Morales and Morality

He may have been one of the more popular Latino players in the Blue Jays clubhouse, but the team got an offer for Kendrys Morales they felt was too good to refuse.
The 35-year-old designated hitter was dealt to the Athletics on Wednesday night in return for a minor league infielder, Jesus Lopez.

As much as Morales was seen as a mentor for players such as Vlad Guerrero Jr. and fellow Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr., his departure gives manager Charlie Montoyo plenty more options for his lineup.

With Morales almost exclusively a DH, the Jays can now slot others into that role depending on the opponent and who in the Jays lineup might be wielding a hot bat.
It also leads to immediate speculation that it could result in a sooner than later promotion for first baseman Rowdy Tellez.



The other benefit from the deal was that it was yet another salary dump for the Jays. Morales was the highest-paid remaining Toronto player and the Jays have reportedly agreed to pay $10 million of his $12-million US salary.
Morales, who filled the DH void created with the departure of Edwin Encarnacion the past two seasons, is expected to play first base for Oakland.

It is supposed to be the time of year for optimism, the belief that, no matter how far-fetched, somehow you are following a team worth watching and, if all goes well, one that will be playing meaningful baseball late into summer.
For the first time in a handful of seasons, it’s a claim that can’t be made about the Toronto Blue Jays.
With a new manager and a lineup void of any established superstars, the pickings are expected to be slim over the next six months. The glimmer of hope — assuming it is supplemented by some reliable starting pitching and the continued development of young players — is that the future is bright.
Just how that translates into wins will start to unfold when the 162-game season gets under way on Thursday afternoon at the Rogers Centre. With expectations the lowest in years — a view punctuated by team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins — declines are expected on multiple fronts: On-field performance, which already skidded significantly the past two seasons; Rogers Centre attendance, which just two years ago was the pride of the American League; and overall interest in a team that had enjoyed unprecedented, coast-to-coast support.
But opening day always brings with it a whiff of hope (in lieu of any other meaningful signs of spring) and the youth movement has some promise, even if the two most prized jewels will start the season in Florida and Buffalo respectively.
Answers will come eventually, but for now, we present our 10 burning questions in advance of opening day.

The wise guys who establish the lines in Las Vegas aren’t buying into the enthusiasm of Montoyo, the big spring of starting pitchers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez and the great Dominican hope, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The bookmakers know the Jays are in rebuilding mode and that they are in arguably the toughest division in baseball, so 75.5 is the established over/under total.
While low, much would have to go right to top that number, especially if the bullpen remains suspect and if, by the end of July, management pawns off proven assets to further bolster the youth movement.
I am betting on the over , way over.

Another lump of Cole

Gerrit Cole
Cole is a popular pick to win the AL Cy Young Award this season, and it's easy to see why. Not only did Cole see his velocity rise last year for the second consecutive season (to 97 MPH with his fastball), but he also ditched his remarkably poor sinker in favor of a much more effective curveball (and fastball). As a result, Cole got hitters to chase pitches more frequently than he ever had while also limiting contact at a career best rate (71.5% contact rate, 14.1% swinging strike rate). Even with a little bit of expected regression (Cole's incredible 34.5% strikeout rate will likely fall a little bit), Cole should still easily finish as a top-ten fantasy pitcher in 2019. There aren't many aces slipping outside of the first couple of rounds, and Cole is an excellent opportunity in the late second round or early third round (where he's currently being drafted). Fantasy owners in need of pitching shouldn't be afraid to reach a little and grab Cole earlier too -- expect another dominant season from the 28-year-old.


Houston Astros:
Chris Devenski
Devenski was a rare middle reliever with significant fantasy value in 2017 when he recorded a 2.68 ERA with 11.2 K/9 over 80.2 innings for the Astros, but the 28-year-old struggled and posted a disappointing 4.18 ERA over 47.1 innings last semester. Spring training hasn't been overly kind to Devenski -- he's posted an 8.31 ERA -- but he's pitched in just 4.1 innings and allowed all four of his runs in one outing. Devenski spent the offseason cleaning up his mechanics (particularly in his lower body) which could lead to an uptick in his velocity, and his peripherals from last season indicate that he may not be far off from being able to repeat his stellar 2017 campaign. There's no reason to jump on Devenski in drafts (his current ADP sits at 413), but he could be a sneaky valuable asset in fantasy relief slots this season, so keep an eye on how his season progresses.

Josh Reddick
Reddick posted the best offensive season of his career in 2017 with a .314/.363/.484 slash line but struggled last season as his OPS dropped 129 points. Most of the drop off in production can be attributed to expected regression -- Reddick posted a .339 BABIP (career .286 BABIP) despite posting a very close to career average batted ball profile -- and most of Reddick's underlying metrics have remained steady over the past few years. Steady, solid production is fine out of a late round pick (which Reddick is with an ADP of 348), but Reddick has less upside than many of the other players being drafted around him (like Johan Camargo and Avisail Garcia) and is the most likely Astros outfielder to lose playing time if Kyle Tucker forces his way back on to the major league roster. If your team needs a solid, consistent .260 hitter with strong plate discipline and contact skills but mediocre power, then Reddick is your guy. Otherwise go for a pick with more upside at this point in drafts.

Seattle Mariners:
Domingo Santana
Santana had a very strong Spring Training (1.424 OPS) that carried into the Mariners' opening series against the A's when he launched a grand slam to help power the M's to their first win of the season. Santana's ability to hit the ball hard has never been in doubt (career 38.5% hard hit rate), but his tendency to swing and miss has always held him back -- even in his breakout 2017 season. Despite demonstrating solid plate discipline skills (30.9% o-swing rate, 71.8% z-swing rate), Santana posted a paltry 66.4% contact rate last year with a 15.8% swinging strike rate. Santana has always particularly struggled to make contact against offspeed and breaking pitches, and those issues got even worse last season. Santana's hot Spring Training (and start to the season) has fans projecting a (second) breakout season for the 25-year-old (and he'll get every opportunity to prove himself this season), but he likely won't be able to produce enough to make reaching for him worthwhile without improving his contact rate substantially. Still, Santana is capable of hitting to all fields and players have been valuable fantasy assets with worst plate discipline profiles, so he's a solid upside pick later in drafts (though I prefer Jake Bauers at the same spot).

J.P. Crawford
Crawford's major league experience leaves a lot to be desired, and his Spring Training performance didn't show significant improvement. Over 72 major league games, Crawford has slashed .214/.333/.358 and hasn't shown any signs of real power (not that he was expected to, but a 21.4% hard hit rate and 23.7% soft contact rate is exceptionally bad). The good news is that Crawford has maintained an impressive plate discipline profile (22.1% o-swing rate, 60.5% z-swing rate) with solid contact skills (77% contact rate, 9.2% swinging strike rate) and enough athleticism for double digit steal upside. The other good news regarding Crawford is he's currently going undrafted in almost all leagues and the Mariners' weak middle infield should provide ample opportunity for a quick call-up if Crawford starts hitting well in the minor leagues (Crawford's strong defense won't hurt here either). Crawford isn't someone who will make an immediate impact on anyone's fantasy team, but he has the potential to be a difference maker down the stretch for owners who keep a close eye on his progression.

Edwin Encarnacion
At 36 years old, Edwin Encarnacion is likely in the midst of his decline. According to baseball savant, Encarnacion's hard hit rate has dropped in each of the last four years, and his xWOBA tumbled nearly 40 points just last season. Even in a down year though, Encarnacion clubbed 32 home runs, accumulated 107 RBIs, and posted an OPS north of .800 for his seventh consecutive season. Although he will likely continue to decline this season, Encarnacion remains a solid source of power with a very high floor and a limited but still strong ceiling. Encarnacion isn't the most exciting pick, but he's currently the 17th first baseman being drafted on average (just two ahead of Jurickson Profar and three ahead of Ian Desmond) and ranks among the safest bets at that spot. Don't reach for Encarnacion expecting the 40 home runs and 120 RBIs that he posted in 2016, but another 30 home run, 100 RBI season is still closer to his floor than his ceiling.

Around the League:
Yu Darvish (CHC) - After developing a blister in his last Spring Training appearance, Darvish threw a bullpen session on Friday and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Darvish has had his share of on-field issues over the past two seasons and will look to rebound in 2019 after posting a career worst 4.95 ERA (albeit in just 40 innings) in the first year of a 6 year, $126 million pact with the Cubs last season. Encouragingly, Darvish put on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason and has looked good in his Spring Training appearances outside of some shaky command (although Darvish's fastball velocity is sitting at just under 94 MPH, which would be his lowest regular season mark since 2014). Considering that his disastrous 2017 World Series performance was likely due to tipping pitches and that his 2018 season was cut short by arm injuries, Darvish seems to have the potential to recapture his ace-level performance from earlier seasons. Expecting Darvish to be fully healthy and throw 150+ innings might be optimistic, but he's a solid high upside pick at his current ADP of 142 and has one of the highest ceilings of any mid-to-late round pick.

Nick Senzel (CIN) - The Reds reassigned Senzel to the minor leagues after the 24-year-old slashed a solid .308/.300/.462 over 12 Spring Training games. Senzel is a consensus top-ten prospect who had an outside shot at making the major league roster out of Spring Training but was likely held down to give the Reds an extra year of team control (to be fair, the Reds are also moving Senzel to center field after he'd never played the position in the minor leagues). Drafted second overall in 2016 and regarded as one of the league's best overall prospects, Senzel has as good of a hit tool as any other prospect and boasts solid power and plate discipline skills as well. Although his 2018 season was cut short by a finger injury, Senzel has put together an impressive minor league career that features a .314 batting average and .904 OPS. Senzel's profile doesn't make him seem like a fantasy superstar, but he has a good chance at being a very good major league player and a solid fantasy asset. Look for Senzel to get called up after the Super-Two deadline and grab him when he breaks the major league roster.

Alex Colome (CHW) - Colome was named the closer for the White Sox on Friday. Valuable closers can be hard to find after the few elite guys come off the board, but Colome shouldn't warrant too much attention from fantasy owners. One of Colome's major problems will likely be opportunities: the White Sox ranked 27th in the major leagues in save opportunities last season and don't look like a much better team this year. Colome will also have Kelvin Herrera ready to take over if Colome's performance falters during the season. That being said, Colome closed 2018 on a high note after tweaking his pitch mix mid-season to focus more on his cutter than his fastball (as he did in 2017 and the end of 2016) and his peripherals were in his 2016-17 range last season, so an ERA in the low 3.00's with solid strikeout numbers seems likely. Don't reach too high for Colome, but teams in need of bullpen help could do a lot worse.

Jimmy Nelson (MIL) - Nelson finally broke out in 2017 after years of failing to live up to his pre-major league hype and posted a 3.49 ERA (with a 3.05 FIP and 4.15 K/BB ratio) to finish among the top-ten in NL Cy Young Award voting. Nelson's 2017 season ended abruptly though when the 29-year-old injured his shoulder sliding into first base -- an injury that kept him out through the 2018 season as well. Nelson has been working his way back from the injury and is expected to join the Brewers' staff in April, but reportedly felt soreness in his elbow after pitching in a minor league game on Thursday. Although the injury isn't considered to be serious, it is still worrying to see a pitcher coming back from shoulder surgery add another potential issue to the mix. If (and it's a big if at this point) Nelson can come back fully healthy, then he could be a valuable fantasy asset again in 2019. Nelson's breakout in 2017 was largely fueled by a significantly improved curveball that he began throwing more frequently and with much more success. The 27.3% strikeout rate that Nelson posted in 2017 will almost definitely fall (especially because it was maintained with a 31.8% o-swing rate and 76.4% contact rate), but another season with an ERA in the mid-3.00's and above average strikeout numbers is a reasonable expectation.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (LAD) - Ryu was named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter on Friday. Health issues in the Dodgers' rotation more or less forced Ryu into the role, but the 31-year-old posted an impressive 1.97 ERA over 82.1 innings last season while struggling with injuries and has pitched well this spring with a 3.00 ERA, 12 strikeouts, and no walks over 15 innings. Ryu's (brief) success last season can largely be attributed to some significant changes in his pitch selection. Ryu drastically increased his cutter usage, added a sinker, and added movement to his curveball in 2018. As a result, Ryu posted career bests in o-swing, contact, and strikeout rates and should be able to maintain at least some of that success in 2019. Ryu will probably miss significant chunks of the season on the DL, and a repeat of his 2018 numbers would be overly optimistic, but he should be a strong fantasy asset when he pitches this season.

Aaron Hicks (NYY) - The Yankees announced that Hicks will likely remain out past April 4th (when he can first come off the IL) as he continues to recover from a back injury. Hicks was rewarded with a seven year contract extension from the Yankees after slashing .255/.368/.470 while playing valuable defense over his last two seasons, and the 29-year-old could be in line for a career year in 2019 if he can stay healthy. Hicks has always boasted strong plate discipline skills (career 22.4% o-swing rate, 78% contact rate), but he's made a concentrated effort to add power since joining the Yankees and it's paid off so far. Hicks has seen his hard hit rate and home run totals rise in each of his last three seasons and has continued to add muscle (Hicks reportedly put on 15 pounds this offseason) and increase his average launch angle as he pushes for 30 home runs. Add in the fact that he's projected to bat at the top of a dangerous Yankees offense and Hicks looks like he could be a steal at his current ADP of 116 (especially if he slides due to his injury).

Jose Alvarado (TB) - Alvarado pitched allowed no hits or walks in one inning on Friday for his second Spring Training appearance. Although he hasn't had much in-game work this spring, Alvarado is firmly in the mix to emerge as the Rays' go-to closer after posting a 2.39 ERA over 64 innings last season. Alvarado's success comes on the back of a devastating sinker, and the 23-year-old posted a 69.6% contact rate and 12.8% swinging strike rate largely on the back of that pitch, although his slider (his second most used pitch) is also effective at generating whiffs. As his heavy reliance on his sinker suggests, Alvarado also induces a high number of ground balls which helps suffocate his BABIP and keep the ball in the park. The Rays have ranked among the top-ten teams in save opportunities in each of the last two seasons and appear built to repeat in 2019. If Alvarado can lock down the closer role at some point this season then he could emerge as a relief ace for fantasy teams.

Scooter Gennett (CIN) - Gennett had to be helped off of the field with a golf cart after suffering an undisclosed injury in Friday's exhibition against the Brewers. The 28-year-old comes into the 2019 season looking to build off of his first career All-Star selection from last season, but an injury this close to the start of the regular season puts his Opening Day status (and potentially beyond) in jeopardy. As a good bet to hit .280+ with above average power, Gennett should be a valuable fantasy contributor if he is healthy this season. Although Gennett frequently chases pitches (39.1% career o-swing rate, 40.3% last season), he makes contact at a solid 82% rate (both career average and last season's average) and as a result maintains roughly average (if not slightly better than average) strikeout numbers. Additionally, Gennett posted a strong 38.8% hard hit rate last season (34.4% in 2017) so most of his numbers from 2018 (.310/.357/.490) appear to be repeatable with the exception of his .358 (which will likely fall closer to .330 in 2019). This injury could be cause for concern, but Gennett will likely be a valuable asset when healthy.

Craig Kimbrel - Despite posting a 2.74 ERA with 42 saves and strong peripherals last season, Kimbrel is still a free agent with the regular season quickly approaching. According to a Friday report from Braves writer David O'Brien, the Braves and Brewers are the two teams in play for Kimbrel. Considering the injuries to both teams and the fact that both teams are expected to compete for the playoffs this year, a deal should be expected sooner rather than later. With both teams fielding competitive rosters and likely to provide a similar number of save opportunities, the difference for Kimbrel's performance will come down to defense, park factors, and schedule quality (in total, the Brewers and Braves appear to be pretty similar in those metrics). Kimbrel's velocity drop off last season might be keeping teams (and fantasy owners) away, but fantasy owners shouldn't be too concerned about that yet; Kimbrel's average fastball velocity started high and rebounded towards the end of the season last year, signaling that the decline was potentially injury or fatigue related rather than signs of a career decline.

Clint Frazier (NYY) - The Yankees optioned Frazier to Triple-A on Friday after the outfielder hit just .130/.208/.217 over 17 Spring Training games. Frazier has yet to make an impact at the major league level after struggling with concussions for the better part of the last two years, but the tools are still there for him to succeed. The former top prospect should still possess his impressive plate discipline, dangerous power, and solid athleticism, so he may have a shot at rebounding and finding his way into playing time at some point. Unfortunately for Frazier, the Yankees outfield is loaded (even with Hicks hurt Frazier couldn't crack the roster), so he'll have a tough time securing major league playing time in New York. Fantasy owners should watch from afar and see if Frazier can rebound now that he's free from concussion symptoms and pick him up if he manages to force his way into playing time.

Extension Rejection Protection

The extension era is in full swing. Sale, Goldschmidt, Arrendo, and of course Mike Trout.

The Red Sox have the framework of a long-term extension in place with ace Chris Sale, a source confirmed to MLB.com's Ian Browne on Friday. The Boston Globe's Alex Speier first reported the pending deal.
The details of Sale's extension aren't yet known, and the club hasn't confirmed the report.
Sale is entering the final year of his contract and would become a free agent after this season. With a contract extension, he'd join the many superstars who have already signed similar deals this offseason. This week alone, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Blake Snell have agreed to long-term deals with their clubs, with Trout's 12-year, $426.5 million extension with the Angels the largest contract in baseball history.

An extension for Sale would also mean that arguably the three biggest headliners of the potential 2019-20 free-agent class are off the market -- Sale, Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, who signed a seven-year, $260 million deal to stay with the Rockies earlier this offseason. If Boston locks up Sale, the biggest free agents next winter would include Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon and Astros stars Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.
Sale has dominated for the Red Sox since they traded for him before the 2017 season. He has a 2.56 ERA in 59 starts in his two seasons in Boston, with 545 strikeouts in 372 1/3 innings.

Sale has been an American League All-Star for the last seven seasons and he's finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting for the last six seasons. He helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series championship last year, including closing out the Fall Classic with a strikeout of the Dodgers' Manny Machado.

 And now the Houston Astros are contemplating tendering contract extensions to Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole, although the latter ( represented by Scott Boras) would likely seek free agency, but one never knows where asking will go.

Perhaps Cole would like to re sign with Houston than sit out on a ledge waiting for offers to sign a deal. Oh I do not know, ask fellow teammate Dallas Kuechel. Still waiting to sign any deal.

Ichiro Suzuki - Icon

 

Ichiro Suzuki drew all the cheers. Most everyone else on the Seattle Mariners did all the hitting.

A crowd that came to salute Suzuki in his homeland saw Domingo Santana deliver the biggest hit at the Tokyo Dome, a grand slam that sent Seattle over the Oakland Athletics 9-7 on Wednesday in the Major League Baseball opener.

Batting ninth and knowing he'd get two plate appearances, Suzuki popped up and worked a walk. The 45-year-old star took his spot in right field to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, then was pulled to another huge ovation. He was met with hugs from the Mariners on the diamond and dugout.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Suzuki will play in Thursday's final game of the series but may not start.

“We certainly want to give him an opportunity to go out and play, but we also want to get some other guys in the game,” Servais said. “I understand everybody wants to see him go all nine innings. We're trying to do the best thing for the team, and Ichiro understands.”

This marked the earliest opening day ever — the summer sport actually started on the last day of winter. No doubt, most fans in North America were sound asleep when Oakland's Mike Fiers threw the first pitch at 2:36 a.m. PDT.

Tim Beckham homered as several Seattle newcomers excelled. Khris Davis, who led the majors with 48 home runs last year, Stephen Piscotty and Matt Chapman connected for the Athletics.

A packed crowd of 45,787 was buzzing for its favorite star, sending cheers, chants and camera flashes for Suzuki bounding all around the park. Ichiro signs and jerseys were plentiful, too.

He leaves the game in better shape than when he began. He leaves on the highest note possible. He makes the game truly an international game.

Mike Trout is an Angel for Life

The Angels have agreed to a record-shattering contract with superstar outfielder Mike Trout, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Trout stands to earn more than $430MM over a twelve-year term.

 It will not include any opt-outs, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
It’s a contract befitting Trout’s status as a player of historic excellence. The peerless center fielder was two years from free agency, playing on the remainder of his earlier six-year extension, but decided to commit the rest of his prime to the organization that drafted and developed him.
Trout was already due $66.5MM for the 2019 and 2020 seasons under the previous deal negotiated by agent Craig Landis. It seems, then, that he’s now set to take down an average annual value in excess of $36MM over the new decade of campaigns covered by this agreement. Trout will turn 40 during the final season (2030) of the deal.

There are some eye-popping figures in there, to be sure, but frankly they pale in comparison to Trout’s own productivity on the ballfield. Since his first full season of play, in 2012, Trout has vastly outproduced every player in the game with a tally of 64.2 fWAR and 63.8 rWAR. Others have approached and even bettered Trout in single seasons, but none of his contemporaries has maintained anything approaching his nearly unfathomably consistent level of top-end output.

Viewed in that light, there’s an argument to be made that this deal actually underpays Trout. It’s important to bear in mind that he was still two years shy of free agency, which he’d have reached at 29 years of age owing to his earlier contract. In that regard, Nolan Arrenado had more leverage relative to his own abilities. But it’s notable that Arrenado's new contract checks in with a $33.4MM AAV for the seven new seasons that it added to his existing season of control. Unsurprisingly, Trout’s new deal easily tops the previous record for total guarantee that was recently set by Bryce Harper and the Phillies.

It is the Stro Show for Opening Day

Two weeks before camp breaks, the Blue Jays have announced their pitching plans for opening day against the Detroit Tigers.
And sure enough, it will be Stro Time.
Indeed, all the work paid off for Marcus Stroman to achieve his first goal of the 2019 season. The two-a-day workouts, the yoga, the mobility drills, the time spent in his own personal hyperbaric chamber, the visit with Duke basketball coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski … it all helped get his body and mind right the for spring training.
The rest followed naturally.


Prior to his fourth straight strong outing, Stroman was named the Blue Jays opening day pitcher for the second time in his career.The first was in 2016, when he threw eight innings en route to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
This one will be at home, Mar. 28. This one is something he wanted very badly.
“It’s an honour,” Stroman said after giving up one run and two hits while striking out six over 4.1 innings against the Orioles in Sarasota on Wednesday. “Something you strive for. Something that I always kind of pride myself on. I’m just excited to feel the electricity, the energy of Toronto, of Canada, when I get out there on the mound.
“I’ve pitched in some pretty big moments before,” he added. “I’m not shy of the moment. I think I thrive off energy and emotion, so I’m excited. I can’t wait to be out there.”
Stroman, who will become the 10th pitcher to draw multiple opening day assignments for the franchise, has anxiously awaited a chance to get his career back on track.
Last year, shoulder and blister problems kept him to just 102 innings, or half of what he pitched the previous two seasons.
He also went 4-9 with a 5.54 ERA — numbers he’s in a hurry to forget.
“I’m ready to pitch,” said Stroman, “regardless of where I am in the rotation. Like I said, I put a huge emphasis on getting back to where I was, and I’m there. So regardless of when you give me the ball, I’m going to go out there and have that mentality to dominate.”
The decision between Stroman and Aaron Sanchez was not an easy one for manager Charlie Montoyo, pitching coach Pete Walker and GM Ross Atkins.
“Stroman is the right guy,” Montoyo said when making it official.
Said Walker: “Every time you’ve got two guys like Sanchez and Stroman, obviously when they’re healthy, as far as I’m concerned, they’re as good as there is out there. I think Sanchey might have been a click behind early in camp, and gave him the extra live BP. That’s about the main reason.
“But they’re both certainly capable of doing that and holding on to that top spot in the rotation. Once the season starts it doesn’t matter.”
Montoyo said he talked to Sanchez about the decision before it was announced.
“Whatever I do, I always think as a player,” said Montoyo. “So that’s why we talked to Sanchez, to make sure he knows we were going to give it to Stroman. He’s fine.
“I did talk to people before. It’s almost like when I was in triple-A and I’d tell you you’re going up to the big leagues, and then I’ve got to talk to somebody else who’s not very happy (it wasn’t him being promoted) that he didn’t get the shot. It’s the same way here. You’ve got to communicate.”
Saying Clay Buchholz will not be ready to start the season, Montoyo has pencilled in a rotation that, after Stroman, has Matt Shoemaker second, followed by Sanchez, Ryan Borucki and Clayton Richard.
“I like the fact of splitting Stroman and Sanchez, because they’re kind of the same type of pitchers … sinker-ballers and stuff,” said Montoyo. “So I want to have somebody in between that’s different, and Shoemaker’s the guy that can do that.”

Strike One Mr. Roboto

Get ready for strikes by robots.
No, overworked machines aren’t walking out in a labour protest.


Computers will be used for ball/strike calls starting April 28 in the independent Atlantic League, where the distance between home and first will be shortened by three inches. The ground between the mound and home plate will lengthen by about two feet for the second half of the season beginning July 12.
The 60-foot-six-inch distance between the front of the pitching rubber and the back point of home plate has been standard since 1893, but Major League Baseball reached a three-year deal to experiment in the Atlantic League, an eight-team circuit that occasionally produces big leaguers.


Plate umpires will wear earpieces and be informed of ball/strike calls by a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar. Umps will have the ability to override the computer, which considers a pitch a strike when the ball bounces and then crosses the zone. TrackMan also does not evaluate check swings.
“The beauty of baseball is that it’s not foolproof. You’ve got to hit a round ball with a cylindrical bat square, and then you’ve got to get it past people,” said Joe West, who umpired his first big league game in 1976. “The game is typically American. It’s always somebody else’s fault when they lose — and usually it’s us.”
MLB has evaluated its umpires since first starting to install a QuesTec system in 2001 that umpires initially criticized as being inaccurate. Questec was used at a maximum of 11 ballparks in 2008, its final year.


A PitchF/x system, a partnership of MLB Advanced Media and Sportvision, was the basis of evaluations from 2009-16, and the TrackMan system was tested during the final year of that span. TrackMan has been used to evaluate umpires since 2017.
West, who has umpired more than 5,000 big league games and is on track to break Bill Klem’s record in 2020, said the 2016 test was far from perfect.
“It missed 500 pitches in April, and when I say it missed 500 pitches, that didn’t mean they called them wrong. They didn’t call them at all,” he said

In addition, bases will become 18-inch squares in the Atlantic League, up from the 15-inch squares that have been standard since 1877. That will in effect cut the distance from the front of home plate to the front of first base from 87 feet, nine inches to 87 feet, six inches. The 90-foot measurement between bases is from the back of the plate to the back corner of first and third along the foul line.
Other changes for the season:

• Infield shifts will be restricted by requiring two infielders to be on each side of second base when a pitcher releases his pitch. Infielders also will be prohibited from setting up on the outfield grass.

• Each pitcher must face at least three batters or complete the half-inning, unless injured.

• Between inning breaks will be cut from 2 minutes, 5 seconds to 1:45.

Mound visits are banned, except for pitching changes or medical issues.

The Extension is Coming

Sign Here ?

It is the beginnings of a new age in major league baseball, and it has to do with giving players extensions.

Cardinals signed RHP Miles Mikolas to a four-year, $68 million contract extension.

The shiny new deal comes with $15.75 million salaries for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, along with a $5 million signing bonus that he can tack onto his already-locked-in $8 million salary for the 2019 season. Mikolas was brilliant in his first year in St. Louis, delivering an 18-4 record, 2.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 146/29 K/BB ratio across 200 2/3 innings. If he ups the strikeout rate a bit this year, which he would seem capable of doing, he can be a front-line fantasy starter. The 30-year-old right-hander will take the ball for the Cardinals on Opening Day against the Brewers.
  
Yankees signed OF Aaron Hicks to a seven-year, $70 million extension.
 

The deal is now official. According to the announcement from the team, there's a club option for an eighth year in 2026. The upcoming free agent class doesn't have much to offer in center field, so the Yankees didn't want Hicks to get away. The 29-year-old has thrived during his time in New York and is now locked in for the long-term.

 Mike Trout will then consider the best way to say no. Rosenthal reports that the deal would cover his 2021-2030 seasons, meaning they'd cover him for his 29-to-38 years. While that would be the largest contract in the history of North American sports, it's tough to imagine that Trout would say yes to this; even with Manny Machado and Bryce Harper having to wait until the end of February to get their paper. The Angels are going to have to pony up more than that if they're going to keep the best player in baseball from testing the market.

 Dallas Kuechel would have resigned an extension, but the Astros saw a decline in his fastball, and choose not to. Adam Jones , at 33, would have been happy to re sign with the Orioles for another 3 yr term, but alas, they choose to move forward towards another 100 loss season with Cedric Mullens II.

All in all, the extension is getting pretty popular in MLB these days. Players have sen that the grass is not always greener hitting free agency. Ask Craig Kimbrel of the World Series Champion Boston Red  Sox, they have made there only offer to Kimbrel, who contemplated taking a year away from the game. Careful Craig, absence may make the heart grow fonder, but out of sight out of mind might apply better.

My bet is that by the time Spring  Training rolls around next year, Mike Trout will not be the only one that has signed an extension. Mookie Betts, Xavier Bogearts among others.

Harper's Bazaar

Well, they did it. The Philadelphia Phillies signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract, reported with no opt-outs, opt-ins, options, opt-arounds, or any other sort of contract-related shenanigans. The Phillies have been circling this offseason in their diaries for years, the winter that a flood of awesome free agents would hit the market and the team could splash some cash and add a build-around star or two.
The plan largely went as designed. The Phillies went about their rebuilding business in a disciplined and careful fashion, seizing an opportunity or two as they popped up along the way (for example, a depressed market for Jake Arrieta and the availability of Jean Segura in a trade). Not all the free agents who hit free agency this winter did so in as exciting a manner as expected — players like Josh Donaldson and Dallas Keuchel saw their stocks drop, and Clayton Kershaw didn’t even test the market — but Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still tested the waters, with both expecting to end up with contracts near or exceeding $300 million in total value, and $30 million a year.
It was actually conceivable that the Phillies would end up with both Harper and Machado, though this bit of free agent fan fiction didn’t quite come to pass. Machado never seemed as excited about the possibility of going to Philadelphia as fans hoped even though he would have been just as useful in Philadelphia as Harper, given that the great Maikel Franco breakout appears not to be happening. With Machado gone to the Padres — who would’ve thought that two years ago — Harper was the team’s last real chance to spend that “stupid money” they were promising.
And it’s not actually stupid.
Bryce Harper is most likely to play right field for the Phillies, with Andrew McCutchen in left, and Odubel Herrera the long-term incumbent in centerfield. ZiPS was more keen on Nick Williams than Steamer was, but only to the tune of .256/.308/.448, which comes out to a 1.4 WAR, assuming 543 plate appearances. Williams, or whatever combination of Williams and Aaron Altherr or Dylan Cozens you can concoct, was the stopgap until the Phillies found something better and something better they’ve found.
ZiPS doesn’t have the back years of the contract for Harper at the same level of detail as Machado, but less a function of ZiPS thinking Harper will age poorly and than it is the fact that a lot about Harper remains speculative. He’s not a player next to whom you can simply write six or seven WAR a year in permanent marker. Harper likely has greater upside than Machado in that he could very well become an eight-win player a year, something both ZiPS and I agree on. But he’s also more likely than Machado to be a yearly two-win player over the course of his contract. Thirteen years is an extremely long time, after all. The fact remains that Harper still only has one of those crazy MVP seasons everyone thought would be yearly occurrences when he broke into the league to his name.
The Phillies have largely protected themselves from these outcomes by not including an opt-out clause for Harper. Opt-outs are essentially player options by a different name. If the Phillies could know with 100% certainty that Bryce Harper would average four wins a year, they probably wouldn’t mind including opt-outs in the contract. But there’s a lot we don’t know about how good Bryce Harper will be long-term, and an opt-out would leave the Phillies paying for the downside risk while losing Harper early if he displays the upside he’s capable of. At least this way, they’re sure to enjoy that upside.


We project Harper to be worth approximately $289 million over the course of his contract, with almost all that value over the first ten years of the deal. Given that the Phillies are a competitive team, likely matching their best seasons with Harper’s prime, ten years, $330 million would be a perfectly reasonable move for the Phillies to make. And if ten years, $330 million is a reasonable contract, then $330 million with Harper throwing in three additional years as a gratuity certainly would be.
On a team level, ZiPS comes in with Harper as roughly a three-and-a-half to four win upgrade for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. These wins are very likely of the high-leverage variety given the dynamics of the NL East. Right now on the FanGraphs Depth Charts, which don’t (yet) reflect the effects of the Bryce Harper signing, four of the NL East’s five teams project to win between 83-90 games. The Phillies aren’t adding generic wins; they’re adding wins that, especially in 2019, will very likely play a large part in determining the team’s fate. Teams will (and should) pay a lot more for win 85 than win 65 or win 105, and the Phillies are almost certainly cognizant of that.
To get a better look at the 2019 odds, I’m using the ZiPS simulator, with the up-to-date ZiPS projections and default depth charts reflecting those on FanGraphs. (As an aside, since I’m in charge of maintaining the depth charts now, you’ll tend to see more agreement between the FanGraphs standings and the  standings from here on out.) First off, let’s check out the divisional standings as of this morning.