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Yankees Sign Corey Kluber

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JAN. 27: The Yankees have made the Kluber signing official.

JAN. 15, 7:49pm: It’s a one-year, $11MM pact, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. That comes in just a bit south of MLBTR’s one-year, $12MM prediction.

7:37pm: It’s a done deal, pending a physical, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. Kluber will earn upward of $10MM, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

7:27pm: The Yankees are finalizing a contract with free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (Talkin Jake first reported the deal). Details aren’t known yet. Kluber is a client of Jet Sports Management.

After a couple of quiet months, the Yankees have certainly been active on Friday. Hours before the Kluber news came down, they made major progress toward re-signing star second baseman DJ LeMahieu for six years and $90MM. The 34-year-old Kluber won’t pull in that type of contract, but as a two-time American League Cy Young winner, he’s clearly a high-profile pickup for a Yankees team in need of help in their rotation.

During his peak years in Cleveland from 2014-18, Kluber averaged about 218 innings per season and combined for a stellar 2.85 ERA/2.99 SIERA with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate and a paltry 5.2 percent walk rate. There was no reason to expect a drop-off heading into 2019, but Kluber hasn’t been the same since then. He threw 35 2/3 innings in the first few weeks of that season and was tattooed by opposing offenses, who totaled 23 earned runs on 44 hits and 15 walks (38 strikeouts) against Kluber before he succumbed to a fractured right forearm on May 1. That proved to be Kluber’s final outing with Cleveland, which traded him to the Rangers for reliever Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields in December 2019.

Texas was banking on a rebound effort from Kluber, but it essentially received no contributions from him. He threw just one inning in his first start last season before exiting with shoulder tightness, and Kluber never took the mound again for the Rangers. The Rangers then declined Kluber’s $18MM option for 2021 in favor of a $1MM buyout, making him a free agent. That left Kluber to try to prove to clubs he was back to health, and he made that effort Wednesday with a showcase that the majority of major league teams attended. Kluber’s fastball topped out around 90 mph during that session, down a bit from his typical 91-92 range but not enough to scare away the Yankees.

Now that he’s on his way to the Bronx, Kluber will continue to work with Yankees director of health and performance Eric Cressey, who – as Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes – has been overseeing the former ace’s shoulder rehab. Kluber is also quite familiar with Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, Cleveland’s ex-pitching coordinator and assistant director of pitching development.

The Yankees entered the offseason facing the potential loss of veteran righty Masahiro Tanaka, who remains a free agent. Reports have indicated the Yankees have not been aggressive in trying to re-sign Tanaka, so Kluber could end up as his replacement. At the moment, he’s a lock to be part of a season-opening rotation led by ace Gerrit Cole. The Yankees should get Luis Severino back from February 2020 Tommy John surgery at some point, though he probably won’t be ready to begin the season. So, barring other acquisitions, Deivi Garcia, Jordan Montgomery, Domingo German, Clarke Schmidt, Michael King and Jhoulys Chacin look as if they’ll be among those vying for starting jobs behind Cole and Kluber during the spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yankees Re-Sign DJ LeMahieu

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JAN. 27: The Yankees have announced LeMahieu’s six-year deal. It includes full no-trade protection for the first two seasons and then limited no-trade rights for the next four, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. As Nightengale points out, because LeMahieu will have 1o-and-5 rights following 2023, the Yankees won’t be able to trade him after that without his permission. He’ll earn $15MM in each season of the contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.

JAN. 15, 9:10am: It’ll be a six-year, $90MM contract for LeMahieu when finalized, as was first reported by Pat Ragazzo (Twitter link). The $90MM overall guarantee isn’t particularly surprising, but it is indeed an eye-opener to see that sum come over a six-year term rather than five or even four years.

That LeMahieu agreed to a lengthier pact is a boost for the Yankees, as the associated $15MM luxury hit will “only” put the team at about $195MM in terms of 2021 luxury-tax obligations. That leaves the club with as much as $14-15MM of space before reaching the $210MM luxury barrier.

8:52am: The Yankees’ preference was indeed to drive down the luxury-tax hit by lengthening the contract, tweets Bowden, though the precise length of the deal still isn’t clear.

8:17am: The Athletic’s Jim Bowden tweets that LeMahieu’s contract will be more than four years in length. That makes a five-year deal seem likeliest, barring an unexpected six-year arrangement at a comparable total but lower annual rate that is designed to lessen the luxury hit for the Yankees.

7:04am: After a months-long staredown, the Yankees are closing in on a new contract with second baseman DJ LeMahieu, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). Terms of the potential agreement aren’t yet known, but the deal could be completed as soon as today, per Morosi. LeMahieu is represented by Wasserman.

DJ LeMahieu | Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

LeMahieu, 32, has been the Yankees’ top priority all season. General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged as much a couple of weeks back, but the club has also seemingly been letting LeMahieu explore his options on the open market rather than emulating the Yankees of old and simply writing him a blank check up front. The interest between the two parties was mutual, and it’s long been apparent that the Yankees would have the opportunity to match any offer LeMahieu received elsewhere. The impending reunion will surely come at a loftier price than his initial deal, which proved to be a bargain; reports have recently suggested that LeMahieu has been looking to top Josh Donaldson’s four-year, $92MM contract — ideally on a five-year arrangement.

The focus on LeMahieu is more than understandable for the Yankees, who looked like an oddball fit for the longtime Rockies second baseman two years ago when he inked a two-year, $24MM contract to come to the Bronx. The Yankees already boasted a relatively full infield, but injuries and LeMahieu’s immediate, career-best production quickly thrust him into regular work in manager Aaron Boone’s lineup. The versatile LeMahieu logged action not only at second base but also at the infield corners, emerging not only as the Yankees’ most productive hitter in that time but as a bona fide MVP candidate in the American League.

During his two seasons in New York, LeMahieu has turned in an outstanding .336/.386/.536 batting line — including a superhuman .364/.421/.590 line in 2020’s truncated season. That .364 showing marked the second time in his career that LeMahieu has led the league in average — he won a batting title with the 2016 Rockies as well — but he’d never put together this type of power until landing in New York. Yankee Stadium proved to be the perfect fit for LeMahieu, who leads the Majors in opposite-field home runs over the past couple of seasons after fully taking advantage of his new home park’s short porch in right field.

That’s not to diminish LeMahieu’s production with the Yankees, of course. He remains one of the toughest players in all of baseball to strike out thanks to his superlative bat-to-ball skills, and LeMahieu has upped his hard-hit rate and exit velocities since his days at Coors Field. LeMahieu’s 12.7 percent strikeout rate is the seventh-lowest in all of baseball among qualified hitters over the past two seasons, and he has the eighth-lowest swinging-strike rate of any player in the Majors in that time.

A reunion with the Yankees means that LeMahieu will remain the primary second baseman, with Gleyber Torres reprising his role at shortstop. There’s been plenty of question about Torres’ ability to develop into a strong or even average defender at shortstop after a pair of seasons punctuated by miscues, but the club has publicly expressed confidence that Torres is up to the challenge.

LeMahieu and Torres, then, will be penciled in as the Yankees’ double-play tandem for the foreseeable future, with Gio Urshela and Luke Voit holding down the infield corners. That still leaves former Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar without a clear path to everyday at-bats, though he still has a minor league option remaining and can also be worked in as an oft-used bench piece seeing time at third, first and in left field.

The fit in the lineup was always obvious, but the fit into the Yankees’ budget was another question. The Yanks, of course, have deeper pockets than just about any team in the league, but after last year’s franchise-record level of spending — the Yankees’ $108MM prorated payroll was larger than several teams’ full-season payroll would have been — owner Hal Steinbrenner has reportedly been intent on lowering the team’s payroll and dipping beneath the $210MM luxury tax threshold.

The potential free-agent departures of J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Brett Gardner and Masahiro Tanaka help to drive down that bottom line, as did Tommy Kahnle’s non-tender, but it’s been apparent for months that the Yankees weren’t going to look to replicate the aggressiveness that brought Gerrit Cole to New York on an MLB-record deal for a pitcher. Even without a single addition, the Yankees were projected just shy of $181MM in terms of luxury-tax obligations, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, and adding a likely $20MM+ salary for LeMahieu will eat up anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the space that separates the Yankees and that competitive balance tax threshold.

The Yankees are still in need of some rotation depth even after signing Cole last winter. Luis Severino is expected back from Tommy John surgery but will clearly have his workload monitored. The same is true of righty Domingo German, who’ll be returning from a lengthy suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy. Jordan Montgomery, top prospects Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt, righty Mike King and swingman Luis Cessa are among the other options for Boone, but it’s clear that some veteran innings would prove quite beneficial.

Barring a trade to shed some payroll, however, it’s tough to see a way for the Yankees to both retain Tanaka and limbo underneath the luxury-tax bar. That reality, and some recent comments from Tanaka himself, have fueled speculation that the 32-year-old righty could return to Japan, leaving a considerable void on the Yankees’ starting staff. There are plenty of veteran options to be had on more affordable deals and various trade options to pursue, of course, and Cashman’s focus now seems likely to shift to solving that puzzle.

Padres Re-Sign Jurickson Profar

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JAN. 27: Bob Nightengale of USA Today has the full breakdown of the deal, which is now official: Profar will earn a $3.5MM salary and a $2.5MM signing bonus next season; 2022 includes a $6.5MM player option or a $1MM buyout; 2023 features a $7.5MM player option or a $1MM buyout; and Profar has a $10MM mutual option or a $1MM buyout for 2024. He’ll earn another $350K every time he’s traded.

JAN. 22: 10:32am: Profar’s contract contains an opt-out clause after each of the first two seasons, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

10:02am: The Padres have agreed to re-sign infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar on a three-year, $21MM contract, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Profar is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Jurickson Profar | Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

A new deal with Profar marks the latest strike in an ultra-aggressive winter for the Padres, who have already acquired Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove on the trade market in addition to signing Korea Baseball Organization superstar Ha-Seong Kim on a four-year deal. Kim’s ability to bounce around the infield and support the trio of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth at any position likely means that Profar is again ticketed for more work on the outfield grass than in the infield, although his versatility will allow him to be deployed virtually anywhere skipper Jayce Tingler sees fit.

The three-year term on the Profar deal registers as a bit of a surprise, though the Padres had some competition for the soon-to-be 28-year-old. The Royals were known to have interest in Profar, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Red Sox “tried hard” to sign Profar before he ultimately returned to San Diego.

The 2020 season was Profar’s first with the Padres, who acquired him last winter in a deal with the A’s. Profar got out to a disastrous start to the season but rode a sizzling hot streak over the final three-plus weeks of the season to finish out the year with a .278/.343/.428 batting line.

Profar’s season is representative of the difficulty in evaluating players on the heels of such a short year; the end results look solid, but it also should be noted that as late into the season as Aug. 27, Profar was batting .181/.291/.319. That was surely a cause of some concern for some clubs, as was the fact that Profar ranked in the 23rd percentile or worse in terms of exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate, per Statcast.

That said, Profar was clearly still a fairly in-demand free agent. That’s plenty understandable given that back in 2013, he was regarded as the consensus No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. Profar rocketed through the Rangers’ system after being signed as an amateur out of Curacao, making his MLB debut at just 19 years old in the final weeks of the 2012 season. Unfortunately for both him and for the Rangers, a pair of shoulder injuries led to multiple surgeries, wiping out two full years of development.

Profar never established himself as a regular in Texas, struggling to find playing time behind a veteran infield that included the likes of Adrian Beltre and an in-his-prime Elvis Andrus. Profar had an above-average year at the plate in 2018 as a utility player but still found himself traded to Oakland that winter — a match that didn’t pan out whatsoever. The A’s picked up Profar in hopes that he could solidify second base for his remaining two years of team control, but he battled a borderline case of the yips that resulted in a slew of throwing errors and batted just .218/.310/.401 in 139 games. Oakland traded him to San Diego after that lone year.

Three-year deal notwithstanding, Profar is in many regards still something of a project. The 2020 and 2018 seasons are the only two years he’s ever been at least average at the plate, and as this past season showed, he’s yet to find much consistency at the dish. That said, it was Padres general manager A.J. Preller who was running the Rangers’ international scouting operations when Profar originally signed as a 16-year-old. Based on not only the surprising size of the contract but also the multiple opt-out provisions, Preller seemingly remains a firm believer that Profar can match or exceed last year’s composite output.

That said, the inclusion of the two opt-out clauses effectively saps any upside for the Padres in this contract. If Profar reverts to his ways as a light-hitting utility piece without a position where he’s a true plus defender, the Friars will be on the hook for the full $21MM. If he, at any point, performs at an above-average level, he’ll surely head back to the open market in search of a larger deal — especially given his relative youth. The best outcome for the Padres would be for Profar to rake in 2021 and head back to market, and this contract structure is essentially a $21MM bet that that’ll be the case.

The Padres were already projected to open the season with a roughly $167MM payroll prior to their new deal with Profar. That would’ve been a franchise-record in its own right, but Friars ownership will continue to buck the common trend of shedding payroll taken by most clubs this winter, instead spending at new levels in their effort to dethrone the Dodgers, who have won eight consecutive division titles and, of course, toppled the Rays in the 2020 World Series. The $7MM annual value on Profar’s deal also pushed the Padres to more than $177MM in luxury-tax obligations.

Nationals Sign Jon Lester

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The Nationals have added another well-known veteran to an already experienced pitching staff, announcing Wednesday that they’ve agreed to a one-year contract with left-hander Jon Lester. The ACES client will reportedly earn $5MM on a one-year deal for the upcoming season. The Nationals’ 40-man roster is now at 38 players.

Jon Lester | Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Washington becomes the fourth organization for Lester, a 37-year-old who was previously with the Red Sox, Athletics and Cubs. Lester was especially impactful as a member of the Sox and Cubs, with whom he combined to win three World Series championships and pick up five All-Star appearances.

Lester spent the previous six seasons in Chicago, where he largely lived up to the $155MM deal he signed before 2015, but his production fell off during his last two years in their uniform. After he combined for a 4.64 ERA/4.62 SIERA in 232 2/3 innings during that span, the Cubs let Lester reach free agency earlier this winter, turning down his $25MM option for next season in favor of a $10MM buyout.

While Lester expressed interest in remaining with the Cubs after they allowed him to become a free agent, there haven’t been reports of serious talks between him and the team since then. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweets that the Cubs did make an offer to Lester, but it was “nowhere near” the still-modest $5MM sum he’s promised on his deal with the Nats. By signing in D.C., Lester will be reunited with Dave Martinez, who served as Joe Maddon’s bench coach in Chicago prior to being named Nationals manager.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said earlier in the offseason he wanted to add a starter to the back of the team’s rotation, and Lester gives him a durable veteran to add to the mix. The Nats have an enviable top three in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, but the rest of their rotation looks somewhat questionable with Joe Ross, Erick Fedde and Austin Voth as possibilities to earn roles in 2021.

Granted, after posting a 5.16 ERA/5.02 SIERA over 61 frames last year, Lester might not prove to be part of the solution, but the Nats are surely counting on Lester to be more of a veteran innings eater than the staff ace that he was at his peak. It’s possible the Nationals will continue to add to this mix with some non-roster veterans who can provide competition for Ross, Fedde, Voth and other in-house rotation options.

From a payroll vantage point, the recent additions of Lester and lefty reliever Brad Hand bump the Nats up to about $199MM in 2021 salary and about $195MM in terms of luxury-tax obligations, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. That leaves the Nats with about $15MM of leeway to pursue further additions while still remaining south of the $210MM luxury-tax barrier.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Greenberg first reported that the two sides were in talks. The Chicago Sun Times’ Russell Dorsey added that a deal was close, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted that a deal was in place. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine added financial details.

Yankees, Darren O’Day Agree To Deal

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12:48pm: O’Day receives a $1.75MM salary for the upcoming season and has a $1.4MM player option with a $700K buyout, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He’ll actually make the first decision, and if he opts for the buyout, the Yankees then have a $3.15MM club option over the righty.

Technically, because O’Day is guaranteed this year’s $1.75MM salary and that $1.4MM player option, one could call this a $3.15MM guarantee over a two-year term. However, since only the buyout is technically factored into the guarantee under the luxury tax, it’s a one-year, $2.45MM deal for luxury purposes. Ultimately, if O’Day pitches well enough to decline that player option but still have the club option exercised, it seems he can earn a total of $5.6MM between 2021-22.

12:33pm: O’Day’s contract is a one-year deal that contains both a player option and a club option, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. (Presumably, the Yankees will have the option to pick up O’Day’s 2022 season at a set price and, if declined, he can opt into a second season at a lower rate.) He’s guaranteed a total of $2.5MM in 2021, Heyman adds.

12:22pm: The Yankees are in agreement on a contract with free-agent righty Darren O’Day, reports Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (via Twitter). O’Day, represented by the Ballengee Group, still needs to pass a physical before the deal is finalized.

The 38-year-old O’Day will add a seasoned veteran to an already formidable Yankees bullpen. Most expected O’Day to be back with the Braves in 2021, given an affordable club option on his contract, but Atlanta made the surprising decision to pay him a $500K buyout rather than pay him a $3.5MM salary in 2021. For a reliever coming off 16 1/3 innings of 1.10 ERA ball eight hits and five walks allowed against 22 strikeouts, that seemed to be an eminently reasonable price tag. Heyman adds that the Braves and Phillies finished runner-up to the Yankees in their efforts to sign O’Day.

O’Day wasn’t only strong in 2020, of course. The sidearming righty has a length track record of being a high-quality setup piece, dating all the way back to a breakout 2009 with the Rangers. He’s dealt with injuries in recent years, requiring IL stints for elbow, shoulder and hamstring injuries since 2016, but whenever he’s on the field O’Day has been effective. Since 2012, he’s only turned in three seasons with an ERA north of 3.00 — never higher than 2016’s 3.77 in that span — while putting together a composite 2.34 ERA with a 28.6 percent strikeout rate against an impressive 6.8 percent walk rate.

New York’s recent trade of Adam Ottavino to the Red Sox surely paved the way for this move. Prior to shedding the bulk of Ottavino’s salary, the Yankees were pressed right up to the precipice of a luxury-tax barrier that ownership is said to be unwilling to cross. That trade, however, cleared $8.15MM of luxury obligations (in exchange for Ottavino and prospect Frank German, who was effectively sold to Boston in the swap). Some of that resulting flexibility will now go to O’Day — a veteran reliever himself who, like Ottavino, gives right-handed opponents fits (career .193/.262/.287).

The Yankees also reportedly circled back with longtime outfielder Brett Gardner at some point last week and still have some interest in bringing him back — likely as a reserve, given a rather full outfield slate as it is. If Gardner is willing to take a similar guarantee to that of O’Day, he could slot into a bench role and still leave the Yankees a few million dollars of breathing room, relative to the luxury threshold, for in-season dealings.

Nationals, Blake Swihart Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals and free-agent catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart agreed to a minor league deal, as first reported by Talk Nats (on Twitter). Swihart, an O’Connell Sports Management client, will be invited to Major League Spring Training. MLBTR has confirmed the agreement between the two sides.

Soon to turn 29, Swihart once ranked as one of the game’s elite prospects. Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus and other outlets all ranked him inside the game’s 20 best prospects back in 2015, but Swihart never really got a full-time audition with the Red Sox and has yet to find his footing in the big leagues. That’s in part due to a string of foot and ankle injuries that interrupted his early career but also due to some questions about his ability to handle the catcher position from a defensive standpoint.

Swihart has appeared in 234 big league games and tallied 696 plate appearances, but the result is a lackluster .243/.301/.355 batting line that falls well shy of expectations for a prospect whose offensive potential was once so heralded. While catcher has been his most frequent position in the Majors (964 innings), Swihart has seen more time in left field and at first base over the past few seasons than he has behind the plate.

Swihart didn’t play in the big leagues last year after opening the season in the Rangers organization. He was part of the 60-man player pool in Texas for the season’s first month but was eventually cut loose a few days prior to the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

The Nats likely view Swihart as an option to compete for a backup catcher and reserve outfield role off the bench. Yan Gomes is slated to be Washington’s everyday catcher, with Tres Barrera standing as the lone backup option on the 40-man roster. Welington Castillo returns once again as a non-roster invitee, and 27-year-old Raudy Read has gotten a pair of brief looks in the big leagues with the Nats as well (though he’s since been removed from the 40-man roster).

Red Sox, Matt Carasiti Agree To Minors Deal

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The Red Sox have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Matt Carasiti, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford. He’ll be invited to Major League Spring Training.

Carasiti, 29, last pitched in the Majors with the Mariners in 2019, when he tossed 9 2/3 innings and yielded five runs on 11 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts. He’s also spent time in the big leagues with the Rockies, who drafted him in the sixth round back in 2012. The right-hander may have been in the mix for some innings with the Giants last year had he not required Tommy John surgery after a handful of Spring Training appearances.

Carasiti is a Connecticut native who brings to the Red Sox a career 3.15 ERA in 100 Triple-A innings, where he’s punched out 26.2 percent of the hitters he’s faced against a 9.9 percent walk rate. The righty also spent a year with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows in Japan, working to a 4.18 ERA in 94 2/3 frames. Given the timing of his Tommy John surgery, he probably won’t be ready to pitch come Spring Training, but he’ll give the Sox some Triple-A depth with a bit of big league experience once he’s ready to take the mound.

Orioles Sign Freddy Galvis, Designate Chris Shaw

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Another shortstop comes off the board. The Baltimore Orioles have signed shortstop Freddy Galvis to a one-year contract, the team announced. The Rep 1 Baseball client will receive $1.5MM with a $250K bonus if he is traded, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). There is not an option for a second year. First baseman/outfielder Chris Shaw was designated for assignment in order to open a roster spot for Shaw, per the club.

Galvis takes over at short for the recently-traded Jose Iglesias, another veteran whom the Orioles signed in free agency. Galvis has long been a starting shortstop in MLB, from his early days with the Phillies to last season with the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Blue Jays and Padres in his nine-year career. Durability has been a strength for Galvis. He achieved the rare-for-this-era achievement of appearing in all 162 games in back-to-back seasons with the Phillies in 2017 and Padres in 2018.

Last season with the Reds, Galvis slashed .220/.308/.404 with seven home runs, 8.2 percent walk rate, 18.9 percent strikeout rate and 90 wRC+. The switch-hitting Galvis is largely considered a solid defensive option up the middle. By measure of Statcast’s outs above average, however, Galvis may wield an elite glove. Though he registered -3 OAA in the shortened 2020 season, he finished 8th among shortstops in 2019 with 11 OAA and tied for third with Andrelton Simmons and Francisco Lindor in 2018 with 12 OAA.

Galvis won’t help the Orioles a ton with his bat. He routinely logs below-average hard hit rates, barrel rates, and walk rates. He does a pretty good job of putting the ball in play, however, and his power has jumped a notch with .178 ISO and .184 ISO the past two seasons. He’s also not a burner, finishing in the 28th percentile by sprint speed in 2020. For the Orioles, however, they’ll hope Galvis provides defensive support to their young pitching staff and leadership in the clubhouse. Should he prove productive, he could also serve as a trade chip at the deadline, a possibility for which both player and team are clearly aware, given the trade clause in his contract.

Shaw’s time with the O’s, meanwhile, will apparently prove quite brief. Baltimore claimed him off waivers from the Giants back in late November, and he’ll now very possibly be exposed to waivers a second time. The 27-year-old was once the 31st overall draft pick by the prior San Francisco front-office regime, and he has a solid-looking .280/.328/.538 slash line in about 1000 plate appearances of Triple-A ball. Shaw, though, also has a 30 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A and hasn’t hit well at all in 82 big league plate appearances. The O’s have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through waivers themselves.

Tigers To Sign Derek Holland

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JAN 26: If Holland makes the Major League team, he will make $925K with the potential for another $150K in incentives, per Petzold (via Twitter). He will also have opportunities to opt out of the contract should he not make the Major League team, though the exact conditions of those opt-outs are unclear.

JAN 23: Derek Holland is a Detroit Tiger, he announced via his Twitter bio. The veteran lefty will join the Tigers on a minor league deal, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The Tigers will invite Holland to Major League camp with the intention of utilizing him out of the bullpen, notes Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The deal has not been announced by the club.

The well-traveled southpaw spent 2020 with the Pirates after previous stops on the Cubs, Giants, White Sox and Rangers. He’s best known for his eight-year stay with the Rangers from 2009 to 2016. He spent much of that time in the Rangers’ rotation, including one start in the 2011 World Series. Holland went 8 1/3 innings giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out seven to beat the Cardinals 4-0. Though that series didn’t end as planned for the Rangers, Holland’s performance in that game four win certainly marked a highlight for the then-25-year-old. Holland was a bit of a breakout star on that 2011 pennant-winning team, throwing 198 innings with a 3.95 ERA/3.94 FIP and 3.1 fWAR.

His best overall season would come two years later. During that 4.5 fWAR 2013 campaign, Holland logged 213 innings with a 3.42 ERA/3.44 FIP, 40.8 percent groundball rate, 21.1 percent strikeout rate, and 7.2 percent walk rate. Unfortunately, Holland’s career took a turn the following season when left knee surgery cut his season to just 37 innings. Shoulder problems limited his 2016 season to 10 starts and 58 2/3 innings as his run prevention numbers rose to a 4.91 ERA/5.30 FIP.

Holland has since settled in as a swingman, primarily working out of the bullpen the past two seasons. He made five starts and seven bullpen appearances for the Pirates in 2020, finishing with a 6.86 ERA/6.14 FIP. Though those numbers don’t offer much promise, and batted ball metrics show he’s been hit hard the past two years, he did log a solid 25.1 percent strikeout rate and 8.4 percent walk rate.

Phillies Sign Ivan Nova To Minors Contract

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The Phillies have signed right-hander Ivan Nova to a minor league deal, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter).  Nova will earn $1.5MM if he cracks Philadelphia’s active roster.

The signing reunites Nova with Joe Girardi, who managed the righty over Nova’s seven seasons with the Yankees.  Nova delivered some solid results in New York’s rotation (albeit missing large parts of the 2014-15 seasons due to Tommy John surgery) before being dealt to the Pirates at the 2016 trade deadline.  Nova pitched for the Bucs through the 2018 campaign, before moving on to the White Sox in 2019 and the Tigers in 2020.

Never a hard thrower or a big strikeout pitcher (career 16.7 K%), Nova has relied on durability and a lot of ground balls as his calling card over 11 Major League seasons.  However, Nova’s performance took a drastic dropoff last season, with an 8.53 ERA over the admittedly small sample size of 19 innings in Detroit’s rotation.  Nova did allow four home runs in that brief stint, and issued as many walks (nine) as strikeouts.

Nova averaged 174 innings per season from 2016-19, returning from his TJ surgery with seemingly no loss of his former durability.  If the 34-year-old has anything left in the tank, the Phillies could use Nova as an innings-eater at the back of their rotation, or as the first line of defense if any of their projected five starters suffers an injury or needs to be rested to rebuild arm strength.  The Phils also signed Bryan Mitchell to a minor league deal earlier today, a former Nova teammate under Girardi in the Bronx.

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