Brewers Sign Kolten Wong
Kolten Wong is staying in the NL Central, but the longtime Cardinals second baseman will don a new jersey. The Brewers announced Friday that they’ve signed Wong to a two-year contract with a club option for a third season. The PSI Sports Management client will reportedly be guaranteed $18MM on the deal, and the club option would push the total to $26MM, if exercised.
Milwaukee is plenty familiar with Wong, 30, after he spent the past eight seasons with the Cardinals — mostly as their everyday second baseman. He hit the open market earlier this winter after the Cards declined a $12.5MM club option in favor of a $1.5MM buyout — a decision that surprised many of their fans. Wong had an up-and-down tenure with the Cardinals early in his career, but he’s been a mainstay in the lineup since late in the 2016 season.
Over the past four seasons, Wong has settled in as a roughly league-average offensive performer, with much of his offensive value coming through a keen eye at the plate. He’s a .273/.356/.398 hitter in that time and has added some value on the bases as well, swiping 43 bags in 56 tries (77 percent).
Where Wong truly shines, of course, is with the glove. He’s established himself as the game’s premier defender at his position, securing Gold Glove wins in each of the past two seasons and standing out as the runaway leader at second base in Defensive Runs Saved in recent years. In fact, over the past three years, Wong’s 41 Defensive Runs Saved are the fourth-most for any player at any position in all of Major League Baseball. Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average are similarly bullish on his glovework in that time.
With the Brewers, Wong will surely slot in as the everyday option at second base due to that defensive wizardry. That will displace Keston Hiura, but he’s more of an offensive-minded player with questions about his defense at second base anyhow (-13 DRS in 1085 career innings).
There’s been talk of getting Hiura some work at first base in the past, and a deal with Wong figures to push Hiura there on a a near-everyday basis. The Brewers don’t have a set option at first beyond journeyman Daniel Vogelbach, who hit well for them in a small sample of 2020 at-bats but was also designated for assignment by a pair of clubs prior to landing in Milwaukee. His grasp on the job wasn’t exactly strong, and he’ll now likely be used as a bench bat, spot starter at first base and designated hitter during interleague play.
Prior to signing Wong, Milwaukee projected to carry about an $85MM payroll, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. Wong’s $9MM salary still won’t bring them to the $97MM they’d have opened with in 2020 (prior to prorating), and the Brewers’ payroll is still nearly $40MM shy of their 2018 payroll levels. With Jurickson Profar, Enrique Hernandez and Tommy La Stella all commanding $6.5MMM to $7MM annually on multi-year deals, it seems Wong was intent on setting himself apart from the pack in terms of annual value, which he managed to do on his new deal.
Serious talks between the two sides were first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported that an agreement was in place, and Rosenthal then broke the terms of the deal.
KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes To Sign David Freitas
The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization have agreed to a one-year contract with catcher/first baseman David Freitas, per Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency. Freitas, a client of PSI Sports Management, is guaranteed $550K on the deal and can earn another $50K via incentives. He was on the Brewers’ 40-man roster as of this morning, so Milwaukee seems likely to formally announce his release today. They’ll receive some compensation for granting him his release to facilitate the move and free up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Yoo points out that because the Heroes are largely set at catcher and first base, Freitas, who’ll be 32 in March, could DH for them in 2021 while serving as a backup option at both positions. That may sound odd for someone with a .200/.268/.288 batting line in the Majors, but that output has come in a tiny sample of 143 plate appearances and Freitas has clobbered Triple-A pitching in a much larger sample. In parts of seven seasons totaling 1086 plate appearances in Triple-A, Freitas has put together a .326/.403/.474 batting line — including a .381/.461/.561 slash in 382 plate appearances in 2019.
Depending on how things go in his first KBO season, Freitas could find himself with more promising opportunities back in North American ball, or he could position himself for a second contract and a raise overseas. The $550K guarantee on his deal is slightly less than the Major League minimum, but with Omar Narvaez, Manny Pina, Jacob Nottingham and Luke Maile all on the 40-man roster in Milwaukee, the out-of-options Freitas would’ve had a difficult time cracking the Opening Day roster as a Brewer.
Even if he’d landed elsewhere via waivers, there’s no guarantee he’d have stuck on the 26-man roster all season. Freitas has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons, after all (2017-19), and has just over one full year of big league service time under his belt. That $550K guarantee marks a sizable raise from the salary he’d have taken home had he spent the bulk of the upcoming season in Triple-A.
Top 10 Remaining Free Agents
It took more than two months, but high-end free agents have finally come flying off the board in Major League Baseball over the past few weeks. J.T. Realmuto, George Springer, DJ LeMahieu, Didi Gregorius, Masahiro Tanaka, Liam Hendriks, Michael Brantley, Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons, Joc Pederson, Jose Quintana and Nelson Cruz – all among MLBTR’s top 20 free agents when the offseason began – have agreed to deals since 2021 opened. The open market does still feature several notable names from MLBTR’s rankings, though, as you’ll see below…
1.) Trevor Bauer, RHP (original prediction: four years, $128MM)
- The reigning NL Cy Young winner remains without an employer as spring training approaches, though a resolution could come very soon. It may now be a two-horse race between the Mets and Dodgers to secure Bauer’s services.
4.) Marcell Ozuna, OF/DH (original prediction: four years, $72MM)
- Ozuna is still in limbo partly because MLB hasn’t announced whether the universal DH will return in 2021. He spent most of his season there last year with Atlanta and was a premier hitter in terms of both bottom-line production and Statcast figures. The Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees, Red Sox and Twins have been connected to Ozuna in the rumor mill. The Twins have since agreed to re-sign DH Nelson Cruz, so Ozuna may have lost one suitor this week.
11.) Jake Odorizzi, RHP (original prediction: three years, $39MM)
- While Odorizzi went through a difficult and injury-shortened year as a Twin in 2020, they’re still interested in re-signing him. At least a few other teams are targeting the 30-year-old, so he figures to land on his feet with a nice deal in the coming weeks.
14.) Justin Turner, 3B (original prediction: two years, $24MM)
- There appear to be four finalists for Turner, who has been a tremendous contributor for the Dodgers dating back to his 2014 breakout. A return to the Dodgers is on the table, though Turner’s age (36) is working against him when it comes to earning power. It’s possible neither Los Angeles nor any other team will give him more than a two-year deal.
21.) Jackie Bradley Jr., CF (original prediction: two years, $16MM)
- With George Springer off the board, Bradley is undoubtedly the premier center field option left in free agency. The longtime member of the Red Sox, 30, has received interest from Boston, the Mets and the Giants over the past couple of weeks. He’s reportedly shooting for “a significant contract,” possibly for more than four years.
22.) James Paxton, LHP (original prediction: one year, $10MM)
- Paxton held a showcase that up to 20 teams attended at the end of December, and it apparently went well. The Blue Jays, Mets, Cardinals and Phillies are among the clubs that have shown some interest in the 32-year-old Canadian. Paxton endured an injury-wrecked 2020 with the Yankees, so he’s not a free agent at the best time, but he’s only two seasons removed from putting up very good production and has historically held his own when healthy.
23.) Taijuan Walker, RHP (original prediction: two years, $16MM)
- After a trade from the Mariners, Walker closed the year with the flourish as a member of the Blue Jays, though it’s unclear whether they’re interested in re-signing him. The 28-year-old combined for a 2.70 ERA in 53 1/3 innings between the two teams, but that came with a much less impressive 4.60 SIERA and below-average strikeout and swinging-strike rates.
27.) Trevor Rosenthal, RP (original prediction: two years, $14MM)
- The former St. Louis closer was brilliant last season between the Royals and Padres, which came after a couple of trying years owing to injury and poor performance. Rosenthal is now the No. 1 reliever left on the board. San Diego and Toronto are a couple of the teams that have considered him so far.
32.) Yadier Molina, C (original prediction: one year, $10MM)
- While Molina has gotten interest from other teams this offseason, a reunion with the Cardinals seems inevitable. The 38-year-old has been been part of the organization since it drafted him in 2000, and indications are that he and the Cards want to stick together.
46.) Rick Porcello, RHP (original prediction: one year, $5MM)
- Porcello is nowhere near the AL Cy Young winner he was with the Red Sox in 2016, but he remains an innings eater who can at least fill out the back of a team’s rotation. However, the rumor mill centering on the 32-year-old has been quiet this winter.
Angels To Acquire Dexter Fowler
9:57pm: The Angels are receiving $12.75MM in the deal, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
9:28pm: The Angels will acquire switch-hitting outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Cardinals, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Along with Fowler, they’re getting cash considerations from the Cardinals, per an announcement from the Halos. That makes it clear this is a salary dump on the Cards’ part. Fowler waived a no-trade clause to make this swap possible.
The Cardinals signed Fowler to a five-year, $82.5MM contract before the 2017 campaign, but the former Rockie, Astro and Cub hasn’t necessarily lived up to the deal so far. Fowler, who will turn 35 next month, batted .233/.334/.408 with 49 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 1,500 plate appearances as a Redbird. He’s owed another $14.5MM in 2021, the final year of his deal, but the Cardinals are moving on after acquiring former Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado‘s massive contract earlier this week. Harrison Bader, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson look as if they’ll be the team’s starting outfielders in 2021.
Fowler should be a stopgap for the Angels, who have the preeminent player in the game in center fielder Mike Trout. Left fielder Justin Upton is also still in the fold, while high-end prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh haven’t established themselves in the bigs yet. Fowler, who played under now-Angels manager Joe Maddon as a Cub, should keep the seat warm in right until one of those two are ready to take over for good.
“We think there’s a lot left in the tank,” Angels general manger Perry Minasian said of Fowler (via Nightengale).
Twins, Giants Swap LaMonte Wade Jr., Shaun Anderson
The Twins have traded outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants for right-hander Shaun Anderson, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier Thursday the team was looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder whom they could option to the minors if necessary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. Wade checks those boxes. The 27-year-old has one option left, though whether he’ll prove to be a solution for the Giants at the major league level remains to be seen. He batted an unspectacular .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances as a Twin from 2019-20, but Wade has put up decent production in the minors and always shown that he has a good eye. So far in the majors, Wade has amassed almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (18). He’ll now attempt to join the Giants as a backup outfielder, as they already have Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubon and Austin Slater in line for jobs.
Anderson, 26, pitched to a 5.17 ERA/5.26 SIERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.8 and 10.1 percent, respectively, as a Giant in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. But Anderson averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball last year, owns a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 frames in Triple-A frames, and has two options left. The Twins’ rotation is largely set with Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and Randy Dobnak, but Anderson adds some depth as a starter or reliever for the organization.
Latest On Mets, Trevor Bauer
While Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Mets have reached an agreement with right-hander Trevor Bauer, the top free agent on the board, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com offers different information, tweeting that the two sides do not have a deal yet. Indeed, agent Rachel Luba suggested on Twitter that there is not a contract in place.
While Bauer does not appear to be on his way to New York at this juncture, the team is said to be one of the two finalists for the reigning National League Cy Young winner. The Dodgers are also vying for the 30-year-old Bauer, who starred with the Reds last season and entered the winter as MLBTR’s top-ranked free agent. It’s unclear what the Dodgers are willing to offer Bauer, but the Mets are reportedly in the three-year, $100MM range and considered the favorites to sign him. That deal would be one of the richest ever given to a player on an annual basis, but it would fall short of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole‘s record of $36MM per season.
If he does go to the Mets, Bauer would be the big-splash signing their fans were expecting when deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen took over the club earlier this offseason. The Cohen-led Mets have made some aggressive moves on his watch (the Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco trade and the signings of James McCann and Trevor May, to name some), but they’ve yet to land an elite-tier free agent. That may change soon, though.
Mets Reportedly “In Talks” With Trevor Bauer; Dodgers Still Involved
5:23pm: New York is “believed to” have made a three-year offer worth around $100MM to Bauer, tweets Heyman, who adds there’s “likely” an opt-out clause after the first season. Ed Coleman of WFAN previously reported a three-year, $90MM-plus offer with an opt-out.
4:31pm: The Mets are the current favorites in this race, Jon Morosi of MLB.com hears.
3:16pm: Agent Rachel Luba suggested on Twitter that Bauer is down to two teams, though she didn’t name the clubs.
3:05pm: MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Dodgers are still in the mix and that the Bauer bidding could come down to those two clubs.
2:56pm: The Mets are currently “in talks” with free-agent righty Trevor Bauer, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that the team expects to hear something more definitive from Bauer’s camp within the next 24 hours or so.
The Mets, under new owner Steve Cohen, have been the most oft-connected team to Bauer over the past month. While other clubs have made sense as on-paper fits and been connected to him more loosely, the Mets have repeatedly been portrayed as one of his likeliest landing spots. Adding Bauer on a contract of any length would very likely send the Mets soaring past the $210MM luxury tax line — barring a trade to free up some space. The Mets currently project to have about $183.5MM in luxury obligations, and Bauer is widely expected to command more than that $26.5MM gap in terms of annual salary.
Adding Bauer would also give the Mets one of the more imposing rotations in the Majors. He’d join two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Marcus Stroman, and impressive young David Peterson, who turned in a strong rookie effort in 2020. Noah Syndergaard, meanwhile, would be expected to rejoin the fray midseason once he has completed his rehab from 2020 Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers have been mentioned at times as a potential entrant into the bidding — likely on a short-term deal with a high annual value. The club has made that type of offer to various high-end free agents in recent offseasons — most notably offering Bryce Harper a reported four-year deal in the $180MM range — and could again see appeal in paying a super-premium annual rate to limit the length of their commitment to Bauer.
With Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin all on board already, Bauer would be something of a luxury item for president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman and his staff. That said, the appeal of a Buehler/Kershaw/Bauer top three is enticing, to say the least.
While the Dodgers and Mets might be the two likeliest destinations for Bauer at present, SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that others could yet enter the mix with enticing two- or three-year offers at a high annual rate. That said, he adds that things between the Mets and Bauer are “quite serious” at the moment.
White Sox To Sign Jonathan Lucroy To Minor League Deal
The White Sox are signing free-agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league contract, pending a physical, Robert Murray of Fansided reports.
Now 34 years old, Lucroy was one of baseball’s finest all-around backstops during his heyday with the Brewers and Rangers from 2010-16. But Lucroy’s production, both behind the plate and as a hitter, has since deteriorated. Dating back to 2017, the two-time All-Star has batted .253/.319/.348 with 10 home runs in a combined 935 plate appearances with the Rangers, Rockies, Athletics, Angels and Cubs, and his once-elite pitch-framing skills have also eroded. While Lucroy did spend time with the Red Sox and Phillies last season, he didn’t pick up a plate appearance with either team.
Lucroy will now try for a backup role with the White Sox, who have an outstanding starter in Yasmani Grandal. He and James McCann were Chicago’s top two options in 2020, but the latter departed in free agency for a four-year, $40MM contract with the Mets. McCann’s exit left the White Sox with Grandal and Zack Collins as their No. 1 and 2 catchers. Fellow backstops Seby Zavala and Yermin Mercedes are also on the team’s 40-man roster.
Indians Sign Eddie Rosario
FEB. 4: Cleveland has announced the signing. The deal also includes up to $600K in incentives, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
JAN. 29, 8:01pm: It’s a one-year, $8MM deal, pending a physical, per Jon Becker of Roster Resource. The deal is done, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports.
7:27pm: The Indians and free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario are nearing an agreement, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. Rosario is represented by Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports.
If this deal goes through, it would keep Rosario in the American League Central, where he played with the Twins from 2015-20. Rosario was a three-time 20-home run hitter as a Twin who put up a .277/.310/.478 line over 2,830 plate appearances in their uniform, but the club nonetheless moved on from him after last season. While Minnesota could have kept the 29-year-old for a projected $8.6MM to $12.9MM via arbitration next season, it decided to non-tender him. Rosario then reportedly drew interest from at least a few teams (including the Red Sox, Giants and Brewers) before the Indians landed him.
Cleveland entered the offseason in obvious need of help in the grass, as its outfield finished last in the American League in fWAR with a minus-0.9 fWAR mark in 2020. Their most used holdovers – Oscar Mercado, Jordan Luplow, Josh Naylor and Bradley Zimmer – all endured subpar years, but there wasn’t much expectation the small-budget Indians would sign someone as high-profile as Rosario. They did, after all, start the winter by cutting ties with closer Brad Hand – who had an affordable $10MM option – and they said goodbye to face-of-the-franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor in a trade with the Mets three weeks ago.
Although this has largely been a lean offseason for Cleveland, the team has been busy this week, as it re-signed second baseman Cesar Hernandez before potentially landing Rosario. The latter’s a longtime left fielder who should be the Indians’ top option there, considering Luplow, Naylor and the rest of their choices at the position can’t match his resume.
Twins To Sign Alex Colome
Feb. 4: The option on the deal is mutual, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune indicates. If the Twins decline the $5.5MM option, they’ll owe Colome a $1.25MM buyout. If the Twins pick up the option but Colome declines in favor of free agency, he won’t receive any buyout.
Feb. 3: The Twins are signing free-agent reliever Alex Colome to a one-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The contract includes a $5MM salary for 2021 and an option. In all, it’s a $6.25MM guarantee, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The Twins were mentioned as suitors for Colome earlier Wednesday, so it isn’t surprising they’re bringing in the former Ray, Mariner and White Sox. The 32-year-old right-hander could now be the closer for Minnesota, having saved 138 games in the bigs. He converted 12 of 13 saves with the division-rival White Sox last year.
Colome, who averages 94 mph-plus on his fastball, has saved nearly 86 percent of chances in his career. At times, though, his strikeout numbers have fallen short. Last season, for instance, he ranked 126th out of 141 relievers with at least 20 innings in strikeout percentage (17.8). Colome did, however, finish better than average in walk and groundball rates (9.2 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively). He was also a Statcast darling who ranked above the vast majority of hurlers in several of its important categories.
The Twins’ bullpen checked in third in the majors in fWAR in 2020, though it has since lost Trevor May to the Mets in free agency, while Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo – who combined for 43 frames – remain available. The addition of Colome should help plug those holes for Minnesota.