The Mariners openly referred to Hisashi Iwakuma as their No. 1 offseason priority. Then they saw him reach a three-year agreement with the Dodgers worth $45 million, so they gave up, because they had to, and moved on to Wade Miley. Just days ago, Jerry Dipoto said he was basically done tweaking the roster. Everything was more or less set where he wanted. But you can’t predict random chaos. See, there are contracts that are agreed to, and there are contracts that are official. Before Iwakuma’s Dodger contract could become official, he had to pass a physical exam, and he failed it. As soon as Dipoto heard about that, he got ownership approval and moved in. I just finished watching a press conference announcing Iwakuma’s return to Seattle.
It happened fast, and Jon Heyman has the terms. Earlier Thursday, word spread Iwakuma had failed the physical. By Thursday night, the Mariners said they had him re-signed. Iwakuma gets a $1-million signing bonus, and a $10-million salary for 2016. Then there are $10-million club options for the next two years, with $1-million buyouts. That’s not the end of it, though — there’s a $14-million vesting option for 2017, if Iwakuma throws 162 innings this coming year. And there’s a $15-million vesting option for 2018, if Iwakuma throws 162 innings the next year, or 324 innings combined. Throw in some smaller incentives and Iwakuma’s maximum contract is right there with the Dodgers total. It’s just that the guarantee is $12 million. Pretty obviously, Iwakuma lost a lot of leverage.
Still, if he believes in his health, he’ll get his money. Iwakuma says he’s good to go, and so do the Mariners. It’s worth thinking about a few things. The Dodgers gave 3/$45m, and then wanted to re-negotiate after the physical. The Mariners gave Iwakuma an end-of-season physical, and they offered him 2/$30m. They initially lost out to the Dodgers because they weren’t comfortable with the guaranteed third year. What that suggests is that anything in the tests is more of a longer-term concern, and now the Mariners have some protection.
Not that we know how this is going to go. Maybe Iwakuma breaks down immediately. Or maybe this turns out like when Aaron Sele failed a physical with the Orioles. That scrapped a four-year commitment. Sele signed a two-year commitment with Seattle and pitched effectively. He eventually had shoulder surgery three years out (from which he returned). Iwakuma will be 37 in 2018 so he’d be a risk no matter what. The value here will be at the front.
Over three years, Iwakuma has Stephen Strasburg‘s ERA-, Scott Kazmir‘s FIP-, and Madison Bumgarner’s xFIP-. He projects now as a No. 2 or No. 3, and he sets up a battle between Nate Karns and James Paxton for the last rotation slot. That depth is likely to be needed, although now there’s some chance the Mariners re-visit trade talks, dangling a pitcher they didn’t think they could move. The likelihood is someone just starts in Tacoma. Some kind of injury somewhere is to be expected.
The Mariners didn’t expect to get a few wins better like this, but Iwakuma fell back in their lap, and they couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It’ll help them be competitive with what’s become a deep rotation. On the Dodgers’ end, they walked back from the three-year commitment because they were no longer comfortable with it. It’s mostly bad luck, but now this just increases the urgency they would’ve been already feeling to make the rotation better. They can’t know what to expect from Hyun-Jin Ryu. They can’t know when to expect Brandon McCarthy. There will always be questions about Brett Anderson and Alex Wood, so it’s a guarantee the Dodgers add one starter, and there’s a big chance they add two. This isn’t a catastrophe for them — they didn’t want to give all that money to someone they think is an injury risk. Nothing wrong with that. But to this point it’s been an offseason of missed opportunities. The good news is I think the Dodgers almost prefer to be creative.
Ben and Sam banter about a fictitious player from TV, then answer listener emails about Mike Trout, opt-ops, paying players not to play, persuading a parent to value Barry Bonds, and more.
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At the winter meetings, I asked a small collection of managers about the evolution of the role, and all of them — save perhaps Mike Scioscia — spoke to the importance of communicating with the media and with their players.
But that story had a longer scope, and a more universal one. I also asked them about a smaller more immediate thing — I asked many of them what they had learned this year, on the job. And for those just coming to the job, what they have tried to learn before they first manage a game.
Of particular note was what former position players did to learn about pitching, and vice versa. Managers have to communicate with all sorts of different players, and yet they came from one tradition within the game. And each has spent time developing themselves in their present role.
It’s easy to say now that the Reds should have traded some players sooner. It’s been clear for a long time they’re headed for a rebuild, yet they hung on to Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier, and both of them lost value. Chapman is currently unmovable, and Frazier just drew an underwhelming return. Of course, the Reds couldn’t have predicted precisely what would happen, but they should have predicted neither Chapman nor Frazier would lift his stock higher than it was.
It’s also easy to say now that the Brewers should have traded Jonathan Lucroy sooner. This was a bit less obvious: In 2014, the Brewers went into September tied for the division lead. You can’t blame them for trying again in 2015, and a couple years back, Lucroy might’ve been the best catcher in baseball. He doesn’t look like the best catcher in baseball anymore. And the Brewers and Reds are basically in the same position.
The Reds traded Frazier because they’re far off, and Frazier’s almost 30, with two more years of team control. He’s more valuable to somebody else. Now the Brewers are thinking about trading Lucroy, because they’re far off, and Lucroy’s almost 30, with two more years of team control. He’d also be more valuable to somebody else. Unfortunately, this gets awfully complicated. Because of Lucroy’s position, health and performance, his value is down, but volatile. Yet the Brewers might be feeling a sense of urgency.
Despite losing out on Zack Greinke, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to have one of the best teams in major league baseball. While Jeff Sullivan made a reasonable case recently for the Chicago Cubs as the best team in baseball currently, the Dodgers are right there with them, even without the benefit of a major move. But now that the Hisashi Iwakuma deal has fallen apart and led Iwakuma to reunite with the Seattle Mariners, the Dodgers need pitching. They were rumored to be involved with the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller and rumors still surround the pursuit of Jose Fernandez and pitchers in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. It’s possible, however, that it’s Matt Harvey who could best solve the Dodgers’ problems.
Despite likely losing Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy to free agency, the New York Mets also have a very good team returning next year. By our Depth Charts projections, the Mets have the fifth-best team in baseball, less than a win behind division-rival Washington Nationals. The club has a really good shot at repeating as division winners, with a rotation of Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and Noah Syndergaard leading the way, and a returning Zack Wheeler and Bartolo Colon as insurance. The team has a solid infield, shrewdly picking up Neil Walker, and they should be able to cobble something semi-productive out of Asdrubal Cabrera and their returning middle infielders at shortstop. The team does have a bit of a hole in center field, and the offense, without Cespedes or Cespedes, doesn’t look all that great. The Mets might still have some financial concerns going into next season. It’s possible, though, that the young and cheap and talented Joc Pederson could solve the Mets’ problems.
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What happens when a team hires a new general manager or president of baseball operations? In most cases, a lot more than meets the eye. Behind the scenes, a number of structural changes take place. A smattering of them are less subtle in nature, and thus deemed newsworthy. The majority of changes go virtually unnoticed, sometimes because they’re known only within the inner workings of the organization.
In hopes of better understanding the dynamic, I queried multiple front office executives, all of whom requested anonymity. This article is comprised of their feedback, and is presented in blocks of interwoven quotes. With continuity in mind, the executive being quoted will often change from one paragraph to the next.
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“One thing we’ve seen over the years is a decrease in the number of longtime GMs. Twenty or thirty years ago a GM came on board and could count on staying in place for several years. That model no longer exists. There’s more turnover now, so any new group has to hit the ground running. Most groups try to shorten the learning curve by hiring people they know and trust to implement their philosophy. They try to put people in place to make a positive impact as quickly as possible.
“When J.P. Ricciardi became the GM in Toronto, there was a massive overhaul of the scouting staff. This past year saw the Dodgers make drastic changes in both international scouting and player development. Why were those changes made? I can’t speak for either group directly, but from a management perspective you need people you can trust to implement and execute your philosophy, whatever it might be. Read the rest of this entry »
After having typically appeared in the very hallowed pages of Baseball Think Factory, Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections have been released at FanGraphs the past couple years. The exercise continues this offseason. Below are the projections for the New York Yankees. Szymborski can be found at ESPN and on Twitter at @DSzymborski.
Other Projections: Atlanta / Cincinnati / Kansas City / Philadelphia / Pittsburgh / Texas / Toronto.
Batters
However one would characterize the precise opposite of a stars-and-scrub approach to roster construction, this is what the Yankees appear to have employed in collecting their present group of talent. Eight of the club’s nine likely starters are projected to record a WAR figure somewhere between 1.5 and 3.1, from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira on the low end (largely due to a less-than-full complement of plate appearances) to Brian McCann on the high. Wildly average, is perhaps the best description.
It will be interesting to see how Brian Cashman, Joe Girardi, et al. address what does appear to be the team’s one positional weakness — namely, right field. Dan Szymborski’s computer is pessimistic about the 39-year-old Carlos Beltran, projecting him not only for a roughly league-average batting line but also negative defensive-runs mark. That said, the club does have some internal options immediately available: the recently acquired Aaron Hicks and also Rob Refsnyder (who has considerable experience in right field) also receive forecasts in the league-average range.
The other day, I had the opportunity to introduce some of you to Mychal Givens. Based on the response, it was actually a chance to introduce most of you to Mychal Givens, who the Orioles love as a potential major contributor to the bullpen. Givens pitched well, but because he pitched later in the season for a go-nowhere ballclub, he didn’t draw himself a lot of attention, which is why many found the Givens post so surprising. We all feel like we have a pretty good understanding of the game, and of the players involved. It’s unusual to be caught off guard.
That wasn’t a one-off, though. Not that this was intended to be a series, but the Mariners happen to have their own comp. If you love what Givens did in a pretty small sample, you’ll love what the other guy did in an even smaller sample. Like Givens, the mystery pitcher took a big step forward in the minors. Like Givens, he came to the majors and struck a bunch of people out. Like Givens, in the majors, he issued precious few walks. Like Givens, we have a righty with a fastball and a breaking ball; unlike Givens, the mystery pitcher can dial it up even more. Based on track record, the Mariners would currently appear to have a mediocre bullpen. But they might be expecting some major assistance from Tony Zych.
Wednesday, the Angels quietly picked up Daniel Nava. They did so quietly because there would be no way to do so loudly, and after it was announced, some people started talking seriously about a potential platoon between Nava and Craig Gentry. I don’t know if that’ll happen — I don’t think that’s going to happen — but the mere possibility suggests the Angels aren’t thrilled with the options. It’s a curious thing to consider at the same time as the Orioles agreeing to sign Hyun-soo Kim for two years and $7 million. Kim will be coming from the KBO, so there are the usual questions, but he turns just 28 in a month, and this is middle-reliever money.
For reference, Chad Qualls signed for two years and $6 million. Oliver Perez signed for two years and $7 million. Jonathan Broxton signed for two years and $7.5 million and a no-trade clause. Perfectly useful relievers, all of them, but Kim is lined up to be a starting outfielder, and he’s right around peak age. Without even knowing anything about Kim, the potential value is obvious.
When I first started analyzing Kim, I thought about Nori Aoki. Some people would call that a lazy comp, but I do think it’s within reason. Also, I’ve just had Aoki on my mind lately, so I’m biased. As I’ve thought about this more, though, I’ve arrived at something else. What could Kim turn into in Baltimore? A very familiar-looking player. The Orioles know this skillset.
