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We are fast approaching the start of spring training, and nearly every big name free agent is up for it. That said, it’s still the offseason, and that means rumors can be found. We found them and put them together for Monday. Here they are:
The Yankees signed left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, by Sweeny Murti of WFAN.
Wilson, 33, has spent the last two seasons with the Mets. In 68 appearances in Queens, he posted a 2.91 ERA (143 ERA +) and a 2.39 strikeout / step ratio. Wilson, who pitched for the Yankees in 2015, relies primarily on two throws: a mid-90s fastball and a cutter, a combination that has allowed him to remove quality contact in recent years.
Wilson is the second notable addition the Yankees have made to their field recently, joining right-hander Darren O’Day, who the Yankees signed after transferring Adam Ottavino in a trade with the Red Sox.
Mets add Pillar to outfield
The New York Mets have signed a one-year contract with free agent outfielder Kevin Pillar, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Pillar, 32, will give the Mets more depth for the 2021 MLB season. The veteran – who can play all three field positions – hit .288 / .336 / .462 with six homers, 12 doubles and 26 RBIs. during the shortened 2020 season. Pillar started his 2020 season with the Red Sox before being traded on the deadline to the Rockies. Pillar has established himself as an elite defenseman during his eight-year MLB career, and while his numbers aren’t at their peak, he still boasts impressive defensive stats.
The Mets have missed out on top free agent center fielder George Springer this offseason, and Pillar’s recent signing may indicate they could also be on the field of free agent Jackie Bradley Jr. things, it looks like Pillar could take over at center, which would be a big improvement over Brandon Nimmo. Pillar has played primarily center and right fielder throughout his career. Then they would have Michael Conforto in right field and Dominic Smith in left field. Or, the Mets could stay with Nimmo on the left and move Smith to the bench. They have flexibility with their offsets.
New York also added outfielder Albert Almora Jr. this winter. Pillar joins Almora, Jose Martinez and Guillermo Heredia as right-handed field options on the Mets’ 40-player roster, with Smith, Nimmo and Conforto as left-handed forwards.
All of this to say that those moves don’t necessarily take them out of the race for Bradley Jr. They have been engaged in talks with the longtime Red Sox outfielder, who entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the 12th. best free agent available. . Our own Mike Axisa recently listed the Mets as a good landing point for JBJ.
Kipnis joins the Braves
Veteran fielder Jason Kipnis tweeted Monday afternoon that he signed with the Braves. The deal is a minor league pact.
Kipnis, 34 in early April, spent last season with the Cubs. He hit .237 / .341 / .404 (101 OPS +) with three home runs in 135 trips to plate. It was Kipnis’ best offensive effort since 2016, according to OPS +.
Kipnis intends to compete for a bench place with the Braves. As it stands, Atlanta should carry backup receiver Alex Jackson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and infielders Johan Camargo and Adrianza as reserves.
The twins pick up the shoemaker
The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran starter Matt Shoemaker to a one-year, $ 2 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal is pending a physical and allows Shoemaker to earn an additional $ 250,000 in performance bonuses, Passan adds.
Shoemaker, 34, could feature in the Twins’ rotation as a main starter. He will face competition from right-hander Randy Dobnak and left-hander Devin Smeltzer for fifth place. In 2020, Shoemaker started six games (28 2/3 IP) and recorded a 4.71 ERA (94 ERA +) with 26 strikeouts and nine steps for Toronto.
Over the past three seasons of Shoemaker, he has a 3.77 ERA to go with a 23.5% take-out rate and 7.9% walk rate in 88 1/3 innings in 18 starts. But injuries (he has already had forearm and knee surgeries) could prevent him from participating in the rotation in 2021. He has been limited to just six starts per year in the last three. The last time he made 15 starts in a season was in 2016 with the Angels. The Twins also added left-hander JA Happ to their rotation this winter.
Red Sox Sawamura Sign
The Red Sox have reached a deal with Japanese reliever Hirokazu Sawamura for a two-year deal worth $ 3 million, by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The contract includes a so-called “conditional and complex” option, but which would bring the total value of the transaction closer to $ 8 million.
Sawamura, who turns 33 in April, has made nearly 400 appearances during his career in Nippon Professional Baseball. He starts with an ERA of 2.82 and a bar / step 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 intends to compete for a high level job alongside Matt Barnes, Adam Ottavino and Ryan Brasier.
The Padres have one of the majors busiest offseason. This continued on Monday, with veteran San Diego inking Keone Kela for a one-year contract by Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Kela, 28 in mid-April, was not among CBS Sports’ top 60 free agents in the majors as winter entered. The reasons for his exclusion were simple: He had been limited by COVID-19 and injury to just two innings in 2020, and had been involved in too many off-field incidents in 2019 to merit inclusion.
Nonetheless, Kela was an effective relief when he was hearty and warm. In 231 career big-league appearances, he’s posted a 139+ ERA and a 3.20 strikeout / step ratio. Much of Kela’s arsenal consists of just two courts: a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss break ball.
Kela is the second relief veteran the Padres added last week, joining former Braves closest, Mark Melancon.
The Rockies announced Monday they signed veteran first baseman CJ Cron to a minor league pact.
Cron, 31, entered the winter ranked as the 43rd best available free agent. Here is what we wrote at the time;
Cron played just 13 games before needing end-of-season knee surgery. He’s still one of the best early-stage players out there, a statement that says more about the scarcity of good options available than him. Cron is a usable option, notice you, one that can deliver over 20 circuits and OPS + in the 100-110 range. Unfortunately, the early “usable” base players tend to change uniforms frequently. Cron sure has, as he has played with four teams in the past four years. Expect it to become five out of five soon enough, then six out of six, and then …
Cron plans to compete with another recent signing, Greg Bird, for playing time at first base.
The Brewers made a potential addition to their field on Sunday, signing former All-Star closest Brad Boxberger to a minor league deal, by ESPN.
Boxberger, 33 in May, played 23 games for the Marlins last season, racking up 151+ ERA and a 2.25 strikeout / step ratio in 18 innings. The weather hasn’t been too kind to Boxberger since making the 2015 All-Star Game: even including his success in 2020, he compiled a 4.27 ERA and more than five out of nine steps during his last 151 innings.
The Brewers have a largely flexible enclosure, as only Ray Black lacks options. That said, Milwaukee is certain to carry Josh Hader, Devin Williams, Brent Suter and Freddy Peralta if they are healthy. Boxberger could then be competing with Justin Topa and / or JP Feyereisen for a spot in the opening day pen.
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