Tag: Social Reaction

Gregory Polanco, Pirates Agree on New Contract: Latest Details, Reaction

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco will be with the team for years to come.

First reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports on April 3, the two sides have “agreed on a five-year contract extension with two club options that locks in the prime years of the young outfielder.” Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted that Polanco’s deal with the Pirates is for $35 million and the total value could exceed $60 million if both options are exercised.

The Pirates confirmed the deal on Tuesday, noting there will be a 2:30 p.m. ET press conference.

According to Passan, Polanco rejected a seven-year, $25 million offer from Pittsburgh with three club options prior to his major league debut in June 2014. The new contract, which starts in the 2017 season, is “similar to the six-year, $31 million deal [Sterling] Marte signed coming off a strong 2013,” Passan noted.

Passan compared this decision from the Pirates to those they made with contracts for Marte and Andrew McCutchen, writing, “They’re placing a strong financial bet that Polanco can produce similarly well.”

If the second half of Polanco’s 2015 campaign is any indication, this is a worthwhile wager for the Pirates. Polanco struggled before the All-Star Game but was a major reason the Bucs reached the postseason with a 98-64 record in the daunting National League Central.

Here is a look at his first- and second-half splits in 2015, via ESPN.com:

Derek Wetmore of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities shared insight into Pittsburgh’s mindset with this deal:

Passan did caution that it remains a question whether Polanco can translate his large frame (6’5” and 230 pounds) into additional power at the plate, considering he only hit nine home runs in 153 games last year and seven homers in 89 games in 2014. While that power surge may eventually come, Polanco’s speed makes him a dangerous threat on the basepaths and in the outfield.

According to FanGraphs, Polanco was responsible for 12 defensive runs saved above average in the outfield last season. It is a testament to his overall skill set that he doesn’t need to rely solely on hitting long balls to make a significant impact for the Pirates.

Polanco is only 24 years old and is a productive contributor alongside McCutchen in the outfield. The Pirates have their work cut out for them competing with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central, but this extension ensures they’ll have an important piece to assist them in that battle for the foreseeable future.

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Miguel Gonzalez to White Sox: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Free-agent pitcher Miguel Gonzalez reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and the Chicago Sun-TimesDaryl Van Schouwen.

Gonzalez started 26 games for the Baltimore Orioles last year, going 9-12 with a 4.91 ERA. The team released the 31-year-old right-hander last Wednesday, saving nearly $3.9 million in the process. The Baltimore Sun‘s Eduardo A. Encina reported Baltimore offered him a “competitive” deal similar to the White Sox’s offer, while the New York Yankees expressed interest in his services as well.

Historically, Gonzalez has outpitched his normalized metrics with a 4.70 FIP and a 4.45 xFIP over his career compared to a 3.82 ERA, per FanGraphs; his luck ran out in 2015. According to FanGraphs, his 0.5 WAR was second-lowest among Orioles pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.

Although his 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings were a career high, so, too, were his 3.2 walks per nine innings. FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan questioned whether health might be a concern for Gonazlez going forward:

To me, this is about the third approach. For some quick background, Gonzalez has never been a power pitcher. In 2012, as a rookie, his fastball averaged 91. He stayed there, in 2013, in 2014, and in 2015. There wasn’t any sign of degradation, but: toward the end of last season, Gonzalez went on the DL with elbow and shoulder tendinitis. He returned to make one start on September 30, and the fastball averaged 89.

According to Brooks Baseball, Gonzalez’s velocity fell across the board from August to September last year. Most concerning was the fact his fastball and sinker each lost over two miles per hour. Both pitches hovered a little above 92 mph for most of the season. Over the final month of the regular season, his fastball clocked in at 90.23 mph, and his sinker averaged 90.14 mph.

In 19.1 spring training innings, Gonzalez posted a 9.78 ERA and gave up five home runs, which doesn’t inspire much confidence with regard to his 2016 outlook.

While there are questions over his long-term value, the White Sox were smart to take a flier on Gonzalez with the regular season right around the corner. The cost is relatively low, so Chicago won’t have a hard time offloading him if his issues on the mound continue.

Having Gonzalez also provides some security for the rotation with both John Danks and Mat Latos coming off poor 2015 campaigns. MLB.com’s Phil Rogers also posited his arrival could allow Carson Fulmer, the White Sox’s No. 1 draft pick from last year, to gain more experience in the minors until he’s fully ready to make the jump to the majors.

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James Loney Released by Rays: Latest Comments and Reaction

The Tampa Bay Rays have released first baseman James Loney just ahead of their regular-season opener on Sunday, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com.

The team had made the decision earlier this week, per Chastain, but waited to make the move as it was seeking to trade Loney before Sunday’s deadline to have its 25-man roster finalized.   

The Rays still owe Loney $8 million in base salary in 2016, per Spotrac, as he had one season left on a three-year, $21 million deal he signed in January 2014. 

Loney, 31, had been the Rays’ starter at first base the past three seasons, but his future seemed in doubt when the team added Logan Morrison, Steve Pearce and Corey Dickerson this offseason. 

“It was a difficult decision, but especially for a guy, he did a lot of good things for this organization over the last couple of years,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said, per Chastain. “He was a leader for us. He had some good seasons. But sometimes, we all know in this business, there’s decisions that need to be made.”

This spring, Loney hit .265/.286/.353 with zero home runs and one RBI in 34 at-bats over 12 games. He played in at least 155 games in each of his first two seasons in Tampa Bay but suffered injuries early in the 2015 season.

Loney wishes he could stick around as the Rays continue their rebuilding process but thanked the team for the opportunity, per Chastain:

The team was great. Obviously, I wish them the best. The guys were great. Loved my time here. Loved the organization, how they gave me a chance after 2012. But at the end of the day, you want to play in the big leagues and you want to win, obviously. So we’ll see how that goes.

 … I would have liked to win with these guys. But at the end of the day, it is a business. So those aren’t my decisions. I had nothing to do with that.

Loney should find another job, particularly early in the season as rosters continue to shuffle, but he may have to settle for a minor league contract. That might not be a huge issue for him, though, as he’s earned nearly $27 million over the course of his 10-year career, per Baseball-Reference.com.

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Taylor Teagarden Suspended 80 Games: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Major League Baseball reportedly suspended veteran catcher Taylor Teagarden for 80 games Friday.

T.J. Quinn of ESPN passed along the news and noted Teagarden was the only athlete caught on tape in Al Jazeera‘s documentary on performance-enhancing drugs in December.

Teagarden, 32, is a free agent. He appeared in eight games for the Chicago Cubs last season, picking up three hits in 15 at-bats. He’s also spent time with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets during his career.

In January, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com noted the catcher appeared on an undercover video in the Al Jazeera report discussing PED use and being worried about a drug test. The situation caught Cubs President Theo Epstein off guard.

“Completely surprised,” Epstein said. “I don’t know anything about it other than what I’ve heard about the report. I don’t want to try a guy from afar, but if the allegations are true it’s really disappointing.”

MLB previously announced it was working alongside the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the NFL to investigate the claims the documentary made. Christian Red of the New York Daily News passed along comments from Dan Halem, MLB’s chief legal officer, about the effort.

“USADA has expressed a willingness to work with us, which we are very happy about, and hopefully we make some progress,” Halem said. “We treat all things with a sense of urgency.”

A.J. Perez of USA Today reported Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, who were also named in the report, filed defamation lawsuits against Al Jazeera America in federal court.

Teagarden, a career .202 hitter with 21 home runs in 180 games, has remained on the market since entering free agency in November.

The suspension will make it more difficult for him to find a landing spot with the 2016 season set to get underway Sunday. It’s unclear whether he plans to appeal the punishment.

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Jeremy Guthrie to Padres: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The San Diego Padres are reportedly “in agreement” on a minor league deal with veteran starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com on Friday.  

Guthrie was released from his minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, per John Blake, the team’s executive vice president of communications.

Guthrie is coming off a season with the Kansas City Royals in which he posted career worsts in ERA (5.95) and WHIP (1.551) since becoming a full-time starter in 2007. He also allowed an American League-high 29 home runs at a whopping 14.1 percent home run rate with a minus-1.8 bWAR.

The team left him off the playoff roster in the fall less than a year after he started Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. The Royals declined to pick up his $10 million mutual option to keep him in 2016 and bought him out for $3.2 million.

His departure was expected, given the high value of his contract and his underperformance. 

Guthrie signed with the Rangers in late February as an insurance starter who would compete for the fifth and final rotation spot with Chi Chi Gonzalez and Nick Martinez. Cole Hamels, Martin Perez and Colby Lewis are slated at the top, respectively, with ace Yu Darvish expected to rejoin the team midseason. 

The Padres are a better fit for Guthrie, given their lack of starting pitching depth beyond Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner.

Guthrie’s days as a top-of-the-rotation hurler are probably over, but he could vie for big league time toward the back end of the rotation in San Diego.

 

All advanced stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.

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Travis Shaw Named Red Sox 3B over Pablo Sandoval: Latest Comments, Reaction

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Thursday that Travis Shaw has won the starting job at third base over Pablo Sandoval

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe passed along word of the decision from Farrell, who met with both players Thursday morning to inform them of the decision.

“I’m not going to take this opportunity for granted,” Shaw said after learning of his spot in the starting lineup, per Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.

Shaw has outperformed Sandoval at the plate during spring training, hitting .333 with a .377 on-base percentage across 20 games. Sandoval has a .244 average and .279 OBP in 16 games.

That said, Farrell noted “defense became a deciding factor” in the final decision as well, per Britton.

Sandoval admitted “it’s the right decision to help the team win,” and because of that, he’s happy despite heading to the bench for the time being, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

However, Sandoval’s agent Rick Thurman didn’t agree, saying ““if you want to win, why leave the ferrari in the garage?” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

While all of the on-field signs point to Shaw being the right choice, it’s still a bit surprising given the financial commitment the Red Sox made to Sandoval last offseason. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post spotlighted the money still owed to the 29-year-old infielder:

Sandoval has provided almost no bang for that buck. He posted a career-low .292 OBP during his first season in Boston while hitting just 10 home runs. Pictures of him early in spring training this year became a viral sensation, as he looked out of shape.

Though the former San Francisco Giants star has never been a physical specimen, the extra weight started to have an impact on his ability to defend third base. His minus-11 Defensive Runs Saved figure last season tied the worst mark of his career, according to FanGraphs.

Looking ahead, the Red Sox would probably love to rid themselves of Sandoval, even if it meant eating a sizable portion of his remaining contract. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Monday the San Diego Padres were scouting the third baseman.

Otherwise, they’re stuck with an extremely high-priced bench player for the foreseeable future. Shaw has been the better player throughout spring training, and he shined with 13 homers in just 65 games as a rookie last season, so the team will stick with him as long as he keeps slugging.

It’s been a rapid fall from grace for Sandoval, who won three World Series titles and got selected to the All-Star Game twice while with the Giants. Now, his future is a mystery as he prepares to watch the start of the new season from the dugout.

 

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Jose Reyes’ Domestic Violence Case to Be Dropped: Details, Comments, Reaction

Authorities in Maui, Hawaii, will drop domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin April 4.

Per Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press, Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen decided to drop the case against Reyes due to a lack of cooperation from Reyes’ wife.

Reyes was arrested and charged with allegedly assaulting his wife on October 31, per Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now.

According to Davis’ report, the alleged altercation took place around 2:30 p.m. while Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were staying at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Reyes’ wife told police he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and also reportedly told police he “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

The Rockies, who acquired Reyes from Toronto last July, issued a statement regarding the allegations against the 32-year-old:

While awaiting a final outcome to Reyes’ domestic violence case, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced in February the four-time All-Star had been placed on paid leave, via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding

Upon resolution of Reyes’ criminal proceedings and the completion of the Commissioner’s Office’s investigation into the incident, Commissioner Manfred will make a decision whether to impose discipline on Reyes. The Commissioner’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until a final disposition is announced.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Reyes will remain on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.

Even though the case against Reyes was dropped, he could still face a suspension from MLB. The league’s domestic violence policy, established last August, gives Manfred the authority to determine a punishment following an investigation by the commissioner’s office.

New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman became the first player punished under the new policy after details emerged in December of an incident with his girlfriend in October. Chapman received a 30-game suspension to start the season even though prosecutors decided not to pursue a case against him due to conflicting accounts and lack of evidence, per MLB.com’s Paul Hagen and Bryan Hoch.

Reyes has not played a spring training game with the Rockies while on paid leave, so even if he avoids a suspension, he likely wouldn’t be ready to take the field when they open the season on April 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Erik Kratz Traded for Dan Straily: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Houston Astros reportedly added some catching depth Monday with the 2016 season right around the corner.

According to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros traded right-handed pitcher Dan Straily to the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Erik Kratz. Ortiz noted Kratz will back up Jason Castro.

Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted that “the exchange benefits both teams” because the Padres were likely going to lose Kratz, while the Astros were likely going to lose Straily. Straily is out of minor league options, and Kratz only signed a minor league deal in the offseason.

From Houston’s perspective, this was likely all about the insurance Kratz will provide behind the dish since Castro dealt with injuries in 2015 and played in only 104 games. When healthy, Castro adds pop to the lineup, with double-digit home runs in each of the last three seasons, but he has yet to appear in more than 126 games in a campaign.

Kratz has bounced around since his first MLB game in 2010. He has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays throughout his professional tenure.

Kratz appeared in only 16 regular-season games in 2015 (four with Kansas City and 12 with Philadelphia) and hit .192 with zero home runs, three RBI and five strikeouts in 26 at-bats. In fact, the most he’s ever played was in 2013, when he appeared in 68 contests for the Phillies and hit .213 with nine home runs and 26 RBI.

To his credit, Kratz is responsible for six total defensive runs saved above average in 1,165 innings behind the plate in his career, per FanGraphs. If he serves as a solid defensive replacement for Castro on off days or as an injury fill-in, the Astros will likely be happy with their new acquisition.

As for the Padres, Lin pointed out their top three starters, Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner, could all be trade chips during the season. Straily gives them versatility as someone who has been a starter in his career, even though he is expected to open the season in the bullpen.

If the team deals one of those arms in 2016, Straily could step into the rotation. 

Straily seems to have peaked in Oakland in 2013, when he finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting, per Lin. Since then, he has struggled to maintain his form:

Perhaps a change of scenery could do him some good as he returns to the West Coast and serves as a versatile option for a Padres team that is not expected to contendJonah Keri of Sports Illustrated ranked it 27th in his power rankings entering spring training.

Both the Padres and Astros added more depth with the season approaching, so this could turn into a win-win trade over the course of the 2016 campaign.

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Jamey Wright Retires: Latest Comments and Reaction

Veteran Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jamey Wright is hanging up his glove after a 19-year career, according to a Monday report by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

Wright hasn’t pitched since in the majors since 2014 and spent all of last year in the Dodgers’ farm system, signing with the team after the Texas Rangers released him during spring training.

Wright will retire with 2,036.2 innings of service and a collective 4.81 ERA and 1.545 WHIP over 19 years with nine teams—nearly a third of the league.

As Barry Petchesky of Deadspin noted, Wright was a regular trailblazer across the MLB transaction wire:

Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports shared a fact that added context on the longevity of Wright’s professional career, which began when the Colorado Rockies took him with the 28th overall pick in the 1993 draft:

Wright, 41, was a late invite to the Dodgers’ camp this year, per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com. He allowed nine earned runs on 14 hits with six strikeouts and six walks in 6.2 innings over eight appearances in spring training. 

He was never destined to make the big league roster, but at least he went out trying.

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Jesus Montero Claimed off Waivers by Blue Jays: Latest Comments, Reaction

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly claimed hybrid catcher and first baseman Jesus Montero from the Seattle Mariners on Monday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  

Montero had been placed on waivers by Seattle on Sunday, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. 

The Blue Jays made a corresponding roster move by designating A.J. Jimenez for assignment, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

Montero was once among the top prospects in the New York Yankees’ farm system, ranking as high as No. 3 in Baseball America’s top 100 behind only Bryce Harper and Mike Trout in 2011.

At the time, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had ambitious hopes for Montero, holding him in the same conversation as some of the greats of the past generation. 

“In terms of hitting ability, Montero can be a Manny Ramirez or a Miguel Cabrera,” Cashman told ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor (h/t Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com). “As a catcher, he’s got a cannon for an arm. As far as everything and what I want him to be, I want him to be Jorge Posada.”

But Montero only played 18 games with the Yankees and was dealt to the Mariners the following offseason in the Michael Pineda trade. 

He played one full season in Seattle, compiling a .260/.298/.386 slash line with 15 home runs and 62 RBI in 135 games before spending most of the next three seasons in the minors. 

He’s had an underachieving spring thus far, hitting .237 in 38 at-bats after showing promise in Triple-A last year, where he had a slash line of .355/.398/.569 with 18 home runs and 85 RBI.

The Blue Jays already have a three-headed platoon at first base with Chris Colabello, Edwin Encarnacion and Justin Smoak, as well as All-Star Russell Martin at catcher—last offseason’s big free-agent addition. 

Montero will likely spend most of his time in the minors and be a reliable option should the Blue Jays run into attrition during the season. At this point, he appears to be a cost-effective experiment who could see an occasional big league call-up if he’s able to consistently perform at a high level in Triple-A like last year.

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