Reds Finalize Opening Day Roster
The Reds announced this morning that they’ve filled the final two spots on their 30-man roster by selecting the contracts of infielders Christian Colon and Matt Davidson. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Justin Shafer and left-hander Josh D. Smith were designated for assignment.
Colon, 31, returns for a second season with the Cincinnati organization. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Royals, 2010) spent the bulk of the 2019 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting .300/.372/.443. He joined the big league club late in the year but only tallied eight plate appearances. Colon has played second base, third base and shortstop in the Majors, but he’s never justified that lofty draft status. In 150 big league games, he’s a .256/.321/.318 hitter.
The 29-year-old Davidson was a top pick himself in 2009 (No. 35 to the White Sox) and long rated as one of MLB’s top 100 prospects. Strikeout issues have long plagued the slugger, however, and in parts of four big league seasons he’s a .226/.295/.435 hitter with 49 home runs and a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Davidson, who hit .264/.339/.527 with the Rangers’ Triple-A club in 2019, was at one point experimenting with a role as a two-way player. However, he’s only tossed three professional innings, and the Reds listed him as a pure infielder.
Both Colon and Davidson will give the Reds some infield depth off the bench, but they’ll likely take a back seat to Josh VanMeter and perhaps Kyle Farmer in that regard.
Shafer, meanwhile, has been designated for assignment by his second team in eight months. The Blue Jays designated him last November after a shaky showing in his first 48 MLB frames. Shafer turned in a solid 3.75 ERA in that span, but he also walked 32 batters and plunked another two in that time. His 5.52 FIP paints a much less favorable picture. Shafer has excelled in both Double-A and Triple-A, and he still has a pair of minor league option remaining — all of which likely appealed to the Reds when they acquired him (for cash) shortly after his original DFA. Cincinnati will have a week to trade Shafer, release him, or try to pass him through outright waivers.
Smith, 30, made his MLB debut last season but struggled to a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings between Cleveland and Miami. He’s worked 164 frames across four Triple-A seasons and carries a 3.02 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in that time. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Marlins this past offseason.
Nationals Name Austin Voth Fifth Starter
The Nationals have named right-hander Austin Voth the fifth starter in their rotation, manager Dave Martinez told reporters yesterday (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli). Right-hander Erick Fedde, who’d been his primary competition after Joe Ross opted out of the 2020 season, will head to the bullpen.
In many ways, this has been a long time coming for the 28-year-old Voth, who has appeared on the cusp of a bigger role with the team for several years. Back in 2016, Voth spent his age-24 season in Triple-A and racked up 157 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.63 HR/9 and a 49.7 percent ground-ball rate. He looked MLB-ready at the time — or at least in line for a legitimate audition — but the Nats entered 2017 with a full rotation. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark were all established arms, and the aforementioned Ross had just turned in 105 MLB frames of 3.43 ERA ball. Voth headed back to Triple-A, where he struggled through an injury-plagued season.
A year later, Voth was working on rebuilding his stock in Triple-A and pitched reasonably well — but offseason signee Jeremy Hellickson was pitching better as the fifth starter at the MLB level. The 2019 season brought Voth his first extended look in the big leagues, and the righty gave the Nationals 43 1/3 innings with a 3.30 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and 1.03 HR/9 in a quietly strong rookie effort.
Back in April, I took a look at some of the underlying numbers in that impressive eight-start run for Voth, noting that his curveball was an overwhelmingly effective pitch that featured top-of-the-scale spin rate. The hard-hit rate yielded by Voth and his opponents’ expected batting average, slugging percentage and weighted on-base average all pointed to someone who has the potential to be far more than a run-of-the-mill fifth starter.
The 27-year-old Fedde, meanwhile, will look to settle in as a full-time reliever it seems. The former first-round pick has made 26 starts in the big leagues but just nine bullpen appearances. Fedde’s average fastball as a starter last year was 92.1 mph, but that jumped to 93.3 mph when he spent the month of September in the bullpen working in shorter stints. Fedde has yet to find much success above the Double-A level, but he’s also worked primarily out of the rotation, with nearly 80 percent of his professional appearances being starts. He does possess strong K/BB numbers in the minors in addition to strong ground-ball rates, so perhaps airing it out in shorter stints and narrowing his pitch selection will help him to tap into his potential.
Twins Select Aaron Whitefield
The Twins selected outfielder Aaron Whitefield to their Major League roster yesterday in setting their Opening Day roster, per a club announcement. The Aussie speedster will go onto the team’s 40-man roster for the first time with the move.
Whitefield, 23, was signed out of Brisbane, Australia back in 2015. He’s something of a surprise addition given that he’s only played 31 games above A-ball, isn’t considered to be among the team’s top prospects and struggled at the plate this past season. Whitefield was a late addition to the player pool, joining the group just last week. However, he’s also swiped 115 bags in 337 minor league games in addition to 64 bases in 169 games while playing winter ball in the Australian League.
Whitefield has logged the vast majority of his time as a pro in center field, so he’ll give Minnesota a backup option at all three spots — notable with Byron Buxton coming back from a minor foot injury — as well as a pinch-running specialist late in games. Whitefield is a career .238/.299/.338 hitter in the minors, so it’s unlikely he’ll see too much time at the plate. However, we’ve seen a few clubs throughout the league opt to carry what amounts to a dedicated pinch-runner/defensive replacement (e.g. Terrance Gore with the Dodgers) while rosters are still at 30 players.
Royals’ Greg Holland Earns Roster Spot
The Royals made a few moves on Thursday, adding right-handers Greg Holland and Tyler Zuber, infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia and catcher Oscar Hernandez to their roster.
Holland is the only member of the quartet with significant major league experience, and he has thrived at times, as shown by his three All-Star nods in Kansas City from 2010-15. He threw 319 2/3 innings of 2.42 ERA/2.23 FIP ball with 12.11 K/9 and 3.52 BB/9 during that span, but August 2015 Tommy John surgery stopped Holland from contributing to the Royals’ World Series-winning run late that year and has knocked his career off course in the ensuing seasons.
Since he underwent his TJ procedure, Holland has recorded a 4.20 ERA/4.02 FIP with 10.21 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 over 139 1/3 innings as a Rockie, National, Cardinal and Diamondback. But the the former lights-out closer will get a chance to revive his career with the Royals, who signed him to a minor league contract in the offseason.
Zuber, 25, ranked as FanGraphs’ 13th-best Royals prospect in April. The 2017 sixth-round pick climbed to the Double-A level for the first time last season and pitched to a 2.42 ERA/2.95 FIP with 10.38 K/9 and 1.73 BB/9 in 26 innings. Also 25, Mejia saw a bit of major league action last year in KC, but the overwhelming majority of his work came in Triple-A, where he hit .271/.339/.382 in 556 plate appearances. Hernandez, whom the Royals signed to a minor league pact earlier this month, appeared briefly with the Diamondbacks from 2015-16. He batted a paltry .209/.274/.399 in 168 PA last season with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate.
Mariners Select Jose Marmolejos, Joe Hudson, Anthony Misiewicz
The Mariners will have a few more new faces on their roster in 2020 in outfielder Jose Marmolejos, catcher Joe Hudson and left-hander Anthony Misiewicz when their season begins Friday. The team added all three to their 40-man roster on Thursday.
Marmolejos, whom the Mariners signed to a minor league contract during the offseason, had been with the Nationals since 2011. The 27-year-old regularly posted above-average production with Washington’s minor league affiliates, including during 2019 when he hit .315/.366/.545 with 16 home runs in 382 plate appearances in Triple-A. Marmolejos hasn’t played in the majors yet, but he might get a legitimate chance to prove himself with the Mariners, who are missing their best outfielder – the injured Mitch Haniger. Marmolejos, Kyle Lewis and Mallex Smith may comprise their season-opening outfield.
The Mariners will also see what they have in Hudson, a 29-year-old whom they signed to a minors deal last winter. Hudson totaled just 13 PA with the Angels and Cardinals in the majors from 2018-19, though he has posted a useful .734 OPS in 383 PA at the Triple-A level. Hudson will back up Austin Nola in Seattle, which will open 2020 without starting catcher Tom Murphy because of a fractured metatarsal in his left foot.
Misiewicz, 25, is in his second Mariners stint. The M’s chose Mislewicz in Round 18 of the 2015 draft, traded him to Tampa Bay in 2017 and then re-acquired him from the Rays later that year. He divided last season between Double-A and Triple-A and notched a 4.59 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 131 1/3 innings.
Cubs Sign Derek Dietrich To Minor League Contract
Utility player Derek Dietrich announced Thursday on Instagram that he has signed with the Cubs, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic relays. It’s a minor league contract for Dietrich, who will head to their alternate training site in South Bend, Ind., per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Dietrich had been a free agent since he opted out of a minors deal with the division-rival Reds on Monday.
The 31-year-old Dietrich will bring a track record of respectable offense and defensive versatility to the Chicago organization. The former Marlin and Red has been an above-average hitter throughout his career, having slashed .246/.334/.427 (108 wRC+) with 79 home runs in 2,438 plate appearances. He also has 100-plus games of experience at second, third and in left field, though he has never been a high-grade defender in the majors.
The Cubs will enter the season with former NL MVP Kris Bryant at third and likely 2019 success story Ian Happ in left, but second base may not be as certain. Offseason minor league signing Jason Kipnis, whose offensive production has dropped off in the past few years, is seemingly in line to start there. David Bote and Nico Hoerner also look to be in the mix, while Daniel Descalso will begin the year on the 45-day injured list.
Multiple Teams Reportedly Interested In Josh Harrison
Infielder Josh Harrison returned to the free-agent market when the Phillies released him Tuesday, but he may not be without a team for long. The Braves, Reds, Yankees and Rangers have all shown interest in Harrison, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
If Harrison does land another contract, it’s likely to be a minor league deal, as his pact with the Phillies was. Now 33 years old, Harrison earned two All-Star trips as a Pirate from 2011-18, but his production in Pittsburgh plummeted during his final season with the club and continued to decline in Detroit in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign. Harrison managed a horrid line of .175/.218/.263 (22 wRC+) in 147 plate appearances last year, leading the Tigers to release him in August despite handing him a guaranteed $2MM before the season.
At best, Harrison would likely be a bench option at second and third for any of the teams eyeing him. The Braves have Ozzie Albies at the keystone and Austin Riley at the hot corner. Harrison’s native Cincinnati boasts big-money offseason pickup Mike Moustakas at second and 49-home run man Eugenio Suarez at third. Meanwhile, the Yankees look to be in good shape at the two positions with DJ LeMahieu (who should soon return after a coronavirus-caused absence) and Gio Urshela/Miguel Andujar. So, Texas could arguably present the best opportunity for Harrison, considering second baseman’s Rougned Odor‘s immense struggles in 2019 and the lack of a clear solution at third.
Marlins, Brian Anderson Have Discussed Extension
The Marlins and third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson have discussed a contract extension in the five-year, $30MM range, Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports. Those talks mostly came before the coronavirus shutdown, per Mish, who adds that the two sides’ negotiations will likely pick up again during the upcoming winter.
Once next offseason rolls around, the 27-year-old Anderson will be on track to make his first of three potential trips through arbitration. Having collected league-minimum salaries since he debuted in 2017, Anderson has been a bargain performer and one of the few bright spots for the Marlins during his short career.
Going back to 2018, Anderson has accounted for 6.5 fWAR, slashed .268/.350/.430 (113 wRC+) with 31 home runs in 1,190 plate appearances, and logged a substantial amount of action at the hot corner and in right field. All things considered, it’s no surprise even a small-budget team like Miami would be interested in locking up Anderson for millions per annum. But if Anderson and the Marlins are unable to find common ground in contract talks over the next couple years, he should carry a solid amount of value on the trade market.
MLB Playoff Field Expands To 16 Teams For 2020 Season
6:58pm: MLB has officially announced the 16-team playoff format and best-of-three Wild Card Series for 2020.
4:36pm: The league’s owners have ratified the agreement, Sherman tweets. Sixteen teams will make the playoffs this season.
3:27pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the top two teams in each division will qualify for the postseason under this format. The seventh and eighth teams in each league will be chosen based on the best overall records of the remaining teams. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark adds that all three first-round games of a series would be played at the higher seed’s home park, thus eliminating the need for a travel day.
3:00pm: Just hours before the first pitch of the 2020 season, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached an agreement on an expanded postseason field. ESPN’s Marly Rivera reports that the union has agreed to the proposal, which now needs only to be ratified by the owners. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests that will indeed happen (Twitter link), and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that there’ll be 16 teams as well as a best-of-three first round series (rather than a sudden-death Wild Card setting). The agreement covers only the 2020 season, per both Rivera and Sherman.
The postseason expansion comes with a $50MM player pool for the players, Nightengale further reports. That’s particularly notable given that in a traditional season, player postseason shares are derived solely from gate revenue and not from television ratings. Previous estimates on additional television revenue in an expanded postseason field suggested between $200-300MM could be generated by expanding to 16 teams, and ownership has agreed to share some of that windfall with the players’ side.
The potential ramifications here are broad reaching. It’s easy to envision this serving as a litmus test of sorts for future postseason expansion. The league has previously sought to push to 14 to 16 teams due to that considerable added revenue — the aforementioned revenue boost referenced only television money — and introducing it as a sort of experiment in an already anomalous season is perhaps a more palatable way of normalizing the change.
From a team vantage point, the impact this has on the trade deadline could be enormous. There have been plenty of questions regarding just how much clubs will be willing to surrender in order to acquire rental players in a 60-game season — particularly if the likeliest postseason scenario included a sudden-death Wild Card game. Now, clubs will at least be assured of a three-game series. Paired with the expanded number of fringe contenders a six-team expansion of the field, that could embolden some teams to be more aggressive buyers.
The greater number of postseason clubs not only widens the field of potential buyers but also narrows how many teams will be pure sellers. That could serve to up the demand for the trade assets on the few teams who are committed to selling off pieces. And it could lead to some dramatic last-minute decisions for teams that are on the cusp. Today’s brand of methodical, analytical GMs don’t make the emotional and even irrational plunges into transactions that once proliferated deadline season, but there’s a good chance we’ll again see some creative swaps of unexpected players. Complicated three-team trades have become prominent in recent years, and a radical change to the playoff format should only encourage creativity.
And what of the teams with trade candidates who have multiple seasons of club control remaining? At a time when clubs are reluctant to part with high-end talent to acquire 30-some games of a rental, a player controlled into 2021, 2022 or beyond becomes eminently more appealing. Matthew Boyd, Caleb Smith, Jon Gray, Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado and other controllable names who’ve been kicked about the rumor circuit in recent years will again be in demand. Depending on the status of those players’ teams at the halfway point of the season, the motivation to make a deal could increase. It’s worth reminding that only players in a team’s 60-man pool can be traded, so there are some clear restrictions in play, but the ripple effect here could be considerable.
Juan Soto Tests Positive For COVID-19
6:37pm: The team tested Soto on multiple occasions Thursday, and the results came back negative, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post tweets. But in order to return, Soto will still need two negative lab tests 24 hours apart.
1:35pm: General manager Mike Rizzo confirmed to reporters that Soto has tested positive, though thankfully, Soto is asymptomatic (Twitter link via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). The left fielder tested negative consistently in recent weeks but was positive on his most recent test, per the GM.
1:25pm: Nationals star Juan Soto has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss tonight’s season opener against the Yankees, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The team announced its roster shortly after the report, and Soto indeed is not listed with the club’s outfielders.
Soto, still just 21, missed the early portion of Summer Camp while quarantining after being exposed to someone who’d tested positive, but he was cleared to return to Nats camp a week ago today. It’s not known when the positive test occurred or whether he is symptomatic, but Soto will need a pair of negative tests before he is able to return to the Nationals’ roster.
The Nationals’ roster listed Victor Robles, Adam Eaton, Michael A. Taylor, Andrew Stevenson and Emilio Bonifacio as its five outfield options. Robles and Eaton will line up in center and right field, respectively, on the regular, so it seems that some combination of Taylor, Stevenson and Bonifacio will shoulder the bulk of the load in left field during Soto’s absence.
The obvious hope here is that Soto, one of baseball’s most exciting young stars, will remain asymptomatic and return as expeditiously as possible. But the positive test serves as a reminder that this sort of storyline will likely continue throughout the season. Players aren’t being tested daily, and we’ve already seen multiple instances of erratic and inconsistent positive/negative results that have delayed some in getting back to the field.