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Archives for December 2013

Yankees Sign Brendan Ryan

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3:27pm: Ryan will receive $2MM in 2014 and 2015, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees hold a $2MM club option for 2016 that becomes a $1MM player option if it is declined, he adds.

DEC. 2. 1:24pm: The Yankees have announced Ryan's deal, noting that the option for 2016 is a mutual option.

NOV. 27, 5:22pm: Ryan's deal is now official, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  Ryan gets a two-year, $5MM deal with a player option for 2016 that, along with incentives, can boost the total value to $10MM over three seasons.

NOV. 18, 3:50pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Ryan's deal is worth something in the range of $2MM.

8:30am: The Yankees have agreed to terms with Brendan Ryan on a new contract for the 2014 season, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Ryan, who is represented by the Wasserman Media Group, batted .197/.255/.273 between the Mariners and Yankees last season but is widely considered to be one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. The Fielding Bible's Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at six runs above average, while UZR/150 liked him for +3.2 runs. While both numbers are strong, they're the two lowest marks he's posted in a full season of shortstop work, so there's reason to expect improvement in 2014.

In parts of seven big league seasons between the Cardinals, Mariners and Yankees, Ryan is a .237/.299/.320 hitter. He will turn 32 during Spring Training next season and, as Heyman notes, serve as an insurance policy for the Yankees in the event that Derek Jeter falls victim to injuries once again in 2014.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that the Yankees were "close" to a deal with Ryan last week, and Peter Gammons of the MLB Network reported that the two sides were merely waiting for Ryan to pass a physical following minor surgery.

Arencibia Will Be Traded Or Non-Tendered

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3:09pm: The Jays are in active talks with at least one team currently, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

12:29pm: Toronto's agreement with Dioner Navarro on a two-year, $8MM contract earlier today immediately created speculation that J.P. Arencibia will be moved in advance of tonight's non-tender deadline, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that the Blue Jays are indeed working to trade the powerful righty.

Arencibia's unsightly strikeout rates and walk totals are nothing new, but the former first-round pick sunk to new lows in both areas last season. Arencibia walked in a career-worst 3.6 percent of his plate appearances and whiffed in a career-high 29.8 percent of his trips to the plate. The resulting .194/.227/.365 batting line made Arencibia one of baseball's least-productive hitters in 2013, but MLBTR's Matt Swartz projects that his home run totals would net Arencibia $2.8MM via arbitration in 2014.

Meanwhile, three sources confirmed to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that if the Blue Jays aren't able to trade Arencibia by tonight's non-tender deadline, he will be non-tendered and hit free agency. One source described the interest in Arencibia as "minimal," writes Davidi. Arencibia does have power on his side, having averaged 21 homers per season over the past three years.

Angels Will Tender Contract To Kevin Jepsen

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On today's conference call to introduce free agent signee Joe Smith, Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, including MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, that right-hander Kevin Jepsen will be tendered a contract for the 2014 season (Twitter link). Dipoto said he "[n]ever thought it would be an assumption he wouldn't be (tendered)."

Jepsen, 29, pitched to a 4.50 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 36 innings for the Halos last season. Sabermetric stats like FIP (3.38) and xFIP (3.93) feel that he was unfairly victimized by a .345 batting average on balls in play and a low strand rate, suggesting that his ERA was not reflective of his true talent level. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Jepsen to earn $1.4MM via arbitration. He will join Smith, Ernesto Frieri, Sean Burnett, Dane De La Rosa and perhaps newcomer Fernando Salas, among others, in Anaheim's bullpen next season.

Reports from earlier today suggested that there was no clear indication one way or another as to whether or not the Angels would keep Jepsen in the fold for next season, and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes had listed him as a non-tender candidate.

AL West Notes: Kazmir, Colon, Angels, Bloomquist

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The baseball world is still buzzing over Scott Kazmir's two-year, $22MM agreement with the Athletics. Here's a bit more on that signing as well as the rest of the American League West…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Athletics offered the same two-year, $22MM contract to Tim Hudson prior to his two-year, $23MM agreement with the Giants.
  • That Kazmir signed for two years and $11MM annually speaks to the expectations of Bartolo Colon, tweets Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Colon feels he can get multiple years at a higher annual value, according to Passan.
  • Kazmir's agreement firmly takes the Athletics out of the mix for Colon, a source confirmed to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The Angels remain interested in Bronson Arroyo but the Dodgers aren't really in the mix, a source tells Mike DiGiovanna of MLB.com (on Twitter). However, the source adds that the market for the veteran hasn't really "heated up" yet.
  • DiGiovanna adds that the Angels are expected to clear more than $10MM in payroll by non-tendering Tommy Hanson, Jerome Williams and Chris Nelson, which should allow them to pursue a free agent starting pitcher (Twitter links). DiGiovanna also mentions that Kevin Jepsen's status is still up in the air at this time and there's no decision on whether or not to tender him a contract.
  • Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets that one of the reasons Joe Smith signed his three-year deal with the Angels is that his wife works as a sports radio host in Orange County.
  • In a harsh review of today's Willie Bloomquist signing by the Mariners, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs and the U.S.S. Mariner writes that Bloomquist "is Nick Punto minus all the things that make Nick Punto valuable." As Cameron points out, they're comparable hitters but Punto provides more baserunning and defensive value. However, Seattle paid nearly double the price for Bloomquist that Oakland did for Punto.

Athletics, Kazmir Nearing Two-Year Deal

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1:06pm: MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports that it will be a straight two-year deal with no options for additional seasons (Twitter link).

1:04pm: Kazmir's deal will be for two years when it is finalized, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

12:59pm: The A's are close to signing Scott Kazmir, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). A client of the Legacy Agency, Kazmir is slated to turn 30 years old next month.

This past season served as a rebirth for Kazmir, who returned to the Majors after throwing just 1 2/3 innings in 2011 and not pitching at all in the Majors in 2012. Kazmir posted a 5.54 ERA in 299 frames from 2009-11 but posted a solid 4.04 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 158 innings last season. His average fastball velocity of 92.5 mph was his best since 2005.

In his free agent profile of the resurgent Kazmir, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes projected that he would land a two-year, $16MM contract on the open market.

Orioles Trying To Trade Johnson; Dodgers In The Mix

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The Orioles are trying hard to trade closer Jim Johnson, and the Dodgers are in the mix, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Johnson is projected to earn $10.8MM in arbitration this offseason by our own Matt Swartz.

Johnson, 30, posted a 2.94 ERA this season with 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 58 percent ground-ball rate. His 50 saves led the American League and tied Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel for the Major League lead. Over the past two seasons, no pitcher has amassed more saves than Johnson's total of 101.

The Orioles have been linked to some big-name free agents like Carlos Beltran and Jhonny Peralta (prior to his agreement with St. Louis), but their budget constraints make it difficult for them to pursue such marquee names. Shedding Johnson's salary (or at least the bulk of it) could allow Baltimore to be more aggressive on the free agent market.

The Dodgers, of course, have the game's deepest pockets, which should mean they're more than capable of absorbing Johnson's big salary. GM Ned Colletti showed he's not afraid to spend big on relievers last offseason by signing Brandon League to a three-year, $22.5MM contract, though it's fair to wonder if that contract will serve as a cautionary tale and dampen the team's interest in Johnson. The Dodger bullpen figures to be anchored by strikeout wizard Kenley Jansen, so a Johnson acquisition would likely push one solid closer into a setup role.

Athletics Will Tender Contract To Daric Barton

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The A's have already informed first baseman Daric Barton that he will be tendered a contract for the 2014 season, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). In a second tweet, she adds that the A's appear likely to tender contracts to all of their remaining arbitration eligible players.

The cost to retain Barton, 28, will be minimal. MLBTR's Matt Swartz projects the former first-rounder to earn just $1.4MM in arbitration this offseason. Barton's 120 plate appearances this season were the fewest he's totaled at the Major League level since debuting in 2007, but he managed a respectable .269/.350/.375 batting line.

Barton has never developed much power, but he's an ultra-patient hitter at the plate, as evidenced by his career .360 OBP and 14.1 percent walk rate. He also fields his position very well, per Ultimate Zone Rating and The Fielding Bible. Barton showed his upside in a 2010 season that saw him bat .273/.393/.405 with 10 homers and an American League leading 110 walks.

Cubs Re-Sign Darnell McDonald

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The Cubs have re-signed Darnell McDonald to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).  McDonald played in 25 games for the Cubs last season.

McDonald boasts a career .285/.353/.453 slash line against left-handed pitchers at the Major League level. The 35-year-old spent the bulk of 2013 at Triple-A Iowa, where he slashed .236/.307/.346 in 294 plate appearances with four homers.  He was solid in the bigs as well, however, hitting .302/.351/.434 with a homer in 57 PAs.  McDonald is represented by McNamara Baseball Group, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

Pirates Designate Michael McKenry For Assignment

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The Pirates announced that they have designated catcher Michael McKenry for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the recently acquired Chris Stewart.

McKenry, 28, batted .217/.262/.348 with three homers in 122 plate appearances for the Pirates in 2013 before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in late July. McKenry was projected by MLBTR's Matt Swartz to earn $900K in arbitration this season, making him a non-tender candidate.

The former seventh-round pick could draw some interest from other clubs in need of catching help if they believe his solid 2012 campaign to be repeatable. McKenry slashed .233/.320/.442 with 12 homers in a career-high 275 plate appearances that season. However, he's struggled to throw out baserunners throughout his career and isn't regarded as a strong defensive catcher, which is likely one of the reasons that the Pirates considered the lighter-hitting Stewart to be an upgrade.

Pirates Acquire Chris Stewart

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9:25am: The Pirates have acquired Stewart in exchange for a player to be named later, the teams announced via press release.

8:56am: The Pirates will acquire catcher Chris Stewart from the Yankees, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). ESPN's Buster Olney was the first to report that a trade was in the works (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported prior to the agreement that the Yankees would likely receive cash considerations or a player to be named later in the deal (also on Twitter).

Stewart, 32 in February, was a non-tender candidate after hitting .211/.293/.272 in a career-high 340 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2013. However, he's regarded as a superior defensive catcher to the Pirates' Michael McKenry, who is a non-tender candidate himself after missing the final two months of the 2013 campaign due to knee surgery.

Stewart projects to earn $1MM in arbitration, per MLBTR's Matt Swartz, while McKenry's projection sits at $900K. Either backup will likely face competition in the form of Tony Sanchez, who offers more with the bat at a slightly lower price. Pittsburgh could also carry all three into Spring Training, where the trio would compete for the right to play second fiddle to primary catcher Russell Martin.

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