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Offseason In Review: Oakland Athletics

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 11:27pm CDT

This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s 2017-18 Offseason In Review series. Click here to read the other completed reviews from around the league.

After posting their third straight sub-.500 campaign in 2017, which they opened with a paltry $81MM-plus payroll, the Athletics will start the new season with an even lower outlay. They’re set to check in at around $70MM, the cheapest total in the majors and the franchise’s lowest since 2013, and the MLBPA has taken notice. The union filed a grievance against the A’s and three other small-spending, revenue sharing recipients last month, though nothing has come of it to this point. Having been atop the A’s baseball department since 1998, executive vice president Billy Beane has grown accustomed to Oakland’s relative lack of financial resources. And in spite of the A’s inability to throw money around, the on-field product seems to be on the upswing, thanks in part to the winter efforts of Beane and general manager David Forst.

Major League Signings

Yusmeiro Petit, RP: two years, $10MM
Jonathan Lucroy, C: one year, $6.5MM
Trevor Cahill, RHP: one year, $1.5MM
Total spend: $18MM

Trades And Claims

Acquired OF Stephen Piscotty from the Cardinals for IFs Yairo Munoz and Max Schrock
Acquired RP Ryan Buchter, 1B/DH Brandon Moss (since released) and $3.25MM in cash for RHPs Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer
Acquired RP Emilio Pagan and IF Alexander Campos from the Mariners for 1B Ryon Healy
Acquired C Jonah Heim from the Rays for IF Joey Wendle
Acquired RHP Jake Bray from the Orioles for OF Jaycob Brugman
Acquired OF Ramon Laureano from the Astros for RHP Brandon Bailey
Claimed LHP Jairo Labourt from the Reds (the A’s later released Labourt)

Option Decisions

Exercised IF Jed Lowrie’s one-year, $6MM option

Notable Minor League Signings

Brett Anderson, Slade Heathcott, Simon Castro, Steve Lombardozzi, Eric Jokisch, Jarret Martin, Anthony Garcia, Nick Martini

Notable Losses

Hahn, Healy, Wendle, Josh Smith, Michael Brady, Chris Smith

Athletics Depth Chart; Athletics Payroll Information

Needs Addressed

At a combined $11.5MM, three free-agent signings will take up a decent chunk of Oakland’s season-opening payroll. The most noteworthy member of the group, catcher Jonathan Lucroy, didn’t ink a deal until March 12, making him one of the prominent victims of a famously slow-developing free-agent market. MLBTR predicted a two-year, $24MM contract for Lucroy at the outset of the offseason, but interest in the two-time All-Star was scarce after he he underwhelmed between Texas and Colorado in 2017.

The 31-year-old Lucroy is coming off the worst offensive season of his accomplished career, having hit .265/.345/.371 (82 wRC+) in 481 plate appearances, even though he racked up nearly as many unintentional walks (46) as strikeouts (51). He experienced a power outage that overshadowed his impressive strikeout-avoiding abilities, largely because while others around the game have worked to hit more fly balls, Lucroy went in the opposite direction. Lucroy hit grounders at a 53.5 percent rate (the 10th-highest mark in the sport), a massive increase over the 41.1 percent figure he put up from 2010-16. Moreover, the once-pristine pitch-framing grades he used to earn on the defensive side continued to drop off to an alarming extent, as this table from FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan indicates.

When you add those factors up, it’s no wonder Lucroy went four-plus months without a job. At the same time, though, he’s not far removed from a 2016 campaign in which he accounted for an excellent 4.6 fWAR, and Steamer is projecting 2.9 fWAR in 2018. ZiPS offers a far less enthusiastic forecast (1.9), meanwhile, but that would still be a palatable outcome for an A’s team that paid relatively little for Lucroy and isn’t tied to him for the long haul. And with the Bruce Maxwell–Josh Phegley tandem not inspiring much confidence, Oakland looked like a logical fit for Lucroy in the months before it signed him – especially given that Maxwell is in legal trouble as a result of an early offseason arrest for a gun charge.

Shortly after they reeled in Lucroy, the A’s reunited with someone who figures to pitch to him this year, righty Trevor Cahill, whose signing came in response to starter Jharel Cotton’s season-ending injury. The 30-year-old Cahill had some of the top years of his career as a full-time starter in Oakland from 2009-11, but he has since shifted between teams’ rotations and bullpens to mixed results.

Most recently, Cahill struggled across 21 appearances (14 starts) with the Padres and Royals last year, when he pitched to a 4.93 ERA/5.28 FIP with an untenable walk rate (4.82 BB/9). Injuries were a major problem in 2017 for Cahill, who went on the disabled list three times because of shoulder and back issues. It’s hard to expect much from Cahill in 2018 (judging by his salary, the A’s agree). Because Cahill’s not stretched out enough to begin the year as a major league starter, he’ll open as depth – something the A’s need in the wake of the Cotton news, not to mention top prospect A.J. Puk’s biceps soreness and Paul Blackburn’s forearm strain.

Months before the Lucroy and Cahill signings, the A’s struck early in free agency when they committed a two-year, $10MM guarantee to workhorse reliever Yusmeiro Petit, who stood out with the division-rival Angels last season. Petit has been quietly superb at times since breaking out with the Giants in 2013, and that was especially true in 2017. The 33-year-old led all relievers in innings (87 1/3, excluding the four he picked up as a starter) and registered 1.9 fWAR out of the bullpen (tied with ex-Athletic Ryan Madson for 13th best in the league). Along the way, he managed a 2.76 ERA/2.85 FIP and appealing strikeout and walk rates (9.95 K/9, 1.77 BB/9).

Going forward, it would be overly optimistic to expect the soft-tossing Petit to be nearly that good again. He was subpar as recently as 2016, after all, and isn’t the darling of projection systems heading into the new year. As is the case with the Lucroy and Cahill additions, though, the price tag is low enough that Petit won’t exactly have to turn in an elite-caliber season to justify the signing. The hope is that he’ll be at least perform with reasonable effectiveness while continuing to eat innings, thus aiding an unspectacular-looking starting staff.

Joining Cahill and Petit in the A’s new-look bullpen will be two trade acquisitions, righty Emilio Pagan and lefty Ryan Buchter. The A’s got Pagan from the division-rival Mariners as part of a deal involving first baseman/former third baseman Ryon Healy, who shouldn’t be all that tough for Oakland to replace. Healy is young (26), cheap and had a memorable debut in 2016, but a lack of walks (4.1 percent) and a high batting average on balls in play (.352) made the .305/.337/.524 line he enjoyed in 283 PAs as a rookie hard to fully buy into. It wasn’t surprising that Healy came back to earth over 605 PAs last year (he batted a league-average .271/.302/.451), when his walk problem got even worse (3.8 percent) and his BABIP was a more normal-looking .319.

With third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson having exploded on the scene in 2017, not to mention the presence of big-hitting DH Khris Davis, there was no clear path to at-bats in Oakland anymore for Healy. Consequently, Beane and Forst turned him into Pagan (also 26), who experienced his first MLB action last season and opened eyes in the process. After compiling consistently good numbers in the minors from 2013-17, Pagan came up and gave the Mariners quality production (3.22 ERA/3.28 FIP, 10.01 K/9, 1.43 BB/9 in 50 1/3 innings). Like Petit, Pagan seems to be capable of working more than your typical reliever, having gotten three or more outs in 13 of 34 appearances in 2017.

Buchter is also a reliable source of frames, as the 31-year-old collected 63 or more in each of his first two seasons. The former Padre and Royal has been steady overall, evidenced by a 2.85 ERA/3.82 FIP and 10.02 K/9 against 4.04 BB/9. Buchter has also been roughly as effective versus same-sided hitters (.249 wOBA against) and righties (.271), meaning he’s not just a lefty specialist. So, at the cost of the now-gone Brandon Moss (whom the A’s are paying $5MM through next season to not play for them), the up-and-down Jesse Hahn and decent pitching prospect Heath Fillmyer, the A’s seemingly did well to land Buchter’s four years of affordable control.

On the negative side, it’s worth noting that Buchter managed a horrid grounder percentage in 2017 (32.9), as did Petit (32.9) and Pagan (22.3). It’s anyone’s guess whether they’ll be able to continue limiting home runs this year, then, after they each allowed HRs at rates of 11 percent or less last season. If there’s an obvious reason for hope on that front, it’s that all three have helped cancel out their lack of grounders by inducing lots of infield pop-ups. Buchter has a 16.5 percent infield fly rate for his career, while Petit was at 18.6 last season and Pagan 12.2.

Buchter, Petit and Pagan will hope to keep tamping down dingers in 2018, but it’s the opposite for right fielder Stephen Piscotty, whom the A’s acquired from the Cardinals for infield prospects Max Schrock and Yairo Munoz in December. That came after the A’s flirted with acquiring the likes of Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Steven Souza Jr. and Adam Duvall. In the end, they emerged with Piscotty, who did cost them a couple interesting young players. Schrock is the Cardinals’ 10th-ranked prospect at MLB.com, and Munoz has already earned a roster spot in St. Louis.

It’s not hard to see why the A’s are bullish on Piscotty, who held his own from 2015-16 – a 905-PA span in which he slashed .282/.348/.467 (121 wRC+). Piscotty stumbled to .235/.342/.367 line (92 wRC+) in 401 PAs last season, but the 27-year-old was going through a hellish off-field situation in St. Louis, as his mother has been battling ALS back in Northern California. Now Piscotty – a Pleasanton, Calif., native – will be closer to her and have an opportunity to bounce back in a familiar setting. It should help his cause that the A’s park, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, was roughly middle of the pack in terms of HR friendless for right-handed hitters a year ago, whereas St. Louis’ Busch Stadium ranked among the most difficult venues for RH batters.

If Piscotty does revisit his 2015-16 form in his return home, he’ll be an absolute bargain on the extension the Cardinals gave him a year ago (he’s guaranteed roughly $30MM through 2023). At the very least, he should be a marked upgrade defensively over the right fielders Oakland trotted out last year. The A’s group was among the worst at the position then; meantime, Piscotty collected eight Defensive Runs Saved and paired that with a 1.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. All said, he has accounted for 12 DRS and a 4.1 UZR in 2,588 innings in right field since debuting in 2015.

Questions Remaining

Performance- and depth-related questions abounded across the A’s starting staff even before the loss of Cotton and the injuries to Puk and Blackburn. The 26-year-old Cotton likely would have occupied a season-opening spot even after he disappointed across 129 replacement-level innings in 2017. Now that he and Blackburn aren’t available (Puk would’ve started the season in the minors even if healthy), Oakland will enter the year with a starting quintet of Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea, Daniel Mengden, Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday. There’s seemingly not a lot to be optimistic about there after Graveman, Manaea and Triggs, and even they’re more of an adequate trio than a lights-out one. Mengden has been mediocre at best across 115 innings and 21 starts (5.24 ERA, 4.31 FIP), and Gossett has been worse during his 91 1/3 frames and 18 starts (6.11 ERA, 5.59 FIP).

Looking beyond that group, Cahill’s not at full strength (as mentioned), nor is recent minor league signing/oft-injured old friend Brett Anderson (who hasn’t been any kind of a solution since 2015), and Raul Alcantara is apparently hanging on to his 40-man roster spot by a thread. No other starting options are on the A’s 40-man, leaving them to hope either their current in-house, healthy hurlers suffice or Puk gets over his injury and debuts to strong results this year. He’s one of several intriguing A’s pitching prospects – Jesus Luzardo, James Kaprielian, Grant Holmes and Logan Shore are a few others – but none of those guys are locks to contribute much this season.

It’s not A’s management’s fault that the team’s starting depth has taken such a late-spring hit, but adding a satisfactory starter over the winter still wouldn’t have been the worst idea. The A’s tried for Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani, even offering him a chance to line up in the outfield, but he spurned them and every other team for Anaheim.

There were more realistic free agents than Ohtani available, including Doug Fister (one year, $4MM from the Rangers), Jaime Garcia (one year, $8MM from the Blue Jays), Chris Tillman (one year, $3MM from the Orioles), Jhoulys Chacin (two years, $15.5MM from the Brewers) and Andrew Cashner (two years, $16MM from the O’s). Nobody from that unexciting quintet would have killed the A’s from a payroll standpoint or cost a draft pick to sign. Nevertheless, though, they didn’t show any reported interest in veteran starters. That probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise after Beane expressed a lack of enthusiasm over the available options early in the offseason.

The bullpen, on the other hand, was a clear area of focus for the A’s, judging by both the previously highlighted newcomers and their interest in relievers they didn’t land (Joakim Soria, Brian Duensing and Tony Watson, to name three). Overall, it’s a promising cast, one headlined by closer Blake Treinen, Petit, Pagan and Buchter. Santiago Casilla, Liam Hendriks and Chris Hatcher represent other well-known options who have experienced major league success at times. Of course, things could still go haywire, which often happens with bullpens. You wonder whether the HR bug will start biting any of Petit, Pagan or Buchter, as mentioned earlier, and none of the Casilla-Hendricks-Hatcher troika prevented runs at an above-average clip last season. It’s now possible Casilla won’t even make the team, per Slusser, despite the fact that he’s due $6MM to close out a two-year contract.

On the position player side, there’s certainly reason for hope, especially on account of Chapman and Olson. Those two now look like the A’s long-term corner infield tandem after bursting on the scene in different ways last year. Chapman, 24, didn’t offer all-world offensive production (.234/.313/.472, 108 wRC+ in 326 PAs), but he’s already there defensively (17 DRS, 9.2 UZR). Thanks in part to Chapman’s presence, the A’s are projected to improve in the field in 2018, though there’s still a lot of work to do on that front from a team standpoint.

Unlike Chapman, the 23-year-old Olson made his name at the plate last year, crushing 24 homers in just 216 PAs and slashing .259/.352/.651 (162 wRC+). A step(s) backward this year is inevitable for Olson, who’s not going to see 41.4 percent of his fly balls leave the yard again (even Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were “only” in the mid-30s last season). However, the fact that Olson authored a sky-high .378 xwOBA in 2017, placing him among several household names, speaks to the quality contact he made and suggests offensive stardom may indeed be in the offing.

Elsewhere, the A’s look to be in OK shape in the middle infield, where shortstop Marcus Semien and second baseman Jed Lowrie are set to start. The A’s picked up Lowrie’s inexpensive option after a 3.5-fWAR 2017, and Beane had nothing but praise for him around that time, yet the team still reportedly considered trading him during the winter. Lowrie could make for an in-season trade piece in 2018 if Oakland’s out of contention approaching the summer deadline (and if he’s healthy, which hasn’t always been a given), perhaps opening the door for 22-year-old Franklin Barreto or Jorge Mateo, also 22, to make an impact in the majors.

Mateo joined the Athletics in last summer’s Sonny Gray trade with the Yankees, as did Dustin Fowler, who may start in center for the A’s on Opening Day. The 23-year-old Fowler, who has made a remarkable recovery since suffering a serious knee injury during his MLB debut with the Yankees last July, is competing with Boog Powell for the No. 1 role. Fowler is the A’s long-term hope in center, but they’re not against sending him to the minors and turning to a Powell-Jake Smolinski duo to begin the year, according to Slusser. Regardless, the A’s are going to have an unproven starter in center, though they did try to guard against that in free agency. Oakland made veteran Austin Jackson a one-year offer, but he instead headed to the Bay Area rival Giants on a two-year pact.

With AJax in San Francisco, Fowler or Powell/Smolinski will be flanked in Oakland by the aforementioned Piscotty in right and Matt Joyce in left. There’s little question about what the A’s will get from Joyce, who, aside from a dreadful 2015 with the Angels, has hovered around average throughout a career that began in Detroit in 2008. Another such campaign in 2018 would be an acceptable outcome for the A’s, who are paying Joyce an inoffensive amount ($6MM) to conclude a two-year deal. Like Lowrie (and even the previously highlighted Lucroy), Joyce could be midseason trade bait if Oakland’s out of contention.

Overview

There are clear issues, particularly in their pitching staff, but this looks like the most interesting A’s team since the 2014 version that won 88 games and earned a playoff trip. That’s not to suggest a return to the postseason this year is likely – far from it – as the A’s would have to topple a slew of other hopefuls in what should be a crowded American League race. Odds are that the A’s postseason drought will extend to a fourth season, but a push toward the .500 mark shouldn’t be an unrealistic goal. That would require a leap similar to the one Oakland made last year, when it notched 75 wins after amassing 69 in 2016.

How would you grade the A’s offseason work? (Link for app users.)

How would you grade the A's offseason?

B 46.52% (521 votes)

C 34.29% (384 votes)

A 9.64% (108 votes)

D 6.61% (74 votes)

F 2.95% (33 votes)

Total Votes: 1,120

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays To Re-Sign Craig Breslow

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 9:35pm CDT

The Blue Jays will bring back left-handed reliever Craig Breslow on a minor league contract, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets. Toronto released Breslow on Saturday, but that was merely a procedural move, per Nicholson-Smith.

The Blue Jays first added Breslow on a minors pact that included a March 22 opt-out date back in February. The 37-year-old then struggled during the exhibition season, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits and four walks, with six strikeous, in 7 1/3 innings. Breslow’s subpar spring performance wasn’t enough to deter the Jays from keeping him around as a depth option, though.

Between 2005 (his big league debut) and 2012, Breslow enjoyed several quality seasons with a host of teams. He hasn’t been a reliable option since that stretch, however, and is coming off a 2017 season in which he logged a 5.09 ERA/4.46 FIP with 5.86 K/9, 3.57 BB/9 and a 39.8 percent groundball rate over 35 1/3 frames between the Indians and Twins. To his credit, Breslow stymied left-handed hitters, who batted just .196/.294/.286 against him.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/24/18

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 8:47pm CDT

The latest minor moves from across baseball…

The Reds have acquired right-hander Robinson Leyer from the White Sox, per Jon Heyman of FanRag. It’s not yet known what the ChiSox will receive for the 25-year-old Leyer, who debuted with their organization in 2012. Leyer spent a large portion of the previous two seasons at the Double-A level, including all of 2017, when he posted a 3.55 ERA with 9.57 K/9, 5.09 BB/9 and a 37.3 percent groundball rate in 58 1/3 innings.

Earlier updates:

The Red Sox have acquired catcher Mike Ohlman from the Rangers for cash considerations, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. A 2009 draft pick of the Orioles (11th round), Ohlman made his major league debut with the Blue Jays last year, though he only collected 13 plate appearances, before signing a minors pact with the Rangers in the offseason. The 27-year-old has done most of his recent work at the Triple-A level, where he has batted .240/.334/.424 in 518 PAs. It seems unlikely he’ll be a factor in Boston, whose catcher contingent features just-extended starter Christian Vazquez and backups Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart.
The Pirates have placed outfielder Bryce Brentz on outright waivers, Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reports. Pittsburgh acquired the 29-year-old Brentz from Boston back in February, but the out-of-options slugger was then unable to earn a spot with his new organization during the spring. Brentz raked in the minors last year, where he tortured Triple-A pitchers with a .271/.334/.529 line (138 wRC+) and 31 home runs in 494 PAs. However, Brentz hasn’t been nearly that successful in the majors since the BoSox used a first-round pick on him in 2010, having hit .287/.311/.379 with just one HR in 90 trips to the plate.

Central Notes: Brewers, Gallardo, White Sox, Cubs

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 8:37pm CDT

In the wake of Wade Miley’s multi-week injury, the Brewers have set their season-opening starting five, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Brent Suter and Brandon Woodruff will fill out the rotation behind Chase Anderson, Zach Davies and Jhoulys Chacin, manager Craig Counsell announced Saturday. That spells bad news for offseason signing Yovani Gallardo, who won’t make the team, Haudricourt tweets. A highly successful Brewer from 2007-14, Gallardo rejoined the club for a non-guaranteed $2MM in December after spending time with the Rangers, Orioles and Mariners. The 32-year-old’s future is now in question. The Brewers could still trade Gallardo, according to general manager David Stearns. However, if no deal comes together by Monday, they’ll have to release him, per Haudricourt.

More on Milwaukee and a couple other Central teams…

The Brewers wouldn’t have had two open spots in their rotation if not for the right shoulder injury top starter Jimmy Nelson suffered late last year. Nelson continues to make progress in his recovery from September surgery and could start working from the mound again as early as mid-April, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Meanwhile, catcher Stephen Vogt – out since February with a shoulder issue of his own – is aiming to return to game action by May 1.
Like Milwaukee, the White Sox have also established their rotation for the beginning of the season. Righty Carson Fulmer has beaten out lefty Hector Santiago (who’s likely to stick around as a long reliever) for the No. 5 spot, Alyson Footer of MLB.com writes. Fulmer will round out a starting staff that’ll also feature James Shields, Lucas Giolito, Miguel Gonzalez and Reynaldo Lopez. Santiago, 30, signed a minors deal in February with the White Sox, with whom he pitched from 2011-13. Although Santiago has functioned as a starter for the majority of his career, he’s content to work in a relief role in his second go-round with the South Siders. “I’m open to whatever,” he said. “As long as I have a uniform on my back, I’m happy with the job that they give me. Right now, it’s in the bullpen as a long guy and I’ll be ready for any role.”
The Cubs are going with Victor Caratini, not Chris Gimenez, to back up starting catcher Willson Contreras, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Thanks to his well-known rapport with new Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish from their days in Texas, Gimenez seemed like the front-runner for the job at the outset of spring training; instead, he’ll head to Triple-A Iowa, per Wittenmyer. The 24-year-old Caratini, whom MLB.com ranks as the Cubs’ No. 8 prospect, hit .254/.333/.356 across 66 plate appearances during his first MLB action last season.

East Notes: Yanks, Bird, Mets, Nationals, Orioles

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 6:41pm CDT

Yankees first baseman Greg Bird missed most of last season with a right ankle injury. The 25-year-old is now battling soreness in the same foot and will go for an MRI and a CT scan, per Randy Miller of NJ.com. Bird’s status concerns general manager Brian Cashman, who said Saturday: “I’m worried about it to be honest. I’m not sure what we’re dealing with, but when Greg can’t tee it up, it’s a problem for us because obviously he’s a vital member of our organization.” Cashman went on to indicate that the Yankees won’t attempt to replace Bird via trade if he lands on the shelf. The recently signed Neil Walker and Tyler Austin are among the Yankees’ in-house first base options, but it’s worth noting that they recently had Adam Lind in camp. The club signed Lind to a minor league pact in early March before releasing him midway through the month. Lind remains on the market and would make for a logical pickup on paper, but there’s no word on whether New York is interested in re-signing him in the event of another serious injury to Bird.

[Update: The Yankees announced that Bird is dealing with inflammation and will see a specialist Monday.]

Nationals Release Reid Brignac, Alejandro De Aza

By Connor Byrne | March 24, 2018 at 6:17pm CDT

Along with the previously reported Ryan Raburn, the Nationals have released infielder Reid Brignac and outfielder Alejandro De Aza, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Both Brignac and De Aza signed minor league contracts with the organization during the offseason.

The 32-year-old Brignac hasn’t even cracked the 100-plate appearance plateau at the game’s highest level since 2011, when he was a member of the Rays. He has since seen limited action with the Yankees, Rockies, Phillies, Marlins and Braves. Brignac has batted a paltry .219/.264/.309 in 951 major league PAs, thus offsetting his ability to line up at second, third and shortstop. He perhaps could have been an early season factor in Washington, which will open the year without injured second baseman David Murphy, but the team will instead roll with Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo.

De Aza, 33, is a more accomplished major leaguer than Brignac, though he hit a meager .194/.223/.222 in 70 PAs with the Nationals last year. While De Aza fared well with their Triple-A affiliate (.280/.368/.403 in 212 PAs), he faced long odds of landing a spot with the Nats to begin the 2018 season. They’re loaded in the outfield, after all, with starters Bryce Harper, Adam Eaton and Michael A. Taylor, not to mention reserves Brian Goodwin and Matt Adams.

Market Notes: Youth, Holland, Werth, Rays, D-backs

By Kyle Downing | March 24, 2018 at 5:28pm CDT

The fans are more excited about youth than ever before, writes Grant Brisbee of SB Nation. That’s good news for the owners, as they’re getting rich off the youth movement flooding this era of baseball. Young players are cheap, and Brisbee points out why that matters in an example featuring the Astros’ World Series lineup. Their first five hitters were George Springer, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel; the latter made about $5MM more in 2017 than the first four combined. Having elite young talent under control on relatively cheap salaries allows teams the financial flexibility to fill a few holes en route to a championship-caliber roster. As Brisbee notes, player salaries are determined more by circumstance than by talent nowadays, describing this fact as “the secret of baseball, the only part of Moneyball that really matters.” After seeing proof of concept from the Cubs and Astros in recent years, fans are actually getting excited about rebuilds and trades for prospects, which means ownership has less of a reason to spend money on players that Brisbee describes as “just a guy” types. This quote from his piece describes it best: “Prospects aren’t just future major leaguers; they’re memorable seasons and postseason runs that haven’t happened yet.”

A few more market-related items…

Jim Bowden of The Athletic confirms in a tweet that the Braves, Diamondbacks and Cardinals have all checked in on free agent reliever Greg Holland. However, none of them feel as though they can be competitive financially based on the right-hander’s current asking price. Bowden suggests that Holland should take the best offer on the table. With less than a week left until opening day, it’s hard to argue that point.
Jayson Werth is still looking to continue his career, as he tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 38-year-old is currently working out and waiting for someone to give him an opportunity. He’s coming off a season in which he hit just .226/.322/.393 and missed nearly three months due to a toe injury, though he still managed double-digit homers in half a season’s worth of plate appearances. The fact that his walk rate has been above 10% in every season of his career could also make him worth a look.
Werth could be a good fit in theory for the Rays. The club is still on the lookout for a right-handed hitter who can play the outfield, according Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera represent the top remaining options on the free agent market. Players like Domingo Santana and Hunter Renfroe could potentially be had in a trade, though neither of them would come cheap.

Braves To Release Scott Kazmir

By Kyle Downing | March 24, 2018 at 4:55pm CDT

The Braves have elected to release Scott Kazmir, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.

The move is somewhat curious on the surface. After pitching a scoreless inning today in a Grapefruit League game, Kazmir left the mound with what was described at the time as arm fatigue. The left-hander was slated to be the team’s fifth starter, which the Braves will need for at least the first month of the season as Luiz Gohara deals with a left ankle injury. It’s now unclear whom they’ll use in that role behind Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy and Sean Newcomb. One option is the recently-signed Anibal Sanchez, who’s in camp on a minor league deal. Sanchez is indeed likely to fill the last spot in the Braves’ rotation, per O’Brien.

The 34-year-old Kazmir didn’t last long in Atlanta, which acquired him in an unusual, luxury tax-geared trade with the Dodgers in mid-December. Kazmir’s due $16MM in 2018, the last season of a three-year, $48MM deal he signed with the Dodgers entering 2016. The journeyman has disappointed since signing that deal, as he logged a 4.56 ERA/4.48 FIP in 136 1/3 innings in the first year of the contract before missing all of last season with a hip injury. A lack of durability has long been a problem for Kazmir, a 2002 first-round pick of the Mets who has endured an inconsistent career with several clubs since debuting with Tampa Bay in 2004.

Mariners Return Rule 5 Pick Mike Ford to Yankees

By Kyle Downing | March 24, 2018 at 4:48pm CDT

The Yankees have announced that the Mariners returned first baseman Mike Ford to them. Ford was the 11th pick in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft.

Ford was part of a vulnerable Yankees system when the Rule 5 Draft came around. Indeed, Bombers’ farm system was raided for three of its young players they weren’t able to fit onto the 40-man roster by the November deadline.

Ford has an elite track record of getting on base in the minors. He owns an 18.4% walk rate at the Double-A level, and a 15.7% walk rate even at Triple-A. Last season, he slashed .266/.383/.543 for the Rail Riders, despite a .247 BABIP. During spring training with the Mariners, the 25-year-old mashed the baseball to the tune of a .885 OPS.

All this considered, it seems a bit surprising on the surface that he wasn’t able to crack the big league roster. But considering the scorching spring performance of Dan Vogelbach (who crushed six homers and posted an OPS of 1.385) and the return to health of Ryon Healy, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious spot for Ford on the roster.

Injury Notes: Sale, Pomeranz, Rodriguez, Gregerson, Lincecum, Hughes

By Kyle Downing | March 24, 2018 at 4:03pm CDT

Red Sox starter Chris Sale left today’s start after being struck by a comebacker off the bat of J.D. Davis. Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald was first to tweet that the club called it a hip contusion. Thankfully for fans in Boston, the X-rays on his hip came back negative (according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). For his part, Sale himself has said that he feels fine and that it “looked a lot worse than it actually is.” The lack of serious injury to their prized left-hander brings a sigh of relief to the Red Sox, as they need him now more than ever; Alex Cora announced today that both Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz will begin the season on the DL (h/t Sean McAdams of the Boston Sports Journal). With Steven Wright set to face a 15-game suspension, that leaves Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez at the back end of the club’s rotation. With David Price no sure bet to stay healthy, any questions surrounding Sale would have been wildly unsettling for a club hoping to compete with a tough Yankees ballclub for the AL East crown.

Other injury-related news from around the league…

Luke Gregerson, who was projected to be the Cardinals’ closer on opening day, will instead begin the season on the DL. Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch outlines the news, which comes as a result of a hamstring strain. The usually-durable Gregerson had also dealt with an oblique injury earlier in the spring, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return to major-league action. According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the club has said that Dominic Leone or Tyler Lyons will receive closing opportunities. They do not appear close to any sort of deal with free agent closer Greg Holland at this time, Morosi adds.
Speaking of right-handers who’ll begin the season on the DL, Tim Lincecum’s blister issues will put him in that company as well. Lincecum joined the Rangers on a one-year deal with a $1MM base salary just weeks ago and didn’t pitch competitively in 2017; by his own words, he was unlikely to be ready for opening day anyway. Still, the blister issue will delay The Freak’s comeback bid, which will be an interesting story to watch as the season progresses considering how much he impressed scouts in a February showcase. Lincecum’s last MLB stint was with the Angels in 2016, when he posted a 9.16 ERA across 38 1/3 innings (nine starts).
Twins right-hander Phil Hughes has a mild oblique strain, according to a tweet from Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. Berardino adds that a DL stint would give him more time to build up arm strength following surgery, though I’d add that Hughes might simply be utilized in a long relief role anyway. For the time being, the Twins will continue to evaluate Hughes.

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