Giants In Serious Talks With Hunter Pence
It has been known for some time that the Giants had some level of interest in a reunion with Hunter Pence, but newly arising indications are that a deal could be coming together.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets that the sides have held “serious talks” for some time now. In fact, a tipster told Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports (Twitter link) that Pence is on his way to San Francisco. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic reports that there are indeed ongoing negotiations, but also that “no deal is done yet.”
Taken together, it seems there’s a rather clear indication that Pence could end up returning to the Giants, even if we can’t yet presume that a deal will be completed. If indeed things come together, no shortage of fans of the team will be thrilled to see Pence back in the bay.
Though his first stint with the Giants didn’t end on a high note, as Pence struggled through his last two seasons with the club, he’s fondly remembered for his contributions on and off the field. And Pence was quite productive for the most part with the Giants. He had a nice run from 2013 through 2016, slashing a robust .281/.339/.463 and hitting 69 home runs.
Pence rebounded in a big way after landing with the Rangers last winter. He posted a .297/.358/.552 batting line in 316 plate appearances. Statcast figures were rather positive, recording 84.7th percentile sprint speed, 91.4 mph average exist velocity, and a 10.1 degree mean launch angle that far exceeded his prior levels.
It’s a good fit on several levels for a Giants team that remains in transition. Pence would presumably function as a part-time player who’d appeal to fans, add some pop, and serve as a mentor to the organization’s younger players.
Indians Sign Cameron Rupp To Minor League Deal
The Indians have agreed to a minor league deal with former Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, per a team announcement. The former Phillies backstop will be in Major League camp when Spring Training opens.
Rupp, 31, hasn’t been in the big leagues since the 2017 season. He’s bounced between the Triple-A affiliates for the Twins, Rangers, Mariners, Tigers and A’s over the past couple of seasons, hitting for some power but struggling to get on base or hit for average. That general description is well in line with the skill set that Rupp displayed with the Phillies from 2013-17, when he appeared in 296 games and hit .234/.298/.407 with 39 homers in 1127 plate appearances.
The Indians don’t have an immediate need for a backup option, as Sandy Leon was brought in to support starter Roberto Perez, who enjoyed a breakout 2019 season at the plate. The Cleveland organization is a bit thin on catching depth in the upper minors, though, so Rupp will give them an experienced option to pair with fellow offseason signee Beau Taylor in Triple-A Columbus if he shows well in Spring Training.
Tyler Glasnow On Track For Spring Training After November Wrist Surgery
Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow underwent right wrist surgery in November but is on track to be ready for the beginning of Spring Training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Glasnow underwent a median nerve compression but is already throwing without issue (and had a bullpen session today, per Topkin).
It’s good news for the Rays that the 26-year-old appears to be on track for a regular Spring Training, though the fact that he went through the procedure at all is still of note. Glasnow missed more than three months of the 2019 season due to a forearm strain, and a fairly recent surgery on his pitching wrist will give the Rays extra reason to be cautious with the burgeoning star in 2020.
The 2019 season looks very much like the type of breakout many believed possible for Glasnow dating back to his days as a top prospect in the Pirates’ system. While the aforementioned forearm issue shelved him from May 26 through Sept. 8 and limited him to 60 2/3 regular-season innings, Glasnow was nothing short of elite in that time. He pitched to an immaculate 1.78 ERA with similarly excellent marks from fielding-independent pitching metrics (2.26 FIP, 2.94 xFIP, 3.18 SIERA). The towering right-hander induced grounders at better than a 50 percent clip, struck out nearly a third of the hitters he faced and maintained a tidy 6.1 percent walk rate.
A healthy Glasnow should be a major piece in what looks like an outstanding Rays rotation in 2020. He’ll join Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Ryan Yarbrough and Yonny Chirinos as rotation options for manager Kevin Cash as the Rays take aim at a return trip to the postseason.
Latest On Potential Mookie Betts Trade
February 7: The trade is expected to become official today, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets, citing sources from multiple teams involved in the deal. Completion of the Betts blockbuster would serve as a precursor for the finalization of the Dodgers’ Pederson/Stripling trade with the Angels as well.
It’s not yet clear what type of alterations, if any, will be made to the deal. Heyman tweeted earlier this morning that the Red Sox have been seeking an additional top prospect from the Twins, although it’s difficult to envision the Twins parting with another highly regarded talent without additional pieces being sent their way.
February 6, 8:27PM: “Some involved [in the trade] are now suggesting it’s not a certainty,” MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets, as the holdup continues to center around the Red Sox, Twins, and Graterol’s condition. Boston is reportedly trying to “reconfigure” its end of the deal with the Twins, “meaning more than Graterol” would head from Minnesota to Fenway Park.
1:03 AM: There’s only a “slim” chance this trade will completely fall apart, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The delay “is a problem but one we can figure out,” a source involved in the trade told Passan.
February 5: It has been more than 24 hours since the Mookie Betts trade was first reported, but the potential blockbuster featuring the Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins still hasn’t been finalized as we head into Thursday. There’s still confidence the deal will be completed, but there may end up being more pieces involved in the trade, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription link).
The Red Sox are slated to send Betts and left-hander David Price (and approximately half of the remaining $96MM on his contract) to the Dodgers. In return, the Red Sox are set to get outfielder Alex Verdugo from LA and righty Brusdar Graterol from Minnesota. The Twins are in line to receive righty Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers.
Despite missing the final couple of months of last season with back/oblique/core problems, Verdugo has already been medically cleared, according to Rosenthal. However, Rosenthal writes that the Red Sox do have some concerns over the hard-throwing Graterol, whom they now regard as more of a reliever than a starter after looking at his medical records. Notably, Graterol’s a past Tommy John surgery patient who has also dealt with other injuries. The 21-year-old missed two months last season with shoulder issues that limited him to a combined 70 2/3 innings at four different levels (including 9 2/3 in the bigs).
While it still seems that Boston will acquire Graterol if the trade does occur, Rosenthal notes the club may also require another player and/or cash considerations from either the Dodgers or Twins to push it over the goal line. Assuming the three teams are able to reach some sort of compromise on what would go down as one of the most significant trades in recent history, it should open the door for yet another high-profile swap involving the Dodgers. They’re working to move outfielder Joc Pederson and hurler Ross Stripling as part of a deal with the Angels, but that’s delayed as the Dodgers await word on the Betts deal.
Blue Jays To Sign Jake Petricka
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Jake Petricka, per Robert Murray (Twitter links). The Platinum Sports client will be in Major League camp on a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. He’d earn $950K if he cracks the MLB roster, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi adds. TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweets that he can make another $400K by way of performance bonuses.
Petricka, 31, split the 2019 season between the Brewers and Rangers organizations, allowing three runs in eight innings at the MLB level and tossing another 45 2/3 frames of 3.74 ERA ball in a very hitter-friendly Triple-A environment. He’s a familiar face for Jays fans, having spent the bulk of the 2018 season in Toronto’s bullpen. That year, the former White Sox setup man logged another 45 2/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.18 HR/9 and a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate.
The veteran Petricka has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons and accumulated more than five years of MLB service time. He’s managed a 3.96 ERA in 231 1/3 total frames and has generally been a ground-ball machine (career 59.4 percent) thanks to a heavy sinker that has averaged 94.8 mph in his career.
Toronto has gone to great lengths to deepen its pitching staff in 2020, but there’s still some competition shaping up for the final few bullpen spots. Waiver claim Anthony Bass and offseason signees Shun Yamaguchi and Rafael Dolis could all be in the mix for high-leverage innings to bridge the gap between a rebuilt rotation and closer Ken Giles, but the other bullpen slots aren’t as clear cut. Whichever of Ryan Borucki or Trent Thornton misses out on the fifth starter’s spot could be in the mix alongside Sam Gaviglio, Thomas Pannone, Jordan Romano and the out-of-options Wilmer Font. At present, Petricka and Ryan Dull are the only veteran relievers who’ll be in camp as non-roster invitees.
AL East Notes: Yankees’ Rotation, Cobb, Blue Jays
James Paxton‘s back surgery leaves a hole in the Yankees‘ rotation, and while the team obviously won’t make any decisions on how to address the vacancy just yet, manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of left-hander Jordan Montgomery when discussing the team’s starting pitching depth (link via George A. King III and Dan Martin of the New York Post). “I think he has proven himself at this level,” Boone said of Montgomery, who posted a 3.88 ERA in 155 1/3 innings back in 2017 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. “For him to get back last year was big, just for his frame of mind. The fact he was able to make it back and get some work done, get into some games, I think was big for him and his mindset moving forward.” All signs point to a spring competition to round out the rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees bring in a veteran on a minor league deal, although between Montgomery, Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga, the Yankees do have three options who’ve at least made some big league starts.
More from the AL East…
- Orioles righty Alex Cobb is hoping for a healthier 2020 season and has already been throwing off a mound at Orioles minicamp, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The 32-year-old Cobb, who signed a surprising four-year, $57MM deal late in the 2017-18 offseason, has been limited to 164 2/3 innings in Baltimore and hasn’t pitched effectively at all when healthy. A back injury cost him nearly all of the 2019 season — Cobb pitched in just three games last year — and he’s still owed $29MM under that four-year pact. A healthy Cobb would be a boon for a perilously thin rotation mix in Baltimore. Beyond him, the Orioles will lean on lefty John Means, journeyman Asher Wojociechowski and perhaps non-roster invitee Wade Leblanc. Baltimore’s only rotation additions this winter have been Leblanc, Rule 5 pick Brandon Bailey and former Twins prospect Kohl Stewart.
- The Blue Jays announced yesterday that director of player development Gil Kim will join the Major League coaching staff for the upcoming season. He’ll retain that title as he continues to work with the Jays’ up-and-coming wave of talent in the Major League clubhouse. “We identified an opportunity on the Major League coaching staff that would maximize Gil’s expertise in player development as an obvious asset,” general manager Ross Atkins explained in a release announcing the unorthodox move. “…As the season progresses, Gil’s role as a coach will continue to develop. His previous work to streamline our player development programs, philosophies and systems gives us tremendous confidence that incorporating his leadership and skillset into our Major League coaching staff will be an exciting addition.”
Indians Reportedly Nearing Deal With Domingo Santana
The Indians are reportedly closing in on a major league agreement with free-agent outfielder Domingo Santana, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com relays. An announcement could take place sometime next week, but the deal’s pending a physical, according to Hoynes.
The Indians are in clear need of outfield help, but whether Santana will prove to be the solution is anyone’s guess. However, as recently as 2017 – a season he spent with the Brewers – Santana appeared to be a budding star. He slashed .278/.371/.505 with 30 home runs and 3.3 fWAR in 607 trips to the plate that year. Santana struggled the next season, though, and then the Brewers traded him to the Mariners in December 2018.
While Santana looked like an interesting pickup for rebuilding Seattle, he didn’t end up producing much in an M’s uniform. Although Santana’s season began well, a second-half elbow injury helped torpedo his numbers and limit him to an uninspiring .253/.329/.441 line with 21 homers in 507 PA. Worsening matters, Santana ranked as one of the game’s poorest outfielders, finishing with a minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-16.1 Ultimate Zone Rating. His combination of so-so offense and disastrous defense held him to a replacement-level WAR output.
To Santana’s credit, he was a good defender as recently as 2018 (plus-6 DRS, plus-2.7 UZR). He’s also still just 27, and the Indians or any other team that signs Santana will be able to control him via arbitration through 2021. The Mariners could have done the same, but they elected to non-tender Santana in lieu of paying him a $4.4MM salary this year.
Should Santana join the Indians, he’d make for yet another flawed corner outfield possibility for the team. Aside from Jordan Luplow, whose solid production may have flown under the radar in 2019, there’s little in the way of clear answers for the club there. Franmil Reyes (perhaps like Santana) is probably better off as a designated hitter; Jake Bauers and Greg Allen offered subpar production last year; Tyler Naquin suffered a torn ACL in August and will miss some portion of 2020; and Bradley Zimmer barely played last season as a result of shoulder troubles.
Bruce Bochy To Serve As Special Advisor For Giants
Longtime Giants manager Bruce Bochy will work as a special advisor for the club in 2020, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi (via Janie McCauley of the Associated Press).
The upcoming season will be the 14th in a row with the Giants for Bochy, a franchise icon who managed the team from 2007-19. The Giants won three World Series during that span, but Bochy stepped down from his managerial role after a third straight sub-.500 campaign last season. The team subsequently replaced him with ex-Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler.
The 64-year-old Bochy may have been able to land another managerial job this offseason, but he has instead decided to take a step back from that type of role. That doesn’t mean the potential Hall of Famer is done in the dugout, though. Bochy suggested back in October that he may only take a year off from managing, so he could be a popular name when teams are looking for skippers next offseason. For now, though, he’ll remain in the San Francisco organization.
Talks End Between Mets, Steve Cohen Over Ownership Bid
9:06PM: Cohen released a statement to reporters (including Kevin Draper of the New York Times) saying, “I’m very disappointed we couldn’t work out a deal, but as an eight percent holder I’m looking forward to a higher bid for the team. I want to thank the fans for their support and the respect they showed me and I want to thank Commissioner Manfred and MLB for their support through the process. I gave it my best shot.”
1:54PM: News broke earlier this week that hedge fund manager Steve Cohen was ending his bid to become the Mets’ majority owner, and those reports were confirmed today by no less a source than Rob Manfred. The commissioner told reporters (including the New York Times’ Kevin Draper and the Associated Press) today that “there is not going to be a transaction” between Cohen and the Mets’ current majority owners, the families of Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz. As to whether new negotiations could arise between the two sides, Manfred didn’t sound overly optimistic, saying “my soothsaying isn’t great. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
As per Tuesday’s report from Thornton McEnery of the New York Post, the proposed ownership transfer (which would have seen Cohen fully take over an 80 percent controlling share of the Mets by the 2025 season) fell through due to some proposed changes to the deal made by the Wilpons late in negotiating period. McEnery went into further detail about these changes today in a new piece for the Post, writing that the role of team COO Jeff Wilpon going forward was under dispute. The Wilpon family wanted Jeff to remain in his current position “and then maintain a senior role within the organization even after Cohen took over.”
Whether this was actually the key breaking point in talks, however, remains unclear. An unnamed former Mets employee told McEnery it is hard to believe that Jeff Wilpon’s future role would have still been unsettled this late in the process, and McEnery also wrote that “one source familiar with the talks said that Cohen was trying to change the financial terms of the deal.”
Manfred also strongly spoke out in defense of the current Mets ownership group, saying “based on conversations with the buyer and the seller on an ongoing basis, the assertion that the transaction fell apart because of something the Wilpons did is completely and utterly unfair.”
Cohen is still involved with the Mets, as he purchased eight percent of the club back in 2012. There have yet to be any reports or even real speculation about whether or not he could look to divest himself of his share of the franchise entirely, or whether he will remain part of the ownership mix. Likewise, it isn’t known if the Wilpons will continue to pursue a sale of the team, though whatever the future holds, it indeed seems like a Wilpon-to-Cohen deal isn’t happening. As per McEnery, the Wilpons “are upset and angry with the death of this deal coming out in the press and that they are as ready to kill this deal as Cohen is.”
Latest On MLB’s Investigation Into Alleged Red Sox Sign-Stealing
Commissioner Rob Manfred provided an update on Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Red Sox alleged use of video equipment to steal opponents’ signs during the 2018 season, telling reporters (including Ken Davidoff of the New York Post) that he hoped to have a conclusion reached before Spring Training camps open next week. “I’d like to have this over. Investigations are funny. You think you know what the timeline is, but that’s a day-to-day prediction,” Manfred said.
The Red Sox already fired manager Alex Cora last month, a day after the league issued its report about the Astros’ 2017 electronic sign-stealing scandal and cited Cora (then Houston’s bench coach) as one of the primary architects of the now-infamous plan that involved Astros players banging trash cans and making other audible signals from the dugout to alert hitters about what pitches were coming. As per the original report from The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal about Boston’s alleged sign-stealing strategies, “at least some players visited the video replay room during games to learn the sign sequence opponents were using,” though the Sox players then tried to simply relay their information after reaching base, rather than using auditory signals.
It remains to be seen what (if anything) the Red Sox investigation will reveal, and if any potential penalties issued against the organization will come close to the punishments levied to the Astros — a $5MM fine, losses of their first two picks from each of the next two drafts, and one-year suspensions to manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow (who were both fired by the club shortly after MLB’s report was released). No Red Sox players, however, will face any sanctions, as Manfred said the players were granted immunity from any punishment in order to get them to speak freely about what may or may not have been going on within the clubhouse.
One other wrinkle from the Astros and Red Sox situations is the likelihood of changes to how teams can access video footage during games. “I think you should assume that before the season starts, we will have new guidelines with respect to the use of video equipment,” Manfred said, adding that “I think we have too much video available in real time right now.”