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Archives for December 2013

Rangers Sign Jose Contreras

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The Rangers have signed right-handers Jose Contreras and Nate Adcock as well as outfielder Bryan Petersen to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training, the team announced via press release.

The 42-year-old Contreras pitched just five innings for the Pirates in 2013, yielding five runs in that time. The Cuban-born veteran missed the early part of the season recovering from 2012 elbow surgery and would end up pitching 33 innings of 3.00 ERA ball between the Pirates and Red Sox' minor league affiliates. He last enjoyed sustained big league success as a member of the Phillies' bullpen in 2010 when he posted a 3.34 ERA in 56 2/3 innings.

Adcock, 25, enjoyed a strong season with the Royals in 2012 but saw the wheels come off in 2013 when he posted a disastrous 6.67 ERA with a 69-to-50 K/BB ratio in 113 1/3 innings between the Triple-A affiliates for the Royals and Diamondbacks.

Petersen, 27, is a career .220/.303/.305 hitter with a pair of homers and 15 steals in 539 Major League plate appearances — all coming with the Marlins. He spent last year with Miami's Triple-A club, posting a solid .275/.363/.407 slash line in 579 plate appearances. He has experience at all three outfield spots.

Rays Re-Sign Juan Carlos Oviedo

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The Rays officially announced that they have re-signed righty Juan Carlos Oviedo to a one-year, Major League deal. The contract reportedly guarantees the Wasserman Media Group client a base salary of $1.5MM and contains another $1.4MM worth of incentives. Tampa recently declined its $2MM club option for the 31-year-old, who spent all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Once the Marlins closer, Oviedo (formerly known as Leo Nunez) signed on with the Rays last year as he continued his TJ rehab. He never made it back to throw in 2013, but presumably will be ready for Spring Training next year. Before his suspension for assuming the identity of his best friend Nunez, Oviedo had registered 357 big league innings with a 4.34 career ERA.

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish first reported that Oviedo would receive a one-year, Major League deal (on Twitter). Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the $1.5MM value and incentives (Twitter links).

Twins Designate Liam Hendriks For Assignment

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The Twins have designated right-hander Liam Hendriks for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for the newly signed Phil Hughes, according to Tyler Mason of FOX Sports North (on Twitter).

Hendriks, who turns 25 in February, ranked sixth and seventh on the Baseball America's Top 10 Twins prospects lists from 2010-11. Though he has a solid track record in the minor leagues (3.61 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 in 254 Triple-A innings), he's struggled tremendously in part of three Major League seasons.

Hendriks has pitched for the Twins in each of the past three seasons, totaling 156 innings. However, the Australian hurler has little to show for it, as he's posted a 6.06 ERA with 5.7 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate. Home runs have been a persistent problem for Hendriks, who has averaged 1.7 big flies per nine innings in his Major League tenure.

Granderson Seeking Four Years, $64MM

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Yesterday it was reported that talks between Curtis Granderson and the Mets have intensified, and the Mets are becoming increasingly optimistic about their chances to land him. The Red Sox reportedly haven't ruled him out. The Diamondbacks, though they strongly desire a corner outfield bat with some power, aren't likely to be able to afford him. We'll keep track of today's Granderson rumors here…

  • The Mets believe they have a "decent" chance at signing Granderson but have yet to up their offer from three years to four, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Earlier Updates

  • Newsday's Marc Carig reports (via Twitter) that Granderson has been seeking a four-year deal worth $16MM annually. Carig goes on to clarify that the Mets aren't necessarily discussing a number that high at this time, but rather that $64MM is simply what Granderson is aiming for this offseason.
  • A guaranteed fourth year is still up for debate in Granderson negotiations, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. In a second tweet, he adds that the Mets may have to go four years to land him but aren't resigned to that yet.
  • Granderson's talks with the Mets are more advanced than they are with other teams, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Other teams remain in the mix, however.
  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald tweets that the Red Sox are more interested in right-handed outfield bats to complement Jackie Bradley Jr., so they don't see Granderson as a great fit.

Relief Notes: Axford, Downs, O’Flaherty

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The market for relievers continues to take shape, as the Tigers yesterday announced a two-year, $20MM contract with Joe Nathan, and the Red Sox and Edward Mujica struck a two-year agreement. Here's the latest on the free agent market for relievers…

  • Agent Dan Horwits received calls from 14 teams regarding client John Axford in the first 36 hours following his non-tender by the Cardinals, he told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. As Nicholson-Smith writes, any team to sign Axford would control him through the 2016 season, making him a potentially more appealing target.
  • One team who figures to be heavily in the mix for Axford is the Orioles, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The O's liked Mujica prior to his signing with the Red Sox, and the fact that he is off the board likely strengthens Baltimore's interest in Axford, Kubatko adds.
  • The Nationals are interested in Scott Downs and have inquired on him at least twice, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. It's not clear what kind of contract Downs is looking for at this time, writes Ladson, who also reports that the Nats are considering using Ross Detwiler out of the bullpen in 2014.
  • The Nationals are also interested in southpaw Eric O'Flaherty, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Though the Nationals have yet to make an offer, they've maintained a constant dialogue with his agent. Washington is one of six teams to have shown interest in O'Flaherty and is also eyeing J.P. Howell and Boone Logan, per Kilgore.

Breaking Down The Tigers’ Bullpen Situation

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In signing Joe Nathan to a two-year, $20MM deal this week, the Tigers secured the best reliever on the free agent market at only 77% of the amount I projected in mid-October.  There's a significant age difference between the two relievers, but I'd rather have Nathan at two years and $20MM than Joe Smith at three years and $15.75MM.  The way Nathan spoke about focusing on the Tigers from the outset of free agency, it's possible they were able to leverage his enthusiasm to get him on a relatively reasonable deal given the typical save-related inflation.

In 2013 the Tigers' bullpen ranked 12th in the AL with a 4.01 ERA.  That figure counts guys like Jose Valverde and Jeremy Bonderman, however, and the situation wasn't as dire by season's end as the ERA suggests.  In the postseason, the Tigers' key guys were Joaquin Benoit, Drew Smyly, Jose Veras, Al Alburquerque, and Jose Alvarez.  They lacked a good second lefty, but the core group of Benoit, Smyly, and Veras was strong in the regular season, as seen here.

The Tigers decided to move starter Doug Fister at what ESPN's Keith Law termed as "about 30 cents on the dollar" to presumably clear payroll space for Nathan (MLBTR's Jeff Todd looked at the Fister trade in depth here).  That deal may have weakened the Tigers' rotation and bullpen, as the pen will lose Smyly but he probably won't be as good as Fister was in the rotation.  The Tigers added a southpaw in the deal in 22-year-old Ian Krol, who has 31 innings of experience beyond the Double-A level.  Lefty Phil Coke will also return to the team's bullpen after an underwhelming year.

In early November the Tigers declined Veras' $4MM club option in favor a $150K buyout, suggesting they did not value him at $3.85MM on a one-year deal.  Benoit would be pricey to retain, with an outlay potentially topping Nathan's if he finds a three-year deal again.

It has been very surprising to see the Tigers take multiple cost-cutting measures.  Were they not faced with this apparent restriction, they could have picked up Veras' option for the depth he provides, retained Fister, allowing Smyly to remain in the bullpen, and signed Nathan.  Nathan would be replacing Benoit, a reasonable measure, and then GM Dave Dombrowski could have gone bullpen bargain shopping in January. 

Keep in mind that the Tigers also saved $76MM in the Prince Fielder trade.  Though we haven't seen this in recent years from the Tigers, it seems clear that most of this offseason's moves were driven by financial constraints.  As surprising as that is, I can accept that no team has an unlimited amount of money to spend.  But if you decide Fister is the piece you're going to move, and your bullpen needs tons of work, how do you trade him and not get back even one established, controllable reliever?  As it stands, the Tigers do not have anyone reliable to slot in after Nathan, so Dombrowski will likely continue tinkering with his bullpen.

Phillies Sign Wil Nieves

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2:39pm: Heyman reports that Nieves is guaranteed $1.125MM and can earn up to $500K in performance bonuses (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 1:36pm: The Phillies announced Nieves' deal, which ESPN's Jayson Stark notes is a Major League pact.

TUESDAY: The Phillies are set to sign catcher Wil Nieves, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  Nieves is represented by MDR Sports Management, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

Nieves, 36, hit .297/.320/.369 in 206 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks last season.  Arizona retained the veteran with a one-year, $800K deal right around this time last year.  For his career, Nieves owns a .242/.283/.314 across ten big league seasons.

Phillies Sign Jeff Manship

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The Phillies announced they've signed righty Jeff Manship to a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League spring training.

Manship, 29 in January, was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round in 2006 out of Notre Dame, signing an over-slot deal as a Tommy John survivor.  He tallied 85 2/3 innings with the Twins from 2009-12, posting a 6.20 ERA mostly as a reliever.  Several years ago, Baseball America suggested Manship's "average stuff and fringy command" would limit him to middle relief.  

For the Rockies in 2013, Manship posted a 7.04 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.76 HR/9, and 45.4% groundball rate in 30 2/3 innings.  He tallied another 104 frames in Triple-A.

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Tigers Sign Joe Nathan

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THURSDAY: Nathan's contract contains a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to five clubs, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 4:02pm: Nathan signed a two-year, $20MM contract with a $10MM option for 2016, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Nathan will earn $9MM in 2014, $10MM in 2015 and has a $1MM buyout on his option.

2:38pm: There won't be a repeat of 2013's early-season closer carousel for the Tigers in 2014. Detroit officially announced today that it has signed one of baseball's elite closers — Joe Nathan — to a two-year contract with a club option for a third year. The contract is reportedly in the $20MM range. Nathan is represented by agent Dave Pepe of Pro Agents, Inc.

Nathan-Joe

The 39-year-old Nathan is coming off one of the finest seasons of his storied career, having pitched to a 1.39 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 64 2/3 innings with the Rangers in 2013. Nathan added 43 more saves to his resume, tying him for 10th all-time with the legendary Rollie Fingers at 341. In his free agent profile of Nathan six weeks ago, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted that the active Major League saves leader would and a two-year deal worth $26MM.

Nathan will fill a void that the Tigers were unable to fill early in the 2013 season when Bruce Rondon, Phil Coke and Jose Valverde were unable to solidify the ninth inning. Though this year's free agent market is rife with closer types — Grant Balfour, Fernando Rodney, Joaquin Benoit, Edward Mujica, Jose Veras, Kevin Gregg, Chris Perez all saved 20 or more games — Nathan appears to be the first domino to fall. Former Giants closer Brian Wilson is also reportedly nearing a deal to return to the Dodgers, suggesting that the relief market could pick up in the near future.

It's already been a highly active offseason for Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski. In addition to the Nathan deal, he's pulled off a blockbuster trade by flipping Prince Fielder (and $30MM) to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler, and he's also traded Doug Fister to the Nationals for Steve Lombardozzi, Ian Krol and Robbie Ray.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that a deal was close (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the two sides were in agreement on a two-year deal (Twitter link), and Rosenthal added that it was in the $20MM range (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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