Braves Extend Tyler Flowers
1:31pm: The Atlanta organization has announced the deal.
12:36pm: The Braves have agreed to an extension with catcher Tyler Flowers, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter links). He’ll receive a $6MM guarantee, including a $4MM salary for 2019 and a $2MM buyout for a 2020 option year that will cost $6MM if exercised. Flowers is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.
It’s not terribly unusual for veteran players to reach shorter-term extensions at this stage of the season, but this contract still rates as a surprise. Flowers has been a quality performer since coming to Atlanta before the 2016 season, after all, and likely would have drawn interest from a fair number of other organizations had he waited to return to the open market.
Flowers, 32, carries a strong .264/.365/.409 batting line with the Braves. While he has trended south in terms of output in 2018, he’s also walking at a much-improved 13.5% rate. And batted-ball measures suggest he’s still capable of doing plenty of damage.
True, Flowers was somewhat fortunate to carry batting averages on balls in play of .366 and .342 in his first two seasons with the Atlanta organization. This year, he’s back down to .286 while carrying only a .110 isolated slugging mark. While it’s tempting to label that regression to the mean, it may well be that he’s actually experience markedly poor fortunate in 2018. Indeed, Statcast credits him with a strong .368 xwOBA, in contrast to the .317 wOBA that has actually resulted.
Notably, too, Flowers has graded consistently as one of the best pitch framers in all of baseball over the past several seasons. That’s a skill that the market would have valued. Flowers is generally regarded as at least a solid backstop in other regards, leaving him as an overall positive on the defensive side of the equation.
Given the always-limited supply of quality backstops, it seemed Flowers was well-placed to have his pick of opportunities. He’d likely be viewed as a possible starter or heavily-used timeshare candidate by a variety of organizations. It’s certainly arguable he’d be seen as a more desirable player than some or all of last winter’s highest-paid backstops, including Welington Castillo (two years, $15MM), Jonathan Lucroy (one year, $6.5MM), and Chris Iannetta (two years, $8.5MM).
Certainly, there were no guarantees that Flowers would have done significantly better in free agency. This winter’s market will certainly include some high-quality alternatives. And it’s reasonable to assume that the deal works out for Flowers. No doubt, the fact that he’s a Georgia native played into the decisionmaking.
Nevertheless, the signing leaves the Braves with a high-quality player at an appealing price for next year, with an extra season of flexible control to boot. That the organization was able to get a head start on its 2019 checklist even while trying to finish out an exceedingly exciting 2018 season represents a positive outcome for the club.
With Flowers on the books, the Braves now have a major box checked without breaking the bank. The club will likely pursue another backstop, which could (but need not) be a significant player, depending upon the other opportunities available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies Designate Mark Leiter
The Phillies have designated right Mark Leiter, per a club announcement. That move will open the door for the acquisition of Jose Bautista, which is also now official.
Leiter, 27, has appeared in each of the past two major-league seasons. But he has yet to find much in the way of success at the game’s highest level. Through 107 1/3 MLB innings, most of them in 2017, he carries a 5.03 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
A 22nd-round pick in 2013, Leiter put himself in contention for a MLB look with a strong 2016 season at Double-A. He hasn’t actually spent much time at the highest level of the minors, but has shown a bit more strikeout potential there than at his other stops. In 58 1/3 total frames at Triple-A, Leiter carries a 4.01 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Phillies Acquire Jose Bautista
The Phillies have officially worked out a deal with the Mets to acquire veteran outfielder/third baseman Jose Bautista, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Philadelphia had claimed the veteran on revocable trade waivers.
New York will receive a player to be named later or cash to complete the deal, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia (via Twitter). Bautista is only earning the league-minimum salary, so he won’t cost the Phils much in dollars.
The Phillies have already managed to squeeze in one defensively-limited slugger onto their roster, acquiring Justin Bour earlier in the summer. Now, they’ll shoehorn Bautista into the mix.
Of course, active roster space won’t be an issue in a few days’ time, as rosters are set to expand on Saturday. The Phillies will need to tie up a 40-man spot in order to carry Bautista, though.
Bautista is no longer the feared slugger of yore, and owns a sub-Mendoza batting average, though he can still drive the ball out of the park and draw a walk. His overall output on the season — .196/.339/.364 with 11 home runs in 342 plate appearances — translates to roughly league-average productivity (98 OPS+; 99 wRC+).
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made, though, that Bautista’s exceptional plate discipline and remaining pop make him a particularly interesting late-game pinch-hitting option. And the organization no doubt knows that it’s infusing a fiery competitor into its clubhouse at a moment when the team seemingly needs a jolt.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Orioles Acquire Jack Zoellner From Phillies For International Bonus Pool Space
10:49pm: Zoellner cost the O’s a fairly hefty $750K in pool money, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic (Twitter link).
3:42pm: The Orioles have acquired minor league first baseman Jack Zoellner from the Phillies in exchange for international bonus pool space, according to an announcement from both clubs. Zoellner was the Phillies’ ninth-round selection in the 2017 draft.
It’s at least a somewhat surprising move for the Orioles, who have a long history of trading away international bonus allotments in exchange for marginal prospects but recently announced their intentions to invest more heavily in the international market. It’s not known how much they’re sending to the Phillies in this deal just yet, though the CBA stipulates that international allotments must be moved in at least $250K increments.
The Orioles entered the day with more international money to spend than any team in baseball, and there have been rumors that they’re planning to make a serious run at top Cuban outfielder Victor Victor Mesa once he’s formally declared a free agent. Today’s swap certainly doesn’t prevent them from doing so, though they’ll now have a bit less money to entice Mesa, who is also said to be a target of the Marlins (the team with the second-most international money remaining).
Zoellner, 24 next month, has yet to advance beyond Rookie ball in parts of two seasons with the Phillies organization. He was hitting .236/.364/.422 with seven homers, five doubles, two triples and nearly as many walks (32) as strikeouts (42) through 195 plate appearances this season. Those numbers have come in a league where the average player is more than three years younger than Zoellner, so presumably the Orioles will want to move him up the ladder sooner rather than later to begin to test him against more advanced competition.
Orioles general manager said in a statement to reporters that the organization believes Zoellner to be “a capable left-handed hitter with good on-base skills and power” (Twitter link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko).
Orioles To Select Josh Rogers
The Orioles announced today that they will select the contract of lefty Josh Rogers, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweeted earlier. Righty Cody Carroll was optioned to create space on the active roster.
Rogers, 24, will make his MLB debut tomorrow. It has been just over a month since he was acquired (along with Carroll and Dillon Tate) in the swap that sent Zach Britton to the Yankees.
While he was the least-hyped piece of that swap, Rogers has been stingy during his time at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s carrying a 2.08 ERA through 30 1/3 innings, though he has managed only 5.3 K/9 to go with 2.1 BB/9 and a 41.7% groundball rate. An 11th-round pick in the 2015 draft out of Louisville, Rogers has generally turned in good results while climbing the ladder.
Blue Jays Designate Luis Santos, Select Murphy Smith
The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Luis Santos for assignment, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. That opens a 40-man spot for fellow righty Murphy Smith, whose contract was selected.
Those aren’t the only righty relievers changing places. Toronto also announced that Danny Barnes is heading up from Triple-A. Justin Shafer and Jake Petricka are being optioned down to create active roster space.
This isn’t the first time the Jays have designated Santos, who was knocked around in twenty MLB innings but had turned in 41 innings of 2.85 ERA ball at Triple-A. He’ll have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers.
As for Smith, he’ll see the majors for the first time in his tenth professional season. The 31-year-old has worked to a 3.59 ERA in 62 2/3 innings at Triple-A, though he also carries an uninspiring 42:25 K/BB ratio.
Barnes, meanwhile, has spent most of the past two seasons working out of the major-league bullpen. He recorded an 11:1 K/BB ratio in 8 2/3 frames with Buffalo. He’ll come up in preference to Shafer and Petricka. The former threw five scoreless innings in his MLB debut this year, but managed only a pair of strikeouts.
Petricka, of course, is the player with the most experience on this transactions roll. He has worked 36 innings in the big leagues this year, compiling a 4.25 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Petricka carries a strong 51.8% groundball rate, though that’s nothing like the 60%+ rates he managed earlier in his career.
Yankees Sign Quintin Berry
The Yankees announced today that they have signed outfielder Quintin Berry to a minor-league deal. Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com had reported the news on Twitter.
Berry had spent the season in the minors in the Brewers organization before his recent release. In 98 plate appearances on the year, the 33-year-old carries a .216/.296/.318 slash. He was also successful on ten of eleven stolen-base attempts, however. Likewise, through over two thousand career plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, Berry is just a .241/.337/.309 hitter but has swiped 159 bags.
It’s something of an annual tradition for Berry to pop up on the radar at this time of year. He has been utilized as a late-season and even postseason bench piece, owing to his sterling reputation as a baserunner. It’s possible, then, that he’ll show up on the Yankees roster at some point once rosters expand, though the organization would have to open a 40-man spot to utilize him in the majors.
Reds Outright Rookie Davis
The Reds announced Monday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Rookie Davis from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted him to Triple-A Louisville after he cleared waivers. He’ll remain in the organization but won’t require a 40-man roster spot even though he’s now off the disabled list.
Davis, 25, underwent hip surgery last October and has been on the disabled list all season as he recovered from that procedure. The right-hander was one of the four players Cincinnati acquired for Aroldis Chapman in the 2015-16 offseason. None of the other three — Eric Jagielo (Marlins), Tony Renda (Red Sox) or Caleb Cotham (retired) — are with the organization any longer.
Cincinnati gave Davis a look in the Majors last season but saw him struggle to an 8.63 RA with a 20-to-14 K/BB ratio in 24 innings. He posted a 4.77 ERA with a much more solid 54-to-13 K/BB ratio in 60 1/3 Triple-A innings last year before undergoing surgery and has a 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 rehab innings across three minor league levels this season as he’s worked his way back from that hip procedure.
Dodgers Sign Zach McAllister To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have signed veteran right-hander Zach McAllister to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, as announced by the team’s Triple-A director of communications, Alex Freedman (Twitter link).
McAllister, 30, has struggled through a disastrous season split between the Indians and Tigers, working to a combined 6.20 ERA in 45 innings of work. However, he has a solid big league track record and has posted a quality 39-to-10 K/BB ratio so far in spite of the poor results. McAllister’s 95.3 mph average fastball velocity is as strong as ever, and he’s actually made some gains in swinging-strike rate and his opponents’ chase rate on out-of-zone pitches.
From 2015-17, McAllister served in a setup capacity for the Indians and pitched to a pristine 2.99 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 through 183 1/3 innings of work. Given the Dodgers’ extreme bullpen struggles of late, it’s understandable that the organization is speculating on some depth additions in an effort to solidify the group in the season’s final month. With rosters set to expand on Sept. 1, McAllister could be in line for a quick return to the big leagues.
Phillies Claim Jose Bautista On Revocable Waivers; No Agreement Reached Yet
1:57pm: SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that it’s “likely” the two sides will work something out, but there’s no agreement believed to be close just yet. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets have told the Phillies they won’t simply let Bautista go on waivers, so it seems the two sides will have to match up on a minor leaguer or at least agree to a group of names from which the Mets can select a player to be named later.
1:47pm: The Phillies have claimed Mets outfielder Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The two sides are discussing a deal and have until tomorrow to complete a swap, Rosenthal adds. Technically, the Mets could also just let Bautista go to the Phillies, though with the Mets only paying him the league-minimum rate, there wouldn’t be any real cost-savings associated with doing so; they’d have to replace him by calling up another player earning at that same rate.
Bautista, 37, started out hot after signing with the Mets, hitting at a .266/.438/.506 pace with three homers and 10 doubles through his first 105 plate appearances with his new club. However, his offensive production cratered over the next few months, and he’s posted a dismal .178/.306/.307 slash in 193 plate appearances since that time. As Rosenthal points out, he’s swung the bat a bit better as of late, getting on base at a .368 clip over the past two weeks, but the veteran slugger simply hasn’t produced much since the calendar flipped to July.
Then again, the Phillies may not be looking at Bautista as much more than a right-handed pinch-hitting option to carry throughout the month of September once rosters expand. He wouldn’t cost them anything more than the pro-rated minimum, and it’s likely that the cost of acquisition would be negligible.
The Phils don’t have much in the way of right-handed bench bats on the current roster, nor do they possess many intriguing right-handed-hitting options at the upper levels of their minor league ranks. Aaron Altherr figures to rejoin the club, and Trevor Plouffe is still in the organization, but neither has been demonstrably better than Bautista at the plate in 2018. Journeyman Matt McBride and 26-year-old Joey Meneses are other righty bats who’ve had some success in Triple-A this season, but the roster could be expanded to give manager Gabe Kapler multiple options. Ultimately, so long as the Phillies don’t need to give up anything of real substance, there’s little harm in adding Bautista and his overall .340 OBP to the bench — even if the addition doesn’t do much to move the move the needle as the Phillies try to make up ground in both the NL East (3 games back) and the NL Wild Card race (2 games back).