Headlines

  • Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez
  • Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff
  • Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Bobby Jenks Passes Away
  • Braves Release Alex Verdugo
  • Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for February 2014

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Indians, Crain, Mets, Dodgers

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 4:24pm CDT

Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Stephen Drew, Nelson Cruz and Kendrys Morales are all still free agents, and draft-pick forfeiture is a key reason why, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. Some agents are upset at the way draft picks have affected the market, Heyman reports, but the number of players affected is relatively small, which may prevent the players' union from trying to do much about it before the next CBA expires in 2016. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Red Sox (who have six legitimate big-league starters, plus a strong Triple-A rotation) and Cardinals (who keep adding young talent to complement Adam Wainwright) are smart to treasure their starting pitching depth, writes CBS Sports' Dayn Perry. Of last year's playoff teams, only the Tigers avoided giving at least than 15 starts to pitchers who weren't rotation regulars. Four teams — the Pirates, Dodgers, Rays and Cardinals — gave at least 30 starts to pitchers who weren't in their usual top five.
  • The Indians feel their biggest loss among their relief pitchers this offseason was not former closer Chris Perez, but setup man Joe Smith, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer writes. Smith signed as a free agent with the Angels. The Indians' revamped bullpen will now feature John Axford in the closer's role, with Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen also pitching in the late innings.
  • David Ortiz of the Red Sox deserves a contract extension through 2015, and he deserves a raise to $20MM for the coming season, writes Heyman. Ortiz is set to make $15MM in the final year of a two-year deal in 2014. The Red Sox ought to pay him more than the market for him would dictate, Heyman argues, based on what he means to the Red Sox and to Boston.
  • Jesse Crain of the Astros doubts he'll be ready for the start of the 2014 season, Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle writes. "I’m not planning on that. I would be surprised if I was ready by then," says Crain, who had biceps surgery in October. Crain hopes to only miss a couple weeks of play. The Astros signed Crain to a one-year, $3.25MM deal in December.
  • Emilio Bonifacio could make sense for the Mets if they do not add another shortstop, Michael Baron of MetsBlog writes. The Mets currently plan on going with Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada in their middle infield, and if they don't sign Stephen Drew or add a starting shortstop through some other means, they could use depth behind Tejada.
  • In the next five days, the Dodgers will likely sign a utility infielder to a minor-league deal, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets.
Share 0 Retweet 12 Send via email0

Boston Red Sox Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets David Ortiz Emilio Bonifacio Jesse Crain

2 comments

Minor Moves: Bryan Anderson

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 3:00pm CDT

Here are today's minor moves from around baseball.

  • The Reds have signed catcher Bryan Anderson to a minor-league deal, Baseball America's Matt Eddy tweets. The 27-year-old Anderson, once a top prospect in the Cardinals system, hit .224/.302/.400 for the White Sox' Triple-A Charlotte affiliate in 2013. The White Sox outrighted him in October. Anderson has collected 68 career big-league plate appearances, the majority of those coming with the Cardinals in 2010.
Share 2 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Cincinnati Reds Transactions Bryan Anderson

0 comments

AL East Notes: Burnett, Jays, O’s, Bonifacio, Yankees

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 1:40pm CDT

It might not be likely that the Blue Jays will sign A.J. Burnett, but in some respects, he would be a very good fit for them, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet.ca. Burnett won't require the team that signs him to forfeit a draft pick and likely wouldn't want a long-term deal, and he arguably performed better in 2013 than all the other remaining free-agent pitchers, like Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bronson Arroyo. A return to Toronto might be a longshot for Burnett, though — he would likely prefer to be closer to his home in Maryland, and had previously said he was deciding between pitching for the Pirates and retiring. Here are more notes from the AL East.

  • Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette brushed aside a report that his team was "all-in" on Burnett, saying that he was "not sure where that report came from," MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko reports. The Orioles do, however, remain very interested in signing a veteran starting pitcher. "Some of these young pitchers who we really like should be able to help us later on in the season, but if we could sign a veteran starter, I think that would help fill out our ballclub," he said.
  • Emilio Bonifacio, who the Royals designated for assignment in a surprise move today, could make an interesting candidate for the Yankees' open bench infielder job, Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues writes. If they want to acquire him, though, they'll likely need to do so via trade, since the Dodgers also need infield help and could make a trade for him themselves.
Share 2 Retweet 28 Send via email0

Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees Toronto Blue Jays A.J. Burnett Emilio Bonifacio

0 comments

Cubs Notes: Samardzija, Hammel

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 12:24pm CDT

Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs still haven't come to terms on a contract to avoid arbitration for 2014, with the pitcher filing for $6.2MM and the team countering with $4.4MM. That gap is indicative of broader differences between the two parties about how to structure a long-term deal, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago writes. Rogers notes that it wouldn't be surprising if Samardzija and the Cubs actually did go to arbitration, and suggests that they could be more than $10MM apart on a potential long-term contract. Here are more notes on the Cubs.

  • One factor in the market for Jason Hammel was that teams were worried about the possibility that his elbow wouldn't hold up, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. Hammel recently agreed to a one-year, $6MM deal with the Cubs. He missed time due to elbow issues last season.
  • The Cubs' recent pact with Hammel parallels their signing of Scott Feldman last offseason, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs writes. The best-case scenario for the Cubs is that Hammel pitches well and they trade him to a contender this summer, just as they did last year with Feldman. In order for the Cubs to do so, Hammel will have to stay healthy, but even if he doesn't, the Cubs aren't risking much.
Share 0 Retweet 22 Send via email0

Chicago Cubs Jason Hammel Jeff Samardzija

0 comments

Red Sox Sign Corey Brown

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 10:46am CDT

The Red Sox have signed outfielder Corey Brown to a minor-league deal that includes a spring training invite, ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes tweets. The Athletics designated Brown for assignment to clear space for Eric O'Flaherty last week, and Brown opted for free agency after the A's outrighted him.

Brown, 28, hit .254/.326/.473 for Triple-A Syracuse in the Nationals' system in 2013, splitting time between all three outfield positions. He has collected 45 plate appearances in parts of three seasons in the big leagues. He was a first-round pick of the Athletics in the 2007 draft.

Share 2 Retweet 11 Send via email0

Boston Red Sox Transactions

0 comments

Royals Re-Sign Bruce Chen

By Jeff Todd | February 1, 2014 at 10:45am CDT

SATURDAY: The deal is now official, according to a team release.

THURSDAY 2:58pm: Chen will actually get $3MM this year, with the remaining $1.25MM guarantee going to his mutual option buyout, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. 

10:45am: The Royals will bring back free agent swingman Bruce Chen after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4.25MM deal that includes a $5.5MM mutual option for 2015. The 36-year-old lefty, a client of the Boras Corporation, will earn $3.25MM in 2014 and is also promised a $1MM buyout on the option. He can also make an additional $1.25MM in performance bonuses. 

Chen resurrected his career in Kansas City and has spent the last five seasons there. Working mostly as a starter, but also seeing significant time in the pen, Chen has posted a 4.32 ERA in 670 1/3 innings during that time. In the process, he has maintained a 6.1 K/9 strikeout rate and 2.9 BB/9 walk rate. Last year, maintaining roughly that K:BB rate, Chen threw to a 3.27 ERA in 121 innings over 15 starts and 19 relief appearances. 

Interestingly, throughout his career, Chen has had as much success against right-handed hitters (.774 OPS against) as against lefties (.798). And he has fared as well when starting a game (.779) as when entering from the pen (.788). Last year, he was actually significantly better against opposite-handed hitters and in a starting role.

Already having over ten years of MLB service, Chen should be in line to achieve ten and five rights — an effective no-trade clause. The MLB Basic Agreement provides: "The contract of a Player with ten or more years of Major League service, the last five of which have been with one Club, shall not be assignable to another Major League Club without the Player’s written consent." Chen originally signed a minor league deal with the Royals in 2009, and was not called up until late June of that year. By my count, he racked up exactly 100 days of service that year. Chen therefore needs an additional 72 days of service to make a full year, which he is on track to reach on May 11, 2014.   As a signing free agent, Chen could refuse any trade on or before June 15 anyway, so he should effectively have complete no-trade rights for the coming season.

For the Royals, Chen provides a solid option to slot in at the back of the rotation or serve out of the pen, as the situation dictates over the course of the season. It took only a moderate guarantee to bring back the Panama native, who has not missed significant time due to injury since missing 44 games with a lat strain in early 2011.

It is not clear whether Chen will be expected to battle for a rotation spot during Spring Training. With James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie, and Jason Vargas locks to hold down starting roles (barring injury), Chen could face an uphill battle to break camp as a starter. He would presumably compete with fellow rotation and pen candidates Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar, along with youngsters Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura, and Kyle Zimmer.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the signing (via Twitter). Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com first tweeted that the deal was for one year, with a mutual option. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the deal's value and a breakdown of the financial terms (Twitter links). 

Share 3 Retweet 5 Send via email0

Kansas City Royals Transactions Bruce Chen

0 comments

Orioles Notes: Hardy, Wieters, Davis

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 10:11am CDT

Here are a few notes from Orioles FanFest this morning.

  • Before the start of the season, the O's will try to engage shortstop J.J. Hardy in extension discussions, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Hardy is in the final year of a three-year, $22.25MM deal.
  • The Orioles have tried to extend Chris Davis, but with no success so far, Kubatko tweets. Davis is due to become a free agent after the 2015 season. He will make $10.35MM in his second year of arbitration eligibility after a monster .286/.370/.634 season in 2013.
  • Orioles executive Dan Duquette says the O's have not tried to deal catcher Matt Wieters this offseason, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Like Davis, Wieters is eligible for free agency following the 2015 season.
Share 1 Retweet 21 Send via email0

Baltimore Orioles Chris Davis J.J. Hardy Matt Wieters

0 comments

A.J. Ellis, Dodgers Avoid Arbitration

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 9:52am CDT

The Dodgers have avoided arbitration with catcher A.J. Ellis, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Ellis will make $3.55MM, plus $50K each for 110 and 115 games started, and another $50K for reaching 450 plate appearances.

Ellis had filed for $4.6MM, while the Dodgers had countered at $3MM, so the final figure of $3.55MM is a bit below the midpoint of $3.8MM. Ellis, who will be 33 in April, hit .238/.318/.364 in 448 plate appearances last season.

Share 7 Retweet 31 Send via email0

Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions A.J. Ellis

0 comments

West Notes: Garza, Ortiz, Appel, Capuano

By Steve Adams | February 1, 2014 at 9:28am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that back at the Winter Meetings, the Angels offered Matt Garza a four-year contract similar to the deal he eventually he inked with the Brewers last week. However, owner Arte Moreno typically wants a quick response to free agent offers, so the Angels didn't leave the offer on the table for long (Twitter links). The Halos have added Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs this offseason and inked a returning Mark Mulder to a minor league deal. Here's more from the West divisions.

  • Rangers southpaw Joe Ortiz will miss three months of the season after he was hit by a motorcycle in Venezuela, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Ortiz, who was a pedestrian at the time of the frightening accident, has a broken bone in his left foot.
  • The Astros announced that top prospect and 2013 No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel has had an emergency appendectomy. General manager Jeff Luhnow said in a press release that Appel isn't expected to miss much time: "He will report to camp on time. Once he arrives in Spring Training, we’ll see where he is at health-wise and take it from there. We anticipate that he will either be ready to work out at the start of camp or very close to ready." The Astros also announced that waiver claim Raul Valdes will be out four to six weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
  • Former Dodgers starter Chris Capuano figures to be a bargain this offseason, Fangraphs' Jeff Sullivan writes. ESPN's Buster Olney recently noted (on Twitter) that Capuano is now only asking for a one-year contract. Sullivan suggests that could make him a better buy than someone like Bronson Arroyo, even though Arroyo is perceived as being more durable. In October, the Dodgers paid Capuano a $1MM buyout rather than picking up an $8MM option, suggesting that they did not believe he was worth $7MM to them. The Steamer projection system, however, projects that Capuano will be approximately as valuable as Arroyo, Tim Hudson or Phil Hughes.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Texas Rangers Chris Capuano Mark Appel Matt Garza

0 comments

Padres To Sign Tony Sipp

By charliewilmoth | February 1, 2014 at 8:31am CDT

9:41am: Sipp's deal includes opt-out dates of March 26 and June 1, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets.

8:31am: The Padres have agreed to terms with lefty reliever Tony Sipp on a minor-league deal. Sipp, 30, posted a 4.78 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks in 2013. The Diamondbacks designated him for assignment in November. He had pitched the previous four seasons for the Indians before heading to Arizona in the three-team Shin-Soo Choo deal.

In addition to Sipp, the Padres have recently added Alex Torres (via a trade with the Rays) and Patrick Schuster (via the Rule 5 Draft) as potential lefty bullpen options. GM Josh Byrnes said in November that the Padres would attempt to add lefty relievers this offseason.

Share 0 Retweet 38 Send via email0

San Diego Padres Transactions Tony Sipp

1 comment
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Recent

    Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast

    Dodgers To Select Julian Fernández

    The Opener: Nationals, Tigers, Rays, Pitchers’ Duel

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Rays Notes: Rasmussen, Boyle, Lowe, Kim

    Nationals Sign Luis Garcia

    Cubs, Tigers Among Teams Interested In Ke’Bryan Hayes

    AL Central Notes: Thomas, Ragans, Lynch, Cobb

    Padres To Activate Yu Darvish On Monday

    Rhys Hoskins Suffers Grade 2 Thumb Sprain, Headed To IL

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version