Roto Riteup: March 26, 2018

Sometimes it takes a bit before you get your groove back:

Ian Kinsler knows he got away with one. pic.twitter.com/L5bDuf4Pe5

— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2018

On the Agenda:

1. Kingery Me

2. Closer Chaos

3. Various News and Notes

 

Kingery Me

Scott Kingery of the Phillies signed a six-year deal that includes three team options for 2024-2026 according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. For those interested in the numbers, here is the team friendly breakdown of the potential nine-year deal:

Here’s the breakdown of the Scott Kingery contract:

$1.5 signing bonus
2018: $750k
2019: $1.25 mil
2020: $1.5 mil
2021: $4.0 mil
2022: $6.0 mil
2023: $8.0 mil
2024-26 options are $13, $14, $15 with $1 mil buyout.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 25, 2018

With signing this deal, Kingery will make the Opening Day roster for the Phillies and will likely push for playing time all over the field. Maikel Franco is likely to have the greatest loss of playing time out of the incumbents. Kingery can hit for 10-20 home runs in his first year, but also steal some bags.

Kingery BP pic.twitter.com/wgbZJ9D5Ql

— Jeff Israel (@JPhils90) March 17, 2018

While the projection systems are light on his projection, I have him down for a 14/17 season with a .260 average in my own projections. Pretty sweet for a guy that was going pretty late as of yesterday morning.

 

Closer Chaos

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Dominic Leone and Tyler Lyons are the frontrunners to handle Luke Gregerson’s closing duties while he begins the year on the DL. Both have excellent stuff, but Leone is right-handed and has looked dominant this Spring. The Cardinals may end up playing matchups to start the year, but don’t be surprised if Leone grabs the job and runs with it and Wally Pipp’s Gregerson.

 

Various News and Notes

Gregory Bird is set to see a foot specialist on Monday after dealing with some inflammation over the weekend. Bird, who has only played in a career 94 MLB games over the last three seasons dues to injury, has hit a paltry .154/.267/.2

31 with one home run in the Grapefruit League. While he appears that he may be ok, Bird has no track record of health and the Yankee tax has been in full effect all preseason. If you have a last minute draft, it may be best to stay away. Mike Ford could be an interesting option for AL Only players as the Rule 5 pick of the Marieners was returned to the Yankees after not being able to make Seattle’s Opening Day roster.

The Rangers have cut Bartolo Colon…

<blockquoteclass=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”>

gone but not forgotten. thank you for everything. bartolocolon rides off into the sunset… pic.twitter.com/hFZ8XpmpWM

— Deer Chair (@deer_chair) March 24, 2018

Adam Wainwright was scratched from his start on Sunday with a hamstring injury. General manager John Mozeliak stated that while the injury isn’t serious, he hopes he will only miss one or two starts. Jack Flaherty will get the fifth starters role to begin the season. Flaherty is a top prospect for the Cardinals, but struggled in his September call up last year with the big league club. While his ERA wasn’t impressive in Spring, he had 20 strikeouts to 5 walks and the stuff was impressive with a plus slider and good curve. Wainwright is unlikely to get Wally Pipped, but Flaherty should could force the Cardinals into keeping him up if he is impressive early on in the season.

Seth Lugo has made the Opening Day rotation for the Mets as the fifth starter. Jason Vargas breaking his hand opened up a spot for Lugo in the rotation. Lugo is a Statcast darling due to a super high spin rate on his curve, but was blocked off the rotation after the Mets signed Vargas. If he can pitch well in the early going, there is a chance he can earn a long-term role, but even if he doesn’t, he should be a big part of the Mets rotation due to the injury risk that they present.

Michael Brantley will start the season on the DL. Shocking…

Yasmany Tomas was optioned to AAA by the Diamondbacks. According to Cots Contracts, Tomaas is owed $46 million over the next three seasons. The demotion is a bit surprising considering newly acquired outfielder Steven Souza is expected to be out until mid-May with a pectoral injury. Tomas was reportedly told he needs to work on his defense in AAA.

Tim Anderson was scratched on Sunday due to a minor shoulder issue. Manager Rick Renteria stated that it was not a serious concern, but this should be monitored by fantasy owners. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Evan Gattis was removed from his game Sunday after being hit on the elbow. X-rays were negative according to Brian McTaggart. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Dinelson Lamet left his start Sunday with elbow pain. According to Kevin Acee, there was no structural damage found, but Lamet will likely miss the first month of the season with the injury. Lamet had been impressive in Spring Training and was set to open as the Padres #2 starter. He is a two-pitch pitcher that will likely end up in the bullpen at some point unless he can find a third reliable pitch, but the Padres have no reason to transition him out of the rotation unless health dictates it. Reserve him on your DL.