Ted Simmons, Marvin Miller Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame
Longtime Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons and MLB Players Association executive director Marvin Miller were elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame, as announced tonight on MLB Network. Simmons and Miller were inducted via the “Modern Era” veterans committee, a 16-person panel focusing on people whose largest contributions to the sport fell between 1970 and 1987.
Each offseason, a different committee meets to examine a different era of baseball’s history and consider any important figures for enshrinement into Cooperstown, including players who didn’t reach the 75% threshold on the writers’ ballots. This year’s panel consisted of, as always, a mixture of former players, executives, owners, journalists, and historians — Sandy Alderson, George Brett, Rod Carew, Bill Center, Dave Dombrowski, Dennis Eckersley, David Glass, Steve Hirdt, Walt Jocketty, Doug Melvin, Eddie Murray, Jack O’Connell, Tracy Ringolsby, Terry Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Robin Yount.
Twelve of 16 votes were required for induction, and each Modern Era committee member could vote for a maximum of four candidates. Simmons (13 votes) led the field while Miller hit the 12-vote minimum on the dot. For Simmons, today’s news represents some relief after his near-miss during the last Modern Era ballot in 2017. Simmons fell only a single vote short of the twelve required for entry into Cooperstown (Miller was also on that 2017 ballot, receiving seven votes).
Of the other eight players on this year’s ballot, Dwight Evans (eight votes), Dave Parker (seven votes), Steve Garvey (six votes), and Lou Whitaker (six votes) all made particularly strong showings, while Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Thurman Munson, and Dale Murphy each received three or fewer votes. These eight players will again be eligible for consideration during the next Modern Era vote in December 2022.
Simmons lasted just one year on the writers’ ballot, and was removed after failing to achieve the minimum five percent of the vote. It was surprising both then and now that Simmons’ career didn’t make much of an impact on the writers, given that he has long been regarded as one of the best-hitting catchers in the history of the sport. Simmons hit .285/.348/.437 with 248 homers over 21 seasons and 9685 plate appearances from 1968-1988, and he ranks second all-time among all catchers in hits (2472), doubles (483), and RBI (1389). Over Simmons’ 13 seasons with the Cardinals, five seasons with the Brewers, and three seasons with the Braves, he accumulated eight All-Star appearances.
If Simmons was perhaps overdue after his close call in the 2017 vote, Miller’s induction corrects one of the more glaring omissions from the Hall Of Fame. While some of the owners and executives who populated various veterans committees over the years weren’t fans of how Miller built and strengthened the MLBPA, there is little doubt that Miller is one of the most influential figures in baseball history.
Serving as the MLBPA’s executive director from 1966-1982, Miller’s tenure saw nothing less than a complete reinvention of the relationship between players and ownership. The very first Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the MLBPA was struck, and the old reserve clause (most famously challenged by Curt Flood) eventually fell by the wayside, paving the way for modern free agency and the current arbitration system. Player salaries and pensions saw immense growth as the union grew in strength, as Miller brought modern labor practices to a business whose employees previously had little in the way of an organized front to challenge management.
Miller and Simmons will be officially inducted into the Hall Of Fame on July 26, along with any players voted in when the Baseball Writers’ Association Of America reveals its ballot on January 21.
Mets Add Hensley Meulens, Tony DeFrancesco To Coaching Staff
The Mets officially announced their coaching staff for the upcoming season, which included a few new faces in the mix. Hensley Meulens will be the bench coach, confirming previous reports that Meulens was the favorite for the job. Jeremy Hefner‘s role as the new pitching coach was made official after news broke of his hiring two weeks ago, while Tony DeFrancesco will join the staff as first base coach.
Meulens has spent the last two seasons as the Giants bench coach, and the previous eight years as the club’s hitting coach. That long stint in San Francisco included a brief period working with Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who played for the Giants over the last two months of the 2011 season. The 52-year-old Meulens has long been considered as a potential manager himself, and was seen as a potential heir apparent to Bruce Bochy, though Meulens wasn’t hired after being interviewed by the Giants this fall. Meulens also reportedly came close to joining the Marlins’ coaching staff this offseason, though he will now work in New York for the second time in his professional career — Meulens’ first five seasons as a player were spent with the Yankees from 1989-1993.
DeFrancesco has managed the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate for the last two seasons, and also interviewed for the big league managerial job before Beltran was hired. DeFrancesco has spent the majority of his 28 seasons as a coach and manager at the minor league level, though he also worked as the Athletics’ third base coach in 2008 and briefly served as the Astros’ interim manager in 2012.
Beyond the new hires and Jeremy Accardo‘s promotion from pitching strategist to assistant pitching coach, the rest of New York’s staff will return to their roles from the 2019 season. The returning group includes hitting coach Chili Davis, assistant hitting coach Tom Slater, third base coach Gary DiSarcina, quality control coach Luis Rojas, and bullpen coach Ricky Bones.
Yankees Reportedly Preparing $245MM Offer To Gerrit Cole
The Yankees are reportedly working on a record-setting seven-year, $245MM contract offer to free-agent right-hander Gerrit Cole, according to Bob Klapisch of the New York Times. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand report (Twitter links) that while the team has not yet officially extended the offer, they aren’t far off from doing so.
If signed, the contract would establish a new benchmark for free-agent pitchers, both in terms of overall value and average annual value; Cole’s $245MM over seven years—a $35MM AAV—would surpass David Price‘s record $217MM deal with the Red Sox, as well as Zack Greinke‘s $34.4MM AAV from the Diamondbacks.
With Cole and representative Scott Boras requesting yesterday that interested teams submit initial offers, the Cole saga is far from over, and there’s a chance that the Yankees’ bid will be one-upped by another suitor, particularly the Dodgers or Angels, who have been named the other favorites to land Cole. If those teams opt to go to an eighth or ninth year, the contract value could exceed $280MM or even $300MM, an unprecedented figure for pitchers. Either way, with the bidding war now underway, one thing’s for sure: if the initial offer is already a record deal, Cole and Boras are certainly sitting pretty.
And though the contract offer is merely that—an offer—the sheer magnitude of the opening bid is indicative of the Yankees’ commitment to go into the spring with this offseason’s crown jewel. With reports suggesting that ownership has authorized a steadfast pursuit of Cole and that the team has halted other business as it focuses entirely on the 29-year-old, there seems to be a heightened sense of urgency surrounding the Yankees’ courtship of Cole, a Steinbrenner trademark that has been absent for several years.
That said, they won’t be without their share of competition. The aforementioned financial powerhouses in Los Angeles—though their interest hasn’t received the same attention as that of New York—no doubt have an appetite for Cole. After seven consecutive division titles that have yet to produce a World Series banner, the Dodgers’ urgency may well rival that of the Yankees. And while record-breaking contracts are decidedly not a hallmark of the Andrew Friedman-run Dodgers, it bears mentioning that their payroll commitments are expected to thin out considerably by 2021 and 2022, affording increased flexibility to take on an obligation of monumental proportions.
The Angels, for their part, haven’t played October baseball since 2014 and have long been rumored a destination for Cole given his SoCal roots. They boast the sport’s finest player in Mike Trout, who is under contract for the next decade-plus and has played just three playoff games through his age-27 season. The last several years of Angels baseball have been defined by a notorious lack of production (and health) in the starting rotation, a department in which forward progress may already be in order for 2020, what with the acquisition of Dylan Bundy and the potential return of Shohei Ohtani, not to mention the addition of reputable pitching coach Mickey Callaway. General manager Billy Eppler, entering the final year of his contract, has limited time to produce a genuine improvement in the win-loss department, and adding Cole may be the perfect splash to improve the franchise’s fortunes.
Diamondbacks To Sign Junior Guerra
The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with right-hander Junior Guerra on a one-year deal that includes a club option for a second year, first reported by Kyle Lesniewski of Brew Crew Ball and confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal will pay Guerra $2.55MM in 2020 along with a $100K buyout on the club option, making for a $2.65MM overall guarantee, as reported by Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
Guerra, who had been arbitration-eligible for the first time, was non-tendered by the Brewers, meaning that he will remain under team control for three more years. He had been projected by MLBTR to earn $3.5MM in arbitration.
The 34-year-old Guerra adds another option to the Arizona bullpen, as well as an arm that can provide multiple innings. Guerra emerged as one of Craig Counsell’s most reliable options in the second half of 2019, tossing 83 2/3 innings in 72 games with Milwaukee, including 23 appearances in which he recorded more than three outs.
A converted starter, 2019 marked the first season in which Guerra was deployed as a full-time reliever, and he delivered solid results, logging a 3.55 ERA and 4.52 FIP while striking out 77 batters and walking 36. He’ll join a bullpen that graded out as firmly middle of the road in 2019, providing some much needed depth to Torey Lovullo’s arsenal.
Cubs Reportedly Signaling Need To Clear Payroll
President Theo Epstein and his cohort have been decidedly mum on the Cubs’ payroll outlook this offseason, with the trade market looking like the club’s likeliest route toward improving a roster that went 84-78 last season. Now, a report is indicating the Cubs are rebuking even “low-budget” free agents due to payroll concerns, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic pouring cold water on the free agency hopes of north side fans.
On the subject of a potential reunion with 2019 standout Nicholas Castellanos, Rosenthal had this to say: “Not a chance, at least for the moment. Club officials are telling representatives of even low-budget free agents that they need to clear money before engaging in serious negotiations.”
While that likely feels like a bit of a gut punch for Chicago fans, it makes some sense that Epstein and Co. would make a reduction on their estimated $210MM luxury tax payroll a priority. The Cubs were one of three teams to exceed the tax in 2019, and, while our Offseason Outlook noted that the team only stood to pay a $6.34MM penalty for that infraction, a club can’t be blamed for trying to exercise some fiduciary responsibility.
Still, the idea that even “low-budget” signings would be out of their range likely registers as a disappointment, for the moment. As currently constructed, the Cubs project to enter 2019 with Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, and Jon Lester in the rotation, which, at first glance, doesn’t project as quite a first-division group. Elsewhere, the outfield figures to need some remodeling. Castellanos’ mid-season acquisition helped cover for a circumspect downturn by Albert Almora–allowing Castellanos to walk would seem to again require a full-time split for Almora and Ian Happ, two players who, despite some positive attributes, carry a fair amount of risk. The bullpen, meanwhile, arguably calls for improvement at every level.
Obviously, added support to the notion that the Cubs are space-strapped this winter only makes a trade feel all the more inevitable. Kris Bryant stands out as a ready-made palliative to whichever team is sore from losing out on Anthony Rendon or Josh Donaldson. Willson Contreras would project as easily the most marketable catcher on the trade market. Maybe Happ himself could be seen as a viable target for teams in need of a flex outfielder? After the cutting loose of Addison Russell this winter, any of those moves would further signal that the youth movement the club relied upon in its World Series run has begun to shift into a transitional phase.
Red Sox Interested In Rick Porcello
With the free agent pitching ranks quickly thinning out, it seems veteran starter Rick Porcello is beginning to garner widespread interest. After yesterday brought word of the Mets’ pursuit of the right-hander, it now appears that the Red Sox are kicking the tires on the soon-to-be 31-year-old, according to reporting from Jason Mastrodonato of The Boston Globe. The reporter cites an industry source in saying that Boston and Porcello’s reps “remain engaged in discussions”.
We figured Porcello for a one-year deal worth $11MM at the outset of this offseason, but his representatives may be able to leverage multiple interested parties into a guarantee exceeding that projection. True, Porcello’s 2019 was ugly: he pitched to a 5.52 ERA (4.76 ERA) in 174.1 innings, while posting the lowest strikeout rates he’s exhibited since coming to Boston prior to 2015 (7.38 K/9). Still, there are still some underlying analytics that offer reason for optimism, including the high spin rate generated on Porcello’s breaking pitches–that is, if someone is apt to overlook his struggles with the home run ball (the righty allowed 31 taters in 2019, tied for seventh-most in the game). Perhaps it’s most judicious to simply say that teams in search of an innings-eater could do worse than a young-ish, former Cy Young winner in good health.
The Red Sox definitely figure to be one such team. As things stand, the team figures to call on Chris Sale, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi next season–three pitchers with serious durability concerns. A Porcello re-signing wouldn’t raise many neck hairs in the Massachusetts area, but it would provide some stability for a rotation that, outside of Eduardo Rodriguez, is relatively short on it.
For what it’s worth, Mastrodonato provides some quotes Porcello made back in May when he expressed a desire to stay with the Sox. Speaking of a possible extension, the pitcher said that he and his reps had “expressed our willingness to take a discount to make that work”, but that the club basically didn’t feel like it was at financial liberty to give him the deal he was seeking. Whether the club, under the new direction of Chaim Bloom, has changed their thinking on Porcello’s value bears watching as the Winter Meetings get underway this week.
Indians, Beau Taylor Agree To Minor League Deal
The Indians and catcher Beau Taylor are in agreement on a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training, according to a team announcement from Friday.
Taylor has spent the majority of his career in the Athletics’ organization, although a late-season designation saw him latch on with the Blue Jays for a spell last year. He’s received a scant 30 at-bat audition in the majors since the beginning of 2018 but is a .258/.355/.372 hitter with 41 home runs in over 2400 minor league at-bats.
For the tribe, this represents a reasonable depth signing at a position where extra bodies are always at a premium. The club already moved to acquire Sandy Leon this offseason as a complement to Roberto Perez, and now Taylor will presumably serve, along with Eric Hasse, as a high-minors insurance piece.
Brewers, Keon Broxton Agree To Minor League Deal
The Brewers have signed outfielder Keon Broxton to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training camp, per a team announcement.
The Brewers were down a man in their outfield after exchanging Trent Grisham in a pre-Thanksgiving swap with the Padres. For Broxton, this signing will represent a welcome homecoming after a headache of a 2019. It was roughly eleven months ago that the Brewers traded Broxton to the Mets for Adam Hill, Felix Valerio and Bobby Wahl, beginning the outfielder on a three-team odyssey that would see Broxton flame out in New York, Baltimore, and Seattle. All told on the season, the 29-year-old hit .167/.242/.275 with six homers in 228 plate appearances across three organizations.
That said, Broxton isn’t far removed looking like a totally viable big league piece with Milwaukee. Between 2016 and 2017, Broxton slashed .227/.318/.424 (94 wRC+) with 29 homers and 44 steals in 707 plate appearances. Of course, that roughly average production, though buttressed with power and speed, was always haunted by a seriously spooky strikeout rate. Broxton K’d at a 37.2 percent clip during that time with the Brewers, with that rate ballooning to a near-unthinkable 41.2 percent since the beginning of 2018. Still, Broxton did rate as a solid defensive regular across all three outfield spots in ’19, with 3 Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.2 UZR in over 500 innings on the grass.
Nationals To Sign Kyle Finnegan
The Nationals have agreed to terms on an MLB deal with reliever Kyle Finnegan, per a team announcement.
The right-handed Finnegan has spent the entirety of his professional career as an Athletics farmhand. In 2019 he recorded a 2.31 ERA with 14 saves while splitting time between Triple-A Las Vegas and Double-A Midland. The 28-year-old showed a huge uptick in strikeouts after a 2016 migration to the bullpen, as evidenced by his 72 Ks in just 52.2 innings of work last year (12.8 strikeouts per nine).
For the Nationals, bringing in an unproven reliever who’s shown an ability to succeed in the upper minors reads as a worthwhile gamble, given their recent issues in the pen. Last offseason saw their acquisitions of formerly dominant MLB relievers Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough go sideways early on, so it makes sense that they might change track somewhat and offer an opportunity to a bullpen greenhorn. Washington’s 40-man count now sits at 30.
Winter Meetings Previews: Rays, Spending
In advance of Monday’s Winter Meetings kickoff, let’s take a moment for a few anticipatory notes…
- The Rays, as Juan Toribio of MLB.com rightly notes, will head into San Diego’s Manchester Hyatt hotel with a laundry list of roster items in need of attention. GM Erik Neander may be looking for a backup catcher, while the offense was already in need of a boost before the departure of Tommy Pham. But Toribio notes that trading from the club’s ample middle infield depth might be the most obvious course of action for the trade-happy Rays. The reporter (smartly) doesn’t mention the likely untouchable Wander Franco in his piece but suggests that Vidal Brujan and Lucius Fox would be “attractive” to other teams. Brujan, this observer notes, is ranked as the 15th-overall prospect in the game by Fangraphs but may be hard-pressed to find an MLB role in a system featuring Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames, Michael Brosseau, Daniel Robertson, Franco, and (now) Xavier Edwards. Still, a Brujan trade can hardly be called a likely outcome–while this winter has provided us with a refreshing amount of activity on the trade and free agent fronts, Edwards’ trade to the Rays marked the first time a “consensus” top-100 prospect has changed hands this offseason.
- Speaking of increased activity, front offices had committed $449MM in new contracts and extensions heading into the Winter Meetings at this time last year; as of Sunday morning, $609MM in new-money guarantees have been made so far this offseason, as notes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (link). As a site that specializes in transactional news, we’d like to thank MLB front offices for their willingness to get Christmas shopping done early. Secondly, it’s worth noting that there are still a number of top players who could make headlines with new deals this week, as notes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner, Anthony Rendon, and Josh Donaldson are all still in need of homes, while Gerrit Cole reportedly has the Yankees frothing at the mouth. With increased early movement and a deep market of available players, this could be a red-letter week in San Diego.