All I want for Christmas is an ace starting pitcher for KC
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Merry Christmas baseball bros.Comment -
I think we all want that for our teams this off season. I know the Giants are making pitching a huge priority this offseason and I think they have to since Kevin Gausman left in free agency. I guess Logan Webb made Gausman expendable in a way but they still need more imo if they want to have a season even remotely close to what they had last year.Comment -
The Rays had a busy couple of weeks prior to the MLB lockout, but there’s still work to be done when transactions resume. Here’s a look at where things currently stand and what might be next in Tampa Bay.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Wander Franco, SS: $182MM through 2032 (includes $2MM buyout of $25MM club option for 2033)
- Brandon Lowe, 2B/OF: $19MM through 2024 (includes $1MM buyout of $10.5MM club option for 2025; contract also contains $11.5MM club option for 2026)
- Kevin Kiermaier, CF: $14.5MM through 2022 (includes $2.5MM buyout of $13MM club option for 2023)
- Brooks Raley, LHP: $10MM through 2023 (includes $1.25MM buyout of $6.5MM club option for 2024)
- Corey Kluber, RHP: $8MM through 2022
- Mike Zunino, C: $7MM through 2022
- Ji-Man Choi, 1B/DH: $3.2MM through 2022 (arb-eligible through 2023 season)
- Total 2022 guarantees: $41.95MM
- Total long-term commitments: $243.7MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Matt Wisler – $1.8MM
- Manuel Margot – $5.0MM
- Tyler Glasnow – $5.8MM
- Ryan Yarbrough – $4.4MM
- Yonny Chirinos – $1.2MM
- Yandy Diaz – $2.7MM
- Austin Meadows – $4.3MM
- Andrew Kittredge – $1.6MM
- Jalen Beeks – $600K
- Francisco Mejia – $1.5MM
- Jeffrey Springs – $1.0MM
- Brett Phillips – $1.2MM
- Nick Anderson – $900K
The Rays got a huge portion of their offseason lifting done prior to the lockout, extending Wander Franco on a record-setting contract for a player with under a year of service time. By guaranteeing Franco $182MM through the 2032 season, Tampa Bay solidified him as the face of the franchise and locked in a burgeoning star who turned in one of the more memorable rookie performances we’ve seen in recent years.
As is typical with the Rays, their early dealings involved plenty of tinkering with their arbitration class as well as what the team hopes will be some bargain additions on the pitching side. Gone are super-utility man Joey Wendle — traded to the Marlins for outfield prospect Kameron Misner — and lefty masher Jordan Luplow, who was sent to the D-backs for minor league infielder Ronny Simon. The Rays also parted ways with lefties Adam Conley (outrighted), Ryan Sherriff (claimed by the Phillies) and Dietrich Enns (granted his release to sign in Japan). Additionally, pre-arb righties Brent Honeywell (A’s) and Louis Head (Marlins) were swapped for cash.
Incoming arms include former Cy Young reclamation hopeful Corey Kluber, spin-rate standout Brooks Raley, bolstering the rotation and bullpen, respectively. There’s work to be done on both sides of the pitching staff still, however, particularly with ace Tyler Glasnow likely out for the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Rays will also be without Yonny Chirinos early in the year after he fractured his elbow late in the 2021 season while rehabbing from 2020 Tommy John surgery. Lefty Brendan McKay, too, is a question mark after recently undergoing thoracic outlet surgery.
Among the potential members of the rotation — Kluber, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Yarbrough, Shane Baz and Luis Patino — only Yarbrough and McClanahan topped 110 innings this past season. Kluber managed just 80 innings and didn’t pitch particularly well in six starts upon returning from the IL late in the season. Yarbrough, meanwhile, posted a career-high 155 innings but also a career-worst 5.11 ERA in that time. Baz dazzled at Double-A, Triple-A and in three big league starts late in the season, but the ballyhooed top prospect was also hit hard in his lone postseason outing. He could follow McClanahan’s lead as a late-season debut who carves out a concrete rotation role the following year — but there’s also still some uncertainty surrounding both him and Patino, another touted top pitching prospect.
Suffice it to say, with plenty of talent but just as many questions surrounding the young arms on the staff, the Rays figure to be on the lookout for some further pitching help. They’re not a likely fit for high-priced free agents still sitting on the market (e.g. Carlos Rodon, Clayton Kershaw), but plenty of veterans who may command one-year deals remain unsigned (e.g. Matthew Boyd, Michael Pineda, Garrett Richards and old friend Drew Smyly). Similarly, it’d be a surprise to see the Rays trade for a relatively high-priced starter (e.g. Sean Manaea, Luis Castillo), but president of baseball ops Erik Neander, newly minted GM Peter Bendix and the rest of the Rays staff will be on the lookout for under-the-radar rotation adds (much like they found with Rasmussen during the 2021 season).
Of course, if the Rays were able to cull the current payroll a bit — projected at nearly $84MM, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez — perhaps there’d be a bit more room for an additional pitching splash. Tampa Bay reportedly discussed Kevin Kiermaier in trades at the same time Joey Wendle was being shopped, and it stands to reason that Kiermaier will again be made available post-lockout. While the Rays have explored Kiermaier trades for years now, the current market circumstances suggest a trade is now likelier than ever.
Kiermaier is entering the final guaranteed season of his six-year, $53.5MM contract extension and, at $12MM (plus a $2.5MM buyout on a 2023 option) is the team’s most expensive player in 2022. Excellent as Kiermaier is with the glove, Tampa Bay could move him and still boast arguably the best defensive outfield in baseball, with Randy Arozarena, Manuel Margot, Brett Phillips and center field prospect Josh Lowe (already on the 40-man roster) all possessing high-end defensive skills.
Beyond that, there are several teams who could be eyeing center field upgrades, including the Phillies, Marlins, Astros and Cubs, to name a few. The Rays might have to pay down a bit of Kiermaier’s salary in a deal, although speculatively speaking, they could alternatively look to swap him for a comparably priced player who better fits the team’s needs (e.g. Craig Kimbrel, Jake Odorizzi).
While Kiermaier’s salary makes him a more obvious trade candidate, the Rays could also at least entertain interest in Margot instead, given that he’ll be a free agent next winter. A standout defender in his own right, Margot would hold similar or perhaps even broader appeal to teams with outfield vacancies and a preference for defensive upgrades.
Broadly speaking, when looking ahead for potential Rays moves, it’s always best to consider the possibility of them dealing from positions of great organizational depth. At the moment, that means outfield and perhaps middle infielders. Franco’s extension locks him into the lineup for more than a decade, and Brandon Lowe is signed through at least 2024 on a highly reasonably deal that includes a pair of team options. Meanwhile, the Rays still have well-regarded shortstop prospects like Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan and Xavier Edwards. Both Walls and Brujan have made their big league debuts already. Dealing young prospects of that nature is never easy, and the Rays certainly wouldn’t mind keeping them as bench pieces or upper-level depth options, but they’ll surely receive interest in that perceived surplus. Teams that seek shortstop help in the long run but aren’t willing to pay one of Carlos Correa or Trevor Story, in particular, will be keenly intrigued.
Another general rule when looking for potential Rays moves is to follow the money. In this arbitration class, that means the aforementioned Margot and, perhaps more interestingly, Glasnow. The loss of Glasnow, who had Tommy John surgery Aug. 4, is a major blow to the Rays’ 2022 hopes. The team tendered him a contract knowing he’ll miss most or all of the season, which is only sensible given that he’s controllable through the 2023 campaign. That said, a projected $5.6MM salary for Glasnow amounts largely to dead money for the Rays in ’22, and Glasnow figures to earn that same sum (or a slight bit more, if he makes it back to the mound this year) in 2023 — his final year of team control.
Paying $11-12MM for what’s effectively one season of Glasnow (2023) is hardly burdensome, but for a low-payroll club like the Rays, it’s also not ideal. Tampa Bay surely wouldn’t make a salary-dump deal for a pitcher of this caliber; if the money were an issue he could’ve been non-tendered, so that’s clearly not the case. But, other teams with deeper pockets could also try to opportunistically bolster their 2023 hopes by giving the Rays some immediate help in 2022 at the cost of acquiring Glasnow for the 2023 season. It’s not necessarily a likely outcome, but larger-payroll clubs will undoubtedly inquire at the very least.
An underrated but nonetheless enviable aspect of the Rays is the team’s bench mix. Tampa Bay’s reserves figure to include a blend of versatile defenders (Walls, Brujan, Josh Lowe) and switch-hitters (Walls, Brujan, backup catcher Francisco Mejia) who currently or very recently ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects. There’s room for third baseman Yandy Diaz and/or first baseman Ji-Man Choi to be pushed into a part-time role if either Brujan or Walls forces the team to adjust. And, with Franco able to handle third base, Brujan able to handle three infield spots, Brandon Lowe capable of playing second, first or in the outfield, Diaz capable of playing both corners — there’s a virtually limitless number of lineup permutations that could emerge from this grouping.
Whenever play resumes, the Rays will find themselves in a strong position. They already have a deep and talented MLB roster that’ll be anchored by a premium defense and one of the game’s most exciting young talents, Franco. The rotation has its share of question marks, but that’s true on a semi-regular basis and was perhaps never more true than in 2021, when Tampa Bay still went on to win 100 games.
The Rays could take the current iteration of their roster, as-is, into the 2022 season and likely be competitive in the American League East. The front office, however, could also elect to explore trades from the considerable outfield and middle-infield depth, perhaps dropping payroll a bit and then using that combination of trades and increased resources to further supplement the pitching staff. The Rays always have a fairly broad outlook, and that won’t change after the lockout. Whichever path Neander, Bendix & Co. choose to walk, the result figures to be a roster that may lack in name value but will make up for it in talent. In other words: business as usual for the Rays.Comment -
How many days til pitchers and catchers report?Comment -
Owners wouldn’t give certain bargaining concessions, so they locked out players.Comment -
The Blue Jays are planning extensive renovations at Rogers Centre, as Venues Now’s Don Muret reports that the club will spend $200-$250MM in upgrades to the ballpark. The specifics of the renovations aren’t known, though Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi reports that the work is “likely to include a redesign of the stadium’s lower bowl.” Given the potential scale of the redesigns, Davidi speculates that the renovations may slowly take place over the next few years, with work restricted to the offseason so fans or team personnel won’t be impacted during regular-season games.
Rogers Centre (which opened in 1989) is the seventh-oldest of all active Major League ballparks, and while the Jays were known to be exploring their options for building a new stadium near the current property or perhaps elsewhere in Toronto, the pandemic seems to have changed the team’s plans. Renovating Rogers Centre now seems like the preferred and simpler route for the Blue Jays, rather than spend years finding and developing a new site.
More from both the AL and NL East divisions…
- The Marlins have hired Roman Ocumarez as the team’s new international director, according to ESPN.com’s Enrique Rojas (Twitter link). Ocumarez comes to Miami from the Astros, where he worked as a scout and most recently as an international scouting supervisor. Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia are just a few of the notable signings credited to Ocumarez, with that particular trio already providing a huge return on the Astros’ total investment of $40K in bonus money. The Marlins will look for Ocumarez to continue that success at finding hidden gems, and carrying on the Marlins’ own history of finding and developing quality international prospects.
- Christian Vazquez has begun playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, as The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Vazquez feels the extra work will help him bounce back from a disappointing year at the plate. The Red Sox catcher hit only .258/.308/.352 in 498 plate appearances, and he is now in the final year of his contract after Boston exercised its $7MM club option on Vazquez’s services for 2022. Obviously, better numbers will help re-establish Vazquez as a reliable starting catcher and line him up for his next deal, whether that contract could come with the Sox or another team. There has already been an indication that the Red Sox are looking beyond Vazquez, as the team was reportedly close to acquiring Jacob Stallings from the Pirates before Pittsburgh ultimately dealt the catcher to the Marlins. Speier observes that Vazquez decided to play winter ball of his own volition, as the Red Sox aren’t allowed to be in contact with players due to the lockout, and might well have not permitted the veteran backstop to participate under normal circumstances.
- Relief pitching has been an issue for the Nationals for years, and in looking ahead to next season, the Nats have already acquired Francisco Perez from the Guardians and added three relievers in the minor league Rule 5 Draft. As The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty notes, this can help the Nationals augment a bullpen that has already parted ways with several members of its 2021 relief corps, and is lacking in homegrown minor league relievers who could provide immediate help.
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So the owners would have a product to sell fans without the best players in the world??Comment -
Here’s our list of the largest contract each of the 30 MLB teams has ever signed. Each contract is linked to its MLBTR post, with the exception of those that predate the site’s existence.
- Angels: Mike Trout – 10 years, 360MM. Signed 3-21-19.
- Astros: Jose Altuve – 5 years, $151MM. Signed 3-20-18.
- Athletics: Eric Chavez – 6 years, $66MM. Signed 3-18-04.
- Blue Jays: George Springer – 6 years, $150MM. Signed 1-19-21.
- Braves: Freddie Freeman – 8 years, $135MM. Signed 2-4-14.
- Brewers: Christian Yelich – 7 years, $188.5MM. Signed 3-6-2020.
- Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt – 5 years, $130MM. Signed 3-24-19.
- Cubs: Jason Heyward – 8 years, $184MM. Signed 12-15-15.
- Diamondbacks: Zack Greinke – 6 years, $206.5MM. Signed 12-8-15.
- Dodgers: Mookie Betts – 12 years, $365MM. Signed 7-22-20.
- Giants: Buster Posey – 8 years, $159MM. Signed 3-29-13.
- Guardians: Edwin Encarnacion – 3 years, $60MM. Signed 1-7-17.
- Mariners: Robinson Cano – 10 years, $240MM. Signed 12-12-13.
- Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton – 13 years, $325MM. Signed 11-18-14.
- Mets: Francisco Lindor – 10 years, $341MM. Signed 3-31-21.
- Nationals: Stephen Strasburg – 7 years, $245MM. Signed 12-9-19.
- Orioles: Chris Davis – 7 years, $161MM. Signed 1-21-16.
- Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr. – 14 years, $340MM. Signed 2-22-21.
- Phillies: Bryce Harper – 13 years, $330MM. Signed 2-28-19.
- Pirates: Jason Kendall – 6 years, $60MM. Signed 11-18-00.
- Rangers: Corey Seager – 10 years, $325MM. Signed 12-1-21.
- Rays: Wander Franco – 11 years, $182MM. Signed 11-27-21.
- Red Sox: David Price – 7 years, $217MM. Signed 12-4-15.
- Reds: Joey Votto – 10 years, $225MM. Signed 4-2-12.
- Rockies: Nolan Arenado – 7 years, $234MM. Signed 2-26-19.
- Royals: Salvador Perez – 4 years, $82MM. Signed 3-21-21.
- Tigers: Miguel Cabrera – 8 years, $248MM. Signed 3-31-14.
- Twins: Joe Mauer – 8 years, $184MM. Signed 3-21-10.
- White Sox: Yasmani Grandal – 4 years, $73MM. Signed 11-21-19.
- Yankees: Gerrit Cole – 9 years, $324MM. Signed 12-10-19.
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Peavy already said he wouldn’t watch the Padres without Tatis. MLB is only watchable because we want to watch the best of the best.Comment -
Love that list! Jason Kendall the biggest splurge by Pirates, lol. Jason Hayward, oops.Comment -
Jason Kendall EARNED every penny he made.
I know a thing or two about catching, Kendall was a bad ass catcher,
Not just a bad ass catcher, a bad ass catcher that could rake, and get on base like a machine too.
Multiple time all star, got robbed of the RoY award too.
Dude got beat up on a regular basis behind the plate,
Never a gold glover, because of the competition but sill a plus defender that called a mean game.
Read this closely, Kendall caught behind the plate 130 or more games 13 out of the 15 years he played pro ball.
(Besides Sal Perez, who does that anymore?)
On some of the shittiest teams in the 90's with some of the shittiest pitching staffs.
Besides Jason Schmidt for that one season (who couldn't get out of Pitt fact enough) Kendall's staffs were anchored by Cy Young (sarcasm people) types like Kip "fukking" Wells, and Jeff Suppan.
You want to talk the most underrated catcher of our era?
The list starts and ends with Jason Kendall.Comment -
Forgot about Eric Chavez days from that list. Jayson Heyward was a bust IMO.Comment -
Wonder when the Pirates are going to make a bigger contract than Kendall’s?Comment -
The Marlins’ abundance of riches in the rotation has led to trade speculation for quite some time, particularly given Miami’s desire to land a controllable outfielder. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported last month that the Fish were amenable to dealing from their starting pitching surplus. They’ve since thinned out the depth a little bit by trading Zach Thompson to the Pirates as part of the Jacob Stallings deal, but it’s possible they’re open to another move that addresses the position player group.
It stands to reason rival teams will be in contact with Marlins general manager Kim Ng and her staff whenever the transactions freeze comes to an end. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at which pitchers could come up in discussions:
Best Combination of Value/Potential Availability
According to Morosi, the Marlins’ early deliberations about the possibility of trading a starter revolved around their three hurlers with between three and four years of big league service time. Sandy Alcantara has since signed a record-setting extension for a pitcher in that service bucket, so he’s not going anywhere. That leaves two starters as Miami’s most straightforward candidates for this kind of move:
Pablo López — López has been quietly excellent over the past two seasons. He’s got a 3.26 ERA across 160 innings since the start of 2020, including a 3.07 mark this past season. There’s not much to nitpick in his statistical profile. The 25-year-old uses a five-pitch mix. He’s got plus control, misses a few more bats than average and — thanks mostly to one of the sport’s best changeups — rarely gives up hard contact. With three years of control and a modest $2.5MM projected arbitration salary, López would have a ton of trade value if he’d gotten through the 2021 campaign fully healthy.
Yet the situation’s complicated by a shoulder injury that cost him essentially the entire second half. López landed on the IL in mid-July and didn’t return until the final day of the season, when he worked just 1 2/3 innings in a deliberately abbreviated start. His velocity returned to peak levels and it’s possible López’s shoulder problem proves nothing more than a blip, but any team looking into an acquisition this offseason will surely do their due diligence on a medical evaluation.
Elieser Hernández — Hernández missed much of the 2021 campaign because of a pair of long-term injuries. He lost two months early in the year to biceps inflammation. In his first start back after that absence, he strained his right quad while running the bases and missed another couple months. Those absences limited him to 51 2/3 frames of 4.18 ERA ball. Hernández doesn’t throw hard, and he couldn’t sustain the massive 32.1% strikeout rate he posted over a six-start showing in 2020. But he still missed a decent amount of bats with both his slider and changeup, and he rarely hands out free passes.
Like López, he comes with three years of what should be affordable arbitration control. At age 26, Hernández has value, but it’s not at the same level as his rotation mate. In addition to his overall lack of volume over the past couple seasons, Hernández is a fly-ball pitcher who gives up a lot of hard contact, particularly on his fastball. That’s led to significant home run troubles even in the pitcher-friendly confines of Marlins Park, and teams in more hitter-friendly environments may worry he’s too prone to the longball to be successful. Perhaps curtailing the use of his fastball and leaning more heavily on his solid secondary weapons could allow him to mitigate those concerns a bit.
Back-of-the-Rotation Depth Options
Braxton Garrett — Garrett’s stock has dipped since he was selected seventh overall in the 2016 draft. He’s made a few MLB starts over the past two seasons, though, and Garrett had a 3.89 ERA with decent strikeout and walk rates in Triple-A this past season. He’s not going to headline a deal for a controllable outfielder, but he could be of interest to clubs as a secondary or tertiary piece.
Nick Neidert — Neidert is in a similar bucket as Garrett. He’s a formerly well-regarded prospect who has had a decent amount of minor league success but hasn’t impressed in limited big league time. The righty rarely misses bats but possesses very strong control.
Cody Poteet — Potent debuted with seven starts this past season, working to a 4.99 ERA across 30 2/3 innings before suffering a season-ending MCL sprain. He’s not likely to have a ton of value and the Fish will probably hold onto him into the season, but he did miss a decent amount of bats for a sixth/seventh starter in his limited showing.
Highly-Regarded Young Pitchers/Top Prospects
It’d be a surprise if the Marlins trade anyone in this group — each of whom could see their value increase substantially if they take a reasonable developmental step next season. It’s not out of the question the Fish take calls on anyone in this group, but they’re perhaps more relevant as a reminder of the enviable collection of young pitching that could facilitate a deal involving someone else on the roster.
Edward Cabrera — Cabrera’s first seven MLB starts didn’t go as hoped. He’s one of the sport’s most highly-regarded pitching prospects and posted massive strikeout rates in the high minors though, and he averaged almost 97 MPH on his heater in the big leagues. It’s possible the Marlins consider moving Cabrera, but he’d likely have to be a key piece of a deal for a controllable star in the Cedric Mullins or Ketel Marte mold for that to happen.
Jesús Luzardo — The return from the A’s for Starling Marte at last summer’s trade deadline, Luzardo continued to struggle over the final couple months in Miami. The 2021 season was a disaster for the young southpaw, but he’s only a year removed from being ranked among the top ten overall prospects by Baseball America. The Marlins liked him enough to land him one-for-one for their star center fielder a few months ago, so it seems likely they’ll give him a chance at a rebound.
Max Meyer — The third overall pick out of the University of Minnesota in the 2020 draft, Meyer dominated at Double-A during his first pro season. He’s one of the sport’s top prospects. As with Cabrera, it’d be a surprise if he’s available and he’d only be part of a deal for a star.
Sixto Sánchez — Sánchez, a top prospect who headlined the J.T. Realmuto return from Philadelphia, impressed over his first seven MLB starts in 2020. He missed the entire 2021 campaign due to a shoulder issue that required surgery. He’s expected to be ready for next season, but it’s not an opportune time for the Marlins to consider a trade.
The Likely Unavailable All-Star
Nobody in the Marlins rotation would bring back more than Trevor Rogers. The former first-round pick was an All-Star and the National League’s Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021. Coming off a season in which he posted a 2.64 ERA/3.72 SIERA across 133 innings, Rogers looks like a potential top-of-the-rotation stalwart for years to come. He’s controllable through 2026 and would bring back an absolute haul — likely headlined by one of the sport’s top few position player prospects — if the Marlins ever decided to make him available. That’d be an incredibly bold bet on the strength of the other rotation arms, though, one which the front office probably wouldn’t give much thought.
López and Hernández are the Marlins’ best candidates for a pitcher-for-position player swap. Given the attrition rates of pitchers, it’s arguable the front office should hold onto as much depth as possible to give themselves plenty of cover for potential injuries or underperformance. Yet there are plenty of options of varying pedigree Ng and her staff could consider moving in the right deal, a testament to the organization’s commitment to building the pitching pipeline in recent years.Comment -
Who was the last pitcher to throw a screwball?Comment -
I remember Eric Chavez well from his days here in the Bay Area for the A's. I don't think he was worth all the money they gave him because he was injury prone towards the end of his career but he did have some good seasons for Oakland early on in his playing career with them.Comment -
Zito had the prettiest curveball you will ever watch. Definitely underwhelmed after getting paid though.Comment
