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Latest On Orioles’ Outfield, Pitching Searches

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Here’s the latest on the Orioles’ search for outfield and pitching help, via various O’s beat writers on Twitter, including the Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli.

  • A previous report had indicated that the Orioles “expected” to sign both Dexter Fowler and Yovani Gallardo, each of whom rejected qualifying offers at the beginning of the offseason. At least according to Orioles exec Dan Duquette (via Encina), though, that might not be the case — he says the Orioles are currently considering the value of the draft picks the team would forfeit as a result of signing Fowler and Gallardo (currently Nos. 14 and 29 overall) and how those draft picks impact those players’ value.
  • Kubatko writes that the Orioles are considering other outfield options besides Fowler, noting that other available free agents would not require the loss of a draft pick. Of course, there’s the possibility that stance could be a ploy by the Orioles’ to drive Fowler’s asking price down. The two sides had reportedly been considering potential two- and three-year deals, although another report indicated Fowler as seeking at least four years, or over $45MM on a three-year contract.
  • According to Ghiroli, the O’s haven’t yet seen Tim Lincecum pitch. The Orioles have repeatedly been connected to Lincecum, although they’re waiting to see how he looks after having worked his way back from hip issues.

Pirates Notes: Joyce, Benedict, Cole

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It appears outfielder Matt Joyce, who recently signed to a minor-league deal, might have a good shot at making the Pirates out of camp. Joyce’s locker is in the same room as players already on the 40-man roster, despite the fact that he himself is a non-roster invitee, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Joyce himself, meanwhile, says that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says the Bucs “see me as kind of like the fourth outfielder,” as MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes (via Twitter). Joyce does note that he’ll have to prove himself in camp. The Bucs’ three starting outfield spots are set with Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco, but there isn’t much depth behind them, with Jason Rogers, Jake Goebbert and Sean Rodriguez previously looking like they had the clearest shots at any spare playing time in the outfield. Rogers and Goebbert can both be optioned, however, and Rodriguez can play other positions. Here’s more on the Bucs.

  • Former Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict could be the Marlins’ most important offseason acquisition, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Pirates had already lost another executive, Marc DelPiano, to the Marlins when the Fish came calling for Benedict, so the two teams worked out a related deal in which Miami sent pitching prospect Trevor Williams to Pittsburgh as compensation. “The challenge becomes when that same organization continues to come back for people,” says Bucs GM Neal Huntington. “It becomes harder to lose somebody that has insight on your organization and who the talented people are in your organization. We do need to protect ourselves from being raided by a single organization or exploited by a single organization.” Huntington adds that while the organization will miss Benedict, the team retains “parts of what allowed him to be successful” — including, presumably, well-regarded big-league pitching coach Ray Searage.
  • Bucs starter Gerrit Cole is behind schedule in Spring Training due to a right rib inflammation, Biertempfel writes. The injury took place in mid-January. Obviously, the absence of their ace from an already dubious rotation would be a significant blow to the Pirates. The condition does not appear serious, however, as Cole is already throwing from flat ground and is expected to soon begin throwing from a mound. “It’s just a modified throwing program at this point,” he says. “I’m not too far behind everybody else, but I feel good.”

Padres Sign Casey Janssen To Minor League Deal

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10:09am: The Padres have officially announced that they’ve signed Janssen to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.

9:36am: It appears possible the Padres have agreed to terms with veteran righty Casey Janssen, perhaps on a minor league deal. Janssen currently has a locker at the Padres’ Spring Training facility, MLB.com’s Corey Brock tweets. Janssen is an ACES client.

The 34-year-old Janssen spent 2015 in the Nationals bullpen, pitching 40 innings while posting a 4.95 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. The Nats declined their option on him after the season. Janssen, who collected 20-plus saves with the Blue Jays in each season from 2012 through 2014, has maintained his walk-limiting abilities in recent years but has suffered a steep decline in his strikeout rate, likely due in part to a dip in average fastball velocity from about 92 MPH in 2011 and 2012 to below 89 MPH last year. He’s also become a fly ball pitcher, with his ground ball rate dropping from 47.9% in 2013 to 29.4% last season and his home-run rate doubling during that time.

Those factors would appear to make Janssen quite vulnerable going forward, but given his solid control and his history as a closer, it’s not surprising he found a landing spot. After trading Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox, the Padres currently have Fernando Rodney (who, like Janssen, is a veteran with a dicey recent history), penciled in at closer. It seems possible that they could turn to Janssen in the role if he makes the team and Rodney falters.

Week In Review: 2/13/16 – 2/19/16

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Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.

Arbitration

Extensions

Options

  • Diamondbacks – exercised manager Chip Hale’s option for 2017

Signings / Re-signings

Claimed

Released

Retired

Key Minor League Signings

Pirates Sign Matt Joyce To Minor League Deal

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SATURDAY: The Bucs have officially announced the deal.

THURSDAY: The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Matt Joyce, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 31-year-old ACES client will presumably compete for a bench spot in Spring Training, as the Pittsburgh outfield mix of Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco is among the best in the game.

The 2015 campaign was far and away the worst of Joyce’s career, as he batted just .174/.272/.291 with five homers in 284 plate appearances as an Angel after being swapped for right-hander Kevin Jepsen in an offseason trade with the Rays. While those numbers, clearly, are unappealing, Joyce’s track record prior to that dismal season was very solid. From 2010-14 with the Rays, Joyce posted a collective .251/.344/.434 batting line with 73 homers in 2219 plate appearances.

In the event that Joyce makes the Pirates’ roster, he’d very much be a platoon or matchup option for manager Clint Hurdle, as even in that quality stretch with Tampa Bay, he batted a paltry .185/.246/.313 in 326 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Conversely, his numbers against right-handed pitching look rather impressive: .263/.360/.456 with a 12.8 percent walk rate and 18.7 strikeout rate.

Currently, the Pirates’ options for backup outfielders include Mike Morse, Jake Goebbert and Sean Rodriguez. Morse is most likely viewed as a first base option as opposed to a candidate for significant time in the outfield, leaving the latter two (and perhaps fellow non-roster invitee Antoan Richardson) as Joyce’s primary competition.

Moreno: “It Has Never Been About” Luxury Tax

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The Angels have taken quite a bit of flak for a seeming unwillingness to exceed the luxury tax threshold, but owner Arte Moreno strongly denied to MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez that he is firmly against exceeding that $189MM threshold. “It has never been about that,” Moreno told Gonzalez. “It has never been with the threshold. …We have a budget, and every year, I’ve overspent our budget.” Moreno says that his operating budget has typically been in the $140-150MM range, but he’s consistently exceeded that mark to the point where he suggested to Gonzalez that the team is barely avoiding debt. Moreno, though, seemingly conceded to the fact that the possibility of exceeding the tax barrier played some role in the club’s offseason, as Gonzalez goes on to mention that the owner “wasn’t confident that the Angels would be able to comfortably get back under the threshold given their potential holes,” which prompted them to pass on high-profile free agents. It would seem, then, that his assertion is that while he wasn’t entirely resistant to the notion of exceeding, the proper situation didn’t present itself this winter. The Angels do have a record payroll for the 2016 season, Gonzalez points out, even with a Craig Gentry/Daniel Nava platoon in left field and Johnny Giavotella/Cliff Pennington in line for most of the second base at-bats. Just as importantly, though, he adds that the Angels are about $2MM shy of the luxury tax threshold at present. Notably, Moreno denied an interview to the Los Angeles Times, as Pedro Moura writes.

A bit more from Gonzalez’s column and several more Angels notes on an evening with plenty of news coming out of Anaheim…

  • Regarding the possibility of eventually looking to trade Mike Trout — a notion that stemmed from a fairly innocuous comment in Keith Law’s farm system rankings at ESPN — Moreno shot down the possibility in definitive fashion. “One hundred percent we are not trading Mike Trout,” Moreno told Gonzalez. “…It’s not even in the thought process.” Honestly, it’s fairly surprising to me that this even reached the point where the owner felt the need to comment, but Moreno’s firm denial merits a brief mention.
  • While the Angels didn’t make the big deadline splash that many fans were hoping for this past July, it wasn’t for lack of trying, Gonzalez tweets. According to Gonzalez, the Halos “tried hard” to pry Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers, but Detroit wouldn’t budge on its asking price of Sean Newcomb. Eventually, the two sides scrapped the talks and, of course, Cespedes was traded to the Mets for right-handers Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa. Newcomb was later traded alongside right-hander Chris Ellis and shortstop Erick Aybar to bring Andrelton Simmons to the Halos. For those wondering why the Angels didn’t make a run at Cespedes this winter, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register got the sense that Cespedes preferred the East Coast and didn’t want to sign with the Angels, who would’ve had to drastically overpay in order to sign him (links to Twitter).
  • Another interesting note from Fletcher, who writes in a full column that left-hander Hector Santiago said his agent called him in November to inform him that he was on the verge of being traded to the Orioles. A deal (clearly) never came to fruition. The Orioles are known to have been seeking rotation help all winter, and Santiago was an oft-speculated trade candidate when the Angels were seeking ways in which to bolster their outfield situation. Specific parameters of the apparent near-deal aren’t known, though  if the agent and player are being informed that something is close, that would signify rather advanced discussions.
  • Also within that piece, Fletcher writes that setup man Joe Smith would like to remain with the Halos beyond the expiration of his contract at season’s end, although there have been no extension talks between the two sides. “I would love to (re-sign) but there were a few more important things this winter to be keeping our eye on,” said Smith.
  • Former Angels GM and current Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto discussed his relationship with Moreno and manager Mike Scioscia candidly in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link). Dipoto praised Moreno’s willingness to spend and called Scioscia a likely Hall of Famer, but he admitted that there were challenges. “There were times where it was very difficult to the job that I was asked to do, but that was because I was caught in between, perhaps, two different dynamics,” said Dipoto. “And I would say the same of them. I had some different ideas that maybe they weren’t as comfortable with…” Dipoto went on to say that Mariners ownership has been more receptive to his ideas. “…And, as importantly, I have a manager now in Scott Servais who I do see eye-to-eye with,” Dipoto continued. “We have discussed every move, we have disagreed on many ideas as we’ve gone through this offseason, but in a really productive way. And, fair or unfair, that was not always the case with Mike. … Healthy disagreement is a good thing, and sometimes in Anaheim as you saw played out nationally multiple times over the four years, it wasn’t quite as healthy.”
  • Scioscia was made aware of Dipoto’s comments, Moura notes in his aforementioned column, though the longtime Halos skipper didn’t seem to take much umbrage with anything that was said. “I think there were certainly times that you are not going to agree on everything,” Scioscia explained. “I think there were times when the communication was there, maybe times where it wasn’t what it could have been. But I’m not looking back.” Scioscia said he operated similarly under former GMs Bill Stoneman and Tony Reagins. “I think you have to have that free-flowing of ideas,” he continued. “I think at times, we did.”

AL Central Notes: Jackson, Sox, Minor, Tigers, Twins

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Following their reported signing of Juan Uribe to a one-year deal, the Indians “seem to be considering” a run at free agent outfielder Austin Jackson, tweets Jon Heyman. Cleveland has a well-documented need in the outfield that has yet to be addressed — as Jeff Todd and I discussed on this week’s MLBTR Podcast. Jackson would add some stability to the picture at a potentially bargain rate at this juncture of the offseason and on the heels of a pair of so-so seasons at the plate. Heyman notes that there are other possibilities for Jackson, though, citing the White Sox, Angels, Brewers and “maybe” the Rangers, noting that Texas may not want to spend the money. It’s unclear whether Heyman was merely speculating on that last grouping of teams, though given the Angels’ reluctance to spend on free agents this winter and Texas GM Jon Daniels’ recent comments suggesting the payroll isn’t likely to grow much more, Jackson could be a stretch for either club.

Here’s more on the AL Central…

  • Heyman also tweets that the White Sox appear to be open to one more outfield addition — one that can handle playing some center field. Austin Jackson, of course, would fit the bill in that regard, he notes, as would Dexter Fowler, if the Sox are willing to spend more. Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670 The Score also writes that the Sox are interested in adding to their outfield depth and are indeed considering Fowler. However, Fowler is said to be one of Baltimore’s top targets, and the O’s reportedly “expect” that they’ll be able to land both Fowler and free-agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo.
  • Left-hander Mike Minor, who inked a two-year contract with the Royals earlier today, will be unavailable for the first six weeks to two months of the regular season, general manager Dayton Moore told reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). That Minor will be sidelined for some time to open the season isn’t unexpected, as the former Braves hurler is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
  • The Tigers are reportedly set on adding relief arms to their Spring Training mix after adding Bobby Parnell on a minor league pact, but MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that the team could yet bring in another player on a minor league deal — likely an infielder. The infield market has been largely picked clean, though a few recognizable names such as Alberto Callaspo, Jonathan Herrera and Dan Uggla have yet to sign this offseason.
  • Twins skipper Paul Molitor tells reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link) that heading into Spring Training, he’s considering Kurt Suzuki his starting catcher and trade acquisition John Ryan Murphy the backup. Of course, it’d be somewhat surprising to see a manager promise a starting role to a just-acquired, inexperienced option with a seasoned veteran in house. Suzuki probably will get the nod on Opening Day, and I can imagine him getting some more time early in the year as Murphy learns a new pitching staff and acclimates to his new organization. However, barring a return to 2014 form for Suzuki, it seems likely that Murphy will at least work his way into a larger role than that of a traditional backup catcher, as Minnesota’s hope is that he can develop into its primary catcher beyond the 2016 campaign. It’s worth noting, too, that Suzuki has a $6MM option that will vest at 485 plate appearances. He’s averaged 491 PAs as the clear No. 1 catcher in the past two seasons, and the Twins probably would prefer to avoid that option vesting — especially if Suzuki’s production more closely resembles 2015 than 2014.

Angels’ Waiver Claim Of Christian Friedrich Reversed

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The Angels announced (Twitter link) that their waiver claim of left-hander Christian Friedrich has been reversed and he has been returned to the Rockies based on “medical evaluation.” The Rockies announced that Friedrich, who had been designated for assignment prior to being claimed by the Rockies, has subsequently been released. The Angels’ announcement includes the following statement:

“Based on Friedrich’s initial medical evaluation, the Angels raised a concern with the Commissioner’s Office about Friedrich’s ability to play at his accustomed level. Upon evaluation of the circumstances by the Commissioner’s Office, it was determined that Friedrich would be returned to the Rockies.”

Friedrich, 28, was selected 25th overall out of Eastern Kentucky University back in 2008, but he’s struggled for much of his pro career, amassing an ERA north of 5.00 at both the Triple-A level and in the Major Leagues. This past season, Friedrich posted a 5.25 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 47.4 percent ground-ball rate in 58 1/3 innings of work. He’s typically performed considerably better away from Coors Field, however, and has also posted stronger numbers against lefties than against right-handed hitters.

While the Friedrich situation is rather uncommon, it’s not unprecedented and has even happened somewhat recently, when the Rangers returned left-hander Edgar Olmos to the Mariners after claiming him last spring — just under one year ago.

The entire situation stings for the Angels, who claimed Friedrich and designated infielder Taylor Featherston for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Friedrich’s arrival. Featherston was subsequently traded to the Phillies — Philadelphia GM Matt Klentak, a former assistant GM with the Halos, clearly seems to be a fan — and they’ll now effectively lose Featherston for nothing, as he was traded for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Considering the fact that the Halos carried Featherston, a Rule 5 Draft pick prior to the 2015 season, on their roster the entire year but used him incredibly sparingly in a season where they missed the postseason by a single game, the entire process will probably leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans.

Nationals Sign Matt Belisle To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 19: Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter) that Belisle’s deal contains a $1.25MM base salary, plus incentives, in the Majors. The veteran right-hander can opt out of his contract on either March 27 or June 1 if he has not been added to the Major League roster, Heyman adds.

FEB. 17: The Nationals announced that they have signed veteran reliever Matt Belisle to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The 35-year-old right-hander is a client of CAA Sports.

Belisle spent the 2015 season in the Cardinals’ bullpen and enjoyed strong bottom-line results in 33 2/3 innings, but his control took a notable step backwards, and his season was shortened significantly due to a lengthy DL stint that stemmed from right elbow inflammation. When healthy enough to take the mound, Belisle posted a strong 2.67 ERA, averaging 6.7 strikeouts and 4.0 walks per nine innings pitched to go along with an impressive 52.4 percent ground-ball rate.

Looking a bit further back, Belisle is perhaps one of the few relievers that can lay claim to consistently solid results over an extended period of calling Coors Field home; from 2010-14, Belisle totaled 381 2/3 innings for the Rockies, registering a 3.75 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9. As Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes, the only pitcher in all of Major League Baseball to appear in more games during that five-year stretch was Tyler Clippard.

At his peak, Belisle averaged about 92.5 mph on his heater, but his fastball sits more 90-91 mph now. He’ll hope to join a bullpen where Jonathan Papelbon will, of course, handle closer’s duties. Offseason signee Yusmeiro Petit should have a multi-inning role, and trade acquisition Trevor Gott should factor into the setup group along with free-agent pickups Shawn Kelley and Oliver Perez. Incumbent hurlers Blake Treinen and Felipe Rivero could factor into the mix as well, while right-hander Aaron Barrett is recovering from September Tommy John surgery.

Manfred On Domestic Violence Policy, CBA, Qualifying Offers, Expansion

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Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters today about several topics of note. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press had all the choice quotes, and all links below are to his Twitter feed. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Manfred expects “some action” in the coming days on the league’s outstanding domestic violence matters. So far as has been publicly reported, Jose Reyes, Aroldis Chapman, and Yasiel Puig all still have open investigations pending. Their respective actions represent three rather different scenarios that will test the league’s new policy in this area.
  • The commissioner had some interesting comments on cases where there is no prosecution, as with Chapman and Puig. The policy expressly provides that league discipline can still result, and Manfred suggested the decisions of law enforcement wouldn’t make up his own mind. For one thing, he said, there are “lots of reasons for non-prosecution” and noted that the domestic violence policy “is pretty explicit” that it isn’t required. He also noted that “the standards of proof in a labor arbitration and a criminal case is very different.”
  • That’s just one of many items on Manfred’s docket, of course. The major overarching matter is the need for a new collective bargaining agreement, and Manfred said that he had a face-to-face meeting with union boss Tony Clark today to begin putting together a timeline for hammering out a new agreement.
  • One topic that’s likely near the top of Clark’s own to-do list is the functioning of the qualifying offer system. Manfred touched upon that briefly today, echoing his prior comments in favor of the system. Draft picks, he explained, are “not penalties, they’re compensation.” As for the ongoing difficulties that some QO-bound free agents have had in reaching deals, Manfred indicated that wasn’t necessarily an unexpected result. “It’s not a surprise to me given the size of the class,” he said.
  • Further down the line are considerations of expansion, which he called “important conceptually” but noted was not “an immediate issue for us.” Manfred did suggest that adding a pair of clubs was an appealing prospect. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some near-term opportunities for growth into new markets, though, as Manfred said that the league still hopes to have spring games played in Cuba this year.
  • With Jenrry Mejia receiving the league’s first lifetime PED ban, the commish acknowledged that tougher penalties won’t wipe the issue away completely. “I would like to tell [you] the problem of performance enhancing drugs is going away, but I can’t say that,” said Manfred.
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