METS SIGN INF JONATHAN VILLAR
FLUSHING, N.Y., February 11, 2021 – The New York Mets announced today that the team has signed infielder Jonathan Villar to a one-year contract. In a corresponding move, RHP Brad Brach has been designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Villar, 29, ranks fourth in the majors with 218 stolen bases since 2013. He led the major leagues with a career-high 62 steals in 2016 with Milwaukee and has accumulated 35-or-more stolen bases in a season three times (2016, 2018 and 2019). Villar and Dee Strange-Gordon are the only active players who have stolen at least 60 bases in one season. From 2016-2019, Villar produced four consecutive seasons of 10-or-more home runs and at least 20 stolen bases. He and Trea Turner were the only two players to do so over that stretch.
The 6-foot, 233-pound infielder appeared in all 162 of Baltimore’s games in 2019 and set career-best marks with 111 runs scored, 176 hits, five triples, 24 home runs and 73 RBI. He spent the first half of the 2020 season with Miami before being traded to Toronto at the trade deadline. In 52 total games, he slashed .232/.301/.292 with five doubles, two homers, 15 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
The La Vega, Dominican Republic native is one of just two active players, along with his fellow countryman Starlin Castro, who has started at least 300 games at both shortstop and second base since his rookie season in 2013. He has also seen action at third base (54 games), center field (10 games) and left field (five games).
The switch-hitting Villar was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 before being dealt to Houston in a swap for RHP Roy Oswalt in 2010. He debuted with the Astros in 2013 and has played eight major league seasons with Houston (2013-2015), Milwaukee (2016-2018), Baltimore (2018-2019), Miami (2020) and Toronto (2020).
8 comments:
The old Mets would not have eaten the Brach contract. We're paying him, we're using him.
If he is not capable, he needs to go. That's how you win.
Brach was good in 2019. Very bad in 2020. Lost the plate. Was also very, very good from 2013-2018.
More of a mismanaged 40-man problem than an impressive move by the Mets, IMO.
He might have helped and there would still be plenty of time to dump him if no results in Spring Training.
But he's got the Brodie Stigma.
Jimmy
Jimmy - great points - but for Brach, he was bad at age 34. Turning 35 in April does not spell "promising" to me. It was a Brodie deal with Wilpon purse strings.
On Brach, we're already paying him $2 million, regardless. He's not in anyone's way. Spring Training starts soon.
This isn't like keeping a useless guy around -- and playing him -- because he's under contract. Just saying better to have him competing for a shot to make the team in Spring Training than dumping him outright.
My hope is that Sandy had a conversation with him and he'll stick with team, assuming he passes through the process and no other team grabs him.
Jimmy
Jimmy, they’ll keep Brach or trade him, so he won’t cost a full $2 million. Sanchez to Cards for some amount of cash.
This actually is pretty interesting and I need an explanation . .anybody know:
(1) If they are able to work out a trade, they the obtaining team will be responsible for the entire salary at his current contract, correct? (I understand the Mets could throw some money in to cover some of it, but .. )
(2) If a trade cannot be worked out, because he has enough MLB service, he would have the option of opting out and becoming a free agent immediately. Would that absolve the team of the $2M commitment? OR
(2a) If he becomes a F/A, and does not sign, can he just sit back and collect
his $2M spending time with his family OR
(2b) If he signs with another club, do the Mets have to pay the difference between his new (let's assume $1M) and his old, or the other million?
(3) If a trade cannot be worked out and if he does not opt out, the Mets then have two options - one is to release him fully, the other is to outright him to Syracuse. What are the contract obligations in either case?
Designated for Assignment, per Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designated_for_assignment
Thanks Tom . . I had read the glossary version on MLB.com, but this has all the other details.
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