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Archives for December 2016

East Notes: Harvey, Nationals, Mets, McCutchen

By charliewilmoth | December 21, 2016 at 10:21am CDT

Former big-leaguer Bryan Harvey says his son, Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey, could return to throwing next week after having Tommy John surgery in July, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. (Hunter Harvey himself told MASN’s Steve Melewski last week that he would begin throwing the day after Christmas.) Harvey’s progression will be slow, in keeping with the very long timeline associated with TJ recoveries — he won’t pitch off a mound for quite awhile. Still, he appears to be on schedule, and there’s a chance he could pitch near the end of the 2017 minor league season. Harvey, the 22nd pick in the 2013 draft, is currently the Orioles’ third-best prospect, according to MLB.com. He was off to a very promising start to his pro career in 2014 when he suffered an elbow injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. He briefly returned in 2016 before it became clear Tommy John surgery was necessary. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Nationals’ search for a solution to their closer issues goes back nearly a decade, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Janes identifies Chad Cordero — who had three good seasons in Washington from 2004 through 2006 — as the team’s last good long-term option at the position. Now, the departure of Mark Melancon and the team’s failure to sign Kenley Jansen fit in with a long-term pattern of the Nats missing out on long-term closer help. The team could now turn to an internal option like Blake Treinen or Shawn Kelley to take the ball in the ninth.
  • The Mets do not need to trade for Andrew McCutchen, who provides “a very convoluted answer to their outfield logjam,” Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets have been fleetingly connected to McCutchen, but he’s coming off a season in which he was poorly rated defensively and didn’t fare much better on offense. The McCutchen rumors indicated the Pirates would want pitching in return, but Ackert notes that the Mets themselves can use their young pitcher stockpile, and that their young arms are likely to be healthier in 2017 than they were last year.
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Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Washington Nationals Andrew McCutchen Hunter Harvey

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AL Central Notes: Indians, White Sox, Twins

By charliewilmoth | December 21, 2016 at 9:24am CDT

Last summer, the Indians discussed a deal that would have sent prospects to the Brewers for Jonathan Lucroy, but those plans were scuttled when Lucroy blocked a trade to Cleveland. Months later, those prospects are still in the Indians’ system, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian notes. “There were a whole lot of unknowns,” says Greg Allen, one of the prospects reportedly included in the deal (along with Francisco Mejia, Yu-Cheng Chang and Shawn Armstrong). “When I saw he had vetoed the trade, I obviously didn’t really know what was going to happen next, if there was going to be a counter offer or different things like that. It was pretty crazy to be a part of.” Indians GM Mike Chernoff says that assistant GM Carter Hawkins (then the team’s farm director) joined various members of the team’s front office and coaching staff who helped explain what happened to the players who ultimately weren’t dealt. “They definitely reiterated that message — the fact that it wasn’t getting rid of guys, but more so a compliment to those guys that were involved,” says Allen. “Especially in that trade with myself, Yu-Cheng Chang, Francisco Mejia, guys who have pretty good resumes on their own. It just kind of speaks to that.” Here’s more on the AL Central.

  • The White Sox acquired the top four prospects traded this offseason, as MLB.com’s Mike Rosenbaum notes (perhaps not surprisingly). Rosenbaum’s list of the top prospects to be dealt this winter begins with Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez, and also includes two other new White Sox, Luis Alexander Basabe (who’s at No. 6 and who came with Moncada and Kopech in the Chris Sale deal) and Dane Dunning (who’s at No. 7 and who arrived in the Adam Eaton deal with Giolito and Lopez).
  • The Twins have agreed to bring Jeff Pickler aboard to join their big-league coaching staff next year, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes. Pickler previously served as a special assistant for pro scouting and player development with the analytically inclined Dodgers, and he’s expected to serve as a liaison between the team’s front office and its coaching staff. Pickler played eight years as an infielder in the Brewers system and has also worked in scouting with the Padres and Diamondbacks.
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Chicago White Sox Cleveland Guardians Minnesota Twins

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Pirates Designate Brady Dragmire For Assignment

By charliewilmoth | December 21, 2016 at 8:22am CDT

The Pirates have announced that they’ve designated righty Brady Dragmire for assignment. The move clears space on the team’s 40-man roster for righty Daniel Hudson, whose signing is now official.

Dragmire has now been removed from a team’s 40-man four times since late September, when the Blue Jays designated him and then dealt him to the Pirates for cash. The Bucs then lost him on waivers to the Rangers earlier this month, only to claim him again two weeks later.

The 23-year-old Dragmire pitched in the bullpen for Double-A New Hampshire in the Jays system in 2016, posting a 4.38 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 72 innings. He’s had a very high ground-ball rate throughout the minors, however, perhaps giving him a bit of upside his modest traditional statistics don’t capture.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Brady Dragmire Daniel Hudson

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Quick Hits: Reds, Hudson, Mariners, Twins, FA Relievers

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 10:46pm CDT

The Reds were among the teams in contact with reliever Daniel Hudson before he agreed to join NL Central rival Pittsburgh on a two-year, $11MM deal Monday, Cincinnati general manager Dick Williams told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Due diligence has been a theme for the rebuilding club this offseason as it looks to upgrade a bullpen that was utterly disastrous in 2016.  “I think we’ve talked to pretty much everybody out there, even the ones that appear not to be in our price range,” Williams said regarding available relievers. “You still want to have conversations because things change, people’s markets change. We offer opportunity, not just money. It’s important to convey to every available pitcher what the opportunity might be.” The likelihood is that the Reds will wait until closer to spring training to add to their bullpen, writes Sheldon, with Williams noting that he’s targeting “value plays.”

More from around the majors:

  • Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has made 32 trades in just 14 months on the job, and he explained to Greg Johns of MLB.com why he prefers that route to free agency. “With trades, you’re acquiring players that fit your roster,” Dipoto said. “It gives you the ability to fit a puzzle piece in with some degree of precision, because you identify the pieces and move forward. With free agents, you’re in the market competing with 29 other teams. You have to fit the puzzle piece, but also sell your team, stadium, manager, city, the money. Each step gets more complicated.” Given the Mariners’ desire to improve their rotation, not to mention reports connecting them to other teams’ starters, a 33rd Dipoto trade could be on the way. The GM also wants to pick up another reliever, but odds are that will come via free agency, per Johns.
  • Catcher Jason Castro’s pitch-framing prowess played a significant role in the Twins’ decision to sign the ex-Astro to a three-year, $24.5MM contract last month, writes Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Both StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus have ranked Castro among the game’s premier framers over the past three seasons. If that keeps up, it should help a pitching staff that previously worked with a subpar framer, Kurt Suzuki, and tied for the majors’ worst ERA last season (5.09). “The whole idea of signing Jason Castro, a lot of it was measured on the impact of catching on a staff,” manager Paul Molitor told Bollinger. “As we’ve learned more about how to quantify that, it’s probably been a little bit of an undervalued position for guys that handle some of those types of things better than others. We thought that was a big piece in trying to at least start off a way of trying to figure out a way to pitch better.” On the subject of framing, Castro commented, “It’s something over the last couple years I’ve tried to refine as much as possible. I don’t know if ’enlightenment’ is the right word, but there was a focus on this new topic of pitch framing. I tried to get a better understanding of what works, what doesn’t.”
  • Free agent right-hander Anthony Bass spent last season in Japan, but he could be on his way back to the majors. The 29-year-old, a former Padre, Astro and Ranger, has received multiple offers this winter and might land a major league deal, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). Bass saw extensive big league action in 2015, when he amassed 64 innings with Texas and logged a 4.50 ERA, 6.33 K/9 and 2.81 BB/9. Those numbers are closely in line with Bass’ career totals across 278 1/3 frames (4.40 ERA, 6.05 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9).
  • Like Bass, fellow righty reliever Todd Coffey is looking for a major league opportunity. Coffey hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2012, having since spent time in the Pacific Coast League, the Mexican League and the independent Atlantic League, but he told MLBTR’s Jeff Todd earlier this month that his fastball still sits in the mid-90s. The 36-year-old owns a lifetime 4.10 ERA, 6.75 K/9, 2.83 BB/9 and 51.4 percent ground-ball rate in a combined 438 2/3 innings with four teams.
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Cincinnati Reds Minnesota Twins Seattle Mariners Anthony Bass Daniel Hudson Jason Castro Todd Coffey

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East Notes: Red Sox, Nationals, Yankees, Braves

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 8:59pm CDT

At least one team has shown interest in left-hander Drew Pomeranz this offseason, but the Red Sox haven’t made him available, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Boston subtracted from its starting depth by trading Clay Buchholz to the Phillies on Tuesday, though it still has six quality options in Chris Sale, David Price, AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright. It’s unclear which member of the Pomeranz-Rodriguez-Wright trio will be the odd man out of the rotation to begin next season. While Pomeranz has plenty of relief experience, he was also among the majors’ top starters as a member of the Padres during the first half of 2016. That led the Red Sox to send highly regarded pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to San Diego in July, but the deal hasn’t yet gone as planned for Boston. Pomeranz wasn’t healthy down the stretch, which caused plenty of controversy, and logged a 4.59 ERA despite a 9.36 K/9 and 3.15 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings with the Sox.

More from the majors’ East divisions:

  • Free agent right-hander Aaron Barrett is drawing interest, including from the Nationals, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). The 28-year-old reliever has thus far spent his entire career with Washington, which chose him in the ninth round of the 2009 draft, and has posted a 3.47 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9 in 70 major league innings. Injuries have derailed Barrett of late, unfortunately, as he missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2015. He then fractured his elbow last July and needed a second surgery.
  • Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda’s numbers were “mind-boggling” last season, manager Joe Girardi told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Although he finished seventh among starters in K-BB percentage (20.4), Pineda recorded the majors’ seventh-worst ERA (4.82) across a career-high 175 2/3 innings. Along with the sport’s fourth-highest home run-to-fly ball ratio (17 percent), Pineda surrendered a .339 batting average on balls in play and a bloated .406 mark with two outs. “The average of batted balls in play off of him with two outs [.406] — it just doesn’t make sense,” said Girardi. “You look for reasons. Believe me, we’ll look; I’m sure we’ll look a long time this winter.” Pineda’s issues in 2016 weren’t a first-time occurrence – despite a 20.2 K-BB percentage, he also underwhelmed in run prevention (4.37 ERA), BABIP (.332) and homers (14.7 percent HR/FB ratio) in 2015. He’s now entering a contract year and, along with Masahiro Tanaka and C.C. Sabathia, is one of just three Yankees with significant major league experience from the rotation.
  • With outfielders Ender Inciarte, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis in possession of starting spots, the Braves are leaning toward having Mallex Smith begin 2017 with Triple-A Gwinnett, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “[Smith] is a talented player, but he still needs more development,” president of baseball operations John Hart said. “At the same point, Mallex is interesting because he can do a lot of things for you. He can [play] all three outfield positions and he can run. But the question we are asking ourselves is, ’Are we doing him a disservice and ultimately ourselves a disservice by making him a role or bench player?'” The 23-year-old Smith factored heavily into Atlanta’s lineup during the first half of last season, but he fractured his left thumb in June and didn’t return until September. All told, the speedy Smith hit .238/.316/.365 with three home runs and 16 steals in 215 plate appearances as a rookie. The Orioles reportedly asked for Smith in exchange for reliever Brad Brach earlier this month, but the Braves turned them down.
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Atlanta Braves Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Washington Nationals Aaron Barrett Drew Pomeranz Mallex Smith Michael Pineda

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Minor MLB Transactions: 12/20/16

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 7:34pm CDT

The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • Outfielder Juan Perez, third baseman Zack Cox and right-handed reliever Waldis Joaquin have joined the Tigers on minor league deals. Perez’s only major league experience came as a member of the Giants, with whom he batted .224/.267/.316 in 246 plate appearances from 2013-15. All of his time in 2016 was spent with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, where he slashed .276/.310/.444 with nine home runs and 16 steals in 412 trips to the plate. Cox went to the Cardinals in the first round of the 2010 draft (25th overall), but he didn’t get to the majors with either them or his second organization, the Marlins. The 27-year-old hit .290/.348/.452 in 460 PAs with Wichita of the independent American Association last season. Joaquin, who spent the past few seasons pitching in Mexico and his native Dominican Republic, was with the Giants from 2007-11. He notched 21 2/3 big league innings of 5.40 ERA ball during that period, also adding matching strikeout and walk rates of 7.06 per nine.
  • The Reds have signed righty reliever Rob Wooten to a minor league contract, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Wooten last pitched in the majors in 2015, when he totaled six innings as a member of the Brewers. Overall, he has registered a 5.03 ERA, 7.01 K/9, 2.91 BB/9 and 48.1 ground-ball rate in 68 major league innings – all of which have come with the Brewers, who selected him in the 13th round of the 2008 draft. The 31-year-old spent last season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate and recorded a 3.58 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 1.36 BB/9 in 73 frames.
  • The Diamondbacks have added righty swingman Brooks Hall on a minors deal. Hall, 26, went to Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2009 draft and stayed with the organization through last season, but he hasn’t yet cracked the majors. He saw his first action at the Triple-A level in 2016 and struggled with a 6.94 ERA, 4.24 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 23 1/3 frames. Most of Hall’s recent work has come at the Double-A level, where he has logged a 3.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 across 267 2/3 innings since 2013.
  • To continue the theme of ex-Brewers catching on elsewhere, third baseman Garin Cecchini has signed a minor league deal with the Royals. Cecchini, whom the Brewers designated for assignment in October, hit .271/.325/.380 over 469 Triple-A plate appearances last season. The 25-year-old was previously a high-end prospect with Boston, and even slashed a terrific .258/.361/.452 in a small sample of 36 major league PAs in 2014, but the shine truly wore off in 2015. That year, Cecchini batted just .213/.286/.296 in 496 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • Righty Jon Edwards has re-signed with the Padres on a minors pact, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The 28-year-old reliever missed all of last season after suffering a flexor strain in spring training. He previously totaled 25 innings with the Rangers and Padres from 2014-15.
  • The Cubs have reached a minors agreement with middle infielder Elliott Soto, who was previously with the organization from the 2010 draft (15th round) through the 2015 campaign. All of Soto’s action last season came with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate, with which he hit .241/.358/.297 in 190 plate appearances. In 2,202 minor league PAs, Soto has batted .249/.329/.299.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals San Diego Padres Transactions Brooks Hall Elliott Soto Garin Cecchini Jon Edwards Juan Perez Rob Wooten Waldis Joaquin Zack Cox

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Roughly 20 Teams Interested In Tyson Ross

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 6:41pm CDT

Although free agent right-hander Tyson Ross threw just 5 1/3 innings last season and is on the mend from October thoracic outlet surgery, the vast majority of major league teams are interested in his services. Roughly 20 clubs are in on Ross, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who specifically names his previous team – the Padres – along with the Cubs, Rangers, Pirates and Indians as suitors.

The Padres non-tendered Ross at the outset of this month, but general manager A.J. Preller then revealed there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between the two sides. However, Ross is reportedly seeking $9MM or more in guarantees, and the Padres were already unwilling to pay him a similar amount in arbitration (an estimated $9.6MM).

Since the Padres cut Ross, no team has been connected to the 29-year-old more than the Cubs. Chicago – which Heyman indicates has visited with Ross – nearly acquired him via trade in July 2015, when he was amid a three-year run as a front-line starter. From 2013-15, Ross posted a 3.07 ERA, 9.16 K/9, 3.48 BB/9 and 58.2 ground-ball rate over 516 2/3 frames, but San Diego elected against dealing him. That proved to be a mistake in hindsight, as Ross’ shoulder troubles kept him off the field last season after a truncated Opening Day start and ultimately led to the end of his Padres career (temporarily at least).

If healthy, Ross would slot into a Cubs rotation that’s currently set to feature Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Mike Montgomery. The reigning World Series champions could use another left-hander in their righty-packed bullpen, and adding Ross would perhaps enable them to shift Montgomery, a southpaw, to a relief role. Ross would have to recover first, of course, and Peter Gammons tweeted earlier this month that he should be OK by April.

The Rangers and Pirates have also been in the Ross chase since the Padres non-tendered him, though it’s difficult to imagine low-payroll Pittsburgh approaching his asking price. The Indians, whom FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal previously named as a possible landing spot for Ross, also aren’t known for spending. The Tribe’s run to the World Series proved lucrative, though, which could help them secure Ross.

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Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres Texas Rangers Tyson Ross

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Rockies “Keeping Track” Of Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 5:25pm CDT

The Rockies have a full cast of position players on their hands after signing Ian Desmond, but they’re continuing to keep an eye on high-profile free agent sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, according to general manager Jeff Bridich.

“It would be stupid of us not to keep track,” Bridich told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday (Twitter link).

Encarnacion and Trumbo have been connected to the Rockies throughout the offseason, but their odds of signing either seemingly decreased significantly with the addition of Desmond. Although the 31-year-old Desmond has spent his entire career in either the middle infield or the outfield, Colorado handed him a five-year, $70MM deal with the intention of deploying him at first base. The Rockies would presumably send Desmond to the outfield if they were to further increase their payroll by inking either Encarnacion or Trumbo, the former of whom would be a first base-only option in the National League. Trumbo has experience in the outfield, where he spent most of 2016 as a member of the Orioles, though he’s clearly better suited at first.

The Rockies already have a full complement of starting outfielders in Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl, and an expensive reserve in $8MM man Gerardo Parra. Blackmon’s name has been especially popular in the rumor mill since the club picked up Desmond; however, if the Rockies were to trade him, they would reportedly require a return similar to the haul the Nationals sent the White Sox for fellow outielder Adam Eaton earlier this month. While Blackmon is coming off a career year, having slashed .324/.381/.552 with 29 home runs, 17 steals and a personal-best 3.9 fWAR across 641 plate appearances, expecting him to bring back an Eaton-type package would likely be unrealistic. Blackmon is a couple years older (30 to 28), for starters, and is only under team control for two more seasons. He’ll make an estimated $9MM in 2017, his penultimate year of arbitration, while Eaton is controllable through 2021 (including two club options) at just $38.4MM.

Regardless of what it would mean for Blackmon or Gonzalez, who’s due $20MM in the final year of his contract and doesn’t seem likely to land an extension, pairing Encarnacion or Trumbo with hitter-friendly Coors Field would be an enticing proposition. It would also only cost the Rockies a second-round pick instead of a first, which they surrendered when they signed Desmond.

Trumbo, who will turn 31 in January, led the majors with 47 home runs last season, though his track record pales in comparison to Encarnacion’s. Since his 2012 breakout, Encarnacion is second in the majors in homers (193) and third in ISO (.273). The soon-to-be 34-year-old has also posted a .272/.367/.544 line, good for a robust 146 wRC+, along with an impressive BB/K ratio of .83. The longtime Blue Jay’s overall production took a step backward last season (.263/.357/.529 in 702 PAs), but he remained among the majors’ top hitters and tied a career high with 42 long balls.

Trumbo’s plate discipline is nowhere near that of Encarnacion, evidenced by both the subpar BB/K ratio (.27) and below-average on-base percentage (.303) he has put up in his career. Trumbo should cost less than Encarnacion as a result, which could make him a likelier target for Colorado. At last check, Trumbo’s best offer was from the Orioles – four years, $52MM – but they pulled that proposal off the table over the weekend. Encarnacion, meanwhile, is in long-term discussions with several teams, agent Paul Kinzer revealed last week.

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Colorado Rockies Edwin Encarnacion Mark Trumbo

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Jason Hammel To Change Agents

By Connor Byrne | December 20, 2016 at 4:09pm CDT

Free agent right-hander Jason Hammel is leaving Octagon and will likely join ACES, major league sources told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Hammel’s agency switch comes at a time when he’s clearly among the best starters remaining on the open market. The 34-year-old became available Nov. 6, when the World Series champion Cubs surprisingly declined his $12MM option for 2017 in favor of a $2MM buyout. Hammel surely would have had value as a trade chip, but Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein decided to give the 11-year veteran a chance to cash in as a free agent.

Hammel has had two stints with the Cubs, the first of which lasted for part of the 2014 season and ended when they traded him and fellow righty Jeff Samardzija to the Athletics that July in exchange for shortstop Addison Russell, who’s now a franchise cornerstone. Hammel, who was also previously with the Rays, Rockies and Orioles, then rejoined the Cubs the next winter on a three-year, $30MM pact. Thanks to Chicago’s decision to buy him out, Hammel ultimately collected $20MM of that sum.

Over the past three seasons, including his short stint in Oakland, Hammel has recorded a 3.68 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 40 percent ground-ball rate over 513 2/3 innings. Hammel logged a 3.83 ERA with 7.78 K/9, 2.86 BB/9 and a 42.1 grounder mark in 166 2/3 frames in 2016. He also posted a double-digit swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent) for the second straight year and maintained his typical velocity. However, late-season elbow tightness helped lead the Cubs to keep Hammel off their roster for all three of their playoff series.

There are no indications that Hammel’s elbow will be an issue going forward, though, and several teams have shown interest in him this offseason. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts a three-year, $42MM deal for the potential ACES client. MLBTR will include Hammel’s defection from Octagon in its Agency Database, which contains agent information on more than 2,500 major league and minor league players. If you see any notable errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

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Uncategorized Jason Hammel

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Padres Re-Sign Clayton Richard

By Jeff Todd | December 20, 2016 at 4:07pm CDT

4:07pm: The Padres have announced both Richard’s deal and the signing of Jhoulys Chacin.

3:26pm: Richard’s pact also features $1MM in incentives, including a $250K assignment bonus if the Padres trade him, reports Heyman (Twitter links).

12:35pm: The Padres have agreed to re-sign lefty Clayton Richard to a one-year deal, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’ll earn $1.75MM, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter).

Richard and the Padres have already had their formal reunion, so this move represents a continuation of a revived partnership that began way back at the 2009 trade deadline. San Diego picked up Richard as a big part of the swap that sent righty Jake Peavy to the White Sox.

Long a member of the Padres rotation, Richard turned in some quality seasons but left the organization after his shoulder issues resurfaced in 2013. After a brief 2014 appearance in the minors with the Diamondbacks, he joined the Pirates in advance of the 2015 season. With Richard showing well at Triple-A, he was able to make use of an “upward mobility” clause in his contract; when the Cubs showed interest in adding him to their MLB roster, he was back in the bigs.

That 2015 campaign was a good one for the veteran, though he returned primarily in a long relief role. Over his 42 1/3 innings, Richard worked to a 3.83 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That led to a $2MM major-league contract in the ensuing winter. But things didn’t work out quite as well the second time around in Chicago; over his 14 frames in 25 appearances, he managed only a 6.43 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece).

Cut loose by the Cubs, Richard headed back to San Diego and turned things around — at least in terms of the bottom-line results. Over nine starts and a pair of relief appearances, he turned in 53 2/3 innings of 2.52 ERA ball. Of course, it’s important to bear in mind that he still managed only 5.7 K/9 to go with 4.0 BB/9, though Richard also ended the year with a career-best 65.1% groundball rate over his 67 2/3 total frames.

[RELATED: Updated Padres Depth Chart]

With opportunity aplenty in the Padres’ rotation, it seems likely that Richard will enter camp with the expectation of securing a starting job. But if that doesn’t work out, or if he falters during the season, it’s certainly possible that he could end up spending time in the pen as well. Despite the middling K/BB numbers last year, Richard did show signs of hope for the coming season. Beyond the groundball advances, Richard also sported an average fastball velocity in his typical career range (91.2 mph) and boasted a personal-best swinging-strike rate of 8.5%, due in part to the fact that he got hitters to chase and whiff even as he worked out of the zone at by far the lowest levels of his career (42.6%).

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San Diego Padres Transactions Clayton Richard

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    Yankees Likely To Promote Cam Schlittler

    Astros Sign Hector Neris

    Dodgers Not Planning To Add Third Base Help Before Deadline

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

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