to the plate.
Cabrera has divided the majority of his career among the middle infield and third base, though he didn’t play any shortstop between 2019-20. Unless that changes, he’ll be a fallback option behind Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and third baseman Eduardo Escobar.
Yankees Release Ben Heller
FEB. 12: The Yankees announced that they have released Heller.
FEB. 10: The Yankees have designated right-handed reliever Ben Heller for assignment, according to a club announcement. The move clears roster space for right-hander Darren O’Day, whose previously reported deal with the Yankees has now been officially announced.
Originally acquired from the Indians alongside Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield in the Andrew Miller blockbuster, the now-29-year-old Heller has seen sparing action with the Yankees in four seasons. Injuries have persistently dogged Heller, dealt with bone spurs early in 2018 before eventually learning he’d require Tommy John surgery. Those injuries knocked out his entire ’18 campaign and most of his ’19 season as well. He returned in 2020, but a nerve issue in his right biceps limited him to just six innings this past season.
Heller has pitched in parts of four seasons with the Yankees — 2016-17 and 2019-20 — but has totaled just 31 1/3 innings at the MLB level because of that broad array of arm troubles. Despite his minimal workload, he’s somewhat remarkably accrued more than three years of MLB service, albeit with most of that time coming on the 60-day injured list.
It has to be pointed out that Heller has been quietly effective in those 31 1/3 frames, working to a 2.59 ERA. However, his 21.7 percent strikeout rate and 10.9 percent walk rate are both worse than the league average, which has contributed to a less-bullish 4.20 SIERA mark.
Heller, who owns a 2.45 ERA and 32.5 percent strikeout rate in 99 Triple-A innings, still has a minor league option remaining, which could make him attractive to other clubs in need of bullpen depth. The Yankees will have a week to trade Heller, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Red Sox Designate Chris Mazza
The Red Sox have designated right-hander Chris Mazza for assignment, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. They did so in order to make room for the re-signing of lefty Martin Perez.
Mazza joined the Red Sox in late 2019 as a waiver claim from the Mets, and he became a regular in Boston’s staff last season. The 31-year-old finished fifth among Red Sox pitchers in innings (30), though he was unable to establish himself during that time. Mazza posted a 4.80 ERA/4.97 SIERA with subpar strikeout (21.3) and walk (11.0) percentages. He does, however, have another option left and a good track record in the minors, where he has pitched to a 3.21 ERA in 507 2/3 frames.
Tigers Designate John Schreiber For Assignment
The Tigers announced that they have designated right-hander John Schreiber for assignment to make room for newly signed outfielder Nomar Mazara.
Schreiber, a Michigan native whom the Tigers chose in the 15th round of the 2016 draft, came out of their bullpen in each of the previous two seasons. The 26-year-old has totaled 28 2/3 innings in the majors thus far and recorded a 6.28 ERA, though some of his other numbers are far more encouraging. For instance, Schreiber has logged a 3.65 SIERA with strikeout and walk percentages that check in far above average (25.6 and 6.2 percent, respectively).
Schreiber has accrued 59 1/3 innings in Triple-A ball, where he has pitched to an excellent 2.28 ERA and amassed 70 strikeouts against 21 walks. He has three minor league options left, so some other team could take a chance on him in a trade or via waivers in the next week.