Archives for March 2016

Nationals Release, Re-Sign Bronson Arroyo, Burke Badenhop

By Jeff Todd | March 30, 2016 at 9:36am CDT

The Nationals have released and re-signed right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Burke Badenhop, according to a club announcement. Both players had joined the team on minor league deals over the winter, and have now agreed to new minor league pacts to stay in the organization.

The moves were made because of opt-out terms in their prior agreements, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. Their original opt-out dates were not reported, but certainly may have fallen in this general time frame. It’s not clear if and when the players can elect to seek another opportunity moving forward.

Arroyo, 39, had been in the rotation mix before a rotator cuff issue sidelined him this spring. He’s expected to rehab and make an attempt to return to the hill over the summer. While the organization has several young options that will compete at Triple-A in hopes of earning starting shots if a need arises at the major league level, Arroyo could certainly present an option if he’s able to work back to full health.

Badenhop, meanwhile, had been looking to crack the pen after an up-and-down year with the Reds in 2015. The groundball-heavy righty didn’t have good results in spring action and wasn’t able to force his way into a fairly competitive relief situation. But he’ll look to rebound at Triple-A and re-enter the picture later in the year.

Blue Jays Notes: Atkins, Encarnacion, Osuna, Carrera

By Jeff Todd | March 30, 2016 at 8:36am CDT

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins had to hit the ground running after joining club president Mark Shapiro in moving from Cleveland to Toronto. He gave an interesting interview with Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star about the transition. Among other things, Atkins says he has been impressed with the level of minor league talent still in place despite the significant trades swung by former GM Alex Anthopoulos.

Here’s more out of Toronto:

It doesn’t appear that the Blue Jays have any further extension talks lined up with slugger Edwin Encarnacion during the final days of camp, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. That’s not terribly surprising, given that all indications are the sides were not able to gain much ground earlier in the spring. Still, it’s worth noting that many extension — particularly of pending free agents — come together just before the season opens.
Roberto Osuna will open the year as the closer for the Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets, meaning that the recently acquired Drew Storen will operate in the 8th inning. As Nicholson-Smith notes (also via Twitter), the Opening Day pen will include four other new additions: Gavin Floyd, Jesse Chavez, Arnold Leon, and Rule 5 pick Joe Biagini.
Meanwhile, Toronto has settled upon Ezequiel Carrera as the team’s fourth outfielder to open the season, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. He had been competing for the job with players like Darrell Ceciliani, Junior Lake, and Domonic Brown. Carrera, 28, owns a .259./.309/.349 slash with 27 stolen bases over 670 plate appearances spread over five MLB campaigns.

Offseason In Review: Miami Marlins

By Jeff Todd | March 30, 2016 at 7:46am CDT

This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.

The Marlins made a significant pitching investment after deciding to keep their outfield intact, leaving the same young core in place that showed promise in 2014 but didn’t deliver last year.

Major League Signings

SP Wei-Yin Chen: Five years, $80MM (includes opt-out after second year)
OF Ichiro Suzuki: One year, $2MM
C Jeff Mathis: One year, $1.5MM
SP/RP Edwin Jackson: One year, $507.5K
3B/1B Chris Johnson: One year, $507.5K
Total spend: $84.515MM

Notable Minor League Signings

Robert Andino, Dylan Axelrod, Craig Breslow, Paul Clemens, Don Kelly (since released), Zach Lutz, Justin Maxwell (since released), Dustin McGowan, Chris Narveson, Adrian Nieto, Troy Patton, Jo-Jo Reyes, Xavier Scruggs

Trades And Claims

Acquired SP/RP Richard Mitchell from Pirates for SP Trevor Williams (as compensation for hiring of Jim Benedict)
Claimed RP Nefi Ogando from Phillies
Claimed RP Mike Strong from Brewers (later claimed by Twins)
Claimed SP/RP Tim Berry from Orioles

Extensions

2B Dee Gordon: Five years, $50MM

Notable Losses

Henderson Alvarez (non-tendered), Erik Cordier, Casey McGehee, Donovan Solano

Needs Addressed

The Marlins entered the winter with one clear mandate: finding a quality starter to pair with ace Jose Fernandez. With former top-of-the-rotation mate Henderson Alvarez set to be non-tendered — the club found his shoulder too great a risk for the investment — it seemed clear that one or more additions were needed. The only question was how that would be accomplished.

All signs initially pointed to a swap involving young center fielder Marcell Ozuna, who featured as one of the most intriguing trade chips in baseball as the offseason kicked off. A rocky relationship with the organization — rather than a roster surplus — seemingly left the talented youngster ticketed for another club for a controllable arm. But pulling off such a deal was probably easier said than done, and the scenario never came to fruition. While it might well have made sense to swap out Ozuna for the right young pitcher, the Fish were wise not to part with him for anything short of a high-quality asset.

Ultimately, Miami turned instead to the free agent market to bolster its staff, settling on accomplished southpaw Wei-Yin Chen. The deal could be a bargain if Chen can continue to deliver results, as he’s owed just $28MM before his opt-out opportunity. Of course, that leaves a lot of cash to go if he flops, and the team also parted with a second-round draft pick to add him. (Then again, the team also likely saved money by including the opt-out, a concept explored just yesterday by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, who values Chen’s clause at about $12MM.)

There’s no disputing the value of the 3.44 ERA and 377 frames that Chen carried over the last two seasons with the Orioles. That kind of production gets paid, and the Taiwanese hurler landed the exact guarantee that MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted. But questions remain as to sustainability, as Chen has succeeded in spite of uninspiring strikeout and groundball numbers and some inflated home run tallies. He ought to be a sturdy mid or back-of-the-rotation arm at worst, but the Marlins will be crossing their fingers for more.

Otherwise, Miami largely added bit pieces. Beloved veterans Ichiro Suzuki and Jeff Mathis are back for bench roles, while righty Edwin Jackson and third baseman Chris Johnson were picked up at league minimum while other organizations pick up the bulk of the tab on the remainder of their big-money contracts.

Jackson is one of several swingman types on hand, joining Brad Hand and David Phelps as pitchers who’ll likely start in the pen but could also provide rotation help. The relief corps also could include several other offseason additions, including claimee Nefi Ogando (who was just optioned) and minor league free agents such as Craig Breslow, Chris Narveson, and Dustin McGowan.

As for Johnson, he’s expected to share time at first with Justin Bour, who showed nicely last year but has yet to prove he can hit against left-handed pitching. Johnson also provides an option at third, which will be manned primarily by Martin Prado. The rest of the starting roles are also set: Miami returns J.T. Realmuto behind the dish, Adeiny Hechavarria at short, and the recently-extended Dee Gordon at second (more on that below).

Read on for more analysis …

Questions Remaining

Adding Chen certainly stabilizes things in the starting staff, but beyond his own questions, it’s far from clear what the Fish will get from their other rotation members. Fernandez is one of the game’s most dynamic pitchers, but he’s entering his first full season after Tommy John surgery and his workload will be watched closely. The club didn’t get what it hoped for from Jarred Cosart last year, as he dealt with the effects of vertigo — with his results and peripherals all suffering. Adam Conley, a 25-year-old southpaw, had a promising debut last year and also generated good results at Triple-A. But it’s unclear what kind of ceiling he has, and the same holds of the steady but unspectacular Tom Koehler. There is some depth behind this group, including the names mentioned above, but there isn’t exactly an abundance of talent close at hand. Southpaw Justin Nicolino has already been sent down, but could be the first man up if a need arises. Other options include Jose Urena and Kendry Flores.

The pen has its share of concerns as well, especially with the tough news that Carter Capps has been lost to a TJ procedure. He was nothing short of outstanding last year, and there’s really no way to replace him at this stage. Miami also had to option the surprising Kyle Barraclough after his control issues re-emerged this spring, taking a possible power arm out of the equation early on. Closer A.J. Ramos had a strong overall campaign in 2015, but will be looking to increase his consistency after wrapping lights-out starts and finishes to the season around a rough stretch in the middle of the year. Southpaw stalwart Mike Dunn also has a lot to prove entering his walk year following a sub-par campaign, while Bryan Morris will look to show that he can maintain his solid earned-run levels despite the lack of strikeouts. And there’s a reason the names discussed previously were available at such a low cost.

All said, Miami will need several arms to play up to and above expectations to keep pace with the best staffs in the NL East. But there to help coax results and develop the next wave of pitching talent will be Jim Benedict, the noted pitching guru who came over from the Pirates (thus necessitating the sacrifice of a fairly promising prospect in righty Trevor Williams).

The outfield is set, and loaded with talent, but it’s still an open question whether Miami will receive full and fully productive campaigns. That’s most apparent with superstar Giancarlo Stanton, who is one of the game’s best sluggers but who’s had his share of nicks and bruises — including a terrifying broken jaw last year on a hit-by-pitch. Christian Yelich also missed time in 2015, but put up good overall numbers and finished strong. Speaking of nice late-year runs, the aforementioned Ozuna showed his abilities later in the year after a sluggish start led to a surprising demotion.

It’s a bit unclear, too, what the Marlins can expect out of their bench. Derek Dietrich has shown flashes and could be an interesting utility piece coming off of a promising season. But Mathis remains a glove-only catcher, while Ichiro is at the tail end of his remarkable career. And the rest of the possibilities — including players such as Cole Gillespie, Robert Andino, and Xavier Scruggs — haven’t managed to maintain productivity at the major league level.

Deal of Note

Dee Gordon broke out in 2014 with the Dodgers, but the club wasn’t convinced he’d sustain it. Miami gave up top prospect Andrew Heaney (among other pieces) to take the other side of the bet. While it’d sure be nice to plug that lefty into the rotation now, the swap has turned out as hoped for the Fish.

The fleet-footed Gordon needs to hit a lot since he doesn’t walk much and lacks power, but he did plenty of that in 2015 — leading the National League with a .333 batting average. He also paced the N.L. again with 58 stolen bases (though he was caught 20 times as well) and made great strides with his glove.

That overall output made Gordon one of the game’s most productive overall second baggers. Now, he’ll be paid accordingly. Miami doubled down on its investment with a $50MM extension, plugging Gordon in alongside Stanton, Fernandez, and Yelich as core pieces with lengthy control rights. Gordon is under contract through his age-31 season, with another available via option.

It looks like a solid price for both sides, all things considered. Gordon was projected to earn $5.9MM in his second of four arb-eligible campaigns, so he had some big paydays coming even though his skills don’t pay particularly highly through that process. His top-level baserunning and newfound leatherwork give him a reasonable floor, if he can maintain those levels, though he’ll have to keep making good contact to remain an above-average regular. Still, Gordon doesn’t need to be a star for the contract to make financial sense, and he’s yet to turn 28.

Overview

All in all, this offseason represented another bet on the organization’s talented core, rather than an attempted leap forward via external acquisitions. But unlike last year, when the Marlins made an unsuccessful bid to surround that group with some veterans, improvement will need to come largely from within.

What’s unclear is whether there’s enough talent on hand to compete with the Nationals and Mets — both now and for the next several seasons to come. There aren’t many teams that can match the Marlins at the top of the roster, but they may need continued strides from Hechavarria, one or more breakouts in the rotation (Cosart being a key name), and big output from role players such as Prado, Dietrich, and Bour to make a real run at the postseason. The loss of Capps represents a big hit not only for the current season, but potentially beyond (if he lands on the lengthier side of typical TJ recovery or struggles to get back).

If Miami isn’t in contention at the All-Star break, the questions on Fernandez’s long-term status will grow louder. The Scott Boras client looks like a difficult player to extend, given his age and upside, and other organizations will surely dangle plenty of interesting trade bait. With a lightly-regarded farm that doesn’t seem primed to graduate any impact talent in the near-term — see here and here, and that’s before the worrying news on Tyler Kolek — it’ll be hard to forgo a chance at adding a volume of quality assets at some point.

What’s your take on the Marlins’ winter? (Link to poll for mobile app users …)

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: D’Backs, Padres, Sandoval

By Zachary Links | March 29, 2016 at 10:20pm CDT

When Dave Stewart transitioned from being a successful agent to becoming the GM of the Diamondbacks, he left his agency behind. However, the firm – Sports Management Partners – stayed in the family, as Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic writes. Initially, the plan was for former big-leaguer Dave Henderson to take over SMP, but the firm was left in limbo after his untimely passing, which led to Lonnie Murray taking on Stewart’s roster of clients.

Of course, there are obvious conflict of interest concerns, particularly with SMP clients Chris Herrmann and Enrique Burgos competing for roster spots in Arizona. While the MLBPA has been aware of Murray managing SMP, the commissioner’s office apparently did not know Stewart’s wife was representing players until very recently. For the full story, we highly recommend reading Piecoro’s article.

Here’s more from the West divisions:

The Padres reportedly sent a scout to watch Pablo Sandoval, but San Diego GM A.J. Preller downplayed the possibility of anything brewing with the Red Sox. “Our pro scouts work really hard to look at all 30 clubs. … That’s the nature of what goes on,” Preller said (Twitter link via Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego). In a twist that surprised many this month, Sandoval is currently competing with Travis Shaw for Boston’s third base job.
Yasmany Tomas got a $68.5MM deal when he signed with the Diamondbacks, but making the jump was still tough decision for the outfielder as he had to leave one of his children behind, USA Today’s Jorge L. Ortiz writes. “Here you have everything, but in some ways you don’t have anything,’’ Tomas said. “There are times we may be at home and we’re down because we don’t have relatives or neighbors we can talk to and say, ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ In Cuba you always find people out, during the day or night. Money is not everything. You can have all the money in the world and not be happy.’’
The Rangers traded for Bryan Holaday on Tuesday night in a deal that should strengthen their catching situation behind Robinson Chirinos. The Tigers got right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson in the deal.
On Tuesday night, the Angels acquired right-hander Chris Jones from the Orioles in exchange for minor league outfielder Natanael Delgado and infielder Erick Salcedo.

Notable Opening Day Roster Decisions

By Jeff Todd | March 29, 2016 at 9:49pm CDT

With Opening Day fast approaching, and a variety of deadlines hitting clubs around the league, we’re seeing plenty of final roster and initial playing time decisions being made. While many don’t necessarily implicate control rights or other contractual matters, some are particularly noteworthy. Among them:

Ricky Nolasco has won the Twins’ final rotation spot, with the club optioning Tyler Duffey to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. The 25-year-old Duffey had an impressive ten-game debut last year, but was outperformed in camp by the high-priced veteran Nolasco, who struck out 14 in his 13 1/3 innings. Duffey, meanwhile, surrendered a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 innings, with six walks to go with just six strikeouts. Minnesota also seems to have set its pen and the rest of its 25-man Opening Day roster, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune tweets, by reassigning Logan Darnell to minor league camp. It appears that Fernando Abad will function as the sole lefty middle reliever on the club.
It appears that reliever Craig Breslow has made the Marlins’ roster, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets. Breslow inked a minor league deal with Miami this winter and will earn $1.5MM in 2016 if he makes the roster.
The Giants have optioned catcher Andrew Susac and will go with Trevor Brown in the reserve role to open the season, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area was among those to report on Twitter. Susac has dealt with injuries this spring and could certainly stand to receive more steady playing time. That creates a nice opportunity for the 24-year-old Brown, a glove-first receiver who has a lot to prove with the bat.
The Brewers will go with Yadiel Rivera and Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh as bench infielders, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. That leaves Hernan Perez without an apparent role. He’s out of options, so a roster move could be coming for the 25-year-old. Meanwhile, Walsh will get a chance to stick in Milwaukee, which is obviously intrigued at the idea of keeping his future rights.

Angels Acquire Chris Jones From Orioles

By Zachary Links | March 29, 2016 at 8:17pm CDT

The Orioles announced that they have acquired minor league outfielder Natanael Delgado and infielder Erick Salcedo from the Angels in exchange for right-hander Chris Jones.

Jones, 27, was designated for assignment less than a week ago. Now, he has been traded for the third time in his career. As Tim Dierkes noted on Wednesday, Jones was sent by the Indians to the Braves in October 2011 in the Derek Lowe trade. In April 2013, he was traded from Atlanta to the Orioles for Luis Ayala. Last year, Jones made 22 starts and eight relief appearances for the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. In that span, he posted a 2.94 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Jones will help provide rotational depth in Triple-A, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).

Delgado, 20, was ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the Angels’ system after the 2014 season by Baseball America. Delgado signed with the Angels for $280K in 2012 and has tacked on muscle mass and strength since then, per BA. Blessed with “extremely strong hands and above-average bat speed,” Baseball America believes that he’ll have to improve his hitting in order to have value going forward.

Salcedo, 23 in June, has seen time at shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and right field in the minors. The Orioles’ press release indicates that his future will be in the infield, however. Salcedo was ranked as the Angels’ No. 27 prospect after the 2013 season by BA.

Rangers Acquire Bryan Holaday From Tigers

By Zachary Links | March 29, 2016 at 7:35pm CDT

The Rangers announced that they have acquired catcher Bryan Holaday from the Tigers in exchange for right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. In a related move, the Rangers have designated left-handed pitcher Sam Freeman for assignment.

The Rangers have been on the lookout for a catcher this offseason and it appears that the asking prices for their more ambitious targets were too high. Texas was connected to Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy as well as Padres catcher Derek Norris. A little over a week ago, however, Rangers GM Jon Daniels said that he was prepared to go into the season with the catchers he already had in camp.

“At this point I anticipate both our catchers are in camp,” Daniels said. “We are open if there is a true improvement to the team, but we’re not going to change for change’s sake.”

Now, Daniels has found what he perceives to be a better understudy for Robinson Chirinos. The Rangers will presumably use Holaday as their No. 2 catcher instead of Chris Gimenez, Michael McKenry, or 2010 sixth-round pick Brett Nicholas, who was said to be having a strong spring. Holaday is not as big of a name as Lucroy, but he came at a much lower cost than the Brewers catcher would have and is also more affordable (Lucroy will earn $4MM in 2016).

Holaday was out-of-options and didn’t have a spot in Detroit with James McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia ahead of him. The 28-year-old TCU product has appeared in the majors in each of the last four seasons for the Tigers. Over a combined 282 plate appearances, he owns a .251/.283/.340 slash line. In parts of three Triple-A seasons, he has slashed .245/.305/.339.

Wilson, 32, spent time with the Rays and Rangers in 2015 and didn’t do much with his bat in 147 plate appearances (.189 /.255/.250). Of course, Wilson isn’t known much for his offense and instead has built his reputation as an excellent defensive catcher.

Jaye is a 24-year-old right-handed starter. A former 17th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010, Jaye pitched to a 3.29 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 26 Double-A outings last year.

Freeman is out-of-options and the Rangers did not have a spot for him on their 40-man roster. The 28-year-old seems likely to get picked up by a team in need of relief help. For his career, Freeman owns a 3.23 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 across four big league seasons.

AL & NL East Roster Decisions

By Jeff Todd and Zachary Links | March 29, 2016 at 7:05pm CDT

The Red Sox intend to use Brock Holt as their primary option in left field against left-handed pitching, Ian Browne of MLB.com tweets. That means that high-priced Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo will be battling with Chris Young for playing time against righties. While both could certainly be in the lineup at the same time, manager John Farrell suggested that he sees both Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts as more or less everyday options, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. That certainly could leave few options for Castillo, who is looking to make good on the big contract he signed as a free agent out of Cuba.

Here’s a look at more notable roster moves to come from the East divisions:

It’s “a given” that Juan Lagares and Yoenis Cespedes will both be in the Mets’ lineup against left-handed pitching, ESPNNewYork.com’s tweets. It’s not yet clear whether Michael Conforto or Curtis Granderson will see the lion’s share of time in right field when a southpaw is on the mound, he adds, but the scenario figures to cut into their time. As for Alejandro De Aza, it’s unclear when and how he’ll get action, though a late-spring trade still seems possible.
Meanwhile, the Mets appear not to have any cause for concern with righty Matt Harvey, who is dealing with blood clots in his bladder but is expected to open the season on the active roster, according to WFAN’s Ed Coleman (h/t to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, via Twitter). Alarm bells were rung after the team announced an undisclosed medical issue for the star hurler, but it seems he’s still in line to take the ball on April 3rd.
Erasmo Ramirez will start out in the pen for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). He’ll presumably move back into the rotation when the need for a fifth starter arises, but Tampa Bay is set to use four starters for most of the first five weeks of the year.

AL West Roster Decisions: Rangers, Angels, A’s

By Zachary Links and Jeff Todd | March 29, 2016 at 5:37pm CDT

Hanser Alberto, Ryan Rua, and Justin Ruggiano will all make the Rangers’ roster, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to tweet. Ruggiano, 34 in April, inked a one-year, $1.65MM major league deal with the Rangers in December. Even though the late-February addition of Ian Desmond has made Ruggiano’s presence something of a luxury, it sounds like Texas will hang on to the veteran to start the year.

Here’s a rundown of some of the more important roster decisions to take place in the AL West today:

Nick Martinez has been optioned by the Rangers, which will likely make A.J. Griffin the team’s fifth starter, as The Associated Press writes. Griffin, 28, has not pitched in a major league game since 2013 thanks to a Tommy John operation in the spring of 2014. In 47 starts between 2012 and 2013, Griffin pitched to a 3.60 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
Veteran righty Al Alburquerque has been optioned by the Angels, per a club announcement. That may line up Cam Bedrosian for the final pen spot. He’s rung up an impressive number of opposing hitters via strikeout this spring. Alburquerque had a rough year in 2015, but he chalked up his struggles to an offseason battle with the Chikungunya virus. Last year, the 29-year-old (30 in June) pitched to a 4.21 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.
The A’s have optioned Jesse Hahn, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. The move likely means that Felix Doubront will serve as Oakland’s fifth starter. The A’s acquired Doubront from the Blue Jays at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for cash. The left-hander went on to make eight starts and three relief appearances for Oakland and posted a 5.81 ERA.

Diamondbacks Release Matt Reynolds

By Zachary Links | March 29, 2016 at 4:12pm CDT

The Diamondbacks announced that they have unconditionally released left-hander Matt Reynolds.

Reynolds, 31, agreed to an arbitration-avoiding deal with Arizona back in November which gave him a $675K salary for 2016. He also could have added $25K to that sum with 55 appearances. The southpaw spent the bulk of 2015 in Triple-A Reno where he pitched to a 5.58 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 across 50 innings. He also spent the last five weeks of the season with Arizona where he allowed seven earned runs while striking out 18 batters with seven walks across 13 2/3 innings.

Back in November, MLBTR’s Steve Adams identified Reynolds as a potential non-tender candidate. The D’Backs retained the reliever for less than his projected $800K arbitration salary, but his improved value apparently did not sell the team on keeping him. Reynolds is a client of agent John Shinn, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

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