Quick Hits: Peralta, Closers, Saltalamacchia, Twins
Jhonny Peralta's new $53MM deal with the Cardinals could lead to changes to MLB's Joint Drug Agreement, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. Peralta already served a 50-game suspension for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, but he's now getting a large contract just months later, one that dwarfs other recent contracts for players like Marlon Byrd and Melky Cabrera who also received PED suspensions. "We thought 50 games would be a deterrent. Obviously it’s not. So we are working on it again," Diamondbacks player representative Brad Ziegler tweeted today. Rosenthal writes that players are likely to raise the topic of harsher PED penalties at a players union meeting in December. Any changes would then have to be negotiated with MLB's owners. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- The market for free agent closers is currently in a holding pattern, with interested teams all eyeing the same group of players (presumably including Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Fernando Rodney, Edward Mujica and Brian Wilson) and waiting for each other to make the first move, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets.
- One dynamic affecting the market for closers might be that teams aren't as willing to pay for saves as they once were, as Paul Swydan of Fangraphs points out. Big-money contracts for closers appear to be decreasing, and Swydan suggests that a number of recent multiyear deals for closer types (Jonathan Papelbon, Rafael Soriano, Brandon League) don't appear to be going well (perhaps particularly when considering underlying indicators like peripherals and velocity).
- The Twins are one of a number of teams "in play" for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. The Red Sox and Rangers might also be among that group of teams. After moving Joe Mauer to first base, the Twins are on the lookout for a catcher. They may also be interested in A.J. Pierzynski, Berardino writes.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the past seven days:
- The week was highlighted by the Prince Fielder–Ian Kinsler blockbuster. MLBTR's coverage began with Rangers GM Jon Daniels telling Zach Links the deal came together in a matter of hours. Zach also spoke with Tigers President/CEO/GM Dave Dombrowksi, who said the trade makes a Max Scherzer extension "more possible going forward."
- Tim Dierkes opined the Tigers and Rangers will each reap benefits from the swap while Jeff Todd addressed its impact on both the trade and free agent markets.
- Tim sees the Yankees' agreement with Brian McCann (#4 on MLBTR's 2014 Top 50 Free Agents list) as a major upgrade and a sign the team isn't putting their offseason plan on hold while they negotiate with Robinson Cano.
- Tim suggests few saw Jhonny Peralta's (#21) four-year, $53MM contract coming and Stephen Drew (#14) should do better even though he's down a suitor and tied to draft pick compensation.
- Tim believes the Phillies paid an acceptable premium to retain catcher Carlos Ruiz (#29) while the Padres obtained a low-risk, high-reward hurler in Josh Johnson (#30).
- Steve Adams argues the Giants' gamble on Tim Hudson (#31) is worthwhile considering the right-hander's market value compared to the other inconsistent options available.
- Steve isn't as bullish about the Royals' signing of Jason Vargas (#35) because there's little room for upside and four years is an overpay in length of contract.
- Steve profiled MLBTR's top-ranked free agent, Robinson Cano.
- Free agent second baseman Omar Infante (#19) is a good fit for the Yankees, according to Tim.
- Tim was the first to report the incentives in Josh Johnson's contract ($1.25MM for making 26 starts), the Pirates were the runners-up for his services, and the other finalists were all NL teams.
- MLBTR was the first to learn Roy Oswalt plans on pitching in 2014, intends to sign this offseason so as to fully participate in Spring Training, and is open to a late-inning relief role.
- Tim broke the news of the Dodgers signing infielder Brendan Harris to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
- Tim heard multiple teams are interested in right-handed reliever Matt Albers with a two-year deal a possibility and learned catcher Henry Blanco wants to play one more season.
- Rex Gary, the agent for Shaun Marcum, told MLBTR the right-hander's recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome is progressing well and will participate in his normal offseason throwing program.
- Mike Moye, the agent for Gavin Floyd, updated MLBTR on the right-hander's rehab from elbow surgery.
- Ibrahim Rojas of CMHS Radio Caibarién told MLBTR a trio of Cuban players (19-year-old pitcher Javier Gonzalez, 22-year-old pitcher Jorge Hernandez, and 25-year-old outfielder Dayron Varona) have left their island homeland.
- MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz detailed the arbitration case of Orioles closer Jim Johnson.
- Steve hosted this week's live chat.
- Zach assembled the best of the baseball blogosphere for you in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
West Notes: Angels, Rockies, Johnson
After the signing of reliever Joe Smith and their recent trade for David Freese and Fernando Salas, the Angels will only have about $8MM more they can spend before hitting the luxury tax threshold, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports. The Angels will likely continue to look for starting pitching, and they could trade Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar or Mark Trumbo in order to acquire pitching and clear salary. Here are more notes from the West divisions.
- The Angels are interested in signing Bronson Arroyo and/or Bartolo Colon, but a deal is not close with either player, ESPN's Jim Bowden tweets.
- With Brian McCann (Yankees) and Carlos Ruiz (Phillies) now off the market, the Rockies are likely through looking for a catcher, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post guesses (via Twitter). Those two, along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, were the big names on the free agent market, and with McCann and Ruiz gone, Renck suggests that the Rockies will try to upgrade at other positions instead.
- With Josh Johnson in the fold, the Padres have the makings of a good rotation in place, and Matt Calkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune argues that should empower them to be bold for the rest of the offseason. With Johnson, Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy and Tyson Ross at the big-league level, and Max Fried, Matt Wisler and Burch Smith behind them, the Padres can use their pitching depth to acquire a power hitter, Calkins argues. Of course, Padres starters had the worst WAR of any team last season, and Johnson is coming off an injury-plagued year, so it's questionable how much depth they really have.
- Padres GM Josh Byrnes tells MLB Network Radio, in fact, that Johnson hasn't even thrown since having surgery on his elbow in October. Byrnes also suggests that "if this year doesn't go well, we'd like to get a discounted look at next year" (Twitter links). Johnson is signed to a one-year deal, but the Padres will receive a $4MM option for 2015 if Johnson doesn't start at least seven games in 2014.
Minor Moves: Gast, Curtis
Here's a look at today's minor moves from around the game.
- The Cardinals have outrighted pitcher John Gast and outfielder Jermaine Curtis to Triple-A Memphis, according to MLB.com's transactions page. Gast, 24, made three starts with the Cards and seven at Memphis in 2013, but missed the last two-thirds of the season with a shoulder injury. Curtis, 26, hit .257/.355/.349 in 436 plate appearances at Memphis. He also appeared in five big-league games.
Week In Review: 11/17/13 – 11/23/13
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner died of brain cancer at age 51.
- The Rangers acquired first baseman Prince Fielder and cash from the Tigers for second baseman Ian Kinsler.
- Pitcher Chris Carpenter officially retired.
- The Yankees will sign catcher Brian McCann to a five-year deal.
- The Cardinals will sign shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year deal.
- The Royals signed pitcher Jason Vargas to a four-year deal.
- The Phillies re-signed catcher Carlos Ruiz to a three-year deal.
- The Angels will sign reliever Joe Smith to a three-year deal.
- The Giants will re-sign reliever Javier Lopez to a three-year deal.
- The Giants also signed pitcher Tim Hudson to a two-year deal.
- The Indians signed outfielder David Murphy to a two-year deal.
- The Rays will re-sign catcher Jose Molina to a two-year deal.
- The Reds signed utilityman Skip Schumaker to a two-year deal.
- The Padres signed pitcher Josh Johnson to a one-year deal.
- The Mets will sign outfielder Chris Young to a one-year deal.
- The Rockies signed reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year deal.
- The Yankees signed infielder Brendan Ryan to a one-year deal.
- The Tigers signed reliever Phil Coke to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Orioles signed pitchers Edgmer Escalona and Kelvin De La Cruz to one-year deals.
- The Cardinals acquired outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk from the Angels for third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas.
- The Red Sox acquired reliever Burke Badenhop from the Brewers for minor-league pitcher Luis Ortega.
- The Pirates re-acquired reliever Duke Welker from the Twins for pitcher Kris Johnson.
- The Cardinals extended the contract of manager Mike Matheny.
- The Astros claimed infielder Ryan Jackson from the Cardinals, and outrighted outfielder J.D. Martinez.
- The White Sox claimed utilityman Jake Elmore from the Astros.
- The Rangers claimed pitcher Shawn Tolleson from the Dodgers.
- The Royals designated pitcher Noel Arguelles, second baseman Irving Falu and catcher George Kottaras for assignment.
- The Padres designated outfielder Jaff Decker and pitchers Brad Brach, Miles Mikolas, and Jose De Paula for assignment.
- The Giants designated pitcher Guillermo Moscoso for assignment.
- The Nationals designated pitchers Fernando Abad and Tyler Robertson for assignment.
- The Diamondbacks designated pitcher Tony Sipp for assignment.
- The Indians designated infielder Cord Phelps for assignment.
- The Athletics outrighted infielder Scott Sizemore.
- The Yankees outrighted infielder Corban Joseph.
- The Twins outrighted pitcher B.J. Hermsen.
- The Rangers outrighted pitcher Edwar Cabrera.
- The Rangers re-signed pitcher Colby Lewis to a minor-league deal.
- The Royals signed pitcher P.J. Walters to a minor-league deal.
- The Nationals re-signed pitcher Chris Young to a minor-league deal.
- The Phillies signed infielder Reid Brignac to a minor-league deal.
- The Dodgers signed infielder Brendan Harris to a minor-league deal.
- The Braves hired former Indians and Rangers executive John Hart as an advisor.
Cardinals Sign Jhonny Peralta
5:10pm: Pending a physical, the deal is now official, USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets.
3:31pm: Heyman tweets the contract is worth $53MM.
12:16pm: The Cardinals have reached agreement with Jhonny Peralta on a deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It'll be a four-year contract worth a little more than $52MM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). 
Peralta, 31, is coming off a solid .303/.358/.457 season but his value took a hit thanks to his 50-game suspension for involvement with the Biogenesis PED scandal. For the Cardinals, Peralta represents a very significant offensive upgrade over shortstop Pete Kozma, even if he looks more like his 2012 self (.239/.305/.384) than '13.
A report late last week indicated that Peralta was seeking a four-year pact in the $56-75MM range. Meanwhile, three GMs told Peter Gammons that Peralta's reps were hinting to teams that they had a four-year, $52MM offer in hand. This weekend, that team has been told that they're "not even in [the] game," according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
For his career, Peralta owns a .268/.330/.425 slash line over eleven seasons with the Indians and Tigers. The veteran's -0.4 career UZR/150 isn't terribly impressive, but the metric shows that he has been playing much better defense at the shortstop position over the last three seasons.
Peralta shows a slight platoon split, but he's been able to hold his own against right-handed pitching throughout his career, slashing .270/.326/.416. In 2013, he hit righties at a .282/.338/.412 clip. He has enough bat against both right-handers and left-handers to be an everyday player.
The veteran also offers solid versatily with experience at third base and some reps in left field this past season. The Orioles were said to be among the teams with interest in Peralta as an outfielder, but he'll be slotted at shortstop for the Cardinals.
Peralta is represented by SFX, according to the MLBTR Agency Database.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were close to an agreement.
Reaction To The Jhonny Peralta Signing
The Cardinals have reached agreement on a four-year contract with Jhonny Peralta worth $53MM. Here's the reaction to the signing from around baseball:
- Peralta was asking interested teams for a five-year, $75MM deal, but accepted less from the Cardinals because he wanted to play in St. Louis, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- MLBTR's Tim Dierkes tweets not many people predicted this kind of contract for Peralta and Stephen Drew should do better even though he's tied to draft pick compensation and is down a suitor.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com writes in an Insider Only post (subscription required) the move could work out in the short term, but Peralta isn't the type of player he would want to commit to for four years.
- The Cardinals explored trade talks with the Diamondbacks and Angels before settling on Peralta, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- The Cardinals used their payroll flexibility to acquire Peralta and were going to have to overpay anyway to obtain a much-needed shortstop either financially in free agency or in prospects on the trade market, opines the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz.
- Within the same article, Miklasz offers six reasons why the Cardinals preferred Peralta over Drew.
- The lack of draft pick compensation helped fueled Peralta's market, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Feinsand, in a second tweet, isn't surprised Peralta was able to net such a lucrative deal despite being suspended 50 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis affair citing the two-year, $16MM pact the Blue Jays gave Melky Cabrera last offseason after his 50-game PED suspension in 2012.
- Diamondbacks reliever (and union representative) Brad Ziegler was critical of rewarding a player suspended for PED use with such a contract. "It pays to cheat…Thanks, owners, for encouraging PED use. People really don't understand how this works. We thought 50 games would be a deterrent. Obviously it's not. So we are working on it again." (Twitter links)
- Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio wonders if the Cardinals will play Peralta at third base, keep Matt Carpenter at second base, and trade Kolten Wong for a better overall shortstop (via Twitter).
- This type of free agent acquisition is not typical for the Cardinals, according to ESPN.com's Mark Simon.
- Steven Goldman of SBNation.com compares the Cardinals' signing of Peralta with the Yankees' signing of Brian McCann: a massive upgrade on the incumbent over the short term with a hazier outlook over the long run.
- On its face, Fangraphs' Eno Sarris sees this as a perfect signing for the Cardinals.
AL East Rumors: Blue Jays, McCann, Kuroda, Orioles
Teams have asked the Blue Jays about Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, but Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that he hasn't "entertained the idea" of trading either player. Bautista hit .259/.358/.498 with 28 homers in 2013 and saw his season end early after being shut down due to a hip issue. Encarnacion had a solid campaign, posting a slash line of .272/.370/.534 with 36 home runs. Bautista is owed $14MM annually through 2015 with a club option for the same amount in 2016 while Encarnacion will make $19MM through '15 with a $10MM club option for '16. Here's more out of the AL East…
- The Yankees are refusing to punt and are living for today with their Brian McCann signing, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. McCann's lefty pull power should provide a huge boost in 2014 (and probably '15 and '16), but beyond that is a mystery.
- Within the same article, Sherman writes that the Yankees are now more upbeat about the chances of Hiroki Kuroda returning. There remains a chance that the veteran pitcher decides to play in Japan next season.
- The McCann agreement allows the Yankees to take their time developing Gary Sanchez, their top prospect per MLB.com, knowing McCann will eventually move to first base or they can use him as a trade chip, tweets the New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand.
- Feinsand, in a second tweet, sees the backup job coming down to Austin Romine and Francisco Cervelli with Chris Stewart being non-tendered. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz estimates the arbitration eligible Cervelli and Stewart will each earn $1MM.
- Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders how McCann's new $85MM deal with the Yankees affects the Orioles' Matt Wieters. Wieters’ offensive numbers aren’t as good, but he is is two years younger than McCann and Scott Boras will certainly dig up data to show that Wieters is deserving of more money.
- Meanwhile, Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at what McCann's deal might mean for Red Sox free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty is now the best avaialble free agent catcher and his market should now start to take shape.
- A combination of familiarity and affordability led to Jose Molina returning to the Rays, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Financial terms of the yet-to-be-completed deal are not yet known, but Topkin writes that it's unlikely that he received more than the $3.3MM total he made the last two seasons.
- The Orioles won't re-sign Tsuyoshi Wada, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The O's declined their club option on Wada earlier this month; but, at the time, the door was said to be open for a minor league deal in Baltimore.
- The Orioles need to be creative in wringing the most value out of Jim Johnson, writes the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina. Encina dangles the idea of moving Johnson, who MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to receive $10.8MM in arbitration, into the rotation, but that begs the questions of whether starting is a good fit for the 30-year-old right-hander and who will step in as closer.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Blue Jays Putting Together Package For Samardzija
Teams have inquired on Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija and the Blue Jays are putting together a package of young players to try to land him, a source tells Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com (on Twitter). For his part, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos didn't deny that he has discussed Samardzija with Chicago in an interview with Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter). Even though Anthopoulos is looking into starters, he insisted that he has yet to make an offer to anyone (link).
As it stands, Samardzija is set to hit the open market prior to the 2016 season. Most reports throughout the 2013 season indicated that an extension would be tricky, but GM Jed Hoyer indicated recently that he has had discussions with the 28-year-old, making a new deal seem more plausible than it has in the past.
The Blue Jays are far from the first club to be linked to Samardzija and the Nationals and Diamondbacks are two of the more recent clubs with rumored interest. The Cubs hurler posted a 4.34 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 2013 and his xFIP of 3.45 suggests he was stronger than his ERA shows.
Marlins Interested In Phil Hughes, Dioner Navarro
The Marlins have called on free agent pitcher Phil Hughes and expressed interest in free agent catcher Dioner Navarro, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
It's not surprising that Miami called on Hughes, Jackson writes, because pursuing a player who had one bad year after a good one fits the club's profile. Demand for Hughes is a fraction of what it could have been before his slide in the latter part of last season and if he can replicate his 2012, he'd likely prove to be a bargain. The 27-year-old posted a 4.23 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in '12 but followed it up with a 5.19 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in '13. Some peripheral stats, including xFIP (4.39) would indicate that Hughes was partially the victim of bad luck. The Royals, Mets, and Twins are also among the clubs that have expressed interest.
Navarro, 29, hit .300/.365/.492 with a career-high 13 homers in 89 games for the Cubs last season. The Marlins would like to add an offensively-gifted catcher to complement defensively-skilled backup Jeff Mathis and the switch-hitting backstop offers just that. The market for Navarro hasn't quite unfolded yet but with top catcher Brian McCann off the board, the dominos could start falling soon. The Red Sox are said to have some interest in Navarro if Jarrod Saltalamacchia, now the No. 1 available backstop, goes elsewhere.