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Brewers Claim Sean Nolin

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12:58pm: Via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, general manager David Stearns said that although Nolin has been developed as a starter to this point in his career, the Brewers will look at using him out of the bullpen, perhaps in a multi-inning role (links to Twitter).

12:44pm: The Brewers announced today that they have claimed left-hander Sean Nolin off waivers from the Athletics. Nolin had been designated for assignment by Oakland last week when the club acquired Khris Davis from the Brewers, so, while he isn’t a part of the trade, he’s technically an additional piece of compensation picked up by the Brewers as a result of the trade. (Nolin, after all, would not have been available in this manner were it not for the Davis trade.)

The 26-year-old Nolin was one of four players traded by the Blue Jays to the Athletics in the 2014 Josh Donaldson blockbuster. Long considered one of Toronto’s better prospects, Nolin ranked No. 8 on Baseball America’s list of top prospects just last offseason. BA has profiled him as a potential fourth starter in the past, praising his above-average command and mix of four average or better offerings. Nolin had sports hernia surgery last offseason though, and that may have contributed to an early groin injury that led to more than a month on the disabled list in 2015. When he was healthy enough to take the mound, Nolin made 14 appearances (12 starts) at the Triple-A level, logging an excellent 2.66 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.7 percent ground-ball rate. (BA did note that his high arm slot made him likely to end up as an extreme fly-ball pitcher).

In the Majors, Nolin struggled quite a bit more, making six starts and totaling a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings of work. Nolin managed just 14 strikeouts against 12 walks in that time, and his fastball sat at just 86.9 mph — a considerable drop from the low 90s heat he showed when healthy and rising through the Blue Jays’ farm system.

Milwaukee will hope for better health out of Nolin than the A’s received in 2015. If he is indeed back to form, he’ll give the Brewers another option in what would otherwise project to be an all-right-handed rotation. Nolin is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to crack the roster out of Spring Training or again be exposed to waivers and clear before the Brewers would be able to option him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Rays, Blake Snell Have Discussed Long-Term Deal

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12:56pm: SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that talks between the Rays and Snell, to this point, have been preliminary in nature. Nothing is particularly close for the time being.

8:31am: The Rays have discussed a long-term deal with top left-handed pitching prospect Blake Snell, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports near the end of a lengthier profile on the former No. 52 overall pick. An extension for Snell would be a move that is very characteristic to the Rays, who have a penchant for locking up potential stars early in their careers as a means of securing control of free-agent years.

Locking up the 23-year-old Snell, though, would be a somewhat of a precedent-setter for the Rays, as Snell has yet to accrue even one day of Major League service time. Even prior extensions such as the long-term deals for Matt Moore and Evan Longoria came when Moore had 17 days of big league service (and some additional postseason experience) and Longoria had cracked the Opening Day roster and picked up six days of service (though, realistically, the Longoria negotiations almost certainly began before the season when he, like Snell, had no MLB experience). The Rays have also secured long-term control over the likes of James Shields, Wade Davis and Chris Archer, among others, in this capacity. While those deals were finalized when Andrew Friedman was the club’s general manager (Friedman is now with the Dodgers), present-day GM Matt Silverman was club president for all of those extensions.

Were a deal to be reached prior to Opening Day, Snell would become just the second player in Major League history to sign an extension without a single day of Major League service time under his belt. Notably, the other player — Houston’s Jon Singleton — shares the same representation as Snell, who is a client of Sosnick, Cobbe and Karon Sports. (Sosnick, Cobbe and Karon also represents Moore.) Singleton received a $10MM guarantee over five years before ever stepping foot on Major League soil, and his contract also contained a trio of options that would’ve allowed the contract to max out at $35MM. Moore’s deal was a five-year, $14MM contract that can max out around $40MM over the life of eight years by virtue of club options and escalators.

Certainly, none of this means that a deal is likely to be struck. For one thing, Topkin notes only that the two sides have had discussions — not that talks are currently active or advanced. Beyond that, the numbers will have to make sense. We often hear of long-term extension talks for players that have limited or no Major League experience, but rarely do such deals come to fruition. The incentive for the Rays (or for any club) to check in with their top prospect is easy enough to see, and there’s a possibility that the talks amounted to little more than due diligence for the agency, though their history of early extensions does make the Snell scenario seem more plausible.

The Rays will have control of Snell for at least six seasons from the time he makes his Major League debut, meaning he’d be under control through the 2021 season were he to crack the Opening Day rotation. That seems unlikely, with Archer, Moore, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly and Erasmo Ramirez all serving as options on the big league roster, though a spring injury could potentially create an opening. It’s worth pointing out, of course, that the Rays could extend that club control through the 2022 season by stashing Snell in the minors for as little as three weeks to open the season — a trade-off that seems highly worthwhile from a business standpoint, especially for a small-market club.

Snell skyrocketed up prospect rankings this past season on the strength of a dominant minor league campaign that saw him begin the year at Class-A Advanced and finish in Triple-A. Snell rattled off 46 consecutive scoreless innings to open his season and finished the year with a combined 1.41 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate in 134 innings. As Topkin notes, Snell’s success could be attributable to a heart-to-heart with his father — a former minor league pitcher himself — who implored his son to increase his work ethic prior to the 2015 campaign. Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics told Topkin that Snell’s talent was obvious from the day he was drafted, though he added that Snell was “okay with the work ethic but not to where needed him to be” earlier in his career. Lukevics explained to Topkin that those questions evaporated beginning in Spring Training last season, as Snell looked like a player that had “turn[ed] the light switch on.” The entire profile is well worth a read for Rays fans looking to get to know a bit more about Snell, who rated as the game’s No. 12 prospect according to Baseball America. Snell also ranked 14th on the top 100 of Jim Callis & Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com, 14th on the top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law and 21st on the top 101 over at Baseball Prospectus.

White Sox Sign Jimmy Rollins To Minors Deal

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12:53pm: Rollins would earn a $2MM salary upon making the Major League roster, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin adds that there are no additional incentives in the deal (Twitter link). Hayes also tweets that Saladino still has a good chance to be the club’s everyday shortstop, though Rollins is an option there, and the veteran shortstop can fill a utility role if Saladino does indeed get the everyday nod.

11:09am: The White Sox announced on Monday that they’ve added shortstop and former Phillies cornerstone Jimmy Rollins on a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Rollins is a client of MVP Sports.

Jimmy Rollins

Rollins, 37, would seem to have an excellent chance at breaking camp as the team’s everyday shortstop, on paper. Defensively gifted sophomore Tyler Saladino is presently projected to serve as Chicago’s everyday shortstop, but the 26-year-old has little big league experience and didn’t hit in a 254-plate-appearance debut with the Pale Hose last season. Were Rollins to make the club and serve as the team’s shortstop, Saladino could shift into a valuable utility role; he showed strong defensive chops at second base and third base in addition to shortstop last season.

Last season was a struggle for Rollins, who spent the year with the Dodgers after being picked up in an offseason trade with the Phillies, making the 2015 campaign the only season of Rollins’ illustrious career that hasn’t been spent with the Phillies. Rollins tallied 563 plate appearances with the Dodgers but batted just .224/.285/.358 in that time. While those rate stats are unsightly, Rollins did still swat 13 home runs and swipe 12 bases, showing that there’s still some combination of power and speed left in his tank.

Looking for further positives, Rollins’ 15.3 percent strikeout rate was still more than passable, and his 7.8 percent walk rate was in line with his career averages. Beyond that, Sox fans will perhaps take solace in noting that Rollins’ numbers from July through season’s end (.244/.310/.395) vastly outpaced his production from Opening Day through June 30 (.208/.262/.326). While those endpoints are admittedly arbitrary, the fact that Rollins produced at a roughly league-average clip over the final three months of the regular season gives some hope for a return to his previously more successful ways at the plate (although certainly not to his NL MVP levels).

The main source of Rollins’ struggles would appear to be a .246 average on balls in play — one of the worst marks of his career. While Rollins has never had the BABIP marks that one might expect for a player with his considerable speed, last season’s drop is indeed curious, as his line-drive rate and hard contact rates remained in line with his marks from a 2014 season that saw Rollins bat .243/.323/.394 with 17 home runs. If Rollins can return to those levels, he’d serve as a more-than-adequate stopgap to perceived shortstop of the future and top prospect Tim Anderson, who could make his debut in 2016.

While Rollins was unproductive last season, it still seems surprising that he ultimately commanded a minor league deal, as he was productive as recently as 2014. Then again, it’s possible that Rollins took a minors deal with a fairly substantial guaranteed base salary over some big league deals with lower salaries or a questionable role. The Sox do present a very clear path to everyday at-bats at the shortstop position, and it’s possible that the seasoned and well-respected veteran felt this route offered him the best opportunity to play everyday and reestablish his stock. The Sox do, after all, offer a hitter-friendly environment and a club with raised expectations after adding Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie to what was a highly unproductive infield unit last season. Indeed, FOX’s Ken Rosenthal now reports, shortly after the signing, that Rollins did have a pair of big league offers, though each was for a super-utility role (Twitter link). Rollins’ preference was to try to earn his way into an everyday role with the Sox.

Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago first reported the agreement (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yankees Sign Chris Parmelee To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 22: GM Brian Cashman told reporters, including the YES Network’s Jack Curry, that Parmelee has been signed to a minor league deal (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

FEB. 21: The Yankees have apparently reached an agreement with Chris Parmelee, as per his own Instagram page.  As a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder, Parmelee will essentially fill the spot left on the Yankees’ depth chart once Greg Bird was lost for the season after shoulder surgery.

Parmelee, who turns 28 on Wednesday, opted to become a free agent following a season that saw him hit only .216/.255/.433 over 102 plate appearances with the Orioles but a much more impressive .314/.386/.444 slash line in 272 PA at Triple-A Norfolk.  Parmelee has a modest .707 OPS over 1003 Major League PA with virtually the same splits against right-handed pitching as he does against lefties.

The rumor mill has been pretty quiet for Parmelee this winter, though he was mentioned as a speculative fill for New York in the wake of Bird’s injury.  Parmelee has seen most of his MLB action at first and right field, so he’ll serve as a depth option behind Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran at those respective positions (possibly from Triple-A to begin the year).  Parmelee has a good chance at playing time given how those two veterans, particularly Teixeira, have battled injuries in recent years, and he could also be in for a power boost given Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch.

Send In Your Questions For The MLBTR Mailbag

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It’s Monday, which means we’re gearing up for another edition of the MLBTR Mailbag. In last week’s edition, Jeff Todd and I fielded questions on the Cardinals, international prospect agreements, Juan Uribe, Justin Morneau, the Orioles’ farm system and the ongoing MASN television rights fee dispute between the O’s and Nats.

If you have a question you’ve been mulling over and would like MLBTR’s take, let us know: mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com. Sheer volume will prevent us from getting to every question, of course, though readers can also send questions our way on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the weekly live chats hosted by myself and Jeff, respectively (though I should note that Jeff is gracing Wales with his presence on vacation this week). Also remember that Mailbag questions are welcome throughout the week, so feel free to send them at any time.

NL West Notes: Lincecum, Cueto, Gillaspie, Cain, Urias

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The Padres have spoken to Tim Lincecum’s agent and will have scouts in attendance to see the righty throw in a showcase scheduled for later in February, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Rick Thurman, Lincecum’s agent, said he’d talked to the Padres “a number of times” but had also been in contact with “quite a few other teams” as well, with at least 20 teams requesting Lincecum’s medical information.  There seems to be enough interest that, provided Lincecum’s showcase goes well, he should be able to land his desired Major League contract.  If such a deal is found with San Diego, the Padres could line Lincecum up as their fourth or fifth starter and move one of their many other back-of-the-rotation candidates into the bullpen.  Here’s some more from around the NL West…

  • Johnny Cueto’s extra workload from the Royals’ postseason run will slightly impact how the Giants treat him in camp, pitching coach Dave Righetti tells Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  “He’s been through some playoff situations, but when you go to the World Series you go the extra mile,” Righetti said.  “We know it takes stuff out of guys regardless of how young and strong they are….So, absolutely, you would monitor him anyway. Being that he pitched an extra month, you’re darn right.”
  • Conor Gillaspie has regrets over his first stint with the Giants, telling reporters (including Schulman) that “obviously, I was young and probably not mentally or physically or socially where I needed to be” when he broke in with San Francisco as a rookie.  Now back with the team on a minor league deal, Gillaspie feels he’s matured and is thankful to the Giants for giving him a chance.
  • Matt Cain has gone from a cornerstone to an x-factor with the Giants, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes, as both the team and the pitcher are hopeful but measured about what Cain can deliver in 2016.  Injuries played a role in Cain’s rough last two seasons, though beyond health, his sudden propensity for allowing homers didn’t help Cain’s faith in himself.
  • Julio Urias is facing a lot of pressure as both arguably the game’s top pitching prospect and maybe even “the next Fernando Valenzuela,” though Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown relates how the 19-year-old Dodgers phenom is trying to take his development step by step.

No Extension Talks Between Dodgers, Kenley Jansen

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The Dodgers didn’t talk about a multi-year contract while in negotiations over Kenley Jansen’s deal for 2016, the closer tells MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick.  The two sides avoided arbitration by settling on a $10.65MM salary in Jansen’s last year of arb eligibility, and he’ll hit free agency after the season.

As Gurnick put it, Jansen mentioned the lack of long-term talks with “the implication being that he wished [the team] had” discussed keeping him in Los Angeles beyond 2016.  Still, Jansen seemed at peace with the one-year deal, saying “at the end of the day, it’s just business. I’ve got to move forward.  Who knows what’s going to happen after this year?  It’s not in my control.  All I can do is stay healthy, help my team win and when the year is over, I can’t predict the future.”

Though president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has far more financial resources available to him in L.A. than he did in Tampa Bay, Friedman’s modus operandi with the Rays was to acquire relief pitching at a low price, a tactic that often resulted in great success (i.e. Fernando Rodney, Kyle Farnsworth).  Continuing this strategy would allow Friedman and GM Farhan Zaidi to spend the Dodgers’ many millions on more stable positions than the often-inconsistent relief market.  With Chris Hatcher, Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez already on board, Jansen himself would understand if one of the Dodgers’ current relievers will be his replacement.

“They can close — Hatch, Yimi, Pedro.  I’m not mad at that. If that’s the road they want to go, who knows? This day I’m a Dodger. I’ll just continue to keep improving and help the team win and be better every day,” Jansen said.

Then again, the Dodgers also attempted to bolster their pen with a much more high-priced arm in Aroldis Chapman this past winter, before concerns over an alleged domestic violence incident involving Chapman scuttled the trade.  Jansen said he had no hard feelings about a deal that would’ve relegated him to a setup role, saying that Friedman contacted him to discuss the failed Chapman trade once the news broke.

In terms of pure on-field performance, Jansen is certainly worthy of a multi-year commitment after four excellent years as the Dodgers’ closer.  The righty has a 2.28 ERA, 4.89 K/BB rate and a whopping 528 strikeouts over 340 innings in his career, and he’ll be a big target on the open market next winter.  (If not the biggest free agent closer, as Chapman is also in the last year of his contract.)  One concern beyond cost for both the Dodgers and other teams could be Jansen’s history of heart issues, though those problems haven’t cropped up in the last few years.

Astros Interested In Randy Choate

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The Astros have talked to left-hander Randy Choate, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.  Choate would provide the club with some southpaw relief depth beyond Tony Sipp, as Sipp and Kevin Chapman are the only lefty relievers on Houston’s 40-man roster.

Choate, 40, is the definition of a lefty specialist.  Over his 15-season career, Choate has been hit hard by right-handed batters (a .290/.403/.404 slash line) while dominating left-handed hitters to the tune of a measly .195/.276/.274 slash.  Choate posted similar splits in 27 1/3 innings last season with the Cardinals while delivering an overall 3.95 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 4.4 K/BB rate and 61.7% ground ball rate.  In regards to that last stat, 2015 was Choate’s seventh consecutive year with a grounder rate of at least 60 percent.

Despite Choate’s recent success, there hasn’t been any buzz surrounding his free agency this offseason.  It’s probably no surprise that teams were waiting, given Choate’s age and somewhat limited skillset.  He figures to draw more interest now, as teams develop bullpen openings due to injury or dissatisfaction with their internal left-handed options.

As Drellich notes, several Astros righty relievers have good splits against left-handed batters.  While there may not be a pressing need for a southpaw, however, adding a pitcher like Choate would be a low-cost way to solve a problem before it develops during the season.  The bullpen is one of a few areas where Houston is lacking in depth, Drellich opines, as the club could also stand to bolster its backup situation at catcher or either corner infield slot.

AL West Notes: Weaver, Martin, Alvarez, A’s

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We covered some Rangers news earlier today, so let’s look around the rest of the AL West…

  • Jered Weaver is looking to rebound from a rough 2015 season, and the Angels righty tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez) that he focused on offseason flexibility and stretching exercises to help his durability for the coming year.  Beyond just keeping healthy and helping the Halos win, Weaver is also entering the last year of his contract and wants to ensure his career continues past 2016.  “I’d like to play for as long as I can. But if I go through another season like last year — with not just the frustration of the numbers but how my body felt — your heart and your mind can only do so much,” Weaver said.  “Sometimes, your body pulls the reins back and tells you you need to slow down a little bit.  That’s kind of what happened last year.  I was definitely motivated every time I would go out.  I was still competitive.  I still love pitching.  Sometimes your body’s just not on the same page.”
  • Leonys Martin of the ‪‎Mariners‬ has issued the following statement on the indictment of his former agent, Bart Hernandez (Facebook link via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports): “I am obviously aware that Bart Hernandez was arrested yesterday by the United States government. The decision to arrest him was made by the government, not by me, and any questions about why he was arrested should be directed to the prosecutor in Florida. Out of respect for the judicial process, I will have no further comment on this matter, and I ask that the media respect my privacy and the privacy of my family. My total focus is on doing everything in my ability to contribute to a successful season for the Seattle Mariners.”
  • Henderson Alvarez is feeling good in his recovery from shoulder surgery and tells the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he is hoping to be throwing in minor league games by April.  That would project Alvarez for a May debut with the Athletics, or roughly a month ahead of his original schedule.  “If you watch him play catch, it looks like there’s nothing wrong with him….We want to make sure he’s healthy, but we’re really excited about having him,” manager Bob Melvin said.  Obviously, if Alvarez is able to return healthy and get back to his old form, that would make his buy-low signing a steal for Oakland.
  • In another item from Slusser, the A’s are hoping Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley stay healthy since the club is otherwise quite thin at catcher.  Those two are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, though Oakland recently signed Bryan Anderson to a minor league contract.  Then again, as one AL executive tells Slusser, “The state of catching in the whole industry is scary.  It’s unbelievable how few good catchers there are, everyone is concerned.  Is Oakland in trouble?  Sure they are.  Is every else?  Yes.  It’s not unique.”

AL Central Notes: Molitor, Royals, Minor, Fulmer, Greene, Tribe

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The Twins haven’t had any talks with Paul Molitor about a contract extension, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.  Molitor exceeded expectations in his first year as a Major League manager, leading the Twins to a surprising 83-79 record.  There isn’t necessarily a lot of urgency to get a new deal done — not only is Molitor still under contract through the 2017 campaign, “the expectation at this point is that” the Twins will give Molitor “every opportunity to” continue managing, Berardino writes, especially as long as Terry Ryan is the GM.  Here’s some more from around the AL Central…

  • The Twins will likely wait to see how their bullpen situation develops in Spring Training before checking out any free agent relievers, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.
  • Given how Ned Yost, Dayton Moore and J.J. Piccolo all have ties to the Braves, it’s maybe no surprise that the Royals have picked up so many former Atlanta pitchers as reclamation projects, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes.  Kris Medlen proved to be a very sound investment for K.C. last winter and now Peter Moylan and Mike Minor have both joined the Royals this offseason looking to re-establish their value. The ties between the pitchers themselves also played a role — Medlen and Moylan trained and rehabbed together in 2014 when both were recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • Minor said that pitching at Kauffman Stadium and the Royals’ offer of two guaranteed years were big reasons he signed with the team, the lefty tells Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
  • Shane Greene’s first season with the Tigers was riddled with injuries, including a scary situation involving an aneurysm that caused blood clots in his fingers, ESPN’s Katie Strang writes.  Greene underwent shoulder surgery to address the problem in August, and while the blood clots have yet to dissolve (which may not happen for years), Greene said he’s feeling much better and is looking forward to competing for a spot in Detroit’s rotation.
  • Michael Fulmer drew heavy interest in trade talks this offseason, Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press reports, though the Tigers didn’t bite on dealing the highly-touted young righty.  It’s no surprise that GM Al Avila was keen to keep Fulmer, given that the right-hander was the centerpiece of the trade package received last summer for Yoenis Cespedes.
  • “The Indians are always sneaky about” working on contract extensions, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, so it wouldn’t surprise him if the Tribe inks at least one player to a multi-year deal this spring.  Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer make sense as possible extension candidates since both become arbitration-eligible next winter, and Hoynes also thinks the Tribe could extend Cody Allen.
  • Hoynes’ mailbag piece covers several other Indians-related topics, including Hoynes’ belief that the Tribe won’t exercise their $12MM club option on Carlos Santana for the 2017 season.  I tend to agree, unless Santana rebounds from something of a down year in 2015.

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