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Archives for February 2016

Aroldis Chapman Not Likely To Be Banned From Spring Training

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TODAY: Chapman’s suspension isn’t expected to include Spring Training games, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

SATURDAY: Yesterday, we heard from Commissioner Rob Mandred on possible upcoming action against Jose Reyes, Aroldis Chapman, and Yasiel Puig for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. While suspensions are expected, penalties can come in other forms too. Although criminal charges were not brought against Chapman, he may soon be banned from this season’s Spring Training, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Manfred has broad powers with regard to suspensions related to the new domestic violence policy. However, a spring ban is only one rumored application of those powers, reports Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News. In fact, it remains unclear if Chapman will be disciplined at all, although many outside observers expect the league to take a hard stance against alleged domestic violence. The NFL has suffered a series of public relations debacles from mishandling similar events. Major League Baseball is probably keen to distance themselves from the snafus of America’s other pastime.

Chapman has said he will immediately appeal any disciplinary measures. If those do include a spring ban, he’ll be allowed to continue participating in team events until the appeal is processed.

Outfield Notes: Holliday, Hamilton, De Aza, Victorino, Pagan

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All 1663 of Matt Holliday’s career games in the majors have come in left field or DH, but the veteran is getting some time at first base, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Holliday’s offseason workouts at first were initially reported by Heyman in December, as Holliday is hoping to extend his career by adding some positional versatility.  Quad injuries limited Holliday to just 73 games in 2015 but he has been an extremely productive and usually durable player over his six-plus years with the Cardinals, and he tells Heyman that he hopes to remain in St. Louis “as long as possible.”  The Cards will face a decision in the fall about whether to exercise their $17MM club option on Holliday for 2017 or buy him out for $1MM, though the 36-year-old could cause the option to vest with a top-10 finish in MVP voting.  Here’s some more about other prominent outfield names…

  • Josh Hamilton is visiting Dr. James Andrews’ clinic to get what is being termed as a second opinion on his left knee, which led Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News to rhetorically and somewhat ominously wonder “what was the first opinion?”  Hamilton has undergone two knee surgeries in the last six months and another procedure could be an option to relieve the knee soreness and pain that has continued to plague the outfielder.  The Rangers were already known to be looking for outfield depth, but if Hamilton isn’t healthy enough to manage even the platoon role that the team had laid out for him, Grant figures Texas might pursue a regular left fielder rather than a backup center fielder.  The Rangers might also be forced to give such a player a Major League contract if he’s getting regular playing time.
  • Alejandro De Aza finds himself in the unusual position of having just signed with a new team as a free agent but immediately facing trade speculation, yet the maybe temporary Mets outfielder told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin) that he was just focusing on preparing for the upcoming season.  The Mets’ surprising re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes created a surplus in New York’s outfield, and De Aza could already be the odd man out.  He cannot be traded without his permission until June 15, though this may not be an issue if De Aza wants more playing time elsewhere.  The Rangers have notably been linked to De Aza in trade rumors, pending the Hamilton situation.
  • Shane Victorino is yet another name on the Rangers’ list but Texas is reportedly only interested in signing him to a minor league contract.  Victorino is still holding out for a Major League deal, however, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, that the veteran outfielder could find such a contract within the next few days.  (Again, Hamilton’s health could be a factor if the Rangers remained interested in Victorino’s services.)  On Monday, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweeted that the Cubs seem like a fit for Victorino, who would fill a reserve role in Chicago.
  • Angel Pagan admitted to reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he “was a little surprised” by the Giants’ signing of Denard Span.  “It’s not like I was mad, but I had to sit down with my family and explore what was going on and accept it and move on,” Pagan said.  With Span on board, Pagan will spend most of his time in left field, and while he admits it’ll be an adjustment not being a regular center fielder, “I’m just being unselfish to make that move. I just want to be able to provide the best I can to this team.”  Pagan is a free agent himself this coming offseason, so 2016 will be an important platform for him to rebound from three injury-plagued seasons and potentially earn another lucrative contract.

Nationals Links: Desmond, Perez, Zimmerman

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Here’s the latest from the D.C. camp…

  • Ian Desmond’s former Nationals teammates are flabbergasted by the fact that the shortstop has yet to sign with a team, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.  “I don’t think there is a draft pick out there who is better than Ian Desmond,” Bryce Harper said.  “I don’t there is a draft pick out there who is a better guy or person in the clubhouse than him.”  Harper and Max Scherzer both feel that the qualifying offer is largely behind Desmond’s lingering presence on the market, with Harper opining that the QO system is “something baseball definitely needs to change.”  Scherzer thinks the qualifying offer “literally has to be” the biggest and maybe only factor why Desmond is still available. “There’s no other reason why a team would not want to sign a shortstop like that. ….You could see the power. You could see the speed. You just don’t find that out of a shortstop,” Scherzer said.
  • Oliver Perez’s previous stint with the Nationals consisted of 16 Double-A games in 2011, but the southpaw tells MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman that this stint helped revive his career.  Minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams encouraged Perez to become a full-time reliever in order to pave a quicker road back to the majors, and Perez has taken that advice to the bank.  In four seasons since shifting to the bullpen, Perez has become a quality lefty specialist and is now back in Washington on a much more lucrative contract.
  • Ryan Zimmerman spoke to reporters (including Zuckerman) for the first time since his name was cited in the controversial Al Jazeera documentary that alleged Zimmerman, Ryan Howard, Peyton Manning and several other notable athletes were using PEDs.  Zimmerman firmly denied any allegations made in the documentary and noted that he and Howard were so eager to clear their names that they filed a defamation lawsuit against Al Jazeera, despite the fact that such a suit could lead to more public scrutiny.  “It’s one of those things where privacy is really not privacy anymore for me,” Zimmerman said. “It’s unfortunate that I have to do that, but that’s the steps I’m willing to take to show people that I have nothing to hide.”

No Extension Talks Yet Between A’s, Josh Reddick

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12:31pm: A’s general manager David Forst tells reporters (including John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group and CSNBayArea.com’s Joe Stiglich) that he hasn’t yet had a chance to speak to Reddick’s agent since the two sides have been playing “phone tag” due to travel and other assorted issues.  At this point “it’s impossible to say” if an extension can be worked out before Opening Day, though Forst is happy to hear that Reddick wants to stay with the club.

10:59am: The Athletics have yet to engage Josh Reddick’s representatives in talks about a long-term extension, the outfielder told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle).  Despite the lack of activity thus far, Reddick reiterated that he was still very interested in remaining with the team for years to come.

Both Reddick and Billy Beane expressed mutual interest in continuing the two sides’ relationship earlier in the offseason.  It seemed like negotiations would begin once Reddick’s 2016 contract was finalized — he and the A’s avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $6.575MM deal for the coming season — in mid-January, though over a month has passed with no apparent progress.  This isn’t necessarily a bad sign since many clubs wait until Spring Training to fully engage in extension talks.  It does, however, create a shorter window to reach a new deal; Reddick, like most players wanting to avoid distractions, has stated that he doesn’t want negotiations to last into the season.

Reddick, who just turned 29 earlier this week, has hit .255/.317/.441 with 83 homers over the last five seasons (including a 32-homer outburst in 2012) and, except for last year, has posted excellent defensive metrics as a right fielder.  With another solid season in 2016, Reddick will position himself for a very healthy free agent contract next winter, especially given the overall weakness of the 2016-17 free agent class.  This could make it difficult for Oakland to lock Reddick up, particularly given the A’s have generally shied away from pricey extensions under Beane’s management.  Reddick could have more value to the A’s in terms of the compensatory first-rounder he could net the team if he rejects a qualifying offer and signs elsewhere next offseason, or he could possibly be a midseason trade candidate if the Athletics aren’t in contention.

AL East Notes: Machado, Desmond, Rays, Atkins, Bautista

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • Manny Machado talked to reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) about several topics in a media session today, including his happiness that Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Darren O’Day are all still Orioles.  The team’s willingness to spend this offseason “brings out hope” that Machado will also be able to sign a new contract to remain in Baltimore, as he desires.  “They’re trying to keep everybody here.  That’s good for me.  I hope they keep me here for [the] long term,” Machado said.  “But the case is, you can’t really sign everybody.  You can’t bring everybody back.  But it’s just part of the business, people you can bring back, people who you can’t, people who won’t be.  But I think we’re making an effort of bringing everybody back, keeping the same clubhouse, the same core.”
  • It’s “still quite unlikely” that Ian Desmond will sign with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  Desmond’s list of possible suitors got even thinner yesterday when the White Sox signed Jimmy Rollins to address the shortstop position.  The Rays have had some talks with Desmond, but the sticking point is the Rays’ unwillingness to surrender its first round draft pick (the 13th overall selection) to make the signing, as Desmond is a qualifying offer free agent.
  • In a session with reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) this morning, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins gave no comment on either Jose Bautista’s contract ultimatum or the reportedly off-the-table trade involving Jay Bruce and Michael Saunders.  In regards to Bautista, Atkins said any extension talks between the team and the slugger won’t be made public, as “in relation to the negotiation, out of respect for him, out of respect for the Blue Jays organization, we just can’t get into the specifics of it.”
  • In another piece from Davidi, he characterized the Blue Jays’ decision on Bautista as a bellwether of how the club plans to operate in the near future beyond the 2016 season, in regards to both spending and fielding a contender.

Mariners Agree To Terms With Cuban Center Fielder Guillermo Heredia

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TODAY: The contract is expected to be worth around $500K, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets.

MONDAY: The Mariners have reached an agreement with Cuban center fielder Guillermo Heredia, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Terms aren’t yet known, and the contract is still pending a physical, according to Dutton. The 25-year-old Heredia is old enough and has enough professional experience that he is exempt from international bonus pools, so the Mariners are free to sign him for any length of time and any dollar amount.

Heredia played professionally in Cuba from 2009-14, amassing exactly 1400 plate appearances and compiling a .285/.376/.418 batting line. Back in late January, Baseball America’s Ben Badler wrote that while Heredia is a standout defender in center field with plus speed and a strong arm, there are significant questions about his bat. Notably, Badler pointed out that Heredia doesn’t chase many pitches off the plate but dropped switch-hitting (in favor of batting solely right-handed) in his final pro season in Cuba and doesn’t show much power. (He hit 23 home runs in his Cuban career.)

Questions about his bat or not, a young, possibly plus defender in center field with a keen eye at the plate fits squarely into the mold that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has prioritized this season in placing an emphasis on outfield athleticism, defense and on-base percentage. Heredia may be viewed as more of a fourth outfielder than a starting option in center field, but such players have received fairly notable guarantees in the past, with Dian Toscano’s four-year, $6MM deal with the Braves serving as the most recent example. Certainly, that’s not said as a means of setting any type of expectation for Heredia’s ultimate contract — that will depend on how much the Mariners believe in his bat — but simply to illustrate that even a limited skill set can indeed bring in a relatively notable investment.

Given questions surrounding his bat and the fact that he hasn’t played regularly since the 2013-14 season due to his defection and lengthy free agency — Heredia was declared a free agent last July after defecting in January 2015 — Heredia could be ticketed for the minor leagues upon signing. Then again, if the deal is finalized and Heredia looks solid in camp, he could step in as a backup to countryman Leonys Martin in center field; Dutton writes that the Mariners have been seeking a viable backup option to Martin in center field, and Heredia’s strong defensive reputation fits that bill.

Heredia switched agencies this offseason, as Badler reports that he “recently” hired Magnus Sports — the same agency that has come under fire recently due to the human trafficking indictment of agent Bart Hernandez in connection with Martin’s free agency back in 2011. (Martin switched agents in 2013.) Heredia was also connected to the Cubs and Astros before reaching his apparent agreement with Seattle. Assuming a deal is completed, it’d mark the second Cuban free agent signed by the Mariners this month, as Seattle also inked infielder Dayner Moreira to a minor league deal on Feb. 1.

Agent: Cliff Lee Not Expected To Pitch In 2016

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Cliff Lee was reportedly considering a comeback earlier this winter, but as his agent Darek Braunecker now tells FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link), “We don’t anticipate him playing at this point.”

Lee last pitched on July 31, 2014 and has since been sidelined due to elbow problems and then a partially torn flexor tendon in his throwing shoulder.  After receiving a clean bill of health in December, however, Lee was looking to return to the mound and drew interest from at least 15 teams.  There were some caveats to Lee’s comeback attempt, however, as Braunecker said in January that his client would require “a perfect fit” to return.  Lee was looking for a one-year Major League deal with a contender reportedly in the range of $6MM-$8MM in base salary, plus incentives.  The left-hander also didn’t reach the point of throwing for teams or holding a showcase, so clubs had several questions about the health of Lee’s shoulder, or when in the season he’d be able to pitch.

At age 37 and already 18 months removed from his last game, it’s hard to see Lee mounting another comeback attempt next offseason.  If this is indeed the end of Lee’s 13-year Major League career, he’ll go down as one of the best left-handed starters of his era.  Lee’s impressive resume includes the 2008 AL Cy Young Award, four All-Star appearances, stints on two pennant winners (the 2009 Phillies and the 2010 Rangers) and a 2.93 ERA over his last 1415 innings.  He also banked over $143.3MM over his career, most of it earned from the five-year, $120MM contract he signed with Philadelphia in the 2010-11 offseason.

Three-Team Jay Bruce Deal With Reds, Angels, Blue Jays “Dead”

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TUESDAY: The medical concerns were in regard to a Blue Jays minor leaguer involved in the deal who was presumably going to the Reds, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).  With this trade at least temporarily off, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan wonders if other teams could approach the Reds with offers for Bruce since they seem open to dealing him for a fairly low price.

11:15pm: Talks are “dead” for the time being, Olney tweets.

11:06pm: The reason for the holdup is that one of the teams found an issue with one of the players’ medicals, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets, clarifying that the player in question was not Bruce. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, meanwhile, tweets that someone close to the talks believes the problem is Saunders’ knee, an injury to which caused him to miss most of last season.

10:47pm: Some of the parties discussing the deal now doubt it will come to fruition, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The reasons for the hitch are currently unclear.

8:44pm: The three teams are reviewing medical records of the players involved, tweets Rosenthal.

8:20pm: The deal is nearing completion, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets.

6:36pm: The current deal has Bruce going to Toronto, Saunders heading to Anaheim and prospects going to the Reds, Heyman tweets. That suggests the Angels, who have a very weak farm system, will be providing the prospects.

6:13pm: Bruce does not currently have the Jays on his no-trade list, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.

6:03pm: Heyman tweets that the proposed deal between the Jays and Reds actually also involves the Angels, with Saunders heading from Toronto to Anaheim in the deal. The Jays and Reds also discussed a three-team deal with the Athletics, but that trade is no longer on the table, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets.

5:44pm: Reds outfielder Jay Bruce remains on the trade market, and they could be in the process of trading him to the Blue Jays, Jon Heyman tweets. If the Jays were to acquire Bruce, he would likely play mostly left field, with Jose Bautista in right. Toronto’s top left field options currently include Michael Saunders, who missed most of last season due to injury, and 23-year-old Dalton Pompey.

For the Reds, Bruce would be the latest in a long string of veteran departures that has also included Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Marlon Byrd, Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman. Bruce would be unlikely to command a large return, since he’s hit just .222/.288/.406 in the last two seasons. He might, however, be in line for somewhat of a resurgence in 2016 if his batting average on balls in play (which was just .251 last season) improves a bit. When he does make contact, he has largely retained his ability to hit for power, hitting 26 home runs last season.

Still, Bruce will make $12.5MM in 2016, plus a $1MM buyout or a $13MM option in 2017, and while those figures aren’t exorbitant, he’s far from a bargain at that price. The Orioles have also recently been connected to Bruce, although at last check, their interest wasn’t particularly strong.

Tigers To Sign Casey McGehee

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The Tigers have agreed to a minor league contract with third baseman Casey McGehee, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  The 33-year-old McGehee is represented by Meister Sports Management.

There were rumblings earlier in the week about Detroit possibly signing another veteran infielder, and in McGehee, the Tigers have added depth at third base.  The hot corner is arguably the team’s least-settled position given how former top prospect Nick Castellanos has delivered sub-replacement numbers both offensively and (especially) defensively over two full seasons in the bigs.  Offseason acquisition Mike Aviles has the inside track on the utility infield job due to his ability to play all around the diamond, while Andrew Romine and Tommy Field are also in the mix for playing time.

McGehee won NL Comeback Player Of The Year honors in 2014 following a solid season with the Marlins, though that performance was somewhat checkered by a poor second half and an overall .335 BABIP.  He was dealt to San Francisco last winter and was the Giants’ de facto replacement for Pablo Sandoval at third but McGehee struggled badly and eventually lost his job to Matt Duffy.  He ended up re-signing with the Marlins after being designated for assignment in June, and overall, McGehee hit .198/.264/.274 with two homers over 258 plate appearances last season.

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