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Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley will not be forced to serve a two-game suspension for purposefully sliding into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada after the league lifted its ban Sunday.  

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times first reported the decision, citing “a person familiar with the decision.” Joel Sherman of the New York Post later provided a synopsis of MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre discussing the ruling:

Utley, 37, received a two-game ban after MLB deemed his takeout slide of Tejada in Game 2 of their NLDS matchup illegal. Umpires on the field did not see anything wrong with the slide at the time. Tejada suffered a broken leg on the play and missed the remainder of the postseason.

In October, Torre examined the play and released a statement that Utley should not be let off the hook:

After thoroughly reviewing the play from all conceivable angles, I have concluded that Mr. Utley’s action warrants discipline. While I sincerely believe that Mr. Utley had no intention of injuring Ruben Tejada, and was attempting to help his Club in a critical situation, I believe his slide was in violation of Official Baseball Rule 5.09 (a) (13), which is designed to protect fielders from precisely this type of rolling block that occurs away from the base.

MLB expedited Utley’s appeal so it could be heard while the Dodgers-Mets series was still ongoing. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, then with CBS Sports, noted MLB and the MLBPA had disagreed on when the appeal should be heard:

While a select few have come out in defense of Utley, saying his slide was merely aggressive, an overwhelming chorus deemed the play dirty and called for the suspension to be upheld. Dave Schoenfield of ESPN.com called the slide “clearly dirty and malicious.” Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post wrote it was “100 percent” a dirty play. Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez tweeted he was “bothered” by the play.

Utley, meanwhile, has maintained he was just playing good, hard baseball. 

“I was trying to put a body on him to try to break up a double play,” Utley said, per Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today. “You’re taught from a young age to try to break up double plays. I think that’s winning baseball. Anybody in that situation … my focus is seeing the ball. I didn’t realize his back was turned. Everything obviously happens fast.”

While the Dodgers will be happy to avoid losing Utley for any amount of time, he’s failed to reach the heights he did earlier in his career. He had a .212/.286/.343 slash line with eight home runs and 39 RBI while splitting time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers during the 2015 regular season, all numbers that were near or at his career worsts for a full season.

Despite his struggles, the Dodgers re-signed him to a one-year, $7 million deal, and Los Angeles will be hoping that he can perform at a higher level as it chases a World Series appearance.

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After making stops with three different teams in 2015, Juan Uribe will hope to stay put in Cleveland. The Indians filled out its infield depth Friday, agreeing to a contract just shy of $5 million with the veteran third baseman, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported the two sides were in agreement.

Uribe, who turns 37 in March, split last season between the Braves, Dodgers and Mets. He finished the campaign in New York, filling in for an injured David Wright following a July trade. In 119 games split between the three teams, Uribe hit .253/.320/.417 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI. The Mets limited him to just one postseason at-bat following Wright’s return.

That benching along with Uribe’s scattershot play in 2015 contributed to his being on the market longer than expected. Per Olney, the Cleveland Indians were most regularly mentioned as a potential suitor, especially given their needs offensively.

“We’re looking at what the alternatives are out there,” general manager Mike Chernoff said in an interview that aired on MLB Network, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. “You can always try to improve your team. There are still guys out there who haven’t signed and could help us. So we’re actively engaged with those players.”

Despite his inconsistent play in 2015, Uribe’s previous two campaigns make him worth the risk. He compiled 8.6 wins above replacement in 2013 and 2014 combined, flashing solid work offensively and defensively. Those two seasons represented the two best of his entire career. Even if they’re an anomaly overall, they should signal that he’s more than capable of filling a rotational role.

The protection afforded Uribe in Los Angeles’ lineup won’t be available in Cleveland, but the Indians are not expecting him to be a superstar. He’ll be worth his contract even if he winds up producing the same WAR (1.9) he did last season. Given the upheaval he went through in playing for three teams, a mild improvement should be the expectation.

That said, Father Time is undefeated. Don’t be surprised if Uribe’s 2015 campaign was a sign of things to come. 

WAR courtesy of FanGraphs.

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The Philadelphia Phillies agreed on Wednesday to send former first-round pick Jesse Biddle to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-hander Yoervis Medina.    

Biddle, 24, underwent Tommy John surgery in October and will not pitch in the 2016 season. The No. 27 overall pick in 2010, Biddle’s ascent up the Phillies organization has been consistently halted by terrible luck. He dealt with whooping cough in 2013 and was diagnosed with a concussion after a hailstorm in 2014 before last year’s elbow problems.

Those issues were enough for the Phillies to place Biddle on waivers Friday, expediting the trade process with Pittsburgh. 

“It hurts, but I’m not stupid,” Biddle told Bob Brookover of the Inquirer. “I was not going to be able to help the team the entire year. I totally understand. I haven’t really performed consistently the last couple years and nobody understands that better or is more frustrated about that than I am.”

Pitching across every minor league level, Biddle is 40-45 since 2010. He was 9-6 with a 4.95 ERA in 2015 while splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. Seven of his wins came in the lower level, and Biddle posted a 6.65 ERA in nine starts in Lehigh Valley. The Pirates nonetheless see potential in the hard-throwing lefty, who struck out more than a batter per inning in 2012 and 2013. 

“This wasn’t a move made to benefit the 2016 club,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said, per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “This is a move made to benefit us three years down the road.”

The Pirates have had plenty of recent success rebuilding talented young arms. Francisco Liriano is perhaps the best recent example, arriving in Pittsburgh at a time when his career was on the brink of a collapse. The 32-year-old is now a staple in the Pirates’ rotation and has avoided major injuries.

“We recognize that as you trade for a player that’s in the early stages of a Tommy John rehabilitation, there’s risk,” Huntington said, per Nesbitt. “We recognize that, but we felt the upside this young man brings to the organization is worth that opportunity.” 

Medina, 27, is a veteran with next to zero ties to the Pirates organization. The club picked him up off waivers in December and shipped him off without him ever throwing a pitch. Medina made just 17 appearances at the MLB level last season, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.71 ERA with the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs. In three MLB seasons, Medina is 10-9 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

The Phillies may wind up using Medina in the back of their bullpen, but he’ll have to prove himself to be more than a replacement-level talent in spring training. This is more of a dump of two players neither organization had much of a vested interest in at the moment.

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New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will miss the entire 2016 season due to shoulder surgery, the team announced Monday.

Continue for updates.

Yanks Announce Bird Injury

Monday, Feb. 1

Bird, 23, was expected to compete for playing time at first base with the Yankees’ core veterans in 2016. The former fifth-round pick hit .261/.343/.529 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI last season after taking over for an injured Mark Teixeira in August. Playing solid enough defense, Bird produced 0.9 wins above replacement in 46 games, via FanGraphs—equivalent to what Teixeira put up in 2013 and 2014 combined.

Unfortunately, Bird remains stuck behind high-cost veterans organizationally. General manager Brian Cashman said in November that Bird was likely to begin the 2016 season in Triple-A Scranton if Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran were healthy.

“He’s blocked by some pretty significant players right now,” Cashman said, per Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com. “He’s not the only one in the game in this situation, you know.”

While Cashman is correct in that three famous players are ahead of Bird, it’s unclear if any of them are actually better at this point. Teixeira was solid in 2015 but largely miserable over his two previous seasons. Beltran was also fine last season, but few projection systems have him as much more than replacement level. Rodriguez is, well, Rodriguez—an enigmatic figure if there ever has been one.

Bird may have been able to outplay them in spring training to the point it was impossible to keep him off the major league roster. Instead, a major injury will force continued inertia on New York’s side. 

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The Tampa Bay Rays plugged a major hole in their outfield Thursday, acquiring Corey Dickerson and third baseman Kevin Padlo from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitchers Jake McGee and German Marquez, the Rockies announced.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the news.

Rosenthal spoke about the financial impact the move will have on the Rays:

“A hitter like him … often times is hard to come by. Too much to pass up in this case,” said Rays team president Matthew Silverman to reporters. 

Dickerson, 26, hit .304/.333/.536 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 65 games played last season. He suffered rib and foot injuries that cost him most of the year.

McGee, 29, went 1-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He had six saves and 19 holds, emerging as a reliable late-inning option leading up to closer Brad Boxberger.

On nearly every level, this is a curious move from Colorado’s perspective. Dickerson is a promising young talent who has come into his own when healthy over the last two seasons.

FanGraphs‘ formula graded him at 2.6 wins above replacement in 2014, and he likely would have come close to matching that in 2015 had he stayed on the field. The Rockies also retained team control on Dickerson until at least 2020, so their reasoning for moving him now is a little dubious.

From an internal perspective, the justification will be that Colorado had a logjam in the outfield. The issue was it was a self-created one. The Rockies signed 28-year-old Gerardo Parra to a three-year contract earlier this month. Parra has put up a combined 0.5 FanGraphs WAR over the last two seasons—the same number Dickerson contributed in 65 games last year.

While Parra was brilliant in his final full season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, the logistics here don’t really add up. The Rockies will be paying more for Parra over the balance of his deal than they would Dickerson, who many would argue is the better player. At the very least, they’re a rebuilding team that added three years in age without upgrading from a skill perspective.

Doing so based on a package based around McGee is the ultimate sell-low. McGee is a fine middle reliever, but that’s what he is. He’s almost exclusively a fastball pitcher and will make $4.8 million next season before again hitting arbitration. The Rockies aren’t anywhere near competing in the NL West either, so bolstering their mid-innings relief is unlikely to make much of a dent next season.

Good luck sorting this one out from Colorado’s perspective. As for the Rays, this is a poaching of a promising young talent at a position of need for minimal cost.

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The New York Mets continued fortifying their bullpen Wednesday, agreeing to a two-year, $12 million deal with veteran reliever Antonio Bastardo.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the news. Bastardo, 30, spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, earning one save and nine holds. It was his first and only campaign in a Pirates uniform, having spent the previous six years with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Fresh off a World Series appearance, the Mets have nonetheless kept spending to a minimum this offseason. They added Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera, but neither player comes with an exorbitantly high cost or a long-term commitment. Walker can be a free agent after this season, and Cabrera’s deal was only for two years.   

The Bastardo signing continues an organizational trend of short-term commitments. While many Mets fans have become disenchanted with a perceived lack of effort from the front office, keeping things short-term with Bastardo is smart.

He’s never produced more than one win in a single season, per FanGraphs, and has a strange trend of performing in every other season. Starting in 2010, Bastardo has never produced an ERA lower than 3.94 in even-numbered years and has posted ERAs of 2.98 or lower in odd-numbered years.

Statheads would correctly point out that’s a result of fluky variance, but it nonetheless illustrates Bastardo’s inconsistency. He’s not someone worth tethering your franchise to; in most years he’s a slightly above replacement-level reliever.

Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal nonetheless pointed out Bastardo’s strengths:

The Mets will probably slot him in the seventh inning, with setup man Addison Reed paving the way for closer Jeurys Familia.

Paying $6 million a season for someone who won’t even pitch in many high-pressure situations seems a little odd on the surface, but this is the new normal in MLB. Teams are recognizing the importance of middle relief more than ever amid the Kansas City Royals‘ ascent, and the going rate for even middle-tier players has never been higher.

Suffice it to say: It’s a good time to be a baseball player. 

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Chris Davis steered hard into the regression curve in 2014. His return to slugging prominence wasn’t enough to get the Baltimore Orioles in contention, but the team still decided to keep him in the fold. The slugger agreed on a seven-year, $161 million contract Saturday that will put him among the highest-paid players at his position. 

Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the high-profile re-signing, and Roch Kubatko of MASN confirmed an agreement was in place. Heyman also passed along the contract figures, while Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports said Davis received a partial no-trade clause. Rosenthal also added Davis’ salary would be deferred. Buster Olney of ESPN provided the breakdown:

Rosenthal noted Davis will be 51 when he receives his final payment from the contract.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out Davis’ $161 million price tag was more than twice the previous highest contract in Orioles history, which went to Miguel Tejada for $72 million back in 2004.

Davis, 29, hit .262/.361/.562 last year with an MLB-high 47 home runs and 117 RBI. It was a huge comeback after a lost 2014 campaign marred by a performance-enhancing drug suspension and injuries. 

“He’s had a great year, and he’s been a great player for us, so obviously, we’d like to have him back,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told the Baltimore Sun in October. “Whether we can do that in the market, that remains to be seen, but we’re going to try.”

Of course, Davis had all the incentive in the world to find the best possible contract. The Orioles had shopped him in back channels as they floated out of contention, and power hitters are as few and far between as at any point in recent MLB history—and Davis is among the biggest bats in the game.

What’s more, we understand better than ever that striking out isn’t necessarily the killer it used to seem. An out is an out in most cases; a strikeout is only slightly worse than your garden-variety flyout. That Davis swings and misses a ton isn’t a good thing, but he’s still a usable player who has gotten better at being patient.

Baltimore has some reason for optimism. Davis’ batting average on balls in play last season was .319, a vast improvement from 2014 and right in line with his career mark. A strong second half helped push Davis’ batting average back toward respectability, and he set a career high for walks with 84.

Davis might never hit .286 again, but he is an asset because of the dearth in power around baseball. It won’t be the safest play in free agency, but the Orioles could do a lot worse, and the signing ensures they won’t have to fill a major power void.

Advanced stats via Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Monte Irvin, a Hall of Fame outfielder who helped break down baseball’s racial barrier, died of natural causes Monday night in Houston. He was 96.  

Jeff Idelson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, released a statement to Richard Justice and Chris Haft of MLB.com:  

Monte Irvin’s affable demeanor, strong constitution and coolness under pressure helped guide baseball through desegregation and set a standard for American culture. His abilities on the field as the consummate teammate are undeniable, as evidenced by World Series titles he contributed to in both the Negro and Major leagues, and a richly deserved plaque in Cooperstown. He was on the original committee that elected Negro League stars to the Hall of Fame, something for which the Museum will always be grateful.

Irvin was the fourth African-American to play in Major League Baseball, joining the New York Giants in 1949. He played the next seven seasons in New York, making one All-Star team (1952) and helping lead the Giants to a 1954 World Series championship. In 1951, Irvin also helped push New York to a National League championship by leading MLB with 121 RBI as the team came back in the second half to overtake the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Irvin’s career would end following a one-year stint with the Chicago Cubs in 1956. He hit .293 with 99 home runs and 443 runs batted in overall. While those numbers wouldn’t allow him to sniff the Hall today, he was one of many African-American players who were robbed of opportunities to play their full prime on the biggest stage.

Irvin spent his entire 20s with the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues, making five All-Star teams and emerging as one of the best outfielders of his time. Even Irvin’s time in the Negro Leagues was cut somewhat short by his service to the United States military during World War II.

By the time he reached the Giants, he had already played nine full seasons of baseball and fought three years in a war. That military service ultimately cost Irvin a chance to predate Jackie Robinson in breaking baseball’s color barrier. Branch Rickey of the Dodgers had approached Irvin about signing with the club in 1946, a year before Robinson made his official debut. (Robinson signed with the Dodgers in 1945 but spent the 1946 season in the minor leagues.)

“I don’t have any regrets,” Irvin said in 2010, per Justice and Haft. “I couldn’t aspire to becoming a major leaguer because the door was closed. Jackie Robinson is the real hero and the real pioneer. I was just so happy he was successful, and it made it much easier for all of us who came after him.”

Irvin was nevertheless a pioneer and a mentor in his own right, taking a number of black athletes who came after him under his wing. He played an integral role in the development of Willie Mays, who began his career with the Giants in 1951. Mays and Irvin shared an outfield together for four seasons in New York, and Mays was on hand when the club retired his mentor’s number in 2010.

Irvin was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. He spent most of his post-baseball career working for MLB behind the scenes, first in public relations under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and then in a more overarching consultant role after his retirement.

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Gerardo Parra is headed to Colorado. The free-agent outfielder and the Rockies agreed to a three-year deal Tuesday that will pay at least $27.5 million.  

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and Spanish reporter Wilmer Reina provided the news. The deal will have a fourth-year option at $12 million.

Parra, 28, hit .291/.328/.452 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI last season, adding 14 steals on 18 attempts. He split the season between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles, coming over to the American League for the first time via a midseason trade.

Brilliant throughout the first half in Milwaukee, Parra struggled mightily during his 55-game stint with the Orioles. He hit .237/.268/.357, played miserable defense and failed to help the Orioles make a postseason push. FanGraphs credited him with just 0.4 wins above replacement in 2015, a number that would categorize this contract as a massive overpay.

Parra hasn’t been the same since his brilliant 2013 campaign, when he produced a career-high 4.5 WAR and seemed to find a comfort level defensively. Split seasons each of the last two years have hurt his performance, as he’s seen a drop-off in play after each deadline deal.

The Rockies were one of three finalists in the Parra chase, according to agent Jose Mijares, who spoke with Saunders on Monday. The other two teams were not named, but Mijares’ openness in discussing Colorado made it look like the favorite.

It’s unclear at this time what the trade means for Colorado’s incumbent outfielders, but Saunders noted there has been speculation about the Rockies making a trade in the search for starting pitching.

“I don’t know anything about a trade by the Rockies, I’m just trying to find the best fit for Gerardo,” Mijares said. “We will see what is the best offer and the best situation.”

Parra’s arrival should make those trade possibilities easier. His offensive emergence in Milwaukee last season should bode well for his transition to hitter-friendly Coors Field, and Parra’s massive defensive descent feels more like an outlier than anything.

While he’s been graded negatively each of the last two seasons, his level of drop-off between 2014 and 2015 was so big that a positive regression should be in order.

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Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday the team has engaged in contract extension negotiations with third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Continue for updates.

Beltre, Rangers Engaged in Talks Pre-Spring Training

Monday, Jan. 11

Greg Tepper of Fox Sports Southwest reported on Daniels’ comments, which were made in an interview on MLB Network. Beltre, 36, is headed into the final season of his six-year, $96 million contract. He’s slated to make $18 million as part of a club option Texas picked up last February.

While still among the best players at his position, Beltre may be in his weakest negotiating spot of the entire contract. He hit .287/.334/.453 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI last season, his worst across-the-board numbers since arriving in 2011. His 4.6 wins above replacement was more than a win drop from 2014 and was saved only by a better-than-expected defensive season, per FanGraphs.

The Rangers can also point out that Beltre will be nearing his 40th birthday on whatever contract he signs next. There is little reason to give him a raise from his current salary, and it may even be in Texas’ best interest to push for a de-escalating contract.

That said, Beltre still ranked sixth at his position in WAR last season and remains a bastion of consistency. His defensive ability is remarkable for a player in his mid-30s, and the wear-and-tear on his body at third isn’t so bad that we should expect a massive atrophy. A slight regression should be expected on the defensive side—his production was his highest since 2009 in that area—but that could be negated by an uptick at the plate.

Projecting him as a four-win player over the course of the contract would put his average annual salary well past the $20 million range. Texas may be getting a bargain if it can keep Beltre at his current rate, and it would be smart to use his age against him in negotiations.

Then again, Beltre has bet big on himself in the past and reaped the rewards. His risky one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2010 paid big dividends when he landed the big Rangers contract he’s soon finishing. If Beltre thinks he can get more money on the open market by waiting things out, he will.

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