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Archives for March 2016

NL East Notes: Freeman, Strasburg, Harper, Turner, Mejia

By Jeff Todd | March 11, 2016 at 10:08pm CDT

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman left today’s spring action with a right wrist issue, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Such a potentially minor occurrence might not warrant mention for most players, but Freeman missed significant time last year owing to issues in the same area, and he was proceeding cautiously as he ramps up for the 2016 season. (Indeed, as O’Brien has previously written, Freeman has long dealt with difficulties in his right wrist and hand.) For now, it’s only a situation to monitor, but there’s obviously added concern in his case.

Here’s more on Freeman and some other interesting players in the NL East:

  • Of course, Freeman was the topic of plenty of trade speculation this winter as the Braves continued to tweak their player assets — at least until GM John Coppolella made as clear as possible that Freeman wouldn’t be going anywhere. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explores the big lefty’s interesting offseason, reporting that Atlanta may have been closer to moving Freeman at one point than the organization has been willing to acknowledge. Coppolella denies that anything ever seriously progressed, while acknowledging that there was outside interest (which, of course, is no surprise). Freeman himself said he heard a lot of the chatter, but was eventually put to ease by the front office. And Coppolella explains that the first bagger is the organization’s “rock.” You’ll want to read the whole piece for the full story, as it is full of interesting content.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo had some interesting comments today in an interview with MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). He said that righty Stephen Strasburg “could be a long-term fit” in DC and suggested that the organization would seek to explore a new deal with the pending free agent. While “health is obviously a big factor with him,” said Rizzo, it seems clear that the Nats at least have interest in seeing what an extension (or, potentially, a free agent deal) would look like. The club GM and president also talked about star Bryce Harper’s long-term status, saying that the “money part of it … is going to be extreme and complicated” while noting that he feels the Nationals have done a good job of selling Harper on the organization as a fit down the line.
  • Rizzo also talked more Nationals matters on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. In addition to providing some more thoughts about Strasburg and Harper, more from an on-field than a contractual perspective, Rizzo spoke at length about top shortstop prospect Trea Turner. The Nats’ head baseball decisionmaker wouldn’t commit to an Opening Day roster job for the youngster, but also didn’t rule it out, and emphasized that Turner is “not far away from the big leagues” while crediting him not only with 80-grade speed, but also outstanding maturity. As for the deal that brought him to DC, Rizzo tipped his cap to the scouts who helped to identify Turner and Joe Ross as targets within the Padres organization. He explained further: “[W]hen they showed interest in Steven Souza … we made it clear that, you know, we had to have these two players in the trade or we wouldn’t be interested in moving Souza.” The Nats were able to “get[] involved in a three-team trade later in the process” — the Rays, of course, being the organization that ultimately ended up with Souza — to land a return that has looked quite promising ever since the deal was struck.
  • Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia spoke again with the media today, emphasizing — as he said recently — that he was not using any banned substances when he was tagged with his second and third positive tests, as Laura Albanese of Newsday reports (Twitter links). While he acknowledged his initial suspension was valid, he “framed it as an accident,” by Albanese’s characterization. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com notes on Twitter that it appears Mejia’s lifetime ban was never formally appealed, so there may be some possibility that he could still have a chance at contesting the decision. As Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News reports, it appears Mejia will attempt to do just that, though it should be noted there could well be procedural hurdles. For its part, the league issued a strong statement rejecting Mejia’s claims of a conspiracy against him, calling the righty a “repeated user of banned performance-enhancing substances” who is doing nothing more than “hiring aggressive lawyers and making wild, unsupported allegations about the conduct of others in an effort to clear their names.” Newsday’s David Lennon was among those to tweet the full statement.
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Atlanta Braves New York Mets Washington Nationals Bryce Harper Freddie Freeman Jenrry Mejia Stephen Strasburg Trea Turner

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Minor MLB Transactions: 3/11/16

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 7:24pm CDT

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Orioles have re-signed outfielder Julio Borbon to a minor league contract, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Borbon has taken 863 MLB plate appearances, compiling a composite .272/.318/.347 slash with 47 stolen bases. But the 30-year-old last saw the Majors in 2013 and has spent the past two seasons in the Baltimore organization at Triple-A. His numbers dipped in his second go-around with Norfolk; last year, Borbon batted just .269/.299/.321, though he contributed on the basepaths, as usual, by swiping 23 bases in 114 games despite that modest OBP.
  • Baseball America’s John Manuel tweets that the Red Sox have released right-hander Karsten Whitson. The 24-year-old Whitson was selected ninth overall by the Padres in 2010 as a high schooler, but he turned down a $2.1MM signing bonus to attend the University of Florida. Unfortunately, Whitson began to battle shoulder injuries after an excellent freshman season and ultimately wound up signing for $100K as an 11th-round pick by the Red Sox in 2014. Whitson pitched just seven innings for the Sox’ short-season Class-A affiliate in 2014 — his lone professional experience to date.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Transactions Julio Borbon Karsten Whitson

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Pirates Sign David Freese, Designate Jesse Biddle

By Jeff Todd | March 11, 2016 at 5:24pm CDT

The Pirates have signed third baseman David Freese to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The CAA client will earn $3MM on a straight guarantee without any available incentives, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on Twitter. Pittsburgh also announced that it has designated southpaw Jesse Biddle for assignment to create roster space.

IJul 20, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman David Freese (6) runs towards first after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Freese, who’ll turn 33 at the end of April, has settled in as a steady but unspectacular performer at the hot corner. After some strong offensive years earlier in his career with the Cardinals, he’s generally posted slightly above-average results. All told, Freese slashed a sturdy .258/.322/.401 with 24 home runs in 981 plate appearances over his two years with the Angels, who reportedly considered a qualifying offer this winter but ultimately allowed Freese to leave uninhibited. Though his line-drive and hard-contact rates both fell last year, with his walk rate continuing to trickle downward, Freese did still manage to significantly increase his ISO in 2015 as against his prior year’s work.

Much the same holds on the defensive side of the equation, as Freese has generally graded out as roughly average with the glove before and since a one-year downturn (2013, his final year in St. Louis). He is a poor overall baserunner and has had his share of injury troubles, though it’s hard to blame him for missing time recently after being struck by pitches.

It took some time for his market to thaw, but Freese will presumably step right into Pittsburgh’s Opening Day lineup. Though the team has Jung Ho Kang and Josh Harrison under contract as options at second and third, Kang has only just reached the point of straight-line running after suffering a serious leg injury last year. Indications were that Kang may be available within a month or so of the season’s start, but Pittsburgh obviously decided there was enough uncertainty to make another addition.

Even when Kang does make it back, it’s not hard to see the value of bringing in the respected veteran. It’s expected that Freese will eventually form the right-handed side of a first base platoon with John Jaso, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. He’ll also deepen the overall infield unit. Harrison took a step back in 2015, as did shortstop Jordy Mercer, and the other options on hand (glove-first shortstop Pedro Florimon, prospect Alen Hanson, utilityman Sean Rodriguez) all come with their share of questions and uncertainties.

Nevertheless, the move comes as a bit of a surprise, though MLBTR’s Steve Adams did name the Bucs as one of only six teams that made much sense as a destination for Freese as of mid-February. It is a bit unclear what Pittsburgh will do with Rodriguez and, especially, Michael Morse with Freese now under contract. The former is owed $2.5MM this year after re-signing, while the latter is largely a free-roll after he was swapped for another bad contract (Jose Tabata) last summer. Those two could still conceivably see time in the outfield, but there probably won’t be many plate appearances available there. Adding Freese also seemingly tamps down the likelihood of an early promotion for first base prospect Josh Bell.

Freese isn’t the most exciting player, but his ultimate contract still comes as a shock. Indeed, he’ll earn less than other recent players to sign, including fellow third baseman Juan Uribe, former Pirates first bagger Pedro Alvarez, and center fielder Austin Jackson.

As for Biddle, who was acquired in a DFA limbo swap earlier in the winter, Pittsburgh may be hoping tha the can clear waivers at this stage of the offseason. The one-time top prospect will be returning from Tommy John surgery and has had serious control problems, but remains an interesting project for whatever organization ends up with his rights.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Newsstand Pittsburgh Pirates Transactions David Freese Jesse Biddle

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Willie Bloomquist Announces Retirement

By Jeff Todd | March 11, 2016 at 3:35pm CDT

Veteran infielder Willie Bloomquist announced his retirement today with an entertaining tweet that’s well worth a look. He had yet to sign with a team over the offseason after being released by the Mariners last summer.

The 38-year-old will wrap up his playing career after logging time in 14 major league seasons. Though he topped 400 plate appearances only once in a single campaign — his 2009 stint with the Royals — Bloomquist stepped to the dish over 3,000 times in the bigs.

All told, Bloomquist provided only a .269/.316/.342 overall batting line, which landed a fair sight below league-average. Though he never managed even five home runs in a season, he did put up double-digit stolen base tallies in half a dozen campaigns and was generally rated as a top-quality baserunner.

But it was never really about the offensive side of the equation for Bloomquist, who spent time everywhere on the diamond except on the mound and behind the plate, with about a third of his innings coming at shortstop. Though he’s never been a darling of defensive metrics, he generally provided sturdy glovework and immense defensive flexibility.

Bloomquist will be best remembered as a member of the Mariners, having spent parts of nine seasons — including the beginning and the end of his career — in Seattle. In addition to the aforementioned Royals, Bloomquist also suited up for the Diamondbacks and Reds.

There are several other veterans who’ve announced their retirement in recent days, including fellow utilityman Skip Schumaker and lefty Randy Wolf. Remember, you can look back at all such announcements by clicking on the “Retirement” tag at the bottom of this post or following this link.

As with those players, MLBTR extends its best wishes to Bloomquist in his post-playing days.

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Transactions Retirement Willie Bloomquist

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Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 2:05pm CDT

Six months after a surprise pursuit of a Wild Card spot that lasted until the final weekend of the 2015 season, the Twins enter Spring Training with heightened expectations as the long-anticipated arrival of many prospects is now upon Minneapolis.

Major League Signings

  • Byung Ho Park, 1B/DH: Four years, $12MM (plus $12.85MM posting fee)

Notable Minor League Signings

  • Fernando Abad, Carlos Quentin, Ryan Sweeney, Brandon Kintzler, Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Thompson, Joe Benson

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired C John Ryan Murphy from Yankees in exchange for CF Aaron Hicks
  • Acquired 1B/OF Daniel Palka from D-backs in exchange for C/OF Chris Herrmann
  • Claimed C John Hicks off waivers from Mariners
  • Claimed LHP Mike Strong off waivers from Brewers

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

  • Torii Hunter (retired), Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Hicks, Blaine Boyer, Neal Cotts, Brian Duensing, Shane Robinson, Chris Herrmann, Josmil Pinto

Needs Addressed

Entering the offseason, the Twins’ most glaring need was behind the plate. Kurt Suzuki’s initial one-year deal with the club was a solid enough short-term investment at the time, but rather than flip Suzuki at the trade deadline in 2014, the Twins rewarded a BABIP-fueled first half surge with a two-year, $12MM extension. Since that time, Suzuki’s offense has returned to its normal levels, as he’s batted just .242/.295/.327 with six homers in 634 plate appearances. That production is about 30 percent worse than that of a league-average hitter (70 wRC+), and it’s particularly problematic given Suzuki’s questionable defensive skills. Suzuki halted just 15 percent of attempted base-stealers last season, and he rated as the game’s fifth-worst defensive catcher in combining his framing, blocking and throwing efforts, per Baseball Prospectus’ Adjusted Fielding Runs Above Average.

John Ryan Murphy

Despite a strong farm, the Twins lacked an MLB-ready catching prospect, and they heightened the need for catching help by trading last year’s primary backup, Chris Herrmann, to the Diamondbacks. With a dearth of catching talent and a glut of MLB-ready outfielders, the Twins parted with former first-round pick Aaron Hicks in order to land a controllable young backstop in the form of John Ryan Murphy (pictured left).

Hicks, a rangy switch-hitting outfielder with a huge arm but longstanding struggles against right-handed pitching, enjoyed his first full, productive season with the Twins last year, batting .256/.323/.398 with 11 homers and 13 steals. Surrendering four years of Hicks was probably difficult, but the Twins obtained a younger catcher with five years of club control in return. Murphy hasn’t tapped into his full offensive potential just yet — or at least the Twins hope he hasn’t — but produced a solid .277/.327/.406 batting line in 172 PAs last season. In his brief MLB career, Murphy has caught 28 percent of opposing thieves and rated as roughly average in terms of pitch framing and pitch blocking, so he represents a defensive upgrade over Suzuki. He’ll probably be eased in behind the plate, but Suzuki’s vesting option triggers at 485 PAs, so it’s in the Twins’ interest to slowly increase Murphy’s playing time. While Suzuki has only averaged 491 PAs over the past two seasons, the Twins would probably prefer to avoid a Marlon Byrd-esque situation, in which the Giants sat Byrd over the season’s final weekend, leaving him just six PAs shy of his option vesting and creating an uncomfortable situation all around.

Twins executives, coaches and players will emphatically state that there’s no replacing Torii Hunter’s impact on the clubhouse, but the front office did add what it hopes will be a more productive right-handed bat by making a surprise play for Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. The 28-year-old Park has blasted 105 home runs over the past two seasons with the KBO’s Nexen Heroes, and while it’d be foolish to expect that he will replicate the .343/.436/.714 batting line and 53 homers he contributed in his final KBO campaign, the Twins would probably consider it a disappointment if he didn’t exceed Hunter’s .240/.293/.409 line and 22 home runs.

Byung Ho Park

With Park in the fold, many pundits expected the Twins to deal Trevor Plouffe, opening third base for Miguel Sano and clearing the DH spot for Park. Insteadof trading Plouffe, though, the Twins shifted Sano to right field, which was vacated by the Hicks swap. The Twins, on paper, look to have plenty of right-handed pop, but it remains to be seen how Sano can handle his time in the outfield from a defensive standpoint.

The rest of the Twins’ offseason was largely uneventful. While there was long talk of adding a left-handed reliever, either via free agency or trade, the Twins instead added Fernando Abad on a minor league deal. Another lefty option was added via waivers when the team picked up Minnesota native Mike Strong from the Brewers.

Minnesota will turn to its farm system for the rest of the needs it would like to see addressed. In an ideal world, Byron Buxton will see a full season in center field, Tyler Duffey will repeat his late-season success, Jose Berrios will eventually surface in the Majors and push for a rotation spot, and utilityman-turned-starter Eduardo Escobar will thrive in a season as the new everyday shortstop.

Questions Remaining

That final paragraph of the preceding section sounds nice and rosy for the Twins, but it’s unlikely that each of those outcomes will come to be. Buxton floundered in his initial taste of big league action. Optimists, though, will note that he has endured early struggles upon each promotion to a new level. Buxton did rake at a .305/.367/.500 clip in 327 Triple-A PAs last season, so he has little left to prove in the minors.

While catcher was the club’s biggest offseason need, there’s been no greater revolving door in the Twins organization than shortstop over the past decade, as evidenced by the fact that Escobar will become Minnesota’s 10th Opening Day shortstop in 11 seasons. (Trivia: who was the only repeat starter? If you answered Pedro Florimon, you’re correct! You also probably cheated.) The 27-year-old Escobar has delivered consecutive seasons of slightly above-average production at the plate but hasn’t topped 465 PAs. If he falters, 2015 Opening Day starter Danny Santana, top prospect Jorge Polanco and utilityman Eduardo Nunez represent alternatives.

The Twins’ rotation was their primary downfall during the 2011-14 stretch of last-place finishes, but the club actually has some depth at in its starting staff now. Right-handers Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes and Ervin Santana are locks for the rotation, and while none of the three will be mistaken for a No. 1 type of starter, each is a reasonable mid-rotation option. Hughes and Santana have displayed flashes of greater performance in their respective 2014 and 2013 seasons. Health for Hughes will be crucial, as the right-hander lost 1.4 mph off his heater from 2014 to 2015 and eventually missed a month with lower back inflammation. The aforementioned Duffey isn’t quite a lock for a spot, but manager Paul Molitor strongly implied that he’ll open the year on the starting staff. Long projected as a back-end starter, Duffey instead burst onto the scene with 58 innings of 3.10 ERA ball with a 3.24 FIP and 3.64 xFIP. His 8.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 49.7 percent ground-ball rate all impressed as well.

The biggest rotation question for the Twins is what to do with Ricky Nolasco. The right-hander is guaranteed $25MM through 2017 but has been a bust thus far, due partially to injuries. The Twins showed last spring that they weren’t afraid to put a fairly sizable contract in the ’pen when they initially tabbed Mike Pelfrey for relief work, but a $12MM long reliever isn’t ideal, and recent comments from Nolasco’s agent suggest that such a decision could lead to drama.

Trevor May seems likely to return to a setup role, though there’s a case that he should be in the rotation. He was, admittedly, excellent in 31 1/3 relief innings last season, logging a 2.87 ERA with a 37-to-8 K/BB ratio. However, he also posted a 4.37 ERA, 3.25 FIP and 3.93 xFIP with a 77-to-18 K/BB ratio across 15 starts (80 1/3 innings) out of the rotation to begin the year. The out-of-options Milone, meanwhile, has a notable $4.5MM salary after avoiding arbitration this winter and is the sole lefty in the mix. Coming off a 3.92 ERA of his own in 128 2/3 innings, he too has staked a claim to a rotation spot. And despite all of the aforementioned options, Berrios has the highest ceiling of any option the Twins have, earning a top-30 ranking on the top 100 lists of Baseball Prospectus (17), MLB.com (19), ESPN (26) and Baseball America (28). He’s probably bound for Triple-A, though, which figures to buy the Twins another year of control down the line, even if he debuts later in the season.

The bullpen will be anchored by Glen Perkins, Kevin Jepsen and (probably) May. That trio figures to give the Twins three solid late-inning arms, but the Twins could’ve added extra relief help. Minnesota’s system is loaded with power arms in the form of righties Alex Meyer, Nick Burdi, J.T. Chargois and Jake Reed, but incumbent MLB options like Casey Fien, Michael Tonkin and J.R. Graham don’t inspire over-the-top confidence. Ryan Pressly was enjoying a sound season before a lat injury ended his 2015 campaign, so he’ll be back in the mix as well. But, left-handed options on the 40-man roster are few and far between. Abad figures to make the club and could be joined in the ’pen by starter-turned-reliever Taylor Rogers, but dealing for a more proven arm like Milwaukee’s Will Smith or signing a veteran on a one-year deal to provide more stability certainly carried some merit.

It’s also worth noting that the Twins made a curious decision last offseason (in my mind, anyhow) to leave lefty Sean Gilmartin unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft while the likes of Aaron Thompson, Chris Herrmann and Chris Parmelee remained on the 40-man roster. Selected in the Rule 5 by the Mets, Gilmartin went on to enjoy an excellent rookie season in their bullpen and would be a welcome addition to the Twins’ current relief corps.

Last but not least, the Twins will face decisions on some players that once looked like potential core pieces. Danny Santana and Oswaldo Arcia are both out of options, and neither has developed into the regular that the Twins had hoped. Santana will presumably enter the season as the club’s backup center fielder (if not the starter, should it be deemed that Buxton needs more Triple-A time), but at a certain point, he’ll have to produce more than the woeful .215/.241/.291 line to which he struggled last year. Arcia, meanwhile, has already displayed 20-homer pop in the Majors, but he’s a poor defender who is limited to the outfield corners and posted a surprisingly meek .199/.257/.372 line at Triple-A last season. With Sano and Eddie Rosario entrenched in the outfield corners, Arcia is now looking for a bench spot, at best, but he could be exposed to waivers late in spring. The hard-throwing Tonkin also finds himself in the out-of-options boat, and he’ll need to earn a bullpen spot this spring to avoid that same waiver fate.

Deal of Note

MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes and I joked earlier this winter that if submissions for our Free Agent Prediction Contest had locked prior to the announcement of the Twins winning the bidding on Park, well under one percent of participants would’ve pegged the Twins as his landing spot. Minnesota’s $12.85MM posting fee topped a pair of clubs that reportedly exceeded $11MM with their bids, though, leaving the club with a month to negotiate.

The Pirates signed Park’s former teammate, Jung Ho Kang, for four years and $11MM after submitting a winning bid of $5MM. That the Twins were able to lock up Park for just $1MM more than Kang despite the fact that their bid was more than 2.5 times greater than Kang’s winning bid suggests that the team landed something of a bargain. A yearly investment of $3MM (or $6MM, if you prefer to pro-rate the posting fee) is a virtually negligible sum in today’s contractual landscape, and Park can essentially justify that investment simply by checking in above replacement level. Landing a potentially above-average everyday bat for the same price that other clubs dedicated to setup men (Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria) and fourth starters (Yovani Gallardo, Marco Estrada) over a shorter term looks like a win, on paper.

Overview

The Twins made a pair of potentially impactful moves in the offseason’s early stages but were largely inactive in the subsequent four months. The fate of the 2016 iteration of the team will be largely decided by the readiness of a crop of emergent talent whose assembly has been nearly half a decade in the making. Few would call the Twins favorites in the American League Central, but there’s enough talent on the roster to play meaningful games for a second consecutive September. Whether that culminates with another miss or the team’s first postseason berth since 2010 will be determined by whether Sano, Duffey and Rosario can repeat their 2015 rookie success and whether some combination of Buxton, Berrios, Park and the team’s collection of flamethrowing relief prospects can solidify themselves as Major Leaguers. Improved second-half results from Brian Dozier or any kind of rebound from former superstar Joe Mauer would further boost the team’s hopes, but more than anything, the Twins have invested in youth to lead the way. In that regard, the team’s fairly quiet offseason was the product of more than four years of rebuilding.

With that long-winded rundown out of the way, it’s your turn to grade on Minnesota’s offseason (link to poll for MLBTR app users)…

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2015-16 Offseason In Review MLBTR Originals Minnesota Twins

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Blue Jays, Randy Choate Agree To Minors Deal

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 1:54pm CDT

Veteran left-hander Randy Choate will join the Blue Jays on a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, reports WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (via Twitter). The 40-year-old lefty specialist is represented by ACES.

Choate will compete for a job in a Blue Jays bullpen that is currently dealing with an injury to left-hander Aaron Loup. Choate has spent the past three seasons pitching for the Cardinals, limiting left-handed batters to a paltry .176/.270/.247 batting line in that time. Conversely, right-handers have roughed him up, slashing .333/.395/.416 in that same three-year stretch. Choate is among the most highly specialized relievers in baseball, as evidenced by the fact that the Cardinals allowed him to face just 23 right-handed batters over the life of the entire 2015 season (as opposed to 94 lefties). The market for Choate was fairly quiet for much of the offseason, though he’s known to have drawn some interest from the Astros, as well.

Brett Cecil figures to serve as the primary left-handed option in the Toronto bullpen, but there’s room for Choate to make the club, especially if Loup’s flexor strain in his left forearm proves to be more serious than currently anticipated. Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte represents another option that is currently on the 40-man roster, and the Jays also have veteran lefties Wade LeBlanc and Scott Diamond in camp as non-roster invitees.

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International Notes: Gurriels, Gutierrez, KBO

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 12:35pm CDT

Cuban brothers Yulieski Gurriel and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., who defected last month and are in the process of being cleared for MLB free agency, will be represented by the Wasserman Media Group, reports Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Yulieski, the older of the two, is believed by many to be the top player in Cuba and will be exempt from international spending limitations due to his age (31) and professional experience. While the fact that he’ll turn 32 this June will limit his earning capacity when he is eventually declared a free agent, Yulieski still figures to command a sizable multi-year deal on the open market. Lourdes, on the other hand, is subject to international bonus pools, though he could very well command a pool-shattering bonus despite the fact that he’ll probably begin this next step of his career in the minors. There’s been talk that the two brothers could come as a package deal in free agency, though that’s obviously preliminary, and a number of factors will ultimately influence where each infielder signs.

A couple of other international notes…

  • Cuban right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez will host a showcase for interested clubs on March 17 in Kissimmee, Fla., reports Baseball America’s Ben Badler (also via Twitter). The 20-year-old is subject to international spending pools but is one of the more promising young arms on the market and, unlike the brothers Gurriel, is free to sign with a club right now. Of course, Gutierrez could elect to wait to sign until after July 2, as there are probably teams that have interest right now but would be penalized for signing him and exceeding their bonus pools. Gutierrez reportedly switched representation recently and is now a client of the Legacy Agency.
  • MLBPA executive director Tony Clark recently implied to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (links to Twitter), that Major League Baseball could look to alter the posting system with the Korea Baseball Organization to more closely resemble the recently reworked posting system with Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. “We’re aware of considerations being discussed even as we speak that would be more reflective of that (Japanese) system,” said Clark. As it stands right now, when a KBO team posts a player for Major League teams, all 30 MLB clubs have the option of submitting a blind bid, and the team that submits the top bid is awarded exclusive negotiation rights with that player. The Japanese system used to work that way as well but was updated so that NPB clubs now set a release fee of up to $20MM, and any club willing to meet the release fee is then able to negotiate with the player in question.
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Asdrubal Cabrera Shut Down For Two Weeks With Knee Injury

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 12:10pm CDT

12:10pm: The Cardinals are indeed interested in Tejada, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, but the injury to Cabrera decreases the likelihood that the Mets will trade Tejada, he adds.

10:43am: The Mets announced that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been shut down from all baseball activity for the next two weeks with a strained patellar tendon in his left knee. Cabrera is traveling to New York City today to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in the injured knee. Per the Mets’ release, Cabrera will ease back into baseball activity “as tolerated” by his knee even when he returns to action. Cabrera initially suffered the injury while tagging up from first base in yesterday’s Spring Training contest, as he explained to reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo).

Suffice it to say, that puts Opening Day in doubt for the 30-year-old Cabrera, who signed a two-year, $18.5MM contract to serve as the Mets’ everyday shortstop this offseason. While it does appear that Cabrera has avoided a serious injury that would cost him a significant chunk of the regular season, the injury nevertheless comes with some potential roster ramifications. Ruben Tejada, for instance, has been rumored to be on the bubble of the 25-man roster this spring, but in the event that Cabrera will require a stint on the disabled list to open the season, his odds to make the Opening Day roster would seem to increase, as the Mets would likely deploy Wilmer Flores at shortstop and rely upon Tejada as their primary backup around the infield. The Mets had previously seemed like a logical trade partner for the Cardinals, should they seek an external replacement option at shortstop in the absence of Jhonny Peralta, but this injury would seem to diminish the chance of such a match.

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NL Notes: Cabrera, Herrera, Cardinals, Joyce

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 9:53am CDT

Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera suffered a knee injury while tagging up from first to second base in yesterday’s Grapefruit League game, and while he initially told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that the injury was not serious, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that Cabrera is traveling to New York City to undergo a second MRI. While the extent of his injury is unknown (the Mets have yet to disclose the results of yesterday’s MRI), it seems that there was at least some cause for concern on his initial test. Cabrera did note yesterday that he was walking without pain, so it seems unlikely that there’s any sort of ligament tear. The Mets are well covered in the event that Cabrera would need to miss some time, as both Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada represent viable backups. Cabrera is gearing up for the first season of a two-year, $18.5MM deal with the Mets.

A few more notes from the division…

  • Puma also spoke with prospect Dilson Herrera and assistant GM John Ricco about the Mets’ decision to acquire Neil Walker this offseason despite the fact that some view Herrera as MLB-ready after hitting .327/.382/.511 in 81 Triple-A games last season. Herrera didn’t express any frustration, stating that he’s simply waiting for an opportunity. Ricco noted that Herrera might not be quite as big-league ready as his numbers indicate. “He’s not a guy we said, ’He’s finished with Triple-A. He’s wasting his time down there,'” said Ricco of Herrera. “I don’t think you see that yet. With each of our top prospects the last few years, whether it be [Zack] Wheeler or [Matt] Harvey or [Noah] Syndergaard or [Steven] Matz, the deal was we want them to come up here and succeed, not just come up and here and have trial by fire.” Infield coach Tim Teufel explained to Puma that Herrera still doesn’t excel at turning double plays and “tends to throw without using his legs.”
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’s not necessarily in a rush to add a shortstop in the wake of Jhonny Peralta’s injury. “Everybody is sort of pounding on this — what are we going to do?” says Mozeliak. “I think I’d like to see what we have first and then determine what’s next. Our goal is to be competitive this year and if we feel we need to go outside the organization to improve on those odds then we will.” The top internal candidates to fill in for Peralta are Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz and Greg Garcia, though each comes with some questions. Should the Cardinals ultimately decide to look for outside help, the Cabrera injury mentioned above could potentially impact the trade market, as any notable absence for the Mets’ starter would likely make the club less willing to part with a shortstop (e.g. Ruben Tejada).
  • Matt Joyce is in camp with the Pirates trying to win a bench spot on the club, but he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times yesterday that he believed at one point this offseason that he was going to sign with the Padres (Twitter link). That match never came to fruition, for whatever reason, so Joyce will now look to reestablish himself in Pittsburgh instead. After batting a solid .251/.344/.434 from 2011-14 with the Rays, Joyce slumped to a dismal .174/.272/.291 batting line with the Angels last season.
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Rays Sign David Carpenter To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2016 at 7:29am CDT

The Rays have signed right-handed reliever David Carpenter to a minor league deal, the club told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets that Carpenter, who split last season between the Yankees and Nationals, will be in big league camp.

Carpenter, 30, was a huge part of the Braves’ bullpen in 2013 and 2014, pitching to a combined 2.63 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 37.9 percent ground-ball rate in 126 2/3 innings of work. That impressive performance was enough to pique the Yankees’ interest, prompting the club to part with left-hander Manny Banuelos to acquire Carpenter and left-hander Chasen Shreve on a New Year’s Day swap in 2015. Carpenter is no stranger to trades, having been sent from the Cardinals to the Astros in exchange for Pedro Feliz before joining the Blue Jays in the 10-player J.A. Happ/Francisco Cordero trade in July 2012. Toronto traded him to the Red Sox along with manager John Farrell in exchange for Mike Aviles a few months later, and he eventually made his way to the Braves via waiver claim, where he finally broke out as a quality reliever.

Inflammation in his right shoulder cost Carpenter a huge chunk of the 2015 season, however, limiting him to 24 2/3 innings and perhaps contributing to a lackluster 4.01 ERA when he was healthy enough to take the mound. Carpenter’s K/9 rate dipped to 5.5, though he didn’t see a marked decline in his fastball velocity (still averaging 95 mph) or his swinging-strike rate. The Rays will hope to land the 2013-14 version of Carpenter, though it’s worth noting that he’s already been released by the Braves this spring (albeit after throwing just one scoreless inning). If Carpenter is able to re-establish himself with the Rays, the club will be able to control him through at least the 2017 season, as he’s accrued only four years, 16 days of Major League service time and would thus be arbitration eligible following the season.

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