San Diego trades for Yu

 

The San Diego Padres' whirlwind offseason continued Monday night as they reportedly acquired right-hander Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs as part of a seven-player deal.

The trade, which was first reported by MLB.com, comes one day after San Diego reportedly landed left-hander Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Padres' starting rotation now is set to include Snell, Darvish, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack and MacKenzie Gore, with injured veteran Mike Clevinger is set to return from Tommy John surgery in 2022.

 

The Padres also acquired catcher Victor Caratini from the Cubs, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported. In exchange, the Cubs acquired right-hander Zach Davies and four minor-league prospects: shortstop Reginald Preciado, outfielder Owen Caissie, outfielder Ismael Mena and shortstop Yeison Santana.

Earlier in the day, San Diego signed free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim, 25, to a multi-year deal worth around $7 million a season, according to MLB Network. Kim starred in Korea, where he has hit .307, slugged 49 home runs and swiped 56 bases since 2019. He start at second base for the Padres.

The main prize of Monday night's deal is Darvish, 34, a four-time All-Star who finished second in the voting for National League Cy Young Award in 2020. He finished last season with an 8-3 record and a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts, and he struck out 93 batters in 76 innings.

 

In eight big-league seasons, Darvish is 71-56 with a 3.47 ERA in 182 starts. He spent the past three years in Chicago after starting his career with the Texas Rangers and spending part of one season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He's just at a point where he's really comfortable in who he is," Cubs manager David Ross said last season. "There's so much to be said for that."

Caratini, 27, gives the Padres depth behind the plate. He hit .241 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 44 games in 2019, following up on an impressive 2019 campaign in which he hit .266 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs in 95 games.

 

The Cubs have not announced a rebuild, but they have taken steps to break up the core of a team that captured the 2016 World Series title. Joe Maddon left as manager, Theo Epstein left as president and the team recently announced that it would not tender a contract to slugger Kyle Schwarber. Other players who could be moved include Kris Bryant and Javier Baez.

Davies, 27, figures to replace Darvish's rotation spot, and he could give the Cubs a trade chip at the 2021 deadline. He went 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 12 starts last season, which was his first in San Diego after five seasons in Milwaukee.

Preciado, Caissie, Mena and Santana provide depth to a Cubs farm system that had been depleted in recent years. The first three players are still teenagers, while Santana is the oldest of the group at age 20.

Go home, Snell you Later

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s nothing going on in the Oakland A’s world this winter, but something big happened in MLB over the weekend that will affect the entire American League in 2021.

The Tampa Bay Rays traded ace pitcher Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres for four young players led by top pitching prospect Luis Patiño.  The deal is still pending medical reviews before it becomes official.

The Rays are the reigning AL champions, and Snell was a big reason why. The 2018 Cy Young winner put together another nice campaign in the short 2020, and then was even better over six postseason starts. However, the lefty’s final memory in a Tampa Bay uniform is of him being pulled far too early in Game 6 of the World Series — he was dominating into the 6th inning and had thrown just 73 pitches, but got a quick hook and watched his bullpen immediately blow the lead and let the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch the championship.

• Snell, 2020 stats: 3.24 ERA, 50 ip, 63 Ks, 18 BB, 10 HR, 4.35 FIP
• Snell, 2020 post: 3.03 ERA, 29⅔ ip, 37 Ks, 14 BB, 5 HR, team went 3-3

The Rays also lost star righty Charlie Morton from their rotation this winter, after declining his $15 million option; he signed with the Atlanta Braves for the same amount. Snell is due to make $11 million next season and is under contract through the end of 2023.

Without these two heavyweights atop their pitching staff, the Rays will look much different in 2021. They still have a lot of talent in their rotation and pen, and they’re always a threat to identify new stars every summer, but they have two huge sets of shoes to fill immediately if they want to stay among the top AL contenders next season.

To that end, the highlight of their return package could be ready to contribute right away. Patiño is a Top 20 national prospect who made his MLB debut this year at age 20, and his arsenal features three plus-grade pitches including a fastball that averaged 97 mph in his stint in the majors. It would be a tall order to ask him to out-perform Snell right away, but at least the Rays replaced their ace with another premium, MLB-readyish arm.

Tampa Bay got three other players. Catcher Francisco Mejia is a former Top 20 prospect who hasn’t yet panned out in the bigs (in 128 games over four seasons), but he’ll only be 25 next season and still has time. Fellow catcher Blake Hunt hasn’t yet played above Single-A, and righty pitcher Cole Wilcox was a 3rd-round draft pick in 2020.

Baseball people likes the deal for the Rays, Patiño alone would have been nearly enough to match the surplus value of Snell’s three remaining years of control (for which he’ll be paid $41 million), and the whole package comes out around 19% higher than what Tampa Bay gave up.

On the field in 2021, though, this move almost certainly makes the Rays worse. No single subtraction ever fully eliminates a baseball team, but losing a superstar in his prime represents a downgrade even if Patiño has a nice rookie season to partially offset it. That’s relevant to the Oakland A’s, because it weakens one of their primary AL rivals as they try again to chart a path to and through October.

Quoting a Rays fan,

“Overall, this is a devastating loss for a team coming off a World Series appearance, and a possible death knell for a team that also was too poor to keep Charlie Morton despite having his contract option in hand. ... Without drastic, unexpected improvements this is not a World Series rotation, and a sad day to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays.”

Meanwhile, how bout them Padres. Their lineup was already ridiculous, and one of their other starters (Dinelson Lamet) finished fourth for NL Cy Young. They made the NLDS this year and clearly have their sights set even higher in 2021.

 Fans always say that, until their team starts winning at an alarming rate, then they hop back on the saddle, and ride their horse again.

Baseball Tidbits

 

 

After being traded from the Padres to the Rays in a multiplayer offseason deal, Hunter Renfroe  didn’t get much of a chance to hit against the AL East in 2020 for a variety of reasons.

He’ll get another chance to do so in 2021

Renfroe signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Monday. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe notes that he’s going to get a $3.1 million salary, and there are $600,000 in possible incentives. This is right around what the former first-round pick was projected to earn in Tampa Bay before the Rays decided to non-tender him right before the deadline.

On paper, this is a low-risk, (potentially and relatively) high-reward signing for the Red Sox. Yes, Renfroe was awful in 2020; awful is an understatement after he hit just .156/.253/.393 with a 37/14 K/BB ratio. As bad as those numbers are, it’s important to keep in mind that they came in just 139 plate appearances. The season before with the Padres, the 28-year-old hit 33 homers in 140 games, and he hit 26 roundtrippers in both the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. 

Power has never been an issue for the former Mississippi State star and the 13th pick of the 2013 draft. Hitting for average and getting on-base is another story. Renfroe owns a career .228 average in five seasons, and his .290 on-base percentage shows how little patience he’s shown at the plate going forward. He’s also a solid defender in the outfield, however, and while that won’t help a fantasy roster, it does help him stay in the lineup.

It would probably be a mistake to use a high draft pick on Renfroe because he’s essentially a one-category player, but he’s someone worth keeping an eye on, and when he’s in the lineup against left-handed pitching, he’ll be an intriguing DFS option in 2021. 

 

 

Holland comes back to Royals one one-year deal

The big-name relievers -- yes, there are such things as big-name relievers -- like Liam Hendriks and Kirby Yates remain on the market, but a few options have put pen to paper, and Greg Holland  joined them on Monday by re-signing with the Royals. 

Holland, 34, signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract to stay in Kansas City, with Alec Lewis of The Athletic adding that he can make $1.5 million in performance bonuses. After several years of struggling with injuries and not pitching well when he was able to pitch, Holland reminded of how good he was not all that long ago. He was able to save six games in the truncated campaign, and he registered a 1.91 ERA and 31/7 K/BB ratio over 28 1/3 innings. 

It’s a small sample, but Holland looked the part in 2020, and he should remain the stopper to begin the year for the Royals in 2021.

 

 

LeMahieu, Yankees long ways apart on potential new deal

In terms of just pure offensive ability, there might not be a better bat on the market than DJ LeMahieu . After being underpaid -- relatively, before anyone screams -- for two years with the Yankees while putting up elite numbers, LeMahieu is looking to take advantage, and while a reunion with New York is the most likely landing spot, it might not be happening anytime soon.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Yankees and LeMahieu are more than $25 million apart currently. The specifics of what both parties want are unknown, but this is obviously not an insignificant number. The 32-year-old led baseball in average last year with a .364 clip -- the second time he finished in the top spot in his career -- and in his two seasons in the Bronx, the former Colorado infielder slashed .336/.386/.536 with 36 homers, 129 RBI and eight steals over 195 games.

While LeMahieu re-signing with the Yankees has been the most likely outcome, it’s not due to a shortage of suitors. The Blue Jays and Mets have both been mentioned as potential landing spot, with the former being slightly more likely than the latter based on 

Base Hits: Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports Adam Conley has signed a contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan … Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times hears the Rays have talked about a reunion with free agent right-hander Chris Archer … Alex Speier of the Boston Globe hears the Red Sox are interested in free agent left-hander Rich Hill and free agent right-hander Jake Odorizzi Both were with the Twins in 2020 … Royals re-signed OF Bubba Starling to a minor league contract … Buster Olney of ESPN reports that Corey Kluber  (shoulder) is expected to throw bullpen sessions for interested teams later this month … Ken Rosenthal reports that Kurt Suzuki "is a free agent of interest" to the Angels. The Angels were reportedly the runner-up for James McCann … Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that Robert Suarez has re-signed with Japan's Hanshin Tigers on a one-year contract with a player option for 2022 … Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that the Phillies "drew numerous trade inquiries" on Vince Velasquez prior to their decision to tender him a contract … Red Sox president Chaim Bloom said Monday that Alex Verdugo  would likely be the starting center fielder if the season started today.

 More tomorrow, unless I get snowed in.☃

Cleveland Indians to change their name

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I never equated this logo with racism, but I was naive.

Cleveland will change its team name from "Indians" to another mascot as early as 2022, according to the New York Times, The franchise is expected to announce the change this week.

 A new nickname and logo has not been selected. Cleveland will reportedly keep its current mascot and the uniforms in 2021 before making a change ahead of the 2022 season. 

Cleveland announced in July it would consider changing the team's mascot. Its announcement came hours after the Washington Football Team announced it would undergo a thorough review of the team's name.

We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advocate social justice and equality," Cleveland's statement read in July. "Our organization fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community.”

Cleveland was one of the American League's first franchises after being founded in 1901. The team has used the "Indians" moniker since 1915. In 2019, Cleveland  announced it would discontinue the use of the Chief Wahoo logo on its uniform.

"Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Over the past year, we encouraged dialogue with the Indians organization about the club’s use of the Chief Wahoo logo. During our constructive conversations, [owner] Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team."

Cleveland has been one of the American League's best teams in recent seasons. 2020 marked the franchise's fourth playoff appearance in the last five years, though Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948.

 

Say no more.

Richard Anthony Allen should be in the Hall of Fame

They booed him mercilessly in Philadelphia, they booed him in Chicago, but in the end, the fans respected his talent.
 

 In the long history of Major League Baseball, there’s not another player who was like Dick Allen, who passed away on Monday at the age of 78. 

The slugger -- who played for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox, and A’s -- had a swing like no one else. His bat was like nobody's either. He carried a 40-and-change-ounce bat, one of the heaviest to ever be used (Babe Ruth swung a 42-ouncer early in his career). 

When Allen swung that massive lumber, he'd smash legendary home runs -- ones that might still be orbiting the planet as we speak.His most famous came on May 29, 1965, when he launched a home run an estimated 525 feet, over the Coke sign at Connie Mack Stadium:

Pirates slugger Willie Stargell -- who knows a few things about prodigious blasts --said, “Now I know why they boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir.”

He was once caught mid-meal when White Sox manager Chuck Tanner needed a pinch-hitter on July 4, 1972.

 

 

"I was eating a chili dog when I heard Chuck wanted me to hit,"Allen said. "I had chili all over my shirt so I put on a new one and a pair of pants with no underclothes."

What did he do after that?

"Sparky Lyle threw me a slider and it wound up in the seats."

The stories are endless and Allen's numbers were solid -- he hit .292/.378/.534 and he bashed 351 home runs. He was one of the most feared sluggers to ever step to the plate.

But Allen was so much more than the stats on the back of a baseball card. He was also one of the coolest to ever play the game.

His look is iconic -- the large glasses, the mustache and sideburns, the nonchalance -- all combined to make him a symbol of ‘70s cool.

Well, there goes the Hall of Fame

 

In an announcement with significant implications on both Robinson Canó’s career and the Mets’ near-term future, Major League Baseball revealed Wednesday that Canó has received a 162-game suspension without pay for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance. Canó will miss the entire 2021 season.

“We were extremely disappointed to be informed about Robinson’s suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said in a statement. “The violation is very unfortunate for him, the organization, our fans and the sport. The Mets fully support MLB’s efforts toward eliminating performance enhancing substances from the game.”

Canó previously served an 80-game suspension in 2018 after violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for the first time. Playing for the Mariners at that time, Canó tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic better known as Lasix, which is often used to help mask banned substances in urine tests.

“I understand that everything that goes into my body,” Canó said in a prepared statement following that suspension announcement. “I’m responsible for that.”

 

 

According to a source, Canó did not plan to release a statement following his latest positive test.

Brodie Van Wagenen had been the Mets' general manager for about five weeks when he acquired Canó, his former client, in a December 2018 trade that also brought Edwin Díaz to New York for top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, among others. Canó struggled throughout '19, but he rebounded in '20 to hit .318/.352/.544 over 49 games as a 37-year-old. Canó credited his success to an offseason workout program that allowed him to keep his legs in peak shape.

“If I had any concern about what Robby’s physical state or performance ability going forward is, I would not have made the deal,” Van Wagenen said shortly after the trade. “This guy has huge ambition to be able to be great in the coming years. All of us have great confidence that a bat as consistently good as Robinson Canó has been over the years, he’s not going to lose that skill set. And if he continues to work as hard on his body and his defensive mobility, there’s no reason he can’t be a productive defensive player for us as we go forward, too.”

Canó will forfeit the entirety of his $24 million salary in 2021, but he is still due $48 million from '22-23. The Mets are responsible for approximately $40 million of that total, with Seattle picking up the rest.

A career .303 hitter with 2,624 hits and 334 home runs over 16 seasons with the Yankees, Mariners and Mets, Canó would be a borderline Hall of Famer by numbers alone. But voters have historically taken a strict line with players even suspected of PED use, let alone those with documented positive tests.

While Canó’s latest suspension will have a seismic impact on the Mets’ roster and payroll, the team is well-covered at second base in his absence. The simplest option would be to slide Jeff McNeil from left field back to his natural position at second base. That would allow the Mets to shift Brandon Nimmo to left field and sign a free agent -- George Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr. being the most prominent options -- to man center. It would also theoretically improve the Mets’ defense at multiple positions.

 

 

The Mets could also use Andrés Giménez full-time at second base, keeping their current outfield alignment of McNeil, Nimmo and Michael Conforto intact. They could acquire a free agent such as DJ LeMahieu to fill their hole at second base. Or they could move McNeil to second and sign a corner outfielder such as Marcell Ozuna to fill that hole. Without Canó’s money on the books, the Mets can spend up to $20 million more this winter without worrying about the luxury tax threshold.

Those decisions will occur in time, likely after the Mets hire a president of baseball operations to serve under Alderson.

No matter what the Mets choose, Canó’s long-term future is unclear. He remains under contract through 2023 at significant money. It is unknown if the Mets will welcome Canó back following multiple violations of MLB’s drug policy, or if they will move on despite their long-term financial commitment to him.

Welcome to the new management, time to clean up this mess.

 

The biggest move off the 2020 deadline was the Padres' acquisition of Mike Clevinger from Cleveland in a massive nine-player deal at the deadline. Unfortunately for San Diego, Clevinger was limited to just four regular season appearances and was only able to make one postseason start against the Dodgers because of an elbow injury.

We won’t see Clevinger at all in 2021. Unless you see him swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Then tell me.

On the same day that he signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract, it was also announced that Clevinger will miss the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. This will be the second time that the right-hander the operation, as he had the same procedure while a member of the Angels’ organization. 

The fantasy implications here are relatively obvious -- at least in terms of Clevinger’s value for 2021 in redraft leagues: there isn’t any. What’s (potentially) less obvious is the other ramifications. The Padres have some very intriguing young depth in their rotation, and barring a trade, Dinelson Lamet, Zach Davies and Chris Paddack are locks to open the year in that role. That leaves two potential open spots, however, with Clevinger out for the year and Garrett Richards a free agent. That leaves opportunities for young hurlers like Adrian Morejon, but also top prospects like MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino. Gore is arguably the top pitching prospect in the game, and Patino isn’t all that far behind. It’s certainly possible the Padres will be in the market for another starter on the trade or free agent market -- they might have been even without the Clevinger news -- but it’s much easier to see Gore making a larger impact in 2021 now.

The other question, of course, is what this means for Clevinger in the long-term. The right-hander will turn 30 in December, so the next time we’ll see him throw a competitive pitch will be as a 31-year-old, most likely. When healthy, he has some of the best stuff in the game; and the evidence comes in his 3.19 career ERA with a K/9 of 10.0 in 542 1/3 innings. The issue is durability, and this won’t do it any favors. Clevinger has thrown over 126 innings once, and that’s a troubling figure for a pitcher who is on the wrong side of 30 and coming off his second major procedure. The upside is palpable, but there’s just as much risk as there is reward going forward.

 

Smyly signs one-year, $11 million deal with Braves 

The Braves were among the first to strike in free agency in 2019, and they’ve made an early move for the 2021 campaign as well. 

On Monday, the Braves announced that they had agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with left-hander Drew Smyly. Smyly spent the 2020 season with the Giants, and he registered a 3.42 ERA in seven games -- five starts -- over 26 1/3 innings. A solid number, but the metrics suggest the 31-year-old was even better than that. He struck out a whopping 42 hitters in that frame against nine walks, and he finished the year with a Fielding Independent Pitching number of 2.01. 

The question with Smyly is the same as Clevinger; can he stay healthy? We haven’t seen him throw more than 150 innings since 2016, and he missed all of 2017-2018 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. That being said, there are things to like here. He’s going to pitch behind one of the best lineups in baseball -- with or without Marcell Ozuna returning -- and his stuff seemed to reach another level this year; posting vastly improved spin rates on his fastball and curve. 

The Braves might be creative in how they use Smyly in 2021 to ensure health down the stretch, but his ability to miss bats will give him some fantasy appeal this summer.

Marlins hire Ng as first female GM in MLB history

Miami filled their general manager position on Friday, and they did it by making history. Miami hired Kim Ng in the role, and she became the first woman GM not only in MLB history, but the first of a North American professional men’s sports team. Before taking this job, Ng has worked for the White Sox, Yankees and Dodgers -- she was a finalist for the Los Angeles job back in 2005 -- and she was MLB's senior vice president of baseball operations for the past nine years. In addition to interviewing for the position with Los Angeles, the 51-year-old was a finalist for several other openings, but she will get her first opportunity to run a club starting in 2021. It’s about time. 

Brewers ‘intend to listen’ on Hader offers

On Monday, Robert Murray of Fansided reported that the Brewers intend to listen to offers on left-handed reliever Josh Hader. Hader, 26, has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past few seasons, and that is probably an understatement. While he posted a career-high 3.79 ERA last season, half of the runs he allowed came in one outing, and he’s still missing bats with the best of them with a career K/9 of 15.3. Hader also is becoming more expensive, however, and he’ll be paid a raise on the $4.4 million he made in 2020 in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The Brewers will likely need a substantial return in terms of prospects, but it wouldn’t be a shock if Hader was in another uniform this spring. Wherever he goes, the fantasy appeal is obvious, and Williams would see his stock jump up a not insignificant amount as the presumed closer for the Brew Crew in 2021.

 

Quick Bats: Luke Voit said he doesn't expect his plantar fasciitis to be an issue in 2021 … Peter Gammons of MLB.com has been told by Astros sources that Jackie Bradley "is a priority" for them this offseason … Giants outfield prospect Alexander Canario recently underwent surgery to repair a torn left labrum. 

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that Tommy Kahnle is considering "multiple" two-year offers. 

Kahne will miss the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early August. Mark Buehrle is among the additions to the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for 2021. He's one of 11 new names on the ballot, which also includes (in alphabetical order) A.J. Burnett, Michael Cuddyer, Dan Haren, LaTroy Hawkins, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Aramis Ramírez, Nick Swisher, Shane Victorino and Barry Zito.

 According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Mets are among the teams showing interest in free agent slugger Marcel Ozuna as well there should be, guys a game changer.  Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times believes that Kevin Kermeier is a candidate to be traded this offseason. Topkin cites the financial impact of the pandemic-delayed 2020 season as well as the uncertainty heading into 2021 as to why the Rays may be looking to shed payroll his winter ... Buster Olney of ESPN reports that four teams are showing early interest in free agent right-hander Jake Odorizzi Those four clubs: The Blue Jays, the Giants, the Mets and the Twins … Orioles acquired RHP Miguel Padilla from the Astros to complete the Hector Velazquez trade ... Rays right-handed pitching prospect Nick Bitsko "is likely to soon have surgery to relieve shoulder discomfort," according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times .

 Athletics signed RHP Zac Reininger to a minor league contract . According to Robert Murray of FanSided, free agent right-hander Chase Anderson is drawing interest from "several teams." Why, I don't know, cause the guy can't throw stikes.