Marlins, Joe Beimel Do Not Finalize Previously Reported Agreement
MAY 17: The Marlins have changed course in regards to Beimel, it seems, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald now reports (via Twitter) that Miami has “decided to pass” on Beimel and did not ultimately complete the previously reported agreement. It’s not clear at this time what exactly led to Miami’s decision to pass on the deal.
MAY 12: The Marlins have signed veteran left-handed reliever Joe Beimel, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Presumably, the 39-year-old Frye McCann Sports client’s deal is of the minor league variety. He’ll report to extended Spring Training for the time being to get up to speed, per Frisaro. Beimel auditioned for clubs last week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported at the time.
Beimel returned to the Majors in 2014 after a two-year absence and went on to deliver a pair of strong seasons out of the Seattle bullpen. Over that 2014-15 stretch with the Mariners, the southpaw worked to a 3.12 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate in 92 1/3 innings of work. While ERA estimators such as FIP and SIERA feel his ERA drastically overstates his performance in that time (due largely to a lack of strikeouts), Beimel’s numbers against left-handed batters were quite strong; lefties batted just .226/.281/.381 against him, and his 17.7 percent strikeout rate and 5.3 percent walk rate against lefties in that time were both fairly sound. Of course, Beimel also walked more right-handed batters than he struck out in that time and yielded a .275/.353/.432 line to hitters that held the platoon advantage, suggesting that he’s best-suited for a specialist role.
Yesterday’s DFA of Craig Breslow rendered the Marlins as the only club without a left-handed relief option at the Major League level, Frisaro pointed out last night (Twitter link), so the addition of a veteran depth option is perhaps unsurprising. It’s unclear how much time Beimel would need to ramp up and become an option for the Fish at the big league level, but he doesn’t seem likely to be available in the near future based on his initial assignment.
International Notes: Hernandez, Bell, Package Signings
Cuban outfielder Yadiel Hernandez will host a showcase for clubs on May 18, MLBTR has learned. The 28-year-old corner outfielder held a showcase back in February that was reportedly attended by as many as 25 Major League teams but hasn’t held a large-scale workout for clubs since being declared a free agent by MLB on April 21. Hernandez’s age and professional experience in Cuba make him exempt from international spending pools. He’s a left-handed hitter with excellent plate discipline and a knack for contact, and Baseball America’s Ben Badler has previously opined that Hernandez has a chance at hitting 10 to 15 homers over the course of a big league season. He’s a career .324/.449/.487 hitter in 514 pro games in Cuba.
A couple more notes pertaining to the international market…
- Hernandez’s countryman, Alexei Bell, will play for the Mexican League’s Quintana Roo Tigres while he waits for the league to declare him a free agent, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Playing in Mexico will allow the 32-year-old outfielder to be seen by big league scouts, though scouts have had a couple of looks at him in recent months. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported that 13 clubs watched Bell back in February, and Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith recently reported that Bell would work out for scouts this month as well. That most recent showcase, it should be noted, was yesterday, though word hasn’t crept out about the results just yet. Bell is a .319/.417/.547 hitter in 659 pro games in Cuba.
- In the wake of reports of MLB’s investigation into the Red Sox‘ international signings, Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes that “package deals” have been commonplace on the international market for years. It’s not uncommon at all, Badler writes, for a team that is hoping to sign a player of interest to sign a close friend or sibling of that player for a lesser price as a means of enticing the player they truly covet to sign. Teams will also agree to sign lesser players from the same trainer/agency if signing the lesser-regarded player can help to persuade the trainer/agent to sign off on an offer for the more highly regarded talent. While there is certainly the possibility for nefarious activity to take place as a result of package signings, Badler notes, such arrangements aren’t new and have been receiving league approval since even before the current international bonus pool system was implemented in 2012. Badler lists a number of package signing situations in the past, citing players from the Reds, Dodgers, Rangers and Pirates that signed under various types of package scenarios. Of course, the instances listed by Badler weren’t attempts to circumvent league-imposed spending limitations, and it seems there’s at least a belief that the Red Sox acted in such a manner, thus leading to the ongoing investigation. Those that are intrigued by the Sox’ situation or the international market in a more general sense will find Badler’s latest column intriguing.
Braves Fire Fredi Gonzalez; Brian Snitker Named Interim Manager
6:23pm: O’Brien adds further details in a full column on the situation, most notably that Gonzalez’s dismissal took an awkward turn on Monday evening. O’Brien reports that Gonzalez actually learned of his firing last night when he received an email confirming a Tuesday afternoon flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, despite the fact that the the Braves’ four-game series with the Pirates runs through Thursday. The Braves weren’t planning on informing Gonzalez of the decision until Tuesday morning, when president of baseball operations John Hart had planned to fly to Pittsburgh to join GM John Coppolella to break the news go Gonzalez in person. Instead, Atlanta officials had to confirm to Gonzalez last night that the decision had been made.
11:45am: The Braves have brought an end to the speculation by officially firing manager Fredi Gonzalez, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was first to report (Twitter link). Gonzalez becomes the first skipper to lose his post this year.
Atlanta has named Brian Snitker as an interim skipper, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported via Twitter. He is expected to keep the position through the end of the 2016 season, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Long the Braves’ third base coach, Snitker had been managing the club’s top affiliate, Triple-A Gwinnett, since 2014. Atlanta has also fired bench coach Carlos Tosca, Bowman adds on Twitter. Terry Pendleton will take over his duties, with Eddie Perez moving to the first base coach job and Marty Reed becoming bullpen coach.
Gonzalez has long been rumored to be on shaky ground, and the organization finally pulled the plug after last night’s loss to the Pirates. Atlanta never expected to contend in 2016, but the team also certainly expected better than its brutal 9-28 start to the season.
The 52-year-old skipper has seen good and bad times with the Braves, but it’s been much more of the latter of late. He was at the helm from 2011-13, racking up 279 regular season wins against 207 losses. Things went south from there, as the Braves fell shy of expectations in 2014 and haven’t sniffed .500 since.
Of course, even when the club was in position to contend, there were plenty of disappointments. While it bounced back from an epic collapse late in 2011, the 2012 team lost in controversial fashion in the Wild Card play-in game after the Nationals ran away with the division. The Gonzalez-led Braves rebounded to take the NL East in 2013, but were bounced by the Dodgers in the first round of the postseason. And a late-season collapse doomed the otherwise-competitive 2014 iteration, spurring greater organizational change.
Gonzalez previously managed the Marlins, but he was let go in the middle of 2010. He had risen through that organization as a coach and manager after never moving above the Double-A level as a player.
It appears that Atlanta will not undertake a search for a permanent replacement during the present season, instead rolling with Snitker for the time being. It seems likely, though, that the Braves will at least begin a soft hiring search sooner rather than later in order to get a jump on the market. That being said, it’s worth noting that the division-rival Phillies ended up installing their own mid-season interim replacement, Pete Mackanin, on a long-term basis.
It certainly doesn’t help the Braves that the Mackanin-led Phils are off to a surprisingly winning (albeit questionably sustainable) start to 2016. If anything, the hope was that Atlanta might overplay projections a bit, with the organization installing numerous bounce-back veterans and possessing numerous young pitchers at and near the majors. With a new park set to open next year, there was at least some possibility that a solid campaign could allow the team to ramp up toward contention as soon as 2017.
Instead, the Braves will keep pushing on with a tough rebuilding process that began in earnest with the firing of GM Frank Wren in September of 2014. John Hart took over as the club’s president of baseball operations, eventually passing on day-to-day general managing duties to young executive John Coppolella. That pair has engineered several bold trades, stockpiling youthful talent in exchange for veterans.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mark Canha To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery
Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha will undergo season-ending surgery to repair an impingement in his left hip, he told the media today (links to Twitter via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and via John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group). Canha tells reporters that his season is over, as he’ll have a recovery timeline of roughly six months following the operation.
Canha, 27, was a Rule 5 success story for Oakland last season. The Rockies were the club to actually select Canha in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, but the Rox promptly traded him to Oakland in exchange for minor leaguer Austin House and cash considerations. The A’s carried Canha on the active roster all throughout the 2015 season and were rewarded with 485 plate appearances of a .254/.315/.426 batting line and 16 homers. However, the 2016 season has been another story entirely, due largely to the hip problems, which Canha has previously called a source of “excruciating” pain while batting. He was said late last week to be weighing this operation and made his decision after receiving a second opinion on the injury yesterday. Hickey tweets that the procedure will be performed next Tuesday.
Canha will presumably spend the bulk of the season on the 60-day disabled list for Oakland, where he’ll accrue Major League service time. Because he made his MLB debut on Opening Day last season and spent the entire year on the roster, he’ll finish the 2016 campaign with an even two years of service. That means he’ll be controllable through the 2020 season and will not be eligible for arbitration until the 2017-18 offseason.
Yankees Designate Phil Coke For Assignment
The Yankees have designated left-hander Phil Coke for assignment as part of a series of roster moves, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Beyond Coke’s DFA, the Yanks have optioned right-handers Chad Green and Conor Mullee to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled left-hander James Pazos, right-hander Luis Cessa and infielder Rob Refsnyder from the same affiliate.
The 33-year-old Coke’s return to the organization which originally drafted him in 2002 was brief, as he logged just six innings in the Majors and surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and four walks with one strikeout. Coke did fire off seven strong innings at the Triple-A level prior to the selection of his contract to the big league roster, however, and if he clears waivers he’ll have the option of accepting an outright assignment and remaining with the team in hopes of another crack at the Majors.
A mainstay on the Tigers’ pitching staff from 2010-14 (after being traded by the Yankees in the three-team Curtis Granderson/Max Scherzer/Austin Jackson/Ian Kennedy/Edwin Jackson blockbuster), Coke’s production began to slip late in his Detroit tenure. He wound up signing with the Cubs last season but lasted 10 innings before being designated and released, at which point he signed with the Blue Jays. Coke tossed 2 2/3 innings for Toronto late in the year but didn’t stick on their roster, either.
Cubs Sign Joe Nathan
5:01pm: Nathan’s contract also contains a club option for the 2017 season that can convert to a mutual option based on his performance, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Heyman adds that Nathan can earn up to $2.4MM worth of incentives this season and as much as $4.6MM in 2017.
12:57pm: The Cubs have signed veteran reliever Joe Nathan to a major league deal, as the team announced and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported (via Twitter). Nathan will immediately go onto the 60-day DL, meaning he won’t cost the club a 40-man spot.
Nathan, a client of Pro Agents, Inc., will earn a pro-rated portion of the league minimum salary for the time he spends in the Majors, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The deal also includes incentives that could boost its value, though details on that clause remain unknown.
A 15-year MLB veteran, the 41-year-old Nathan was effective as recently as 2013. But he fell off upon joining the Tigers via free agency and ultimately succumbed to Tommy John surgery early last year. He has reportedly been rehabbing on his own while waiting for an opportunity to arise.
The hope is that Nathan can return to readiness at some point in the middle of 2016. Given the DL placement, it would appear that mid-July is the earliest possible date for a return to the majors, though Nathan could in theory undertake a rehab assignment prior to that point. Chicago likely won’t feel much pressure to force him into action unless and until he’s fully prepared, and there isn’t much reason to believe that Nathan will factor in the late-inning mix.
On the other hand, there are a few underperforming members of the Chicago pen, so it’s not difficult to see where opportunity could arise. And the Cubs have been willing to take shots on several former late-inning relievers in recent years, including Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, and Jason Motte.
Now, the team will see what Nathan has left in the tank. He managed only one outing last year before being shut down, and posted a 4.81 ERA in his 58 frames the year prior. While ERA estimators viewed that as somewhat unlucky — SIERA valued him at a 3.88 mark — Nathan showed deterioration in both the strikeout (8.4 K/9) and walk (4.5 BB/9) departments.
But Nathan had run up a significant run of success leading up to that point, frequently posting double-digit strikeout rates and sub-2.00 ERAs. Returning to that level of performance obviously looks to be a stretch, given his age and injury history — which stretches back well before his most recent UCL replacement.
Nevertheless, it isn’t wildly implausible to hope that he will be capable of providing some solid innings. Nathan sat at just over 91 mph with his average four-seam fastball in 2014, which was off a few ticks from his career rates, but he had succeeded with only a bit more velocity the year prior and largely maintained the speed on his two-seamer. And a look at his Brooks Baseball profile suggests that he was getting much the same movement as ever from his various offerings.
In any event, it’s a small commitment for the Cubs to make, particularly since there’s no need to tie up a roster spot for the time being. While technically a major league deal, Nathan does not appear to be in line for much of a payday unless he is able to make a useful contribution at the MLB level.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Zack Collins (University of Miami) Interview: Draft Prospect Q&A
MLBTR continues its Draft Prospect Q&A series in order to give our readers a look at some of the top names on the board in this year’s draft. MLBTR will be chatting with some of the draft’s most well-regarded prospects as they prepare for the 2016 draft on June 9-11; we’ve already spoken with Florida outfielder Buddy Reed, prep outfielder Blake Rutherford, Mercer’s Kyle Lewis, Oklahoma’s Alec Hansen and Louisville’s Corey Ray.
University of Miami catcher Zack Collins has been down this path before. Three years ago, he was projected to be selected as high as the second round of the MLB draft – but he wasn’t picked until the 27th round due to signability questions. This time around, he figures to hear his name around the middle of the first round.
The 6’3”, 230-pound Collins is a left-handed power hitter with a very patient approach at the plate. Heading into the final week of regular-season play, he ranks among the Division I national leaders in walks (59) and on-base percentage (.560) as part of his .387/.560/.655 slash line.
Last week, Baseball America listed him No. 16 on its Top 100 Draft Prospects chart, and he’s currently 20th on the Top 100 at MLB.com. ESPN.com’s Keith Law recently wrote, “I’ve heard he’s in the mix for at least two teams in the Top 10, including Oakland.”
Collins talked with MLBTR earlier this week:
Chuck Wasserstrom: Hi Zack. Thanks for talking to me today. I want to start out with a couple draft-related questions. Coming out of high school, you could have been a high-round pick, but you weren’t because of signability – and the Cincinnati Reds selected you in the 27th round. Was there any scenario where you would have turned pro instead of going to college?
Zack Collins: “It was a number thing. My family and I set a number, and it wasn’t matched. So I had no problem going to college. It was my dream school, and I think I made the right decision.”
It still must be pretty cool to be 18 years old and know that Cincinnati just drafted you. Was it tough to say, “Thanks – but no thanks?”
“At that point, it was the 27th round – and they were offering nowhere near the number that I set. I was really excited and honored to be drafted by them – and to just be drafted at all – but it honestly wasn’t very tough to say ‘No.’ ”
You grew up less than 30 minutes from the University of Miami campus. Really, how tough of a recruiting process was it for them to lure you there?
“I always wanted to go there. I don’t think there was any other school that I had in mind. I don’t know. I went to all the camps and they liked me. One of the first offers they made to me … I said ‘Yes.’ It was pretty easy.”
There have been some pretty big-time bats that have gone through that program – like Pat Burrell, Ryan Braun and Yonder Alonso. How does it feel to have your name mentioned in the same sentence as them?
“It’s honoring, but it’s kind of tough to put my name in with them. They’ve done a lot more than I have so far. But, honestly, it feels great to be mentioned in those categories. Hopefully, I can keep it up just like them.”
[Interview continued after the page break]
Astros Designate Asher Wojciechowski, Place Carlos Gomez On DL
The Astros have designated righty Asher Wojciechowski for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot was needed for the promotion of third baseman Colin Moran.
Houston also announced that outfielder Carlos Gomez will hit the 15-day DL; he has a bruised left rib cage, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link). Gomez will be replaced by Evan Gattis, who is finished with a brief minor league assignment in which he has returned to active duty behind the plate.
Wojciechowski, 27, was a sandwich-round pick in the 2010 draft who came to Houston in the ten-player J.A. Happ deal back in 2012. He got a brief taste of the majors last year, but has mostly pitched at the Triple-A level for Houston.
All told, Wojciechowski has pitched to a 4.39 ERA in 350 2/3 frames at the highest level of the minors, with 7.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9. But he’s steadily declined in effectiveness since a solid early showing upon joining the Astros.
As for Gomez, it’s hard not to see the non-injury-related motivations that may have come into play. He has looked nothing like the player the ‘Stros thought they were acquiring last summer, and may ultimately end up spending some time in the minors looking to rehabilitate his swing as much as his injury.
Meanwhile, Houston is set to get its first extended look at Gattis as an option behind the dish. He’ll presumably back up Jason Castro at the position while also spending time at DH.
Angels Sign David Huff, Outright Javy Guerra
The Angels have signed southpaw David Huff to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. In other pitching news, the club outrighted righty Javy Guerra after he cleared waivers, Halos media relations rep Adam Chodzko announced via Twitter.
Huff, 31, is expected to work as a starter at Triple-A. He’ll present Los Angeles with a swingman option moving forward as the team continues to build out its pitching depth amidst significant uncertainty in its staff.
After signing on with the Royals before the season, Huff opened with a strong showing at Triple-A Omaha and ultimately opted out of his deal with Kansas City. Over 23 2/3 innings of relief in a dozen outings, Huff racked up 29 strikeouts against just two walks, though he did surrender 29 hits while recording a 4.18 ERA. He has appeared in each of the last seven major league seasons, working to a 5.08 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 388 frames.
Guerra is a one-inning reliever who’ll also continue to provide the organization with an arm on call. He has seen limited MLB action in each of the last two seasons after previously playing important roles with the Dodgers and White Sox. Prior to his brief call-up this year, he carried a 2.19 ERA in 12 1/3 Triple-A innings, with his 10.2 K/9 accompanied by a less-than-promising 7.3 BB/9.
Pirates Extend Francisco Cervelli
The Pirates have announced a three-year extension with catcher Francisco Cervelli that will pay him $31MM, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Cervelli is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council, which also recently negotiated an extension between the team and Gregory Polanco.
Cervelli had been set to hit the free agent market after the season, but will instead remain in Pittsburgh through 2019 under his new deal. It’s a straight three-year pact without any options, and will cover Cervelli’s age-31 through age-33 campaigns. The structure breaks down as follows, per Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link): $9MM in 2017, $10.5MM in 2018, and $11.5MM in the final year.
With the move, the Bucs have now locked up their catching duo for the next several seasons. The team already inked a less significant extension with backup Chris Stewart over the offseason.
Cervelli, 30, had just cracked the power rankings of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, landing at ninth on the list in a weak upcoming class. As Dierkes explained, Cervelli had played his way into position for a rather significant deal, with four or even five years potentially being achievable — though he has cooled off considerably at the plate in recent weeks.
Instead, the talented receiver will take himself off of the market and remain in the place where he finally established himself as a front-line option. A re-signing after the season seemed unlikely, so this pact allows team and player to continue what has been a fruitful relationship.
Of course, it’s eminently arguable that Cervelli might’ve earned quite a bit more were he open for bidding from all thirty teams. Dierkes suggested a $60MM guarantee as a plausible number, which would have slotted behind recent deals for more-established backstops such as Brian McCann and Russell Martin. As of this winter, Cervelli was said to be interested in a three-year pact to stay with the Pirates. He’ll get just that, but settle for a good bit less than the $39MM he was reportedly seeking.
Like Martin, Cervelli experienced a career renaissance with the Pirates. He had never fully established himself in New York, but has prospered since arriving with the Bucs. All told, Cervelli has provided the Pirates with a .291/.373/.384 batting line over 650 plate appearances. He’s continued to reach base at a prodigious clip this year, boosting his walk rate to an excellent 15.0%, though his power numbers have dipped somewhat in 2016 (he currently owns a .043 ISO).
Of course, Cervelli is valued for much more than his bat. He’s considered a high-quality defender who delivers plenty of value on the defensive side of the spectrum, too. Baseball Prospectus graded him out as the second-best gloveman behind the dish in all of baseball last year, and he’s continued to draw strong reviews in 2016. Cervelli is among the game’s premier pitch framers, with StatCorner crediting him with a league-leading 26.7 framing runs above average last year.
Cervelli’s record is not without its blemishes, though. Most notably, he was slapped with a 50-game PED suspension arising out of the Biogenesis scandal. That occurred prior to his arrival in Pittsburgh, and doesn’t necessarily cast doubt on his recent performance levels, but certainly is far from a feather in his cap. He’s also missed some lengthy stretches due to injury. They have mostly been due to the perils of lining up behind the plate, but Cervelli comes with his share of nicks and bruises and is certainly aware of the dangers he faces every night.
It’s certainly reasonable to acknowledge the risk that Cervelli will avoid by taking this deal. As noted, he has not been able to maintain his pop at the plate, and any erosion of his batting line might have driven down his market value. A qualifying offer might have played a major role, too, and there is a relatively robust list of catchers available next winter. Among the younger backstops who might have challenged Cervelli in free agency are Wilson Ramos, Matt Wieters, and Jason Castro, and organizations looking at shorter-term fixes have several other plausible options to consider as well.
Cervelli joins a long list of core players under long-term control for the Pirates, many of them via extension. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen can be kept through 2018 under his deal, with the two men on his flanks — Polanco and Starling Marte — locked up even further into the future. The contract of infielder Josh Harrison goes through 2020, while that of Jung Ho Kang runs as far as 2019. That’s also the last year the Pirates can hold onto staff ace Gerrit Cole via arbitration, though the hope is that he’ll soon be joined by top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon as key rotation options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.