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Jeff Kent Falls Off Hall Of Fame Ballot

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Former second baseman Jeff Kent has been up for Hall of Fame consideration for a decade, with this year marking his last crack at induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America. Kent received 46.5% of the the vote during this cycle, well shy of the 75% needed for induction. He falls off the ballot and will no longer be considered by the BBWAA.

Kent hovered in the 25-50% vote share range for his final four seasons. He never seemed in danger of falling below the 5% threshold that cuts players from the ballot early but also didn’t get the kind of late momentum needed to vault him within striking range of induction. If he’s to be enshrined in Cooperstown, that’ll now have to come via the Era Committee. The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee met this winter — enshrining Fred McGriff in the process — meaning the earliest Kent will be under consideration again is the 2025-26 offseason.

A right-handed hitter, Kent was one of the game’s better power bats over his 17-year MLB career. He played just under 2300 games for six different clubs, with his best seasons coming as a member of the Giants. Kent hit .297/.368/.535 during a six-year stretch in San Francisco spanning 1997-2002. He received MVP votes in five of those campaigns and won the award in 2000 thanks to a massive .334/.424/.596 showing with 33 longballs.

Kent finished his career with a .290/.356/.500 line in more than 9500 plate appearances. His 377 career homers are the most by any primary second baseman, while he collected 2461 hits, drove in 1518 runs and scored 1320 times. He was a five-time All-Star and secured four Silver Slugger awards while winning the aforementioned MVP. Strong as his offensive contributions were, Kent faced plenty of questions about his glove at the keystone. Those defensive concerns dissuaded enough voters to keep him from induction.

While Kent was the only player to “age” off the ballot this year, a number of first-time candidates unsurprisingly dropped out after not reaching the 5% threshold to last another season. Bronson Arroyo, R.A. Dickey, John Lackey, Mike Napoli, Huston Street, Matt Cain, Jacoby Ellsbury, Andre Ethier, J.J. Hardy, Jhonny Peralta, Jered Weaver and Jayson Werth each fall out of future consideration.

Among first-time candidates, just two topped the 5% mark to remain on the ballot for at least another year. Carlos Beltrán debuted at 46.5% and would seem to have a solid chance at induction at some point down the line. Francisco Rodríguez has a more uphill battle after starting off at 10.8% of the vote.

Red Sox Release Jhonny Peralta

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The Red Sox have released veteran third baseman Jhonny Peralta, per a club announcement. He had been playing with the team’s Triple-A affiliate after signing a minors deal.

Peralta, 35, was released by the Cardinals earlier this season partway through the fourth and final season of the $53MM pact he inked with the team in the 2013-14 offseason. While Peralta was excellent in St. Louis for the first two seasons of the deal, he missed significant time with a thumb injury in 2016 and hasn’t been productive when healthy enough to take the field in 2017. Through 58 PAs with the Cards, he hit just .204/.259/.204.

His work in the minors this season hasn’t been much better, as he’s batter .237/.246/.373 in 61 PAs between Class-A Advanced and Triple-A. Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets that the Sox and Peralta’s camp had an understanding at the time of his signing that the team would make a decision on whether or not to promote him during the All-Star break. Peralta’s play didn’t impress the team enough to dislodge Deven Marrero and Tzu-Wei Lin for the time being, so Peralta will head back to the open market. It’s been rumored that Rafael Devers is on the verge of moving up to Triple-A, as well, and this will clear more playing time for him at that level once that move takes place.

Red Sox Sign Jhonny Peralta

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The Red Sox have agreed to a minors deal with veteran infielder Jhonny Peralta, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe was among those to tweet. He’ll report to Triple-A for the time being, where he’ll line up at third base and attempt to give the organization another option at that area of need.

Boston has struggled to find a solution at the hot corner this year. The ineffective Pablo Sandoval, currently on the DL with an inner-ear infection, seems likely to undertake a rehab assignment and join Peralta at Triple-A. It remains to be seen how the club will ultimately handle things at the major league level when both are ready, and a deadline move still seems plausible as well.

Peralta, 35, was cut loose recently by the Cardinals after a rough start to the season. He failed to record an extra-base hit in 58 plate appearances while reaching base at a meager .259 clip. Once a quality defender at short, in spite of limited ranger, Peralta has also seen his defensive ratings slip in recent years.

Previously, of course, Peralta was long an everyday regular. That included a run with the Tigers, then run by current Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Boston also added former Detroit stalwart Doug Fister today. Boston will only owe Peralta a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary for any time he spends in the majors, with the Cards responsible for the rest of the $10MM he’s owed in 2017.

Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, Astros, Stanton, Phils, Cards, BoSox

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The AL West rival Astros and Athletics are mutually interested in making a trade that would involve Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The last-place A’s have been closely monitoring the Astros’ system, per Cafardo, during a period in which Houston’s four best starters (Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton and Collin McHugh) are on the disabled list. Gray, who would likely slot in third in a healthy Astros rotation, is only running a 4.44 ERA through 52 2/3 innings, but his secondary stats are encouraging and he’s under control via arbitration through 2019. As such, he’d warrant a strong return for the A’s.

More rumblings from Cafardo as the trade deadline approaches:

  • If the Marlins place right fielder Giancarlo Stanton on the trade block in the coming months, the NL East rival Phillies would be a sensible landing spot, opines Cafardo. The cellar-dwelling Phillies are a big-market team with the money and the prospects to swing a deal for Stanton (who’s due nearly $300MM over the final 10 years of his contract), observes Cafardo. Stanton has a full no-trade clause, though, so there’s no guarantee he’d approve a deal to Philadelphia or anywhere else. Further complicating matters, Cafardo has heard that the Phillies would “need” to acquire fellow Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich in a deal involving Stanton. Even though Yelich is under control for reasonable prices through the 2022 campaign, he could end up on the block.
  • Given that they’re five games back in their division and 10.5 out of a wild-card spot, the Cardinals don’t look like surefire buyers at the moment. Nevertheless, a pair of right-handed-hitting right fielders – the Tigers’ J.D. Martinez and the White Sox’s Avisail Garcia – have been frequently linked to the Redbirds this year, relays Cafardo. Martinez, a free agent-to-be who’s on an $11.75MM salary, is hitting a torrid .310/.398/.681 with 11 home runs in 133 plate appearances for the scuffling Tigers. Garcia, who’s much cheaper than Martinez ($3MM) and under control through 2019, is in the midst of a career year (.337/.378/.549 with 10 HRs in 262 PAs) for the soon-to-sell White Sox.
  • The Red Sox have “limited” interest in signing free agent third baseman Jhonny Peralta to a minor league contract, reports Cafardo. Peralta has been available since St. Louis released him Tuesday, which came after more than a year of subpar production from the once-steady veteran. Peralta would give the Red Sox yet another flawed hot corner option, though he is familiar with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who was the general manager in Detroit during Peralta’s run there from 2010-13.
  • Phillies left fielder Howie Kendrick will intrigue both the Red Sox and Yankees if he’s able to play third, writes Cafardo. Kendrick has a bit of experience there (18 games), but the 33-year-old primarily lined up at second base before switching to the outfield. Regardless of whether a move to third is on the horizon, the righty-swinging Kendrick has emerged as a likely trade chip for rebuilding Philadelphia, suggests Cafardo (and as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk and Jeff Todd have recently noted). Kendrick isn’t cheap ($10MM), but the impending free agent has helped his stock with a .324/.383/.467 line in 115 PAs.

Cardinals Release Jhonny Peralta

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The Cardinals have released infielder Jhonny Peralta, per a club announcement. The veteran had recently been designated for assignment.

It’s no surprise that Peralta cleared waivers. He’s earning $10MM in 2017, the final season of the four-year free agent deal he signed when he joined the Cards.

At 35 years of age, Peralta seems to have hit a wall. After struggling through an injury-riddled 2016 campaign, there was hope that he’d bounce back this year. But he’s hitting only .204/.259/.204 through 58 plate appearances.

The story is similar on the defensive side of the spectrum. Generally regarded as a solid, albeit unspectacular shortstop, Peralta has drawn negative reviews for his glovework since the start of 2015 — even after moving over to third base last year. DRS and UZR have both pegged him at average thus far in 2017, though that’s in a sample of just 114 innings.

Still, it’s easy to imagine rival organizations taking a look at a player who was an All-Star in 2015. That’s especially true since Peralta can be had for the league-minimum salary, with St. Louis continuing to pay the vast majority of his salary. Even if he’s not capable of handling short on a day-to-day basis, it helps that he brings so much experience at the position. All said, for clubs in need of some versatility around the diamond, taking a chance on the 15-year MLB veteran may hold quite a bit of appeal.

Cardinals Notes: Peralta, Mozeliak, Coaches, Matheny, Grichuk

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The Cardinals designated Jhonny Peralta for assignment today, though that was only one part of a larger shakeup for a team mired in a seven-game losing streak.  Some details on the day’s news out of the Gateway City…

  • With Kolten Wong coming off the disabled list today, GM John Mozeliak told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he didn’t explore the trade market for Peralta prior to the designation.  Of course, the club still has the ten-day DFA period to potentially find a trade partner for the veteran infielder, though with interest likely to be pretty low, a club that fancies Peralta could simply wait until the Cards release him once those ten days are up.
  • Midseason coaching changes are pretty rare, though the Cards made multiple adjustments to their coaching staff today.  Quality control coach Mike Shildt becomes the new third base coach, replacing Chris Maloney (who will be reassigned elsewhere in the organization).  Mark Budaska will replace Bill Mueller as the assistant hitting coach, while Ron Warner will also join the coaching staff in an unspecified role.
  • Both the coaching shuffle and the Peralta DFA were a response to the Cardinals’ 0-7 road trip, as Mozeliak made it clear that things needed to change.  “You cannot blow the whole thing up, but we had to do something different. … I think the road trip definitely said we had to do something different,” Mozeliak said.  “In our case, this was not working.  Everybody is frustrated. This is not meeting our expectations….This is a breakdown on many levels.  What today represents is people are being held accountable for what we need to do.”
  • Shildt “has juice with the GM,” according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links), and Shildt’s promotion could be a sign that manager Mike Matheny is under extra pressure to turn the Cardinals’ season around.  Matheny’s job is “secure” under club owner William DeWitt, Miklasz feels, unless the Cards’ struggles begin to impact the team’s profitability.
  • Randal Grichuk has been promoted up to Triple-A.  The outfielder was demoted all the way down to Class-A Advanced ball last week so that he could work with offensive strategist George Greer on a new hitting approach, rather than a normal demotion to Triple-A so Grichuk could simply get his confidence back.  Mozeliak was frank in discussing Grichuk’s long-term status with MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch and other reporters, stating that “at some point we’ll have to get Grichuk the opportunity to do this every day and either sink or swim.  Because as we start to look at what 2018 looks like and beyond, we need a real sense of where we are [with him].”

Cardinals Designate Jhonny Peralta For Assignment

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The Cardinals announced on Friday that they’ve designated veteran infielder Jhonny Peralta for assignment and activated second baseman Kolten Wong from the disabled list.

Peralta is playing out the final season of a four-year, $53MM contract, and while he was quite productive through the first half of that pact, his performance has cratered across the past two seasons. The 35-year-old Peralta tore a ligament in his thumb in Spring Training 2016 and never seemed to fully recover. He went on to have a second DL stint for the same thumb later that summer and finished up the ’16 campaign with a pedestrian .260/.307/.408 batting line in just 82 games.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals depth chart]

The 2017 campaign, however, has been infinitely worse for Peralta. He’s spent time on the disabled list this year with an upper respiratory infection and, when healthy, has struggled through one of the worst prolonged stretches of his career. In 58 plate appearances this season, Peralta has batted just .204/.259/.204. As GM John Mozeliak explained, Peralta simply wasn’t going to have the opportunity to accumulate much playing time. With Jedd Gyorko taking over as the primary third baseman, Aledmys Diaz at shortstop and Wong at second base, the best Peralta could’ve hoped for would’ve been a utility role. Instead, it appears that job will go to rookie Paul DeJong for the time being.

Peralta is earning $10MM this season, so it’s all but certain that he’ll clear waivers and be formally released in the coming days. At that point, he’ll be able to sign with any club for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time spent in the Majors. The Cardinals will be on the hook for the remainder of his salary (roughly $6.29MM through season’s end), minus that pro-rated league minimum sum he’d get were he to sign with another club.

NL Notes: Harper, J. Peralta, Mets

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Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper is in the midst of rebounding from a relatively disappointing 2016, which is putting him on track to secure a contract worth at least $400MM if he hits free agency after next season, writes Eddie Matz of ESPN.com. In the event Harper is willing to sign for a Giancarlo Stanton-esque 13 years (or more), a deal worth $500MM-plus might even end up on the table, Matz contends. At least one general manager agrees, telling Matz: “Four hundred million is light. It’s going to be more than that. If you could sign him to a 15-year contract, you do it. I would say something in the range of $35 million a year, maybe closer to the high 30s. It could approach 40 million dollars a year.” With his .324/.441/.648 batting line in 213 plate appearances this season, the 24-year-old Harper is making a case for a record payday, but one GM cautions that certain owners won’t be so gung-ho on breaking the bank for him. “Some owners will bow out because they think becoming the highest-paid player should be sufficient,” said the GM. “Having to go 10, 20, 30 percent above that is going to become increasingly challenging for people who are uber-successful businessmen.”

More from the National League:

  • Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta’s roster spot might be in jeopardy when second baseman Kolten Wong returns from the disabled list, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Wong, out since May 28 with a left elbow strain, could rejoin the Redbirds as early as Friday. As for Peralta, he won’t regain his old starting job at third – Jedd Gyorko has been the Cardinals’ biggest power threat since last season, after all – and isn’t particularly interested in taking reps at first, per Langosch. That lack of versatility could cost Peralta his place on the team, even though he’s making an expensive $10MM to complete a four-year contract, in favor of recently promoted prospect Paul DeJong. Thanks in part to health issues, the 35-year-old Peralta has markedly fallen off dating back to last season, having combined for a team-worst minus-0.9 fWAR and a .249/.297/.374 line in 370 trips to the plate.
  • The Mets are considering going to a temporary six-man rotation when Steven Matz and Seth Lugo make their season debuts this weekend, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter links here). Robert Gsellman has recently made a strong case to stave off a trip to the bullpen and would likely be part of a six-man staff, notes Morosi. That would leave Tyler Pill as the odd man out, it seems, given that Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey are entrenched as starters.

Cafardo’s Latest: Cole, Astros, Gordon, Peralta, Frazier

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shares some hot stove rumblings and more in his latest notes column….

  • The Astros are “very interested” in Pirates righty Gerrit Cole.  Houston has been checking in on top-tier starters for months, so it makes sense that the team would have an eye on Cole’s availability.  Peter Gammons recently suggested that the Astros (and Yankees) may be the only contenders who could actually afford a Cole trade, given Houston’s deep farm system and the giant return that the Pirates will surely demand for their controllable young star if Cole is indeed shopped at the deadline.
  • “The Marlins would surely part with” Dee Gordon if they could find a trade partner at the deadline.  Miami was reportedly ready to deal Gordon for pitching help over the offseason, though no trade or even any significant rumors even materialized.  Gordon has hit just .263/.308/.326 over 522 PA since the start of the 2016 season, a year that saw the second baseman miss 80 games after testing positive for PEDs.  He is also owed $38MM from 2018-20 as per the terms of his five-year, $50MM extension signed in the 2015-16 offseason, further hampering the Marlins’ chances of finding a trade fit.
  • With Jhonny Peralta relegated to backup duty in St. Louis, Cafardo wonders if the Red Sox would considering acquiring Peralta to help their shaky third base situation.  Given Peralta’s recent injury problems and his .251/.299/.387 slash line (in 341 PA) since the start of the 2016 season, of course, there’s no guarantee that Peralta is necessarily an upgrade.  Peralta is also owed around $7.4MM for the remainder of the season, though Cafardo feels the Cardinals would cover “a great portion” of that salary.  Cafardo notes that Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knows Peralta well, having traded for Peralta in 2010 back when Dombrowski was the Tigers GM.
  • The Red Sox have been scouting a veteran third baseman in Todd Frazier, and like in a hypothetical Peralta scenario, the White Sox would cover some salary in a trade (Frazier is owed a little under $9MM for the rest of 2017).  Also like Peralta, Frazier isn’t in good form, hitting just .191/.280/.357 in 132 PA this season.  Frazier has hit 75 homers over the last two years, however, and is a well-regarded clubhouse leader.

NL Central Notes: Peralta, Heyward, Happ, Reds, Cole

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Jhonny Peralta is back with the Cardinals after being activated from the disabled list, though Peralta told reporters (including Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he’ll have to adjust to being a part-time player for the first time in his career.  “Everybody is doing good and the team — we’re in second place,” Peralta said.  “I understand the situation but it’s kind of hard for me to be on the bench and not play every day, because I know what kind of player I can be….I need to learn to be ready for whatever time or situation it is in the game.”  Peralta was a productive starter for the Cards as recently as the 2015 season, though an injury-plagued 2016 opened the door for Aledmys Diaz and Jedd Gyorko to emerge, and those two have now established themselves as the Cardinals’ regulars at shortstop and third base.  Peralta, who turns 35 later this month, is in the final year of a four-year, $53MM contract and is owed roughly $7.4MM for the remainder of the season.  A trade could be difficult to work given this remaining salary and Peralta’s lack of recent production, though if Peralta is able to get somewhat back into form, he’ll give the Cards some solid veteran infield depth.

Here’s more from around the NL Central…

  • Jason Heyward expects to be activated from the 10-day DL today, which creates an interesting roster decision for the Cubs, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes.  Top prospect Ian Happ has looked spectacular since being promoted last week and could stick with the club, through manager Joe Maddon said that the team wants Happ to get regular action wherever he plays, which could be somewhat difficult on Chicago’s crowded big league roster.  “That’s what happens when you’re good is you have tough decisions,” Maddon said.  “The fact that Ian has come up and done so well makes it even more difficult. We’ll try to figure it out and make our best guess.”  Happ brings a lot of versatility as a switch-hitter and a multi-positional player, so the Cubs could get him playing time in a variety of roles and instead demote another bench option such as Tommy La Stella or Albert Almora.  Heyward has missed two weeks due to a sprained right index finger, and was already back in the Cubs’ clubhouse after completing a one-game rehab stint in the minors.
  • The incentive bonuses for Scott Feldman and Drew Storen are broken down by Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer, as Storen has already reached his first incentive threshold (15 appearances) and Feldman will access his bonus money on Monday when he makes his 10th start of the season.  Feldman will earn $100K for that outing, and then another $100K or $200K for each successive start thereafter, up to 25 starts.  The righty also has extra cash available in relief incentives, though Feldman isn’t likely to be moved out of the Reds rotation anytime soon, due to both his own solid performance (a 4.29 ERA in 50 1/3 IP) and Cincy’s lack of healthy alternatives.  Storen has pitched very well out of the Reds bullpen and is in great shape to earn his $750K in available incentives for appearances, though attaining his games-finished bonuses could be difficult with Raisel Iglesias locked in at closer.
  • With the Pirates in last place and facing an uphill battle in the NL Central race, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com argues that the Bucs should deal Gerrit Cole while the right-hander’s trade value is at its highest.  Cole is looking healthy after an injury-shortened 2016 and is pitching well, with a 2.84 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 50.3% grounder rate and 4.17 K/BB rate through 57 innings.  Between this front-of-the-rotation production and Cole being under team control through 2019, the Pirates would stand to obtain a major haul if Cole was dealt.  Gammons speculates that the Astros and Yankees would be the top two suitors, as they have enough minor league depth to afford the big price tag Pittsburgh would demand for Cole’s services.
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