Red Sox Extend Xander Bogaerts
Just a week after locking up free-agent-to-be Chris Sale with a five-year extension, the Red Sox secured long-term control over another member of their core Monday when they announced a six-year extension with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The deal reportedly guarantees Bogaerts $120MM from 2020-25 (in even, $20MM increments) and contains a vesting option for the 2026 season. The vesting option is reportedly worth another $20MM and would kick in if Bogaerts made 535 plate appearances in 2025. Bogaerts, a client of the Boras Corporation, is also said to have received an opt-out provision after the 2022 season.
Bogaerts and the club had been in talks during the winter, and though neither side wanted negotiations to extend into the season itself, it seems things were close enough to the finish line that a deal was able to be struck just beyond Opening Day.
Bogaerts, who turned 26 last October, originally signed with Boston as a 16-year-old amateur out of his native Aruba, and quickly developed into one of baseball’s best prospects. He made a quick impact in his 2013 rookie season, helping solidify a problematic third base position for the Red Sox as the team went on to win the World Series. He didn’t fully begin to blossom until the 2015 season, and Bogaerts has gone on to generate 17.6 fWAR over the last four seasons, hitting .295/.354/.446 with 61 homers over 2588 plate appearances. This includes a career-best 23 homers, .883 OPS, and 133 wRC+ in 2018, as Bogaerts rebounded from an injury-marred 2017 campaign to help lead the Red Sox to another World Series title.
Defensively, Bogaerts has been something of a mixed bag at shortstop. The Defensive Runs Saved metric has never looked kindly on his glovework (-48 DRS) while his UZR/150 mark of -0.3 posits him as just slightly below average. There has been some speculation that Bogaerts could eventually move from shortstop, and while that change doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon, that decision could eventually hinge on Rafael Devers‘ development as a third baseman, plus whether prospect Michael Chavis plays at second base, third base, or elsewhere around the diamond.
The pact between Boston and Bogaerts is just the latest in a precedent-setting number of extensions over the last few weeks, as multiple superstars (both near and far from free agency) have chosen to lock in guaranteed paydays with their current teams. Of this group, players who were going to be free agents after the 2019 season included Bogaerts, Sale, Nolan Arenado, Justin Verlander, Paul Goldschmidt, and Aaron Hicks.
It’s clear that the lack of free agent activity in the last two offseasons has influenced many of these decisions, and in Bogaerts’ case, he’ll forego entering the open market for his age-27 season. Keeping a young player who may just be entering his prime on a $20MM average annual value looks like a very solid deal for the Red Sox. Bogaerts also has the ability to opt out of the contract as he enters his age-30 season, if he feels he can top the three years and $60MM still owed to him.
For luxury tax purposes, Bogaerts’ new deal will add an even $20MM to Boston’s Competitive Balance Tax bill beginning in 2020. This is no small factor in the contract, given the rather onerous tax situation the Red Sox find themselves in, though some relief from at least the top level of the CBT structure could come as several contracts come off the books for the club next winter.
It also helps the Red Sox afford what would be their biggest extension yet — a pact with Mookie Betts before the reigning AL MVP hits free agency following the 2020 season. Betts has been firm in his desire to go year-to-year in arbitration rather than sign a long-term deal before getting his chance on the open market, so the topic of an extension could be moot, though Boston will surely continue to explore the possibility of keeping the star outfielder at Fenway Park even if a $300MM+ commitment is required. The Bogaerts and Sale extensions are evidence, if Betts needs any, that the Sox are serious about keeping this winning core of players together.
WEEI’s Evan Drellich broke the news that the two sides were close to a deal (Twitter link). ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reported the terms of the contract (Twitter links). The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported the inclusion of the vesting option (Twitter links). MLB Network’s Jon Heyman added some details on the option and also first reported that Bogaerts had passed his physical Monday morning (Twitter links). The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported the final details on the vesting option, while Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweeted the annual breakdown.
Angels Designate Jesus Castillo For Assignment
Today: Castillo has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Double-A Mobile, per a team release. He will remain with the Angels organization.
Mar. 27: The Angels announced their previously reported waiver claim of outfielder Brian Goodwin, adding that they’ve designated right-hander Jesus Castillo for assignment in order to open space on the 40-man roster.
Castillo originally came to the Angels in the 2016 trade that sent righty Joe Smith to the Cubs,. The 23-year-old spent the 2018 season with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate, pitching to a 4.94 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9 and a 45.4 percent ground-ball rate. That represented a significant step back from a 2017 season in which Castillo recorded a 3.32 ERA with a 118-to-26 K/BB ratio in 124 2/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. The Halos will now have a week to trade Castillo or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Indians Re-Sign Ryan Flaherty
The Indians have brought back infielder Ryan Flaherty on a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement. Flaherty opted out of his previous minor league pact with the Tribe on March 20.
The 32-year-old Flaherty spent the majority of 2018 in Atlanta, where he batted a meager .217/.298/.292 in 182 plate appearances and mostly lined up at third base. Also a former Oriole, Flaherty’s a lifetime .216/.286/.347 hitter in 1,452 attempts in the majors. His calling card is defensive versatility, as he has logged significant experience at third, second and short. Flaherty has also racked up double-digit appearances at first base and both corner outfield spots.
Now back with the Indians organization, Flaherty will give the banged-up club some infield depth. The Indians are without superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis, both of whom are on the injured list. Their absences paved the way for current starting second baseman Brad Miller to sign with the Indians last week and helped lead to roster spots for Lindor fill-in Eric Stamets and middle infield reserve Max Moroff.
Athletics Release Cliff Pennington
The Athletics have released infielder Cliff Pennington, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Pennington had been with the Athletics since signing a minor league contract with the club on Feb. 15.
This release ends Pennington’s second stint as a member of the Athletics, with whom he initially spent time after they chose him 21st overall in the 2005 draft. Pennington saw major league action with the team from 2008-12, during which he hit .249/.313/.356 with 24 home runs and 69 stolen bases over 1,954 plate appearances. Pennington has since racked up another 1,188 PAs with the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Angels and Reds. In all, the switch-hitting 34-year-old has slashed .242/.309/.339 with 36 homers and 84 steals.
While Pennington’s offensive numbers are nothing to brag about, he has performed well defensively. Pennington has earned positive marks from Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating in extensive action at second base and shortstop, and has been a playable option at third base. Pennington’s defensive versatility wasn’t enough to keep him with Oakland this year, though, and he’ll now seek a new employer after spending the majority of last season with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.
Mariners Select David McKay, Place Hunter Strickland On IL
The Mariners have selected right-hander David McKay from Triple-A Tacoma, placed reliever Hunter Strickland on the 10-day injured list with a right lat strain and moved third baseman Kyle Seager to the 60-day IL, per a team announcement.
McKay, the Mariners’ 25th-ranked prospect at MLB.com, is set for his first major league action since the Royals chose him in the 14th round of the 2016 draft. He joined the Mariners in a March 2018 trade that didn’t net the Royals much of anything in return. Now 23 years old, McKay pitched to a sterling 2.49 ERA/2.90 FIP with 12.61 K/9 and 3.73 BB/9 in 50 2/3 innings at the Double-A level last season.
Strickland, 30, is just 2 1/3 innings into his tenure in Seattle, where he has already yielded three earned runs on three hits, with three strikeouts. The former Giant, who joined the Mariners for a guaranteed $1.3MM in the offseason, surrendered what proved to be the game-losing three-run homer in the ninth inning to the Red Sox’s Mitch Moreland on Friday. The M’s held a 6-4 lead at the time, only to fall 7-6 and drop to 3-1 on the season. It resulted in a blown save for Strickland, whom the M’s could replace with some combination of Matt Festa, Cory Gearrin and Zac Rosscup in the ninth inning. Seager, meanwhile, is out for the foreseeable future on account of a left hand injury.
Padres Select Nick Margevicius
Per a team release, the Padres have selected lefty Nick Margevicius to the 40-man roster and designated OF Socrates Brito for assignment.
Margevicius, 22, has yet to throw a pitch above the High-A level, but he’ll start tonight at home for the Padres against San Francisco. The 2017 7th rounder out of New Jersey’s Rider University stands 6’5 and, per ESPN’s Keith Law, features a plus curveball with “huge spin.” His fastball, graded as “fringe-average” per Law, worked at 88-91 MPH prior to ’17 draft according to Baseball America. Margevicius didn’t crack the deep system’s top 30 prospects at either MLB.com or BA despite outstanding K/BB ratios at both low-A Fort Wayne and high-A Lake Elsinore last season.
It’s a surprise move for San Diego, who’ll slip Margevicius into the rotation’s third slot for the time being, ahead of higher-profile, more-experienced young arms like Logan Allen, Cal Quantrill, and Michel Baez. Perhaps the brass feels as if the lefty has relatively little projection left, at least compared to the aforementioned names, or simply views the southpaw in a more favorable light than the industry consensus.
Brito, 26, was claimed Wednesday from Arizona after a solid (.318/.383/.540) line for AAA-Reno last season. He didn’t figure to have a place in a crowded Padre outfield mix, but the lefty has at times flashed an intriguing skillset.
Rays Acquire Aaron Slegers From Pirates
Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays have acquired righty Aaron Slegers from the Pirates for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man, Tampa has transferred lefty Anthony Banda to the 60-day IL.
Slegers, 26, was designated for assignment Thursday by the Pirates after being claimed off waivers from Minnesota in January. At a towering 6 foot 10, Slegers stands as one of the tallest pitchers in MLB history; despite the relative enormity, though, he’s not a fireballer: the longtime Twin’s averaged just 90.3 MPH on the four-seam in his brief MLB career thus far.
Deployed mostly as a starter during his six-year minor-league career with Minnesota, the Indiana product consistently struggled to miss bats, cratering to a caeeer-low 6.01 K/9 in 15 starts with Triple-A Rochester last season. He didn’t crack the organization’s top 30 prospects, per Baseball America, at any point during his tenure with the club.
The Rays will assign Slegers to Triple-A Durham, the team announced immediately, where he’ll slot in with a host of capable others in offering starter (or post-opener) depth for the parent club.
Cubs, Dixon Machado Agree To Minor League Contract
The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Dixon Machado, according to reports. The former Tigers infielder, who was released by the Marlins earlier this week, will head to Triple-A Iowa with his new organization.
The 27-year-old Machado received a career-high 233 plate appearances with the Tigers in 2018 but struggled mightily at the plate, hitting .206/.263/.290 with one homers, 13 doubles and a triple in that time. Machado’s bat has never been his calling card, however. The middle-infielder was touted as a plus defender throughout his minor league career as he rose through the Tigers’ ranks, and posted quality Ultimate Zone Rating marks at both middle-infield spots.
Chicago doesn’t have an immediate spot for Machado on its big league roster, so he’ll bide his time in Iowa and hope to earn a look at some point later in the season (or else attract the interest of another organization). In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, Machado is a .259/.330/.335 hitter.
Orioles Sign Mason Williams To Minor League Deal
The Orioles announced that they’ve signed outfielder Mason Williams to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk.
Williams, once regarded as one of the game’s top outfield prospects, spent the 2018 campaign with the Reds organization and tallied a career-high 132 plate appearances at the Major League level. Now 27 years old, Williams hit .293/.331/.398 with Cincinnati last season and has experience playing all three outfield positions. He’s yet to tap into the potential that made him such a vaunted farmhand in his days with the Yankees but does have a .278/.327/.371 slash in just over 1000 Triple-A plate appearances. He’ll give the O’s some depth in the upper minors.
The Orioles also announced that they’ve acquired minor league infielder Yeltsin Gudino from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash. The 22-year-old Gudino hit .276/.347/.306 in 344 plate appearances across two Class-A levels last season and has experience playing all four infield positions (but primarily the two up-the-middle slots). Gudino has never shown any semblance of power, but he’s punched out in just 14 percent of his career plate appearances in the minors while drawing walks at an 8.9 percent clip.
At one point, Gudino was actually a rather high-profile signing for the Blue Jays, as evidenced by the $1.2MM signing bonus they gave him back in 2013. Baseball America ranked him eighth among international prospects at the time, though certainly Toronto’s expenditure has failed to pay dividends as Gudino has never developed at the plate. The Orioles have assigned him to Class-A Advanced Frederick for the time being.
Mariners Acquire Tom Murphy
1:06pm: The Mariners have announced the trade. To make room for Murphy on the 25-man roster, Freitas has indeed been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
12:55pm: The Mariners will send minor league righty Jesus Ozoria to the Giants in return for Murphy, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. The 20-year-old Ozoria has yet to pitch above Rookie ball but logged 49 1/3 innings of 2.19 ERA ball there last season. Ozoria turned in a brilliant 59-to-7 K/BB ratio in that time and paired it with a 39.3 percent grounder rate. He’s a long way from MLB readiness but seemingly adds a live arm to the lower levels of the organization. The long-term question will be one of whether Ozoria carries more value than righty Merandy Gonzalez, whom the Giants designated for assignment when claiming Murphy; the move, in essence, swaps those two pitchers out while also clearing a spot on the Giants’ 40-man roster.
7:20am: The Mariners have reached a deal to acquire catcher Tom Murphy from the Giants, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). San Francisco claimed the out-of-options Murphy from the Rockies earlier this week but did not carry him on the Opening Day roster, ultimately designating him for assignment just days after initially claiming him. Seattle has an open 40-man roster spot, so a corresponding move isn’t a necessity.
Currently, Omar Narvaez and David Freitas are the only catchers on Seattle’s 40-man roster, so Murphy figures to supplant Freitas as the primary backup/platoon partner for Narvaez. Freitas has options remaining and can freely be sent to Triple-A without first being placed on waivers.
Murphy, 28 next week, was once considered to be among the game’s top catching prospects but hasn’t produced at the plate in limited Major League opportunities across the past couple of seasons (.188/.221/.325 in 122 plate appearances). The Rockies, who owe veteran Chris Iannetta nearly $5MM through contract’s end, opted for a more defensive-minded second catcher in Tony Wolters when they cut Murphy loose.
Murphy, however, isn’t a poor defender by most measures. He sports average caught-stealing rates in both the Majors and minors throughout his career, and while he’s not a standout in terms of pitch framing, he’s been a bit above average in that regard over the past three seasons combined. At the plate, Murphy raked at a .266/.341/.608 clip through his first 88 plate appearances from 2015-16. He has a career .286/.335/.567 batting line across 875 Triple-A plate appearances, including a .258/.333/.568 slash in 264 PAs a year ago.