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Archives for January 2016

AL East Notes: Sanchez, Osuna, Gardner, Miller, Nova

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The Blue Jays addition of Drew Storen will give the club the opportunity to stretch out Aaron Sanchez or Roberto Osuna as a starter, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Toronto turned to both Sanchez and Osuna as relievers out of necessity in 2015, but they have previously been viewed as starting pitcher prospects. As GM Ross Atkins notes, there aren’t many success stories of players transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation (Carlos Carrasco comes to mind). Atkins hypothesizes that differences in how pitches are used and developed in a one-inning role are to be blamed. While Storen does give the Blue Jays some depth in the bullpen, they probably can’t afford to remove both Sanchez and Osuna from the bullpen.

Here’s more from Toronto and their division rival Yankees:

  • Even after adding Storen, Atkins continues to hunt for help in the bullpen and elsewhere on the roster, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. “We haven’t let up for one second,” said Atkins. Acquiring additional bullpen depth would make it easier for the club to move one or both of Sanchez and Osuna out of the major league bullpen. They were linked to Fernando Rodney prior to the Storen trade.
  • Chad Jennings of LoHud profiles three Yankees who have spent the offseason on the trade block. New York wanted to trade outfielder Brett Gardner for starting pitching. Gardner’s role with the club is largely redundant. However, the exorbitant price of pitching and slow developing free agent outfield market have made it difficult for GM Brian Cashman to line up a trade. Jennings figures the Yankees should hang onto Gardner unless he can return a “good, cost-controlled starter.”
  • After high profile trades involving Craig Kimbrel and Ken Giles, the Yankees had some hope of receiving starting pitcher reinforcements for Andrew Miller. At this point, it appears as if the demand for elite closers via trade consisted of just two teams. While Kimbrel and Giles were dealt mostly for prospects, the Yankees had more interest in established talent. To me, this smells like a doomed proposition. Any team willing to pay top dollar for elite relief probably doesn’t want to trade away quality starting pitching. Now that the Yankees have added Aroldis Chapman, the plan may be to simply survive the early innings and let the bullpen slam the door. As such, Miller will probably stay put.
  • The Yankees have also shopped Ivan Nova without finding a match. Nova is coming off a lousy, injury-addled season in which he posted a 5.08 ERA in 94 innings. He’s also in his final season of club control. Jennings views Nova as the best sixth starter on the roster, making him valuable depth. However, Jennings would happily trade Nova with a second player for a better pitcher.

Olney On Piazza, Upton, Davis, Bastardo, Giants

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Mike Piazza’s induction into the Hall of Fame could help the cases for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, writes Buster Olney of ESPN (Insider Only). With Piazza increasing from 57.8 percent to 83 percent of the vote in just four years, Olney figures that writers will need to consider the hypocrisy of their voting behavior. While Piazza (and fellow candidate Jeff Bagwell) are suspected by some writers of having used PEDs, Clemens and Bonds are known users. In my opinion, that will supply all the rationalization needed by intransigent writers.

On to current baseball news:

  • The Orioles are the beneficiaries of the Denard Span signing. As one of the few teams with money and a pressing need in the outfield, they have leverage in talks with players like Justin Upton. Olney is not the first to wonder if Upton would sign a pillow contract to play with the Orioles. The Rangers are another team interested in Upton on a one-year contract.
  • While Baltimore may eventually sign Chris Davis, some in the organization would like to reduce their seven-year, $150MM offer or simply move on to other players. To me, it seems as though Davis is playing a dangerous game of chicken. However, agent Scott Boras has successful navigated similar scenarios. One notable example is the Cardinals’ signing of Matt Holliday to a seven-year, $120MM deal prior to the 2010 season.
  • In further Baltimore-related news, the club has “a lot of interest” in southpaw reliever Antonio Bastardo. He’s coming off a successful campaign with the Pirates. He posted a 2.98 ERA, 10.05 K/9 and 4.08 BB/9 in 57 innings – numbers similar to his career marks. As a fly ball pitcher, Bastardo may not be the best fit for the mostly small ball parks of the AL East. However, Bastardo did have success preventing home runs in Citizen’s Bank Park for most of his career. If the O’s inked Bastardo, they would probably trade fellow lefty Brian Matusz.
  • The Giants would benefit from more roster depth, but they won’t use the free agent market to build it. Olney figures the club will explore trades for additional personnel.

Free Agent Notes: Rodney, Fowler, Davis

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Here are the latest free agent rumors:

  • The Diamondbacks have not been in contact with free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, writes Jack Magruder of Fanragsports.com. A previous report had tied Rodney to the DBacks, Padres, Blue Jays, and Cubs. Since then, we’ve also learned the Padres are out. Presumably, Toronto’s interest ceased when they acquired Drew Storen from the Nationals. After a late-season renaissance with the Cubs, Rodney should still garner plenty of interest as teams nail down the final components of their bullpen. Meanwhile, Arizona may opt to rely on their wealth of internal options headlined by Brad Ziegler and Daniel Hudson.
  • Dexter Fowler’s market has been slow to develop, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. The center fielder is coming off his best season to date, although his OBP declined below his career average. Among contenders, Levine figures that only the Rangers, Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Cubs are a fit (he also lists the Nationals, but the Ben Revere trade likely nullifies that pick). Both Chicago clubs could benefit from installing Fowler in center field. A reunion with the Cubs would require a trade of right fielder Jorge Soler – probably for high quality pitching – and it would allow Jason Heyward to return to his natural position of right field. Levine also figures that White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton is better suited for a corner outfield role.
  • The Orioles have not made any progress in talks with free agent Chris Davis, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore made a seven-year, $150MM offer earlier in the offseason and has seen no reason to submit a higher bid. While agent Scott Boras is selling Davis as an outfield option, Encina views him purely as a first baseman. To this point, no other serious suitors have emerged for Davis. Encina also cites reports that the Orioles are in on pitcher Yovani Gallardo, but those talks may depend on Davis.

Marlins Pursuing Yaisel Sierra

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The Marlins are among the teams showing interest in Cuban right-handed pitcher Yaisel Sierra, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 25-year-old has yet to be specifically connected with any other club, although it’s probably just a matter of time. He will not fall under international spending requirements.

Sierra last pitched in Cuba’s Serie Nacional in 2014. He posted a 6.10 ERA in 62 innings. However, he pitched to much better results in previous seasons, and scouting reports are positive. In August of 2014, Ben Badler of Baseball America rated Sierra as the 14th best player in Cuba. He cited a 96 mph fastball, occasional plus slider, and multiple arm angles.

The scouting profile reads like fellow Cuban Raisel Iglesias. Like Sierra, Iglesias thrives on using multiple arm angles with a plus fastball and offspeed pitch. According to Rosenthal’s sources, Sierra is expected to beat the seven-year, $27MM deal Iglesias signed with the Reds in 2014. Badler notes that Sierra has a more physical presence than Iglesias, but he comes with questions about his command.

Based on Badler’s profile, it seems that scouts are split as to whether Sierra is a future starter or reliever. While it can be said that the Marlins don’t have an urgent need for a starting pitcher after inking Edwin Jackson, it’s fair to assume that opportunities will arise throughout the season. After Iglesias’ success in 2015, teams may opt for a similar development plan with Sierra. That would entail some time in Triple-A and split work between the major league rotation and bullpen.

Rosenthal On Chen, Marlins, Dickey, Lucroy

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Here’s the latest from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

  • The Marlins have interest in Wei-Yin Chen despite owner Jeffrey Loria’s previous disagreements with Chen’s agent Scott Boras, Rosenthal writes. Chen’s cost could be an issue for the Marlins, but the Fish need a starter and have a protected first-round pick, and Rosenthal writes that Loria wants to make the team “as competitive as possible” for Don Mattingly’s first season as manager. As Rosenthal notes, Chen is the best free agent starting pitcher left on the market.
  • A report today indicated the Blue Jays could trade R.A. Dickey, but the Jays have not yet had discussions about that, and sources tell Rosenthal the Jays might be disinclined to deal Dickey because of the reliable innings he provides. The Jays’ series of going-for-it trades last year depleted their pitching depth (with Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman and others heading elsewhere), but a starter like Dickey who’s capable of pitching 200-plus innings can help them paper that over.
  • The Brewers continue to discuss trades involving catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Rosenthal writes. Lucroy isn’t coming off his best season, but his highly favorable contract (in which he’ll receive just $4MM in 2016 and $5.25MM or a $250K buyout in 2017) still makes him an attractive trade target. The Brewers could be inclined to trade Lucroy sooner rather than later, since the difficulty of learning to work with a new group of pitchers makes it tricky for catchers to go from team to team once a season has already begun.

Marlins Sign Edwin Jackson

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SATURDAY: The deal is now complete, Heyman tweets. Heyman also adds that Jackson will receive a full no-trade clause, which is somewhat remarkable given Jackson’s situation. Of course, the Marlins will only pay Jackson $507.5K, so the no-trade clause shouldn’t be a significant hindrance to the Marlins.

MONDAY 11:33pm: There’s a deal in place pending physical, per Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

1:50pm: The Marlins are nearing an agreement on a Major League contract with right-hander Edwin Jackson, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami was first reported to have interest in the 32-year-old Legacy Agency client last week. Because Jackson is still slated to be paid $13MM from the Cubs in the final season of his four-year, $52MM contract with Chicago, he’d only cost Miami the league minimum, which would be subtracted from the sum owed to Jackson by the Cubs.

While Jackson’s contract with the Cubs will go down as a bust, he rather quietly enjoyed a strong season split between the Chicago and Atlanta bullpens last year. In 47 relief appearances totaling 55 2/3 innings, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate. His 93.9 mph average fastball was his strongest mark of the past four seasons, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise when factoring in the move to short relief stints. When previously linked to Jackson, the Marlins were said to be considering him for their rotation, though one has to imagine that a relief role is a possibility as well, should a deal ultimately be agreed upon.

The addition of Jackson, Frisaro tweets, will not preclude the Marlins from continuing to search for upgrades to their pitching staff. Perhaps, then, the Marlins are merely looking at Jackson as depth for the rotation that can be transferred to the bullpen in the event that another arm is acquired either via free agency or trade. Relying on Jackson as a fallback rather than a set-in-stone rotation member would seem a reasonable course of action for Miami, who entered the day with a rotation picture consisting of Jose Fernandez, Jarred Cosart, Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and one of David Phelps or Justin Nicolino.

Reds Re-Sign Pedro Villarreal To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have re-signed reliever Pedro Villarreal to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets.  Villarreal could provide a depth option for a Reds bullpen that figures to look quite different in 2015 after the offseason losses of Aroldis Chapman, Manny Parra and Burke Badenhop.

The Reds non-tendered Villarreal last month after he posted a 3.42 ERA and 2.2 BB/9 in 50 innings last season. That line also included a medicore strikeout rate (5.2 K/9), and that inability to miss bats might have been part of the reason the Reds were willing to part with Villarreal even though he only had 1.034 years of service time and wasn’t yet arbitration eligible. By re-signing him, the Reds will get to keep him in the organization without using a roster spot or paying him a big-league salary, at least not for the time being.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/9/16

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

  • The Royals have agreed to terms with lefty David Huff on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, MLBTR has learned. Huff will receive $1.1MM plus a possible $300K in performance bonuses if he’s in the Majors, and his deal contains opt-outs on May 15 and June 15. Huff appeared briefly with the Dodgers last season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he posted a 2.20 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 over 57 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old has a 5.08 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big-league seasons, which he’s split between starting and relieving.
  • The Padres have selected the contract of lefty Ryan Buchter, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Friars had previously signed Buchter to a minor league deal, but now, before he had even pitched an inning for them, they’ve placed him on their 40-man roster. Buchter had an excellent (if somewhat control-challenged) season at Triple-A in 2015, posting a 1.78 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 50 2/3 innings of relief for two teams, and he has good velocity and is very tough on lefties. Getting him on a minor league deal looked like a small coup for the Padres, and it’s possible they’re adding him to their 40-man roster in order to avoid losing him, maybe to an opt-out clause or an offer from overseas.
  • The Pirates have released righty Casey Sadler, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Sadler underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2015 season and was subsequently outrighted. The 25-year-old made one strong start with the Bucs in 2015 and spent the rest of the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he posted a 4.56 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 before getting hurt.
  • The Brewers have announced that they’ve signed lefty Pat Misch to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. The 34-year-old Misch appeared in parts of six big-league seasons with the Giants and Mets, but he hasn’t been in the Majors since 2011. He’s had a strange journey since having Tommy John surgery in August 2013, as BA’s John Manuel writes — beginning last winter, he pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League, then pitched 72 innings in a swingman role with Triple-A New Orleans in the Marlins system (posting a 3.25 ERA, 5.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9), then 64 2/3 with Lamigo in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. That stint finished with a Game 7 no-hitter to end the Taiwan Series.
  • The Yankees have signed infielders Donovan Solano and Jonathan Diaz to minor league deals with Spring Training invites, Eddy tweets. Solano, formerly the Marlins’ semi-regular second baseman, did not hit well in 2015 and bounced back and forth between Miami and New Orleans. He has a career .257/.307/.328 batting line in parts of four big-league seasons. The 30-year-old Diaz has played briefly with the Red Sox and Blue Jays; he spent most of 2015 with the Jays’ Triple-A Buffalo affiliate, where he played shortstop, second base and center field and batted .223/.328/.284.
  • The Braves have agreed to terms with righty Rob Wooten, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The 30-year-old appeared in the Brewers bullpen in the 2013 through 2015 seasons, posting a combined 5.03 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 and throwing in the high 80s. He spent most of 2015, in a tough pitching environment at Triple-A Colorado Springs, with a 4.67 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 52 innings.
  • The Reds have signed infielder Carlos Triunfel to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy. The former top Mariners prospect, now 25, batted .264/.287/.398 in 329 plate appearances with Triple-A Sacramento in the Giants organization in 2015, splitting his time between shortstop, second and third. He has appeared briefly in the big leagues with the Mariners and Dodgers.

Blue Jays Notes: Storen, Osuna, Saunders

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Earlier this afternoon, we checked in with the Nationals to hear about the Ben Revere / Drew Storen trade from their perspective. Also this afternoon, new Jays GM Ross Atkins and Storen spoke to the media about the deal.

  • Atkins says the team will be flexible at closer, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. The team isn’t yet committing to either Storen or Roberto Osuna to close games. Osuna, of course, was quite successful in his rookie season in 2015, posting a 2.58 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 while saving 20 regular season games.
  • According to Atkins (via Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star on Twitter), one factor in the deal was that it allowed the Jays to “better maximize” their roster. The Jays felt that both Revere and Michael Saunders were “everyday players,” and while they didn’t mind having depth in the outfield (with Revere and Saunders potentially joining a group of outfielders that included Jose Bautista, Kevin Pillar and Dalton Pompey), they felt they could deal an outfielder for additional pitching.
  • The team feels that Saunders, who missed much of the 2015 season with knee trouble, will be ready to go at the beginning of Spring Training, Kennedy tweets. “We feel great about him,” says Atkins.
  • Storen says he would have been fine remaining in Washington, but he’s excited to be headed to Toronto, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets. Via John Lott of the National Post (on Twitter), Storen says he struggled down the stretch last season with getting enough rest between outings, and feels he would be fine if placed in a setup role, as long as he has enough days off.

NL West Notes: Guerrero, Rodney, Diamondbacks

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The Dodgers face a tricky situation with 3B/OF Alex Guerrero, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times writes. Guerrero’s contract has two years and $10MM remaining, and it doesn’t allow the Dodgers to option him to the minors without his permission. That means the Dodgers are effectively stuck with him on their 25-man roster, even though he isn’t an especially good defender at any position and tailed off badly at the plate after a hot start last season. Guerrero also isn’t much of a trade asset due to his contract (which, in addition to the provision about optioning him, also allows him to become a free agent next winter if he’s dealt this season). For a big-market team like the Dodgers, $10MM sure isn’t a huge hindrance, but Guerrero’s presence on the roster currently seems like it could be a minor headache for them. Here’s more from the NL West.

  • A number of teams have been in touch with free agent reliever Fernando Rodney’s representation, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Padres, who previously had been connected to Rodney, do not currently seem to be most likely to sign him. (A previous report had indicated that the Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Cubs were involved in his market.) Rodney, of course, struggled in Seattle for most of the 2015 season, but seemed to find new life after an August trade to the Cubs. In Chicago, the 38-year-old struck out 15 batters and walked four in 12 innings.
  • Diamondbacks superstar Paul Goldschmidt is excited about the team’s moves this offseason, writes MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. Goldschmidt says that he new the team would spend if it found an opportunity it liked, but that he was still taken aback when he heard the Snakes had landed Zack Greinke. “I was definitely surprised,” he says. “All of a sudden my phone started blowing up with people texting and calling me. It was exciting.”

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