The Tigers announced today that the Giants have claimed outfielder Mike Gerber off waivers. He’ll head onto the San Francisco 40-man roster — representing the first such addition of new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Gerber, 26, only briefly touched the bigs last year and struggled for much of the year at Triple-A. Previously, though, he had been a steady producer on the Tigers farm. Indeed, he produced .800+ OPS figures over each of his first four seasons as a professional.
The Reds have acquired lefty Robby Scott from the Red Sox, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). It seems to be a straight waiver claim, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets.
Scott, 29, was a useful contributor in Boston in 2017, when he worked to a 3.79 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. He carried 7.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in that stretch, managing a healthy 11.0% swinging-strike rate despite only possessing an upper-eighties fastball.
Clearly, though, the Boston organization didn’t have much of a need for Scott last year and desired to make better use of his 40-man spot this winter. Scott struggled through nine MLB appearances in 2018 but did turn in a nice season at Triple-A, where he spun 48 1/3 innings of 1.86 ERA ball with 11.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
So, are the Nationals really out of the picture for Bryce Harper, as owner Mark Lerner strongly suggested recently? Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes that he’s not yet sold that the incumbent Nats have completely bid adieu to their franchise-defining star. It’s an interesting read for fans to contemplate as Harper’s still-uncertain market continues to evolve … particularly now that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo nudged the door back open to a return in an interview today on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link).
Here are the latest free agent notes emanating from the Winter Meetings:
11:06am: MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon hears that, to the contrary, the Reds are “not actively looking to trade” Gennett. (Twitter link).
9:54am: The Reds are interested in dealing second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Though the hometown hero had previously seemed to profile as an extension candidate, Cincinnati president of baseball operations Dick Williams recently threw cold water on that concept.
Gennett is entering his final season of arbitration control at a projected $10.7MM price point. On the heels of consecutive standout seasons at the plate, the 28-year-old would be among the best second basemen available on the market. But he’s also limited to playing at the keystone defensively and has historically struggled against left-handed pitching, limiting his appeal.
Beyond that, as Rosenthal notes and as we have emphasized repeatedly of late here at MLBTR, it’s hardly an opportune time to be shopping a player at that position with so many others available. It’s not immediately clear what the Reds would be looking for in a trade scenario.
Presumably, the organization would be interested in improving its rotation if at all possible, though doing so directly in a Gennett trade would be challenging. After all, any hypothetical suitor would need to be in a win-now stance. That said, teams such as the Dodgers (Alex Wood), Nationals (Tanner Roark), Pirates (Ivan Nova), and Yankees (Sonny Gray) do have similarly priced rental starters who could theoretically be swapped in some kind of arrangement — though there’s no indication at present that those or any other particular clubs would be interested in trying to work something out.
Moving Gennett for some kind of prospect return would surely also be a consideration, particularly if it’d mean freeing assets (trade chips and salary) for pursuit of other players — with a center fielder and rotation upgrade likely at the top of the wish list. Rosenthal says that the organization is motivated by the desire to open the door to top infield prospect Nick Senzel, who could step right in at second, perhaps in partnership with a veteran utility infielder. Such a reallocation of resources could make sense for a team that is clearly interested in improving its near-term product without sacrificing its vision for the future.
Entering the Winter Meetings with a wide variety of potential moves under consideration, the Dodgers will “in all likelihood” move an existing starter via trade, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Just what the might look like isn’t yet clear, but the club’s numerous options will surely hold appeal to rivals. To be sure, the Dodgers have found ways on numerous occasions in the recent past to juggle seeming roster overloads, but Gonzalez says that the ability to utilize a player such as Kenta Maeda as a trade piece (while improving in other areas) will likely prod a deal of some kind.
The latest from the Bronx, courtesy of George A. King III of the New York Post:
Longtime major league hurler Jerome Williams has retired, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (Twitter links). Williams is now at the Winter Meetings interviewing with teams for a coaching job, according to Fenech.
Now 37, Williams hasn’t suited up for a major league team since 2016, when he threw 17 1/3 innings with the Cardinals. Williams spent parts of the past two seasons pitching in Venezuela, Mexico and with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League. However, the right-hander did enjoy a long career in the majors, during which he recorded a 4.59 ERA across 1,029 2/3 innings (236 appearances, 149 starts) and amassed at least 100 frames in seven seasons. Known for sporting a puka shell necklace and a pink glove, Williams nobly used his time in the spotlight to raise awareness for cancer in honor of his mother, who passed away of breast cancer in 2001.
A first-round pick of the Giants in 1999, Williams was their top-ranked prospect twice (in 2000 and ’01) and was also among baseball’s 50 best farmhands three times (2000-02), according to Baseball America. Williams debuted in San Francisco in impressive fashion in 2003, when he put up a stingy 3.30 ERA and totaled 2.0 fWAR over 131 innings and 21 starts, though he wasn’t able to replicate that success over the rest of his career.
After Williams’ effectiveness dipped in his second and third seasons, the Giants traded him (and David Aardsma) to the Cubs in 2005 for reliever LaTroy Hawkins. That was the first in a long line of big league transactions Williams was part of, though it was the only trade involving him. Along with the Giants, Cubs and Cardinals, Williams pitched for the Nationals, Angels, Rangers, Astros and Phillies at baseball’s highest level. The nomadic Williams also took the mound in pro leagues in Puerto Rico, Taiwan and Long Beach, Calif.
MLBTR congratulates Williams on an interesting playing career and wishes him the best in his attempt to join the coaching ranks.
Although the Diamondbacks traded first baseman Paul Goldschmidt last week, his departure isn’t necessarily a sign that a full-scale teardown is coming, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic hears. While Piecoro doesn’t rule out other deals involving notable D-backs veterans (e.g., Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray), he writes that they “seem comfortable standing pat” and addressing holes on their roster. If Arizona does part with Ray, it would take a lot to acquire him, as a source tells Piecoro the team has set a “really high bar” on a return for the left-handed strikeout artist. Ray, 27, is controllable for the next two seasons, including for a projected $6.1MM in 2019.
DEC. 10: Montero confirmed Monday that his playing career is over, per Jon Heyman of Fancred. “I’m done,” Montero said.
DEC. 9: Catcher Miguel Montero last took a major league field on April 5, which is likely to go down as his final MLB game. After sitting out nearly all of last season, Montero tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he’s “pretty much retired,” and has turned his attention to a budding career as an agent. Montero is the CEO of ZT Sports, an agency that features 17 clients, as Piecoro details.
If the 35-year-old Montero is indeed done as a player, his career will conclude with 15.5 fWAR/13.3 rWAR, two All-Star nods, a World Series title and upward of $73.6MM in earnings over 13 seasons. Montero spent the majority of his big league tenure in Arizona, which signed him out of Venezuela for a meager $13,000 in 2001. He debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2006 and later became their primary catcher, a role he held through 2014.
Montero was among the majors’ best backstops during his time in Arizona, where he slashed .264/.342/.421 (100 wRC+) with 97 home runs in 3,430 plate appearances. Defensively, Montero threw out at least 40 percent of would-be base stealers in two of his seasons with the Diamondbacks (2011 and ’12) and generally earned excellent marks behind the plate from Baseball Prospectus.
As a result of the all-around prowess he demonstrated with the Snakes, the team signed Montero to a five-year, $60MM contract extension in 2012. Montero played a significant role in those negotiations, which helped prepare him for becoming an agent, he tells Piecoro.
“I remember we were in Miami,” Montero said. “[Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall] called me and was like, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘I want five years and $60 million.’ He said, ‘Ah, man, we’ve got four for $44 million.’ I was like, ‘I want 5 for 60.’ ‘Is that the number?’ I said, ‘That’s the number. Don’t call me again with five and 59 and a half because I’m not going to take it.’”
While Montero got his desired payday from the Diamondbacks, he didn’t see the deal through in the desert. Instead, Arizona traded Montero to the Cubs prior to the 2015 season for right-handers Zack Godley and Jeferson Mejia. Montero continued to offer respectable offensive production in Chicago, where he batted .242/.342/.395 (99 wRC+) with 27 homers in 799 regular-season plate appearances. His most memorable offensive contribution came against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS, in which Montero crushed a pinch-hit, two-out, eighth-inning grand slam off righty Joe Blanton to break a 3-3 tie. Chicago went on to win the game, the NLCS and the World Series in a seven-game masterpiece against the Indians, giving the franchise its first championship in 108 years.
Unfortunately for Montero and the Cubs, his run with the team ended in unceremonious fashion in June 2017. Montero and righty Jake Arrieta combined to allow seven stolen bases in a loss to the Nationals, after which the catcher publicly blamed his battery mate. The Cubs elected to designate Montero for assignment 12 hours later, despite a nice start at the plate that year, with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein telling reporters that the catcher wasn’t “being a good teammate.”
A few days after the Epstein-led Cubs designated Montero, they traded him to the Blue Jays for a minimal return. He ended up recording a disastrous .489 OPS in 101 PAs as a Jay that year. In the wake of his horrific showing in Toronto, Montero settled for a minor league contract with the Nationals last winter. He ultimately appeared in four games as a Nat before they released him April 14.
Reported interest in Montero has been nonexistent since Washington cut ties with him, which has enabled him to pour his efforts into his fledgling agency. MLBTR wishes Montero well in his new venture.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It’s “believed” that free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino is near the top of Boston’s bullpen wish list, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. The same is true of the previously reported David Robertson, per Heyman. With closer Craig Kimbrel and setup man Joe Kelly as their best remaining free agents, it’s no surprise that the world champion Red Sox are exploring the top of the market for bullpen help. Those two led full-time Red Sox relievers in innings pitched last season, and Kimbrel was particularly effective. The 33-year-old Ottavino may have been even better, though, as the former Rockie was among the game’s elite relievers in 2018 despite having to pitch his home games at the hitter-friendly Coors Field. Ottavino placed fourth among relievers in average exit velocity against (84.9 mph), sixth in fWAR (2.0), 11th in K/9 (12.98, against 4.17 BB/9), 13th in innings (77 2/3) and 17th in ERA (2.43), putting himself in position to score a lucrative contract in free agency.
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