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Boone Logan Unlikely To Return In 2017

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The Indians will likely go the rest of the way without lefty Boone Logan, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. While he probably won’t need surgery to address his lat injury, Logan is expected to require a lengthy period of rest and rehab.

If Logan doesn’t make it back, it’ll complicate the team’s decision on his $7MM club option, which comes with a $1MM buyout. Soon to turn 33, Logan has bumped his typically outstanding swinging-strike rate to a career-best 18.5% while averaging a dozen strikeouts per nine, drawing grounders on half of the balls put in play against him, and throwing as hard as ever. He has also managed only a 4.71 ERA, though perhaps he has been unfortunate to carry a .353 BABIP-against as well as a 62.5% strand rate. Cleveland has deployed Logan mostly against lefties, calling on him for only 21 innings over 38 appearances.

Since Logan initially hit the DL, the Indians have also lost star southpaw Andrew Miller — though he wasn’t exactly a situational piece. That potentially adds to the need left with the departure of Logan, though. Cleveland does have some internal options. Tyler Olson has carried his intriguing Triple-A numbers into the majors thus far, though that’s in just a four-appearance sample. And the club just added veteran southpaw Craig Breslow on a minors deal; of course, he did not exactly thrive earlier this year with the division-rival Twins.

All said, the news that Logan is likely down for the count could well spur the Indians to make a move — if, that is, an appealing option becomes available. While deadline targets like Brad Hand and Zach Britton weren’t traded, it’s far from clear that either would represent plausible candidates to move in August. And MLBTR’s list of the most likely August trade chips isn’t exactly loaded with lefty relievers. But it’s reasonably likely a contender or two will make an interesting arm available after they fall out of the race, and there are a few starters (say, Clayton Richard and Derek Holland) that could conceivably move into a relief role.

Indians Place Boone Logan On 10-Day DL

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The Indians have placed southpaw Boone Logan on the 10-day DL, according to a club announcement. That move was largely expected after he departed his most recent appearance with what is being labeled a lat strain.

Logan is expected to miss “significant time,” per skipper Terry Francona, via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). While it’s not clear just how long that will be, and Logan is still set for a second opinion, it seems reasonable to expect that the club won’t be able to count upon him to be a major contributor down the stretch.

For the time being, at least, lefty Tyler Olson will come up to take the open roster spot. The 27-year-old has only brief MLB experience, but has been throwing well this year at Triple-A. Through 40 2/3 innings there, he owns a 3.32 ERA with 11.5 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.

The strikeout rate, in particular, represents a huge leap forward for Olson. But he’ll have fairly large shoes to fill. While Logan actually hasn’t been as effective against lefties (.711 OPS) as righties (.638) this year and owns a 4.71 ERA, he has dominated same-handed hitters historically and is humming along with 12.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and a fifty percent groundball rate.

While Olson’s intriguing run at Columbus makes him worthy of a shot at the majors, there isn’t much time to assess him before the trade deadline. The Indians do have one of the game’s very best left-handed relievers in Andrew Miller, of course, but he’s not utilized as a lefty specialist. In addition to Olson, Ryan Merritt currently occupies a pen slot, but he’s more of a swingman than a matchup option from the pen.

With Cleveland looking to hold off several competitors in the division while also preparing for a hopeful postseason bid, it’ll have to at least consider looking at the trade market. There are quite a few southpaws available on this year’s market, though the best among them figure to be in high demand.

AL Notes: Sanchez, Red Sox, Indians, Logan, Yankees

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Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez left his start today after coming down with another blister, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports (Twitter links). While the 25-year-old says he is holding out hope of avoiding another DL stint, that may be optimistic. Sanchez had only just returned from a lengthy absence prompted by the same injury, though it does not appear to have occurred in precisely the same place. Ongoing uncertainty with such a key player doesn’t help the already murky outlook for Toronto, which fell to eight games under .500 with a loss today. It seems reasonable at this point to anticipate at least a minor sell-off of short-term veterans, though most of the players the team would be most willing to move have struggled in 2017.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Red Sox now have Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez atop their list of possible third-base targets, a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Indeed, the clubs have discussed Boston’s interest in both Nunez and reliever Hunter Strickland, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It seems the Sox are also still engaged with the Marlins on third bagger Martin Prado (as well as reliever David Phelps) along with Pirates infielders David Freese and Josh Harrison. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that Prado is on the DL, while the Bucs may be hesitant to deal given the team’s improved outlook. All told, it still seems to be a wide-open search.
  • It’s not clear if talks have occurred between the Indians and Giants, but Cleveland is scouting Nunez as well, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). With the defending AL champs still battling for a postseason spot, they can’t just wait idly for second baseman Jason Kipnis to return from the DL. And a player such as Nunez would also improve the team’s bench once Kipnis is back.
  • The Indians also got some bad news on the pitching front today, as lefty Boone Logan departed his appearance with an injury to his lat muscle, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. Logan owns an ugly 4.95 ERA on the year, but he’s producing 12.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 49.0% groundball rate, with a .360 BABIP helping to explain the disconnect. Ryan Merritt is on hand to give the team another southpaw matchup option to go with relief ace Andrew Miller, though it’s possible to imagine the Indians weighing alternatives if Logan’s injury turns out to be serious.
  • With Todd Frazier now in pinstripes, the Yankees intend to work Chase Headley in at first base, manager Joe Girardi told reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The switch-hitting Headley will pair with new addition Garrett Cooper for the time being, though that duo doesn’t promise to deliver the kind of offensive output that might be hoped for from the position. It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will continue to dabble in the market for first basemen.

Indians Designate Austin Adams For Assignment

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The Indians have designated right-handed reliever Austin Adams for assignment to make room for the addition of left-handed reliever Boone Logan, whose deal with the team is now official, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Adams, whom the Indians chose in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, has seen action with the Tribe in each season since making his major league debut in 2014. The results have been largely underwhelming, though, despite the fact that Adams possesses a fastball that averages 96 mph.

In 58 2/3 major league innings, Adams has logged a 6.29 ERA, 6.75 K/9 and 3.22 BB/9. A significant portion of the damage came last season, when the 30-year-old pitched to a sky-high 9.82 ERA across 18 1/3 frames. While Adams posted a career-high K/9 (8.35), he surrendered home runs on 25 percent of fly balls and allowed a .333/.386/.679 batting line and .439 wOBA (for reference, David Ortiz led the majors with a .419 wOBA). Adams, to his credit, has been a lot better at the Triple-A level, where he has managed a 3.47 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 103 2/3 innings.

AL Notes: Twins, Park, Orioles, Logan

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Correcting a previous report, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Twins will not release designated hitter/first baseman Byung Ho Park if they’re unable to trade him. Park has been in limbo since Minnesota designated him for assignment last Friday and looks poised to head to camp as a non-roster invitee. The Twins owe the 30-year-old $9.25MM through the 2019 season.

Now here’s the latest out of Baltimore, courtesy of Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com:

  • Orioles general manager Dan Duquette informed Kubatko he’s “looking for some more depth” to add to the team’s bullpen, and he’s not going to discriminate based on handedness. Baltimore was eyeing lefty Boone Logan before he agreed to a deal with the Indians last week, Duquette confirmed, but it seems he was well out of the club’s price range. The Orioles would prefer signing someone to a minor league deal, per Kubatko, who notes that one reason they haven’t re-upped free agent right-hander Tommy Hunter is because he’s seeking a major league pact.
  • Free agent outfielder Nolan Reimold has spent nearly his entire career with the Orioles since they selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft, but they haven’t shown any interest in re-signing him, according to Kubatko. The right-handed-hitting Reimold, 33, has fared respectably at the plate in his career (.246/.323/.422 in 1,556 trips), though he registered a disappointing .222/.300/.365 line in 227 PAs last season to perhaps conclude his O’s tenure. Behind lefty-swinging corner outfielders Seth Smith and Hyun Soo Kim, the Reimold-less Orioles have a righty-hitting reserve in Joey Rickard, who handled southpaws over a small sample size as a rookie in 2016 (.313/.367/.494 in 90 PAs).
  • The Orioles’ signing of infielder Robert Andino to a minor league deal Monday may have closed the book on free agent Paul Janish’s time with the organization, Duquette told Kubatko. “We’ve been looking for a veteran shortstop and I’m not sure Paul Janish is going to come back to the O’s,” said Duquette. “So we had been talking to Janish and some others and then Andino reached out to us through Adam Jones. And he let Buck (Showalter) know that he was looking for a job and wanted to come back. So, we followed up with his agent.” The defensively adept Janish, who elected free agency after the Orioles outrighted him in October, totaled a combined 71 plate appearances with the team from 2015-16.

Indians To Sign Boone Logan

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6:49pm: Logan will earn a $5.5MM base salary in 2017, tweets Hoynes. His 2018 club option is worth $7MM and comes with a $1MM buyout.

2:31pm: It’s a one-year deal with a club option, per Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter).

1:55pm: The Indians have agreed to a deal with free-agent lefty Boone Logan, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Terms remain unknown at this time; the deal is pending the results of a physical.

Apr 18, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Boone Logan points to home during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Rockies won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Logan, 32, has reportedly sought a two-year deal, with indications he’d be able to command that. Before the offseason, MLBTR predicted a two-year, $12MM contract for the veteran. He just wrapped up a three-year, $16.5MM pact with the Rockies that didn’t really pan out for the team, though Logan certainly ended his tenure in Colorado on a strong note.

In 2016, Logan worked to a 3.69 ERA — all the more impressive that he did so while pitching at Coors Field — with 11.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 over 46 1/3 innings. With a 93 mph fastball and a devastating slider, he racked up an outstanding 16.4% swinging-strike rate that rates among the game’s best. He typically produces solid groundball rates, too, with a lifetime 46.4% mark.

Of course, Logan wasn’t nearly as good over the two prior seasons, over which he carried a 5.37 ERA — due, at least in part, to elevate BABIP totals (.379 in 2014 and .374 in 2015). He has also dealt with elbow issues at times, which presents  not-unfamiliar risk.

The bigger issue, though, may be in his usage limitations. While he’s dominant against opposing southpaws, Logan isn’t nearly as effective against righties. Over 847 total plate appearances during his career, righty hitters own a .288/.376/.478 slash.

[RELATED: Updated Indians Depth Chart]

For the Indians, though, Logan still offers plenty of functionality. The club already has the dominant Andrew Miller available as the southpaw piece of a high-leverage mix that includes righties Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. With those three arms already in place, skipper Terry Francona ought to have plenty of flexibility in deploying Logan to take full advantage of his skillset.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pitching Notes: Hammel, Jays, Royals, Blevins, Blanton, Braves

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Let’s take a look in at the latest on the pitching market:

  • MLB Network’s Peter Gammons tweets that one Cubs official to whom he recently spoke believes that many teams around the league assumed Jason Hammel was injured when Chicago surprisingly decided to decline his seemingly reasonable $12MM club option. That’s not the case, however, per Gammons, who notes that Hammel is in good health. It’s been a surprisingly slow market for the 34-year-old Hammel, who looks to be the top remaining starter on the open market. The 2016 season saw Hammel toss 166 2/3 innings with a 3.83 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 42.1 percent ground-ball rate. Over the past three seasons, Hammel sports a 3.68 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 40 percent grounder rate. Hammel did see his strikeout and walk rates trend in the wrong direction last year, which contributed to a 4.48 FIP, 4.34 xFIP and 4.28 SIERA that are among his worst marks since establishing himself as a big league starter.
  • Despite adding lefty J.P. Howell, the Blue Jays are still looking for another pen arm, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). It doesn’t seem as if there’s a clear preference between a righty and a lefty, as the club is said to be exploring both varieties of pitchers.
  • Likewise, Royals GM Dayton Moore says that his club still intends to add another arm, though it’s not clear specifically whether it’ll be for a starter or reliever, as Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was among those to tweet. Either the trade or the free agent market could hold the missing piece, the GM noted.
  • The Mets and left-hander Jerry Blevins “have been exchanging concepts” for some time now, writes ESPN’s Buster Olney, but the Mets have only proposed one-year scenarios to this point. Blevins is known to be seeking a multi-year pact and seemingly has a realistic shot of obtaining one. Payroll has reportedly been an issue for the Mets — their current projection of $146MM would be their second-highest Opening Day mark ever — though the New York Post reported yesterday that the Mets are open to pursuing a back-loaded deal, which could serve as a compromise of sorts.
  • Similarly, Olney notes that the Dodgers were very pleased with Joe Blanton last summer but have limited interest at this time after spending a combined $192MM to retain the trio of Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Rich Hill. Los Angeles is open to adding a reliever, but there have been rumors that they’re focused on one-year deals, and Olney’s mention of them does little to dispel that notion.
  • While there’s some uncertainty as to which left-handers will be working out of the Braves’ bullpen in 2017, Atlanta hasn’t expressed much interest in free agents such as Blevins, Javier Lopez, Boone Logan, Travis Wood and Chris Capuano, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves feel that those options are either too expensive or not definitive enough upgrades to sign. Ian Krol and Paco Rodriguez (if healthy) are likely to see significant work in the Atlanta relief corps this season, per O’Brien, who also runs down a number of other internal options.
  • Right-hander David Aardsma is slated to throw for interested teams tomorrow in hopes of landing an invite to Major League Spring Training somewhere. The 35-year-old last pitched in the Majors back in 2015, tossing 30 2/3 innings with the Braves and registering a 4.70 ERA. Aardsma has added about 20 pounds while following an Olympic weightlifting program in hopes of boosting his velocity. He struggled through a brief showing with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate last season but turned in strong minor league results in 2014-15.

Twins Rumors: Relievers, Morneau, Napoli, May, Vogelsong

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The Twins have been said to be on the hunt for bullpen help in recent days, and La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that right-hander Joe Blanton and left-hander Boone Logan are both on the the team’s radar. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, meanwhile, tweets that Minnesota has had some talks with Jerry Blevins’ camp as well. While any of the three veterans would serve as an upgrade to a Twins relief corps that is rife with question marks, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press hears that the Twins aren’t likely to sign a reliever to a multi-year deal. If that’s the case, it may be difficult for the team to reel in any of the three listed targets from Neal and Wolfson. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal recently reported that both Logan and Blevins could very well land two-year deals worth $12MM+, and Blanton remains a candidate for a multi-year deal as well. Berardino does note that the Twins are intrigued by lefty Craig Breslow’s recent workout and new arm slot.

  • While there’s been mutual interest reported between the Twins and former cornerstone Justin Morneau, Neal reports within his column that talks between Minnesota and Morneau’s camp weren’t especially productive, and the sides each came away feeling like there’s no current fit on the roster for the 35-year-old former MVP. Neal also suggests that while there’s been some interest in Mike Napoli, the bullpen might be a bigger priority right now. Berardino’s above-linked column, meanwhile, notes that Napoli is expected to sign elsewhere.
  • Right-hander Trevor May has spent much of the past two seasons pitching in relief (including all of his injury-shortened 2016 campaign), but the new Twins front office would like to see the once-well-regarded pitching prospect move back to the rotation in 2017, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. May says he feels “normal” again after dealing with significant back issues in 2016, and believes that “pitching with a set routine” on regular rest will help him keep it that way. “I’m not saying I have to have an amazing spring, by any means,” May said of earning a spot in the MLB rotation, “but I have to show I’m ready to go. I have a starter’s mind-set that I can throw all my pitches right away. … If the health is there, I feel like I can slide in there.”
  • Berardino also provides details on the minor-league deal between the organization and veteran righty Ryan Vogelsong. He’ll earn at a $1MM base rate in the majors. And the 39-year-old could take home up to $2.5MM if he earns and keeps a rotation spot for most of the year (30 starts), or as much as $1MM if he’s a stalwart in the pen (55 appearances, available in $200K increments). Though Vogelsong can opt out just before the start of the season, he won’t have any later opt-out opportunities if he ends up opening the year in the minors.

Latest On The Market For Left-Handed Relievers

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The agents for Jerry Blevins and Boone Logan are signaling to interested teams that each left-hander will be able to land two-year, $12MM deals or better, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That two-year, $12MM figure — the same contract inked by Antonio Bastardo with the Mets last offseason — was recently used a potential template for both Blevins and Logan by one executive that spoke with Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Nicholson-Smith recently reported that the Jays remain in contact with Blevins, and Rosenthal lists the Dodgers as another club that’s interested in his services. As is the case with their interest in Joe Blanton, though, the Dodgers are interested in a one-year deal, which could make it difficult to secure one of the top remaining names on the relief market. The New York Post’s Kevin Kernan writes that the Mets are checking in with Blevins’ camp on a daily basis. The Yankees are also in touch with the representatives for the remaining lefty relievers, Rosenthal adds, though they’re only interested in one-year deals with a low base salary or even minor league deals with Spring Training invites. That, it would seem, removes the likes of Blevins and Logan from the Yankees’ realistic options.

Both Blevins and Logan averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings this past season, though Blevins did so with a lower ERA (2.79 to 3.69) and better control (3.2 BB/9 to 3.9 BB/9). That strikeout rate represented an easy career-best for Blevins, while Logan has averaged better than 11 K/9 in each of the past five seasons with the Yankees and Rockies.

Meanwhile, Craig Breslow’s recent showcase, which was attended by roughly half the league, has thrust him into the conversation of available lefties. Breslow’s new arm slot was said to pique the interest of some clubs, and he represents a significantly more affordable option than other southpaws that have yet to sign with a new team. Rosenthal reports that the Indians, Mets and Dodgers each had multiple evaluators in attendance, and WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported recently that the Rockies, Blue Jays and Cubs were all in attendance as well. Kernan notes that he spoke to a scout who was in attendance for Breslow’s workout and came away impressed.

Travis Wood, too, is still seeking a new home this winter, but Nicholson-Smith notes that many in the industry still expect Wood to seek a starting job due to his experience in the rotation. That makes him a tough fit for the Blue Jays, and the fact that teams like the Yankees and Dodgers aren’t looking to break the bank, in my mind, makes either club seem like a long shot as well.

Free Agent Faceoff: Boone Logan vs. Jerry Blevins

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It has been a good year to be a left-handed reliever on the free-agent market — even if your name isn’t Aroldis Chapman and you don’t work routinely in the triple digits with your fastball. Brett Cecil and the Cardinals kicked things off with a four-year, $30.5MM pact that even includes no-trade protection. Power southpaw Mike Dunn scored three years and $19MM from the Rockies. And even true LOOGY Marc Rzepczynski scored $11MM over two seasons in his contract with the Mariners.

Those big deals suggest that there was plenty of competition in the market, which perhaps bodes well for the best remaining southpaw arms. Two, in particular stand out: Boone Logan, who played most recently with the Rockies, and Jerry Blevins, formerly of the Mets. You could throw Travis Wood into this mix, too, but he may have a somewhat different (if perhaps overlapping) market, since he’s capable of working as a starter. J.P. Howell has also been a quality reliever in recent years, but the soft-tossing southpaw declined last year in run prevention, velocity, and swinging-strike rate, so we’ll leave him out of the mix for this particular look at the relief market.

Focusing on Logan and Blevins, a variety of organizations could still be willing to cough up significant guarantees. In the A.L. East, the Orioles are deeper in the right-handed department (other than closer Zach Britton); the Yankees’ top southpaw after Chapman, Tommy Layne, isn’t exactly a late-inning monster; the Blue Jays are thin with Cecil departing (they project to feature Aaron Loup); and even the Red Sox could conceivably enter the picture (though they may feel set with Robbie Ross and Fernando Abad). The West, too, has conceivable suitors: the Astros entered the winter looking for a southpaw to pair with Tony Sipp, the Angels’ top southpaw is the solid but somewhat unexciting Jose Alvarez, and the A’s have made surprising pen investments in the past and would carry Daniel Coulombe as their LOOGY if Sean Doolittle is utilized as a closer (or is traded).

Over in the National League, the N.L. East-rival Nationals and Mets could both stand to add late-inning lefties, and the Marlins could as well. Miami has already spent heavily on its pen, and seemingly feels it’s complete, but doesn’t have a high-end lefty after losing Dunn. And the Cubs could stand to buttress their mix after adding swingman Brian Duensing on a modest contract — assuming, at least, that Mike Montgomery isn’t bumped from the rotation by some trade.

Apart from the fairly robust remaining need, there’s every reason to believe that both Logan (32) and Blevins (33) have set themselves up for nice contracts. Indeed, they turned in rather similar, rather productive seasons in 2016. Logan finally converted his steadily excellent swinging-strike rate into results, as he posted a 3.69 ERA (while spending half his time at Coors Field) on the back of 11.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 along with a 49.5% groundball rate. And Blevins allowed just 2.79 earned per nine. He also posted 11.1 K/9 while allowing 3.2 free passes per nine innings and generating grounders on 45.8% of the balls put in play against him.

Logan worked with an average 93.0 mph fastball but utilized his slider on over half of his deliveries to the plate. That mix enabled him post a personal-best 16.4% swinging-strike rate, which tied him with Andrew Miller for the third-highest mark among southpaws who threw at least thirty innings (trailing only Chapman and Britton).

Though he’s less of a power pitcher, and doesn’t get quite as many swings and misses, Blevins’ actually squeezed out a few more strikeouts than did Logan in their most recent seasons. Blevins continued to rely heavily on a cut fastball, his usage of which jumped when he went to the Mets in 2015, and that may have helped him limit the damage when pitching without the platoon advantage.

Indeed, Blevins holds the advantage over Logan when facing right-handed hitters. Though his strikeout, walk, and home run numbers weren’t nearly as good as when he did have the platoon advantage, Blevins limited righties to a .172/.266/.345 batting line last year. And he has generally been at least serviceable against them over his career. Logan, on the other hand, shows much more pronounced splits. Opposing righties have posted a big .288/.376/.478 slash against him in 847 total opportunities across his 11 MLB campaigns.

Looking at the bigger picture, neither pitcher really stands out. Logan missed some time in 2014 after undergoing surgery for bone chips following the 2013 season, but has generally been reasonably healthy. And Blevins did miss much of 2015 after consecutive forearm fractures, though both were freak instances. Each pitcher has had up years and down years, but their overall arcs aren’t altogether dissimilar. Over their careers, some metrics prefer one to the other (Blevins’s 3.58 FIP tops Logan’s 4.03 mark; Logan’s 3.78 xFIP is better than Blevins’s 3.92 rate).

So, it seems like a close call. If you were looking to add a useful southpaw arm to your bullpen, which of these two free agents would you prefer?

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