MLB’s un-cuffing season is a head-scratcher for some, a no-brainer for others
As summer days drift away, temperatures plunge and romantic loneliness emerges faster than the winter sunset, singles no longer able to mingle begin striving for a long term partnership, or at least one to last them between solstices.
On Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline, however, front offices around the league decided whether or not they’ll maintain a committed relationship with their homegrown regulars or initiate a conscientious uncoupling in search of what usually amounts to a younger, worse, but ultimately cheaper replacement. With the pandemic being used as a purse-tightening pretext, all but the bonafide stars — and even some of those — were at risk of getting cut.
Fifty-nine major leaguers got hit with the swipe right once the deadline passed. (Don’t worry, guys — it’s not you, it’s them.)
Welcome to Uncuffing Season: the sixth volume of the column formerly known as Good Stuff.
TENDING TO THE NON-TENDERS
ADAM DUVALL
Just last week, I was very high on the Atlanta Braves’ chances of becoming title favorites after signing Charlie Morton, but it was contingent on one thing: keep the band together. So naturally, they cut Adam Duvall, an underrated regular that had come into his own over two seasons. He’s a competent defensive left fielder that improved at the plate .248/.307/.545 since 2019, with 26 home runs in just 98 games.
Duvall, 32, is the kind of depth piece that might be a third or fourth outfielder on an elite team — who tends to be much stronger against lefties — but offers at worst, high-level insurance for a contender. He’s the kind you keep around when you’re trying to win a World Series, especially with a projected arbitration salary of $7 million, perfectly fine for a starter-ish outfielder.
Maybe they’re prioritizing retaining Marcell Ozuna, who just missed an NL Triple Crown, as a potential left fielder and think they can’t find that kind of play elsewhere.
Duvall wasn’t alone. A number of starting-caliber outfielders were cut, including the Twins’ Eddie Rosario and the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber. The most egregious blood-letting, however, happened in Colorado when the Rockies tossed David Dahl aside. Dahl was bad in 2020 — like a .183 batting average, no-homers-despite-playing-in-Coors bad. But, 99 terrible plate appearances during the weirdest season of all time shouldn’t distract from his strong 2017-2019, a .297/.346/.521 line and offensive production FanGraphs measured to be 11% above average even when accounting for the thin mountain air.
His lefty bat, ability to play center in a pinch and high contact approach will make just about any team better.
KYLE SCHWARBER
Despite the Yankees likely need for a left-handed bat, Schwarber (38 home runs in 2019; all-encompassing void of nothing in 2020) is not the Yankees fit you might want to think for four reasons:
The Yankees have a much better DH in Giancarlo Stanton. If Stanton is healthy (yeah, yeah) there is no reason for Schwarber to start over him.","type":"text
Schwarber offers nothing against lefties — .197 career average, with a .301 OBP. With no defensive value over at least three players currently on the roster and Brett Gardner, that’s unplayable.","type":"text
Last season aside, Schwarber’s good enough to want a real, everyday job so he can test free agency in a better position for long term money. He’s so thoroughly blocked on the current depth chart.","type":"text
This doesn’t mean there’s not a case for a talented former first-rounder that mashes righties, even if he doesn’t do much else, assuming he doesn’t sign a new deal, a topic worth broaching soon. For now, plan on Schwarber playing 2021 with another contender that can promise him the first chance at a run-producing lineup spot.
This doesn’t mean there’s not a case for a talented former first-rounder that mashes righties, even if he doesn’t do much else, assuming he doesn’t sign a new deal, a topic worth broaching soon. For now, plan on Schwarber playing 2021 with another contender that can promise him the first chance at a run-producing lineup spot.
ARE THE RAYS PUNTING IN 2021?
The Tampa Bay Rays would sell the pennant hanging from their rafter on Craigslist if it came back with two relief prospects and a platoon bat. (Pre-arb, of course.) They would probably trade Sean Gilmartin for a face mask, but he might retire in protest.
Despite only being two wins away from a championship, the Rays are moving in the wrong direction.
The team declined Charlie Morton’s one-year, $15 million option. Less than a month later, they watched him sign with the Braves for the exact same amount (a good sign they probably could have traded him were they not so terrified of the horrible downside of paying a good player).
Then, Blake Snell, a 28-year-old former Cy Young winner on a well-below contract, was also rumored to be on the trade block. Guess they still have a quick hook.
And Randy Arozarena, by far the best player in baseball from the day he came back from COVID-19, was arrested in a domestic dispute after allegedly forcibly taking his young daughter from his ex-wife. She did not press charges, but a camera caught at least a portion of the conflict. MLB was reportedly looking into the situation, which could mean a lengthy suspension under the league and union’s joint domestic violence policy if they find sufficient evidence he was in the wrong.
We don’t have any evidence or reason to believe the Arozarena situation is his team’s fault, but that’s three of their best six or seven players either on their way out, out of pocket, or already gone. Ji-Man Choi may be plenty flexible after all that pilates, but the rest of that team is stretched thin.
The irony is that if the Rays were run like a normal team instead of a hedge fund’s wet dream, all those non-tenders offer exactly what they need. Multiple above-average bats to a team that shouldn’t have to rely on Brandon Lowe, Austin Meadows and thirty-six platoon guys balling out if or when Arozarena is gone. Mike Brosseau can’t hit against Aroldis Chapman every game, can he?
But, when the goal is cost-controlled contention instead of championships, what can you expect besides a sudden step back?
EXPLAIN THE STEVE COHEN-ERA ISSUES WITH RECRUITING A NEW GM
Cohen wants to win a little too much for the Dockers and Sperry’s set of analytically forward, competitively backward class of GM hopefuls, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.
“Winning a World Series isn’t a reasonable goal for a baseball team,” said Martino, describing the pinnacle of success as a “nice thing to happen.”
I strongly disagree with the Manfredian logic undergirding Martino’s endorsement of sustainability as the true measure of success — instead of just, you know, success — but there’s no need to tee off. Besides, I can’t swing any harder than Reggie Jackson and Mike Piazza did on Twitter.
Martino is probably right in his description of modern front offices and owners. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be questioning why Duvall and Schwarber are unemployed, instead of helping their contending teams win that shiny piece of metal.
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