Diamondbacks Making One More Run At Free Agents
Diamondbacks pitchers and catcher report to Spring Training in just three days, but the team will make one last run at the free agent market, writes MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Among the free agents they're interested is right-hander Bronson Arroyo, team president Derrick Hall confirmed to Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic. However, the team is interested in a two-year deal for the veteran righty, Hall told Buchanan (Twitter links), which may not be enough to entice Arroyo.
"We owe it to ourselves to at least see what the remaining free agents are looking for," Hall told Gilbert. Presumably, the Diamondbacks are set in terms of starting position players with Miguel Montero at catcher, Paul Goldschmidt at first base, Aaron Hill at second base, Chris Owings or Didi Gregorius at shortstop, Martin Prado at third base and some combination of Mark Trumbo, Gerardo Parra, A.J. Pollock and Cody Ross in the outfield. They could theoretically use more stability at shortstop, but a run at Stephen Drew doesn't seem likely after his previous tenure in Arizona ended poorly.
Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, A.J. Burnett and Arroyo are the consensus top arms on the market, and Gilbert reminds that GM Kevin Towers said at the Winter Meetings he wasn't planning on offering more than three years to any starting pitcher other than Masahiro Tanaka. Some have speculated that the smaller-than-anticipated payday for Matt Garza could knock down the price tags on Garza and Jimenez, though I personally don't expect their demands to drop below four years. Korean right-hander Suk-Min Yoon seems likely to fall into the Diamondbacks' price range, but they aren't one of the five teams said to be currently pursuing him as of this morning. The D-Backs are reportedly interested in Burnett but don't feel he will pitch on the West coast.
Braves, Freddie Freeman Close To Extension
The Braves are close to announcing an extension for Freddie Freeman, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Freeman, like teammate Jason Heyward (who reached a two-year contract agreement earlier today), is represented by Excel Sports Management.
The 24-year-old Freeman is coming off a breakout season in which he finished fifth in the National League MVP voting and earned his first All-Star nod. Freeman slashed .319/.396/.501 with 23 homers for the NL East Division champs in 2013. He and the Braves faced a fairly wide gap after exchanging arbitration figures last month, as Freeman filed for a $5.75MM salary and the Braves countered at $4.5MM.
Though the Braves are a "file and trial" team, GM Frank Wren reminded after Heyward's new contract that said policy is only in reference to one-year deals. That line of thinking is common among file and trial clubs, as they are unwilling to continue negotiating one-year pacts after exchanging figures but will typically remain amenable to extensions leading up to an arbitration hearing.
It's unclear at this time if the Braves are looking at simply buying out Freeman's arbitration years, as they did with Heyward, or if they're pursuing a long-term deal that will buy out free agent seasons as well. This is Freeman's first time through arbitration, and he is currently under team control through the 2016 season.
This post was originally published on Feb. 4, 2014.
Hellickson Out Until Mid-To-Late May Following Elbow Surgery
Rays right-hander and 2011 American League Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last week and is expected to be sidelined until mid-to-late May, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
The 26-year-old Hellickson struggled through his worst season in 2013, posting a career-high 5.17 ERA and yielding a .274/.325/.450 batting line to opposing hitters. Hellickson, the Rays and agent Scott Boras all said that there were no physical ailments following the season, according to Topkin, but something flared up in his elbow when Hellickson began throwing in late January.
The Rays have the rotation depth to overcome an injury to Hellickson, as Jake Odorizzi now seems likely to step into the rotation alongside David Price, Alex Cobb, Matt Moore and Chris Archer. It already appeared likely that the Rays would hang onto Price for at least one more season (contrary to what many pundits believed earlier this winter), but the loss of Hellickson may further strengthen that standpoint. The Rays have added payroll this offseason by re-signing James Loney to a three-year deal, signing Grant Balfour and acquiring Heath Bell and Ryan Hanigan (and extending the latter), so it seems unlikely that they'd shift from those win-now moves by dealing Price — especially with depleted rotation depth. As Topkin notes, Enny Romero and Alex Colome represent additional rotation options, but Colome himself is recovering from an injury.
Of course, the team could also look to the free agent or trade market to add another starting option. However, they already project for a record payroll (roughly $76MM, including league minimum players), so adding significant dollars seems unlikely. Adding a veteran with starting experience on a minor league deal could make some sense.
Hellickson has seen his own name raised in speculative trade talks coming off a down season, but this surgery eliminates the already unlikely scenario that he would find himself dealt to a new team. He and the Rays sidestepped arbitration this offseason by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.625MM. He'll be arb-eligible twice more before becoming a free agent following the 2016 season, but this injury will prevent him from accumulating some valuable innings and counting stats in 2014. That will suppress his 2015 arbitration payday, which would subsequently keep his 2016 salary down as well.
Poll: The Next Top 50 Free Agent To Sign
Despite the fact that we're now into February, ten of MLBTR's Top 50 free agents remain free agents, as they've yet to find a contract that meets their desires this offseason. The market includes three of the market's top bats and seven pitchers — six starters and one closer coming off a pair of elite seasons.
Ervin Santana, A.J. Burnett, Ubaldo Jimenez, Stephen Drew, Nelson Cruz, Kendrys Morales, Bronson Arroyo, Fernando Rodney, Suk-Min Yoon and Paul Maholm have yet to sign contracts. Of the group, it's interesting to note that three of the seven are Scott Boras clients — Drew, Morales and Yoon — and Boras is no stranger to signing large deals late in the offseason.
There are currently more obvious fits for most of the free agent pitchers than there are the hitters; few teams are in desperate need of a starting shortstop, and the teams that could use additional power in their lineup aren't high on the defensive limitations of Cruz and Morales. Also of note is that five of remaining Top 50 — Santana, Jimenez, Drew, Cruz and Morales — rejected qualifying offers and would therefore require forfeiture a draft pick in order to sign.
Free agent deals can materialize very quickly at this juncture of the offseason, as we saw last week in deals for Top 50 free agents such as Matt Garza and Jason Hammel. Cruz and Rodney have both been connected to the Mariners as of late, while Drew has been connected to both the Mets and Red Sox for much of the offseason. Santana, Jimenez, Arroyo and Burnett have been linked to numerous teams, particularly since Burnett announced that he may pitch for a team other than Pittsburgh in 2014. Yoon held a workout seen by the Giants and Orioles recently and has also been connected to the Twins and Red Sox. Maholm has been linked to the Rangers (following Derek Holland's injury) and Angels in recent weeks. While each has seen his fair share of rumors (some more than others), each is without a job as many teams' pitchers and catchers are preparing to report to Spring Training.
Which Top 50 Free Agent Will Be The Next To Sign?
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A.J. Burnett 25% (3,917)
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Nelson Cruz 14% (2,127)
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Bronson Arroyo 13% (2,055)
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Suk-Min Yoon 11% (1,707)
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Fernando Rodney 11% (1,666)
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Ubaldo Jimenez 8% (1,278)
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Ervin Santana 7% (1,142)
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Stephen Drew 7% (1,082)
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Paul Maholm 3% (488)
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Kendrys Morales 2% (273)
Total votes: 15,735
Quick Hits: Parity, Jansen, Rays, Red Sox
As the NFL season comes to an end, ESPN's Jayson Stark writes that, contrary to popular belief, there's more parity in baseball than football. True, the Red Sox and Cardinals were this year's World Series teams, but five MLB teams made the playoffs in 2013 who didn't make it the year before, including the upstart Pirates and Indians. Meanwhile, every team except the Mets and Astros has had one or more winning seasons in the past five years, whereas six NFL teams haven't had any in that span. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- Kenley Jansen isn't worried about being the last arbitration case for the Dodgers, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. "I leave all that to my agent," says Jansen. "I know what my No. 1 goal is, and that’s to get ready for the season." Jansen filed for $5.05MM, and the Dodgers countered with $3.5MM. Jansen mentions that he is excited that three former closers — Brandon League, Brian Wilson and the newly-signed Chris Perez — will join him in the Dodgers' bullpen.
- The Rays have added plenty of depth this offseason, including new infielder Wilson Betemit, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Logan Forsythe, Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez can all play the outfield as well as infield, so there might be a way for Betemit to earn a bench job out of camp. Topkin also suggests that the Rays could re-sign free agent outfielder Sam Fuld if Fuld doesn't find a Major League contract elsewhere.
- The Red Sox, meanwhile, have lots of depth on their pitching staff, but perhaps not enough at third base or center field, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. That could mean trouble if Will Middlebrooks or Jackie Bradley Jr. struggle. The Red Sox did recently sign Grady Sizemore, but he and Bradley both hit left-handed, and there isn't likely to be space for both on the team's active roster. Shane Victorino could also play center, but an outfield of Jonny Gomes, Victorino and Daniel Nava wouldn't be ideal from a defensive perspective.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Norris, Bucs, D’Backs
On this date in 1999 Padres’ outfielder Greg Vaughn became the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in a season and get traded that winter. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Camden Depot discusses the pros and cons of Bud Norris.
- Hidden Vigorish says the win curve isn’t motivating the Pirates.
- Baseball News Source wonders what A.J. Burnett‘s value is to the Bucs.
- Inside The Zona says the D’Backs should offer Burnett a whole lot of money.
- Outside Pitch discusses the importance of B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla to the Braves.
- Rays Colored Glasses asks if Tampa Bay now has the best bullpen.
- MLB Reports delivers the Rays’ state of the union.
- Blue Jays Plus weighs in on replay challenges.
- Reviewing The Brew gets their popcorn ready.
- A’s Farm previews the River Cats for 2014.
- Pro Projections talks Andrelton Simmons.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Jeff Todd examined the length and value of free agent contracts handed out over the last seven offseasons and found the length of free agent guarantees has risen quite substantially during this period.
- Jeff analyzed the most common types of MLB contract options by their risks and benefits and how they have been utilized in recent years.
- Joe Bick, the agent for Matt Guerrier, told Steve Adams the right-handed reliever received interest from at least seven teams and, despite no assurances of making the Opening Day roster, agreed to a minor league pact with the Twins because of their mutual respect and the familiarity with Minnesota's coaching staff and front office.
- Charlie Wilmoth identified Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis as an extension candidate and suggested a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $30-35MM could work for both sides.
- Steve presented a Free Agent Faceoff doubleheader this week. In the opener, MLBTR readers were split in deciding between right-handed starters Ervin Santana (#6 on MLBTR's 2014 Top 50 Free Agents list) and Ubaldo Jimenez (#11) with nearly 52% of you favoring Jimenez. In the nightcap, you gave a very slight nod to Nelson Cruz (#17) over Kendrys Morales (#28) with a mere four votes separating the pair.
- Tim Dierkes was the first to report the Pirates signed shortstop Blake Davis to a minor league contract.
- Steve hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
Joel Pineiro Attemping Comeback
Former Mariners, Red Sox, Cardinals and Angels pitcher Joel Pineiro is trying to make his way back to the big leagues, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports. Pineiro is pitching in Puerto Rico this winter, and he'll start against a Cuban team on Tuesday in the Caribbean Series. Sanchez notes that the start could help Pineiro win a minor-league deal, but it also could be his last start as a pro. Still, Pineiro remains hopeful.
"Hopefully, I'll know more after Tuesday," Pineiro says. "[L]ook at a guy like Scott Kazmir. He stands out because he was with us in Anaheim, goes to Independent ball, got a chance with Cleveland and made the team. … A lot of players like Kazmir or Marlon Byrd have a good winter ball experience and Caribbean Series and all of a sudden, they get a second chance."
Pineiro last pitched in the big leagues in 2011 with the Angels. He made five starts in the Orioles system in 2012, but missed much of the season with shoulder trouble. He did not pitch in 2013, and the O's released him last July. The 35-year-old has a career 4.41 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 1,754 1/3 innings, most of them as a starter.
Week In Review: 1/26/14 – 2/1/14
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR.
- Lance Berkman retired. Michael Young did as well.
- The Cubs agreed to terms with starter Jason Hammel on a one-year deal.
- The Royals re-signed pitcher Bruce Chen.
- The Royals acquired outfielder Carlos Peguero from the Mariners for a PTBNL or cash. They designated pitcher Everett Teaford for assignment to make room on their 40-man roster.
- The Royals designated infielder Emilio Bonifacio for assignment.
- The Rangers claimed pitcher Pedro Figueroa off waivers from the Rays, and designated pitcher Chaz Roe for assignment in the process.
- The Reds avoided arbitration with pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
- The Nationals avoided arbitration with pitcher Doug Fister.
- The Dodgers avoided arbitration with catcher A.J. Ellis.
- The Tigers avoided arbitration with catcher Alex Avila.
- The Angels avoided arbitration with third baseman David Freese and pitcher Kevin Jepsen.
- The Royals avoided arbitration with pitcher Aaron Crow.
- The Cubs avoided arbitration with outfielder Justin Ruggiano.
- The Cardinals avoided arbitration with infielder Daniel Descalso.
- The Mariners signed pitcher Scott Baker to a minor-league contract.
- The Padres agreed to terms with reliever Tony Sipp on a minor-league contract.
- The Cubs agreed to terms with pitcher James McDonald on a minor-league contract.
- The Reds agreed to terms with outfielder Roger Bernadina and infielder Chris Nelson on minor-league contracts. They also signed infielder Ramon Santiago to a minor-league deal.
- The Orioles agreed to terms with shortstop Alex Gonzalez on a minor-league contract.
- The Angels signed outfielder Brennan Boesch, infielders Carlos Pena and Chad Tracy, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba to minor-league contracts.
- The Marlins signed outfielder Reed Johnson to a minor-league contract.
- The Rays have agreed to terms with infielder Wilson Betemit on a minor-league deal.
- The Indians signed infielder Elliot Johnson to a minor-league deal.
- The Twins signed pitcher Matt Guerrier to a minor-league deal.
- The Rangers agreed to terms with pitcher Daniel Bard on a minor-league contract.
- The Rockies signed pitchers Nick Masset and Manny Corpas to minor-league deals. They also agreed to sign infielder Paul Janish to a minor-league deal.
- The Red Sox signed outfielder Corey Brown to a minor-league deal. (Brown had become a free agent earlier in the week.) They also agreed to terms on a minor-league deal for pitcher Rich Hill.
Minor Moves: Cesar Carrillo
Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:
- The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Cesar Carrillo to a minor league contract, per the team's transactions page. Carrillo was the first player suspended in connection with the Biogenesis affair receiving a 100-game penalty last March while a member of the Tigers' minor league system. The 18th overall selection in the 2005 draft was released by Detroit upon completion of his suspension in August. The 29-year-old then signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League making nine starts (47 innings) and pitching to a 4.02 ERA, 4.2 K/9, and 5.9 BB/9.
- Per MLBTR's DFA Tracker, there are four players currently in DFA limbo: Emilio Bonifacio (Royals), Everett Teaford (Royals), Chaz Roe (Rangers), and Brayan Villarreal (Red Sox).