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9 Free-Agent Hitters Coming Off Productive Offensive Seasons

By Connor Byrne | January 31, 2020 at 12:00am CDT

With just about every major free agent already off the board, it’s officially buy-low season across baseball. Plenty of teams are surely searching for diamonds in the rough at this point, and as we’ll explore below, there may be some left on the offensive side. Here are the still-unsigned hitters who had the most productive years at the plate in 2019…

Hunter Pence, OF/DH – .297/.358/.552 (128 wRC+) in 316 plate appearances

The former star’s career looked to have flamed out a year ago at this time, but Pence took a minor league contract with the Rangers and enjoyed a resurgence at the plate. The right-handed Pence provided quality production against righty and lefty pitchers alike, clubbed 18 home runs and earned solid marks from Statcast (including for his speed, which is unexpected for a 36-year-old). Pence’s age, the injuries he dealt with last season and the fact that he didn’t play the field much in 2019 are all causes for concern, though, and have likely played a role in the fact that he hasn’t found a new deal so far this offseason. A reunion with the Giants – with whom he wouldn’t be able to DH – could be in the offing, however.

Cameron Maybin, OF – .285/.364/.494 (127 wRC+) in 269 plate appearances

Another ex-Giant (among other teams), Maybin surprisingly emerged as one of the unsung heroes for the injury-ravaged Yankees, who acquired him from Cleveland in late April in what looked like a minor trade at the time. Maybin proceeded to turn in one of his finest seasons at the plate, swatting 11 home runs and swiping nine bases along the way. He also proved to still be a viable outfield option at the age of 32, combining for scratch defense (zero DRS, minus-0.2 UZR) in the grass, though the longtime center fielder didn’t see much action there. Maybin said back in October he wanted to re-sign with the Yankees, but there hasn’t been any indication that they’re going to bring him back. Pittsburgh’s a possibility, though.

Brad Miller, INF/ OF – .260/.329/.565 (126 wRC+) in 170 plate appearances

Miller hasn’t turned into the standout many expected when he was a prospect, but he has typically been able to offer passable offense while playing several positions (albeit not that well, per the defensive metrics). Last season was pretty much the same story for the well-traveled 30-year-old, but he gave the Phillies much more than they could’ve realistically hoped for upon acquiring him from the Indians in the middle of June. That said, it’s worth noting the left-handed Miller wasn’t an option for the Phils against southpaws, nor has he performed well against them overall.

Wilmer Flores, INF – .317/.361/.467 (120 wRC+) in 285 plate appearances

This has been a quiet winter for Flores since the Diamondbacks bought out his $6MM option after the season, but his market has reportedly begun to pick up. Still just 28, Flores has regularly mixed decent or better offense with defensive versatility, so could be a rather useful pickup for someone heading into 2020.

Domingo Santana, OF/DH – .253/.329/.441 (107 wRC+) in 507 plate appearances

The youngest player on this list (27), Santana has flashed tantalizing potential at times – especially during a 3.3-fWAR season with the Brewers in 2017 – but hasn’t been able to put it together on a regular basis. He got off to a hot start as a Mariner last year before tanking in the second half, in part because of a nagging elbow injury. And Santana earned good defensive grades as recently as 2018, but he was among the game’s very worst fielders last season (minus-17 DRS, minus-16.1 UZR). Whether he’ll be limited to mostly DH duties in 2020 remains to be seen, and that’s if he even gets a major league opportunity. No one has been connected to Santana in the rumor mill since the Mariners non-tendered him almost two full months ago.

Brock Holt, INF/OF – .297/.369/.402 (103 wRC+) in 295 plate appearances

The 31-year-old Holt has had an up-and-down career, but the longtime member of the Red Sox is like Flores in that he has usually given his team presentable offense and defensive flexibility. Last season was no different, although it was an injury-limited campaign. He’s now one of two MLBTR top 50 free agents still without a job, but the Blue Jays have shown recent interest in him.

Yasiel Puig, OF – .267/.327/.458 (101 wRC+) in 611 plate appearances

The other remaining member of MLBTR’s top 50, Puig hasn’t had any luck this offseason in the wake of a disappointing year between both Ohio teams. Puig entered 2019 as someone with a rather productive track record, though, and still has another full season left in his 20s. The colorful Puig seems to be an acquired taste behind the scenes, but there’s a case for several teams to buy low on him and hope he returns to the form he regularly showed as a Dodger.

Brian Dozier, 2B – .238/.340/.430 (99 wRC+) in 482 plate appearances

Dozier’s not the hugely powerful, bag-stealing second baseman he was during his halcyon days with the Twins. Still, he provided league-average offense last year as a National and, for the sixth straight season, amassed at least 20 HRs. In other words, a team could definitely do worse at the keystone than the soon-to-be 33-year-old. The Diamondbacks had interest in him as of last weekend, but they’ve since acquired center fielder Starling Marte, which means Ketel Marte will shift to second. Consequently, Dozier to the desert doesn’t appear as if it will happen.

Tim Beckham, INF – .237/.293/.461 (99 wRC+) in 328 plate appearances

There are some obvious red flags regarding Beckham. For one, he’ll miss a sizable portion of the season after MLB hit him with an 80-game PED suspension last August. And while Beckham did manage a useful slash line before his year came to an abrupt end, the ex-Mariner struck out 31 percent of the time and didn’t get on base much. Defensively, he had a rough go at short (minus-8 DRS, minus-5.8 UZR) – a key reason the former No. 1 overall pick put up replacement-level production for the second consecutive year.

Latest On Mariners, Taijuan Walker

By Connor Byrne | January 30, 2020 at 10:39pm CDT

The Mariners have added a pair of potential rotation candidates in Wei-Yin Chen and Nick Margevicius since last week, and they may not be done yet. It’s “believed” that they’re still interested in free-agent right-hander Taijuan Walker, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Johns first connected the Mariners to Walker over a month ago, but rumors centering on the 27-year-old have been scarce in the past several weeks.

There has already been one Seattle stint for Walker, whom the team chose 43rd overall in the 2011 draft and then saw blossom into an elite prospect. Walker stayed with the organization through 2016, but the M’s then traded him to Arizona in a move that netted them outfielder Mitch Haniger and middle infielder Jean Segura (now with the Phillies). Segura was later shipped out as part of a deal for the Mariners’ current shortstop, J.P. Crawford.

Walker, still only 27 years old, perhaps hasn’t lived up to the billing he had as a prospect. He had an uneven tenure with the M’s, though Walker was effective with Arizona in his first season there. Unfortunately, shoulder and elbow injuries (including Tommy John surgery) have cut him down dating back to 2018, having limited him to 14 innings in the past two seasons. Walker tossed just one frame last year, in the Diamondbacks’ final game.

Despite the arm troubles Walker has endured of late, he does look like one of the most interesting starters left in a free-agent market that has mostly been picked over. In the Mariners’ rebuilding position, Walker makes sense as a buy-low type who could have a chance to push for a spot in a rotation that’s short on established options behind Marco Gonzales.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/30/20

By Connor Byrne | January 30, 2020 at 9:40pm CDT

The latest minor transactions from around the majors…

The Athletics announced the signing of right-hander Shohei Tomioka to a minor league pact earlier this week. The agreement doesn’t include an invitation to major league spring training, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 23-year-old Tomioka is coming over from Japan, where he pitched with an independent-level team – not in the country’s top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. He owns a four-pitch repertoire and can hit 92-95 mph with his fastball, according to Shea.
The Padres have signed left-hander Hector Hernandez to a minor league contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. He’ll be at minors camp for the Padres. The 28-year-old Hernandez is a veteran of three MLB organizations (the Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Indians) who debuted in the pro ranks back in 2009 but still hasn’t reached the bigs. To this point, Hernandez has maxed out at the Triple-A level, though he has only thrown 9 1/3 innings there. Hernandez spent the majority of last year as a member of the Indians’ High-A affiliate, with which he amassed 44 2/3 frames of 2.22 ERA pitching and posted 10.07 K/9 against 3.02 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Astros, Venable, Suter, Kim

By Mark Polishuk and Jeff Todd | January 30, 2020 at 8:20pm CDT

In the wake of the sign-stealing scandal that has enveloped the Astros and become perhaps the biggest story of the offseason, Astros fan Tony Adams decided to analyze the data from the 2017 season in perhaps the more straight-forward way possible — Adams listened for any loud banging sounds (i.e. someone hitting a trash can) during every opponents’ pitch thrown during Astros home games in 2017. The whistling, clapping, and vocal signals the Astros allegedly also used to alert batters weren’t chronicled, as such sounds are harder to detect amidst the usual sounds of the ballpark.

After breaking down the 58 Houston home games that had available video, Adams made his work public at SignStealingScandal.com, with intriguing results. The banging sounds were almost non-existent for the first two months of the season before spiking during a May 28 game against Baltimore (an 8-4 Astros win) and then staying at a noticeably high level for most of the remaining games over the following four months. More data is available on a game-by-game basis, and on a player-by-player basis.

MLBTR Poll: Kris Bryant’s Future

By Connor Byrne | January 30, 2020 at 6:58pm CDT

The long-running service-time grievance battle between Kris Bryant and the Cubs finally came to an end Wednesday. To no one’s surprise, Bryant lost the hearing – had he won, he’d have been eligible to reach free agency after 2020 instead of 2021 – though it took longer than expected for a decision to come down.

[RELATED – MLBTR Video: Kris Bryant Loses Grievance]

Bryant’s grievance was heard back in October, not long after the Cubs’ disappointing 2019 season came to an end. Back then, there was widespread belief that the Cubs would shake up their roster this offseason, maybe even with a Bryant trade, but they’ve instead sat on the sidelines for the most part. There hasn’t been a core-altering trade, nor have there been any especially noteworthy signings, leaving the Cubs with a team which doesn’t look any better than the one that mustered 84 wins and a third-place finish in the National League Central a season ago.

Spring training is fast approaching, so the window’s shrinking for an earth-shaking Cubs trade to come together before the season. Still, despite the outcome of his grievance, it’s up in the air how much longer Bryant will last as a Cub. There was trade speculation centering on the 28-year-old former NL MVP before Wednesday, and it continued then with a rumor linking him to Colorado and a one-for-one swap for fellow star third baseman Nolan Arenado. That type of deal seems highly unlikely to occur, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed, though that doesn’t mean someone (Dodgers? Rangers? Braves?) won’t make the Cubs a palatable offer for Bryant sometime soon.

Of course, if the Cubs plan to contend in 2020, it’s hard to imagine a Bryant trade doing anything but worsening their chances. At the same time, moving him could presumably upgrade a farm system that has already made recent improvements and, to many fans’ chagrin, help the club avoid the luxury tax in 2020. Bryant’s due a $18.6MM salary, and getting rid of it would put the Cubs under the $208MM threshold by a fair margin (they’re currently projected at $214MM-plus, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource). That said, the Cubs have until the end of the season to get under $208MM, meaning they may be inclined to see how they perform over the first few months of the year before deciding whether to sell off Bryant or any other high-priced players.

Bryant, for his part, doesn’t seem like a player who’s champing at the bit to get out of Chicago. Even though the grievance didn’t go his way, Bryant harbors “no ill will whatsoever” against the Cubs, which is yet another reason they don’t have to trade him. Nevertheless, we could still see more Bryant-headlined rumors in the coming weeks. Do you expect him to open 2020 as a Cub?

(Poll link for app users)

Latest On Dodgers’ Pursuit Of Mookie Betts

By Jeff Todd | January 30, 2020 at 5:54pm CDT

5:54PM: “All signs point to a two-team race” between the Dodgers and Padres for Betts, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes, and “Major League sources believe that it’s likelier than not that Betts gets traded, potentially in the very near future.” Price might yet be involved in a potential Dodgers deal, though adding Price alongside Betts “might compromise the prospect return for the Sox,” since Los Angeles doesn’t want to absorb much of Price’s contract. On the Padres’ side, they “seem open on just about any other outfielder” than Tommy Pham or Trent Grisham in trade talks. The Diamondbacks were another team linked to Betts in trade rumors, though Speier hears from a source that there was “no real traction” between Boston and Arizona even before the D’Backs acquired Starling Marte, so Arizona seems to be out of the Betts hunt.

7:30AM: With camp fast approaching, teams weighing major trades are surely beginning to feel the pressure. The Dodgers are keeping their cool as they continue to pursue Red Sox star Mookie Betts, Andy McCullough of The Athletic writes (subscription link). But they’re also possibly nearing a decision.

Talks between the coastal giants could well be reaching an inflection point, it seems. McCullough writes that the teams have “approached a resolution” in their talks “in recent days.”

Details of the packages under consideration are limited; as McCullough notes, it’s possible to imagine rather a wide variety of permutations. But the talks — at least, in some variations — do involve high-priced Boston hurler David Price. (Shades of another major trade between these teams?)

As we discussed recently in a poll on the subject, there’s no shortage of pressure on the team to make strides. And the goal is obviously to find a major new performer. But the team also has reason to remain comfortable with its existing talent. No surprise, then, that McCullough indicates the organization isn’t really interested in stretching too far to make a deal.

It’s worth noting, too, that holding back assets for mid-season trades represents a viable alternative strategy. Betts himself could be available then, if he’s not poached first by another club (such as the division-rival Padres). The Dodgers can’t assume they’ll coast to another title, particularly now that the Diamondbacks have compiled such an interesting roster, but there’s some conceptual merit to waiting for mid-season roster holes to open before acting.

Speaking of that aforementioned poll … the results were interesting. Respondents were fairly evenly split as to whether the Dodgers would pull off a blockbuster. Among those that foresee a deal, about half think Betts will indeed land to L.A.

Cameron Maybin Switches Representation

By Mark Polishuk | January 30, 2020 at 5:26pm CDT

Free agent outfielder Cameron Maybin has hired a new agent in Gene Mato of Mato Sports Management, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).

Maybin is in his third straight winter of an extended trip through free agency. It took the veteran until past mid-February in each of the last two offseasons to land contracts — a MLB contract with the Marlins in February 2018, and then a minors pact with the Giants in February 2019. That latter deal gave way to another minor league deal with the Indians after San Francisco released Maybin near the end of Spring Training, and Cleveland then traded Maybin to the Yankees in April.

After all that movement last spring, Maybin rather surprisingly emerged with one of the best seasons of his 13-year career. Maybin hit .285/.364/.494 with 11 home runs over 269 plate appearances for New York, becoming one of many unheralded roster additions who made big contributions to an injury-plagued Yankees team. There was a bit of good luck involved in Maybin’s performance (a .365 BABIP, and a .363 wOBA that was decently higher than his .337 xwOBA), though Maybin posted a career-best 37.7% hard-hit ball rate and an 11.2% walk rate that nearly matched his 11.3% career high from 2017.

That strong season hasn’t resulted in much free agent buzz, however, as the Pirates (whose interest was only reported earlier today) have been the only team linked to Maybin this offseason. Maybin turns 33 in April, and given how he didn’t produce much in 2017 or 2018, clubs could be waiting until deeper into Spring Training to consider Maybin, possibly in the event of an injury or a trade that creates a roster need. Indeed, Pittsburgh may have only entered the picture in the wake of Starling Marte being dealt to the Diamondbacks.

Maybin expressed interest in returning to the Yankees in 2020, and the possibility exists that the Bronx Bombers could choose to augment their outfield depth with a familiar face, especially since Aaron Hicks will miss at least the first three months of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Aaron Judge, Mike Tauchman, and the re-signed Brett Gardner represent New York’s starting outfield, with Giancarlo Stanton (who will mostly see DH duty), Clint Frazier, utilityman Tyler Wade, Miguel Andujar (who will be tried out in left field), and minor leaguers Rosell Herrera and Zack Granite representing further outfield options.

Alvarez’s change in representation is reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains agent info on thousands of Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions within our listing, please let us know by e-mailing mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Tigers Re-Sign Jordy Mercer

By Mark Polishuk | January 30, 2020 at 4:33pm CDT

4:33PM: The Tigers have officially announced the signing.

2:35PM: The Tigers have brought back veteran shortstop Jordy Mercer on a new contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). The deal is a minor league pact with an invitation to Detroit’s big league Spring Training camp, as per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).

After signing a one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Tigers last winter, Mercer hit .270/.310/.438 over 271 plate appearances, despite missing much of the first half of the season with quad injuries. That roughly matches the .256/.316/.383 slash line Mercer posted over the first 2996 PA of his career from 2012-18 as a member of the Pirates, and he’ll now head back to the Motor City as a depth option.

Niko Goodrum is currently Detroit’s top choice at shortstop, though given Goodrum’s multi-positional versatility and the presence of both younger Willi Castro and now Mercer, the Tigers are arming themselves with some extra depth should they decide to again move Goodrum around the diamond. The 33-year-old Mercer gives the Tigers more veteran experience in that regard, as Castro has only 30 MLB games under his belt. Beyond just shortstop, Mercer could also back up elsewhere around the infield, as he has some experience as a first, second, and third baseman over his career.

Rangers Sign Derek Law To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | January 30, 2020 at 3:08pm CDT

The Rangers have signed right-hander Derek Law to a minor league deal, as per a team press release. Law will receive an invitation to the team’s Major League Spring Training camp.

The Blue Jays non-tendered Law in December rather than go through the arbitration process with the 29-year-old. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected Law to receive a $1.3MM arbitration salary in 2020, coming on a heels of a 2019 campaign that saw Law post a 4.90 ERA, 9.9 K/9, and 1.68 K/BB rate over 60 2/3 innings for Toronto. It marked Law’s heaviest workload since his 2016 rookie season, though he has been an inconsistent performer since that breakout campaign, with a 5.25 ERA and 1.2 HR/9 over 111 1/3 innings since the start of the 2017 season.

On the plus side for Law is a solid 94.7mph fastball and his 50% grounder rate last season, his highest since that 2016 rookie year. There isn’t much risk for Texas in seeing what Law can do in camp as the Rangers continue to amass more bullpen depth. Law joins Luis Garcia, Nick Goody, Juan Nicasio, Joely Rodriguez, Brian Flynn, and Jimmy Herget as experienced relief options who will be battling for jobs on the Opening Day roster.

Brewers Designate Deolis Guerra For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | January 30, 2020 at 2:38pm CDT

The Brewers have designated right-hander Deolis Guerra for assignment, as per a team press release. The move creates a roster spot for David Phelps, whose one-year deal with Milwaukee is now official.

Guerra re-signed with the Brewers on a Major League contract earlier this winter, after being outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster during the season. Guerra pitched in only one game and 2/3 of an inning for the Brewers in 2019, allowing four runs in that brief cameo. That ugly outing was countered by some outstanding numbers at the Triple-A level, as Guerra posted a 1.89 ERA, 5.50 K/BB rate, and 11.9 K/9 over 66 2/3 relief innings.

While the 30-year-old Guerra had an age and experience advantage over much younger Triple-A batters, his performance was particularly impressive given that 2019 was by far the biggest-hitting season in the history of Triple-A baseball. Another team could be intrigued enough by those minor league stats to pluck Guerra off the DFA wire, or he could remain in Milwaukee’s farm system once again as a depth option.

Over 95 2/3 career Major League frames with the Brewers, Angels, and Pirates, Guerra has a 4.52 ERA, 3.41 K/BB rate, and 7.1 K/9.

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