Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2016

Tigers Unlikely To Pursue Extension With J.D. Martinez

By | at

GM Al Avila made headlines earlier this week when he stated that changes were on the horizon for a Tigers team that “has been working way above its means for some time,” thereby implying that payroll needs to decrease, and he also added that the Detroit roster needs to get younger. While that doesn’t mean the Tigers will ship off cornerstones Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, it does call into question the future of some players who are nearing the end of their time with the team, including J.D. Martinez, whom Avila says isn’t likely to be extended this winter, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.

“I don’t foresee any talks of a long-term contract at this point,” Avila said of Martinez. “In saying that, we’re going to keep an open mind in what possibilities come across this winter, this coming summer. I’m not going to rule out that we wouldn’t consider a long-term deal, but sitting here today, we’re not thinking that way right now.”

An extension of Martinez, who is slated to become a free agent next winter, would represent yet another $100MM+ commitment for the Tigers given the extent to which the 29-year-old has blossomed since signing in Detroit. Martinez has batted a combined .299/.357/.540 over the past three years and averaged 34 homers per 162 games played along the way. He missed nearly two months of the 2016 season with a fracture in his elbow but was improbably even better after his time on the DL, slashing .332/.392/.553 with 10 homers over his final 232 plate appearances (albeit with the help of an unsustainable .418 BABIP).

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the possibility of a Martinez extension, noting that his age and emergence as an offensive force could push his price point beyond the six-year, $132.75MM figure for which Justin Upton signed last winter (depending on whether or not the Tigers and Martinez’s agents worked an opt-out clause into the deal). That number may look jarring for a player who was released by Houston in Spring Training 2014, but since Opening Day 2014, Martinez rates as the game’s 13th-best hitter by measure of wRC+ (via Fangraphs), placing him alongside the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Kris Bryant. His defense, as Mark addressed in the aforementioned Extension Candidate piece, is another story, but Martinez’s bat comes with tremendous value.

As such, the possibility of Martinez’s entrance into the trade market this offseason shouldn’t be taken lightly. Fenech speculates that Martinez is the likeliest member of the Tigers to be traded this winter, as doing so would trim $11.75MM off the payroll and net the team some much-needed premium minor league talent. The Tigers, after all, have a pair of young outfielders that are out of minor league options next year in Steven Moya and Tyler Collins, both of whom will need to make the Opening Day roster or risk being exposed to outright waivers. Dealing Martinez would free up a much clearer path to a big league opportunity for either player.

MLBTR Mailbag: Mariners, Rays, Rockies, KBO

By | at

Thanks as always for all of the questions in this week’s mailbag. As you know, we can only pick a short few, but you can ask the MLBTR staff considerably more questions during our three weekly chats — Tuesdays at 2pm CT with myself, Wednesdays at 6:30pm CT with Jason Martinez and Thursdays at 2pm CT with Jeff Todd. Onto this week’s questions…

Do you see the M’s making a push for a big-name free agent like Edwin Encarnacion to play first base and eventually take over at DH for Cruz in two years? I think he’d be a great clubhouse fit with Cano/Cruz/Felix/Martin. — Tara W.

There’s a definite fit for Encarnacion in Seattle, but GM Jerry Dipoto said at the time he signed on as the Mariners’ GM that he views free agency more as a means of augmenting his roster than of building up the foundation. The Mariners traded Mike Montgomery for Dan Vogelbach back in July with the belief that Vogelbach could be the team’s first baseman in the near future (and possibly shift to DH when Cruz departs), and adding in the fact that signing Encarnacion would mean parting with the No. 18 pick in next year’s draft only makes it seem more unlikely that they’ll beat the market for his services. I do think the Mariners will spend some money this winter, be it via free agency or taking on some contracts in trades, with the bullpen, one corner outfield spot and shortstop all likely areas of focus.

2008 is the last year the Rays had a catcher that could hit the ball. Do you see the Rays going after Kyle Schwarber of Cubs or J.T. Realmuto of Marlins? What kind of package would get either one? — Jim M.

Any fan hoping his or her favorite team will pry Schwarber away from the Cubs would be wise to simply move on from that line of thinking. Schwarber was one of the most untouchable players at this year’s trade deadline, with the Cubs steadfastly refusing to budge from their unwillingness to include him in a trade even for Andrew Miller. Realmuto won’t be easy to obtain either, though I can at least see the possibility of something working out with the Rays. The Marlins are in the market for rotation upgrades and have very little in the way of premium minor league talent, so using a big league piece like Realmuto to acquire that pitching could make some sense. The Rays have a number of young arms with which they could part, including Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Erasmo Ramirez, Matt Andriese and Blake Snell. The Marlins probably aren’t giving up four years of Realmuto in a one-for-one swap for any of those pitchers, but given the Rays’ rotation depth, the framework for a deal could certainly be worked out. One thing to consider with regard to Realmuto, though, is that the Rays have placed a high emphasis on pitch-framing in recent years (Rene Rivera, Hank Conger), and Realmuto receives poor ratings in that respect.

I’m excited about our offense in ’17 with the sole exception of 1b. Although a CarGo move to first sounds intriguing, a big right handed bat like Trumbo might make more sense. How much would that cost and can the Rockies afford it? — Jarrett M.

The Rockies would have to punt the top unprotected pick in the 2017 draft, No. 11 overall, in order to sign Trumbo this offseason, as he’s a lock to receive a qualifying offer and reject it in search of a significant multi-year deal. The Rockies would not only have to sacrifice that pick but also be willing to push their payroll up into record territory in order to add Trumbo into the fold, as they’re currently headed for a payroll around $109.5MM right now even before making any offseason additions, based on MLBTR’s arbitration projections. That figure could change, of course, in the event that someone like Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra or Carlos Gonzalez is traded, but as it stands, it’s tough to see the Rockies adding a bat that’ll figure to cost them at least $15MM per season on a multi-year deal this winter — especially when there are glaring needs in the bullpen and a deep reservoir of free-agent relievers from which to draw.

Are there any projected big name KBO or other foreign league players expected to be posted this offseason? Especially with the weak free agent pitching market this offseason, it seems like a a prime time to be posted. — Hunter M.

The simple answer is that there aren’t any superstar-caliber players that are lined up to become available this offseason. That would change in the event that Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters elected to post 22-year-old ace/slugger Shohei Otani, who posted a 2.12 ERA in 20 starts on the mound and also a 1.004 OPS in 382 plate appearances as an outfielder this past season, but to this point there’s been no indication that’ll happen.

There are still some names from the Korea Baseball Organization that will be available for unrestricted free agency this winter, though, meaning that like Hyun Soo Kim last offseason, they won’t have to go through the posting process. Left-handers Kwang-hyun Kim, Hyeon-jong Yang and Woo-chan Cha will all be eligible to sign with big league teams this offseason if there’s interest. It’s worth noting that the Padres won the rights to negotiate with Kim two winters ago when he was posted but never reached a deal, while the Rangers reportedly placed the top bid on Yang that same offseason, but his team, the Kia Tigers, rejected the $1.5MM figure. The Twins were also connected to Yang that winter.

Korean third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang, who was posted last season but did not receive a bid, is an unrestricted free agent this winter as well and could seek a deal with a Major League team as well. Hwang was able to replicate last year’s power surge at the plate while cutting his strikeout rate quite a bit, so it’s possible that he caught the attention of a few big league teams with his 2016 play. We’ve been told at MLBTR that Hwang will be coming over to the U.S. early next week and spend several weeks working out stateside, which should give big league clubs ample opportunity to take a look at him.

East Notes: Marksberry, Britton, Yankees, Cherington, Nats

By | at

Our thoughts at MLB Trade Rumors are with Braves left-hander Matt Marksberry and his friends and family, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the 26-year-old is being treated for “severe dehydration” at an Orlando-area hospital after originally going in for a non-baseball procedure. As O’Brien writes, Marksberry’s brother said on Facebook earlier today that he was on life support, though O’Brien cites multiple people familiar with the situation in stating that Marksberry is unconscious but has stable vital signs. Earlier this week, Marksberry tweeted: “I don’t want to sound selfish but I really could use some prayers for my health right now. Non baseball related. Thank you guys.” While the specifics surrounding Marksberry’s health are unclear, it seems certain that the complications he’s currently battling could be fairly severe. MLBTR wishes him a quick return to full health.

As we keep the young left-hander in our thoughts, a few notes on the game’s Eastern divisions…

  • Orioles closer Zach Britton is very cognizant of the fact that the team traded former closer Jim Johnson when Johnson’s salary reached a level that Britton is projected to surpass this winter, he tells Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com. “You saw it with Jim Johnson, once the salary got up to a certain point, he got traded,” said Britton. “I think I’m kind of approaching there. So I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. You see how many relievers are on the move nowadays. But it’d be nice to stay here.” Britton says he’s open to a contract extension and has enjoyed his time in Baltimore since being drafted as an 18-year-old but added that much of the onus to bring those talks about lies on the team. As Connolly writes, the O’s have been reluctant in the past to negotiate with players on the heels of career years, and Britton’s 2016 season was not only the best of his career but one of the best of any reliever in recent history. In 67 innings, Britton posted an unthinkable 0.54 ERA, averaging 9.9 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 and recording a ridiculous 80 percent ground-ball rate along the way.
  • Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal News writes that had the Yankees made the postseason, they’d have somewhat surprisingly been among the least-reliant teams upon free agency in the playoffs. The Yankees are leaning more and more away from free agency these days, Jennings notes, shifting their focus to trades and player development instead. Though the Yankees have needs in both the rotation and the bullpen, Jennings surmises that the rotation help the Yankees figure to seek is likelier to come from trades than free agency, also noting that if there’s an asset in which the team will invest on the open market, a high-end reliever makes the most sense.
  • Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins spoke highly of vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. The Twins “pushed hard” to persuade Cherington to lead their baseball operations department, per Drellich, but Cherington seems to have preferred a more low-key job that allows him to maintain a more normal routine. That may sound counter-intuitive, though as former Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos (now the Dodgers’ VP of baseball ops) explained to Drellich, the urgency to hold the coveted GM title is a bit reduced after already running a baseball ops department. As for Cherington’s role with the Jays, Atkins tells Drellich that Cherington will be involved in many facets of baseball operations: “I call him on a very regular basis on every front. And he’ll be involved in all of our offseason strategy, he’ll be involved in our draft, he’ll be involved in the international process. I’d imagine he’ll help negotiate contracts.”
  • The Nationals expect their entire coaching staff to return, tweets Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. As Castillo points out, that’s a complete 180-degree turn from last offseason, when the Nats fired not only manager Matt Williams, but nearly the entire coaching staff. In addition to bringing in manager Dusty Baker in 2016, the Nats hired veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux, baserunning guru/first base coach Davey Lopes, assistant hitting coach Jacque Jones, bench coach Chris Speier and bullpen coach Dan Firova. Each of those men will return for another season with the Nats, as will hitting coach Rick Schu and third base coach Bob Henley.

A.J. Preller Returns From Suspension

By | at

Padres general manager A.J. Preller returned from his unpaid 30-day suspension for failing to disclose medical information to the Red Sox in the Drew Pomeranz trade, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (links to Twitter) that following the dismissal of Padres CEO Mike Dee, Preller will now report directly to ownership (which Lin specifies further, listing Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler). According to Rosenthal, that arrangement will remain in place even after the Padres hire a replacement for Dee, as the team’s next president will only oversee the business side of operations. Furthermore, Rosenthal adds that the Padres plan to make at least one hire, if not two, that will ensure compliance with medical regulations.

Preller offered a short comment to Lin upon his return: “It’s obviously been a busy day catching up on phone calls, getting started, looking toward the off-season with the front-office group, getting back and talking to (Padres manager Andy Green). Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work in front of us, today has been busy catching up on everything, and looking forward to getting back on the job.”

Lin adds that despite recent speculation on the matter, Major League Baseball’s investigation into the scandal is complete. As commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier this month (link via the Boston Herald’s Evan Drellich), the Red Sox were asked whether they wanted to rescind the Pomeranz-for-Anderson Espinoza swap when it came to light that the Padres had withheld information, but the team elected to hang onto Pomeranz because the trade deadline had already come and gone (the implication being that they wouldn’t be able to acquire further rotation help). The team will not hire a president of baseball operations to oversee Preller, Lin continues, nor will Preller’s decision-making power diminish in the wake of the scandal.

John Gibbons Will Manage Blue Jays In 2017

By | at

The Blue Jays’ 2016 season ended with disappointment tonight as the team lost 3-0 to the Indians, who will move on to the World Series after topping Toronto 4-1 in the American League Championship Series. While the offseason comes with plenty of uncertainty for Toronto — Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Michael Saunders and Brett Cecil are all free agents — Jays president Mark Shapiro tells Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi that manager John Gibbons will return to manage the team in 2017.

The 54-year-old Gibbons will be entering the fifth season of his second stint as the Blue Jays’ skipper and will look to guide the team to its fourth consecutive winning season under his watch. Since coming back to the Blue Jays prior to the 2013 season, Gibbons has compiled a 339-309 record — a successful run that has boosted his career record as a manager to 644-614. Each of the 1258 games that Gibbons has managed at the big league level has come in a Blue Jays uniform.

“There’s a level of consistency with him in approach that is unflappable and I think that translates into toughness,” Shapiro tells Davidi. “He’s the same guy and in a role like this, when people tend to go with the wind and get so impacted by the emotion that flies all around us, that stability, that strength and that toughness from a leader is a real asset.”

There’d been some thought that Gibbons was in a “postseason-or-bust” situation with the Blue Jays, and while it’s unclear if that was truly the case, Toronto’s fairly deep playoff run rendered that a moot point. Gibbons will be entering his 10th season at the helm of the Blue Jays, though it’s unclear whether Jays decision-makers will pursue an offseason extension as Gibbons enters the final year of his contract. That, however, may not be considered a pressing issue for the team with so many roster issues facing them this offseason.

Reds Agree To New 15-Year Television Contract

By | at

The Reds and FOX Sports Ohio have agreed to a 15-year extension of the current television contract, which will now run through the 2032 season, reports Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Their current contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2017 campaign.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Reds COO Phil Castellini stated Wednesday that the extension will provide the Reds with a “nice increase” in their yearly rights fees, per Buchanan, which currently pay the team about $30MM annually. The contract also comes with an unspecified equity stake in the network for the Reds. However, Castellini also indicated that the Reds’ new television contract is still a small-market deal relative to monster contracts signed by other teams in recent years. The D-backs and Cardinals, for instance, each signed new television contracts that were valued at more than a billion dollars over the past three years (1.5 billion in Arizona’s case).

As Buchanan points out, though, the fact that Castellini somewhat downplayed the size of the deal doesn’t mean it can’t afford the team with a substantial increase. The Padres, he observes, play in the 28th-ranked U.S. television market but still landed a 20-year television contract worth one billion dollars back in 2012. The Reds, who play in the 34th-ranked market, likely fall shy of that deal but could still see a marked uptick in yearly television rights fees.

Castellini notes that the dip in the team’s attendance (and, subsequently, overall revenue) impacted the talks somewhat, but he stressed that all of the added revenue will go toward improving the on-field product. “…[A]s you all know, we budget this team to break even,” the COO explained. “We don’t pull any money out of the franchise. So we will continue to reinvest all topline revenues back into the product, and we define the product as player development, scouting and the major-league payroll, everything that goes into what (general manager) Dick (Williams) does to put the team on the field as well as the game-day experience at Great American Ball Park.”

Reds fans probably shouldn’t anticipate an immediate hike in the payroll, however. For starters, the team is still in the midst of a rebuilding effort that began in 2015, and it’s unlikely that they’ll make a large splash on the free-agent market (especially in a weak year for free agency). Secondly, as has been the case with other television contracts around the game, the increases in revenue are built in gradually as opposed to one mammoth leap in the first year of the deal. Specific details on the nature of those increases remains unclear, but it’s worth noting that the Reds haven’t exactly operated like many other small-market teams around the game. Cincinnati, for instance, averaged a $112.1MM payroll from 2013-15 and signed players like Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Homer Bailey to significant contract extensions (albeit with varying levels of success). The team has also been aggressive on the international market at times, signing Aroldis Chapman to a six-year, $30MM contract as a free agent that proved to be one of the game’s great bargains over the life of the pact. Likewise, Cincinnati inked right-hander Raisel Iglesias to a seven-year, $27MM contract that looks like a promising investment to this point as well. Currently, the Reds project to have an $88.5MM payroll on Opening Day next year, though that figure will of course change due to their offseason maneuverings.

Per Buchanan’s report, the Reds looked into the possibility of establishing and operating their own regional sports network, but it was deemed too difficult to get off the ground, specifically due to potential difficulties in negotiating distribution fees with cable providers and ensuring that the network would be accessible enough for fans.

Quick Hits: Rule 5, Reliever Usage, International Draft

By | at

Yesterday, we took stock of the results of the most recent Rule 5 draft, which resulted in five players sticking with their new organizations by holding a roster spot all year long (and three others staying around by other means). Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper puts those results in context, explaining that it was a fairly typical success rate by historical measure, though the last four years all saw a higher percentage of players kept. He also looks at some of the players who had substantial major league impact in 2016 despite being passed over in the draft last winter. Cooper’s BA colleague Matt Eddy also takes a close look at some of the minute details of Rule 5 eligibility, focusing on the case of Mariners lefty Luiz Gohara — who won’t need to be protected by being added to Seattle’s 40-man roster because he was assigned to the now-defunct Venezuelan Summer League upon signing. Eddy goes on to explain the importance of future Rule 5 eligibility to the international market, where players sign at a much younger age — often forcing tough, early decisions on their organizations.

Here are a few more notes from around the game:

  • It’s tough to deny that relievers are playing an ever-more notable role in this year’s postseason, as Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs explore. Though Arthur notes that the run-scoring gap between the postseason and regular season isn’t much different than usual, Cameron argues that hitters are performing worse than ever thanks to aggressive bullpen usage.
  • As Arthur suggests in his piece, postseason trends can be reflected in regular seasons that come thereafter. (Of course, as Orioles reliever Zach Britton explains in an interesting chat with Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com, it’s much easier to push high-leverage arms in the postseason because there are more built-in off-days.) In this case, the value of employing a variety of high-octane pen arms might be reflected on a free agent market that offers several top-end relievers. ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden argues, further, that there may be a related impact on free agent starters. Obviously, the weak crop of rotation pieces available this winter will lead to a much lower overall outlay on starters than we saw in the last free agent class. Beyond that, though, Bowden says that a shift northward in relievers’ value, along with improved defensive positioning, will weaken market demand for back-end starters whose primary appeal lies in the ability to gobble up innings.
  • The looming idea of an international draft has led to many warnings about its possible ramifications, and Latin American “trainers” are among the groups who are most concerned. Ben Badler of Baseball America looked at the subject a few years back. It isn’t a universal viewpoint, Badler noted, but many trainers, agents, and also team personnel have expressed worry that a draft is being negotiated by a union that doesn’t truly represent the young amateur players whose future will be impacted by any decision. Badler’s piece represents a worthwhile look at some of the viewpoints of people who live and work in the areas that will be directly impacted by any changes to the system, focusing on the trainers who exercise significant influence over players who seek opportunities with major league organizations.

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Angels

By | at

MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams.  Click here for the other entries in this series.

After a season that was destroyed by injuries, the Angels will attempt to assemble a healthier, more competitive team for 2017.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via MLB Trade Rumors)

Contract Options

Free Agents

You’ve heard the Angels’ sob story by now. They suffered a rash of injuries early in 2016 that effectively ruined their season, forcing them to lean on questionable starters like Tim Lincecum in a desperate effort to find someone, anyone, who could take the ball every fifth day. They have Albert Pujols signed to a toxic contract. And they have a thin collection of prospects that, before the season, ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider-only) described as “by far the worst system I’ve ever seen.” Woe be the Angels, woe be Mike Trout, and woe be GM Billy Eppler, who took the job last October.

Or so it would appear. Without a doubt, the Angels have problems. But their situation is more complex than their 74-88 2016 season and terrible farm system make it seem. The worst might be over, and the team can take big steps this winter toward a much-needed reboot.

The Angels’ poor 2016 performance was due in large part to a pitching staff that, by advanced metrics like xFIP and SIERA, ranked with the Reds as one of the league’s worst. That staff should be much better next season. Garrett Richards, who pitched just 34 2/3 innings in 2016, appears to be healthy after opting for stem cell treatments rather than surgery to rehab his torn UCL. It’s far from certain dodging Tommy John will work out for him, or that he’ll return to his earlier form, but the news so far is promising. Tyler Skaggs, too, could pitch a full season after missing all of 2015 and most of 2016 due to arm trouble. The 2017 Angels already appear to have more healthy rotation talent than the 2016 team did, and that’s before even making a move.

Then there are Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, who made a combined $40MM in 2016. Neither helped the team — Weaver spent the season on a futile quest to prevent opposing hitters from smashing 83-MPH fastballs to smithereens (although he deserves some credit for soaking up 178 innings despite his velocity troubles), and Wilson was hurt. They’ll both be free agents, and their departures will give the Angels considerable payroll flexibility, as they’ll only have about $125MM in payroll commitments for 2017 (including their arbitration-eligible players) compared to $165MM last season. In the recent past, they’ve limited payroll in an effort to stay beneath the luxury-tax threshold; it’s not entirely clear where the threshold will be next year, but it is clear the Angels will be comfortably beneath it before they begin shopping.

This is, unfortunately, not a good offseason to go hunting for pitching help, which the Angels will still need even if we make the tenuous assumption that Richards and Skaggs will be fully healthy. Those two could join Matt Shoemaker and Ricky Nolasco in the Angels’ 2017 rotation, but the team still needs a starter, or maybe two. The best starters the organization has who haven’t yet been mentioned here are Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano, who are both likely to miss the 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery. And the team’s farm system seems unlikely to produce much in the way of starting pitching help, or to give it much currency to acquire a starter on the trade market. The Angels do have lefty Nate Smith at Triple-A, and perhaps Brett Oberholtzer could be an option if he misses Super Two. Alex Meyer is another possibility. But the Angels don’t have much in the way of depth.

That could mean they enter a free agent market headed by Rich Hill, Ivan Nova and Jeremy Hellickson. Alternately, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register recently suggested, they could use their available funds to take on a bad contract. They’ll have to get creative to make trades, but there should be a variety of pitch available with salaries high enough to limit the prospect cost they’ll take to acquire — someone like Jaime Garcia or Clay Buchholz, who both have 2017 team options, could make sense, or perhaps the Angels could pursue a young veteran like Tom Koehler or Drew Smyly.

The Angels’ position players were productive in 2016, as any group of hitters led by Mike Trout will tend to be. Trout, Kole Calhoun and Andrelton Simmons give the Angels a formidable core, and the team also seems somewhat settled at third base (where they’ll almost certainly exercise the option of the productive Yunel Escobar, although perhaps it’s at least faintly possible they could move Escobar to second and try to acquire a third baseman instead) and 1B/DH (where they have C.J. Cron and Pujols’ immovable contract).

That leaves catcher, second base and one outfield spot. Luckily for the Angels, the markets at those positions are more robust than the starting pitching market. Available catchers include Matt Wieters, Jason Castro and the injured Wilson Ramos. There’s also the chance the Angels could again gamble on Geovany Soto, who missed most of 2016 due to various injuries but was productive when he played. Soto might be an especially good fit for the Angels in that he would likely only require a one-year deal, helping the Angels balance their desire to be competitive in 2017 with the likelihood that they won’t contend until future seasons. Whoever the Angels end up with, he’ll likely pair with Jett Bandy, who struggled to get on base but otherwise had a reasonably productive rookie season in 2016.

The second base market is headlined by Neil Walker and Chase Utley, with only Walker requiring what figures to be a significant long-term commitment. It’s surely a long shot, but signing both Utley and either Sean Rodriguez or Steve Pearce would be an interesting outside-the-box move. Rodriguez and Pearce are both right-handed batters who hit well and could be good complements to the lefty-swinging Utley, while also potentially helping the Angels’ outfield situation.

The top prize in the outfield will be Yoenis Cespedes, making the relatively safe assumption that he’ll opt out of his deal with the Mets. The Angels weren’t among the top contenders for Cespedes last offseason because of luxury-tax concerns, but that could be different this winter. Jose Bautista, Ian Desmond and Carlos Gomez are also available. A left-handed hitter like Michael Saunders, Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Colby Rasmus or Jon Jay, or a switch-hitter like Angel Pagan, could work, since the Angels currently have a righty-heavy lineup. (The list of current Angels righties also includes former top Mets prospect Jefry Marte, who hit well down the stretch last season and could get playing time in the outfield as needed.) Former Angels slugger Mark Trumbo will be available after a 47-homer season, but the Angels would do well to avoid him at the price they’re likely to have to pay, since he’s poor defensively and they don’t have space at DH.

The bullpen’s 3.77 ERA in 2016 was merely respectable, and its 4.45 xFIP and 4.15 SIERA indicate that Angels relievers were weaker than their ERAs suggested. Closer Huston Street figures to be healthy after a terrible 2016 season in which he posted a 6.45 ERA in 22 1/3 innings and missed time to oblique and knee problems. It remains to be seen whether he can return to form, given his poor 2016 performance and his velocity, which has declined since 2009 and now rests at around 88 MPH. Cam Bedrosian likewise ended the season on the DL due to a blood clot, but his future appears brighter than Street’s — he had a brilliant 2016 season and figures to be healthy for Spring Training.

The 2017 bullpen should also feature some combination of Jose Alvarez, J.C. Ramirez and Mike Morin, all of whom soaked up innings at least somewhat effectively last season. And, depending on who remains on their 40-man roster once the offseason is through, the Angels will also have a variety of even lower-wattage options to sort through, like Blake Parker, Deolis Guerra, Kirby Yates, Meyer, and lefties Cody Ege, Ashur Tolliver and Greg Mahle.

Parker, Yates, Ege and Tolliver are all recent waiver claims, and the waiver claim has lately been the Angels’ most-used tool to compensate for their lack of farm system depth. The team could continue to tread down that narrow avenue and others like the Rule 5 Draft, which is where they originally got Guerra. It might even work, at least to a degree — Parker, in particular, seems likely to be at least somewhat productive in the big leagues, based on his recent minor league numbers. Still, the Angels will probably want to grab at least one experienced reliever on a big-league deal this offseason, particularly given the uncertainty regarding Street. They might also want to re-sign Andrew Bailey, who pitched well in 12 appearances with the team.

The Angels have many holes. Even if they spend relatively heavily, they aren’t likely to adequately fill them all, and it will be awhile before Eppler and his front office can produce enough homegrown talent for the team to start filling talent gaps with farm-raised players. For now, they’ll have to spend money, and be creative where spending on free agents won’t work. (The Angels do currently have the last protected pick in the 2017 draft, and therefore won’t risk losing a farm-system-nourishing first-round pick if they pursue free agents who have been extended qualifying offers.)

Mike TroutThe good news is that they have Trout, a player so terrific that the Angels can be competitive if the rest of their players are even adequate. A player who routinely produces nine-win seasons can hide a lot of problems. The 2017 Angels aren’t going to be perfect, but Trout alone gives them a solid chance at being decent, and some smart free-agent signings could make them even a bit better than that.

After the Angels’ rash of injuries last year, there was plenty of outside discussion about the team potentially trading Trout. But the speculation went nowhere, and understandably so. It would be extremely difficult for the Angels to get fair value for Trout, for one thing. Also, he only recently turned 25, and he’ll be under team control for four more seasons. That should be enough time for Eppler to improve the Angels’ talent base. If the team’s big-league core hasn’t significantly improved in a couple years, the Angels can easily wait to trade Trout then, as long as he stays healthy.

In the meantime, the situation in Anaheim isn’t as dire as last season made it look. The team’s farm system is an ongoing problem, and it gives the organization a low floor — injuries ruined the Angels’ 2016 season, and that could happen again next year or in 2018, because the organization currently doesn’t have the depth to compensate for them. That’s a serious concern, given that it isn’t automatic that Richards will be ready to pitch and pitch well. But with Trout, Calhoun, Simmons, Richards, Shoemaker and Bedrosian aboard, there’s plenty of talent. And with money to spend, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Eppler were able to cobble together another contending team before too long.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Hill, Dodgers, Baldoquin, Rangers’ Park, Rockies Catchers

By | at

Dodgers lefty Rich Hill is one of the more unique players we’ll ever see, and it’s his unfathomable transactional path that makes his current performance all the more amazing. SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee pens an interesting piece in honor of a hurler whose success nobody saw coming when he was suiting up for the Long Island Ducks last year. Hill just carved up the Cubs last night in game three of the NLCS, striking out six and allowing two hits and no runs over a half-dozen frames. That outing bolsters an already-intriguing free agent resume for the 36-year-old.

Here’s more from out west:

  • The Dodgers represent a unique compilation of talent, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. Los Angeles managed to cover for an unbelievable number of injuries — though, to be fair, at least some were anticipated given the team’s risky investments (Hill included) — and still managed to take the NL West. Despite near-constant change in the major league roster and its in-game deployment, the club has thrived and seemingly hit its stride at the right time.
  • Across town, the Angels are holding out at least some hope for infielder Roberto Baldoquin despite two forgettable campaigns, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Injuries have kept him off the field and limited his developmental opportunities, though Fletcher notes that conditioning may be partially to blame. Certainly, what the team has seen hasn’t been promising. The 22-year-old, who signed on for an $8MM bonus that nearly doubled with penalties and restricted the organization’s international spending, has stalled out at High-A with a composite .219/.269/.267 batting line over the last two years. But the Halos developmental staff says that Baldoquin works hard, with coaches suggesting that he has at least shown enough in the field to warrant the continued investment of resources into his future.
  • While the Rangers and the City of Arlington have maintained that the costs of their new stadium project will be split evenly, WFAA-TV has found several factors which significantly complicate that characterization. Following up on a prior report that suggests tax revenues may be diverted to the team, shifting the burden away from the Rangers and onto the city’s taxpayers, the most recent report outlines other significant ways in which anticipated revenue will flow to the club’s coffers. Stadium naming rights and seat licenses — both highly valuable commodities — would flow to the club despite the fact that the city is set to own the ballpark itself. In the aggregate, the news station assesses the split in real costs at about $1.675 billion for the city (including interest on a bond issue to fund it) versus $500MM for the team. These revelations, which are disputed by Arlington mayor Jeff Williams, come as voting polls show a tight split in opinion on the upcoming referendum. (For opposing viewpoints, see here and here for just a few examples.)
  • One major question for the Rockies this winter is how to handle the catching position, as Thomas Harding of MLB.com covers in response to a reader question. Colorado does see improvement in the glovework of Tom Murphy, but at present there’s a gulf between his pitch framing ability and that of incumbent part-timer Tony Wolters. Of course, free agent-to-be Nick Hundley does not excel in that area either, which perhaps suggests the team will be willing to move on from him this winter.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top