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Pirates Add David Eckstein To Front Office

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The Pirates have hired former major league infielder David Eckstein to serve as a special assistant for baseball operations, Adam Berry of MLB.com was among those to cover. He’s now in the same organization as his brother Rick Eckstein, who’s entering his first season as the Pirates’ hitting coach.

This is David Eckstein’s first front office role since his playing career ended in 2010, though he has garnered some coaching experience with the Angels, Diamondbacks and USA Baseball, as Berry points out. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington noted that the “intelligence, intensity and a unique drive and energy” of Eckstein “will be an asset for our Major League team and player development system as a teacher and mentor.”

Now 43, the diminutive Eckstein was known for getting the most out of his talent during his tenure as a big league second baseman and shortstop. A 19th-round pick of the Red Sox in 1997, Eckstein began making his mark a few years later in Anaheim, which claimed him off waivers from Boston in 2000. Eckstein debuted in 2001 and enjoyed a successful four-year run with the Angels, whom he helped take home their only World Series title in 2002. He then moved on to St. Louis, where he played from 2005-07, earned a pair of All-Star nods and collected 2006 World Series MVP honors as part of yet another championship-winning squad.

Eckstein divided the final three years of his career among Toronto, Arizona and San Diego, finishing with a .281/.345/.355 lifetime line, 35 home runs, 123 stolen bases and 16.8 fWAR in 5,705 plate appearances.

Poll: The Mariners’ Direction

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The 2018 Mariners piled up 89 wins, their most victories in a season since 2003, but the club still extended its playoff drought to 17 years. No North American pro sports franchise owns a longer postseason-less streak than the Mariners, who have elected to radically reconstruct their major league roster and minor league farm system over the past couple months. Believing the Mariners were neither good enough to compete for a title nor bad enough to bottom out with the talent they had, general manager Jerry Dipoto set out to “re-imagine” their roster this winter. Dipoto has done just that in ultra-aggressive fashion, having traded one familiar veteran after another in hopes of assembling a roster capable of striving for relevance as early as 2020 or ’21.

Dating back to Nov. 8, the Mariners have shipped out catcher Mike Zunino, left-hander James Paxton, second baseman Robinson Cano, shortstop Jean Segura, first baseman Carlos Santana (acquired for Segura), outfielders Ben Gamel and Guillermo Heredia, and relievers Edwin Diaz, Juan Nicasio, Alex Colome and James Pazos. In return, the Mariners have received a few 30-something veterans (first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, outfielder Jay Bruce and reliever Anthony Swarzak), substantial salary relief (including $64MM from the Cano trade) and a host of potential long-term pieces. The team’s hope is that recently acquired outfielder Mallex Smith, catcher Omar Narvaez, shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Domingo Santana – all major leaguers who are controllable for three or more years – will be part of the solution for the foreseeable future, and it has the same plan for the bevy of prospects it has landed in its multitude of recent trades.

Prior to Dipoto’s November/December transactions spree, the Mariners had the majors’ worst farm system and none of MLB.com’s top-1oo prospects. But they got three such farmhands – lefty Justus Sheffield (No. 31), outfielder Jarred Kelenic (No. 62) and righty Justin Dunn (No. 89) – in those trades. Unsurprisingly, thanks to the additions of Sheffield, Kelenic, Dunn and an array of other prospects, the Mariners now boast one of the majors’ most improved systems, per Jim Callis of MLB.com.

Adding to the long-term optimism, the Mariners made a major strike in free agency to kick off the New Year when they signed Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi. While Kikuchi’s not on the level of countryman Shohei Ohtani, whom Dipoto badly wanted last winter before he signed with the division-rival Angels, he could nonetheless be a game-changing acquisition. Kikuchi will slot in near the top of the Mariners’ rotation immediately, and at 27, he’s young enough and controllable for long enough (possibly through 2025) that he could be a key factor for perennially contending Seattle clubs. The same applies to Smith, Narvaez, Crawford, Santana, Sheffield, Kelenic, Dunn (and the other acquired prospects), not to mention outfielder Mitch Haniger and left-hander Marco Gonzales.

Haniger and Gonzales – each controllable for the next handful of years – stand out as the most valuable players remaining from last season’s Mariners team. Both players, especially Haniger, no doubt possess high trade value, but it seems they’ll remain on hand as prominent members of Seattle’s next core. Still, with several other trade candidates on the roster (Encarnacion, Bruce, Swarzak, second baseman Dee Gordon, third baseman Kyle Seager and righty Mike Leake), the ever-active Dipoto may not be done flipping veterans for prospects and/or future salary room in advance of next season.

No matter what happens between now and Opening Day, the Mariners’ 2019 roster will look far different than it did last year, when the club tallied the majors’ 11th-most wins but once again fell short of a playoff spot. Are you on board with Seattle’s decision to take a step back in 2019 with the goal of becoming a perennial contender thereafter? Or should Dipoto & Co. have taken more of a win-now approach this winter in an effort to snap the team’s embarrassing playoff drought next season?

(poll link for app users)

Angels Were Main Finalists For Zach Britton

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Reliever Zach Britton exited free agency Saturday when he agreed to re-sign with the Yankees. Before that, Britton drew serious interest from the Angels, who were the top runners-up in the derby for the left-hander, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Britton will receive anywhere from $26MM to $53MM with the Yankees, and a deal along those lines would have easily made him the Angels’ richest signing this offseason. Thus far, the Angels haven’t handed out more than $11MM in guaranteed money to any free agent, nor have they committed a multiyear deal to anyone. Plus, having plucked Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Justin Bour and Jonathan Lucroy from the open market, the Angels’ Opening Day payroll already projects to roughly $167MM without Britton. They came close to that figure in each of the previous three seasons, but they’ve never matched or exceeded it under owner Arte Moreno.

Unfortunately for the Angels, with Britton and ex-Yankee teammate David Robertson (whom the Halos were interested in before he signed with Philadelphia), no longer available, high-end relief options in free agency are dwindling. In terms of predicted salaries, the premier free-agent arms are Craig Kimbrel and Adam Ottavino, a pair of righties who are likely to require substantial multiyear commitments. Perhaps the Angels will vie for one or both of them; otherwise, they may opt for a less expensive option such as Kelvin Herrera, Cody Allen, old pal Bud Norris, Brad Brach or Justin Wilson, among others.

As things stand, the Angels haven’t reeled anyone in to upgrade last year’s bullpen, which ranked 13th in ERA and 20th in fWAR. The unit has since lost Blake Parker, whom the Angels non-tendered, and seen Jim Johnson reach free agency. Those two each logged sub-4.00 ERAs (albeit with less encouraging peripherals) across a combined 129 2/3 innings of work in 2018. They also provided the Angels a pair of fairly experienced closer options, which is something the team lacks at the moment. Either Britton or Robertson would have given the Angels a far more proven game-ending choice than anyone on their roster. However, with those two now out of play, the club will have to continue searching if it wants to add an established veteran to its cast of relievers before next season.

Rosenthal’s Latest: BoSox, JBJ, Mets, Grandal, D. Holland, A’s, Anibal, Astros, Keuchel

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Of the pricey veterans the Red Sox reportedly considered trading last month, they “pushed” center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. harder than anyone else, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic hears (subscription required). However, the Red Sox couldn’t find a deal to their liking for JBJ, Rosenthal notes. The Diamondbacks were the only team publicly connected to Bradley around that time, though there were conflicting reports about whether they were truly interested in him. As of now, it seems the soon-to-be 29-year-old Bradley will once again man center in Boston in 2019, his second-last second of arbitration eligibility. Bradley will make a projected $7.9MM during the upcoming season.

Here’s more from Rosenthal:

  • The report that free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal rejected a four-year, $60MM proposal from the Mets earlier this winter is “essentially accurate,” Rosenthal writes. While the Mets didn’t submit a formal offer to Grandal, the two sides did discuss a deal in the $55MM to $60MM neighborhood, per Rosenthal, who adds the 30-year-old was aiming for a contract worth closer to $65MM. The Mets balked at Grandal’s request, though, and then signed the No. 2 catcher available, Wilson Ramos. There’s now “doubt” Grandal’s next contract will approach what the Mets were willing to give him, Rosenthal relays.
  • More from Rosenthal on the Mets, who – in need of starting depth – are considering left-hander Derek Holland and righty Josh Tomlin in free agency. Holland easily had the stronger year of the two in 2018, which figures to make him the more difficult hurler to sign. He should be able to net a major league contract this winter, whereas the Mets are hoping to land someone on a non-guaranteed pact, Rosenthal reports. With that in mind, Tomlin may be a more realistic option, as he endured a miserable 2018 with the Indians. However, the 34-year-old was successful at times from 2014-17 under ex-Tribe pitching coach and current Mets manager Mickey Callaway.
  • Before righty Anibal Sanchez signed a two-year, $19MM guarantee with the Nationals last month, the Athletics made him a three-year offer, according to Rosenthal. It’s unclear how much the A’s were willing to pay Sanchez, but Rosenthal points out that the proximity of Washington, D.C., to the the 34-year-old’s South Florida home helped tip the scale in the Nationals’ favor. Further, the Nats train in West Palm Beach, Fla., while the A’s are headquartered in Mesa, Ariz. Based on his bounce-back 2018 in Atlanta, Sanchez would’ve provided a much-needed upgrade in Oakland, which hasn’t improved its rotation this offseason.
  • Southpaw Dallas Keuchel stands as the most decorated starter remaining on the open market, but if the Astros had their way, he wouldn’t be available. The Astros offered Keuchel a five-year, $90MM extension early in the 2016 campaign, but he turned it down, according to Rosenthal. At that point, Keuchel was a 28-year-old coming off an AL Cy Young-winning season. Now 31, Keuchel hasn’t been quite as effective since his career-best campaign, though he remains an above-average starter and should rake in a high-paying multiyear deal before the offseason is out. Having made $22.35MM in salaries since he rejected the Astros’ offer, Keuchel will need to sign for $67.65MM as a free agent in order to match what Houston offered him, Rosenthal notes.

Giants Acquire Breyvic Valera

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The Giants have acquired infielder/outfielder Breyvic Valera from the Orioles for cash considerations, per announcements from both teams. Valera’s addition puts the Giants’ 40-man roster at 39.

The Orioles designated the 26-year-old Valera for assignment Friday, though his stay in limbo didn’t last long. He’ll now reunite with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was the Dodgers’ general manager when they acquired Valera from the Cardinals last April. The Dodgers then dealt Valera to the Orioles last July in a package for superstar Manny Machado.

The switch-hitting Valera didn’t accrue much playing time with St. Louis, Los Angeles or Baltimore, as he totaled 86 plate appearances and batted .216/.286/.243 with no home runs. But Valera has acquitted himself well at the Triple-A level, where he has slashed .301/.368/.427 with 17 long balls in 1,110 PAs, and has garnered notable minor league playing time at second, short, third and in the outfield. Now Valera – who has a minor league option remaining – could vie for a utility role in San Francisco, which is low on infield/outfield depth in the bigs.

Latest On Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton

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6:11pm: Saunders notes that the Rockies did have discussions with Ottavino earlier in the offseason, but there’s “nothing imminent” now. Meanwhile, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News confirms the Rangers have had interest in Ottavino and Britton, though he doesn’t sense they’re “aggressively pursuing” either reliever.

3:22pm: The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders tweets that, contrary to a prior report, the Rockies are “not in the mix” for Ottavino. The team already shelled out three-year deals for Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee, and Mike Dunn last offseason, so it didn’t figure to have much remaining in the bank for another high-AAV reliever.

2:53pm: The Yankees “remain in talks” with relievers Adam Ottavino and Zach Britton, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who adds that it’s “not out of the question” the club could bring both players aboard. Jon Heyman of Fancred hears similarly, tweeting that the club is “working” on the bullpen while waiting to hear back from Manny Machado.

In a separate tweet, Heyman notes that the Rangers are also in the mix for top free-agent relievers and could be a serious contender for the services of Ottavino and Britton.

The stopper-insatiable Yanks, who last year rode a series of game-shorteners to their first 100-win season since 2009, and already boast three of the league’s best in Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Chad Green, seem hungry for more. Britton, acquired mid-season by New York from Baltimore last year, is reportedly seeking a four-year deal, which seems a bit rich for a 31-year-old on the heels of two injury shortened seasons.

Britton’s grounder-heavy ways seem the last vestige from his 2014-16 peak with Baltimore, as the lefty induced a staggering 77.8% ground balls in his late-season stint with the Bombers. His bat-missing abilities, though, have showed little signs of life, with the former Oriole regressing to near his 7.41 K/9 career average in the last two seasons after striking out over ten per nine from 2015-16. The velocity, however, has remained mostly steady, at an average of 95.6 MPH, and could perhaps be what the club is banking on in the years to come.

Ottavino, a New York City native, timed his career year perfectly last season, posting an outrageous 63 FIP-/52 ERA- in the wide open spaces of Coors Field, and striking out nearly 13 men per nine. With an unorthodox, cross-body delivery, the 33-year-old has been near-death on right-handed hitters in his career, surrendering a minuscule .273 wOBA (.346 vs LHH) against, and allowing just 0.75 HR/9 in the league’s most hitter-friendly park. His swinging strike rate of 12.1%, though, despite being well above his career average, didn’t rank among the league’s top 70 qualified relievers, which could be of concern, given the aging righty’s walk-heavy profile.

The Rangers, who don’t appear to have any near-terms hopes of competing, are somewhat of a shocking entry to the upper reaches of the free-agent ’pen market. The club’s relievers, too, weren’t much to blame for another poor showing in 2018, as the unit posted above-average park-adjusted marks (93 ERA-, 96 FIP-, 99 xFIP-) across the board, though lynchpins Keone Kela and Alex Claudio were strangely jettisoned in recent months. Jesse Chavez returns, along with a lights-out Jose Leclerc, so perhaps the club is looking to shorten the game substantially after having so much recent trouble identifying quality rotation options. A sign-and-flip could also be in the cards, though the risk inherent in that strategy, with two thirty-something relievers, may just outweigh the reward.

Mets Acquire Keon Broxton

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Per releases from both teams, the Mets have acquired OF Keon Broxton from the Brewers for righty Bobby Wahl and minor leaguers Adam Hill and Felix Valerio.

Broxton, who’s one of the league’s flashiest defenders in center field, has been a fixture on the rumor mill since the back half of last winter, when the Brewers traded for Christian Yelich and signed Lorenzo Cain in a matter of days. Plate appearances in Milwaukee were scarce last season for the 28-year-old, who returned to Triple-A for the fourth time, slashing a below-average .254/.323/.421 over 334 plate appearances in one of the minors’ most hitter-friendly yards. In 89 big-league trips to the plate, Broxton managed just a .179/.281/.410 line, though he did post a ridiculous 11 DRS in just 134 center-field innings, a total which bested all but four full-time players at the position.

The former Diamondback and Pirate farmhand, who remains under club control for four additional seasons, has long been beset by an alarming propensity for the swing and miss – in 2017, when he accumulated a robust 463 plate appearances for the Crew, Broxton’s 37.8 K% was the highest in baseball among all near-full-time players; in 2016, he struck out over 36 percent of the time. The totals, though, are somewhat offset by a willingness to work counts and an especially-discerning eye vs. left-handed pitching – in 252 career plate appearances against lefties, Broxton sports an excellent 15.5% BB rate, and should represent a quality weak-side platoon option for New York at any outfield position, should Brandon Nimmo or Michael Conforto sputter against same-side arms next season.

For the Mets, the move goes a long way toward addressing the team’s outfield depth, one of its few remaining offensive holes. Juan Lagares, who profiles almost identically to Broxton, as a late-twenties, right-handed, light-hitting quality defender in center, was the penciled-in starter at the position, but the longtime Met has found it almost impossible to stay healthy for a good portion of the season, appearing in just 203 combined games since the outset of the 2016 season. Yoenis Cespedes, who underwent a second heel surgery in October, has also been routinely shelf-ridden, and may miss the entirety of 2019. The other two spots are locked down by Nimmo and Conforto, but the club had precious little depth aside. Such a move likely removes A.J. Pollock from the team’s offseason table, though New York had lately seemed a fringe-at-best candidate for his services anyway.

The Brewers, as mentioned, were dealing from an outfield surplus: in addition to reigning All-Stars Cain and Yelich, the club also sports Ryan Braun and Eric Thames as corner options, and just moved one-time regular Domingo Santana for another, left-handed outfielder Ben Gamel. The 2019 outlook for Broxton didn’t figure to brighten, so dealing the soon-to-be 29-year-old seemed prudent indeed for the defending NL Central champs.

Wahl, 26, will bring his highly-touted fastball/slider mix to one of the league’s deepest bullpens. Acquired by New York in a midseason deal that sent righty Jeurys Familia to Oakland, Wahl spent most of his time at Triple-A Nashville last season, where he sported a prodigious 14.75 K/9 over 39 2/3 innings. The flamethrowing righty has struggled with an array of injury issues in the past, including a thoracic outlet procedure in 2017, but looked mostly healthy last season. Command has also been a problem – in short big-league stints with the A’s and Mets, Wahl has walked a troubling 5.54 men per nine, and Steamer projects the total at 4.36 for the upcoming campaign.

Hill, 21, was the Mets’ 4th-round selection in the 2018 draft. In 15 short-season A-ball innings, the 6’6 righty struck out a promising 26 batters in just 15 1/3 IP. Baseball America’s pre-draft scouting report lauds Hill’s “heavy” fastball and projects mid-rotation upside, with the caveat that his secondary offerings can be “inconsistent” and his command “at times erratic.” The South-Carolina born product checked in at #24 on FanGraphs’ latest ranking of the New York farm.

Valerio, 18, was signed in early 2018 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. The now-shortstop stands just 5’7 but showed well in his initial professional exposure, slashing .319/.409/.433 for the Mets’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/5/19

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We’ll use this post to track today’s minor moves from around the baseball world…

  • The Yankees have signed former Oakland and Kansas City outfielder Billy Burns to a minor league deal, per Michael Mayer of MetsMerized (Twitter link). Last season was the first season since 2013 that Burns, 29, didn’t see playing time at the major league level. With the Royals’ Triple-A club, the fleet-footed outfielder hit just .255/.314/.316, stealing 10 bases but getting caught eight times. Burns’ heyday came in 2015 when he finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, slashing .294/.334/.392 while swiping 26 bags as the A’s primary centerfielder. Unfortunately, Burns’ offensive output cratered in his follow-up campaign as he was demoted by July before eventually traded to Kansas City in a deadline deal for outfielder Brett Eibner. Specifically, Burns hasn’t come close to duplicating the already-below-average power output of his rookie season, when he knocked 18 doubles, nine triples and five home runs.

Pirates List Of Spring Non-Roster Invitees

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The Pirates released a list of non-roster invitees who have been invited to big league camp this spring, per a team announcement. The most notable name on the list belongs to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who ranks second on Baseball America’s list (subscription required) of Pirates top prospects.

Hayes, 22 in January, will likely spend 2019 in Triple A after slashing .293/.375/.444 with Double A Altoona last season, also earning Pittsburgh’s Minor League Player-Of-The-Year honors. Hayes has yet to see his power show up in game, but he’s otherwise marched steadily through the Pittsburgh system since being drafted 32nd overall in the 2015 draft.

Other notables include infielder Will Craig, Altoona’s MVP last season, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, a highly-regarded prospect in his own right who hit .302/.381/.438 in Double A last season, and right-handed starter Tyler Eppler, who tied for Pittsburgh’s minor-league lead in wins while going 13-6 with a 3.59 ERA over 153 innings for Triple A Indianapolis. It also happens to be his birthday, so Happy Birthday and congrats to Tyler, who turned 26 today.

The full list of those receiving the NRI includes Elvis Escobar, Geoff Hartlieb, Alex McRae, Eduardo Vera, Brandon Waddell, Blake Weiman, Jason Delay, Christian Kelley, and Arden Pabst.

Mets Sign Rymer Liriano

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The New York Mets have reportedly signed outfielder Rymer Liriano to a minor-league deal, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The deal includes opt out clauses specifically for playing opportunities in Japan and Korea, as well as a $600K guarantee if he makes the big league club.

Liriano will audition for a reserve role in the outfield, where he faces an uphill climb to make the roster, as veterans Rajai Davis and Gregor Blanco will also be in camp auditioning for likely no more than a single roster spot. Without any further additions, regular contributors Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares would soak up most of the outfield at-bats, with any number of Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, Dilson Herrera and Travis d’Arnaud potentially seeing time in the outfield as well. Given that the Mets hope to get Yoenis Cespedes back at some point during the season, Liriano seems likely ticketed for another season in Triple A if he stays with the organization beyond the spring.

Liriano, 27, last saw big league action with the White Sox in 2017, managing a .220/.304/.341 line in limited time. He made his ML debut in 2014 for the Padres where, as a 23-year-old, he struggled to the tune of .220/.289/.266 across 121 plate appearances. He was originally signed by the Padres as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2007.

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