Designated litter? Time for DHs to clean up

By Andrew Simon
MLB.com

Since the American League implemented the designated hitter in 1973, the role has been a consistent source of both controversy and offensive firepower.

Whatever one thinks of designated hitters, they hit. It's right there in the name. And indeed, AL DHs posted a collective .769 OPS in 2015 and .780 in '16, to rank second and first, respectively, among all positions in those seasons.

In that context, what happened in 2017 is jarring. AL DHs produced a mere .735 OPS, putting them just behind shortstops (.736) and ahead of only catchers (.716) for eighth among AL positions (excluding pitcher).

Meanwhile, as a whole, AL hitters generated an OPS of .753, putting DHs 18 points below that mark, the largest negative difference in history. In fact, only once before since the position was created have AL DHs underperformed the league average OPS. In contrast, AL DHs outperformed the league average by 39 points in 2015 and 36 points in '16.

Lowest AL DH OPS, relative to overall AL OPS
1. -18 points -- 2017 (.735 vs. 753 overall)
2. -12 points -- 1985 (.721 vs. .733 overall)
3. +1 point -- 2013 (.726 vs. .725 overall)
4. +4 points -- 1989 (.713 vs. .709 overall)
4. +4 points -- 1974 (.698 vs. .694 overall)

Among the 15 AL clubs, only the Nelson Cruz-led Mariners and Edwin Encarnacion-led Indians posted an OPS of .760 or better from the DH spot. Six teams, including the World Series champion Astros, came in below the .700 plateau.

So why didn't designated hitters, you know, hit? Here is a look at three causes for this drastic dropoff:

The Big Papi Factor

When a legendary hitter still in peak form hangs up his lumber, his absence is going to create a void.

David Ortiz spent the vast majority of his career at DH, where he posted a .942 OPS. Even at age 40 in 2016, his 1.033 OPS as a DH ranked fourth all-time for a single season (minimum 600 plate appearances), and second for Ortiz personally behind his 1.080 mark in '07.

With Ortiz gone, the Red Sox turned over the DH reins mostly to Hanley Ramirez, who had a solid but un-Papi-like .771 OPS in 474 plate appearances in that role. Another 118 plate appearances went to Chris Young and Dustin Pedroia, who combined for a .547 mark. This dropoff might help explain Boston's reported interest in free-agent slugger J.D. Martinez.

Veteran blues

This past season was just the fourth in which there were as many as four players who posted a sub-.700 OPS as a DH in at least 300 plate appearances. In contrast, there was just one such player in each of the previous four years to do so.

• In his 20th and final big league season, 40-year-old Carlos Beltran produced a .670 OPS in 448 DH plate appearances for the Astros.

• Battling health issues in his age-38 season, Victor Martinez notched a .694 OPS in 432 plate appearances as the Tigers' DH.

• The Angels' Albert Pujols put up by far the weakest rate stats of his Hall of Fame career, including a .678 OPS in 611 DH plate appearances in his age-37 season.

• Coming off a stellar offensive campaign in 2016, 31-year-old Mark Trumbo returned to the Orioles only to generate a .635 OPS in his 467 plate appearances as a DH.

Combined, these four highly accomplished hitters lost an average of 131 points off the OPS they produced in the DH role in 2016.

Role reversal

Both Lucas Duda and Miguel Sano swung the bat effectively in 2017 -- but only when they played the field.

In 92 games as a first baseman, Duda slashed .242/.342/.572 (.914 OPS), including .225/.326/.675 (1.001 OPS) after the Mets traded him to the Rays in late July. But in 24 games as a DH -- all with Tampa Bay -- the left-handed slugger managed a .136/.240/.250 line (.490 OPS).

Sano raked as a DH as a rookie in 2015 (.908 OPS) but has struggled in that role since. This past season, he generated just a .182/.294/.261 line in 25 games as the Twins' DH while slashing a robust .287/.369/.575 (.944 OPS) at the corner infield spots.

Baseball-Reference's tOPS+ stat compares a player's OPS for a particular split to his overall OPS, with a tOPS+ of less than 100 indicating that the player performed worse in that split. As DHs in 2017, Duda and Sano had respective tOPS+ of 25 and 35 -- two of the four lowest in history for a player with at least 100 DH plate appearances in a season. Houston's Evan Gattis (55) also ranked 21st on that list.

These are small samples, so that doesn't mean either player can't perform at DH. However, the drastic 2017 splits of Duda, Sano, Gattis and some others certainly contributed to the plunge in overall DH performance.

Conclusions

While AL DHs saw their OPS plummet 45 points from 2016 to '17, that drop can be explained almost entirely by the combination of that quartet of Beltran, Trumbo, Martinez and Pujojs struggling and Ortiz's retirement.

Take the 2017 OPS of .735, and replace Beltran, Martinez, Pujols and Trumbo's DH splits with their splits from '16. Then replace Ramirez's '17 splits with Ortiz's from the year before. The result is a line nearly identical to what AL DHs produced in '16.

2016 AL DHs: .328 OBP, .452 SLG, .780 OPS
2017 adjusted: .329 OBP, .448 SLG, .777 OPS

There's no sign that Big Papi is coming back, but there still is reason to think that the DH decline of 2017 will turn out to be a blip. It's not just that established hitters could bounce back, or simply produce more favorable splits. Here are four other potential avenues for improvement:

• As mentioned, the best hitter on the free-agent market, J.D. Martinez, remains available. While he has mostly played the outfield throughout his career, his poor defensive numbers could make him a DH in 2018, depending on his destination.

• Shohei Ohtani was a two-way sensation with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, but it remains to be seen how his eye-popping offensive numbers will translate -- if the Angels even give him an extended opportunity at the plate. Still, an Ohtani/Pujols DH combo is an intriguing thought.

• Khris Davis has developed into one of the game's top sluggers in Oakland. His .886 OPS as a DH from 2016-17 trailed only Ortiz and Cruz (minimum 300 plate appearances), and his time in that role could increase dramatically after the A's traded Ryon Healy to Seattle earlier this offseason.

• Giancarlo Stanton only got to DH in the occasional Interleague game with the Marlins but had no trouble doing it, batting .333/.390/.630 with four home runs in 59 plate appearances. Now, with Stanton joining a crowded New York outfield, either he or Aaron Judge could fill that spot in the lineup in most of the club's games.

Andrew Simon is a research analyst for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.

Indians sign Cody Allen to one-year deal

On Wednesday night, the Indians agreed to terms with closer Cody Allen on a one-year contract for the 2018 campaign, avoiding arbitration with the closer in his final year of eligibility.

The pact is worth $10.575 million, according to the Associated Press. Next offseason, both Allen and relief ace Andrew Miller -- the primary weapons within the Tribe's bullpen -- will be eligible for free agency. Allen, who earned $7.35 million last season, had 30 saves to go along with a 2.94 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings (69 appearances) for the American League Central-champion Indians in '17.

The right-hander has logged a minimum of 67 games and 67 1/3 innings in each of the past five years for Cleveland, which selected him in the 23rd round of the 2011 Draft.

Mets sign Jay Bruce to 3-year, $39 million contract

Three-time All-Star outfielder Jay Bruce is returning to the Mets on a three-year, $39 million deal, according to MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Bruce continued to swing a powerful bat in 2017, recording an impressive 40.3 percent hard-hit rate with an average fly-ball distance of 332 feet, per Statcast. As a result, the veteran finished with the highest homer total (36) and the second-best RBI mark (101) of his 10-year career.

While the Mets and Citi Field do not present an ideal landing spot for the slugger, he should produce at least 30 homers and 95 RBIs while working with Yoenis Cespedes to form a potent pair in the heart of the lineup.

Nationals reportedly considering Lynn

The Nationals are already above the $197 million luxury-tax threshold but are looking into options to shore up their rotation. According to a report from MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal, the team is eyeing free-agent right-hander Lance Lynn.

Washington is currently slated to have A.J. Cole as its fifth starter with Joe Ross a possibility to start late in the season as he recovers from July 2017 Tommy John surgery. The Nationals could also stand to add starting-pitching depth, as Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark are set to hit free agency after the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively.

The luxury tax could become a problem for the Nationals, as they already project for a $201.4 million payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. They paid a $1.43 million penalty for surpassing the threshold last season, and their penalty rate will increase from 20 to 30 percent this season. That penalty will further increase should their payroll exceed $217 million.

Earlier in the offseason, the Nationals were connected to top free-agent starters Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish, but Lynn would prove to be a cheaper option.

Lynn, 30, had an excellent 2017 season with the Cardinals after missing the previous year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 186 1/3 innings. He held an ERA under 4.00 in each of his six seasons.

If Lynn joined the Nationals, he would be reunited with pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, who had been the Cardinals' pitching coach throughout Lynn's tenure in St. Louis. Lynn has also been connected to the Rangers, Brewers and Orioles, among other teams.

Orioles said to meet with Cashner

The Orioles are looking to add upwards of three starters this offseason and have recently met with free-agent right-hander Andrew Cashner, according to a report from MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Cashner, 31, had a nice bounce-back season with the Rangers, going 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA over 166 2/3 innings. However, he had a career-worst 4.64 K/9 and benefited from a .266 BABIP, which was the second-lowest mark among qualified American League starters.

Cashner will likely command a multiyear contract after settling for a one-year, $10 million contract last offseason to re-establish his value.

Baltimore is returning only Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy to its rotation after the departures of Chris Tillman, Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez. Their internal options include Gabriel Ynoa, Alec Asher and Miguel Castro, but the team would like to make additions from outside the organization.

D-backs in pursuit of Machado

The D-backs have been the "most persistent" of the several clubs looking to trade for Orioles star third baseman Manny Machado, but the sides are not close to a deal, sources told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Arizona has been one of the many teams in pursuit of Machado since Baltimore began fielding offers for the 25-year-old infielder. While the Yankees and Red Sox have been two of the other clubs reportedly interested, Rosenthal notes it would likely be difficult for executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette "to sell owner Peter Angelos" on a deal to an American League East rival.

Rival executives see Machado opening the season in Baltimore, according to Rosenthal. The Orioles seem to be only willing to deal their former first-round Draft pick for a big return that would likely have to include multiple young starting pitchers.

Rosenthal discusses Machado06:3011:18 AM ET

Machado can be a free agent following the 2018 season. As Rosenthal noted, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and relievers Brad Brach and Zach Britton are also eligible to hit the open market at the same time. Additionally, the contracts of Duquette and manager Buck Showalter are due to expire at the end of this season, meaning it could be Baltimore's final year with its current core group.

Machado is a .279/.329/.476 hitter with 138 home runs and 406 RBIs in 764 games over six Major League seasons, while also being regarded annually as one of the best defensive third basemen in the game.

A two-time Gold Glove Award winner, Machado has requested a move to shortstop, his natural position. It's a move that could increase his value even more as he looks to land a large contract next offseason.

Castro requests trade from Marlins

Starlin Castro, acquired in the December deal that sent slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees, has requested a trade from Miami, sources told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Castro "does not want to be a part of another rebuilding process" as he was when he was with the Cubs from 2010-15.

The Marlins are in the midst of a full rebuild, and it's been expected that Miami would try to flip Castro to another team. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reported last week that the Marlins might ultimately keep the 27-year-old infielder.

Castro is to make nearly $11 million in 2018 and almost $12 million in 2019. His contract comes with a $16 million club option for 2020.

Castro, a four-time All-Star, batted .283/.317/.442 with 37 home runs and 133 RBIs in 263 games over two seasons with the Yankees after hitting .281/.321/.404 with 62 homers and 363 RBIs across six seasons with the Cubs.