Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2014

Free Agent Notes: Top Pitchers, Rios, Royals, Everth, Astros

By | at

With the Winter Meetings nearly upon us, ESPN’s Jayson Stark spoke to nine baseball executives regarding the “Big Three” starting pitchers on this year’s free agent market — Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields — and asked when and where they will sign. While answers as to when Scherzer will sign varied, there was a much tighter window on Lester, with all nine believing he will sign between Dec. 8 and Dec. 13. The execs polled by Stark feel that Shields’ market is tied so closely to Lester that he will sign within two weeks of Lester and perhaps even as soon as next week’s Winter Meetings. Many identified Shields as a fallback for teams that miss on Lester. Execs picked Lester to sign with the usual suspects at this point: the Red Sox, Cubs, Giants or Dodgers. Interestingly, Scherzer’s landing spot was predicted to be the Yankees, Nationals, Cubs or Tigers, by the five who were willing to wager a guess on that outcome.

A few more notes pertaining to free agency…

  • The Mariners, Royals, and Indians have all checked in on Alex Rios, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Rios, who joined the Boras Corporation earlier this offseason, has had a fairly quiet market to this point, though one would expect interest to pick up now that Nelson Cruz, Torii Hunter and Yasmany Tomas are off the market.
  • The Royals are looking for a right fielder and a starting pitcher but likely only have the available funds to make a “significant” investment in one of the two areas, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. The Royals may have to bargain shop for the other, he notes. Kansas City has invested a modest amount of its available funds to the bullpen in the past week, re-signing righties Jason Frasor and Luke Hochevar. However, it’s at least worth noting that Hochevar’s contract reportedly contains performance incentives tied to starting (though it also contains relief incentives).
  • Though the Mets are in need of a shortstop, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin writes that recently non-tendered Padres speedster Everth Cabrera is not a consideration. Though he’s talented and has twice led the NL in stolen bases, Cabrera has a good deal of off-field issues on his record, including a 50-game PED suspension and more recent legal issues, as he’s been charged with resisting arrest after being stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana. (Cabrera plead not guilty to those charges today, per the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders.)
  • Lefty reliever Craig Breslow is drawing significant interest, but his timetable to sign is currently dependent on the rest of the relief market, tweets WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Breslow is coming off a down season but has a strong track record. Interest in Breslow and other relievers could intensify now that Andrew Miller is off the board, I would think.
  • Though the Astros missed out on Miller even after offering him more money than the Yankees did, they’re still on the hunt for relievers, tweets Heyman. Houston remains interested in David Robertson, Sergio Romo and others.

Details On The Pursuit And Signing Of Andrew Miller

By | at

Southpaw reliever Andrew Miller is headed to the Yankees. GM Brian Cashman addressed the signing in a conference call, and his comments will appear shortly in a separate post.

Here are some notable links regarding the signing:

  • The Astros and Red Sox appear to have been the other finalists for Miller. Houston was in it “to the end,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. In fact, the Astros were the high bidder, and were the team that had a $40MM offer out for the lefty, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports on Twitter.
  • There are conflicting reports on just how high Boston was willing to go. The team made a four-year offer that Miller “strongly considered,” according to Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com. On the other hand, GM Ben Cherington left Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) with the impression that his club was not willing to bid up to the level of the Yankees and Astros, and may not have offered a fourth year. And Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweets that the Sox were not willing to guarantee the final year of the pact.
  • UPDATE: The Red Sox were willing to go to four years at a lower AAV, with more incentives involved, per a tweet from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. And indeed a four-year offer was on the table, Cafardo tweets.
  • The Dodgers were not willing to add a fourth year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Contract length also played a role in the team’s decision not to push for Zach Duke, though Los Angeles had interest in him, Rosenthal adds.
  • One reason that the Yankees upped their bid for Miller was that the team found other possible upgrades to be too expensive, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Cashman told reporters that the team added $4MM to its offer upon learning that Miller had $40MM on the table.
  • In an interview with Rosenthal, Miller explained that the Yankees were able to offer a total package that no other team could. Specifically, Miller said that he placed a high value on the fact that the Yankees train in the Tampa area, where he lives. He also feels comfortable staying in the AL East. “Money wasn’t everything,” Miller explained. “The teams that negotiated with us were fully aware of that as well. In the total package, the Yankees had the best offer for me personally.” Miller added that the Astros made a very appealing overall bid.

Brian Cashman On Andrew Miller, Didi Gregorius

By | at

The Yankees addressed two major needs earlier today when they completed a three-team deal to land shortstop Didi Gregorius and later signed reliever Andrew Miller to a four-year, $36MM deal.  Since the Miller deal came to light, some have wondered whether he will displace free agent David Robertson as the team’s closer.  In a conference call earlier today, GM Brian Cashman left the door open for Robertson but also made it clear that he’ll be addressing other needs as well.

“We’ll wait and see.  We’re still evaluating all opportunities in this market place,” Cashman said.  “We need to address the left side of the infield, the starting rotation, finding a fourth outfielder…we’ll evaluate every opportunity that comes our way and with all the moving pieces that we have going on, we have to take a serious interest in all of those things and I can’t predict how that will go.”

If one thing is for certain in Cashman’s mind, it’s that there is plenty more work to be done this winter.  He told reporters that he is in “acquisition mode” this offseason as the Yankees look to take care of their multiple needs.  Still, he won’t prioritize one area over another as intends to pounce on whatever opportunities and strong fits come his way.

Of course, he trimmed down the checklist a good amount today with the acquisitions of Miller and Gregorius.  As Cashman explained, his pursuit of the young shortstop has been going on for some time.

“He’s a young athletic shortstop and his defense is very good.  He’s struggled against left-handed pitching and we believe he hits right-handed pitching well, so I think at the very least, we open up 2015 with him in a platoon with Brendan Ryan until he separates himself.  So, the high end projection is that we think there’s more in the tank there as he continues to develop. We think he’s an exciting talent, but honestly he’s not a finished product.

“He’s someone we targeted not just this winter, but in past seasons, both with the old regime and the new regime.  I had to go through another club to get my hands on him.  We believe we’re in a better place than we were before we had him,” Cashman explained.

Even though Cashman was happy to finally get his man, it was difficult for him to part with right-hander Shane Greene in order to make it happen.  In the end, Cashman felt that Greene established himself as a promising talent after last season, but that was the price he had to pay in order to get an up-and-coming player at a premium position.

While today’s acquisitions will be counted on for big performances in 2014, Cashman knows that it’ll be even more crucial for the Bombers to get strong play out of their veterans coming back from injury.  Alex Rodriguez’s name was mentioned alongside the likes of Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann, but he was noticeably left out when Cashman noted that he has one possibility to play third base (Martin Prado) on the roster.  When asked to expand, Cashman explained that he’s only hoping for, not banking on, A-Rod to be a factor at third base.

“I think it’s every color on the rainbow.  The extreme hope is that you can get the middle of the lineup bat to play third whenever you want, if not all the time.  The worst case scenario is that he’s no longer a third baseman and doesn’t have that bat and you’re looking other places,” said the GM.

Ultimately, Prado could wind up being slotted in at second or third base and Cashman sounded like someone who was equally open to either possibility.   Figuring out a solution for one of those two positions will be amongst the Bombers’ top priorities going forward, but the crazy nature of the baseball offseason means that Cashman will have to be equal parts proactive and reactive in filling the team’s holes.  Whether the Yankees put more resources into the infield or, say, fortifying the starting rotation will hinge on what opportunities present themselves in the coming weeks.

“I will gravitate faster to whatever presents itself as the most interesting option.  I will have to act accordingly because there are many teams with the same needs as us,” Cashman said.

Yankees Sign Andrew Miller

By | at

5:27pm: Miller will receive a straight $9MM annual salary, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The deal does not include any options.

2:38pm: Earlier today the Yankees acquired Didi Gregorius in a three-team trade, and that was just the beginning of the splash they’re making, as they’ve now also announced the signing of Andrew Miller to a four-year contract. Miller, a client of Frontline Athlete Management, will reportedly receive a $36MM guarantee, but the contract does not include a no-trade clause.

"<strong

The 29-year-old Miller (30 next May) broke out in a huge way in 2014, pitching to a 2.02 ERA with an eye-popping 14.9 K/9 (an AL record), 2.5 BB/9 and a 46.9 percent ground-ball rate in 62 1/2 innings for the Red Sox and Orioles. He went on to throw another 7 1/3 shutout innings with an 8-to-1 K/BB ratio in the postseason as well. Miller will pair with Dellin Betances — an electric breakout story himself — at the back of the Yankee bullpen, giving manager Joe Girardi a pair of dominant late-inning options. Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects Miller to be used to close games, but not exclusively, as Betances will likely be in the mix for save opportunities as well (Twitter link).

Of course, Girardi is accustomed to that feeling, as he was able to enjoy excellent work from David Robertson and Mariano Rivera from 2011-13, and then Robertson and Betances this past season. The Miller signing doesn’t necessarily preclude the Yankees from retaining Robertson, as some reports have indicated that it’s at least possible for GM Brian Cashman to spend to bring both elite relievers to the Bronx. That would give the Yankees a Royals-esque late-inning trio, though the team may also simply replace Robertson with Miller and collect a draft pick when their closer signs elsewhere.

Miller’s contract is the largest ever for a non-closing reliever — a nice feather in the cap of agent Mark Rodgers. Rafael Soriano had previously signed a three-year, $35MM contract to set up for the Yankees, though he had prior closing experience. Scott Linebrink signed a four-year, $19MM contract with the White Sox that was the largest guarantee for a setup man that had never closed.

As excellent as Miller was in 2014, the contract is clearly not without risk for the Yankees. Setting aside the volatile nature of all relievers, this past season marked the first year in which Miller displayed above-average control and was also the first in which he was allowed to face both right-and left-handed hitters in a full setup capacity. Miller averaged 4.7 walks per nine innings from 2012-13 (5.0 in 2013) and totaled just 71 innings in that time due to a combination of a more limited role and injuries. Miller suffered a lis-franc fracture in his foot in 2013 and missed time in 2012 with a strained hamstring. This past season he faced 144 righties and 98 lefties, but in 2013 he faced a much more even 73 righties and 62 lefties. In 2012, he was deployed mostly as a lefty specialist, pitching to 102 left-handed hitters and just 67 right-handed batters.

The Miller situation has likely handcuffed the free agent reliever market to some extent. As many as 23 clubs showed interest in him, though in recent days it seemed that the Astros, Dodgers and Yankees were among the final clubs standing. With one of the top two names off the board — Robertson being the other — more relief signings figure to trickle in, especially considering the fact that Robertson’s market figures to be limited to a smaller number of teams, given his higher asking price.

Jack Curry of the YES Network first tweeted news of the agreement and the terms of the contract. ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted the lack of a no-trade clause.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jon Lester Rumors: Friday

By | at

The Cubs, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers are believed to be the top four suitors for Jon Lester, who reportedly isn’t expected to make a decision prior to the beginning of next week’s Winter Meetings. We’ll keep track of today’s Lester rumors here…

  • Ryan Dempster, who joined the Cubs’ front office today, has been in contact with Lester and talked up how great it is to pitch with the Cubs, writes ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. A source familiar with the Lester negotiations told Rogers that reports indicating a $130-140MM offer from the Cubs are actually low. Lester is expected to top $150MM, Rogers writes, and if a team “blows past” that number by adding a seventh year or bidding $160-170MM, Chicago is likely to bow out of the race.

Dodgers Claim Ryan Lavarnway, Designate Drew Butera

By | at

The Dodgers announced that they have claimed catcher Ryan Lavarnway off waivers from the Red Sox and designated fellow backstop Drew Butera for assignment (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old Lavarnway has seen MLB action in parts of four seasons with the Red Sox but failed to establish himself at the plate, having posted a combined .201/.249/.315 batting line in 301 plate appearances. Formerly ranked as a Top 100 prospect by both Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com, Lavarnway has a strong minor league track record, including a .284/.377/.448 triple-slash in 1102 Triple-A plate appearances. He comes with more upside at the plate than the defense-first, though Lavarnway has caught just 10 of 63 potential base-stealers in the Majors (16 percent) and didn’t stand out in terms of pitch-framing in his two longest Major League stints.

Butera, 31, is a glove-first catcher that has never hit much at any level and owns just a .183/.239/.268 batting line in the Majors. However, his reputation behind the plate has led to him receiving 733 plate appearances between the Twins and Dodgers (192 with L.A. in 2014) in spite of his deficiencies with the bat.

The Dodgers’ catching situation remains in flux, as the team was in hard on Russell Martin earlier this offseason and has recently been linked to Yasmani Grandal in trade rumors. A.J. Ellis typically steady bat took a large step backwards in 2014, and improving the production behind the plate appears to be a priority for the new front office regime.

Royals Re-Sign Luke Hochevar

By and | at

1:29pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Hochevar can earn $500K worth of incentives for non-closing relief work, $500K of incentives for closing work and up to $2MM for starting.

DEC. 5, 12:35pm: The Royals officially announced Hochevar’s return yesterday, including the fact that it contained a 2017 mutual option. Today, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports the breakdown of his contract (Twitter links). Hochevar will earn $4MM in 2015 and $5.5MM in 2016. The deal contains a $7MM mutual option with a $500K buyout as well as performance escalators that can boost his salary from $5.5MM to $6.5MM. Interestingly, the triggers for that $1MM increase is either 23 games started or 150 innings pitched, so it seems that the Royals are at least open to letting Hochevar work as a starter, though perhaps only if they’re unable to supplement their rotation this offseason.

DEC. 3:The Royals have reached an agreement with reliever Luke Hochevar on a two-year, $10MM deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  The signing further deepens the best bullpen in the Majors.  Hochevar is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Luke Hochevar

Hochevar, 31, switched to the bullpen in 2013 and turned in a dominant season with a 1.92 ERA and 10.5 K/9.  However, he went under the knife for Tommy John surgery in March of this year.  Some pitchers are able to fully recover in one year, though many require several months beyond that.  Hochevar has spent his entire pro career with the Royals after being drafted first overall in 2006.  He had been rated as a top five draft prospect the year prior but fell to the Dodgers at 40th overall due to his bonus demands and affiliation with Boras.

The trio of Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera turned in dominant seasons for the Royals, including a 1.12 ERA in 40 1/3 postseason innings, and all three remain under team control.  The Royals also re-signed veteran Jason Frasor five days ago, so they’re very deep in right-handed relief pitching.  They could stick with this unit and continue to shorten games, or entertain trading one of Holland, Davis, or Herrera as their salaries grow.  Kansas City has already traded Aaron Crow to the Marlins in exchange for lefty Brian Flynn and minor leaguer Reid Redman, the former of whom could theoretically jump right into the bullpen or work as a starter in the minors.

Hochevar’s contract is the third significant multi-year deal scored by a reliever since the World Series concluded, and all have come at a relatively significant price.  Zach Duke nabbed a three-year, $15MM contract, and Koji Uehara signed on for two more years in Boston at a total of $18MM.  This signing is a bit more expensive than that of Eric O’Flaherty’s with Oakland last offseason, but the two are largely similar. O’Flaherty inked a two-year, $7MM contract with the A’s after undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 21, 2013.  Hochevar’s Tommy John came prior to the regular season, so it stands to reason that he could return to the Majors earlier in the 2015 season than O’Flaherty was able to in 2014.  That difference is likely a contributing factor to the additional $3MM on Hochevar’s guarantee.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Padres Sign Clint Barmes

By | at

The Padres announced today that they’ve added some middle infield depth by signing Clint Barmes to a one-year contract with a club option for the 2016 season. Barmes, a client of Meister Sports Management, reportedly receives a $1.3MM base salary with a $2MM club option that comes with a $200K buyout. All told, it’s a $1.5MM guarantee, and the option’s value can reportedly increase to as much as $4MM based on incentives.

Barmes, 35, provides a veteran option up the middle for a San Diego club that just moved on from shortstop Everth Cabrera. He saw his playing time steadily fall off over the last two years after making over 400 plate appearances for five straight seasons.

Though Barmes has always had quite a well-regarded glove — indeed, he continues to provide value there — his bat has always been below average and has fallen off in recent years. Since the start of the 2012 season, he owns a .224/.271/.314 slash. Of course, Barmes has been so good in the field that he has still played comfortably above replacement level over that stretch.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted news of the agreement. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported basic terms of the contract (on Twitter), and MLB.com’s Corey Brock provided further details (Twitter link).

Matt Kemp Rumors: Friday

By | at

Last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports shed some light on the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp trade talks with the Padres, reporting that Yasmani Grandal would likely be in any package, with money heading back to San Diego to help facilitate the deal. Kemp’s name figures to be a heavily discussed topic in the coming days as we prepare for the 2014 Winter Meetings. We’ll keep track of Friday’s Kemp rumors in this post…

  • The Rangers have also checked in on Kemp, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. Texas is known to be in the market for an outfield bat with Alex Rios’ departure. They’ve previously been linked to Torii Hunter (who signed with the Twins) and Justin Upton.

Earlier Updates

  • The Mariners remain in talks with the Dodgers regarding Kemp, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). While the $107MM commitment remaining on Kemp’s contract is an obstacle, the Mariners have shown a real reluctance to give up a significant package for one year of Justin Upton. Rosenthal’s implication seems to be that if some money heads to Seattle in the deal, they may be more willing to part with talent for a long-term upgrade than a rental player.
  • The Orioles are also in talks for Kemp, tweets Rosenthal, and they have a different obstacle in those discussions. Baltimore is known to generally be one of the game’s most cautious teams when it comes to injuries, and Kemp has a spotty health track record. He underwent ankle and shoulder surgeries following the 2013 season, Rosenthal notes. Additionally, Kemp had shoulder surgery following the 2012 season. He played in just 179 games from 2012-13, though he’s been durable in the surrounding years. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun makes a good point, tweeting that it’s hard to see the O’s setting aside injury concerns with Kemp when they just let Nick Markakis, who had been a fixture in right field, depart due to concerns pertaining to a neck issue.

Rays Hire Kevin Cash As Manager

By | at

1:03pm: The Rays have officially announced Cash’s hiring as the fifth manager in franchise history. President of baseball operations Matthew Silverman offered the following statement on Cash in a press release:

“Kevin is passionate, genuine and dedicated, and those attributes will resonate throughout our clubhouse. As a catcher, a scout and a coach, he has always been a student of the game, and his communication and tireless work will put our club in a position to win, night in and night out.”

12:10pm: The Rays will hire former big league catcher Kevin Cash as their next manager, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Cash was reportedly one of three finalists with Raul Ibanez and former Mariners manager/current Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu. Ibanez had reportedly withdrawn himself from consideration earlier this week. An official announcement should come at some point today, based on previous reports.

Cash, who turns 37 tomorrow, served as the Indians’ bullpen coach in 2013-14 after a brief stop in the Blue Jays’ scouting department following his playing career. Earlier this offseason, Cash was one of three finalists for the Rangers’ managerial opening, alongside eventual winner Jeff Banister and now-former Rangers coach Tim Bogar. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets that Cash was, in fact, the runner up to Banister.

Cash spent parts of eight Major League seasons as a catcher for the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Rays and Blue Jays, batting a combined .183/.248/.278 in 714 plate appearances. He’s drawn excellent reviews in his coaching stint with the Indians but will have some large shoes to fill for the Rays, who recently lost one of the game’s most recognizable and most respected managers in Joe Maddon.

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