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AL Notes: Bautista, Saunders, Holliday, Lewis, Angels

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Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins and Jay Alou (Jose Bautista’s agent) have remained in contact since speaking on the final day of the Winter Meetings, FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi tweets.  It seemed like the door was more or less closed on a reunion between the two sides, though the fact that talks re-opened during the Meetings and have apparently continued represents notable progress.  If the qualifying offer and accompanying draft pick compensation has indeed been hampering Bautista’s market, re-signing with the Jays would seem like a logical avenue for Bautista.  From Toronto’s perspective, the team would have to see enough value in bringing Bautista back into the fold that it would be willing to pass on the first-round compensation pick the Jays would receive if Bautista signed elsewhere.

Here’s more from around the American League….

  • We’ve already heard about the Indians’ one-year offer to Mike Napoli, though earlier this week, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported (Twitter link) that the Tribe also offered one-year contracts to Matt Holliday and Michael Saunders.  Holliday was known to be a Cleveland target and he ended up signing a one-year, $13MM deal with the Yankees.  The Blue Jays and Orioles have shown interest in Saunders but the winter rumor mill has otherwise been pretty quiet for the Canadian outfielder.  Saunders hit .253/.338/.478 with 24 homers over 558 PA for Toronto last season, though his production badly declined after the All-Star break.  The Tribe already has several left-handed hitting or switch-hitting corner outfield options, though Saunders could play in the field or perhaps get some DH time when Carlos Santana is at first base, given Saunders’ poor fielding metrics last season.
  • The Rangers continue to have interest in a reunion with Colby Lewis, though there doesn’t appear much has changed between the two sides, GM Jon Daniels tells MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.  “There is always going to be interest in Colby.  There is no doubt about the man.  No question there.  There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said.  It’s more dollars and what the opportunity there is,” Daniels said.
  • After a dire 2016 season, the Angels are already looking in better shape for next year, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes.  The acquisitions of Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa fill two big lineup holes for the Halos, and they’ve added pitching depth to bounce back from the rotation’s injury-plagued season.  In Rosenthal’s view, the Angels could be a .500 team with better health and better luck, though making the postseason is still unlikely at this point.

Astros Interested In Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura

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Royals starters Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura are two of the pitchers on the Astros’ list of rotation targets, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports.  The two K.C. arms join several other previously-known names (i.e. Jose Quintana, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and other Tampa Bay’s starters) as potential trade fits for a Houston team looking to upgrade its starting pitching.

Kansas City is known to be open to dealing notable players in order to cut short-term payroll, and the Royals have already made one big move in this regard by dealing Wade Davis to the Cubs for Jorge Soler.  Even with Davis gone, however, the Royals have several more possible trade chips who are only controllable over the next one or two seasons before hitting free agency.

Duffy fits into that category, as MLBTR projects the southpaw to earn $8.2MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency after the 2017 season.  K.C. began preliminary extension talks with Duffy earlier this winter but were also gauging interest in his services during the Winter Meetings.  Duffy, who turns 28 late this month, posted a 3.51 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 4.48 K/BB rate over 179 2/3 innings for Kansas City last year, finally solidifying himself as a member of the rotation after being used as a part-time reliever in the previous two seasons and at the start of 2016.

While Duffy would be a one-year rental, Ventura is locked up through at least 2019 due to a contract extension that includes club options for both 2020 and 2021.  Ventura is guaranteed $20.25MM through 2019 and, if both options are exercised, Ventura’s deal would cost $43.25MM over the five seasons.  Even if Ventura merely continues to post numbers akin to his only-okay 2016 season (4.45 ERA, 50.2% grounder rate, 6.97 K/9, 1.85 K/BB rate over 186 innings), that deal is still very good value given the rising costs of starting pitching, and it could become a major bargain should Ventura take a step forward in performance.

Ventura has been the subject of controversy due to reported maturity issues and his two suspensions for throwing at batters, though the Royals denied reports that they were shopping the righty last summer.  One would think that given Ventura’s age (25) and reasonable contract, the Royals would see him as a long-term building block rather than as a trade chip.  Their willingness to least listen to other clubs’ offers could be due to doubts about his personality, or it could just be due diligence, as Ventura’s years of control could net K.C. a nice return in a trade.

The Astros have a deep minor league system that could satisfy the Royals or other teams looking for young talent, and Houston could also offer starting pitching of its own in the form of Collin McHugh or Mike Fiers.  Since the Royals plan to contend next season, they could fit as a team that would take on a solid rotation piece like McHugh or Fiers rather than just prospects in exchange for a pitcher; the Davis trade, for instance, netted the Royals a player in Soler who they expect to contribute immediately.

Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, McHugh, Fiers and the newly-signed Charlie Morton project as Houston’s rotation.  It’s an unspectacular but solid rotation, and one that could look better on paper if Keuchel returns to his Cy Young Award form of 2015.

Bullpen Notes: Nationals, Miller, Marlins

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Some items on the always-busy relief pitching market…

  • The Nationals explored acquiring Andrew Miller at last July’s trade deadline, though balked at the idea of moving Lucas Giolito and other prospects for the ace reliever, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian recently noted (as cited by ESPN.com’s Buster Olney in his latest subscriber-only column).  Trading for Miller would’ve solved Washington’s search for a long-term closer, and the Nats ended up moving Giolito anyway at the Winter Meetings to obtain Adam Eaton “in a market saturated with outfield options.”  This decision presents an interesting what-if for Nats fans, though the answer could simply come down to the fact that the Nationals no longer valued Giolito as highly.  “Their view of Giolito obviously changed completely.  Whatever it was, they were working to move him,” an evaluator tells Olney.
  • Speaking of Miller, this offseason’s skyrocketing relief prices have made the Indians lefty a bargain for the team, Zack Meisel of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.  Miller is owed $9MM in each of the next two seasons, a fraction of what he would earn if he was on the open market this winter.
  • Brad Ziegler and Neftali Feliz have been mentioned as potential Marlins backup plans if they can’t sign Kenley Jansen, and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro also adds Fernando Salas and Junichi Tazawa to the team’s list of possible candidates.  Overall, the Fish would be looking to add relievers with closing experience, though A.J. Ramos would likely remain Miami’s closer.

Gammons On The Red Sox: Bautista, Swihart, Benintendi, Starters

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Peter Gammons (in his latest piece for his GammonsDaily.com website) looks back at five of the major storylines coming out of the Winter Meetings, including prices in the reliever market, teams dealing prospects and how the Red Sox have established a clear window to aim for at least one World Series title between now and the end of the decade.  Gammons also includes a few hot stove tidbits about the Sox…

  • Free agent slugger Jose Bautista “wanted to work something out” with the Red Sox but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told Bautista’s agent that the Sox were out of payroll space.  Boston has over $178.3MM committed to just 10 players on the 2017 roster, plus Rusney Castillo and Allen Craig.  Adding Bautista on a notable salary would again put the Sox over the luxury tax threshold, putting the team in line for a sizeable penalty.
  • Dombrowski “refused to talk about” Blake Swihart with several teams that were interested in the former top prospect.  Swihart is coming off a tough 2016 campaign that included a demotion to Triple-A, a position switch from catcher to left field due to defensive issues and a severe ankle injury that ended his season in June.  Still, since Swihart is just 24 and less than two years removed from being a consensus top-20 prospect in the game, it isn’t shocking that teams were looking to buy low, nor is it a surprise that Dombrowski wants to keep him in the fold.
  • We’ve already heard about how the White Sox wanted Rafael Devers as part of the Chris Sale trade, and Gammons reports that Chicago also had interest in Andrew Benintendi as the deal’s starting point but Boston refused.  Benintendi, another highly-touted prospect, made a strong MLB debut in 2016 and looks to start next year as the Red Sox starting left fielder.
  • The Sale trade gives the Red Sox a rotation surplus, and the club isn’t likely to really explore dealing a starter until Spring Training, when the Sox have a better idea of what to expect from question marks like Swihart, Pablo Sandoval, Christian Vazquez or Sam Travis.  Gammons also notes that the Sox could simply hang onto all of their starting pitching options as extra depth against the injuries that will almost inevitably occur during a season.

NL Notes: Bumgarner, Cardinals, Fowler, Mets, Conforto

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The Giants have made it known that their goal is to retain ace Madison Bumgarner for the long haul, but a contract extension might not come until next offseason at the earliest because of the luxury-tax threshold, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants will outspend the mark for third straight year in 2017, writes Shea, meaning they’ll have to pay a 50 percent tax on every dollar they exceed next season’s $195MM limit. By extending Bumgarner, the Giants would put themselves in position to incur more taxes. Fortunately for San Francisco, a new deal for Bumgarner isn’t necessarily urgent. The 27-year-old is under control at a palatable $35MM for three more years, including $12MM team options for 2018 and ’19.

More from the NL:

  • The Cardinals entered free agency intent on signing center fielder Dexter Fowler, general manager John Mozeliak revealed after the team inked him to a five-year, $82.5MM deal Friday. “From day one, this was always someone we were hoping to sign,” Mozeliak said (via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “We wanted to address athleticism. We wanted to address someone who could hit at the top of the order if possible to allow us flexibility with (Matt) Carpenter. And we were also looking to find someone extremely competent on the basepaths. But Mr. Fowler is more than that.” Mozeliak, who just met Fowler face to face for the first time Thursday, also lauded his “infectious” personality and leadership abilities. “I don’t want to overplay this but when you think about his personality and the energy he brings, it was very evident at dinner,” added Mozeliak. “It really just reinforced what we were trying to do, that this was the right person for us.”
  • Mets manager Terry Collins wanted Michael Conforto to play winter ball this offseason, but the outfielder’s representatives “weren’t enthused,” tweets Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. Conforto’s camp balked at the idea because of the significant financial ramifications that would have come had he suffered a major injury. The 23-year-old isn’t under contract for the long haul (or even next season), so he doesn’t have future guaranteed money due from the Mets. That isn’t the case for teammate and fellow outfielder Juan Lagares, who’s playing winter ball two seasons into a five-year extension. Lagares, who suffered a minor injury to his throwing shoulder Saturday, has at least $20.5MM coming his way over the rest of his contract.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/11/16

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Twins have brought back minor league catcher Dan Rohlfing, as he announced and Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press confirmed (Twitter links). Rohlfing originally joined Minnesota in the 14th round of the 2007 draft and remained with the organization until it traded him to the Mets in April 2015. After a yearlong stint in the Mets’ system, he spent most of last season with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate and slashed .289/.331/.474 with five home runs in 149 plate appearances. In all, the 27-year-old has batted .244/.316/.338 across 10 minor league seasons and 2,189 PAs.

Trade/FA Rumblings: Rays, Indians, Pirates, Ortiz

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The Rays want “massive returns” for their on-the-block starting pitchers – which, in Chris Archer’s case, could mean more than the White Sox received from Boston for Chris Sale – reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Archer, 28, hasn’t been as effective as Sale, though he does come with five controllable years at a combined $38.5MM (Sale has three years of control at $38MM). Given their asking price, odds are that the Rays won’t trade Archer, writes Topkin, who adds that fellow right-hander Jake Odorizzi is also unlikely to go anywhere. Tampa Bay isn’t as attached to Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb or Erasmo Ramirez, meaning any of the three could end up on the move in the right deal.

Now for the latest on a few players who aren’t under contract for 2017:

  • The Indians weren’t able to reach an agreement to re-sign free agent first baseman/designated hitter Mike Napoli when they met Monday, but the two sides continue to maintain dialogue, team president Chris Antonetti told MLB Network Radio on Sunday (Twitter link). Cleveland is also in touch with other first base/DH types, though Antonetti didn’t specify which players are on the club’s radar. Reports over the past week have linked free agents Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo, Chris Carter and Adam Lind to the Tribe.
  • The Pirates “are still engaged” with free agent right-hander Ivan Nova’s camp, general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday (Twitter link via Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). There hasn’t been much chatter of late regarding Nova, who joined the Pirates in an Aug. 1 trade with the Yankees and subsequently posted a 3.06 ERA, 7.29 K/9 and .42 BB/9 in 64 2/3 innings to boost his stock entering free agency. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is arguably the best starter remaining in a thin class that has lost Rich Hill, Jeremy Hellickson and Bartolo Colon, among others, over the past few weeks.
  • The idea of former Red Sox DH David Ortiz postponing his retirement is mostly wishful thinking, it seems. Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald informed MLB Network Radio on Sunday that Ortiz’s mind is made up there’s “zero chance” barring an unexpected change of heart from the 41-year-old Ortiz (Twitter link). Ortiz has already filed his retirement paperwork, Drellich points out, and the process of reversing course is both cumbersome and uncommon.

Nationals Notes: Espinosa, Turner, Jansen, Strasburg

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Speaking to reporters Sunday, Nationals president/general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged that now-traded middle infielder Danny Espinosa would have been “frustrated” as a bench player. The executive downplayed the notion that sending Espinosa to the Angels on Saturday had anything to do with the 29-year-old’s reported discontent with a diminished role, however. According to Rizzo, he didn’t speak with either Espinosa or his agent after the team acquired outfielder Adam Eaton on Wednesday, and he added that the Espinosa deal had been in the works for a while. “I have no beef or problem with Danny Espinosa. Never have,” said Rizzo. “And I still consider him a good player that gave everything he had” (all Twitter links via Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, Chelsea Janes of the Post and Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com).

Here’s more on the reigning NL East champions:

  • Trea Turner’s emergence as a rookie last season was one of the factors that ultimately made Espinosa expendable, but the up-and-coming star didn’t expect the veteran to go anywhere. “Little surprised, he was a big part of us last year,” Turner told Zuckerman. “But I think that’s direction we’re heading after Eaton trade.” Turner’s a natural shortstop, though he saw action there in just two of 75 games in 2016 because of Espinosa’s presence. The 23-year-old is now set to move back to his typical position next season after mostly working in center field (45 games) and at second base (28 games) in 2016. “I think that’s where I’m most comfortable,” Turner said regarding shortstop. “I look forward to proving that I can play there at a high level” (Twitter links).
  • Washington is one of the teams in the race for the best pitcher remaining on the free agent market, closer Kenley Jansen, and Rizzo revealed Sunday that he and the longtime Dodger’s agent have stayed in touch throughout the offseason. Other options are under consideration, though, per Rizzo (Twitter link via Janes). Those options could perhaps include the White Sox’s David Robertson and the Rays’ Alex Colome – two closers whom the Nats have pursued via trade.
  • Right-hander Stephen Strasburg slider/cutter was his second-most-used pitch in 2016 (he threw it 17.1 percent of the time), tweets Jamal Collier of MLB.com. However, Strasburg will rely less on the pitch going forward because he believes it put too much stress on his arm during an injury-shortened campaign, he said Sunday. Strasburg inked a seven-year, $175MM extension in May, but he subsequently landed on the disabled list multiple times – once because of elbow soreness in late August. He then returned from his elbow ailment for one start, a Sept. 7 outing in which tossed 2 1/3 innings, before missing the rest of the season with a flexor mass strain. Fortunately, Strasburg expects to be fine for 2017 (Twitter links via Janes and Zuckerman).

Giants Sign Matt Reynolds To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have signed left-handed reliever Matt Reynolds to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). San Francisco previously designated Reynolds for assignment in late September.

A few months after the Diamondbacks released Reynolds last March, the Giants purchased his contract from Lancaster of the independent Atlantic League in June. He ended up throwing a combined 24 2/3 innings at three levels with the San Francisco organization in 2016, though only six of those frames came in the majors. Reynolds yielded five earned runs on seven hits and five walks during that limited sample of work.

Before joining the Giants, Reynolds totaled 167 innings with the Rockies and D-backs from 2010-15 and pitched to a 3.66 ERA with 8.57 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. Reynolds underwent Tommy John surgery in early 2014 and missed the entire season as a result. He has since tallied just 19 2/3 major league innings.

Pitcher News & Rumors: Red Sox, Marlins, Rockies, Mets, Tigers

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In addition to showing an unwillingness to take on Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz’s $13.5MM salary for next season, the Marlins weren’t open to dealing righty prospect Luis Castillo in trade talks, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Marlins previously traded Castillo to the Padres last July in the Andrew Cashner deal, but San Diego quickly returned the 23-year-old to Miami in exchange for the injured Colin Rea. Castillo, whom MLBpipeline.com ranks as the Marlins’ fifth-best prospect, spent most of last season at the High-A level and logged a 2.07 ERA, 6.96 K/9 and 1.38 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings.

More pitcher-related news:

  • While Colorado native Mark Melancon reportedly would have taken a slight discount to sign with the Rockies, they were never really in contention for the closer before he inked a four-year, $62MM deal with the Giants on Monday, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “They knew that we were interested, but I wouldn’t say we were at the front of the line,” said general manager Jeff Bridich.
  • The Mets have given closer Jeurys Familia permission to pitch in the Dominican Winter League with Gigantes del Cibao, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. Familia has a scheduled Thursday court hearing, at which his simple assault charge stemming from an Oct. 31 domestic violence arrest will likely be dropped. Even if that happens, commissioner Rob Manfred could still suspend Familia for some portion of next season.
  • The Tigers are listening to offers for relievers Justin Wilson and Shane Greene, but the former is the likelier of the two to move because he’s pricier and would bring back more in a trade, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Shipping out the left-handed Wilson would free up an estimated $2.7MM for Detroit, which acquired him from the Yankees for righties Chad Green and Luis Cessa last winter. In his first year with the Tigers, Wilson recorded a 4.14 ERA, 9.97 K/9, 2.61 BB/9 and 54.6 ground-ball rate in 58 2/3 innings. The right-handed Greene, also an ex-Yankee, will make close to the league minimum in 2017. He ended last season with a 5.82 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.28 BB/9 and 47.6 grounder rate across 60 1/3 frames.

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