SCK Sports Agency Reorganizes As Apex Baseball
DECEMBER 3: Per an announcement, the former SCK Sports agency has undergone a “reorganization” and will now be known as Apex Baseball. Karon will serve as managing partner. The agency also announced it has hired former big leaguer Scott Cousins to serve as Director of Scouting & Player Development.
NOVEMBER 8: In a statement from SCK Sports partner Adam Karon, the agency announced today that agent Matt Sosnick is no longer affiliated with the organization. Karon and Paul Cobbe will continue to lead the company, which represents a variety of notable baseball players.
Today’s news comes several weeks after it emerged that Sosnick has been arrested on charges of domestic violence against his wife and misdemeanor child endangerment. After a temporary restraining order was issued, Sosnick was reportedly arrested a second time for violating its terms.
It remains unknown at this point what course the legal proceedings against Sosnick will take. Neither is it known whether the Major League Baseball Players Association will pursue any disciplinary or decertification action against the long-time player representative.
Karon issued a statement on the matter, saying: “Our clients have been, and always will be, the firm’s top priority. Through this transition, we remain singularly focused on continuing to provide world class service to the professionals we represent.”
Ryosuke Kikuchi, Shun Yamaguchi Formally Posted
Major League Baseball has announced that infielder Ryosuke Kikuchi (Hiroshima Carp) and right-handed pitcher Shun Yamaguchi (Yomiuri Giants) are each formally available through the posting process. Their posting periods opened this morning at 8am EST and will continue through 5pm EST on January 2nd.
Neither of these players is a surprise entrant to the marketplace at this point. In both cases, their respective Japanese teams had already assented to the players’ desires to explore a move to the majors. But today’s news does set the timeline for a deal to be struck.
It’s tough to say at this point how the market will develop for these two long-time Nippon Professional Baseball standouts. Countrymen Shogo Akiyama and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, both of whom are also attempting an MLB transition, are generally better-known players on this side of the Pacific. At least, it’s easier to think about precisely how those stars — a center fielder and lefty-swinging slugger — might fit into specific roster situations.
Kikuchi, 29, is a glove-first second baseman. He’s a contact and speed-oriented offensive player who doesn’t stand out in the NPB for his hitting ability. Over his career, Kikuchi carries an uninspiring .271/.315/.391 batting line at Japan’s highest level of play. While he’s regarded as a truly exceptional defender, there are quite a few second basemen available at the moment and it’s not a position at which teams have prioritized glovework of late. Interest in Kikuchi may depend upon whether MLB teams believe he’s capable of lining up at shortstop.
As for Yamaguchi, 32, it’s possible to imagine just about any team in the majors having interest. He has served alternatively as a late-inning reliever and quality starter. There have been some peaks and valleys over the years, but Yamaguchi was in good form last season, when he spun 170 innings of 2.91 ERA ball with 10.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Whether or not there’s serious interest in Yamaguchi as a true starter remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt he’d at least be an intriguing candidate to function in a “bulk” role or as a more traditional reliever.
Under the current posting system, a Major League team that signs one of these players would owe his former team 20 percent of the first $25MM guaranteed, plus 17.5 percent of the next $25MM, plus 15 percent of any dollars spent north of $50MM. That release fee is paid in addition to the guarantee itself. Contract options and performance incentives, once unlocked or triggered, are subject to a supplemental 15 percent release fee. For minor league deals, MLB clubs pay out 25 percent of the player’s signing bonus, and the player’s salary upon being added to the 25-man roster is subject to a supplemental posting fee.
Rangers Met Recently With Anthony Rendon
The Rangers missed the playoffs for the third straight year in 2019, but with a new ballpark set to open next season, it appears they’re serious about returning to contention immediately. The Rangers gave right-handed starter Kyle Gibson a three-year, $30MM guarantee last week, though that deal could pale in comparison to the highest award they dole out this winter. The club’s in pursuit of the best free-agent position player on the market in third baseman Anthony Rendon, as it met with him and agent Scott Boras in Houston on Sunday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Rangers haven’t made a contract offer yet, per Grant, but “several executives” have indicated they’re the favorites to sign him, Bob Nightengale of USA Today sports tweets.
Signing Rendon would likely mean doling out a guarantee well above $200MM, though it could help the Rangers’ cause that he’s a Texas native. Rendon’s by far the best unsigned third baseman in the game, but between their interest in him and Josh Donaldson, it’s clear the Rangers are serious about finding their first great option at the position since potential Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre retired after the 2018 season.
Texas, however, isn’t just considering a splash at the hot corner. Rather, the Rangers could pick up yet another high-profile starter even after signing Gibson. It’s “believed” that they’ve recently met with free-agent right-hander Zack Wheeler, according to Grant. Wheeler, who could cost around $100MM in free agency, would add another formidable arm to a rotation that has taken an obvious step forward with the acquisition of Gibson. Those two would presumably join Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Kolby Allard to give the Rangers a rather imposing top five heading into 2020.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: 12/3/19
In the course of yesterday’s arbitration whirlwind, we covered quite a few players who reached agreements in advance of the non-tender deadline. But several others also struck deals last night (all projected salaries from MLBTR & contributor Matt Swartz) …
- Righty Anthony Bass has agreed with the Blue Jays at $1.5MM, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Recently plucked from the waiver wire, Bass had projected to earn $1.7MM. The 32-year-old is coming off a season in which he threw 48 innings of 3.56 ERA ball with 8.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. It was his most extensive MLB action since 2015.
- Ben Gamel‘s deal with the Brewers includes a $1.4MM salary as well as a $2.55MM club option for the 2021 season, also per Nightengale (Twitter link). The option functions as an earning ceiling for the outfielder. Gamel had projected at $1.6MM, so he’ll come in under that amount while giving up some upside in the event of a breakout. But the priority is surely to gain another opportunity at playing time. Gamel has hovered in range of league-average with the bat over the past several years but slipped to a .248/.337/.373 slash in 356 plate appearances last year in Milwaukee.
- The Twins have agreed to a deal with righty Matt Wisler, the club announced. The salary isn’t yet known, but it’ll be guaranteed. Given that Wisler is out of options, he’s now rather clearly in line to take a spot in the Minnesota bullpen. The recent waiver claimee projected at $1.0MM. Anything in that range could be a bargain rate for a player that carried a sparkling 63:16 K/BB ratio in 51 1/3 relief innings last year. Of course, Wisler was also tagged for 32 earned runs and ten homers, so he’ll have to figure out how to avoid the long ball.
- Infielder Donovan Solano has a $1.375MM deal with the Giants, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). That tops his $1.2MM projection, so obviously the club felt there was some risk that he’d be able to command a greater salary in the course of the arb process. Soon to turn 32 years of age, Solano produced one of the game’s least-expected breakouts in 2019. Long a light-hitting utilityman who struggled to establish himself fully in the bigs, Solano turned in 228 plate appearances of .330/.360/.456 hitting last year in San Francisco.
Non-Tendered Players: All 30 Teams
We just wrapped up one of the busiest days on the Major League Baseball schedule. All 30 teams had to decide by 8 p.m. ET on Monday whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that there were plenty of cuts. Here’s a team-by-team list of the players clubs parted with Monday…
AL East:
- Yankees: Nobody
- Rays: Guillermo Heredia (link)
- Red Sox: Marco Hernandez, Josh Osich (link)
- Blue Jays: Jason Adam, Derek Law, Luke Maile (link)
- Orioles: Nobody
AL West:
- Astros: Aaron Sanchez (link)
- Athletics: Ryan Buchter, Josh Phegley, Blake Treinen (link)
- Rangers: Ian Gibaut, Wei-Chieh Huang (link)
- Angels: Kevan Smith (link)
- Mariners: Tim Beckham, Domingo Santana (link)
AL Central:
- Twins: C.J. Cron, Trevor Hildenberger (link)
- Indians: James Hoyt, Kevin Plawecki (link)
- White Sox: Ryan Burr, Caleb Frare, Yolmer Sanchez (link)
- Royals: Humberto Arteaga, Cheslor Cuthbert, Jesse Hahn, Erick Mejia (link)
- Tigers: Nobody
NL East:
- Braves: Charlie Culberson, John Ryan Murphy, Rafael Ortega (links here)
- Nationals: Koda Glover, Javy Guerra (link)
- Mets: Nobody
- Phillies: Cesar Hernandez, Maikel Franco (link)
- Marlins: Nobody
NL West:
- Dodgers: Yimi Garcia (link)
- Diamondbacks: Caleb Joseph, Steven Souza Jr., Taijuan Walker (link)
- Giants: Tyler Anderson, Rico Garcia, Joey Rickard, Kevin Pillar (links here)
- Rockies: Nobody
- Padres: Pedro Avila, Miguel Diaz (link)
NL Central:
- Cardinals: Nobody
- Brewers: Alex Claudio, Junior Guerra, Jimmy Nelson, Tyler Saladino, Travis Shaw (link)
- Cubs: Danny Hultzen, Addison Russell (link)
- Reds: Kevin Gausman, Jose Peraza (links here)
- Pirates: Elias Diaz (link)
Dodgers Non-Tender Yimi Garcia
The Dodgers have non-tendered right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. Garcia had been projected to earn $1.1MM in 2020, his second-last season of arbitration eligibility.
In terms of bottom-line results, 2019 was a strong year for Garcia – which is more than you can say for several other Dodgers relievers. The 29-year-old, a past Tommy John surgery patient, logged a 3.61 ERA with 9.53 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 over 62 1/3 innings, though those numbers came with a minuscule 29.6 percent groundball rate and a 5.19 FIP/4.90 xFIP.
While Garcia’s 2019 output didn’t impress the Dodgers enough to keep him, it was his best full-season showing since 2015. He’ll now head into free agency as a potentially intriguing option for other clubs.
Indians Acquire Sandy Leon, Designate James Hoyt
9:18pm: Leon’s deal with the Indians comes with a $2MM salary with performance bonuses of $25K each for 75 and 100 games started at catcher, Zack Meisel of The Athletic tweets.
7:20pm: The Indians announced Monday that they’ve acquired catcher Sandy Leon from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league right-hander Adenys Bautista. In order to open a spot for Leon on the 40-man roster, Cleveland has designated right-hander James Hoyt for assignment.
Leon, 30, would’ve likely been non-tendered by the Red Sox but now seems likely to be tendered a contract by his new organization. The swap doesn’t exactly bode well for Kevin Plawecki, who’d previously been in line to serve as the primary backup to 2019 breakout catcher Roberto Perez. Leon is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $2.8MM in 2020, whereas Plawecki is projected to earn $1.5MM.
In Leon, the Indians are acquiring a switch-hitting veteran, although his value lies in his glove as opposed to his bat. Leon did have one standout season at the plate back in 2016, when he hit .310/.369/.476 in 283 plate appearances, but that output looks like an anomaly; in three years since that strong showing, he’s managed only a .199/.259/.312 batting line in 780 trips to the plate.
Leon has generally rated as an above-average framer and, with the exception of a 21 percent caught-stealing rate in 2019, has been excellent at controlling the running game throughout his MLB tenure (career 34 percent caught-stealing rate). Still, it’s at least somewhat of a surprise to see the Indians ostensibly swap out Plawecki for Leon, as Plawecki rated as the better defender in 2019, hit better than Leon over the past several seasons and was the cheaper option with two additional seasons of club control. Leon will be a free agent at season’s end.
Boston’s return isn’t particularly exciting — as one would expect when trading a backup catcher who was in line to be non-tendered. The 21-year-old Bautista has yet to advance beyond the Rookie-level Arizona League and has only pitched 43 2/3 innings of pro ball in total. He’s posted an ugly 5.98 ERA with nearly as many walks (31) as strikeouts (32) in that time and has demonstrated below-average ground-ball tendencies.
Hoyt, 33, has displayed huge strikeout numbers and passable control in his limited MLB chances. Through 80 innings between the Astros and Indians, he’s worked to a 4.16 ERA with 11.7 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 45.5 percent ground-ball rate. He’s been quite homer-prone, however, which has limited his results a bit. Still, a pitcher with those strikeout totals, a 16.8 percent swinging-strike rate, a 36.8 percent opponents’ chase rate and a fastball that has averaged 93.9 mph feels like he should be a more interesting commodity than he’s been to either the Houston or the Cleveland organization. Hoyt still has a minor league option remaining, which should only enhance his appeal to another club.
Latest On Travis Shaw
It wasn’t long ago third baseman Travis Shaw was one of the Brewers’ most valuable players. He combined for 7.1 fWAR during his first two years with the club from 2017-18, and the Brew Crew surely expected similar results this past season. Instead, Shaw endured a nightmarish campaign, leading the Brewers to non-tender him in advance of the deadline on Monday.
Had the Brewers kept Shaw, they’d have been in line to pay him a projected $4.7MM for his penultimate year of arbitration. It turns out that the Brewers did make an effort to keep Shaw before cutting him, according to president of baseball operations/general manager David Stearns (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). However, the two sides couldn’t reach an arbitration-avoiding agreement.
With the losses of Shaw and Mike Moustakas, who agreed to sign with the division-rival Reds on Monday, the Brewers are now in a state of flux at third base. But they’d have been hard-pressed to consider Shaw their solution at the hot corner even if they’d have kept him. After all, the 29-year-old did slump to a horrific .157/.281/.270 line with seven home runs and a measly a .113 ISO in 270 plate appearances this season – some of which he spent in the minors.
It’s anyone’s guess where the small-market Brewers will go from here at third, but in regards to Shaw, Stearns said (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): “We did our best, looked at Travis’ prior performance, his performance this year. We talked with Travis and his representation about his beliefs and how he thinks everything is going.”
Meantime, Shaw’s agent told Haudricourt that “we think Travis needs a change of scenery. No hard feelings about it. We’re sorry it didn’t work out. It’s a risk Travis is willing to take.” Shaw has already drawn interest from elsewhere, per Haudricourt.
Teams Announce Final Non-Tenders
We’ve been tracking the day’s arbitration decisions in the run-up to tonight’s deadline, which has produced a bevy of last-minute calls. In addition to those already covered elsewhere (with all projected salary figures from MLBTR/Matt Swartz projections) …
- The Padres announced they have non-tendered Miguel Diaz and Pedro Avila. Neither hurler had yet been eligible for arbitration, so this amounts to no more than a roster cleanup. Avila had already been designated for assignment. Diaz, meanwhile, saw extensive action as a Rule V pick in 2017 but has only sporadically logged MLB time since.
- Relievers Javy Guerra and Koda Glover were non-tendered by the Nationals, per a club announcement. Guerra would have cost a projected $1.3MM. Glover announced earlier today that he would retire.
- The Red Sox non-tendered infielder Marco Hernandez and reliever Josh Osich, per a team announcement. Neither projected at big dollars — $700K and $1.0MM, respectively — but obviously the club felt it could put the roster spots to better use on other players.
- The Blue Jays have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Jason Adam, along with backstop Luke Maile. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) and Scott Mitchell of TSN (on Twitter) were on the news. Law projected at $1.3MM, while Maile was in line for a $800K payday. Adam is still pre-arb eligible.
- The Giants announced today that they have non-tendered outfielder Joey Rickard ($1.1MM projection), southpaw Tyler Anderson ($2.625MM), and righty Rico Garcia (pre-arb). Both Anderson and Garcia were claimed from the division-rival Rockies after the end of the 2019 season.
- In addition to other moves earlier today, the Braves have non-tendered catcher John Ryan Murphy and outfielder Rafael Ortega. Each provided depth down the stretch in 2019 for the Atlanta organization. Murphy would’ve been owed a projected $1.2MM, while Ortega remains shy of arbitration eligibility.
- A host of players were non-tendered by the Royals, per a club announcement. Righty Jesse Hahn was cut loose along with infielders Humberto Arteaga, Cheslor Cuthbert and Erick Mejia. Among these players, Hahn (projected $900K) and Cuthbert ($1.8MM) have the most MLB experience. With these 40-man trimmings, the K.C. org should be able to place some claims and/or make Rule 5 selections in the coming weeks.
- Righties Ian Gibaut and Wei-Chieh Huang are each heading to free agency after being non-tendered by the Rangers. Neither is anywhere near the service time needed for arbitration eligibility, so this was just an opportune time for the Texas org to drop them from the MLB roster.
Padres Acquire Jurickson Profar
8:36 pm: The Padres have agreed with Profar on a $5.7MM salary to avoid arbitration, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
1:52 pm: The Padres and Athletics have agreed to a trade that’ll send infielder Jurickson Profar from Oakland to San Diego in exchange for catcher Austin Allen and a player to be named later. Profar, who’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.8MM through arbitration, was a non-tender candidate in Oakland but is now in line to play a significant role with the Padres in 2020. The move reunites him with Padres GM A.J. Preller, who played an integral part in signing Profar as an amateur during his time with the Rangers organization. Meanwhile, the A’s pick up a potential backup catcher who can step immediately onto the roster.
San Diego’s trade of Luis Urias last week left a hole at second base, where Ian Kinsler, Greg Garcia and Ty France all seemed likely to vie for playing time this spring. Now, Profar will presumably step to the top of the depth chart, rounding out an infield that also features Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eric Hosmer.
For the Athletics, they’ll now have their own infield vacancy, though that was arguably the case for some of the 2019 season due to Profar’s struggles. The former No. 1 overall prospect has proven himself healthy after a pair of shoulder surgeries wiped out two full seasons of his developmental years, but he’s yet to break out as a clear-cut big leaguer.
Profar hit .254/.335/.458 with the Rangers in 2018 but saw those numbers slip to .218/.301/.410 with the A’s in 2019. Of greater concern were Profar’s suddenly glaring defensive woes, as he developed a mild case of the yips early in the season that led to 11 throwing errors (and an ugly -10 Defensive Runs Saved mark). With Profar now in San Diego, the A’s can turn to one of Franklin Barreto, Jorge Mateo or Sheldon Neuse at second base. Alternatively, they can explore a saturated market of second base options — both in free agency and in trade — and hope to land a quality veteran a discount rate.
Allen, 25, was San Diego’s fourth-round pick back in 2015 and made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2019, hitting .215/.282/.277 in a tiny sample of 71 plate appearances. He feasted on the juiced ball in Triple-A El Paso, though, hitting .330/.379/.663 with 21 homers and 27 doubles in just 298 plate appearances. Evaluating players in what was already an extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League became even tougher with the league’s adoption of the MLB ball, but Allen has regularly been an above-average hitter throughout his time in the minors.
Allen is the definition of a bat-first catching option, as scouting reports on him dating back to college have questioned his ability to catch at a passable level. He’s thrown out just 22 percent of attempted base thieves in the minors, and the word was out on him in the Majors, as he went 1-for-9 in halting runners in just 19 games (14 starts, 128 innings). To his credit, Allen has posted quality framing numbers in each of the past two seasons, but whether he’ll be able to do over a larger sample remains to be seen. Allen has also gotten some work in at first base — perhaps a portent for things to come.
The A’s have been on the lookout for a left-handed-hitting bat to pair with top catching prospect Sean Murphy, who hits from the right side of the dish, and it seems they might’ve found their man in Allen. This acquisition only furthers the likelihood that right-handed-hitting Josh Phegley, himself a non-tender candidate, has played in his final game with the A’s.
Robert Murray first reported that Profar had been dealt to San Diego (via Twitter). ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the Athletics’ return (Twitter link).