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Royals Exercise Wade Davis’ 2015 Option

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The Royals announced that they have exercised their $7MM club option on right-hander Wade Davis for next season.  Davis is represented by Jet Sports Management.

While $7MM is a lot of money for a smaller-market team like Kansas City to pay to a setup man, Davis was such a key part of the Royals’ recent success that exercising his option was a virtual no-brainer.  In fact, the move actually saved K.C. a bit of money — Davis would’ve still been eligible for arbitration had the option been declined, and MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected that Davis would’ve been line for a $7.6MM salary in 2015 via the arbitration process.

Davis posted one of the best relief seasons in history in 2014, posting a 1.00 ERA, 4.74 K/BB rate and a 13.6 K/9 over 72 innings.  The late-game “Law Firm” of Kelvin Herrera, Davis and closer Greg Holland was a big reason the Royals made it to Game 7 of the World Series.  Herrera and Holland are both arbitration-eligible this winter and will also command big salaries, so it’s an open question as to how long K.C. can afford to keep this trio at the back of its bullpen.

Davis originally signed his four-year, $12.6MM extension in February 2011 when he was a highly-touted starting pitching prospect in the Rays organization.  His deal also contains an $8MM club option for 2016 and a $10MM club option for 2017, with the latter carrying a $2.5MM buyout.  He came to the Royals along with James Shields in the 2012-13 offseason as part of the much-talked about trade that sent Wil Myers and other prospects to Tampa.

Twins Hire Paul Molitor As Manager

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The Twins announced that they have hired Hall of Famer and Minnesota native Paul Molitor as the successor to longtime manager Ron Gardenhire. Molitor, who has signed a three-year deal that runs through the 2017 season, will be introduced at a press conference tomorrow morning at 10am CT.

Paul Molitor

Molitor, 58, was seen as the favorite to land the position heading into the team’s managerial search. He served as a member of Gardenhire’s coaching staff in 2014, working with Twins players on baserunning, infield instruction/positioning and in-game strategy. He’s been credited as the primary factor behind the Twins’ much more aggressive adoption of infield shifting. As the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino wrote back in April, the Twins shifted 46 times through their first 15 games this season after shifting just 87 times as a whole in 2013. Said Molitor at the time: “Information has changed a lot. It’s what we have available to us to prepare for a team. Guys have to extend their comfort zones.” Molitor has also spent a season as the Mariners’ hitting coach (2004) and worked for more than 10 years as a minor league coordinator in the Twins’ system.

The Twins interviewed roughly 10 candidates for the position, but the three finalists have long been reported to be Molitor, Class-A Advanced manager (and former Twins first baseman) Doug Mientkiewicz and Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo. Toward the end of the process, Lovullo and Molitor appeared to further separate themselves as the likely options.

Molitor was the third overall pick in the 1977 draft as a shortstop out of the University of Minnesota. He attended St. Paul’s Cretin-Derham Hall high school — the same school that produced current Twins first baseman Joe Mauer. Over the course of a 21-year big league career, Molito batted .306/.369/.448 with 234 homers and 504 stolen bases. He spent the final three seasons of his playing career as a Twin, collecting his 3,00th hit in the hometown uniform and leading the AL with 225 hits in 1996 at the age of 39.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Designate Jerry Sands, Vince Belnome For Assignment

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The Rays have designated outfielder Jerry Sands and infielder Vince Belnome for assignment, according to a team press release.  Sands and Matt Moore were activated off the 60-day DL, and Belhome’s DFA creates a spot for Moore on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.

Sands was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last offseason.  He only appeared in 12 games with the Rays due to wrist surgery in July.  Sands, 27, has a .689 OPS over 273 Major League PA with the Rays and Dodgers since 2011.

Belnome was a 28th-round draft pick of the Padres in 2009 and he made his Major League debut with the Rays in 2014, making 14 plate appearances over four games.  He has primarily played first base during his career, though he has also seen lots of time at second and third.  The 26-year-old Belnome has a strong .289/.402/.459 slash line over 2613 career PA in the minors.

According to the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker, Sands and Belnome join John Axford and Jeanmar Gomez in ’DFA Limbo.’

Rays Exercise Joel Peralta’s Option

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The Rays have exercised their $2.5MM team option on right-hander Joel Peralta for the 2015 season, MLBDailyDish.com’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link). Earlier today, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Rays were likely to pick up Peralta’s option and bring the 38-year-old back for his fifth season in Tampa.  Peralta is represented by Mark Gilling.

Peralta, 38, has been a reliable relief arm out of the Rays bullpen since 2010, posting a 3.58 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.49 K/BB rate and averaging 67 innings per season.  He was somewhat unlucky to post a 4.41 ERA in 2014 given that he had strong peripherals (10.52 K/9, 2.13 BB/9) and an impressive set of ERA indicators (3.40 FIP, 3.11 xFIP, 2.54 SIERA).

Peralta would seem to be well worth the $2.5MM price tag, though there was some speculation that the Rays could decline the option given their limited payroll and a 40-man roster crunch.  Tampa Bay also holds club options on Peralta for 2016 and 2017 (each worth $2.5MM) as per the original two-year contract he signed prior to the 2013 season.

Royals Make Qualifying Offer To James Shields

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The Royals have extended a qualifying offer to free agent righty James Shields, the team announced (Twitter link).  Shields has until 4pm CT on November 10 to decide whether or not to accept the one-year, $15.3MM offer, though it is universally expected that he’ll reject the QO in favor of a larger deal in free agency.

In making the qualifying offer, the Royals stand to receive a first-round draft pick as compensation if and when Shields rejects the QO and signs with another team.  It has been presumed that K.C. wouldn’t be able to re-sign Shields given the high price tag he’ll command this winter, though the team will at least attempt to bring him back, perhaps buoyed by extra revenues from their postseason games.

Aramis Ramirez Exercises Option To Remain With Brewers

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Aramis Ramirez has exercised his side of his $14MM mutual option with the Brewers and will return to the club in 2015, the Brewers announced via their Twitter feed.  Milwaukee exercised its end of the option on Friday.  Ramirez is represented by Paul Kinzer.

Ramirez said in September that he was keeping his options open, though he preferred to return to Milwaukee and wasn’t sure if he wanted to play beyond the 2015 season.  Exercising this option checks off both boxes for the 36-year-old slugger, though as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted in Ramirez’s Free Agent Profile, it’s very rare for a team and player to both agree on a mutual option, let alone one worth as much as $14MM.  Dierkes projected Ramirez to find a two-year deal worth between $26-$30MM (depending on if Ramirez had a qualifying offer attached to him or not) this winter.MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers

“He is comfortable in Milwaukee, and obviously Aramis has made a lot of money in his career and he has invested wisely and is in very good shape (financially),” Kinzer tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He told me he wants to control his own destiny. He’ll decide after next year if he wants to keep playing.

“If he signed a two- or three-year deal (with another club) now, he’d feel obligated to fulfill that contract. This is his choice. He’s happy in Milwaukee and if he puts up the numbers and wants to play another year, it’s his decision and nobody else’s. He said he’ll sit down with his family at the end of next year and decide if he wants to play more. It was an easy decision for him.”

Ramirez hit .285/.330/.427 with 15 homers and a 109 wRC+ over 531 plate appearances in 2014.  While still a productive bat, there were a few red flags around Ramirez’s performance — he hasn’t posted a lower slugging percentage since the 2002 season, a lower walk rate since 2000, and his .142 ISO was a career-low over a full season.  If Ramirez’s decline gets sharper, the Brewers may have dodged a bullet by only having the veteran under contract through next season.  Milwaukee’s corner infield situation for 2015 has become much clearer with Ramirez returning at third and the newly-acquired Adam Lind getting much of the time at first base, though Lind will need a platoon partner to face left-handed pitching.

Dierkes ranked Ramirez as the 19th-best free agent of the 2014-15 offseason, and the fairly sparse third base market gets even thinner with Ramirez off the board.  This further strengthens Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley’s chances of finding big contracts as the best available 3B options, though Hanley Ramirez could also still explore signing as a third baseman.

Photo courtesy of Benny Sleu/USA Today Sports Images

Cubs Sign Tsuyoshi Wada

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The Cubs have signed left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada to a one-year, Major League contract, the team announced.  The deal is worth $4MM, and another $2MM available in incentives, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports (Twitter link).  The new contract overrides a $5MM team option the Cubs held on Wada’s services for the 2015 season.  Wada is represented by the Octagon Agency.

Wada, 33, finally got his first taste of Major League action last season, posting an impressive 3.25 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 69 1/3 IP (13 starts) with the Cubs.  Following a distinguished nine-year career in Japan, Wada signed a two-year, $8.15MM deal with the Orioles in December 2011, though he never threw as much as a pitch for the O’s thanks to Tommy John surgery.

After signing a minor league deal with the Cubs last offseason, Wada successfully rebuilt his value and has now worked himself into Chicago’s rotation plans for 2015.  The Cubs have been widely rumored to be interested in signing a top free agent pitcher (possibly Jon Lester) to add to Wada, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Travis Wood and Edwin Jackson, plus options like Jacob Turner and Felix Doubront are also in the rotation mix.

Blue Jays Have Discussed Signing Russell Martin

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The Blue Jays have had internal discussions about signing free agent catcher Russell Martin, Sportsnet.ca’s Jeff Blair reports.  Needless to say, the Jays would have to outbid several teams in order to secure Martin, who is easily the top catcher on the open market.  The Jays haven’t made any significant payroll expenditures in almost two years, though they’re trying to create some payroll flexibility in order to make some moves this winter, as evidenced by their trade of Adam Lind.

With Martin a sure bet to receive a qualifying offer from the Pirates, the Jays would also have to give up their first-round draft pick (18th overall) as compensation for the signing.  While surrendering a first-rounder would represent a shift in Toronto’s front office philosophy, the Blue Jays could get another draft pick back (between the first and second rounds) should Melky Cabrera sign elsewhere this offseason.

Toronto already has Dioner Navarro under contract for one more season, though if Martin signed, Blair notes that Navarro would be shifted into a DH role.  One would think Navarro wouldn’t be the primary DH and would split time between that spot and a backup catcher role, though that also raises the possibility that the Jays would part ways with current backup Josh Thole (whose option was picked up for 2015).  Since Thole’s primary role with the Jays has been to catch for R.A. Dickey, his future with the team could depend on how well Martin or Navarro could handle the knuckleball.

With Navarro already slated to start, the Jays were an off-the-board contender for Martin and thus not cited by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes in his Top 50 Free Agent Predictions.  Dierkes predicted Martin would sign the Cubs, with the Pirates and Dodgers also standing out as likely bidders.

Dodgers Re-Sign Barry Enright

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Here are today’s minor league transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Dodgers have re-signed right-hander Barry Enright to a new minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Enright originally signed with L.A. in July, and he posted a 6.20 ERA over a combined 135 IP for the Dodgers’ and Phillies’ Triple-A affiliates in 2014.  Enright has a 5.57 ERA in 148 2/3 career Major League innings with the Diamondbacks and Angels from 2010-13.

Manager Notes: Molitor, Rays, Renteria

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The Twins and Rays are the only teams still without managers, though Minnesota seems on the verge of filling that spot.  Here’s the latest skipper-related news…

  • The Twins’ offer to Paul Molitor is reportedly a three-year deal, 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets.
  • Molitor was reportedly Twins GM Terry Ryan’s “hand-picked guy” to manage the club, a Twins insider source tells CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.  Ryan still interviewed as many as 10 candidates out of due diligence, though with Molitor the favorite, the search may have been somewhat like a “dog and pony show,” in the words of one former Twin employee.
  • Dave Martinez, Torey Lovullo and Tim Bogar all figure to be on the Rays’ list of interview candidates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  Other well-regarded coaches like Brian Butterfield, DeMarlo Hale, Ron Wotus and Tim Flannery could also be possibilities, while Topkin predicts the Rays will also talk to “some outside-the-box names.”
  • It doesn’t seem like ex-Cubs manager Rick Renteria would be a Rays candidate, Topkin notes, “just from the optics of hiring the guy fired to make room for [Joe] Maddon.”

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