NL Notes: Frandsen, Despaigne, Framing, Floyd
Here are some notes out of the National League:
- Kevin Frandsen returned to Philadelphia for the first time tonight after his surprising, late-spring departure from the Phillies. Now with the division-rival Nationals, Frandsen told reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, that he enjoyed his time in Philly but was “blindside[d]” when he was outrighted. Frandsen said that he took a “leap of faith” in declining his outright assignment (and giving up his $900K salary), but that “a bunch of teams” called when he became available.
- The Padres‘ signing of Cuban righty Odrisamer Despaigne was indeed delayed by the need for a visa and physical to seal the deal, writes MLB.com’s Corey Brock. Echoing a scouting report obtained by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, GM Josh Byrnes said that Despaigne profiled as a creative, deceptive, “old generation” Cuban hurler. Brock says that San Diego’s new arm will start out at Double-A, in part to avoid the high-scoring PCL to start his career, but could well rise to the majors this year.
- If and when he joins the big league club, Despaigne may benefit from the one area in which the Padres have paced the bigs this year, according to Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan (in a piece for FOX Sports): an expansive strike zone for San Diego pitchers. The club leads the league with 52 called strikes than expected, thanks largely to the receiving efforts of its backstops. That was an area of priority for the club, as it put resources into improving the skills of incumbents Yasmani Grandal and Nick Hundley while adding Rene Rivera due in large part to his abilities behind the dish.
- The Braves are set to activate hurler Gavin Floyd from the DL this weekend, after the veteran righty worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. Of course, the expectation when Floyd signed his $4MM, incentive-laden pact with Atlanta was that he would join the rotation. That seemed all the more likely when the club suffered a shocking run of injuries to key starters. But with Mike Minor back from his own rehab stint and the team’s current starting five firing on all cylinders, MLB.com’s Joe Morgan writes that Floyd could open in the pen.
Cubs Notes: Trades, Veras, Draft
Here’s the latest out of Wrigleyville …
- At this early stage of the year, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer says that there is very little action in terms of trade discussion, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. As Miles writes in another piece, Hoyer also said that the club “should be better than [its] record,” but has suffered through some tough losses. Of course, barring a big surprise, the expectation all along has been that Chicago would shop several of the veterans on its roster, and the team’s current nine-game division deficit only increases that likelihood. Pitcher Jason Hammel, the versatile Emilio Bonifacio, and of course staff ace Jeff Samardzija are all off to starts that make them look like attractive trade targets.
- One other player that seemed destined to be a July mover was reliever Jose Veras, who the Cubs inked to take over the closer role. But his struggles on the mound and with an oblique injury have clouded both his outlook as a trade chip and the team’s closer situation, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes. The team will look to “develop a closer from one of the guys we have on the roster,” says Hoyer. The GM added that Veras’s struggles “show[] you the perils of free agency,” though he added that he hopes the 33-year-old veteran will sort himself out.
- The draft is no doubt the focus of the Chicago front office at the moment, as the team holds the fourth overall choice. While we heard recently that the club would take the best player available, it will surely be enticed by the possibility of adding a top-flight pitching prospect in a draft that has several at the top of the board. As Muskat writes, aiding Hoyer and president of baseball ops Theo Epstein in breaking down the young arms will be former Cub standouts Kerry Wood and Ted Lilly. “The plan is to have those guys in the draft room when we convene,” said Hoyer. “It’s good for us to hear their opinions, and it’s good for their development to go out and see these guys.”
Minor Moves: Angels Sign Vance Albitz
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Angels have added free agent middle infielder Vance Albitz on a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Albitz, 26, reached the Triple-A level with the Cardinals, the only organization he had previously played for. He has a serviceable .278/.328/.365 mark in 138 career plate appearances for Memphis, but has managed only a .211/.258/.266 triple-slash in his 225 trips to the dish at the Double-A level. Albitz was released by St. Louis a few weeks back after starting the year off in extended spring training, per CardinalsFarm.com.
- As MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows, the following players are awaiting their fate: Greg Dobbs (Marlins), Moises Sierra (Blue Jays), and Nick Buss (Dodgers).
Orioles Still Talking With Kendrys Morales
The Orioles have maintained dialogue with free agent first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales over the last several weeks, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. At present, a “fairly significant gap” still separates the two sides.
Notably, according to Heyman, the key issue is not years but dollars. Negotiations between Baltimore and Scott Boras (Morales’s agent) have focused on one-year scenarios. It is worth noting that Morales will only earn a prorated portion of whatever annual salary rate is agreed upon for 2014.
Heyman notes that the Mariners and Brewers continue to look like other possibilities. Seattle seemingly stepped back from Morales after its rough stretch, but Heyman wonders if they could get back involved if the club continues its recent revival. Of course, the closer we get to the June draft, the greater the possibility becomes that the Mariners will lose the supplemental pick they stand to gain should Morales find a new home before that time, which could increase the club’s motivation.
Performance has not been an issue for Milwaukee, of course, and Morales may well be just the kind of mid-season addition needed to cement the team’s status as a contender. As Heyman notes, the Brewers have recently landed fellow Boras clients Kyle Lohse and Francisco Rodriguez.
Joel Hanrahan On Signing With Tigers
More than 20 teams were on hand for Joel Hanrahan‘s April showcase and the former closer reportedly dazzled everyone in attendance. Ostensibly, Hanrahan had a number of opportunities to pick from and earlier today he came to terms on a deal with the Tigers. The 32-year-old came out strong and hit 93 mph on the gun, which is extremely impressive considering that he’s just under one year removed from Tommy John Surgery. On today’s conference call I asked Hanrahan if he was surprised by his fast turnaround.
“No, not really,” the confident veteran said. “I put in the hard work while everyone else was playing this summer. I was going to rehab five times a week at 8:00 in the morning. That was my season. I’ve still got a bit of work to do here. Hopefully when they put a hitter in the box and I get some adrenaline going, the velocity will be there. I’ve always been a velocity type guy with a bit of the breaking ball.”
While Hanrahan is a very notable addition and one that could help fortify a Tigers bullpen that struggled in 2013, there is another notable name that the club has been linked to heavily over the past few months in Stephen Drew. When asked if there could be addition room for another major league free agent this season, Dombrowski said such a move wasn’t in the works but didn’t exactly shut the door.
“Our owner has always been generous but we’re not in a spot to do that necessarily. We’ve made some moves with our club through trades, Andrew Romine has done a good job for us at shortstop, that was one area of need we had…” the GM said. “The area we wanted to address most was our bullpen if we had the opportunity to.”
As for Hanrahan, both the pitcher and Dombrowski emphasized that there will be no clear timetable for his Tigers major league debut. Hanrahan wouldn’t guarantee that he’ll be on the mound for Detroit in the next 30 days and the GM said his minor league warmup will be “sort of a Spring Training,” so it sounds like there’s little, if any, pressure on the reliever to rush himself back. Hanrahan is extremely eager to getting back to what he does best but won’t take any chances to expedite the process.
Astros Sign Tony Sipp
1:09pm: The Astros have officially announced the signing, adding that right-hander Jesse Crain has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to create room on the 40-man roster, and right-hander Paul Clemens has been optioned to Triple-A to create room on the 25-man roster.
FRIDAY, 7:29am: Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports that Sipp’s deal will pay him “roughly” $700K if he hits all of the incentives (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: Left-hander Tony Sipp has asked for and been granted his release by the Padres so that he can sign a Major League contract with the Astros, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). Sipp, 30, is a client of the Bledsoe Brothers Athlete Agency.
Though Sipp’s ERA with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate was a somewhat pedestrian 4.30, he posted an outstanding 21-to-2 K/BB ratio in his 14 2/3 innings of work at El Paso this season. He inked a minor league deal with the Friars this offseason and elected not to opt out of his deal when his first opt-out date (March 26) came up.
Sipp has significant Major League experience under his belt, as he’s pitched at least 37 2/3 innings in the big leagues in each of the past five seasons. In that time, he’s compiled a 3.84 ERA with 9.3 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 and a 29.9 percent ground-ball rate. Over the course of his five Major League seasons, Sipp has held opposing left-handed hitters to a .224 average and .306 OBP, but he’s been homer-prone against same-handed hitters, yielding a .426 slugging percentage and allowing a homer every 22.3 plate appearances.
Houston’s bullpen has struggled this season, posting the worst ERA (5.86) and FIP (5.11) in all of Major League Baseball. In particular, left-handed relievers Raul Valdes and Kevin Chapman have struggled, allowing eight earned runs and issuing 10 walks in just seven innings of work.
Padres Sign Odrisamer Despaigne
The Padres have officially announced the signing of Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne to a minor league contract that is reportedly worth $1MM. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reported last month that the two sides were finalizing a deal, and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the hang-up was likely over Despaigne’s need to get a visa.
Back in March, Dierkes spoke with a high-level scout to get a report on Despaigne, learning that he has four average offerings that he can deliver from a number of different arm slots, leading the scout to point out his ability to deceive hitters. That same scout also told Dierkes that Despaigne “knows how to pitch,” suggesting a good feel for the game. Despaigne recently changed agencies, switching from Jaime Torres to Charisse Dash of DPX Sports.
The 27-year-old Despaigne posted a 3.65 career ERA in eight seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional and was much better in his final season, posting an ERA of just 2.58. It’s unclear exactly what role he would fill with the Padres in the long-term, but the scouting report received by Dierkes seemed to suggest that Despaigne is on a big-league track, be it as a back-end starter or a middle reliever. Despaigne was also connected to the Diamondbacksand Twins at various points this offseason.
MLB.com’s Corey Brock first reported (on Twitter) that the $1MM minor league deal was official after Despaigne had received his visa and passed a physical.
Tigers Outright Mike Belfiore
The Tigers announced that they’ve outrighted left-hander Mike Belfiore off the 40-man roster in order to clear a spot for Joel Hanrahan.
Detroit claimed the 25-year-old southpaw off waivers from the Orioles earlier this year. Belfiore has one career appearance in the Majors — a 1 1/3 inning outing last season in which he yielded a pair of runs. He’s been solid throughout his minor league career, posting a 3.79 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 417 2/3 innings to date.
Braves Extend Chris Johnson
12:20pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that Johnson is guaranteed $23.5MM over the life of the deal, and the 2018 club option is valued at $10MM.
12:02pm: The Braves have suddenly become Major League Baseball’s most active team on the extension front, and they continued their rash of long-term deals on Friday by officially announcing a three-year deal for third baseman Chris Johnson. The contract will buy out two arbitration years and one free agent season, and the Braves hold a club option on a fourth year. Johnson, 29, is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Johnson, a fourth-round draft pick of the Astros in 2006, was dealt to the Diamondbacks near the 2012 trade deadline. He later joined the Braves in January 2013 along with Justin Upton, with Arizona receiving Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury. So far Johnson has compiled a .307/.344/.438 batting line in 643 plate appearances spanning 167 games for Atlanta. He was worth 2.8 wins above replacement last season, according to FanGraphs.
Johnson had three years and 144 days of Major League service prior to this season, so he’s already been arbitration eligible twice (the first time as a Super Two player). Johnson is earning $4.75MM this year, and the Braves previously had him under team control through 2016.
As MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, Johnson stands to become the sixth Braves player to sign a multiyear extension since February, after the team committed 27 years and $280.7MM to Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Craig Kimbrel, and Andrelton Simmons. Only Heyward’s two-year deal failed to extend team control. Excel Sports Management represents Freeman, Heyward, and Johnson.
MLBTR was the first to report that the two sides were finalizing an extension. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (via Twitter) that it was a three-year deal with a club option.
Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tigers Sign Joel Hanrahan
11:29am: Hanrahan’s base salary is $1MM, and he can earn up to $3MM total after incentives, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (on Twitter).
11:10am: Acknowledging a need for bullpen help, the Tigers announced today that they’ve signed right-hander Joel Hanrahan to a one-year, incentive-laden Major League contract. Hanrahan will begin the season on the disabled list and build up arm strength in the minors before joining the big league club, according to GM Dave Dombrowski. Detroit was one of five teams recently reported to have “strong” interest in the Reynolds Sports Management client.
The 32-year-old Hanrahan is two weeks shy of the one-year anniversary of the Tommy John/flexor mass repair surgery that cost him the majority of the 2013 campaign. Roughly two weeks ago, Hanrahan impressed at a showcase for interested teams that saw upwards of 20 Major League clubs attend. Reports from the showcase said he looked to be in good physical condition and was throwing as hard as 93 mph despite being just 11 months removed from surgery.
A two-time All-Star, Hanrahan posted a 2.59 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and 82 saves in 229 1/3 innings with the Pirates from 2009-12 before a trade that sent him to Boston last in the 2012-13 offseason. Hanrahan fits the Tigers’ affinity for power arms, as his 96.5 mph average fastball from 2011-13 ranked seventh in the game among qualified relievers.
Detroit’s bullpen took a hit before the season even began, when it was learned that fireballing setup man Bruce Rondon would require Tommy John surgery and miss the 2014 season. That loss and a lack of quality internal options has led the Tigers to a collective 5.37 ERA from their relievers thus far in 2014 — second-worst in the Majors. When he is healthy enough to take the field, Hanrahan will presumably slide into a setup role alongside Joba Chamberlain, Al Alburquerque and Ian Krol to help bridge the gap to closer Joe Nathan.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick was the first to connect Hanrahan to a press conference that the Tigers had scheduled (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter link), and Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish added that it’s a Major League deal (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.