White Sox Decline 2017 Option On Matt Albers, Release Daniel Webb
2:51pm: The White Sox formally announced that Albers’ option has been declined and also announced that right-hander Daniel Webb has been released. The 27-year-old Webb pitched just one inning for Chicago this season before hitting the disabled list with an arm injury that ultimately proved to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Webb had Tommy John surgery this past June.
The hard-throwing Webb had a nice season with the ChiSox in 2014, posting a 3.99 ERA in 67 2/3 innings out of the ‘pen. However, his 7.7 K/9 rate was lower than one would expect of someone that averaged better than 95 mph on his heater, and Webb also averaged 5.6 BB/9 that year. He labored through an unsuccessful 2015 season (it’s not known how much, if at all, the arm troubles impacted that year) prior to his abbreviated 2016 season.
While he’ll miss at least the first half of next season, Webb could be an interesting option as a depth piece/reclamation project for a team seeking bullpen help. He’s controllable through at least the 2020 season via arbitration as it stands and could almost certainly be had on a minor league pact this winter.
12:37pm: The White Sox will decline their $3MM club option on right-hander Matt Albers, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Albers will instead earn a $250K buyout and once again enter the free-agent market in search of a new club.
Albers, 34 in January, pitched 51 1/3 innings out of the Chicago bullpen this season but struggled through the worst results of his career, logging a 6.31 ERA along the way. Typically a ground-ball specialist, Albers saw his ground-ball rate dip from 58.6 percent in 2015 to 48.6 percent in 2016, and his K/9 rate (6.8 to 5.3) and BB/9 rate (2.2 to 3.3) each trended in the wrong direction as well. On the plus side for Albers, he did recover the velocity he lost in a 2015 campaign that was shortened by a broken finger. After averaging 89.7 mph on his heater in 2015, he was back up to 92 mph in 2016 — not far off from his career average of 92.6 mph.
While the 2016 campaign was nightmarish for Albers, it’s worth pointing out that he’s long been a quality bullpen piece prior to this year. From 2012-15, Albers logged a stellar 2.32 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate near 60 percent in 170 2/3 innings of work with the Astros, D-backs, Indians, Red Sox and White Sox.
Red Sox Exercise Clay Buchholz’s Option, Decline Option On Ryan Hanigan
8:09pm: The Red Sox have also announced that they’ve picked up their 2017 option on David Ortiz. The move is a formality, since Ortiz is expected to retire.
2:30pm: Drellich also writes that the Red Sox plan to pick up Clay Buchholz‘s $13.5MM club option, and Heyman tweeted that the team will indeed do so. Buchholz had a $500K buyout on the option, so the decision boiled down to a $13MM call for Boston. (The team has announced both option decisions.)
Buchholz, who turned 32 in August, struggled with the Red Sox for much of the season and at one point lost his spot in the starting rotation. However, despite a brief demotion to the bullpen, Buchholz finished the year quite strongly, logging a 3.14 ERA in 28 2/3 innings in September and a 2.86 ERA over his final 44 innings. He’s also a season removed from 113 1/3 innings of 3.26 ERA ball that came with outstanding peripherals. Given the lack of quality options on the free-agent market and the fact that Buchholz generated summer trade interest even before his strong finish to the year, there was an argument to exercise Buchholz’s option even if he’s traded elsewhere this offseason, as MLBTR detailed a couple of weeks ago.
1:56pm: The Red Sox have declined catcher Ryan Hanigan‘s $3.75MM option for 2017 in favor of an $800K buyout, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reported earlier Thursday that the Red Sox were likely to let Hanigan go.
Hanigan joined the Red Sox in December 2014 in a trade that sent third baseman Will Middlebrooks to the Padres, with whom Hanigan never actually played a game. The Red Sox didn’t lose much in dealing Middlebrooks, but Hanigan was still a disappointment in Boston. After establishing himself as a defensively capable backstop with solid offensive skills in Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, Hanigan batted just .219/.298/.294 in two years and 319 plate appearances with the Red Sox. He finished third among Boston’s catchers this year in PAs (113), trailing Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez, and posted an unusable .171/.230/.238 line. That was poor enough for Boston to wave goodbye to Hanigan, who will try to hook on elsewhere in free agency.
In addition to Leon and Vazquez, the Red Sox also have Blake Swihart as a potential catcher option for next season. The outfield/backstop missed most of this year with an ankle injury. Alternatively, Boston could look to free agency for help, especially if it doesn’t trust Leon’s unexpected breakout.
Royals To Pick up 2017 Options For Wade Davis, Alcides Escobar
The Royals will exercise their 2017 club options for right-handed closer Wade Davis and shortstop Alcides Escobar, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Davis will earn $10MM next season and Escobar will rake in $6.5MM.
Davis helped pitch the Royals to back-to-back World Series appearances from 2014-15 and a championship last season, but he was a tad less dominant this year. He still thrived, though, recording a 1.87 ERA, 9.76 K/9, 3.32 BB/9 and 48.6 percent ground-ball rate in 43 1/3 innings. Davis threw 65-plus innings in each of the previous two years, but he missed significant time this season with a forearm strain. Landing on the disabled list in late July – right before the trade deadline – helped put the kibosh on a potential deal involving Davis, who had drawn interest across the league. Calls have continued to come in since for Davis, who would surely net a quality return as an affordable and elite reliever, but Kansas City reportedly won’t move him unless it receives young pitching in return.
Along with Davis, first baseman Eric Hosmer, left-hander Danny Duffy, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and third baseman Mike Moustakas are set to become free agents after next season, meaning general manager Dayton Moore might elect to give the club’s championship-winning core one more shot after injuries helped limit the Royals to 81 wins this year.
Escobar is also entering his final season under Kansas City’s control, and although he’s defensively gifted and speedy, the 29-year-old’s limitations at the plate weigh down his value. Dating back to last season, Escobar leads the Royals in plate appearances (1,344), but that’s not a positive for a player who has hit a meek .259/.293/.335. Nevertheless, with no clear upgrades available in free agency and the 21-year-old Raul Mondesi fresh off a less-than-stellar rookie season, retaining Escobar likely wasn’t a difficult choice for the Royals.
Mets Intend To Make Qualifying Offer To Neil Walker
The Mets intend to make a $17.2MM qualifying offer to impending free agent Neil Walker, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. Around this time last month, Rubin reported that Walker would likely receive the QO so long as his recovery from the season-ending back surgery he underwent in September progressed well. It would seem, then, that Walker’s rehab remains on track.
Walker, 31, came to the Mets from the Pirates last winter in a one-for-one swap that sent Jon Niese to Pittsburgh. New York clearly got the better end of the deal, as Walker was one of the team’s best hitters, batting .282/.347/.476 and tying a career-high with 23 home runs. While his defense has been questioned in the past, he drew strong marks from both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved in 2016 and was a slam-dunk qualifying offer candidate prior to undergoing the aforementioned back surgery.
While some may question the Mets’ wisdom, if Walker’s recovery from the operation is going well, he’s a strong candidate to receive a multi-year deal that will guarantee him considerably more than he’d earn by accepting the QO. A sizable four-year deal seemed likely for Walker before his surgery, and while four years doesn’t feel as likely in the wake of his operation, a three-year pact at a considerable annual value would still be a more lucrative offer than a one-year deal at a higher rate. If Walker does decline the qualifying offer, any team that wishes to sign him will forfeit its top unprotected draft pick (the top 10 overall selections in the draft are protected), and the Mets will receive a compensatory pick at the end of the first round.
In the event that Walker departs, the Mets aren’t short on internal options to replace him at second base. Jose Reyes‘ league-minimum option will be exercised by the team, and Wilmer Flores has plenty of experience at second base as well. Beyond that, rookie T.J. Rivera emerged from Triple-A Las Vegas and showed well in September this season, giving the Mets a variety of options to vie for playing time in 2017.
Giants To Exercise 2017 Option On Matt Moore
The Giants will exercise their $7MM club option on left-hander Matt Moore, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The decision, if it can even be called that, amounted to little more than a formality, as Moore’s affordable salary and the two club options remaining on his deal beyond the 2017 season make him a bargain for San Francisco.
San Francisco acquired the 27-year-old Moore from the Rays just prior to the trade deadline in a deal that sent infielder Matt Duffy and prospects Lucius Fox and Michael Santos back to Tampa Bay. Moore long rated as one of the top prospect in all of baseball and looked to have established himself as a burgeoning front-line starter with an All-Star 2013 season, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2014 and missed the bulk of the next two seasons.
While he struggled in his return from Tommy John last year, Moore logged a career-high 198 1/3 innings this season (plus eight more brilliant frames in the NLDS). The former eighth-rounder notched a 4.08 ERA in 130 innings with the Rays and posted an identical mark in 68 1/3 regular-season innings with the Giants, averaging 8.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over the course of the entire season. He’ll join Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija in San Francisco’s rotation next season, and the Giants can retain him in 2018 and 2019 via club options that are respectively valued at $9MM and $10MM.
Rangers To Exercise Jonathan Lucroy’s Option
In the ultimate no-brainer decision, the Rangers will exercise star catcher Jonathan Lucroy‘s $5.25MM club option for 2017.
Lucroy, whom the Rangers acquired from the Brewers prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, will continue as one of the game’s most reasonably priced standouts for another season. Between Texas and Milwaukee, he batted a stellar .292/.355/.500 with 24 home runs in 544 plate appearances. That came after Lucroy battled injuries in 2015 and hit a disappointing .264/.326/.391 with seven homers in 415 PAs. Aside from that season, the 30-year-old has been among the game’s premier all-around catchers since 2012. As has typically been the case, Lucroy graded out quite well as a pitch framer this year, per both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner.
The 2017 campaign will be Lucroy’s last under the five-year, $11MM extension he inked with the Brewers in 2012. Whether via an extension with the Rangers or a deal with another team in free agency a year from now, Lucroy should become one of the sport’s highest-paid catchers sometime within the next 12-plus months.
Indians To Exercise Carlos Santana’s Option
The Indians will pick up their $12MM club option on designated hitter/first baseman Carlos Santana, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The decision was a foregone conclusion, as Santana not only remained productive in his age-30 campaign but had one of the best years of his career in 2016.
Santana, 31 next April, appeared in a career-high 158 games and notched a career-best 688 plate appearances in 2016. The switch-hitting slugger also notched career-best marks in homers (34), runs scored (89) and RBIs (87) while posting a strong .259/.366/.498 batting line that checked in well above the league average. Santana spent most of his time as Cleveland’s DH this season, starting 92 games there, though he did also make 64 appearances as a first baseman. It’s yet to be determined exactly how that playing time will be divided up in 2017, as the team currently stands to lose its primary first baseman, Mike Napoli, to free agency. However, GM Mike Chernoff said prior to the conclusion of the World Series that Cleveland had a desire to keep Napoli in the fold, so the possibility exists that Santana and Napoli can once again provide the bulk of the power in manager Terry Francona’s lineup next season.
We’re also nearing the point at which Santana’s future with the Indians becomes a question mark. Originally acquired in a wildly lopsided trade that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers, Santana has taken every at-bat of his Major League career whilst wearing an Indians uniform. Cleveland signed him to a five-year, $21MM pact prior to the 2012 season, and the 2016 campaign marked the final guaranteed year of that deal. His club option for 2017 was a no-brainer, but Santana will be eligible to test the open market for the first time next offseason if the Indians don’t broker a longer-term pact with him in the next 12 months.
Mets To Exercise Options For Jay Bruce, Jose Reyes; Decline Jon Niese’s
The Mets will exercise their 2017 club options for outfielder Jay Bruce and infielder Jose Reyes, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, who adds that the team will decline left-hander Jon Niese‘s option (link via Adam Rubin of ESPN.com). Bruce will make $13MM next season, Reyes will earn the league minimum and Niese will collect a $500K buyout in lieu of the $10MM he’d have gotten had the Mets picked up his option.
With a .219/.294/.391 line in 187 plate appearances, Bruce performed poorly after the Mets acquired him from the Reds at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Nevertheless, it’s unsurprising that the team is willing to retain him for next season, especially with fellow corner outfield option Yoenis Cespedes headed for free agency. If the Mets re-sign Cespedes or add other high-profile outfield help to go with Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto, it’s possible they’d shop Bruce, whose .265/.316/.559 line in 402 PAs with the Reds this season was enough for New York to send well-regarded infield prospect Dilson Herrera to Cincinnati for him. All told, Bruce slashed an above-average .250/.309/.506 with 33 home runs, thereby bouncing back from two straight miserable offensive seasons, though that’s not great production from a corner outfielder whose defense is questionable at best.
The controversial Reyes, meanwhile, rejoined the Mets on a minor league contract in July after serving a 51-game domestic violence suspension and receiving his release from the Rockies. From a baseball standpoint, the signing benefited the Mets this year, as he hit .267/.326/.443 with eight homers and nine steals across 445 PAs. Reyes, who previously thrived as a shortstop with the Mets from 2003-11, primarily played third base while filling in for the injured David Wright. He could continue to factor in at the hot corner in 2017, and it’s possible he’ll also see time as a second baseman and outfielder.
This year was also Niese’s second go-around with the Mets, whom they traded to the Pirates last offseason for second baseman Neil Walker. Niese was a steady option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled mightily in Pittsburgh. That led the Pirates to trade Niese back to the Mets for reliever Antonio Bastardo at the deadline. In six appearances down the stretch, including four from the bullpen, Niese yielded 14 earned runs on 13 hits and nine walks in 11 innings. Between Pittsburgh and New York, he pitched to a 5.50 ERA in 121 frames and posted the worst home run-to-fly ball ratio of his career (22.1 percent). Otherwise, Niese’s strikeout and walk rates (6.55 and 3.5) were fairly normal, as was his ground-ball percentage (51.1). He’ll now join a free agent market overflowing with fellow back-end starters.
Nationals Pick Up Gio Gonzalez’s 2017 Option, Decline Yusmeiro Petit’s
The Nationals have exercised left-hander Gio Gonzalez‘s club option for 2017 and declined right-hander Yusmeiro Petit‘s, the team announced. Gonzalez will earn $12MM next season, while Petit will hit the open market after receiving a $500K buyout from the Nats.
After logging ERAs ranging from 2.89 ERA to 3.79 in each season from 2010-15, Gonzalez allowed runs at a 4.57 clip per nine innings this year. Picking up Gonzalez’s option was a no-brainer in spite of that, though, especially given that the Nats could take advantage of a weak free agent market and use the 31-year-old as trade bait. Despite his bloated ERA, he still posted solid strikeout and walk rates of 8.68 and 2.99, and generated ground balls at a 47.6 percent clip. Gonzalez threw 177 1/3 innings, his highest total since 2013, and his $12MM club option for 2018 will vest if he manages to rack up 180 frames next season.
Like Gonzalez, Petit took a step back this year, but his was damaging enough for Washington to pass on him at an inexpensive cost for 2017. Petit’s 7.11 K/9 and 2.18 BB/9 aren’t far from his career averages, and he set a career high with a 41.5 percent grounder rate, but his 4.50 ERA across 62 innings is the worst figure he has put up since 2009. Left-handed hitters caused most of the damage this year, teeing off on Petit with a .269/.336/.588 line. He was far more effective against right-handers (.267/.295/.403) and will now try to catch on elsewhere as a bullpen option.
Phillies Decline 2017 Options For Ryan Howard, Charlie Morton
The Phillies have declined their 2017 club options for first baseman Ryan Howard and right-hander Charlie Morton, per a team announcement. Philadelphia will now pay Howard a $10MM buyout in lieu of the $23MM that it would have owed the slugger had it picked up the option. Morton would have made $9.5MM next season, but he will receive a far more modest $1MM buyout instead.
The club’s decision to move on from Howard comes as no surprise, but it’s the end of a long era that was quite fruitful at times. A fifth-round pick in 2001, Howard debuted in earnest in 2005 and served as one of the majors’ preeminent home run threats from then until 2011. Howard clubbed at least 45 home runs in four seasons during that span, including a majors-best 58 in 2006 en route to National League MVP honors. Two years later, Howard once again paced the league with 48 long balls in a season that ended with the Phillies’ first World Series championship since 1980.
On the strength of his early success, the three-time All-Star signed a five-year, $125MM extension with the Phillies in April 2010, but the deal was mostly disastrous for the team. From that point forward, Howard batted an underwhelming .240/.314/.452 in 3,386 plate appearances, though he did add 160 more homers to give him 382 as a Phillie – second in club history to Mike Schmidt’s 548. Between his declining offense and inability to contribute as a baserunner or defender, Howard combined for a microscopic 0.4 fWAR during his final seven years with the franchise. The soon-to-be 37-year-old indicated in September that he wants to continue his career, but it’s likely his only hope will be to catch on as a designated hitter with an American League team. Even that might be a stretch, though, as Howard slashed just .196/.257/.453 in 362 PAs this year while ceding at-bats to Tommy Joseph.
Morton should fare better than Howard on the open market, but injuries have beset the 32-year-old throughout his career and that continued in 2016. After making just four starts, Morton underwent season-ending surgery on a torn left hamstring. The Phillies hoped Morton would serve as a veteran anchor to their young pitching staff upon acquiring him from the Pirates last December, but the injury prevented that from happening. When healthy, Morton has been a usable back-end option, having pitched to a 4.54 ERA while inducing grounders at a 55.4 percent clip in 893 career innings. From 2013-14, his best two-year stretch, Morton logged a 3.52 ERA and 58.9 percent ground-ball rate in 273 1/3 frames.