Mike Minor’s recovery from shoulder surgery is taking longer than expected, which puts the Braves in a more difficult situation as they determine whether to offer him a contract.
Teams face a Dec. 2 deadline to offer contracts to unsigned players on 40-man rosters. Those players not offered contracts become non-tendered free agents.
Minor missed the entire 2015 season with a torn labrum and had arthroscopic surgery in May. The left-hander, a former first-round draft pick who was the Braves’ best starter two years ago in 2013, is well into his throwing program, but had a recent setback and still isn’t ready to throw off a mound.
There’s no certainty that he will throw off a mound before Dec. 2.
“We think it could happen prior to the tender date,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “We want to see something, whether it’s off the mound or … we need to see something. We can’t just blindly tender him a contract and put the team at risk. Because every single dollar counts for us.”
Minor, 27, is eligible for arbitration for the third time, after winning his arbitration case against the Braves in February and being awarded a $5.6 million salary.
If the Braves go to arbitration again with him, they can offer no less than 80 percent of his 2015 salary, or $4.48 million. A three-person arbitration panel might reward Minor with the higher of two salary options if he asked for something along the lines of what he made last season.
The only other way the Braves could sign him for less is if Minor agrees to a lesser deal before going to arbitration.
“It’s a big question that we face,” Coppolella said. “I mean, he felt happy last (spring training) and he got hurt. Feels healthy now. It’s tough to count on the health right now. So we’ll have to face a choice about whether or not we tender him a contract.”
If the Braves don’t re-sign Minor, it could increase their need to acquire another proven starter this winter. They return veterans Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran at the top of their rotation, and a cast of rookies and second-year pitchers competing for the remaining spots, including Matt Wisler, Williams Perez, Manny Banuelos (coming back from elbow surgery for a bone spur), and Mike Foltynewicz (recovering from surgery to remove part of a rib).
Tyrell Jenkins, the Braves’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2015, and prospect Lucas Sims could also be rotation options at some point in 2016, but Braves officials don’t think either will be ready for that in spring training.
Minor was 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings during his career-best 2013 season, then slipped to 6-12 with a 4.77 ERA in 2014, when his shoulder problems flared at times throughout the season.
He reported to 2015 spring training in good shape and threw well in the first weeks of camp, but the shoulder started aching again when he ramped up his activities prior to the opening of the Grapefruit League schedule.
“You never know, but I think Manny was a minor bone spur, nothing major,” Coppolella said. “Our guys feel very good about him (being ready for 2016 spring training), and they feel very good about Folty. I think the guy who’s a question is Mike. You just don’t know. He didn’t pitch all last year. We like to think they repaired a small labrum tear in there, he should be able to come back. But this is not going to work out on a perfect time frame for us to make a call.”
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said, “That’s a decision we’ll make when we get closer (to Dec. 2). We’ll get as much information as we can till we get right to the wire. We love the guy, we just don’t know (about his health).”
Minor, who’ll be 28 next month, has a 38-36 record and 4.18 ERA in 111 games (110 starts) over five seasons with the Braves, who selected him seventh overall in the 2009 draft out of Vanderbilt.
