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Trevor Plouffe

Athletics Sign Trevor Plouffe

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JANUARY 18: The A’s have announced the deal. Plouffe gets a $5.25MM guarantee, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter link). He can also earn $150K upon reaching 350 plate appearances, another $300K if he gets to 450, and then $300K more if he reaches 525 trips to the plate, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). There’s also a one-time, $250K trade bonus.

JANUARY 11: Plouffe is expected to receive around $5MM of guaranteed money in the deal, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). There are also incentives, though details remain unknown.

JANUARY 10: The Athletics have an agreement in place with free agent infielder Trevor Plouffe, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The deal, which is pending a physical, will be a one-year agreement, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). She adds that Plouffe is likely to see the bulk of the playing time at third base for the A’s next season, with Ryon Healy shifting to designated hitter and first base. Plouffe is represented by CAA Baseball.

[Related: Updated Oakland Athletics Depth Chart]

Prior to this new deal with the A’s, the 30-year-old Plouffe had spent his entire career in the Twins organization. A first-round pick by Minnesota back in 2004, Plouffe took quite some time to blossom into an everyday Major Leaguer but cemented himself as the Twins’ everyday third baseman beginning in 2012. That season saw Plouffe belt 24 homers in 119 games, and while that mark still stands as a career-best, Plouffe has consistently shown solid pop from the right side of the plate over the life of his big league career.  In his first four seasons as a regular, he proved to be a roughly league-average bat, hitting .248/.312/.426 and averaging 23 homers per 162 games played. A right-handed hitter, Plouffe has been significantly more productive against lefties (career .268/.344/.465) than righties (.239/.294/.403).

Trevor Plouffe

This past year, Plouffe hit .260/.303/.420 with 12 homers in an injury-ravaged season that included three trips to the disabled list for an intercostal strain, a fractured rib and an oblique strain. Those three maladies combined to limit Plouffe to just 84 games and 344 plate appearances — both his lowest marks since establishing himself as a regular with the Twins. The three trips to the DL, Plouffe’s projected $8.2MM price tag in arbitration (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) and a stacked corner infield/DH scene in Minnesota prompted the new Twins front office to part ways with Plouffe following the season rather than tender him a contract in arbitration.

Despite possessing fairly notable platoon splits, it seems that Plouffe will be in line for near-everyday at-bats, as was the case during his tenure with the Twins. Plouffe never rated as an exceptional defender at the hot corner, but the converted shortstop went from dreadful Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating marks to above-average grades over the course of his time in Minnesota as he grew more accustomed to his new position. (His 2016 defensive metrics were poor, though certainly one can imagine his persistent injuries impacting his mobility on the field.)

From 2014-15, Plouffe posted a +5 DRS and +8.4 UZR, so with better health there’s reason to believe he can return to form with the glove. That would be an improvement over the younger Healy, who was below average per DRS (-2) and UZR (-9.4). Though Healy may not see many reps at third base in 2017, it seems logical to expect that the A’s will want to keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible. The 25-year-old compiled a .305/.337/.524 slash with 13 homers through 72 games as a rookie, suggesting that he could be a 20-homer bat for the A’s even if his .352 BABIP is bound to regress to some extent.

Plouffe also reportedly drew interest from the Red Sox, Braves and Royals, and he was speculatively linked to the Marlins as well. Instead, he’ll opt for a homecoming of sorts, returning to his home state (albeit a few hundred miles north of his Los Angeles area roots) and a presumably larger role as he takes aim at a healthier season in 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cafardo’s Latest: Cutch, Pirates, Royals, Braves

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The Pirates are reportedly unlikely to trade center fielder Andrew McCutchen, whom they heavily shopped at last month’s Winter Meetings, but teams are still trying to acquire him, a major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Toronto is the latest reported team to show interest in McCutchen, whom the Bucs are only willing to deal if they receive major league-ready talent in return. The 30-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, having gone backward at the plate, in the field and on the base paths, but he still carries a resoundingly successful track record and an affordable contract (two years, $28.5MM, including a $14.5MM club option for 2018). Considering those factors, it’s not surprising that teams continue to pursue the longtime face of the Pittsburgh franchise.

More inside info from Cafardo:

  • Free agent second baseman/third baseman Aaron Hill is on the radar of a few teams, and Atlanta and Kansas City could be among them, per Cafardo. Hill, 34, spent last season between Milwaukee and Boston, with which he combined to hit .262/.336/.378 with 10 home runs in 429 plate appearances. It’s debatable whether Hill would fit in Atlanta, which already seems to have a capable second base platoon on hand with Jace Peterson and Sean Rodriguez, not to mention a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Hill in Adonis Garcia. Both Hill and Garcia have hit southpaw pitchers better than right-handers in their careers, so it might behoove Atlanta to instead find a lefty-swinging complement to Garcia. KC, meanwhile, already has multiple third base options – Mike Moustakas and Cheslor Cuthbert – and a few second base candidates in Whit Merrifield, Raul Mondesi, Christian Colon and Cuthbert.
  • Speaking of the Braves and Royals, they are interested in free agent third baseman/first baseman Trevor Plouffe, who has been available since the Twins outrighted him in November. Boston and Oakland are also in on the 30-year-old Plouffe, a steady contributor from 2014-15 who batted an underwhelming .260/.303/.420 with 12 homers in 344 PAs last season. Like Hill, Plouffe has had more success versus lefties (.268/.344/.465) than righties (.239/.294/.403) during his career.
  • To finish off a Royals-heavy set of notes, it’s still possible they’ll trade one of Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer or outfielder Lorenzo Cain – all contract-year players – before the season, per Cafardo. A willingness to deal Moustakas or Hosmer, particularly the former, would somewhat explain Kansas City’s interest in Hill and Plouffe. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal previouly reported that Hosmer is unlikely to go anywhere prior to the season, though, and KC already subtracted a key outfielder Friday when it shipped Jarrod Dyson to Seattle. Speculatively, that could impact whether the Royals would also part with Cain, who’s due $11MM next season.

Market Notes: Jays, Bruce, A’s, Plouffe, Dozier, Bautista, Trumbo, Lefty Relievers, Lewis

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Blue Jays may have misread the market for power bats this winter. In the case of Toronto, he suggests, the team ought to have been more patient with Edwin Encarnacion. By moving quickly to give a three-year deal to Kendrys Morales after Encarnacion declined to take the team’s early-offseason offer, the Jays may have spent much more than necessary to land a player of Morales’s quality while also tying their hands on Encarnacion, who ended up signing for one year and $20MM less than Toronto had reportedly offered.

  • The Mets, too, might have erred in their approach on Jay Bruce. He now seems a superfluous piece after the re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes, and Rosenthal says that he expects New York will need to pay down part of Bruce’s $13MM salary to deal him. The team picked up that option in large part to insure against the loss of Cespedes; a team source notes that insurance “doesn’t come for free,” and Rosenthal notes that the decision may have improved their bargaining position with their star free agent. But perhaps a greater recognition of the flood of sluggers would have led the team to choose an alternate path to protecting itself in the event of a departure of Cespedes.
  • As they continue to look to bolster their lineup, the Athletics are showing interest in free-agent third baseman Trevor Plouffe, per Rosenthal. He’d presumably be a value-focused addition to the overall mix at third and first base. Of course, Oakland is also said to be looking at Mark Trumbo, so it seems the organization is still casting a fairly wide net.
  • While there has been a suggestion that the Dodgers won’t form a package around Jose De Leon to pry Brian Dozier from the Twins, preferring instead to pursue a one-for-one deal, Rosenthal writes that Los Angeles is “willing to include other prospects” to get something done. Of course, it could well be that the issue isn’t so much the inclusion of some other pre-MLB players — surely, the Dodgers could find some expendable pieces to part with — so much as the question whether any are seen by Minnesota as adding significant value.
  • Jon Heyman of Fan Rag provides a lengthy list of the winners and losers in the open-market action to date, though that can still change with a lot of free agents left and perhaps some trades still to be swung. As for some of those still-unsigned open-market players, Heyman provides a few notes. Jose Bautista’s representatives “circled back” to the Orioles to gauge interest, but it still seems that Baltimore isn’t interested. And the Blue Jays “do not seem anxious” to strike a deal with the veteran. Meanwhile, the O’s remain involved on Trumbo.
  • Heyman further notes that there remains robust demand for left-handed relievers. He lists the Mets, Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays as teams still looking at southpaws. Jerry Blevins, Boone Logan, Travis Wood, and J.P. Howell are among the established left-handed options that remain available.
  • It’s unlikely that the Rangers will bring back veteran righty Colby Lewis, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Though “the door’s open,” per GM Jon Daniels, he adds that he doesn’t “foresee anything happening at this point” with Lewis. Texas would be interested only in a minor-league arrangement, it seems, due in part to questions over Lewis’s health outlook.

10 Bounceback Hitter Candidates Still Available In Free Agency

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Recently, we took a look at 10 still-available pitchers who could offer bounceback opportunities at appealing price tags. Today, we’ll do the same from the position-player side. We’re looking for players who have been limited by injury or suffered dips in performance, but whose age and track record suggest that a turnaround could deliver plenty of value to their new organizations. Here are some of the interesting hitters who remain on the open market as 2017 beckons:

Chris Iannetta, C: Now 33 years of age, Iannetta has turned in two straight marginal campaigns with the bat. But he hit .238/.357/.386 in over 1,000 plate appearances from 2012 through 2014, with 151 walks to go with 251 strikeouts. Iannetta still draws free passes at a hefty clip, but suffered from low BABIPs in each of the last two seasons (.225, .266). Though he’s making more soft contact than he did at his best, Iannetta turned in a 34.9% hard-contact rate and 22.4% line-drive rate last year, both of which were near his career-best marks. Though he rated as one of the game’s worst framers in 2016, he was one of the best in the season prior.

Adam Lind, 1B/DH: From the same age bracket as Iannetta, Lind maintained his power (.192 ISO, 20 home runs in 430 plate appearances) last year with the Mariners, but posted an anemic .286 OBP. There were two main culprits: a .259 BABIP and 6.0% walk rate that represented nearly a 50% drop from his personal best (11.5% in 2015). While it’s unlikely that the left-handed slugger will again post such strong walk tallies, he ought to be able to rebound somewhat in that regard. And it’s reasonable, perhaps, to anticipate a bounceback in the BABIP department; Lind continued to make about as much hard contact as he did during his productive preceding seasons and maintained a fairly typical mix of grounders, liners, and flies.

Logan Morrison, 1B/DH: As with Lind, Morrison represents a particularly intriguing target since the market was so saturated with defensively limited slugger types. The 29-year-old has never been a consistent producer, and seemed headed for an early end to his time with the Rays after an abysmal start to the 2016 season. But he rebounded beyond any expectations over his final 303 plate appearances, slashing .275/.350/.498 and driving 14 home runs in that half-season of work. While hitting to the pull side more than ever before in 2016 (an even 50%), Morrison made hard contact at a personal best rate of 34.2% and left the yard on 15.2% of his flyballs, the second-best mark of his career. His final numbers could look even better had he not ended up requiring wrist surgery in September. The injury risk may harm Morrison’s stock further, but it also increases the potential payoff.

Billy Butler, DH: There isn’t much to love about Butler’s last three seasons, as he has been about a league-average overall hitter — well shy of what you’d hope for from a right-handed hitter who’s limited to DH duties. But he did show quite well in his brief stint at the end of 2016 with the Yankees and remains rather difficult to strike out (career 14.8% walk rate). Plus, Butler produced a strong 28.9% line-drive rate in 2016 while cutting back on an infield fly rate that had soared to 9.4% in 2015, perhaps suggesting he could turn back into a reasonably productive hitter — particularly given that he’s still just 30 years of age.

Trevor Plouffe, 3B: There’s no denying that Plouffe was banged up in 2016, as he was shelved at various times by intercostal and oblique strains as well as a broken rib. He finished strong, posting a .277/.345/.465 slash over his last 113 trips to the plate, and carried a slightly above-average .248/.312/.426 batting line while swatting 74 long balls over his prior four seasons. While there isn’t much reason to expect that Plouffe will be a top-quality regular, he has every chance of returning to being a useful player: he’s just thirty years old and rated as an average-or-better third baseman in 2014-15.

Luis Valbuena, 3B: The role of injuries is even more straightforward in Valbuena’s case, as he was humming along nicely (.260/.357/.459 with 13 home runs over 342 plate appearances) before he was cut down with a hamstring injury. Unlike Plouffe, he hits from the left side, enhancing his function. While the 31-year-old is not well-regarded with the glove, Valbuena can still play third base and has spent time in the middle infield as well (along with a brief foray into the corner outfield).

Chris Coghlan, INF/OF: A left-handed hitter with some defensive versatility, Coghlan has provided the Cubs with over 1,000 plate appearances of .264/.351/.441 hitting and 26 home runs over the last three seasons. Of course, that output came on both sides of his ill-fated stint with the A’s, where he slashed an anemic .146/.215/.272 to start the 2016 campaign. The 31-year-old Coghlan typically receives good marks in the corner outfield, saw spot duty in center earlier in his career, and is at least serviceable enough at second and third to have been utilized at both spots in recent years.

Desmond Jennings, OF: While things didn’t end well in Tampa Bay, Jennings is still just 30 years of age and isn’t far removed from being a solid, everyday player. He has plenty of experience in center field and has generally drawn strong reviews for his work in the corner outfield. Jennings has been beset by injuries over the last two years, and has been inconsistent at the plate even when healthy. But he managed a .150 ISO last year, even as his on-base numbers were doomed by a .243 BABIP, and could again be a solid asset if he can return to his career plate-discipline marks. Last year’s 9.3% walk rate matched his career numbers, though he jumped to a 25.8% strikeout rate in 2016 while posting a 12.0% swinging-strike rate that was about 50% higher than he had ever carried previously.

Austin Jackson, OF: 2016 was supposed to provide a bounceback opportunity for AJax, who’ll soon turn 30, but a knee injury ended his year after just 203 largely uninspiring plate appearances with the White Sox. Jackson’s power has fallen off a cliff, and he wasn’t running as much even before the injury, but perhaps a lengthy respite can get the still-youthful player back in physical form. He was nearly a league-average hitter with solid glovework in center as recently as 2015, so perhaps his forgettable stint in Chicago is more a blip than the start of a full-scale falloff.

Colby Rasmus, OF: Rasmus played well enough in 2015 to earn a qualifying offer after the season. His return to the Astros wasn’t nearly as productive, as he scuffled to a .206/.286/.355 batting line. But Rasmus was playing with a cyst in his ear, which was ultimately removed via surgery, and also underwent hip and core muscle procedures after the season, so perhaps injuries played a major role in his poor campaign. He also wasn’t helped by a .257 BABIP. Rasmus is still just 30 years of age and produced a strong .238/.314/.475 batting line with 25 dingers in 2015. There are other sources of potential value here, too: Rasmus has typically graded quite well on the bases, though he doesn’t attempt many steals, and metrics were quite pleased with his glovework in both the corner outfield and center in his most recent campaign.

Red Sox Interested In Trevor Plouffe

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The Red Sox have interest in free agent corner infielder Trevor Plouffe, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, though their interest is contingent on Plouffe’s asking price. It’s not clear exactly what the career-long Twin is seeking at this time, but Drellich hears the BoSox are interested if Plouffe is willing to take a one-year deal worth $2-3MM.

[Related: Boston Red Sox Depth Chart]

The 30-year-old Plouffe, Minnesota’s first-round pick back in 2004 (20th overall), was outrighted following an injury-riddled 2016 campaign that saw him endure three DL stints for an intercostal strain, a broken rib and an oblique strain. Projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a hefty $8.2MM via his final trip through arbitration, Plouffe didn’t perform well for most of the season, though he did bat .277/.345/.465 with five homers and four doubles across his final 113 plate appearances. However, the aforementioned oblique injury landed Plouffe on the shelf for the final three weeks of the year. His injuries, projected price tag and a crowded Twins corner infield/DH picture led new Minnesota execs Derek Falvey and Thad Levine to move on from Plouffe rather than tender him a contract.

Plouffe didn’t develop into a regular for the Twins until his age-26 season, as he struggled as a shortstop (the position he played in high school prior to being drafted), second baseman and corner outfielder before settling in as Minnesota’s everyday third baseman from 2012-16. In his first four seasons as a regular, he proved to be a roughly league-average bat, hitting .248/.312/.426 and averaging 23 homers per 162 games played. A right-handed hitter, Plouffe has been significantly more productive against lefties. His defense at third base was never exceptional, but he grew from a poor defender to a somewhat above-average defender in the eyes of both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved. (He posted poor numbers in both fields in 2016, though injuries may have impacted his maneuverability in the field.) He also saw more than 100 innings at first base in each of the past two seasons.

Drellich notes that the Sox “fully intend” to give Pablo Sandoval a chance to handle the lion’s share of work at third base, Plouffe would give the team a right-handed complement to first baseman Mitch Moreland and to Sandoval at third base. The switch-hitting Sandoval has long fared better as a left-handed bat in his career, and Moreland has never had much success against southpaws himself. And, in the event that Sandoval isn’t able to recapture his form, Plouffe would provide somewhat of an alternative at third base.

It’s not clear if there’s a team out there that would afford Plouffe a better path to playing time, though the corner market isn’t exactly robust at this time, and there aren’t too many clubs looking for an everyday option at third base. Plouffe could potentially be a fit with teams like the Brewers (platooning with Travis Shaw and Eric Thames at the infield corners), the White Sox (if they trade Todd Frazier), the Braves (pushing Adonis Garcia for playing time at third base) or the Marlins (platooning at first base with Justin Bour), but that’s just speculation on my behalf, and none of those teams necessarily has a clear everyday role.

Free Agent Notes: Fister, Nationals, Royals

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The latest open-market buzz about some players and teams…

  • The Marlins had some interest in Doug Fister earlier this winter, though MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes that the club “doesn’t appear to be high on” the veteran righty’s services.  It looks as if Miami is only looking to add another starter on a low-cost depth deal, unless the price tag on someone like Jason Hammel (another reported Marlins target) drops.
  • Also from Frisaro, he hasn’t heard Trevor Plouffe being mentioned as a possible Marlins addition, though he could fit as both a right-handed hitting complement to Justin Bour at first base and as a third base backup for Martin Prado.  Frisaro thinks the Fish could turn more attention on position players adds as we get close to Spring Training, as much of the club’s winter focus has been on pitching.
  • A right-handed power bat makes sense for the Nationals, though as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes, signing such a player (even from a pretty well-stocked market) is easier said than done.  While signing a big bat in the event that first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and/or left fielder Jayson Werth get another injury makes sense, Janes notes that many of the notable hitters on the market naturally see themselves as everyday players and are likely unwilling to join a Washington club that has limited opportunity for regular at-bats.
  • The Royals “haven’t closed the door” on reunions with either Greg Holland or Luke Hochevar, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes.  Over half of the teams in baseball have shown at least some interest in Holland in his return from Tommy John surgery, so Kansas City could face a bidding war in re-signing its former closer.  Hochevar underwent surgery in early August to help correct thoracic outlet syndrome, and the procedure’s estimated six-month rehab period puts Hochevar on track for early February; the Royals or other teams could wait until then to consider a signing in order to properly evaluate his health.  There were already indications that the Royals could look to bring Hochevar back at a lower price after declining their end of the righty’s $7MM mutual option for 2017.

Central Notes: Pirates, Cardinals, Twins

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The Pirates have not discussed an extension with manager Clint Hurdle, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. “How long will I go? I don’t know the shelf life,” says Hurdle. “I just know that I’m still engaged. I love what I do, I love who I’m doing it for, and I love who I’m doing it with. I’ll take it one year at a time.” There’s no indication Hurdle’s job is in danger, and he’s signed through 2017 with an option for 2018. Interestingly, though, Biertempfel notes that whenever Hurdle’s tenure with the Pirates does come to an end, there’s a good chance he could be replaced internally, with new bench coach and former Double-A skipper Tom Prince as a possible replacement. “We hope Clint manages the Pirates for a long time,” says Pirates president Frank Coonelly. “But, like with any other key leadership position, we want to be sure we’re developing successors. We have a bias toward promoting from within when possible, but we also have a bias toward hiring the best person for the job. If we develop our people the right way, they’ll be the best people for the job.” The Bucs already recently did develop another top big-league manager — former Bucs bench coach Jeff Banister was the 2015 AL Manager of the Year with the Rangers. Here’s more from the Central divisions.

  • Four-year deals for relievers are demonstrably dicey propositions, so it’s unclear why the Cardinals committed to Brett Cecil for that long, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (Insider only). Cecil was worth roughly $7.5MM per year (the annual value of the contract he just received) in 2013 through 2015, but it’s optimistic to expect him to be worth that several years from now, given the uninspiring histories of relievers who’ve received long-term deals (B.J. Ryan, Justin Speier, Joe Nathan, Steve Karsay, and so on).
  • Cardinals fans would be unwise to read too much into the news that the team has mentioned Michael Wacha’s name in trade talks, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes in a series of questions and answers about the Cards’ offseason plans. The Cardinals might simply be trying to gauge Wacha’s value, as they did in previous discussions about pitchers like Shelby Miller and Kyle Lohse.
  • Law praises the Twins for dropping Trevor Plouffe, on the grounds that his underwhelming defense makes him approximately replacement level. Law says he is curious to see whether the Twins will now turn to Miguel Sano at third base, since he is heavy for the position and has not been a good defender at the position throughout his career. (UZR and DRS rated Sano around average in 376 big-league innings at the position in 2016.)
  • The Twins have been in contact with free agent righty Justin Masterson, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets. That’s not surprising, since new Twins head of baseball operations Derek Falvey previously worked with Masterson in the Indians organization. Masterson, formerly a solid big-league starter, had an underwhelming 2016 in the Bucs organization while fighting his way back from shoulder trouble, posting a 4.85 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 59 1/3 innings covering two minor league stops.

Free Agency Notes: Cecil, Plouffe, Mariners

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The four-year, $30.5MM deal the Cardinals and left-hander Brett Cecil agreed to Saturday is a “market changer,” multiple executives and agents have told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, who expects relievers to continue raking in big money this offseason as part of a weak free agent class (Twitter links). FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan disagrees that Cecil’s contract is unexpectedly high, though, noting that the Orioles’ Darren O’Day inked a nearly identical pact last offseason (four years, $31MM) prior to his age-33 campaign. As Sullivan points out, the numbers Cecil posted from 2014-16 are similar to O’Day’s production from 2013-15, and the former is younger (31 in July).

A couple more items on free agency:

  • While third baseman Trevor Plouffe is disappointed the Twins moved on from him Friday, he saw the writing on the wall after agent Nez Balelo met with the team’s new baseball department heads – Derek Falvey and Thad Levine – last week, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. “They probably want (Miguel) Sano to be run out there every day (at third),” Plouffe told Berardino. “This guy has unlimited potential. I hope I was able to help him become a good player. I’m happy they made the decision as quick as they did. It gives me the chance to sign on with somebody else.” Even though he’s fresh off a subpar season, Plouffe shouldn’t have much difficulty finding work – the only better third base options on the market are Justin Turner and Luis Valbuena.
  • The Mariners aren’t ruling out eventually re-signing reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, whom they designated for assignment Friday, general manager Jerry Dipoto told Greg Johns of MLB.com. Seattle was up against the 40-man roster limit when it parted with Wilhelmsen, and the club likely would have had to pay the arbitration-eligible right-hander in the $4MM neighborhood in 2017 had it retained him. It’s now possible the Mariners could re-up Wilhelmsen at a cheaper price in the coming months. “He did a good job, and I wish him well in free agency,” said Dipoto. “And this leaves something of an open door if something else arises and we want to bring him back.”

Twins Outright Trevor Plouffe

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The Twins have outrighted third baseman Trevor Plouffe, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). He’ll become a free agent today unless he’s claimed by another organization.

MLBTR projected Plouffe to garner $8.2MM in his final pass through arbitration, a rather sizable sum for the solid veteran. Evidently, any efforts to deal him weren’t showing enough promise to keep him around through today’s deadline to add Rule 5-eligible players to the 40-man roster.

[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

Plouffe, 30, no longer fit on a Twins roster that is overloaded at first base and DH while also featuring promising young third baseman Miguel Sano. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in breaking down the team’s offseason outlook, there was some reason to believe that Plouffe might draw at least a marginal trade return. But that obviously didn’t pan out.

That doesn’t mean that teams won’t be intrigued in free agency, of course. Plouffe has carried a .253/.314/.427 batting line and hit 48 home runs over his three seasons and 1,558 plate appearances. That’s approximately league-average production, to go with defensive metrics that have ranged from slightly below to slightly above average over the last few campaigns. He struggled badly early last year, and missed a fair bit of time, but was much better with the bat in the second half.

All told, there’s every reason to think that Plouffe will command a major league deal. Indeed, he could even score a multi-year commitment, depending upon how things shake out. But he likely won’t be drawing a $8MM+ annual payday. Justin Turner remains the clear top free agent third baseman, but Plouffe figures to slot in alongside Luis Valbuena near the top of the remainder of the market.

There had been discussion last winter that the Twins could try to move Plouffe to another organization to make room for Sano. But the club instead elected to keep both and give the lumbering Sano a try in the corner outfield. That move didn’t work out well at all, and in the interim Plouffe’s value fell enough that he was more a non-tender than a trade candidate.

Quick Hits: De La Rosa, Plouffe, Wacha, Cards CF, Rothschild

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All indications are that Jorge De La Rosa’s nine-year run with the Rockies is at an end. The southpaw, who largely thrived at Coors Field, spoke with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding about the possibility that he’ll be looking for a new organization this winter. De La Rosa, 35, ended the year with a 5.51 ERA and 7.3 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. He also allowed 10.5 basehits per nine in what was his worst season in Colorado (excepting a truncated 2012). De La Rosa spoke well of his time with the Rockies and did not rule out a return, while noting that he battled through health and mechanical issues this year. He added that he “liked” pitching out of the bullpen, though he added that he still believes he can succeed as a starter. It remains to be seen how the market will view the southpaw, and whether he’ll be pursued in some capacity by his long-time organization, but there figures to be a fair bit of interest in a pitcher who has proven able to supply solid innings in a tough pitching environment.

  • There are also questions moving forward for Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, though he remains under Minnesota’s control for one more year. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports, the 30-year-old acknowledged that his future with the organization is uncertain. Plouffe dealt with injuries for much of the year, which he says was especially problematic because he tried to rush a return. With a $7.25MM base salary heading into a final run at arbitration, where he’ll tote a .260/.303/.420 batting line and a dozen homers over 344 plate appearances, Plouffe could be non-tendered or perhaps tendered and traded by a Twins team that suffered through an abysmal 2016 campaign.
  • The Cardinals still view Michael Wacha as a starter, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports, though that’s in greater question than ever after an injury-riddled 2016 season that was easily his worst as a big leaguer. Skipper Mike Matheny suggests that Wacha’s shoulder health could be improved by building up his upper-body strength. “As you start to look for some compensation and where there might be weaknesses, how can he build up some parts of his body muscularly that will help support maybe the arm and the demand that comes with being a starting pitcher?” asked Matheny. “When his health is right, you’re seeing the right arm action. The next step is going to be the one that’s missing right now. That’s consistency in the strike zone. He’s a rare talent that we need to figure out how to get into a consistent spot.”
  • Sticking with the Cardinals, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at some options for the team in center field — which increasingly seems to be a target area this winter. He runs through a variety of trade and free agent targets, some of whom seem more achievable than others. At this stage, it’s tough to handicap from the outside, though GM John Mozeliak has certainly hinted that defense will be a priority in the search.
  • Pitching coach Larry Rothschild will be back with the Yankees for his seventh year with the organization, per a club announcement. He had been the only member of the coaching staff who had yet to agree to terms with the team to return. With his re-signing, Joe Girardi and the rest of the uniformed staff are all set to repeat in 2017.
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