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Stephen Vogt

NL West Notes: Marte, Rockies, Giants, Gott

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The Diamondbacks will take steps to try and keep Ketel Marte healthier in 2020, GM Mike Hazen told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, including “getting him off his feet at various points in time” during the season, and investigating “offseason/spring training type of regimens, physically, that we can help him strengthen to put himself in a better position coming into the season.”  Something that doesn’t appear to be on the table is moving Marte back to second base, as while Hazen didn’t entirely rule out the idea, “I think how he fits onto the major-league team is a tremendous luxury.”  Marte’s transition to regular center field duty went swimmingly from a defensive standpoint, as he posted an excellent +7 Defensive Runs Saved and +10.8 UZR/150 over 687 2/3 innings at the position.  He also saw significant action at second base and a bit of time at shortstop, so between that versatility and a huge offensive performance (32 homers and a .329/.389/.592 slash line), Marte was one of the most valuable players of 2019 —- his 7.1 fWAR ranks sixth in all of baseball.

There was a bit of an injury cost, however, as Marte was shut down last week due to a stress reaction in his back.  While the stress reaction wasn’t terribly serious, keeping the superstar healthy is of the utmost importance for the D’Backs.  Hazen said the Diamondbacks won’t be “closing ourselves off to what the offseason will bring,” so Marte’s positional usage could perhaps be altered again should Arizona have the chance to acquire another regular center fielder (or second baseman).  Marte seems like the best bet to be in center on Opening Day, however, given that landing a center fielder would likely come at a significant financial or trade cost to the D’Backs.

More from around the NL West…

  • The Rockies’ troubled pitching situation is examined by The Athletic’s Nick Groke (subscription required), who projects that German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, and Jon Gray will headline the 2020 rotation.  The last two spots are up in the air between such names as Peter Lambert, Antonio Senzatela, Jeff Hoffman, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Tim Melville, Rico Garcia, Chris Rusin, and Ryan Castellani.  While there’s certainly room for an external addition, the Rockies have now gone several years without signing a veteran to a significant Major League contract — Kyle Kendrick was the last, back in the 2014-15 offseason.  It doesn’t seem like this trend will change this winter, as the team doesn’t have much payroll space available (due in part to a lot of ill-fated free agent signings in general in recent years).  There’s also the fact that free agent pitchers who have a choice of multiple teams aren’t likely to want to come to Coors Field without a significant overpay.
  • Unsurprisingly, several Giants free agents aren’t planning to re-sign with the team until they know who the next manager will be, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.  This includes the likes of Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith, who will be two of the more heavily-pursued arms on the market this winter, and also lower-tier free agents like Stephen Vogt, who Schulman noted “seems like the perfect candidate to re-sign as a free agent quickly after the season.”  Vogt has hit .264/.311/.492 with 10 homers over 273 PA this season, playing primarily as the backup catcher and also seeing a bit of time as a left fielder and first baseman.  Between his valuable bench presence and his ties to the Bay Area, Vogt indeed seems like a good fit for the 2020 roster, and he would “definitely be interested in coming back.”  If a new manager isn’t hired until the free agency period begins, however, the Giants would lose their exclusive negotiating window to talk terms with Vogt and other free agents.
  • The Giants announced that right-hander Trevor Gott underwent left groin surgery yesterday.  Gott’s season was already over due to an elbow strain, and the groin surgery only carries a six-week recovery period, so it shouldn’t impact Gott’s readiness for Spring Training.  Gott posted a 4.44 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 3.35 K/BB rate over 52 2/3 innings out of San Francisco’s bullpen this season, though ERA indicators (3.13 FIP, 4.06 xFIP, 3.74 SIERA) point out that Gott performed better than his 4.44 ERA would imply.

Giants Select Stephen Vogt, Option Ty Blach

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5:08pm: The move is official. Vogt will take the 40-man spot that was opened earlier today when pitching prospect Logan Webb was placed on the restricted list due to an 80-game PED suspension. In order to open a spot on the active roster, San Francisco has optioned left-hander Ty Blach to Triple-A Sacramento.

10:15am: The Giants will select the contract of veteran backstop Stephen Vogt today, he tells Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Corresponding roster moves aren’t yet known.

Vogt, 34, will return to the majors for the first time since the 2017 campaign. He ultimately missed the entirety of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury that required shoulder surgery and at one point looked to be career threatening.

Through 1,808 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Vogt owns a .251/.310/.416 slash line. At his peak with the Athletics, he was among the game’s best-hitting catchers for a brief stretch and was named to a pair of American League All-Star teams.

Vogt has shown signs that he’s ready to be a contributor in the majors once again. He’s off to a strong .241/.389/.500 slash with four home runs through 72 plate appearances with the Giants’ top affiliate. Better still, he has drawn 14 walks against 11 strikeouts. The Giants already have a pair of catchers on the roster in Buster Posey and Erik Kratz, so it’s not clear how Vogt will factor into the catching mix just yet, but he’ll at the very least give the Giants an additional veteran bat off the bench.

Quick Hits: Extensions, Boras, Acuna, Dodgers, Pujols, Cards, Giants

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Agent Scott Boras, who brought you the term “swellopt,” has now concocted a phrase to describe team-friendly extensions young major leaguers sign, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. “Great young players are getting what I call ‘snuff contracts,’” Boras told McCullough. “And a snuff contract is that they’re trying to snuff out the market. They know the player is a great player, and he’s exhibited very little performance. So they’re coming to him at 20 and 21, and I’m going to snuff out your ability to move, to go anywhere, to do anything, and your value. And I’m going to pay you maybe 40 cents on the dollar to do it. What’s my risk?” In Boras’ estimation, the eight-year, $100MM guarantee Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., 21, signed this week is “the king of the snuff contracts,” as it hampers the outfielder’s career earning power while giving Atlanta what looks like a sweetheart deal for a franchise player in the making.

Acuna’s accord is one of a whopping 27 multiyear extensions doled out across the majors since Jan. 21, though the Dodgers haven’t joined the party, McCullough observes. Extensions have been almost nonexistent in Los Angeles under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who has only given out one (Clayton Kershaw’s three-year, $93MM deal after last season) since taking the reins in 2014. But Friedman told McCullough he “wouldn’t be surprised if within the next 12 months we do some.” McCullough points to Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Corey Seager, Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor as potential extension candidates for Friedman & Co.

  • Speaking of Kershaw, the ace left-hander appears to be nearing his 2019 debut. Kershaw will make a minor league rehab start Tuesday, which could set him up for a Dodgers return Sunday, Jorge Castillo of the LA Times tweets. The three-time NL Cy Young winner, 31, has been shelved on account of shoulder troubles since late February. Consequently, this will be the fourth straight injury-shortened campaign for Kershaw, whose 162 innings-per-season average from 2016-18 fell well shy of the 215-frame mean he put up over the previous seven years.
  • First baseman Albert Pujols dominated headlines in 2011 when he elected to leave St. Louis, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his Hall of Fame career, for the Angels’ 10-year, $254MM offer. Pujols’ decision came after the Cardinals and Marlins also proposed decade-long contracts worth upward of $200MM. Now 39 years old and with $87MM remaining on his deal, Pujols recently reflected on his choice to leave the Cardinals, telling Graham Bensinger (via ESPN.com): “I felt that the approach that they took wasn’t showing me that they wanted me to be a longtime Cardinal. I believe I made the right decision.” If his rapid deterioration in Anaheim is any indication, St. Louis dodged a bullet in losing Pujols, even though he won three NL MVPs and two World Series as a Cardinal. Pujols slashed an incredible .328/.420/.617, averaged more than seven fWAR per year and never appeared in fewer than 143 games in a season while with the Redbirds. On the other hand, the Anaheim version’s a .260/.315/.452 hitter who has been worth one win above replacement a year and has twice missed at least 45 games in a season.
  • As is often the case with minor league contracts, catcher Stephen Vogt’s agreement with the Giants includes a June 1 opt-out chance, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Giants already have three backstops – Buster Posey, Erik Kratz and Aramis Garcia – occupying 40-man roster spots, which seems to decrease the 34-year-old Vogt’s odds of earning a promotion from Triple-A Sacramento. However, San Francisco’s a fan of the two-time All-Star’s bat and could summon him at some point, Schulman suggests. The former Ray, Athletic and Brewer hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2017, having missed all of last season because of shoulder surgery.

Giants, Stephen Vogt Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants are in agreement with catcher Stephen Vogt on a minor league contract, reports Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (via Twitter). She notes that he’s yet to begin throwing from a crouch following shoulder surgery last year. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets that Vogt is expected to be in MLB camp but adds that Vogt has yet to take his physical.

While the timing is sheerly coincidental, it’s nevertheless a bit odd that the news of Vogt landing in San Francisco comes on the heels of the Athletics’ announcement of a minor league deal with veteran backstop Nick Hundley. Vogt was a wildly popular catcher across the bay with the A’s a few years back, while Hundley had become something of a fan favorite among Giants fans from 2017-18. The two will now suit up on opposite sides of the bay, both hoping to ultimately secure roster spots with their new organizations, although it’s not fully clear exactly when Vogt might be full-go for baseball activities just yet.

Vogt, who turned 34 this offseason, didn’t play in 2018 due to the aforementioned shoulder procedure — one he feared at the time to be a career-ender. That, it seems, is not the case for the affable veteran, who is a known commodity to Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi dating back to the pair’s days together in Oakland, where Zaidi was an assistant general manager at one point.

Back in 2013, Vogt was a castoff from the Rays organization whom the A’s picked up in a minor, unheralded swap that merely sent cash considerations back to Tampa Bay. Vogt, however, went on to hit .255/.316/.416 with 49 homers in 1652 plate appearances for the Athletics across parts of five seasons there. His peak seasons, 2015-16, saw him hit a combined .256/.322/.424 and earn consecutive All-Star appearances. Along the way, Oakland fans embraced the catcher with open arms and made no secret that they “believed in Stephen Vogt.”

The Giants are currently navigating some uncertainty surrounding their own veteran catcher, as Buster Posey is on the mend from hip surgery, leaving Aramis Garcia as the only fully healthy catcher on the 40-man roster. Vogt will have company in MLB camp, though, as the Giants have also previously added veterans Rene Rivera and Cameron Rupp on minor league contracts of their own this winter.

Stephen Vogt Hosting Workout

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Free agent backstop Stephen Vogt has scheduled a workout this week, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Back in December, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported (Twitter link) that Vogt was planning to play in 2019.

Uncertainty had arisen in the wake of major shoulder surgery that cost the 34-year-old the entirety of the 2018 season. With at least seven clubs reportedly showing some level of interest, and Vogt’s recovery evidently going well, he obviously decided to proceed with a comeback attempt.

The outlook remains unclear for Vogt, a late-blooming performer who was for a brief stretch among the game’s best-hitting catchers. Though he was never considered a standout defender, and generally struggled against left-handed pitching, Vogt thrived against righties (in 2014 and 2015, particularly) with the A’s. He landed with the Brewers after a rough opening to the 2017 season, ultimately turning in a solid run — .254/.281/.508 with eight home runs in 129 plate appearances — to end the year.

The Milwaukee organization thought enough of Vogt’s prospects to agree to a $3.065MM salary with him for the 2018 campaign, though that did fall well shy of his projected arbitration earning capacity. It seems likely that Vogt will have to settle for a minor-league deal after his long layoff, particularly since it’s still not clear whether he’ll be ready to be a full participant in camp, though his workout will assuredly go a long way toward determining the offers he receives. Vogt will presumably hold the most appeal to teams that like the idea of bolstering their bench with a powerful, lefty hitter who is capable of suiting up behind the dish.

Catching Notes: Ramos, Lucroy, A’s, Herrmann, Vogt

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While rumors about J.T. Realmuto continue to dominate the catching market, we’ve already seen such notable backstops as Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki, and Brian McCann switch teams this offseason.  Here’s the latest on some other catchers….

  • The Athletics have checked in with Wilson Ramos, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, as the club explores its options on the catching front.  It would be something of a surprise if the A’s went to the top of the market to find a catcher, as Ramos would require a pretty pricey multi-year commitment (MLBTR projects three years and $36MM) that could stretch Oakland’s traditionally limited payroll.  While the A’s could boost payroll in an effort to return to the postseason, their pitching staff has enough holes that it probably deserves the lion’s share of dollars if the team did increase its spending.  Committing multiple years to Ramos would also block catching prospect Sean Murphy, one of the Athletics’ better minor leaguers.  It could also be that the A’s were simply doing their due diligence in talking to Ramos, just to see if a minor bargain could be found.
  • A reunion with Jonathan Lucroy also isn’t out of the question for the Athletics, though Slusser reports that other teams have shown interest and the A’s are only offering Lucroy a one-year deal worth under $5MM.  Lucroy is amenable to a one-year pact but wants a larger salary.  Lucroy only hit .241/.291/.325 over 454 PA for the A’s last season, though he drew praise for his clubhouse leadership and handling of a pitching staff that was near-decimated by injuries.
  • Chris Herrmann is one of several veteran catching options the Tigers are considering for next season, MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports (via Twitter).  Grayson Greiner, John Hicks, and recently-acquired veteran Bobby Wilson comprise Detroit’s current catching core, with top prospect Jake Rogers waiting in the wings but still in need of more minor league seasoning.  Herrmann was recently non-tendered by the Astros after being claimed off waivers from the Mariners after the season.  The 31-year-old is perhaps known as much for his ability to play first base and left field than he is for his work specifically as a catcher, and Herrmann has a career .633 OPS over 898 PA with the Twins, D’Backs, and Mariners since 2012.
  • Seven teams have been in contact with free agent Stephen Vogt, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  The bigger story here is that Vogt plans to play in 2019, which is good news for the veteran catcher in the wake of shoulder surgery that kept him off the field last season and threatened to end his career.  Now, however, Vogt is hoping to be ready for Spring Training at the earliest and April or May at the latest, and he is now throwing from 70 feet.

Stephen Vogt Elects Free Agency

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According to a team announcement, Brewers catcher Stephen Vogt has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. Vogt, along with pitchers Jimmy Nelson and Brent Suter, was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list today. The 34-year-old Vogt did not play in the majors in 2018 after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in May. With the addition of Nelson and Suter, the Brewers’ 40-man roster now consists of 37 players.

Vogt didn’t take the field this season due to that surgery, though he spent the year traveling with the team even after the operation. The veteran backstop joined the Brew Crew via waivers last June after being designated for assignment by the A’s. Vogt showed good pop with Milwaukee last year, hitting .254/.284/.508 with seven big flies in just 129 plate appearances and was rewarded with a $3.065MM deal in the offseason, avoiding arbitration. Unfortunately for both team and player, that proved to be a sunk cost, as shoulder issues in Spring Training lingered into the season before it was determined that Vogt was facing a potentially career-threatening injury.

As it stands, it’s not clear where Vogt is in terms of recovery from an injury which the veteran described as “[feeling] everything go wrong that could go wrong with a shoulder.” If doctors determine his arm can handle another attempt at playing, he could look to re-up with the Brewers on a minor league pact or seek out a non-guaranteed deal with another club on the open market.

Nelson, too, missed the entire 2018 season as he recovered from shoulder surgery that he underwent last September. If he can come back at full strength in 2019, he’ll add a dynamic presence to the top of a Brewers rotation that proved to be a surprising strength in 2018. He’d join Jhoulys Chacin and Chase Anderson in the rotation, with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Zach Davies and Junior Guerra representing further options (to say nothing of any potential offseason additions).

The 29-year-old Suter surely would’ve been in that group as well, but the left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this summer and won’t be an option to return to the active roster until late 2019.

Stephen Vogt To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Brewers catcher Stephen Vogt met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to have another examination of his ailing shoulder and received an unfortunate but largely expected diagnosis, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter links). He’ll require season-ending shoulder surgery that could threaten his career.

The 33-year-old Vogt was emotional last week when talking to reporters about the injury, which he sustained when making a throw to third base on a recent minor league rehab assignment. Vogt’s shoulder is said to have damage in each of the rotator cuff, labrum and anterior capsule, making the surgical procedure he’ll require extremely complex.

It’ll be the second major shoulder surgery of Vogt’s career, and the veteran backstop acknowledged last week that having been through a similar process before, there are “big implications” he’s being forced to think about. “I felt everything go wrong that could go wrong with a shoulder,” Vogt said at the time.

Vogt, commonly cited as a significant clubhouse fixture for both the Athletics and the Brewers (who acquired him last summer) is by all accounts beloved by both teammates and fans, as evidenced by the popular “I believe in Stephen Vogt” chants at O.Co Coliseum and the corresponding t-shirts created by fans. A two-time All-Star, Vogt is a career .251/.310/.416 hitter in parts of six big league seasons and slashed .254/.281/.508 with eight homers in just 129 plate appearances for the Brewers down the stretch last season.

[Related: Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]

With Vogt now decidedly out of the catching mix in Milwaukee, the Brewers will continue to rely on Manny Pina and Jett Bandy behind the plate. However, neither player has produced much offensively this season, which could push the Brewers to eventually give a longer look to either Jacob Nottingham or Christian Bethancourt. Giving Bethancourt a look would require a 40-man roster move for the Brewers. Vogt is already on the 60-day DL, so he couldn’t be transferred there as a means of clearing room.

Stephen Vogt Suffers Career-Threatening Shoulder Injury; Mauricio Dubon Tears ACL

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6:47pm: Vogt’s injury puts not only the remainder of the 2018 season in jeopardy but could also be career-threatening, Haudricourt explains in a full column on the matter. Vogt suffered damage to the anterior capsule, the rotator cuff and the labrum in his right shoulder while making a throw to third base in a rehab game this weekend. The veteran fought back tears when describing the injury to reporters (Twitter link with video, via McCalvy). He’ll head to L.A. to be evaluated by renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache later this week.

“The biggest emotion is sadness,” said Vogt. “It’s hard. I’m upset. … Obviously, there are big implications here with a second shoulder injury like this that I don’t like to think about but I am thinking about. I felt everything go wrong that could go wrong with a shoulder.”

4:02pm: The Brewers announced on Tuesday that infield prospect Mauricio Dubon has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season. The tough injury news didn’t stop there, either, as GM David Stearns told reporters that catcher Stephen Vogt has re-injured the anterior capsule in his right shoulder and also has some damage in his rotator cuff (Twitter link via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). He’s headed for a second opinion, but season-ending surgery is possible for Vogt, McCalvy adds. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, meanwhile, tweets that surgery is “inevitable.”

Both bits of news are significant for the Brewers. Stearns revealed today that Dubon was in consideration for his first call to the Major Leagues when he incurred the injury. The 23-year-old, acquired alongside Travis Shaw in the Tyler Thornburg swap with the Red Sox two winters ago, was hitting .343/.348/.574 with four homers, nine doubles, two triples and six stolen bases in 114 plate appearances with Triple-A Colorado Springs. He’d have been just the second native of Honduras to reach the Majors, per Baseball-Reference, though that distinction will now be placed on hold for at least a season. (Former Astros outfielder Gerald Young was the first.)

As for Vogt, there won’t be any definitive word on his status until he receives further opinions from additional medical experts, but the outlook certainly isn’t promising. He’d been near a return prior to aggravating the shoulder in a rehab appearance with Double-A Biloxi over the weekend, per Haudricourt. Vogt’s return might’ve come at the expense of struggling backup Jett Bandy, who is out of minor league options, but Bandy’s spot on the club now looks more secure with Vogt sidelined indefinitely. (Christian Bethancourt and Jacob Nottingham are both hitting quite well in Triple-A, however, providing additional in-house alternatives.)

Brewers Select Nick Franklin, Option Eric Sogard

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The Brewers have selected the contract of utilityman Nick Franklin, per a club announcement. He’ll take the active roster spot of infielder Eric Sogard, who has been optioned.

To open a 40-man spot, the club has shifted catcher Stephen Vogt to the 60-day DL. That means he won’t be eligible to return until the end of the month. It seems, though, that the veteran receiver has suffered a setback in his efforts to return from a shoulder injury, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets. We’ll have to await further word before assessing.

The news represents a disappointing turn for Sogard, who signed a one-year, $2.4MM deal to return to Milwaukee before he even formally reached free agency. Sogard, 31, had turned in his best season at the plate at the MLB level in 2017. But he’s off to a brutal start this year, with a .100/.194/.150 slash over 68 plate appearances.

As for Franklin, he’s back in the majors for a sixth-straight season. Once a top prospect, Franklin has never quite consistently produced at the game’s highest level. In his 921 total plate appearances in the bigs, he’s a .213/.285/.360 hitter.

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