AL West Notes: Furbush, Sogard, Guthrie, Rangers, Stassi
There’s growing concern among Mariners brass about the health of left-hander Charlie Furbush‘s shoulder, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Furbush’s 2015 season ended in July due to biceps tendinitis and a minor tear in his rotator cuff, and it was decided then that he would pursue a non-surgical rehab route. Now, however, he feels continued tightness in the shoulder the day after throwing sessions. Furbush will play catch on Tuesday, but manager Scott Servais voiced some concern about Furbush’s availability for Opening Day. Dutton reports that Mike Montgomery could be the beneficiary of the situation, as the out-of-options starter is being converted to a bullpen role and will vie for a relief job with the Mariners over the remainder of Spring Training.
Here’s more from the AL West…
- A numbers crunch on the Athletics‘ roster could leave versatile infielder Eric Sogard without a roster spot, as Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area writes. Sogard is the second-longest tenured member of the roster, but the addition of Chris Coghlan, whom the A’s plan to use all over the diamond in a Ben Zobrist type of role, makes it tougher to carry the defensively gifted Sogard. GM David Forst didn’t rule out a trade of some kind to alleviate a perceived roster logjam at the time of adding Coghlan, Stiglich notes, though Sogard also has minor league options remaining, so he could be sent down and begin the season at Triple-A.
- Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie can opt out of his minor league deal with the Rangers on March 28 if he’s not going to make the Opening Day roster, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. The veteran righty could be the “safe bet” to win the club’s fifth starter job right now, per Sullivan, although both A.J. Griffin and Cesar Ramos have looked sharp as well, he notes. Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Tepesch and Nick Martinez are all vying for the spot, too, as are righties Anthony Ranaudo and Phil Klein, though Sullivan notes that the latter two are at the back of the pack.
- Astros catcher Max Stassi flew to Houston yesterday to have an injury in to the hamate in his left wrist examined by a hand specialist, writes Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle. Stassi, who turns 25 tomorrow, entered Spring Training as the favorite to back up Jason Castro behind the plate, though this injury certainly clouds the likelihood of that scenario playing out. Manager A.J. Hinch voiced confidence in Alfredo Gonzalez, the lone alternative on Houston’s 40-man roster, as well as non-roster invitees Tyler Heineman and Roberto Pena, praising each catcher’s defensive abilities. Designated hitter Evan Gattis has plenty of experience at catcher as well, of course, but he got a late start to Spring Training due to surgery to repair a hernia.
Quick Hits: Chacin, Morneau, Wright, Fowler, Cardinals
Jhoulys Chacin has pitched well for the Braves in his Spring Training outings and, perhaps most importantly for the righty, his troublesome shoulder is feeling good. “When I signed, my mindset was just to come to Spring Training as strong as I could be and to just pitch the only way I know how to pitch….I just want to go through all of this year and the rest of my career with my shoulder strong,” Chacin tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. It would be a nice bargain for Atlanta if Chacin returned to the form he showed when he was a healthy and productive member of the Rockies staff, as Chacin is only signed to a minor league deal. Here’s some more from around baseball…
- “Nothing has materialized” for Justin Morneau this offseason, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes, though the veteran first baseman isn’t announcing his retirement. Morneau said in November that he was adamant about continuing his career after working to come back from concussion and neck issues, though those same injuries limited him to just 49 games in 2015. Health questions notwithstanding, Morneau did hit .316/.363/.487 with 20 homers in 732 PA over the last two seasons and he won the NL batting title in 2014, so it’s rather surprising that his market has been almost entirely quiet. The Indians were the only club known to have interest and they went with Mike Napoli instead due to Napoli’s right-handed bat. Morneau is the last member of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents still looking for a new team.
- Also from Cafardo, he notes that Red Sox right-hander Steven Wright is out of options and “a few teams are watching Wright’s camp with great anticipation.” Wright, a knuckleballer, could still make Boston’s big league roster as a reliever or possibly as the team’s fifth starter if Eduardo Rodriguez is not healthy to start the year.
- Dexter Fowler spoke to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com about the surprising turn of events that saw the outfielder re-sign with the Cubs. Despite media reports that had Fowler all but officially signed with the Orioles, Fowler said he and Baltimore “never really were close” to an agreement. “They wanted me to pay them what they said the draft choice I was costing them was valued at. They wanted me to pay them for the pick. So we said, OK, then give me an opt-out after one year, and they said that’s something they won’t do,” Fowler said. Casey Close, Fowler’s agent, also commented on the situation last month and had some harsh words for both the Orioles and the media.
- Also from Gammons, he notes that it isn’t the Cardinals‘ style to make rash moves, so the club is likely to be cautious in gauging their response to Jhonny Peralta‘s injury absence. St. Louis was linked to Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed earlier today, though Gammons thinks Arizona wouldn’t settle for anything less than a top minor leaguer like righty Luke Weaver (ranked by Baseball America as the Cards’ fourth-best prospect).
- Matthew Bowman is “more likely than not” to make the Cardinals‘ Opening Day roster as a reliever, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com writes. Bowman was plucked off of the Mets’ roster in December’s Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old has pitched mostly as a starter in his minor league career and it would be somewhat of a surprise to see him pass several veteran options to lock down a bullpen job. As a Rule 5 pick, of course, Bowman has to stay on the St. Louis 25-man roster all season or else be offered back to the Mets.
AL East Notes: Rays, Moncada, Jays, Sanchez
Here’s the latest from around the AL East…
- The Rays added several veterans to an already-crowded outfield and first base mix, leaving youngsters Mikie Mahtook and Richie Shaffer disappointed but understanding about probable Triple-A assignments, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. It’s not out of the question that a roster spot could open up in the event of an injury or a trade. The Rays have been rumored as a possible trade partner for teams looking for outfield help, and the club has been shopping first baseman James Loney for much of the winter.
- Yoan Moncada isn’t likely to be playing his natural second base position with the Red Sox as long as Dustin Pedroia is in Boston, but the Sox want to see Moncada prove himself defensively at his “base position” before shuffling him around the diamond, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes. Moncada made 23 errors in 71 A-level games at second last season, so there’s certainly still work to be done in that regard, though scouts have long felt Moncada has the athleticism to play third base or the outfield.
- Several players vying for spots on the Blue Jays roster are out of options, which the Toronto Sun’s Ken Fidlin feels could impact the team’s decisions for Opening Day. Of the four outfielders (Domonic Brown, Ezequiel Carrera, Darrell Ceciliani, Junior Lake) competing for a backup spot, for instance, Ceciliani is the only one with a minor league option remaining. The battle for the fifth starter’s job is similarly complicated since Aaron Sanchez, Gavin Floyd and Jesse Chavez are out of options while Drew Hutchison isn’t.
- The fifth starter competition is further complicated by the fact that Sanchez and Floyd both pitched well in Grapefruit League action today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes. The Jays would obviously love to see heralded prospect Sanchez in their rotation, though the team also knows it use Sanchez as a setup man since he thrived in the role last season. Alternatively, Sanchez could start while Chavez and Floyd go to the bullpen, as Chavez has swingman experience and relief work could be easier on Floyd’s arm given his injury history.
- Also from the AL East, MLBTR’s Zach Links spoke to Russell Martin about the catcher’s free agent experience last winter.
Finalized First Round Order For 2016 Draft
Ian Desmond was the last of the 20 free agents issued a qualifying offer to sign a contract, so with the compensation picks all settled, the selection order for first round of the 2016 amateur draft has now been finalized. Eleven of those QO free agents joined new teams, leading to quite a bit of shuffling from the original draft order set at the end of the regular season. MLB.com has the full order of all 40 rounds, and here is how the first round shakes out:
1. Phillies
2. Reds
3. Braves
4. Rockies
5. Brewers
6. Athletics
7. Marlins
8. Padres
9. Tigers
10. White Sox
11. Mariners
12. Red Sox
13. Rays
14. Indians
15. Twins
16. Angels
17. Astros
18. Yankees
19. Mets
20. Dodgers
21. Blue Jays
22. Pirates
23. Cardinals
COMPENSATION ROUND (bonus picks given to teams who issued qualifying offers to players who signed elsewhere; picks are allotted in inverse order of 2015 record)
24. Padres (for Justin Upton signing with the Tigers)
25. Padres (for Ian Kennedy signing with the Royals)
26. White Sox (for Jeff Samardzija signing with the Giants)
27. Orioles (for Wei-Yin Chen signing with the Marlins)
28. Nationals (for Jordan Zimmermann signing with the Tigers)
29. Nationals (for Ian Desmond signing with the Rangers)
30. Rangers (for Yovani Gallardo signing with the Orioles)
31. Mets (for Daniel Murphy signing with the Nationals)
32. Dodgers (for Zack Greinke signing with the Diamondbacks)
33. Cardinals (for John Lackey signing with the Cubs)
34. Cardinals (for Jason Heyward signing with the Cubs)
The compensation round is followed by the Competitive Balance A-Round, which isn’t yet set in stone since these picks can be traded. The Dodgers weren’t part of the competitive balance lottery but they’re guaranteed the 36th overall pick for failing to sign Kyle Funkhouser with the 35th pick of last year’s draft. Right now, the 35-41 picks are respectively owned by the Reds, Dodgers, A’s, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Braves and Pirates.
From the original draft order, the Diamondbacks (13th overall pick), Orioles (15), Nationals (18), Giants (19), Rangers (23), Royals (27) and Cubs (28) all surrendered their first-rounders to sign a free agent, though some of these teams recouped picks when their own QO free agents signed elsewhere. The Rangers, for instance, were undoubtedly more open to signing Desmond and giving up what was at the time the 19th overall pick since they already knew they had pick from Gallardo coming 11 slots later down the draft board.
Baltimore gave up the 14th overall pick for Gallardo, though the O’s also had an extra pick coming their way for Chen. They also could’ve been emboldened by their deep draft class overall — the Orioles have five picks in the #27-91 range of the draft, thanks to the Chen pick, their two regular selections, a Competitive Balance B-Round pick and the 69th overall pick as compensation for failing to sign Jonathan Hughes last year. The Orioles could’ve potentially had two more picks to add to this bounty via the QO, though they re-signed Chris Davis and Matt Wieters actually accepted his qualifying offer.
The Padres stand out as the most obvious beneficiaries of this year’s qualifying offer class. San Diego now owns three of the top 25 selections and (counting its top pick in the Competitive Balance B class), five of the top 71 picks. It represents a great opportunity for the Padres to reload their farm system after dealing so many prospects in the 2014-15 offseason. The Pads top pick was protected, so an argument could be made that the club surrendered a lower selection to land a QO player of their own, though it’s maybe not a surprise that San Diego showed caution after last winter’s buying spree didn’t result in much success on the field.
Of the teams with protected top-10 picks, only Detroit and Miami signed qualifying offer free agents. They had to give up second-rounders for signing Zimmermann and Chen, while the Tigers also had to surrender their third-round pick for signing Upton.
Mariners Release Gaby Sanchez
The Mariners have announced that first baseman Gaby Sanchez has been released. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with the M’s in January.
Sanchez owns an impressive .291/.382/.481 line over 714 career plate appearances against left-handed pitching, which made him a possible platoon candidate alongside the lefty-swinging Adam Lind. The Mariners, however, signed another righty bat in Korean first baseman Dae-Ho Lee a few weeks after inking Sanchez. Between Lee and former top prospect Jesus Montero also competing for the right-handed platoon role, the writing was on the wall for Sanchez when he didn’t produce much in limited spring action.
Sanchez has a .254/.332/.413 slash line and 61 homers over 2271 career PA with the Marlins and Pirates from 2008-14, highlighted by an All-Star game appearance in 2011. He spent 2015 in Japan with the Rakuten Golden Eagles, posting a .720 OPS over 232 PA.
NL East Notes: Jennings, Ozuna, Wright, Flores
The Marlins have filed a grievance over the $100K salary that the Nationals are allegedly paying former Miami GM/manager Dan Jennings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Jennings joined the Washington front office as a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo in January after being fired by Miami after the season. Jennings still had three years and $5.8MM remaining on his Marlins contract, including $1.5MM for 2016, and Miami owes Jennings the difference between that $1.5MM figure and his new salary for the 2016 season. The Marlins aren’t pleased about still being on the hook for $1.4MM and they claim their NL East rival is paying Jennings “well below a salary commensurate with his responsibilities,” Jackson writes.
Here’s some more from around the NL East…
- Marcell Ozuna is looking at 2016 as “a fresh start” and he’s happy to still be with the Marlins, the outfielder told Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald. Ozuna was widely assumed to be on his way out of Miami after a tough season and a reported personality clash with owner Jeffrey Loria, though a trade never came to fruition and he’s still slated to be the Marlins’ regular center fielder. Manager Don Mattingly noted that many players struggle to adjust in their second seasons in the bigs, and that “almost every club was calling us about [Ozuna]…because people see he’s that kind of talent.”
- Almost all of Wilmer Flores‘ spring action has come at third base, leading Newsday’s David Lennon to wonder if the Mets have even more concerns about David Wright‘s health. The veteran third baseman is scheduled to make his spring debut in a minor league game on Monday with an eye towards joining the Mets later in the week. The club was originally planning to limit Wright to around 130 games in order to manage his spinal stenosis, though Wright said last month that “you can’t have a plan” given the condition’s unpredictability. Flores has played only 27 games at third in the bigs and just one in the last two seasons, so the extra time could merely be the Mets’ way of getting him re-acclimated for an increased workload at the position. If Flores ends up spending more time than expected at third, Lennon notes, that will leave New York thin on backup options around the infield.
- In other NL East news from earlier today on MLBTR, the Mets are looking for a backup catcher and the Nationals have a June 15th deadline to decide on GM Mike Rizzo’s two-year contract option.
Nationals Have June 15 Deadline On Mike Rizzo’s Two-Year Contract Option
The Nationals’ club option on GM/president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo actually covers both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and the team has a June 15 deadline to decide whether or not to exercise its two-year option and keep Rizzo in the fold, The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga reports. Svrluga reported in November that the Nats held options on Rizzo’s services for both 2017 and 2018 (the GM was previously thought to only have a 2017 option), though with the news that both options have to be picked up at once, it creates an interesting new wrinkle in the Nationals’ eventual decision.
It’s fairly unusual to see a two-year option, though as that second Svrluga link illustrates, Nationals upper management tends to approach decisions different than most ownership groups (with no small amount of controversy involved). Still, when Rizzo signed his contract extension in August 2013, all signs pointed to Rizzo remaining atop Washington’s baseball ops pyramid for years to come. It was only a year ago that Rizzo seemed to have as much job security as any executive in baseball — the Nats were coming off two postseason appearances in three years and were seen as World Series favorites for 2015.
Unfortunately for both Rizzo and the Nationals, they finished with just a 83-79 record in a season marred by injuries to key stars, down seasons by regulars and the ugly dugout choking incident between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper. Manager Matt Williams was fired and replaced by Dusty Baker, though that hiring wasn’t without its own bit of drama since the Nats previously seemed ready to hire Bud Black before he rejected a lowball contract offer.
While Rizzo kept his job for 2016, “his situation can be considered tenuous,” Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post wrote in November. It’s fair to say that Rizzo was already facing pressure heading into the last guaranteed year of his contract, though this deadline set just two and a half months into the season adds a few more degrees to his hot seat. If the Nats get off to a slow start, that could be enough for ownership to decide that a front office shakeup is necessary rather than make another two-year commitment to Rizzo on June 15. It’s also possible, Svrluga opines, that Rizzo and the team could re-negotiate a new contract this spring. Svrluga doubts the Nats would simply let the June 15 deadline pass and allow Rizzo to be a lame duck for the rest of the season, as that would be an awkward situation for all parties.
Russell Martin Reflects On Last Year’s Free Agency Process
Russell Martin could have gone just about anywhere last offseason, but when all was said and done, he went home. The Toronto-born catcher inked a lucrative five-year, $82MM contract with the Blue Jays, turning down a field of suitors headlined by two large market teams. As one of the winter’s top prizes on the open market, Martin says that he was at ease knowing that he would wind up with a quality contract from a desirable team. 
“It wasn’t stressful or anything. [Free agency] has never really been a stressful process for me,” Martin told MLBTR at the Blue Jays’ Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Florida. “I don’t have any kids or anything like that. I don’t have any family, so there’s nothing for me to answer to. The ability for me to play at home, for the team I grew up cheering for, that always had a good ring to it for me. The other options were [the Dodgers] and the Cubs, and those are really good places to play, so it was all positive for me. I really enjoyed the process this time.”
In addition to the Dodgers and Cubs, the Pirates made an effort to retain the catcher and the Mariners also got into the mix. For some, free agency is nerve-wracking, but Martin had no reason to get worked up given that several teams were anxious to give him eight figures per year. Martin was, perhaps, less plugged into talks than your average player on the open market, telling MLBTR that he only instructed his agent to reach out to him when there were major developments.
At this stage, Martin is obviously settled in and well-acclimated with his Blue Jays club. Last spring, Martin’s No. 1 task was to get acquainted with a completely new set of pitchers. This spring, the Blue Jays have a few new arms (including J.A. Happ) but Martin was happy not to have to start from scratch.
“Things are easier this year because I had a whole new pitching staff when I first got here. This year, I only had to focus on a few guys instead of like 20 guys. This year is a lot easier and things are a lot smoother. I can spend time with the new guys but still continue to build relationships with the guys that were here last year,” Martin explained.
Thanks to his long-term pact with Toronto, Martin shouldn’t have to think about the prospect of free agency again until after the 2019 season, at the earliest.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:
- MLBTR caught up with Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada in the Blue Jays’ Spring Training clubhouse. In a one-on-one chat, Estrada opened up about his offseason negotiations with Toronto, which culminated with a two-year deal. “We tried to get a third or fourth year. I don’t think it was ever going to be close on their part. Obviously, I tried. I wanted less money for more years, but they didn’t want to do it. It’s fine. I like the deal I got now. I guess the AAV went up and it was only two years but, it’s good, you know, I can’t complain,” Estrada said.
- In Clearwater, Florida, Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson spoke about the November trade that brought him to Philly. Within the chat with MLBTR, Hellickson confessed that it’s a little awkward being one of the rotation’s “veterans” at 28 years of age. “It is a little bit weird being one of the veteran guys on this rotation,” said Hellickson. “It was kind of the same situation alst year [in Arizona] but the game is getting younger. There are guys getting called up at 21 or 22 years old. I don’t feel old at 28, but 28 is kind of old in this game right now.”
- C. Trent Rosencrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer joined host Jeff Todd on this week’s edition of the MLB Trade Rumors podcast to discuss the Reds’ offseason moves, their crop of young pitchers, and proper beard care. That last one might not be true. A new episode of the podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
- The Cardinals will be without Jhonny Peralta for an extended period of time and they’ll need to replace his production somehow. MLBTR’s Steve Adams took a detailed look at some potential replacements for the shortstop (?). The free agent market doesn’t have many exciting names left, but Steve pointed out several interesting players that could be available via trade.
- Charlie Wilmoth kicked off MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series with a look back on the moves made by the Reds.
- Steve, a native Minnesotan, penned a detailed review of the Twins’ offseason moves. The Twins’ deal of note, Steve writes, was a surprising one, as Minnesota won the bidding on first baseman Byung Ho Park.
- Many expected the Rockies to sell this offseason, but that’s not exactly how things played out. Jeff looked back on Colorado’s somewhat surprising winter.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes tipped his cap to White Sox GM Rick Hahn for an offseason in which the club improved its 2016 prospects without mortgaging its future.
- Steve reflected on the Indians’ offseason and the moves made by the club’s revamped front office. On the whole, Steve isn’t so sure that the Tribe did enough to build around the team’s terrific pitching.
- The Brewers aren’t positioned to be world-beaters in 2016, but they do have a promising future, as Charlie writes.
A’s Claim Andrew Triggs From Orioles
The Orioles announced that right-hander Andrew Triggs has been claimed off of release waivers by the A’s. Baltimore cut Triggs from the roster late last week to make room for the addition of Pedro Alvarez.
Triggs, 27 on Wednesday, is no stranger to trades, having gone from the Royals to the Orioles in a minor trade last April. In 2015, Triggs mowed down his Double-A competition, posting a 1.03 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. However, it remains to be seen whether he can enjoy similar success at a higher level. Triggs only has a cup of coffee in Triple-A on his resume with the rest of his experience coming at Double-A and lower levels.
The Orioles reportedly were hoping to re-sign Triggs on a minor league deal, but Oakland spoiled those plans.