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Mariners Acquire Justin Ruggiano

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The Mariners have reached a deal to acquire outfielder Justin Ruggiano from the Cubs, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Righty Matt Brazis is going to Chicago in return, the clubs announced. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports first reported the possible match on Ruggiano.

Though the 32-year-old, right-handed-hitting Ruggiano is not the kind of top-end power option that Seattle was said to be seeking, he is certainly useful in his own right. Last year, he put up a .281/.337/.429 slash in 250 plate appearances, making two of three years in which he has been a solidly above-average bat. He has strong career numbers against left-handed pitching and could be used in a platoon role. MLBTR and Matt Swartz project a $2.5MM arbitration payday for Ruggiano this year.

Brazis, meanwhile, is a 25-year-old righty who reached the Double-A level last year after a solid effort at High-A. At the upper level, he tossed 33 innings of 1.64 ERA ball with 9.3 K/9 versus 2.7 BB/9.

Red Sox Acquire Anthony Varvaro

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The Red Sox have reached a deal to acquire right-handed reliever Anthony Varvaro from the Braves, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported on Twitter. Righty Aaron Kurcz and cash make up the return for the Braves, according to the official announcement.

Varvaro, 30, was designated for assignment two days ago. A deal to move him was widely said to be in the works after the Braves removed him from the 40-man roster.

He produced an attractive 2.63 ERA over 54 2/3 frames last year on the back of 8.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and a 49.7% groundball rate. ERA estimators generally viewed him as an above-average arm, with FIP (3.21), xFIP (3.15), and SIERA (2.86) all coming in above his ERA but at solid rates.

Kurcz, 23, threw 42 innings of 2.14 ERA ball last year at the Double-A level, with 11.6 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9. He missed the previous season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Orioles To Sign Wesley Wright

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TODAY: Wright is set to receive a guarantee of about $1.7MM, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets.

YESTERDAY: The Orioles have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with left-handed reliever Wesley Wright, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). Wright, a client of Reynolds Sports Management, was non-tendered by the Cubs at the beginning of the month.

Wright, who turns 30 next month, posted a 3.17 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 52.1 percent ground-ball rate in 48 1/3 innings with the Cubs this past season. In 85 plate appearances, opposing left-handed hitters batter just .273/.321/.273 against Wright. He’s been reasonably effective against left-handed hitters throughout his career, as they’ve batted .238/.315/.331 against him. Right-handed hitters, on the other hand, own a .264/.354/.479 batting line against Wright, indicating that he’s best suited for a role as a lefty specialist.

Left-handed relief wasn’t necessarily a clear area of need for the O’s, who already have a southpaw closer in Zach Britton and a pair of left-handed relief options in Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland. However, Matusz’s struggles against right-handed hitters were more pronounced, and he’s projected to earn a presumably more expensive $2.7MM. Matusz’s name has come up in trade talks recently, and it stands to reason that Wright could present an alternative if the former first-rounder Matusz is dealt to another club.

Mariners Have Talked With Cubs About Ruggiano

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TODAY, 10:34am: The Mariners have discussed Justin Ruggiano with the Cubs, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. The right-handed-hitting 32-year-old had a nice season last year in Chicago, though he would not represent the kind of impact bat that Seattle has been said to be after.

8:06am: If a deal is close, Crasnick says (links to Twitter), it is not for Marlon Byrd of the Phillies, who has not been approached about waiving his no-trade protection against Seattle. Likewise, while the Red Sox have discussed Allen Craig with plenty of other teams, there is “nothing brewing” on him at the moment (and no particular link to the M’s).

YESTERDAY, 10:38pm: A deal involving Desmond is still a possibility, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.

It remains the case, however, that no reports have directly linked the Mariners to any particular player in this round of rumors.

7:29pm: Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that he thinks the Mariners will announce a trade within the next two to three days. Crasnick tweets that his sense is that it’s a right-handed hitter who hasn’t been mentioned in much previous speculation, which would rule out Upton.

4:44pm: The Mariners are closing in on a deal to acquire another bat, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). It’s unclear at this time what hitter they’re targeting in this deal, but the Mariners have been linked to several names.

Justin Upton of the Braves has been said to be a possibility in their search for a right field bat, with the club apparently still looking for a right fielder even after signing Nelson Cruz. Seattle has also been linked to Dayan Viciedo of the White Sox and Ian Desmond of the Nationals in recent weeks. I’d imagine that Marlon Byrd could make sense for Seattle as well, and he’s certainly known to be available in trade talks with the Phillies.

AL Notes: Harrison, Headley, Lowrie, Floyd, Tigers

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The Rangers and pitcher Matt Harrison seemingly received positive news yesterday, as the righty, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that an X-ray of Harrison’s back came back clean. He will undergo a CT scan on Wednesday in hopes of being cleared to throw in January.

More from the American League:

  • The Athletics put in a “competitive” bid for Chase Headley at an earlier stage of his signing process, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Oakland would have moved Brett Lawrie to second had it landed Headley, Rosenthal adds. That tidbit also gives us some information about the timeline of the A’s involvement, of course, as Lawrie was not acquired until the end of November.
  • Jed Lowrie chose to sign with the Astros from a group of four finalists, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. Drawing broad interest due to his ability to play across the diamond, Lowrie had “significant dialogue” with no less than 17 teams, per agent Brodie Van Wagenen. But the Astros emerged as the best choice. “It was very clear to Jed that they wanted him, not a player like him or a player that played his position,” Van Wagenen said. “They wanted him. And I think when we were lining up the numbers at the end, that won the day.”
  • Just-inked hurler Gavin Floyd is ticketed for the Indians rotation, GM Chris Antonetti tells reporters including Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. He is expected to join Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer, along with the victor of a spring pitch-off between Danny Salazar, T.J. House, Zach McAllister, and Josh Tomlin. Notably, Cleveland obtained a fourth option year on Salazar, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets, which significantly enhances the team’s flexibility with the talented but inconsistent righty.
  • The Tigers are working the market for left-handed relievers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free-Press reports on Twitter. As Fenech further discusses in a series of tweets, Detroit has made minor league offers to a pair of southpaws who are expected to land big league deals, and it remains to be seen whether the club will up its offers. The remaining market is fairly thin on left-handed pen pieces at this stage.

Heyman On McCarthy, Morales, Fujikawa, Morgan

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Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com ran through some final details on several transactions this morning. Rather than bumping all of those posts to the top of the page at once, I have added the new information and will round up the changes here. (All links to Twitter.)

  • Brandon McCarthy’s four-year contract with the Dodgers includes a conditional club option that reflects, but is not entirely synonymous with, the one that led to John Lackey playing the upcoming season at league minimum. As Heyman tweets, the Dodgers would hold a 2019 option for $5MM if McCarthy has spent more than 179 days on the DL due to a specific injury, or an $8MM option if he has missed between 119-179 days.
  • In his new deal with the Royals, Kendrys Morales will earn $6.5MM in 2015 and $9MM in 2016, says Heyman. He also has a $1.5MM buyout on a $11MM option for 2017.
  • Kyuji Fujikawa will actually receive a $1.1MM total guarantee from the Rangers, Heyman tweets. His deal comes with a $2MM club option and $100K buyout, and that option could rise to as much as $3.5MM if Fujikawa meets certain games-finished thresholds.
  • Outfielder Nyjer Morgan received a $700K deal with the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles, Heyman tweets. That includes a $150K signing bonus and $550K salary.

NL East Notes: Stanton, Jones, Kang, Mets Pen

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Marlins president David Samson rejected the recent comments of Pirates president Frank Coonelly regarding the team’s expectations for the Giancarlo Stanton contract, as Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel reports. He noted that the team has every expectation that Stanton will play out its full term, adding that Stanton’s camp suggested the opt-out.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • After reaching terms with Michael Morse to take the lion’s share of work at first, the Marlins are getting calls on displaced first baseman Garrett Jones, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports. Though Jones is owed a relatively modest $5MM next year, the Fish may still need to eat some cash to get him off the books. The 33-year-old, left-handed-swinging Jones hit righties at a somewhat above-average clip, but struggled hard against same-handed pitching in limited exposure and was only an average producer in the aggregate.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link), that the club is unlikely even to make a bid on Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang. The market for Kang remains hard to gauge as his posting clock ticks.
  • The Mets are more likely to add southpaw relief help on minor league deals, Alderson added (also via Rubin, on Twitter). As things stand, New York can turn to Josh Edgin or, potentially, Rule 5 selection Sean Gilmartin for LOOGY work.

Royals Sign Kendrys Morales

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The Royals have officially agreed to a two-year, $17MM deal with free agent DH Kendrys Morales. Morales can earn an additional $750K per year through performance incentives. The contract includes a mutual option for a third year.

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers

Morales will earn $6.5MM in 2015 and $9MM in 2016, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter). He also has a $1.5MM buyout on a $11MM mutual option, the inclusion of which was first reported by Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (on Twitter).

Morales becomes the replacement for long-time DH Billy Butler, who went to the A’s for $30MM over three years earlier in the offseason. Morales, a switch-hitter, is 31 years of age.

After sitting out a good chunk of the season last year, having declined a qualifying offer before entering free agency, Morales ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Twins. But he struggled there and was dealt to the Mariners, where he continued to fall shy of his typical standards at the plate.

Between 2009 and 2013 — not including a 2011 campaign lost to injury — Morales owned a cumulative .286/.339/.494 line while averaging over twenty home runs per season. That was good for a 128 OPS+, plenty above average even for a bat-only player. Last year, however, he slashed just .218/.274/.338 over 401 plate appearances.

Kansas City has placed a bet on a return to form for Morales, whose ability to hit pitching of both hands (but especially righties) is also attractive. The Royals ranked dead last in baseball with 95 deep flies last year, and Morales should provide a jolt of pop if he can get back on track with a full spring.

SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reported the sides were close (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted that the deal was done. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted the financial terms, while Cotillo reported the option on Twitter.

Dodgers Shopping Brandon League

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After designating fellow high-priced reliever Brian Wilson earlier today, and cleaning house more generally, the Dodgers are apparently looking to move on from another expensive remnant of the prior administration. Acordding to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link), the club is talking with competitors about righty Brandon League and offering to pick up “almost half” of the $7.5MM he is owed this year in a trade.

League, now 31, was signed to a three-year, $22.5MM deal just after the end of the 2012 season. Pursuant to that contract, he is owed the above-noted $7.5MM sum for 2015. The deal also includes a vesting option, though it is only triggered if he finishes 55 games in the coming season.

The contract was widely disparaged immediately upon signing, and League fell far short of expectations in its first year. But he was actually productive last season, working to a 2.57 ERA over 63 frames. Though his 5.4 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 do not inspire much confidence, he did generate an obscene 67.5% groundball rate. ERA estimators like FIP (3.40), xFIP (4.09), and SIERA (3.58) viewed him, collectively, as an essentially average relief pitcher.

Of course, there is value in being average, and some teams will perhaps be enticed by League’s groundball abilities, generally strong history before his 2013 meltdown, and his bottom-line results last year. As the Dodgers continue to clean out some of the team’s more notable players, the ability to move on from League and save some cash in the process apparently holds some appeal as well.

Indians Designate Nick Maronde For Assignment

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The Indians announced that they have designated left-hander Nick Maronde for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Gavin Floyd.

The 25-year-old Maronde was acquired from the Angels in July for cash considerations after suddenly and surprisingly losing his control and walking more than a batter per inning across four levels. Cleveland bought low on the former third rounder with the hopes of helping him to rediscover his control, and they did just that in a small sample. Across three minor league levels with Cleveland, Maronde walked just four batters in 23 frames.

Overall, Maronde possesses solid minor league numbers that are somewhat skewed by his 2014 control woes: a 3.37 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 243 1/3 innings. He began his career as a starter after being drafted but has worked primarily out of the ’pen over the past two seasons.

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