CarterHud

 

       I usually don\’t write about free agent signings, and there is a reason for that. I feel like an article would be too short, as it\’s just about one player and one team. Trades are more fun as (usually) there are multiple players switching teams and an analysis to be done that isn\’t one sided. And especially in the MLB, the biggest flaw with their offseason is the lack of fun. So, free agent blogs would normally be short and have a lot of time between them, so I don\’t do them. But, yesterday, January 26th was oddly different. A bunch of hitters signed new contracts, oddly limited to middle infielders and catchers. So, if you missed any of them, here are six mini-articles combined into one summarizing yesterday\’s events (sidenote: Masahiro Tanaka signing overseas was not included in this article because it was not an MLB signing).

1. The Phillies signed C JT Realmuto to a five year, $115.5 million deal.

The Phillies were once rumored to not even be interested in bringing back Realmuto due to financial reasons, but a change of heart is for the best. The best catcher in baseball, Realmuto\’s $23.1 million AAV just nudges out Joe Mauer for the most ever given to a catcher. It is earned, as Realmuto is an elite pitch framer who hits for power and can occasionally steal bases, a rarity for a backstop. He will make Phillies pitchers better, and the deal isn\’t even that expensive. 

Realmuto, 29, hit 11 home runs with four stolen bases, a .266 average and an OPS of .840 in 195 Plate Appearances for Philadelphia in 2020. In his MLB career for the Phillies and Miami Marlins, Realmuto has hit 95 home runs with 44 stolen bases, a .278 average and an OPS of .783 in 2940 Plate Appearances.

2. The Blue Jays signed SS Marcus Semien to a one year, $18 million contract.

This is just under the qualifying offer salary of $18.9 million, and it is a big prove-it deal for Semien. He will not play shortstop in Toronto with Bo Bichette patrolling that spot, but he can move to either second or third base. His 2020 season was not great, but he finished 3rd in AL MVP voting in 2019 with 33 home runs and an .892 OPS. Semien\’s 86.2 average exit velocity last year is a concern. Overall, this signing and the next one both make next year\’s shortstop free agent class, which could include Francisco Lindor and Trevor Story, even better.

Semien, 30, hit seven home runs with four stolen bases, a .223 average and an OPS of .679 in 236 Plate Appearances for the A\’s in 2020. In his MLB career for the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox, Semien has 115 home runs with 66 stolen bases, a .254 average and a .747 OPS in 3620 Plate Appearances.

3. The Twins signed SS Andrelton Simmons to a one year, $10.5 million deal.

Oddly enough, Simmons is probably the only player on this list with a legitimate chance at the Baseball Hall of Fame. He will have a similar case as Omar Vizquel does now, but probably with a better WAR and hopefully without the domestic violence. Simmons has a 36.8 WAR through his first nine seasons, and his defense is to thank. He isn\’t a great hitter, although he can hit for average and steal double digit bases a season. Playing in only 30 games, Simmons actually had -1 outs above average in 2020, but that is a massive outlier. He\’ll play shortstop in Minnesota, and Jorge Polanco will move to second base with Luis Arraez moving to a super-utility role. 

Simmons, 31, hit no homers with two stolen bases, a .297 average and a .702 OPS in 127 Plate Appearances for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020. In his MLB career for the Angels and Atlanta Braves, Simmons has 67 home runs with 67 stolen bases, a .269 average and a .696 OPS in 4280 Plate Appearances. 

4. The Orioles signed IF Freddy Galvis to a one year, $1.5 million deal.

Galvis comes in as the replacement for the departed Jose Iglesias in Baltimore. He is not a great hitter, but he has hit for power the last few seasons, and has a nice glove. There\’s a good chance he gets traded, but for now he is a fine shortstop for a bad Orioles team that could use good defense behind a young pitching staff. With Semien, Simmons and Galvis off the board, Didi Gregorius is the main shortstop remaining, with the Phillies and Athletics in the hunt. 

Galvis, 31, hit seven home runs with a .220 average and a .712 OPS in 159 Plate Appearances for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020. In his MLB career for the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, Galvis has hit 95 home runs with 56 stolen bases, a .247 average and an OPS of .677 in 3844 Plate Appearances.

5. The Giants signed Tommy La Stella to a three year contract, terms still undisclosed. 

La Stella will cross the bay, from Oakland to San Francisco. Since joining the Angels in 2019, La Stella has been a completely different player, an all-star even. His most impressive trait is his refusal to strike out. La Stella had a league leading 5.3 K% in 2020, and also walked 11.8% of the time. Those are numbers you will take for the next three years. He can play second and third base as well. 

La Stella, who turns 32 this week, hit five home runs with a .281 average and an OPS of .819 in 228 Plate Appearances for the Angels and A\’s in 2020. In his MLB career for those two teams, the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, La Stella has hit 31 home runs with a .274 average and an OPS of .754 in 1496 Plate Appearances.

6. The Tigers signed Wilson Ramos to a one year deal worth $2 million.

This is a signing I like for the Tigers, who started Austin Romine last year. Romine had a really rough season, and the Cubs only paid him $500k less than Ramos gets here. He isn\’t great behind the plate and is one of the slowest players in baseball, but he hits the ball hard and is a good hitter for a catcher. A 15 home run season is possible for him.

Ramos, 33, hit five home runs with a .239 batting average and a .684 OPS in 155 Plate Appearances for the New York Mets in 2020. In his MLB career for the Mets, Washington Nationals, Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins, Ramos has hit 128 home runs with a .274 average and a .755 OPS in 3623 Plate Appearances. 

 

       The Boston Red Sox have acquired RHPs Adam Ottavino and Frank German, plus cash ($850k) from the New York Yankees in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

       It\’s the year of the Yankees being cheap. Their main goal isn\’t getting better, it is staying under the luxury tax. Ottavino was the one expendable player on the roster earning significant money. He is entering the last year of his three year, $27 million contract. Ottavino has nasty pitches, and three of the four that he uses had a whiff rate over 30 percent in 2019, a season where he posted a career best 1.90 ERA. Ottavino had a rough season in 2020, but his ERA was inflated by a six run outing versus Toronto where he didn\’t record an out. In both 2019 and 2020, Ottavino wasn\’t trustworthy in the playoffs, and you could really tell that he fell out of Aaron Boone\’s circle of trust last season. That is because of a 50% hard hit percentage and a 10.6 BB% that was somehow higher than his 2019 mark. The Yankees are probably clearing up money for another acquisition, but still, this makes their rival a better team and costs them their 24th best prospect. 

        I love this deal for the Red Sox. Ottavino was great in 2018 and 2019, and while he struggled last year, he still posted a .218 xBA with a 29.4 K%. They will take on most of the money here, but I wouldn\’t be surprised at all if Ottavino returns to form, and is traded again at the deadline, hence saving Boston some money. In that case, not only do they get Ottavino for a year maximum, they buy a prospect in German, who is not related to New York\’s Domingo German. He was previously ranked as the 24th best prospect in the Yankees system by MLB Pipeline. A 2018 4th rounder from Queens, German reached High-A in 2019, and spent most of the season there, posting good numbers in 15 starts and a relief appearance. He\’s a guy who could have moved up in the ranks in 2020 if there was a minor league season. 

         Ottavino, 35, had a 5.89 ERA with 25 strikeouts, a 1.582 WHIP and a 3.52 FIP in 18.1 innings for the Yankees in 2020. In his MLB career for the Yankees, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals, Ottavino has a 3.53 ERA with 19 saves, 577 strikeouts, a 1.312 WHIP and a 3.55 FIP in 497.2 innings. 

         German, 23, had a 4.11 ERA with 87 strikeouts and a 1.395 WHIP in 81 innings in the minor leagues in 2019. In his MiLB career, German has a 3.56 ERA with 128 strikeouts and a 1.266 WHIP in 111.1 innings. 

 

       The New York Yankees have acquired RHP Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Miguel Yajure, RHP Roansy Contreras, OF Canaan Smith and IF Maikol Escotto.

       The guy selected second overall in 2010, between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, Taillon has had a career riddled with injuries. In the few years where he has been healthy, Taillon has been effective. He had a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts in 2018, his one full season. He has had Tommy John surgery twice and has survived cancer. Most of 2019 and all of 2020 were missed because of that second surgery. The Yankees need a better rotation behind ace Gerrit Cole, and Taillon and Cole are good friends from their time in Pittsburgh. The Yankees have followed a high risk, high reward path to fixing the rotation, signing Corey Kluber a few weeks ago. Taillon has a plethora of effective pitches, including his fastball, slider and curveball. All three of them had whiff rates around 27% in Taillon\’s seven starts in 2019. The team had a full 40-man roster before signing Kluber and Taillon, as well as DJ LeMahieu. Both Yajure and Contreras were on the 40-man, so Taillon and Kluber have a spot, and they will need to clear one more spot. While the number of prospects they give up is high, none of them had a place in the team\’s future. As the club tries to stay under the luxury tax, a cheap starter like Taillon helps. He is only owed $2.25 million for 2021, with one extra year left of arbitration. 

      Taillon, 29, had a 4.10 ERA with 30 strikeouts, a 1.125 WHIP and a 3.80 FIP in 37.1 innings in 2019. In his MLB career, all for Pittsburgh, Taillon has a 3.67 ERA with 419 strikeouts, a 1.247 WHIP and a 3.55 FIP in 466 innings.

      The Pirates haven\’t had a particularly fun offseason, as a big part of their core has left. Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and now Taillon have been dealt within the last month. Next could be a reliever like Kyle Crick or Richard Rodriguez. As they look to build up their farm system, the Pirates get a ton of young players here. The headliner is Yajure, who MLB Pipeline ranked as New York\’s 15th best prospect. He pitched well in three relief appearances last year. Also in their top 30 was Contreras (number 19) and Smith (number 21). Escotto was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, and is still a teenager. 

      Yajure, 22, struck out eight batters with one earned run allowed in seven innings for the Yankees in 2020. In his minor league career, Yajure has a 2.47 ERA with 246 strikeouts and a 1.135 WHIP in 291.2 innings. Keep in mind that Yajure only pitched in 11 AA innings and no AAA innings. 

      Contreras, 21, had a 3.33 ERA with 113 strikeouts and a 1.065 WHIP in 132.1 innings for Single-A Charleston in 2019. In his MiLB career, Contreras has a 3.25 ERA with 207 strikeouts and a 1.135 WHIP in 249.1 innings. 

      Smith, 21, hit .307 with 11 home runs, 16 stolen bases and an .871 OPS in 528 Plate Appearances for Single-A Charleston in 2019. In his minor league career, Smith has a .280 average with 19 home runs, 21 stolen bases and an .815 OPS in 936 Plate Appearances.

      Escotto, 18, hit seven home runs with 13 stolen bases, a .315 batting average and an OPS of .981 in 218 Plate Appearances as a 17 year old in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. 

 

From Getty Images

       The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third round pick. 26% of Laine\’s salary will be retained by the Jets. In my article yesterday, I predicted something very close to this, but I had defenseman Andrew Peeke going to Winnipeg as well. 

       The Dubois fiasco finally comes to an end, as another star leaves Columbus. The third overall pick in 2016, he became a top line center last year and dominated in the playoffs versus Toronto. But after butting heads with Head Coach John Tortorella following a contract dispute, he\’s gone. Laine is a dynamic scorer who was selected one spot ahead of Dubois in 2016. It is easy to imagine Laine falling into the same problem as Dubois did with \”Torts\”. He had a great first game of the season, scoring two goals with an assist. However, an upper body injury has kept him out since then. In his missed games, Laine has done about as much as Dubois, who has given the Blue Jackets a lackadaisical effort, which caused him to be benched for the second and third periods two nights ago. By retaining some money, it evens out the salaries for the rest of this season between the two, at $5 million being exchanged. Dubois has one more year after 2020-21 on his contract, before being an RFA, while Laine will hit that after the season. Both players have been said to want to go to bigger markets, but instead got dealt to equally small market teams. At least for Dubois, his father, Eric, is a coach for the Manitoba Moose, the Jets\’ AHL team who plays at the same place as the NHL club. Roslovic wanted to leave the Jets, but I don\’t think he will want to leave his new team. Roslovic is one of the few Columbus natives in the league. Roslovic is also the most significant player who is still a restricted free agent. He has been training in Columbus during his holdout. Soon after this trade, he signed a two year deal with the Blue Jackets, with a cap hit of $1.9 million. He is young, turning 24 next week, and he is a former first rounder. While the Jackets get weaker at center here, Roslovic could center their third line, with Max Domi on the second, and Alex Texier centering Laine on the first line. We will see if Laine signs long-term with the Jackets in the offseason, and if he does, they are the favorites to win this deal. Columbus adds more offense here, but loses defense, something they\’ll be fine without in Tortorella\’s defensive system. Winnipeg needs defense, so I was surprised that they didn\’t get a defender back here. Dubois will center the second line, with Nikolaj Ehlers on his wing. Paul Stastny will either move to the wing, or the third line. 

         Dubois, 22, scored a goal in five games this year. In 2019-20, Dubois scored 18 goals with 31 assists for 49 points in 70 games, with 10 in 10 postseason games. In his NHL career, Dubois has scored 66 goals with 93 assists for 159 points in 239 games. 

         Laine, 22, scored 28 goals (which was actually a career low) with 35 assists (a career high) for 63 points in 68 games last year. In his NHL career, all in Winnipeg, Laine has scored 140 goals with 110 assists for 250 points in 306 games. 52 of those goals came on the man advantage. 

         Roslovic, 23, scored 12 goals with 17 assists for 29 points in 71 games for the Jets last year. He has 26 goals with 41 assists for 67 points in 180 career games. 

 

       After all of the shenanigans that happened last night in the Tampa Bay vs Columbus game, a Pierre-Luc Dubois trade seems inevitable. After some lazy, 20% effort shifts from the star center, Head Coach John Tortarella benched Dubois for the second and third period, plus overtime, where the Blue Jackets lost. It had been reported that Dubois wanted out of Columbus before he signed his two year, $10 million extension during training camp, and that has been confirmed by Tortarella. While I could write a couple of paragraphs on why I hate everything John Tortarella has done with this situation, I decided to have more fun with this article, because ranting on Torts should be saved for the members of the Blue Jackets after he pulls off a stunt like this. So, here is five potential Dubois trades. A lot of the potential suitors are based off of insider Pierre Lebrun\’s tweet from earlier today. 

1. To Montreal for Jonathan Drouin, Paul Byron and a 2021 2nd round pick.

The Blue Jackets can still contend, so I think that any Dubois trade will have a solid player going back to Columbus. While they get two wings in this trade, Drouin makes up for the offense talent lost. He had 15 points in 27 games last year, with 53 in the season before. Drouin also has four assists in the first five gams of 2020-21. He\’s played center before, but the results were mixed. Byron kills penalties and scores more than you\’d think. The 2nd round pick makes up for the gap between players from both sides. Columbus could squeeze a first out of Montreal. These teams aren\’t afraid to trade top-six players with each other, as shown by this offseason\’s Max Domi for Josh Anderson deal. 

2. To Minnesota with Dean Kukan for Matt Dumba, a 2021 1st round pick and a 2022 4th round pick.

I\’m all on the Wild train. Kirill Kaprizov looks like the real deal, so now he just needs a center. Victor Rask isn\’t really who you want playing a budding star. Dubois would be a much better option. Dumba has been rumored to be on the market for what feels like years now. He is signed for three more years at a $6 million cap hit. Kukan would be Dumba\’s replacement in Minnesota, and while the Blue Jackets may not want to give him up, having a right side of Seth Jones, David Savard and Dumba on defense would be amazing. 

3. To Winnipeg with Andrew Peeke and a 2022 3rd rounder for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.

This is easily the biggest deal that is plausible. Both Laine and Dubois want out of their cities, and we know that Roslovic does. Roslovic is still an RFA, and is a Columbus native. In this deal, the Blue Jackets get a dynamic scorer in Laine, who they\’ll need to extend after the season. They\’d need to sign Roslovic immediately, and they would get a hometown kid who can be a third line center. Peeke is a 22 year old former 2nd rounder on the taxi squad right now. He had good numbers in the AHL last year and played in 22 NHL games. The Jets lack defensively, so getting a defenseman back here makes sense.

4. To the New York Rangers for Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, Filip Chytil and a 2020 4th round pick.

Dubois in New York is terrifying, and he would be the center for former Blue Jackets teammate Artemi Panarin. The Rangers currently have Strome centering Panarin, but Dubois is a big upgrade. They probably want to move on from DeAngelo, who is not good defensively, and is very controversial. The Blue Jackets may not take him either. Chytil is 21 and is a former first round pick. He would fill in exactly where Roslovic would if they choose to go the Winnipeg route. Overall, the Rangers\’ main subtraction here is Chytil, but a third line center, a position he would never be able to move up from with Mika Zibanejad and Dubois above him, is easily replaceable. 

5. To Florida for Owen Tippett, Frank Vatrano and a 2021 first round pick.

You could be able to sway me to say that either the Panthers or Blue Jackets would say no to this deal. The Panthers brought in some former Blue Jackets last year under new GM Bill Zito, formerly the assistant GM in Columbus. This connection, plus reuniting with some former teammates like Anthony Duclair, Markus Nutivaara, Alex Wennberg and Sergei Bobrovsky could make Dubois want to play in Florida, and no state tax doesn\’t hurt. Of course, that condition remains for all of these deals. Tippett, who is a part of the starting lineup in Florida, is a dynamic scorer at age 21, and is getting a chance now after scoring in both the AHL and OHL. Vatrano is a solid middle-six winger who scored 16 goals last year. Florida needs a second line center, and Dubois would be perfect, and is worth giving up those two and a first.