Denard Span Switches To Boras Corporation
It’s a big night for Scott Boras, it would seem. Not only has he added Greg Holland to his client list (as reported by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes), but Denard Span, too, will join the ranks of the Boras Corporation as he heads into free agency this winter, reports Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
Span will hit the open market for the first time this season at the age of 31, though he’ll turn 32 in February. After debuting as a 24-year-old with the Twins in 2008, the former first-round pick (20th overall, 2002) went on to sign a five-year, $16.5MM extension with Minnesota that covered the 2010-14 seasons and included a $9MM club option for a sixth season (2015).
Span seemed primed for a nice free-agent payday following an excellent 2014 campaign, but he underwent hernia and core muscle surgery this offseason which led to back problems and eventually a hip injury that ended his season. Span had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip earlier this month, and while he’s expected to be ready for Spring Training, that lengthy list of injuries limited him to 61 games in 2015. Those 61 games yielded a .301/.365/.431 batting line with five homers and 11 steals (in 11 attempts) — strong production from a player who comes with a plus defensive reputation.
Boras, of course, has experience representing a wide array of players, with Michael Bourn serving as perhaps the most applicable recent comp. Bourn landed a four-year, $48MM contract with the Indians. That was coming off a healthy season, though the contract is now also several years old, and the market has progressed. Span will join Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen, Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, among others, as 2015-16 free agents that are represented by the Boras Corporation.
Span’s change in representation has been noted in our Agency Database, which contains info on more than 2,000 players. If you come across any notable omissions or errors, please email to let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
East Notes: Williams, Cespedes, Boxberger, Kelly, Tazawa
Star Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper provided a ringing endorsement for embattled skipper Matt Williams, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. “Truly, I love him as a manager,” said Harper. “Flat out I absolutely do. If I didn’t, everybody would know.” Player sentiment only goes so far, of course, but the comments do seem particularly meaningful with Harper set to finish off a compelling, breakout season as one of the lone bright spots on a disappointing team.
Here’s more from the eastern divisions:
- While there was a report yesterday that the Braves could have interest in Yoenis Cespedes as a free agent, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears (Twitter link) that the team has no such intentions. As I noted at the time, that match seemed curious on paper not because Cespedes wouldn’t be an appealing target for the team — he would — but because his price tag seems likely to move quickly into a range that the Braves would not find palatable.
- Rays closer Brad Boxberger says that his recent struggles may be the result of inconsistent usage earlier in the year, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Another strong campaign from Boxberger, 27, has started to trend downward in recent weeks, and he said that could be due to “all of the early use in non-closing situations.” While Boxberger says he does not want to place blame on the team’s lack of a designated closer role — which he has filled, de facto, for much of the year — he obviously seemed to suggest that as a possibility. Boxberger will still be a season away from reaching arbitration eligibility after this year, though his saves tally this year will set him up for a big payday thereafter — if he can remain healthy and effective.
- Red Sox righty Joe Kelly has flipped the narrative on his season, but as Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports, he may have thrown his last pitch of 2015. While that decision has yet to be made, the 26-year-old exited his outing last night with shoulder tightness — obviously not an area that the team will want to take any chances at the tail end of a lost season. Kelly’s solid late-year results have surely given nsew president of baseball operations plenty to think about in planning next seasons rotation.
- Another Red Sox right-hander, reliever Junichi Tazawa, has already been declared shut down for the rest of the year, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. The move is not related to any injury, says interim manager Torey Lovullo. Instead, Boston wants to avoid too much stress on the 29-year-old’s arm after he topped sixty frames in each of the last two years. The steady Tazawa has faded down the stretch this year after a typically strong first half. He’ll enter his final year of arbitration in the offseason.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Strasburg, Cespedes, Phils, Brewers, DePodesta
Here are the latest notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
- The Rangers and Nationals had trade talks involving Stephen Strasburg over the winter, per Rosenthal. Nothing ever came close to getting done in those “wide-ranging” talks, in which Steven Souza (later dealt to the Rays) and Jurickson Profar (later scratched for the season) also came up. It’s not clear from the report what kind of scenarios were considered. Looking forward, it remains to be seen whether there will be any consideration given this winter to a deal involving the 27-year-old righty. Strasburg’s value is down, due both to an inconsistent 2015 season and to the fact that he now has only one season left before hitting free agency, but it’s still hard to imagine the Nats letting him go unless the return was rather significant.
- The Braves could line up a pursuit of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in free agency, a source tells Rosenthal. While it’s not hard to see the appeal — he’s a power bat at a position of need, and could line up with the team’s timetable for contention — such a move would still rate as a surprise. Atlanta only just got out from under the ill-fated Melvin Upton contract, which showed the risk of such a free agent signing given the team’s recent payroll restrictions, and Cespedes could well cost twice or more what Upton did ($75MM).
- Early returns on the summer trade hauls of the Phillies and Brewers have been positive. There is some nice buzz around Philadelphia’s system, especially with all the depth its added in recent months and the intriguing players that came over for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s return for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers has looked rather compelling, with Domingo Santana raking in his early MLB action and the trio of other players finishing strong at Double-A. (Remember: the key player in that deal, Brett Phillips, joined the MLBTR Podcast just after being swapped, as did righty Zach Davies, who is now in the big leagues after being acquired for Gerardo Parra.)
- Mets VP of player development and scouting Paul DePodesta has been plugging away at that post for five years, and the fruits of his labors are now showing at the big league level. Rosenthal reports that the former Dodgers general manager “would consider returning to a GM’s role” with another organization, if the circumstances were right, though many still believe he’ll ultimately take over in New York for Sandy Alderson at some point.
Injury Notes: Harper, Gomez, Panik, Pence
Bryce Harper was back in the Nationals lineup today, so the star outfielder seems recovered from yesterday’s collision with Derek Dietrich. Harper was removed in the first inning of the 3-0 win over the Marlins after colliding with Dietrich on the basepaths. Despite some dizziness and hip soreness, Harper passed concussion tests after the game and seemed no worse for the wear Monday, as he’s collected two hits (including a homer) and a walk in his first four plate appearances against the Phillies. Needless to say, losing Harper for any length of time would’ve erased the Nats’ fading hopes of getting back in the playoff race. Here’s the latest on some more serious injury news from around baseball…
- Carlos Gomez will miss the Astros‘ four-game series with the Rangers with a left intercostal strain, GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle) though the strain isn’t though to be too serious. Gomez suffered the injury during batting practice yesterday and underwent an MRI today to access the damage.
- Joe Panik is likely to miss the rest of the season due to ongoing back problems, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters, including CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic). “The odds lean more toward the season being over for him,” Bochy said. “I talked to him yesterday. He didn’t really feel a lot of improvement. He’s going to need some rest. I would be surprised if he plays, unless things work out really, really well and we get to October.” Panik has only played in three games since August 1 due to his bad back, bringing a sour end to an otherwise tremendous season for the second baseman, as he hit .312/.378/.455 over 432 PA. Panik’s status was a reason the Giants exploded trading for Chase Utley in August, though rookie Kelby Tomlinson has played very well as Panik’s replacement.
- In other Giants injury news, Bochy also wasn’t sure if Hunter Pence would be able to return from an oblique strain. “It may get to the point where we may feel it’s not worth the risk. I don’t mean to be negative, but we have to be smart about this,” Bochy said. Pence began taking dry swings today but there’s no indication about when he’ll start live batting practice.
NL East Notes: Papelbon, Braves, Harvey
Jonathan Papelbon made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded from the Phillies to the Nationals in July, and the outspoken closer didn’t pull any punches in criticizing his old team. “I don’t know if I got a bad rep here or whatever, but I can promise you I was by far (not) the bad guy on this team. I was one of the few that wanted to win. I was one of the few who competed and posted up every day,” Papelbon told reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. The closer’s issues extended well beyond the clubhouse, as “I think the blame goes all the way from the front office down to the bat boy. When you don’t have an organization that wants to win, it’s pretty evident. They go out and publicly say we’re not going to win. What more – do you know what I mean?”
Here’s some more from around the NL East…
- Fredi Gonzalez isn’t to blame for the Braves‘ collapse, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes as part of a reader mailbag. The fact that Atlanta extended Gonzalez and his coaching staff’s contracts in July just before the team started trading veteran players was a sign that the manager wasn’t going to be held responsible for how the purposely-weakened roster performed down the stretch.
- Also from Bowman’s piece, he notes that the Braves will have roughly $25-$30MM in payroll space this winter and they’ll focus on upgrading the bullpen and perhaps adding a veteran arm to the rotation. Such a starter would be of the mid-tier variety rather than an expensive ace, however.
- The Braves would like to bring back A.J. Pierzynski as a backup catcher next year and Christian Bethancourt may be trade bait, though Bowman wonders if Atlanta would move Bethancourt when his value is at an all-time low. Bowman suggests that free agent catching target like Chris Iannetta might be more realistic than a pricier option such as Matt Wieters. The Braves would also have an interest in Jonathan Lucroy but there’s no sign the Brewers are making their catcher available in trade talks.
- The Mets will be making a mistake if they trade Matt Harvey this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines. Harvey is too valuable and too talented to move for anything less than an elite young talent, and since the odds are slim-to-none that the likes of Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts could be obtained in return, Sherman feels Harvey is still needed in New York since there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth.
Drew Storen Breaks Thumb, Likely Out For Season
Nationals righty Drew Storen broke the thumb on his throwing hand on Wednesday and is likely out for the rest of the season, manager Matt Williams says, via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post Twitter links). The break occurred when Storen slammed a locker door after giving up a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes. According to Williams, Storen tried to throw yesterday, then informed the team his thumb was hurting and headed to Washington to see a doctor.
Storen was terrific as the Nationals’ closer in the first half of the season and still has a respectable overall 3.44 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. But he has struggled throughout the second half, during which he lost the closer role after the arrival of Jonathan Papelbon. Storen has a 5.82 second-half ERA that has roughly corresponded with (if not entirely caused, obviously) his team’s second-half tailspin. He has a solid 29 strikeouts and eight walks in 21 2/3 innings in that time frame, and without any meaningful loss of velocity, but he’s struggled in high-leverage situations.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Cespedes, Red Sox, Wieters, Seager
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a pair of videos at FOX Sports:
- There will be ample interest in Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes this winter. The past two seasons have shown how much he can help a lineup — the Athletics faded down the stretch last year after trading him, and the Mets are now thriving after dealing for him.
- If Dave Dombrowski doesn’t promote assistant general manager Mike Hazen to GM, the Red Sox front office could undergo a “mass exodus.” Diamondbacks executive DeJon Watson is another possibility for the GM job, and former Braves GM Frank Wren could fit in as GM or in some other position.
- Matt Wieters has a house in Atlanta and went to Georgia Tech, and he could be a good fit for the Braves this offseason. He might also make sense in Washington, however — Wieters’ agent Scott Boras also represents Nationals stars Max Scherzer, Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper, Gio Gonzalez, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. Nats catcher Wilson Ramos has not hit well this season and is eligible for free agency after 2016.
- Corey Seager is off to a hot start to his big-league career, but the Dodgers still seem likely to use him as a backup in the playoffs (depending, perhaps, on the timing of Enrique Hernandez‘s return from a hamstring injury). Jimmy Rollins has hit well enough in the second half (.233/.301/.386), and the Dodgers are big fans of his defense. They also want to demonstrate respect for the roles Rollins and third baseman Justin Turner have played for the Dodgers this season.
- “The planets are aligning” for David Price to score a huge contract this offseason, Rosenthal says. The Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, Cubs and Red Sox are all potential contenders for his services.
- Rosenthal says he suspects Tigers manager Brad Ausmus will, in fact, be dismissed after the season is over. The team recently said it hadn’t reached a decision on Ausmus, but it notably did not commit to him for 2016.
Injury Notes: Zimmerman, Alonso, Hamilton
There’s not much of the regular season left, meaning that even relatively minor injuries incurred at this point could end a player’s 2015 campaign. With that in mind, a few notable injury reports from around the league…
- Ryan Zimmerman could miss “a significant amount of time” due to an oblique injury, a pair of sources tell MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. Zimmerman injured the oblique this weekend and hasn’t played in the Nationals‘ past two contests. He did play through the injury on Monday, but oblique ailments often lead to prolonged absence from the playing field, which could bring the remainder of Zimmerman’s season into question, speculatively speaking. As Ladson notes, the Nats would not confirm the oblique issue.
- The Padres have shut down first baseman Yonder Alonso after a bone scan revealed a stress reaction in his lower back, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune (via Twitter). As Lin notes, that sounds like a season-ending injury for Alonso, who is no stranger to the notion of missing time due to injury. Alonso has spent notable periods on the disabled list in each of the past three seasons, averaging just 95 games per year dating back to 2013. He’s due a raise on his $1.65MM salary in arbitration this season, but despite a pair of injuries this year, it’s tough to envision him being a serious non-tender candidate. Alonso posted a solid .282/.361/.381 batting line when healthy and can be controlled through the 2017 season. Even if the Padres’ plan were to shift Wil Myers to first base in 2016 and beyond, Alonso would surely figure to draw some trade interest.
- Josh Hamilton will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee, the Rangers announced today, but the team remains hopeful of Hamilton returning to the lineup in 2015, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Hamilton has appeared in just 40 games since returning to the Rangers, batting .257/.299/.431 with six homers and seven doubles in 154 plate appearances.
Front Office Notes: Jennings, Brooks, Eppler, Nationals
Dan Jennings has a standing offer from the Marlins to return to the GM seat, but has not yet informed the team whether he will accept, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami seemingly expects that Jennings will slot back in at that role, unless he is able to land a job elsewhere with more conclusive decisionmaking authority. As the Fish continue their front office maneuvering, the club has hired Marc DelPiano as VP of player development, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter.
Here’s more on some front office and managerial situations around the league …
- The Brewers are set to interview Pirates director of player personnel Tyrone Brooks for the open GM position in Milwaukee, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. We have heard some chatter about possible names to watch for the Brewers, but it appears that Brooks is the first reported candidate to receive an interview. Brooks has held his current role in Pittsburgh for about four years, overseeing an impressive delivery of young talent onto the big league roster. He gave an interesting interview with MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch back when he received that promotion, acknowledging at the time that he ultimately hoped to keep climbing the front office ladder.
- Both the Mariners and Angels have been given permission to interview Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Eppler has long been considered a top general manager candidate, and interviewed with several teams in the past, so it’s no surprise to hear his name linked to multiple openings.
- The Nationals have dropped two straight to the Mets in hard-to-believe fashion, squandering an opportunity to re-start the division race in the season’s final weeks. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post encapsulates the situation well in his piece on the frustrating turn of events. Despite the obvious cause for disappointment, GM Mike Rizzo says there is no consideration to making a late-season change at manager. “Matt Williams is our manager,” said Rizzo, “and he’s going to lead us through this stretch. I’ve always supported him. We’re not going to talk about 2016 while 2015 is ongoing.” Rizzo himself is not believed to have any job security issues, says Svrluga, though he adds that the team’s ownership can be “opaque” in its decisionmaking.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Nats, Fredi, Eovaldi, Samardzija
Let’s take a look at some of the latest news and notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
- Contrary to reports at the time, the Nationals never contacted Dave Dombrowski during his brief open market run earlier this year, says Rosenthal. That only serves to reinforce the notion that GM (and president of baseball operations) Mike Rizzo is not in jeopardy — barring some as-yet unknown conflict between him and ownership. Manager Matt Williams is another matter, of course, and Rosenthal notes that it will be interesting to see how the organization proceeds in assessing its options given Rizzo’s very public support for the man he hired to lead the club on the field.
- There are some rumblings that Braves players are “frustrated” with skipper Fredi Gonzalez, per the report. Gonzalez has seen his share of replacement rumors, but is under contract through next year. Rosenthal suggests the club may be looking ahead at a new manager for 2017, but queries whether an earlier move should be considered.
- The Yankees are holding their breath on Nathan Eovaldi‘s elbow, as noted earlier today. Rosenthal notes that the team was aware there was some risk given the relatively young age at which the now-25-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery. Interestingly, he adds that one motivating factor in acquiring Eovaldi was that New York noticed significant splits between the righty’s work with poorly-rated framer Jarrod Saltalamacchia (4.85 ERA last year) and the well-regarded Jeff Mathis (3.58 ERA).
- Rosenthal also takes an initial look at valuing free agent-to-be Jeff Samardzija of the White Sox. The 30-year-old might be left looking to match James Shields (four years, $75MM) after his uninspiring campaign. Shields obviously had a much more consistent record of quality results, of course, but was significantly older and had accumulated nearly 1,000 more innings when he hit the market. (Note: if you’re interested in reading more on Samardzija’s market situation, check out the lengthy analysis from MLBTR’s Steve Adams in a recent edition of the MLBTR Mailbag.)