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We’re less than two weeks away from spring training and 23 of our top 60 free agents remain unsigned, including one of the top seven. Here are the hot rumblings of the stove on Super Bowl Sunday.
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Put Almora Jr.
The New York Mets have struck a deal with free agent outfielder Albert Almora Jr., according to Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough of The Athletic.
Almora, 27 in mid-April, was available after being turned down by the Chicago Cubs earlier this winter. Over the past three seasons, he’s hit .261 / .299 / .373 with 17 home runs and three stolen goals (from seven tries). Almora’s 76 OPS + during this period rank 215th out of 222 players with at least 800 plate appearances. As you might expect, he is still considered a solid center-back.
Almora expects to see most of his action against left-handed pitching. The Mets are currently slated to pitch three left-handed forwards almost every day: Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto. Almora joins Jose Martinez and Guillermo Heredia as the other right-field options on the 40-man roster.
The Mets remain interested in Bradley Jr.
The Mets may have signed Almora on Sunday, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude them from the race for Jackie Bradley Jr. The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams reported on Sunday afternoon that both sides “remain very committed.”
Bradley Jr. entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the 12th best free agent available. Here is what we wrote at the time:
Bradley Jr. isn’t a weird athlete in the vein of, say, Kevin Kiermaier or Ramon Laureano. What he is, however, is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. He soars into space as if he were Mike Campbell, and he plays position with admirable precision – to the extent. where its routes seem pre-programmed. Bradley Jr. is not a zero on the plate either. The Red Sox have seen him face more lefties in the past two years, and he’s put in some good numbers against them in 2020 (his next team will likely relegate him to squad status.) He’s good for the homesteads. two digits and an OPS plus .760 against the righties. It will play very well with his glove.
Bradley Jr. would likely take over as New York’s center-back, with one from Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith standing on the left and the other passing to the bench.
Of course, the Mets would face stiff competition over Bradley Jr. – New York Post’s Mike Puma tweeted that half a dozen teams are involved in the process.
Red Sox make progress on relief
The Red Sox are believed to be moving towards a deal with Japanese reliever Hirokazu Sawamura, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
Sawamura, 33 in April, has made nearly 400 appearances during his career in Nippon Professional Baseball. On these runs, he accumulated a 2.82 ERA and a pull-to-walk ratio of 2.95.
Ted Baarda of Baseball Info Solutions provided a Sawamura scout report in December:
Sawamura throws a mid-90s straight fastball that sits around 96 that he can locate well at the bottom of the area. His first side step is a low-mid-90s splitter, which has a late drop but doesn’t have a huge break due to the speed at which he throws it. He does a good job of keeping the pitch down, whether in or below the crease, and hitters regularly swing on it when he dives out of the crease. Splitters are difficult terrain to control, which contributes to Sawamura’s high walk rates.
Sawamura would receive a big league contract if the two sides come to an agreement.
Reds add Strange-Gordon
The Reds have signed a contract with veteran field Dee Strange-Gordon in a minor league, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports. Pending further moves, Strange-Gordon plans to compete with Kyle Farmer and Kyle Holder for the Cincinnati shortstop position.
Strange-Gordon, 32, hit a weak .200 / .268 / .212 with three stolen goals in 82 home plate appearances with the Mariners last season. Seattle declined its $ 14 million club option earlier this offseason. Strange-Gordon was the last middle hitter in 2017, when he stole 60 MLB lead goals with the Marlins. He hasn’t played a regular shortstop since 2013.
The Pirates made an interesting addition on Sunday, signing southpaw Chasen Shreve to a minor league deal, the team said.
Shreve, 30, struck out more than 12 of nine batters in 17 games with the Mets last season. It did so while showing improved speed (about a mile per hour compared to its 2019 average) and generating over 55% puffs on its splitter.
A’s remain active in the enclosure market
On Saturday, the A’s signed right-hander Mike Fiers and acquired shortstop Elvis Andrus in their first notable shots of the winter. The A’s might not be made, however, as GM David Forst said Oakland remains interested in adding humanitarian aid.
It’s unclear who Forst has in mind, but there are a number of relievers who have been ranked in the CBS Sports top 60 and who remain unsigned:
The A’s lost closer to free agency Liam Hendriks earlier this winter.
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