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NL Notes: Nationals, Giants, Rockies, Marlins

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Teams contacted the Nationals about third baseman Carter Kieboom this offseason, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington). Kieboom hasn’t found any success at the MLB level to date, but it’s no surprise rival clubs would have interest in the 23-year-old. Washington held onto the former top prospect, who looks like the favorite to open the season as the starter at the hot corner.

More from Washington and other Senior Circuit cities:

  • Stephen Strasburg had a normal offseason, he told reporters today (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). The Nationals star right-hander was limited to five innings last season by carpal tunnel syndrome in his throwing hand. Fortunately, the procedure he underwent last summer addressed the issue. The former World Series MVP will be a key piece in the Nats’ hopes of contending in a difficult NL East.
  • Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi discussed the team’s newest addition to the pitching staff this afternoon (via Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). Right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, who worked exclusively out of the bullpen last season for the Blue Jays, will come to camp as a starting pitcher. The 33-year-old can opt out of his minor-league deal at the end of spring training if he doesn’t make the team, Zaidi said. That’s a rather typical feature for non-roster arrangements.
  • When Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond opted out of the 2020 season, Colorado signed Matt Kemp the following day. With Desmond announcing his intent to sit out in 2021 as well, some speculation had arisen the Rockies could again turn to Kemp, who is back in free agency. Colorado manager Bud Black cast doubt on the idea, though, telling reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) the organization hasn’t recently discussed signing Kemp, even though Desmond had notified the team he was considering opting out a few weeks ago.
  • The Marlins signed Ross Detwiler to a one-year contract in January. Detwiler has started 95 games across his 12-year MLB career (including 12 starts for the 2019 White Sox). However, Miami views the veteran southpaw as strictly a bullpen option in 2021, manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid). Detwiler worked solely in relief for Chicago in 2020, tossing 19.2 innings of 3.20 ERA/3.90 SIERA ball.

Giants Designate Trevor Gott For Assignment

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The Giants have designated reliever Trevor Gott for assignment, per Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). The move clears space on the 40-man roster for the signing of Aaron Sanchez, whose one-year deal has been made official.

Gott is a bit of a surprising cut after San Francisco signed him to a $700K contract to avoid arbitration last November. Acquired from the Nationals in a minor trade before 2019, Gott looked like a potential long-term bullpen piece after his first season in the Bay Area. He tossed 52.2 innings of 4.44 ERA/3.73 SIERA ball with better than average strikeout (26.6%) and walk (7.9%) rates in 2019. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off last season, with Gott coughing up 13 runs (including a staggering seven homers) over 11.2 innings with eight strikeouts and walks apiece.

The Giants will now have a week to trade Gott, release him or place him on outright waivers. Brutal 2020 notwithstanding, it’s plausible he could attract interest from another club. In addition to his solid performance in 2019, Gott averaged a strong 95.4 MPH on his fastball last season. As a player with three-plus years of MLB service, a potential acquiring team would pick up three seasons of team control via arbitration.

If no other team acquires Gott, he’d be entitled to thirty days’ termination pay (roughly $112K) as a player cut within the first half of spring training. Unlike the vast majority of MLB contracts, most arbitration deals aren’t fully guaranteed until Opening Day.

Giants Sign Aaron Sanchez

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FEBRUARY 21: The deal has been made official. The incentive structure breaks down as follows (per Maria Guardado of MLB.com): $250K apiece for reaching 16 and 18 starts, $500K each for starting 20, 22, 24 and 26 games.

FEBRUARY 17: The Giants have reached an agreement to sign righty Aaron Sanchez, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  It’s a $4MM deal with another $2.5MM in incentives, adds Slusser.  Sanchez is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Sanchez, 28, was drafted 34th overall out of high school by the Blue Jays back in 2010 as a supplemental pick for the loss of free agent Marco Scutaro.  He was still a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday upon being drafted.  Sanchez’s path from Barstow, California to being drafted by the Jays was chronicled in this excellent read from Stephen Brunt of Sportsnet.ca a few years back.

Sanchez’s prospect status climbed as he ascended through the minors, with Baseball America praising his “premium velocity with an effortless delivery.”  The Blue Jays eased Sanchez into the Majors in 2014 via the bullpen, and he even picked up three saves in his 24 appearances that year.

Marcus Stroman’s unfortunate ACL tear paved the way for Sanchez to make the Jays’ rotation out of camp in 2015, but after a summer lat strain that year he returned to the ’pen.  The following year Sanchez again won the team’s fifth starter job out of spring training, and this time he ran with it.  2016 still stands as the best year of Sanchez’s career, as he posted a 3.00 ERA in 192 innings, making the All-Star team and finishing seventh in the AL Cy Young voting.  In a year where the average starting pitcher managed a 20.2 K% and 7.7 BB%, Sanchez fell right around those marks at a 20.4 K% and 8.0 BB%.  He did succeed in limiting exit velocity and keeping the ball on the ground.  Despite concerns about Sanchez’s workload, which wound up increasing more than 100 innings over the prior year, the Blue Jays couldn’t bring themselves to pull him from the rotation despite a yearlong flirtation with the idea.

Sanchez would be limited to just eight starts in 2017 due to a blister/split fingernail that required four separate IL stints.  Further finger issues held him to 20 starts in 2018, culminating in season-ending surgery.  Sanchez battled through similar issues in 2019, making 27 starts on the season but averaging fewer than five innings per turn.  Sanchez was not able to replicate his previous success, posting a 5.45 ERA, lackluster 18.6 K%, and unfortunate 11.7 BB% across 2018-19.  By the 2019 trade deadline, the Blue Jays had seen enough, trading Sanchez to the Astros with Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson for Derek Fisher.  Fisher’s Jays story coincidentally came to an end this week with a trade to the Brewers.

While it was thought that the Astros might work magic with Sanchez’s curveball and its 91st percentile spin rate, especially after his debut for the club was the first six innings of a combined no-hitter, the righty quickly went down for shoulder surgery and was non-tendered after the 2019 season.  Sanchez wasn’t heard from again until October 2020, when he held a showcase for 20 teams in Miami.  Agent Scott Boras would go on to boast of a 2,700-2,800 RPM fastball, speaking of Sanchez’s intent to work as a starter in 2021.  Sanchez must have shown well at a second showcase held this month, given the $4MM contract with the Giants.  Indeed, Slusser notes that “the Giants have been paying attention to [Sanchez] all off season and took especial notice last week, when Sanchez hit 98 mph in a bullpen session.”  Here’s the proof of that from Sanchez’s Instagram.

After another reclamation project gone well, Kevin Gausman, accepted his $18.9MM qualifying offer, the Giants went to work on their rotation this winter by adding Anthony DeSclafani  for $6MM (a teammate of Sanchez’s on the 2012 Lansing Lugnuts) and Alex Wood at $3MM on one-year free agent contracts.  While Sanchez will presumably round out the team’s starting five, no team is getting by with five starters – not this year, and not with this group.  The club also added Nick Tropeano on a minor league deal today, and Logan Webb figures to be in the mix as well.  Tyler Beede is expected to become an option around May after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

With pitchers and catchers already starting to report to spring training, there are still several rotation-worthy starting pitchers on the free agent market, including Jake Odorizzi, Taijuan Walker, Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, and Mike Leake.  It’s been an odd winter for starting pitching.  Aside from Trevor Bauer, who signed for three years and $102MM, no starting pitcher has landed as much as $20MM.  The last time fewer than three starting pitchers received a $20MM guarantee in an offseason was 2009-10,  when only John Lackey and Randy Wolf achieved it.

NL West Notes: Casali, Vogt, D’Backs, Tatis

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Curt Casali’s offseason negotiations with the Giants were interrupted by a surgery, as Casali underwent a hamate bone procedure on his left hand in December.  The catcher told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters that he suffered the injury while playing for the Reds in the postseason and initially planned to just rehab the issue before opting for surgery.  There was already a verbal agreement in place between Casali and the Giants prior to his surgery, and once the Giants were satisfied about Casali’s health, the two sides officially finalized a one-year, $1.5MM deal in early January.

In a nod to Casali’s recovery, he said the contract contains a $500K bonus if he makes the Opening Day roster.  He fully expects to be ready, as he has been playing catch and taking swings already in camp, though Casali has yet to get behind the plate for a bullpen session.  The seven-year MLB veteran is slated to work as Buster Posey’s chief backup this season, and San Francisco also has Chadwick Tromp and top prospect Joey Bart waiting in the minors as further catching depth.

More from the NL West…

  • Stephen Vogt tested positive for COVID-19 and has yet to arrive at Diamondbacks camp, manager Torey Lovullo told The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter link) and other reporters.  It isn’t known if Vogt might be available or if he is suffering any symptoms, though Lovullo did bring some lightness to the situation by mentioning that Vogt was practicing his putting stroke in his kitchen while having a FaceTime conversation with Lovullo.  Vogt made 20 starts at catcher and 26 appearances overall in 2020, which was enough (in prorated fashion) for his $3MM vesting option for 2021 to become guaranteed, and unlock a further $500K in salary.  Carson Kelly will serve as Arizona’s starting catcher with Vogt slated for backup duty, and star prospect Daulton Varsho and veteran Bryan Holaday are also in camp as possible options if Vogt has miss any time.
  • The Diamondbacks have continued pay cuts for employees throughout the organization, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports.  The cuts have impacted both the baseball operations and business departments, and while the D’Backs are reportedly waiting on their 2021 revenue situation before restoring full salaries, they “are believed to be one of the only teams in baseball still implementing pay cuts to employees.”  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that most of the salary cuts are in the range of 10 percent or less, after the organization cut remaining salaries by an average of 15 percent last year after furloughing or laying off over a quarter of its staff.  The cuts operate on a sliding scale, so higher-paid employees like team president/CEO Derrick Hall and general manager Mike Hazen are thought to have taken the largest salary reductions.
  • Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340MM extension with the Padres represents not just a huge payday for the star shortstop, but also for Big League Advance firm, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Tatis is the most prominent of the 344 players who have signed with BLA since the company was founded by former Phillies right-hander Michael Schwimer in 2016, with BLA offering these players a $50K advance — up to a $500K maximum — in exchange for one percent of any future earnings derived from baseball contracts (not non-baseball income like endorsement deals).  It isn’t known how many advances Tatis received, but even a single $50K advance would result in a $3.4MM return on investment for Schwimer’s firm, and BLA would earn $34MM if Tatis took the full $500K advance.  While striking big on a future star like Tatis is obviously good news for Big League Advance, Schwimer is pleased at how his company has helped many players through the low-paying struggle faced by many minor leaguers, including Schwimer himself during his six pro seasons.  “Fernando’s deal is what everyone wants to talk about, but nobody wants to think of the literal dozens of players that we’ve invested in that are no longer in baseball,” Schwimer said.  “Players that without us, who knows what situation they’d be in….And now with us, in some cases, they have hundreds of thousands of dollars. They can go back to school, start their second chapter.”

2021 Arbitration Hearing Results & Post-Deadline Agreements

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January 15 was the deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to officially submit salary figures for the 2021, and by the time the day was done, only 13 players didn’t reach agreement on a contract.  The majority of teams now adhere to the “file or trial” strategy, meaning that no further negotiations on a one-year deal will take place between the arbitration deadline and a hearing with an arbiter, which theoretically puts pressure on players to get a deal done if they are wary about taking their case to a third party.

“File and trial” tactics didn’t stop the Astros and Carlos Correa from agreeing to a one-year deal for just the 2021 season, which is also Correa’s last year before gaining free agent eligibility.  We also saw three multi-year deals reached, all from the greater Los Angeles area — the Dodgers reached two-year deals with Walker Buehler and Austin Barnes, while the Angels inked a two-year pact with Shohei Ohtani.

This left nine unresolved cases that went all the way to a hearing (held over Zoom) between an arbiter, the player, his representative(s), and front office personnel arguing the team’s side.  The teams won five of the nine hearings, continuing the very narrow edge teams have held over players in arb cases in recent years — over the last 99 arbitration hearings, teams hold a 51-48 record over players.

For the full list of every salary for every arbitration-eligible player this offseason, check out the MLB Trade Rumors Arb Tracker.  Sticking to the 13 players with unresolved cases from January 15, here’s the rundown…

Avoided Arbitration, One-Year Contract

Avoided Arbitration, Multi-Year Contract

Arbitration Hearings, Won By Player

Arbitration Hearings, Won By Team

Giants Sign Shun Yamaguchi

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8:13PM: The Giants officially announced Yamaguchi’s signing.

10:44AM: The Giants and right-hander Shun Yamaguchi are in agreement on a contract, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The deal is likely to be a split Major League/minor league contract, notes Slusser.

Yamaguchi figures to come with minimal financial risk for the Giants, as the Blue Jays are on the hook to pay him $3.175MM for the 2021 season. The Blue Jays recently released the Japanese right-hander to clear room on their 40-man roster for waiver pickup Joel Payamps.

The 33-year-old pitched for 14 seasons in Japan where he owns a 3.35 ERA over 427 games, which included 50 starts and 191 games finished. He signed a two-year, $6.35MM deal to join Toronto ahead of the 2020 season. The transition did not go as planned, however, as Yamaguchi pitched to a 8.06 ERA/6.43 FIP over 25 2/3 innings out of the bullpen with substandard strikeout (21.7 percent) and walk rates (14.2 percent).

Pitching Notes: Paxton, Jays, Thor, McGee, Bass

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The Blue Jays were among the teams in on southpaw James Paxton before he agreed to a contract with the Mariners over the weekend. However, Toronto never made a pitch to Paxton (via Gregory Balloch of Sportsnet 650). “They showed a lot of interest, and I had interest too, but they never came forward with an offer,” Paxton said. Paxton was a first-round pick of the Jays in the 2009 draft, but after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, he joined the M’s as a fourth-rounder in 2010. The now-32-year-old, who’s known as the Big Maple because of his Canadian roots, will earn a guaranteed $8.5MM in his return to Seattle in 2021.

  • Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard remains on track in his recovery from March 2020 Tommy John surgery, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Barring any setbacks, Thor should rejoin the Mets’ rotation sometime in June or July. Without Syndergaard, they’re slated to open 2021 with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and David Peterson as the top four in their starting staff. There isn’t a set fifth member of the group yet, but the team does have interest in free-agent righty Taijuan Walker.
  • Lefty Jake McGee could close games for the Giants this year, manager Gabe Kapler told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters Wednesday. The 34-year-old McGee, whom the Giants signed to a two-year, $7MM contract last week, has saved 45 games since his career started in 2010, though the former Ray, Rockie and Dodger hasn’t picked up a save since 2018. The Giants went to a closer-by-committee approach last season with five hurlers totaling at least one save, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see McGee join others in finishing games for the team this year.
  • Righty Anthony Bass is the favorite to close for the Marlins, Craig Mish of SportsGrid suggests. Bass signed a two-year, $5MM guarantee with the Marlins last month after a productive season in Toronto, where he notched a 3.51 ERA/4.09 SIERA with a 62.3 percent groundball rate in 25 2/3 innings. He could now be in line to succeed Brandon Kintzler, who closed for the Marlins in 2020 but signed with the division-rival Phillies last week.

Giants Win Arbitration Case Against Donovan Solano

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The Giants have won their arbitration case against infielder Donovan Solano, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. Solano will earn $3.25MM in 2021 after filing for $3.9MM.

Solano, who previously appeared in the majors with the Marlins and Yankees, has turned into an unexpected success story since the Giants signed him to a minor league before the 2019 season. Since then, Solano has batted .328/.362/.459 in 431 plate appearances, and though he hasn’t shown much power (.131 ISO, seven home runs), his overall output has still been 20 percent than the league-average mark, according to FanGraphs. Defensively, Solano has mostly lined up at second for the Giants, with whom he has managed one Defensive Run Saved and a minus-3.0 Ultimate Zone Rating in almost 600 innings.

Solano should again earn plenty of playing time in San Francisco in 2021. It could be the 33-year-old’s last season in San Francisco, though, as he’s slated to become a free agent next winter.

Giants Sign Nick Tropeano

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9:02pm: The Giants have announced the move, Maria Guardado of MLB.com was among those to report.

8:17pm: It’s a minor league deal that features a $1.1MM base salary, and it could end up around $2MM if Tropeano reaches the incentives included, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

8:03pm: The Giants are signing free-agent right-hander Nick Tropeano, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. Details of the contract are unknown as of now.

Tropeano began his career with the Astros in 2014 and then went to the division-rival Angels in a trade before 2015, though he dealt with several injuries in his time with the Halos. As an Angel, Tropeano logged a 4.51 ERA/4.48 SIERA in 195 2/3 innings, most of which came as a starter.

Tropeano, 30, joined the Pirates before last season and held his own as a reliever, recording a 1.15 ERA/3.32 SIERA with his best-ever strikeout and walk percentages (28.8 and 6.1, respectively) in 15 2/3 innings and seven appearances. But the Pirates let Tropeano go on waivers in October to the Mets, who later non-tendered him. He’s not eligible to become a free agent again until after 2022, so whether as a starter or reliever, Tropeano could help the Giants for more than one season if he’s able to carry over his 2020 success going forward.

Giants Roster “Pretty Settled”

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The Giants’ rotation took the early spotlight this winter as Kevin Gausman weighed multi-year deals against a short-term return to the Bay. Ultimately, Gausman brought his 3.62 ERA/3.09 FIP and 32.2 percent strikeout rate from 2020 back to San Francisco by accepting the club’s qualifying offer.

Slot Gausman at the top of the Giants’ rotation, then, and veteran Johnny Cueto right behind him. With Gausman on a one-year pact and the soon-to-be 35-year-old Cueto also facing free agency (assuming the Giants buy out their 2022 team option), the Giants have long-term flexibility at the top of their rotation. As much as malleability has become a chief asset throughout the game, the top of the rotation is the one place where teams probably prefer some stability. The Giants have some work to do in this regard, but that’s probably not a box they can check this winter.

Elsewhere, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood are “locked into the rotation,” per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. The way in which those starts manifest themselves comes baked-in with more than a dash of uncertainty, especially given the unique incentives in Wood’s contract. His deal leaves open the possibility of taking his turns traditionally – or as an opener or follower. DeSclafani, meanwhile, has only twice made 30+ starts in a season, and he’s coming off a 7.22 ERA/5.52 SIERA in 33 2/3 innings – which included seven starts and two relief appearances. Regarding the stability/flexibility dichotomy, Wood and DeSclafani, like the top half of the rotation, are heading back to free agency after 2021.

Funny enough, Logan Webb, the frontrunner to land the Giants’ fifth starter spot, also probably has the most secure long-term future with the club. The 24-year-old owns a 5.36 ERA/4.64 SIERA over 94 career innings. In the short term, however, he’s most likely to find himself displaced from a regular role should President of Baseball Ops Farhan Zaidi continue to add from the outside. At least for now, that’s a real possibility, writes Guardado.

Interestingly, Zaidi sounded pretty certain that the rest of their roster was set. The Giants added Tommy La Stella to the top of their lineup this winter and Curt Casali to the bench. In the bullpen, Matt Wisler, John Brebbia, and Jake McGee joined the bullpen potentials along with Rule 5 selection Dedniel Nunez.

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