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Archives for July 2016

Trade Market For Starting Pitchers

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Over the coming days, we’re going to be running down the potential summer trade candidates at each position. First up: starting pitching, where it’s a true seller’s market.

The old adage that you can never have enough pitching remains as true today as ever. Just ask the Mets, who entered the year with a borderline-unfair collection of rotation talent but now appear to be in need of a fill-in piece. And New York is far from the neediest buyer. I’d list ’em all, but it’s easier just to note that only a few viable contenders — the Indians and Nationals being the obvious examples — have no real cause to look at starters.

That’s not to say that the entire remaining slate of postseason hopefuls will be chasing arms as a top priority, but there’s loads of demand. Some organizations are likely to be looking more at sturdy veterans to shore up the staff, with the Royals, Orioles, and Blue Jays among the teams that could fit that profile. Others — the Marlins, Rangers, and Red Sox come to mind — could be willing to give up a bigger return to add a quality, controllable pitcher.

Here are the trade candidates that teams like those could consider pursuing:

Top Rentals

Rich Hill (Athletics), Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies), Andrew Cashner (Padres), Jorge De La Rosa (Rockies), Jhoulys Chacin & Tim Lincecum (Angels), Jered Weaver (Angels)

  • In a very thin rental class, Hill clearly stands out as the highest-performing arm. It still feels funny to be talking about him this way, given that he’s 36 and lacks a real track record, but Hill has now compiled a 2.06 ERA over his last 105 innings with 10.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. Teams will likely value Hill as a frontline starter, at least as a three-month asset.
  • That assessment is informed by the fact that the rest of the market is so barren. Hellickson is surely next in line, and he looks to be a useful arm. But most contenders would be adding him as a solid piece to help win some games down the stretch, not because he’d upgrade their post-season rotation. Still, he’s a useful pitcher and carries a sub-4.00 ERA into the All-Star break.
  • Cashner has the pedigree and the stuff to rate as a top target, but he’s still producing middling results — a 4.60 ERA and 7.6 K/9 vs. 3.4 BB/9 since the start of 2015. The right club might still bite at a chance to try harnessing his talent.
  • The rest of the bunch would have been much more interesting three or four years ago. As things stand, the best that can be said is that they’re all still pitching in major league rotations. It’s hard to consider any more than gap-fillers, though De La Rosa has shown signs of late of returning to his typical form.

Controllable Arms

Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore, Drew Smyly & Chris Archer (Rays), Drew Pomeranz (Padres), Julio Teheran (Braves), Sonny Gray (Athletics), Anthony DeSclafani (Reds), Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago & Nick Tropeano (Angels), Patrick Corbin & Robbie Ray (Diamondbacks), Jimmy Nelson (Brewers), Tyler Chatwood (Rockies), Nathan Eovaldi & Michael Pineda (Yankees)

  • As moribund as the rental market is, that only increases the intrigue surrounding the many controllable pitchers who play for non-contending clubs. Valuing these arms, and guessing which are likeliest to be dealt, is awfully complicated. We’ll largely just have to wait and see which sellers are most motivated and which pitchers are most valued by the market.
  • Tampa Bay still appears in the most obvious position to deal a controllable starter. The Rays would be selling low on Moore, Smyly, and Archer, but perhaps another organization will look past their struggles in the results department and make a fair offer. Odorizzi, though, might be the likeliest to be shipped out; he owns a 3.91 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over his four years with the Rays, and is set to enter arbitration next year.
  • If you’re looking for a single arm on this list that’s most likely to change hands, it may be Pomeranz. There’s an argument to be made that San Diego ought to keep the breakout southpaw for itself, but if another organization is willing to treat him like the 2.47 ERA pitcher he’s been over 102 innings thus far, the time may be right to strike a deal.
  • Teheran and Gray have long been discussed as possible trade pieces, with their affordable and lengthy contract situations serving to burnish their trade value. The former has been excellent, while the latter has had a rough go thus far. Regardless, we’re not seeing clear signals that either is truly available, and it’d take a truly significant offer to produce any movement.
  • Similar things could be said about the remaining pitchers from this group. To take a few examples, teams will need to bring big offers to motivate the Brewers to deal away their ample control over Nelson, convince the Reds to part with DeSclafani, or get the pitching-needy Halos to cash in Shoemaker in the midst of an interesting season. All of the players listed are plausible trade pieces in the right scenario; while none seem particularly likely to move on their own, it seems fair to expect one or two of the group to end up in a swap.

Big Contracts

Zack Greinke (Diamondbacks), Ervin Santana & Ricky Nolasco (Twins), Jon Niese (Pirates), Matt Garza (Brewers), CC Sabathia (Yankees)

  • There have been whispers about the idea of a contender chasing Greinke, who is pitching as well as should have been expected — which is to say, not well enough to continue last year’s ridiculous pace and probably not quite to the value of his monster contract. But we’ve yet to hear any strong connection of his name to the real-world market.
  • That’s not the case with regard to Santana, who has reportedly been scouted quite closely. Teams looking for a durable, back-of-the-rotation type of arm will strongly consider him, assuming the cash can be sorted out.
  • Nolasco, Niese, and Garza have all coughed up over five earned per nine on the year, but each has some potential appeal. The younger Niese could be the most desirable of this bunch, as he is controllable by a club option, though Nolasco is carrying an appealing K/BB ratio.
  • A resurgent Sabathia would be a pretty interesting guy to watch were it not for the fact that he’s headed toward the vesting of a whopping $25MM option for 2017.

Back-of-the-Rotation/Swingmen/Minor-League Depth

Ivan Nova (Yankees), Dan Straily (Reds), Tommy Milone (Twins), Jesse Hahn & Nick Tepesch (Athletics), Lucas Harrell (Braves), Wily Peralta (Brewers), Jordan Lyles (Rockies), Brad Hand (Padres)

  • There are a variety of possibilities here, ranging from fifth starter candidates (Nova, Straily, Milone) to bounceback types (Hahn, Peralta, Lyles) who are not currently working in a big league rotation. Harrell has had two nice starts for Atlanta, though he’s go a way to go to proving he’s worth surrendering real value. Hand has been a new man since moving to a full-time relief role this year.

Trade Market For Catchers

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The regular season may be on pause for the All-Star break, but trade conversations continue over these four days, as does the Internet’s favorite pastime — rampant speculation! As we do each summer here at MLBTR, we’ll be running down the trade market on a position-by-position basis. Jeff Todd already kicked things off with a rundown of the market for starting pitchers, and catchers are up next.

While there may not be a large number of contending clubs on the hunt for an upgrade behind the plate, there are plenty of options available for the few that are. Those clubs could include the likes of the Indians, Rangers, Mets, Astros, White Sox and Red Sox, each of which is firmly in the playoff picture but has received little to no production from its backstops in 2016.

Rentals

Nick Hundley: A lot of people will credit Coors Field for Hundley’s spike in offensive production over the past two seasons, but he posted a .790 OPS on the road for the Rockies last year and has been better away from Denver in 2016 than when playing at his launching pad of a home park. He’s earning $3.15MM this season and is a free agent at season’s end.

A.J. Pierzynski: The 39-year-old had a terrific season in 2015 with Atlanta, but he’s off to a dreadful .205/.227/.250 start. His $3MM salary isn’t prohibitive, but Pierzynski has never been well-regarded from a defensive standpoint and isn’t hitting in 2016. It’s tough to see much interest, but the Braves probably wouldn’t mind saving the bit of money left on his deal.

Carlos Ruiz: At 37 years old, Ruiz’s bat isn’t what it once was, but he’s still getting on base at a .336 clip thanks to a keen eye. His overall .229/.336/.331 slash and $8.5MM salary won’t make him a hot commodity, but if the Phils are willing to eat some of his $8.5MM salary, his knack for getting on base and 30 percent caught-stealing rate in 2016 could lead to some interest as a backup. Ruiz could technically be listed in the section below (“Controllable Through 2017”), as he has a $4.5MM club option ($500K buyout) on his deal as well. There’d be some merit to a club picking that option up with a respectable finish to the season, but it’s not a lock right now.

Geovany Soto: The Halos aren’t going anywhere this season, and as a veteran on a cheap one-year deal, Soto is a logical trade candidate. He’s not the offensive force he once was, but he has a 103 OPS+ over the past four seasons combined and could be a useful backup piece.

Kurt Suzuki: Suzuki looked untradeable back in late May, but he’s hitting .382/.406/.598 over his past 106 plate appearances. He won’t continue at that pace, of course, but the recent surge and his consistently strong contact rate could make him a fairly appealing target to a club in need of an affordable option behind the plate. Of course, his vesting option for the 2017 season may cause some clubs to shy away from the notion of regular playing time.

Controllable Through 2017

Welington Castillo: D-backs GM Dave Stewart expressed that he didn’t necessarily feel compelled to sell at this season’s deadline, but he’s since moved closer Brad Ziegler to the Red Sox. Castillo is slated to hit free agency following the 2017 season and could be viewed as an expendable mid-term asset. The D-backs do have a somewhat intriguing alternative, as unheralded offseason pickup Chris Herrmann has been outstanding through 157 plate appearances. Of course, Herrmann has had plenty of good fortune on balls in play thus far and has never hit at the big league level, so the Snakes may not view him as an everyday option behind the dish.

Hank Conger: Conger’s 2015 throwing woes were well-documented — he caught just one of 43 attempted runners — but he’s righted the ship a bit in 2016, halting eight of 43 attempts. That’s still below the league average, but the bigger concern for Conger, who was optioned to Triple-A this week, has been a dismal .194/.265/.306 batting line. He’s a change of scenery candidate, and his offensive struggles make it unlikely that he’d go to a contender as a starter, he’s a terrific pitch-framer that a team could view as a backup option.

Jonathan Lucroy: Lucroy remains the top catching target on the market, and his brilliant .301/.361/.491 batting line this season makes GM David Stearns and his staff look quite wise for holding off on a trade this past offseason. Lucroy’s contract would fit onto any team’s payroll, and he’s controlled through 2017. Milwaukee has every right to ask for a king’s ransom.

Long-Term Options

Tucker Barnhart: The 25-year-old is hitting at a solid .269/.333/.385 clip over 229 plate appearances, and comes with plenty of cheap control. That probably makes him more valuable to the Reds — who are running out a low payroll and crossing their fingers that Devin Mesoraco can return to health — than he is as a trade chip, but nothing is bolted down in Cincinnati.

Chris Herrmann: It has been a breakout season for the 28-year-old, who has also seen action at every outfield position (yes, including center) and first base. Long a marginal hitter, Herrmann is suddenly mashing at a .291/.353/.511 clip with six home runs over 157 plate appearances. With that kind of production over a decent stretch, but without the background to support it, it’d be hard for Arizona to find a square deal — especially since the team still hopes to contend next year.

Derek Norris: His overall numbers don’t look great thanks to a disastrous month of April, but Norris is hitting .250/.321/.500 with 11 homers over his past 190 plate appearances. I might consider him the likeliest player in all of baseball to get traded, as the Padres need to clear room for Austin Hedges (if only so MLBTR’s Jason Martinez doesn’t have to change the title of his “Knocking Down the Door” series to “Have the Padres Called Up Hedges Yet?”). Hedges is hitting .419/.456/.886 with 14 homers in 28 games since being activated from the minor league DL in early June.

Josh Phegley: After two straight years of approximately league-average offensive production, Phegley has fallen back a bit with a .256/.314/.372 slash in just 86 plate appearances for the A’s. Much as with Barnhart, he probably makes better sense to stay in Oakland, but could be had if another organization is particularly enamored of him.

Cameron Rupp: The Phillies certainly don’t need to move Rupp, as he’s controlled for another four seasons beyond this year. However, the soon-to-be 28-year-old is in the midst of a strong (albeit BABIP-inflated) season and boasts a .287/.329/.507 batting line through 222 plate appearances. Jorge Alfaro is probably the catcher of the future in Philadelphia, and if someone feels compelled to make a nice offer for Rupp, the rebuilding Phillies could look to be opportunistic.

Stephen Vogt: General manager Billy Beane flatly said last May that he wasn’t going to trade Stephen Vogt (and stuck to his word), but Vogt is another season older, another season closer to free agency and, of course, the A’s are in the midst of another dreadful campaign. Vogt is controllable for another three years after this season, but he’ll turn 32 this winter and Oakland may be more open to a major sale in 2016 than it was in 2015.

Big Contracts

Brian McCann: McCann is in the midst of his most productive season with the Yankees, but he’s also 32 years old and is owed $17MM in both 2017 and 2018 (plus a $15MM vesting option for the 2019 season). The Yankees have increased their efforts to get younger in recent seasons — evidenced by the additions of Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro and Nathan Eovaldi as well as a reluctance to part with prospects like Aaron Judge, Luis Severino and Greg Bird — and trading McCann would pave a road for Gary Sanchez to become the team’s regular backstop.

Miguel Montero: Montero has long been a starter, but considering his .201/.319/.345 line through 166 plate appearances this year, it doesn’t seem likely that he’d be acquired to fill that role. The emergence of Willson Contreras could make Montero expendable for the Cubs. He’s earning $14MM this season and next year, so Montero would almost certainly be a salary dump if he were able to be moved at all.

AL Notes: Bregman, Pineda, Shoemaker, Gose, Naquin

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The Astros will not be calling up Alex Bregman to join the team in Seattle this weekend, manager A.J. Hinch said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). A report from last night indicated that Bregman was “expected” to be promoted right out of the gate following the All-Star break, but Hinch’s more definitive comments put that rumor to bed for the time being. The Houston skipper does note that Bregman can help his team at some point in the second half and even went so far as to specify “probably in the near future.” The 2015 No. 2 overall pick is hitting .309/.416/.603 with 19 homers between Double-A and Triple-A this season and homered five times while posting a 1.310 in eight Triple-A games following his recent promotion to the top minor league level.

A few more notes from the American League…

  • The scouting community seems to like the way that righties Michael Pineda of the Yankees and Matt Shoemaker of the Angels are throwing, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The pair has produced results of late, and could factor into the summer trade market, though neither seems particularly likely to change hands. From my perspective, New York will likely place a high value on Pineda, who can help keep the dreams of contention alive this year and next. And that may be even more true of the Halos and Shoemaker, given that the organization has been hit hard by pitching injuries and badly needs just that sort of controllable arm.
  • The Tigers announced today that outfielder Anthony Gose has served a three-game suspension for his scuffle with Triple-A skipper Lloyd McClendon. Additionally, Gose will be demoted from Triple-A to Double-A to begin the second half of the season. GM Al Avila did make clear that he expects Gose to begin moving back toward the majors with the organization.
  • Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin has been a new hitter since returning to the Majors after a demotion to Triple-A earlier this year, and Fangraphs’ August Fagerstrom attempts to identify the reasons behind his improvement. As Fagerstrom notes, Naquin followed similar changes to those made by Jake Lamb prior to his breakout, going from an upright stance to a more crouched stance in the box and also dropping his hands. The result was a player that, incredibly, led all of Major League Baseball in slugging percentage on low pitches. While Naquin has still struggled some with pitches up in the zone (and above it), he’s more than tripled his walk rate and significantly cut back on his strikeouts. Fagerstrom notes that there’s no way that Naquin can sustain the astonishing level of power he’s shown — he’s hitting .313/.394/.708 since his recall — but Naquin looks like a legitimate entrant into the AL Rookie of the Year mix and dramatically lessens the Indians’ need to seek an outfield upgrade on the trade market even if his .418 BABIP is destined to come back down to earth.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/13/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves and outright assignments:

  • Outfielder Will Venable has cleared waivers been outrighted to Triple-A by the Dodgers, according to the transactions page at MLB.com. While Venable has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, he’ll instead accept the assignment and head to Oklahoma City, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (via Twitter). Venable was designated for assignment by the Dodgers for the second time earlier this month after signing a minor league pact with L.A. in mid-June. He’s collected just one hit in 19 plate appearances this season but has a lengthy track record of hitting right-handed pitching well. The 33-year-old will look to get another shot with the big league club later this season.

Earlier Moves

  • The Phillies have outrighted recently-designated lefty Mario Hollands, per a club announcement. He’ll be assigned to Double-A. The 27-year-old was a regular contributor to the 2014 Phils’ bullpen, but he hasn’t been back since missing 2015 while recovering from a Tommy John procedure. While moving back up through the Philadelphia farm system this year, Hollands has thrown 26 13 innings of 3.76 ERA ball, with 8.5 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.

Rangers Among 10 Teams With Interest In Drew Pomeranz

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JULY 13: As many as 10 teams have reached out to show interest in Pomeranz, Lin writes in an updated piece. Rival executives have suggested to Lin that the Padres are actively looking to move Pomeranz, although he notes that could be a matter of perception as opposed to an accurate representation of the Padres’ genuine interests. Changes to Pomeranz’s pitch mix in 2016 have some scouts convinced that his breakout is sustainable, Lin adds.

JULY 12: The Rangers are interested in Padres lefty Drew Pomeranz and have “done background work” on him, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal also notes that the Rangers have considered many pitchers who seem to be available. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that he hears the same: Texas has indeed kicked the tires on Pomeranz. Lin points out that the Rangers originally drafted Pomeranz as a high schooler, but the lefty elected to go to college rather than sign as a 12th-round pick in 2007. Nonetheless, the Rangers have followed his big league career closely, Lin writes.

Pomeranz has lately been connected to the Red Sox, Orioles and Marlins, and the Padres have reportedly not ruled out dealing him. Two weeks ago, MLBTR’s staff weighed the pros and cons of a Pomeranz deal from the Padres’ perspective, with several MLBTR writers suggesting the Padres should consider keeping him, since he’s under control through 2018 (which means they’ll have opportunities to deal him in the future), and since trade partners might not pay a premium for him given his lack of a track record as a proven workhorse. Given the Padres’ struggles and Pomeranz’s strong season (2.47 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 3.6 BB/9), though, it’s easy to see why San Diego would at least consider dealing him.

Of course, just because the Padres will consider moving Pomeranz doesn’t mean that they’re actively shopping him. Within Lin’s piece above, he notes that Padres sources have previously told him that Pomeranz won’t be traded for anything less than a “substantial” return. He adds that GM A.J. Preller is quite infatuated with Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, though it’s far from clear that the Rangers would entertain that type of swap. Profar has looked sharp in his return from a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries and is controllable for three years beyond this season, compared to Pomeranz’s two years of remaining control. If Profar is off limits, Preller undoubtedly possesses plenty of familiarity with alternative young talent; the second-year Padres general manager previously spent a decade working in the Texas front office and rising to the rank of assistant GM before being hired away by San Diego.

The Rangers have already reportedly shown interest in rotation options like Jake Odorizzi, Ervin Santana and Matt Moore, so it comes as no surprise that they would look into Pomeranz as well. The team currently has starters Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis on its DL (although Darvish appears close to returning). The team has lately relied upon rotation options like Kyle Lohse, Cesar Ramos, Nick Martinez and Chi Chi Gonzalez, frequently with poor results.

Mets Sign First-Rounder Anthony Kay, 11th-Rounder Cameron Planck

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The Mets announced today that they’ve signed first-round pick Anthony Kay and 11th-round pick Cameron Planck (Twitter link). The team didn’t disclose the bonus information, but MLB.com’s Jim Callis, who first reported the deals (links to Twitter), reported that Kay received a bonus of $1.1MM, which is $872K under slot. The reason for the below-slot deal, per Callis, is likely that Kay’s physical exam raised some concerns about the left-hander’s elbow.

The majority of those savings appear to be going to Planck, according to Callis (Twitter link), who received a bonus of $1,000,001. Players signing after the 10th round do not count against a club’s bonus pool unless the bonus exceeds $100K. As such, $900,001 of Planck’s bonus will count against the Mets’ pool. However, having saved $872,100 on Kay’s bonus, Planck’s deal doesn’t really impact the Mets any more than simply signing Kay at full slot value would have.

Kay, 21, starred at the University of Connecticut and rated within the top 50 on pre-draft rankings of ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 28), Baseball America (No. 35) and Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com (No. 43). ESPN’s scouting report notes that Kay’s changeup could be the best in this year’s draft class, though Callis and Mayo note that he will at times telegraph the pitch by dropping his arm slot when he throws it. Kay’s fastball sits in the low 90s and reaches 95 mph early in his starts, per BA, who notes that his “wide, sturdy build” offsets some concerns about his height (he’s listed at 6’0″). He’s the second of two first-round Mets selections to sign this year, as New York agreed to terms with Boston College righty Justin Dunn (19th overall) back in mid-June. The Mets picked up the No. 31 overall selection as compensation for the loss of Daniel Murphy to the division rival Nationals after Murphy rejected the club’s qualifying offer.

Planck, meanwhile, rated 228th among draft prospects on BA’s Top 500 list. The high school right-hander out of Kentucky had been committed to Louisville but will instead embark on his pro career. BA praises his physicality and velocity (low 90s fastball that tops out at 95 mph) but raises questions about his mechanics and his inconsistent slider.

Latest On Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays

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Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion isn’t interested in discussing a new deal during the season, his agent Paul Kinzer tells Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports. Encarnacion is set to reach the open market at the conclusion of the 2016 campaign.

A team source tells Heyman that the organization has at least made “overtures” to re-start a dialogue with the 33-year-old star. But when asked if Toronto had made an in-season effort, Kinzer said the team had “not really” tried. (That could be interpreted, perhaps, as a denial of communications or a reflection of their nature and quality.)

That’s just fine for Encarnacion’s camp: as Kinzer says, he never intended to talk during the season after a bad experience with that approach earlier in his career. “He’s the most relaxed I’ve every seen him,” says Kinzer. “Why mess with the guy? He’s content. He’s happy.”

Indeed, after a sluggish start, Encarnacion has been on fire at the plate. His season line — .267/.358/.541 with 23 home runs over 387 plate appearances — is already back in line with the top-level offensive production he’s delivered in recent campaigns.

From the club’s perspective, president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro suggested to Heyman that the organization didn’t low-ball the veteran over the winter. (Specifically, he denied an apparent report that the Jays made an opening offer of one year and then moved it to two, both of which would fall well below Encarnacion’s seeming market placement.) Still, Heyman says that the perception continues that Jose Bautista remains a higher priority for Toronto.

While there no longer appears to be any possibility of an extension, that doesn’t mean the Jays won’t have any chance to retain Encarnacion. “This doesn’t mean Toronto’s out,” says Kinzer. “This as the plan all along. We were going to play this thing out.”

Quick Hits: CBA, Minor League Wages, MASN, Academies

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Ongoing collective bargaining talks between Major League Baseball and the player’s union have been civil and remain promising, but Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that there are still issues to iron out. International amateur intake, the qualifying offer system, and PEDs all pose thorny questions. And matters such as expansion of rosters, if not also teams, and a reduction of the regular-season schedule could also need sorting. The smart money remains on a peaceful process, it seems, as most areas of potential conflict are of fairly limited scope and the parties have worked together on several complicated matters of late.

  • An issue that has increasingly drawn attention is the wages owed to minor league ballplayers. Nathaniel Grow of Fangraphs takes a close look at the matter, including what to glean from recent comments from commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA chief Tony Clark.
  • The TV rights fees dispute between the Nationals and Orioles, which is centered around the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, is still bound up in court, as Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun reports. The judge in the case has rejected the Nats’ request that another MLB arbitration proceeding be commenced, leaving more to battle over even before a new hearing is had on the underlying merits. Manfred still says that he believes a league-run panel will decide the matter, as Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports (via the Washington Times).
  • We don’t often hear of top draft picks coming from the service academies, though Air Force righty Griffin Jax recently signed with the Twins after being taken in the third round. As Brent Briggeman of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, rule changes could make players such as Jax more common. The two-year active-duty service requirement that applies to the academies can now be waived upon application, if an athlete has signed a professional sports contract.

Latest On Jason Groome, Red Sox

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TODAY: A deal is “getting closer” and “should get done,” a source tells Speier (via Twitter). That being said, a final number has yet to be arrived at between the two sides.

YESTERDAY, 5:33pm: Talks between the two sides are intensifying, per Jon Heyman and Robert Murray of FanRag Sports (Twitter link), but there’s no deal in place just yet.

10:55am: New Jersey high school lefty Jason Groome remains the highest-profile draftee who is yet unsigned, and there remains a gap between him and the Red Sox, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe explains. Speier’s sources express optimism that the 12th overall pick will ultimately sign, but there are a number of moving parts involved.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported yesterday that the Red Sox had offered Groome a $3.5MM bonus, higher than the pick value of $3,192,800 but significantly lower than the $5MM Heyman reported Groome could have gotten from the Padres had he lasted until the No. 24 pick. Now Speier writes that the Red Sox have gone a little over $3.5MM but are still short of his bonus demands. Groome could head to a Florida junior college and reenter the draft in a year if he deems the Sox’ bonus offers unsuitable.

The Red Sox have a bonus pool just shy of $7MM (an amount they could stretch to about $7.35MM without losing one or more future draft picks) and have already committed just $2.2MM of that. But they have not signed fourth-rounder Bobby Dalbec, whose pick value is just over $500K, or fifth-rounder Mike Shawaryn, whose pick value is around $375K. If they’re unable to sign Groome, they could also have interest in signing 11th-rounder Nick Quintana, a well-regarded high school infielder who is committed to Arizona.

Another dynamic in play, according to Speier, is that Groome hasn’t yet taken a physical in advance of Friday’s deadline. All things considered, though, the Red Sox will surely be highly motivated to sign him — a big lefty with good velocity and and a terrific curve would be a strong addition to any farm system.

MLBTR Poll: Best Low-Cost Acquisitions

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Some moves pan out; others don’t. And then there are those whose importance turns out to be of an entirely different magnitude than had been anticipated. We’ll look at that latter category here.

Among the many great first-half performers, there are many heralded veterans and rising youngsters who were widely expected to do just what they’ve done. But there are also some surprisingly valuable assets who were added for a relative pittance over the winter. Steve Adams already recently covered beneficial minor-league signings, but here are a few who were acquired in other ways:

  • David Freese, INF, Pirates — He’s a well-known player, but that doesn’t mean that anybody was expecting this kind of production (.291/.373/.472 over 287 plate appearances). At just $3MM on a one-year term, that late-spring signing is already a certifiable bargain.
  • Leonys Martin, OF, Mariners — Seattle has benefited from Martin’s good glovework, wheels, and solid bat — which has produced a surprising double-digit homer tally. Better still, the club now has both Martin and the key piece that it originally gave up to get him (reliever Tom Wilhelmsen).
  • Jonathan Villar, SS, Brewers — David Stearns went from Houston to Milwaukee, and it didn’t take long for him to bring a few former ’Stros with him. Villar, picked up in a minor trade, has been perhaps the best get of all with above-average hitting and big-time speed on the bases driving his value.
  • Drew Pomeranz, SP, Padres — When we’re comfortably discussing a player as one of the best starting pitching assets at the deadline, it’s safe to say his organization did well to acquire him just months prior for a package of Yonder Alonso and Marc Rzepczynski.
  • Dan Straily, SP, Reds — Passed around multiple times at the end of camp, Straily has settled in as a useful arm in Cincinnati. He’s still not going to provide exciting results, but one hundred frames of 4.35 ERA pitching has value.
  • Brad Hand, RP, Padres — At the cost of a waiver claim and a 40-man spot, Hand has delivered a 3.10 ERA over 49 1/3 frames. Even better, he’s jumped to a career-best 10.9 K/9, suggesting he may have found another gear upon moving to the pen full-time.
  • Dan Otero, RP, Indians — Acquired for cash by Cleveland, Otero is another player who bounced around over the winter. All he has done is post a 1.27 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 35 1/3 strong frames.

From this list, which has been the best bargain? (Link for mobile app users.)

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