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Archives for February 2016

Agent: Lazarito Not Close To Decision

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Charles Hairston, the agent for 16-year-old Cuban prospect Lazaro Armenteros (also the cousin of former Major Leaguers Scott Hairston and Jerry Hairston Jr.), tells MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez that his client is not close to a decision (links to Sanchez on Twitter). While multiple reports earlier this week suggested that “Lazarito” was weighing offers and would decide on a team, Hairston tells Sanchez that new teams have entered the mix in the event that Lazarito waits to sign until the 2016-17 international signing period begins on July 2. He’s also still considering signing with a team during the current period, though. “For a 16 year-old, it’s easy to want to just play ball,” said Hairston. “But he wants to do what’s best for his family. He’s being very mature.”

Waiting until July 2, notably, would eliminate multiple teams from the mix, including the Dodgers, Cubs, Royals and Giants. Those four clubs have vastly exceeded their 2015-16 international pools and would, thus, be ineligible to sign a player for more than $300K in the two forthcoming signing periods. Waiting until the next period would also open the door for clubs like the Braves, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals — each of whom is said to be preparing to be aggressive on the international front in the 2016-17 period.

Lazarito himself told Sanchez recently that he hoped to make a decision this week — possibly by Wednesday — but clearly the timeline has skewed somewhat. While it’s not entirely clear that Lazarito will wait until the 2016-17 period to sign, the fact that his agent has referenced new entrants in the July 2 scene and indefinitely delayed the decision certainly lends credence to that possibility. Sanchez had previously reported that the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves, Phillies and Padres were all in the mix for Lazarito, so waiting until July 2 would bode well for any of the latter three teams. Of course, it’s also possible that a yet-unreported club has made a compelling offer to Lazarito’s camp; as many as nine clubs were said to have serious interest at one point, and others seem to have entered the mix.

Armenteros has been working out for teams as a center fielder and drawn praise for his power, speed and athleticism, although at 6’2″ and 205 pounds as 16-year-old, some scouts reportedly believe that he’ll have to settle into an outfield corner down the line. Sanchez recently ranked him among the top international free agents (those who qualify as amateurs, that is) and provided a free scouting report. Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently profiled him and provided a highlight video, also going a bit further in-depth for BA subscribers (a highly recommended route for those interested in the international prospect scene).

NL West Notes: Sierra, Nomo, Rodney, Cashner, Clippard

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It’s been a month since the Dodgers reportedly struck an agreement with Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra, but the team has yet to announce the move. While Dodgers fans may be apprehensive about that silence, given what happened with Hisahshi Iwakuma earlier this offseason, Jon Heyman tweets that the Dodgers’ deal with Sierra remains “on track” with “only paperwork remaining.” Sierra was reportedly guaranteed between $30-35MM over a six-year term at the time of the agreement, and Heyman narrows the scope a bit, saying the final number will fall in the $30-31MM range.

Here’s more from the NL West…

  • The Padres announced yesterday that they’ve hired former Major League right-hander Hideo Nomo as an advisor to their baseball operations staff. “We are proud to welcome Hideo to the Padres organization,” general manager A.J. Preller said in a statement announcing the move. “His career as a Major League pitcher speaks for itself. His expertise and passion for baseball will be a significant asset to the Padres and I look forward to having his input going forward.” Nomo will assist in the club’s player development process but also in expanding the Padres’ reach in the Pacific Rim, per the release. Nomo joins Moises Alou, Trevor Hoffman and Mark Loretta as former big leaguers that are now working with the Friars’ baseball ops department in some capacity.
  • Padres ninth-inning hopeful Fernando Rodney has been dealing with a hamstring strain of late, but Preller believes that he’ll be a full go for Spring Training, tweets Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres gave Rodney a $2MM guarantee, and he’s perhaps the favorite to win their closer’s role following the trades of Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit, plus the move of Brandon Maurer back to the rotation.
  • Another somewhat minor but potentially impactful Padres note comes from MLB.com’s Corey Brock (on Twitter), who notes that new manager Andy Green has asked right-hander Andrew Cashner to make some mechanical fixes, which Cashner has embraced. The goal of the tweaks is to regain some sink on Cashner’s two-seam fastball, per Brock. Cashner still maintained a very solid ground-ball rate in 2015 (47.4 percent), but that number is down from the 52.5 percent mark he registered in 2013. How well Cashner incorporates those fixes will be worth keeping an eye on, as the 29-year-old stands to enter next year’s free agent class as one of the most appealing arms on the market.
  • Tyler Clippard told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro that he was somewhat surprised by the lack of interest he received on the free-agent market this offseason but is happy to have landed with the D-backs, whom he identified as a team on the rise earlier this offseason. “I felt like I would have gotten more offers,” Clippard said. “I thought there was going to be a little more activity early on in the offseason.” Clippard voiced excitement over joining a team that has “[taken] the steps in the direction of becoming a championship organization,” referencing the club’s additions of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.

Orioles Have Interest In Fowler, Bruce, Alvarez

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FEB. 11, 9:37pm: Cincinnati thinks that the O’s do have the young talent needed to put together a deal for Bruce, Jon Heyman tweets. Baltimore will probably add at least one additional bat, he adds.

8:08am: At least one Orioles official prefers Fowler to Gallardo, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, but it appears that the overall consensus among Baltimore decision-makers is that a run at Fowler is contingent on first agreeing to terms with Gallardo.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post, meanwhile, tweets that the Orioles considered a combination of Alvarez and Yoenis Cespedes as a fallback to signing Chris Davis at one point, so it stands to reason that the club does still have some interest in Alvarez. Sherman also tweets that the Orioles feel that freeing Alvarez from the need to worry about his fielding could turn him into their own version of a Kendrys Morales-esque slugger at DH. (Of course, that would shift Trumbo to right field, creating some defensive issues.) Sherman tweets that the Orioles would like to add one more lefty bat to the mix, echoing reports that Alvarez, Fowler and Bruce are all in play.

FEB. 10, 5:17pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Orioles are interested in something in the vicinity of Howie Kendrick’s two-year, $20MM with regard to Fowler (links to Twitter). He also hears that there’s been at least informal dialogue between the two sides recently.

4:29pm: The Orioles are reportedly nearing an agreement with right-hander Yovani Gallardo, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that if that deal is ultimately finalized, it might only mark the beginning of Baltimore’s late-season maneuvering (links to Twitter). Signing Gallardo would require forfeiture of the team’s No. 14 overall draft pick, and if Baltimore surrenders that pick, the team would be willing to part with the 29th overall selection (its second overall pick, received as compensation for Wei-Yin Chen signing with the Marlins) to add Fowler to the mix. The Orioles also have interest in a trade for Reds right fielder Jay Bruce and interest in free agent Pedro Alvarez, according to Rosenthal. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets that he, too, has heard that the Orioles would be willing to part with their second pick for Fowler, though not everyone in the front office is in agreement on that front.

Fowler, 29, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, having batted .250/.346/.411 with a career-high 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases (the second-highest single-season total of his career). The Orioles have a notable need in the outfield, as mainstay Adam Jones is the only surefire source of production in the current group. Korean slugger Hyun-Soo Kim has the upside to be an everyday left fielder, based on his track record in the KBO, but he’s untested in Major League waters. The right field picture is even murkier, with Nolan Reimold, Ryan Flaherty and Mark Trumbo as 40-man options and non-roster invitees L.J. Hoes, Xavier Avery and Alfredo Marte also in the mix. Trumbo, though, profiles more as a designated hitter and has traditionally been a defensive liability in the outfield.

Trumbo may, in fact, have to play in the outfield were the Orioles to sign Alvarez and give him a regular role, as he’d be limited to DH, leaving Trumbo and Chris Davis as options at first base and in right field. Alvarez could, in theory, be a platoon option at DH, with Trumbo handling right field against right-handed pitchers and slotting in at designated hitter with a lefty on the mound.

Bruce, 29 in April, is coming off his second straight disappointing season after a poor finish to the 2015 campaign dragged down his numbers on the year. Bruce was batting .260/.342/.492 as of Aug. 1, but he limped to a .173/.214/.345 finish across his final 59 games, leaving him with an overall batting line of .226/.294/.434 line. Bruce did mash 26 home runs — the fifth time in the past six seasons that he’s hit 25 or more. He’s owed $12.5MM in 2016 and has a $13MM club option ($1MM buyout) for the 2017 season on his contract as well.

Adding Fowler, in particular, would make some sense for the Orioles, as he’d be a defensive and offensive upgrade over their current options in right field. The fit between the two sides has been addressed in multiple editions of the MLBTR Podcast and once again this week in the MLBTR Mailbag, when I opined that Fowler represents an even more substantial upgrade to the Orioles’ internal options than does Gallardo. The downside, of course, is that the Orioles already possess one of baseball’s weakest farm systems (indeed, Rosenthal notes that Baltimore may not even have enough prospect capital to entice the Reds to part with Bruce). Parting with the top two picks in their 2016 draft would only further deplete the team’s chances of re-stocking the farm and could prove costly as the rest of the roster ages. Then again, the Orioles could potentially recoup draft picks in the event that they make qualifying offers to Gallardo and/or Fowler, should either perform well and be eligible to enter the open market again next winter (either via one-year contract or an opt-out clause, as is reportedly being discussed with Gallardo).

Royals Reach Two-Year Extension With Mike Moustakas

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The Royals are closing in on a two-year deal with third baseman Mike Moustakas, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports (Twitter links), with Jon Heyman tweeting that it’s a done deal. He is expected to be guaranteed $14.3MM in the contract, per Flanagan, with $5.6MM coming in 2016 and $8.7MM for the following year.

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With the move, Kansas City has avoided an arbitration hearing with the 27-year-old and precluded any need for future arb negotiations. Moustakas could still partake in long-term talks, of course, but this agreement buys up all of his remaining arbitration eligibility without adding any team control.

In that regard, Moustakas joins teammate Lorenzo Cain in locking in a raise but failing to reach a lengthier accommodation with the reigning World Series champs. Josh Donaldson, J.D. Martinez, and A.J. Pollock are other prominent players who have landed two-year, arb-only pacts as a way to help bridge 2016 salary disputes.

The $5.6MM price point set for the coming season represents the exact midpoint between the sides’ $7MM and $4.2MM filing figures. And it lands just a shade below the $5.7MM salary that MLBTR projected earlier in the winter. Moustakas, a client of the Boras Corporation, had earned $2.64MM in his first turn at the arb process last year.

Moustakas was long considered a significant prospect, but largely disappointed in his first four years in the majors. But a late surge for the surprising 2014 Royals raised hopes that he’d found his groove, and his 2015 campaign suggests he did. Moustakas not only turned in another strong defensive campaign, but surged to a .284/.348/.470 slash and career-high 22 home runs in a performance that dwarfed anything he’d done previously.

With age and glovework on his side, a repeat of that strong effort won’t be needed for K.C. to make out on this new contract. But there’s every hope that Moustakas has matured at the plate and established a new performance baseline, having decreased his reliance on pulling the ball and found success against left-handed pitching.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/11/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Yankees announced that outfielder Lane Adams has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A. He had been designated for assignment recently as New York looked to work the waiver wire to stash assets in the upper minors without clogging up the 40-man. The team has apparently accomplished just that, adding to its outfield depth. Adams, 26, had a tough go in his first run at Triple-A last year, but had performed well earlier in 2015 to earn the promotion. All told, he ended the year with a .281/.347/.445 slash to go with 16 long balls and 31 stolen bases.

Latest On White Sox, Ian Desmond

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7:57pm: A White Sox official suggests to Bob Nightengale of USA Today that any prior efforts to pursue Desmond are not likely to prove fruitful, saying: “that ship has sailed.” (Twitter link.)

3:14pm: The White Sox are among the clubs considering Ian Desmond, tweets Jon Heyman. The fit between the two sides has long made sense, on paper, but there’s been little reported that has suggested genuine interest from Chicago’s end of the matter.

Desmond rejected a qualifying offer from the Nationals and, as such, would require the Sox to forfeit the No. 28 overall pick in the draft, which they received as compensation for the loss of Jeff Samardzija to the Giants (Samardzija rejected a qualifying offer of his own). Notably, that pick would creep up to No. 27 overall were the Orioles to sign Yovani Gallardo, as is rumored to be likely. GM Rick Hahn has recently talked about the value of that pick to the White Sox, but the Sox do have a protected first-round selection at No. 10 overall, which would leave them with at least one premium selection and a sizable amount of slot money accompanying that pick even in the event that a deal with Desmond ultimately comes together.

Adding Desmond to the fold for the White Sox would allow the team to use Tyler Saladino — a strong defender at multiple infield positions but by most accounts a light bat — in a utility capacity next season. Saladino was brilliant in the eyes of defensive metrics (+12 DRS, +5 UZR) in a tiny sample of 477 innings, but he batted just .225/.267/.335 in 254 trips to the plate. Desmond, of course, had the worst season of his career at the plate, but he did rebound after a terrible first half by slashing .262/.331/.446 after the All-Star break. His escalating strikeout rate is a cause for concern, but Desmond would bring considerably more offensive upside to the table than would Saladino. And, while his defense was highly questioned after a bizarre start to the 2015 season that saw him make eight errors in 12 games, he righted the ship for the remainder of the season. While his 19 errors across his final 143 games were still higher than a team would like to see, that’s a far more passable rate than that which he showed early in the year. Desmond may never be a standout defender, but he’s been adequate at the position by measure of defensive metrics.

Desmond would be the third right-handed bat added to a White Sox lineup that has already acquired Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie via trade this offseason. Despite their hitter-friendly home park, the White Sox ranked 28th in all of baseball with 622 runs scored last season. Hahn and his staff have placed a clear emphasis on bolstering the lineup in an effort to support a rotation fronted by a potentially elite trio of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon, and the fact that they addressed the back of their rotation with a low-cost flier on Mat Latos ($3MM) would seem to leave money for a run at Desmond.

AL East Notes: Rays Pen, O’s, Gallardo, Fowler, Chapman

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The Rays are in “advanced talks” with free agent righty Tommy Hunter, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. But Topkin cautions that Hunter is still also holding chats with other teams, possibly in search of a multi-year guarantee, suggesting that a signing with Tampa Bay is not imminent. And ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes that Hunter is still rehabbing after needing core muscle surgery this winter (Twitter links). The club is working on other possibilities as it looks to beef up a pen that has lost some options to trade. Ryan Webb is also under consideration, per the report, and the Rays have looked elsewhere as well — both on the free agent and trade markets.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette discussed his team’s remaining free agent efforts today with Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. While declining to discuss reported target Yovani Gallardo directly, Duquette did shed some light on that pursuit in acknowledging his efforts to “bolster” the staff. He talked about the difficulty of parting with a draft pick, and spoke quite disparagingly of the idea of giving an opt-out clause to a player, saying that he doesn’t “see any advantage to the club with that type of relationship.” That appears to be a key factor in the talks between team and player.
  • Duquette also touched upon the potential for an outfield addition, calling that “possible” while saying that he thinks the team has “enough outfield depth.” Duquette did note the interest in adding a quality on-base threat to the top of the lineup, which would seem to make Dexter Fowler an appealing match. Reports earlier today connected Baltimore to veteran free agent.
  • Giving up two top-thirty draft picks to sign Gallardo and Fowler appears to be a possible outcome at this point for the Orioles, though there are still plenty of other scenarios as well. Dave Cameron of Fangraphs recently broke down the argument for signing both players, presumably at reduced guarantees, thereby reducing the average draft pick cost. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes a look, too, crediting the organization for being willing to spend but suggesting that it needs to find a way to replace the lost draft picks (and prospects sent out via trade) in some other way — most likely by ramping up international spending.
  • The Yankees and recently-acquired reliever Aroldis Chapman are set for a hearing on February 19, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. There’s more than $4MM separating the sides’ filing numbers, so obviously both sides have ample incentive (and time) to work out a compromise. If not, it would make for an interesting case, albeit perhaps a sub-optimal way for their relationship to begin.

Pirates Sign Cory Luebke To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates announced that they’ve signed left-hander Cory Luebke to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The former Padres lefty hasn’t pitched since 2012 after having three seasons wiped out by a pair of Tommy John surgeries, but he could conceivably factor into the club’s rotation or bullpen picture.

Now 30 years old (31 in March), Luebke had an impressive rookie season back in 2011, logging a 3.29 ERA with 9.9 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 139 1/3 innings out of the San Diego rotation. That was enough for the former Padres front office regime to roll the dice on a potentially team-friendly contract of four years and $12MM plus a pair of club options. Had both options been exercised, the Padres would’ve controlled Luebke through the end of his first would-be free-agent year, and he’d have earned $27.75MM in total over the life of the deal. Unfortunately for both team and player, Luebke never got the chance to build on that strong rookie showing, as he pitched just 31 innings in 2012 before succumbing to injury. He’ll now look to follow the path of many other pitchers before him and breathe new life into his career as a member of the Pirates organization.

Pirates To Sign Eric O’Flaherty To Minors Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a minor league deal with lefty reliever Eric O’Flaherty, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets. He’ll receive an invitation to MLB camp.

It has become cliche at this point, but the Bucs do have a record of helping to turn around once-productive pitchers. And O’Flaherty certainly fits the general mold of past refurbishment projects.

The 31-year-old was at one time rather dominant for the Braves, running up a 1.99 ERA over nearly 250 frames from 2009 through 2013. He averaged a pedestrian 7.2 K/9 in that span, but limited the free pass (2.5 BB/9), got a ton of easy outs (58.3% groundball rate), and was plenty useful even against right-handed hitters.

Things weren’t so rosy last year, his first full campaign back from Tommy John surgery. He ended with an abysmal 8.10 ERA, which only got worse after a mid-season trade from the Athletics to the Mets. And the peripherals weren’t great either, as O’Flaherty ended with 6.3 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9. He was able to generate grounders right at his career rate, and there are indications he suffered some bad luck (.388 BABIP, 57.6% strand rate), but clearly he has some work to do to get back on track in the coming spring.

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