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Kirby Yates Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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MARCH 25: Yates underwent successful Tommy John surgery, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic tweets. He’ll miss the entire season.

MARCH 23, 10:15pm: Yates’ elbow was also an issue during the offseason, as the Braves backed out of a one-year, $9MM guarantee, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The Blue Jays also reduced his $8.5MM deal, per Rosenthal. Toronto knew at the time that Atlanta pulled its offer off the table.

3:38pm: The Blue Jays received some unwelcome injury news Tuesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic was among those to report. Right-handed reliever Kirby Yates will likely undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season, outfielder George Springer has a Grade 2 oblique strain, and lefty Robbie Ray suffered a bruised elbow.

An elite end-of-game option with the Padres from 2018-19, Yates threw 4 1/3 innings last season as he dealt with elbow issues. That didn’t stop the Blue Jays from taking a one-year, $5.5MM chance on him in free agency this past offseason, but the would-be closer was diagnosed with a flexor strain Monday. It now looks as if Yates may never pitch for the club, which could lean on the likes of Jordan Romano, David Phelps, Rafael Dolis and Tyler Chatwood for saves in his absence.

The news on Springer and Ray also comes off as alarming, though neither injury appears especially serious. Toronto is hopeful that Springer, a former Astros standout who signed a whopping six-year, $150MM guarantee in the offseason, will be ready for Opening Day. Likewise, the Jays could have Ray ready for the start of the season. The team re-signed him to a one-year, $8MM pact in free agency.

Quick Hits: Springer, Conforto, Straw, Greinke

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The Mets were a popular pick for outfielder George Springer before he signed a six-year, $150MM contract with the Blue Jays in January. Team president Sandy Alderson “suggested” on Monday that the Mets were willing to sign Springer for five years, not six, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Alderson added that New York likely wouldn’t have been able to extend outfielder Michael Conforto had it signed Springer. “At some point, even Steve Cohen runs out of money,” Alderson said of the team’s owner. Conforto, who turned 28 today, is three years younger than Springer and coming off an even better season at the plate. He’s due to become a free agent next winter, but the Mets expect to begin talks on an extension sometime soon.

  • With Springer no longer in Houston, the Astros appear likely to turn to Myles Straw at center field to open the season. If the Straw experiment doesn’t work out, though, it’s probable that Chas McCormick will be their fallback plan at the position, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic writes. The 25-year-old has a better chance to make the team than veteran outfielder Steven Souza Jr., whom the Astros signed to a minor league deal, as he’s already on their 40-man roster and capable of playing center, Kaplan notes. McCormick impressed during his most recent minors action in 2019, when he slashed .269/.386/.432 with 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 448 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • Sticking with the Astros, ace Zack Greinke is entering the last season of his contract – his age-37 campaign – but is not thinking retirement, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relays. Based on his performance in 2020, Greinke has plenty left in the tank. Although he posted a 4.03 ERA – one of the highest figures of his potential Hall of Fame career – Greinke registered a better 3.72 SIERA with a 24.5 percent strikeout rate and an elite 3.3 percent walk rate. Greinke also induced a fair amount of weak contact, evidenced in part by the 86.8 mph exit velocity hitters mustered against him.

Pitcher Notes: Mets, Paxton, Robertson, Sanchez

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The Mets made a run at James Paxton, but they were outbid by the Mariners, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman suggests the Mets will now turn their attention to Taijuan Walker or Jake Odorizzi. Frankly, it seems unlikely they would find the right price point on Odorizzi coming off a very similar season to Paxton (but with a longer track record of good health). Besides, the list of players the Mets “were in on” includes Jake Arrieta, Rich Hill, George Springer and others, notes Andy Martino of the SNY Network (via Twitter). That’s not a knock on the Mets, of course, who have been one of the more active teams this winter. Let’s check in some other free agent pitchers…

  • Free agent reliever David Robertson threw for a handful of teams yesterday, but the price on his long-term future remains unclear. His old pals from New York were in attendance, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter), but the Yankees are far from the only team who might have interest. Despite the dumb-luck turn of his Philly tenure, Robertson is an intriguing buy-low candidate. Injuries limited the right-hander to seven appearances over the past two seasons, but in the ten years prior, Robertson should be proud of a 2.67 ERA/2.77 FIP while striking out an excellent-for-the-era 32.6 percent of hitters and walking a near-average 9.5 percent of challengers. The Yankees probably remember better than most just how good Robertson was in his prime. Approaching his age-36 season, Robertson is decidedly on the downslope of his career – but he has a long way to fall before losing his utility.
  • Aaron Sanchez also headed back to the hill to throw for scouts on Saturday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The Mets were among those present, as they continue to keep their hand in the starting pitching market. Sanchez is on record as wanting a spot in the rotation, which could limit his potential landing spots. It now seems like ages ago that Sanchez led the American League with a 3.00 ERA over 30 starts for the Blue Jays in 2016. Since that All-Star campaign, Sanchez has compiled a 5.29 ERA/5.12 FIP across 55 starts totaling 272 1/3 innings with a worm-killing 47.8 percent groundball rate. An 18.1 percent strikeout rate and 11.7 percent walk rate are less than inspiring figures, however.

Braves Notes: Aaron, Hendriks, Springer

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The idea of Henry Aaron and Willie Mays in the same outfield is the stuff of “all-time team” discussions, yet the two legends came close to beginning their careers as teammates.  MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince looks back at an Aaron quote given to author Donald Honig for an essay published close to 20 years ago, as Aaron stated that the Boston Braves and Mays’ New York Giants were among the teams looking to sign Aaron away from the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues.

“I had the Giants’ contract in my hand, but the Braves offered $50 a month more. That’s the only thing that kept Willie Mays and me from being teammates — $50,” Aaron said.

If it’s any consolation to old-school Giants fans, Castrovince notes that this story could be somewhat apocryphal.  Plus, Aaron might not have gotten as immediate a chance to regularly play if he had signed with the Giants, considering New York had a stacked team that won the 1954 World Series.  However, one can only imagine the alternate version of baseball history that would have grown from a Mays/Aaron tandem in the Giants’ outfield, whether it results in more championships for the Giants, how it would have impacted Aaron’s home run totals, or perhaps whether the Giants would have remained in New York rather than moved to San Francisco.

More on the Braves…

  • The Braves had interest in Liam Hendriks before Hendriks signed with the White Sox earlier this month, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  This could indicate that Atlanta is looking to bolster its closing options, and perhaps make a significant investment in the process.  The Braves have shown willing to spend on their bullpen in recent years, with moves like last winter’s free agent deal with Will Smith and absorbing Mark Melancon’s contract at the 2019 trade deadline.  Melancon handled closer duties for Atlanta in 2020 and is still unsigned, so a reunion seems theoretically possible.
  • George Springer was also reportedly on the Braves’ radar until the very late stages of the outfielder’s free agent tenure, though ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (subscription required) writes that the team was looking to act “as a potential safety net” if Springer didn’t find a long-term offer to his satisfaction.  Essentially, it would have been this offseason’s version of the Braves’ past one-year deals with Marcell Ozuna and Josh Donaldson, as Atlanta took advantage of thin markets for those two players and were rewarded with outstanding seasons.  Springer did find the big deal he was looking for, however, landing a six-year, $150MM contract from the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays Sign George Springer

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TODAY: The Blue Jays have officially announced the signing.  Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi (via Twitter) also has a full breakdown of the contract, which includes an eight-team no-trade clause.  Springer receives a $10MM signing bonus, a $22MM salary in 2021, $28MM in 2022, then $22.5MM each year from 2023-26.  There is also a $150K bonus if Springer wins an MVP award, as well as $50K bonuses for other achievements like a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, World Series MVP Awards, or an All-Star selection.

JANUARY 19, 9:58pm: It’s a six-year, $150MM pact, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.

9:54pm: The Jays and Springer have a deal, pending a physical, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets.

9:36pm: The Blue Jays and free-agent outfielder George Springer are closing in on an agreement, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Brendon Kuhn of Blue Jays Nation first reported the two sides had a contract in place, pending a physical. Springer is a client of Excel Sports Management.

George Springer | Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

This is a monumental pickup for the Blue Jays, who have been in on virtually every big name this offseason as they seek to improve their roster off a playoff campaign in 2020. The Jays had largely come up short until Tuesday, but that’s going to change with the addition of Springer.

It would be difficult to do much better on the open market than Springer, a three-time All-Star who thrived as a member of the Astros from 2014-20. Springer took 3,567 plate appearances as an Astro and batted .270/.361/.491 (134 wRC+) with 174 home runs. He helped the team to a pair of pennants and a World Series championship in the process. Springer was outstanding in the playoffs with the Astros, evidenced by his 19 home runs – the fourth most in the history of the postseason.

As a result of his success in Houston, MLBTR predicted when the offseason began that Springer would ink a five-year, $125MM contract in free agency. The Blue Jays and Mets seemingly showed more interest in the 31-year-old than anyone else this winter, and New York did offer around $120MM to $125MM over six years, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. However, Springer is taking the higher proposal – a record deal for the Jays – and heading north to join a burgeoning Toronto team that will have to overcome the Rays and Yankees in the American League East.

Springer figures to take over in center field for Toronto, which started Randal Grichuk for most of 2020 but has never seemed content with him at the position. The Springer pickup may help lead to the end of the Grichuk-Blue Jays union, as the team has Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez as corner outfield options, and it may not be done adding. According to both Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Heyman, another former Astro – Michael Brantley – is a possibility for the team in free agency. Brantley is friends with Springer and would provide Toronto yet another big bat. “There’s legit legs” regarding a Brantley-Toronto agreement, and the club’s “very open to it,” Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets.

The Springer signing will have draft-related ramifications for both the Blue Jays and Astros in 2021. Because Houston gave Springer an $18.9MM qualifying offer (which he rejected), the team will receive a fourth-round pick as compensation for his departure. For signing Springer, Toronto will surrender the No. 54 overall pick in next summer’s draft and $500K in international bonus pool money. The pick probably isn’t going to do much to make up for Springer’s exit for the Astros, though, and the Jays likely aren’t upset to lose the selection and pool money in exchange for one of baseball’s best outfielders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

George Springer Notes: Astros, Mets, Braves

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Outfielder George Springer, arguably the premier position player on this winter’s open market, came off the free-agent board when he agreed to a six-year, $150MM contract with the Blue Jays earlier this week. Unsurprisingly, though, other teams made a serious push to sign the three-time All-Star. The Astros were not one of those clubs, however, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle suggests they made no real attempt to re-sign Springer after he turned down their $18.9MM qualifying offer.

The Mets, who were considered one of the front-runners to ink Springer during his stay on the market, offered a six-year deal worth $120MM to $125MM, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Springer would have made for yet another significant addition under new owner Steve Cohen, who has already overseen the acquisitions of Francisco Lindor, James McCann, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor May in the past couple months.

Whether the Mets will continue shopping for a starting-caliber outfielder after falling short in the Springer derby remains to be seen, as they already have Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith as their top three right now. But Marcell Ozuna, who received interest from the Mets earlier this winter, remains available in free agency. The Mets have also discussed third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant with the Cubs, while Jackie Bradley Jr. leads the remaining class of free-agent center fielders in the wake of the Springer deal.

One of the Mets’ NL East rivals – Atlanta – also vied for Springer, who would have replaced Ozuna in its outfield. The Braves were “in on Springer until the end,” David O’Brien of The Athletic writes. Ultimately, though, the Braves were unwilling to go to the lengths the Jays did to sign Springer. Indeed, it would have been out of the norm for general manager Alex Anthopoulos to make that type of commitment to a free agent, even though the Braves could use another established star in their outfield to team with Ronald Acuna Jr.

Latest On George Springer, Blue Jays

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8:55pm: The “sense” is that Toronto is “gaining some momentum” in its attempt to sign Springer, Heytman tweets. The Blue Jays appear to be the front-runners to reel in Springer, who Heyman notes could get upward of $125MM on his contract, but the Mets aren’t out yet.

9:58am: The Blue Jays are believed to be “making a push” to bring free-agent outfielder George Springer into the fold, Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet report. The two sides were expected to reconnect early this week, per the report. In a related note, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted yesterday that Springer “could” make a decision by the end of the week. While that’s certainly not the most concrete phrasing, its juxtaposition with the Sportsnet update seems to suggest that Springer’s market is heating up with under a month until Spring Training is set to begin.

Earlier this month, SNY’s Jim Duquette said in a television segment that the Jays had offered Springer a five-year deal that checked in south of his $150MM asking price. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman pegged the offer in the $115MM range yesterday (video link), noting that the Mets’ best offer has been believed to be in that same ballpark.

The Springer market has been characterized as a two-horse race for weeks now, and Toronto’s primary competition in Queens has already spent aggressively to acquire Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May (in addition to retaining Marcus Stroman via qualifying offer). Whether the Mets would cross the luxury-tax barrier in order to sign Springer remains to be seen. Multiple reports over the past few weeks have suggested that Springer’s preference is to play close to his home in New Britain, Conn., but Davidi and Nicholson-Smith write that Springer’s interest in the Jays is “genuine,” with geography posing a minimal obstacle.

In terms of payroll capacity, the Jays have a relatively clean slate moving forward. Toronto has just shy of $68MM committed to 10 players for the 2021 season, and they’ll of course need to round out their roster with pre-arbitration players earning somewhere in the vicinity of the league minimum. The club has just $35MM in guaranteed contracts on the books in 2022 and $36MM in 2023, with zero dollars in guarantees beginning in 2024.

The Blue Jays’ front office has spoken openly about its desire to add top-tier talent this winter as the organization continues a shift from a rebuilding mode to a win-now mindset. Last year’s signing of Hyun Jin Ryu set a precedent for acquiring high-end talent, and the Jays are known to have had interest in virtually every top free agent and trade candidate on this year’s market.

Thus far, that hasn’t resulted in much actual talent acquisition. Toronto has signed rebound candidates Robbie Ray and Tyler Chatwood, and they’re reportedly meeting with right-hander Kirby Yates today as the two sides inch closer to a potential agreement. But the Jays have also finished as a runner-up on several notable targets, including DJ LeMahieu and Lindor.

At this point, Springer appears to be the team’s priority among the market’s remaining big fish, though if he spurns their interest and lands with the Mets or an unexpected suitor, the Jays could intensify their pursuit of J.T. Realmuto and/or Trevor Bauer.

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Brantley, Cardinals, Hicks, Astros

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The Blue Jays continue to have interest in Michael Brantley, writes Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Toronto’s top free agent outfield target remains George Springer, and Rosenthal floats the possibility of the Jays signing both players. Springer and Brantley have spent the past two seasons as teammates with the Astros, and Brantley is plenty familiar with Jays’ president/CEO Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins from their time in Cleveland. Signing both Springer and Brantley would make for a bit of an awkward fit on-paper, since Toronto already has a glut of corner outfield/designated hitter options. Nevertheless, doing so could free the Jays up to trade one of their young, in-house outfielders for rotation help, Rosenthal feels.

Some more from around the sport:

  • Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks is “ready to go” for next season, bullpen coach Bryan Eversgerd tells reporters (including Anne Rogers of MLB.com). That’s welcome news after a setback in Hicks’ recovery from Tommy John surgery contributed to his choice to opt out of the 2020 season. The 24-year-old suffers from Type 1 diabetes, which no doubt also played a role in that decision. In 106.2 career innings between 2018-19, the fireballer has pitched to a 3.47 ERA behind an elite 62.3% groundball rate.
  • The Astros have signed Ryne Stanek and Pedro Báez this winter. Even still, they’d like to continue to add to their bullpen, ideally by acquiring a traditional closer, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “It’s something that I think all of us would like to have, and it can certainly make you feel better about your bullpen than if you don’t have someone who maybe has done it in the past,” general manager James Click said of a set ninth inning option. “However, there are always guys who step up into that role every year. There are new closers every year, and our young talent on this roster did an impressive job last season in stepping up in some roles that, if we’re being honest, I don’t think that we thought that they might have been ready for, and our hand was forced because of a lot of different reasons.” As Click alluded to, Houston’s bullpen was decimated by injuries in 2020 and ranked just 24th league-wide with a 4.55 SIERA. One potential option is Brad Hand, with whom the club remains in contact, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

East Notes: Lindor, Yankees, Springer, Mets, Jays, Braves

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The Yankees never made a formal offer to the Indians in talks regarding Francisco Lindor, writes Buster Olney of ESPN. The two teams kicked around frameworks involving Lindor before Cleveland dealt him and right-hander Carlos Carrasco to the Mets, but the Yankees evidently never put an official proposal on the table. It seems the Yankees were deterred by Lindor’s lofty projected arbitration salary for 2021, which eventually landed at $22.3MM. New York’s main focus all winter has been agreeing to a long-term deal with DJ LeMahieu, which the team finally pulled off this week.

More out of the East divisions:

  • The Mets and Blue Jays have been the two teams most closely connected to George Springer this winter. Jon Morosi of MLB.com feels the Mets have the geographical upper hand, noting that the Connecticut native and former UConn star would prefer to play close to home. (Springer’s home town of New Britain is approximately a two-hour drive from Queens, compared to seven-plus hours to Toronto). Of course, geographical ties of this sort are often discussed as potential tiebreakers for prominent free agents but are rarely enough to overcome significant discrepancies in teams’ respective contract proposals. Indeed, Morosi acknowledges the possibility the Mets eventually turn their attention elsewhere, particularly if they manage to sign reliever Brad Hand.
  • More from Olney, who notes that the Braves “appear highly unlikely” to re-sign outfielder Marcell Ozuna. The 30-year-old slugger had an incredible season in Atlanta after signing a one-year deal last offseason. Ozuna is now in line for a much bigger multi-year accord this winter. That doesn’t fit the general approach of Braves’ GM Alex Anthopolous, who has tended to shy away from longer-term deals since taking over baseball operations. Just last winter, the Braves watched Josh Donaldson, who had starred on a similar pillow contract in 2019, walk for a four-year deal with the Twins. MLBTR projects a $72MM accord over that same length for Ozuna.

Latest On J.T. Realmuto, George Springer

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The Phillies have made a five-year offer worth “slightly” more than $100MM to free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic. It’s the second such offer the team has made to Realmuto since last spring, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who adds that there’s “a groundswell of optimism” that Philadelphia will re-sign the two-time All-Star.

The 29-year-old Realmuto spent the previous two seasons in Philadelphia, where the ex-Marlin continued his run as the majors’ premier catcher. Realmuto made it known during those two years that he wanted to remain a Phillie for the long haul, so it’s unsurprising that the team is putting forth a serious effort to keep him. The Phillies have “begun to position themselves as the favorite” in the Realmuto derby, Stark writes, in part because other potential suitors seem to be fading away.

The Mets, who looked like one of the front-runners to get Realmuto when the offseason started, signed James McCann instead. The Yankees probably aren’t in the mix after agreeing to re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu for $90MM and retaining catcher Gary Sanchez. The Angels may not be involved after agreeing to sign veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki on Friday, while Stark notes that the Rangers “seem unlikely” to dole out a nine-figure contract at this juncture. The Astros look like a fit for Realmuto, but as a qualifying offer recipient, signing Realmuto would require giving up draft picks, and they’re reportedly hesitant to do that. The Nationals have shown interest in Realmuto, though it’s unknown whether they’re willing to hand out $100MM-plus in this case.

The Realmuto sweepstakes may ultimately come down to the Phillies and the Blue Jays, who have been in on seemingly every star player this winter. However, per Stark and Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Toronto’s main focus appears to be free-agent outfielder George Springer. The Jays regard center field as a bigger need than catcher, which is why they’re making a greater push for Springer.

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