Happy Friday, Mets fans! Though the Winter Meetings have come to a close, the rumor mill continues to spin. On the docket for today’s rumor roundup, we have a three-team deal as well as a couple of trade and free agent negotiations that could gain traction through the weekend.
Blockbuster Trifecta Sends Santana Back to Cleveland, Encarnación to Seattle
Perhaps the most noteworthy development across baseball during the Winter Meetings themselves came in the form of a three-way trade between the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, and Tampa Bay Rays yesterday afternoon. Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports was the first to hint at the Mariners acquiring first baseman and designated hitter Edwin Encarnación, and shortly thereafter confirmed the exchange by citing corner infielder Carlos Santana as the name headed back to Cleveland.
Meanwhile, the Rays acquired third baseman Yandy Díaz from the Indians in exchange for first baseman Jake Bauers and relief prospect Cole Sulser, as first broken by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The New York Post‘s own Joel Sherman added that the Rays would send $5MM to the Mariners – who would in turn shuck off $6MM to Cleveland while (per a separate report) receiving a compensatory pick.
Having been acquired by Seattle just under two weeks ago in the Philadelphia Phillies’ acquisition of Jean Segura, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos, Santana will return to the team with which he’d spent his first eight seasons. He will almost certainly slot in as their DH with Yonder Alonso tabbed at first base, though Santana will look to bounce back with a three-year, $60MM price tag looming over him. He made a lukewarm contribution in his first year with the Phillies, though admittedly maintained his typical on-base numbers while hitting a more acceptable .256/.353/.440 in the second half.
Like Santana, Encarnación didn’t necessarily disappoint under his contract, but certainly didn’t run the show at the plate as the organization had envisioned when they first inked him to a three-year, $60MM deal following the 2016 season. Having missed 25 games dealing with a hand contusion in May, Encarnación posted a .246 average, .810 OPS, and 1.9/1.0 bWAR/fWAR – his lowest totals since 2011. Of course, 32 home runs and 107 RBI may come in handy as he enters a contract year, but the soon-to-be 36-year old is coming off a third-straight year of 130 or more strikeouts, and may be confined to a DH role in the coming years.
In Yandy Díaz, the Rays acquire a raw talent at the hot corner, albeit one who has yet to suit up for a full-time role. In 88 games across his last two years between the majors and Triple-A Columbus, Díaz has hit .283/.361/.366 with a .351 BABIP. He comes at the expense of Bauers, a prospect who ranked fourth organizationally (via MLB Pipeline) in 2016 and sixth in 2017, but struggled in his first stint with the big club in 2018. Bauers hit just .201/.316/.384 with 11 homers and 104 strikeouts in 388 plate appearances, but had still been declared by team general manager Erik Neander to have been “[their] guy” at first base ahead of the 2019 season.
Angels Digging Grandal, Ramos
In a development more relevant to the Mets’ own endeavors on the catching market, the Los Angeles Angels reportedly have their eyes on backstop Wilson Ramos as their “primary target,” per ESPN‘s Jerry Crasnick. Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times, however, added that the team has also “been in on” Yasmani Grandal.
With Martín Maldonado as (arguably) the next-best catcher among free agents, the stakes are relatively high for any team looking to sign someone to operate behind the dish. Angels’ catchers put together a .651 OPS last year – good for 11th in the American League – but also amassed the sixth-most defensive runs saved in baseball with 49.
Looking at durability, Grandal’s average of 128 games played per year since 2014 reigns supreme over Ramos’ 104, with serious concerns over Ramos’ hamstrings toward the end of the year costing him plenty of starts in his stint with the Phillies. In defensive terms, Grandal was a far superior catcher in 2018 – framing for 13.8 runs above average (the second-most in baseball) to Ramos’ -7.6. Though Ramos has also nabbed 34% of attempted base stealers since 2015, stacking up above Grandal’s 29% in that time.
The offensive stats tend to balance out more evenly: Ramos’ .845 OPS doesn’t outweigh Grandal’s .815 by much, especially given the fact that the latter outnumbered the former in homers (24 to 15), walks (72 to 32), and ISO (.225 to .181), though Grandal also struggled with men in scoring position, hitting just .238/.366/.381 while Ramos slashed a borderline unfair .402/.464/.598. It’s understandable given these figures why the Angels have opted for a more offensive-minded route.
Pirates Seeking Improvement at Short
One other development to look out for following the meetings is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ continued monitoring of the shortstop market. According to Adam Berry of MLB.com, the Bucs’ front office has already been in touch with the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding the availability of shortstop Nick Ahmed, while also keeping tabs on free agents in Freddy Galvis, Adeiny Hechavarria, and José Iglesias.
Having recently lost six-time regular Jordy Mercer to a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, the Pirates will need a capable defender to fill the hole left behind, otherwise likely to defer to an in-house tandem featuring Kevin Newman and Erik Gonzalez, who combine for a 0.0 bWAR as they stand. At 28 years old and under team control through the next two years, Ahmed is coming off the best season between the four above options – at least in terms of homers (16), OPS (.700), and defensive runs saved (17).
Iglesias and Galvis, however, have impressed in their own respective rights. The 28-year old Iglesias had an 8.2 UZR last year, while swiping 15 bags and leading the quartet with a .40 BB/K ratio. Galvis, meanwhile, hit .275/.314/.462 in the second half, hitting nine homers while driving in 34 en route to his second consecutive 162-game season.
