Archives for 2016

Brad Ziegler Close To Decision

By Steve Adams | December 16, 2016 at 12:00pm CDT

DEC. 16: FanRag’s Jon Heyman and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman both hear that Ziegler is close to a decision (Twitter links). Sherman notes that the Yankees and Mets haven’t been in serious contact with Ziegler’s camp since the Winter Meetings, so he’s likely headed elsewhere. Heyman relays word of a team that has yet to be linked to Ziegler remaining in the mix. (The “mystery team” strikes again!)

Cotillo adds a bit more context to the scenario, tweeting that Ziegler is hoping to come a decision by the end of the day.

DEC. 15, 8:20pm: The question at this point seems to be whether an organization will move up to a full, three-year guarantee, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links). If it’s a two-year arrangement, the final guarantee is expected to end up at around $17MM, he adds.

2:49pm: Right-hander Brad Ziegler is weighing multiple offers and could make a decision in the near future, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Ziegler seemingly has multi-year offers on the table — not a surprise in this relief market — and could end up with either a two-year deal (plus an option) or three years, he adds.

Ziegler, who turned 37 in October, is coming off a pair of brilliant seasons split between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox during which he recorded a pristine 2.05 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a gaudy 68.1 percent ground-ball rate. The side-arming righty isn’t the typical late-inning power arm that racks up strikeouts while overwhelming opponents — his fastball, in fact, averaged just 83.9 mph in the past two seasons — but his knack for inducing weak contact and keeping the ball on the ground has made him one of baseball’s most successful relievers since debuting as a late-blooming 28-year-old rookie back in 2008.

Over the life of his nine-year Major League career, Ziegler has never posted a single-season ERA higher than 3.49, and he’s kept his ERA under the 3.00 threshold in six of those nine years. Despite a lack of velocity and missed bats, he’s managed to consistently excel, as evidenced by his lifetime 2.44 ERA in the Majors. He figures to land a high-leverage relief spot when he does sign — possibly as a closer — and he’s no stranger to such roles, having amassed 85 saves and 120 holds to this point in his career.

The Diamondbacks, Marlins, Yankees, Rockies and Mets have all been connected to Ziegler to varying levels, although the Yankees and Mets reportedly would need to shed some salary in order to add another free agent to the roster (or, at least, have confidence that they’ll be able to do so). The Rockies, of course, just added southpaw Mike Dunn on a three-year deal earlier today, so it’s not clear if they’ll have continued interest in adding a reliever, and reports have characterized both the D-backs and Red Sox as unlikely landing spots for Ziegler. Still, given the significant number of clubs in the market for bullpen help, it seems likely that Ziegler will be able to command a strong two-year pact, at minimum. Cotillo’s tweet may suggest that no team has been willing to guarantee the third year just yet or that Ziegler has a three-year offer from a club that isn’t a clear-cut contender, although that’s just my own speculation/inference.

Marlins Interested In Brad Ziegler, Joe Blanton

By Steve Adams | December 16, 2016 at 11:01am CDT

The Marlins’ preferred bullpen targets after missing out on both Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman are righties Brad Ziegler and Joe Blanton, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Miami reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with Junichi Tazawa yesterday but is still hopeful of adding one more reliever to its bullpen, it seems.

[Related: Miami Marlins Depth Chart]

Blanton and Ziegler are arguably the top two relievers left on the market now that upper-echelon names like Chapman, Jansen and Mark Melancon have signed. Ziegler, 37, has recorded a sensational 2.05 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 68.1 percent ground-ball rate over the past two seasons while pitching in hitter-friendly environments (Arizona and Boston). Though he averages just 84 mph on his fastball, Ziegler is a ground-ball machine that has a penchant for inducing weak contact. He’s said to be weighing multiple two-year offers right now, as teams are apparently reluctant to put three-year deals on the table due to his age. With an average of 70 appearances per season dating back to 2009, though, Ziegler’s durability has been impressive.

As for Blanton, the 36-year-old looked to be done with baseball in 2014 after a rough stretch with the Angels, but he’s reinvented himself as a reliever over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.65 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 165 innings between the Royals, Pirates and Dodgers. Despite his age and his struggles toward the end of his tenure as a starting pitcher, multi-year deal seems likely for Blanton based on that impressive run.

Miami currently has a solid on-paper bullpen featuring A.J. Ramos, Kyle Barraclough, David Phelps, Tazawa, Dustin McGowan and lefty Hunter Cervenka. Adding either Ziegler or Blanton would further deepen that unit and provide support to a considerably shakier rotation. Deepening the bullpen has been a long-stated goal for the Marlins, who reportedly made a significant offer to Kenley Jansen before he inked his new deal with the Dodgers. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that Miami also made Aroldis Chapman an offer that was between $80-86MM and may have been willing to go higher, but their offer didn’t include a no-trade clause and was heavily backloaded (Twitter links).

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/16/16

By Steve Adams | December 16, 2016 at 9:34am CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league….

The Mets signed sidearm right-hander Ben Rowen to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Rowen, 28, made his second Major League appearance last year but surrendered five runs in three innings at the big league level. He was outstanding in Triple-A, though (2.33 ERA in 58 innings), which has become par for the course for Rowen. In parts of four seasons there, Rowen owns a 2.22 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against just 1.5 BB/9. His delivery also leads to exceptionally high ground-ball rates, as was the case in Triple-A last season, when he induced grounders at a 60.2 percent clip. Rowen has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, during which time he’s amassed a 1.85 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 to complement those strong ground-ball tendencies.

Orioles Sign Welington Castillo

By Jeff Todd | December 16, 2016 at 8:30am CDT

Though recent reports had downplayed the possibility, the Orioles announced on Friday that they’ve signed free-agent backstop Welington Castillo to a one-year deal with an option for the 2018 season. That option is reportedly a player option, meaning Castillo will be guaranteed a total of $13MM but can opt out of the contract after the first season should he choose. The ACES client will earn $6MM in 2017 and $7MM in 2018 (if he opts into the second season of his deal).

Depending upon one’s perspective, then, that constitutes a two-year, $13MM pact with an opt-out after the first year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected he’d earn $5.9MM via arbitration before he was non-tendered by Arizona earlier in the offseason. Instead, he’ll get just north of that figure in 2017 while adding the security of the player option.

Assuming that the 29-year-old Castillo clears the Orioles’ medical check, he’ll step into the void left by fellow free agent Matt Wieters, who now seems all but certain to end up elsewhere. While it seems the contract will be framed as including a player option, it’s just the same as a two-year arrangement that includes an opt-out provision, as Baltimore will take the risk of a downturn in Castillo’s performance.

In Castillo, the Orioles will add one of the better power-hitting catchers in baseball. Since landing with the Diamondbacks in a mid-2015 trade, he has knocked 31 home runs in 760 plate appearances. Of course, the larger portion of the damage came in his first year in Arizona; Castillo fell back last year from a robust .216 isolated power mark to a roughly league-average level (.159).

Still, the overall offensive profile is a solid one for a receiver. All told, Castillo slashed .261/.320/.452 with the D-Backs. He does carry rather pronounced platoon splits, hammering lefties while operating at around a .700 OPS clip against same-handed pitchers. Presumptive reserve Caleb Joseph has more neutral numbers for his career, showing slightly more power against righties but reaching base much more frequently when operating without the platoon advantage.

While Castillo has brought more overall offensive production of late than the long-time starter he’ll replace, the O’s new leading man behind the dish isn’t much loved for his glove. StatCorner rated him as a slightly below-average framer last year, while Baseball Prospectus mostly panned his framing work. BP regarded his other measurable skills (blocking, throwing) at a roughly average rate.

Regardless of whether one prefers Castillo or Wieters, there’s no denying that the O’s will save some payroll space by taking this route — at least, that is, as against last year’s payout to Wieters, who accepted a $15.8MM qualifying offer. It remains to be seen what the 30-year-old switch hitter will end up with now that he’s a free agent for the first time, though the paucity of teams still seeking everyday options behind the plate does not necessarily bode well for any hopes of a large, lengthy contract.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter links) as well as the financial details of the deal (also via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Market Chatter: Brach, Jeffress, Rangers, Rockies, Adams, LoMo

By Jeff Todd | December 15, 2016 at 10:55pm CDT

Here’s the latest chatter on the trade and free-agent markets to round out the evening:

While there has been some movement on the free-agent market for relievers now that the top three arms are off the board, there’s also some untapped potential on the trade side, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Orioles are “willing” to deal Brad Brach, who quietly turned in an excellent season and is projected by MLBTR to earn $2.9MM in his second pass at arbitration. And the Rangers are taking calls on some arms, with Jeremy Jeffress — a quality sinkerballer who has dealt with substance-abuse issues — said to be “in play,” among other hurlers. He, too, projects at a $2.9MM tab in his first season of arb eligibility.
The Rangers have held discussion with the Rockies about the latter organization’s potentially available outfielders, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s not entirely clear just who might be targeted, though certainly Charlie Blackmon would make for a high-quality and reasonably affordable fit — presumably, bumping Shin-Soo Choo to DH and perhaps moving Carlos Gomez to a corner. Carlos Gonzalez could also step into right for Choo, though he’s owed $20MM this year — which, from all indications, is more than Texas is looking to spend. Lining up may not be easy, though Colorado surely would have interest in some of the Rangers’ relievers.
With little apparent need for him given their present roster construction, the Cardinals are “listening” on first baseman Matt Adams, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Particularly with so many defensively limited, left-handed bats still floating around in free agency, it’s certainly hard to see Adams drawing an exciting return. The 28-year-old put up a slightly above-average .249/.309/.471 batting line last year and did pop 16 long balls, but was scarcely used against left-handed pitching. (While he actually hit well against southpaws last year, it came in a minimal sample; over his career, Adams owns a .212/.243/.352 batting line without the platoon advantage.) MLBTR projects Adams to earn $2.8MM in his second season of arbitration eligibility, so he may at least be somewhat cheaper than some of the other players who rival clubs will be considering.
One piece of that surplus of lefty bats, free-agent first baseman Logan Morrison, is starting to see his market heat up a bit, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). As Passan notes, Morrison did hit quite well for much of the year, though his putrid opening month and a half left the 29-year-old with an overall .238/.319/.414 batting line — which, much like his career production, sits right at the league average level. Like Adams, Morrison has traditionally been much better against right-handed pitching, though his splits aren’t nearly so dramatic.

Latest On Market For Edwin Encarnacion

By Jeff Todd | December 15, 2016 at 8:48pm CDT

8:53pm: Texas has been in touch with Encarnacion’s reps to gauge his price, but it’s not known if the team has made an offer, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweets.

8:48pm: It has been a while since we’ve checked in on the market for Edwin Encarnacion, the best free agent who remains on the market (as ranked by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes). Here’s the latest chatter on the veteran.

Though there’s a great match on paper, the Indians seemingly remain uninterested in going beyond their typical comfort zone for Encarnacion, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. While the concept of a higher-AAV, three-year deal with an opt-out after the first season has been floated, that may be a non-starter — though it’s fair to note that the organization has given reasonably significant guarantees out in free agency before (Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn). And while it appears reasonable to think that Cleveland might bite with a big number for a single season only — if Encarnacion is reduced to seeking such an arrangement — Rosenthal suggests that the team may be loath to part with a draft pick to add him for just one year.

Meanwhile, the Athletics are “at least considering” an attempt to sign the free-agent slugger, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Importantly, though, it’s not entirely clear whether the A’s are positioning themselves to catch Encarnacion if his market collapses, or whether they’d put together a significant, multi-year offer. Though Oakland has options at first base and designated hitter — it avoided arbitration with Yonder Alonso and could platoon him with Mark Canha, and could feature Stephen Vogt at DH — those assignments aren’t exactly etched in stone, and there’s little question the team could stand to add some thump.

Perhaps the most obvious remaining landing spot for Encarnacion on a sizable deal would be the Rangers, but GM Jon Daniels dumped yet another sizable bucket of ice water on that idea, as MLB.com’s TR Sullivan writes. Texas is “highly unlikely” to move on the best remaining free agent, said GM Jon Daniels. While other outside targets are still being weighed, the executive suggests that the first-base position is still most likely to be filled from within.

All said, it’s increasingly difficult to see where Encarnacion will land a major contract. The Blue Jays were said to have offered $80MM over four years, but took that off the table — though they are said to be maintaining contact. As Rosenthal recently explained, though they may give the idea some thought, the Cardinals may not make a ton of sense, particularly since they play in the National League and have already said they’ll utilize Matt Carpenter at first. And it remains to be seen whether any other suitors — such as the Rockies or (speculatively) the Orioles or Red Sox — may ultimately emerge in full pursuit.

Of course, as agent Paul Kinzer recently noted, there’s no denying that Encarnacion offers a massive bat that isn’t otherwise available (at least, not via free agency). He’s certainly a good enough hitter that it would not be entirely surprising to a see a team re-arrange other aspects of its roster to create a fit. The Encarnacion camp’s declared willingness to be patient may be tested, but a sizable contract can’t be ruled out at this point by any stretch.

Yimi Garcia Underwent Tommy John Surgery Recently

By Jeff Todd | December 15, 2016 at 7:17pm CDT

Dodgers righty Yimi Garcia required Tommy John surgery in late October, according to a team announcement (via MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, on Twitter). He had previously been shut down with a significant injury to his biceps, and also underwent knee surgery in September.

Garcia, 26, has just over two years of service time to his ledger at present, so he won’t be eligible for arbitration until next fall. But he’s highly unlikely to pitch before that time, meaning the Dodgers will likely need to make a decision on whether to tender him a contract for 2018 before he has returned to full competitive action.

The 2016 season was basically a total loss for Garcia, who only made nine major league appearances before he was shut down. But he was quite good a season prior, throwing 56 2/3 frames of 3.34 ERA ball in his first full MLB campaign. Even more impressively, Garcia averaged 10.8 K/9 against just 1.6 BB/9 in that span, making good on the promise he had shown during a brief debut in 2014.

When operating at full capacity in 2015, Garcia delivered an average fastball of over 93 mph, with a cutter and slider to go with it. There’s certainly enough upside in his remaining years of control to imagine the Dodgers taking the gamble on a tender — especially since arbitration salaries aren’t guaranteed until late in camp. Of course, the team will have plenty of time to weigh that decision and evaluate Garcia’s progress in the meantime.

Before the start of the 2016 season, MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum undertook a statistical analysis of the likelihood of Tommy John surgery. Garcia checked in with a slightly elevated expectation of requiring a UCL replacement, based upon the factors that Woodrum identified as having some limited statistical significance.

Marlins To Sign Junichi Tazawa

By Jeff Todd | December 15, 2016 at 6:31pm CDT

The Marlins have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent righty Junichi Tazawa, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). He’ll earn $12MM in the contract, per Rosenthal, with $5MM in the first year and $7MM coming in the second, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter).

[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]

Tazawa, 30, has long carried strong strikeout-and-walk numbers, with a lifetime 8.9 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9, though he induces grounders on less than two of every five balls put in play against him. From 2012 through 2014, that steady backdrop allowed Tazawa to carry an excellent 2.62 ERA over 175 1/3 innings.

While the K/BB figures remained about the same over the ensuing two seasons, however, Tazawa has fallen off in the results department. Since the start of 2015, he has allowed 4.15 earned runs per nine. The main culprit in 2015, perhaps, was an elevated .349 batting average on balls in play against him. While that fell back to earth (.292) in 2016, Tazawa showed a new susceptibility to the long ball, allowing 1.63 homers per nine.

The Marlins could have a relative bargain on their hands if Tazawa’s earned-run dip is more fluke than fact. He was mostly dinged up last year in a six-appearance stretch in August, but finished strong and otherwise was much the same pitcher as usual. His average fastball velocity in 2016 (92.8 mph) was down slightly against prior years, but not drastically so (he had ranged between 92.2 and 93.9 over the prior four seasons). And Tazawa’s 13.0% swinging-strike rate was the second-best mark of his career.

Having missed on top-dollar closer Kenley Jansen, Miami will instead plug Tazawa — and, potentially, another as-yet-undetermined new acquisition — into the set-up corps. A solid unit is taking shape in front of presumptive closer A.J. Ramos, with Tazawa joining returning righties David Phelps and Kyle Barraclough, each of whom was excellent in 2016.

Of course, that’s not quite the potential super-pen that has been hypothesized as the Fish seemingly moved off of the idea of dealing for a high-quality starter, but there may be more yet to come from president of baseball operations Michael Hill and his staff. Having watched as former southpaw reliever Mike Dunn landed with the Rockies earlier today, it’s possible to imagine the Marlins turning their sights to the remaining market for lefty relievers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yankees Designate Nick Goody, Announce Aroldis Chapman Signing

By Jeff Todd | December 15, 2016 at 6:15pm CDT

The Yankees have designated righty Nick Goody for assignment, per a team announcement. The move creates 40-man space for the addition of Aroldis Chapman, whose signing is now official.

Goody, 25, threw 29 frames in 2016 for the Yankees. Though he ended up with a marginal 4.66 ERA, he did managed 10.6 K/9 to go with 3.7 BB/9. The biggest problem, it seems, was that Goody coughed up seven long balls in his limited action.

It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see a trade or claim on Goody, who has been dominant in the upper minors. Over the last two seasons, he has racked up 119 strikeouts in 85 2/3 frames at Double-A and Triple-A, while issuing just 25 walks. And he has allowed a total of 16 earned runs on a paltry 55 base hits in that span.

While he’s not a hard thrower, averaging around 91 mph with his fastball, Goody generated swings and misses at a robust 15.0% rate in the majors in 2016. That’s thanks to a filthy slider that he utilizes in nearly half of his deliveries to the plate. The elevated dinger rates — which have also cropped up at times in the minors — seemingly suggest that his pitch mix requires Goody to walk a fine line.

Rockies’ Asking Price On Blackmon Extremely High

By Steve Adams | December 15, 2016 at 5:56pm CDT

Earlier this week, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich spoke about the perpetual Charlie Blackmon trade rumors, telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Thomas Harding) that he’s never felt a need or a desire to part with Blackmon and has explained as much to the outfielder himself. Bridich likened the scenario to that of Carlos Gonzalez — another oft-rumored trade candidate that remains with the Rox — suggesting that he fields plenty of calls from teams doing their due diligence but has never had an inclination to trade Blackmon.

This morning, ESPN’s Jayson Stark added some more context to the Blackmon market (via Twitter). Stark spoke to an exec whose team expressed interest in Blackmon but found the asking price to be exorbitant. “They’re only trading him if they get an Adam Eaton type deal,” the unnamed exec told Stark. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch agrees, tweeting that the Cardinals ran into a staggering asking price when searching for center fielders, ultimately upping their offer to Dexter Fowler rather than entertaining the notion of parting with the necessary young talent to procure a center fielder such as Blackmon on the trade market.

Eaton, of course, was traded from the White Sox to the Nationals last week in exchange for a massive haul that included top prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez as well as 2016 first-round pick Dane Dunning. While it should be cautioned that one executive’s take doesn’t necessarily depict Colorado’s exact asking price, it seems safe to assume that Bridich isn’t keen on moving Blackmon barring an overwhelming offer.

It should also be noted that it seems decidedly unlikely that a team will step up and make such an offer. Blackmon is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $9MM next season and will be arbitration-eligible once more before hitting the open market after the 2018 season, meaning he’ll cost more in his final two arbitration years than Eaton will over the next three years combined. Beyond that, Eaton is controlled for a total of five years and was arguably the better all-around player in 2016, depending on how much weight one assigns to his defense and baserunning. Even those who consider Blackmon to be the better player can likely acknowledge the notion that five years of Eaton at a total of $38.4MM (with the final two years being non-guaranteed club options) carries more value than two years of Blackmon at somewhere between $20-23MM.

Nonetheless, the signing of Ian Desmond has only fueled speculation that the trade of an outfielder is nigh for the Rockies, but Bridich steadfastly denied that at this week’s Desmond press conference, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. While the GM conceded that he’ll continue to keep an eye on the first base market, he also repeatedly stressed that Desmond was brought in not to play in the outfield but to play at first base. “Until [Mark Trumbo and Edwin Encarnacion] are fully signed, we will certainly keep abreast of the market, just like we always do, but we signed Ian to be our first baseman.”

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