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Archives for April 2016

Rays To Release James Loney

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The Rays will release first baseman James Loney, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.  In late March, the Rays informed Loney that he would not be making the Opening Day roster, so his release was widely expected. The Rays are still on the hook for the $8MM that they owe the veteran for the 2016 season and they ostensibly could not find a trade partner willing to take on a portion of that money.

Injuries slowed Loney down in 2015 and limited him to a 104-game season.  In 388 plate appearances, Loney slashed just .280/.322/.357 and posted his lowest OPS since 2012.  Over the years, Loney has picked up a reputation for solid defensive play at first base, but the advanced numbers show that he has declined in that area recently.  In 2015, he had a -5.4 UZR/150 and his 2014 UZR/150 of -1.8 was also poor.  And, while Loney has multiple double-digit home run seasons on his resume, he doesn’t offer much in the way of power.

According to Baseball Reference, Loney has earned nearly $27MM in salary over the course of his big league career.  His next deal probably won’t be the most lucrative contract of his career, but he’s also not hurting for cash.  Prior to signing a three-year, $21MM deal with the Rays prior to the 2014 season, Loney spent six-and-a-half years with the Dodgers and had a short stint with the Red Sox.

Angels Sign Neal Cotts

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The Angels announced that they have signed Neal Cotts to a minor league deal, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets.  The left-handed reliever was released by the Astros a little over a week ago.

The 36-year-old inked a minor league deal with Houston in February that would have paid him $1.5MM if he made the team’s big league roster.  Cotts began the 2015 season with the Brewers before an August trade sent him to the Twins.  Between the two clubs, the veteran posted a 3.41 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings.   Over the course of ten big league seasons, Cotts owns a 3.96 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.  The Pro Star Management client held left-handed batters to a .186/.243/.330 slash last year and struggled against right-handers.

Nationals Release Reed Johnson

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The Nationals have released outfielder Reed Johnson, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets.  The Nats also cut Sean Burnett on Sunday morning, though Burnett had already decided to opt-out of his deal.

Johnson, 39, inked a minor league deal with the Nats in November.  The Wasserman Media Group client missed most of the 2015 season with a calf injury and was hoping to show the Nationals what he can do when healthy in 2016.  Unfortunately, he was not able to break camp this time around and likely did not want to join the team’s Triple-A affiliate.  Johnson owns a career .310/.363/.464 slash line against left-handers and could be a quality outfield depth option for another team.

Mariners Designate Rob Brantly For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they have designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment.

Brantly, 26 (27 in July), was claimed off of waivers from the White Sox roughly three weeks ago.  In Seattle, Brantly was given an opportunity to vie for the backup catcher job, but the team has ostensibly decided to go with Steve Clevenger as the primary understudy to to back up Chris Iannetta. In parts of three big league seasons (392 plate appearances), Brantly has posted a .225/.286/.317 batting line. In a larger sample size of 753 Triple-A plate appearances, Brantly has slashed .261/.295/.355.

Nationals Release Sean Burnett

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SUNDAY: The Nationals have released Burnett, according to James Wagner of the Washington Post (on Twitter).

FRIDAY: Southpaw Sean Burnett didn’t make the Nationals’ roster in his attempt at a comeback, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Burnett is set to exercise his opt-out clause at midnight tonight, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, with agent Jim Munsey confirming that intention to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Washington would surely like to keep Burnett on hand for depth, but the opt-out opportunity is hard to turn down with plenty of other clubs in need of southpaw pen pieces. Indeed, a major league opportunity seems reasonably likely; the Orioles have already been reported to have interest.

Now 33, Burnett was last a significant MLB contributor to the breakout Nats’ club of 2012. He has battled significant shoulder issues since, and hasn’t shown his former velocity levels. But he emerged in camp with 8 2/3 scoreless frames over which he permitted just six hits and one walk while retiring seven opposing hitters by strikeout.

The veteran lefty originally went to D.C. in the deal that sent Joel Hanrahan to the Pirates (and also included a swap of outfielders Nyjer Morgan and Lastings Milledge). He ultimately contributed 201 2/3 innings of 2.81 ERA ball, with 7.7 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9, over three-and-a-half seasons with the Nats. He left for the Angels via free agency, but managed only 10 1/3 innings over two seasons due to injury and sat out all of 2015.

Marlins Designate Brad Hand, Cole Gillespie For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they have designated left-hander Brad Hand and outfielder Cole Gillespie for assignment.  In related moves, Mike Dunn and Raudel Lazo have been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Carter Capps has been put on the 60-day DL, allowing the team to select the contracts of Craig Breslow, Dustin McGowan, and Chris Narveson.

Gillespie, 32 in June, spent nearly half of the 2015 season on the Marlins’ big league roster.  In 157 plate appearances, the outfielder hit .290/.333/.428 with two home runs.  Gillespie has also had short major league stints over five seasons with the D’Backs, Giants, Cubs, Mariners, and Blue Jays.

Hand, 26, has spent his entire career with the Marlins organization since being selected in the second-round of the 2008 draft.  Over the last five years, Hand has pitched to a 4.71 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 (43 starts, 47 relief appearances).  Hand has drawn trade interest in the past, so he might not be in limbo for long.

Now that Breslow has made Miami’s Opening Day roster, he will earn $1.5MM for the 2016 season.  To keep up with the whereabouts of Hand, Gillespie, and all of the other players in DFA limbo, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.

Pirates Designate Florimon, Goebbert, Holdzkom For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated right-hander John Holdzkom and infielders Pedro Florimon and Jake Goebbert for assignment, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.  In related moves, catcher Elias Diaz, right-hander Jared Hughes, and infielder Jung Ho Kang have been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 25th (link).  All of these moves will allow Pittsburgh to promote infielder Cole Figueroa, outfielder Matt Joyce, and left-hander Cory Luebke to active roster (link).

Florimon is regarded as a very strong defensive player and was hoping to break camp with the team as a reserve infielder.  Even though he provides value with his glove, the 29-year-old’s offense leaves much to be desired.  In parts of five big league seasons with the Orioles, Twins, and Bucs, Florimon owns a .199/.262/.295 slash line.  In parts of three Triple-A campaigns, he has posted a stronger .252/.317/.366 slash line.

Goebbert, 28, inked a major league pact with the Pirates in November.  In 2015, the first/baseman outfielder spent the season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .294/.392/.452 with 10 home runs.  Now, Goebbert will look to hook on elsewhere as a left-handed bat off of the bench, though he may have to settle for a minor league deal this time around.

As shown in MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, Michael Bourn (Braves), Emilio Bonifacio (Braves), Samuel Freeman (Rangers), and A.J. Jimenez (Blue Jays) are also in DFA limbo.

Quick Hits: D’Backs, Kim, Surkamp, Loney, Hunter

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Eric Hosmer’s game-tying run in Game Five of the World Series was captured in a memorable photo by Chang W. Lee of the New York Times, though the picture’s most notable aspect was the array of horrified reactions from Mets fans in the background.  The Times tracked down 11 of the people immortalized in the photo to get their take on the moment months later.  The group consisted of nine Mets fans bemoaning their team’s fate and two people who had an opposite reaction — Royals legend George Brett and his wife Leslie.

As we’re just hours away from the first games of the 2016 season, let’s look around baseball…

  • Speaking to reporters today (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert), Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale addressed the team’s next steps in the wake of A.J. Pollock’s elbow fracture.  For now, Stewart said, the D’Backs will give internal candidates a chance before looking at players outside the organization to take Pollock’s place.  Hale suggested the D’Backs are looking at players who might not make their current teams’ Opening Day rosters, so Arizona could wait at least a couple of days to fully assess the market.
  • An unknown Korean team has reportedly made a “substantial” offer to the Orioles for Hyun Soo Kim, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports, though Kubatko notes that this item has yet to be confirmed by a second source.  The offer could be a moot point if true, though, since Kim has firmly stated that he wishes to play in North America.  The Orioles, meanwhile, have no intention of releasing Kim and eating his entire $7MM contract.  The unusual situation between Kim and the O’s has left both sides in a “state of suspended animation,” one source tells Kubatko.
  • Athletics lefty Eric Surkamp is drawing interest from teams in Asia, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  Surkamp’s minor league deal with the A’s allows him to opt out in June and look for opportunities elsewhere.  Surkamp isn’t expected to make Oakland’s Opening Day roster.
  • With James Loney entering perhaps his final day with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times looks back on the team’s decision to re-sign the first baseman in the 2013-14 offseason.  The Rays outbid other suitors like the Pirates and Brewers to re-sign Loney on a three-year, $21MM deal, which still stands as the most expensive free agent deal of Stuart Sternberg’s ownership tenure.  Needless to say, the deal has not worked out, as Loney was a sub-replacement level player in 2015 (-1.3 fWAR) and he’s already been told he won’t make Tampa’s Opening Day roster.
  • Cedric Hunter is one of the more unlikely players to be suiting up on Opening Day, MLB.com’s Paul Hagen writes, as the longtime minor leaguer unexpectedly earned himself a regular outfield job with the Phillies.  A third-round pick for the Padres in the 2006 draft, Hunter has hit .288/.348/.413 with 76 homers over 4727 career plate appearances in the minors, playing for four different organizations’ farm systems.  His MLB career consisted of just six games for San Diego in 2011, yet Hunter is now back in the bigs and still looking to stick around.  “To be realistic, it’s just beginning.  I haven’t proved myself at all on this level yet,” Hunter said.  “So everybody’s giving me congrats and I’m happy about that, but in the back of my mind, I’m like, ’Look, this is just the beginning. I’ve really got to go out and prove myself and show that I’m ready to be here.’ “

Blue Jays Sign Franklin Morales

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The Blue Jays have signed left-hander Franklin Morales to a one-year, $2MM non-guaranteed contract, the club announced in a press release.  The deal also contains incentives.  Ryan Tepera was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Morales, 30, was released by the Brewers earlier this week after signing a minor league deal with the team.  Milwaukee had a few veterans in camp as non-roster invites and instead opted for Chris Capuano as left-handed help out of the bullpen.

With Aaron Loup beginning the season on the DL with forearm tightness, the Blue Jays were thin on southpaw relievers, as Brett Cecil was the only other lefty in Toronto’s eight-man bullpen.  The Jays signed Randy Choate to a minor league deal but released the veteran LOOGY in camp, while other minor league options include Wade LeBlanc, Colt Hynes or switch-pitcher Pat Venditte.

Morales earned a World Series ring last year as an important member of the Royals bullpen, posting a 3.18 ERA, 2.93 K/BB rate, 49.5% grounder rate and 5.9 K/9 over 62 1/3 innings.  He has pronounced career splits (left-handed batters have a .613 OPS against him, right-handed batters an .837 OPS) but teams have been hesitant to use Morales as a pure situational lefty since he has a durable arm.  Forty-seven of his 300 career appearances have been starts, and he even made 22 starts in 2014 when pressed into extended fill-in duty with the Rockies.  Since Toronto already has Gavin Floyd and Jesse Chavez available for long relief stints, Morales could be used in a more traditional LOOGY role if he cracks the bullpen.

AL Notes: Doubront, Red Sox, Simmons, Twins

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Here’s the latest from around the junior circuit…

  • Athletics southpaw Felix Doubront left his final spring start today after one inning due to forearm tightness and underwent an MRI this evening.  (MLB.com’s Jane Lee has the details).  Doubront was projected to be Oakland’s fifth starter, at least until Henderson Alvarez makes his expected return from shoulder rehab in May.  Jesse Hahn would likely replace Doubront if a DL stint is required, though the A’s will hold off on making any final roster decisions until they know the results of Doubront’s MRI.  The lefty posted a 5.50 ERA, 2.15 K/BB rate and 6.7 K/9 over 75 1/3 innings with the A’s and Blue Jays last season.
  • Dave Dombrowski had a clear idea of the players he wanted to acquire in his first winter in charge of the Red Sox baseball ops department, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes in a detailed recap of how the Sox landed David Price, Craig Kimbrel and Chris Young.  The three players were, in fact, Boston’s top three targets heading into the offseason and all three will be wearing Red Sox jerseys on Opening Day.
  • Andrelton Simmons has gone through a lot in his path to the majors, though the one constant has always been spectacular defense, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes.  Moura’s profile of the Angels shortstop covers such topics as Simmons’ brief flirtation with quitting baseball for soccer, his well-regarded pitching arm (four teams with high selections in the 2010 draft considered taking him as a pitcher) and his efforts to improve his hitting.
  • Over the last decade, the Twins have struggled to find Major League starters at the top of the draft, 1500 ESPN Twin Cities’ Derek Wetmore writes.  Wetmore recaps the unimpressive list of arms selected by the club since 2006, though obviously the jury is still out on more recent picks like Tyler Jay.

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