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Archives for January 2016

Shawn Tolleson, Charlie Blackmon Avoid Arbitration

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While the majority of the 156 players that filed for salary arbitration last week have agreed to terms with their teams, either on a one-year deal for 2016 or on an extension, the cases of more than 20 players remain unresolved. You can track the status of each case using MLBTR’s 2016 Arbitration Tracker, and we’ll keep track of all of today’s smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post (all referenced projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)…

  • Center fielder Charlie Blackmon and the Rockies have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Rockies had filed for a $2.7MM salary figure against Blackmon’s number of $3.9MM. That placed the midpoint at $3.3MM, which Blackmon cleared by $200K. The 29-year-old Blackmon is coming off a season in which he slashed .287/.347/.450 with 17 home runs and 43 stolen bases in 157 games/682 plate appearances. That served as a strong followup to a breakout 2014 campaign and cemented Blackmon as fixture in the Colorado outfield (though his name has come up in trade speculation this winter).

Earlier Updates

  • The Rangers announced that they’ve signed closer Shawn Tolleson to a one-year deal, thus avoiding arbitration. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the right-hander will earn $3.275MM next season. Tolleson, 28, broke out as a setup man with the Rangers in 2014 and seized the keys to the ninth inning from Neftali Feliz early this season. It was a seamless transition from the seventh/eighth inning to the ninth inning for Tolleson, who worked to a strong 2.99 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 42.4 percent ground-ball rate in 72 1/3 innings. Tolleson racked up the first 35 saves of his career along the way, cementing himself at the back of the Texas bullpen. Tolleson had filed for a $3.9MM salary, while the team countered at $2.6MM. The eventual landing spot agreed upon is $25K higher than the $3.25MM midpoint between those two figures and comes in considerably north of the $2.6MM projected by Swartz’s model. With Tolleson’s case settled, the Rangers have just Jake Diekman and Mitch Moreland remaining as unresolved arbitration cases, as can be seen in the tracker linked to above.

Arroyo Has Minor League Offer From Nats; Four Other Teams Interested

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Veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo has a minor league offer on the table from the Nationals and is receiving interest from four other clubs, including the Reds, reports MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. In addition to that pair of teams, the Marlins, Pirates and Padres all have interest, though the interest of those three clubs does not appear to be as serious as the interest in Cincinnati and D.C. Sheldon tweeted earlier today that the Reds could make an offer soon, and in his column he notes that Arroyo expects to make a decision in the near future.

Arroyo tells Sheldon that he threw a bullpen session with Reds catching coach Mike Stefanski on Friday this past week. Sheldon adds that while the Reds didn’t have other personnel present to watch the session, they’ve received video and are determining a course of action. Arroyo sounds like his hope is to return to the Reds, though he doesn’t explicitly state that. He does, however, say that he hopes the Reds make an offer today, and he also adds: “I wanted to give the Reds every opportunity to keep me. Bryan Price has told me he’d love to have me in their locker room. I think it benefits both sides. It’s an opportunity for me to come into a less-stressed situation after a surgery and help young guys on the staff. If we can get something that’s in the ballpark [financially], I’d be happy.”

It’s unclear if Cincinnati, or any team, would be comfortable guaranteeing Arroyo a spot on the 40-man roster, though a minor league deal with a decent base salary and plenty of incentives could easily afford Arroyo several million dollars by season’s end if he remains healthy and proves capable of replicating anything close to his previous levels of performance. Arroyo does tell Sheldon that his arm feels 100 percent, though he admits that it took a full 16 months to get to that point, and he’s also frank in stating that he’s uncertain what to expect in terms of workload. “I’d be lying if I said I knew I could throw 200 innings with this arm,” said Arroyo. “I just don’t know.”

Arroyo, 39 next month, spent the 2006-13 seasons in a Reds uniform, pitching 199 innings or more in each of those eight campaigns. In total, he amassed a 4.05 ERA in 1690 1/3 innings, averaging 5.9 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings pitched. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2014 and missed the entire 2015 season as he worked his way back. The Nationals currently project to have a rotation consisting of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross and Tanner Roark, while Cincinnati’s rotation is far more in flux. Homer Bailey is recovering from his own Tommy John surgery, while Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias seem like easy calls for starting gigs. Beyond that, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, John Moscot and Michael Lorenzen will compete for jobs in the rotation. Top prospect Robert Stephenson could eventually join that mix as well, though he has just 55 2/3 innings above the Double-A level.

Clearly, the Nats offer a better shot at contending than do the rebuilding Reds, and Washington can also offer a reunion with Arroyo’s former manager, Dusty Baker. However, Arroyo knows the Cincinnati organization quite well and has a clearer path to a rotation spot there. Additionally, as Sheldon notes, Arroyo’s girlfriend lives in Cincinnati, adding to the appeal for him on a personal level. The other three clubs, of course, have their merits as well, but they’re characterized more as secondary considerations than prime suitors by Sheldon for the time being.

Angels Claim Ronald Torreyes, Designate Bobby LaFromboise

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The Angels announced today that they have claimed infielder Ronald Torreyes off waivers from the Yankees and designated left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster.

Still just 23 years of age, Torreyes has made his rounds throughout Major League Baseball over the past calendar year. The versatile infielder opened the season in the Astros organization before being designated for assignment in May and traded to the Blue Jays. Toronto, however, held onto him for less than a month before Torreyes was traded to the Dodgers, where he would finish out the season. Torreyes batted .261/.308/.347 between Double-A and Triple-A across the three organizations and even got a brief cup of coffee with the Dodgers’ big league club later in the year, collecting a pair of hits in eight trips to the plate. However, his travels continued when he was designated to make room for Kenta Maeda in L.A., leading to his trade to the Yankees.

Despite the large quantity of jerseys which Torreyes has collected in the past eight months, this marks the first time that he’s even been placed on waivers. Prior to this, there had been trade interest in him throughout the league, which speaks to the fact that multiple clubs at the very least consider him to be a useful depth piece. The Angels were 20th in the pecking order, which means 19 other clubs passed on adding Torreyes. However, the Halos have a definite need for some infield depth and have been steadfast in their refusal to exceed the luxury tax barrier, so it’s not a surprise to see them pursue some depth at an affordable rate. Torreyes has seen most of his professional defensive work come at second base, though he does have significant experience at shortstop (144 games) and third base (65 games) as well. He’s also seen a bit of time in the corner outfield.

As for LaFromboise, the 29-year-old had a very nice year with Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates organization last year, working to a 2.98 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 54 1/3 innings. He also recorded eight innings at the big league level, during which he yielded just one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. LaFromboise has a generally strong track record at the Triple-A level and has also had a fairly reasonable degree of success in his brief Major League time, having pitched to a 4.03 ERA with a 23-to-5 K/BB ratio in 22 1/3 innings. This past season, he held lefties to a .218/.255/.366 batting line with a 36-to-5 K/BB ratio between the Majors and minors. He also held righties to just .190/.285/.294, though that was in large part due to a .218 batting average on balls in play; he’s been significantly more hittable against right-handed batters in the past.

Phillies Sign David Lough To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies announced on Monday that they have signed veteran outfielder David Lough to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Lough, who turned 30 last week, has seen action in parts of four big league seasons — 2012-13 with the Royals and 2014-15 with the Orioles. This past season was, unequivocally, a struggle for the left-handed-hitting Lough, as he batted just .201/.241/.313 in 144 plate appearances with the O’s before being designated for assignment and eventually outrighted to Triple-A. Lough did return to the Majors in September for a bit, but because he finished the year having qualified as a Super Two player, the O’s non-tendered him rather than going through the arbitration process.

Prior to his 2015 struggles, Lough was a solid platoon option in the corner outfield. He’s never had much pop, but Lough combined respectable average and OBP marks against right-handed pitching with strong defense to provide value in K.C. and Baltimore. From 2013-14, Lough posted an overall batting line of .272/.310/.403, including a .277/.319/.411 slash against righties in that span. In 726 innings as a left fielder in his big league career, Lough has posted huge marks in Defensive Runs Saved (+20) and Ultimate Zone Rating (+13.5). He’s had similar success in right field (+9 DRS, +9.2 UZR in 639 2/3 innings), and he’s even drawn positive marks in a small, 347-inning sample in center field.

The Phillies currently have Cody Asche, Aaron Altherr, Peter Bourjos, Odubel Herrera and No. 1 overall Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel in the mix for regular at-bats in the outfield this year. Lough will compete for the right to join that group, and if he’s able to land on the team and stick all year, he’d be controllable through the 2019 season, should the club keep him around.

NL Central Notes: Liriano, Pirates, Brewers, Cardinals, Tanking

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Francisco Liriano embodies the rising trend of pitchers throwing fewer pitches in the strike zone than ever, writes Fangraphs’ August Fagerstrom. In 2014-15, Liriano recorded to two lowest single-season zone percentage marks (the number of pitches thrown in the designated strike zone) since the stat began being tracked. However, he also coerced opposing hitters into chasing more than a third of his out-of-zone pitches, yielding high quality results in his third year with the Pirates. As Fagerstrom notes, though, the decrease of pitches in the strike zone is not confined to Liriano’s left arm but is rather a league-wide phenomenon. And, despite the rapidly decreasing number of pitches thrown in the zone, hitters are failing to adjust and continuing to chase. While it’s not the case with Liriano specifically, Fagerstrom hypothesizes that the record levels of velocity throughout the game mean hitters must be more geared up for velocity than ever before, thereby limiting their ability to recognize and lay off breaking pitches out of the zone. Additionally, he speculates that the fact that umpires are continuing to expand the strike zone creates a greater urgency within hitters to protect themselves at the plate. It’s an interesting analysis that’s well worth reading in its entirety. (Additionally, while his column doesn’t state this, Fagerstrom’s analysis reminds how strong Liriano’s work was in the first season of a three-year, $39MM investment that right now looks to be an excellent move for the club.)

Onto some other items pertaining more closely to the Pirates and their division…

  • The Pirates will face a challenge in replacing Francisco Cervelli, who hits free agency next winter, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates have picked up a trio of excellent pitch-framers in Cervelli, Russell Martin and Chris Stewart in recent years, but the Martin contract shows what a premium the market now places on catcher defense, Sawchik notes, thus making it seem unlikely that they’ll re-sign Cervelli, who could end up as the market’s most valuable catcher. Sawchik sees no chance that the two sides will hammer out an extension, and he points out that while top prospect Reese McGuire draws strong praise for his glovework, he can’t be expected to be a contributor before 2018.
  • Later in that same piece, Sawchik notes that the Pirates’ front office has taken a number of significant hits this winter — the most recent of which is the loss of Tyrone Brooks to the Commissioner’s Office. Brooks, the former director of player personnel, oversaw the team’s international and pro scouting efforts and played a large role in the acquisition of Jung Ho Kang. The Pirates have also lost special assistants Jim Benedict (who was renowned for his work with the team’s pitchers) and Marc DelPiano — both of whom left the organization to take positions with the Marlins.
  • There’s been little in the way of trade talk surrounding Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun, Jon Heyman tweeted recently. Milwaukee has made more of an effort with catcher Jonathan Lucroy to this point, per Heyman, perhaps due to the club’s recognition of what would be a limited market for Braun. The asking price on Lucroy is said to be high, though Lucroy himself is open to a deal. As for Braun, his five-year, $105MM extension begins this season, but his value has been tarnished by a PED suspension as well as offseason back surgery and a nerve issue in his thumb that twice required a cryotherapy treatment last year. Braun did enjoy a nice season at the plate, however, hitting .285/.356/.498 with 25 homers and 24 steals.
  • Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta’s second-half decline may have been part of the impetus to trade for Jedd Gyorko, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While Peralta himself said this past weekend that he doesn’t feel he wore down late in the year and always wants to play in as many games as possible, the 33-year-old batted just .247/.313/.305 over the season’s final two months. Hummel writes that Gyorko could be used to spell Peralta at third base despite a suspect glove at the position. Moreover, he notes that Aledmys Diaz, fresh off a monster second half and Arizona Fall League showing, could soon knock on the door to the Majors. “We’re excited where he is,” said GM John Mozeliak of Diaz. “I think you’ll probably see (Diaz) playing in the big leagues at some point this year, I wouldn’t rule that out at all and I welcome that.” Peralta expressed comfort with moving anywhere on the diamond, should the need arise, citing previous experience at third base and even at first base and in the outfield.
  • “Tanking” has become a popular buzzword due to the number of rebuilding clubs in the National League, but Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron rejects the idea that any of the so-called tanking teams is actually trying to lose as many games as possible. The Brewers have held onto the likes of Lucroy and Will Smith thus far despite favorable contracts that appeal to other clubs, and they haven’t paid down a significant portion of Braun’s deal to move his bat, either — a reasonable expectation for a club gunning for the No. 1 pick. The Reds have prioritized proximity to the Majors over long-term upside in trades of veterans and haven’t made an effort to move their best player, Joey Votto, Cameron writes. The Braves have signed Nick Markakis and targeted MLB-ready help like Shelby Miller, Ender Inciarte and Hector Olivera in trades over the past 15 months, to say nothing of their Nick Markakis signing (and, I might add, the complementary signings of A.J. Pierzynski, Jason Grilli, Jim Johnson and others). The Phillies are the only team that could reasonably fit the definition of “tanking” we see in the NBA, writes Cameron, but the best players in baseball can’t influence a team in the same manner they can in basketball. And, he rhetorically asks, would baseball truly be better off if the Phillies followed the path the Rockies have for the past several years — staunchly refusing to trade veterans (prior to this summer’s Troy Tulowitzki deal) and remaining in a noncompetitive state as opposed to “bottoming out in the hopes of bouncing back to high levels?”

Brewers Sign Chris Capuano, Cesar Jimenez To Minor League Deals

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The Brewers announced on Monday that they have signed left-handers Chris Capuano and Cesar Jimenez to minor league contracts with invitations to big league Spring Training (Twitter link). Jimenez spent the latter portion of the 2015 campaign in Milwaukee, and Capuano, of course, spent seven years in the Brewers organization earlier in his career.

Capuano was originally drafted by the D-backs but was traded to Milwaukee in 2003 alongside the man who now writes out the lineup card on a daily basis: Craig Counsell. Capuano, Counsell, Lyle Overbay, Jorge De La Rosa, Junior Spivey and Chad Moeller all went to Milwaukee in a trade that netted the D-backs Richie Sexson and two others in a trade that now looks quite lopsided, especially considering the fact that injuries held Sexson to 23 games in his lone year with Arizona.

Capuano would go on to pitch 744 2/3 innings of 4.34 ERA ball with the Brewers over the next seven years — two of which were completely wiped out by injuries. For his career, Capuano has a similar 4.39 ERA in 1405 2/3 innings, the most recent of which came in 2015 as a member of the Yankees. Capuano became an unfortunate poster boy for the DFA process last summer when New York designated him for assignment on four different occasions over a one-month span. His collective efforts with the Yankees resulted in a 7.97 ERA in 40 2/3 innings — making last year the clear worst season of his career.

Jimenez on the other hand, was a nice success story after being claimed off waivers from the Phillies organization. In 19 2/3 innings with the Brewers, the 31-year-old recorded a 3.66 ERA with a 21-to-8 K/BB ratio. All told, Jimenez pitched 23 big league innings last season and struck out 25 hitters against eight walks with a 3.13 ERA. Opposing left-handers batted a mere .200/.273/.200 against Jimenez, and he also held righties to a weak .208/.276/.358 batting line. Jimenez hasn’t always held righties in check so well (.749 lifetime OPS against), but left-handers have hit him at just a .231/.303/.327 clip in his career. With three-plus years of service time under his belt, the Brewers could technically control Jimenez through the 2018 campaign if he makes the team and establishes himself in their bullpen.

Both pitchers figure to compete for bullpen spots, though Capuano would probably be more in line for a long relief role, whereas Jimenez will hope to be deployed in similar fashion to the way in which he was used last season. The Brewers currently project to have only Will Smith in the bullpen as a left-handed option, so there’s certainly an opportunity to grab a spot for either player.

Twins, Trevor Plouffe Avoid Arbitration

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The Twins and third baseman Trevor Plouffe have avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $7.25MM, reports Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The former first-round pick and CAA Sports client had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to take home a $7.7MM salary in 2016 before filing for an $7.95MM sum. The team countered with a $7MM sum, meaning Plouffe’s ultimate salary will come in below the $7.475MM midpoint of those two figures.

Plouffe, 29, has somewhat quietly emerged as a strong contributor at third base over the past two seasons, during which time he’s batted .251/.317/.429 with 36 home runs for the Twins. While his offense performance dropped off between 2014 and 2015 (from a rate-stat perspective, anyhow), Plouffe appeared in a career-high 152 games and tallied a career-high 632 plate appearances in 2015, chipping in 22 homers and 86 RBIs — all of which factored into the $2.45MM raise he’ll receive over last year’s salary of $4.8MM. Formerly a shortstop that had to move off the position for defensive purposes, Plouffe has also turned himself into a solid to above-average defender at the hot corner, where he’s posted positive cumulative marks in Defensive Runs Saved (+5) and Ultimate Zone Rating (+8.4) across the past two seasons.

While many thought the team’s signing of Byung Ho Park would lead to a Plouffe trade by forcing Miguel Sano from DH to third base, the Twins plan to use Sano in the outfield and retain Plouffe at third base. It remains to be seen how the hulking Sano can handle the outfield (though his arm drew rave reviews from scouts), but for the time being, Plouffe figures to continue to serve as a key component of the Twins’ starting lineup in 2016. He’s under control through the 2017 season as a Super Two player, so he’ll be arbitration-eligible once more next offseason before qualifying for free agency. With Plouffe’s case resolved and Kevin Jepsen also signed to a one-year deal over the weekend, the Twins have now avoided arbitration with all six of their eligible players, as can be seen in MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1-25-16

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Here today’s minor transactions from around the league, all coming courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…

  • Former Cubs right-hander Rafael Dolis, who spent the 2015 season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate and re-signed with Detroit after the season, has now been released to sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The 28-year-old Dolis posted a 4.61 ERA at the Triple-A level last season and hasn’t seen the Majors since 2013. Somewhat curiously, Dolis becomes the second pitcher this offseason to sign a minor league deal with Detroit only to be released to head to Japan. Righty Jake Brigham did the same last month in order to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
  • The Royals signed former Twins/Tigers right-hander Lester Oliveros,. The hard-throwing 27-year-old was traded from Detroit to Minnesota in 2011’s Delmon Young swap. He missed a season due to Tommy John surgery but has generally pitched well in Triple-A when healthy, owning a 3.71 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at that level. In the Majors, he has a 5.22 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, but he’s averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball.
  • The Rays have signed left-hander Adam Wilk to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old saw his first Major League action since 2012 last year when he threw two innings for the Angels. Wilk’s 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 Major League innings isn’t impressive, but he’s a nice depth option for the club’s Triple-A rotation, having worked to a 4.14 ERA in 543 2/3 innings at that level. Wilk had similar numbers in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, posting a 4.12 ERA in 91 2/3 innings with the NC Dinos.

Marlins, Nats, Reds Interested In Bronson Arroyo

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JAN. 25: MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reports that the Marlins, too, have interest in adding Arroyo as a veteran option in their rotation (Twitter link). Miami has been said to be seeking a veteran to add to the rotation even after signing Wei-Yin Chen to a five-year deal. To this point, they’ve been connected to names like Doug Fister, Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum, Alfredo Simon and Kyle Lohse.

JAN. 24: The Nationals and Reds are interested in veteran starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. We heard rumors earlier today that Arroyo had recently visited Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. As Rosenthal reminds us (via Twitter), Arroyo bounced around three teams last season – the Diamondbacks, Braves, and Dodgers – while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The right-handed starter will turn 39 in one month. From 2004 through 2013, he was arguably the most durable pitcher in the game. Nobody made more starts than Arroyo over those 10 seasons (326 starts). Only CC Sabathia and Mark Buehrle threw more than his 2,074 innings. While never the most dominating pitcher in the league, Arroyo provided consistent value with a contact oriented, low-walk approach (career 5.81 K/9, 2.44 BB/9).

Cincinnati’s interest in Arroyo makes perfect sense. The club has a rotation chock full of unproven youngsters, giving Arroyo room to serve as a much needed veteran and inning-eater. The team also has plenty of experience with him – he pitched for the Reds from 2006 through 2013. In terms of opportunity for Arroyo and value to the Reds, there appears to be a strong fit.

Arroyo’s former manager Dusty Baker now manages the Nationals. The club would seemingly view Arroyo as depth. Tanner Roark and Joe Ross appear to have a claim on the final two rotation jobs, although neither pitcher is guaranteed to pitch well. Initially, Arroyo would likely have to compete with Yusmeiro Petit for a long relief role. In wooing Arroyo, the Nationals do have one major advantage over the Reds – they’re a contender.

Prospect Notes: Dodgers, Cuba, Reed

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The Dodgers’ Triple-A squad made a remarkable 334 transactions last season with 84 different players appearing in a game, writes Bill Plunkett of Baseball America. Director of player development Gabe Kapler implied that the big league club will continue to make frequent use of their minor league rosters as a way to shuffle depth around. Such a strategy can be particularly useful with back-of-the-roster pitching like spot starters and over-taxed young relievers.

  • Cuba’s Ciego De Avila club will represent the island nation in the upcoming Caribbean Series, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. The tournament begins on February 1. International tournaments are a commonly used opportunity to defect and join the majors. The most notable players in attendance will be Yulieski Gourriel, his young brother Lourdes Gourriel, and Alfredo Despaigne. Badler calls Yulieski, 31, the top player in Cuba, citing a .494/.586/.861 line in 215 plate appearances. Lourdes better fits the role of prospect – he’s 22 with a .340/.400/.561 slash. Badler calls him one of Cuba’s top five players. Despaigne is the best Cuban slugger. He hit .258/.352/.462 in 409 plate appearances last season for Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines. While those are the biggest names to watch, there’s no telling which, if any, players will defect.
  • MLB.com’s Jim Callis has unveiled his first base prospect rankings with the Astros’ A.J. Reed taking the top spot. Reed’s excellent first full season included some truly gaudy stats – 34 home runs, 113 runs, and 127 RBI. Callis notes that he still has to prove he can hit advanced left-handed pitching. Pirates prospect Josh Bell and Mets first baseman Dominic Smith are next up in Callis’ Top 10.

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