The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
The General Manager Meetings officially begin Tuesday, but the Dodgers decided not to wait until then to add some rotation depth.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report that the Dodgers and left-hander Andrew Heaney are in agreement on a one-year contract with more than $8 million. Multiple outlets later reported that the exact number was $8.5 million.
It’s a raise for Heaney, who made $6.75 million in 2021. That might seem strange given that he put up a 5.83 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 129 2/3 innings for the Angels and Yankees. However, competition for the southpaw’s services was apparently fierce, with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com saying more than a dozen clubs showed interest.
The appeal with Heaney is that he misses plenty of bats and has good control. In the aforementioned 129 2/3 frames in 2021, he held a 150/41 K/BB ratio. For his career, he has a 24.2 percent strikeout rate and 6.7 percent walk rate.
The downside with Heaney is that he’s an extreme flyball pitcher who gives up a good amount of hard contact and a ton of home runs. He served up 29 dingers last season, including a whopping 13 over just 35 2/3 innings while donning the pinstripes. Heaney has also dealt with plenty of injury problems in his career, although he has stayed off the injured list the last two seasons.
The Dodgers are obviously optimistic that they can get the most out of Heaney. He has a high-spin fastball and a curveball that rates well and should probably be thrown more often. Heaney is going to a smart organization and will have a good offense backing him, but while Dodger Stadium is generally viewed as pretty pitcher-friendly, it’s been kind to home run hitters in recent years.
Walker Buehler and Julio Urias are penciled into the Dodgers’ rotation, and Tony Gonsolin would seem likely to stake claim to a spot. David Price is also still around, and there are a handful of young pitchers in the organization seemingly on the cusp of rotation spots. Still, Heaney seems likely to open the year in the rotation given the salary the Dodgers committed to him even if the team does wind up re-signing Max Scherzer and/or Clayton Kershaw.
Editor’s Note: Play for FREE! Download the NBC Sports Predictor app, make picks and win huge, weekly jackpots. Get started here!
Olson, Castillo on the Trade Block?
Baseball is facing an uncertain winter with CBA negotiations looming, but some teams have already tipped their hand with their intentions for 2022.
Two of those clubs are the Athletics and the Reds, teams which finished on the outside looking in for the postseason in 2021 and now are likely looking to reset their rosters. That means some of their better and higher-salaried guys could be on the move.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Monday that Luis Castillo is drawing trade interest from teams and the Reds “are willing to engage in talks” on the right-hander. This comes after GM Nick Krall indicated last week that the club is likely to shed payroll. Jon Heyman of MLB Network says that Cincy is “signaling a willingness to discuss in trade anyone making significant dollars.” They’ve already traded Tucker Barnhart and let Wade Miley go on waivers.
As for Castillo, he was dreadful in the first two months of this season with a 7.22 ERA. However, he more or less looked like his old self from that point on, putting up a 2.73 ERA and 144/52 K/BB ratio over 135 1/3 innings covering his final 22 starts. It’s the guy we saw in the final four months that the Reds are surely expecting teams to pay for, especially since he’s under team control through 2023.
Another guy who might be on the trade block is Matt Olson, who “is one of several players” on the Athletics “who will likely be on the move,” per Andy Martino of SNY.tv.
The A’s signaled that they could be planning a rebuild when they let former manager Bob Melvin leave for the Padres’ job, essentially as a way to clear his salary off the books. Martino says that “multiple league executives in touch with the A’s say that another reset is coming from the franchise.”
Olson took his game to another level in 2021, posting a .271/.371/.540 batting line with 39 homers, 111 RBI and 101 runs scored. He cut down on his strikeout rate dramatically, going from 31.4 percent in 2020 all the way down to 16.8 percent in 2021. Olson is also a two-time Gold Glove winner at first base and just missed out on another one this year.
Like Castillo, Olson has two more years of arbitration eligibility, and he’s going to require a haul. Martino has mentioned the Yankees as an obvious fit, but there are many teams that will surely inquire.
Quick Hits: Alex Bregman underwent surgery on his right wrist Monday. He is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training … 15-20 teams were present at Justin Verlander’s showcase on Monday and the righty was clocked at 94-97 mph with his fastball, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post … Michael Conforto, Nick Castellanos, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are the first four players that have reportedly rejected their $18.4 million qualifying offers, which means they’re now on the free agent market … Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported that the Mariners are expected to be “big spenders” this offseason, and Heyman’s colleague, Jon Morosi, says that Semien is one of the names they’re considering … Heyman hears that the interest in free agent Chris Taylor has been “immense” … The Cardinals re-signed T.J. McFarland to a one-year, $2.5 million contract … Chris Rodríguez will miss most of the 2022 season after having right capsule surgery on his shoulder in late October.
